Who are the best Capcom Cup champions?

Street Fighter is known for its high level of competitive play. Throughout the years, many games have been released for the franchise, and with each game, there are new players trying to achieve the glory of winning big competitions. One of them is the Capcom Cup.

Fighters from all over the world battle in regional and national tournaments to qualify for the finals. Capcom Cup has been home to many legendary moments that are even more iconic than tournament runs. So let’s take a look at who are the best Street Fighter Capcom Cup champions.

8. NuckleDu (Capcom Cup 2016)

See NuckleDu in action: Most DISRESPECTFUL NuckleDu Moments (USFIV/SFV)

NuckleDu Dang is one of the most beloved American faces in the FGC. He quickly became known during Street Fighter IV with his unique Guile.

What made his Guile so special was how he used the otherwise defense-heavy character in such an offensive and aggressive matter, effectively deconstructing how Guile’s gameplay.

In 2016, in the first-ever Street Fighter V Capcom Cup, he won the big prize in dominant fashion by defeating fellow American player Ricki Ortiz in the Grand Finals, using the 50/50 mixup character Rainbow Mika. 

Du has recently gotten out of retirement and can be seen still playing Street Fighter at the highest level imaginable from time to time.

Best Characters:

• Guile
• R. Mika
• G
• Cammy
• Decapre

NuckleDu Twitter: @NuckleDuDang

7. Sako (Capcom Cup 2013)

See Sako in action: Sako (Menat) Street Fighter V Champion Edition SFV CE

Old man Sako is a Japanese fighting game veteran known for his otherwordly technical prowess, and is one of the 5 Japanese Gods of Street Fighter.

In any game he picks you can bet he’ll often go to the most technical character possible, and do things with them that no one else can. There are even combos named after him!

This was the first ever Capcom Cup held, and the format was that of a simple tournament, but even so, Sako’s name will forever be engraved in history as the inaugural Capcom Champion. He beat the EVO champion Xian 3-0 in the Grand Finals, after beating all-time great Fuudo 3-0 in the Winners Final before that.

Best Characters:

• Evil Ryu
• Chun-Li
• Kage
• Menat
• Ibuki

Sako Twitter: @sakonoko

6. Kazunoko (Capcom Cup 2015)

See Kazunoko in action: Kazunoko (Yun) vs Sasaki (Cody), chobixinco (Rufus), Tonpy (Viper), Kiryu Tsukimiya (Guy)

Kazunoko rose to the top of the FGC in the later years of the Street Fighter IV era and quickly became recognized as one of the best Ultra Street Fighter IV players to ever pick up the stick.

2015 was the final year before Street Fighter V took over the SF tournament meta, so it was a very special Capcom Cup where the best of the best gathered to battle it out in a game that was nearly fully explored.

Kazunoko beat “The Beast” Daigo Umehara playing  Yun, using his trademark ultra-assertive style while showing little to no emotion.

He’s actually been 1st place in multiple fighting games beyond Street Fighter over the years, which is really impressive.

Best Characters:

• Yun
• Cammy

Kazunoko Twitter: @kazunoko0215

5. Gachikun (Capcom Cup 2018)

See Gachikun in action: SFV CE Gachikun The Best Rashid Top World Player

Gachikun spent his youth in the famous arcades of Hiroshima and was dedicated to the music game Drum Mania before diving into Street Fighter V. He is sponsored by Red Bull and an avid Red Bull fan, always with a can with him.

A character specialist, Gachikun is known for being arguably the best Rashid in the world and has many accomplishments added to his resumé using the character.

He won Capcom Cup 2018 with only one lost set in the Grand Finals against Itabashi Zangief. At the time, both Rashid and Itabashi’s characters Abigail were considered top tiers, marking a rare situation where top-tier characters actually win the Cup. 

Gachikun’s solid footsies, dynamic gear changes, innovative mixups, and understanding of movement make him one of the SFV GOATs.

