There were many a surprise for the Guilty Gear fan attending ArcRevo America 2019 by the end of the event, but the top 8 of Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 was simply an affirmation of the obvious: Omito "Omito" Hashimoto is the greatest REV 2 player of all time.

The XRD REV 2 top 8 was the final of three top 8s to take place at ArcRevo America Day 2. BlazBlue: Central Fiction and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle featured dramatic Grand Finals finishes, but Omito win almost felt like an afterthought to the crowd at University of California, Irvine. The Johnny Sfondi maestro rampaged through the bracket to reach the Winners side of Grand Finals, and swept fellow Japanese talent ChaChaCha in a one-sided affair to take home the gold. 

In addition to the 1st place finish, Omito won $20,000 in prize money, a glass trophy to add to his hardware, and a new OBSIDIAN joystick presented to him by quite the illustrious pair: ArcSystemWorks CEO/President Minoru Kidooka and ArcSystemWorks Chief Creative Officer and creator of the Guilty Gear franchise Daisuke Ishiwatari.

Omito's dominance was temporarily swept out of the spotlight by the ArcRevo America 2019 closing ceremony, which featured the official 2020 release announcement of 'Guilty Gear: Strive'  s well as a 20th Anniversary Pack for the original Guilty Gear complete with a first-time physical release. 

However, the announcements do not downplay Omito's dominance since the release of Xrd REV 2 in 2017. His tournament results are staggering: 1st place at EVO 2017; EVO 2018; ArcRevo Japan 2018; KVO x TSB 2019; and now, ArcRevo America 2019. Omito has also finished 2nd in Xrd REV 2 at EVO Japan 2018, narrowly losing in game 5 to Nage in the Grand Finals.

Strive is set for a late 2020 release, and with a new chapter of Guilty Gear on the horizon, Omito has solidified himself as the greatest Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 player to ever touch the title. When Guilty Gear: Strive inevitably joins a competitive circuit in the Fighting Game Community, Omito will be the player to beat.