After his devastating loss at Red Bull Kumite 2025, Street Fighter legend and multiple-time Evo champion, Daigo "The Beast" Umehara has announced his return to professional play. His last Top 10 finish in a Tier 1 tournament was at Evo 2022 when he placed 5th for Street Fighter 5. Since then, he has taken a supportive role by dedicating most of his time to streaming his online matches and providing advice to players in his Twitch chat. While he did participate in tournaments since 2022, he was not considered a "threat" to the competition.
A quick glance at the Liquipedia page for Daigo shows he has not reached the Top 20 in almost every Tier 1 tournament he participated in. A stark contrast to his performance a decade ago, where he would finish at least in the Top 15. What changed, then?
Red Bull Kumite 2025 featured a "Legends vs Underdogs" bracket match that showcased the old vanguards of Street Fighter going against the next generation of players. Among the legends are Daigo, Bonchan, gachikun, Kakeru, Problem X, Big Bird, MenaRD, and Xiaohai. They went head-to-head against NoahTheProdigy, Kilzyou, Kusanagi, Higuchi, Akainu, EndingWalker, Nyanpi, and Zangief_bolado.
One of the most hyped up games in the bracket was the match between Daigo and NoahTheProdigy. With Noah considering Daigo as his idol, Daigo did not disappoint his protégé.
click to enlargeHowever, Noah's pressure on Luke overwhelmed The Beast's Akuma. Frame traps, throws, and crazy hit-confirms got the best of Daigo, and Noah won five games to Daigo's three. One can say it was not an easy task for Noah since Daigo got three games, but the replays say otherwise. It was not an easy task for Daigo to close out crucial rounds where he could have won.
After the match, Daigo said he would run it back with Noah and dedicate his time to train. On top of the first-to-ten challenge raised by MenaRD last February, Daigo implied a more serious competitive participation and ending his supportive role by decreasing his streaming time. Fighting game commentator Ryan Hart posted Daigo's announcement on X during his post-match interview in RBK 2025.
With The Beast now in his forties, the landscape of fighting games has changed before his very eyes. He famously said that Japan was the country to beat in Street Fighter, but now we see countries other than Japan and the US dominating the game. Younger players look up to him as the gold standard of dominance and the accompanying work ethic behind his match preparations. Having to see him play seriously as much as he wants before hanging up for good will be a textbook ending for the legend of Daigo Umehara.
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