CAPCOM CUP 12," a year-long tournament held around the world, kicked off on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, and we are pleased to present an interview with the winner, Good 8 Squad's Sahara(@sahara7h )!
The winner of "CAPCOM CUP 12" is a Japanese player, Sahara!
- Tell us how you feel now.
I 'm still a little bit in a daze.
- Your performance in the second half of the season has been particularly remarkable.
I guess I was inspired by the good players, so I started to watch various players' games. I played a lot as usual! (laughs).
- Is there anyone you would like to express your gratitude to the most?
Sahara: I would have to say Gachikun (@gachikun0423 ). Gachi-kun really spoke behind my back and helped me in many situations.
- What will you do with the prize money?
I never imagined that I could really win... I think now I would like to buy something for my family.
- What did you think when you saw the top 16 players?
Sahara: I thought there were a lot of Ed players, but I'm actually not good at playing against the same Ed players.... I think the way we hit it worked in our favor in the end. I was happier than Ed's same-character matchup because I put a lot of effort into countering the characters of DualKevin (@Dual_Kevin ) and Blaz (@DerekBlaz11 ) players.
- Did you have a secret plan when it was going to be the same character?
Sahara: I didn't have a secret plan at all (laughs). (laughs) I was just thinking...maybe I would take a chance and play Gouki.
- Ed lost a lot of games today.
Sahara: I think we had an advantage because we were able to see in advance how Ed's opponents would respond to the Psycho-Flicker, which is Ed's main move.
- There were a lot of really fierce battles.
I really don't remember all the games... I just went with the momentum and got a good result! I thought, "Let's go with the momentum!
- Please tell us again about the characteristics of your edo.
Sahara: I think my edo is more forward than other edos. I'm thinking of @TheFuudo, but I think I'm fighting more forward than him.
- I was impressed by your fight with Blaz. Did you have any countermeasures against him?
Sahara: I had played many ranked matches against Blaz, so I took that experience into account when I played against him. It was more of a match against Blaz than a match against Sagat.
- What was the most difficult match you actually played?
Sahara: Well, the match against Blaz was the most difficult. I was so nervous that I made a lot of combo mistakes during the match.
- During the match against Blaz, there was a scene where he took off his headset to calm himself down.
Sahara: I could hear the cheers of the audience, and it is no exaggeration to say that I was able to reset my mind thanks to their cheers. I really appreciate it.
- Kilzyou changed his character to Cammy in the middle of the game.
Sahara: I had seen that kind of move in other games, so I was prepared for it. I was a little worried because I hadn't really been able to counter Cammy, but I managed to keep my momentum going.
- Now that you are the best in both name and reality, what is your next goal?
I am not aware that I am the strongest in both name and reality yet... (laughs) There are a lot of really strong players out there, so I want to keep working hard so that I don't get left behind.
- Saahara's victory also proves GlimPearl's strength!
Saahara: The strongest leverless!
- Lastly, please give a message to your fans.
Sawara: I was really encouraged by the many comments I received at the venue and on social networking sites. Thank you very much!
