Kakeru Reappears in Street Fighter 6 Leaderboards After Months Away

Capcom Cup 11 champion, Kakeru, has been absent from competitive play for several months following his withdrawal from the Esports World Cup in August. Since then, the Japanese player has made only limited appearances, including a brief stint with Zeta Division during the second week of Street Fighter League, before stepping away due to an undisclosed health issue.

In a surprising development, a recent screenshot shared online shows that Kakeru has been playing Street Fighter 6 again and has even reached Ultimate Master rank with the newly released character, C. Viper. He currently sits as the second-highest ranked Viper player in the world, trailing only Punk, who holds 2131 MR compared to Kakeru’s 2072.

Kakeru has not streamed or posted on social media in several months, leading to concern among fans about his condition. However, this new activity has offered reassurance that he is at least well enough to continue playing the game he loves.

Zeta Division released a statement on September 23, confirming that Kakeru would be taking a break from intensive competition. As a result, the team has been competing with only three players for much of the current Street Fighter League season. There has been no official update on when Kakeru might return to full competition, but his recent in-game activity has sparked hope that a comeback could be on the horizon.