Shun Goku Satsu

Shun Goku Satsu (瞬獄殺, "instant hell kill") also called the "Raging Demon" or the "Instant Hell Murder", is a technique commonly seen in the Street Fighter games. Usually, it is a super move that requires a full meter to execute, is unblockable, and inflicts heavy damage. It is normally associated with Akuma, although Ryu has been able to use it as well.

The Shun Goku Satsu in the storyline was a very powerful, but fatally dangerous technique taught in the original principles of the martial art taught by Goutetsu. The move usually defeats the opponent instantly or kills him.

While immensely powerful, some characters have survived its wrath. Gill faced a Shun Goku Satsu head on, but because of his Resurrection ability, he survived the encounter. Gen also managed to withstand the attack by emptying his soul in time before it could consume him. M. Bison has faced it at the end of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, but kept a portion of his life force within Rose which allowed him to come back in Street Fighter 4. Gouken, Akuma's brother has also been confirmed to having survived. This was due to his embrace to "emptiness" within his fighting style. It was most likely that Gouken perfomed a soul evacuation much like Gen but much later, resulting in Gouken lapsing into a comatose state.

The actual attack of the Shun Goku Satsu is never displayed explicitly onscreen. When performed, the user glides towards the opponent and grabs them. Before anything can be seen, the screen blacks out as the character is relentlessly beaten as showcased by a series of flashes. At the end, the opponent is found on the ground, knocked out as the user stands over the opponent, usually with their back turned to the screen.

The Shun Goku Satsu is revealed to be linked with Akuma's design. His design inspiration came from the Nio, the twin, wrath filled guardians of the Buddha (which are seen in some of Akuma's stages in various Street Fighter games). In some Buddhist beliefs, there are sixteen hells which punish the soul, eight of fire and eight of ice. The Shun Goku Satsu is the channelling of these sixteen hells to the opponent's soul through the user's soul, which in gameplay is displayed as fifteen hit sparks and, provided that the opponent's health is low enough, he/she will die in the final hell which is displayed as fire and the "ten" kanji symbol in some games. Due to the fact that sixteen hells are being channelled through the user to destroy the opponent's soul, the user is put at immense risk - if the user fails to maintain a Zen state of mind throughout the course of the technique, it will backfire and turn the punishment of the sixteen hells on the user.

The motion for the move is usually Jab (LP), Jab (LP), Forward, Short (LK), Fierce (HP) tapped separately and rhythmically, and the character will slide forward, via Ashura Senku.

Appearances

 * Super Street Fighter II Turbo: The first appearance of this attack, it was Akuma's Super Combo.
 * Street Fighter Alpha series: The "Raging Demon" continued to be Akuma's trademark throughout the Alpha series.
 * Street Fighter III series: This was Akuma's secret Super Art in the second and third instalments of the Street Fighter III series; he could use it in a match no matter what Super Art had been selected, thus giving him access to two Super Arts at any given time.
 * Street Fighter IV series: The attack is again Akuma's Super Combo. However this series also gave him access to a more powerful version of the attack known as "Shin Goku Satsu" or alternately "Wrath of the Raging Demon", which is Akuma's first Ultra Combo.

Street Fighter

 * Dan - Dan has a parody of this attack called Otoko Michi, and its command is the reverse of its original version. In most games, the attacks the almost complete opposite by either taking away the user's health or doing very minimal damage. In Pocket Fighter, he has a secret super move where he calls his father to do the Shun Goku Satsu.


 * Sakura - Sakura possesses this attack in her "Sunburn"/Dark variation, but the attack is spelled with the kanji 春獄殺 (Spring Hell Murder, which is also pronounced "shun-goku-satsu" in Japanese), instead. Also, she can preform the attack in the Street Fighter EX series as her normal self (presumably beause Dark Sakura isn't playable in it).. Finally, in her Cameo in Rival Schools, Sakura's Team-Up Attack is the Shun Goku Satsu (with the same kanji as above), except that it's simply an conventional beatdown with her ally holding the opponent down.


 * Evil Ryu - It is the same as the original version, but the Kanji of "Destruction" appears instead.


 * Kairi - Same as usual, but at the end of the attack, he is seen on his knees, holding his head in pain. However, in Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, the Shun Goku Satsu button input triggers the "Kyouja Renbu" attack. Instead of sliding towards the opponent, Kairi runs to them, before delivering a seven-hit punch/kick combo which ends with him impaling the opponent through the stomach with his fist.

Non-Street Fighter

 * Rogue - Rogue can utilize this attack by kissing Akuma during game play. A large X is superimposed on the background.


 * God/Ultimate Rugal (Capcom vs. SNK 2 only) - Rugal obtains this attack after absorbing Akuma's power.


 * Ms. Orange - In Okami, Ms. Orange uses this to serve Amaterasu some cherry cakes


 * Omega Zero - In Mega Man Zero 3, the end-boss uses this as his S-Rank EX Attack. However, the screen does not black out as he repeatedly slices the opponent in an inescapable chain of seven slashes ending with a rising uppercut. This is the only in-game appearance in where the Shun Goku Satsu is visible when performed on the opponent.


 * In Capcom's Breath of Fire IV, a learnable technique called "Disembowel" uses the the same animation of attack and the Kanji right after the attack is done. However, it doesn't have the same power from fighting games versions, since it cuts the enemy's HP to 1 and rarely hits.
 * In Bayonetta, a game made by former Capcom game director Hideki Kamiya, the secret boss, Father Rodin has a move that directly resembles the Shun Goku Satsu. Instead of having his back to the screen, he simply lounges on the floor.
 * In Warriors Orochi 2, Orochi X has the Shun Goku Satsu as his R1 special. However, it is mostly non fatal, save on Chaos difficulty, where it is an instant kill.

Trivia

 * In Gouken's ending in Street Fighter IV, the Shun Goku Satsu is shown as a mighty punch enveloped in crimson energy. Ironically, the Street Fighter US animated series predated this exact depiction, though the energy was violet-colored.


 * In the original Street Fighter RPG game, the Shun Goku Satsu and its user, Akuma, don't exist. But the fans of the game developed one version of this maneuver at "Street Fighter RPG Brasil".

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