The winners of the VALORANT Challengers Japan Season Finals will go on to represent Japan at VCT Ascension Pacific 2025, set to take place in Bangkok, Thailand.
JAPAN – The 2025 VALORANT Challengers Japan Season Finals kicks off today, running from August 6–7 online and concluding with an offline stage on August 23–24.
The final two days will be held in front of a live audience at Keikyo Arena TOKYO, where the champions will take home JP¥3,000,000 (~US$20,000) and secure a coveted slot to represent Japan at VCT Ascension Pacific 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The four qualified teams earned their spots based on Circuit Points accumulated over three Splits since January. RIDDLE ORDER tops the standings with 180 points, trailed closely by FENNEL with 170 points thanks in large part to their dominant 6-1 record in the most recent split. NOEZ FOXX follows with 145 points, with REJECT rounding out the lineup with 105 points.
The tournament will follow a best-of-three double-elimination format. In the opening round, RIDDLE will face REJECT, while FENNEL go up against NOEZ FOXX. The stakes get higher in the offline stage, where both the Lower Final and Grand Final will be played in a best-of-five format.
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RIDDLE ORDER enter the Season Finals still regarded as slight favorites, largely due to their dominant performances in Splits 1 and 2, where they dropped just a single match in a close series against Sengoku Gaming that went to overtime on the third map.
However, their form has dipped noticeably since the start of Split 3, plagued by poor team coordination, questionable individual decision-making and compositions. They were supposed to be Japan’s best hopes in Ascension.
Some might suggest RIDDLE were holding back strategies, having already secured a comfortable lead in Circuit Points. But their recent results tell a different story: a shocking loss to one of the weakest teams in Challengers JP in ZETA DIVISION Academy, a 0-2 defeat to the relatively unknown Premier squad Delight, and one-sided 2-1 losses to both NOEZ FOXX and FENNEL raise serious concerns. If they continue on this downward trajectory, RIDDLE’s ticket to Ascension could quickly slip out of reach, opening the door for other rising teams.
FENNEL sit just behind RIDDLE in Circuit Points while showing steady improvement throughout the season without making major roster changes. Souta “Aace” Ito has been a reliable force as the team’s primary duelist, leading the charge in the firepower department. Joining him is a familiar name, Yusuke “neth” Matsuda, currently on loan from Crazy Raccoon to bolster FENNEL’s campaign in Challengers Japan.
Yeom “eKo” Wang-ryong leads the charge for NOEZ FOXX, with the recent addition of “Xiaonuo” bringing further stability to the roster. They closed out Split 3 with an impressive 5-2 record, with their only losses coming against REJECT while fielding Daichi “Derialy” Doi and a surprise upset at the hands of ZETA DIVISION Academy.
REJECT feature a stacked lineup built around veteran star Ha “Sayaplayer” Jung-woo. The addition of Ascension 2023 finalist John “Yoshiii” Kawakami has added much-needed firepower, while rising talent “MeatPieN” has shown impressive consistency on Omen. With Lim “L0B” Byung-gun and Hiroki “hiroronn” Yanai bringing in bits of experience, the squad managed to edge out QT DIG (formerly Sengoku Gaming) to secure a spot in the top four for the Season Finals.
Though REJECT’s Stage 3 campaign started with a brutal 13-0 loss on Lotus to RIDDLE ORDER, they have bounced back since, and will be hoping that result remains a one-off.
Japan has consistently been part of the Ascension title conversation. In 2023, SCARZ reached the grand finals before falling short to the dominant Bleed Esports, while in 2024, RIDDLE ORDER secured a top-four finish, only losing to hometown favorites and eventual finalists BOOM Esports.
VALORANT Challengers Japan Season Finals schedule (time in GMT+8):
Wednesday, August 6
15:00 – RIDDLE ORDER vs. REJECT
18:00 – FENNEL vs. NOEZ FOXX
Thursday, August 7
15:00 – Lower Round 1
18:00 – Upper Final
Saturday, August 23
Sunday, August 24
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Cover photo courtesy of Challengers JP
AloJapan.com