Red Bull Kumite South Africa 2023: Fighting game royalty battles in first major Street Fighter 6 tournament

This year, South Africa played host to 2023’s Red Bull Kumite. The first major fighting game tournament to utilise Street Fighter 6 since its release, it was also the first time the country had hosted a global final on such a scale… and boy did it deliver.

With a tournament that saw legends leave earlier than expected, underdogs rise up and a clean sweep for the winner, Red Bull Kumite tested Street Fighter 6 to its limits, and started the game’s competitive scene off with a bang.

• If you want to know what we thought of Street Fighter 6, be sure to check out our full Street Fighter 6 review.

Cage match

As the Red Bull Kumite opening ceremony began, players were asked to draw numbers to determine their match-ups. This alone was an indication of some of the more bombastic moments of the night to come.

With the United Kingdom’s Problem X facing iDom from the United States, and South Korea’s NL facing off against the last-chance qualifier, Kakeru, no player was expecting an easy match.

Having narrowly made it into the tournament, Kakeru tore through the competition and made it all the way to the semi-final, eventually conceding to the eventual winner of the tournament: Big Bird.

• Be sure to check out everything you need to know about Street Fighter 6 World Tour mode.

Humble beginnings for a hometown hero

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Perhaps the biggest match of the night, even bigger than the final itself, was that of JabhiM vs Tokido. With JabhiM a hometown hero from South Africa who studied the game before he even had a console, and Tokido being considered one of the greatest Street Fighter players of all time, it was bound to be a match for the ages when their match-up was drawn… and it did not disappoint.

Galvanised by the crowd, JabhiM went on to defeat Tokido 5-3, selecting Chun-Li against Tokido’s Ken. The match had the audience on their feet as JabhiM and Tokido traded blows and perfect parries, but it was the underdog that would ultimately prevail.

Following the match, JabhiM said about being paired with Tokido:

“This was a match I really wanted to win. You know, I was telling one of the guys outside that I don't think people understand how big this match was. Not just for the country, but for Africa as a whole. Because everybody in Africa believes that they can take these guys on. They just needed one guy to show it.”

• You can read our full interview with JabhiM to learn more about his incredible victory against Tokido.

Big Bird sweeps with the mighty Marisa

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As the night drew its epic finale, Adel "Big Bird" Anouche claimed the crown against Christ "Akainu" Onema. To get to this point, both players utilised characters that did not adhere to the current meta: Marisa and Guile respectively.

Moreover, both players had to overcome significant challenges from their previous opponents. While Big Bird had to take on his close friend, UAE’s Angry Bird, Akainu was forced to face off against fighting game royalty, Leffen and came out on top with a swift 5-0 victory.

In a tournament filled with multiple Manon and JP players, only a few players decided to play against the meta, and for the winner, it certainly paid off.

With Big Bird taking home the trophy using Marisa, a newcomer making her debut in Street Fighter 6, he had a sweeping victory against everyone he faced. This was something of an unexpected victory for a character that many were unsure of where to place in their tier lists.

When we sat down with Big Bird toward the night’s end and discussed how it felt to take Marisa to the tournament level and win, Big Bird said:

“I do feel like I was probably one of the only ones that believed in the character. I feel like a lot of people wrote her off as weak, […] but I’m happy my belief in her paid off for the tournament. And hopefully, I can keep it up and stay at the same level to win more tournaments with her.”

After initially losing the first round of the final, Big Bird came up trumps with a clean sweep, taking down Akainu in a dramatic 5-1 match. Of Algerian descent, Big Bird is the first African Red Bull Kumite Champion.

• Check out how to access photo mode in Street Fighter 6 for some sweet snapshots.

Tournament tips from Kumite kings

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As we sat down with JabhiM and Big Bird, we asked them for some of their top tips for new players picking up the game (and perhaps even their first Street Fighter title) for the first time.

Big Bird offered some practical advice for newer players to get used to the control scheme: “Capcom added modern controls, so if you find [classic controls] kind of intimidating, start with modern controls to make it easier for beginners and newcomers and from there, if you play with it and you like it, then you can try with the classic controls.

While JabhiM stressed the importance of fun before the competition:

With Kumite now concluded to a roaring success, it is safe to say that Street Fighter 6 is here to stay. With new characters on the horizon, there will be plenty of opportunities for new players to pick up what could be a very serious game-of-the-year contender and be ready for the next tournament.

If Red Bull Kumite has proved anything, it is that Street Fighter 6 is a world tour-de-force to be reckoned with on the competitive fighting game scene. And what’s more, it goes to show that South Africa is more than ready to take on another global tournament, and has cemented itself as a new viable hosting space.