Akuma


 * "The true fighter can stare death in the face and lash out in rage against it!"
 * —Akuma

Akuma (悪魔 or アクマ, "Demon, Devil" in Japanese), known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼, Gōki, "Great Devil", "Great Demon" or "Great Ogre"), is a popular fighter as well as a popular villain in the Street Fighter series as well as the 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, but in Street Fighter IV and Marvel VS. Capcom 3, he is voiced by Taketora.

Appearance
Akuma/Gouki usually wears a black gi, but varies in the series (occasionally displayed as blue in artwork). He has red hair, sharp, pointed teeth, and is bare-footed, but in some games, he also wore brown sandals. He has a tanned skin and crimson eyes, and wears his deceased master Goutetsu's prayer beads around his neck. He was seen with a black belt around on his gi, but is now replaced by a tightened rope around his gi. On the back of his gi, he has a red kanji (天, Ten) that means "Heaven" - can be seen on his back when it appears glowing during certain win poses. He is taller than Ryu.

Personality
Akuma is a seemingly brutal, angry, quite honorable and proud warrior who enjoys training and has contempt for true weaklings. He is rarely seen smiling and enjoys fighting formidable warriors, such as Ryu. He also hates it when somebody actually interferes with his training. He is also quite serious in fighting and enjoys getting stronger.

Moral Code
Akuma fights only to test his strength, become more powerful, and test his opponent's strength. 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 he, stronger than him or who he finds worth killing, which is why he stopped his fight with Gen after realizing that he was ill and dying. While Akuma attacked 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 just picking fights, although, a common game mechanic is to allow players to fight him when certain conditions are met, implying that the fighter the player is using is "strong enough" to pose a challenge to Akuma.

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 Hadou of his fighting style, left Goutetsu to begin his own dojo, however Goutetsu did not stop his student Gouken from leaving and even allowed him build his own dojo. 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 Hadō or (The Surge of the Intent to Kill/Killing Intent). Through Satsui no Hadō, 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 of enlightenment to train alone to gain more power, but after embracing the Satsui no Hadou to his fullest extent, he develop a lust to fight to the death, unlike Goutetsu who was able to use the Satsui no Hadou without given in to the dark side effects of it and not give in to his fullest extent, after he came back from his island, he went back to Goutetsu, he fought and killed him with Shun Goku Satsu. 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, when Gouken went to visit his Master to see how he was doing, he only found his body lifeless and saw his brother was not looking human at all. Gouken, who was in shocked to see that his younger brother took the life of their master, yelled at Akuma for killing Goutetsu. Akuma however, said nothing and just left Gouken and Goutetsu and went into the Woods. Many years later, Akuma fought Gouken, while Ryu and Ken watch the whole battle at a young age, Akuma told Gouken that he was not enough to face him without giving in the Killing intent, Gouken had told him that the art is much more then just death and destruction and even saying that he has dishonored our master's name, Akuma had told his brother that Goutetsu did not truly understand the art and was a fool for not using the Satsui no Hadou to his fullest intent, while the brothers fought well, Gouken won the battle. Akuma had told his brother to kill him, but Gouken had no intention of murdering his own kin, Akuma then told Gouken that he is weak for sparing a life of a strong opponent and said that he will return. A couple years later, Akuma came back to Gouken's dojo and fought him in battle, Akuma had used Shun Goku Satsu on his brother and believed to had killed him, 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, only to find Gouken on the floor, Ken knew that Akuma did this and went after him, as he found Akuma in the woods, he fought him, only to be defeated by Akuma, after defeating Ken, Akuma had went into the woods without a trace.

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 Hadou within his prey.

Ryu eventually finds Akuma's island (known as Onigami Isle or the Gokuentou) and challenges him. The intense battle that ended in 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 Hadō, Akuma strikes the ground with a powerful blow and disappears. 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 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 were visions of Gen, M. Bison and Ryu on the moon. He then makes a comment, saying 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

Two years later, Akuma begins to search once more for worthy fighters whilst awaiting Ryu to embrace the Satsui no Hadō, he was found and was fought by Adon, who wanted prove that his fighting stye was the greatest but was defeated easily by Akuma, however Akuma did not kill him and just left him. Akuma encounters Gen once more and fights a second battle (the results of the fight are unknown). However, unbeknownst to Akuma, Ryu rejects the Satsui no Hadō while battling the Shadaloo leader, M. Bison, declaring that a true warrior does not rely on violent intent.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Akuma does not officially enter the second World Warrior tournament, although he fought and does perform the Shun Goku Satsu on Bison. Akuma stated that Bison was pathetic for letting dark energy control him rather than him controlling such power (despite the fact that Bison is in control of is own power). Bison's body is eventually regenerated by Shadaloo scientists.

