Kakeru Reveals How Drunk Daigo Got Him To Change His Name

Current Capcom Cup champion, Kakeru, sat down for an interview with Reversal, in the second edition of their 'Rewind' series where players get to talk about their lives and all the things that brought them to their current point. 

Kakeru spoke about a lot of things, including how he got started and how he made the transition from regular individual to competitive gamer and one of the most successful Street Fighter players of all time. 

Kakeru intimated that his family had always been one that loved gaming, and he would play Street Fighter II with his father. 

He wanted to join Shinobism Gaming when Momochi started the initiative, but declined so as to focus on his studies. He made the decision to become a full-time gamer with the release of Street Fighter 6. He reasoned that since every new game is a clean slate with all players equally inexperienced, making the switch to full-time gaming was the best choice for the time. 

Interestingly, Kakeru is now on the same team as Momochi, as the two are in the Zeta Division and will compete in the Street Fighter League together.

It seems it paid off as he has since won the Gamers8 Cup (which became the Esports World Cup) and Capcom Cup 11. 

Of the anecdotes he shared, the funniest is how he changed his name from Uzura, to Kakeru. He explained that the decision was made while at a meal with legendary player, Daigo Umehara and former Evo winner, Kawano. When asked what his name (Uzura) meant, Kakeru stated that there really wasn't any meaning to it, to which Daigo advised that it would be better if he uses his regular name. 

He noted that Daigo was drunk at the time and most likely doesn't recall this interaction. However, Kakeru said that it made a big impression on him, and he decided to make the change. Daigo famously goes by his given name, and it has become incredibly popular and with Kakeru following the same footsteps, maybe he could leave a similarly lasting impression. 

The whole interview was enlightening and Kakeru shared his motivation for competition stating that it is not about the money, and that he simply wants to be the best. 

What great sentiment.