Kakeru comes out of retirement to coach Tokido's JP

Former Capcom Cup winner Kakeru has revealed his new role.

Kakeru, who retired from professional esports last year, has announced his return in the capacity of a coach. He revealed that he will be coaching Tokido of VARREL for the foreseeable future.

He made the announcement on X, stating:

"Here's the report.

Starting from now, for a while, I'll be taking on the role of coach for Tokido, who belongs to VARREL.

I had thought that I wouldn't be involved in esports as a job in my future life, but I'll continue to be active in the form of a coach just a little longer 🙏

After receiving the offer to coach, I rewatched almost all of Tokido's Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V tournament matches, and I saw a vision of the strongest JP in a form different from mine, so I couldn't hold back my desire to do it no matter what.

This is my first time as a coach, but I'll do my best aiming for the completion of Tokido's JP."

Kakeru is widely regarded as the best JP player in the world, and Tokido, who recently switched to the character, has been looking to improve his play.

Tokido's JP has been steadily improving but is not considered the strongest at the moment. Kakeru says he has analyzed Tokido's matches, including those from older Street Fighter titles, and plans to push him toward a different style of play.

With a grueling Street Fighter League campaign on the horizon, along with major tournaments including the Esports World Cup and Capcom Cup, which Tokido qualified for through the Street Fighter League World Championship, there will be plenty of opportunities to see how the partnership develops.