CEO 2023 - Riddles (Kazuya) vs Dabuz (Rosa) Grand Finals - Smash Ultimate

This Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament match features Riddles as Kazuya vs Dabuz as Rosalina. This Grand Finals at CEO 2023 was livestreamed on 6/25/2023.
Watch streams at:
► / hungrybox
Social Media:
► / liquidhbox
► / liquidhbox
Follow and subscribe to keep up to date on all of my content. Click the bell next to the subscribe button to receive instant notifications on all uploads!
#SmashBros #Hungrybox #ceo2023 #SmashUltimate #SmashBrosUltimate

[@lionman9995]

The last time Dabuz beat a top player in grand finals was thunder smash 2019, this is an awesome win for him

[@komlat253]

Dam I knew it saw a minute but dang .

[@untilistopexisting]

He has beaten Jakal and Zomba a few times in grands but it was at shits like regionals

[@NM-fe5sh]

Bro he beat riddles a few weeks ago plus top Japanese players

[@AWater22]

​@@NM-fe5shI don't think those were in grand finals

[@SergE1020]

@@NM-fe5shif you look really closely that said in grand finals

[@GreyMafiaHQ]

The least physically awkward popoff I’ve seen out of him 😂

[@sharsasuke01]

Because it was genuine and not rehearsed like his other ones.

[@sandycrash8868]

It’s like he pop off then just realized it and got self aware and embarrassed lol

[@swordre5805]

Can't do any crazy pop off with his headset stuck in his ear😂

[@komlat253]

So he's been not practicing? Haha

[@gagemeagher5121]

bro the knee on chair pose😂

[@Mistrudels]

I had the chance to meet Dabuz at a regional in the chicago area back in 2018, I let him use my switch to practice on because I saw him playin solo on his switch handheld. He was a very wholesome and nice person, he even played a friendly with me and offered some advice while he was in the middle of top 32. This is great to see, and I hope he continues with the momentum.

[@komlat253]

Jealous

[@bobbyfischer7329]

So you witnessed Dabuz’s greatness first hand? And you still have functioning eyeballs?

[@hamzawaheed3343]

@@bobbyfischer7329He must’ve been merciful enough to conceal his true greatness in order to spare the young fellow’s eyes

[@stephorozco8911]

Can vouch for him; wonderful person and wholesome.

[@tuscuu9717]

This was prob the best dabuz pop off I've seen hitting the pose on the chair was raw

[@Dinsho_]

I need that updated dabuz pop off tier list

[@Amaling]

A banger edition for the collection for sure

[@sharsasuke01]

This MU in surprising hype to watch. The neutral is so nuanced.

[@KevSB07]

HBox said it well “maximum offense vs maximum defense”

[@lordbored7006]

saw some people zzzing in the chat, but I was thoroughly engaged throughout

[@WafflesDaPancake]

It's not like Sonic or Steve where the players are basically doing the same few options defensively and the opponent just can't keep up, each move Dabuz threw out was very deliberate and well placed. He couldn't just get away with doing simple options due to Kazuya being Kazuya and always having the chance of randomly hitting an invincible move. Every decision really mattered, which made it way more interesting than basically any other campy character in Ultimate No disrespect to the players of those characters, Rosa is just way more engaging because it feels like she needs to work for it way harder and in way more creative ways

[@2FadeMusic]

@loredbored7006 chat spams sleeper at literally everything its annoying

[@doodoo2065]

​@@WafflesDaPancakeIts more about how difficult it is for Kazuya to be himself when Luma is around, but as soon as he manages to make it 1v1 the tables turn in the hardest way possible, its fun to watch

[@Wlightning25]

I'm surprised that Riddles didn't try Terry in the second set at all. Dabuz had played the camp out Kazuya strategy almost perfectly. Congrats to him.

[@michaelchen1046]

he should have, terry would have been able to cancel his hits on luma into specials prevent dabuz from using luma as bait

[@TheBomberman122]

Didn't see your comment, said the same thing. Terry has a much better time against rosalina

[@ohcomeon1111]

He didn't want people to see that Terry can win a major so he gladly took the L for his teammate

[@NationalistAF]

@@ohcomeon1111 which is sad. the Terry players know Terry can win a major .

