Juan Manuel DeBiedma (born June 21, 1993), also known as Hungrybox, is an Argentine-American professional Super Smash Bros. player, streamer, tournament organizer, and commentator. He is considered one of the greatest Super Smash Bros. Melee players ever, and is part of the "Five Gods of Melee" group, which includes Adam "Armada" Lindgren, Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman, Joseph "Mang0" Marquez, and Kevin "PPMD" Nanney. He is also known as the best Jigglypuff player in history. He plays in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and has been part of Team Liquid since 2015. He became a co-owner of Team Liquid in December 2021. In 2025, he is ranked as the third-best Melee player in the world.
From 2009 to 2025, DeBiedma has won more than forty major Melee Singles tournaments, including events like Apex, The Big House, CEO, DreamHack, EVO, GENESIS, the MLG National Championship, and Smash Summit. Since 2013, he has been ranked among the top ten Melee players every year. He reached the top rank three times in a row from 2017 to 2019. Past rankings show he was in the top ten since 2009 and was number one in 2010. A 2021 list by PGstats ranked him as the third-greatest Melee player of all time after Mang0 and Armada. Some people in the Melee community find him controversial because his style of play focuses on defending and attacking when opponents make moves.
DeBiedma was born in Argentina and grew up in Orlando, Florida. He became a U.S. citizen in 2017. He has also competed in Super Smash Bros. games after Melee, including Project M and Ultimate, and has won tournaments in those games. Though he is best known for playing alone, he has also played in Melee Doubles, teaming up with players like Mew2King and Justin "Plup" McGrath. He has worked with his lifelong friend, Luis "Crunch" Rosias, throughout his career. He often comments on games and created an online tournament series called The Box in 2020. This series includes Coinbox, the largest online Ultimate tournament.
Early life
Juan Manuel DeBiedma was born in Argentina on June 21, 1993, to Juan Daniel Debiedma, who worked as a diplomat for Argentina, and Lucia Violante, who worked as a flight attendant. He has two older brothers named Gaston and Fermin. In the mid-1990s, DeBiedma’s family moved to Orlando, Florida, and after the move, Lucia Violante began working as a real estate agent.
As a child, DeBiedma played the piano and sang in an a cappella group. He began playing video games at a young age, especially enjoying the Super Mario Advance series. He first played the game Melee when he was very young after a family friend introduced him to it. He often played Super Smash Bros. Brawl with his brother Fermin. DeBiedma met his lifelong best friend and future manager, Luis "Crunch" Rosias, in fifth grade in Orlando. The two often played Melee together. He originally used the character Ness in the game, but later switched to Jigglypuff after learning that the "Rest" move was very effective.
DeBiedma earned the nickname "Hungrybox" during middle school after he tried to copy his mother’s signature but instead drew a picture. He continued drawing the image when he was bored in class, which led to a drawing of a box with eyes and a jagged mouth.
When DeBiedma was 15 years old, his father, Juan Daniel, stopped being part of his life. The last time they saw each other was on July 20, 2008, when Juan Daniel dropped him off at a Brawl tournament called Fast 1 before returning to Argentina.
Esports career
DeBiedma started playing in Super Smash Bros. tournaments around 2006 to 2007. In 2007, he began competing in small local tournaments. In July 2008, he volunteered to host players at his parents’ home for a 122-player Brawl tournament called Fast 1. He also competed in the tournament and finished in 25th place.
In 2009, at a local Tampa tournament named Twilight Showdown 6, he placed 3rd for the first time, earning $27.50, which was his first prize money. He considers this the first time he thought about becoming a professional. Later that year, he placed 7th at Revival of Melee and 3rd at GENESIS for Melee, his first high placement at a major Melee tournament. The next day, he finished 97th in a Brawl tournament. In November 2009, he won his first tournament at Revival of Melee 2. He continued to place in high positions at many tournaments, winning his first major tournament at Apex 2010.
From 2010 onward, DeBiedma remained one of the top Melee players and became known as the best Jigglypuff player in the world. He placed 2nd at Apex 2012 and The Big House 3 in 2013. He won both Singles and Doubles tournaments at CEO 2010 (with ChuDat in Doubles) and again at CEO 2011 (with Linguini in Doubles). He also competed in Brawl and the Brawl mod Project M, winning some smaller tournaments.
