There was a time when Japanese media referred to Daigo Umehara as "the god of 2D fighting games." He's a pro gamer, and one of the best Street Fighter players in the world.
And he just lost a best-of-five Street Fighter V exhibition match to Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known to most as the rapper Lupe Fiasco.
The two faced off at a Street Fighter V launch event, in a faceoff that pitted series mainstays Ryu (Daigo) and Ken (Lupe) against one another. The showdown went all the way to five best-of-three matches, with Lupe squeaking out a see-it-to-believe-it victory at the last minute.
How close was it? The rapper didn't even realize he'd won at first. Here's the precise moment when it clicks:
Lupe's appreciation for video games is well-established in both his lyrics and his social media presence. The showdown with Daigo was several weeks in the making, coming together after Mad Catz community manager Mark Julio proposed the fight on Twitter.
No stranger to the fighting game community and its major personalities, Lupe knew what he was getting into even then.
!!!! It would be an honor to lose to Daigo-San... https://t.co/GLrSl3wxcd
— Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) January 27, 2016
The rapper demonstrated his street fighting acumen almost immediately, pushing the first match to three rounds and emerging the victor with a dizzying fast barrage of throws, uppercuts and leaping kicks that Daigo couldn't counter quickly enough.
The Japanese gaming wiz regained his footing in the next two matches, with consecutive wins giving him the lead in the best-of-five series. Daigo has a particular talent for reading his opponents and adapting to their behaviors, and that's exactly what he did here.
But Lupe wasn't beaten. The two traded blows in one more, largely even contest that, again, went to three rounds. Lupe's final flurry of attacks seemed to take both players by surprise, as blow after blow landed and whittled Ryu's health down to nothing.