Akuma

Akuma is an evil karate fighter from the Street Fighter universe. He is known as Gouki in Japan.

Overview

Akuma is a very mysterious character in the Street Fighter series.

Akuma is, in many ways, the evil counterpart of Ryu and Ken. He is an extremely skilled warrior who strives for perfection. His lust for power, however, was so strong that he was almost forced to specialize in the deadliest techniques of the Ansatsuken.

Originally appearing in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss, he has red hair, wears prayer beads around his neck, and wears a black karate gi (occasionally displayed as blue in artwork). The kanji 'ten' (天) - meaning "sky", "heaven", or "providence" - can be seen on his back when it appears during certain win animations.

Capcom has stated that the symbol on his back meant "immortal" for Akuma even though there are many different translations. He is voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura in many of the games in which he has appeared.

Akuma fights only to test his strength and his opponent's. This means that he will only fight opponents that will provide a challenge, hence his refusal to fight unworthy challengers under any circumstances. Akuma will only kill opponents who are as strong as he, which is why he stopped his fight with Gen after realizing that he was ill. While Akuma killed his brother and his teacher, he did so in the confines of the code of the warrior, where the field of battle does not distinguish between friend and foe. Akuma believes he committed no transgression whatsoever. Also, with the exception of Gouken and Goutetsu, Akuma usually only fights those who challenge him instead of picking fights.

Capcom USA initially claimed Akuma was possessed by a demon, but this was a fabrication of the American branch, and is not series canon. The character's name change from Gouki to Akuma (the Japanese and American names, respectively) reflects Capcom USA's attempt to accentuate the demonic nature (the word Akuma (悪魔, Akuma ) means demon in Japanese, although it should be noted that the Japanese version of his English name uses the phonetic katakana syllabary which does not necessarily hold the same intrinsic meaning as the kanji version).

The idea for the American name came to Capcom's Chris Kramer, after reading a news article about a Japanese couple wishing to name their child Akuma. The request was denied, as names directly referring to infernal beings are illegal in Japan, but was naturally deemed fitting for the Street Fighter character.

History

Akuma and his brother Gouken were students of Goutetsu. Goutetsu taught a life-threatening martial art called Ansatsuken (Assassin Fist), which incorporates elements of karate, judo, and kempo. He also taught Shun Goku Satsu (literally Instant Hell Murder or The Raging Demon), a death technique which, although incredibly powerful, puts the user in considerable danger.

As the brothers progressed under Goutetsu's tutelage, a dispute arose on the true nature of Ansatsuken and the path to master it. Gouken, unable to accept the violent nature of Ansatsuken, left Goutetsu to begin his own dojo. Akuma continued Goutetsu's teachings and vowed to use Ansatsuken as it was intended.

In order to learn Shun Goku Satsu, Akuma embraced the principle of Satsui no Hadō or (The Surge of the Intent to Murder/Murderous Intent). Through Satsui no Hadō, Akuma was forced to give up any compassion he held towards other human beings. In addition, Akuma realized his limits as a martial artist could be expanded, and left Goutetsu's guidance to train alone.

His return marked the end for Goutetsu - Akuma demonstrated his strength by killing his former master with Shun Goku Satsu. Goutetsu fell with an inner joy, realizing his pupil was attempting to master Ansatsuken. Akuma removed the beaded necklace from Goutetsu's neck and placed it around his own. Sometime later, Akuma challenged and fought his brother. With Gouken gaining the upper hand, Akuma was eventually struck down. Akuma requested death in defeat, however his brother had no intention of killing him. Akuma, vowing to return, left Gouken. Years later, he returned; they fought again, and this time Gouken was apparently killed (he reappeared years later) . Ken saw the battle as he was returning from the U.S. Martial Arts tournament. Rushing to the dojo to find it in shambles and his master dead, an enraged Ken ran into the surrounding woods searching for the killer. Akuma easily defeated Ken and disappeared. Gouken's other student Ryu soon learned of his master's death and began to search for Akuma.

Several other renditions of the Street Fighter story talk of Ryu finding Gouken's body (after falling to Akuma), who then travels the world to find Akuma. These renditions also talk of Ryu's potential to harness "Satsui no Hadō", giving him the ability to transform into Evil Ryu (first found in Street Fighter Alpha 2).

