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Japanese eSports prodigy becomes youngest-ever gold medalist at Asian Games

Master Blaster Sep 30, 2026
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That young, calm, and kind kid sure plays a mean Puyo Puyo.

The Asian Games, the biggest sporting competition this side of the globe, is currently being held in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. This year’s event is the first to include an eSports category as a full sport, including 11 games spread across 13 events, all played at the Aichi International Exhibition Center in the city of Tokoname.

On 26 September, the Puyo Puyo event wrapped up with Yuki Kurihara of Japan taking home the gold medal. As such, he has become the youngest-ever gold medalist in the history of the Asian Games.

Puyo Puyo is a puzzle game in which falling combinations of multicolored slime monsters fill the player’s screen. The player can clear their screen by matching slimes of the same color adjacent to each other. In competitive play, doing this will cause additional slimes to fall into the opponent’s screen, filling it up more quickly.

When four or more of the same-colored slimes are in direct contact with each other, they disappear, causing the slimes above them to fall down into the empty spaces. This mechanic allows players to create combos, in which after matching slimes, the slimes above will fall and make contact with other same-colored slimes, triggering another match in which they also disappear and the slimes above fall down once again. It requires a considerable amount of quick thinking and foresight to set up these chains.

▼ An example of competitive play: Note how both players try to avoid matching colors until the very end because they are setting up chains to attack each other with.

While an average player would be happy to get chains of around 5, Kurihara managed to get a 19-chain, the theoretical maximum possible in a standard version of the game, when he was 10 years old. Even during the knockout stage of the international competition, he pulled off an impressive 15-chain.

When a player’s screen is filled to the top with slimes, they lose the game, and their opponent gets a point. In the Asian Games semi-final and final rounds, the first to 10 points wins the match. Throughout the tournament, Kurihara only gave up four points, one in the group stages, one in the semi-final, and two in the final against Kang Dong-shin of South Korea.

▼ A news report on Kurihara’s victory

Despite his age and competing at such a high level, Kurihara remained calm… almost too calm. He later acknowledged this to reporters, saying: “I feel a little embarrassed to show my emotions… but the truth is I’m extremely happy.”

Readers of the news expressed in online comments that they were equally impressed with Kurihara’s conduct both in and out of the gaming chair.

“There’s no question he’s a great Puyo Puyo player, but I’m equally impressed with how intelligently he speaks. He can explain difficult concepts about the game in a way anyone can understand.”
“I was watching on YouTube and thought it was over for him, but then he pulled off a total reversal with a huge chain. It’s astonishing to see that kind of competitive mettle in an 11-year-old, and I had no idea Puyo Puyo was so exciting to watch.”
“I just hope he remembers to exercise and takes care of his eyes.”
“He played like a true veteran, keeping an eye on his opponent’s stack and mixing jabs with heavy blows.”
“His parents must be amazing to allow him to practice up to this level and not just forbid him from playing video games.”
“I personally don’t consider it a sport, but there’s no doubt that watching it as a competition creates a real sense of teamwork and fun.”
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for making it through a massive number of participants in the qualifiers to become the national player for Japan, and then the Asian champion.”

When asked what he plans to do in the future, Kurihara said that now that he’s become the ideal version of himself, he’s going to envision a new ideal to work towards. In the meantime, he plans to celebrate by buying some rough gemstones for his collection, taking a trip somewhere, and get an oyakodon chicken and egg rice bowl. And for his sake, I am so relieved that’s his preferred type of rice bowl.

Source: Sports Hochi, Yahoo! Japan News
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