“The Smash community can’t govern itself”: Ultimate TO and coach L4st accused of sexual assault

Sigh. Another day, another creep in the Super Smash Bros. community.

Team Liquid coach, commentator, and tournament organizer Ryan “L4st” Krichbaum has been banned from Smash events in Georgia after multiple people accused him of sexual assault. Is the Smash community doomed?

On May 10th, the Georgia Smash group on X said that a moderator had been notified about allegations coming from three anonymous individuals. The accusations against L4st included rape, emotional abuse, coercion, and “multiple cases of sexual assault.”

One of the individuals came forward a few years ago, requesting that L4st be privately banned from several tournaments in Georgia in 2024 “for the individual’s safety.” They also hoped L4st would address his behavior in private.

“Due to this incident, as well as other incidents occurring in other regions, Georgia Smash leadership recommends an indefinite ban from all Georgia events,” the post read,” as well as regional events, majors, etc.”

Team Liquid has since removed L4st from its “staff” page under the FGC category. Only Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma remains with the organization as it continues to drop its fighting game players.

Aside from this, there have been no public statements from Team Liquid.

L4st was a pretty prominent member of the Smash community. He was Leonardo “MkLeo” Perez‘s coach and was connected to Hungrybox. Due to his involvement in various aspects of the Smash scene, some FGC players wondered why he was “protected” for years.

It should be noted that Georgia Smash claims the victim wanted the matter kept private. But Smash players didn’t like the idea of an alleged abuser and predator being around the Smash scene for years without them knowing what he’d allegedly done. Some believe that the situation was “covered up,” maybe to protect other players.

However, the biggest discussion point? Disappointment.

A lot of Smash players felt that the accusations against L4st were a continuation of the “Me Too” movement years ago, when it seemed like almost every prominent Smash player and figure was getting accused of harassment, rape, grooming, and assault. Hearing about L4st made the Smash community fear that the scene is still full of dangerous predators.

A comment on Reddit said: “Horrible. Very concerning, especially considering how prominent a figure he was, being featured at tournaments and invitationals. Ultimate competitive scene continues to have a dark stain on its legacy.”

Another lamented: “Seriously, it’s just so disappointing and anger-inducing. I think this hurts way more than allegations against just about any player; he’s one of the people whose work physically kept the scene running.”

The situation with L4st brought up an age-old discussion for the Smash scene: Should Nintendo have taken over after all?

While many in the FGC hate Nintendo for continuing to meddle with Smash esports while providing no financial support, others have wondered whether Nintendo should have taken control of the scene anyway. Smash is very grassroots, which allows for many genuine moments. Grit, passion, determination, chaos. But it also allows for a lot of degenerate behavior to go unchecked.

Without an organized circuit from the publisher, Smash is left with tournaments funded by individual tournament organizers. The scene is left a bit disconnected, meaning someone could get away with something down in Texas that the Rhode Island scene may not know about, allowing that person to compete there. Some TOs ban players accused of harassment and assault, while others have turned a blind eye. Some TOs even create tournaments for blacklisted players, giving space to people accused of being racist, sexist, or violent.

Said one disappointed fan: “I love Smash, but I can’t defend its scene. I just can’t. It’s systemic, and the systems in place to prevent this stuff, or lack thereof, make it feel like the rot will never go away.”

Added another: “The Smash community can’t govern itself. History keeps repeating itself with this scene and its reputation since 2020 is absolutely deserved. This scene just isn’t worth it anymore.”

Is this really a Smash thing?

I’m going to give my opinion here: No. I think it’s a dude thing.

While there are definitely some weirdo women in the Smash scene (and beyond), statistics say that men commit up to 90% of violent crimes, including 99% of rapes. Super Smash Bros. is an esport dominated by men. Most of the competitors are men. Most of the fans are men. I’ve gone to tournaments where I was one of maybe three or four women.

More men increase the likelihood of this kind of behavior.

However, I do agree that Smash has fewer higher-ups holding people responsible. It doesn’t have an entity like the Esports Integrity Commission or Riot holding people accountable. It’s all just a matter of personal choice as you go from tournament to tournament.

For example, Georgia Smash attempted to do the right thing by keeping things silent at the victim’s request. However, this wouldn’t be allowed if Smash were controlled by Nintendo. L4st would have been investigated and banned. Think of Jay “sinatraa” Won over in VALORANT. It’s a whole different world.

I don’t think Smash attracts creeps more than other male-dominated hobbies. However, I do think it lacks the governing bodies to act swiftly in these incidents and remove the people involved. L4st would only be “canceled” in the sense that TOs won’t allow him, and pros won’t interact with him. But he isn’t truly banned from the entirety of the esport. There’s nobody to do that.

I don’t think Smash is doomed to be full of creeps and perverts. But TOs across every region should work even more closely together to ensure consistent punishments and rulings for this kind of thing.