Akuma began to search the globe looking for worthy fighters to challenge. Secluding himself in the shadows, he watched small tournaments and street fights, desperately seeking someone who might be able to match his strength. He was eventually challenged by a man named Gen. Gen fought a vicious battle. He had even survived the Shun Goku Satsu by emptying his soul in time. Akuma began to wonder if this man was the worthy opponent he was searching for. However, he began to sense not all was as it seemed and when Gen's mouth began to bleed Akuma's suspicions were confirmed, his opponent was sick, and the fight was not fair. After being knocked to the ground, Gen told Akuma to kill him. Not wanting to carry the fight on any longer, Akuma left, infuriating Gen. After the fight, Akuma became obsessed with Ryu and awakened the "Dark Intent".

Ryu eventually found Akuma's island (known as Onigami Isle or the Gokuentou) and challenged him. The intense battle that followed ended in a draw; Akuma was impressed as this was the closest he had come to a defeat yet. Telling Ryu to find him again when he had embraced the Satsui no Hadō, Akuma struck his island with a powerful blow and disappeared. The island fell apart around Ryu, who was left in the ocean to contemplate Akuma's words. Leaving his destroyed abode, Akuma thought about all the fighters he had encountered and wondered with excitement if one day he would fight someone strong enough to kill him in battle. This thought drove him on, finding a desolate cavern (also known as Kiga Cave) he began to train and await the day he would fight Ryu again.

Two years later, Akuma began to search once more for worthy fighters whilst awaiting Ryu to embrace the Satsui no Hadō. He could have possibly fought Adon at this time and killed him (as Adon had been searching for Akuma, yet was never heard from again). He encountered Gen once more and fought a final battle (the results of which are still unclear). However, unknown to Akuma, Ryu had rejected the Satsui no Hadō, declaring that a true warrior does not rely on violent intents.

Akuma did not officially enter the second World Warrior tournament. He jumped into M. Bison's arena and performed a Shun Goku Satsu on Bison, killing him, and sending his soul to hell.

As with the second World Warrior tournament, Akuma did not enter the third World Warrior tournament, but once more lurked in the shadows. He even successfully pulled off a Shun Goku Satsu on the tournament sponsor Gill, although he left without realizing that Gill had resurrected himself. Over this timespan, Akuma had trained relentlessly until finally harnessing his power and learning several new techniques, some that were meant to create tidal waves, some described as strong enough to split Ayers Rock in half, and one that could kill an opponent with a single strike. Akuma's self-taught technique is called the Kongō Kokuretsu Zan, in which Akuma channels all his power into one hand and smashes it into the ground, creating a vortex of energy upward around him. It is supposedly this technique that was used to destroy his original training ground, although this is mainly conjecture as he is not shown using this move until the 3rd World Warrior tournament.

Akuma continued to develop his now-incredible fighting skill, and even fought with Oro in a simple, inconclusive battle, each other sensing the other's massive chi and testing their powers. Akuma has now demonstrated the ability to remain underwater under massive pressure for extended periods of time, and has even managed to destroy a naval submarine with a technique that he has dubbed Tenshō Kaireki Jin.

Gameplay and Techniques

Akuma has the same moves as Ryu and Ken, only much faster and more damaging. Akuma can perform the Hadōken (Gō Hadōken--Strong Surge Fist), including one performed mid-air (Zankū Hadōken--Air-Cutting Surge Fist). His Tatsumaki Zankūkyaku (Air Slashing Kick) knocks the opponent down instantly and can also juggle, his Shōryūken ( Gō Shōryūken, -- Strong Rising Dragon Fist) knocks down his opponent at the first hit and does 3 hits up close, and he can also juggle with a single Shōryūken in certain instances. Akuma also cannot be stunned in his first few appearances. To compensate for these advantages, he is usually saddled with extremely low stamina, and in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, he has an extremely short stun meter and no EX moves. These "flaws" reflect Akuma's ability to hold back his power so as to give opponents a fighting chance.

