---
title: "onward: The Journey Beyond the North American League"
date: 2026-02-06
author:
   - name: YELLOW
     link: https://sendou.ink/u/great-hero-yellow
---

Article Originally Posted at: [https://www.splatoonstronghold.com/beep-news/onward-the-journey-beyond-the-north-american-league](https://www.splatoonstronghold.com/beep-news/onward-the-journey-beyond-the-north-american-league) 

# **onward: The Journey Beyond the North American League**

*Competitive Splatoon’s “Great Retirement” continues past Nintendo’s biggest event in years*

<img width="1200" height="620" alt="onward" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fda9f4aa-22fb-4505-9b84-df6d5fdba2ef" />

Recently, [we covered the beginnings](https://www.splatoonstronghold.com/beep-news/waving-goodbye-the-start-of-splatoons-great-retirement) of what became known in the Splatoon community as the “great retirement”: a wave of top-level players stepping back from competition. This phenomenon began in September 2025 with Riptide, and the second wave broke after the end of the Splatoon 3 North American League in December. 

The term “the great retirement” comes from \[K\]yo, captain of one of Competitive Splatoon’s longest-running and decorated teams, FTWin. His post on [Twitter](https://x.com/KyochaNDxD/status/1984823442391052794), from November 1, 2025, stated, “The great retirement is soon upon us”.

When asked to elaborate about the meaning of the post, \[K\]yo said this: 

*“I kinda just like posting troll s\*\*\*, \[I know\] some people are quitting or taking breaks; this format \[of the NA League\] is just like not great so it def amplifies the dissatisfaction a bit more, like the event itself is awesome, 12 hour days not so much.”*

So, what is it about the 2025 Splatoon 3 North American League that makes it “not awesome”? The experience can be summed up twofold: 

1. The opportunity to participate in the first official Nintendo tournament in a long time has brought a lot of competitive players out of retirement, and a lot of new players into the competitive sphere.   
2. Playing 5-to-8+ hours of ladder and tournament every Saturday for ten weeks is an exhausting marathon for each person’s physical, mental, and emotional state, whether they are a seasoned player or brand new. 

<img width="1919" height="1079" alt="NALeague_datesinfographic" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1a778dde-35f2-48c5-bf02-1938ead826aa" />

The conclusion of such a major event forms a natural retiring point, for those who have been consistently playing for a long time and need the break, those who returned from retirement just for the spectacle, or the ones who tried something new for the novelty of it and decided it wasn’t their thing. 

The NA League was ten weeks plus an additional weekend for the Playoffs, during which other tournaments and LANs were also running, dividing player attention and stretching them thin.

On top of the duration, it’s high levels of stress all week for players, focusing on practicing harder, paired with the tension of competing in a big-name event, with real stakes on the line and more eyes than ever before. On top of anything else they had going on. For many, they weren’t used to conditions like this and burnt out quickly.

When a multi-week event is conducive to fostering stress, it creates an environment in which players feel the need to take time away from competing–and in some cases, Splatoon entirely–to recover. 

After the NA League ended, it was time for a new wave of players to bow and take their leave. We spoke with three of them to get their stories: \[K\]yo and sam from FTWin, and bran from Milky Way.

![FTWin_replaycodeimg](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/aac7ea10-a1bd-4c46-b110-36847012a85b)

*FTWin, from left to right: \[K\]yo, sam, Hexen, Biscuit; image from FTWin’s [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/ftwin.bsky.social).*

## **\[K\]yo (FTWin)**

\[K\]yo, captain and one of the founding members of FTWin, competed with the team since 2017 in events such as The Squid House, Genesis 7, Splat World Series, SendouQ season finales, World Championships, and most recently, the North American League. 

At the time of posting his “great retirement” statement, \[K\]yo did not publicly announce–or even hint–that he had plans to stop competing once the NA League ended. In an [interview with EE](https://www.youtube.com/live/UVe2d0chSLU?t=5044&si=M-sdqJms3_WlJmwz) at Riptide, FTWin–including \[K\]yo himself–unanimously agreed that he was the most excited for things as mundane as practicing gameplay. 

