Akuma

"My name is Akuma! The supreme master of the fist!"

- Akuma

"I am Akuma. And I will teach you the meaning of pain! (我が名は豪鬼 うぬの真なる一撃 見せてみよ！)"

- Akuma (Street Fighter IV series)

Akuma (悪魔), known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼), is a playable character and major antagonist in the Street Fighter series and UDON comics. He is known as "The Supreme Master of the Fist."

Originally appearing in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss, he is Gouken's younger brother and Ryu's adoptive uncle. Akuma is voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura in all of Capcom's 2D Games; in Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken, he is voiced by Taketora.

Appearance
Akuma usually wears a dark-colored gi; it is often black or gray, but varies depending on the series or artwork. He has red hair, sharp, pointed teeth, and is often bare-footed, though some games have him wearing brown sandals. He is often seen with a black belt on his gi around the waist. He has tanned skin and crimson eyes, and wears his deceased master Goutetsu's prayer beads around his neck, with a visible black "heaven" (天, ten) kanji on the center bead in some video games. In Street Fighter Alpha: Generations, he was seen having eyebrows when he was young.

This kanji is featured frequently in Akuma's appearances, most often at the end of a Raging Demon attack, where it burns itself onto the back of Akuma's gi top. It takes on a slightly different shape between the original Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV; the top stroke of the kanji is more narrow in Super Street Fighter IV than in the original, and may have taken this shape due to Akuma's 2nd alternate costume using exactly the same new shape on the back.

In the Street Fighter III series, the belt is replaced by a rope, and his hair is slightly grayed, hinting that Akuma, while seemingly inhuman, is still physically aging. In the Street Fighter IV series, his gloves are also replaced with ropes.

Concept


Akuma's creation (and, indirectly, Gouken's) was inspired by an April Fools' joke published by the gaming magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly. Said hoax involved a "secret trick" for the original version of Street Fighter II that would allow players to fight Ryu and Ken's supposed master, Sheng Long (based on Ryu's mistranslated win quote.)

Akuma's appearance resembles that of a Nio, one of a pair of guardians that symbolically protects Buddhist temples and other establishments against negative influences. Akuma's belligerence is a direct, and likely deliberate, contrast to the purpose of the Nio. Both Ibuki's and Yun's winquotes against him in Second Impact reference the Nio; Ibuki is reminded of the similarly-themed Shishi lions, while Yun jokingly attempts to recall if he saw Akuma at a temple before the match.

His design may also borrow elements from another being of Buddhist origin, the Asura; Asura are demigod-like beings known for their indulgence in violence, and are cursed to live in a world of never-ending conflict. In SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Akuma and Shin Akuma make numerous references to the Asura in their intro battle dialogues.

The rope garments he starts wearing from Street Fighter III onwards is possibly a reference to the Japanese gods who wear rope belts to keep their powers in check. It may be a nod to the fact that he handicaps himself in combat to give his opponents a fighting chance.

Name Change
Capcom USA initially claimed Akuma was possessed by a demon, a detail that has not been reused since his first appearance; the character's name change from Gouki to Akuma for localization reflects Capcom USA's attempt to accentuate the demonic nature, as the word akuma (悪魔) means "devil" in Japanese. However, the appearance of Oni can be considered a revisiting of this, as he finally loses control of the 'demonic force' that is the Satsui no Hado in this form.

Personality
Akuma is a cold and extremely powerful warrior whose sole reason for being is to hone his fighting skills by battling and destroying strong foes. He rarely displays any sign of emotions, aside from occasional bursts of anger, and rarely smiles. He takes his training very seriously and deals brutally with those who dare interrupt him, as seen in his Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike ending. Occasionally, he likes to test himself against worthy rivals (e.g. Gen, Oro). He is also somewhat nihilistic by principle as he seeks someone able to kill him and it is shown in his Alpha 2 ending.

Akuma detests his brother Gouken for not giving in to the dark side of their arts which is, according to Akuma, the way they were intended to be used. He also blames Gouken for sealing off the darkness within Ryu, thus preventing Ryu from reaching his true potential. This forces Akuma to give up on his planned duel with Ryu, as he believes that only a fellow practitioner of Satsui no Hado can one day hope to defeat him.

Akuma refers to himself as a "denizen of hell" and "evil incarnate", and is seen as such by many. This may be a result of the Satsui no Hado ("Surge of Murderous Intent") taking a toll on his mind.

Moral Code
Most of the time, Akuma abides by the code of the warrior. He fights to improve his skills and defeat powerful foes - though on rare occasion, he does so to gauge the other's abilities. Although he killed his teacher and believed he did the same with his brother (Gouken), Akuma did so in combat, and thus can be said to have not transgressed on his principles.

