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Street Fighter IV: How To Unlock Gouken & Akuma

Capcom finally breaks down and tells you EXACTLY what you need to do to unlock the last three fighters.

Gouken!
Gouken!
OK, I thought I had this stuff down, as I've already unlocked Akuma and Gouken twice. But it turns out the methods I previously thought were accurate for unlocking Akuma were way more complicated than the real methods, and somehow the Gouken unlocking process is a bit more complicated.

Either way, after message boards were set afire last week with people trying to tell other people how to unlock Street Fighter IV characters, Capcom has posted up the actual, official methods. Once you have these two guys, you'll just need to beat the game with every character to get the final fighter, Seth.

As always, I recommend setting the game to Easiest and to one round if you want to make this process as short as possible. If you actually want to get better at the game and better understand how the different fighters operate, then stick with the default settings. I used to have trouble fighting El Fuerte players until I ran through the game with him myself. Now that I understand how his fast-moving stuff actually hits, I'm better at the game. And, really, isn't that the point? OK, less "stop complaining about unlockable characters" soapbox, more method. Here:
To unlock Akuma as a playable character:

You need to get at least one "perfect" win in a round, and more than one depending on how many rounds per match you are playing.   

- 1 round match: 1 perfect round or more

- 3 round match: 2 perfect rounds or more

- 5 round match: 3 perfect rounds or more

- 7 round match: 4 perfect rounds or more

(including the last battle against Seth)


To unlock Gouken as a playable character:

1. Complete Arcade Mode playing as Akuma and watch (not necessary to watch everything) an ending.

2. Then, unlock Gouken as an opponent, and defeat him.

Necessary conditions to unlock Gouken as an opponent:

- Play with any characters with which you watched the ending once (so play using a character you have already beaten the game with)

- Do not continue at all.

- Do not lose at all.  Not even one round (easier if you only play 1-round matches)

- Achieve certain number (or more) of "Perfect" rounds.  The number of Perfect Win you need to achieve are:

  If you play on

  - 1 round match: 1 time or more

  - 3 round match: 2 times or more

  - 5 round match: 3 times or more

  - 7 round match: 4 times or more

- Achieve certain number (or more) of Super Combo -OR- Ultra Combo Finishes.  Super and Ultra finishes both count toward this number. The number of perfect win you need to achieve are:

  If you play on

  - 1 round match: 3 times or more

  - 3 round match: 5 times or more

  - 5 round match: 7 times or more

  - 7 round match: 9 times or more

 
- Achieve certain number (or more) of First Attack (this means you must score the first strike in a match--the screen gives you the "First Attack" message, and you can mostly do this without even noticing):

  The number of First Attack you need to achieve are:

  If you play on

  - 1 round match: 5 time or more

  - 3 round match: 10 times or more

  - 5 round match: 15 times or more

  - 7 round match: 20 times or more

 
- Then Gouken will appear.  Kick his butt to unlock him!
Jeff Gerstmann on Google+

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jeff

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Edited By jeff
Gouken!
Gouken!
OK, I thought I had this stuff down, as I've already unlocked Akuma and Gouken twice. But it turns out the methods I previously thought were accurate for unlocking Akuma were way more complicated than the real methods, and somehow the Gouken unlocking process is a bit more complicated.

Either way, after message boards were set afire last week with people trying to tell other people how to unlock Street Fighter IV characters, Capcom has posted up the actual, official methods. Once you have these two guys, you'll just need to beat the game with every character to get the final fighter, Seth.

As always, I recommend setting the game to Easiest and to one round if you want to make this process as short as possible. If you actually want to get better at the game and better understand how the different fighters operate, then stick with the default settings. I used to have trouble fighting El Fuerte players until I ran through the game with him myself. Now that I understand how his fast-moving stuff actually hits, I'm better at the game. And, really, isn't that the point? OK, less "stop complaining about unlockable characters" soapbox, more method. Here:
To unlock Akuma as a playable character:

You need to get at least one "perfect" win in a round, and more than one depending on how many rounds per match you are playing.   

- 1 round match: 1 perfect round or more

- 3 round match: 2 perfect rounds or more

- 5 round match: 3 perfect rounds or more

- 7 round match: 4 perfect rounds or more

(including the last battle against Seth)


To unlock Gouken as a playable character:

1. Complete Arcade Mode playing as Akuma and watch (not necessary to watch everything) an ending.

2. Then, unlock Gouken as an opponent, and defeat him.

Necessary conditions to unlock Gouken as an opponent:

- Play with any characters with which you watched the ending once (so play using a character you have already beaten the game with)

- Do not continue at all.

