Log in

Laz officially steps down from ZETA Division

Laz officially steps down from ZETA Division

Ganesh Jadhav

Ganesh Jadhav

27 Jul, 2024, 09:41

|

Last updated: 9 Apr, 2025, 15:03

One of the biggest VALORANT stars of Japan, Ushida “Laz” Koji has decided to step down from the ZETA Division roster.

The former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player switched to VALORANT in 2020 with Absolute Jupiter, a team Laz has been on since 2015.

He quickly rose through the ranks to be the best VALORANT player in Japan. Along with his teammates, Laz dominated every competition in Japan, winning the First Strike Japan.

They placed 2nd at VCT Masters Japan and missed out on Reykjavik in 2021 after another loss to Crazy Racoon. Absolute Jupiter rebranded as ZETA Division and qualified for Masters Berlin, but lost early.

ZETA Division absolutely dominated 2022 Challengers and made a miracle run at Masters Reykjavik 2022, placing third after losing to Optic Gaming. Laz was the MVP for the squad, sometimes single-handedly winning games for the team.

They lost to Northeption, missing out on Masters Copenhagen 2023. The points helped them to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2022, but bailed out in the group stage. 2023 was a disappointing year for ZETA Division, as they failed to perform up to par. While they did qualify for VALORANT Champions 2023 via the VCT Pacific LCQ, they still struggled internationally. 2024 wasn’t any different, as they missed all three International tournaments.

With two back-to-back disappointing years, Laz has decided to step down from ZETA Division. He will stick to streaming for the organization.

With VALORANT Champions 2024 having just concluded, the off-season officially kicks off.

Stay tuned on Strafe for all the latest news.

Featured Image Credits: VCT Pacific

Read More:

ZmjjKK breaks VALORANT Esports Bo5 Kill Record; named MVP of VALORANT Champions 2024

"This is just the beginning" EDward Gaming lift VALORANT Champions 2024 trophy

Latest news

Is VALORANT Crossplay? PC, PS5, Xbox & Mobile Explained (2026)

VALORANT does not offer crossplay between PC and console. This means that PC players can only match and play against other PC players, and console players (PS5 and Xbox) players can only match and play against other console players. While there is no crossplay in VALORANT, the game does support cross progression, which means that your account, skins, and any other form of progress carry from one platform to the other (from PC to console, and vice versa).

Martin Arévalo-Östberg

TenZ Signs With T1 as Content Creator

Tyson "TenZ" Ngo, one of the most recognizable names in VALORANT history, has officially joined T1 as a content creator, marking a new chapter for the Canadian star.

Kaustavmani Choudhury

VALORANT Night Market Returns February 5th: Complete List of Skins

VALORANT Night Market will return in Season 2026 Act 1 on February 5th and continue until March 2nd.

Adarsh J. Kumar

VALORANT Night Market Returns March 26: Complete List of Skins

VALORANT Night Market will return in Season 2026 Act 2 on March 26 and continue until April 16.

Martin Arévalo-Östberg

Trainwreckstv's 31-Day VALORANT Ban Just Started a Full-Blown Riot Controversy

Streamer Trainwreckstv was hit with a 31-day ban in VALORANT for playing ranked matches with a group of friends, and the situation quickly turned into one of the messiest public controversies involving Riot Games in recent memory.

KeSPA Returns to the Table: Partnership Resumes with Esports Nations Cup for 2026 Edition

KeSPA and the Esports Foundation have to an agreement, bringing the South Korean association back into the fold as National Team Partner, and by extension returns South Korea to the list of nations for the ENC.

V1c Steps Down from Cloud9, Notexxd Steps In

Cloud9 dropped some unexpected news on May 8th. Victor "v1c" Truong is stepping down from the active Cloud9 VALORANT roster to take a break from competing, and Notexxd will be sliding in to fill his spot. It's a tough pill to swallow mid-season, but Cloud9 isn't slowing down.

Comments (0)

Log in to comment on this match