In combat, Akuma almost never resorts to his true strength, especially if testing another fighter; he only fights warriors that he deems worthy, or the ones he believes have the potential to become such. During the events of Street Fighter Alpha 2, Akuma fought Ryu only to gain insight on Ryu's abilities, while in 3rd Strike, he faced Oro in order to test his own strength.

Although Akuma usually prefers an even bout (as he backed out of a duel with Gen once he found out that Gen was fatally ill), it is not uncommon for him to deliver a lethal sneak attack to an unprepared opponent (as he did with Bison, Gill and Adon's unnamed rival). While the evil nature of Satsui no Hado itself may have corrupted Akuma's ways, it is worth noting that Akuma considers Bison a much more abhorrent type of evil.

Pre-Alpha
Akuma and his brother Gouken were students of Goutetsu. Goutetsu taught a nameless life-threatening martial art, which incorporates elements of Karate, Judo, and Kempo. He also taught the Shun Goku Satsu (literally Instant Hell Murder), a lethal 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 their fighting style and the path to master it. Gouken, unable to accept the violent nature and the Satsui no Hado of his fighting style, left Goutetsu to begin his own dojo, which Goutetsu did not oppose. Akuma continued Goutetsu's teachings, and vowed to use their fighting style as it was intended.

In order to learn Shun Goku Satsu, Akuma embraced the principle of Satsui no Hado, and 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 of enlightenment to train alone to gain more power. However, due to embracing the Satsui no Hado to its fullest extent, he developed a lust to fight to the death, unlike Goutetsu, who had been able to use the Satsui no Hado without giving in to its dark side.

After coming back from his island, Akuma went back to Goutetsu, and fought him in a death match to prove that he had surpassed him. Akuma killed his master with the Shun Goku Satsu, who died happy to see his student surpass him, and Akuma, believing that he was the true master of the Art, took the prayer beads of his dead master and placed it on his neck. Gouken came to visit his former master to see how he was doing, only to find his lifeless body and his brother, now no longer human. Gouken, shocked to see that his younger brother took the life of their master, berated Akuma, who said nothing and left for the woods.

Many years later, Akuma fought Gouken, while the then-young duo of Ryu and Ken watched. Akuma told Gouken that he was not strong enough to face him without giving in the killing intent; Gouken retorted that the art was much more than just death and destruction, accusing Akuma of dishonoring their master's name. Akuma told his brother that Goutetsu did not truly understand the art, and that he was a fool for not using the Satsui no Hado to its fullest extent. The fight continued, and Gouken won. Akuma told his brother to kill him, but Gouken had no intention of murdering his own kin, prompting Akuma to call him weak for sparing the life of a strong opponent and declare that he would return.

A couple of years later, Akuma came back to Gouken's dojo and fought him in battle, using the Shun Goku Satsu on him. Akuma believed him dead, not knowing that Gouken had somehow lived through the attack by emptying his soul, and was only in a coma. Ken saw the flash of the attack while running to the dojo, but arrived only to find Gouken on the floor. Knowing who was behind this, Ken confronted Akuma in the woods and fought him, only to be defeated. After defeating Ken, Akuma disappeared without a trace.

Street Fighter Alpha
Akuma only appears as a secret character only playable via random fighter at the character selection screen. He shares his moveset with Ryu and Ken. An artwork shows that, at some point, he helps a child who got lost in his cave. In his retconned ending, he defeats Bison claiming his quest was complete, though he feels empty. Gouken is seen in the background of his ending, as one of the people who fear and oppose him.

Street Fighter Alpha 2
Akuma begins to search the globe looking for worthy fighters to challenge. Secluding himself in the shadows, he watches small tournaments and street fights, desperately seeking someone who might be able to match his strength. He is eventually challenged by a man named Gen. Gen fights a vicious battle, even surviving the Shun Goku Satsu by emptying his soul in time. Just as Akuma begins to wonder whether this man is the worthy opponent he's searching for, he begins to sense not all is as it seems. When Gen's mouth begins to bleed, Akuma's suspicions are confirmed: his opponent is sick, and the fight is not fair. After being knocked to the ground, Gen tells Akuma to kill him. Not wanting to carry the fight on any longer, Akuma leaves, infuriating Gen. After the fight, Akuma becomes obsessed with Ryu, hoping to awaken the Satsui no Hado within his prey.