- Do not lose at all.  Not even one round (easier if you only play 1-round matches)

- Achieve certain number (or more) of "Perfect" rounds.  The number of Perfect Win you need to achieve are:

  If you play on

  - 1 round match: 1 time or more

  - 3 round match: 2 times or more

  - 5 round match: 3 times or more

  - 7 round match: 4 times or more

- Achieve certain number (or more) of Super Combo -OR- Ultra Combo Finishes.  Super and Ultra finishes both count toward this number. The number of perfect win you need to achieve are:

  If you play on

  - 1 round match: 3 times or more

  - 3 round match: 5 times or more

  - 5 round match: 7 times or more

  - 7 round match: 9 times or more

 
- Achieve certain number (or more) of First Attack (this means you must score the first strike in a match--the screen gives you the "First Attack" message, and you can mostly do this without even noticing):

  The number of First Attack you need to achieve are:

  If you play on

  - 1 round match: 5 time or more

  - 3 round match: 10 times or more

  - 5 round match: 15 times or more

  - 7 round match: 20 times or more

 
- Then Gouken will appear.  Kick his butt to unlock him!
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Oriental_Jams

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Edited By Oriental_Jams

Ta guv'ner.

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Luke

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Edited By Luke
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KnifeySpoony

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Edited By KnifeySpoony

So you only need one perfect round, when set to 1 round, throughout the entire arcade to unlock Akuma? I could have sworn I've done that before. Gouken sounds complicated though.

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tak

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Edited By tak

The description of the methods is hard to read with the white theme for gaintbomb.

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Edited By spiceninja

I did it more complected. I got Akuma with 1 perfect round and 2 Ultra Finishes and then got Gouken with 2 perfect rounds and 3 ultra finishes.

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thesonicyouth52

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Edited By thesonicyouth52

can you still lose a round to unlock akuma?

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Luke

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Edited By Luke

You know what... Seth actually doesn't go in-depth enough with unlocking Akuma.  He basically tells you what you need to do to face him, but not that you need to have unlocked the first run of characters, first, to actually unlock him.

Am I wrong here?  I mean I did do all this on like the day of release, so it's been awhile.

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JJOR64

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Edited By JJOR64

Little to late.  I already unlocked everyone.

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deactivated-5ffc9b0923f9f

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"

I did it more complected. I got Akuma with 1 perfect round and 2 Ultra Finishes and then got Gouken with 2 perfect rounds and 3 ultra finishes. " - this is a lot better. I don't understand what capcom is trying to tell us here 0_o
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kraznor

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Edited By kraznor

Man, this is way easier than what I thought was necessary. Fighting Gouken on Hardest sounds that much more possible now.

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Edited By MikeyZeroG

This is what I've been waiting for -- thanks!  I just have to unlock Gouken and Seth.

BTW, I've never encountered Seth in an online match -- strange, huh?  True that most people pick Ryu, Ken, or (to a lesser extent) Sagat, but still -- I've seen all the other fighters, including Gouken. 

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albedos_shadow

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Edited By albedos_shadow

I didn't know about the First Attack requirement. That's weird.

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ParaParaKing

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Edited By ParaParaKing

Guess I got the first attack requirement by accident.

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Reverseface

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Edited By Reverseface

I unlocked em all when i did it i just googled it and it appears they got it right cept they didn't mention the first attack thing. :o

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Edited By russelbutt

what i hate is when i go through and kick serious butt, and get straight to gouken first, bypassing all the akuma requirements, but still not being able to unlock gouken because i didnt unlock akuma first. that was very frustrating. it's not my fault i like to end most matches with an ultra finish! :P

great tip guys.

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logson

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Edited By logson

This reminds me of the hours I spent trying to unlock Roger/Alex in Tekken 2.

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LiquidPrince

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Edited By LiquidPrince

This is too complex, just to unlock characters...

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satseb

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Edited By satseb

eeezy peezy.

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deactivated-5d7bd9e4bef30

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That sounds way more complicated than what I did to unlock them.
I just unlocked all the other characters, then played through the arcade mode on easiest 1 round. Got 2 perfects and 2 ultra finishes without using continues.Then Akuma showed up after Seth and I kicked his ass.
I then finished the game with Akuma.
After that I started a new arcade mode with the same settings and got 3 perfects and 3 ultra finishes without using continues and was challenged by Gouken after Seth and beat him to get him.
I didn't go out of my way to get First Attacks, but seeing as it was on easiest I imagine I got the first attacks in most fights.

This were the conditions that GameFAQs said last week, but which has now been changed.

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TomA

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Edited By TomA

Please no more stupid Street Fighter!

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Cleric

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Edited By Cleric

Easier done than said, really. I have yet to unlock Seth tho.

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darkjester74

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Edited By darkjester74

Requirements to unlock Gouken are absurd.  But, I guess it was designed to separate the hardcore from the casual.  Ill keep refining my Ken technique, thanks.

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RHCPfan24

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Edited By RHCPfan24

THANK YOU! Still, this isn't going to be easy for me and probably a lot others.

