JP Extraordinaire Kakeru Dominates Capcom Cup XI, Claims $1 Million Grand Prize

Kakeru, an exceptional JP player from Japan, takes home a million dollars after winning Capcom Cup XI, the biggest Street Fighter 6 tournament in terms of prize money. Kakeru fought Derek “Blaz” Blaz, a 15-year old Ryu player from Chile, in the Grand Final.

The JP Extraordinaire’s run in the eleventh iteration of Capcom Cup was stellar. He only lost one game throughout the tournament’s top 16. That one loss was handed to him in the Grand Final against the 15-year old prodigy, Blaz.

Kakeru’s path to the Grand Final was filled with formidable opponents. After sending Blaz to the loser’s bracket with a 3-0 victory, he faced Noah “NoahTheProdigy” Solis. NoahTheProdigy has been making waves as a very aggressive Luke player who honed himself in Street Fighter 6’s online scene. But Kakeru’s calm and calculated playstyle was too much for NoahTheProdigy.

Shin “Leshar” Moon-sup was Kakeru’s next opponent. Leshar is widely considered the best Ed player in the world. Paired with Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi—one of the Five Japanese Gods of fighting games—as his training partner, he had a strong chance of winning the tournament. However, he too faltered against Kakeru.

Kakeru started gaining recognition in the global fighting game community during his run at EVO 2022, where a set between him and Caba, the best Guile player in Street Fighter 5, gained traction. In Street Fighter 5, Kakeru—formerly known as Uzura—played Ryu, a character considered weaker than Guile. This upset put him on the map, and in Street Fighter 6, he proved that he is truly one of the best.

In 2023, Kakeru was invited to the Gamers8 Street Fighter 6 Invitational in Saudi Arabia. He won the tournament, earning $400,000. His recent Capcom Cup XI victory brings his total Street Fighter winnings to over $1.4 million.