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

The Shun Goku Satsu (瞬獄殺), also known as the Raging Demon, is a Super Combo 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 Shun Goku Satsu 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 is typically executed 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 last three inputs (forward, light kick, and heavy punch) can be pressed at the same time.

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
"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 Street Fighter IV games introduce another, more powerful variant of the Shun Goku Satsu 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.

Street Fighter V
""Die one thousand deaths! Metsu! (一瞬千撃！ 滅！) Isshun sengeki! Metsu!""

- Akuma, Street Fighter V

The Street Fighter V games uncovered what was previously concealed by the black screen of the Shun Goku Satsu; the attack was revealed to be a series of faster teleport punches around the opponent's body until it progressively goes fully black screen again. When slowed down, the punches in particular are shown to be targeting vital weak spots located throughout the body, solidifying that the technique utterly destroys the opponent's body. To use the Shun Goku Satsu, Akuma must first use his V-Trigger, Dohatsu Shoten.

Tactics
In earlier installments, the Shun Goku Satsu 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 Shun Goku Satsu, and one instance of being able to fend the entire attack off.


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


 * Gouken, Akuma's brother, had barely 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.


 * In the Street Fighter Alpha manga, Guy was able to defend against the Shun Goku Satsu 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.


 * During Evil Ryu's Street Fighter Alpha 3 storyline, in the intro to his final boss battle, he counters Shin Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu with his own, canceling 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.

However, there are notable victims who somehow have survived this attack.


 * Heihachi Mishima barely survived the Shun Goku Satsu, enduring it face-on during the story mode of Tekken 7, still being able to fight on until ultimately being defeated by his son.


 * Gill faced the Shun Goku Satsu head on, but because of his Resurrection ability, he survived the encounter.


 * In the Udon comics, Seth was able to survive due to not possessing an actual soul.


 * Gouken faced this very attack and was thought to have been killed by it. However, it simply put him in a coma, and as a result, awakened his own Power of Nothingness as a foil to the Satsui no Hado.

Known Users

 * Akuma is the first and most known user. It is his trademark move, and he has it in almost all of his appearances. His usual kanji is "heaven" (天). When he becomes Shin Akuma in Capcom vs. SNK 2, his kanji becomes "godlike person" (神人). Cyber-Akuma's kanji in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter is "destruction" (滅).
 * It is also Oni's Super Combo. His kanji is an amalgation of "god" (神) and "ogre" (鬼), and can be interpreted as "ogre god" or "fierce god" (鬼神), or just the kanji "soul" (魂).


 * Evil Ryu has the Shun Goku Satsu as his Super Combo in all of his appearances. His kanji was originally the same as Akuma, "heaven" (天), but he received the "destruction" (滅) kanji beginning with Capcom vs. SNK.


 * Sakura can use this move in her normal form in some games, such as the Street Fighter EX series, and SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium (as her unlockable Super Combo). She also has it 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.
 * The only game where Sakura's Shun Goku Satsu has a kanji is Hyper Street Fighter Alpha, where she can use it in one of the special ISMs. However, her kanji is the same as Akuma's.
 * Sakura uses a non-Satsui no Hado influenced version of this attack, aptly dubbed the "Shun Goku Satsu" (春獄殺), used as her team-up technique in Rival Schools: United by Fate. 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 Kyoja Renbu (凶邪連舞). In the first game, Kairi runs towards his opponent, grabs them and does a barrage of punches and kicks (a jab, straight, then a triple following-leg attack via knee strike, low kick then high kick), 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 (and in EX2, normal Hokuto) also has access to this version, simply known as Renbu (連舞), with both versions being the same in terms of animation. In the second game, due to Kairi being possessed by an evil essence similar to the Satsui no Hado, the Kyoja Renbu is closer in appearance to the Shun Goku Satsu, with the screen turning white and kanji being shown, and Kairi screams in pain after the move ends. Meanwhile, Hokuto's version retains the prior animation throughout the two sequels, and also wraps the foe in an eerie blue flame on the final punch.
 * Other characters such as Skullomania also have moves that use the same input, but those are not necessarily variations of the Shun Goku Satsu.


 * 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".


 * SNK character Rugal Bernstein, in his Ultimate Rugal form, shares Akuma's 天 kanji after he absorbs the Satsui no Hado from Akuma in Capcom vs. SNK 2 (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.


 * 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).


 * 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).

Concept


The concept of the Shun Goku Satsu (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 Shun Goku Satsu 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.

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.

Visual Depictions
In Akuma's ending in Street Fighter IV, the Shun Goku Satsu 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 Shun Goku Satsu 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 Shun Goku Satsu 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 Shun Goku Satsu, 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.

Street Fighter V revealed that the attack consists of a series of rapid-fire teleport punches that target vital weak spots of the body, which brutally, or even fatally, injure the opponent.

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 Shun Goku Satsu 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 Shun Goku Satsu 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.


 * In the fighting game JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future (developed by Capcom), from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise, three characters possess similar moves inspired by the Shun Goku Satsu.
 * Iggy was given a similar attack to the Shun Goku Satsu, with a static screen instead of a white one. In hidden development files, Iggy's personal Kanji would've been "Inu", the Japanese character for dog.
 * Noriaki Kakyoin also possesses a conceptually similar move that instead causes his Stand to attack his enemies from within.
 * Petshop's take of the Shun Goku Satsu has the bird release a barrage of ice-based attacks unto the opponent from the player's point of view.


 * While Akuma is the progenitor of the Shun Goku Satsu type of attacks, the command to pull off such an attack was inspired from (and later made similar to) Morrigan's Darkness Illusion.
 * Lilith also carries such an attack, called the Luminous Illusion, from being a part of Morrigan's soul, a direct counterpart of the latter's Darkness Illusion.
 * Demitri Maximoff's own take of the Shun Goku Satsu is seen in two attacks that are arguably similar: The Midnight Bliss and the Midnight Pleasure.