Evo 2004 ended on “Aug. 1, 2004, the final day of Evo 2004 on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona,” ESPN writes, with Daigo Umehara and Justin Wong “facing off in the losers’ bracket final of the ‘Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike’ competition.” “Wong was an 18-year old gaming prodigy from New York City,” and the crowd, Rolling Stone says, “had initially been pulling for their countryman Wong.” Umehara felt it: “Everybody wanted Justin to beat me. Everybody wanted me to lose,” he told ESPN.
“He was playing conservatively with Chun-Li, as was his style,” ESPN says of Wong, “chipping away at his opponent’s life gauge,” in Rolling Stone’s words, until “Wong pushed Umehara to his last pixel of vitality.” Now even blocking was no use: “If he had tried to block any of Wong’s attacks, the game would be over simply because the blocking player still takes a small amount of damage.” “Literally one little touch would have won me the match,” Wong told ESPN.
Then Wong fired his super, “an explosive flurry of 15 lightning-fast kicks,” as Rolling Stone puts it. “He knew Wong would attack with the super and was ready,” ESPN writes; a parry was “the only chance Umehara had of survival.” “A parry takes on no damage but does require the player to move toward the opponent’s direction at the same time the hit lands.” Patrick Miller, who was in the audience, told Rolling Stone: “And if he mistimed just one of them, it’s over and he’s lost.”
Umehara “parried kick after kick, 15 in all,” ESPN says, “before transitioning into a powerful attacking combo that knocked Chun-Li out.” “The crowd that had been pulling for Wong quickly changed allegiances and gave Umehara a deafening standing ovation”; in Rolling Stone’s words, “they leapt to their feet to cheer for Umehara.” In his book, The Will to Keep Winning, quoted by Rolling Stone, Umehara writes: “When I came back to myself Chun-Li was down … It wasn’t until then that the screams from the crowd finally reached my ears.”
“The moment got its name and eventually went viral after Ben Cureton, one of the tournament organizers and the primary ring announcer, was asked to create a highlight,” ESPN says, and Guinness World Records calls it “Evo Moment 37” or the “Daigo parry.” Guinness lists it as “The most viewed competitive fighting videogame bout on Youtube,” “with 9,095,836 views on YouTube as of 03 March 2020.” Umehara did not win Evo 2004: Esports Earnings lists “1st KO,” “2nd Daigo.” But, he told ESPN, “The influence of that moment was so monumental that I don’t think I could have become a pro without it.”
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- His health was almost gone, but he stepped into 15 kicks. ESPN: “Wong pushed Umehara to his last pixel of vitality”; “A parry takes on no damage but does require the player to move toward the opponent’s direction at the same time the hit lands”; he “parried kick after kick, 15 in all.” Guinness World Records: “successfully parrying the entire 15 hits of Wong’s ‘Super Art’ whilst on a single pixel of vitality.” 13
- His name is Daigo Umehara. Guinness World Records: “Daigo ‘The Beast’ Umehara (Japan).” 3
- In August 2004, he came to Evo, in California. ESPN: “Aug. 1, 2004, the final day of Evo 2004 on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona.” Esports Earnings, location: “Pomona, California.” 14
- In the losers’ final, he met an 18-year-old from New York. ESPN: “facing off in the losers’ bracket final of the ‘Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike’ competition. Wong was an 18-year old gaming prodigy from New York City.” Guinness World Records: “from the loser’s bracket of the 2004 EVO competition.” 13
- That was Justin Wong, and the crowd was on his side. Umehara, to ESPN: “Everybody wanted Justin to beat me. Everybody wanted me to lose.” Rolling Stone: “They had initially been pulling for their countryman Wong.” 12
- Playing safe, Justin chipped away until Daigo had a sliver of health. ESPN: “He was playing conservatively with Chun-Li, as was his style” … “Wong pushed Umehara to his last pixel of vitality.” Rolling Stone: “chipping away at his opponent’s life gauge.” 12
- Even blocking a hit would finish him. ESPN: “If he had tried to block any of Wong’s attacks, the game would be over simply because the blocking player still takes a small amount of damage.” Wong, to ESPN: “Literally one little touch would have won me the match.” 1
- Then Justin fired his super: 15 kicks. ESPN: “He knew Wong would attack with the super and was ready.” Rolling Stone: “an explosive flurry of 15 lightning-fast kicks.” 12
- His only hope was to parry. ESPN: “that’s the only chance Umehara had of survival.” 1
- He had to press toward each kick the instant it arrived. ESPN: a parry “does require the player to move toward the opponent’s direction at the same time the hit lands.” 1
- Miss one, and it was over. Patrick Miller, who was in the audience, to Rolling Stone: “And if he mistimed just one of them, it’s over and he’s lost.” 2
- He parried every single one. ESPN: “parried kick after kick, 15 in all.” Guinness World Records: “parrying the entire 15 hits.” 13
