Japanese League of Legends professional Shunsuke "Evi" Murase has retired from competitive play after 11 years, Esports.gg reported. He announced the decision in a video posted to his official YouTube channel, after SoftBank HAWKS Gaming dropped out of contention for Worlds 2026. Evi said this season's results were not the reason he is stopping.
He said the decision had taken shape before the season began, and framed it around what he considers the minimum standard for a professional player.
Even before this season started, I had a feeling that this year might be my last. I believe that being a pro player should be something you do with passion. It doesn't feel right to do it without that passion. I have this belief that you shouldn't do it unless you can pour 100%.
Evi added that holding on to the same motivation for competing had become harder as the years passed. He said he had some regrets but could still call the career a good one, telling viewers he felt able to burn up all of his motivation across what he described as a great 11 years.
A career built in the LJL
Evi won 12 LJL titles and never took an international trophy, according to Esports.gg. He was the first LJL player to be imported into the LEC, moving to Team Heretics in 2023.
One of those international moments came at MSI 2021, where Evi and DFM beat Cloud9, the LCS champions at the time, in an upset. Esports.gg reported that he revisited those moments in a separate post, in which he thanked his fans and credited them as the reason he kept going for 11 years.
Evi said he now wants to give back to the community and to the next generation of players, adding that he would like to show beginners how to enjoy the game more. He said he is not leaving the League of Legends scene entirely, and Esports.gg reported that he is set to play in the LJL Summer Championship Exhibition Match.