This interview is with a Latin American player that is undoubtedly a rising star in the FGC. Hokuto is one of those players that stands out from the rest and showcases the kind of skills and abilities that only select few are able to reach. He is arguably the best Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo player in the West and he is able to go toe-to-toe with the best in Japan.
Hokuto is not only an amazingly talented player, but he also takes the time to guide you if you have questions that can help you improve your game. This is the combination that makes for a truly valuable player in the FGC. It is a pleasure to have the chance to get to know more about his thoughts regarding important FGC topics and this interview should be a treat for anyone who wants to peek into the mind of a top-level player. Hokuto is not only a master of SSF2T; he is a high-level player in Third Strike and also modern games like Street Fighter 6.
So, without any further introductions, here is the interview with Hokuto.
1-This first question is a tradition for every interview at F101, so here it goes. What are your top 5 favorite games of all time in any console/arcade and any genre?
Tough question, I just love games in general haha! But if I really need to choose only 5 of them, they would be:
- Battle Garegga (Arcade/Saturn)
- Metal Slug (Arcade/Neo Geo CD)
- Castlevania Dracula X (PC Engine)
- Contra Hard Corps (Genesis)
- Super Mario Bros 2 (USA, NES)
Honorable mentions: Illusion of Gaia (SNES), Snow Bros (Arcade), Mega Man the Power Battle (Arcade).
2-Could you give me your top 5 fighting games of all time?
This one is easier haha!
1. ST
2. Alpha 2
3. 3rd Strike
4. Killer Instinct (1994)
5. KOF ‘99
3-Please share the 101 on your Street Fighter and general fighting game trajectory. Which fighting game did you start with?
I started off like probably everyone else in the 90s, with Street Fighter 2. Since Mexico was a little bit behind on getting the new games, compared to the rest of the world, I still saw SF2 Champion Edition (and Rainbow) cabinets everywhere back in 1997/1998.
After getting hooked on SF2 (by begging my mom to buy me Super SF2 on the SNES), I ended up getting Anniversary Edition for PS2, and when YouTube was barely starting out, I saw the infamous EVO Moment #37. After that, I realized I had 3rd Strike at home (which I disliked at first), and grinded it out. Eventually I discovered that online play was a thing when we got a PC and internet at home, and jumped into Marvel vs Capcom in Kaillera, and then 3s on GGPO as my first truly competitive game, and the one I took the most seriously before shifting to ST.
4-I am from the OG age group that was born in the early 80s and enjoyed the arcade experience, but the biggest difference between US based OGs and Latin American OGs is that it wasn’t until HDRemix and GGPO came out that I was able to experience the game competitively and this was also the case for most Latin players.
Back in 2010, we only had a handful of players in Central America and most of them had very little experience with SSF2T even though they had played it since it was released in the arcades, then consoles, etc. The competition was too small for players to grow stronger with ease and we only had a one or two arcades in the entire area.
This means that competitive exposure did not begin for me until 2010 when I was able to play ST against seasoned arcade OGs from the states. That is when I discovered what competitive SF was like and it was a rude awakening without a doubt. I know that while Mexico doesn’t have the biggest ST scene by any means, there are plenty of great players that have reached top levels. Some names that come to mind are Yito, H-Zero, DjFrijoles, Kyouya, and many others that can go against any player from any region in the world and have a fighting chance.
When you started playing ST, did you start by being immediately exposed to those higher-level players locally or did you just play it online via consoles or GGPO?
I don’t really have a local scene; I live on literally the border with the US, so I’m far away from the rest of the players. Also, since it’s Mexico, KOF is more popular and that’s what people mostly play here.
I did get exposed to those higher-level players immediately, but only online since it was my only means to play the game on a serious level (and it still is to this day). Like you, I had a rude awakening because I thought I was decent enough, until Kyouya beat me 50-1 with his O.Ryu haha. From there it was just a matter of trying to play everyone I could, even if that meant I’d get whooped and not win a single game.
Hokuto takes the win at X Street Battle 2022 against the best players in France.
5-I know you were just a child when SSF2T released, so you are not what people would label as an OG. I feel that your case is similar to Damdai’s who started playing the game competitively way after the release. This always reinforces my opinion on skills and intelligence not being the same thing and talent being a very important element in any competitive field. Do you feel that just like some people are naturally good at basketball, and others can’t even play the game at mediocre levels with endless practice, the same thing happens with fighting games?
