ZETA DIVISION and DetonatioN FocusMe represent Japan at VCT LOCK IN

The VCT 2023 - LOCK//IN event features a whopping 32 teams, with representatives from all corners of the world and their respective VCT International Leagues. This includes two Japanese teams who have been accepted into the VCT partnership program and take part in the VCT Pacific League. ZETA DIVISION and DetonatioN FocusMe are the Japanese teams at VCT LOCK//IN and they will be looking to cause as much trouble for the opposition and make their home country proud in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

To find out more about VCT 2023, make sure to check out our VCT Hub!

ZETA DIVISION seek victory following Masters Reykjavik wonder run

ZETA DIVISION is perhaps the most storied VALORANT organization in Japan. Formerly known as JUPITER, the organization has triumphed at First Strike Japan in 2020 and has won a plethora of local Japanese events that year. Furthermore, ZETA have been one of the two teams to dominate in terms of VCT performances as well as international appearances. Alongside Crazy Raccoon, the two teams saw a long-standing rivalry unfold over the course of the VCT. 2021 saw Crazy Raccoon take the VCT 2021 Japan Masters trophy over ZETA, as well as place higher at VCT 2021 Stage 3 Masters Berlin.

On the back of a poorer 2021 season, ZETA made some roster changes towards the end of the year to return stronger in 2022. Shota "SugarZ3ro" Watanabe, Tenta "ten" Asai, and Yuma "Dep" Hisamoto joined the roster in the beginning of December of 2021, complementing the long-standing duo of Kouji "Laz" Ushida and Maruoka "crow" Tomoaki.

The VCT 2022 season saw a much stronger ZETA DIVISION hit the stage. They managed to qualify for VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters Reykjavik and made a wonder run nobody expected, beating the likes of Fnatic, Team Liquid, or Paper Rex in the lower bracket of the playoffs. OpTic Gaming eventually defeated the raging Japanese squad in the Lower Bracket Final and went on to win the event. And yet, ZETA DIVISION’s run at the VALORANT event was the key talking point of the tournament. ZETA was also a part of VALORANT Champions 2022, but their run was halted by, again, the winners of the whole event LOUD.

To solidify the roster ahead of the VCT 2023 season, ZETA have signed a sixth-man—Ryo "barce" Takebayashi. The player formerly was a part of DetonatioN FocusMe and is a Controller main, accumulating a Rating of 1.03 over the course of the past year.

ZETA DIVISION will be facing Leviatán at VCT LOCK IN on February 23.

DetonatioN FocusMe undergo overhaul for VCT 2023

DetonatioN FocusMe, previously known as DetonatioN Gaming, has undergone a massive roster overhaul for the VCT 2023 season. In fact, the team has a completely new lineup for the year, signing the whole team on the same day with each player coming in from a different Asian team.

On October 24 of 2022, DetonatioN announced the addition of five new players, forming a Korean-Japanese hybrid team. Shogo "takej" Takemori and Yoshitaka "Anthem" Enomoto were aquired from REJECT, Tomoki "xnfri " Moriya was signed from NORTHEPTION, Oshiro "Reita" Ryu was a previous player of ZETA DIVISION, and Park "Seoldam" Sang-min was acquired from Crazy Raccoon after transitioning to a streamer position for them. Lastly, Seo "Suggest" Jae-young has been promoted from the team’s secondary team, DetonatioN White alongside coaching staff HSK and Melofovia.

All acquired and promoted players have international LAN experience and come from some of the top organizations in the region.

DetonatioN, as far as VALORANT achievements go, still have a lot to prove. The team pales in comparison to the likes of ZETA DIVISION or Crazy Raccoon when talking about achievements, despite entering the VALORANT scene in mid 2020. Nevertheless, with such talent from the region, the team now has a more-than-solid foundation to give the fans a sound reason to be excited this season.

DetonatioN FocusMe will face Giants Gaming on the opening day of VCT LOCK IN Brazil.

Players to watch

Both teams have boast some of the brightest and most talented players from the region. However, ZETA’s Laz and DetonatioN’s Anthem impressed us most with their performances over the course of 2022’s calendar year. And so, they are our players to watch at VCT LOCK IN Sao Paulo.

Featured Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games