On September 24, 2026, South Korean media Money Today reported that 11-year-old Japanese player Yuki Kurihara was showing overwhelming strength in the "Puyo Puyo" qualifiers at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

According to the article, Kurihara defeated Carl Owen Gonzalvo of the Philippines and Aleksandr Pivovarov of Kazakhstan, both 3-0, in Group A of the qualifiers held at Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi Prefecture on the 24th. He also defeated 25-year-old Kang Dong-shin, representing South Korea, 3-1. With three consecutive wins, he secured his spot at the top of the group.

Kurihara is the youngest player in the Japanese delegation. If he wins a medal this time, he could become the youngest medalist in Asian Games history. He had already won international tournaments by the time he was in third grade and holds a record of successfully completing up to 19 chains in a single play.

Meanwhile, Kang Dong-shin, representing South Korea, lost to Kurihara but secured advancement to the knockout stage as the second-place finisher in Group A. The knockout stage is scheduled for the 26th.

"Puyo Puyo" is a puzzle game where players connect and clear slime-like blocks called "Puyo" of the same color. In addition to the strategy of building chains, it also requires instant decision-making. The article stated, "With only 11-year-old Kurihara breaking through the qualifiers undefeated against adult players, his skill is attracting attention in South Korea as well."

Regarding this, South Korean netizens commented, "I saw the photo, and his expression somehow has charisma," "11 years old at the Asian Games, amazing," "I watched the game footage, it was incredible," "This kid is truly a genius, you'd know if you watched the video," and "Adults can't possibly beat an 11-year-old's stamina."

Furthermore, other comments included, "I'm surprised that Puyo Puyo is an event at the Asian Games," "There are more events than I thought," "I want to watch the game broadcast," "If it's Puyo Puyo, there might be genius players in town who haven't realized their talent yet," "Crane games might become competitive events someday," and "Even for this, you can get military exemption (winning a gold medal at the Asian Games allows one to become an arts and sports personnel, which is a system practically equivalent to military exemption under South Korea's military service system)." (Translation/Editing: Higuchi)

이번에 아시안 게임에 뿌요뿌요 정식 종목인데 금메달 유력후보가 11살 일본 선수래... https://t.co/iGZ49Wk65J

— three piece suit (@threepiecesuit) September 17, 2026