October 7–9 marks one of the largest tournaments ever for both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The Big House 6 will bring players from all over the world to Dearborn, MI for an incredible weekend of competition and camaraderie. Of the many countries showing up, Japan has some of the strongest odds at winning Smash 4, and could potentially fare well in Melee too. Read on to learn who and what you should look out for!
Melee
Rudolph 
gained notoriety last summer when he traveled to a series of large US tournaments. His trip culminated at The Big House 5, where he managed top 64 out of 1,300 entrants. Since then, he's won nearly every tournament he's attended, with his KSB 2016 loss to Masaya "VGBC | aMSa" Chikamoto being the only exception. It sure looks like all that travelling and training paid off for him. You can expect he'll be returning to The Big House series seeking vengeance and victory. is someone to be feared. He nearly made top 32 at EVO 2016, the largest Melee tournament to date, but unfortunately got double-eliminated by Colin "SS | Colbol" Green. There's little reason to think he couldn't have gone further with a different bracket. He holds the #1 spot on the now-defunct Kansai Battle Rankings. Unfortunately, his placings have been slightly lower than usual lately, so hopefully he shows up in top form.**EDIT:** Unfortunately, Kounotori informed us that he already cancelled.
Smash 4
DNG | Kamemushi recently got sponsored after a stellar series of summer tournaments. The flexible Mega Main can use practically any character, but is most at home shooting pellets and landing footstool combos. He was recently seen at Umebura 25, which he won undefeated, where he defeated Umebura S.A.T. champion KEN. He's aiming to finally win an international major, both for his sponsor and because it's the last thing he's yet to accomplish. The Big House 6 could be his tournament.Yuto “Abadango” Kawamura
also had a strong summer showing, but has yet to find a sponsor. It's hard to figure out why; his playstyle is flashy, smart and effective. He's made waves on the national stage using a number of unusual characters, and is largely responsible for spearheading a Mewtwo revolution. Though he found himself in losers' bracket early at Super Smash Con 2016, he still Shadow Clawed his way to 7th place. He can surely do even better if he finally figures out the Mewtwo ditto. hardly needs an introduction. He has an impressive number of Sumabato wins, and has proven a difficult foe for practically everyone else in Japan. However, his showings at US majors haven't been as strong as you might expect. Part of this can be attributed to poor seeding, but even so, other top Japanese players have been able to break through regardless. That being said, his 5th place finish at 2GGT: Abadango Saga suggests that this trend could be reversed soon.Ever since the early days of Brawl, Kie
has been making Peach look better than she actually is. He's appeared in the top 8 of tournaments all over Japan. His results are comparable to or better than RSZ | Umeki's, but unlike his fellow turnip-wielder, he hasn't yet tested his skills overseas. At The Big House, you'll probably get to see just how good Kie is. His main obstacle will be players who already possess a deep understanding of fighting Peach.Ri-ma
will make sure that competitors have more than just turnips to dodge. This Kyoto native already traveled all over Japan, and now he'll finally be coming to the US to compete at The Big House 6! Though not the most recognizable Toon Link player, he's very determined and has racked up wins on many of Japan's top players. Americans who aren't familiar with his playstyle could easily find themselves in a bad situation.As a resident of the island of Kyushu, FILIP
has to travel a ways for many large tournaments. This doesn't stop him from appearing frequently at mainland events. His tenacity has earned him several top 8 spots at Umebura. His Mario continues to improve, and his Cloud is looking pretty strong now too. At Shulla-bra VIII, the largest Kyushu Smash 4 tournament yet, FILIP made it all the way to 4th place.Nasubi
came very close to winning Hirosuma and Sumabato events, but was ultimately stopped cold by Bayonetta both times. You'd think, then, that his best results would have come post-1.1.6, but you'd be wrong. Despite a very strong showing in the beginning of 2016, Nasubi seems to have fallen off a bit. He hasn't done quite as well at recent Sumabatos, and also ended up underperforming at Super Smash Con 2016. However, when you looks at what he's capable of, it's hard to imagine his slump will continue indefinitely. Don't sleep on Nasubi at The Big House 6. is a long-time Smasher who first traveled stateside for Brawl at Apex 2014. He got off to a slow start in Smash 4, but his Fox has been getting better and better. He nearly made top 8 at KSB 2016, and now has two back-to-back top 8 finishes at Sumabato. In fact, 4th place at number 13 is a personal best for him. It's nice to see him returning to the US in top form, perhaps even his best form yet. He will, however, have stiff competition both from other top Fox players and from those who are preparing for a vulpine invasion.In addition to being a strong competitor, Lagnel
organizes the Hirosuma tournament series for the residents of Hiroshima. Though not as accomplished as some other players listed here, he is still quite formidable. His recent showings have ended just outside of top 8. To replicate them at a tournament with over 700 entrants will be quite the difficult feat. Even if he doesn't, he'll return home much stronger, hopefully able to crack into Japan's top echelon of players in the future.Competition
Though Japan's players are all very competitive, they won't have an easy time next weekend. The Big House 6 is remarkable for its ability to attract top players from all over the globe. Smashboards has already covered Canadian and European Smashers who are attending this incredible event. Stay tuned for coverage of Latin America's presence, and (of course) American favorites, in the coming week. You can also look forward to lots of other TBH 6-related content in the meantime.
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