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PGRSF: 20-11

By PGstats.com | 03/10/21

After compiling data from over 250 events, including the entirety of Capcom Pro Tour competition dating back to Street Fighter V's 2016 release, the PGstats algorithm has ranked the top 50 players in the game's history.

For questions about the process or to see other content pieces from the PGRSF, visit the FAQ. The countdown of the 50 greatest Street Fighter V players of all time continues below.
By Jake "Kuba" Pich
One of the "Five Gods" of Street Fighter, Naoto "sako" Sako is known as one of the most precise combo fiends in the business. His career spans multiple eras, and not only does he continue to earn trophies with his play, he does so with his daughter by his side. 
A veteran of Vampire Savior as well as Street Fighters II through IV, it's no surprise that Sako has continued to be a force to be reckoned with in Street Fighter V. Sako showed he was still in the game out of the gate by taking a powerful victory over long time fighting game legend Kazunoko at PV Cup in 2016. Following Menat's release in 2017, Sako achieved multiple Top 8 finishes and tournament victories in the coming years. 
Despite starting a family during Street Fighter V’s lifespan, Sako was a consistent traveler and made his way into a whopping 25 Top 8s in the PGRSF dataset, including tournament victories at the EU Regional Finals and FV Cup in 2016 as well as TWFighter 2018. With sako’s strength and knowledge of Street Fighter only increasing with age, the top dad in all of Street Fighter can never be counted out.
By Ryan "Saint Cola" Collins
During Street Fighter V's yearly circuits, the “2DGOD” Kenryo "Mago" Hayashi takes time to get warmed up. His tournament results, while hardly terrible, sometimes aren’t up to his usual standard in the season’s early months. But then, as the fall season sets in, something happens — Mago suddenly kicks into gear and begins to dominate the Street Fighter V arena. He becomes the fabled “September Mago”. 
In 2017, he hit second in the CPT2017 Online Event for Asia, and continued to hang around the Top 8 spots. When 2018 arrived, Mago began his streak after obtaining 7th at TWFighter Major 2018. During his 2019 run, PPL Fighter Masters 2019 was the starting point, and it led to a string of victories that placed him fourth at Capcom Cup 2019. His midway yearly boosts have allowed him to qualify for SFV's Capcom Cup every single year. 
Mago’s powerup also bled into the next year, where he reached 2nd at Evo Japan 2020. The carryover might be an indication that the time it takes for him to find his bearings is quickly thawing. If he can connect the dots, September might be all year long for Mago — and those unfortunate enough to face him.
By Ryan "Saint Cola" Collins
Hailing as an Evo Champion from a popular anime series, Masahiro "Machabo" Tominaga's unquenchable thirst for competition has leaked into the world of Street Fighter V. Though he was strong in the previous iteration, Machabo has recently decided to put more time into the competitive side of the newest title, already seen promising results. Perhaps it’s his focus on anti-airing which allows no opponent to jump at him, or his honed ability to quickly understand a person’s tendencies. Whatever the case might be, it’s led to some consistent placements and the defeat of many established players. 
Machabo reminded the world of his prowess first at The Mixup 2018. Using the heavy-hitting Necalli, the professional player devoured all those who stood against him and nabbed 2nd place. In 2019, his placements started trending higher, notably reaching 1st at Battle for Melbourne 11 and 3rd at both Combo Breaker 2019 and CEO 2019. On the road to 5th at EVO 2019, he removed Kensuke "Trashbox" Ishikawa and Naoki “Nemo” Nemoto from his path.
It might seem strange to call Machabo one of the biggest rising stars in SFV, especially considering his previous accomplishments prior. But, it’s an apt way to describe the blinding speed at which he’s acclimated himself to the high level of play. 
By Zackary "Zackage" Potter
Hailing from South Korea, Sim “NL” Gun was one of the top Cammy mains during season 3 and adjusted well to Akuma come season 4. He helped establish the Korean scene in 2017 and has established himself as one of the best in Street Fighter V’s lifespan.
NL competed in the Capcom Pro Tour since 2016, however he really started seeing success in 2017 where he earned 2nd place at SCR and 3rd at Fighter’s Spirit. During the season, he impressed many by earning sets over Smug, MenaRD, and Poongko. 