[@Nintendan95]

Was honestly really nice to see Riddles just straight up smiling and enjoying the set after Dabuz took it. He's generally always been a good sport anyway but I know when he loses he might get a lil tilted at himself. Especially when you're so close to taking 1st, I can't imagine it's easy to swallow seeing your opponent pop off and be super happy but here Ridds is just smiling.

[@rocu5036]

bro was thinking the whole time how much he wanted to play luke in street fighter 6

[@juliendreemurr654]

​@@rocu5036lmfao probably

[@jonathanvida78]

Watching 2 content creators that are on the same team liquid who really loses?

[@nickrouse8426]

Makes it a little easier when you're wearing the same jersey I suppose :)

[@themosthighvaluemaninthega9048]

@@jonathanvida78 The one that doesn't get to win all the money

[@obesememeproductions9073]

Dabuz has really leveled up post Japan. Can we please make this a major so Dabuz gets his first major win? 😳

[@joshuamangnall]

Was this not a major? Felt like one

[@firefatesgaming1855]

B+

[@firefatesgaming1855]

Which is classified as just a big regional . A tier is major

[@fourniervictor9354]

@@joshuamangnall Yea, it lacks top player attendance, if you take ether rank 2023, you have Riddles in 9th, MuteAce in 13th, Yaura 22nd, Dabuz in 24th, AK 26th, Goblin 59thn MVD 63rd, Jahzzo 84th, omega 87th, Aaron a bit more than 100th Nearly 10 players in the top 100, in King of fields 95 the third, a major in France, you had 13 in the top 100 so slightly more, and you also had two top 10 players with Gluto and Bloom to rival Riddles and MuteAce here

[@OxStong]

this was a sliver away from being a major : (

[@JamesGamesTreasureHunting]

CONGRATS DABUZ!! That means a lot to see Rosa win!! 🎉🎉

[@ejstephens7918]

Honestly with all the kids and prodigies dominating the game these days, it feels really nice to see a brawl vet take a huge tournament like this

[@HawkTeevs]

Dabuz and Riddles’ attitude towards the sets is a side of competitive Smash that I wish I saw more often in all levels The loser smiling and being so excited for his fellow competitor to take a huge W, and the winner absolutely ecstatic having taken such a W Well done Dabuz

[@southpawrighthook6205]

Dabuz gets 3-0’d and doesn’t lose even a little composure. Ice cold

[@whispersmusic6173]

Congrats to Dabuz and Team Liquid in general 👍

[@Mastrmyrtr9]

34:14 this interaction is one that i've always theorized about but it's so unlikely because of how few characters it can happen to. The extended DGF hitbox causing a whiff on the punish is some crazy advantage for Rosa+Icies too maybe in this MU. Incredibly hype match

[@amarsaikhanpurevee7035]

That's what I am saying Edit: After seeing Ice climber getting dunked bcs of icicle I always thought of that

[@captainphoton1693]

Damn. Can't belive I followed this man for so long but got away from smash for a while. And yet didn't miss his first major win with a full Rosa. (OK not a major. But big)

[@WilliamL583]

Wasn’t a major

[@lucasmtzaguilera7871]

It was tho right?

[@lucasmtzaguilera7871]

513 entrants or smth

[@OwenOshan]

This wasnt a major.

[@lucasmtzaguilera7871]

Shit

[@mignuggetz]

When Riddles loses, we all know the face he makes. Here, you can see he’s smiling. This goes to show how much he respects Dabuz and how close they are as friends/teammates. CONGRATS MY BOY DABUZ

[@Shaheemswaggedout]

We all want dabuz to win for that inconic awkward pop off 😂

[@Poyo-fx3gv]

Mad respect for dabuz literally being the only Rosa in NA getting results

[@untilistopexisting]

Only in the world*

[@sass_king5576]

@@untilistopexistingthere’s Homika in france who does great and Yuzu in Japan but yeah dabuz is the only one at the tippy top level

[@untilistopexisting]

⁠@@sass_king5576homika don’t do 30% of what Dabuz does and although he has good results here he’s still is far away from Dabuz

[@sass_king5576]

@@untilistopexisting oh yeah 100% homika is no where near dabuz’s level, homika is a rather simple rosalina, he basically wins by being the better player, he definitely doesn’t utilize rosa’s techs, he’s a very fundamental based player. There’s a couple of great Rosas in france that could all surpass him like M.Popo & Dizay.

