Sentinels’ duelist and current star player Zekken goes viral in China for the wrong reasons, as a lost-in-translation clip from his stream becomes popular in the country.
Zekken was at the center of the spotlight during Sentinels’ early success in the 2024 VCT bid. As the youngest Valorant pro, he led his team on their road to redemption with his record-breaking frags as a duelist.
However, Sentinels fans couldn’t relish their victory for long as the North American team failed to qualify for the next VCT Masters in Shanghai after bowing out early of VCT Americas Stage 1.
Despite not participating in the international tournament in China, the 19-year-old pro became a hot topic on Chinese social media after an untoward clip from his stream caught local attention. In the clip, Zekken proclaimed himself a “China hater,” which was quickly frowned upon by fans from the region.
Chinese fans, in a rush to interpret, immediately labeled the clip as Zekken being racist. However, the global Valorant community and fans worldwide quickly recognized the viral moment as a misunderstanding resulting from a misinterpreted translation.
The full context of the clip was Zekken making his predictions on the possible results of the VCT Masters Shanghai teams. When making a choice between the faceoff of Team Heretics and China region’s top-seeded team, EDward Gaming, Zekken says the untoward claim of being a “China Hater” as he picked Team Heretics.
While the clip may seem discriminating to some audiences when directly translated, fans noted that “hater” is a slang equivalent to a “doubter.” One Valorant fan noted that Zekken was only “pessimistic” over EDG’s chances of qualifying for higher tournament levels.
Zekken already clarified his stance and apologized for the misunderstanding in a post on X. He simply meant that he doesn’t “believe in VCT China this tournament,” which may be a little more forgiving for Chinese fans.
Sentinels initially announced that they’re headed for a vacation during VCT Masters Shanghai, especially after explaining that they felt burnt out after the strenuous schedule of the 2024 Valorant season.