Japan's newest esports champ? A panda-loving grandma
Published on: Sun, Jul 20, 2025
By: Malay Mail Text Size: TOKYO: When 73-year-old Yoshie Murabe ( pic ) picked Panda as her fighter in a national Tekken 8 tournament, her reason was simple: she just likes pandas. What followed was far from simple — Murabe, a grandmother with zero gaming experience, powered through the competition to become Japan's newest esports champion.
Advertisement Murabe won hearts and headlines after clinching the top spot at the Amigo Club Cup Tekken 8 Finals, a tournament featuring players aged 60 to 90 from care homes across Japan. Hosted by the Care e-Sports Association, the event was livestreamed and quickly went viral, drawing praise from game streamers, voice actors and viewers nationwide. 'I was happy to win,' Murabe told Tokyo Weekender following her unexpected victory. Asked if anything about the experience was difficult, she replied without hesitation: 'There wasn't anything in particular I found difficult.' During her matches, her mind was clear: 'My only thought was to win.' The event marked a bold step for the Care e-Sports Association, which began in 2019 by hosting tournaments for traditional games like Shogi and Othello . During the Covid-19 pandemic, the group began exploring more modern titles, and this year introduced Tekken 8 to its roster. That move was driven in part by Shinpei Hama, the association's PR rep and a professional Tekken 8 player with Rox3Gaming. 'Some of the participants are living with dementia, but many really enjoyed the game,' Hama told Tokyo Weekender . 'As they chose characters, they seemed to get more attached to them. Some players practiced with passion, saying they wanted to win at least once.' Murabe was among them. Participants were given a month to prepare, and some dove deep — one even clocked in 60 matches in a single night. For Murabe, the experience of picking up a controller for the first time — and finding joy and success — was transformational. 'The response was bigger than anything we've done before,' said Hama. And it wasn't just about gameplay. Many seniors found emotional engagement, focus and confidence through gaming — even those living with cognitive decline. Murabe's story has become the face of a growing movement. As a grandmother competing in a world typically dominated by younger generations, she's proving that age is no barrier to having fun — or winning big. Hama hopes to expand the programme to include other accessible games like GeoGuessr , while continuing to host both modern and traditional tournaments. 'We've realised seniors are better at video games than we assumed,' he said. 'We want to try something that really breaks the mould.' - Malay Mail * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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