Former CC11 Champion Sho Becomes Coach for VARREL's Tokido
Sho's return to esports as a coach, after retiring from competition less than a year ago, brings a top-tier competitive perspective to a veteran player ahead of a major league season.
Key Facts
- Sho won Capcom Cup 11 and Gamers8 2023 in Street Fighter 6.
- Sho retired from competitive esports in October 2025.
- Sho announced he will coach VARREL's Tokido, his first coaching role.
- Tokido will compete in Street Fighter League JAPAN 2026 starting August 25.
Reporting from 3 sources: Game Spark, GameBusiness.jp, Inside.
Former pro gamer Sho, winner of the Capcom Cup 11 and Gamers8 2023 in Street Fighter 6, has announced he will coach Tokido, a player for the esports team VARREL. Sho retired from competitive play in October 2025 and now works in IT, digital business, and indie game development. He made the announcement on his X account, stating he would be coaching Tokido for a while. Sho said he initially thought he would never work in esports again, but after reviewing Tokido's gameplay, he saw a vision for the character JP that differed from his own and felt compelled to take the role. This is Sho's first coaching position. He expressed enthusiasm about completing Tokido's JP. Tokido is set to compete in the Street Fighter League JAPAN 2026, which begins on August 25.
Sho, who won Capcom Cup 11 and Gamers8 2023 in Street Fighter 6, retired from competitive play in October 2025. He now works in IT, digital business, and indie game development. On his X account, he announced he would coach VARREL's Tokido for a while. Sho said he thought he would never work in esports again, but after being approached, he reviewed Tokido's gameplay and saw a vision for the character JP that was different from his own, which he could not ignore. This is Sho's first coaching role. He said he would do his best to complete Tokido's JP. Tokido is a player for VARREL and will participate in Street Fighter League JAPAN 2026, which starts on August 25.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.