Du Dang, born on May 12, 1996, is better known by his nickname NuckleDu. He is an American fighting game player who plays characters like Guile and Decapre in Ultra Street Fighter IV, Guile and Zangief in Street Fighter X Tekken, and Guile and Rainbow Mika in Street Fighter V. EventHubs ranked him as the 13th best player in Ultra Street Fighter IV. In the year before, he was ranked #19, and in 2013, he was ranked #32. In Street Fighter V, he was the most successful player during the second half of Season 1.
Gaming career
NuckleDu is one of the top players in the United States and has won several major tournaments. In 2012, he qualified for the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Grand Finals by winning a New York City qualifier. At that time, he finished 13th in a tournament sponsored by Empire Arcadia. In 2013, he was invited to the Capcom Cup for the Street Fighter X Tekken event, where he placed fifth. He lost to Justin Wong in the Winners bracket and to Dexter "Tampa Bison" James in the Losers Finals. In August 2014, NuckleDu left Empire Arcadia, joining several other players who also left the company. A few months later, he signed with Team Curse, a professional eSports company. In 2014, he qualified for the Capcom Cup through the points leaderboards, ranking 6th among non-qualified players. He finished 9th in the tournament, defeating Darryl "Snake Eyez" Lewis during the competition.
In 2015, Team Curse merged with Team Liquid, and NuckleDu joined Team Liquid. He won two tournaments, Apex 2015 and Combo Breaker, defeating Snake Eyez and Ricki Ortiz in their respective grand finals. At EVO 2015, he placed 7th in Ultra Street Fighter IV out of about 2,200 competitors, losing to Bruce "GamerBee" Hsiang. Later that year, he won the Ultra Street Fighter IV tournament at the EGL Dallas event but was not paid the promised $5,000 prize. EGL later declared bankruptcy. NuckleDu participated in the 2015 Capcom Cup, placing 13th and becoming the second-highest-ranking American in the tournament. He qualified through the points leaderboards again.
In 2016, NuckleDu competed in the most prestigious tournament of the year, the Capcom Cup 2016. He did not lose a single set and won the competition, earning $230,000 for first place. During the Pro Tour season, he used characters Guile and R. Mika and was known for his strategic play and aggressive style, earning the support of fans. In December 2017, NuckleDu left Team Liquid.
In July 2018, after nearly a year without a sponsor, Ghost Gaming announced they had signed NuckleDu as their first FGC (Fighter Game Community) player. His first tournament under Ghost Gaming was Defend the North 2018. On January 1, 2019, NuckleDu announced he was a free agent. On February 13, 2019, he signed with Echo Fox.
On July 6, 2020, NuckleDu announced his indefinite retirement after a serious car accident left him injured. On September 9, 2022, Capcom Fighters announced NuckleDu would return to the Street Fighter Pro League 2022. In August 2023, he joined Shopify Rebellion.
Playstyle
In Ultra Street Fighter IV, NuckleDu is known as an expert at using charge characters. His way of playing with Guile is unusual and draws attention from viewers. When playing as Decapre, his style is hard to predict and tricky, which makes his choice of characters stand out. NuckleDu is also known for doing a lot of taunting during matches, such as using Guile's shades, which some players find annoying. Because of this, some people call him a villain.
In Street Fighter V, NuckleDu's Nash is known for starting matches with quick movements that lead to a long, tough fight. This style is something he knows how to use well when playing as the character.
Personal life
NuckleDu was born on May 12, 1996, in Tampa, Florida. He has a pet dog named Tofu, which he cares for and helps him avoid depression. NuckleDu is of Vietnamese ancestry, and his family is from Vietnam. In an interview with Chris Bahn of PVP Live, NuckleDu said he has a fear of flying, which is why he rarely travels outside the United States. However, he wants to visit Australia and Vietnam.
In 2017, NuckleDu donated his DreamHack Montreal 2017 winnings to the Hurricane Irma relief. The hurricane had affected his home state of Florida.