1v1 combat games have been a hit since way back when they first hit arcades in the 80s. Nowadays, they’re a big part of the e-sports scene, and Tekken is one of the most popular games out there. There’s this one dude, Joshua “Ghirlanda” Bianchi, who’s shown the world that if you put in the work, you can rise to the top.
Ghirlanda is a 31-year-old father who’s got not one, but two full-time jobs, plus a family to take care of. Despite all that, he still managed to dedicate two hours every night to practicing Tekken. And it paid off big time, because he made it to the top eight of the Tekken World Tour (TWT) Global Finals in 2022.
This guy’s journey to the top is straight-up inspiring. He didn’t have any sponsorships or support from any brands, but he still made it through the round-robin group stage. He even took down the reigning TWT champ, Yuta “Chikurin” Take from Japan, and unified EVO champ Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique from Pakistan.
Representing Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ghirlanda went up against players like the reigning EVO champ, Jae-Min “Knee” Bae from Korea. But he didn’t let that get him down. He kept at it with his mad skills and made it to the final bracket.
In the final bracket, Ghirlanda used Katarina to beat Arslan Ash’s Kunimitsu with a score of 2-0 in the Dragon’s Nest arena. He totally took advantage of the space and walls of the arena, bombarding his opponent with counter-attacks and combos, and trapping him with wall positioning.
For the second round, Pakistani rep Arslan Ash chose Infinite Azure 2, which eliminated the boundaries brought by the walls in Dragon’s Nest. But even with a wider stage, Ghirlanda still dominated with a sweet lower kick, finishing off the game in style.
Ghirlanda’s success story proves that hard work, dedication, and perseverance can take you to the top. It’s truly inspiring to see someone achieve their goals even with limited time. So, get your game on and follow in Ghirlanda’s footsteps!