Ryu eventually finds Akuma's island (known as Onigami Isle or the Gokuentou) and challenges him. The intense battle ended with Ryu gaining the upper hand; in truth, Akuma was only testing him. Akuma regains composure and tells Ryu to find him again when he has embraced the Satsui no Hado, before striking the ground with a powerful blow and disappearing. The island falls apart around Ryu, who is left in the ocean to contemplate Akuma's words. Leaving his destroyed abode, Akuma thinks about all the fighters he has encountered, and wonders with excitement if one day he will fight someone strong enough to kill him in battle. This thought drives him on; finding a desolate cavern (also known as Kiga Cave), he begins to train anew and await the day when he will fight Ryu again. At some point, he defeats and kills a Muay Thai fighter who was about to challenge the champion, Adon. Adon sees this as a challenge and sets out to find Akuma, to fight him and prove that he is stronger.

In his ending, he comes to the realization that worthy opponents have challenged him during his journey. He decides that he could stay on Earth to perfect his killing power, knowing that there are opponents that Akuma can consider worthy. While thinking about the opponents he challenged, there are visions of Gen, M. Bison and Ryu on the moon. He then comments that he will be the next to die.

Street Fighter Alpha 3
"Akuma. The supreme master of the fist. This lone warrior is a wanderer shrouded with "evil intent". He searches for the challengers with enough potential to kill."

- Akuma's profile in Street Fighter Alpha 3

While waiting for Ryu to embrace the Satsui no Hado, Akuma wanders the globe in search of worthy opposition. He is confronted by Adon, who wishes to establish his fighting style as supreme. Akuma easily wins but, instead of killing Adon, he just leaves, apparently deeming his defeated foe as unworthy.

Sometime later, Akuma is intercepted by Guy, who refuses to allow him to see Bison; Akuma ignores Guy's pleas and engages him in combat, defeating him.

He then confronts Bison, who tells Akuma that he won't be able to defeat him as long as the Psycho Drive exists. Akuma berates the dictator for not relying solely upon his fists, and they fight. As Akuma emerges victorious, he completely terminates Bison with the Raging Demon, causing him to suffer horribly as the attack kills him.

In his ending, Akuma is then challenged by Gen once more and they fight a second battle, the results of which are unknown. Unbeknownst to Akuma, Ryu rejected the Satsui no Hado during his own battle with the Shadaloo leader, M. Bison, declaring that a true warrior does not rely on violent intent.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Akuma did not officially enter the second World Warrior tournament, but did monitor the events that took place during it in hope of finding an adequate challenge. Prior to the final itself, he ambushed the host, M. Bison, and made short work of him with the Shun Goku Satsu. Bison is obliterated in an instant. Akuma then engages in combat with the second finalist, but the identity of this warrior, as well as the outcome of the bout, remains unknown.

In both the original Super Street Fighter II Turbo and its HD remake, Akuma has two different endings, depending on who the final opponent is. If it is M. Bison, Akuma will muse on the fact that he did not master the Psycho Power and let it control him. If it is Shin Akuma, he will reflect on his victory over his own darkness, and consider death beneath him. Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival combines both endings into a whole one.

Street Fighter IV series


During the events of Seth's tournament, he continues his training, and senses the Satsui no Hado reemerging within Ryu. Immediately, he sets off to find Ryu and help him realize this power so he can try to kill him in battle. Like the other tournaments, Akuma does not officially enter, but stays in the shadows. He meets Ryu at the Volcanic Rim, where he expresses his disappointment to the fact that he hasn't transcended humanity, to which Ryu retorts that Akuma hasn't transcended his humanity, but thrown it away. To that answer, Akuma begins the duel. Later, he finds an unconscious Ryu in the care of his brother Gouken. Akuma noticed that his brother has perfected the Power of Nothingness. The two brothers fought, with Ryu being the prize. Both survived their fight, and Ryu was saved by Gouken. Akuma continued his training and his search for a worthy opponent to match his own, razing an entire forest with his power. In Elena's ending in Ultra Street Fighter IV, she is shown to have befriended him in one of her flashbacks.

Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
As with the second World Warrior tournament, Akuma did not enter the third World Warrior tournament, but once more lurked in the shadows. He was challenged by Sean who mistook him for Ryu, only for Akuma to beat him easily. He successfully pulled off a Shun Goku Satsu on the tournament sponsor Gill, although he left without realizing that Gill had resurrected himself. He then faces Ryu, asking him to show him his full power, but Ryu replies that malicious intent is not the way of the warrior. In this game, he appears as a secret boss. Using the Raging Demon on whoever the player is facing, he battles the player afterwards. If Akuma is felled, the scenery will darken, the ground will shake and he will get back up and unleash his true power for a second fight.

Over this time-span, Akuma had trained relentlessly, harnessing his power and learning several new techniques; some were meant to create tidal waves, others were described as strong enough to split Uluru (Ayers Rock) in half, and one could kill an opponent with a single strike. One such self-taught technique is called the Kongou Kokuretsuzan, 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, the Onigami Isle Gokuentou.