Riptide 2025 took place two weeks before the NA League began, before anyone had an inkling of just what they were in for. On December 14th, day 2 of the NA League Playoffs, \[K\]yo was the first of several to announce a hiatus from competitive play. 

<img width="884" height="300" alt="K yo_actuallyretiring" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7bbc98fa-bee8-4df8-ab60-35b555892518" />

*Twitter post from [@KyochaNDxD](https://x.com/KyochaNDxD/status/2000328875335921758) dated December 14, 2025, of \[K\]yo announcing his break from Competitive Splatoon.*

A receding passion for the game is a shared cause by many for stepping away, and not just those leaving after the NA League. Working hard and grinding out practices, matches, and tournaments is nothing new, but it wears down on anyone, and even FTWin is only made up of humans. 

It isn’t like the NA League is the same old, either: week after week of the equivalent to a single-day tournament major for two and a half months straight is extreme. Performing well adds to the dissatisfaction–after enduring all that, there’s no prize for winning regular events. Only higher odds of making it to the Playoffs. 

The pressure of the NA League wasn’t the final straw for \[K\]yo, and he wants it to be clear that he’s only on a break. He is not “never touching the game again”; although he hasn’t said if or when he will return, he is not done with Splatoon. 

In fact, one week after the NA League Playoffs, \[K\]yo and FTWin teammate Shak co-commentated the Raise 4 RAICES Splatoon 3 charity tournament, where both drummed up hype for a mystery tournament announcement, which would later be revealed to be the second coming of the Splat World Series. 

Following the Version 11.0.0 update for Splatoon 3, \[K\]yo has found a renewed interest in the game and has been playing casually and streaming, but has said that he is still undecided if he will be returning to competitive play.

## **sam (FTWin)**

Another member of the stacked and storied FTWin, sam, followed after \[K\]yo to announce his step away from Competitive Splatoon. He competed for over five years; his time with FTWin saw him participate in SendouQ season finales, Squid Junctions, SuperJump 6, Splat World Series, Riptide, and the North American League.

Sam was part of FTWin for a majority of 2025, officially joining in April, just a few months before the Splat World Series and the NA League were first announced. Both events defined the latter half of 2025, but weren’t enough to prevent him from losing a sense of meaning when it came to Competitive Splatoon. 

The official announcement of sam parting ways with competing came shortly before the NA League Playoffs wrapped up; on Twitter, he thanked FTWin and the community, and stated, “After 5+ years of playing competitively, I’m stepping down.”

<img width="442" height="794" alt="sam-retirement" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/398b5d92-1984-48a4-ba07-690115e7d305" />

*December 14, 2025 Twitter post from [@samacadoo](https://x.com/samacadoo/status/2000352475501711631), featuring a photo of sam next to Riptide’s Splatoon banner.* 

When we reached out to get a better idea of the reasoning behind sam’s departure, we were given an answer not too far from the same one his teammate also had: both lost the enjoyment in keeping up with the demands of competition. By the sounds of it, sam had the idea of retiring on his mind for much longer. 

*“In sum, kinda wanted to quit months before the League because I just didn’t feel any joy in trying to grind or find any meaning competing anymore.”*

The final months of 2025 saw FTWin change drastically, with Burstie, \[K\]yo, and sam taking their leaves, but the team still has Biscuit, Shak, Hexen, and 200N. None of the three who have left have firmly stated that they have no intention of coming back, just no public plans to return at this time. 

In sam’s case, he has still been active in other areas of the community. In mid-January, he posted a Splatana Stamper montage to his YouTube channel, featuring highlights from recent events and matches. 

## **bran (Milky Way)**

Playing for notable teams such as Starburst and Milky Way, bran has competed in major tournaments like Low Tide City, The Big House, Splatoon 3 Enter the Splatlands Invitational 2022, more than one Riptide and Area Cup event, and Splat World Series. The last event he participated in was the Splatoon 3 North American League.

