Despite being one of the most well-known teams in the Japanese League of Legends game, DetonatioN FocusMe has lately come under fire after one of their teenage players ran away from the group’s team house.
According to rough translations on the League subreddit and by Twitter user The JesportHub, starting top laner Haruki “tol2” Shibata revealed on social media today that he was forced to run away from DFM’s gaming house because he “felt [his] life was in danger” after allegedly being threatened by head coach Kazuta “Kazu” Suzuki.
Tol2 claimed that he has been verbally abused by Kazu and the team’s former mid laner-turned-coach Kyohei “Ceros” Yoshida since the 2023 Spring Split. He also isn’t sure what kind of response he will receive once he returns to the gaming house.
The 20-year-old also claimed that he told upper management about the abuse, but was met with a fine from DFM’s CEO Nobuyuki Umezaki, along with a warning that he would be removed from the lineup if this information would get to the public.
Tol2 said that he suffered a breakdown in London during the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, when DFM were handed an early exit from the tournament. According to the young prospect, the only person who helped calm him down was substitute marksman Ryo “Milan” Nakamoto. Ultimately, he has been dealing with extreme circumstances that have led to undue stress on his mental health, even though the team is undefeated in the 2023 LJL Summer Split.
There hasn’t been an official statement from DFM, and tol2 hasn’t given another update since his last post around 7:30am CT. Dot Esports has reached out to DFM for comment.