In 2013, Evo, the largest fighting game event in the world, included Melee in its lineup for the first time since 2007. This event marked the start of the "Era of the Five Gods" (or "Platinum" Era), a time when Melee became very popular and dominated by five players: DeBiedma, Adam "Armada" Lindgren, Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman, Joseph "Mango" Marquez, and Kevin "PPMD" Nanney. At Evo 2013, DeBiedma finished 3rd after losing to Wobblez in the losers finals. He also won a Melee Doubles side-event with Mew2King.
On July 3, 2013, DeBiedma joined the team CLASH Tournaments with fellow player Aziz "Hax" Al-Yami. In 2014, he left CLASH Tournaments and joined Team Curse. In 2015, Team Curse merged with Team Liquid, and DeBiedma joined Team Liquid with teammate Kashan "Chillin" Khan, along with other Smash Bros. players.
In 2014, DeBiedma placed in the top three of nine Melee tournaments, including a win at Fight Pitt V. At Evo 2014, he reached the Grand Finals for the first time, losing to Mango and finishing 2nd. He also won the Doubles side-event with Justin "Plup" McGrath.
In 2015, DeBiedma won the Melee Singles tournament at Paragon, defeating Mew2King in the Grand Finals. At Evo 2015, he finished 2nd after losing to Armada in the Grand Finals. Later that year, he announced he would compete less in Smash Bros. as he began a career as an engineer. At Paragon Los Angeles, he finished 3rd in Melee after losing to Mew2King. He also competed in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, but had little success, finishing 4th at the largest Project M tournament in history.
At DreamHack Winter 2015, DeBiedma won both the Singles and Doubles tournaments at a Super Major event. He defeated Armada 3–1 in the Singles Grand Finals and teamed up with Axe to win Doubles. He earned $10,000 for his Singles win, the first time he received a five-figure prize. In early 2016, he won two more Super Major tournaments: Pound and CEO 2016.
At Evo 2016, DeBiedma reached the Grand Finals for the third time, defeating Armada in two best-of-five sets, each with a score of 3–2. This was his first Evo win. In October 2016, he placed 5th at The Big House 6 after losing to Armada. He quit his job as a process engineer to become a full-time professional player.
In 2017, DeBiedma won multiple tournaments, including The Big House 7 and four Super Major tournaments: Shine 2017, DreamHack Austin 2017, DreamHack Denver 2017, and Smash Summit 5. At Smash Summit 5, he set a record for the most money earned in a single Melee tournament, receiving $29,315.
In 2018, DeBiedma won tournaments such as Perfect Series 2 and LACS 1. However, in 2019, Melee tournaments moved online due to the lack of an official online mode. DeBiedma struggled to win, achieving his worst Melee placement in
Style and public image
DeBiedma is widely recognized for improving how people view Jigglypuff as a competitive character in the game Super Smash Bros. Melee. He plays Jigglypuff using a defensive style that focuses on avoiding opponents until he finds a chance to attack and take advantage of their mistakes. This style is called "high-risk high-reward" because it can lead to big wins but also carries the risk of losing if things go wrong. A key move in his strategy is "Rest," which is unique to Jigglypuff. This move can knock opponents out of the game at lower damage levels than other moves, but it has a very short range. If "Rest" misses, Jigglypuff becomes vulnerable for three seconds, which can lead to serious damage or even an instant loss if the opponent attacks quickly. Even if "Rest" hits and takes an opponent's stock, Jigglypuff may not wake up in time to avoid being attacked again, making this strategy very challenging.
DeBiedma has said he became skilled by using "gimmicks," or unusual strategies, because his hands were not fast enough for more technical play. He prefers Melee for its "unorthodox value" and has said he dislikes traditional fighting games. In 2014, he compared his playstyle to that of a "greedy novel editor" who finds and punishes every mistake.
