Ye Xiu's first championship run hits harder than it has any right to, this is a prequel that doesn't explain, it justifies why a man would sacrifice everything for one game. The animation transforms esports into something visceral, every keystroke a brushstroke, every frame of Glory combat designed to make your chest tight. By the final match, you're not watching a kid win a tournament, you're watching someone find the only place in the world that makes sense.

A prequel movie to The King's Avatar, set in the days when the online game Glory is growing from an ordinary MMORPG into a recognized esport. In China, plans are under way for the first professional Glory league, which will end in the Glory Championship. Ye Xiu and his friend Su Muqiu both hope to make careers as pro gamers, though Ye Xiu has held back until now for personal reasons. When the two finally decide to start a team, Tao Xuan, their boss and the owner of the Excellent Era internet cafe, backs them, and they name the squad after the cafe. Team Excellent Era then aims to beat every rival on the way to the top of the league.