Arslan Ash

Arslan Ash
Siddique in 2019
Personal information
Nameارسلان صدیقی
(Arslan Siddique)
Born (1995-08-20) 20 August 1995
Lahore, Pakistan
Career information
Games
Playing career2010–present
Team history
2018–2020vSlash eSports
2019–presentRed Bull eSports
2021–2023FATE eSports
2023–presentTwisted Minds
Career highlights and awards

Arslan Siddique (Urdu: ارسلان صدیقی; born 20 August 1995), better known as Arslan Ash, is a Pakistani professional esports player currently representing Twisted Minds. He is a seven-time EVO champion, having emerged victorious in EVO Las Vegas 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025, as well as EVO Japan 2019 and 2023, and EVO France 2025.[1] He also won the Tekken World Tour Finals 2023.[2]

Personal life

Arslan was born in Lahore, Pakistan, on 20 August 1995.[3] He first played Tekken 4 when he was aged eight at a local Lahore arcade center, which sparked his interest in the Tekken series of fighting games.[4] He is a chartered accountant but did not pursue that career.[5] He got married in February 2023.[6]

Career

Being a fan of Pokémon, Arslan adopted the name Arslan Ash.[7] Arslan's first major tournament win was in 2010, when he won the Tekken 6 Grand Masters Championship.[3]

Arslan won the EVO Japan 2019 championship[8] and Evolution Championship Series 2019, making him the sole individual to achieve success in both tournaments at the time. Additionally, he also won the WePlay Ultimate Fighting League title for Tekken 7.[9] He was awarded the Best E-Player of 2019 by respondents of a Twitter poll organized by ESPN.[10]

He is the CEO 2021 champion.[11] He won the Combo Breaker 2022 Tekken 7 tournament by defeating all ten of his opponents.

He secured third position in the Evolution Championship Series 2022 Tekken 7 competition.[12]

He won the Tekken 7 competition at EVO Japan 2023 after beating South Korea’s Meo-IL.[13]

In 2023, he represented Pakistan in the Tekken 7 Nations Cup, where his team emerged as the champions, defeating South Korea in the final and claiming the trophy as well as $50,000 in prize money.

Arslan won his fourth EVO title in Tekken 7 on 6 August 2023. He defeated Japanese player Akihiro "Ao" Abe in the grand final, 3-0. This is Ash's second time as the unified EVO champion, having won both EVO Las Vegas and EVO Japan in the same year. He is the only player to have won four EVO titles in Tekken 7.

By winning both the EVO titles and Tekken World Tour Finals in the same season, he became the first ever "Triple Crown" champion in competitive Tekken history.

Arslan won his fifth and sixth EVO[14][15] championships by winning the titles in Las Vegas[16] for Tekken 8 in 2024 and 2025.[17] He won his seventh EVO title at EVO France 2025.[18]

In February 2026, Arslan announced that he had relocated to Japan to establish it as his primary base for professional competition and training, citing easier access to international tournaments and a more stable training environment. Despite relocating, he stated he would continue to represent Pakistan in international events. [19][20][21]

References

  1. ^ "Arslan Ash – Bringing the Pakistani Tekken Scene to Main Steam Attention". 8 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Pakistan's Arslan Ash bags Tekken World Tour Finals 2023 in US". 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Arslan Ash | Red Bull Athlete". Red Bull. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  4. ^ Raja, Sundus (23 November 2020). "Arslan Ash - Tekken Wizard And The Best Esports Player In The World".
  5. ^ Ashraf, Sonia (14 August 2019). "Meet Pakistani gamer Arslan Ash, the best Tekken player in the world". Images. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Tekken star Arslan Ash shades marriage naysayers". The Express Tribune. Desk Entertainment. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  7. ^ The Life and Times of Arslan Ash on YouTube
  8. ^ Luke Winkie (16 August 2019). "How an unknown 23-year-old from Pakistan became the talk of the esports world". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ "Arslan Ash: Tekken Ukraine by storm with a big win". Redbull. 15 April 2021.
  10. ^ "2019 ESPN Esports awards". ESPN. 19 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Pakistani ace gamer Arslan Ash wins big at international Tekken 7 competition". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Pakistan's Imran Khan, Arslan Ash secure podium finishes in Esports competition for Tekken". DAWN.COM. 8 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Pakistani gamer Arslan Ash wins Tekken 7 competition at EVO Japan 2023". DAWN.COM. 2 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Arslan Ash clinches historic sixth EVO title, defeats fellow Pakistani Atif Butt". Business Recorder. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  15. ^ "Arslan Ash wins sixth EVO Tekken Title after defeating Atif Butt in all-Pakistan final". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  16. ^ Moore, Jack. "Evo 2025 TEKKEN 8 Recap". 4 August 2025. EVO. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Pakistan's Arslan Ash clinches historic 6th EVO title in Las Vegas Tekken showdown". TRT World. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  18. ^ Richman, Olivia. "Tekken 8 GOAT Arslan Ash wins his seventh Evo championship in France". The Escapist. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Tekken star Arslan Ash relocates to Japan as new competitive base". The Express Tribune. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  20. ^ Ali, Abbas (10 February 2026). "Tekken prodigy Arslan Ash announces leaving Pakistan". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  21. ^ zahid, maleeha (10 February 2026). "Arslan Ash relocates Japan to elevate esports career and global success". Daily Times. Retrieved 11 February 2026.