RRQ Hoshi’s MPL Indonesia Season 18 campaign may have ended before the playoffs, but when it came to audience attention, the story looked very different. According to data from Esports Charts, RRQ Hoshi featured in all five of the most-watched matches by peak viewers during the MPL ID Season 18 Regular Season.
Not three or four, all five. And perhaps even more interestingly, the list was not built only around the league’s biggest rivalries. While matches against ONIC and EVOS naturally drew massive audiences, two separate series against Dewa United also made the top five.
The competitive results may not have gone RRQ’s way this season, but one thing remained clear: when Hoshi played, people watched.
ONIC vs RRQ Hoshi Became the Most-Watched Match
The most-watched match of the MPL ID Season 18 Regular Season was ONIC vs RRQ Hoshi in Week 2, reaching a peak of 1,622,338 viewers. It was the first Royal Derby of the season.
RRQ entered the match after securing their first victory of Season 18 against Dewa United in Week 1, but they were unable to carry that momentum forward. ONIC won the series 2-0. The result was disappointing for Hoshi, but from a viewership perspective, the match became the biggest regular-season clash of Season 18.
More than 1.6 million viewers tuned in at its peak.
The Week 7 Derby Klasik Reached 1.48 Million
Second on the list was RRQ Hoshi vs EVOS in Week 7, with 1,484,629 peak viewers. For RRQ, this match carried far more than just rivalry value. Hoshi had been going through a difficult stretch, with several narrow defeats and a long run without a match win.
Against EVOS, that finally changed. RRQ won the Derby Klasik 2-1, ending their losing streak and avenging the 0-2 defeat they suffered against EVOS in Week 1. It became one of the most meaningful wins of RRQ’s Season 18 campaign. And nearly 1.5 million viewers were there to see it.
RRQ vs Dewa in Week 1 Ranked Third
The third-highest peak came from RRQ Hoshi vs Dewa United in Week 1, which reached 1,430,079 viewers. This was RRQ’s first victory of the season.
After opening Season 18 with a 0-2 defeat to EVOS, Hoshi responded by taking Dewa United to a deciding third game and eventually winning the series 2-1. At the time, the victory gave RRQ an early chance to reset after a difficult opening match. But from a viewership perspective, the most notable part was the opponent. This was not Derby Klasik. It was not Royal Derby. Yet the series still broke the 1.4 million peak viewer mark.
Alter Ego vs RRQ Also Entered the Top Five
Fourth place went to Alter Ego vs RRQ Hoshi in Week 6, with 1,377,856 peak viewers. The series came during one of the most difficult stretches of RRQ’s season. Hoshi managed to force the match into a third game, but Alter Ego eventually secured a 2-1 victory. Week 6 became a frustrating period for RRQ because both of their matches ended in the same way: competitive enough to reach Game 3, but ultimately ending in defeat.
The series against Alter Ego was one of those examples. Even during a period where results were not going their way, RRQ remained one of the league’s biggest audience draws.
RRQ vs Dewa Appeared Again in Fifth Place
Perhaps the most interesting entry in the entire list came in fifth. RRQ Hoshi vs Dewa United appeared for a second time, this time from Week 6, reaching 1,375,725 peak viewers. The match had originally been scheduled earlier but was postponed after several Dewa United players and staff members required hospital treatment due to a viral infection.
When the series was eventually played, it went all the way to Game 3. Dewa United won 2-1. The viewership figure was only slightly below the Alter Ego series, making Dewa United the only team besides RRQ to appear twice in the top five.
Five Biggest Matches, One Common Name
Put together, the five highest peak-viewership matches of the MPL ID Season 18 Regular Season were:
- ONIC vs RRQ Hoshi — 1,622,338
- RRQ Hoshi vs EVOS — 1,484,629
- RRQ Hoshi vs Dewa United — 1,430,079
- Alter Ego vs RRQ Hoshi — 1,377,856
- RRQ Hoshi vs Dewa United — 1,375,725
There is one obvious pattern. RRQ Hoshi were involved in every single one of them. What makes the numbers even more striking is that RRQ only won two of those five matches. They defeated EVOS and Dewa United, while losing to ONIC, Alter Ego, and Dewa in the second meeting.
In other words, the audience interest did not disappear when RRQ struggled. People were still watching.
Competitive Results and Audience Pull Are Not the Same Thing
Season 18 was a reminder that competitive performance and audience appeal do not always move together. On the competitive side, RRQ Hoshi missed the playoffs. The season was marked by inconsistency, losing streaks, and several close series that still ended in defeat.
But from an audience perspective, RRQ remained at the center of the league. Esports Charts’ data shows that all five of the regular season’s highest peak-viewership matches involved Hoshi. That does not automatically prove which team has the biggest fanbase, nor does it fully define popularity across the league.
But it does say something important. Even in a difficult season, RRQ Hoshi remained impossible to ignore. Some watched to support them. Some watched hoping to see them lose. Others simply wanted to see what would happen next.
Whatever the reason, one thing remained true throughout MPL ID Season 18: when RRQ Hoshi played, the audience showed up.