While Street Fighter 6 broke franchise records at Evo 2023, this was the game’s first appearance at Evo Japan. With over 5,000 competitors, the Top 6 players proved their excellence among the best players worldwide. MENARD, RYUKICHI, LEXX, and VXBAO lead on the Winners Side, and KAKERU and MOKE reside on the Losers Side.

Before the Top 6 took off, the Street Fighter 6 team announced that Capcom Cup XI would take place at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Japan. They also mentioned the eight Offline Premier events that will allow more players worldwide to participate and show off their skills while announcing Super Premier tournaments, with more information to follow soon. The team also unveiled the long-awaited Akuma gameplay trailer, giving players their first look at the fan-favorite character in Street Fighter 6 Season 1.

RYUCHIKI and MENARD launched the final Top 6 of Evo Japan 2024 with Ken and Luke, respectively. RYUCHIKI came in hot to take the first round, but after warming up, MENARD returned to win the next two rounds and take Game 1. MENARD was unafraid to spend his meter, especially when he knew it would guarantee a round win. RYUKICHI would often use up all Drive Meter if it guaranteed a win, but with any false move, he’d enter burnout and be put on the edge. 

RYUKICHI brought the score to 2:2 after a phenomenal comeback kept him in the game. MENARD didn’t like things as close as they were, so he flipped a switch, locking in to take the next two rounds and the Winners Semifinal.

VXBAO’s JP took on LEXX’s Guile in the next Winners Semifinal. VXBAO teleported into a grab more than once for a flashy and damaging tactic. Still, LEXX returned to win the first round and set the tone of the match. LEXX won the first game entirely after a phenomenal combo string. LEXX kept that momentum going, blocking almost everything VXBAO sent their way and countering into a Game 2 victory. Through an impressively aggressive Guile, LEXX closes with an air grab to compete against MENARD in the Winners Final.

RYUKICHI and MOKE face off in the first Losers Quarterfinal, with Ken and Chun-Li taking the stage with MOKE on the more favorable side of the matchup. While it seemed like RYUKICHI would take the first round as he lept right at the start into an aggressive onslaught, MOKE’s Chun-Li was relentless and took the first game quickly. They earned the second game just as fast. RYUKICHI locked in during the third game, changing the tide in their direction, but they still had a long way to go to win the set. RYUKICHI maintained momentum to bring the match to 2:2. RYUKICHI ran it all the way back, 3:2, in a nailbiting final round, as he headed to the Losers Semifinal.

VXBAO swapped out his JP for Ken to go against KAKERU’s JP. While it appeared that KAKERU held the dominant position, VXBAO kept their Ken choice instead of returning to their main JP. KAKERU continued to push against VXBAO, winning two solid games and forcing them back into their JP for the mirror match. The character switch seemed to be the right choice for VXBAO, as they won their first game in the set. Just when it seemed like VXBAO turned things around, KAKERU took a round with a sliver of health, making all the best decisions for the win, as he moved on to the Losers Semifinal with RYUKICHI.

The Winners Final brought us MENARD and LEXX. MENARD switched into Blanka to meet LEXX’s Guile. LEXX would set up a great offense and defense at the outset of the Winners Final, but he made more than a few mistakes. MENARD proved to have greater general game knowledge, and they maximized it whenever LEXX found an opening. MENARD built up immense momentum that LEXX couldn’t keep up with. MENARD proceeded to the Grand Finals on the Winners side while LEXX was sent to the Losers side for another shot to make his way back up to the Grand Final.

The Losers Semifinal featured RYUKICHI and KAKERU, with Ken and JP showing us how the matchup will play out between two players using their primary characters. This matchup was much more balanced, with each player highlighting the best of their character. Both RYUKICHI and KAKERU were incredibly patient, taking few risks and taking every opportunity that presented itself. KAKERU would manually detonate JP’s crystals to take control of the screen. While RYUKICHI would close the gap, he would either drop the combo or give KAKERU enough time to retaliate. In the end, KAKERU would take the set 3:1 to meet LEXX in the Losers Final.

LEXX and KAKERU in the Losers Final showed us the evening's first Guile and JP matchup. At the start, it seemed like LEXX couldn’t make an opening. While LEXX was able to take the second round of Game 1, KAKERU controlled the game as a whole. LEXX would build his confidence as the set went on, but it seemed like KAKERU would win twice for every round he won. LEXX put up a commendable run in the Top 6, but KAKERU asserted his dominance with JP and proceeded to face MENARD in the first Evo Japan Street Fighter 6 Grand Final.

KAKERU would need to win two sets to defeat MENARD and win the Evo Japan 2024 Champion title. MENARD had room to research KAKERU’s playstyle through the matches leading up to the Grand Final and the additional set he earned by being on the Winners side. After a brief moment sizing each other up, the Grand Final was on.

With MENARD choosing Blanka to counter KAKERU’s JP, the tone of each round would be determined by who would get the hit off first. Once MENARD closed the gap, it was difficult for KAKERU to build up the space to set up his combos. MENARD was up two games in mere moments, with only one more left to win the Evo Japan title. MENARD was relentless, with a dominating showing by masterful control in every set in the Top 6. Closing the tournament and the event, MENARD became the Evo Japan 2024 Champion!

Evo Japan 2024 Final Standings:

1. BANDITS | MENARD

2. IBUSHIGIN | KAKERU

3. NUCKLEDUJO | LEXX

4. FAV | RYUKICHI

5. VSPO | VXBAO

5. VARREL | MOKE

View full results at start.gg.

Evo Japan 2024 has officially come to a close! We are beyond grateful for all of you who competed, attended, watched, and supported us in this phenomenal event. As we turn our full attention to Evo 2024 in Las Vegas, we hope you all give special recognition to our newest Evo Japan Champions and their fellow competitors.