Best Characters:

• Rashid

Gachikun Twitter: @gachikun0423

4. MenaRD (Capcom Cup 2017)

See MenaRD in action: SFV CE MenaRD The Best Birdie Top World Player

MenaRD’s story is one of the best coming-of-age tales in the history of Street Fighter. He is one of the very best players in the world right now, feared by even some of the top names in the game, but his recognition as one of the best is relatively recent.

He was a relatively unknown player from a relatively unknown region, hailing from the Dominican Republic. Well, he charged into Capcom Cup 2017 using Birdie of all characters and slayed several legends, including EVO champion Xian, Capcom Cup champion Kazunoko, multiple-time EVO champion and all-time great Daigo Umehara, and even the EVO champion and legendary player Tokido in the final game.

On top of that, he beat Nemo 3-0, on a year when Nemo had a legendary run. He used the prize money to invest in the Dominican Republic FGC scene, and has become one of the region’s major advocates and is responsible for its immense growth. Truly one of the greatest contributors and passionate personalities to ever grace the  FGC.

Best Characters:

• Birdie
• Luke
• Balrog
• Laura
• Eleven

MenaRD Twitter: @_MenaRD__

3. iDom (Capcom Cup 2019)

See iDom in action: HOW I GOT 2ND AT EVO

iDom is the man many call the current best Street Fighter player in the world.

His list of accolades goes on and on and he continues to conquer pretty much every competition and tournament that he finds himself in.

Known for his psychic reads and overwhelming mix-up game, iDom has taken out all kinds of iconic names from all over the world. Always tied with iDom’s name is Punk, one of the greatest Street Fighter V players, and there is an ongoing discussion on who is the best between the two of them.

When most mattered, iDom defeated Punk in the Grand Finals of Capcom Cup 2019 when he chose his then-obscure secondary character Poison to seal the win. The burst of emotion coming out of the otherwise stoic and almost robotic iDom perfectly showcased how much Capcom Cup meant to him, and he has since gone over to win multiple tournaments consistently.

Best Characters:

• Laura
• Poison
• G

iDom Twitter: @iDomNYC

2. Momochi (Capcom Cup 2014)

See Momochi in action: Best Momochi Ken Moments (USF4)

Hailing from Japan, Momochi is one world’s greatest and he is to this day the only person to have won both EVO and Capcom Cup.

Momochi’s mastery of the game needs to be witnessed to be believed, and he is known for his solid footsies and perfect spacing. 

Calm and composed as ever, Momochi won Capcom Cup 2014, a tournament that cemented him as a true legend, courtesy of his amazing plays, unbelievable comebacks, and fantastic clean style.

He has gone on to become one of the biggest advocates for the FGC, running sensibilization campaigns throughout Japan, and is the owner of the e-sports organization Shinobism.

Best Characters:

• Ken
• Cody
• Evil Ryu
• Lucia
• Eleven

Momochi Twitter: @momochi212

1. MenaRD (Capcom Cup 2023)

See MenaRD in action: SFV CE MenaRD The Best Birdie Top World Player

MenaRD had already cemented himself as one of the best in the world prior to this point, but he topped himself by becoming the first-ever bi-champion for Capcom Cup.

Capcom Cup hadn’t happened since 2019 because of Covid, and everyone was dying for an offline competition featuring all the biggest names the game can offer. Not only this, but the format changed this time around, with players qualifying for each region, having the tourney become one with the most representation, with players from all over the world, who fought hard for months in grueling qualification formats.

Not only this, but the Cup itself had a group stage prior to the classic double-elimination format. MenaRD managed to win Capcom Cup without losing a single game, defeating the Chinese Zhen, an undefeated wonder kid who qualified in the LCQ and was mauling some of the biggest names in the game. Proof that MenaRD truly mastered the game, and he responded to each match-up differently, evidencing his terrific strategy skills and highly intelligent decision-making.

Best Characters:

• Birdie
• Luke
• Balrog
• Laura
• Eleven

MenaRD Twitter: @_MenaRD__

Hopefully, this list helped you get acquainted with the Capcom Cup champions over the years, and what makes them champ material.

It’s a shame that COVID halted tournaments between 2020 and 2022, as it would have been amazing to get to see more champions arise over the years, but this year’s Capcom Cup more than made up for all the waiting.

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