In an [interview with BEEP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtmkLZCoGQg) posted on October 20, 2025, bran’s feelings about the NA League approximately one month in were touched upon: 

*“It’s definitely different from anything I’ve played in the past because usually with the Nintendo events, they have you play ladder just by itself one day, and then a separate top cut on like another day or week or something. So, the days definitely last a lot longer \[...\]”*

Bran has seen his fair share of official Nintendo tournaments and can attest to the difference. He credited his endurance during the long NA League Saturdays to his X Rank grind sessions, but still admitted, “\[...\] but by the time it’s over, it’s exhausting.” 

Self-described as a very calm and grounded player, the decision to retire and back out of all but a small few dedicated Splatoon servers can be reasoned against being an impulse choice. While we don’t know how long bran has been planning his break, it more than likely wasn’t a last-minute idea.

<img width="890" height="406" alt="bran-retirement" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e917e680-8d31-474e-8b10-51d04e93b8f4" />

*Twitter post from [@bran\_spl](https://x.com/bran_spl/status/2000364615855993248) on December 14, 2025, announcing his placement in the NA League Playoffs and decision to take a break to rest.*

A snapshot of what bran’s “past 10 months” grind includes: In The Zone and SendouQ season finales, a summer of X Rank, qualifying tournaments for and including the Splat World Series, training with a new teammate for a Riptide pickup, and readjusting to Milky Way for the NA League.

What’s next for bran? A rest that’s been a long time coming, for sure. He doesn’t have public plans to return yet, but if Nintendo announces any new major events–especially any in-person ones–it’s likely that he’ll set his sights on making it there. 

He mentioned feeling prospective about the likelihood of a new, in-person Nintendo event. Nintendo has been slowly re-supporting the scenes and reintroducing official events to Japan, North America, and Europe, so perhaps they will give faces new and old the chance to get to the Worlds stage. 

Examples of the aforementioned support, aside from the NA League, includes Nintendo providing LAN equipment and merchandise for Oktofest, Europe’s newest LAN major. In Japan, for the first time in three years, Splatoon 3 returned to Nintendo Live in-person with Turf War and Salmon Run tournaments. 

## **What Follows The North American League?**

At the end of the day, players from the bottom to the top of competitive play are still human beings, who have recognized that something needs to change to put themselves in a healthier state of mind and body. The NA League took a toll on everyone, from long days, to stress, dissatisfactory outcomes, and “non-stop action” to a damaging degree.

The Splatoon 3 North American League concluded in December 2025, and as January 2026 ran its course and players have had time to settle down, there has been an undercurrent to the “great retirement” on social media, of players not yet ready to retire, but 100% feeling a lack of motivation to keep up the competitive grind. 

Some of the most common reasons for the sentiment include no upcoming major events to light a fire under players, a stale and/or unpleasant meta, or just lingering burnout. Life in general is also up there, being busy with work, school, etc.

<img width="1000" height="562" alt="onwardcredits" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9485b25a-972e-4947-83c6-01f5756aa95f" />

Some players will be out of the competitive sphere longer than others and some may not compete again. In the coming days as Splatoon evolves, whether that be from the 11.0 patch, emergence and growth of LANs, or perhaps the next step for Nintendo’s Splatoon 3 Leagues, the playerbase will evolve just as much. 

We’ve now covered two handfuls of top-level players who have recently announced a hiatus. But what about players who have returned to the scene, either from their own retirement or from the brink of quitting? 

Stay tuned for stories from the other side of the coin\! 


Original Posting Date: February 6, 2026 by [Broadcasting Esports, Every Play](https://www.splatoonstronghold.com/beep-news/onward-the-journey-beyond-the-north-american-league) ([BEEP](https://bsky.app/profile/broadcastbeep.com)).

Written and formatted for publication by [YELLOW](https://bsky.app/profile/great-hero-yellow.bsky.social).
