When Jonny Cheng started his fighting-game career, he spent all of his competitive days where the seeds of competitive Street Fighter were just starting to take root: Hong Kong. Surrounded by regions populated by some of the world's most renowned names, he had little local talent to hone his skills against before facing the titans of Street Fighter in larger tournaments.

Cheng, nicknamed HumanBomb, was set up to fail.

The question of whether he could improve enough close to home without world-class talent nearby was answered with his 2012 Evolution Championship Series performance: Despite the obstacles in front of him, HumanBomb placed fifth in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.

His breakout run was equaled only by his exemplary fifth place at Evo Japan six years later. Yet HumanBomb still fell short of recognition by the larger Street Fighter community. He needed to do more.

HumanBomb's biggest hurdle remains own home country. Hong Kong's fighting-game scene dried up after most of its most popular arcades failed to update their machines with the latest versions of Street Fighter IV, and Tekken 6 fell completely off the map after the release of Street Fighter V forced the player base to play on a console or computer. From Lai Chi Kok and Mong Kok to Tsim Sha Tsui and Central, all of the competitive haunts became ghost towns; an already-small community became fragmented.

"Hong Kong's most popular game is probably League of Legends or FIFA, and its esports organizations are still in its infancy," HumanBomb said. "Fighting games are not popular because young players view it as an 'old man's game.' As a veteran player in the community, it's my responsibility to show that Hong Kong has strong players and competition."

Jonny "HumanBomb" Cheng waves to the crowd during a 2015 event. The Hong Kong native is both a Street Fighter pro and tournament organizer in his home country. He hopes to use his influence to grow the game in Hong Kong. Robert Paul

Community members and leaders like HumanBomb attempted to create rivalries through a "base" system that would pit regions against others. Bases were essentially get-togethers or casual gatherings at a rented building to help sharpen players' skills. Most of the regions that sported a once-populated arcade became a base location.

It was a modern approach to replicate the camaraderie and competition of the arcade scene.

HumanBomb understood that to elevate his own status, Hong Kong needed to show its potential. If more players started to excel in fighting games, esports teams and burgeoning technology companies might offer sponsorships and opportunities. He said Hong Kong's community was already better at playing Street Fighter V than during its days of Street Fighter IV, with names like HotDog29 and Tse4444 placing well in international competitions.

But with the social media constraints and the lack of travel opportunities for Hong Kong's better players, the region's growth remains slow.

"It is difficult to be a pro gamer because businesses do not know much about the Capcom Pro Tour or are familiar with fighting games," HumanBomb said. "In Asia, Instagram and Facebook are more popular than Twitter, so the social media access is limited for businesses to learn about fighting games.

"If you cannot find a sponsor in Hong Kong or somewhere locally, there's no real plan to get a team elsewhere because they won't know you. It's difficult to gain fame because many of our players came from just Street Fighter V."

HumanBomb is no longer the young up-and-comer who surprised the world in 2012. He balances his play with support for his community as a tournament organizer and a bridge to actively shine the spotlight on his country. As a professional, he remains one of the best in the world and arguably the strongest with his character, Chun-Li.

"As a veteran player in the community, it's my responsibility to show that Hong Kong has strong players and competition." Jonny "HumanBomb" Cheng, Street Fighter V player

But with the tour set as it is, inconsistent or strong play will not win you any berths, and without a sponsorship to travel to many tournaments, the clock is against HumanBomb.

He called his 2018 "ordinary," and he played only well enough to place around the top-25 mark of major tournaments. He mentioned that his routine for many weekends during the year included packing to travel on limited rest, coming back to Hong Kong for a night to sleep and repack and restarting the process. The average results coupled with near-constant travel soured his mentality and, with the volatility of the game's explosive comeback mechanics, made the year difficult.

HumanBomb started off his 2019 Capcom Pro Tour in typical quality fashion, with an impressive 13th-place finish out of over a thousand players at his first tournament of the year, Evo Japan. It wasn't the incredible fifth-place finish from last year, but he's continued to find consistency in 2019 rather than the flash-in-the-pan results of 2018.

This next chapter of HumanBomb's career will be the toughest in a book full of defying the odds. Can the Hong Kong native snap his name back to relevancy with the new talents in his country aiding him?

"I hope the Capcom Pro Tour will continue because it represents an opportunity for new players and top players alike to have a job," HumanBomb said. "The hope is that events are more spread out and with more points attached to them. My hope is to get another team so I can continue to play."