| “ | I am Akuma. And I will teach you the meaning of pain! | „ |
| ~ Akuma |
| “ | I am power made flesh! | „ |
| ~ Akuma |
| “ | Still haven't transcended humanity, eh? You lack discipline! | „ |
| ~ Akuma to Ryu |
Akuma is a powerful dark fighter, as well as the brother of Ryu’s master and adoptive father, Gouken and Ryu's arch-nemesis. He is a major antagonist from the Street Fighter games and serves as the secondary antagonist in Tekken 7.
History
Past
A younger Akuma.
Akuma and Gouken studied martial arts under their master, Goutetsu, who taught them an unnamed martial arts style that had elements of karate, judo and kempo and threatened the user's life. However as time went by, Gouken began to dispute with Goutetsu about the violent nature of his style, eventually leaving to form his own dojo. Goutetsu allowed him to go while Akuma remained under his tutelage, vowing to use his style how it was intended. To learn the Raging Demon, a powerful killing move that endangered the user, Akuma took on the principle of Satsui no Hadōu (Surge of Murderous Intent). Thus he gave up any compassion he had towards others and developed a desire to kill his opponents, unlike Goutetsu who did not give in to the dark side of the Satsui no Hadōu. Akuma realized he could increase his limits as a fighter and left Goutetsu so as to train his power, finally returning to kill his master with the Raging Demon. Deciding that he was the true master of their style, Akuma took Goutetsu's prayer beads. Gouken arrived at that moment, having come to visit his master, and, seeing what his brother had become, chastised him for his actions. Akuma said nothing and left, returning many years later to fight Gouken while a young Ryu and Ken watched. He said that his brother was not strong enough to fight him without giving in to the killing intent of the Satsui no Hadōu. Gouken said that the style they had been taught was about more than destruction, saying that Akuma disgraced their master. He replied that Goutetsu had not truly understood their style and was foolish not to give into the Satsui no Hado completely.
Gouken's lifeless body after being struck down by Akuma.
Gouken managed to defeat Akuma, who told his brother to kill him and when Gouken refused, he called him weak, saying he'd return. A few years later, Akuma returned and fought his brother again, seemingly striking him down with the Raging Demon. However, Gouken survived by emptying his soul with the Mu no Ken (Power of Nothingness) and instead fell into a coma. Ken found the defeated Gouken and confronted Akuma, but he was beaten and Akuma disappeared.
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Akuma fighting Gen.
Akuma began a search for worthy opponents, keeping to the shadows where he watched small tournaments and street fights. He became desperate to find someone able to match him and eventually received a challenge from a fighter called Gen. He proved to be a powerful opponent for Akuma and even managed to survive the Raging Demon by emptying his soul. Akuma started to think Gen was the challenger he'd been seeking, but suddenly sensed something was off. After Gen started to bleed from the mouth, Akuma realized he was sick and the fight wasn't evenly matched. He eventually managed to knock Gen down and the old fighter asked him to kill him.
Akuma and Ryu facing off.
However, Akuma refused and left, not wanting to continue the fight, much to Gen's anger. Akuma became obsessed with making Ryu embrace the Satsui no Hadōu to make him the opponent he sought. Eventually, Ryu found his way to Akuma's island home and challenged him to a fight. Though Ryu won, Akuma had only been testing him and told him to find him again once he'd given in to the Satsui no Hadōu. He unleashed a powerful strike on the ground, causing the island to start sinking into the ocean, and disappeared. Akuma's drive to find an opponent strong enough to kill him in a fight remained and he began his training again in an isolated cave, waiting for his next fight against Ryu. On one occasion, Akuma fought and killed a fighter that was about to challenge Adon. Seeing this as a challenge, Adon became determined to find and battle Akuma so as to prove himself stronger. In Akuma's ending, he realized that he had fought worthy opponents and decided to stay alive for the moment, so as to perfect his power, knowing that there would eventually be someone able to kill him.
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Akuma continued to wait for Ryu to embrace the Satsui no Hadōu while still seeking other worthy foes. Eventually, Adon confronted him so as to demonstrate the supremacy of his Muay Thai style. However Akuma easily beat him, but chose not to kill him, apparently deciding he wasn't worthy. Later, Akuma was challenged by M. Bison and thought it would be an easy win, since he was unable to sense Bison's enormous amount of chi, due to it being channeled through the Psycho Drive. Akuma attacked with the Raging Demon, but it had no effect on Bison due to him having eschewed all of his humanity in order to master Psycho Power. He was able to catch Akuma off guard and easily defeat him. After this, Akuma fought against Gen again, but it is unknown what the result of their fight was.
Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Akuma in Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
Though Akuma was not an official competitor in the Second World Warrior Tournament, he observed the tournament seeking a worthy challenge. Akuma eventually ambushed M. Bison at the beginning of the final fight, easily taking him down with the Raging Demon. Bison had been forced to merge with part of his expelled soul previously and, this time, his body was destroyed by the attack. Akuma proceeded to take on Bison's opponent, but the details of this battle are unknown.
