Absolute legend, one of a kind, and the icon of Japanese VALORANT. We will miss you, Laz!
JAPAN – Koji “Laz” Ushida has departed ZETA DIVISION’s starting roster and is subsequently taking a step back from competitive play, the Japanese organization announced on Twitter.
However, Laz isn’t leaving the scene entirely—he’s transitioning to a role as a content creator for ZETA DIVISION.“I still want to contribute to the competitive scene, but in a different way. I will be glad if you can support the VALORANT Esports scene with me,” the 28-year-old says.
His swansong was VCT Pacific 2024, where he posted a team-high rating of 1.06 despite ZETA DIVISION’s campaign ending in an 8th-placed finish. “At the end of the season, I was thinking ‘This might be the last game’ while I played. The last game was against Paper Rex. I thought ‘I have to face them for my last game?’ To be honest, it’s always fun to face Paper Rex. I’m glad I had them on my last game.”
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The 28-year-old leaves competitive VALORANT after almost a decade in the FPS scene, with a career spanning Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and VALORANT. His legacy extends beyond ZETA DIVISION, as he was a member of the Absolute roster in Counter-Strike, with whom he dominated the domestic Japanese scene for more than five years.
He transitioned with the team to VALORANT as early as April 2020, which proved to be a big success. Following a string of wins in the following months, including First Strike Japan, they quickly became a household name in the Japanese VALORANT scene.
ZETA DIVISION’s Cinderella run at last year’s Masters Reykjavík, breaking the record as the highest finish by an Asian team in an international VALORANT tournament at the time after taking down the likes of Fnatic, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Liquid, DRX, and Paper Rex for a third-place finish.
His final international showing was at VALORANT Champions Los Angeles, after securing a spot by winning the 2023 VCT Pacific Last Chance Qualifier against Team Secret.
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Cover photo courtesy of Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games