- Then he hit back and won. ESPN: “before transitioning into a powerful attacking combo that knocked Chun-Li out.” Guinness World Records: “He then went on to win the match as a result.” 13
- The crowd that wanted him to lose leapt up. ESPN: “The crowd that had been pulling for Wong quickly changed allegiances and gave Umehara a deafening standing ovation.” Rolling Stone: “they leapt to their feet to cheer for Umehara.” 12
- “It wasn’t until then that the screams from the crowd finally reached my ears,” he wrote. Umehara’s book The Will to Keep Winning, quoted by Rolling Stone: “When I came back to myself Chun-Li was down … It wasn’t until then that the screams from the crowd finally reached my ears.” 2
- Fans call it Evo Moment 37. ESPN: “The moment got its name and eventually went viral after Ben Cureton, one of the tournament organizers and the primary ring announcer, was asked to create a highlight.” Wong, in ESPN: “Hey, I watched Moment 37 and that’s the reason why I’m here.” Guinness World Records: “the occurrence of ‘Evo Moment 37’ or the ‘Daigo parry.’” 13
- Guinness calls it the most viewed fighting game match on YouTube. Guinness World Records: “The most viewed competitive fighting videogame bout on Youtube is a match between Daigo ‘The Beast’ Umehara (Japan) and Justin Wong (USA)” … “with 9,095,836 views on YouTube as of 03 March 2020.” 3
Sources
- Daigo and JWong: the legacy of Street Fighter’s Moment 37 (Arash Markazi, August 2016) ESPN
- Flashback: Why 2004 ‘Street Fighter’ Match Is Esports’ Most Thrilling Moment (Chris Baker, July 2016) Rolling Stone
- Most views for a competitive fighting game match on Youtube Guinness World Records
- Evolution Championship Series 2004 (Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike) Esports Earnings
Notes
Which game of the match: ESPN calls it “the first match of a losers’ bracket final”; Rolling Stone says “the final round of the final match”; Wikipedia says the final round of the first match, and some outlets call it a semifinal. The Short says only “the losers’ final” and that he won, as Guinness World Records says (“went on to win the match”).
Not a world title: popular retellings call it his shot at the world title, but Umehara finished second at Evo 2004 (Esports Earnings: “1st KO,” “2nd Daigo”), so that claim isn’t used.
The parry window: ESPN gives “within four of 30 frames,” Rolling Stone four frames (“about seven one hundredths of a second”) and Wikipedia six frames (a tenth of a second), so the Short gives no number: “the instant it arrived.”
The hits: ESPN says “15 in all,” Rolling Stone “15 lightning-fast kicks” and Guinness “the entire 15 hits”; Wikipedia counts the first parry plus “the remaining 14.” All agree on fifteen.
The crowd: Wong put it at “maybe less than 500 people” (ESPN), Patrick Miller at “the thousand or so” (Rolling Stone). Neither number is used.
The YouTube views are Guinness World Records’ count “as of 03 March 2020”; records change, so the date is given. Wong played Chun-Li, ESPN says; Umehara’s character isn’t named in the sources quoted here, so it is left out.
Daigo Umehara and Justin Wong are both alive. Only match facts, published interviews and Umehara’s own book are used, and nothing private. Wong is the opponent, not a villain: he played conservatively, “as was his style,” ESPN says.
No game screenshots, game art, cosplay or match video stills are shown here or in the Short: the game and its characters belong to Capcom, and the match footage to its broadcasters.
Pictures: no photo here shows Evo 2004 or the match. Daigo Umehara is at a fight stick, with a crowd watching, at Evo 2011 in Las Vegas on July 29, 2011 (Andy L), the only free photo of him we found; Justin Wong is playing at Stunfest 2014 in Rennes on May 2, 2014 (Édouard Hue). Andy L also photographed the Evo 2011 crowd and stage on July 31, 2011; Chris Ainsworth the spectators at Evo 2008 in Las Vegas on August 9, 2008 (cropped to leave out the game screens); NeoChaosX the final day of Evo 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 16, 2017; and Yona Mansfield fans watching at Evo 2018 on August 4, 2018. The Cal Poly Pomona campus, where Evo 2004 was held, is seen on October 24, 2009 (TheMexicanGentleman). The fight sticks are one at Evo 2016 in Las Vegas on July 15, 2016 (Nelo Hotsuma) and an arcade stick photographed in 2017 (StockSnap, Pixabay); neither is Umehara’s.
Photo credits
The archive photos in this story
The photographs and illustrations in this story are in the public domain or shared under open licenses; each one is credited below with its license. Tap one to enlarge it, or follow the link to its Wikimedia Commons page for the full record. The narration, captions and graphics in the Short are our own; its music and sound effects are credited below.
Music and sound effects
Music: Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68: I. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0); Mussorgsky, Night on Bald Mountain (1886 version) (Musopen, public domain); Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: IV. Allegro con spirito (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0).
Sound effects: Freesound, CC0.
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