When I happened upon Street Fighter IV on the Xbox 360 in 2009, it came years after playing Super Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo and falling victim to the cheap tactics of my cousin’s Dhalsim. I had zero knowledge of fighting game mechanics like footsies, whiff punishing, or zoning, but in 2009 I was consumed by everything Street Fighter. Justin Wong was among some of my earliest impressions of the fighting game community’s most prolific figures, clashing with FGC rivals and icons Daigo Umehara, Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez, and Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi throughout the early 2010s.

Justin has won the most Evolution Championship Series titles, all while beating out FGC beasts like David Lee and Ricky Ortiz, and has dominated regional tournaments over the last decade. His Rufus play in Street Fighter IV and after have resulted in the hypest and most memorable matches in the FGC and the community holds him in high esteem. The Nerds of Color had the immense opportunity to catch up with Justin and talk all things fighting games, content creation, and fatherhood. You can catch our full conversation below!