News has recently surfaced that a fighting game community veteran, Nohoho, has passed away. Pictured on the right, his passing arrives with great sadness to competitive players of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo (Super Turbo). His importance to the U.S. scene for this game was immeasurable, largely in the form of his blog: super nohoho fighter ii x.
It was here that he would report on Japanese tournament results, post match videos, transcribe interviews, and more. Covering other games as well, Nohoho, pictured above with fellow Blanka player AFO, also provided insight to the social atmosphere of the arcade scene there—thriving in comparison to our dying arcades in the states.
He was a hero in this early era of social media; there were no online lobbies to grind matchup experience, and there was exponentially less video content online. Living in Japan, this man bridged the gap between our scenes. He had a thorough tutorial on how to register an account on niconico—a Japanese website where tournament footage could be found—so that we, too, could scour the video archives to watch matches. This alone was a priceless resource at the time.
Nohoho raised the collective skill level of all non-Japanese players. He continued to breathe life into Super Turbo, a game that was already over 10 years old when he begun his website. Since many old school players started with this game, there is an intense sense of nostalgia and respect for it. The long-running success of this game set the tone for all fighting games to follow. The passing of this exemplary community member—this pinnacle of competitive Street Fighter history—is reported with a heavy heart.
Despite being a dedicated Street Fighter player, Nohoho reported on more than just Super Turbo. Vampire Savior, of Capcom’s Darkstalkers series, was another game that enjoyed more popularity in Japan. Along with the usual match videos, and tournament results, he brought us translated interviews and gripping tournament story lines: such as 1997’s Daigo-Nuki rivalry.
Other enjoyable interviews include a 2010 interview with Haitani, which includes an index of multi-game champions: a fascinating glimpse into not just tournament results, but social interactions and personalities of those Japanese players we often refer to as gods.
Interviewer: What do you think about being called one of the 5 Gods [of Fighting Games]?
Haitani: Well that’s just an internet meme so I don’t take it seriously but from my perspective there are tons of people who are more skillful than me. When people say that I feel uncomfortable. If people would say “he’s pretty strong for his area” that would be fine.
It’s not self deprecation or anything like that that’s just objectively how I see myself.
Even for players with no interest in Street Fighter, super nohoho fighter ii x is a goldmine. Any fighting game fan can get a delightful history lesson here. The gems contained here include: quotes from Daigo and his infallible confidence in Street Fighter Alpha 3, inside jokes about Kokujin of Third Strike fame, and comical catchphrases uttered throughout tournaments.
Rest In Peace, Nohoho. The scene sends you off with nothing but gratitude and love for sharing your passion with us.
Source: Super Turbo Revival
