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Higuchi
Higuchi is a Japanese fighting game player competing in Street Fighter 6, selected for both the Esports Nations Cup 2026 and the 20th Asian Games. He has competed in the Esports World Cup twice.
Synthesized from 10
Yomimono stories · updated
Aug 6
Higuchi is a Street Fighter 6 competitor whose recent tournament results have placed him on Japan's national teams for two major international events. In July 2026, the Japan eSports Association confirmed him as one of 25 athletes for the e-sports events at the 20th Asian Games in September, where he will represent Japan in the fighting game category alongside NOBI and SCORE. A month later, the Esports Foundation announced him as one of six Japanese fighters for the Esports Nations Cup 2026, a country-versus-country tournament debuting in Riyadh. At that event, he joins GO1 and Nemo in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and Sahara, Fuudo, and Hikaru in Street Fighter 6.
The two announcements frame Higuchi's standing within Japan's fighting game scene. The ENC roster highlights a rare cross-franchise collaboration for Japan, with attention drawn to GO1 versus Nemo matchups. Higuchi's inclusion in both events reflects his consistent performance, though the stories do not specify his ranking or qualification path. His prior experience includes two appearances at the Esports World Cup, a detail noted in the ENC announcement.
No other details about Higuchi's career, such as his age, team affiliation, or past tournament wins, appear in the provided stories. The coverage focuses on his national team selections and his Esports World Cup history, leaving his broader competitive record outside the scope of these reports.
Key facts
- Selected for Esports Nations Cup 2026
- Higuchi is one of six Japanese fighters for the ENC 2026, competing in Street Fighter 6. ↗
- Selected for 20th Asian Games
- Higuchi is one of 25 Japanese e-sports athletes for the 20th Asian Games, competing in Street Fighter 6. ↗
- Esports World Cup appearances
- Higuchi has competed in the Esports World Cup twice. ↗
Timeline
- Aug 5, 2026 Six Japanese Fighters Set for Esports Nations Cup 2026
- Jul 15, 2026 Japan Finalizes 25 E-Sports Athletes for 20th Asian Games
- Jul 14, 2026 K Makes Film Debut in Live-Action Blue Lock and Asks to Be Called an Actor
- Jul 8, 2026 Nijisanji Cherry Cherish Goods Launch July 9
- Jun 27, 2026 Patlabor EZY File 1 Retrospective Screening Set for July 26
- Jun 27, 2026 Ao Ashi Season 2 Main Visual Revealed, 10-FEET and Higuchi Ai to Perform Theme Songs
- Jun 26, 2026 Aoashi Season 2 Reveals Visual, Theme Songs, and Anime Expo Panel
- Jun 9, 2026 Nijisanji Opens Pre-Orders for Higuchi Kaede 1 Million Subscriber Goods
- Jun 5, 2026 Takanori Higuchi Joins Jun Kaname's Agency PLAN-D
- Jun 5, 2026 Live2D And NIJISANJI Launch Higuchi Kaede Fan Art Contest
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
All coverage
Aug 21
Nexon announced on August 21 that the official program for Mabinogi Mobile, an online RPG scheduled to launch in Japan within 2026, will stream on August 24 at 8 PM. Host Chunii will be joined by voice actors Tomomi Isomura and Tomoaki Ono, plus Nijisanji virtual liver Kaede Higuchi. The program will show the latest gameplay footage and reveal new information, including pre-launch campaigns. The game supports cross-play on PC and mobile.
Aug 20
Kizuna AI celebrated her birthday on June 30, 2026, with a 3D live and collaboration stream featuring Sakura Miko, Mori Calliope, and others. The pioneer of the VTuber scene, active since November 29, 2016, is approaching her 10th year, prompting a two-part analysis of whether VTubers are idols.
Aug 5
The Esports Foundation (EF) announced on August 4, 2026, the six Japanese representatives for the fighting game category at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), a country-versus-country tournament set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The roster includes GO1 and Nemo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and Sahara, Fuudo, Higuchi, and Hikaru from Street Fighter 6. GO1 earned a direct invitation through the SNK World Championship 2026 ranking system, having won the Esports World Cup 2025, EVO 2025, and Combo Breaker 2026, and leads the domestic ranking by over 8,000 points. Nemo secured his slot by winning the East Asia online regional qualifier. Sahara, the 21-year-old Capcom Cup 12 champion, brings experience from Fortnite and VALORANT. Higuchi has competed in the Esports World Cup twice, while Fuudo has been active for about 15 years. Hikaru won the second World Warrior Japan tournament and was runner-up in the first, holding top results among Japanese players in the Capcom Pro Tour World Warrior rankings. ENC is a biennial global tournament where players represent their countries or regions, not clubs.
Jul 15
The Japan eSports Association has officially confirmed 25 athletes as Japanese representatives for the e-sports events at the 20th Asian Games in September. The team includes fighting game players Higuchi (Street Fighter 6), NOBI (Tekken 8), and SCORE (The King of Fighters XV), along with representatives from eFootball, Gran Turismo 7, Puyo Puyo eSports, Identity V, Pokémon UNITE, and PUBG MOBILE. Four coaches will also accompany the team.
