EX Furinkazan Wins Second Championship in "ZOZOTOWN M-League 2025-26" Final Series!

Thank you for your continued support of the M-League. The final day of the "ZOZOTOWN M-League 2025-26 Final Series" was held on May 15, 2026, and EX Furinkazan won its second championship since the 2020-21 season. We are releasing comments from the managers and team staff of all four teams who fought through the intense battles. ■ZOZOTOWN M-League 2025-26 Final Series - Team Summary Comments (in alphabetical order) EX Furinkazan - Aki Nikaido, Player-Manager: Last season, we were eliminated in the regular season, and both Matsugase and Rumi's contracts expired, even the manager was replaced. Unexpectedly appointed as the new manager, my first job was to recruit one more new player in addition to Nagai, who won the audition. After consulting with the team, we nominated Uchikawa, whose contract with the Sakura Knights had expired, and started the season with a new team alongside Katsumata. Our team slogan was 'Seize the Crown.' I aimed to lead the team to a championship as manager and to achieve a personal career-high. Initially, my biggest focus was on using and training Nagai. Although he won the audition, he was still inexperienced, so I actively put him in games to get him accustomed. The result... I never expected him to be this successful, haha, it was the best surprise. Next, Uchikawa. He became a world champion before the season started and brought many fans with him, powering up our 'Engobutai' fan club. He contributed greatly to the team, winning the highest score award, but what was most impressive was how much he seemed to enjoy playing mahjong. I believe that led to his great results. And Katsumata. He struggled in the regular season with only one win, but of course, he didn't end it there. As the season reached its climax, he showed his true potential and was a demon in the latter half of the finals. Along the way, he took on the role of a sometimes gentle (?), sometimes strict teacher for Nagai. Finally, about myself, I feel that the managerial work of paying attention to the members and thinking about deploying in-form players has ultimately made me grow. It connected to my push-pull decisions in mahjong and led to good results. In conclusion, every player did their part, and we achieved the best result. This is undoubtedly thanks to the support and cheers of our many sponsors who adorn our uniforms and the ever-more-powerful 'Engobutai'. Thank you. We won the championship. Next season, as manager, I will aim for a consecutive championship with this best team! KONAMI Mahjong Fight Club - Kazunori Takizawa, Player-Manager: Thanks to the passionate support of our fans, we made it to the finals this year, but we were just one step short. I am truly filled with regret that we couldn't show you the sight of us lifting the championship plate. However, learning from last season's reflections, the four of us believing in our own mahjong and playing it out is a huge step forward for the team. Overcoming the several difficult situations we faced has also been a great learning experience. We will definitely reach the top next time. Thank you so much for your warm support until the very end of this season. TEAM RAIDEN / Raiden - Hiroya Takayanagi, Manager: To all M-League fans, sponsors, and everyone involved, thank you for supporting the M-League this season. And congratulations to EX Furinkazan for their second championship. With their new manager and new talent showing their strength, they were a truly strong team from start to finish. TEAM Raiden entered this season aiming for the championship with the confidence of reaching the finals last year, but we faced a very tough battle from the middle of the regular season. Still, we secured a spot in the semi-finals in the last regular season game, and with a spectacular comeback in the semi-finals and finals, we finished third, tying our best result ever, although we couldn't win the championship. To achieve such a good result with only one player having a positive individual score in the regular season is truly a 'victory of team strength.' It was a good season where we could show Raiden's characteristic of fighting as a whole team more than just individual player strength. And to our Universe fans who supported us with great Raiden love this season, and to our sponsors and all related parties, thank you very much. We hope to make next season one filled with even more smiles. Please continue to support M-League and TEAM RAIDEN!! BEAST X - Team Representative: This season, BEAST X advanced to the team's first-ever finals, finishing 3rd in the regular season and 2nd in the semi-final series. In the finals, a fierce battle where positions 1 through 4 were constantly changing, BEAST X maintained its team style of 'not playing defensively, but attacking aggressively,' with each player giving their all in every match. Although we fell short of our goal of winning the championship, fighting as one and achieving this team-first milestone is a great asset for BEAST X. We are filled with gratitude for the immense support we received daily. Thank you very much. We will use the frustration of this season as fuel to aim for even greater heights next season. Please continue to support BEAST X. ■ZOZOTOWN M-League 2025-26 Final Series Final Results: 1st: EX Furinkazan +268.8pt, 2nd: KONAMI Mahjong Fight Club +124.7pt, 3rd: TEAM RAIDEN / Raiden +122.1pt, 4th: BEAST X +92.7pt. ■M-League 2025-26 Season Final Standings... (list follows) ■M-League 2025-26 Season Individual Awards... (list follows) ©M-league. (Further corporate info follows).