When playing, KDJ is stone-faced © Jonathan Tayag / @itsjustatank

Daniel Jung was one of the gods. Those who have followed Melee since the beginning know him as KoreanDJ. Arguably the best Sheik/Fox combo in the world during the MLG era, his signature uber-aggressive style was a crowd-pleaser. Featured in Samox’s "The Smash Brothers Documentary," he was listed as one of the most influential Smashers in history, and when the initial professional players were signed, KDJ was one of the first. Team Liquid picked him up along with Ken, and when they donned the white jackets in early 2014 it signaled the beginning of Melee as an eSport.

But recently, KDJ made history in a different way. KDJ retired from professional Melee on September 28, 2015 marking him as the first sponsored player to do so. But even though his journey as a professional Smasher has ended, he's got several great memories to look back on - and he was more than happy to share some of them with us.

I Wanted Those Cinnamon Buns

Korean DJ started playing at tournaments in 2005. His first tournament ever was the catalyst that turned Melee from a fun hobby into a true passion. At the time he had been playing for a little while, and had achieved ‘best on his block’ status; not truly good, but good enough to beat other casual players. “It was a silly tournament in retrospect. It was a small tournament hosted at my high school. A Peach player named Brian and I were the two dominant players in our city, and he always had a slight advantage over me. Him and I obliterated our sides of the bracket and grand finals were the two ‘titans’ going head to head.”

The two of them had a close set, but KDJ ended up losing by a single stock. But by coming up just short, it motivated him to his core. “All the practice I put in wasn't enough, but I didn't want to make it a waste. I wanted to keep going and to never stop improving until I was content. If I had won that high school tournament I may have never kept playing.”

He also wanted the grand prize. “Brian won a $30 bakery gift card for first place. Second place was a $5 gift card to Target… but it turned out to be $50, so if you are reading this John, thanks.”

“But I have to say, I was envious of Brian's cinnamon buns.”

KDJ used money matches as a way to improve © Travis Beauchamp

Money Match Me

As he started to go to more tournaments, KDJ always had extra cash on hand. Even when he was just starting out, KDJ wanted to play the best of the best – and the way he would do it was through money matches. Most top players at the time wouldn’t turn down five dollars for a match, and KDJ used that to hone his skills. “Any opportunity to play against good players was all I could ask for. I personally love money matching because it gets my adrenaline going when playing for money. I felt the money made the battles more exciting and more engaging for everyone.”

While KDJ is a quick learner by nature, the money matches weren’t just for data. He feels that the most important thing he learned from money matching was how to thrive under pressure – and how to play from behind. “Money matching is not the end all be all of improvement; however, it is a good way of not only measuring good players when they are trying harder but also noticing how I personally handle pressure. I get in the zone with my offense when pressure kicks in.”

Through his high-intensity matches, KDJ honed his skills and learned how to thrive in high-pressure matches. In fact, he believes that tight situations are when he plays his best. “I get in the zone with my offense when pressure kicks in. It may sound strange, but I feel more comfortable being behind a stock versus being ahead of a stock. When I'm ahead I feel as if I lost my appetite, which is a dire situation when your opponent is hungry.”

An early picture of a young KDJ, playing PC Chris © Daniel Jung

MLG: The Golden Years

KDJ rose to prominence at just the right time. As he was joining the top echelon of players, Major League Gaming began running Melee tournaments. He was ready. “During that time frame, I was driving to smashfests every weekend to practice with Smashers and look up and study videos of Ken, PC Chris, and Captain Jack.” At his first MLG tournament, he placed 9th. It would be the last time he placed outside of Top 8 in a tournament until 2009.

MLG was the pinnacle of eSports entertainment at the time, and their events were unlike any of the grassroots tournaments that KDJ had been going to. But even with all of the spectacle and possibilities of fame and fortune, he couldn’t think of anything but the rush he got from competing. “I was incredibly excited to be improving at the pace I was, and I rolled with it. Fighting stronger players is exciting and I never felt so driven with purpose in my life.”

