{"id":54982,"date":"2025-12-15T17:46:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=54982"},"modified":"2025-12-15T17:46:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:46:22","slug":"japanese-butt-controlled-fighting-game-gets-official-esports-tournament-not-a-single-button-press-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-butt-controlled-fighting-game-gets-official-esports-tournament-not-a-single-button-press-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese butt-controlled fighting game gets official esports tournament. \u201cNot a single button press needed\u201d\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Japanese developer KAYAC has announced that their 1v1 fighting game <strong>Ketsu Battler<\/strong> will be getting an official tournament, hosted by none other than the Cygames-sponsored esports event GBVS Cygames Cup 2026. The game&#8217;s publisher CoroCoro Comic proudly calls this the \u201cfirst-ever butt esports tournament in human history.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u3010\u4eca\u3053\u305d\u3001\u6700\u5f37\u3092\u30b1\u30c3\u3059\u308b\u6642\u2500\u2500\u2500\u2500\u3011<br>\u30b1\u30c4\u30d0\u30c8\u30e9\u30fc\u521d\u306e\u516c\u5f0f\u5927\u4f1a\u3001GBVS Cygames Cup 2026\u3067\u958b\u50ac\u30b1\u30c3\u5b9a\uff01\uff01<br><br>\u6700\u5927128\u540d\u53c2\u52a0\u53ef\u80fd\u3001\u4e0a\u4f4d\u30d7\u30ec\u30a4\u30e4\u30fc\u306b\u306f\u9ad8\u51fa\u306a\u304a\u305f\u304b\u76f4\u7b46\u30b5\u30a4\u30f3\u8272\u7d19\u3092\u8d08\u5448\uff01\uff01<br><br>\u30a8\u30f3\u30c8\u30ea\u30fc\u306f\u672c\u65e520\u6642\u3088\u308a\u5148\u7740\u3067\u52df\u96c6\u958b\u59cb\uff01\uff01\u300c\u521d\u4ee3\u6700\u5f37\u30b1\u30c4\u30d0\u30c8\u30e9\u30fc\u300d\u306e\u5ea7\u306b\u8f1d\u304f\u306e\u306f\u2026\u2026\u541b\u3060\uff01\uff01 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HmB7Jt5F90\">pic.twitter.com\/HmB7Jt5F90<\/a><\/p>&mdash; \u30b1\u30c4\u30d0\u30c8\u30e9\u30fc\u3010\u2462\u5dfb12\/26\u767a\u58f2!!\u3011 (@KetsuBattler) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KetsuBattler\/status\/1999289822746406953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ketsu Battler, which translates literally to \u201cButt Battler,\u201d is a viral 2D fighting game initially released in December 2024 for the Nintendo Switch. As the title implies, the game\u2019s biggest draw is that you don\u2019t have to use your hands to play it. Opposing characters (including samurai, ninjas and gorillas) clash in swordfights, but they face each other butt-to-butt, wielding their swords and lances using nothing but the grip of their &#8220;cheeks.\u201d Much like the controlled characters, players also have to use their actual butts in order to play. Ketsu Battler is played by affixing a Joy-Con to your butt and essentially twerking like mad \u2013 which translates into swings of your character&#8217;s sword.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u5de8\u5927\u5316\u3057\u305f\u30b4\u30ea\u30e9\u540c\u58eb\u304c\u5c3b\u3067\u6226\u3046\u3055\u307e\u3092\u898b\u3089\u308c\u308b\u30b2\u30fc\u30e0\u306f\u300c\u30b1\u30c4\u30d0\u30c8\u30e9\u30fc\u300d\u3060\u3051\uff01\uff01 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pC8gg1zvyd\">pic.twitter.com\/pC8gg1zvyd<\/a><\/p>&mdash; \u30b1\u30c4\u30d0\u30c8\u30e9\u30fc\u3010\u2462\u5dfb12\/26\u767a\u58f2!!\u3011 (@KetsuBattler) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KetsuBattler\/status\/1994280138503340221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 28, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But how did this butt-joke game make it into one of Japan\u2019s biggest domestic esports tournaments? According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/prtimes.jp\/main\/html\/rd\/p\/000000892.000014685.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a>, the staff running Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (GBVSR) were impressed to discover that Ketsu Battler\u2019s gameplay was \u201cdeeper and more intense\u201d than what they\u2019d imagined, growing captivated by the title. The tournament will be held on January 18, pitting up to 128 players against each other in a single-elimination, best-of-three format (with best-of-five matches for the top four). This might be one of the rare esports tournaments where it will be just as entertaining (if not more) to watch what\u2019s going on in real life than on-screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendo.com\/us\/store\/products\/ketsu-battler-switch\/?srsltid=AfmBOorlH8uN3Y02JDhqvB3Sa4S0lq9crivcSDr8ggqnSnM9J3W2Efx4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ketsu Battler<\/a> is available for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/bizarre-switch-2-bug-wrecks-balance-of-japanese-butt-controlled-fighting-game-devs-warn-of-overpowered-butt-specs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Bizarre Switch 2 bug wrecks balance of Japanese butt-controlled fighting game, devs warn of \u201coverpowered\u201d butt specs<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GBVS Cygames Cup 2026 will host the first-ever butt esports tournament in human history with its newly announced Ketsu Battler bracket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":54985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-54982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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