Akuma has other notable special moves that Ryu and Ken normally lack. The Ashura Senkuu is a teleport move with very short startup and recovery which allows him to escape the corner almost at will. The Tenma Kuujinkyaku is a downwards-angled kick that he can use at the peak of his jumps; it's very fast, hard to punish and allows for combos afterward. The Hyakki Shuu is a flip attack, similar to Cammy's Hooligan Combination, that allows Akuma to either attack or grab an opponent while moving forward. He also has the Zenpou Tenshin in the Alpha games, which makes him hop and roll forward a short distance.

Akuma's super moves consist of the Messatsu Gō Hadō (Destructive Strong Surge Fist), which is simply a high-powered Shinkū Hadōken, a Tenma Gō Zankū, a mid-air version of the Shinkū Hadōken, the Messatsu Gō Shōryū (Destructive Strong Rising Dragon Fist), which similar to Ken's Shōryū Reppa without the scorching effect, and the Messatsu Gō Rasen, an upward spiraling hurricane kick attack. There are also two other moves: in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, he has the one named Kongō Kokuretsu Zan where Akuma pounds the ground producing waves of energy. In Capcom vs. SNK 2 and SvC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom he has the Misogi, where he teleports above the opponent and delivers a fierce descending strike; this move homes in on the opponent's location. Akuma's most well known super move is the Shun Goku Satsu i.e. 'instant hell murderer' or 'Raging Demon', traditionally one of the strongest super moves in any game Akuma appears in. It involves him teleporting forward and grabbing the opponent, and making them face their greatest sins in the forms of demons tearing up their flesh.

Akuma is generally a character with a lower defence, but higher offensive ability. He is seen as the character that will utterly destroy you or be utterly destroyed. Akuma uses the Kiba dachi ( 騎馬立ち , "Rider's stance") in his winning poses, one of the classic postures in Karate.

Tournament Ban and Public Appeal

In the Super Street Fighter II Turbo environment, Akuma is banned from U.S. tournaments. This is because, as David Sirlin writes, "Most characters in that game cannot beat Akuma. I don’t mean it’s a tough match—I mean they cannot ever, ever, ever, ever win. Akuma is 'broken' in that his air fireball move is something the game simply wasn’t designed to handle. He is not merely the best character in the game, but is at least ten times better than other characters. This case is so extreme that all top players in America immediately realized that all tournaments would be Akuma vs. Akuma only, and so the character was banned with basically no debate and has been ever since." In Japan, Akuma is not officially banned, but there is what is called a soft ban. In other words, all top players in Japan agree not to play Akuma without their being any official enforcement of this agreement.

Capcom managed, however, to make Akuma a much more balanced character in future appearances by giving him a series of handicaps, most notably a much reduced stamina and the ability to be "dizzied" which was not possible before HD Remix.

Television and Movie Appearances

Akuma made a cameo appearance in Street Fighter II: the animated movie (selling fruit to a child) and a few episodes in Street Fighter II V. He plays a significant part in Street Fighter Alpha: The animated movie, where there are hints that he may be Ryu's father. He makes an appearance in Street Fighter Alpha: Generations. While not seen in 1995's Street Fighter live-action movie, he makes an appearence in the video game adaptation.

Reception

Akuma was ranked 5th in IGN's "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" list.

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Name	Platforms	Developer
Super Street Fighter IV released on April 27, 2010	X360, PS3	Capcom
Street Fighter IV released on Feb. 17, 2009	X360, PS3, PC, ARC	Capcom
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix released on Nov. 25, 2008	XBLM, PSN	Backbone Entertainment
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix released on Aug. 29, 2007	PSN, XBLM, PC	Backbone Emeryville, Capcom
SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS released on April 24, 2007	DS	SNK Playmore
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology released on June 13, 2006	PS2	Capcom
Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX released on Feb. 7, 2006	PSN, PSP	Capcom
Namco x Capcom released on May 26, 2005	PS2	Monolith Software, Inc.
Capcom Fighting Evolution released on Nov. 16, 2004	PS2, XBOX	Capcom Production Studio 2
SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom released on Oct. 7, 2004	ARC, PS2, NEO, XBOX	SNK Playmore

Character Name:	Akuma
Real Name:
Gender:	Male
Birthday:
Appears in:	37 games
First appearance:	Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Aliases	Gouki