The fighting game community has always acknowledged that Daigo "The Beast" Umehara is already considered a legend among fighting game fans. He has reportedly defeated a lot of champions who stood in his way in tournaments. However, since the release of "Street Fighter V," fans have noticed that Daigo Umehara has somehow been underperforming in major events. It appears to be unlike the Ryu player's dominating performance during the time when "Street Fighter IV" was in the spotlight.
Players have noted that the latest game in franchise did not receive an arcade release in Japan, where most of its previous installments did. Capcom's decision to release the game only on the PS4 and PC obviously placed casual gamers and professionals on equal ground from the start. Japanese players have been known to hone their skills playing in arcades over online play, which some sources have pointed out as one of the possible reasons for their success, as reported by Kotaku.
Daigo Umehara has always been associated as a Ryu user in "Street Fighter IV," but he continues to main the character even with the recent season two balance changes for "Street Fighter V." He was also recently interviewed wherein he mentioned that "I consider myself a slow learner, someone who doesn't learn fighting games extremely fast." He explained that it takes time for him to adjust to a certain game and reach the competitive level he is known for.
According to a report from Shoryuken, the player has reportedly started using Guile on some situations. It was noted that he lost a few online ranked matches using his main character, but went on a 10-1 winning streak after he switched to the American fighter. During his tenure playing "Street Fighter IV," he also switched main characters multiple times, which was probably due to his evolving playstyle.
It seems "Street Fighter V" is giving Daigo Umehara a more challenging time compared to previous installments, but fans are confident that the fighting game veteran will eventually succeed with Ryu. Other sources have reportedly blamed the game's increased exposure, which allows competitors to view match videos of high-level players in order to prepare a countermeasure. However, Daigo seems to enjoy the trial of his performance, he said "I want to challenge myself with Ryu this season."