I am definitely not an OG, I was months old when ST got released haha.
But absolutely, I do think that analogy holds true to everything competitive in life. Some people just “get it”, and are naturally good at things, or maybe they work hard enough to get to an elite level. Some others are just better at analyzing things, instead of executing. That’s why you have great sports coaches who were never really good players, for example. Same thing with fighting games, you get players who are just good and understand everything they touch like JWong, while you also get people who could never break through just by playing, but maybe they are really good coaches or can analyze the game way better than other players could do.
6-I think that the evolution of fighting games is moving in the direction of making everything more about 50/50 or 33/33/33 scenarios instead of focusing on reactions and the neutral. With that said, the 50/50 character archetype, and the Rushdown/OKI heavy character has always existed.
In my opinion, some characters in ST are built with that intention. Claw being a perfect example, but I also feel that Blanka pretty much plays that same game. The main difference being that Blanka has a harder time getting that knockdown, but still, the game plan is the same. Get a knockdown and don’t let your opponent breathe from that point on.
This is why I always tell people that the only way to play against a good ST Blanka or a good Claw, is to never let either one of them knock you down. Easier said than done, but it really is the best strategy. Now, in games like SF6, every character is basically like claw or Blanka in ST, they are all designed to put you in a blender, regardless of their tier.
Perhaps the fact that claw is the minority in a game like ST in terms of his ability to put you in the “vortex” is what makes him so hated. Ironically, the thing people hate about claw so much is the one thing that is now part of the global mechanics of modern games. Now every character is like claw in that sense and it’s almost funny to see how things have turned out for a strategy that used to be so controversial.
I use this argument when people tell me that claw is busted. I feel he is simply ahead of his time. It’s just that the wall dive 50/50 has now been replaced by the strike/throw mixup and everyone can do this even if they are bottom tier.
What are your thoughts on this?
I think Vega being busted with his wall dive is just an oversight of making Super SF2 faster. In that game, you can do the exact same thing, but it isn’t as effective because of the game being so slow. You are right about the other characters though, most of them have some sort of vortex, which ends up being their win condition.
In modern games, strike/throw is so prevalent that most characters can do it, and it basically becomes the game plan for almost every match. There’s a reason “shimmying” has been so prevalent and rewarding since SF4 (hell, even 3s to some extent). Also with so many defensive options in modern games, it truly becomes a gamble on what to do on wake up, both as the defendant and the attacker.
Hokuto (Cheems Jr in SF6) has reached Legend status and is competitive against top Evo and Capcom Cup level players.
7-One thing I dislike about modern SF games is that the wakeup is no longer respected or feared. People can jump at you or get in your face and start OKI situations without much fear of retaliation. This is mainly due to how weak non-ex reversal moves have become. What is the one thing about modern Street Fighter games you dislike the most?
Going back to my previous answer, I dislike that you are never safe against some characters when pressuring them, because of the myriad of options available. Say in SF6, when waking up you have these options: wake up parry, wake up super, wake up invincible OD move (if the character has it), wake up throw/tech, wake up buttons, wake up DI, wake up Drive Reversal, wake up jump, wake up backdash… it is just too much to handle sometimes, especially during high pressure situations.
Sure, there are ways to counter lots of options, but in the heat of the moment sometimes you will just choose the wrong one and get punished heavily because of it, especially when using a weaker character. It’s not like in older games where even weaker characters can make things work, starting from SF4, the bottom tiers really struggle and seem to be playing a different game entirely.
8-Let’s dive into some ST! Being a claw main, you know that you are using the most hated character in the game. I main Boxer, so I definitely know how easy it is for people to use excuses and say they lost to your character, not to you.
I mention this because I feel that ST has evolved so much that a large amount of the matchup charts have changed over the years. For example, I have seen high level Japanese FT10 sets with Fei Long destroying Boxer. I have also seen top Claw players lose to Boxer players or to ken players with substantially dominant results.
Then you see players like Silentscope with Cammy, Komoda with Blanka, Kusumondo with Honda, all winning tournaments or at least placing top 8 consistently against their worst matchups.
