Sōta Fujii

Sōta Fujii (藤井 聡太, Fujii Sōta; born July 19, 2002 in Seto, Aichi) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is the current holder of the Kiō, Kisei, Meijin, Ōi, Ōshō and Ryūō titles, and a former holder of the Eiō and Ōza titles. He is the youngest person to be awarded professional status by the Japan Shogi Association and one of only five players to become professional while still a junior high school student.

Since becoming a professional, Fujii has broken a number of professional shogi records including being the youngest player to win a professional shogi tournament, the youngest player to challenge for a major title, the youngest player to win a major title, the youngest player to be a 2-crown title holder, the youngest player to defend a major title, the youngest player to be awarded the rank of 9-dan, the youngest to be a 3-crown title holder, the youngest to be a 4-crown title holder, the youngest to be a 5-crown title holder, the youngest to be a 6-crown title holder, the youngest to be a 7-crown title holder, the youngest to win the Meijin title, the youngest to win the Ōza title and becoming the first 8-crown title holder in professional shogi history. He also won his first 29 games as a professional to set a new record for most consecutive games won, and is also the first player to win all current non-title tournaments open to all professional shogi players in a single shogi year.

In July 2024, Fujii at age 21 years and 11 months became the youngest player to satisfy the criteria for becoming a "Lifetime Title Holder" when he qualified for the Lifetime Kisei title. The following month, he also qualified for the Lifetime Ōi title. In November 2025, he qualified for the Lifetime Ryūō title.

In 2025, Fujii became the first player to earn more than JPY 200 million in a single year.