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Akuma continued to develop his now-incredible fighting skill, and even fought with Oro in a simple, inconclusive battle, with each other sensing the other's massive chi and testing their powers. Though mutually impressed by each other's power, both men expressed some contempt for the other on a personal basis.

It is also revealed that Akuma has now demonstrated the ability to remain underwater under massive pressure for extended periods of time, and has even managed to make his Tenshou Kaireki Jin technique powerful enough to destroy the massive sunken ruins of a modern liner ship.

SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos
Akuma's ending in the storyline depends on his final opponent; if Akuma faced Athena, his ending shows him ascending to the Heavens. As he has not found a worthy foe on the mortal plane of existence, he proceeds to challenge God himself, although he is surprised to find him in the form of an old man, drinking tea in his living room.

If Akuma's final opponent was Red Arremer, his ending shows him using a variation of the Kongou Kokuretsuzan to create a massive fissure on the earth, and leaps in to the depths of Hell, defeating all of the denizens and eventually reaching and defeating Astaroth from the Ghosts n' Goblins series.

SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium
He appears in this game as a secret character, and rival to Iori Yagami. A supposed clone of him appears as one of Geese Howard and M. Bison's guards along with clones of Morrigan and Zangief.

In his ending, after Billy Kane is defeated by Iori, he says to Akuma he will take care of him once he kills Kyo Kusanagi before leaving. Akuma replies he'll be waiting; confident that Iori's Riot of the Blood is no match for his Satsui no Hado.

Capcom vs. SNK 2
Akuma appears as a boss. He is shown on a roof in Osaka fighting Rugal if the player has a high enough score, and defeated the Last Stage's opponent(s) with a Super Combo Finish.

If it is normal Akuma, he will appear by himself, wondering who emitted a great war cry. Akuma then deducts that it was the player's character/team, and proceeds to challenge them directly. When he is defeated, he states that he will never give up, and then says that a real challenger has appeared at last, which is none other than Rugal himself, and the two proceed to battle at once.

If he is the one speaking to Rugal on the roof, he states that he will remember Rugal's name, and performs the Shun Goku Satsu on Rugal. However, Rugal then grabs Akuma by the chest, commenting on how much the Satsui no Hado impressed him, and forcibly gives the Orochi power to Akuma before his death. He will then transform into Shin Akuma (also known as God Akuma in this game, due to the different kanji that appears on his back. If defeated, he is left clinging to life, until black entities revive him and take him away, ordering him to go on and become stronger.

However, if Rugal is the one speaking to Akuma, he states that he enjoyed the Satsui no Hado, and comments that Akuma is not worthy of it. Deciding that it requires a new possessor, he then kills Akuma outright, and absorbs his Satsui no Hado to become Ultimate Rugal. However, Akuma takes possession of Rugal's body, as his mind isn't strong enough to contain his power. He then dissapears after Rugal's defeat, stating he has no name, and is 'nothing and everything'.

If the game is cleared with Akuma, the following text scrolls:

"Though he has beat the Evil Powers, Akuma isn't satisfied. He is not satisfied by power, energy, or victories. Nobody can realise what Akuma longs for..."

Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix
In his prologue, Akuma leaves his island, Gokuentou, because it is overrun by tourists, and the place is becoming an exclusive leisure resort. Traveling by boat with his belongings, he searches for a new training ground.

In his ending, he defeated Hsien-ko after she had promised to lead him to the perfect place to train. She keeps her promise, leading him deep within a forest to an area where zombies dwell at night. Akuma accepts this as his new training ground, seeing them as the perfect targets to brush up his killing techniques, and engages the zombies as he continues his quest to become the world's mightiest warrior.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Akuma appears as one of the four characters working alongside Galactus as his Heralds, though his motivation is the same as in most appearances. In his ending, he is shown to have defeated Galactus as well as many others from the "other dimension" that stood in his path. Seeing as how the "Planet Eater" himself could not defeat him, Akuma decides not to wait for strong opponents to appear, but rather to seek them out.

in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, he also appears in Dormammu's ending, as one of the Capcom villains opposing the dimensional overlord's advances on the Capcom universe. He also shows up in Ryu's ending where Ryu, who has recently been appointed as Iron Fist's successor, defeats him.

Street Fighter X Tekken
He appears in one of the trailers of the game, where he confronts Ogre while the meteorite falls, calling him a "pathetic whelp". The places they are standing on elevates in the air during the crash. At the end, they both charge at each other. Akuma appears in Street Fighter X Tekken as a playable character and as one of the final bosses, with his Tekken counterpart being Ogre. In his story, he senses the meteorite before it actually comes crashing into the Antarctic. When it finally impacts, he reappears at the Antarctic, seeing the Pandora as a "new era of chaos" as fighters from all over the world are gathering together to find it. His Swap Costume is Heihachi Mishima's infamous outfit from Tekken 4.

