The Most Beloved and Hated Players In All Of Fortnite
Fortnite is a game responsible for many things. One of those things is the rise of gaming and esports superstars. Fortnite transcended gaming. Its most famous players have been given opportunities that were previously unimaginable as a gamer.
At the top of that list, we have Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Turner “Tfue” Tenney. When you think of the game, one of these individuals probably pops in your mind to accompany the thought. They may not be the most technically skilled at this point, but they are certainly among the most popular.
With fans comes haters. Neither of these individuals steers clear of drama. Both Ninja and Tfue have been involved in their fair share of controversy. They have been painted as both heroes and villains. As a neutral party, you may hear an entirely different version of these two Fortnite players depending on who you talk to.
So, are they really loved? Or are they hated? What have they both done to deserve this fame and notoriety? Who is the best Fortnite player in 2020? Almost three years since the game’s inception, let's analyse why Ninja and Tfue are both the most beloved — and hated — players in all of Fortnite.
Ninja
Ninja is a true Fortnite OG. He has played and streamed the game from the very beginning. At the time, Ninja’s skill far exceeded everyone else. His inherent talent for battle royale games transferred well to Fortnite.
From there, a multitude of factors has led Ninja to where he is today. For one, Fortnite developed into the most popular game of all time. As Fortnite’s unofficial ambassador, Ninja benefited greatly. Ninja went on to become not only the face of Fortnite but the face of gaming as a whole.
Everything peaked on March 15, 2018, when Ninja partnered up with musical superstar, Drake. They played duos together and eventually squaded up with Travis Scott and Juju Smith-Schuster. This stream broke the record for most concurrent viewers at one time watching an individual streamer. Ninja had over 650,000 people watching him play Fortnite.
Things did not stop there. Epic Games partnered with Twitch for exclusive rewards linked to Twitch Prime. Ninja was the biggest beneficiary of this. As players rushed to get their exclusive cosmetics, many chose to use their Prime subscription on Ninja. At one point, Ninja had over 200,000 subscribers, a truly astronomical number.
Tfue
With the rise of Fortnite Competitive, Ninja’s popularity dwindled. It was clear Ninja was no longer the best player. Younger, more “cracked” kids began taking over. One of those “kids” was Tfue. Tfue became a household name in the Fortnite community after a viral video. In a YouTube video titled “Tfue - The New King of Fortnite”, Tfue is seen dominating and showcasing talent unmatched at the time. The video aims to persuade viewers that Ninja is no longer the king of Fortnite — Tfue is.
This was just the beginning for Tfue. Shortly after the viral video, Tfue began to prove himself in competition. KEEMSTAR’s Friday Fortnite tournaments were the first form of competitive Fortnite. Duos of pros and content creators would compete in “pub-stomping” competitions. Tfue and his duo, Cloak, were unstoppable. They won almost every week of the tournaments.
Tfue has gone on to become quite the accomplished Fortnite competitor. Tfue has won over $580K USD as a Fortnite pro. As a streamer, Tfue regularly pulls in over 100K concurrent viewers. Tfue carries the Fortnite section of Twitch. The majority of the viewers to this day are there for him.
Ninja vs Tfue
Despite both of these players' massive popularity, they both also have their fair share of haters. As they say, you either love them or you hate them.
However, Ninja and Tfue could not be any more different from each other. These players are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Ninja gears his content toward younger kids. He is rambunctious but censored and respectful. Tfue, on the other hand, is poised, outspoken and vulgar. Tfue will pull off an insane kill and show zero signs of emotion. Ninja will do the same thing and leap out of his chair, screaming. Tfue will insult his opponents while Ninja has cleaned up his act in an attempt to appeal to a larger crowd. If you love Ninja you probably hate Tfue — and vice versa.
To top it off, these players have a bit of a rivalry between each other. The conflict even extends outside of the game.
Back in February 2020, Ninja had his social media accounts hacked. In a tweet on Ninja's account, the hacker wrote, “fight me @Tfue.” Tfue responded back with “WTF??!? IMAGINE NINJA BEING MAN ENOUGH TO FIGHT ME.”
Tfue went on to make a whole YouTube video dedicated to the situation. In the video, Tfue claims that Ninja is always talking trash behind his back and trying to tear him down. Tfue says that Ninja even went as far as trying to get him permanently banned in an attempt to ruin his career. In the end, Tfue challenges Ninja to a legitimate boxing match.
Ninja took offence to this, responding back that he had no interest in fighting Tfue as well as denying the claims Tfue made against him.
Best Fortnite Player 2020
A lot has changed over Fortnite’s lifespan. A game that had no rivals has lost players, fans, and spectators to newer hits like Apex Legends, VALORANT and CoD: Warzone. Countless pros and content creators have moved on. Household names such as CouRageJD, Dr. Lupo, and TimtheTatman have all quit the game for the most part.
In spite of all of this, Ninja and Tfue remain.
Nowadays, Ninja can be seen on Mixer, where he signed an exclusive deal for a payout rumoured to be the eight digits. Ninja still participates competitively from time to time but his days as a top player are long gone.
Once regarded as the best overall player in the game, Tfue has been surpassed by other even younger competitors. 16-year-olds such as Bugha are winning millions competing in Fortnite. Regardless, Tfue has kept up. Partnering up with other prodigies, Tfue continues to place highly in competitive events. His name is no longer mentioned among the debates for who is the best Fortnite player in 2020, but his experience and leadership allow him to remain afloat.
These two legends have fallen out of the limelight, but their names will live in Fortnite history forever. In the end, Ninja and Tfue are both the most beloved and the most hated players in all of Fortnite. It just depends on what side you are on.
Images via Epic Games