Daigo Umehara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daigo |
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Daigo Umehara in 2018
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| Current team | |
| Team | Team Beast |
| Game | Street Fighter 6 |
| Personal information | |
| Name | Daigo Umehara |
| Nickname(s) | The Beast |
| Born | 19 May 1981 Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Career information | |
| Games |
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| Playing career | 1997–present |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Daigo Umehara (Japanese: 梅原 大吾, Hepburn: Umehara Daigo, born 19 May 1981) is a Japanese esports player and author. He is famous for competing in fighting video games. People know him as "Daigo" or "The Beast" in many parts of the world. In Japan, he is called "Umehara" (ウメハラ) or "Ume."
Daigo is one of the most well-known Street Fighter players ever. Many think he is the greatest. He has been playing competitively for a very long time, which is rare in video games. He holds a Guinness World Records title for being "the most successful player in major tournaments of Street Fighter." He has also won the Evo Championship Series six times. Before he became a professional gamer with sponsors, Japanese media called him "the god of 2D fighting games."
Contents
Early Days of Gaming
Daigo started playing fighting games at arcades when he was about 10 years old. His first games were Street Fighter II and Fatal Fury: King of Fighters. Street Fighter II was very popular, so he often had to wait a long time to play. He started by learning Fatal Fury first.
Later, Daigo began challenging older players in Street Fighter II (Champion Edition). He felt shy, but he loved competing against others. When he was 13, he switched to Vampire Hunter. He became very good at it, once winning 286 games in a row!
His first tournament was in 1995 for Vampire Hunter, where he almost won. His first big victory came in 1997 at the GAMEST Cup's Vampire Savior tournament. He beat another famous player named Ōnuki in the finals.
In 1998, at 17, Daigo won Capcom's official Street Fighter Zero 3 tournament in Japan. As the champion, he then faced Alex Valle, the U.S. champion, in San Francisco. This was Daigo's first trip to the U.S. and his first overseas tournament. Daigo won the match, and both events were shown on TV in Japan.
In 2001, a short book about Daigo's life, called VERSUS, was published. Fans called it "Umehon." It shared stories about his competitions and opponents.
In 2002, Daigo played in a special U.S. vs. Japan event. He played Street Fighter III 3rd Strike and beat all his opponents. These matches were filmed for a documentary called Bang the Machine.
In 2003, Daigo won the Super Street Fighter II Turbo tournaments at both the first Super Battle Opera (Tougeki) and the Evolution Championship Series (EVO). He was the first player to win both major events in the same year for the same game. He also won SSFII Turbo at tournaments in England in 2004.
Daigo has played in many tournaments almost every year since 1997, except for a short break in 2008.
How Daigo Plays
Daigo Umehara often uses the character Ryu. His main strategy is zoning, which means keeping his opponent at a certain distance. But he is also good at fighting up close.
In Street Fighter V, Ryu was changed to be less powerful. So, Daigo switched to Guile, another character. He said he wanted a character that could compete against the best. Even though Ryu was made stronger again later, Daigo stuck with Guile.
The Famous "Daigo Parry"
Daigo had a friendly rivalry with American player Justin Wong. They faced each other in the loser's finals of the Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tournament at Evo 2004.
Daigo was playing as Ken and had almost no health left. Any special attack from Wong's Chun-Li could knock Ken out. Wong used Chun-Li's powerful "Super Art" move, which hits many times very quickly. Daigo had to block all 15 hits perfectly, one after another, in a split second. He did it! Then, he quickly attacked back and won the match.
Even though Daigo lost the grand finals later, this moment became super famous. It's known as "Evo Moment 37" or the "Daigo Parry." Many people call it the most iconic moment in competitive video gaming history. It was once the most-watched competitive gaming moment ever.
Street Fighter IV Era
In July 2008, Daigo came back to competitive gaming, focusing on the new Street Fighter IV. Japanese gaming magazines featured him, saying "The God has returned." He played exhibition matches against other top Japanese players.
In 2009, Daigo appeared on a TV show and played in tournaments in the U.S. He won the GameStop's Street Fighter IV National Tournament, which earned him a trip to Evo 2009. At Evo 2009, he beat Justin Wong twice and won the entire competition. He also won other tournaments that year.
