Arslan Ash-The Tekken GOAT has Bagged his 7th EVO Title

In a podcast with Junaid, Arslan shared a soul-wrenching moment when he told his mother about the final decision of playing Tekken and leaving studies. He told as she was listening, her face expressed shock but lips telling him to go with what he wants.

Arslan Ash Religion:

Arslan Ash is born into a Muslim family. He is a practical Muslim as evident from his Instagram where he continuously posts Muslim rituals and captions that mention Allah, the God in Islam.

Why Arslan Siddique is Known as Arslan Ash

Born as Arslan Siddique, he is known to the world as Arslan Ash. He once shared that the name “Ash” was inspired by a character he admired, and he chose it as his gaming identity instead of using his real surname.

Early Tekken Journey

Arslan’s tug with Tekken started in the gaming arcades of his neighborhood. Around 2000, he used to bring stools from his house to reach the arcade as he was too small for it. As the family didn’t have enough resources to cater to this unique passion of his, he used to steal ten rupees from his mother or sister or sometimes would loot his brother’s wallet.

The arcade culture in Pakistan is popular among children but it is not supported because parents deem it as a waste of time and money. Also, some associate it with the goon and mafia culture, so sending children to gaming arcades is seen as unethical and against decency.

It was around 2012 when Arslan emerged as a GOAT in his gaming arcade, becoming undefeatable. So, his friends took him to another neighboring arcade to compete with another player there. Arslan won and was seen as a big name among peers.

After conquering the local arcades, a friend suggested him to fight a so-called “undefeatable” player in Samanabad. After a faceoff, Arslan emerged victorious, strengthening his mark in the very local market. He then faced many local players from other cities like Faisalabad and Karachi, eventually overtaking the Pakistani Tekken scene.

In Karachi’s Atrium Mall, he played for the first time among an audience and was cheered for his massive talent that had been hidden till then.

E-sports in Pakistan:

E-sports do not have a shining scene in Pakistan; rather, they are seen as a waste of time and are connected to loss of sanity and vision along with other health disadvantages as it requires sitting in the same posture for a long time.

From 2012–2018, dreaming of competing internationally, he tested his reflexes in one arcade after another, competing non-stop—reaching a point where there was no one in the whole country to match his level. That was the extreme of being an underdog.

Arslan in International Gaming:

It was in 2018 when Arslan’s wish to compete internationally pushed him to do something out of the block. He gathered money from friends and one of his aunts. An old man from his neighborhood arcade went with him to pay his passport fee. 

Braun Strowman, a wrestler, says,

“People don’t succeed solely on their own. It is that person who offered you a lift to reach somewhere timely, someone who patted your shoulder on the subway seeing you stressed, or the one who offered you a lunch when you had nothing.“

The old man was that person for him. His first international trip was to Malaysia. Before landing in Malaysia, he went to Oman where he played and defeated players in a local tournament. In Malaysia, he lost because it was his first face-off with world-class players from Korea and Japan where the e-sports scene is bright and vivid.

Officially, he lost in Malaysia, but there a Dubai-based e-sports company, Vslash scouted him on a condition that if he gained a spot in the top 8, they would endorse him in the future. Unfortunately, he came at 9th, but fortunately the company still endorsed him with paid trips. Now, he was a player of the company and they would send him to different competitions. After burning all the financial boats, he wasn’t coming home all lost; he achieved something much greater.

Then, Vslash sent him to Dubai where he first met Knee, the GOAT of Tekken, in December 2018 in an OUG Tekken 7 tournament. It was an offline tournament held in UAE. For the first time in history, Knee was defeated by an underdog player hailing from a country with no background in e-sports.

For those who are new to Tekken and Knee: Tekken is a Japanese fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was an arcade game initially but has now been released for PCs in Tekken 7.

Bae Jae-min aka Knee is a Tekken player from South Korea. He has many titles in his arsenal. He is also the oldest player in Tekken history, aged 40 as of now.

Arslan’s Title-Grabbing Journey:

Arslan had never looked back since then. After defeating Knee in the OUG tournament, Arslan headed to 2019 EVO Las Vegas where he defeated Knee once again in a face-off.

