Two years ago, I had the opportunity to interview the man behind EVO Moment 37, the Daigo Parry. It was to hype EVO 2017, but sadly was never published. After more than 30 questions and two years, the best of Daigo “The Beast” Umehara’s translated answers have been highlighted and made public.
What was it like stepping into an arcade for the first time and playing your first fighting game?
“I had already been playing NES at home, so that was the quality of the video game I was used to. Arcade games blew my mind. The characters spoke. They were so detailed. The arcade games were like a dream come true. But arcades in Japan back then were filled with “outlaws” and dangerous types. That thrill of danger and fun attracted me.”
How did you get into playing competitively?
“It was when I was eleven. A small mom-and-pop toy store in my neighborhood held a [Street Fighter II] competition. I was the best among my friends, so I was confident enough to enter. There were eight of us there, and I won.”
At an early age, you seem to have done really well. What would you attribute your success to?
“Unlike today, back then there weren’t really any players who had been playing video games since they were little. The games came out when I was a child, and high school and college students were the people who dominated the competitive scene. But I first encountered [Street Fighter] when I was still young, extremely adaptive, and a fast learner. And I had a highly competitive and resilient nature. Of course there were many other things that played a part in getting me to the top early on, but those two factors were the main ones.”
At what point did you decide you wanted to pursue being a professional gamer?
“I never pursued it, technically. There was no such profession available. We played purely out of passion. There was no tangible reward. There was no money involved. In fact, most of us were reckless and broke. We were considered outsiders. The idea of becoming a pro gamer never crossed my mind until my late 20s after I won EVO 2009 with [Street Fighter IV]. My long-time business manager recruited me to become professional.”
When do you think you made it as a professional gamer?
“I am proud of what I have accomplished so far in the last [seven plus] years as a professional gamer, but I value more what I did in my long non-pro era. I value all the people who supported me to get to where I am, EVO, which pushed the [fighting game community] forward through the cold “winter” and grew it to what it is now, and myself, for never giving up. I appreciate all of these things that have made me who I am.”
What did your parents, friends and peers think of you playing video games competitively?
“My family never complained, much less tell me to quit, but they looked a bit perplexed about me obsessing over the game day in, day out. But I think they were supportive of me; they’ve never tried to interfere with me and the game.”
One of the famous clips that so many people know you from has famously been called “The Daigo Parry.” I wanted to ask you how you pulled it off and what your feelings are about people knowing you for that.
“I was just focused and did what I could. I didn’t hear the audience roar even after I won the match. It was only when I saw my friend who was sitting on the ground by the table bouncing up and down and screaming that I realized what was happening in the room, people’s overwhelming reaction. I only learned two years later that the clip had gained so much traction and that people were still talking about it and us. I was just oblivious to what was going on around me.”
How do you deal with the stresses that come with a tournament? How do you deal with knowing thousands of people are watching you live?
“I have been going to tournaments for so long that I don’t get nervous. When I was younger, I wanted to win so badly that I think that desire interfered with my performance. I don’t get carried away with winning or losing anymore. I try to focus on playing my game, and enjoying it. I believe that that ultimately leads to my winning. While I don’t get stressed, I am older now and I do get jet lagged from jumping time zones, unlike when I was younger. I am traveling nonstop every weekend at the moment. I just came back from Germany following Jakarta. Next I’m going to Hong Kong, then Ireland, Manila, and Sydney. My body feels it, but traveling itself has gotten easier.”
When interviewing great players, interviewers have many different ways of asking this question, but I’d like to be blunt and direct about it: why are you so good?
“What makes me different from others is my unwavering will to keep challenging myself. I don’t quit. And I keep things at my own pace. I don’t care about how others are doing. I think and act on my own. I develop and keep my own training regimen.”
Does it ever get boring, tedious or tiring practicing for the same game?
“It can be since it is now my job and I have to keep playing no matter what. Boredom is a big enemy, especially for me. I can get easily bored. I find myself wanting to do something different and new. But as long as I can keep myself entertained, I can keep going, and so far I’ve been able to. How do I do that? I try to find something new in the little things. I try to look at things from a different perspective, note a small improvement in myself, and grow every day. I am motivated every day to progress, and it’s fun for me to practice.”
How have you changed as a player throughout the years? Do you feel like you are still improving?
“We have gone through character rebalances and tweaks, and I’ve even switched characters as a result. Things keep changing around us, and to stay at the top, I must be adaptive to those changes. I think it is one of my strengths that I have the ability [to] look at things from a different perspective and that I can adapt to change. I’ll continue to keep changing, moving forward with the game.”
How has EVO developed and changed throughout your years of attending?
“I remember my first EVO in Pomona, California at a school gym, long before it became the EVO people know today. I have always said in interviews that I feel there is no event the FGC owes more to than EVO. A group of guys got together and pulled it off year after year, just out of pure passion, for the players, by the players. There is no event other than EVO which has given such thought and care to the community. I’m very grateful to them for their dedication and for the support they extended to me over the years.”
How do you feel about EVO? Are there any past EVO’s or experiences you’ve had at EVO you’d like to share?
“Of course, EVO has evolved into the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, and has a long history of supporting players. All that considered, I think most folks compete there because it’s big and has that history. They think ‘I need to win at EVO,’ even more than the [Capcom Pro Tour] in general. I’ve seen so many like that around me, but for me, EVO is different, and much more significant. It gave me a chance to become a pro gamer. Through my experiences fighting and competing at EVO, I was able to express myself to the audience outside Japan, and people got to know me. So EVO has a special place in my heart. Even if EVO hadn’t grown to this size and significance in fighting games, I would still be going to EVO, no question. That’s how much EVO means to me.”
What is it like going to a different country to compete for an event? Do you get any time to explore the new location or are you only focused on the game?
“I enjoy meeting the community members and sharing the sense of camaraderie. Everywhere I go, our fellow Street Fighters are extremely generous and kind. I can’t communicate to them directly in their language but they try to make sure that I am safe and having a good time. That’s the FGC, our community. I usually have to hurry home to take care of other business—interviews, streaming, book stuff, or traveling to the next event—so I don’t get to take an extra day to explore those places, but I enjoy the beer and food we get to share after tournaments.”
How do you feel about your recent performances at other tournaments? (Reminder, this was answered in July, 2017.)
“I feel good about my consecutive wins at Abuget Cup and Fight Club NRW. I started to feel confident earlier, like in May, and I’d been feeling like I was up for a win any day now, so with those two wins it was like “Oh, finally!” After switching characters there’s always a grace period where you’re breaking them in, but I finally started to feel more of a synergy with Guile, and I was able to win.”
You got to face Justin Wong again, how was that for you? Do you consider him a rival, a friend or do you have any other feelings toward him?
“In Street Fighter V, we haven’t really played against each other much, so most of the time I felt we were trying to “feel each other out.” And as a result, we had a great, exciting match—although this time, I didn’t succeed. Justin was ahead of my game. Justin and I have known each other for so long and we have grown together since the EVO 2004 Moment 37. He feels to me like an old friend who lives around the corner. I have a very special feeling for him. I am appreciative of him to have created such a historical moment together with me and have let me pull that off (laugh).”
