Esports is usually a game for young men. In games like LoL, you are considered a Methuselah at 25, who should better retire. In Fortnite, you are already an old man at 22. But in Street Fighter 5, the 39-year-old Daigo Umehara wins a highly competitive tournament in Asia. He is considered one of the best fighting game players of all time.
What a tournament was that? It was a qualification tournament for the “Capcom Pro Tour”: the Asia East. The tournament took place on July 25 and 26.
The tournament was full of the absolute elite from regions like Japan and Taiwan. It was about a tournament spot in the “Capcom Cup 2020”.
This is how the tournament went: In the end, the legendary Japanese player Daigo Umehara emerged victorious. In the finals, he faced the player, Keita “Fuudo” Ai (34, Japan).
Fuudo had defeated Daigo in a previous match. Daigo wanted to put pressure on his opponent but then missed a combo and gave the younger Fuudo the chance to take him out with his Guile.
But when it came to everything, the 39-year-old won with his experience after all.
Daigo had played Ryu in Street Fighter for years but switched to “Guile” in 2017 and has mastered him to perfection. You can see the winning scene here in the Twitch clip:
And here is the perspective of the loser, who sees the misfortune coming:
But a game for old men
This is the special thing: Daigo Umehara is 39 years old. His first documented tournament victory came 22 years ago in 1997. Umehara has triumphed in countless games by Capcom, including alone in 5 different “Street Fighter” titles.
His list of achievements is long and crowned with highlights. At 39, he can now qualify for the Capcom Cup again. For the first time since 2016.
Esports is otherwise dominated by young professionals:
- In League of Legends, you are already considered a Methuselah at 25 and should better think about switching to coaching or just stopping
- In 2019, Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, a 16-year-old world champion and millionaire in Fortnite was crowned
Large parts of the esports industry are obsessed with “youth”. In LoL, experienced professionals, multiple champions, are replaced at 23 and can no longer find a job because teams want to give a chance to a young, untested talent, maybe to become the next superstar.
But in Street Fighter, experience seems to pay off. Many of the successful players are in their 30s. In such a game, reflexes don’t seem to be everything; rather, some skills are only learned over time: Daigo has apparently gained a lead that allowed him to win the tournament now.
On the internet, there are also some tributes to Daigo Umehara, who is considered the best fighting game player in the world.
Behind Daigo Umehara lies a fascinating origin story, almost like a superhero. He recounted in 2019 how he came to esports and what makes him successful: he developed an incredible perseverance to make it, against all odds. This will results from an encounter with a thug in the real world:
Street Fighter: Pro was beaten up at 13 because he was too good – that shaped him
