The Story of Daigo Umehara: The Beast (FGC)

The passion to learn, the will to endure and a willingness to adapt are traits common to some of the greatest heroes in fighting game history - but for Daigo Umehara, they are commandments that have led to an indelible competitive legacy.
The man now known as The Beast was not born that way.
This is his story.
Courtesy List:
Mind of a Beast | Daigo Umehara
Courtesy: Red Bull
Link: • Mind of a Beast | Daig...
Daigo: Becoming a Legend - A Yahoo Esports Feature
Courtesy: Yahoo Esports
Link: • Daigo: Becoming A Lege...
Sega Game Center Tour
Courtesy: ARMdevices
Link: www.ARMdevices.net
The Real Story Behind Evo Moment 37
Courtesy: Kotaku
Link: • The Real Story Behind ...
EVO VODS
Courtesy: EVO
Link: / @evoevents
Daigo Twitch Streams
Link: www.twitch.tv/daigothebeastv
Daigo Umehara | Player Profile | SFV Invitational
Courtesy: ELEAGUE
Link: • Video
Capcom Cup VODs
Courtesy: Capcom
Link: / capcomfighterstv
Daigo vs Alex Valle
Courtesy: TOKYO TV
Link: • First encounter - Daig...
Music used under license from Associated Production Music LLC (”APM”).
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[@UchihaIsu]

"...a comeback is always possible." it's a lesson for life, not only fighting games!

[@OnYourSquare]

Isi P. Nah. I think the lesson is you are not special. No one's ones born with. But the few willing to educate themselves, practice and commit to a craft, will put themselves in a stratosphere only an elite few will reach. Now THAT goes for video games AND life!! 'Moment 37' may look like God given talent, but few stop to consider the countless hours dude must have spent in practice mode preparing, just incase this scenario ever came up m

[@KanekiKirigaya2537]

Hell yea!

[@lordshura9717]

Absolutely!

[@PistolSovereign]

reminds me of rocky

[@internallyscreaming2788]

Isi P. Except if you’re playing SFV then that shit happens every 3 games.

[@weeblbob233]

Daigo is always scariest when he is low health. That guy is magic. A lot of people like to shit on that with negative comments but he is a pure role model for not giving up when you want to quit. I love him for that. Fan for life.

[@infinitygauntlet101]

He's like a broken ass anime protagonist that always gets stronger when he is struggling.

[@RyotaSenju_KOF]

@@infinitygauntlet101 he's that one protagonist that keeps on getting a senkai boost

[@traviscummings9178]

If Daigo was in an anime fight scene, I can imagine him in that scene where he's about to get hit by a move that's sure to knock him out, but then his eye shines just before knocking out his opponent

[@MichaelHarto]

He's real life makunoichi ippo

[@yonslash457]

Sometimes i even think he did that purposely for the sake of entertain the audience ...

[@IRahkuBz]

Evo moment 37 is the reason i started playing and actually learning Fighting Games. Daigo, forever a LEGEND!

[@DarkWarning20]

Buck true but stfu plz 😂

[@critoalcantara2406]

Same here bro

[@ViperDivinity]

Not legend A God

[@waaaweee6934]

same

[@lagang8320]

That Evo Moment is so iconic that Capcom re-released Street fighter 3rd strike in HD for PS3 and added a final parry challenge in the game called Evo Moment 37.

[@shaokhan4421]

wow

[@j-dub5163]

There is NOTHING... NOTHING that will ever top that perfect parry he did at EVO.

[@REALSlutHunter]

Realy ? Kuroda did that parry before Daigo. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZfaeoCjr9eblc0m32s This one is way harder to parry kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaXQYnd5g6aqfdkm28s There's a down Parry in between the Hadouken & Ryu's SA-3 that most people dont see, because it's to fast.

[@REALSlutHunter]

For what ?

[@MyshKatze]

@@REALSlutHunter take a proof if it's harder to parry. It's easy to make something look less important or hard as it actually is

[@zenbrown7144]

@@REALSlutHunter Honestly the spectacle of the Daigo parry is that he performed it under pressure, and went on to make the comeback. If he'd lost then it probably wouldn't of been such a big deal.

