Kakeru Confirms He Will Stream After Stepping Away from Competition

Capcom Cup 11 winner Kakeru has pleasantly surprised fans by announcing that he will continue to play and stream, though he will not return to the competitive side of Street Fighter 6.

Last week, Kakeru revealed that a neurological issue forced him to step away from pro play indefinitely. He will leave ZETA DIVISION at the end of the year, and his roster spot has already been taken by teammate Yamaguchi. He made the announcement on social media, thanking supporters and sharing that he will still appear online as a streamer.

He wrote:

“At the recent retirement announcement, I received so many warm messages and words of encouragement. Thank you so much!
Although I’m retiring as an athlete, I plan to take it easy and do some streaming, so please come back and watch whenever you feel like it.”

His decision has led to speculation that his condition might not be quite as severe as earlier feared or that, after achieving his biggest win he decided to step back from the pressure of top-level competition. Either way, it marks the end of one chapter and the possible beginning of another.

It will be interesting to see how Kakeru navigates this new phase of his career, his full focus now appears to be his health and his community rather than major tournament wins.