SHIMANO 26 Vanquish CE C2000S

The Vanquish, the flagship model of the Magnum Light series that has supported technical games, now has a new CE model released in 2026. Its focus is on a special realm different from the 23 Vanquish.
As the name COMPETITION EDITION suggests, it's designed to maximize the potential of area trout and bass tournament anglers. The development concept is overwhelming "winding sensitivity." By sacrificing some of the waterproofing features of the 23 Vanquish to reduce rotational torque, the winding lightness, achieved through meticulous refinement of sensitivity and responsiveness, is truly otherworldly. The direct feel and information transmission, so direct you might forget the reel is even there, will evoke feelings of pleasure and excitement. The lineup includes eight items ranging from 1000 to 2500 sizes. While retaining core technologies such as Infinity Cross and Infinity Drive from the 23 Vanquish, it supports tournament anglers and core anglers with specifications that are thoroughly focused on winding sensitivity.

That one volume will change the world
The Vanquish CE is not just a reel that has evolved normally. It is the "embodiment of sensitivity," sharpening the angler's senses and creating the illusion of visualizing what is happening underwater. It is a special existence born to seize victory on the stage known as "COMPETITION." Even waterproofing has been sacrificed, with everything dedicated to the lightness of winding and overwhelmingly improved winding sensitivity. The directness that makes you forget the reel is even there awakens the angler's instincts.
Vanquish CE – A move to surpass your previous limits.

The Vanquish worldview embodied in the design
The body color is a different black than the 23 Vanquish. The plated parts are also set to a darker color, creating an overall cool and refined appearance. The deliberate use of accent colors and the calm, monochrome color scheme symbolize the Vanquish's unwavering worldview, prioritizing direct operation over the exclusivity of a limited edition model. The "COMPETITION EDITION," exuding an even more stoic presence than the current model, quietly makes a statement.

Lightness and responsiveness: Magnum Light Series Concept
The Magnum Light series, along with the Core Solid series, is one of Shimano's two major spinning reel concepts. While the Core Solid series, topped by the Stella, pursues stability in winding, the Magnum Light series is characterized by its design that specializes in lightness, agility, and responsiveness.
Introduced in 2012 with the slogan "direct feeling derived from low inertia," the Vanquish has remained the pinnacle of the Magnum Light series ever since. Equipped with a lightweight yet high-strength carbon fiber reinforced resin CI4+ asymmetrical low-inertia rotor, it achieves light-force initial reeling and stopping. The 23 Vanquish boasts an impenetrable lineup ranging from 1000 to C5000 sizes, making it suitable for a wide range of situations, from freshwater to saltwater. Furthermore, its agility makes it easy to sense even the slightest changes underwater, and its superior information transmission performance is another advantage of the Magnum Light series.

The Vanquish truly shines in games where anglers take the lead in technical and aggressive lure manipulation, engaging in sophisticated tactical exchanges. Its extremely low inertia provides responsiveness that allows for precise control of line slack down to the millimeter, and enables linear operation without time lag, even when rapidly switching between retrieve and stop movements over short distances. While the Core Solid series excels at continuous retrieves utilizing inertia, the Vanquish's strengths lie in meticulous strategies employing variations in speed and intensity.

The goal: the ultimate in "retrieval sensitivity"
The 26 Vanquish CE aimed for overwhelming winding sensitivity and responsiveness that even surpassed the 23 Vanquish. But is such a thing possible? Any angler familiar with the heights achieved by the 23 Vanquish would surely feel the same way.
Shimano's development team explored every possibility to overcome this challenge. As a result, they arrived at a bold solution: sacrificing some of the waterproofing performance to the extent that it wouldn't affect actual fishing. Specifically, they eliminated the waterproof seal used in the handle shaft of the 23 Vanquish and changed some of the bearings from grease to oil. This reduced rotational torque by approximately 25%. This makes it easier to feel changes in water flow and the vibrations of the lure, even enabling lure manipulation that predicts the moment a fish will bite.

This handle shaft section doesn't simply lack a waterproof seal. To compensate for the resulting loss of waterproofing, it features a special design for the 26 Vanquish CE, minimizing the gap between the handle shaft and the body.