In his boss cutscene, Pandora is seen for a few seconds, and then the camera pans out, showing Akuma descending to the ground from the sky from an unknown location. He then lands while punching the ground in the process, creating huge pillars of snow. Akuma then walks towards the player's characters menacingly, declaring that he will bring a new era of chaos with his fists, and then the fight begins.

In his rival cutscene, Ogre appears before him and Akuma calls him "pitiful creature" and tells him to prove his worth. Ogre launches a wave scream that Akuma completely shrugs off before taking his fighting stance. The fight then begins. In Ogre's rival cutscene, before he gets to the box, Akuma sends him a Zanku Hadoken that he stops but gets pushed back in the process. The fight then begins.

In his ending, Akuma approaches Pandora, but when it opens, it manifests a Pandora version of Oni before him. Recognizing this form as a raging shadow of himself, he moves in to attack. He also appears in Steve and Hwoarang's ending, where Pandora spawns 100 Akumas (1 Akuma and 99 Shin Akumas) in response to Hwoarang's overconfidence, all of them attacking at once with the Raging Demon.

In his epilogue, Akuma engaging Pandora Oni causes a storm that lasts several days. All organizations seeking the box are forced to return home due to the storm. But as they leave, a huge crack running along the ground swallows the box. Eyewitness claim to have seen a human-like creature in the middle of the storm but it was dismissed as an ephemeral mass of energy. To the outside, those events still remain a mystery.

Asura's Wrath
Akuma, along with Ryu, both made appearances in Capcom and CyberConnect2's collaborative beat-'em-up title, Asura's Wrath. Akuma appears as a DLC-only character with his own fleshed out episode, titled The Strongest vs. The Angriest. Much like Ryu's episode, it uses the Super Street Fighter IV engine while shifting to the traditional battle system for the second half.

The story picks up after Ryu's episode, where Akuma suddenly appears. To prevent distractions, Akuma immediately executes the Demon Armageddon on Ryu, but instead of piercing him, he launches him so hard it forces Ryu through a wormhole back to his original timeline. When Akuma learns of Asura's name, he reveals himself to be familiar with the deity's background as a being of wrath and challenges him.

Akuma retains his moves from Super Street Fighter IV, and switches Ultras between matches. The Wrath of the Raging Demon can be countered through a Quick Time Event. At the end of the first half, he transforms into Oni, starting the second half.

At the end of the battle, Asura and Akuma (reverting from Oni somehow) continue to fight, with the fight apparently lasting for 500 years. In the timeskip, both combatants are still facing each other in a standstill and have turned to stone with developing moss. Eventually, both statues begin to move at last to finally finish the fight, ending in a cliffhanger.

Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation
Akuma first appears in Ryu's mind when Ryu is suddenly overcome by the energy of the Satsui no Hado for a short time with Akuma telling him to "open his eyes to the Evil Hado". He reappears later when Ryu and Chun-Li visit his island, in the middle of a field of wooden statues. He says that "the true fighter must walk into the arena with all his powers at the ready" and if Ryu is a pupil of Gouken, he must walk the same path as him and fight him with his true power or leave. His own Dark Hado influences Ryu's, the latter struggling against it. However Ryu only asks a question: If he has a family or a son, to which Akuma responds "When I walk, I walk alone, when I fight, I fight alone" before walking away. In the movie's ending, he reappears to fight Ryu who seeks to prove he is nothing like him, much to Akuma's dismay. The movie ends with them both charging at each other.

Street Fighter Alpha: Generations
This movie gives Akuma a more personal backstory; he is also called Gouki. He is lying against a tree and is woken up by Sayaka, Goutetsu's daughter. Gouken tells him that he had no choice since Gouki used the Dark Hado when his master forbid it while Sayaka tends to his wounds. During sunset, he has an argument with Goutetsu at the dojo which Sayaka eavesdrop, asking why he forbids the Dark Hado and his master answering that he cannot use it. Gouki responds by saying that he does not want to follow a laid out path like his predecessors' teachings are absolute. He also says that a true martial arts master will have the courage to follow a thorny trail to which Goutetsu responds that what Gouki is describing is not courage but arrogance. He then leaves the room, followed angrily by his pupil who finds Sayaka eavesdropping. She tells him that although it's hard to believe, her father wants what's best for him. Gouki replies that he knows that but wanted his master to understand that he had his own path to follow. But as he leaves, he start to cramp up again but tells Sayaka to stay away when she tries to help him before walking away. He is seen again in the evening, in the process of transforming into a demon while Goutetsu confronts him, saying that seeing him like this was a great dissapointment. Then starts a battle of cataclysmic proportions between the two. During that time, Gouken and Sayaka rush to the scene but Sayaka stops and shows nausea, implying that Gouki impregnated her. When Gouken gets there, Gouki defeated Goutetsu with the Shun Goku Satsu. Gouken then berates his brother for this act and tells him that his happiness was right there within his reach and yells for an answer. But Gouki just takes his master's prayer beads and walks away without saying anything.