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benderunit22

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Edited By benderunit22

First attack too? That's the first time I heard about this. But if it's true, that's insane just to unlock all characters. I had enough trouble getting Akuma.

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Cerza

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Edited By Cerza

this may sound like a lot to some, but if you set it to one round and lower the game to the easiest difficulty then its pretty easy to unlock these guys, along with all of the other characters.

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unclejohn0525

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Edited By unclejohn0525

Oooooh, OK. So that's how you unlock Gouken.

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harrisonave

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Edited By harrisonave

Why the Hell did they make the process for unlocking these characters so complicated and tedious?  You fight the, you defeat them, then you unlock them...what ever happened to that?  I miss those days.

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Oh what a bunch of god damn babies. I despise this new generation of casual gamers who have this attitude that the whole game should be ready and waiting for them to pick apart and indulge in their instant gratification obsessed ways. Fuck you people, you know what's a much closer experience to what you're after? Going and buying a movie. Stop your bitching lest you fuck up what little remnants of difficulty remain in these games.

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Edited By Luke
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Coldbrand said:
"Oh what a bunch of god damn babies. I despise this new generation of casual gamers who have this attitude that the whole game should be ready and waiting for them to pick apart and indulge in their instant gratification obsessed ways. Fuck you people, you know what's a much closer experience to what you're after? Going and buying a movie. Stop your bitching lest you fuck up what little remnants of difficulty remain in these games.
"
Back in my day we couldn't even unlock the boss characters for Street Fighter 2 on the SNES!
Damn kids these days.
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roofy

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Edited By roofy

God i dont think i will ever unlock Gouken

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NateDogg

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Edited By NateDogg

I had no idea about the first attack part either... 


I still managed the super finishes and perfects to unlock everyone though :)
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Edited By AllanIceman

Thanks Jeff!

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Scarabus

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Edited By Scarabus

Even with the game set on easiest and with one round, Seth always beats me. He doesn't care about my strategy or my combos. He'll teleport away and cheat his way to victory over and over until I actually beat him but hate the game for the horrible experience. I seriously hate Seth with every bone in my body.

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Edited By Homer39

so wait... to unlock akuma with these specifications i need to get a perfect in every round INCLUDING seth?!?!?!

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JokerClown88

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Edited By JokerClown88

Gouken isn't really worth the effort imo though.

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RobDaFunk

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Edited By RobDaFunk

I never knew Gouken was THAT complex...I just breezed thru with Gief and got him in a jiffy!! ;)

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LordXavierBritish

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I have know idea how I unlocked him without knowing this.

I just did the Perfect Rounds and Ultra Finishes, but you need first attacks as well?

Good thing I'm an offensive player.

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MocPac

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Edited By MocPac

The way I did it contradicts this guide.

I was able to fight Gouken after losing a round against Seth (he got a cheap finish with a Sonic Boom).  After I unlocked Akuma I fought Gouken again but didn't unlock him.  I fought him a third time after I beat the game with Akuma and that's when I did unlock him.  I all three times I was using Cammy and had beaten arcade mode with her and all other unlockable characters (except Seth of course).  I fought Akuma by getting 2 Perfect and 2 Ultra Finishes, and I fought Gouken by getting 2 (3?) Perfect and 3 or more Ultra Finishes.  Though I'm starting to theorize that the Ultra (Super?) Finishes might not be nessesary to fight Akuma.  But I am certain that you need some Perfects to fight Gouken.

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Edited By End_Boss
Coldbrand said:
"Oh what a bunch of god damn babies. I despise this new generation of casual gamers who have this attitude that the whole game should be ready and waiting for them to pick apart and indulge in their instant gratification obsessed ways. Fuck you people, you know what's a much closer experience to what you're after? Going and buying a movie. Stop your bitching lest you fuck up what little remnants of difficulty remain in these games."

No Caption Provided

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TomA

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Edited By TomA

I hate fighting games so much

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Edited By DukeTogo
Coldbrand said:
"Oh what a bunch of god damn babies. I despise this new generation of casual gamers who have this attitude that the whole game should be ready and waiting for them to pick apart and indulge in their instant gratification obsessed ways. Fuck you people, you know what's a much closer experience to what you're after? Going and buying a movie. Stop your bitching lest you fuck up what little remnants of difficulty remain in these games.
"
Because video games are serious business.  Relax you cunt.
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Homer39

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Edited By Homer39

thanks meltbrain. just thinking of getting a perfect against seth made my head want to explode. that guys a real bitch even on the easiest setting.

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KingBroly

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Edited By KingBroly

Yeah...the first attack stuff comes as a surprise to me.  Did not see that one coming at all.  Still,it strengthens my belief that they're going to have an 'unlock all characters' DLC pack in the future.

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So 4chan memes and a singular swear word are all the responses you can get on Giant Bomb? Stolen culture and vulgarity? So much for well constructed arguments.