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The stars of Street Fighter are ready for Capcom Pro Tour Japan
The Capcom Pro Tour returns for an even bigger and better year of online-based bouts. First stop? Japan.
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Last year, world events caused countless fighting game tournaments – and by proxy, the fighting game scene itself – to pivot towards the internet infrastructure. To keep competitors safe and competition going, all bouts were forced to take place online. In order to continue their annual Street Fighter V Capcom Pro Tour circuit, Capcom shifted their events towards the virtual battlefield in a bid to determine best in each region.
A year on, the Capcom Pro Tour Online is making its return, with more regions, more chances to take a swing at the coveted cup and more reasons for players to pick up their arcade sticks again. Japan sets off the Capcom Pro Tour 2021 season and these three Street Fighter V stars are hungry to take the first qualifying seat. Who will come out on top this time?
The Beast
Daigo 'The Beast' Umehara
© Hadrien Picard/Red Bull Content Pool
Daigo ‘The Beast’ Umehara has seemingly found a real stride late in the lifespan of Street Fighter V. Training from home has led him to constantly engage in ranked matches and even discover new methods of madness in the game’s training mode. With the provided extra time, Daigo took to buckling down even more and hoped that 2020 would be his year. Even though he didn’t get a chance at the Capcom Cup proper, he did win an opportunity to prove himself as Japan’s best and took that title at the Capcom Pro Tour 2020 Season Finals. Additionally, to back his prowess, he proved himself across many more stacked tournaments. With the legendary player’s victories and advancement of the meta on constant display, it’s difficult to debate that he wasn’t the star of 2020, at the age of 39.
Now, he wants his chance to face off against other regions at this circuit’s end. Due to the drastic – and many would say, needed – buffs Ryu was given during the seasonal update, Daigo might pick up the star of Street Fighter once again. However, that doesn’t mean the sonic boom-slinging soldier Guile is down for the count. Though his projectile pressure is nerfed, he’s still a strong choice, and Daigo has already displayed new V-Shift and V-Break tech with the character. With last year’s momentum pushing him forward, The Beast might just be untamable.
The Wind
Gachikun is keen to win Capcom Cup once more, and the road starts here
© Stephanie Lindgren/Red Bull Content Pool
Former Capcom Cup champion Tsunehiro ‘Gachikun’ Kanamori is looking for a decisive repeat and the return of the cup to his mantle. After winning the second representative spot for the Japan region last year, he fell to Daigo in the Season Finals. But as history has shown with how Gachikun takes losses, he’ll be even more prepared for the upcoming tournament.
Rashid, his main choice of character, seems to be just as pesky as before the balance patch hit. The nerf to his wall-clinging move ended up leaning in his favour, allowing the whirlwinding warrior to create even faster mix-ups when he leaves the corner. And while other characters got pushed down the tier lists as the meta changed, the lack of alterations allowed Rashid to stay afloat. Gachikun is going to be even harder to pin down in this upcoming tournament.
The King
Bonchan is returning to competitive play
© Suguru Saito/Red Bull Content Pool
Despite going home and becoming a family man, this EVO champion’s edge hasn’t dulled at all. Though Masato ‘Bonchan’ Takahashi planned to step back from serious competing for a while, he still found time to practise and keep pace with the best in Japan. As the CPT once again goes back to the virtual arena, Bonchan can crush counter opponents without spending time travelling the world, and can qualify from the comfort of his house.
His weapons of choice are most likely the same roster he’s used before. The privileged princess Karin is still quite strong this season and her grounded approach melds perfectly with her ability to spend V-Trigger bar on V-Shift freely. And, if need be, Bonchan can switch to Sagat while feeling a little more at ease. The king of Muay Thai has received quite a few buffs to solidify his pressure, including the improvements to his Tiger Knees and Tiger Shots arsenal. Bonchan could make a possible return to the ring for the Capcom Cup finals if he succeeds.
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