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The rebirth of 'Flash' in Street Fighter V

Peter 'Flash' Susini
Peter ‘Flash’ Susini (Eric Stewart Photography)

Peter “Flash” Susini sat down next to Evil Geniuses’ Justin Wong on the main stage in Chicago at Combo Breaker with the unenviable task of dethroning the best Street Fighter V player in the Western hemisphere. He flashed his gigawatt smile before making his character selection. Few expected Flash to be battling for first place at Combo Breaker, and even though he lost the grand finals set 3-1, he made a statement. Flash is back.

When Capcom hit the reset button on Street Fighter V, it leveled the playing field for a lot of competitors, including veterans like the 28-year-old Flash, who once finished top 8 in Street Fighter IV at Evo 2011. Boredom with Street Fighter IV’s “robotic” set play drove Flash away from the game and he traveled less often to compete. But Street Fighter V’s “honest” gameplay is refreshing for Flash and it’s fueled a competitive fire, driving him to fill his schedule with event after event.

“The beginning of Street Fighter IV was a lot like Street Fighter V. It was about making decisions to outplay people,” Flash told Yahoo Esports. “Over time it became too robotic and the tech was too strong. I didn’t like that.”

Flash may have lost the battle at Combo Breaker, but he gained a lot of traction on the Capcom Pro Tour with his second place finish. His friend and Street Fighter IV pupil Kenneth “K-Brad” Bradley told him to have his phone ready for all of the sponsors who would be calling him. And indeed they did. Flash recently inked a deal with Naventic, an esports organization known for its Heroes of the Storm team.

Gaining a sponsor isn’t the only change he’s undergoing as a pro player. Flash is finally ditching something he’s been trying to rid himself of for years: his handle.

Roughly 18 years ago, by his estimation, Flash created an account on Shoryuken. He needed a username. He spent 30 minutes trying to figure one out before he strung two random words together that would become his online and pro gaming persona for nearly two decades.

“I couldn’t think of anything so I came up with two words that sounded cool together: Flash and Metroid,” Flash said. “I’ve never played Metroid. I’m not a comic book fan. They were literally two words I thought sounded cool when I was 10 years old.”

It stuck, and for years he’s been trying to shake the Metroid part of his identity. Why now?

“I just don’t like it. I never really liked it. I feel like it’s time to get rid of the name and rebrand. I like Flash,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get rid of it for a while. I signed up at tournaments as just Flash. The first round of a tournament, it would be just Flash. By the second round, they’d add an M. Eventually, it would be the whole thing, Flash Metroid.”

FGC_Flash
FGC_Flash (Martin De Luna Jr.)

Flash isn’t just experiencing a rejuvenation as a player with Street Fighter V. He’s reinventing himself. He’s playing a character he enjoys. He has a new sponsor and he’s traveling more, with the intention of competing at CEO, Evo, and potentially events abroad like EGX in the U.K. and Tokyo Game Show in Japan. At the very least, he’ll compete for a chance to qualify for Capcom Cup at the CPT Regional Finals in Seattle. Flash is hungry to win and nothing short of top 8 at Capcom Cup will satisfy his appetite.

Michael Martin covers Street Fighter V and the Capcom Pro Tour. Follow him on Twitter @Bizarro_Mike.