Daigo Umehara

Daigo Umehara, a professional esports player and author, secured his first major tournament victory in 1997 at the GAMEST Cup’s national Vampire Savior tournament. His early career included an impressive 286-win streak in Vampire Hunter, leading to a win at Capcom’s official Street Fighter Zero 3 national tournament in 1998. He earned an international ‘Grand Championship’ title against Alex Valle in San Francisco that year. Umehara continued his ascent, claiming victory at the Super Street Fighter II Turbo tournament at Super Battle Opera (2003) and his first Evolution Championship Series title for the game.

In 2004, Umehara achieved the iconic ‘Evo Moment 37’ in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike against Justin Wong, earning a Guinness World Record for ‘Most Viewed Fighting Videogame’ with over 5.6 million views. He also won Absolution 2004 on SSFII Turbo. After a brief hiatus, Umehara returned to competitive play in 2008, focusing on Street Fighter IV. He secured a Mad Catz sponsorship (2010), subsequently clinching two consecutive Evolution Championship Series titles for Super Street Fighter IV (2009, 2010) and the Evo Asia Pacific tournament (2010).

Most recently, Umehara has continued to dominate the competitive circuit, winning the Blink All Stars Japan Edition for Street Fighter V Arcade Edition in 2020, followed by the CPT 2020 Online Asia East #1. His streak continued with the CPT 2021 Online Event: Japan 3 and the FAV CUP 2022 for Street Fighter V Arcade Edition (2022). Revered as ‘The Beast,’ Umehara’s two-decade career includes six Evo Championship Series titles, and has been documented in manga and films, cementing his unparalleled legacy in the fighting game world.