Hello folks,

I am Central European and had the chance to visit Japan for the past month and a half. I got curious about how the Valorant experience would be here so I went to an eSports cafe (more often than I should have) to check out the community. After a few days I came to the following conclusion.

After playing one week of competitive in Japan (Dia MMR):

1. Insanely rare instalocks

Everyone takes their time to create good comps while considering what each one wants to pick.

2. Communication is minimal

I focused much more on the minimap to stay tuned of what is going on instead of the usual call outs. In some way it actually was more relaxing. I assume that many players play in groups of friends.

3. Toxicity is nearly ZERO

In 50+ hours of playing, I witnessed 3 people flaming. Everyone is quite enthusiastic when winning rounds. When losing (even 0-12) nobody says or blames anyone.

4. People are polite

Most of the games start with a nice greeting “ 宜しくお願いします“ which does not only mean good luck but also stands for taking care of and support each other. Many people have no shame in apologising after a bad play.

TL;DR

Playing on the Japanese server can be a bit lonely if you dont have any friends to play with BUT it was an absolute delight. No instalocks, no toxicity, everyone is nice and polite. The level of respect towards each other is on a whole other level… until you get matched with Russians from over seas who know how to spice up the atmosphere (love you all).

Edit: The main downside seems to be the lack of communication. I was able to fix this issue quite easily by raising my map/game awareness. 9 times out of 10 it works if you are willing to adapt so it’s up to your preference if you like it or not. I personally have been much more focused on my own games because of the much calmer environment. It’s easier to follow your mate’s movements, plans and team decision making comes naturally. Ultimately it’s just a different approach regarding team play.