[@untilistopexisting]

@@sass_king5576 I’m French dw I know the scene pretty well, and that’s the reason why I hate Homika. He just makes what is the most beautiful character to watch imo, the most boring

[@Cashmoneez]

Rosa went from the corniest sm4sh character to a sick 5Head one in ult

[@ShaunInce123]

Thanks for uploading all the matches from Top 8.

[@Photosynthesis95]

1:11 that one guy “No Luma!” 😂

[@whispersmusic6173]

Is it safe to say TK is the longest running smash commentator? Dudes a legend at this point lol

[@lukemagnotta7338]

Smash in general it’s probably HomeMadeWaffles iirc, but for the newer games p sure it’s him Coney and EE

[@robintetris]

yeah he's one of the only ones that isn't a sex offender

[@rannynihilius8481]

I think only Waff and Phil are longer around. He's truly a dinosaur.

[@PunkySlush]

​@@robintetrisas much as i hate those people too, i dont think that we must bring it up everytime. when we are praising a good person, we appreciate them for their accomplishments, not for the line they didnt cross. instead of saying one of the most popular and longest running commentators that isn't a sex offender, you could instead say he's established and consistently grinding. just, stop taking every chance you can to mention pedophiles. it's not original, we get it. let's move on.

[@robintetris]

@@PunkySlush fuck off it's not that deep I love TK

[@Lumi21]

Way to go, Dabuz! So hype to see the top tier Rosie performance!

[@chadmanster1883]

Man, my eyes were drooping. I was falling asleep. But congrats to him

[@slapstick2199]

Let’s go Dabuz! Finally a big win for the fella. But not nearly enough people are giving riddles credit here, he went through a 10 set losers run to get here.

[@clay2889]

Congrats to Dabuz! I always love watching Dabuz play because he plays the off meta characters.

[@ImEcchi]

He literally use to beat people playing the broken and clunky Olimar. Does nobody remember 60% in like 3 seconds? That isn’t “Off meta”. He just loves Rosalina, that is how you pick your main. Not stupid tierl ists. And look he still whoops ass with a mid tier. I’ve been a Luigi main since Smash Launch. I’m just glad I don’t have Brawl Luigi anymore. He was legit useless.

[@tristanreynolds5748]

​​@@ImEcchiwell I mean, rosa was one of the tippy top tiers at the beginning of smash 4, and it's not like he just picked up olimar in ultimate, he was the olimar guy in brawl and I've seen use him in smash 4

[@tristanreynolds5748]

​@@ImEcchiI think a lot of these people are really young as we all were so they have a short memory lol

[@AWater22]

@@ImEcchi Rosa is high tier

[@LaserMommy176]

@@AWater22 Where? not in ult she's not, i'll give you high mid-tier but high tier nop.

[@robohex6]

This set was so hype to see in person! CEO was a blast and this grands was incredible. Both players played out of their mind!

[@riceballsmashpokemongamere1705]

Dabuz is by far my favorite player to watch in neutral. it's so meticulous

[@ohcomeon1111]

Yeah but what's he going to do if his opponent doesn't approach

[@riceballsmashpokemongamere1705]

@@ohcomeon1111 Who tf is giving Rosa stage control?

[@ohcomeon1111]

@@riceballsmashpokemongamere1705 someone smart that doesn't just run into every move

[@riceballsmashpokemongamere1705]

@@ohcomeon1111 excellent argument

[@AWater22]

@@ohcomeon1111 Rosa forces approaches really easily because she can just send luma forward to attack for her. If you don't get over luma and at rosa, you are going to get harrassed by starbits and eventually hit by a luma move and put in disadvantage, while all you get is damage on luma.

