Japanese pro-gamer Daigo Umehara rose to fame as an arcade fighting game player. He’s considered one of the best Street Fighter players in the world and holds a Guinness World Record as the most successful competitor in major tournaments for the series. In honor of his legacy, UDON Entertainment is releasing an English version of the manga chronicling his road to stardom.

The series is called Daigo the Beast: Umehara Fighting Gamers!, and it memorializes Umehara’s “aggressive play and nearly psychic ability to predict and counter his opponent's next move.” It also sheds some light on the community around fighting games.

The DAIGO THE BEAST manga explores the real-life events that built the fighting game community, and the strategies and play styles developed by Daigo and his fellow gamers. In Volume 1, Shinya Ohnuki, a gamer with prodigious talent, is drawn into the wild and wonderful world of fighting games after a chance meeting with Daigo. As they face off in iconic games like Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, and Darkstalkers, an enduring rivalry between Daigo and "Nuki" is born! 

The manga won’t officially be released until December, but those attending the Evolution Championship Series — an annual fighting game e-sports tournament — will be able to buy Daigo The Beast Volume 1 early for $19.99 at the UDON booth. EVO runs from July 14th–16th in Las Vegas.