[@REALSlutHunter]

Yes, in terms of contribution & eSports.

[@josefernandez4423]

I still root for Daigo everytime. when he won the Hongkong CPT event oh god that was so satisfying. I felt so happy.

[@kameronwraithd.k.5363]

me too; I'd be cool if he still gave Ryu a chance :/

[@SoysauceML]

He did, it's just not working out... Ryu is terrible right now.

[@Krystalmyth]

Pretty ridiculous of Capcom really. Doing what they did to dp characters.

[@Scientist93]

@@kameronwraithd.k.5363 I'm watching this video for the first time right now. It's Season 4 of SFV. Guess who got significantly buffed at last? 😎

[@hapwn]

It had to happen. And not just for gaming!

[@CredoVG]

This made me teary-eyed... Daigo Umehara, you are a legend in the FGC.

[@AceBadguy]

Daigo is the real life Ryu.

[@HerrZenki]

"The answer lies in the heart of battle." Definitely sounds like something daigo would say

[@JSPUFC]

Is Justin Wong, E Honda?

[@HerrZenki]

And DSP is Dan

[@yesterday._]

A Google User OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@PrivateJoker0119]

Justin Wong is obviously Rufus.

[@Haxzilog]

love what he said "if you keep choosing the path that looks safe, ultimately that becomes a dead end"

[@わわ-l8w]

yes. I love it.

[@CassiusXs]

I once in a job interview was asked if I had a personal idol whom I looked up to. I told them it was Daigo. One of the people at the table looked me in the eye and nodded, while the other two where confused as to who that was. I never explained it to them. Still got the job though.

[@igorz4582]

today in:dumb youtube tales by kids

[@MatthewWillis3]

SnowBlu bruh Daigo is a good dude, why not look up to him? Guys a legend in his own right.

[@FnD4212]

Lee J SnowBlu didn't targeted this comment to Diego. Its for interview story that wasn't true at all. It just entertainment.

[@blankslate6383]

r/thathappened

[@mightymightymetalhead3541]

r/quityourbullshit

[@glacialj6640]

"Justin decided to test the BEAST" Poor guy :(

[@SoysauceML]

He didn't. He thought releasing his super would ensure his victory, as well as everyone else that's watching. Also Daigo actually buffered the parry input before the cut-in.

[@deviljho4260]

Frigidmoon Daigo practised how to parry chun li’s super before Evo so if Justin heard about that he would’ve won by throwing a fireball.

[@donbasuradenuevo]

Daigo is Ryu IRL. Always walking the path of the warrior.

[@KampucheanDemon]

donbasuradenuevo we’ll await your return... warrior.

[@TonyRedgrave1]

My child: dad who was Daigo? My old ass: sit down son....I’m gonna tell you the legend of a god

[@dragonkamran]

Just show the damn video lol. You make it sound like you personally know the guy

[@crunchydoodle3767]

Man, I just subscribed yesterday and was looking for a story about Daigo.

[@BinBintheRiceCake]

When ever I think of Daigo, I just can't help think about that moment when Daigon had this long evil ryu comba and the commentators were: AAUUUGGGHHHHHH FAIVO UMEHARA AUUGGGGGHHHHGAAAUUUGGHH DAAAIIIGOOOOOOOO UMEEHAAARAAAA

[@Scientist93]

OOH MAH DAYS UMEHARA GAAA Yeah, that was the Stunfest 2015 Grand Finals, if I recall correctly... Lord Daigo going to town, landing a 25-hit combo on Momochi's Ken. Practically as hype as the EVO Moment #37.

[@BloOdShotRetiNa]

I'm so disappointed they didn't include that entire exchange in this video. That moment brought me back to #37.

[@yonslash457]

SHORYUKEN SHORYUKEN WHAT YOU SAYING... THIS IS DAIGO ASCENDENT...

[@klaytonlam]

Such a classy legend. Evo moment was insanity. Mad respect for his fight, resilience, and humbleness.