[@TheBadBuffalo]

IM IN THIS BITCH LIKE IM DABUZ

[@Kart]

IM FUCKIN THIS BITCH LIKE IM DABUZ

[@Kart]

nobody finished it

[@harveyharutunyan7360]

Congrats Dabuzz! You held your composure. To me, that's honestly the most impressive part. Losing by last stock last hit scenario a few games in a row would tilt most players. You turned it around in the reset!

[@sugarmilk2566]

There’s something satisfying about watching Kazuya be throughly camped out

[@momojishu]

The Rosa is actually such a big brain pick for this matchup. Luma absolutely just ruins Kazuya combos.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

In my opinion, Min min is the better character in the matchup, but Dabuz's Min min is just kind of bad compared to his other characters.

[@user-bo6jo3uq8w]

リドルスが負けても笑ってるの珍しくて微笑ましいな

[@kryt1cal]

Couldn't be happier for my dude, what an amazing series!

[@terrycaldwellORST]

I absolutely love Hbox's commentary. So passionate! Definitely need more of these two together. Best cast for sure.

[@Eggss_B]

Dabuz has been CRAZY lately

[@AndreasSaag]

Winning this insanely difficult matchup against riddles at Kagaribi and then repeating it here. It’s beyond impressive. So much creativity and so little margin for error!

[@AndreasSaag]

Honestly, one of the most impressive achievements I’ve ever seen in smash.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

I find it difficult to judge how difficult the matchup really is. Rosalina is a very complicated character to play in general so it always feels like Dabuz has to constantly outplay his opponent with Rosa, but at the time, it really didn't look easy for Riddles to get a combo started.

[@AndreasSaag]

@@legrandliseurtri7495 I think the almost non existent representation of Rosa at a high level + the sheer amount of won interactions needed to win each match should give a clue…

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@@AndreasSaag The almost non-existent representation just proves that she's low midtier at best. It doesn't mean she'll lose every matchup against top tiers. The amount of neutral wins necessary doesn't tell the whole story. Rosalina has a very good neutral against Kazuya.

[@AndreasSaag]

@@legrandliseurtri7495 i agree that kazuya might as well be a favorable Rosa matchup with the luma disruption of his combos. But my point is that it takes such skill to single-handedly develop that matchup, with a rarely played character, to beat the top representative player of one of the most established cheese characters in the meta. In order to do that, especially with a complex and setup heavy character like Rosa, you must be a seasoned professor of scrappy neutral, a creative god among humans. And the king of the big apple.

[@yyhrva5605]

He did it love it

[@CarurossTheSecond218]

It was nice meeting you at the event Box! Thanks for the picture

[@LuigiLonLon]

Finally a major W for Rosa and DaBuzby! Congrats man! you deserve it!

[@OwenOshan]

This wasnt a major.

[@Without_Empathy]

Pretty sure this is a major but not a supermajor

[@OwenOshan]

@@Without_Empathy Its neither, according to ultrank it’s not a major and according to liquidpedia it’s not a major.

[@BlzOmega]

@@Without_Empathy This was a B+ tier or a Submajor Tournament. So sadly it is not a major. Not enough Top Rank Players participated.

[@ffinixs]

Sorry to deflate Dabuz win but this ain't a major, my guy

[@drsiiiiin]

I love the finals when both players happy at the end . Respect to both

[@sharsasuke01]

18:17 That little wave land was clean.

[@WhinterFio]

The King of New-York finally under the spotlight! What a Grand Final!

[@nydeity9100]

There isn’t a dash in New York and Dabuz isn’t the king.

[@matthewduncan9405]

Damn what a competitor. That game 1 on the reset was so rough and he just regrouped and got it done.

[@ClubSoda98]

So good to see Dabuz win. Well deserved.

[@malachimorrison8966]

Huge pop off! Proud to see either one of these legends win.

[@Gaenico]

Really happy for Dabuz, he's so consistent, playing so well especially those last months (last year too), he deserves a win like this. And well played Riddles, always good too. The Ultimate scene is really amazing nowadays in terms of level.

[@angelplayz02]

You gotta love that Riddles isn’t annoyed or mad that he lost. Seems genuinely happy for Dabuz

[@nungus145]

Thanks for being top comment and spoiling the match

[@Slifer1227]

@@nungus145 what are you doing in the comments if you haven't watched the video the fk

[@lanecus]

The comment appears right below when I opened the video too. Great spoil doofus.

