Fighting game legend Justin Wong took a trip down memory lane as he found himself reliving Evo Moment 37, one of the most famous esports moments in history.
The nine-time Evo champion was playing retro Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike online against an opponent named Capge, who showed just how skilled he was when he managed to pull off the same chain parry that Japanese fighting game god Daigo Umehara exhibited 18 years ago.
What is Evo Moment 37 (The Daigo parry)?
Justin Wong was a top-tier North American contender who was capable of going toe-to-toe against one of the five Japanese gods of fighting games, Daigo Umehara.
At Evo 2004, the two legends faced off against one another during the semifinal match of the Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike championship.
In the final round of the first game, Daigo found himself playing from behind against Justin Wong, who was using a cautious and defensive strategy that left the Japanese legend hanging on to his very last pixel of health.
Sensing his victory, Justin decided to use Chun-Li’s multihit Super Art II special to chip out Daigo’s Ken to win the first game.
Instead of avoiding the special, the Japanese legend decided to parry Chun-Li’s 15-hit Super Art special. The level of difficulty in pulling off such a feat was considered impossible at the time because it required pixel-perfect parry inputs.
One missed input or blocked attack would have given Justin the win, but Daigo was able to pull it off, and the highlight became the most iconic moment in fighting game history.
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Justin Wong relives Evo Moment 37 at the start of 2022. Again.
Justin Wong has had near encounters with Evo Moment 37 since then. An opponent by the name of kokujinsbrother was almost able to do it on January 8, 2021.
He tempted fate by playing retro Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike online and threw out Chun-Li’s Super Art to chip his opponent out, but kokujinsbrother only managed to parry the first five hits, which showed how difficult it is to execute the iconic parry.
On January 4, 2022, a player by the name of Capge was finally able to replicate the Daigo parry, 18 years later.
Justin reacted in disbelief and repeatedly said, “He Daigo!”
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