For many fighting games, there's often a pro-player legend associated with them. For the Mortal Kombat and Injustice franchise that legend is SonicFox, and for the Street Fighter franchise there are few who hold the status of Daigo Umehara, who is perhaps most famous for his ability to block a 17-hit Chun-Li combo perfectly before winning the game back in 2004. Nearly twenty years later, Daigo is a renowned member of the Street Fighter and fighting game communities, and is still taking part in tournaments.
One such tournament was the Capcom Pro Tour fighting game exhibition, where Daigo took on Kawano in the final. This match would've been great for many, as it ended with a classic Daigo comeback, were it not for the fact that Daigo hanging onto the game and pulling it back meant the announcement of Street Fighter 6 was delayed.
Many had expected the announcement of Street Fighter 6 to come at the end of a countdown on the official Capcom website. While there were other theories on what the countdown would lead to, such as a DLC for Resident Evil: Village, it became clear as time went on that the most likely event would be the announcement of Street Fighter 6. After six years and two major updates, it seemed a good time to say goodbye to Street Fighter 5 as well.
Finally, after Daigo and Kawano finished their match, the tournament ended and Capcom could show off the teaser for Street Fighter 6. It featured a bulky-looking Ryu ready to face Luke, who was the 45th and final character to be added to Street Fighter 5. Considering Luke was teased to be in the sequel, it makes sense for him to feature in the trailer alongside the iconic Ryu. Fans were excited to see the trailer, though they did meme the fact that Daigo kept them waiting longer than expected.
One fan wrote "this is the first time I've cheered for Daigo to lose," while others were praising his play, calling him "a god," and the "GOAT." Alongside Daigo's top-tier play and the Street Fighter 6 announcement, Capcom fans were also treated to the reveal of "the Capcom Fighting Collection," which is an anthology of 10 classic titles including the full Darkstalkers series. The Capcom Fighting Collection will be available on June 24 for PS4, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Xbox One.
Street Fighter 6 is currently in development.