Shogi superstar Sota Fujii has done it again. The 23-year-old grandmaster shattered the all-time earnings record in 2025, becoming the first player in history to top ¥200 million ($1.24 Million USD) in prize money and appearance fees. Holding six major titles and sitting atop the earnings rankings for a fourth straight year, Fujii continues to prove that he’s not just dominating the board—he’s redefining what success looks like in modern shogi.

Fujii’s record-breaking year put him far ahead of the competition, with Takuya Nagase and Yuki Sasaki rounding out the top three earners. The achievement also eclipsed Fujii’s own previous record set in 2023—the historic season when he became the first player ever to simultaneously hold all eight major shogi titles, cementing his place among the game’s all-time greats.