Japanese preventing sport legend Daigo Umehara has expressed doubts about persevering with to major Akuma in Road Fighter 6, following a sequence of character stability modifications that he believes have weakened the enduring fighter.
Throughout a latest livestream, Daigo mirrored on how his relationship with Akuma has developed for the reason that character’s launch.
Daigo defined that when Akuma first launched, the character’s offensive potential made him really feel exceptionally robust — a fighter worthy of his famously low 9,000 well being pool. Nevertheless, repeated stability changes over the course of a number of patches have, in his view, eroded that power.
The FGC icon talked about that core components of his Akuma playstyle have been altered or eliminated, resulting in rising frustration. Whereas he acknowledged that among the modifications have been justified for the sake of stability, he described Akuma’s present iteration as considerably tougher to make use of successfully than earlier than.
Having just lately achieved a powerful end result on the Capcom Professional Tour (CPT) 2025 World Warrior: Japan #2, Daigo said that he now feels comfy stepping again from Akuma if the upcoming patch doesn’t revitalise the character. He famous that he tends to stay with a fighter till he achieves a significant end result, however after a number of nerfs, he could lastly have cause to maneuver on.
The FGC has heard Daigo declare he was switching fighters for years now, however will this lastly be the time? He has been telling followers he’s contemplating a swap to Ryu for years, however he’s by no means made the leap. Perhaps C. Viper would be the cause he lastly switches it up.
A New Replace
If the following stability replace doesn’t restore Akuma’s effectiveness, Daigo is contemplating experimenting with different characters, together with Ryu and the soon-to-be-released C. Viper. He plans to proceed utilizing Akuma within the brief time period however implied {that a} long-term swap might turn into mandatory if his efficiency stagnates.
He additionally commented on the broader Road Fighter 6 stability panorama, suggesting that Ken — as soon as one of many strongest characters within the sport — has turn into notably weaker in latest patches. His views mirror a wider dialog amongst gamers in regards to the shifting state of the metagame forward of the following main replace.
Daigo in Road Fighter 6
Over the previous few months, even on the age of 44, Daigo has maintained an lively match schedule throughout each home and worldwide occasions. His outcomes embody a second-place end at CPT Japan #2 earlier this month, together with appearances at EVO France 2025, CEO 2025, and Final Combating Area 2025. Regardless of a number of early eliminations, he continues to compete at a excessive degree, reinforcing his status as some of the enduring figures in esports.
Recognized globally as some of the profitable and influential Road Fighter gamers in historical past, Daigo’s selections typically assist form the aggressive group’s notion of a sport’s stability and technique. His potential swap away from Akuma could sign broader shifts within the meta because the Road Fighter 6 roster expands and evolves.
