Daigo Umehara: The King of Fighters

"I don't think my views were proven wrong. I witnessed it first hand at that tournament how the Japanese players were operating at a higher level than the US players. The Japanese, in my opinion, enjoy a much better fighting game environment with enriched arcade culture to begin with. As such I do think the Japanese have an advantage in fighting games in general."

Despite this, Umehara still prefers Western tournaments to their Japanese counterparts. "I find Western tournaments way more fun than those held in Japan. The players have a sense of ownership of the scene and feel that the tournaments they attend are their event and that they have to take part to make them the best they can be. At least, that's how it appears to me.

By contrast, corporations usually lay on Japanese tournaments. The Japanese players take no responsibility: whatever happens is up to the host or sponsor. Western gamers at tournaments are very enthusiastic and eager to make it a great event because they have ownership. Regardless of the size of the event, none of the Western tournaments I've participated in have disappointed or bored me. I must say that I love the US tournaments best of all: they keep the pride and fighting spirit alive."

With this in mind, I ask Umehara about his most famous moment at a Western tournament: the Evolution 2004 full parry. "To be honest, I was not playing much Third Strike at that time, but for some reason, I made it to the semi-finals. At the winner's round, I lost against a Japanese player and wasn't at all confident that I could come back through the loser's round.

"I just hadn't played the game much and so lacked that hunger for victory. That helped because I was relaxed when I matched against Justin, as I didn't have anything to lose. At the end of the final game, when I was cornered, I didn't feel overwhelmed. I calmly registered it thinking: 'If I lose here, I guess that's it.' I only realised later about how much incredible enthusiasm, excitement, cheering, and screaming filled the venue. I was so focused that I didn't hear any of that. I had absolutely no idea at the time what was happening around me. After I won, I noticed several Japanese players who were beside me standing and cheering in excitement. That's all I remember from the moment itself. Only when I saw the video clip of the match later, did I realise what really happened there."

Five years on from that moment and the Umehara name has swelled in fame and recognition. But at 28-years-old, Umehara is undeniably one of the older competitors in what has always been a young man's scene. I ask him how he feels about playing fighting games professionally as he grows older.

"I don't really plan ahead. I always go as I please," he says. "I don't have a particular plan or idea of how I want to be, but I do have an idea of what I don't want to be. If I could maintain my skills into my thirties and forties, I wouldn't mind continuing to play professionally. But into my fifties, as I start to see my physical abilities go downhill, I would not want to be jealous of others.

"Looking back my childhood, I devoted all of myself to playing games. I'm the type of person who just loses himself in one thing. I am so bad at balancing myself. I dive in so deep. Since I was a little kid, I would forget myself when I become interested in one thing. That kind of personality is perfectly suited to fighting games. As we grow older, we can see all that has made us become who we are now and, we can better analyse and assess situations.

"So now, when I look at a younger player, I can spot his weakness, like 'his such-and-such is disadvantageous for fighting gameplay'. Everyone I've ever played has some fatal flaw. But you know, personally I enjoy being a challenger more than a titleholder. I definitely would welcome a supreme character's arrival. When he appears, gaming for me will become fun again."

Umehara's expertise is almost entirely limited to Capcom titles, especially the Street Fighter series. I ask him whether he's been tempted to try his hand at other fighting games. "I've always played Street Fighter since the first days I started visiting arcades. To be honest, I don't go to arcades as much as I used to, so I don't feel like picking up a new game series now. The Tekken visuals are appealing, but that's not enough to move me."