RWDY | Nori is known to many through his The Way of the Blade series or through Rowdy Fighters activities and tournaments. And today, you can get to know him even better!

Twitter: @RWDYNori
Twitch: RWDYNori
Youtube: RWDYNori
Birth Year: 1983
Country: USA

If you had to introduce yourself in three sentences to some SoulCalibur player who didn’t know you, what would you say?

I’m an old school soul calibur player who started in the arcades playing Soul Calibur 2 in between classes at college. I’ve been entering tournaments for years, won a few locals, traveled the country for SC2 all the way through SC6. I get more joy out of helping players grow than anything now.

What is the origin or meaning of your nickname?

Funny story. I literally in 2003 looked up “cool japanese names” and Nori came up. In my ignorance, didn’t realize there were multiple dialects in Japanese and ended up picking something that is commonly known as “rice”. It just stuck with me for years by the time I realized it lol(upraveno)

How did it happen that you ended up playing fighting games?

I always loved playing fighting games growing up. I waited hours on line to play Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, Soul Blade in the Arcade days. I ended up meeting the local scene in 2003 and got completely thrashed (I legit thought I was the best until I met these guys, not even close lol. I was a filthy casual). Been heavily addicted ever since. The FGC is such a big part of my life, when I got married 2 entire tables were just friends I met through tournaments/gaming.

Who do you main in SC6 and why?

I main Cervantes De Leon (say his name with your chest). I have always gravitated to him because there never felt like a situation that was hopeless with the character. Any game I lost, I knew I was outplayed and/or didn’t study the matchup like I should have. He has always had an excellent neutral and I thrive on whiff punishing. And if I can’t open you up that way, a very old fashioned throw/low/mid works as well. No matter what tier people placed him in, I always represented him and feel I’ve done a good job of showing how strong he can be.

What is your opinion regarding SC6?

It’s a great game overall and they had some good and bad ideas with it, like any fighting game. I love the movement as I am known to backdash a lot or sidestep. I love 3D fighters because of movement and don’t want to feel restricted.

If you could change one single thing about SC6 what would that be?

Though there are 3 major changes I’d like to see, I’ll answer one: Rollback netcode. I think it’s a major turnoff where you know you can truly react to something that shouldn’t require you to guess. Part of fighting games is having bad/good/excellent reactions and when it’s lagging, as is often the case.

What do you consider to be your greatest SC6 achievement and why?

I’m very proud to commentate Top 8 for Kumite in Texas 2019. I have never really commentated before and just jumped on. I’m also very proud of my Way of the Blade series (heavily inspired by KingJae’s Teach Me series in Tekken) where I ask a strong player to break down a character to help the community.

Please answer a single question that you were not asked but you would like to answer!

Not really a question, but more of a shoutout to my team Rowdy Fighters. It was founded by friends who met in college and we have grown in our ranks since. As a team we put in a LOT of work for the community, whether it’s Way of the Blade, hosting tournaments or our players voluntarily commentating because of the love of the game.

Thank you for the interview!