[@z-past1454]

@@lanecusI’ve never understood comments like this? The whole point of the comment section is to DISCUSS the video, so of course it’s gonna have spoilers. At this point, just use your hand to cover the top comment. Hell you can literally just use your index finger and you’re fine

[@treehinko]

Riddles has been playing Street Fighter more before CEO

[@iliya1933]

Man, it really felt like Dabuz had to play absolutely perfectly to win this match. Kazuya’s punish game is so much more potent than Rosa’s, and between invulnerability and armor on some of Kazuya’s moves, Dabuz couldn’t make any mistakes in neutral in order to gain and maintain a lead. He was so good at evading Riddles and controlling Luma to do the fighting for him, keeping himself out of Kazuya’s reach.

[@afgcinc7206]

Yeah I was actually slowing down the video and counting how many interactions Dabuz made the right read and option but Kazuya just flat out wins them either by command grab or several armor moves; it was frustrating to watch. I've never really liked Dabuz' playstyle but I admit he pretty much has to to win this matchup at top level. Dabuz using Rosalina does make you feel most of that time that he really earns the wins he gets.

[@iliya1933]

@@afgcinc7206 Yeah, no kidding. I absolutely agree. And each interaction that Dabuz won got him probably an average of 9% damage, whereas each one that Riddles won got him 16% or more. One aerial would do 16%, one three-step jab combo does more than 20, and one EWGF does far more than that. And EWGF is something that Riddles wants to land at any percent because it leads to big damage at low percents or a kill at mid to high percents. Dabuz had to change up his options depending on the percent that Riddles is at, and he has to be absolutely precise. If he misses an up smash, he either takes fifty percent or just straight up dies. If Riddles misses an EWGF, he eats an up air from Luma (often does about 5%) into a neutral air from Rosa (also low damage), and maybe a landing side special from Luma at maximum. And Rosa couldn't reliably kill Kazuya until very high percents (laggy smash attacks could be very punishable if missed), so Dabuz had to win an insane amount of neutral interactions against a hero with some intangibility on his approach. All that isn't to say that Rosa doesn't have tools to help her in the Kazuya matchup (Dabuz' control of Luma is crazy good, for example), but Dabuz had to play ON POINT all the time in order to win that match.

[@jorgesepulveda830]

Dabuzz only missed a random flying crab to get the perfect underdog victory of the tournament 😂😂😂

[@FFDM33]

Literally watched Dabuz's pop off 10 times, freaking legendary 👌🏽

[@brysonmcfaull1218]

7:45 the level of camping here 😂 dabuz running back and forth, keeping riddles in a loop where there is constantly a luma between him and rosalina. Dabuz loves this jump move where he retreats above luma while shooting out starbits and stuffing riddle's attempt to chase. Honestly makes me want to try out Rosalina

[@__Awaken__]

2 liquid players meeting in grand finals so happy for both of them

[@damienorozco2185]

I really enjoy riddles gameplay he so patience with his moments knowing when to attack and his spacing is amazing with the timing alway well done

[@QueuedUp_]

You'd think we were in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean with how much Liquid I'm seeing 👀

[@Zion122]

Fr

[@Biraneverson21]

Thanks!

[@brianz7362]

You love to see it, it finally happened I’m so happy for him

[@250R1983lover]

Legendary pop off

[@heartnet40]

I've been watching Dabuz play Smash for years and this is the first time I've ever seen him play *this* clean. He wasn't playing campy, he was playing defensive. The difference being that Dabuz played both close and far to Riddles depending on the situation, and his movement and maneuvring in and out of where Kazuya should be his strongest was just unreal. Even when he got hit, Dabuz never panicked or got startled, he played losing interactions off like they were a part of his plan and kept pushing the game forward. If more Ultimate defensive match-ups played like *THIS* I would be exponentially more excited to watch matches. This was an insane Grand Finals.

[@Finnboy7thst]

Good commentary, great set

[@tordek911]

Hype the whole time this set was top notch each round

[@safk4910]

Damn boy, nice both amazing players.