DeBiedma is known as "Clutchbox" because he often makes comebacks in difficult situations, especially during losing sets or after being sent to the losers bracket. Many consider him one of the best Melee players and the best Jigglypuff player in the game's history. However, he is also a controversial figure. Some players and fans criticize his playstyle as slow and his character choice as unenjoyable to watch. ESPN noted in 2016 that he is "the most polarizing figure" in Melee, with some believing his playstyle harms the community. In 2019, ESPN also mentioned that he has faced significant criticism throughout his career.
DeBiedma has been criticized for his loud celebrations after wins, called "pop-offs" by the community, which some find disrespectful. He has said that the community's rejection of his style began early in his career, even when he was performing well in local tournaments in 2008. He has also admitted that the way some people treat him has affected his mental health, leading him to drink excessively in 2017 and return to a day job despite being the top Melee player.
In the 2017 DreamHack Austin tournament, DeBiedma won the Grand Finals by avoiding direct fights with his opponent, Daniel "ChuDat" Rodriguez, until the time ran out. This strategy gave him a statistical advantage in stocks and damage, but some fans called his win "pathetic." In 2018, he reported that a stranger yelled at him in a Walmart, saying hurtful things.
At Evo 2017, DeBiedma was involved in a controversy when he called his coach during a match, violating the "No Coaching After Pools" rule. His opponent, Zac "SFAT" Cordoni, was mocked by a friend for the situation, leading to both players receiving yellow cards. Some fans believed SFAT should have won by disqualification, while others argued the rule was not properly followed. DeBiedma later lost the losers finals to Mango, finishing third in the tournament.
One of the most infamous moments in Melee history happened in April 2019 at Pound 2019, when a crowd member threw a dead crab at DeBiedma after he won the Melee Singles tournament. He angrily confronted the crowd, demanding respect. The individual was banned from future events, and DeBiedma later apologized on Twitter. He later joked about the incident by eating a crab during a livestream. He also mentioned during a 2025 livestream that he considered retiring after the event but decided not to after receiving support from fans. The crab incident became a viral meme within the Smash community.
Personal life
In 2008, DeBiedma’s father, Juan Daniel, left his family and returned to Argentina. Juan Daniel passed away from a heart attack in late 2015. This happened just before DeBiedma won both the Singles and Doubles Melee tournaments at DreamHack Winter 2015. This victory earned him his first payment of over $10,000 and marked his first time winning both categories at a major tournament. After the win, he shared in an interview that he had felt his father did not support him. In contrast, DeBiedma said his mother, Lucia Violante, has always been supportive since the beginning.
DeBiedma’s best friend and manager, Luis “Crunch” Rosias, helped train him and improve his skills in Melee. Rosias taught him strategies to defeat Fox, a character often considered the strongest in the game, which has a challenging matchup against DeBiedma’s character, Jigglypuff.
While competing in Melee, DeBiedma remained a full-time student. He graduated from Freedom High School in 2011 and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Florida in 2015. After graduation, he moved from Jacksonville, Florida, to Buford, Georgia, and later to Demopolis, Alabama, to find work that allowed him to continue his professional gaming career. In 2015, he began a job as a process engineer for WestRock but left the following year after performing poorly at The Big House 6. He then focused fully on his eSports career. In March 2018, he returned to a regular job at ServiceNow in Florida after struggling with mental health challenges in 2017 following a breakup. He also felt that the Melee community’s view of him was changing, which influenced his decision. In June 2019, after winning CEO for the fourth time, he announced he would leave his job to focus fully on eSports again.
On August 15, 2017, DeBiedma became a U.S. citizen.
Media
DeBiedma's early career in Melee was shown in an episode of the 2013 documentary The Smash Brothers. He also appears in another documentary about the competitive Super Smash Bros. scene called Metagame. DeBiedma has spoken out in favor of the competitive Super Smash Bros. community, praising the technological improvements made for Melee and criticizing Nintendo for not supporting the community enough. On January 26, 2020, YouTuber EmpLemon posted a video titled "there will Never Ever be another Melee player like HungryBox," which highlights important events in DeBiedma's career and his influence on the Melee community. The video has received over 10 million views, making it the most-watched video on EmpLemon's channel.