Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Kyohei “Ceros” Yoshida of the Japanese League of Legends pro team DetonatioN FocusMe (DFM) has retired as a professional player after spending nine years at the top of his game.
A beloved figure within the Japanese League of Legends community, and a consistently successful player for his team DFM with numerous achievements, Ceros is, without doubt, the face of the League of Legends Japan League (LJL). His dominance in local leagues and reliable appearances in several international tournaments provided inspiration to the next generation of young and rising Japanese players.
Looking back on his career, Ceros has won nearly every LJL split since his debut in 2013 and has appeared in several major tournaments such as the IEM Season 9 Singapore, Mid-Season Invitationals 2019, and, most notably, the World Championships of 2018, 2019, and 2021.
Although Ceros has now retired as a professional player, his involvement with DFM will endure as he becomes the new head coach for the LJL 2022 Spring Split.
His decision to stay with the team derives from his willingness to assist with the development of Japanese esports alongside his team, and the joy he feels when younger players absorb and improve from his advice.
However, DFM owner and CEO Nobuyuki Umezaki is undoubtedly the biggest reason for Ceros remaining with the team, as Umezaki was the reason Ceros was able to make a living playing the game he loves.
Following his retirement as a player, DFM announced that Lee “Yaharong” Chan-Ju from the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) team Fredit Brion is expected to fill the shoes of the legendary Ceros, adding more pressure on the young Korean player to succeed.
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