Here's a look over some of The Beast's long set domination

"What I felt was that, if I lose here... that would be so amazing by [FOX|Tokido], because this is the type of match I favor, and where I'm most comfortable..." some words from CYG|Daigo's pre-Kemonomichi 2 exhibition against perhaps Street Fighter 5's top dog at the moment.

There are a multitude of factors that go into deciding the outcome of a tournament set. Usually these bouts are 2/3 matches, but sometimes extend to a 3/5 format later in brackets.

This standard has been deemed appropriate enough to determine who the stronger player is, (keep in mind you only have so much time in a tournament setting) but the shorter a set the more it lends itself to quick reactions and lucky scramble outcomes.

While most everyone is happily entertained in seeing strong players showcase quick reactions and good fundamentals, arguably the most celebrated skill in fighting game contests is the ability to solve the puzzle that is an opponent's mind and game plan, and then exploit it in beautifully dominant fashion.

To date there's probably no player better at doing this than The Beast, Daigo Umehara. Furthermore in this age of YouTube and stream archives, players can easily investigate the tendencies of opponents they know they are slated to face.

It's probably easier to find examples of Daigo's play than any other pro competitor, and yet he's repeatedly proven more successful than any other top player in scheduled, long form sets. We've grabbed a few of these as we look back on his Street Fighter 4 bouts with EVO champions Infiltration and RZR|Xian, as well as his epic sets with Pepeday and CYG|PR Balrog at Canada Cup Master Series 2015.

This first set takes us back to 2012, the year wherein Infiltration was the undisputed champion of all things Street Fighter. No one came close to the Korean professional at EVO (he also won Street Fighter X Tekken with his partner, Laugh) and Daigo was only able to manage 5th place that year.

Both players took time to research each other and clashed in a first to 10 set. Daigo would make the EVO champ look helpless with a definitive 10-2 victory.

Flash forward one year to 2013. The game was now Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, and RZR|Xian emerged as EVO champion with his Gen.

Daigo would once again crack top eight, but finish seventh overall. The champ was privileged to a first to ten bout with The Beast. The final score: 10-0, Beast.

I included these last two bouts from Canada Cup Master Series for the sake of a bit of versatility. Daigo faced off with Pepeday and PR Balrog in an Ultra Street Fighter 4 first to seven set. Pepeday became quickly famous for his chaotically explosive El Fuerte.

Pepeday quickly went up 3-0, threatening a blow out. Things continued to 5-2, but Daigo's ability to adapt led him to an eventual 7-6 victory with a four game streak in the middle of it.

The story with PR Balrog was similar, with the Japanese god finding himself at an early 2-5 deficit only to bring things back and win 7-6 with a four game streak to close things out.

Sources: Mad Catz and Capcom Fighters. Photo credit: Stephanie Lindgren.