Hbox vs Mang0: A Rivalry Reaching Its Prime

November 01 2016


As they lazer-lock their eyes onto an outdated CRT, hundreds seated in nervous angst behind them, it lingers. Silence. Not just silence, that tense silence that whispers more than words ever could. Both Liquid Hungrybox and C9 Mang0 acquiesce to their roles in this underlying melodrama. Walls erected from years of social separation crack for nothing more than a ceremonial pre-match fist bump. Pent-up anticipation slowly climaxes as the cursor drops onto Battlefield and Melee’s faux-announcer declares the beginning of Super Smash Con Grand Finals.



There’s a signature rhythm that hallmarks any great rivalry, one indicative of the depth that both competitors know each other. In Melee, it’s recognizable in the minute spacing discrepancies as patterns of play unfold from second nature. You can feel the pit of your stomach turn with every missed counter, with nerves transforming each game into a field of uncapitalized loopholes. Yet a more unsettling tone continues to crawl into your conscience. For two men with savant-like reads on each other’s play, the level of discomfort apparent in their real life relationship grows on every viewer watching as they dispose of decorum to focus solely on their designs for victory. As Mang0’s Fox up-airs Hungrybox’s Jigglypuff into oblivion to win the set, you feel satisfied by the level of mastery you just witnessed. And yet, the quick handshake that signs off the match leaves you desiring something deeper.

After years of momentous swings of dominance by each player, 2016 has propelled us to the height of the Hungrybox-Mang0 rivalry. Mang0 drew early blood, defeating Hungrybox in a nail-biting five game set at the prestigious Genesis 3. Hungrybox returned the favor with landmark victories over Mang0 at PAX Arena and Battle of the Five Gods, a tournament showcasing only the cream of the Melee crop. July was when momentum feverishly swung towards Hungrybox with a decisive win over Mang0 at Evo 2016, en route to a championship that marked the culmination of his career’s work. But just as Hungrybox had laced a strong grip on the rivalry, Mang0 responded with a dominant two-set performance over Hbox to take Super Smash Con. And while Hungrybox’s Evo win was the most pivotal of the year, Mang0’s recent Big House 6 victory kept Mang0 slightly ahead in the overall achievements category. As we head into the homestretch of the Smash year, each man has legitimate claims to superiority on the sticks. What truly characterizes this dynamic, though, is the cloud of mystery veiling any insight into what each man truly feels about the other. Stemming from years of personal strife and competitive jonesing, this schism struggles to achieve any level of normality.


A familiar sight for Smash fans


See, Hungrybox vs Mang0 was boxed into a lazy “good vs evil” narrative from the jump. As humans, we love to construct people as flawless heroes, idols with our attention wrapped around their fingertips. In turn, there always must be a villainous opposite, one that will be thwarted by the hero for the sake of justice. To the Smash community, Mang0 was crowned the hero for his up-tempo, never-let-you breathe style of play while Hungrybox was chided for his campy, methodical approach to the game. Their personalities reflect their play; Mang0 shades towards the whimsical, while Hungrybox is much more measured. It is Hungrybox, not Mang0, who boasts a college degree but, ironically, Hungrybox, not Mang0, is the one known for the ecstatic pop-offs after wins. Over time, Mang0 garnered a large following while Hungrybox suffered as the figment of fan distaste.

But the dirty truth is, people are never just “good” or “bad”. We’re all amalgamations of good and bad traits, with only a portion of those traits constituting our image. A closer look into Hungrybox reveals just how skewed public perception of his character has been. Like how during this Evo, for instance, he played his Jigglypuff with daring gusto, going for risky KO setups. It was enthralling to watch. Or how, after winning Dreamhack Winter last year, he broke down in raw emotion on camera after explaining that he’s driven by the passing of his father, who didn’t fully believe in his greatness. Likewise, Mang0 exhibits contradictory behavior, too. He’s often tranquil when playing big matches, a stark difference from the lively person he is outside the game. Technically, he can be much more cunning and cautious than people realize. Against Hungrybox at Smash Con, he avoided a handful of rest set ups by wrangling in his famed aggression. Still, perception is reality, and that reality forged one of Smash’s great pairings.