Daigo felt he was at his best in 2009. He said his reactions were still good, and he had learned to stay calm under pressure. He felt he could understand his opponents better than ever.
In 2010, Daigo continued to win. He traveled to France and Australia for tournaments, winning many of them. At Evo 2010, he won the Super Street Fighter IV tournament without losing a single match. The live stream of this event set a new record with about 48,000 viewers!
It was also in 2010 that Daigo announced he had a sponsorship deal with Mad Catz, a gaming company. This meant he was officially a professional gamer.
Life as a Pro Gamer
In 2012, Daigo published his first book, The Will to Keep Winning. It became a best-seller in Japan. He also gave talks at universities and business events, sharing his experiences as a pro gamer.
In 2013, Daigo showed his skill by winning "first to 10" matches against other world champions, Xian (10-0) and Infiltration (10-2).
In 2015, at the Stunfest tournament, Daigo performed an amazing 25-hit combo with his character Evil Ryu. The crowd went wild! He won that tournament. Later that year, he decided to donate all his winnings from the Capcom Pro Tour Finals ($60,000) to the Evo Scholarship, which helps students study game design.
Street Fighter V Era
In 2016, Daigo was featured in an interview in the Japanese Harvard Business Review, titled "He who controls his emotions controls the game." He also appeared in a documentary called "Living the Game."
He achieved two new Guinness World Records in 2016: "Most views for a competitive fighting game match" (for the Evo Moment 37) and "Highest all-time rank in Ultra Street Fighter IV." He also signed new sponsorship deals with HyperX (a gaming headset company) and Cygames (a game developer). With Cygames, he and two other players formed "Cygames Beast."
In 2017, Daigo continued to compete in major tournaments like ELEAGUE and Evo. He also launched his own "Beast" clothing brand.
In 2018, Daigo won the VSFighting Premier Event in the United Kingdom. He also had another "first to 10" match against his rival Tokido, winning 10-5.
Books and Manga
Daigo Umehara is not just a gamer; he is also an author. His book, The Will to Keep Winning, shares his thoughts on how to succeed.
He also has a manga series called "Umehara FIGHTING GAMERS!" It tells a story about his life as a young player in the arcade scene. The manga is popular and has been translated into English as Daigo the Beast: Umehara Fighting Gamers.
Major Achievements
Daigo Umehara has won many major tournaments throughout his career. Here are some of his most notable wins:
- Evolution Championship Series (EVO)
* Super Street Fighter II Turbo: 2003, 2004 * Street Fighter IV: 2009, 2010 * Guilty Gear XX: 2003, 2004
- Tougeki - Super Battle Opera (SBO)
* Super Street Fighter II Turbo: 2003 * Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: 2005
- Capcom Pro Tour Events
* He has won multiple Capcom Pro Tour events, including regional finals and qualifiers, in Ultra Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V.
- Other Notable Wins
* Street Fighter Alpha 3 National and International Champion: 1998 * Vampire Savior GAMEST Cup: 1997 * Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix: 2009, 2010 * Super Street Fighter IV: Evo Asia-Pacific 2010, Canada Cup 2010 * Street Fighter V: Hong Kong Esports Festival 2017, Fight Club NRW 8 2017, Abuget Cup 2017, Capcom Pro Tour Europe Regional Finals 2016, OzHadou Nationals 14 2016, Hong Kong Esports Festival 2016, Lockdown 2016, FAV CUP 2022, CPT 2021 Online Event: Japan 3, CPT 2020 Online Asia East #1, Blink All Stars Japan Edition * Ultra Street Fighter IV: Stunfest 2015, NorCal Regionals 2015, Canada Cup Masters Series 2015, Capcom Pro Tour Asia Finals 2014, Capcom Pro Tour Qualifier Taiwan 2014, Topanga League 4A 2014, Topanga World League 2 2015, Ouka Ranbu Cup 2015, Topanga League 5A 2015 * Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition v2012: DreamHack Winter 2013, Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Official National Tournament 2012, Community Effort Orlando 2012 (SSFII Turbo), Topanga World League 2014 * Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition: NorCal Regionals 9 2011, ReveLAtions 2011, Topanga Charity Cup 1 2011, Nagoya Street Battle X MadCatz 2011, Nagoya Street Battle 30 2011
Images for kids
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Official Capcom YouTube Video
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Official 3 Hit Combo YouTube Video
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