[@AcidGlow]

*That was a great video into the History of Daigo. I enjoyed the video. ✅😃*

[@Justbrice]

First comment

[@atumhotep833]

Tomo Ohura and Daigo Umehara are the reason why I started play fighting games. The father gods of the east and west. Much respect...always.

[@Black_Corey]

I meet Daigo at CEO Daytona 2018 and he's an awesome guy! I walked up to him with my phone out and he immediately took a pic with me even though i didn't ask him yet. I root for him every time he's on stage.

[@mjj0824]

The Guy is a Legend is the FGC´s Michael Jordan

[@Hazard_sys]

Was thinking the exact same thing.

[@billybadass3056]

More Lebron James because..... Michael never lost a Tournament, AH THANK U VERY MUCH XD.......

[@enochexe1620]

Nah that's Sonicfox

[@Donzaloon]

use some commas

[@Sly_Maverick_31]

He's more like Bruce Lee.

[@Plasmacat1]

Alex Valle face after he lost is pure gold "wtf just happened?". Daigo did so much to form the essence and bring people into the FGC he will be a legend forever.

[@lucianoaguero6795]

He said wtf because he thought they had another round but the rules were weird

[@gearreaper7981]

Wow, I not even play Street Fighter and still Daigo's story surprise me and inspire me

[@gamingvalue372]

Daigo is a true legend. And you editit Evo Moment 37 so well i got goosebump. even if i saw it allready 100 times. Good Job

[@jaceyc9418]

No trophy matters when you pulled something like moment 37. Daigo will forever be remembered over any tournament winners.

[@donnav786]

Still gives me goosebumps whenever that Evo moment comes on

[@JediGamingX]

The Michael Jordan of Fighting Tournaments games. Some might bash my comment, but, I just learned who Daigo is. For personal reasons, I was out of the gamer scene for 12 years, 2 years ago, I got on my feet. Since I can't afford an actual arcade machine, nor a few Physical CD games, I opted on emulating some of my favorite SF games on android via MAME4roid and aFBA emulators (using touch screen buttons until I got an OTG cable to connect my PS3 controller) In 2017, I finally got my first taste of the SFIII series, with 2nd impact being (imo) the best in the series. Then, as I searched for info on the SFIII series, I stumbled upon this EVO moment and I get goosebumps every time I watch this insane parry by Daigo. A true inspiration to get better at SFIII 3rd Strike.

[@michaelsins7540]

This channel is amazing, so underrated, keep up the good work!

[@kaworu777n]

when my grandsons ask me for a tale, I gonna tell them about the legend of Daigo Umehara

[@maggotcorps]

not a legend cuz it really happened

[@BlackWhiteCloud]

Im sorry, did you mean the Biography of Daigo "The Beast" Umehara?

[@bastardjustice]

"There was a time when fighters roam the streets. Warriors from all around the world fighting for glory. But there is one man stand above the rest. A Beast. A champion that is as silent as the whisper of the breeze but as deadly as the raging typhoon. His name was Daigo." 🤤🤤🤤🤤

[@theclassicmanila-style8435]

I want to suck on those

[@robyrandom1148]

@@theclassicmanila-style8435 dickheads , hahaaa got em XD

[@tomkoolman]

Moment 37 is an undying legend.

[@alexg100100]

“But if you keep choosing the path that looks safe, ultimately it becomes a dead end” well said

[@chriscdtan]

I wish I can get 50% of his patience and passion on doing this, no matter in the tournament or his daily routine that made up what he is now. Seriously, how many can stay as calm as he is during the tournament. The mental strength will lead any profession to the next level!

[@KanekiKirigaya2537]

This mans been my idol ever since I found out about moment 37. He's not only a legend to me but also my motivation to not quit fighting games. He's touched my heart and honestly I almost got teary eyed watching this. Daigo I hope you realize everything you've done for our beloved fgc. You will live on forever in our hearts.

[@syafsalam8243]

That defence against chun li combo make me blown away. I never saw something like that.. daigo deserve the beast tittle

[@Alpenmagier]

im not rly into fighting games but its nice to see other kind of esport than dota,LoL or csgo on this channel. Pls more :D !

