Raphael "Zenith" Henrique is making his dream come true with a little help from fighting game legend Justin Wong.
Wong, a decades-long face in the fighting game community, is sponsoring players' trips to the Evolution Championship Series this weekend in Las Vegas.
The announcement was made earlier in July via Wong's YouTube channel, saying he'd take five players to Evo. Three were chosen via EFight Pass, an organization created by Sherry Nhan to help players from smaller regions to get their visa.
Zenith told ESPN he was chosen after sending a message explaining why he should be the one selected, presenting championship results and his relationship with the game.
Nahn helped him fill out the visa application form and sent the money to pay the fee, but initially there was no certain sponsorship for Evo.
"I did the interview, I took the visa, and when she left, I got in touch," Zenith said, 'and she said: 'We cannot afford to pay all the costs of the trip, but we can pay a part and help you promote your brand. You can make products, shirts, caps for sale.'"
The Brazilian was already planning what to sell when he received a call from Nhan saying a secret sponsor would pay for the cost of boarding and lodging for Evo. About four weeks later, it was revealed that it was Wong. Zenith was ecstatic.
"I was very happy. He is a legend; he is one of the greatest players in the world, plays several games and has already been champion in almost every one," Zenith said. "It is already amazing to go to Evo. It's a dream for anyone who competes in a fighting video game, and besides that I'm going sponsored by Justin Wong."
Zenith has been prepping for Evo ever since. He received "amazing support via Twitter" after the news came out, and his friends have been available at all hours to help him train.
In addition to being "lucky" to live in São Paulo, where most of the best Brazilian SFV players live, Zenith also took second at Fight in Rio, a good step in getting ready for Evo.
"I think my preparation is very good, and I hope I can test my level in Las Vegas before the Evo, too," he said.
Sherry Nhan and the EFight Pass
A Street Fighter player and competitor since 2009, Nhan has played in a number of tournaments and even participated in the Eleague: The Challenger, a reality show, but considers the success of the EFight Pass her greatest achievement.
"I had the idea at the end of last year, and I was worried that it would not work since getting a visa is a complicated process," she told ESPN Esports Brazil. "However, most of the players had the visa approved, so I would say that my biggest achievement was the successful launch of the initiative."
Nhan said the idea for the project came during trips to compete in tournaments in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. On her trip to Mexico, she met Sebastian "El Tigre" Aguilera, an accomplished Laura player, and asked why she had never seen him in U.S. competitions. The player replied that getting a visa was very expensive, and there is a lot of risk involved because the request can be denied and the money not returned.
The story proved true with Lenny "Crossover" Alexander Matos, a player from the Dominican Republic who qualified to represent Latin America in the 2018 Capcom Cup but was forced to give up the tournament because his visa was denied -- even with an official letter from Capcom. It was then that the EFight Pass initiative began.
The program launched last February, and its first benefactor was El Tigre himself, who got his visa and has already competed in DreamHack Dallas and Combo Breaker with the help of donations from the public. In May, the initiative announced the addition of Brazilians Zenith and Elton "HKDash" Carlos Bego, African Housseini "HSN" Sali, Mexican Ana "Anya" Riojas and Pakistani Arslan "Arslan Ash" Siddique.
Among them, Zenith, Anya and El Tigre were approved to go to the Evo. Arslan Ash was also approved a short time later.
Nhan explained that her partnership with Wong came from a casual conversation.
"As one of my closest friends, we always talk about future projects. He talked about the players he wanted to sponsor for Evo, and I got the idea of those being the EFight Pass players," she said. "All the support is coming directly from Justin and the EFight Pass. Justin got the tickets, and donations to the program covered the cost of lodging.
"The players I chose for my program are very skilled, so I hope they will do well at Evo. Arslan, one of our players in the EFight Pass of Pakistan, is a favorite to win [Tekken]."
The next steps of the program? Keep reaching and helping international players.
"As time goes on, new players will get attention, and I will do my best to get them a visa for the U.S.," she said.
El Tigre and Anya
El Tigre, 31, has been a fan of fighting games since he was a kid, starting with the Kingdom of Fighters series.
"I played from KOF '94 to the Marvel series," he said. "I did not have a console, so I went to the store every day to spend my coins."
Despite being considered one of the most promising names in Latin America and ranked first in the regional ranking in the Capcom Pro Tour, El Tigre said he does not feel like a professional player yet because he cannot make a living doing it.
"The EFight Pass is a push for our dream of competing with the best in the world. It's a big step for the community and for people who train hard in the game," El Tigre said. "Players from Africa and Latin America do not have an easy chance to play in the U.S., and the initiative helps us in this process.
"While it is not a guarantee that we will get the visa, the program helps us fill out the documents in the right way and get support for traveling."
In 2018, he finished third at Thunderstruck VI, an event in Mexico that he thinks back on with great affection. He competed against Victor "Punk" Woodley, widely seen as one of the best players in Street Fighter V at the time, during that event.
"The most special moment for me was last year at Thunderstruck when I was playing against him, and everyone was cheering for me," El Tigre said. "It was incredible."
Since getting the U.S. visa, the Mexico native has competed in Combo Breaker and DreamHack Dallas, finishing in the top 16 in the latter. In Latin America, El Tigre has also competed in The Fight 2019, which counts for the Capcom Pro Tour, and finished fifth.
Made it! Top 16 dreamhack! ������ pic.twitter.com/5UE7JQXE1S
- JWONG | EFP | ElTigre @EVO!!!! (@FGC_ElTigre) June 1, 2019
Regarding Evo, El Tigre remains grounded.
"My desire for every tournament is to win, but being realistic, for now, I'm looking for a top 32 at Evo," he said. "I know this is just a dream for a guy from Latin America because we cannot play video games for a living, but I have no regrets. I love the game and its community."
Anya, a Tekken player, also hopes to make the most of her Evo opportunity. Her passion for games began at the age of 2 with Tekken 2 for the PlayStation.
"I continued to play every game of Tekken during my life, but it was only in 2013 that I discovered the existing community in my country and that it was possible to compete and play LAN," she said. "My first tournament was the Marvelmania 2013 in Acapulco, Mexico."
Thanks to everyone who has helped me get this far. Thank you @KarenGCosplay for all your support. #Thunderstruck2018 #Tekken7Champ pic.twitter.com/MpqzHbmUqs
- JWONG | EFP | LZA Anya (@LZA_Anya) October 7, 2018
Anya's won the last two editions of Thunderstruck (2017 and 2018) in Tekken and she is one of a promising players in the competition. However, she does not consider herself a "natural" for fighting games.
"It's hard for me to understand and play some things that many people find simple to learn or adapt to," she said. "Tekken means a lot to me, and I put a lot of effort and time into learning the game."
The effort has paid off with a trip to Evo, one that might be another major moment in Anya's career.
"The first tournament I went to in 2013, when I realized that I did not know how to play that well. It was very difficult for me, but without it, I would not have acquired the skill I have today. And the second was competing in the Mexico Cup in 2017. That was the moment I realized that my skillset was good enough for me to have a good tournament. My mentality was the only thing in my way. Thanks to that, I made some adjustments and finally managed to win the Thunderstruck in the same year."
Like El Tigre, Anya considers EFight Pass an "incredible program" for exceptional players from smaller regions.
"It's a very noble cause because without EFight Pass and Sherry, we could not see these excellent players competing," Anya said. The event could also be another striking moment for her in the competitive gaming scene.