Super Street Fighter IV
Akuma in Street Fighter IV.
As Akuma continued his training, he sensed the Satsui no Hadōu starting to re-emerge in Ryu. He headed out to fight him and make him give in to it so that he could become the opponent he wanted. After watching from the shadows for a time, Akuma found Ryu under the care of a very much alive Gouken. The two brothers engaged each other with Ryu as the prize to the winner, but both survived the battle. Gouken freed Ryu of the Satsui no Hadōu and Akuma went back to his training and hunt for a worthy opponent.
Street Fighter V
Akuma returns as a DLC character in Street Fighter V. He was revealed at Capcom Cup 2016. He has a new design, with far longer hair and the kanji on his back being replaced with kanji meaning "godlike person".
In his prolouge Mudo Tensho, he is first seen battling Gen. Akuma wins the fight, but Gen criticizes him for rejecting his humanity, Akuma defeating/possibly killing Gen after. After seeing a vision of Ryu rejecting the Satsui no Hado (much to his annoyance), Necalli appears and challenges him to a fight, wanting to claim his soul. After being defeated, Necalli tries to devour Akuma, but he fails. He then finds Ryu and battles him, winning but not ending his life. He wonders if no one could be his equal in power, as Ryu says that he will fight Akuma again. Akuma then leaves, waiting for fate let the rivals meet once more in combat.
Street Fighter III
Akuma defeats Gill.
Akuma's training pushed his power to new heights, resulting in him developing new techniques, ones that could even unleash cataclysmic effects. Akuma did not officially compete in the Fourth World Warrior Tournament, but again watched from the shadows. In the final match, he appeared and used the Raging Demon on Gill, sponsor of the tournament, and fought the other finalist himself (though Gill managed to resurrect himself later on). Akuma eventually battled against Oro, after the two sensed each other's massive amount of chi. The two were mutually impressed at each other's strength, but held slight contempt for each other. Akuma and Oro's battle ended without any real conclusion.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3
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Akuma in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
After the Marvel and Capcom universes began fusing together, Akuma became drawn into the conflict. In his ending, Akuma, having defeated Galactus and many other opponents from the Marvel universe, decided that he would no longer wait for strong opponents to appear to him and instead seek them out himself.
Street Fighter X Tekken
Akuma began hearing voices from within that became clearer after the meteorite containing Pandora crashed into the Earth. He decided that Pandora had brought a new era of chaos as fighters from all over the world tried to obtain it. When Akuma reached Pandora, he encountered another fighter; Ancient Ogre. Akuma could immediately tell that Ogre was a much more powerful fighter than any of the others he'd encountered. They challenged each other to see who was the superior fighter and in the end, Akuma managed to defeat Ogre.
In his ending, Akuma approached Pandora, but when it opened, a manifestation of Oni, Akuma completely consumed by the Satsui no Hadōu, came out. Recognizing that this being was an enraged shadow of himself, Akuma engaged it.
Asura's Wrath
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Akuma appears in Asura's Wrath.
Akuma makes an appearance in the DLC of Asura's Wrath. Akuma has the opportunity to fight Asura after witnessing the latter's match with Ryu and is impressed by his skills. In order to prevent distractions, Akuma immediately executes the Demon Armageddon on Ryu, knocking him so hard he flies back to his home dimension. When Akuma learns of Asura's name, he seems to be very familiar with Asura's background as a being of Wrath and challenges him to a fight. Asura gains the upper hand and punches Akuma so hard he flies straight into a wall and Akuma suddenly transformed into Oni. This prompts Asura to transform into his second strongest form, Mantra Asura, and Oni goes toe-to-toe with the wrath-embodied god. Asura once again gains the upper hand when Oni initiates all of his Ultra Attacks, but they prove to be useless when Asura counters all of them. The battle escalates to the point where the very moon splits apart to the core and breaks from the sheer force of their blows. Asura and Oni start to fight in the moon, among the asteroids, and then in space. The two crash land into the Earth's atmosphere in a struggling, they then engage in a punch-off with neither one refusing to step down. Asura and Akuma continue to fight with fight apparently lasting for 500 years. The two fighters turn into statues and finally begin to move to end the battle, ending in a cliffhanger.
Tekken 7
Akuma finds himself in the middle of the Mishima blood feud by a pre-existing relationship with Kazumi, Heihachi's wife. He makes his debut in Tekken 7 promising to fulfill a debt owed to Kazumi for saving his life.
Sometime after Heihachi reclaimed the Mishima Zaibatsu, Akuma watches from a distance as an air raid destroys entire city. He then confronts his target at the Mishima dojo, but their battle is interrupted by a Jack-6 army sent by Kazuya. The two of them temporarily join forces to defeat the onslaught of robots. Afterwards, Akuma introduces himself to Heihachi and explains that he was sent by the late Kazumi to kill both her husband and son. Upon being asked by Heihachi about why he waited so long to fulfill the promise, Akuma replies that he was waiting until Heihachi had become stronger. Emerging victorious, Akuma seemingly kills Heihachi and destroys the Mishima dojo.