[@games8-6-9]

1:40 "that raging demon ready to go" Didn't know Akuma from streets was in smash

[@Michael-cg5qn]

The handsome and sexy Dabuz beating the carried riddles. Amazing tournament win for Dabuz

[@user-ui7lu1ep3c]

ダバチャン本当におめでとう🎉😭🎉 久々に大型大会で優勝する姿見れて良かったわ

[@ercoman8410]

So happy for Dabuz

[@d0zeboy]

How does anyone beat that Rosa + luma, dabuz’s game is wild

[@CorbinWho]

Dabuz used a very fitting player tag. Congrats on the win Luma 🎉

[@TheAlolanRaichu]

Ok, ngl, i predicted this in a dream. Riddles vs dabuz in ceo 2023 grands. This was like 6 months ago

[@kimoota-kun]

They look so happy. That's some good shit

[@amoblack9845]

That break the target song makes me feel nostalgic.

[@Rico-cp4xp]

I really want to see the ChunkyKong vs Mutace set. Sad I missed it :(

[@starchild6646]

Yooooo that Dabuz PopOff is the best yet this 2023 😂😂😂😂 love to see it

[@KP-us1ld]

When dabuz popped off, I felt that. What a great win.

[@kfed9834]

Such a good performance from Dabuz love to see it, he earned it

[@Cyrx686]

That stomp and pose on the chair was 10/10. Very happy for him!

[@FearlessLORD9866]

Is it just me or is Riddles Kazuya movement even better after playing SF6?

[@alexmyska7244]

Unfortunate that there weren’t player cams, I always love watching Dabuz’s reactions to stuff

[@birdytaken]

What a great set! CONGRATS DABUZ!

[@jablosounds]

this boy just did the jack daniels popoff to handshake seamlessly lol what a legend congrats man

[@yoman21a]

It feels like it has been so long

[@yummi9915]

Never thought Id be cheering for Dabuz is camping. Really goes to show Kazuya's reputation.

[@matthewcurtiss7557]

I've never seen so many footstools in neutral

[@xoonn9]

The stomp on the chair was so cool man hahah loved it

[@CdotWizzle]

Liquid Dabuz vs Liquid Riddles commentated by Liquid Hungrybox.

[@DesTr069]

I freaking love Dabuz, so glad to see him take one home!

[@RurouniMonster]

He did the captain Morgan pose lol

[@BrandonLuallenMusic]

Dabuz worked hard for that win and took it. Props!

[@Zambo43014]

1:09 “Mr.President, please”😂

[@pan0ramian]

Not the Captain Morgan popoff ☠️ 🏴‍☠️🚢

[@diegocorral8787]

The end of the vid didn't show Dabuz holding the belt 😭

[@owenicewater9704]

He finally did it :)))))

[@owenicewater9704]

(if you say that this shouldn’t count because it isn’t technically a “major,” you are cut of the weakest cloth)

[@yyhrva5605]

@@owenicewater9704what’s it considered?

[@owenicewater9704]

@@yyhrva5605 a B+ tier, I think that it was only a few hundred points from being A.

[@apolmedrano3914]

​@@owenicewater9704what tier is a major

[@babymeat3840]

​@@owenicewater9704how do you find this information

[@jeffreyeverette6826]

Great match!!!

[@QenaitheCustodianGuard]

Dabuzz living up to his name because he was buzzing that last match holy hell, well done!

[@VictorHernandez-nt3tw]

Can't believe that's the stadium I graduated in in 2004... I feel so old. 😅

[@Amaling]

That's ma fuckin goat so happy he finally got the deserved ultimate major, insane mental even today after the reset. And with the kneeling on top of the chair, got another legendary Buzby popoff

[@ffinixs]

CEO wasn't a major this year

[@gang4001]

Rosalina is such a hard tech to play with and against. Congrats to Dabuz!

[@Not_Ciel]

38:34 Look at Riddles’ face and how big he’s smiling. I wonder if this is his Cody Schwab moment.

[@lyrics2challenged]

WLD Dabuz Rosa gameplay is beauty to watch.

[@TommyBrady_]

Rosalina thriving as she should

[@ChooChooTrainny]

Bro was so hyped he hit em with the Captain Morgan