Japanese squad ZETA DIVISION announced their new esports team on April 1, and their first for Street Fighter 6. This is a welcome step for the signed players to prepare them for this year's Evolution and Capcom Cup tournaments.
This is not the first time ZETA fielded an esports team. They already have rosters for popular titles like Super Smash Brothers and VALORANT, the latter giving them the highest place for a Japanese team—a record that is still unbroken (3rd Place, Masters Reykjavik 2022). Having a new esports title to participate in is a feat for ZETA since this has been widely requested by fans.
Let's take a look at the roster for ZETA's SF6 team, dubbed "The Chosen Six":
Yamaguchi
click to enlarge
+ 4Yamaguchi's participation in ZETA's SF6 team came from the aftermath of Shinobism Gaming's disbandment last February. As a player, Yamaguchi has consistently placed at least in the Top 50 with a notable 1st-place finish in CPT 2023 World Warrior Japan #2. His latest podium finish was last March 22 at Beast Cup KUMITE, when he placed 2nd against his now teammate, Higuchi.
Higuchi
click to enlarge + 4Formerly known as Haku, Higuchi is a very consistent player and has placed at least in the Top 10 in most of the tournaments he joined. His 9th - 12th place in Evo 2022 and 5th - 6th place finish in Evo Japan 2023 proves he belongs in ZETA's roster. His latest podium finish was last March in Beast Mode KUMITE when he placed first against Yamaguchi.
Hikaru
click to enlarge + 4The youngest player on the roster, Hikaru is yet to prove himself in Street Fighter 6. We can expect his A.K.I and Manon being represented in upcoming events like Evo Japan. Hikaru's recent accomplishments include a 5th - 8th place finish in Esports World Cup 2024 and Top 100 finish in Evo 2024.
Kakeru
click to enlarge + 4A veteran in the scene by the time of this announcement, Kakeru stands as one of this generation's "fighting game gods". His latest achievement is winning first place in Capcom Cup 11 last March. This victory cemented his place in "The Chosen Six".
ChocoBlanka
Now signed as a content streamer for ZETA's "The Chosen Six", ChocoBlanka has had some noteworthy tournament experiences, mainly choosing Blanka as her only character (hence her gamer name). She was once part of the American esports team Evil Geniuses with another fighting game legend Justin Wong, and went to Echo Fox (also with Wong) before joining Victrix Pro and co-founding Shinobism Gaming with Momochi.
Momochi
If you're new to the fighting game community, Momochi's name is probably among the players not on your radar because the other name that comes to mind is the one everyone knows—Daigo Umehara. But those who have been following Street Fighter for a while can say that Momochi is up there. I can even make a case for including Momochi among the Japanese "gods of fighting games". That said, Momochi is a two-time Evo champion, winning Ultra Street Fighter IV (2015) and Street Fighter V (2019; Evo Japan). He was also a Capcom Cup winner, giving him the distinction of winning both Evo and Capcom Cup titles for Street Fighter. He has notable rivalries with Justin Wong, Tokido, and Daigo.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Esports and Street Fighter 6 page.