ICONIC Esports Moments: EVO Moment 37 - "The Daigo Parry" (Street Fighter) 

Hey everyone - thank you all so much for watching the video! This was our first foray outside of LoL/Dota 2/CS:GO for the Iconic series, and your response has been frankly overwhelming. It’s amazing to hear that so many non-fighting game fans can appreciate this classic esports moment and can understand its significance. We've got lots of amazing stuff planned for the future, so please keep the feedback coming - we aim to bring you great content each and every time! - Nic

As a side note, it's important to add that not only was the parry stupid impossible due to pressure from the crowd, input perfection, and the fact he had no HP remaining, but what some people never caught is the fact Daigo was positioning himself to do the parry in the final moments. If you notice while they are both dancing around right before the super, Daigo isn't dancing. He's trying to move his character forward as many times as possible, resetting himself when he gets too close. The reason for this is that Hoyokusen cannot be parried unless the target is already moving towards Chun Li at the beginning of the attack. This made the parry even more of a gamble for Daigo, because he not only had to parry the attack, there's a chance he would have guessed incorrectly when Justin executed the super, and losing the match before getting a single parry off. This makes it even more of an impressive feat. The guy planned this in mere seconds.

Justin thought he could catch Daigo with that super... He was Wong.

For the record, Chun's super comes out so fast that if you are not already inputting the parry BEFORE the super flash, you will get hit. This means that Daigo was parrying the move before it happened. That's how deep in Justin's head he was. You can watch in the seconds before the super that he's almost perfectly mirroring Justin's movements, because he knows the parry is coming. The parry is iconic, but the level of skill on display is even better than it looks.

Never played street fighter I don't even like fighting games very much but holy cow does that play gives me goosebumps simply incredible.

I was there. It was loud. Real loud.

This series explains why this moment IS the greatest esports moment of all time- it's not just the feat, it's the context. But if anything I think it _undersold_ what made this so unbelievable. Parrying an entire Chun-Li super is impressive and requires a lot of skill, but is far from impossible. If Daigo had just parried Justin's _first_ super in this match people would have been wowed, but it would have barely been remembered, let alone become legendary. This was the deciding round between two of the best players in the world. After taking one round apiece, Daigo had gotten off to a TERRIBLE start in this decider, losing 90% of his life bar without taking off more than 5% of Justin's in return. It looked like it was over before it had begun. Then, as the commentary put it, you saw a rare instance of Daigo getting angry- but instead of going on tilt, he turned to _ice._ He smashed Justin around, dealing back almost all the damage he'd taken himself without taking a single hit- but then Justin _connected_ with a single hit, dropping Daigo to literal pixels of health. And HERE is where the legend begins. When Justin's hit connected, everyone _knew_ it was over. Justin had WON and Daigo couldn't stop him. All Justin had to do was use his super and Daigo would be defeated by the chip damage. It was almost impossible for him to survive, he'd have to parry the ENTIRE super. So Justin launched the super and the crowd started to cheer for his victory. Then Daigo parried the first hit. Well OK, not like he had any choice in the matter, even with this act of desperation he's still doomed. Then the second hit, then the third. Huh. Fourth hit parried, fifth... it sinks into the crowd that he's actually trying to parry the whole super! The cheering rises to a crescendo. More parries. Daigo jumps, still parrying. Fourtheenth, _fifteenth hit parried!_ Daigo successfully _parries the whole super without taking a single hit_ and comes down into the combo that leads into his own super, the KO and the win! The cheering goes _atomic!_ From the very edge of humiliating defeat, he chose the _perfect_ time to show how good he _really_ is, because if he couldn't he'd lose. It was time to put up or shut up, and Daigo put up to an effectively unmatchable level. And that's how legends are made.

2:46 " He was wrong. " just sent a chill down my spine.

The video doesn't even mention the most amazing thing about this. When Daigo gets low on health, he starts chucking Hadoukens from across the screen. Obviously Justin is going to parry projectiles from that range, but that was precisely the point; those parries GAVE Justin the full bar he needed, since he couldn't risk taking enough hits for Chun-li to build that much meter. Daigo literally baited Justin into using his Super Art just so he could parry it.

To those who don't know how parries work, a quick crash course. In the SF3 series, characters have the ability to parry. This means my tapping forward or down + forward when your opponent is doing a move, a button or a super, one can parry a move, and punish it. Parrying has no revovery, ergo if you parry any move, you can probably punish it. (Exceptions do exist) The timing is very strict on parries. If I remember right (Some 3rd strike enthusiast correct me if I'm wrong) you have to do a frame perfect parry to parry Chun-Li's super. Fighting games run at 60 frames per second, so doing the "Daigo Parry" or "The EVO Moment #37" requires you to do 15 frame perfect parries in a row. 60 fps, perfect parry = 1/60th of a second to input the parry. The Daigo parry was and still is insane. It got me into fighting games.

damn I still get goosebumps from this to this day. what Daigo did was something that you would think only a computer program could do. he is really a fucking beast!