He later goes to the top of G Corporation tower to fight and kill Kazuya. Gaining the upper hand in the fight, Akuma forces Kazuya into a corner, prompting him to transform into Devil. However, before there is a victor, their fight is interrupted by Heihachi, who had survived and faked his death. The Mishima Zaibatsu CEO fires a powerful laser from a space satellite, destroying the G Corporation tower.
Akuma survives the attack, and confronts Kazuya once more in the volcanic pit after Kazuya killed Heihachi. With his opponent in his Devil form, Akuma finds himself locked in an intense fight. The battle reaches its climax when Akuma fires a Hadouken at Kazuya's devil beam attack, destroying the volcanic surroundings. The final outcome of the fight is unknown.
Personality
| “ | I alone have mastered the art of combat! My murderous intent shall never fade! | „ |
| ~ Akuma as Oni |
Akuma is cold, uncaring and emotionless, rarely displaying any emotion besides anger and never smiling. He is completely focused on bringing his fighting skills to their highest limit by fighting and defeating strong foes. Akuma focuses intensely on his training, attacking anyone who tries to interrupt it and enjoys testing himself against worthy rivals. He rarely ever uses his full strength since he has yet to meet an opponent who could deal with his true power. Akuma hates Gouken for not embracing the darker side of their fighting style, since he believes that it was intended to be used that way. Akuma also despises Gouken for sealing off the Satsui no Hado in Ryu, making him give up his plans to fight Ryu since he believes only one who has given into Satsui no Hado as he has can defeat him. Akuma refers to himself as the “denizen of hell” and “evil incarnate”, despite the fact that most of the time he does demonstrate a sense of honor. While he did kill Goutetsu and seemingly killed Gouken, he did so in a one on one fight, and only fights opponents he believes to be worthy or who have great potential. Akuma also refuses to fight any opponent who has some sort of handicap, though he does show a habit of using sneak attacks.
Powers and Abilities
Akuma using his Gou Hadouken.
Akuma is an extremely powerful fighter, having become a master in his fighting style and being empowered by the Satsui no Hadōu. Akuma is knowledgeable in many powerful techniques, some of which are said to be able to cause tsunamis, split Ayers Rock in two, and kill in one hit. He also uses a number of variations on the moves often used by Ryu or Ken, though stronger and faster than theirs. The techniques Akuma uses include his Gou Hadouken, a powerful fire ball he fires from his hands, Gou Shoryuken, a powerful rising uppercut, the Hurricane Scythe Kick, a series of spinning kicks, Ashura Senku, where he glows red then "glides" around, immune to attack, (essentially teleporting), and the Kongou Kokuretsu Zan, where he holds up his fist, charges energy into it, and slams his fist into the ground, generating a shockwave of energy around him. However Akuma’s most well known technique is probably the Raging Demon, where he glides at the opponent then grabs them and unleashes the sixteen hells upon their souls. But if Akuma fails to maintain a zen state of mind while performing this technique, it will backfire and turn the power of the hells on him instead. Akuma can also transform into a form called "Shin Akuma", where he undergoes a drastic change in appearance and uses the full amount of his power.
Oni
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Akuma in his Oni form.
| “ | I shall grind beneath my heel... all that exists! | „ |
| ~ Akuma as Oni |
Akuma can also transform further by completely becoming one with the Satsui no Hadōu, becoming Oni. In this form, Akuma loses all remaining traces of his humanity and warrior code, crushing anyone who dares to face him. As a result, his power reaches even more extreme levels, to the point others see him as having the power of a god.
Gallery
Trivia
- In the anime movie, Street Fighter Alpha: Generations, Akuma is implied to be Ryu's father. However this is considered non-canon.
- Akuma may actually believe himself to be some sort of demon since the Satsui no Hadōu can have a toll on the user's sanity after prolonged usage of it.
- Akuma and Fei Long were the only characters to not appear in the 1994 Street Fighter live-action movie, though Akuma did appear in the game based on the movie.
- He appears in the background in many episodes of the Street Fighter II Voyage anime series.
- The kanji on Akuma's back (which is the Japanese symbol for "heaven") differs slightly between Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV.
- Originally, Capcom USA said that Akuma made a deal with the devil to gain the power to defeat Gouken, but this was later declared to be non-canon.
- When Akuma finishes an opponent with the Raging Demon in Street Fighter IV, the announcer does not say "K.O.!", implying he actually killed them. Oni shares this trait.
- Akuma’s name translates to "devil" and his Japanese name, Gouki, translates to "great devil".
- He's based on Nosferatu Zodd from the manga and anime, Berserk. They often fight worthy opponents to the death.
- Akuma has a demon/devil complex. He believes himself to be pure evil in every way. However he's shown to be merciful, honorable, and even helpful towards others.
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