There’s never been an issue about where each man stands in terms of in-game performance compared to one another. As Mang0 broke onto the scene as a Puff player, he defined his niche in the community. Hungrybox soon followed his footsteps and advanced Puff’s meta further. Mang0 would switch to Fox, Falco and Marth and would define himself as the more accomplished player throughout the early 2010s, winning two Evo’s in the process. Yet Hungrybox grinded and won the lion’s share of sets against Mang0 during much of that span. As Hungrybox has recently eclipsed Mang0 to take the top spot in the world, there’s no doubt Mang0 will push back. Neither wants to give ground on the other.

Given the nature of their high level competition, most top players grow to accept and respect one another, often communing together outside of the game. Even more volatile Smasher relationships founded on trash talk eventually simmer out. Everyone runs in the same circles, so there’s little room for bad blood. Still, Hungrybox and Mang0 have stood out as an exception for years. Following Hungrybox’s advancement of the Puff meta, many believed that Mang0 was offended that another player would encroach on his character. It wasn’t until a Mang0 AMA in 2013, however, when their mutual animosity reached all-time highs. Hungrybox lambasted Mang0 as an immature, irreverent dummy, while Mang0 responded with hurtful slurs.

Another episode in the feud occurred at Evo 2015 Top 8, when Mang0 lost to a heavily-camping Hungrybox, much to Mang0’s chagrin. Mang0 took to Twitter soon after to voice his displeasure. As time has passed, tensions have eased. Yet a level of frustration remains hidden beneath the surface. Rare interactions on Twitter, a few rounds of the game Mafia at Smash Summit, and hard reads on their slight interactions in person reveal little more than an acquaintance-like connection.

The level of parity today between the two was carved from years of jostling to the miniscule detail. The war of attrition in-game has revolved around whether Hungrybox can bait Mang0 into his rest setups. With Mang0 now taking games off of Dreamland – Hungrybox’s most advantageous stage- nothing is guaranteed between the two. And, unlike most Hbox opponents of recent memory, Mang0 understands how to combo his Puff and take advantage of the character’s low survivability. For his part, Hungrybox owns stages with platforms. While he lost their most recent meeting at Smash Con, much of his defeat can be attributed to uncharacteristic mistakes, leaving hope that he still holds the edge head-to-head. At their most recent meeting at Shine 2016, however, Mang0 countered Hungrybox’s surprising aggression with a slew of aerial attacks, opening up just enough punishes to cement a close set victory, his second straight over this year’s Evo champion.


Hungrybox led early in 2016, but the gap is closing


And maybe, just maybe, this competition will draw them to finally shun any resentment remaining in their relationship. In boxing, they say that a fighter knows his opponent better than that man’s own family after a long 12 round fight together. Mang0 and Hungrybox are discovering new pieces of each other’s personality: their strengths, their flaws and their ways of thinking. One day, perhaps it will click, that they share the same slice of history, that they gave the same part of themselves to the game and can bond over that shared sacrifice.

Tension. It can captivate a crowd without uttering a word. Its teeth sink into Hungrybox and Mang0, confirming the magnitude of the events they play in and pushing each to become better. It accentuates lingering pain and anger, leaving an uncomfortable residue of emotion in its wake. But when that tension breaks and resolution is provided, when we finally know which man is better at Melee and which man still clings to a grudge, only then will any fronts be eroded. Only then will they each know the true Hungrybox and Mang0, the first step towards any level of acceptance. As Hungrybox stated for the recent HTC series “Rivals”, “I think it’s just our personalities and the way we see life that cause this inevitable conflict. But, I don’t want to be against him anymore. I’m throwing the white flag”. Perhaps they were destined to never be friends, but most great rivalries usually don’t end that way.



Writer // Brandon Bernica
Graphics // shiroiusagi