The few seconds that inspire millions

I saw that live at Evo, it was so damn loud, EVERYONE was screaming including me. Years later and I still get goosebumps every single time I watch this video. It was an historic moment for the FGC because no one had ever seen that done in a tournament with that type of pressure on the line. It's why I believe Daigo is named the Beast!!

15 frame perfect inputs, followed by a kick ass combo. Under the pressure of a crowd that is against you, in a foreign country, and your health bar is totally gone. The Beast.

I JUST CRIED

*That parry was iconic. Hype! ✅😎*

This moment is absolutely legendary. The Beast never fails to give me the goosebumps.

I don't watch Street fighter but my mouth dropped.

The Daigo Parry - so legendary it was put in Ken's reveal in Smash Ultimate

The thing about this play is that even if you don't understand fighting games or street fighter or anything about the game mechanics, you still know something amazing was happening.

I shed a tear

F**k, you made a 20+ year old man shed a tear. Again. So epic, so phenomenal. Good job.

I remember showing this to my mom way back when. She knew nothing about street fighter, but after briefly explaining the machanics, even she had to stand there, mouth agape in shock and awe.

What the video doesnt mention is..."On top of that", Diago neutral jumped, effectively putting himself at risk, to air parry the last hit so that he could maximize his combo damage with a jumping attack. He knew exactly what he had to do to finish the match right at that moment. Epic.

what the fuck why am i crying

The most legendary moment in esports from one of the oldest/original esports game types. To infinity and beyond, FGC.

DAIGO is the man. Legend.

talk about iconic! that shit was epic!

Man this video with the narrator going on and on, almost made me cry. Fucking good!

Son: Hey dad, why is my sister name Rose? Dad: That’s simple because your mom love roses. Son: Thanks dad Dad: You are welcome, Daigo Umehara vs Justin Wong Evo moment 37

evo moment 37? I know it as "LET'S GO JUSTIN!"

If EVO Moment 37 is just a single video on youtube, it would've gone over billions. It was and still is the best EVO moment ever. The tenacity and skill level here is yet to be reached by any other player, but Diago became a legend of his pure skill display at that moment.

As a gamer and a fan-boy, i adore your videos. The hype moments are handled with class, the players' bios are treated with respect, and the passion for competitive gaming always shines through in the end. Great channel. Keep the fires burning!

I played against daigo once, he perfected me just by blocking

I was there as a baby because my mother had to work and my eldest brother wanted to go so he had to take me with him. At the time I had no idea what was going on but my brother used to say you were part of something bigger than you could know. It's been so long since then that he doesn't even remember it anymore with how busy his life gets with his own family and kids now and his profession.

That parry is the reason evo is now held in a stadium rather than a room with a crt, projector and office chairs

this moment is sooo special to me, i was a maniac fighting game since i was a kid back in 1996. but as the life goes on, depression and family pressure comes to me like never before, finally i lost my spirit in fighting game. but seeing this very moment, revives me inside and made me started to play again.

That's one of those things that was impossible until it was accomplished.

If the world ends leave this tape in a vault so them mfn aliens can admire a true LEGEND

The thing about moment 37 is that you could literally show it to your grandma with 10 seconds explanation and she’d be impressed. Meanwhile I had no idea what the hell was going on in that Dota clip. Hype incarnate, you don’t even need to be a fan to appreciate it.

This moment singlehandedly RESSURRECTED the entire STREET FIGHTER franchise... 2 years later, Capcom released Street Fighter IV

Damn...I thought I was the only one that cried...and I'm not even a huge gamer...and this is not the first time I've watched Moment 37...

For some reasons, Its incredibly touching and moving. I believed it ignited every man’s soul who hold on and fight til the end in impossible situations. This gives people hope.

I get chills every time I watch this. The crowd reaction. Amazing

This will always bring a tear to my eye. I remember when a friend showed me this clip for the first time. From there on out I was a fighting game fan.

Goosebumps. EVERY SINGLE TIME.

the moments rundown: dota - biggest venue csgo - biggest luck lol - biggest fail daigo parry - biggest skill

This moment is still absolutely beautiful and the storytelling of this piece frames it beautifully. I may never have been a bona fide gamer, and I may be in the deep end of being a responsible adult, but this moment - now and always - will ever hold a place in my heart.

Evo moment 37 is truly LEGENDARY

even this moment still had a louder crowd than portal opening in endgame

2:47 *He was wrong.* This still gives me goosebumps 😭

Evo moment 37 is a fighting gamers mecca. Every fighting gamers will always remember this moment and pass it on to later generation.

Can't stop rewatching this, oh my goodness. 15 parrys, perfectly timed and turning the tables on Justin, amazing.

why does this event makes me goosebumping and watery eyed every fucking single time whenever I watch it.

4:24 can't even lie, that brought a tear to my eye

I remember watching this for the first time. It was years ago (maybe 10) and RU-vid just recommended me the video. It fucking blew me away and gave me mad respect for competitive gaming.

This will never get old. I mean even after all these years it's still so incredibly badass.

