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Check out some of the most epic comebacks in Street Fighter history
Red Bull Kumite has offered some incredibly memorable bouts, but there’s nothing quite like a comeback so it's time to take a look at the fights where victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat.
Red Bull Kumite is almost here and we can’t wait. This month 16 of the world’s greatest fighters come together in Japan to battle it out in one epic Street Fighter tournament.
The tournament has produced some incredible moments over the past few years, but there’s very little as memorable as a hard-fought comeback, where a seemingly down-and-out player finds the will to bounce back and claim victory. Here, we run through some of Street Fighter’s greatest fight backs in the scene’s quarter-century history.
Daigo Umehara vs Problem X (Red Bull Kumite 2018)
Probably Red Bull Kumite’s most memorable comeback, and arguably one of the most memorable in Street Fighter history, is this clash between Daigo and Problem X during the Red Bull Kumite 2018 Losers Finals. At a tournament that threw up any number of incredible moments, it was Street Fighter legend Daigo ‘The Beast’ Umehara who grabbed the headlines after this epic brawl with Brit Problem X.
With Problem ready to take the set, he picked up where he left off with a ruthless display as his main character, M Bison. With Daigo’s Guile pinned in the corner the game looks all but up, his typically patient game seemingly yielding to Problem’s onslaught. The tables quickly turn, however, and with positions switched Daigo unleashes a series of meaty booms and V-Reversals keeping Bison in the corner and Guile in with a fighting chance. A throw from Guile almost levels things up, with Daigo now very much on the front foot.
Yet the round refuses to be predictable, and after a sustained flurry of pressure from Daigo, in which the comeback looks almost assured, Problem hits a Psycho Crusher. Game over, right? Wrong. Still clinging on, Daigo returns to the corner and waits for his moment. A series of hits from Bison not enough to break Guile’s resolve, Daigo keeps his cool with a throw tech, leaving Bison open for the final, telling blow. While the set eventually went to Problem, in that moment, the crowd belonged to Daigo.
Daigo Umehara vs Justin Wong (EVO 2004)
We couldn’t put together a list of memorable comebacks without breaking down one of the most breathtaking moments in fighting game history – the bout which saw Daigo Umehara and Justin ‘JWong’ Wong showcase just what happens when two legends clash.
Back at EVO 2004 , the two would come together in the semifinals, with Daigo’s Ken facing off against Wong’s Chun-Li in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. The bout ended as part of fighting game folklore, and eventually went on to have its very own shorthand (and accompanying Wikipedia entry): EVO Moment 37.
Moment 37 saw an under-the-cosh Daigo hanging on for dear life. With seconds remaining, Wong was eager to seal the bout, unleashing Chun-Li’s Hoyokusen, with the move’s multiple kicks surely able to put Daigo’s Ken down for good. Daigo, however, had other plans – parrying every one of the 15 kicks in an unparalleled feat of reflex and skill, before hitting a 12-hit combo of his own ending in Ken’s Super Art, to down an astonished Wong. A comeback so good, even the man on the receiving end has named it his favourite in Street Fighter history.
Hiroki ‘Kichipa-Mu’ Asano vs Kensuke ‘Trashbox’ Ishikawa (EVO 2019)
A full 15 years after Moment 37, EVO 2019 proved the event was still capable of setting the stage for incredible comebacks, with the FGC treated to a 23-second stretch of flawlessness from Kichipa-Mu during the last round of the semi-final stage.
A phenomenon with favourite character Zangief, Kichipa-Mu looked to be certain to fall to Trashbox’s Birdie, which would take the tie to one-a-piece. Kichipa-Mu, however, demonstrated his mastery with the burly wrestler, fighting back with three spinning piledrivers to seal the win. He’d go on to land three consecutive spinning piledrivers in the next round, against Fujimura, but it’s this glorious comeback that really set the tone for a memorable event.
Amjad ‘Angry Bird’ Alshalabi v Benoit ‘Gunfight’ Arquilla (Red Bull Kumite 2018)
Sometimes it’s about the journey, not the destination. Comebacks don’t necessarily need to see those teetering on the brink of defeat fully turn things around, just to show the resilience to take the fight to the very end. Just look at Rocky – he may not have beaten Apollo Creed first time around, but you couldn’t help but cheer for his spirited fight back.
And while it didn’t quite match the cinematic spectacle of Mr Balboa’s title bout, the losers’ bracket showdown between Angry Bird and Gunfight, the French competitor on home turf and with the crowd behind him, certainly offered high drama. Opting for an unorthodox choice in wrestler Alex, underdog Gunfight shook things up with a comeback against late invitee Angry Bird, storming back into contention after an initial flurry from Bird’s Zeku left him reeling, and spectators fearing the worst. A brilliant counter from Gunfight set the stage for a storming fight back, and while the round ultimately ended in defeat for Gunfight, it will be remembered for those moments where Alex took Zeku to the mat, and didn’t let up.
Darryl ‘Snake Eyez’ Lewis vs Ricki ‘HelloKittyRicki’ Ortiz (SoCal regionals 2014)
It doesn’t matter who you are, pitting one fighter against five would place your chances somewhere between ‘unlikely’ and ‘doomed.’ That said, it seems Snake Eyez didn’t get this memo during the SoCal regionals in 2014, where he took on the entire NorCal team to... well, this is a list of comebacks, so what do you think happened?
The famous mismatch occurred when Snake Eyez’s Zangief was tasked with clawing back some SoCal respectability after his team dropped away in an exhibition where regional pride was at stake. Expected (or at least hoped) to even things up somewhat before inevitably succumbing to the overwhelming odds, Snake Eyez backed himself when nobody else did, and the results were plain for all to see.
After showing incredible resilience to level things up, it looked to be all over as Snake Eyez remained in the game through the tiniest of margins, with Ricki Ortiz’ Rufus set to land the finishing blow. Well, apparently not. Snake Eyez somehow maneuvered away from certain defeat to land Zangief’s Ultra and snatch victory at the last. A comeback to remember.