He appears again in the present day in Ryu's memories. In their first meeting, and the day where he came to the dojo to kill Gouken, causing Ryu's Satsui no Hado to awaken.

He reappears in the flesh at the climax of the movie where he fights Ryu. Gouki completely dominates the bout, while saying to Gouken that he was right to walk down this path and the fact that Ryu is here proves it. Cornered, Ryu gives in to the Satsui no Hado and manages to actually hurt Gouki, much to the latter's excitement. Their fight calls the spirits of former Satsui users from Ryu and Gouki's bloodline. But as they trade punches, Ryu sees a vision of Fuuka which causes him to stop using the Dark Hado. Gouki scolds Ryu, saying to him that his path to a great warrior had been clouded and that through his teachings, he has forsaken his natural thirst to be strong to which Ryu replies that on the contrary, it made him strong, angering Gouki. Ryu tries to attack from above while Gouki sends a Messatsu Gou Hadou. Gouki's attack connects but Ryu strikes his chest with his Hado which results in purifying the entire forest along with the spirits in a light blue explosion. Gouki's chest becomes clearer due to this and he walks away with visions of Gouken and Sayaka treating his wounds. After this, Gouki gets back up saying "My name is Gouki! The one who became strong! Someday, someday I intend to fight you again" to Ryu. As he says this, his eyes and appearance returned to human-looking, probably due to Ryu's attack making him momentarily regain part of his humanity. During this time, the monk's speech to Ken implies that Gouki is Ryu's father. However, this entire movie is non-canon.

Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind
Akuma appears in the beginning of the movie, where he enters Ryu's mind and torments him. He inquires about why and how long Ryu intends to resist the Satsui no Hado to which he responds "Until my last breath!" and that he aims for something higher than power. But Akuma dismisses this as foolishness of the highest order, given that Ryu doesn't know exactly what he seeks. Akuma goes on by saying that Ryu's blood is calling out to him and that he must answer it with his life. But Ryu keeps refusing sternly, prompting Akuma to tell him that he will murder him himself and states that this mundane world is of no concern to them as they grow stronger by consuming human life. Having had enough, Ryu tells him off by unconsciously using the Satsui no Hado, causing Akuma to burst in laughter before vanishing.

Street Fighter (UDON)
In the UDON comics, Akuma's storyline is rather faithful to the one established in the video games; however, it does provide a few interesting twists.

Akuma is still presented as one of the mightiest characters in the Street Fighter, though a few fighters were shown being capable of taking him out or at least able to stand their ground against him. Gouken has managed to defeat Akuma the first time he appeared to challenge his brother. However, the second time around, he was not so lucky, as the Satsui no Hado-fueled Akuma proved to be too powerful.

Gen is also one of the selected few that managed to repeat Gouken's feat; in a duel where fighters both powered by the Satsui no Hado, Gen's experience proved to be a deciding factor as he struck down Akuma with one of his deadliest techniques. Akuma survives, but is badly injured and at Gen's mercy. Intrigued by the level of skill displayed by his opponent, Gen spares his life and agrees to a rematch once Akuma has fully mastered the Dark Hado. This event causes Akuma to grow an utmost respect for Gen's fighting abilities.

Their second bout, however, is in the shadow of Gen's illness, and after a single, deadly clash, Akuma and Gen forever part their ways while paying respect to each other. Soon afterwards, as a result of this brief encounter, Gen collapses and dies.

In the World Warrior tournament's finals, Akuma faces M. Bison, but neither is able to gain the upper hand until the Psycho Drive, the device that powers Bison, is destroyed by other street fighters. In the true final battle, Akuma is defeated by a Satsui no Hado-consumed Ryu, who manages to regain his senses in time to spare Akuma's life, refusing to dishonor the memory of his late master by giving in to the darkness. Enraged, Akuma is then apparently stopped by Gouken; however, Gouken's appearance can be attributed to Ryu having hallucinations caused by the smoke and toxic vapors, courtesy of Shadaloo's island disappearing in the eruption of a volcano.

Street Fighter Origins: Akuma
Created by UDON, this comic is another interpretation of his backstory. In this iteration, Akuma does not use the Raging Demon on Goutetsu as he did in the games' canon, but instead uses the Demon Armageddon Ultra Combo from Ultra Street Fighter IV.

