Hadoken



The Hadoken (波動拳, hadouken, "surge fist", a Japanese neologism, literally "wave motion fist"), also sometimes spelled as "Hadouken" is a special attack that originated in the classic Capcom fighting video game series Street Fighter. The practitioner thrusts his or her palms forward, sending a surge of spirit energy (or ki) flying towards the opponent. It is normally performed by moving the joystick or D-pad a quarter circle forward towards the opponent from the down position, then pressing a punch button; which is usually written in manuals and guides as "↓↘→P" (assuming a right-facing character). It is referred to colloquially as the "Fireball", even though most versions of the Hadoken do not involve the use of fire. Most versions can be dodged by jumping over them.

Different Types of Hadoken
Hadoken (波動拳, hadoken, "Surge Fist") – The surge fist in which a character's willpower is utilized to focus ki into and through the palms. As the palms are thrust outwards towards the target, a surging shock-wave is expelled that results in a punching force traveling through the air. The user will usually be immobilized for a short time after performing this move, leaving them vulnerable to counterattack.

Shakunetsu Hadoken (灼熱波動拳, shakunetsu hadoken, "Scorching Surge Fist") – A Hadoken which is imbued with the power of fire. Executed by Akuma, anyone touching this Hadoken risks immolation and will be knocked down.

Shinkuu Hadoken (真空波動拳, shinkū hadoken, "Vacuum Surge Fist") – A Super charge of the Hadoken; when executed, the Shinkuu Hadoken can hit the opponent multiple times and destroy other projectiles launched by the opponent. It is much more powerful than a normal Hadoken. It's appearance in the Vs. series comes in the form of a large beam that highly resembles the Kamehameha Wave from the Dragon Ball series.

Gou Hadoken (豪波動拳, go hadoken, "Strong Surge Fist") – It is more powerful than a normal Hadouken.

Zanku Hadoken (斬空波動拳, zankuu hadoken, "Air Slashing Surge Fist") – This is an aerial Hadoken used by Akuma, which travels diagonally down and towards the opponent. In some games, Akuma can launch two Zanku Hadoken at the same time, with both traveling at different angles towards the ground.

Tenma Go Zanku (天魔豪斬空, tenma gou zankuu, "Demon's Great Air Slash") – A more powerful version of the Zanku Hadoken. Akuma uses this Super Combo to throw a barrage of mid-air projectiles at his opponent, crushing them.

Messatsu Gou Hado (滅殺豪波動, messatsu go hadou, "Murderous Strong Surge" - A more powerful version of the Shinkuu Hadoken.

Denjin Hadoken (電刃波動拳, denjin hadoken, "Thunder Blade Surge Fist") – A chargeable Hadoken that electrifies the defender, stunning them momentarily.

Metsu Hadoken (滅波動拳, metsu hadoken, "Destruction Surge Fist") - Using the energy of the Satsui no Hadou, Ryu charges a hadoken with the intention to kill.

Users
Ryu focuses more on the Hado principle of the fighting style, which makes him very skilled with his usage of ki. Most of Ryu's finishing attacks are the Hadoken, which make him generally a better user than Ken. As time progressed, Ryu's version was the most outstanding of its practitioners, with superior speed and recovery time compared to his rivals.
 * Hadoken
 * Shakunetsu Hadoken
 * Shinkuu Hadoken
 * Denjin Hadoken
 * Metsu Hadoken

Ken Masters is also a student of Gouken alongside his partner and best friend Ryu. However, although he possesses the ability to manipulate ki, he has chosen to focus on developing moves & techniques more in line with his speed-orientated fighting style.
 * Hadoken

Akuma has Hadoken which are "evil", and his ki are usually purple in color.
 * Hadoken
 * Gou Hadoken
 * Shakunetsu Hadoken
 * Zankuu Hadoken
 * Messatsu Gou Hado
 * Tenma Gou Zankuu

Sakura Kasugano has an imperfect Hadoken since she is not trained in the Hado-style. She learned by imitating Ryu.
 * Hadoken
 * Shinku Hadoken

Sean Matsuda has not trained enough, so his Hadoken is weak and is slow to charge up.
 * Hado Burst/Blast



Dan Hibiki "invented" the Gadouken (Self-Taught Fist), which barely has any attack power and also has a short range. It is done with the same input as the Hadouken, though he appears to launch it with one hand. He gains the Shinkuu Gadoken with the similarity of a Shinkuu Hadoken except it is a short distance fireball to close range combat. He also gained a new Haoh Gadouken in Super Street Fighter IV and is much similar to Ryu's Super Fireball.

Gouken has a Hadoken which are "pure good". He uses only one-handed in Street Fighter IV.
 * Gou Hadoken
 * Denjin Hadoken

Other Appearances

 * The Hadouken appears as a taunt in the Valve First-Person Shooter, Team Fortress 2. It's used by the Pyro. If the firebll connects, it instantly kills the opponent.
 * In episode 33 of the anime Keroro Gunso, the character Tamama uses a parody version of Shinku Hadoken called Shinku Tamamaken, the attack looks exactly the same.
 * In the game Megaman X, if the player collects all items and dies 5 times in Armored Armadilo's stage, at the end of the level above the boss door the player will find a secret capsule in which Dr. Light dressed as Ryu will teach X the Hadoken. The way it is performed is the same as in the games.
 * In the Nexon imported game "dungeon fighter" the fighters hadoken like move, nen blast, uses the same command as hadoken. this could be a nod to the legacy of the attack.