Shacknews Esports Hero of 2022 - UMISHO

With EVO having come back in a big way in 2022, it was exciting to see everything come together for an incredible fighting game event. However, one of the biggest highlights of the weekend was the Guilty Gear Strive Top 8. It was here that a relative newcomer marched in and rolled some of the biggest names in Guilty Gear competition on their way to the Grand Finals before taking it all with the biggest of Ws. We’re talking about the stellar performance of UMISHO: Our Shacknews Esports Hero of 2022.

UMISHO is no stranger to competitive gaming. They spent much of their effort in Overwatch before coming over to Guilty Gear Strive (with good reason as they lament the state of current Overwatch esports). UMISHO didn’t have an extensive history of competition in Guilty Gear before 2022. They took up Happy Chaos, who is widely considered to be a threatening character in the game. However, it was UMISHO’s handling of the character that put them over the top.

Happy Chaos is a zoner. Many players rely on keeping opponents locked down at distance with his oppressive gunfire mechanics. UMISHO didn’t play the typical Happy Chaos game, though. They made Happy Chaos look like just as much of a threat up close as far away, utilizing a dizzying variety of close and long-range combos that overwhelmed most of their opponents. Even more impressive is that UMISHO marched through a variety of top-tier Guilty Gear players and Top 8 regulars on their way to the finish, including beating Remi Celeste, PepperySplash, Leffen, and Slash, just to name a few.

It's not easy to come from one game to another vastly different genre in terms of competition. It’s even harder to come in and take it all at the biggest stage of them all. UMISHO did both in convincing style, achieving an incredible feat. The dedication, effort, and shockingly good play makes UMISHO our Shacknews Esports Hero of 2022.

Check out our Year of the Games: 2022 article to see all of the other Shacknews Awards that have been announced so far.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.