Keita Ai (Japanese: 阿井 慶太), better known as Fuudo (ふ〜ど), is a Japanese electronic sports player who focuses on the Street Fighter series. Fuudo started playing fighting games in 2005 with the game Virtua Fighter 4. He has won many fighting game tournaments, such as the World Cyber Games and the Evolution Championship Series. Many reporters have called him the best R. Mika player in the world.

Career

Fuudo first participated in a major fighting game event at the Virtua Fighter 4 tournament during the 2005 World Cyber Games. He won first place in Virtua Fighter 4 at Super Battle Opera in the same year and earned gold at the World Cyber Games in 2009 before switching permanently to Street Fighter IV.

In 2011, Fuudo competed in the Super Street Fighter IV tournament at the Evolution Championship with little attention. According to Red Bull’s Pete Dreyer, Fuudo "dominated the competition, showing strong basic skills and perfect execution," defeating players like Xian and Poongko. He beat Latif’s Crimson Viper in the final match in only three rounds, becoming the tournament winner.

In April 2012, Fuudo and fellow fighting game player Itazan signed a sponsorship deal with Razer Inc., an American company, to design an arcade fighting stick device and compete for Team Razer. Fuudo explained that the deal allowed him to attend more tournaments and meet players worldwide. Robert Krakoff, president of Razer USA, said the company brought Fuudo and Itazan on board because the fighting game scene was growing rapidly in the United States and their input on the "Razer Arcade Stick" was "invaluable."

Fuudo did not win any major tournaments after placing first at Topanga League 2 in 2012. However, he achieved good rankings at events like DreamHack and Stunfest. He reached ninth place at Tokyo Game Show 2015 and nearly missed qualifying for the 2015 Capcom Cup. He qualified by finishing second at the 2015 KO Fighting Game Festival, where he defeated Latif’s Crimson Viper again but lost to Xian in the final match.

At the Street Fighter V tournament finale during Evolution Championship 2016, Fuudo lost to Infiltration, finishing in second place. When playing R. Mika against Infiltration’s Nash, Fuudo won in the first round of the top 8, sending Infiltration to the loser’s bracket. The two faced each other again in the grand final, where Infiltration countered all of Fuudo’s techniques.

Personal life

Fuudo is married to Yuka Kuramochi, who is a model and variety show host. They have one child, a son named Minato.

Acknowledgements

Fuudo has been called the top R. Mika player in the world by ESPN reporters Tyler Erzberger and Timothy Lee. Timothy Lee said, "Fuudo's strong defense and aggressive style work well in big tournaments because he pushes opponents into corners, making it hard for them to avoid mistakes." Chelsea Stark from Mashable noted that during his performance at Evo 2016, "Fuudo played R. Mika with great skill, as she kept chasing opponents and kept pressing them into corners repeatedly." In February 2016, Pete Dreyer from Red Bull reported that Fuudo had earned $55,110.09 USD in prize money over his career, placing him among the highest-earning Street Fighter players.