EVO 2025 has come to a close, and these are all the winners leaving Las Vegas with a trophy.
For fighting game fans, EVO is the most exciting time of the year. Thousands of competitors traveled to Las Vegas with dreams of winning the most competitive tournament on the calendar, but only a few walked away victorious. With the conclusion of Street Fighter 6 on August 3, 2025, the event officially ended with only a few developer announcements left.
For fans who couldn’t catch every single top eight, here are all the winners from EVO 2025 along with which character they used to win.
Saul “MenaRD” Mena II won Street Fighter 6 at EVO 2025, using Blanka to beat Kakeru 3-0 in the grand finals.
This event marks MenaRD’s second EVO champion in 2025 after winning EVO Japan in May. Fans expected a tough match, but MenaRD soundly swept the Capcom Cup 11 champion to earn the game’s most prestigious trophy.
Image Credit: Red Bull
Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique won Tekken 8 at EVO 2025, using Anna and Nina to beat Atif “Atif Butt” Ijaz 3-1 in the grand finals reset.
The finals started strong for Atif Butt, as he handily won the Anna mirror 3-0 to force a reset. For the final match, Arslan Ash chose to swap to Anna’s in-lore rival and sister Nina. He took a game to adjust, but Arslan ended his dominant run with a gentleman’s sweep to earn his sixth EVO title.
Image Credit: Red Bull
Goichi “GO1” Kishida won Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves at EVO 2025, using Kain to beat Lin “E.T.” Chia-hung 3-2 in the grand finals reset.
FGC members may mostly recognize GO1 for his prowess in Dragon Ball FighterZ, but the Japanese gamer showed his skills apply to more than just ArcSys games. This grand finals was a nailbiter, with Hokutomaru loyalist E.T. forcing a reset before a harrowing game five. After dealing with projectile pressure, an empowered Schwarze Flamme made GO1 the winner of City of the Wolves at EVO 2025.
Image Credit: Vexanie, EVO
Kshuewhatdamoo won Guilty Gear Strive at EVO 2025, using Johnny to beat RedDitto 3-0 in the grand finals reset.
Despite several high-profile players entering Strive at EVO 2025, the grand finals was between the two breakout players of the year. ARC Tour champion RedDitto swept the first match, but reigning CEO champ Kshue adjusted to deliver his own sweep back in the reset.
Image Credit: Carlton Beener, EVO
Mathieu “Kojicoco” Fardet won Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising at EVO 2025, using Beatrix to beat Brandon “Zane” Wanders 3-1 in the grand finals reset.
Despite falling to the lower bracket before top eight, Kojicoco crawled back to grand finals with two sets ahead of him. Staring down Zane’s Grimnir, Koji relied on clever anti-airs to force the reset and earn his first EVO championship.
Image Credit: @granblue_en
Ken “Khaos” Villalobos won Marvel vs. Capcom 2 at EVO 2025, using the Matrix team of Sentinel Storm Cyclopsto beat VIGGA 3-2 in the grand finals.
Veteran combo maestro Khaos has proven his mettle in tournament with his first EVO championship. The devotee dropped only three games in top eight, ending this year’s throwback tournament with a cathartic victory after narrowly avoiding a finals reset.
Image Credit: EVO
Defiant won Under Night In-Birth 2 [Sys:celes] at EVO 2025, using Hyde to beat Izayah “BigBlack” Davis 3-2 in the grand finals reset.
Defiant has added yet another Under Night trophy to his cabinet as the winner of EVO 2025. The finals was a rematch from the beginning of top eight where BigBlack defeated Defiant 2-1, prompting a lower bracket run from the favorite. After multiple close matches with a switch to Londrekia, he forced the grand finals reset and took revenge to claim his first EVO win and third championship of the year.
Image Credit: Boston Blue Beat
Dominique “SonicFox” McLean won Mortal Kombat 1 at EVO 2025, using Cyrax to beat Nicolás “Nicolas” Martínez3-2 in the grand finals.
Multi-game icon SonicFox has earned yet another EVO win in 2025. The relentless bomb pressure forced Nicolas to switch to Baraka, but the additional mix-up potential wasn’t enough to help on defense. After a flurry of Madame Bo assists, The Fox is now an eight-time winner at EVO.
Image Credit: SonicFox