Jul 14
K, a member of the group &TEAM, made his film debut as Nagi Seishiro in the live-action Blue Lock film at its world premiere in Tokyo on July 13. During the stage greeting, K expressed gratitude to the cast and staff and asked the audience if he could now call himself an actor, receiving applause. The film opens in Japan on August 7.
Jul 8
ANYCOLOR announced on July 8, 2026, that a new line of merchandise themed around cherries, called Cherry Cherish, will go on sale at the Nijisanji Official Store starting July 9 at 18:00 JST. The lineup features six Nijisanji livers: Mito Tsukino, Kaede Higuchi, Yuka Shiina, Ririmu Makai, Meruto Kuramochi, and Berry Saotome. Eight product types are available, including glitter acrylic stands at 2,000 yen each, random heart-shaped can badges at 600 yen, random Cheki-style cards at 350 yen, sticker sets at 1,200 yen, cherry key holders at 2,000 yen, mini pouches with carabiners at 2,200 yen, sitting plushies from the Nijinui Goods series at 3,500 yen, and twin key holders from the Nijipuppet Customize series at 3,000 yen. Full-body visuals were illustrated by Chie Maeyama, and chibi characters by Tokaretamatama. Shipping is scheduled from mid-July 2026 onward. Purchase limits apply per item.
Jun 27
A retrospective screening and talk event for Mobile Police Patlabor EZY File 1 will be held on July 26, 2026, at United Cinemas Toyosu. Director Yutaka Izubuchi, screenwriter Kazunori Ito, and storyboard artist Shinji Higuchi will appear. Attendees receive a printed booklet of the 130-page Episode 3 storyboard.
Jun 27
The main visual for the first cour of the TV anime "Ao Ashi Season 2" was released on June 26, 2026. The opening theme will be performed by the band 10-FEET, and the ending theme by singer Higuchi Ai. The visual centers on protagonist Aoi Ashito, surrounded by eight members of the Tokyo City Esperion Youth A team: Nagisa Akutsu, Haruhisa Kuribayashi, Yuma Motoki, Taira Nakamura, Yoichi Kirigi, Eita Takasugi, and Enshin Akiyama. Handwritten comments from three voice actors were also published. Kosuke Ōsuzu, who voices Ashito, wrote "Soccer at a more 'professional' level!!" Shunsuke Takeuchi (Nagisa Akutsu) wrote "Check out the cool buzz cut!!" and Yūichirō Umehara (Haruhisa Kuribayashi) wrote "Anguish." The second season adapts the arc following Ashito's promotion to the A team. The original manga by Yūgo Kobayashi ran in Weekly Big Comic Spirits from 2015 to 2025 and has sold over 25 million copies. The first season aired from April to September 2022. The first cour of season two is scheduled to premiere on NHK E-TV on October 4, 2026, airing Sundays at 17:00. Animation production is handled by TMS Entertainment, with Kazuki Yokoyama directing.
Jun 26
The staff of the Aoashi anime revealed a new main visual, the theme song artists, and an Anime Expo panel for the second season on June 26. The season will premiere on NHK Educational on October 4. Japanese rock band 10-FEET will perform the opening theme for the first half of the season (12 episodes), while singer-songwriter Ai Higuchi will perform the ending theme. The second season will be animated by TMS Entertainment, replacing Production I.G. Kazuki Yokoyama takes over as director from Akira Sato. Asami Taguchi and Junko Yamanaka join as character designers alongside returning Manabu Nakatake, with previous designers no longer credited. The series will have a panel at Anime Expo on July 3, featuring producer Junichi Katsutani, a world premiere preview of footage, and a discussion on realistic soccer animation. The manga by Yugo Kobayashi ended in August 2025 with 40 volumes.
Jun 9
Nijisanji announced pre-orders for Higuchi Kaede celebration goods starting June 9, 2026 at 18:00 JST, commemorating her YouTube channel reaching 1 million subscribers. The lineup includes a Gold Niji Papetto plush, a Squeeze Mascot, and an Acrylic Flower Base. Orders run until July 8 on the Nijisanji Official Store, with shipment from mid-September.
Jun 5
Takanori Higuchi, who played Kaoru Kino/Another Agito in Kamen Rider Agito, announced on June 5 via X that he has joined PLAN-D, the agency headed by co-star Jun Kaname. Higuchi recently reprised his role in the anniversary film Agito: Supernatural War, released April 29.
Jun 5
Live2D and NIJISANJI announced the nizima × Higuchi Kaede Fan Art Contest on June 4, 2026. The contest has two categories: Illustration and nizima ACTION!!, for fan works themed around VTuber Higuchi Kaede. Higuchi Kaede herself will judge entries. The entry period runs from June 4 to July 20, 2026.