Shun Goku Satsu

"The Raging Demon... Its power is unequaled... It is not my fist but your past sins that will kill you... The more evil your past doings, the more painful your death..."

- Akuma to M. Bison in Street Fighter Alpha 3

"Fool! (笑止！)"

- Akuma

"Messatsu! (滅・殺！)"

- Evil Ryu

"Die! Messatsu! / Your time has run out. (滅せよ！ 滅･･･殺！ / 終焉の時なり･･･)"

- Oni

The Raging Demon (瞬獄殺) is a special attack commonly seen in the Street Fighter games.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo featured the first appearance of this attack; Akuma's introduction has him perform the attack on Bison just as he is about to face the player; the Raging Demon becomes Akuma's Super Combo in later versions of the game. The move first becomes usable in the Street Fighter Alpha series.

Description
The move executed typically by pressing light punch twice, forward, light kick and then heavy punch in quick succession; in Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival, any kick button can be used in place of the light kick.

The user glides towards the opponent and grabs them. Suddenly, the screen blacks or whites out as the target is relentlessly beaten, as showcased by a series of flashes.

The move often appears as Akuma's most powerful Super Combo, especially at full power ; in Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, it appears as his secret Super Art, and one of two secret Super Arts in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. He can use it in a match no matter what Super Art had been selected, thus giving him access to more than one Super Art at any given time.

In addition, Ryu has been able to use it as well when he is fully under the influence of the Satsui no Hado. Several other users have emerged over the years, and the move's popularity has caused it to be referenced in several other forms of media within and outside the series.

Street Fighter IV series
The Street Fighter IV games introduce another, more powerful variant of the Raging Demon as Akuma's first Ultra Combo. It has been "given" most of the original attack's properties: the Wrath of the Raging Demon possesses startup invincibility that is also common with Ultra Combos, and deals several more hits and extremely high damage in comparison.

Tactics
In earlier installments, the Raging Demon usually can be comboed into via a standing jab or a standing roundhouse, as well as cancelling a slower move, in order to take advantage of the opponent being "hitstunned". Like most high-powered moves in the Street Fighter IV, Focus Attacks can also provide an opening. Despite its power, however, characters can escape with longer-ranged moves, due to the actual grab being close-range. It can also be countered with as little as a quick jab or, punished with a retreating jump attack.

For Akuma players, a well-placed Zanku Hadoken can give the user enough time to input it while the opponent is defenseless.

Advanced tactics
Starting with the Street Fighter III series, a popular strategy uses a "kara" (void) throw-type of whiff to extend the move's range, or to bait the opponent into a frame trap of some sort.

Storyline Info
In the storyline, the Shun Goku Satsu is a very powerful, but dangerous, technique taught in the original principles of Ansatsuken by Goutetsu. When performed, the user of the Satsui no Hado would hand themselves over entirely to the killing intent, launching a series of deadly strikes in a moment. Historically, those that had used this technique had been unable to resist the potency of the Satsui no Hado and were consumed by it, their minds reduced to that of violent, demon-like berserkers (such as Evil Ryu and Oni). Goutetsu was the only known person who could somehow use this technique without failing into the darker aspects of the Satsui no Hado.

While the executed attack is a brutal onslaught of merciless fury, the basis of the attack is said to be linked to karmic forces drawn from the influence of the Satsui no Hado, channeling an infernal punishment in which the weight of sins and evil the victim has committed attacks their soul. While immensely powerful, this attack cannot work on artificial life forms or people who lack souls. There is only one method known to perfectly counter this attack that some characters have survived its wrath, being the Power of Emptiness or Mu.

To date, only two fighters have been shown to defend against the Raging Demon.


 * Gen managed to withstand the attack by achieving a state of Mu and blocking the attack.


 * Gouken, Akuma's brother, had nearly survived, being sent into a coma and buried for years, before unearthing himself after coming back to consciousness. His grasp of the Power of Nothingness was limited at the time, and was greatly improved after his near death experience.

During Evil Ryu's Street Fighter Alpha 3 storyline, in the intro to his final boss battle, he counters Shin Akuma's Raging Demon with his own, cancelling both attacks. Something similar was also done in his fight against Asura in the Asura's Wrath DLC Lost Episode 1: At Last, Someone Angrier Than Me.

