Jigglypuff in Ultimate
Image: Nintendo

The top Super Smash Bros. Melee competitive player, Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma, (who has been terrorising the scene with Jigglypuff for the past decade) is questioning his future commitment to the 2001 GameCube title.

In a recently published video on his YouTube channel, Debiedma said he finally felt "loved" and "appreciated" by the Smash community, since he'd been streaming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from home during the pandemic.

"I think that for the first time in a very long in this community, I finally feel loved by a big group of people, I finally feel appreciated by a large audience - and that's the Ultimate crowd if I'm being honest."

The amount of effort he's put into Melee over the years appears to have taken its toll. He's even had a crab thrown at him in the past.

"For the little that I get for winning and putting that much effort into a Melee tournament, the amount I have to put in, but also the amount I have to deal with, as a result, is simply not worth it. It's simply getting to the point where the game does not bring me the happiness that it used to."

Later in the video, Debiedma admits he's never had the amount of support as he has in recent times on his YouTube and Twitch channels (with videos and streams focused on Smash Bros. Ultimate):

"You need a large number of people who want to see you prevail. You need a large number of people who are on your side, who want you to keep playing through thick or thin, and it's just simply something I've never had in Melee."

Ultimate has given him "a sense of placement" within the community, whereas he's often been portrayed as the villain in the Melee scene:

"caused me so much pain, so much grievance, so much mental strain, over the course of so much time. It's suffering, so much suffering it's caused me, as a result of the way in the which I tried to win, and as a result of me growing up through the community."

"I feel like I'm going to have to make some decisions on it, some big decisions on it coming soon, but as it stands currently, as of this video, I think the plan goes as follows, I do not think I'll be entering at least any online Melee events. I don't think it's good for my mental health, I don't think it is representative of the player that I want to be in that game, I don't think it's good for my fans to see me deal with that sort of struggle in that game and that lack of motivation, given all the expectations."

How would you feel about Hungrybox moving away from Melee's top tier to perhaps spend some more time with Ultimate? Leave a comment below.

[source youtu.be, via eventhubs.com]