[@Alpenmagier]

nice to see esport legends from all kind of games

[@zayedharoon7362]

Im a 28 year old competitive fighting gamer in TEKKEN series to be precise although daigo has absolutly nothing or any thing to do with a 3D fighting game like TEKKEN since hes a die hard comited 2D fighting gamer mainly in STREET FIGHTER but the guy is a legend and respected by all fighting gamers regardless what ever fighting franchise he even got his name in guinness book of world record's i mean fuck the name its self explains all (Daigo Umehara the BEAST)

[@PrimeContentV1]

I'm league of legend player but jezu i love tekken even i suck so hard at it

[@zayedharoon7362]

National Gamerzz hhhhhh no worries man i tried league many times still hard for me to understamd

[@willn8664]

The funny thing is that Fighting games have been out longer than first person shooters and MMO battle arenas but was the last out of all those 3 to be recognized as an official esport.

[@mrkabaze]

I have seen moment 37 so many times and it blows my mind everytime

[@mnm121314]

What a class act. This guy stopped playing video games for a while to go take care of the elderly. Bravo to this guy and always being humble

[@Plasmacat1]

Moment 37 made and inspired people into fighting games to à level not many people comprehend. The guy literally revived a struggling scene and did so much for fighting game reputation in general.

[@Graysett]

Fun fact, there's a manga/comic about Daigo. You can find it if you google around a bit, there's even a partial english fan translation (that hasn't updated in a lonnnnng time, but still) as well as an official english release coming out in december.

[@goldenlandboxing5122]

where is it?

[@ItzTayMan-_-]

@@goldenlandboxing5122 uhemhara fighting gamers

[@robertchristiansantos2037]

Thank you theScore esports for this awesome documentary and for highlighting the fighting game community!

[@noname768397]

"All my life its been failure failure failure, when you allways pick the safer route in life you'll eventually hit a dead end" - Daigo Umehara

[@samenoise532]

These videos are my favorite thing on the internet right now. Please give me more.

[@projectOMA]

I still remember seeing the video of him play Wong at EVO back in 04. friend of mine was obsessed with SF3 and had to show it to me. still amazing 13 years later

[@1nimation]

Moment 37 still gives me chills

[@reeseyme9613]

lesson we can learn from daigo is you may have been the best but more important thing is to stay relevant if you truly have passion on what you're doing

[@fabiboiii]

Every time I see this clip I get tears in my eyes, it's just so beautiful and the best life lesson

[@gxwen8207]

Even till today,I still get goosebumps when Everytime I rewatch the full parry Daigo did against Justin!

[@thenee6ynerd]

excellent story in the life and times of the BEAST tremendous come back to form leaving you believing that anything is possible, in a word remarkable.

[@jasperowens8315]

Donate $60,000 man he really a legend

[@RogueHero]

This was a good watch

[@jerbax3161]

that parry though :O

[@LanokirX]

That 16 block with counter in the end, is worth it's own legend.

[@YohAquino2]

evo moment 37 never gets old!

[@katalysis]

Your short documentaries are always well done.

[@reylionelsun4408]

I KNEW IT! no wonder his play style is so familiar to me, so he actually started from Fatal Fury before Street Fighter II, so that explains his versatility when it comes to button inputs and also where does his unwavering patience comes from in every match he had WOW! Let me say this one more time; Daigo Umehara, you will always be my motivation to keep improving myself so that i can defeat myself for you are the real life Ryu of FGC who always seek ways to become stronger and better, But one of my biggest dream is that someday, I'll get a chance to fight you and i don't care if i lose, i just want to have the experience of facing in any match as memory that i can treasure forever and tell everyone that, "I WAS ABLE TO FULFILL A DREAM! A DREAM THAT I THOUGHT WAS IMPOSSIBLE! BUT I DID!".

[@Raggaennight]

So influential...and yet, he look so modest, down-to-earth person.