Cameos
Akuma appears in the Marvel-licensed Capcom fighting game, X-Men: Children of the Atom as a secret character, as well as Marvel Super Heroes as a cameo in one of Anita's (of Darkstalkers series) special moves. An original variation called Cyber Akuma (Mech Gouki in Japan) appears in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter as the game's final boss. Like the Shin Akuma version of the character, Cyber Akuma is more powerful than the regular Akuma, possesses the greatest attack and defense of any character in the game, and is extremely fast. He can used after beating the game without using continues on the home consoles. Highlight Akuma on the Character Select screen, press the Select button six times, and press the high punch button, Cyber Akuma will now be playable. He can't use a partner, but is so powerful that he can easily win without one. All of Cyber Akuma's super moves are Level 1, including the Shining Gou Shock.


 * Akuma also makes a semi-appearance in Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness as Zero Gouki.
 * Akuma appears in the arcade versions of Street Fighter: The Movie as a regular character. He also appears in the console versions of Street Fighter: The Movie as an secret boss who can be selected via a cheat code.
 * Akuma appears in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, sitting against a wall in Calcutta.
 * Akuma also makes cameo appearances in many of the episodes of Street Fighter II V, often in the background interacting with the population.
 * Akuma appears in Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation and Street Fighter Alpha: Generations.
 * Joey Ansah played Akuma in Street Fighter: Legacy, which he co-directed with Owen Trevor.
 * Akuma appears in Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist, with Ansah reprised the role, while a young Gouki will be portrayed by Gaku Space.
 * Akuma can be created in Mortal Kombat Armageddon's Kreate-A-Fighter mode. His hair is listed as "Demon" in the game.
 * Akuma also made an appearance in South Park "Imaginationland, Episode II" on the evil side of Imaginationland.

Gameplay and fighting style
Having mastered the original form of the unnamed "Shotokan" art, Akuma's fighting style is based in the same vein as the all-around characters, with a much more offense-oriented design. Akuma's overall style focuses on completely dominating the opponent and preventing counterattacks.

His mix of raw attack power, combined with moves that can control the air and keep him mobile, allow him to maintain a fierce offensive. However, Akuma's power is offset by very low stamina and stun, meaning that any whiffed attack or defensive opening could lead to a massive punish and irreversibly tip the scales against him.

Akuma's hard-to-match combo ability via his various command attacks or special attacks (e.g. Zanku Hadoken or Hyakkishu) can easily create pressure, especially against a downed opponent, and take advantage of wake-up based and/or cross-up based setups that often lead to some of the more high-damage combos in the series.

Techniques
Akuma's Gohadoken can be used in midair as well, while his Tatsumaki Zankukyaku can floor the opponent and can also juggle, and his Goshoryuken can floor his opponent with one hit; it can lands up to 3 hits up close, and can also juggle with a single use in certain instances. Due to embracing the Satsui no Hado, Akuma has other special moves that Ryu and Ken normally lack.

The Ashura Senku is a fast teleport move that allows him to escape or position himself almost at will. The Tenmakujinkyaku is a fast downwards-angled kick that he can use at the peak of his jumps. The Hyakkishu 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.

Super Combos
Akuma's Super Combos, introduced in the Alpha series (for reasons explained below) consist of a high-powered Gohadoken, a powered-up Zanku Hadoken, a Shoryuken-based move similar to Ken's Shoryureppa without the scorching effect, and an upward-spiraling Tatsumaki that can also be used in midair. Akuma's most well known Super Combo is the Shun Goku Satsu, also known as the Raging Demon; it is traditionally one of the strongest attacks in any game Akuma appears in.

Two more moves are introduced in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and the Capcom vs. SNK series: the Kongou Kokuretsuzan has Akuma strike the ground hard, generating lightning and waves of energy, and the Misogi has him perform a homing teleport directly above the opponent and deliver a fierce descending strike.

In 3rd Strike, Akuma is the only other character to possess more than 3 Super Arts AND have 3 of them usable during a match. Ibuki has four Super Arts in total, due only to having two of them swapped between Second Impact and Third Strike; Gill can also use his three Arts in a single match, though the other two are rendered unusable after Resurrection. Akuma is also one of two characters without any EX Specials in the series, with the other being Gill.

In Street Fighter IV, he has the Wrath of the Raging Demon as his Ultra Combo. In Super Street Fighter IV, Akuma's second Ultra Combo is an extremely powerful Tatsumaki-based move known as Demon Armageddon. Its Japanese name, Tenshou Kaireki Jin, reveals it to be the attack that Akuma would perfect into the literal sea-splitting and explosively ascending technique shown in 3rd Strike.

