Ryujehong

Early Gaming and First Esports Steps

Ryu Je-hong was born on September 5, 1991. His early gaming interests lay in arcade games, with Counter-Strike being the first PC game he played. The decision to pursue professional gaming came to him in seventh grade. By eighth grade, he was already competing, taking part in the World Cyber Games Korea qualifiers, his first tournament experience.

His official professional career began in 2010 when he joined the South Korean organization Lunatic-Hai as a Counter-Strike player. This early period established his foundation in competitive first-person shooters before he moved to new titles.

Success in Special Force 2 and Military Service

After Counter-Strike, Ryu transitioned to the game Special Force 2. He became part of the STX SouL team, which faced SK Telecom in the Special Force 2 Pro League Season 2 finals in September 2012. His team secured a decisive 3-0 victory to win the championship.

Following the shutdown of the Special Force 2 Pro League, Ryu played other first-person shooters before pausing his career in 2014 to begin his mandatory military service. He completed his service and was discharged on May 25, 2016. This date was significant as it came just one day after the global release of Overwatch, perfectly timing his return to the esports scene.

Building a Legacy in Overwatch Apex

Ryu returned to Lunatic-Hai in October 2016, now as a support player for their Overwatch division. The team competed in tournaments like China's APAC Premier 2016 and South Korea's Overwatch Apex Season 1. Although they did not win these events, Ryu's skill with the support hero Ana earned him widespread recognition as the world's best player on that character.

The breakthrough came in Apex Season 2. On April 8, 2017, Lunatic-Hai faced RunAway in a tense finals series. They emerged with a 4-3 victory, giving Ryu his first Apex title. For his performances throughout the season, he was named the Most Valuable Player.

His success continued into the next season. Lunatic-Hai reached the Apex Season 3 finals against KongDoo Panthera on July 29, 2017. In another closely contested match, they won 4-3, securing back-to-back championships. Ryu was again awarded the season's MVP title, confirming his status as the league's premier player. Later in Apex Season 4, Ryu missed the match where Lunatic-Hai beat Meta Athena to advance. He returned afterward, but the team's season ended with a loss to GC Busan in the second group stage.

Seoul Dynasty and the Overwatch League

In August 2017, Blizzard Entertainment announced that KSV Esports had signed Ryu and much of the Lunatic-Hai roster for their Seoul-based Overwatch League team, later named the Seoul Dynasty. Appointed team captain, Ryu played his first OWL regular season match on the league's opening day, January 10, 2018, contributing to a win over the Dallas Fuel.

The 2018 season presented challenges. The Dynasty chose to bench Ryu for a match against the London Spitfire on February 1, and the team lost 0-4. He was benched again on April 4 against the Los Angeles Valiant, resulting in another 0-4 loss. During this season, Ryu often played Zenyatta instead of Ana, and New York Excelsior's Bang 'JJonak' Sung-hyeon became widely seen as the league's top support player. In a strategic shift, Ryu even played the tank hero Winston in a match on May 4 against the Spitfire, a role he continued in for several subsequent matches despite not excelling at it. His influence was still recognized as he was selected as a starter for the 2018 OWL All-Star Game.

He maintained his All-Star status the following year, being named a starter for the 2019 All-Star Game as well. After the 2019 season concluded, Ryu entered free agency. Seoul Dynasty's COO Arnold Hur subsequently announced that the franchise had retired his number 14 jersey.

Short-Lived Vancouver Titans Chapter

On November 27, 2019, Ryu joined the Vancouver Titans for the 2020 Overwatch League season. Many observers expected him to share playing time with the team's primary support, Lee 'Twilight' Ju-seok, who had been an MVP nominee the previous year.

This move proved brief. After playing only four matches, the entire Titans roster was released by the organization on May 6, 2020, due to ongoing disputes between team management and the players. Reflecting on the experience that same day, Ryu stated his time with the Titans was 'life was hell for 25 days' and announced he would be taking a break from professional Overwatch competition.

Representing South Korea on the Global Stage

Ryu was a key member of the South Korean national team during its early Overwatch World Cup dominance. Selected for the first World Cup in 2016, Team South Korea advanced undefeated through the tournament. They faced Team Russia in the final on November 6, 2016, and won 4-0, claiming the title. This victory at one of Overwatch's first major international events was instrumental in establishing Ryu's global reputation.

He returned to the national team for the 2017 Overwatch World Cup. South Korea again reached the final, where they defeated Team Canada 4-1 on November 4, 2017. This win gave Ryu his second World Cup championship, reinforcing South Korea's position as the world's leading Overwatch nation at the time.

Move to Content Creation and Subsequent Suspension

Following his exit from professional play, Ryu transitioned to a career in content creation. On January 12, 2021, Gen.G, the parent group of his former team Seoul Dynasty, announced they had signed him as an Overwatch content creator.

This new role was quickly marred by controversy. Days after the announcement, during a live Twitch stream where he was co-streaming with a female streamer, Ryu made a series of sexist and offensive comments directed at her while apparently intoxicated. In response to the incident, Ryu issued two public apologies. On January 19, 2021, Gen.G announced the indefinite suspension of all his team-related activities.