Super Street Fighter IV
During the events of Seth's tournament, he continues his training, and senses the Satsui no Hadou 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. Eventually, he finds an unconscious Ryu in the care of his brother Gouken. Akuma noticed that his brother has perfected the Mu No Ken (Empty Fist). The two brothers then proceed to fight; Ryu, being the prize. Both survived their fight and Ryu was saved by Gouken. So Akuma continued his training and still searches for a worthy opponent to match his own.

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 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 time-span, 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 Uluru (Ayers Rock) in half, and one that could kill an opponent with a single strike. Akuma's self-taught technique is called the Kongō Kokuretsu Zan, 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.

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 others power, both men expressed some contempt for the other on a personal basis. Akuma has now demonstrated the ability to remain underwater under massive pressure for extended periods of time, and has even managed to destroy a naval submarine with a technique that he has dubbed Tenshō Kaireki Jin.

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. He defeats Bison at the end, his ending claims 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. However, it should be borne in mind that this game's story is overwritten by that of Street Fighter Alpha 2.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Akuma appears as one of the four secret characters in the game. In his ending, he is shown to have defeated Galactusas well as many other warriors 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.

Other Appearances

 * Akuma appears in the Capcom fighting game, X-Men: Children of the Atom as well as Marvel Super Heroes as a secret character. 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 only be used with cheat codes. He can't use a partner, but is so powerful that he can easily win without one.
 * Akuma also makes a semi-appearance in Cyberbots as Zero Gouki.
 * Additionally, Akuma can be created in Mortal Kombat Armageddon 's Kreate-A-Fighter mode, with his hairstyle listed as Devil. His hairstyle is one of several references to characters from outside the Mortal Kombat franchise.
 * Akuma appears in the console versions of Street Fighter: The Movie as an unplayable opponent. He can be selected via a cheat code. He also appears in the arcade version of the game as a regular selectable character.
 * 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 also made an appearance in South Park "Imaginationland Episode II" on the evil side of Imaginationland.
 * Joey Ansah played Akuma in Street Fighter: Legacy which he co-directed with Owen Trevor.
 * Akuma has been confirmed to be playable in the cross-over game, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.

Gameplay
Akuma has the same moves as Ryu and Ken, only much faster and more damaging. Akuma can perform the Hadōken (Gō Hadōken--Strong Surge Fist), including one performed mid-air (Zankū Hadōken--Air-Cutting Surge Fist). His Tatsumaki Zankūkyaku (Tornado Air Slashing Kick) knocks the opponent down instantly and can also juggle, his Shōryūken (Gō Shōryūken, -- 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 Shōryūken in certain instances. Akuma also cannot be stunned in his first few appearances. To compensate for these advantages, he is usually saddled with extremely low stamina, and in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, he has an extremely short stun meter and no EX moves. These "flaws" reflect Akuma's ability to hold back his power so as to give his opponents a fighting chance. It should be noted that Akuma didn't possess these flaws in his early appearances, which caused players to consider him or complain to be too powerful a character.

Akuma has other notable special moves that Ryu and Ken normally lack. The Ashura Senkuu is a teleport move with very short start-up and recovery which allows him to escape the corner almost at will. The Tenma Kuujinkyaku is a downwards-angled kick that he can use at the peak of his jumps. It's very fast, hard to punish and allows for combos afterward. The Hyakkishuu 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.

Akuma's super moves consist of the Messatsu Gō Hadō (Obliterating Strong Surge，滅殺豪波動), which is simply a high-powered Shinkū Hadōken, a Tenma Gō Zankū (Great Demon's Strong Air Slash，天魔豪斬空), a mid-air version of the Shinkū Hadōken, the Messatsu Gō Shōryū (Obliterating Rising Dragon，滅殺豪昇龍), which similar to Ken's Shōryū Reppa without the scorching effect, and the Messatsu Gō Rasen (Obliterating Strong Spiral，滅殺豪螺旋), an upward spiraling hurricane kick attack. There are also two other moves: in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, he has the one named Kongō Kokuretsu Zan (Land-Rending Vajra Slash，金剛国裂斬) where Akuma strikes the ground hard generating lightning and waves of energy. In Capcom vs. SNK 2 and SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom he has the Misogi (Purifier, 禊), where he teleports above the opponent and delivers a fierce descending strike; this move homes in on the opponent's location. Akuma's most well known super move is the Shun Goku Satsu (瞬獄殺 'Instant Hell Murder'), traditionally one of the strongest super moves in any game Akuma appears in. In Street Fighter IV, he has the Shin Shun Goku Satsu (真・瞬獄殺 'True Instant Hell Murder') as his Ultra Combo. In Super Street Fighter IV, Akuma has a new ultra called Demon Armageddon. It involves him kicking the opponent in the air and following up with a powerful Hurricane Kick. As Akuma hits his opponent, his signature kanji appears in the background and at the same time he utters the words "Accept Death!...the other realm awaits!" After that, Akuma charges past his opponent with full force, as the kanji in the background breaks into pieces. The move was revealed to be the Tenshou Kaireki Jin (Heaven's Shocking Ocean-Crashing Blade, 天衝海轢刃) in the Japanese move lists of SSFIV, hinting that Akuma indeed made the move before the Street Fighter III series, but had yet to test it on a larger scale or for some other reason unknown.

In Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Akuma is banned in U.S. tournaments. This is because, as David Sirlin writes, "Most characters in that game cannot beat Akuma. I don’t mean it’s a tough match—I mean they cannot ever, ever, ever, ever win. Akuma is 'broken' in that his air fireball move is something the game simply wasn’t designed to handle. He is not merely the best character in the game, but is at least ten times better than other characters. This case is so extreme that all top players in America immediately realized that all tournaments would be Akuma vs. Akuma only, and so the character was banned with basically no debate and has been ever since." In Japan, Akuma is not officially banned, but there is what is called a soft ban. In other words, all top players in Japan agree not to play Akuma without there being any official enforcement of this agreement. However, on the remake Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Akuma is toned down to ensure he's more "balanced"; his "flaws" like the very low defense clause reappear in this game and he has a much weaker Shun Goku Satsu as the only super move available (it's worth noting that he didn't have a super move in his original appearance Super Street Fighter II Turbo, but he was so powerful that that wasn't considered a weakness). His air fireball forces him to bounce back. Some top players claim that he is still broken, claiming that Akuma has far too many devastating setups, especially with setting up the Shun Goku Satsu. It is still currently in debate whether or not Akuma is still broken or balanced. However, Akuma is banned in tournaments in Super Street Fighter II HD Remix while but is not banned in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike or Super Street Fighter IV.

Stage Theme
    

Stances
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Trivia

 * In the anime Street Fighter Alpha: Generations, it is implied that Akuma is Ryu's biological father, however, this movie is non-canonical.
 * Akuma is the exact same height as Ryu, and only a half-pound heavier.
 * Akuma is shown waiting in the background in many episodes of the anime series Street Fighter II V. See all appearances in this link.
 * In Street Fighter IV, he is the only character where the player doesn't need to press the three punch buttons or kick buttons to perform his Ultra Combo.
 * Along with Fei Long, Akuma is the only original character not to appear in the live action movie. Akuma did however make it into the game based on the movie.
 * Akuma is one of the 19 characters in Street Fighter IV to not have second rivals in Super Street Fighter IV, despite having a ultra combo video to include his second rival (Gen), even though Gouken was supposed to be his second rival, because there's a video called Akuma vs. Gouken.
 * The Kanji symbol "Ten" that appears on the back of Akuma's gi top takes in a different shape between the original SF4 and SSF4. The top part of the symbol is more narrow in Super SFIV than in the original. The kanji symbol may have taken this shape due to Akuma's 2nd alternate using the exact same new shape on the back
 * Akuma's training comes first and foremost, and he will not interrupt it to warn off unwary passersby,(hence the destruction of the Submarine) this doesn't just make Akuma a dangerous warrior, but a dangerous individual as well.
 * In the Udon comics, Akuma is much darker and crueler.
 * Akuma is rarely seen smiling and his face always seems angry looking.
 * Akuma's personality is very dark and negative towards other people. He's unconcerned for anybody's life and sees compassion and caring towards people as a weakness and believes that fighting with rage and hate along with complete abandon is the way all fighters should battle. Because of this, many warriors dislike him as a person, believing that he only cares about power and strength.
 * Akuma will not kill anyone aside from competitive opponents and those who would get in the way of his training. The latter part of this, however, goes against the warrior's code, and shows that he puts his training before the life of another or even his own soul. Because of this it seems safe to say that Akuma is evil, if only Lawful Evil at that.
 * In SF4 & SSF4 when after an Ultra Combo finish, the announcer will not say "K.O.!!!". Instead, it is implied that Akuma actually killed them instead. He shares this with Oni.
 * Capcom USA initially claimed Akuma was possessed by a demon, but this is considered non-canonical. The character's name change from Gouki to Akuma (the Japanese and American names, respectively) reflects Capcom USA's attempt to accentuate the demonic nature. The word Akuma (悪魔, Akuma) means "devil" in Japanese.