Professional fighting game player Ryazo has been banned from Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising after reaching the maximum possible rank using Anila, a character widely regarded as one of the weakest in the game.
Ryazo, who has a history of strong placements at major tournaments including Evo and the ARC World Tour Finals, reached 10,000 crystals and Grand Master rank with Anila in record time.
The achievement was streamed live as a challenge to prove that even a low-tier character could reach the highest competitive level in the game.
However, shortly after completing the run, Ryazo discovered his account had been banned. Given his competitive track record and the transparency of streaming the challenge, the community has ruled out cheating or match-fixing.
Many players believe the ban was triggered automatically by the speed at which he achieved max rank, causing the system to flag his account.
Anila is considered a difficult character to succeed with due to limited projectiles, predictable aerial options, and unsafe moves, which typically put her at a disadvantage against stronger characters.
Despite these drawbacks, Ryazo was able to push her to the highest rank, drawing admiration from fans and fellow players.
Community support has since rallied behind him. Paragon, one of the largest weekly online fighting game circuits, organised a memorial tournament in his honour to raise awareness. Even Leona Renee, Anila’s voice actress, acknowledged the situation with a public message of sympathy.
Ryazo’s ban has wider implications for his career, as he competes across multiple Arc System Works titles and previously earned $10,000 for finishing third at the ARC World Tour Finals.
With his competitive future at stake, many in the fighting game community are calling for developers to review the decision and reinstate his account.
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