The following season was one for the books for NL. On top of winnings CEO 2018 and Saigon Cup, NL finished second at Esports Hong Kong Festival 2018, third at VSFighting 2018, and reached Top 8 at both CPT Japan Premier and the CPT Asia Regional Finals. By this point, NL had defeated some of SFV's strongest, including Bonchan, Itabashi Zangief, and Fuudo. 
Despite an adjustment period following Season 4's Cammy nerfs and a subsequent switch to Akuma, NL still managed to qualify for a second straight Capcom Cup in 2019. While he had fewer Top 8 appearances for the season, he made sure they counted by defeating top players like Punk and John Takeuchi. 
By Zackary "Zackage" Potter
Considered another of Japan’s “Five Gods” of fighting games, Haitani is one of the most seasoned competitors and repeatedly proved his strength in the early years of Street Fighter V. Originally using Necalli, Haitani joined the trend of picking up Akuma to have more success in the meta post-Season 3. He plays Akuma for the strong footsie-into-confirms strengths of the character, but he also knows when it’s time to switch into a more aggressive style and take advantage of Akuma’s damage. 
He definitely had his biggest year in 2017 by earning fifth overall in points acquired in the CPT. Haitani earned wins at Ultimate Fighting Arena in Paris and Japan Cup in Tokyo that year, on top of several Top 8 placements, defeating top players including Itabashi Zangief, Fuudo, and Poongko. 
Haitani slipped a bit from his peak in 2019. While he did find his way into a couple of Top 8s, he missed the mark on qualifying for Capcom Cup. However, these days, he’s a proud father and spends more time variety streaming and working with Shinobism, Momochi and Chocoblanka’s esports team. 
By Andrés "AndrewEast" Aquino
Naoki "Nemo" Nemoto's mastery of fighting game fundamentals has allowed him to amass accolades across titles such as Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Ultra Street Fighter IV, and Street Fighter V.
Initially a Vega main, the Tokyo born player finished seventh at Evo 2016, placing above Xian, Kazunoko, Tokido, Luffy, and Nuki,in what was only his fourth recorded SFV tournament. A 49th-place finish at Japan Cup 2016 paired with Urien's release prompted a character switch. It proved fruitful just months later at Red Bull Kumite 2017, where Nemo would take home the title over Bonchan, Infexious, and Gachikun.
His results throughout the rest of 2017 at Japan Cup, East Coast Throwdown, DreamHack Montreal, and Red Bull Tower of Pride — seventh, second, fourth, and fifth — set the stage for his amazing run at the Capcom Cup.  After beating top seed Punk in the first round, Daigo would send him to losers, where Nemo tore through the bracket, beating Dogura, Bonchan, Problem-X, Itabashi Zangief — the set of the legendary handshake — and Moke on his way to a third-place finish.
But that run isn’t the biggest story of Nemo’s fighting game career, or even that weekend. While Nemo played well enough throughout the 2017 SFV season to prove to everyone he was a top-level player, his career prevented him from traveling enough to qualify for Capcom Cup by points. That run, which included a double elimination of Infiltration, led to that third place finish at Capcom Cup and, soon after, the sponsorship from Team Liquid that has allowed Nemo to become a full-time player and show his skills to the world on a regular basis. 
By Jake "Kuba" Pich
Few have made the transition from 3D fighters to 2D fighters quite as smoothly as Hiromiki “Itabashi Zangief” Kumada. Now in the 2D plane, he's dunking heads and creating dread with his namesake Zangief and new secondary Abigail, becoming one of the most terrifying grapplers on the scene.
Itabashi Zangief ("Itazan" for short) was a man to be feared in the Virtua Fighter scene, winning the Evolution Master Series in 2004 for Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution and in 2007 for Virtua Fighter 5. Using his knowledge of spacing and movement from his 3D roots, he proceeded to become one of the scariest Zangiefs in Street Fighter V. 
Itazan won just one tournament in the PGRSF dataset, JAM Festival 2018 in Brazil, but he appeared in 25 Top 8s, and the grapplers he piloted struck fear into the hearts of players at all levels. With 16 set wins on the PGRSF Top 10 and positive records against four of those players, Itazan possessed the power to reduce even the best seeded events to shambles. 
