The online shooter Fortnite has brought Tyler “Ninja” Blevins a lot of success. He is the biggest streamer in the world on Twitch. But some fans are complaining that Ninja has changed. He explains that he is actually still the “old Ninja.” The part that he is no longer allowed to be – there are good reasons for that.
This is Ninja: Ninja is the poster boy of the “Fortnite” generation. The professional gamer was the first on Twitch with 10 million followers and won the award for Content Creator of the Year 2018.
He is notably “kid-friendly,” does not curse in streams. Companies like Red Bull or Samsung make advertising deals with him.
What many don’t realize is that Ninja has been doing this for a long time. Blevins has been a professional gamer since 2009. Back then for Halo. Since 2011 he has been a streamer.
And at that time he was a bit different than today.
This was the old Ninja: A montage of “Old Ninja” has almost 3 million views on YouTube. It shows Blevins before his transformation into a commercial and kid-friendly gaming machine.
The first clip shows Blevins immediately jumping up after a victory and using words like “fucking” and “bitches” in a moment of triumph. And that was after a win.
In further clips, he speaks with exaggerated accents, which could come off as somewhat racist. He makes fun of opponents with emotes and is hyperactive and not exactly politically correct.
Some players wish to have that “Ninja” back and say: “When Ninja goes off and curses, he was the best.”
This is the new Ninja: The new Ninja has prohibited himself from cursing. He tries to be “brand-safe” and more kid-friendly in every situation.
About in May 2018 he stated that he wanted to be kid-friendly now. A letter from a parent made him rethink. He doesn’t want kids running around shouting “Fuck” just because they watch his streams.
Since then, Ninja has visibly restrained himself in many moments and tries to keep his burning ambition in check. It is noticeable that Ninja is aware of his temper and tries to appear relaxed and funny on the outside.
I am the old Ninja – just without cursing
This is what Ninja himself says about the accusations: After Ninja was repeatedly confronted with accusations that he is no longer the same, he addressed the issue.
Ninja explains: “I am just as hyped and I rage just like the old Ninja.”
The only difference is, back then he would curse like crazy when he died. Today he doesn’t do that anymore. Other than that, everything has remained the same.
When Ninja flips out, there’s trouble
This is what Ninja says about why he holds back: For a long time, Ninja cited the kids as the reason why he had to hold back. But now the streamer also knows what happens when he lets go and is not a good loser after a defeat, but gets upset over the kill.
Ninja says:
I am the same person I was before. I just don’t curse as much anymore. But you know what: When I once flipped out, two guys went off on Reddit and made posts about it and attacked me. And one guy even faked a ban to tarnish my name. That’s what happens when I flip out, so I don’t do it anymore.
Ninja is alluding to this incident:
