Harusaki Air’s Team Loses Opener, Then Wins Four Straight to Take Second at Nijiika Matsuri

NIJISANJI — Harusaki Air, Oliver Evans, Takamiya Rion and Purin･Lala･Mode finished second in B League on the first day of the #にじイカ祭り2026 (Nijiika Matsuri 2026) Splatoon 3 tournament on Saturday. The four lost their opening match, then won each of the next four in straight games, and head into Day 2 as a seed.

They played as a team called 優勝候補w, roughly “title favorites, lol.” Before the tournament matches began, they warmed up in practice rounds against another team. In the pre-match interview, Air said the team had come together late in practice: his coordination with Oliver had been uneven until the end, then clicked, and once Rion was surviving and laying down paint so the others could move, everyone’s roles started to come naturally. Asked for her resolve, Purin･Lala･Mode, who was playing her first tournament, said she would paint over everything in the world.

“I’ll paint over everything in this world.” — Purin･Lala･Mode, in the pre-match interview

The opening match went to an opponent that out-painted them. The team regrouped around staying alive and covering turf, and settled on a lineup with two Pablo brush weapons, which they stuck with through their wins.

The fourth match came down to Tower Control (ガチヤグラ), a mode in which teams ride a moving tower toward the other side. With the clock running low, the four handed the tower along from one player to the next, and Air called it a count that took everyone’s grit. The win was one the team said went a long way toward securing Day 2. They finished the fifth match in a lopsided win.

When the standings came out, the team was second, one point behind a team that won every match. The top two placings earn a seed in the knockout on Day 2, and the players said the nerves of their first matches had been the main problem. Oliver said on his own stream that he wanted to speak up more tomorrow. Air closed the stream by going back over the day’s matches, and the group concluded two Pablos had been the right call. They said they would confirm the Day 2 start time afterward.