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Bonchan and Daigo rate their opponents
Ahead of Red Bull Kumite, the two stars give us frank reviews of each other – and their rivals.
Bonchan and Daigo go head to head
© Jason Halayko/Red Bull Content Pool
All eyes will be on Paris this weekend as the world’s best Street Fighter V stars descend on the Salle Wagram ballroom for Red Bull Kumite 2017. South Korean pro Infiltration will be looking to defend his crown, but he’ll have to fend off top talent from the US, Europe, China and Japan – including Bonchan and the Beast himself, Daigo Umehara.
Ahead of the tournament, we caught up with the two old friends and rivals to get their perspectives on each other, their chances, and a few more of their rivals besides....
Bonchan on Daigo
You and Umehara first met each other as staff at a mahjong parlour, not as players. What was your impression of him?
He was just a senior staff member at the parlour for me at first. Ume-san wasn’t really good at serving customers so he was more into playing mahjong. He just loved playing it.
How did you feel when you found out that he was the world champ?
I was like “What champion?” I thought it was a joke because the awareness of the gaming events was not that big at that time so I didn’t know that international events existed. I was just playing at an arcade so I couldn’t believe it.
What aspects of Umehara inspire you and what aspects don't you think you have in you?
Ume-san always changes his mind. Lol. That’s something I think is really different from me. Basically, his way of thinking changes the following day. Recently, he has changed his character from Ryu to Guile. In the current version [Season 2], Ryu is hopelessly weak so he thought using Ryu wouldn’t bring him victory. However, he said “I’m going to stick with Ryu!” and the following week he switched to Guile.
I’m sure he thought it through. If it was purely about winning or losing, he could have just made some adjustments for Ryu to become stronger to keep playing as Ryu. However, he made his mind to switch to Guile after pondering about it.
Daigo on Bonchan
Do you remember the time you met Bonchan?
There were quite a few young staff working at the parlour back then and he was the youngest one there. I was older than him but I started working one month earlier than him so you could say that we practically started working at the same time. We both worked together until the parlour got closed down. Bon was really positive about mahjong so I felt a little sympathy with him because I also really wanted to be good at the game at that time.
When was the first time you two played fighting games together?
Before Street Fighter IV came out, we used to play Guilty Gear. He heard from others that I was playing fighting games intensely so he asked me for a battle.
Do you remember the result of the battle?
Both of us were winning and losing. Bon was better than I expected so I felt he was putting serious effort in it.
What image do you have on Bonchan as a player?
Bon is a defensive player. Bon usually doesn’t get aggressive. He waits for the right opportunity to come. He is really accurate on when to attack and his level is very high, so if you attempt a half hearted attack on him, you will get knocked down.
What impression do you have of Bonchan, not as a player, but as a person?
He hasn’t changed since I first met him and he has an abiding faith in his heart. He has a certain attitude, mindset and lifestyle that he believes in and his actions are all based on his faith. There may be more suitable ways around for a better approach but he always sticks to his policy once he makes his mind.
Are you and Bonchan total opposites?
Maybe, yes.
Bonchan and Daigo on Tokido
Tokido competes at Red Bull Battle Grounds
© Cameron Baird/Red Bull Content Pool
Tell us about your relationship with Tokido and his impression.
Bonchan: I think I met him for the first time when he was a university student. My impression was that he must be smart because he was a Tokyo University student. Tokido and I have always practiced together before he became professional. Although we are not too close for Street Fighter V, he is the one whom I had spent most of my time battling in terms of Street Fighter IV. My image of our relationship is that we try to improve ourselves by learning from each other.
Umehara: I met him for the first time at the Capcom vs SNK contest when I was 19 or 20 years old. He was just a junior high student and he beat me in a battle. After that, people told me that he was making a name for himself around that time.
Are there any aspects of Tokido that inspire you?
B: At one point, Tokido was playing about seven different games at that time. At international contests, some of them handle seven different game titles and sometimes the tournament for three game titles start at the same time. However, Tokido made his entry to all three of them so he had to keep playing one after another nonstop until all three game titles finished. That’s crazy. I believe he is the most neat-handed fighting game player in Japan.
U: I had my time as a multi-gamer. Being a multi-gamer would bring you more chances of winning titles or placing in the top eight at a contest. Being a multi-gamer is also your characteristic so I am not against being a multi-gamer at all but I was feeling that you would never get the recognition of being number one at the same time when I watched him play. Even though he has decided to focus on one game from playing multiple titles, his earnest personality hasn’t changed. He is similar to Bon and they both have something they believe in. In the case of Tokido, he has faith in someone else, not himself or faith in thoughts.
Tokido is known for pouring many, many hours into practicing, barely breaking to eat. What do you think of his unique training style?
B: It is amazing how he can multi-task as a multi-gamer but his most amazing quality is his practice. I saw the qualities of a true professional gamer in him. At that time, I was still amateur and playing my favourite SF IV just for fun. He became pro before me and he was dedicating a vast amount of time into practicing as a professional. I was really amazed with his dedication, but not for me, no thanks.
Bonchan and Daigo on Nemo
Nemo performs at Red Bull Kumite in Paris
© Katya Mokolo/Red Bull Content Pool
What is your impression of Nemo as a player?
U: Nemo as a player, he is really aggressive in any game. He doesn’t have any doubts in his play so when he is on fire, he can get the job done against any player. So that’s why he has a high winning rate at foreign contests and that’s his strength. He is a very businessman-like person. He has a passion for games but his stance toward his profession is really solid and he has an unsentimental or businessman like mindset toward games since he is doing it as a job.
B: When I started playing SF IV at the arcade, Nemo was the master of SF IV. For the first three months, I couldn’t win a single match against Nemo. He made me realise that he was just way too strong so I wouldn’t be able to beat him for a long time.
I think Nemo’s conceptual breakthrough is different from others. Basically, all you need to win is to decrease your opponent’s energy to zero. Since Nemo only aims for the win, he always voraciously chooses the moves that can take away opponent’s energy the most. I think his defence is weak but offence is outstanding and he has a solid plan for taking opponents’ lives away.
What aspects do you think are different from Nemo in terms of an approach to practice?
U: I think he has a different approach to time frame. Nemo said that he is concerned about only being a professional gamer since the future is unpredictable pro gamers making a living. He also said that he has big respect for pro gamers who can go only that path for their lives without seeing their way ahead clearly.
When I play SFV, I don’t think of when to quit the game. I just keep playing it hoping to gain more experience to go forward. However, Nemo sets the time frame first and he can come up with the best plays within that time frame. Even though some plays he comes up with might not be effective in the future, he would still use them if he thinks those plays are effective within that time frame.
Does Nemo prefer characters with a strong offence?
B: I can say that he doesn’t like characters with limited options. It’s fun to play a character with many options and it would bring more strategies. So that’s why Nemo likes those kinds of characters.