RESPECT THE DAIGO PARRY

These are the type the videos that made me subscribe. An amazing retelling of a story not just hardcore fans should know but everyone who enjoys games. Keep it up and you will break 100k easy.

im a dota 2 player and i dont play fighting games but damn, this is still the most epic esport highlight ever. even better that 6m echo slam, topson pugna 1 combo ame drow, og's bb fountain dive, empire counter black hole against secret. etc...

i still get goosebumps man

what impresses me the most is that Daigo was already a legend before this and still is to this day

Its been 3yrs and im still here if im looking for some goosebumps. Never fails

I am sure moment 37 inspired a lot of people to start playing fighting games in general , Truly a Milestone in EVO history !

This is THE definitive Esports moment. You don't even need to understand how a game works to know this was crazy. It's so ridiculous nobody even cares that Daigo didn't win the tourney, or even remembers the champion. This is peak skill.

WE ESPORTS NOW? PogChamp

Still Inspiring in 2022

i would ride a time machine in the future.. just to get back and watch this moment LIVE in the past and smack that dude shouted "Lets Go Justin" in the nuts

It's so popular and classic that current and past pros from other games know it. Heck, even several animes have recreated this moment.

mark my word this gonna go down as the play of millennium. yes you heard it right, not decade, not century, but millennium. it's that awesome

You can just hear; the crowd starting to cheer when he starts partying it and then it just gets louder and louder as he continues to parry and then counters. Just amazing after all these years still amazing to watch

This is one of the most clutch things I've ever witnessed in any sport/esport. Absolutely nuts and will never get old

This is beautiful. I seriously have tears in my eyes.

Am I the only one who always thinks wtf are moments 1-36??

i find it hard to believe that i dont really care about fighting games and they do not appeal to my taste, yet i am watching this and tears start flowing from my eyes, because this moment is both perfection and greatness, its excellence and brilliance, it has such a strong impact and most people dont even get to experience such moment not even once in their lives i wish i achieve something so great even for a second

Never let this video die, never let this moment be forgotten. This is how legends are made, and to us is to keep those legends alive.

2:35 You can see Daigo poking Justin with his blue shooting balls, (sorry I don't play street fighter) he was pushing Justin away from him, and taking his health low enough, so he could finish him after he parry's the super attack. He was already preparing for this "Daigo Parry" moment, he was moving 1 step forward (you need to do that to Daigo Parry) he was ready to bait the super and parry it all and finish Justin. What a legend.

"When I executed the super, I thought I had this in the bag" - Justin Wong

I get serious goosebumps every time I see it. The more you actually know about the game and what was actually going on, the more amazing it really is.

Daigo wields main protagonists energy

i dont watch nor play fighting games but this play and video was awesome

One thing that I don't see a lot of people mention about why this was so incredible about parrying chun li's super is that you can't react to it, you literally have to read that your opponent will have to do it for you to be able to parry it. If you actually pay attention you can see daigo slightly walking back and forth before Justin did his super. Look at daigo walk forward right before the super that is the only way to parry that move, and just to add even more ridiculousness to this play, daigo also had to know the fist move was going to be parried because again, you can't react to it, the window between parries is too small to react to the first hit.

There is no content on internet that generates more ASMR than that moment. Unbelievable.

One of my fave videos, I swear whenever I think of this gaming moment I feel joy inside, and this video does a great recap of its importance and the absolute mastery of Daigo to pull this off.

The daigo parry is the story of a comeback. One hit could've ended it all, even a light punch, even the wind could've made him fall, we all thought it was over. But daigo proved to us that every great story ends with a comeback. He made the impossible seem possible. He is a legend

Thanks for putting the rest of the rounds first, bc I didn’t realize how fast chunli’s super was and how hard that parry was to pull off Also that’s super cool how Daigo and Justin were great sportsmen after the whole thing! Watching them recreate was kinda wholesome lol

Still the greatest moment in esports history. Nothing short of incredible. 🔥

"Look at the parry! Look at the moves! Daigo, what was that?!??!"

Just love that narration *music stops* *HE WAS WRONG.*

Evo moment 37 Justin vs Daigo is absolutely the most amazing and interesting video game moment I've ever seen. I love Street Fighter, but this was still very extrodinary to watch. 👊

The moment was way bigger than the crowd that watched it.. that moment deserved a bigger crowd.. the skill on show there is insane

The editing of this video makes it justice. Epic editing for an epic moment.

That clip is enough to make a grown man cry.

To pull that off in a tournament regardless of video games is just amazing!

This Clip gives me goosebumps. It’s just something you can’t really make up it just happens like it’s supposed to

I remember watching this when I was just 11. it was truly the moment where I really got into the professional scenes of video games. played a couple of amateur tournaments. won some lose some and eventually stopped because life. still watch them though but man that moment. you had to be watching it at that time to really understand and feel the awesomeness of it all. I can't imagine how it was for everyone who was there physically. truly a historical moment for competitive esport long before "Esport" became a thing.

I'm getting chills this entire video!

"He was wrong" greatest moment ever

What made EVO moment 37 so incredibly special wasn't just how difficult it was... It was how new it was. Parrying chuns super was so hard that it just wasn't deemed possible... Which made it so absolutely gorgeous when an entire generation saw Daigo change a myth into history.

2:47 "he was wrong" GOD the chills. I'm crying every time I watch and hear this.