Knee (gamer)
| Knee | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Name | 배재민 (Bae Jae-min) |
| Born | 24 June 1985 Gyeongbuk, South Korea |
| Career information | |
| Games | |
| Playing career | 2004–present |
| Team history | |
| 2010–2021 | ROX Dragons[1] |
| 2021–2022 | Vision Strikers |
| 2021–present | DRX |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 배재민 |
| Hanja | 裴宰民 |
| RR | Bae Jaemin |
| MR | Pae Chaemin |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Genre | Tekken |
| Subscribers | 361 thousand |
| Views | 364,233,332 |
| Last updated: January 13, 2026 | |
Bae Jae-min (Korean: 배재민; born 24 June 1985), better known as Knee, is a South Korean professional Tekken player, coach, and streamer on Twitch, YouTube and Soop (service) on his channel. He is a four-time EVO champion, having emerged victorious in EVO Las Vegas 2013 and 2022, as well as EVO Japan 2018 and 2025, being the oldest Tekken winner in tournament history. In 2022, Knee won his 100th tournament win, being the only person in Tekken history to win more than 100 championships. [2][3][4][5]
Personal life
Knee was born in Gyeongbuk Province, South Korea, on June 24, 1985 and raised in Seoul.[6][7] He was passionate in Tekken games in arcades since the first game.[8] He has stated on occasions that he would train for hours daily overcoming wrist pain issues with his joystick until he could master each character in the different rosters of each iteration.[9][10][11] The 5'7 e-sports gamer has gone on to compete in local tournaments in Seoul, South Korea at the local Green arcade before deciding to pursue a full career in e-sports.[8][12] According to Knee, it was in Tekken 4 in 2004 when he started to take Tekken seriously and developed the urge to compete professionally in the game.[13] Green Arcade in Seoul grew into a notable hub for Korean pros, with the next generation of EVO champion and Steve Fox player Nin, Knee, and MLG Circuit winner Holeman leading the team of Korean professionals in international tournaments during the arcade's golden age.[14]
Career
Knee’s debut in a major tournament was in 2005, when he entered and won the Tekken 5 Korean Arcade Championship.[15] Knee won his first tournament in 2005 in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection.[16] Knee has won at the EVO tournaments for a record three separate Tekken games: Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tekken 7, and Tekken 8.[17][18][19] He captained South Korea when they won international tournaments for Tekken 7 in 2017.[9][20]
Knee is widely regarded as one of the greatest Tekken players in history. Beyond his numerous championships, he is renowned as a master strategist and technician. His playstyle is defined by "safe aggression," where he utilizes patient defensive movement and mid-range "checks" to minimize risk while gathering data on his opponent. He is uniquely celebrated for his rapid adaptability and "uncanny ability to download" opponents—detecting weaknesses within the first game of a set and adjusting his strategy to dominate subsequent rounds. His mastery is further evidenced by his unparalleled character versatility, having been the first player to reach the highest "Tekken God Omega" rank with every character on the Tekken 7 roster. [21]
Knee became an EVO champion for the fourth time by winning the title in Tekken 8 on May 11, 2025 in Tokyo, at the record age of 39, one month shy of his 40th birthday.[22]
Honors
In 2018, Knee was inducted into the Esports Hall of Fame in Seoul under the "Heroes" Category.[16]
Public image
Other rival gamers respect the game of Knee. For example, Arslan Ash has stated a number of times that he most feared playing against Knee, and unlike Knee has a less confrontational style where he prefers playing weaker pools in order to strategize his chances in advancing in tournaments.[8] Publishers such as ESPN have called him arguably the best Tekken player in history.[23] Knee's favorite character is Bryan Fury, and also plays Feng Wei and the Mishima family: Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, and Devil Jin; he does not consider Jin Kazama nor Reina as part of the Mishimas due to the differences in their fighting styles.[24]
Knee started the Tekken Stars Cup at Green Arcade in 2016, then later turned it into an online tournament that served as a Challengers event for many Korean professionals.[25] Korean professionals including Ulsan have called him the father of Korean Tekken for growing the professional scene in the country.[26]
Sources
References
- ↑ "Bae "Knee" Jae-min signs with ROX Gaming". 7 August 2017.
- ↑ Evo Japan 2025 Grand Final - Knee (Bryan) vs Mulgold (Claudio/Feng) - Tekken 8 on YouTube
- ↑ "[EVO Japan 2025] Interview with Tekken 8 winner DRX Knee! "Want to play in Pakistan again"". 11 May 2025.
- ↑ Michael, Cale (11 May 2025). "EVO Japan 2025 - Tekken 8 Results". Sports Illustrated.
- ↑ "Knee Celebrates His 100th Championship | DashFight". dashfight.com. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
- ↑ Kim 2022, pp. 89.
- ↑ "DF - KNEE BIO". 15 January 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- 1 2 3 Inside the Battle: Arslan Ash & Knee Break the Silence on Years of Gaming Rivalry! 🔥 on YouTube
- 1 2 Kim 2022, pp. 90.
- ↑ "World's No. 1 Tekken player vows to keep playing until 100 trophies". Korea Herald. 20 April 2021.
- ↑ Asuncion, Joseph (13 July 2023). "Knee once played 42 matches in Pakistan just so he could beat the region's own Tekken god". One Sports.
- ↑ EVO 2022: Jae-Min "Knee" Bae Tekken 7 Champion Interview on YouTube
- ↑ Knee's Rise to TEKKEN Greatness on YouTube
- ↑ Korean Tekken Arcade Closes Down, Knee Trophies Gone? 5CjF6qocjns on YouTube
- ↑ Knee on X
- 1 2 Kim 2021, pp. 172.
- ↑ Cowley, Ric (8 September 2022). "DRX's Knee is your EVO 2022 Tekken 7 champion". Red Bull.
- ↑ Rand, Emily. "Tekken and Mortal Kombat shine at Combo Breaker".
- ↑ "JDCR wins Tekken 7 crown at Evo". ESPN. 17 July 2017.
- ↑ Lee, Timothy (17 July 2016). "South Korea dominates Tekken". ESPN.
- ↑ https://www.koreaherald.com/article/2599980#:~:text=World's%20No.-,1%20Tekken%20player%20vows%20to%20keep%20playing%20until%20100%20trophies,starter%20into%20a%20full%20combo.
- ↑ "Evo Japan 2025 early results, stream ft Kakeru, MenaRD, Punk, Chikurin, Rookies, E.T., BigBird, Xiaohai, Tororo, Rangchu, Kawano and more". www.eventhubs.com. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ↑ Lee, Timothy (10 July 2017). "South Korea favorites in Tekken 7". ESPN.
- ↑ Who is the Best Player on Each Tekken Character? on YouTube
- ↑ @holyknee (31 March 2026). "Finally! The Stars Cup, which I've been hosting since 2016, has officially become a Challenger event. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the tournament 🎉 It started as a very small event, so seeing a tournament I've been running since the Tekken 7 days become part of the TWT is truly emotional for me. Last year, there were few Challenger events in the Asia region. I hope Stars Cup can fill that spot this year 🙏" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ @@tekkenUlsan (25 August 2024). "He created the scene of the Korean Tekken, and without him, the Korean professional players today would not here. And one of the most difficult match in EWC" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).