The graph above shows the handle rotation torque at a given handle rotation speed for the 23 Vanquish and 26 Vanquish CE, with "handle rotation speed" on the horizontal axis and "handle rotation torque" on the vertical axis. For example, at handle rotation speed S1 (dead slow, one handle rotation in 3 seconds), the 26 Vanquish CE has approximately 25% lower handle rotation torque than the 23 Vanquish. Furthermore, at handle rotation speed S2 (high-speed rotation, such as when retrieving lures), the 26 Vanquish CE exhibits approximately 40% lower handle rotation torque compared to the 23 Vanquish. The improved responsiveness allows for initial movement with less force, and the quality of adding the necessary action when needed, without being hindered by initial resistance or inertia, has been refined. While its waterproof performance is slightly inferior to the 23 Vanquish, it is basically usable in both freshwater and saltwater. In saltwater fishing, it maintains the same reliability as before in environments where direct exposure to seawater is unlikely, such as light saltwater fishing from breakwaters or eging (squid fishing).

The ultimate "winding sensitivity" was sought in the 1000SSS series
The goal with the 1000 size wasn't to optimize line capacity, but rather to achieve a level of winding sensitivity that even the perfected C2000 size couldn't match through downsizing. A rotor specifically designed for the 1000 size was developed for the 23 Vanquish. Further weight reduction and lower inertia compared to the C2000 rotor resulted in superior winding sensitivity and responsiveness. The 26 Vanquish CE 1000SSS series boasts overwhelming winding sensitivity, making it ideal for anglers who use lures in increments of 0.1g and engage in millimeter-level battles. The 1000SSS, first introduced with the 26 Vanquish CE, features cutting-edge specifications aimed at area trout tournament anglers. Many anglers will be familiar with its 64cm per handle turn speed.

Finesse Game Dedicated Model: C2500S Series
Both the 23 Vanquish and 26 Vanquish CE are available in C2500 and 2500 sizes, designed for bass fishing. While the C2500SXG and 2500SHG have nearly identical line capacity and maximum retrieve length, differences in the body and rotor make the C2500SXG 15g lighter. The C2500SXG excels in situations requiring more delicate and precise handling, standing out as a dedicated finesse reel for small topwater lures and micro hover-strolling. The 2500SHG covers all aspects of bass fishing. By using both models, which offer improved winding sensitivity and responsiveness, you can maximize your potential.

The handle also reflects the pursuit of the optimal solution for the COMPETITION
The handle utilizes lightweight yet high-strength carbon fiber reinforced resin CI4+, reducing the weight of the handle itself and the overall reel, further improving winding sensitivity and responsiveness. In addition, the handle knobs are designed to suit each size: a small, lightweight I-shaped knob for the 1000 size, perfect for delicate fishing; and a thin, lightweight I-shaped knob with superior grip for the C2000, C2500, and 2500 sizes. This reflects Vanquish's philosophy of enhancing operability down to the smallest detail, making it a truly reliable tool for tournament anglers and core anglers alike.

Other Features Explained

Infinity Loop
"Dramatically improved casting feel and drag performance"
The outstanding performance of the 26 Vanquish CE is based on five advanced technologies inherited from the 23 Vanquish. One of them, the Infinity Loop, is an "ultra" dense winding that goes beyond dense winding. Through advancements in its internal structure, the spool's vertical movement is drastically reduced, allowing each strand of line to be wound onto the spool in an orderly and precise manner. The Infinity Loop significantly reduces line release resistance, resulting in a smooth casting feel and even greater stability in accurate and smooth drag performance, providing a significant advantage during long fights.

Infinity Cross
"Unrivaled gear durability while retaining the Vanquish's signature features"
The heart of the reel, the gear system, is equipped with Infinity Cross technology. By increasing the contact area of the gear teeth and distributing the load over a wider area, it achieves improved gear durability without compromising the Vanquish's greatest strengths: lightness, sensitivity, and operability.

Duracross
"Exceptional wear resistance that supports reliable drag performance"
The drag washers utilize Duracross, a newly reinforced material. New fibers are woven in perpendicular to the fiber direction of conventional drag washers, enhancing wear resistance while maintaining smooth and reliable drag performance.

Anti-Twist Fin
"Suppresses troubles and ensures comfortable casting"
The anti-twist fin, integrated into the bail section close to the line roller, is a part designed to reduce line slack during gameplay, minimizing the phenomenon of line falling off the bottom of the spool or getting tangled and wrapped around the spool. It suppresses unpleasant line troubles during casting, supporting a stress-free and comfortable game.