In the Street Fighter III series, Gill faced a Raging Demon head on, but because of his Resurrection ability, he survived the encounter.

In the Street Fighter Alpha manga, Guy was able to defend against a Raging Demon by Evil Ryu due to the former's superior speed and training to fight multiple enemies at once, Guy was able to block every punch from Evil Ryu's Shun Goku Satsu.

Known Users

 * Akuma is the first and most known user. It is his trademark move, as his Super and Ultra Combo. His kanji is "heaven" (天). When he becomes Shin Akuma in Capcom vs. SNK 2, his kanji becomes "godlike person" (神人).


 * SNK character Rugal Bernstein, in his Ultimate Rugal form, shares Akuma's kanji after he absorbs the Satsui no Hado from Akuma in Capcom vs. SNK 2, although his is a dark red compared to Akuma's bright orange (his version is named Last Judgment). Also, in one of his win animation, he rips his shirt, revealing a glowing red 天 kanji on his chest.


 * Evil Ryu has the Raging Demon as his Super Combo in all of his appearances. His kanji is "destruction" (滅).


 * Asura, from Capcom's Asura's Wrath, was seen using this move to counter Evil Ryu's in the first Lost Episode DLC of the game. His kanji stands for "wrath" or "anger" (怒).


 * It is also Oni's Super Combo. His kanji is an amalgation of "god" (神) and "demon" (鬼), and can be interpreted as "demon god" or "worshipping the demon" (鬼神), or just the kanji "soul" (魂).


 * In Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, Dan's father is summoned by his son and performs this move. His kanji is "father" (父).


 * Rogue from Marvel Comics' X-Men can use this as a Hyper Combo in X-Men vs. Street Fighter after her Power Drain move is done on Akuma. Her sign is the titular "X".


 * Sakura has this move as a Hyper Combo while in her Dark Sakura form in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and in Marvel vs. Capcom 2. No kanji is shown when she finishes the move. She can also use it in her normal form in the EX series, in EX Plus Alpha and EX3.
 * Sakura uses a non-Satsui no Hado influenced version of this attack, aptly dubbed the "Shun Goku Satsu" (春獄殺- Spring Prison Murder), used as her team-up technique in Rival Schools. The naming is also used in other sources, and is mainly due to the fact that in on'yomi, "spring" (haru) is read as "Shun" thus making it a Japanese homophone pun.


 * Kairi from the Street Fighter EX series has a similar Super Combo, the Kyouja Renbu. In the first game, Kairi runs towards his opponent, grabs them and does a barrage of punches and kicks, with the final blow being punching them through their stomach. The attack is visible and no kanji is shown, though it uses the same input. Bloody Hokuto also has access to this version. In the second game, due to Kairi being possessed by an evil essence similar to the Satsui no Hado, the Kyouja Renbu is closer in appearance to the Raging Demon, with the screen turning white and kanji being shown, and Kairi screams in pain after the move ends.
 * Other characters such as Skullomania also have moves that use the same input, but those are not necessarily variations of the Raging Demon.


 * Yuri Sakazaki, from the Art of Fighting series, parodies the technique in The King of Fighting 2001; the animation is shorter, but the inputs are the same. Her version is named as the Yuri Chou Enbu (ユリちょう燕舞).

Concept
In the religion of Buddhism, there are said to be sixteen hells - eight of fire and eight of ice - where the depraved and damned are said to be punished in, referenced by the 16 hits (and/or hit sparks) the move usually does; in some games (e.g. the Street Fighter III series) the move does 15 hits in total, with a KO producing a fiery backdrop, nodding to the final hell of fire. In Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, it can have 16 hits, and it is exclusive to only Shin Akuma.

In addition, the appearance of the "heaven" kanji, characteristically associated with its user Akuma, and how the move's style is that of assassination, is likely a reference to the Japanese word tenchu, meaning "heavenly retribution", which was a popular memento written on paper by assassins to their victims and associates in Feudal and turbulent eras of Japan. This concept is referenced by Ciel when Zero faces off against Akuma in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, describing Akuma as if he is an actual assassin.

