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Xiaohai
Personal information
Name曾卓君
(Zeng Zhuojun)
Born (1989-04-26) 26 April 1989 (age 36)
Guangdong, China
Career information
Games
Playing career2007–present
Team history
2024–presentKuaiShou Gaming[citation needed]
Career highlights and awards
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese曾卓君
Simplified Chinese曾卓君
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinCéng Zhuójūn
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingzang1 coek3 gwan1

Zeng Zhuojun, better known as Xiaohai or Xiao Hai depending on Pinyin conversion, or 小孩曾卓君 (Chinese: 曾卓君; pinyin: Céng Zhuójūn; Jyutping: Zang1 Coek3 Gwan1); born April 26, 1989) is an e-sports player and DouYu gaming streamer from China competing in the fighting game genre. He is widely considered one of the greatest fighting game players of all time, winning total prize money worth around 500,000.00-600,000.00 USD, with half of the wins coming from only one tournament win in Street Fighter 6, which set an e-sports record.[1][2][3][4] This includes being deemed by acclamation, as the greatest or most successful player in The King of Fighters (KOF) in history.[5][6][7][8] He is one of the few players who have won the Evolution Championship Series four times in the main tourney, and once at the side event in Evo Japan 2025 for the official SNK-sponsored Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. He also won at the 2007 Super Battle Opera for The King of Fighters '98.

Early life

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Zeng was born on April 26, 1989 in the province of Guangdong, China and grew up in the city of Guangzhou. He took an interest in fighting games at the early age of 6 after a visit to the Guangzhou arcades with his father, and started to seriously compete after that. He won his first tournament in Hangzhou at the age of 10 playing The King of Fighters, then won another tournament in Guangzhou at the age of 12. By age 18, he joined the Super Battle Opera tournament in Japan, which was his first major international tournament, and won in his debut for The King of Fighters '98.

Professional career

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After winning the Super Battle Opera, Xiaohai began competing in tournaments in the United States and around the world. He won his first EVO tournament in 2014 at the age of 25 for The King of Fighters XIII, which he has called his favorite game. He gradually emerged as a notable player in Street Fighter since Street Fighter IV and was labeled as one of its best bets for winning major tournaments by ESPN.[9][10]

After his fourth EVO championship victory in KOF and simultaneous ninth place finish in Street Fighter 6 at the Evo 2023, Xiao Hai completely narrowed down his focus into Street Fighter 6 in preparation for the first major Street Fighter World Cup for the title in 2024. There, he convincingly beat Dual Kevin and Zhen in the First Phase, then eliminated Problem X and NoahTheProdigy from competition before moving into the Final Phase. At the final phase, he beat Hikaru in a nail-biter set to advance the tournament finals, where he won against the Japanese player Kawano.[8]

After Xiaohai won the top prize at the inaugural Street Fighter World Cup, which featured the second highest prize money in history, he became only the second millionaire e-sports player in the Street Fighter franchise after fellow Chinese player Uma won 1 million USD in the same year at the Capcom Cup.[11][12]

Honors

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Xiaohai was inducted into the Esports Hall of Fame in China.[citation needed]

Public image

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Xiaohai won tournaments at a young age against older competitors, hence the player ID "Xiaohai" was adopted, which means "child" in Chinese. Xiaohai is well known for competing in tournaments with only one hand, his left hand, on the arcade controller.[13] He is known for his neutral game, and for opening the door to more Asian competitors in fighting games.[14] Gamer Justin Wong has gone on to say that his biggest one-sided defeat was in a match in The King of Fighters XV against Xiaohai in 2025.[13] Xiaohai mainly plays on the QANBA-sponsored controller for his tournaments.[15]

He is widely considered the greatest player of all time in The King of Fighters, and one of the top fighting game players in different games.[16][13][17]

Personal life

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Xiaohai maintains his residency in Shanghai, China.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Top 100 Fighting Game Players". 10 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Was the Esports World Cup 2024 a viewership success?". 27 August 2024.
  3. ^ A Street Fighter Player Won $300,000! on YouTube
  4. ^ "Esports World Cup champion shares tear-filled message after winning $300,000 in Street Fighter 6, quashes beef with Evo champ: Xiao Hai's now won huge Street Fighter and King of Fighters majors within one month of each other". 12 August 2024.
  5. ^ Pather, Noah (22 July 2024). "Xiaohai reigns supreme as the King of Fighters XV Champion at EVO 2024".
  6. ^ "Hyper X DE - Xiaohai". Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  7. ^ Guerrero, John (12 July 2017). "'Who's going to stop me? You?' Xiao Hai confidently boasts 'obvious' King of Fighters 14 win at EVO 2017, Hellpockets responds in kind".
  8. ^ a b "Xiao Hai fights his way to the top of the EWC: Street Fighter 6 Tournament".
  9. ^ Lee, Timothy (17 October 2016). "Xiao Hai conquers the field at the SoCal Regionals". ESPN.
  10. ^ "Xiao Hai brings momentum to Brooklyn Beatdown finals". 2 October 2016.
  11. ^ Lairmore, Derek (12 August 2024). "Xiaohai Wins the Esports World Cup, Becoming the Second Street Fighter 6 Millionaire".
  12. ^ Howard, Norris (26 February 2024). "Taiwan's Uma Wins Capcom Cup And $1 Million".
  13. ^ a b c I NEVER LOST THIS BAD IN MY LIFE... on YouTube
  14. ^ [KOFXV] What has changed in KOFXV? on YouTube
  15. ^ "Xiaohai-saikyo". Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Esports World Cup champion reveals his current top 5 best Street Fighter 6 competitor picks". 18 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Xiaohai Dash Fight". Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  18. ^ "KSG Xiaohai". 12 January 2025.
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