Arslan Siddique (Urdu: ارسلان صدیقی; born 20 August 1995), better known as Arslan Ash, is a Pakistani professional eSports player.

Arslan Ash
Siddique in 2019
Personal information
Nameارسلان صدیقی
(Arslan Siddique)
Born (1995-08-20) 20 August 1995 (age 28)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Career information
Games
Playing career2010–present
Team history
2018–2020vSlash eSports
2019–presentRed Bull eSports
2021–2023FATE eSports
2023–presentTwisted Minds
Career highlights and awards

Arslan is considered among the premier eSports athletes globally and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Tekken players of all time.[1] He is largely acknowledged for elevating the Pakistani Tekken scene to prominence in eSports. He holds the title of Quadruple EVO Champion, having emerged victorious in EVO 2019 and 2023, as well as EVO Japan 2019 and 2023.[2] He also won the Tekken World Tour Finals 2023.[3]

Personal life edit

Arslan was born in Lahore, Pakistan, on 20 August 1995.[4] In February of 2023, he got married to Anum Sohail. In November of 2023, his wife gave birth to a daughter, Anya Arslan.

Career edit

Arslan first major tournament win was in 2010, when he won the Tekken 6 Grand Masters Championship.[4]

Arslan won the Evo Japan 2019 championship[5] and Evo Championship Series 2019, making him the sole individual to achieve success in both tournaments at the time. Additionally, he also won the WePlay Ultimate Fighting League title for Tekken 7.[6] He was awarded the Best E-Player of 2019 by ESPN.[7]

He is the CEO 2021 champion. He won the 2022 Combo Breaker Tekken 7 tournament by defeating all ten of his opponents.[8]

He secured third in the Evolution Championship Series 2022 Tekken 7 competition.[9]

He won the Tekken 7 competition at Evo Japan 2023 after beating South Korea’s Meo-IL.[10]

In 2023, he represented Pakistan in the Tekken 7 Nations Cup, where his team emerged as the champions, defeating South Korea in the final and claiming the trophy as well as $500,000 in prize money.[11]

Arslan Ash won his fourth EVO title in Tekken 7 on 6 August 2023. He defeated Japanese player Akihiro "Ao" Abe in the grand final, 3-0. This is Ash's second time as the unified EVO champion, having won both EVO Japan and Las Vegas in the same year. He is the only player to have won four EVO titles in Tekken 7.[12]

By winning both the EVO titles and Tekken World Tour Finals in the same season, he became the first ever "Triple Crown" champion in competitive Tekken history.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ "Arslan Ash – Pakistani gamer is considered by many as the greatest Tekken player". 7 August 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Arslan Ash – Bringing the Pakistani Tekken Scene to Main Steam Attention". 8 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Pakistan's Arslan Ash bags Tekken World Tour Finals 2023 in US". 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Arslan Ash | Red Bull Athlete". Red Bull. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. ^ Luke Winkie (16 August 2019). "How an unknown 23-year-old from Pakistan became the talk of the esports world". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ "Arslan Ash: Tekken Ukraine by storm with a big win". Redbull. 15 April 2021.
  7. ^ "2019 ESPN Esports awards". ESPN. 19 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Combo Breaker 2022".
  9. ^ "Pakistan's Imran Khan, Arslan Ash secure podium finishes in Esports competition for Tekken". DAWN.COM. 8 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Pakistani gamer Arslan Ash wins Tekken 7 competition at EVO Japan 2023". DAWN.COM. 2 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Pakistan Tekken 7 Team Wins $500,000 At Nations Cup, Defeating South Korea". ProPakistani. 10 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Pakistan's Tekken star Arslan Ash becomes four-time EVO champion". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Arslan Ash claims Tekken World Tour Crown, cements GOAT status". www.bolnews.com. Retrieved 15 January 2024.