Haruo "Beastly Fingers" Yaguchi rules the arcade gaming scene, but beneath his famous identity as a pro gamer is a plain sixth grader with an uneventful life. Neither popular, smart, nor athletic, he excels in only one thing: video games. Haruo would rather spend hours at the local arcade honing his gaming skills than take his life and academics seriously.

One day, Haruo meets his match in fellow classmate Akira Oono. Akira is not the type of person to frequent an arcade: she has perfect grades, is well-loved, and comes from a wealthy background. Even so, not only is she able to score a 29-game win streak, but she also manages to beat Haruo seven times in a row. Eager to end her domination, Haruo duels Akira in Street Fighter 2 and resorts to underhanded tactics—which earns him a slap in the face from the shy girl. This encounter starts a strange and rocky relationship between the two rival gamers.