Akuma (Street Fighter)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that Gouken be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

It has been suggested that Goutetsu be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Akuma ("demon" in Japanese), known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼, Gōki^?, "brave demon" or "chivalrous demon"), is a video game character created by Capcom.

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 gi (occasionally displayed as blue in artwork). The Japanese character 'ten' (天) - meaning "sky", "heaven", or "providence" - can be seen on his back when it appears during certain win animations. He is voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura in many of the games in which he has appeared.

[edit] Story

[edit] Pre-Alpha

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 koppo. 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 Hadou or (The Surge of the Intent to Murder/Murderous Intent). Through Satsui no Hadou, 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 on an island.

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. The following day 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 was unable to kill his own kin. Akuma, sensing weakness, mocked Gouken and struck with Shun Goku Satsu. The dojo was filled with a burst of white light and Gouken was killed. Ken saw the flash 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.

[edit] Street Fighter Alpha series

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 critically ill. 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 Hadou, Akuma struck his island with a powerful blow (The Kongou Kokuretsu-Zan) 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 Hadou. 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 Hadou, declaring that a true warrior does not rely on violent intents.

[edit] Street Fighter II series

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 the underworld.

[edit] Street Fighter III series

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 Kongou Kokuretsuzan, in which Akuma channels all his power into one hand (presumably his right) 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 (mentioned above), although this is mainly conjecture as he does not learn 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 managed to destroy a sunken ship with the technique that he has now devised Tenshou Kaireki Jin, much to the chagrin of the naval crew who witnessed the attack performed.

[edit] Shin Akuma

Shin Akuma in Capcom vs. SNK 2

Shin Akuma, or Shin Gouki (真豪鬼, Shin Gōki^?, "True Demon"), was created as a secret character and boss. The two versions operate very similarly, but Shin Akuma is faster, deals more damage and can throw two Zankuu Hadoken at once. Also, his Shun Goku Satsu is much faster (making it harder to evade), and in some instances, inflicts more damage (e.g. Capcom vs. SNK 2). In some instances, Shin Akuma also has more life-threatening specials as well (e.g. Misogi). Shin Akuma's appearance is very similar to Akuma's except he exhibits white hair and a slightly lighter shade of skin. In the Street Fighter Alpha series, Shin Akuma had a purple-blue gi instead of a black one, but retains the red hair.

Shin Akuma is a version of Akuma the players confront as a CPU opponent in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. To face Shin Akuma, the player must reach Bison without losing any rounds or using any continues (including having the second player join in) and achieving at least three perfect victories. He will then interrupt the final match by performing a Shun Goku Satsu on M. Bison, before challenging the player's character. As in his later incarnations, he has a purple gi instead of Akuma's standard black gi, is faster, does two Zankuu Hadoken at once, and inflicts more damage. But, just like regular Akuma, his name is not displayed below the life bar and he does not have a super meter. Shin Akuma is, however, an unlockable playable character in the Game Boy Advance version of the game, Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival. Shin Akuma reappears in Street Fighter Alpha 2, but only as a hidden boss. He was made into a selectable hidden character in the console ports of Alpha 2 (the code to unlock Shin Akuma forces the player to move their character select cursor in a "Z" pattern in the PlayStation version and an "X" pattern in the Saturn version). Shin Akuma reappears in the console ports Street Fighter Alpha 3 (and Zero 3 Upper), where his name is displayed as "Shin Akuma" on-screen.

Storywise, Shin Akuma is merely Akuma using the full extent of his power, compared to the "in-game" version which is Akuma voluntarily holding back his power to avoid ending fights prematurely. In the Capcom vs. SNK series, a different form of Shin Akuma appears. This form of Akuma achieves a new level of power when a dying Rugal Bernstein pours his Orochi power into him. Shin Akuma, not M. Bison, is Evil Ryu's final boss in Street Fighter Alpha 3.

[edit] Moral code

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 him, 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.

[edit] Gameplay

Akuma has the same moves as Ryu and Ken, only much faster and more damaging. Akuma can perform the Hadôken (Gou Hadouken--Strong Surge Fist), including one performed mid-air (Zankuu Hadouken--Air-Cutting Surge Fist). His Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku (Air Slashing Kick) knocks the opponent down instantly and can also juggle, his Shoryuken ( Gou Shoryuken, -- 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 Shoryuken in certain instances. Akuma also has the ability to warp to different places in the screen (the Ashura Senkuu technique), and is immune from being stunned in his first few appearances. To compensate for these advantages, Akuma is usually saddled with extremely low stamina, and in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, he has the shortest stun meter of all the combatants.

Akuma's super moves consist of the Messatsu Gou Hadou (Destructive Strong Surge Fist), which is simply a high-powered Shinkuu Hadouken, a Tenma Gou Zankuu, a mid-air version of the Shinkuu Hadouken, the Messatsu Gou Shoryuu (Destructive Strong Rising Dragon Fist), which similar to Ken's Shoryu Reppa without the scorching effect, and the Messatsu Gou Rasen, an upward spiraling hurricane kick attack. There are also two other moves: in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, he has the one named Kongoukoku Retsuzan 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 oponent and delivers a fierce descending strike; this move is unblockable and 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.

[edit] Fighting game appearances

• Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994) - secret character and secret non-playable boss (as Shin Akuma). His Shin Akuma incarnation is his strongest in the series. Since he has the highest reaction time (in addition to his top-notch fighting habits), he will only challenge those who have truly mastered the game.
• X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994) - secret character
• Street Fighter Alpha (1995) - secret character
• Street Fighter: The Movie (1995) - normal character in the arcade version and secret character in the console versions.
• Street Fighter Alpha 2 (1996) - normal character, Shin Akuma is a secret non-playable boss (Arcade and Console versions) and a secret character (Console versions only, except for the SNES one)
• Street Fighter EX (1996) - secret character
• X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996) - secret character
• Pocket Fighter (1997) - "secret" character
• Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997) - normal character, the final boss is called "Cyber Akuma", also a secret character (PlayStation version)
• Street Fighter EX Plus (1997) - secret character
• Cyberbots (1997) - Secret "Zero Akuma" mech, it's also worth noting that its name is a pun on Evangelion's Unit-00's Japanese name, Zerogouki. (Console versions only)
• Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998) - normal character, Shin Akuma is a secret character in the console versions.
• Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact (1998) - both Akuma and Shin Akuma are secret characters
• Capcom vs. SNK: Match of the Millennium (1999) - secret character
• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (1999) - normal character
• Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 (2000) - secret character
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000) - normal character (unlockable on console version)
• Capcom vs. SNK Pro (2001) - normal character, Shin Akuma is a secret boss character
• Capcom vs. SNK 2 (2001) - normal character, Shin Akuma is a secret character and a secret final boss as well
• SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom (2003) - normal character, Shin Akuma is a hidden character (normal character in the console versions) and a boss as well
• Capcom Fighting Evolution (2004) - Shin Akuma only, secret character and secret final boss
• Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (2006) - Akuma/Shin Akuma are playable & Secret Character(s) (See individual games above from more information)

[edit] List of non-fighting games featuring Akuma

• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (1996) - final boss and unlockable character
• SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash (1999) - both "Akuma" and "Zero Akuma" cards
• SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2 Expand Edition (2001) - "Akuma," "Shin Akuma," and "Zero Akuma" card
• Namco x Capcom (2005) - boss character

[edit] Related characters

[edit] See also

[edit] References