Arslan Ash reveals why he feels like his time as a Tekken pro is running out

I caught up with Arslan Ash during EVO 2024, and he explained why he feels like the pressure is on for him to win the tournament. He’s been getting better and better since Tekken 8 came out, partially because he’s trying to compete while he can.

Since he first won EVO Japan in 2019, a lot has changed. With 4 EVO titles under his belt, an unmatched legacy in Tekken 7, and now being a father, Arslan has much to fight for.

With a legacy to defend and a family to provide for, the shining star of Pakistani Tekken has a lot to prove in Tekken 8. And, according to him, he’s only got so long to put himself back on top of the world.

Arslan’s cementing his Tekken legacy while he still can

When I last talked to Arslan a few months ago, he felt a bit lost with Tekken 8. He was noticeably distraught when I asked him about the state of the game and how he’s adjusting to it compared to Tekken 7.

Here’s a snippet from what he told me earlier this year:

“Learning Tekken 8 is very hard. I’m losing a lot these days. I feel like a noob starting from scratch.”

Arslan’s tournament results at the beginning of Tekken 8’s life cycle weren’t encouraging. He was having a hard time finding the character that truly fit his playstyle and the meta, and he had gripes with things like character balance and how strong chip damage was.

However, his results have significantly improved since Tekken was updated. Between a third-place finish as the BAAZ Gauntlet, second place at Combo Breaker, and qualifying via Dreamhack, Arslan’s right back at the top of the pack as Tekken 8 finally began to click for him.

“The game is going in a very good direction,” he claimed. “In the beginning, I tweeted about a few things that needed to be nerfed or buffed, and that’s exactly what’s happening. The Heat Burst nerf, chip damage, some characters were really OP and they nerfed those characters. I really like the direction right now.”

Tekken 8

Arslan mainly played Azucena when Tekken 8 came out, but he swapped characters after she received a few nerfs.

Arslan is one of few Tekken pros who swaps characters with the meta and plays what he thinks is good. He’s willing to pick up someone new at the drop of a hat if he thinks it’ll give him the best chance of winning. There are a few others, like Doujin, Knee, and Shadow20z, who are willing to jump from character to character, but cases like these are rare.

It’s clear that it isn’t necessary to swap characters to win, but Arslan feels like his ability to roll with what patches throw at him makes him stand out.

“I think it’s a difficult question, but… You need practice. A player like me, I used to play multiple characters. A player like me, even when I was playing Tekken 7, I used to play a lot of different characters. For me, it’s so easy to adapt.

“But, I have seen some players who learn the game with one character, and they get famous and start winning with the same guy, too. But if their character gets nerfed, then it’s hard for them. They can’t just switch like me or Knee or some other players. [Swapping] is a difficult thing to do, but I also think it’s very important.”

It’s a good thing that Arslan is more comfortable with Tekken 8 now because he’s got the pressure of everything else bearing down on him. He feels his success in Tekken 7 has set the expectation that he should win everything.

“When I get third place, people start saying, ‘Oh, Arslan is washed.’ Like, why? I got third place. And then, when I got second place [at Combo Breaker], it was like ‘Oh, Arslan is not winning, blah blah blah,’ but I think it’s because I just set the benchmark very high. So people just want me to win, win, win. Nothing less than that. So… yeah. I don’t know. It’s hard. It’s hard to keep winning every time.”

On top of that stress, Arslan also has a family now—a family he has to leave behind as he travels the world for work. This makes it that much more important that he wins events and stays at the top of his game.

“A lot of people globally, and a lot of gamers in Japan and Korea when I talk to them, think that, like, if you get married, you cannot be a professional player. That we won’t have enough time to play video games. I disagree with them, I disagree with all of them. I feel like it’s more about having an understanding with your partner,” he explained.

“I think my partner is very understanding. And she just understands my game. It does affect us, but it’s for our betterment I believe.”

This point is especially pertinent considering Arslan already feels like the clock is ticking on his chances of winning majors. He only feels like he has so long to keep competing at his peak.

“Sometimes, when I keep playing too much of the game, I feel like I’m burning out. But then I think of my family and my future, and I think of the fact that I have a very short life left. In the life of an esports player, if they want to win, if they want to be on the top? It’s very small,” Arslan lamented.

“You can be a legend, you can keep playing until you die, you can become a streamer. We have very good examples like Justin Wong. He’s not competing, but he’s more into commentating and other things. So you can become like that. But, if you want to keep winning, you have a very short period of time. I just keep thinking of that. Like, I don’t have plenty of time left for me. I just want to keep winning and keep playing.”

So, I asked what age he felt like he’d make it to.

“Hmmm… I don’t know. There’s not a right answer, but maybe 35? 36?” Arslan is currently 28 years old, so he’s got a while before he gets to that point.

Arslan has since won the EVO 2024 title, giving him his fifth EVO win and making him inarguably one of the greatest Tekken players of all time.