Kongou Kokuretsuzan


 * "The ultimate technique. "Kongou-kokuretsuzan". The might of the heavens resides in my fist.... Humans.... All walks of life!! It begins with the power of my savage attack!"

- Akuma in Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact

The Kongou Kokuretsuzan (金剛國裂斬, "Vajra Province Rending Slash") is one of Akuma's Super Arts in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike.

Description
Executed by pressing down three times and pressing two punch buttons, Akuma puts his hand up and charges it with energy, violently slamming his fist on the ground; the resulting explosion of pure energy first takes the form of a lightning bolt, and then emanates outwards in a shock wave of energy that rises from the ground as a geyser formation.

Like the Raging Demon, the attack is a secret Super Art, as it can be used no matter which Super Art was chosen at the character select screen, and uses up the whole super gauge. This means that in 3rd Strike, in any given match, Akuma has access to three Super Arts, making him extremely dangerous. In addition, the Satsui no Hado taunt can also increase its lethality, making it even more powerful. While the attack can be blocked, the initial lighting bolt cannot be parried. The vortex of energy that is generated afterwards however, can be 'red parried' after blocking the initial bolt. Finally, even when Akuma's own fist does not hit the foe, the pure energy shock wave as an aftermath will still inflict a great amount of damage if they are within its vicinity.

Origin
Akuma developed the move over many years, and mastered it only by the end of Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact. He considers it to be his ultimate technique, with the "power of the heavens" residing in his fist. It is confirmed that this is the move Akuma uses after fighting Ryu on his tiny island to crush it into pieces, displaying the lethality of the attack.

It should also be noted that if Akuma misses the Misogi in Street Fighter X Tekken, the move becomes the Kongou Kokuretsuzan, and can still inflict a decent amount of damage if the opponent is close enough.

Tactics
Since Akuma has no EX Specials, it is easy for Akuma to build up two stocks of Super Gauge. By itself this move can be used as an anti-air; it can also be used a counter to specific attacks due to its extremely high amount of invinciblity frames. Unfortunately, this move is virtually useless in combos due to its startup time. However, this move can be used as a reset (e.g., after a Short Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku into a standing Jab).

One of its most useful applications is as a compliment to the Raging Demon. The player can create ambiguous setups where the opponent is led to believe he is using the Raging Demon i.e. dashing in, etc., prepping the opponent to counter-attack with either weak punches, throws, special moves or neutral or forward jumps which instead can be countered with the Kongou Kokuretsuzan. If the opponent jumps back, the player can proceed with the Raging Demon instead.

Provided the entire move of the initial bolt and following aftershocks connect, it can remove around 60% of the opponent's health (compared to the 40% for the Raging Demon), and almost rivals Gill's 65-70% on his Super Arts. This move is also very useful against the CPU-controlled Gill, provided the player is quick to react. If used properly, it can knock him out of the Meteor Strike and Seraphic Wing. The initial bolt is one of the rare energy attacks that breaks right through Gill's force field during Resurrection, and is guaranteed to stop the move and instantly K.O. him out of it by nullifying his recovered health.