When it comes to Daigo Umehara’s Street Fighter play, he is usually a Shoto dude through and through (Umesho!), with his notable appearances being mostly centered around Ken (SFVI), Ryu (SFV), and at times – Guile (SFV). So, it’s quite surprising to see when a Street Fighter legend switches things up and shows people what he can do with a grappler. HiFight took in his recent Street Fighter 6 Twitch battles for a tweet.
Umehara Zangiefhttps://t.co/3ajtvFYZxp pic.twitter.com/Hfc14aTxOg
— HiFight(ハイファイト) (@HiFightTH) December 6, 2023
For instance, catching Rashid during a Drive Rush with a Spinning Piledriver at the ready to get the Punish Counter three times. The Punish Counter adds more damage to each move. That read isn’t something to play with. To run that sort of counter itself feels more master-grade than not. Daigo got a “Perfect K.O” for that run, though he did end up losing the set.
What’s interesting is that Zangief is not the strongest in Street Fighter 6, tier wise. From his performance in V: Champion Edition, you’d figure his luck would change with his new Drive Rush coming in as a grab. Zangief has gained anti-projectile normals and specials over the years and has his aerial grab. Still, one can still take on pros with Mr. Red Cyclone. Snake Eyez proved that in the CPT 2023 West Qualifiers this summer.
Dash Fight said Daigo might not be in the Capcom Pro Tour this round. Perhaps Umehara will switch, though his Ken runs have garnered him top dog in the Master Rank Leaderboard briefly. As for the switch, maybe this is the will to keep winning that’s getting Daigo to adapt to something new.
Umehara went on the record to state that one of his mainstays did not get the love he deserved in Street Fighter 6, especially for the comp scene.
“Many characters have good weapons. I totally see that, and that’s completely fine,” continued Daigo. “But Ryu doesn’t have enough to compete. Even when you add up everything [that] he has, he’s not there yet.”
All this, even though Ryu has gained several new tools such as the King Of Fighters ’96 style stationary projectile – the Hashogeki – and Denjin charged specials without the need for a super to gain it. The reference was made to his 3 series outing where Denjin Hadouken’s super art gains electric properties for stun, and can be held before released. Ryu’s Whirlwind Kick unique was one of my personal favorite new tools since it hit good and had no low hurtbox.
Street Fighter 6 is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