In 2006, MLG’s final event was a Las Vegas invitational – and KDJ was invited. The competition was fierce, featuring familiar names like Ken, Mew2King, and Azen. But KDJ made his way to the finals, and was matched up against PC Chris. Their set came right down to the wire, but after a long set between the two players, PC Chris would be the winner. KDJ still has fond memories of that tournament, but in his career, that was the set that got away.

“Everything I worked for was for that exact moment. It didn't hit me that I had lost until I was walking back with PC Chris to the airport and he was carrying around this giant check. It wasn't easy to see the culmination of your dreams come true and then fall slightly short of it. I had difficulty sleeping for several days. One of the major reasons why I felt down was because I had a feeling that Smash would not be in the circuit next year.”

He was right. The next year, MLG dropped Melee, leaving the scene without a professional outlet.

In 2014, KDJ signed with Team Liquid © Jonathan Tayag / @itsjustatank

The Smash Brothers Revival

KDJ, like many players, was much less visible between 2009 and 2013. With Brawl tournaments taking over the scene and Melee in many ways on the wane, he would still play with his friends and at tournaments – but the stakes weren’t as high as they had been in the past. But when The Smash Brothers documentary came along, it boosted the scene back into the spotlight – and him with it. Featured as one of the seven Melee greats, he was catching the eyes of many – including Team Liquid. “Team Liquid approached me and said that they would be interested in sponsoring me. I thought it would be great for both me and the scene to grow and benefit from the sponsorship, so I agreed.”

Most people would say that KDJ benefitted from the Smash Brothers documentary, but the opposite is just as true. Both KDJ and Samox, the maker of the Smash Doc , lived in Boston at the time, making it easy for the two to hook up. Samox said that he was both the most understanding – and most generous – of any of his subjects. “Without Korean DJ’s enthusiasm in the beginning, I don’t think things would have been as easy as they ended up being. He really saw the same thing I did, I think. I actually offered to pay [KDJ] for his time - to grease the wheels with certain people, I did have to shell out a little bit. But Korean DJ donated $50 to the project. So he deserves a lot of credit for his vision, and for his willingness to be a part of it.”

Final Act

Everyone in the community was happy to see Korean DJ back in the community and competing at tournaments. But even as a sponsored player, KDJ’s attendance at majors was surprisingly spotty. With his new sponsorship, KDJ was playing more than ever, and that would end up being what hurt him the most. “The specific problem I had was tendinitis in my left hand. It occurs when I play fast fallers, or when I play any character for a prolonged period of time. When I felt pain in my arm, I should have taken breaks, do stretches, and take it easy on the hands. Instead, I trucked through the pain.”

KDJ has a sharp eye, and always looked to improve © Jonathan Tayag / @itsjustatank

It wasn’t an easy call for him to leave the team, but with the amount he would have to practice to compete, KDJ knew it wasn’t feasible to continue. “Team Liquid agreed that I could stay on the team despite my condition, however I felt that it was necessary for me to leave as a way to find closure. It was a painful decision, but I did not once regret joining the team. It was an honor.”

I'll Be Around

As a Melee retiree, KDJ tournament career is done. But he’s still working within the community, trying to find solutions to the Melee scene’s burgeoning hand health issues. “There is a flux of hand injuries ranging from tendinitis to arthritis to tendon pain. Not all smashers suffer the same injury, nor do they suffer just a single type of injury. I am doing analysis on things like which button they L cancel with, how long do they play, where they feel the pain, how long they feel the pain, and intensity of pain. Correlations such as hobbies like rock climbing, musical instruments, and how often they type also play into effect. There is a vast source of information ranging from athletes to musicians finding ways to heal injuries and to stay healthy. With my investigation I hope to find a solution [for Smashers].”

Daniel Jung, formerly known as KoreanDJ, is no longer a pro Smasher. Now, he’s just a regular guy. But the memories from his long and fruitful career will continue to shape him as he takes his first steps into a new chapter of his life.. “Smash gave me a purpose. It made me understand who I was in terms of setting goals and how to be in the zone. It made me into a more motivated person.”

They say that excellence is not an act, but a habit. And if Daniel Jung's Smash career is any indication, he's got an excellent life ahead of him for years to come.