[@waaaweee6934]

I fell in love with fighting games because of daigo.. I fell in love with Moba game because of dendi and faker ... They don't always win everything , but growing up with no parents around they were my heroes ... (Sorry for bad English , just wanna comment how I feel ) 😊😊 I love these guys 😊

[@g-lo6502]

currently watching this video because my dad said gaming isn't the same anymore. then he explained why arcade fighting games revolutionized the gaming world and told me about the legend daigo. recently have been learning how to play sf4 and appreciate the old street fighters while my dad forces me to use a arcade stick. I couldn't have found any better way to gain such respect to street fighter players since im realizing how hard it is to actually play on a top tier. (yes my father did show and explain evo 37 and now I play SF every night because of it)

[@chinoky]

Fantastic video! Thoroughly enjoy all of it. Keep up the good work

[@WASIF4444]

Love that guy, and his expressions are so humble, salute from pakistan

[@I3ULL5HIT]

"the beast did not falter" hearing that word kept giving me chills

[@ineedmorecarrots6063]

"A cornered animal is almost as dangerous as a wounded one" -cameron dokey When daigo is in low health prepare for trouble

[@BigALBoomer]

This guy is a legend.

[@dorsiafridaynight3488]

daigo is an icon we deserve! a true fighter. thank you Daigo

[@johndee759]

We lived during Daigo's Prime.

[@chriswillis7315]

johndee759 his sf4 RYU is “prime daigo” before the ultra version came out and he made the switch

[@johndee759]

Chris Willis He felt pressured to win Evo for the third time while being sponsored by Madcatz. I do feel that your statement said is quite true. Though Evo during the early days, not so many Japanese players come to US tournaments. Mago to me is a disappointment because during Daigo's prime, he was one of few who could beat Daigo with his Emperor Sagat during Gods Garden. Fuudo was able to beat Daigo in France with his own Ryu. There is still more to come. There was a statement that Punk leveled a lot of players up. Currently the best Street Fighter team is Echo Fox.

[@chriswillis7315]

johndee759 anybody can be beat but daigo was much more dominant with Ryu on sf4 before evil Ryu came along

[@johndee759]

I have never seen Bruce Lee. But we live in his age. UFC, Protein Shakes, Martial arts philosophy. Daigo Umehara

[@amadeus5403]

I first seen Daigo in the late 90s on VHS tapes full of static 😆 Then “Bang The Machine” came out on VHS and i got hooked on fighting games lol

[@Riotmagg]

My cousin used to call me Daigo, as in clowning my name, Diego, i always got pissed when he did it, but if he calls me that again ill just give him a “hell yeah”

[@BronzeLincolns81]

persistence, perseverance, and hard work. that's how you make it in life.

[@jinfrozenfire]

EVO MOMENT 37 ALWAYS GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS

[@duxnihilo]

"Everything in my life was failure." Says Daigo Fucking Umehara after EVO #34, after Valle, after 1st at EVO, after 1st at Japan... What the hell would success look like?

[@madbeatle82]

great production, the narrative is on point.

[@lov.2.g]

Fuk... That literally gave me goosebumps... Evo moment 37... Nothing is gonna beat that... Nothing

[@Achiledus]

he's the guy that got me playing fighting games. and watching succeed and even fail at time has truly been what kept me here. to someday be worthy of playing him or having his title passed on to me when he finally retires. i have to say i'm a long way from that but every lose and every victory has shaped me. i'm not there yet and i might never get there to be honest but it's a risk that i am ready to take. okay enough on that. you guys should make a video like this on SonicFox the NRS fighting game community is grown and it's about time some of the legend from other Sub- communities in th FGC get .... recorded

[@darkdixie4174]

I got goosebumbs all over me while watching him parry chun li's attack

[@WoopsyDaisy00]

Daigo is easily one of, if not my number one biggest inspirations.

[@JackgarPrime]

Even if he doesn't win as many tournaments as he used to, his recent set with Tokido shows he really does still have it.

[@Yukari_MAiG]

286 wins?! PogChamp

[@MinniMaster]

This guy is basically an old retired master. Not as capable as he was in his prime, but he can still hold his own and mainly passes his wisdom to others.

[@nathanielhamilton5841]

Very motivating, much respect to Daigo!

[@shirogami4224]

We could say daigo did comeback

[@HaixuChen]

Respect. There's a real Samurai in him.

