Xiaohai


Zeng Zhuojun, better known as Xiaohai or Xiao Hai depending on Pinyin conversion, or 小孩曾卓君 ; born April 26, 1989) is an professional fighting game player and DouYu gaming streamer from China competing in the fighting game genre. He is widely considered one of the greatest fighting game players of all time, winning total prize money worth around 500,000.00-600,000.00 USD in 2024, with half of the wins coming from only one tournament win in Street Fighter 6, which set an esports record. He has since defended this 2024 Street Fighter 6 win and won 250,000.00 USD again the next year, further increasing his earnings. He is acclaimed as the greatest and most successful player in the history of The King of Fighters, having dominated the franchise's competition across many different eras and titles. He is one of the few players who have won the Evolution Championship Series five times in the main tourney, and once at the side event in Evo Japan 2025 for the Tier-1 official SNK-sponsored Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. He also won in his debut worldwide tournament at the 2007 Super Battle Opera for The King of Fighters '98 at the age of 18.

Early life

Zeng was born on April 26, 1989 in the province of Guangdong, China and grew up in the city of Guangzhou. He took an interest in fighting games at the early age of 6 after a visit to the Guangzhou arcades with his father, and started to seriously compete after that. He won his first tournament in Hangzhou at the age of 10 playing The King of Fighters, then won another tournament in Guangzhou at the age of 12. By age 18, he joined the Super Battle Opera tournament in Japan, which was his first major international tournament, and won in his debut for The King of Fighters '98.

Professional career

After winning the Super Battle Opera, Xiaohai began competing in tournaments in the United States and around the world. He won his first EVO tournament in 2014 at the age of 25 for The King of Fighters XIII, which he has called his favorite game. He gradually emerged as a notable player in Street Fighter since Street Fighter IV and was labeled as one of its best bets for winning major tournaments by ESPN.
After his fourth EVO championship victory in KOF and simultaneous ninth place finish in Street Fighter 6 at the Evo 2023, Xiao Hai completely narrowed down his focus into Street Fighter 6 in preparation for the first major Street Fighter World Cup for the title in 2024. There, he convincingly beat Dual Kevin and Zhen in the First Phase, then eliminated Problem X and NoahTheProdigy from competition before moving into the Final Phase. At the final phase, he beat Hikaru in a nail-biter set to advance the tournament finals, where he won against the Japanese player Kawano.
During the 2025 Esports World Cup, 36-year-old Xiao Hai defeated 15-year-old Chilean player Blaz 5–4 in Street Fighter 6 to claim the championship, becoming the first player in EWC history to successfully defend a title. He also placed 2nd in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, nearly beating Japanese player GO1.

Honors

Xiaohai was inducted into the Esports Hall of Fame in China.
Zeng “Xiao Hai” Zhuojun won the Esports Controller Player of the Year in 2025 at the Esports Awards, becoming the first fighting game player in history to receive an Esports Awards title.

Public image

Xiaohai won tournaments at a young age against older competitors, hence the player ID "Xiaohai" was adopted, which means "child" in Chinese. Xiaohai is well known for competing in tournaments with only one hand, his left hand, on the arcade controller. He is known for his neutral game, and for opening the door to more Asian competitors in fighting games. Gamer Justin Wong has gone on to say that his biggest one-sided defeat was in a match in The King of Fighters XV against Xiaohai in 2025. Xiaohai mainly plays on the QANBA-sponsored controller for his tournaments.
He is widely considered the greatest player of all time in The King of Fighters, and one of the greatest and most successful fighting game players in different games like Street Fighter.

Personal life

Xiaohai maintains his residency in Shanghai, China. He is married to Elena Zeng, who often accompanies him in tournaments.