Widely considered to be the greatest Smash 4 player ever, Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios has had a less than optimal 2016, placing 2nd in a string of tournaments after a hiatus caused by a finger injury in January. Most recently achieving 3rd at EVO 2016 after a fierce bootcamp in Japan, we spoke with ZeRo on his thoughts on the event overall, the current meta, and looking ahead to future competitions.





​ With Evo come and gone, you had quite a bit to share on the way the event was organized, as well as some issues with the setups. What are your biggest gripes with the event and will you be attending next year?

Let's be real here. Smash 4 was terribly ran at EVO. Worst tournament I've ever been to. Here's why. Please RT. pic.twitter.com/vUEWPhYxXQ — Gonzalo ZeRo Barrios (@TSMZeRo) July 17, 2016

My main gripes with this years event are the limited amounts of setups, which I talked about on twitter. I *have* to attend next year, but to me it's not a tournament that treats Smash right.





How are you? No, really. You’ve mentioned on twitter that you’ve dealt with some issues relating to depression, what is that like, and how do you personally deal with it?

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​ I'm fine. Just busy with work. I've taken a good amount of time taking care of myself and I've improved a lot. Sometimes just taking a few minutes out of your day to talk to yourself can really help.





You had an intense practice schedule heading into Evo, and no doubt you’re training harder than ever. What is your regimen like for the future? With no date set for Civil War yet, what is the next event are you most looking forward to and why?

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​ Probably around the same. More bootcamps for sure. Big House is always an event I enjoy. Well ran, plenty of best of 5's and great competition. I'll be going to Smash Con, Endgame and Shine this month as well. I'll be doing my best to prepare and I'm excited to keep growing and improving as a player. Let's do this.





Let’s talk about the meta. There seems to have been quite a bit of change lately, with Megaman and Mario appearing in the latest Grand Finals and a relatively steep drop off of Zero Suit Samus. What contributes most to these changes, and who in your opinion are the strongest characters currently?

​

​ People are playing safer, punishing harder and getting hit less by certain things. That's why ZSS is falling off a bit. As for strong characters right now, the EVO top 8 shows it really well. To add to that, Cloud is of course incredibly strong as well.





What are your thoughts on Mega Man and Palutena? How much do tier lists matter compared to comfortability with the character?



​ Mega Man is super good vs. Diddy Kong and Palutena is a very obscure character to prepare against. They both share the trait that your region probably doesn't have one to practice against. In fact, at EVO I couldn't find a single Mega Man to practice with. Tier lists matter t o some extent, but in general the most important is being comfortable.





Japan vs. USA. Who’s better? Is there really a clear winner here, or does it come down to the individuals?

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​ To be honest, as explained in ​my video, we'd have to see in a 10v10 crew battle to be sure. The average level of players in Japan is higher however.





You’ve been making quite a bit of content the past few months, primarily in the form of videos and opinion pieces. What’s your motivation for these and where do you draw your inspiration from when creating content?

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I​ enjoy creating content and I take it seriously. I want to grow as a YouTuber and I love doing it. It's one of my main things. I want to be recognized as a good entertainer and content producer as well.





You recently relocated to New Jersey from Southern California. How are you enjoying it so far? What fueled your desire to move to the East Coast?

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​ It's good. I wanted to stay in the SoCal area, but plans shaped in a way where I had to go to New Jersey. So far, so good. I live with good friends in a comfortable area.

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Shoutouts?

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​ As always, big shoutouta to TSM & Redbull. Both are simply fantastic companies and have supported Smash and myself so well. Thank you.

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