[@Massacretalitor]

There was huge story missed in what made Daigo play the way he does. When he started winning his first tournaments in Japan, he was confronted by the Japanese players about his playstyle. They commended him for the victories, but noted he should start playing the game in more entertaining way (Daigo noted himself he felt fighting games were "easy" when he started out, because he was always playing very safe). Japanese FGC players used to play the game for the entertainment value, not so much for the actual victory.

[@penkunator]

To be more exact, he used to play Boxer (Balrog in west, Bison in Japan) in SF2 because he was a ridiculously strong character. He did it in order to keep winning because in the arcade days every defeat meant lining up to the machine and inserting another coin (and since Daigo was a kid at that time, he didn't have tons of money to spend). He was so good with the character that people in the arcade eventually refused to play him; only the hardcore SF2 players who used equally dirty characters and tactics remained. Then one day an older player recommended Daigo to pick up Ryu because "he was an interesting character" (though afterwards Daigo thought the guy was getting sick of his boxer too). He realized that he wasn't playing games to simply waste time and using Boxer to win more wasn't anything more than that, so he ended up switching Ryu to have more meaningful and interesting matches.

[@splatto99]

video about the 5 gods? :)

[@lienviebruno6447]

yeah, that would be interesting...

[@ds6031]

I think the 5 gods mention about in the video are Diago, Nuki, Tokido, Sako, Haitani. They both hv a title with fighting games. They also play 3rd strike. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZXdi2uKl86NZ9E

[@SoysauceML]

We could use more Nuki love UmeNuki OTP.

[@jakemuller8626]

that Nuki is out of the scene, Fuudo is now replace him as one of the Five Gods.

[@ds6031]

There aren’t any replacement coz they still hv the title even after a century

[@bugajpcmr6093]

thank you for this video it is hard to find some of those old fights :)

[@citizensnips007]

my favorite esports figure across all games

[@LittleStar678]

Tokido, though hes prob #1 in SFV at the mo, has never reached Daigo's level in terms of the impact

[@theesagat7819]

Ash chan Tokido has the most top 8s in Evo history across many more games than Daigo, but he was cheap as fuck and self admittedly says so 😂😂😂

[@OkamiRD]

@@theesagat7819What do you mean by cheap? Like using Akuma is considered cheap?

[@zer0stars]

@@OkamiRD No, he admitted in using very strong characters. Like legit strong strategies such as Vega wall in SF2 Turbo. But now he's not really into that playstyle anymore.

[@chupasaurus]

@@zer0stars And it was Daigo who inspired him to change the attitude towards fighting games as well as picking Akuma back in SF4.

[@eduardocardoso8967]

This is kinda FGC saint. Untouchale legacy.

[@keilow5500]

Damn daigo is almost 40!!! N still going!!!! Goat

[@willn8664]

It's a travesty that this hasn't reached 1 mil viewers already. Fighting games are just as popular first person shooters and MMO Battle Arenas.

[@ye888]

Daigo is like goku Goes in at base form when the match starts Super saiyan 1-2 during the match SSG during low health SSB in the final round And EVO Moment #37 was proof he had ultra instinct

[@adhi1150203]

about fucking time we get some Daigo's story here

[@PS-th9jc]

Been waiting for one of these about a FGC player.

[@johnnyballecertv7994]

LEGENDARY DAIGO! 2019! Still feeling that parry.

[@himanshusisodia7065]

I want an Anime series based on the World of Top Fighting Video Game players

[@TheMastur]

Daigo is the daigo

[@Cezkarma]

Daigo made a real life comeback

[@Sandox032]

"EVO MOMENT 37" LEGENDARY

[@themaskandthemouse]

The greatest. Hands down.

[@lagang8320]

Absolutely love Daigo.

[@tang6swi]

It seems very difficult to break the record for his instantaneous maximum wind speed.

[@adrielpahati185]

there are many great comebacks in FGC... but I don’t think there is flashier, finer, and more epic than evo moment 37... I’m no gamer myself, but after watching that, I understand the urge to play that kind of game... that moment and his history put his on mount rushmoore of FGC...

[@usvidragonslayer3091]

Daigo Umehara is, and forever will be, the Ultimate Leagendary Grand Master of the FGC!