Jian Zihao, also known as Uzi, is a former professional League of Legends player from China. He is famous for his skill in playing the game and his impact on how teams strategize during matches. Uzi is considered one of the best players in the bot lane position in League of Legends history, even though he never won a World Championship.

Uzi was a key player for the team Royal Never Give Up (RNG) and its earlier versions. With this team, he won two League of Legends Pro League (LPL) titles and participated in the World Championship six times. He finished as the second-place runner-up in 2013 and 2014. His first and only international victory came in 2018 when he led his team to win the Mid-Season Invitational by defeating the LCK champions, Kingzone DragonX. He also played for the Chinese national team at the 2018 Asian Games, where they won a gold medal.

In 2025, Uzi was honored by being inducted into the LoL Esports Hall of Legends. He was the second person to be inducted, joining Faker.

Professional career

Uzi began his professional career with the Chinese team Royal Club. He was widely regarded as one of the best AD carries in 2013, showing strong skills and helping his team finish in second place at the League of Legends World Championship. After their success in Season 3 Worlds, the departure of Wong "Tabe" Pak Kan led Uzi to switch to the mid lane at the start of the 2014 season. Later that year, he returned to the AD carry role. The team was renamed Star Horn Royal Club, and Uzi worked with Korean players Choi "inSec" In-seok and Yoon "zero" Kyung-sup. They finished second at Worlds again after losing a 1-3 series to Samsung White. Uzi left Star Horn Royal Club due to communication issues with the Korean players.

In 2015, Uzi moved to OMG, but the team struggled to integrate him. His teammates, Gao "Gogoing" Di-Ping and Yin "LoveLing" Le, also performed poorly. In 2016, Uzi joined Qiao Gu Reapers. QG participated in the IEM World Championship in March 2016, where they defeated Fnatic in their first match. However, they were eliminated in the group stage after losing to SK Telecom T1 and then losing to Fnatic 1-2.

In May 2016, Qiao Gu Reapers was acquired by Newbee. Four days later, Uzi's contract was bought out by RNG, allowing him to return to his original team. With RNG, Uzi reached the 2016 World Championship quarterfinals, where they were defeated by SK Telecom T1.

After four years with RNG, Uzi announced his first retirement in June 2020 on Weibo due to health issues. He stated that years of staying up late, eating poorly, and facing high stress led to him being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. He also mentioned his mental health had worsened. Despite taking medication and adjusting his lifestyle, his condition did not improve. His doctor warned that continuing to play competitively could cause serious health problems.

Between 2021 and 2022, Uzi briefly played for Bilibili Gaming. In June 2023, he signed with Edward Gaming to compete again during the summer split. However, Edward Gaming finished 5th-6th in the playoffs and did not qualify for Worlds through the LPL Regional Finals. On November 2023, Uzi announced his final retirement on stream, saying he felt defeated and had lost the desire to play competitively.

National team career

Uzi competed for China in the League of Legends showcase event during the 2018 Asian Games. The event occurred at BritAma Arena, located in Mahaka Square, Jakarta, Indonesia, from August 27 to August 29, 2018. The Chinese team won a gold medal after defeating South Korea with a score of 3–1 in the final match.

Legacy

Riot Games shared on May 19, 2025, that Uzi was selected as their second player to join the Hall of Legends, an honor given to the most famous and respected players in League of Legends esports history.

He was officially added to the Hall of Legends during a private event in Shanghai, China, on June 6, 2025. A film about his career was released on June 11, 2025, with the help of Mercedes-Benz.

Awards and honors

• Won once as Mid-Season Invitational champion in 2018
• Won once as Mid-Season Invitational Finals Most Valuable Player in 2018

• Won once as Rift Rivals champion in 2018

• Won twice as LPL champion in Spring 2018 and Summer 2018
• Won twice as LPL Playoffs Most Valuable Player in Spring 2018 and Summer 2018
• Won once as LPL Most Valuable Player of the Year in 2014
• Won four times as LPL Best ADC in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019
• Won twice as LPL Most Popular Player in 2016 and 2017
• Won twice as LPL First All-Pro Team member in Spring 2017 and Spring 2018
• Won twice as LPL Second All-Pro Team member in Summer 2018 and Summer 2019
• Won once as LPL Third All-Pro Team member in Spring 2019
• Named one of the Top 10 Greatest Players of the LPL in 2023

• Won a gold medal at the Asian Games in 2018

• Inducted into the LoL Esports Hall of Legends in 2025

• Named Weibo Person of the Year in 2019