In his appearance in Street Fighter X Tekken, unlike other characters, he has two Super Arts; his signature 'hidden' Raging Demon and the Misogi, which returns from the Capcom vs. SNK games. His Cross Art also uses the Tenma Shurettou, also making its return from the Capcom vs. SNK games.

As a Boss
As a computer-controlled boss in most games (e.g. Super Street Fighter II Turbo), Akuma is even more powerful, faster, and more durable in comparison, usually only appearing as a final or hidden boss. This reflects his personality, as Akuma often holds back his power so as to give his opponents a fighting chance; when fought as a secret boss, Akuma effectively deems the player's character worthy, and 'powers up' accordingly.

Balance Issues
In Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Akuma is banned in U.S. tournaments, and soft-banned (i.e. not used on 'principle' as opposed to being officially unusable) in Japanese tournaments. This is a result of the fact that Akuma was initially designed to be extremely powerful; such power is potentially reflected in his lack of a Super Combo at that point.

As explained previously, Turbo HD Remix attempted to make this version of Akuma more playable by lowering his stamina, giving the Zanku Hadoken a 'blowback' effect, and adding a much weaker Shun Goku Satsu as his Super Combo. Despite these efforts, Akuma has remained banned in HD Remix for the large majority of tournaments, as the changes made to his character did not offset his overreaching power compared to the rest of the cast, and in some cases made it worse.

Due to the steep angle of the Zanku Hadoken (inherited from his later appearances), it is possible to perform cross-up combos that could not be done originally, and with the 'blowback' effect, he can gain extra air time to avoid a projectile the opponent throws at him. In addition, due to a bug and the move's speed, the Raging Demon cannot be interrupted at close range, making it near impossible to avoid when cornered.

Trivia

 * In the animation Street Fighter Alpha: Generations, it is implied that Akuma could be Ryu's biological father.
 * Akuma has many cameo appearances in the anime series Street Fighter II V. See all appearances in this link.
 * In the Street Fighter IV games, he is the only character to possess an Ultra Combo that doesn't require all three kicks or punches.
 * Akuma and Fei Long are the only characters not to appear in the live action movie. Akuma did, however, make it into the game based on the movie.
 * Asura's Wrath character Augus share his particular code of combat with Akuma, as they both fight for the sake of fighting, and they never hold back when in a good fight.
 * Akuma's character design may be based off Nosferatu Zodd from the manga and anime Berserk. Both character's share very similar appearances and are always willing to fight a worthy opponent to the death.
 * In Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, Akuma at one point is seen visually as gigantic in stature, even though officially he is just slightly taller than Ryu.
 * Akuma's second alternate costume color 10 resembles Shin Akuma from Capcom vs. SNK 2.
 * As an April Fool's Day joke, Akuma was once rumored to appear in Resident Evil 2 as a playable character. The supposed requirements varied, with one being to complete the game no less than six times using only a handgun and the knife while obtaining only A-Ranks.
 * Akuma is a Death Battle champion, winning against Mortal Kombat ' s Shang Tsung in the second episode.
 * Akuma's main battle music appears to resemble Biddu Orchestra ' s "Dance of Shiva" (1985).
 * It can be implied through various bits of dialogue in Street Fighter X Tekken that Akuma detests imitators, and those who take a shortcut to achieve great power, as noted in his battle with M. Bison in Street Fighter Alpha 3.
 * In Street Fighter Origins: Akuma, Akuma's father is named Gyūki ("Ox Oni") because of the similar sound and meaning to Akuma's original Japanese name.
 * The requirements to fight Akuma in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Capcom vs. SNK, and Shin Akuma in Street Fighter Alpha 2 are the same. In these games, the player should win every round and get the "Perfect" score thrice.
 * In the original Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Akuma had four different winqotes, the most out of all the other characters. Also when he is about to be fought, his music is already playing, and he introduces himself to the player character; in the overseas versions, a bit of M. Bison's theme plays, and then Akuma's theme plays when he appears and then the fight begins from there, as if to create a surprise to the players. Why Akuma's winquotes and intro scene were removed from the overseas versions are not known.

Quotes

 * See Akuma/Quotes.

Movelists

 * Akuma's moves in the Street Fighter II series
 * Akuma's moves in Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix
 * Akuma's moves in Street Fighter: The Movie (the arcade version)
 * Akuma's moves in Street Fighter: The Movie (the console version)
 * Akuma's moves in Street Fighter Alpha 3
 * Akuma's moves in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
 * Akuma's moves in Street Fighter IV
 * Akuma's moves in Super Street Fighter IV

Wikia Links

 * Akuma on Megaman Knowledge Base