The concept of the Raging Demon (and Satsui no Hado itself) seems also heavily inspired by the concept of Matoki no Aura from the Fist of the North Star manga series. Furthermore, the attack seems specifically inspired by the star technique called Manju Maon Ken (Ten-Thousand Hand Demon Sound Fist). The technique involves countless strikes in the blink of an eye and is fueled by the user's evil fighting aura, making the Raging Demon share many similarities with it. This is the version that is used in the manga Street Fighter III: Ryu Final, where Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu is visually identical to Manju Maon Ken.

Visual Depictions
In Akuma's ending in Street Fighter IV, the Raging Demon is shown as a mighty punch enveloped in crimson energy. The Street Fighter US animated series predated and used this exact depiction, though the energy was violet-colored.

It's first animated appearance was in the episode, "The World's Greatest Warrior". Akuma used this move on Gouken after he was inquired by him on why he decided to make a return after so long. Akuma replies by stating that he had learned the ultimate move of their art, in which Gouken says, "Not...the Raging Demon?", to which Akuma stands up and replies, "Yes!", and uses it on Gouken at point-blank range. Later, during Ken's battle with Akuma, Akuma threatens to use the Raging Demon on Ken himself, but is thwarted before he can pull it off.

It makes its first ever CG appearance as well in Steve Fox and Hwoarang's ending of Street Fighter X Tekken; the latter brags that he could have easily beaten one hundred opponents without breaking a sweat, and Pandora grants this by summoning one hundred Akumas, all of whom perform the Raging Demon attack at once.

The move made its second CG appearance in Asura's Wrath DLC, Lost Episode 1: At Last, Someone Angrier Than Me; Evil Ryu and Asura used it on each other, but both are seen standing after the successful quick-time event, inferring the conclusion that the moves canceled each other blow for blow. In Lost Episode 2: The Strongest vs. The Angriest, Oni attempts to use the Raging Demon, but is interrupted and countered, resulting in Oni flying into the air.

The move makes its first cinematic appearance in Episode 9 of Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist when Akuma uses it to kill his master, Goutetsu. As the latter charges up an extremely powerful Metsu Hadoken, Akuma engulfs himself in a mass of red flames, zooming at high speed towards Goutetsu and passing through the Hadoken. Little of the move is seen, though as Goutetsu is grabbed, a bright flash can be seen, right before the shot changes and a harrowing scream can be heard echoing along with the familiar screech. As Akuma stands over his fallen master, the kanji for "heaven" (天, ten) can be seen not only burning bright on his back but also in the thundery clouds above.

Trivia

 * In the game Okami, the way that Mrs. Orange makes Cherry Cakes is a reference to the Shun Goku Satsu. But instead of the kanji "天" (ten, "heaven"), it appears the one used to write "mochi" (餅). This was referenced in one of Amaterasu's after-match win quotes after defeating Akuma in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.


 * In Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, Akuma's Raging Demon Mighty Combo has two different animations: the first is the traditional unseen assault, while in the second Akuma is shown striking the opponent in different places as the screen flashes with each hit. If one looks carefully, at certain points Akuma can be seen posing at the "camera" while wearing swimming trunks and goggles. The second animation will only be seen if:
 * Akuma throws a punch first, and the movement to execute the super combo as the immediate follow-up, or
 * The player performs the traditional ìnput sequence, using the game's unique button setup ([[Image:Arcade Button Punch.png|Punch]] [[Image:Arcade Button Punch.png|Punch]] [[Image:Arcade Stick Right.png|Forward]] [[Image:Arcade Button Kick.png|Kick]] [[Image:Arcade-Button-Special.png|Special]]).


 * With the exception of Sakura, every user's own personal kanji is shown after successfully performing the technique.


 * In the original Street Fighter RPG game, the Raging Demon and its user, Akuma, don't exist. Still, fans of the game developed a version of the attack at "Street Fighter RPG Brasil".


 * A visually identical yet very different attack is Guy's Bushin Musou Renge, where unseen attacks also pummel the enemy.


 * Iggy, from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise, was given a similar attack to the Raging Demon in the fighting game JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future (developed by Capcom), with a static screen instead of a white one. Noriaki Kakyoin also possesses a conceptually similar move that instead causes his Stand to attack his enemies from within.