I would say that ST is currently at a point were all characters can have a very strong fighting chance due to the tech that continues to be expanded and discovered. Do you feel that there are still uncharted areas of ST or has the game been fully dissected?
Of course there’s still things to be discovered. As I’m answering this question, Mattsun is coming up with punishes and combos that people never thought of and have never seen before. There has been new tech being discovered in the past 5 years or so, when people before thought that the T.Hawk OSs were the pinnacle of ST’s new tech being reached. And also you have the players who just keep getting better and better and pushing the boundaries for how the matchups are played.
9-Now, let’s get to the bunny skin peeler himself, Vega AKA Claw. I know you chose claw because you like the character and you always liked the character even before knowing he was top tier. Now that you have reached a level where you even go toe-to-toe with MAO, could you share some insight on the character and what are the main tools that make him so overpowered in the eyes of many players aside from the infamous wall dive?
Aside from the wall dive, which is his easiest and strongest tool to use, just his normals in general and fast speed in an already fast game are more than enough to make him a strong character. You could get by just by jumping around and throwing your opponent to death if you know what you’re doing. Some other strong tools include him having an anti-air and hitting reversal, as well as retreating reversal moves, the ability to chip safely with his Rolling Crystal Flash, and his super always being an OS, meaning you’ll never waste your bar.
Hokuto going toe-to-toe against MAO at Combo Breaker 2023
10-I have played SSF2T in arcades in the past, but only back in my teens and I was very casual at the game. Most of my experience at competitive levels started with HDRemix (ST mode) then GGPO, Fightcade, 30th Anniversary and then collection. This means that 99% of my interaction with the game has been via those platforms. Do you feel that the arcade cabinets used at high-level tournaments are very different from those platforms. I ask this question without involving online. Let’s focus on the side by side experience of two players. You have two players on Fightcade or say 30TH anniversary offline and two players on an official SSF2T cabinet. What are the main differences between those experiences in terms of nuances in the gameplay? Also, which is the version of ST that feels more like the arcade experience?
Yes, they do feel different even though emulation has come a long way. Comparing the three “main ways” to play the game (Fightcade, 30th, Arcade), they’re wildly different from each other. For starters, emulation runs the game faster than the arcade version, so you’ll always be playing a faster game, especially on 30th which runs the American version on Turbo 3 and goes way too fast. Having to play on a non-arcade environment also means you need your own controller, and some people have difficulty playing with sticks on their laps or on chairs for instance, so the feeling of just playing on a sit-down Japanese cab is completely different.
The closest thing you could get to the true arcade ST experience would be a properly configured Fightcade (changing v-sync, delay, and Runahead settings to match everything as close as possible).
11-What do you consider to be Claws worse matches in ST and why?
Boxer, Honda and Dictator, because they can fight Claw’s win condition (wall dive) easier than most characters. Plus, they all can throw loop and safe jump Claw with ease, making it dangerous for the Claw player to get knocked down even once, since they can bait, punish, or take away the reversal every time if done properly. Even then, I don’t think he loses these matchups, they’re just closer to being even than the rest of the characters.
12-What is your ST tier list if making it based on your own experience so far?
Vega (Claw) is definitely #1, although not at the level of Gouki like some people might want you to believe.
After that, I still think Dhalsim is the 2nd best character in the game, followed by Chun-Li, Balrog (Boxer), O.Sagat as the other top tiers.
Then DeeJay, Ryu, O.Ken, O.Hawk and O.Ryu as really strong, just not quite top tier material, though just below them. After that, Honda, Bison (Dictator), Guile, Ken and Fei Long as solid mid tiers and finally Sagat, Zangief, Cammy, Blanka and T.Hawk as the worst 5 characters in the game in no particular order.
13-Aside from MAO, who do you consider to be the top 3 claw players worldwide?
My top 3 right now would be MAO, Opemai, and myself (as cocky as that might sound haha).
14-The ST community always applauds claw players that are willing to give some of the secret sauce to beat this character. Would you mind sharing some strategies that all characters can follow in order to have a fighting chance against a good claw?
My main advice when people ask me how to deal with the wall dive, the best option is blocking. Some players are hell bent on trying to reversal it every time, which then gets them killed because I’m doing wall dives where they won’t get the reversal and instead, they keep getting hit. Also don’t be afraid to be “cheap” against Claw, if you have to throw loop him to win, or play super lame, then so be it.
