Kakeru’s Dilemma: Choosing Mai Shiranui Over JP for Capcom Cup 11 Sparks Family Conflict!

This past weekend, Capcom Cup 11 wrapped up with IBSG|Kakeru snagging the grand prize of $1,000,000. Throughout the competition, Kakeru played exclusively with JP. This raised eyebrows since JP faced several nerfs in Season 2 of Street Fighter 6, leading some to question his effectiveness.

Interestingly, none of the top 8 players used Mai Shiranui, the newest character in Street Fighter 6. However, Kakeru nearly chose her during his run at Capcom Cup 11.

Following his win, Kakeru had an interview with Walker Plus. The conversation included translations from Nicholas “MajinTenshinhan” Taylor.

Kakeru shared, “I wanted to use Mai, and that actually caused a bit of a debate with my wife, which I joked about on stage.” When asked if he would consider using Mai at the event, he revealed, “In ranked matches, I used her a lot.” Ultimately, it was his wife’s encouragement that kept him focused on JP, given the life-changing stakes of the tournament.

Thanks to their mutual decision, Kakeru opted to stick with JP for the whole event. Notably, KSG|Xiaohai had already utilized Mai as a secondary in the top 16. Other players like TM|OilKing and Liquid|Nephew also tried out Mai but got eliminated before reaching that point.

In the grand finals, Kakeru faced off against 2G|Blaz, who was on a roll, losing only to Kakeru up to that moment. Surprisingly, Blaz was winning with Ryu, despite also being skilled with Ken and Akuma. Kakeru’s choice of JP was beneficial, as he is a tough matchup for Ryu. In the end, despite the challenges, Kakeru emerged victorious.

It’s hard to say how things might have changed if Kakeru had gone with Mai. But given that he won, it looks like he made the right call. Moving forward, it seems Kakeru might be open to showcasing Mai Shiranui at smaller events before taking her to a high-stakes competition like Capcom Cup.