In an April 2015 interview, Leffen justified his behavior by claiming he was trying to elevate the level of play on the Melee scene, stating "I actually do like the villain role. [Melee]'s very stagnant sometimes. Since everyone is friends, nobody is really pushing each other — you’re not going to try that hard to beat someone you're close with." Talking about Leffen's behavior in the Super Smash Bros. community, GENESIS owner Sheridan "Dr. Z" Zalewski stated in 2019 that "I hate to say it, but everyone who actually runs the community wants this [kind of behavior] to happen" due to the interest it creates from fans.
