Introduction
Of the five Japanese gods of fighting games, Nuki is perhaps the most obscure, at least in recent years.
He made his name in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, a game not played nearly so often these days due to the releases of Street Fighters 4 and 5. Despite this, he maintains a fearsome reputation for his mastery of Chun-Li and has relatively recently shown that his dominance extends to the latest game of the franchise too.
Beginning
Shinya “Nuki” Onuki made his first real impression in the competitive scene back in 2002, making him a true veteran of the fighting games community. Back when it was still relatively fresh and unformed, he showed off his mastery of Chun-Li in the Super Street Fighter II Turbo Championship at one of the very first Evolution tournaments.
His skill with the character was obvious – Chun-Li was a powerful character in the game, but Nuki took her to a whole new level. His precision, predictions and execution were all on point, impressing the crowd as he won match after match. He was only stopped in the Grand Finals by AfroCole’s Dhalsim, another powerful Turbo character. Still, his performance had cemented him as a talented Chun-Li main.
Street Fighter III
The next year’s Evo series added Street Fighter III to its line-up of championships, which certainly piqued Nuki’s interest. He didn’t fare quite as well in the 2003 tournament though, just barely making it into the top eight. He also came behind American Chun-Li players Mark Rogoyski and Ricky Ortiz.
However, at least he placed second in Street Fighter II Turbo again, only losing to world-renowned player Daigo Umehara.
It was in 2005 when Nuki really began to make a name for himself. During this year he took part in the Street Fighter III tournament once again and although the top eight was dominated by Chun-Lis, he managed to place first, beating seasoned veteran Justin Wong in the mirror match to take home the coveted prize. This established himself as one of – if not the most – dominant Chun-Li player. His aggressive footsie game and expert positioning were enough for him to win the day, but it was a close affair, with the Japanese star winning 3-2 in the Grand Finals.
From there, Nuki’s Street Fighter performances only grew more and more impressive. Although he only came third in 2006’s 3rd Strike championships, with the meta dominated by Yun that year in particular, he impressed everybody by placing first in the next two years’ finals, defeating the fearsome Tokido in 2007 and triumphing over Justin Wong once again in 2008. This impressive streak earned him a place in the history books – no other player has won three Street Fighter finals at Evo for the same iteration of the game, a true testament to his mastery on 3rd Strike.
Street Fighter IV was released shortly after this success and Chun-Li suffered some nerfs, making her one of the less-powerful characters in the roster. As a result, Nuki practically vanished from the competitive scene, although he did continue playing Street Fighter II and III for years to come, with his skills only becoming more refined as time went on. Despite this, secure in his place as one of Japan’s Five Gods of Fighting Games, the master of Chun-Li has been off the radar for some time.
Conclusion
There are few players so committed to a single character that they’re known for that character alone – especially across so many iterations of the game. This has its drawbacks of course, such as when one version of the character is nerfed, as happened to Chun-Li in Street Fighters IV and V.
However, Nuki refuses to switch off her, meaning his understanding of her technical capabilities and potential is unmatched. And recently he has begun to play Street Fighter V, proving to many that even if she isn’t the most powerful character, Chun-Li can still be a powerhouse in the right hands.
Although he has decided not to participate in any competitive matches in 2017, 2018 could see Nuki return to show the world what over 15 years of experience with just one character can do.