As a Tekken fan, it was very overwhelming to see someone who excels at what the game is about. The jabs, the moves, and especially the blocking were awesome. Arslan’s years of practice were obvious whenever he moved his stick.

Arslan’s Experience of First Match:

After the match, Arslan told that he was very nervous during the match. His legs were shaking which made his stick visibly shaky. But the motivation to make his mother proud, as she let him chase his passion, compelled him to put in everything to plug in the holes this time. Also, sponsors would leave him if he lost this very significant face-off against the then-GOAT, Knee. Arslan said,

“My mother’s prayers are what make me different from other players.”

• The same year, Arslan won the 2019 EVO Japan against AK from the Philippines. He is the only player to win both Evolution matches in the same year. The commentator’s words were historical:

“This weekend a Tekken star was born, and his name is Arslan Ash.”

• He also won EVO Japan 2023 against Meo-IL from South Korea and also secured an EVO Las Vegas the same year by defeating Akihiro “Ao” Abe from Japan

• He also won the Tekken World Tour (TWT) 2023 against CBM from South Korea.

• Along with the rise of Arslan in the international community, many other Tekken players reached the mark of perfection internationally in Tekken. Among them was Atif Butt who competed with Arslan and lost to him in EVO Las Vegas 2024 and 2025.
• Arslan has won his 7 EVO title on 12 October 2025 in France. 

 

This was startling as Tekken competitions started from competitions between Japan, Korea and European countries. Up until 2019, Korea was dominating, then till 2023 it was still Pakistan vs Korea, and now it all came to Pakistan vs Pakistan.

Being a fan of Arslan Ash, I built a heartfelt connection to him through screen. This sometimes felt stronger than my cousins living out of the city and I always wondered about it. This is called a Parasocial Effect.

Arslan’s Gameplay:

According to my observation and knowledge, his gameplay is more strategical and psychological as he mostly uses female players. Many of his notable wins have been made by using Nina, Katarina, or Asuka. He used Kazumi for his win in EVO Japan 2019.

 He mentioned that since the beginning, he noticed that many players avoided girls because they wanted to play with heroes like Kazuya, Bryan or Jin etc. Also, they saw it as inferior to use a girl character. So, he scanned the game for what was unnoticed by most and which could lead him to victory. It was simple:

Choose a character that is not mostly used. Master its moves and swipe the other clean. He actually mastered his strategy. His blocks are insane and the combos within combos are an eye candy.

Tekken in Pakistan:

Pakistan has produced many notable players of Tekken and other fighting and strategic games. Atif Butt, Daud, The Jon, Farzeen, Hira Malik, Ahsan, Khan, and more.

⦁ Atif Butt has won TWT 2022, Tekken 8 CEO 2025, and IESF World Championship 2023 and has been a runner-up at EVO. He is famous in the community for his exceptional and aggressive style.

⦁ Hira Malik defeated Knee when he came to Pakistan in 2019 for his training for the Tekken World Tour.

⦁ Farzeen has been to many international stages, has been a World Cup finalist, and even won a championship in Qatar. He was 2nd place at Tekken 8 BAM in Australia and also secured 3rd place at Combo Breaker 2024.

While these players have risen from ashes like a phoenix, it’s a concern that none of their sponsors is a Pakistani company. They are mostly supported by Saudi companies like Falcons, Twisted Minds, and others like Red Bull. You can see their shirts.

Arslan’s Take on Pakistan Tekken Scene:

While we have never seen other Tekken players praising or boasting about their abilities, we have seen Arslan praising other players and talking about the raw talent of Pakistan in Tekken. He says that if given proper attention, Pakistan can lead the Fighting Game Community worldwide. Tekken is ruled by Pakistani players. Dota has, worth mentioning, Sumail who is also Pakistani.

He himself establishes regular boot camps for Tekken practices, but the apprehension is that it is not possible for a long time just by a single man’s pocket.

 Final Words:

He began with borrowed money, trembling hands, and nothing but belief.

He faced defeat, doubt, and giants who seemed untouchable.

But step by step — from Oman to Malaysia, from Dubai to EVO — he turned trials into triumphs.

Now, when Arslan Ash enters the arena, it’s no longer just Tekken being played.

It’s history unfolding — and Pakistan standing tall with him.