There is no better example than his legendary Capcom Cup 2018 run to second place, which included wins over AngryBird, Justin Wong, Xian, and Fujimura. Whenever Itabashi Zangief’s name is in the bracket, you can only count on one thing: Chaos.
By Ryan "Saint Cola" Collins
Descending from the skies to catch his opponents off guard, Arman “Phenom” Hanjani always knows the right moment to jump in Street Fighter V. Molding that skill around his mains - Necalli and Karin - he’s delivered some devastating damage to other players unfortunate enough to be in his bracket. Phenom also aims to frustrate his opponents, using his character’s tools to get the job done. One of his most memorable moments came from command grabbing Daigo “The Beast” Umehara five times in a row at Canada Cup 2016, sending the legendary player home. 
It's never surprising to see Phenom in a tournament’s Top 8, and 2019 was markedly his best year. He reached 2nd at Game Over Tournament 2019, third at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019, second at EGX 2019, and capped the year with third at Capcom 2019. Phenom is also one of the rare few to achieve a spot at Capcom Cup every year. 
With a dangerous arsenal of characters, Phenom is well rounded and ready for any battle. Being on the younger side compared to his peers hasn’t halted his progress, and he’s taken down many skilled seniors. Though he’s already achieved much, it feels like his trajectory is just beginning. 
By Ryan "Saint Cola" Collins
Cool and collected, Yusuke "Momochi" Momochi is a player who’s impeccable hit-confirms, decision making, and almost encyclopedia understanding of the Street Fighter series has led him to many victories. Those skills have led him to win not only Capcom Cup 2015, but also Evo 2015 and Evo Japan 2019. In every Street Fighter V circuit, he remains a threat capable of pulling out some big wins and, at the very least, some massive upsets. 
His first victory in SFV was at StunFest 2016, eliminating Keita "Fuudo" Ai in the grand finals. From there, he amassed numerous top placements, which range from first in the CPT2017 Online Event for Asia, tenth at Capcom Cup 2017, and then upgrading to eighth in 2018. EVO Japan 2019 allowed him to take on Fuudo once again and lay claim to the title of EVO Champion for SFV. 
Legacy from years competing in the Street Fighter series coupled with his ability to cycle through the majority of the cast has kept him as a threat that has not diminished in the slightest. Though his role has moved to a mentor of many budding professional players, Momochi will always be ready to hit-confirm on reaction if challenged. 
By Brandon "Writewell" Brathwaite
The simplest way to describe Kun Xian Ho is “innovator,” but that won't do justice to a career of showing the world how good sometimes overlooked Street Fighter characters can be. The Singaporean veteran initially chose F.A.N.G as his character of choice, but shifted to Ibuki following her release in Season 1's DLC. Her variety of tools, setplay, left/right mixups and more fit perfectly into the hands of a player known for having some of the highest situational awareness in fighting games.
Despite high expectations as an Evo Champion in Street Fighter V, time quickly proved that Xian’s F.A.N.G didn't have what it took to hang with SFV's explosive top-tiers. The switch to Ibuki in 2017 brought immediate results. He took a major victory at Final Round 2017 beating 2016 Capcom Cup Champion NuckleDu and fellow SFIV Evo Champion Fuudo to take his first premier victory of his SFV career.
From there, he racked up tournament wins at Thaiger Uppercut, VSFighting 7, and even bested 2017 Evo Champion Tokido at Lan Story Cup 2017 Invitational. The tournament wins became less frequent, with his last one on record coming at FV X Sea Major Malaysia in 2018, but Xian maintained a number of Top 4 finishes at events like Combo Breaker 2018, Capcom Cup 2018, EGX 2019 and Canada Cup 2019.
There was a moment when people questioned the strength of Ibuki in SFV. Xian changed that perception in one tournament. That’s the true power of an innovator, and with his consistency as a top player in the game, there may be more for him to show us in the years to come.
Watch the Top 50 reveal in full with highlights of all 50 players at the PGstats YouTube. The PGRSF concludes Friday, March 12th with the reveal of players 20-11.