15-Now, let’s get into some modern fighting games. Being that you decided to main Manon in SF6, that pretty much rules out the idea that you only play top tier. How do you feel about sf6 and what do you feel it does better than old school games?
The Manon bit is true, 99% of the characters I play are based on their design and how comfortable I’m playing them, doesn’t matter the tier haha.
I think SF6 is a good game, way better than SFV for sure, and something it does better than old school games is the innate ability to modify the game as it goes along, so you can have better (or worse) balancing as the game keeps evolving. You’ll never be stuck with the same game forever, unlike the old games (though this can be detrimental as well, depending on who you play as). The online play is also something better than the older games; as amazing as Fightcade is, I’ve had matches in SF6 against people from Spain and South America with barely any lag and/or input lag, whereas on Fightcade those same people would be unplayable.
16-It is undeniable that the strike/throw mixup is a real thing and it creates endless situations where you are just guessing and trying to read opponent tendencies. In my opinion, the thing that makes SF6 fun is that the game is very fast paced, and it feels balanced in the sense that there is somewhat of an answer to everything. Season 2 brought the drive reversal on wakeup, but it feels too easy to bait and punish. What would you change about SF6 at this point?
I still want to see the raw Drive Rushes not eat inputs, so you can react to them more easily and punish them. Most characters in the game can throw themselves around for free and create an advantageous situation out of nowhere, which could get you killed cause you decided to react but instead got hit. Then you have characters like Manon who have an almost useless raw Drive Rush haha, so it would be nice to at least be able to punish characters who can do that sort of stuff.
17-Who is your sf6 pocket character?
Luke and Akuma equally, but I rarely bring them up in tournaments.
18-In my opinion, games like SF6 and specially SFV allow for more unpredictable outcomes. This was rarely the case in older games like ST, 3S and SF4. Some say that this is due to how the community was smaller back then, but by the time SF4 reached its peak, it already had a huge community of new talents, still, only the same names would rotate and reign the top 8 spots in most tournaments. Do you feel that SF6 is a game where being a pro player is even harder than ever before?
Yes and no. Right now the player base is probably the biggest it’s ever been, so there is definitely more competition; however, you can still see the same names in big tournament top 8’s. At the time of writing this, Punk had just won EVO, and he’s been one of the best players in the world since SFV. Sure, there might be some tournaments where he won’t reach top 8 for example, but he might finish 9th which is still consistent enough in my opinion.
You might bump into hidden talents here and there, and the upsets will still happen, but I feel that right now the game has their top players already established on their scenes and they’ll hardly fall out. At best, newer players might climb up the ranks fast and challenge the top players, but in the end, since pro players do this for a living, it’s on them to adapt and keep growing so they don’t get left behind and keep getting consistent results.
19-I would like to finish this with your advice to new players that are thinking of investing time and money in order to play fighting games for a living. Any specific mistakes you feel that you made and others could avoid. Also, any specific training methods that helped you reach higher levels faster?
I made the mistake of not finishing college when I had the opportunity, had to come back and finish it years later. It is not wise to leave school behind to go after fighting games for a living, because it is not at the level of other esports yet, and sometimes things don’t end up working like you expect them too. Having a degree is always useful, you don’t know when it’ll become handy. If you want to try your hand at becoming a pro fighting game player, go for it, but make sure you have a safety net in case it doesn’t work.
About training, my method has always consisted of just playing against people nonstop. Whether it’s ranked matches or long sets, if you’re playing against people better than you. It also helps that you play with a purpose; that is, try to fix mistakes or try to focus your gameplan on certain aspects that you feel you need to improve (e.g. dedicate an entire match just to land as many anti airs as possible, doesn’t matter if you win or lose). It sounds like old school mentality (and it kinda is), but it was the way I learned the most. Labbing in training mode also helps, but in moderation. Say, just to find out how to counter certain situations you lost to, or that you thought of, or also just to grind your muscle memory and have combos down to a tee so you don’t drop them in the middle of the match. I’ve met so many players who are training mode monsters, but they’re lost when they need to play against actual people who adapt, change strategies, react, etc.
A big thanks for Raúl once again for taking his time to do this interview.
-Fighter101