Uzi Out by Lauren Bergin.
When most people look for inspiration, they google motivational quotes, or watch movies like Forrest Gump or Coach Carter. When I look for inspiration, I look to esports, drawing power from the players who have battled their way to the top despite all adversity. Specifically, I cherish the words of my favourite League of Legends players: G2 Esports’ Luka ‘Perkz’ Perković, or Fnatic’s Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson. However, last week I watched my idols lament the retirement of their inspiration: Jian Zi-Hao, bot lane ADC for LPL’s Royal Never Give Up (RNG). The world knows him as Uzi.
The sheer volume of tweets that blew up my Twitter feed are proof of Uzi’s impact upon the League of Legends community and here, I am going to try and highlight some of the most important chapters in the Uzi story. In an attempt to somehow do justice in regards to what he meant and will continue to mean for fans like me, you and the whole League community.
Uzi exploded onto the League scene in October 2012 on the roster of Royal Club, with whom his rise as a prominent League player began. Renowned for his high-level technical skill, Uzi went on to appear in both the 2013 and 2014 World Finals and was undeniably a force to be reckoned with. Where he shone in particular, was his mastery of the highly complex champion Vayne and over his professional career he has accrued an impressive three pentakills, the most notable against Invictus Gaming in 2014. If that wasn’t enough, his overall professional win rate across the all of the ADC champion pool is well above 50%. Safe to say that if I went up against Uzi in a match, I’d do the upmost to remake the game.
Uzi was not just making headlines inside the League arena, but outside of it as well as he made a shock transfer to the Royal Club’s rivals OMG in 2015. This however ended in a disappointing split, which meant Uzi had to carry out short stints as he migrated from team to team, until the summer of 2016. It was then that he signed for RNG and found his true calling, establishing himself as one of the best ADCs in League of Legends, if not arguably the best. Kill after kill after kill, Uzi soon came to boast the most kills in professional League of Legends, a jaw-dropping 3,141 (only recently overtaken by Invictus Gaming’s Song ‘Rookie’ Eui-jin). But the overhauling of this record is neither here nor there, as Uzi established himself as an integral part of the League of Legends story, a titan in his community and one of the early pioneers in esports. Outside of League, he became one of China’s biggest esports stars and was the first professional esports player to partner with Nike.
With Uzi established on the squad, RNG began to rise to the top of the LPL, consistently making play-offs and appearing in finals both nationally and internationally. However, despite Uzi’s best efforts, a World Championship was never attained and the latter stages of his career were undoubtedly plagued by an ongoing shoulder injury. Uzi himself described his shoulder as having “had retired already” in an interview with Nike in 2019. As a result he has been benched for most of 2020 and it is this injury that prompted his decision to retire; effective immediately. An announcement that has triggered an outpour of sympathy and positivity from LoL communities far and wide. As a non-professional sportswoman with a history of game-changing injuries myself, I cannot imagine the personal anguish such an announcement would cause. With that being said however, Uzi’s legacy will live on and no injury will change the affection and admiration League fans have for him.
The outpour of respect and love Uzi’s announcement has received has been so inspiring to see. The League community has come together to celebrate Uzi’s contribution to competitive League of Legends, reminding us all that yes all League players are professional gamers but some of them are heroes of the culture. Uzi falls under that category. In a tweet from G2, Perkz thanks Uzi for “inspiring one mid-laner to play AD-carry”, while Fnatic’s Rekkles describes him as a “huge motivator for [his] growth as a player”. These are just two of the thousands of tweets that Uzi received from fans and fellow professionals as they attempted to pay homage and show gratitude to a living esports legend. However, one message will most certainly mean a bit more than the others, as League of Legends powerhouse, Faker, released a video on Weibo congratulating him on his career and expressing the enjoyment he had going up against him on the world stage. Faker went on to say that he was reluctant to believe the announcement was true and hopes Uzi’s fans continue to support him (FYI: we will). To see superstars supporting superstars cements the familial feel of the LoL community.
Oddly enough, Uzi’s announcement reminded me why I play, why I’m involved, and why I have an undying love for League. I want to thank you, Uzi, for inspiring both this little Scottish girl and fans and players alike all over the world and I think RNG summed Uzi up perfectly: an icon. Uzi, if you are reading this, we wish you all the best for the future, and just remember that “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” — although something tells me you’ll only get the best.
If the League could talk, it would say: you’re one of our own Uzi. Thank you.
#WinTogether
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