|
| “ | I am Akuma. And I will teach you the meaning of pain! | „ |
| ~ Akuma |
| “ | The true fighter can stare death in the face and lash out in rage against it! | „ |
| ~ Akuma |
| “ | These fists know no equal. | „ |
| ~ Akuma's catchphrase in Tekken 7. |
Akuma, known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼), is the secondary antagonist of the Street Fighter franchise.
He is a powerful and dreaded fighter, as well as the brother of Ryu’s master and adoptive father, Gouken. Despite becoming a villain by killing his former master and attempting to do the same to Gouken, Akuma still possesses a strong code of honor, refusing to kill anyone who isn't a worthy adversary and frequently opposing the tyrannical M. Bison.
He was voiced in Japanese by Tomomichi Nishimura, the late Daisuke Gōri, Fumihiko Tachiki, and his current Japanese voice actor is Taketora.
He was voiced in English by the late Dale Wilson in the cartoon, Keith Burgess in Alpha: The Movie and Alpha: Generations, and has also been voiced by the late Dave Mallow and currently by Richard Epcar.
History
Past
Akuma and Gouken studied martial arts under the 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 Shun Goku Satsu, a powerful killing move that endangered the user, Akuma took on the principle of “Satsui no Hado” or “Surge of the Intent to Kill.” 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 Satsui no Hado.
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 Shun Goku Satsu. 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 Satsui no Hado.
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 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, striking him down with the Shun Goku Satsu. He believed that Gouken was dead, however he’d survived by emptying his soul and had instead been put in a coma. Ken found the defeated Gouken and confronted Akuma, but he was beaten and Akuma disappeared.
Street Fighter Alpha 2
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 his Shun Goku Satsu 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.
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 Hado 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 Satsui no Hado. He unleashed a powerful strike on the ground, causing the island to start falling apart, 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
| “ | Fade into nothingness! Your weakness disgusts me! | „ |
| ~ Akuma's SFA3 victory quote. |
Akuma continued to wait for Ryu to embrace Satsui no Hado 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 Shun Goku Satsu, but it had no effect on Bison due to his lack of a soul. 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
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 his Shun Goku Satsu. Bison had been forced to merge with part of his expelled soul previously and this time 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
As Akuma continued his training, he sensed the Satsui no Hado 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 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 Stasui no Hado and Akuma went back to his training and hunt for a worthy opponent.
Street Fighter V
Akuma and Gen fight once again, with the former emerging victorious in the battle, but was criticized by Gen for leading to the path of discarding humanity. He then finishes and seemingly kills Gen off for good. He then sees a vision of Ryu rejecting the Satsui no Hado, much to his frustration. Necalli appears and challenges Akuma for his soul. Not only did Necalli lose to Akuma, but he attempts to devour Akuma and Akuma does the Mudo Tensho to escape Necalli's stomach. He then seeks Ryu and battles him, in a Satsui no Hado Vs. Mu no Ken clash. Akuma defeats Ryu in battle, but does not kill him. Instead, he questions if there is no one that can match him. Ryu, smiling while lying on the ground, asks questions to Akuma, claiming that his fists will continue to communicate with Akuma on opposite ends. Akuma then flees, letting fate determine when those two will meet again.
Street Fighter 6
Deep within the Enma's Hollow, Akuma is seen meditating by carving a wooden idol. The narrator then describe how Akuma's very being was shaped by each battle he has went through, not dissimilar to how each stroke of chisel gradually carved a wood into the idol. Then, Akuma recalls his recent encounter and a "fight to the death" with Ryu a few moments ago.
In a flashback, Ryu visits Akuma within Enma's Hollow. Akuma recalls his past bout with Ryu by asking if he's still "revel(ling)" about it, to which Ryu silently replied with a smile. Akuma is angered that Ryu seems to not take his wish for a "fight to the death" seriously and called out on Ryu for smiling at him. Ryu however countered, saying that he has put "every ounce of [his] being" into his fist during the fight. After a brief silence, Ryu say that he has sensed that Akuma, too, has enjoyed fighting with him, suggesting that the two fighters has something in common despite taking opposite path. Akuma is enraged as he perceived Ryu's word as a "mockery" and challenged him to a fight.
Back to the present, Akuma returns to his wood carving work and reflects on his past fight. As the story ended, it is revealed that the wooden idol he has carved has a smile on its face, suggesting that Ryu's words about Akuma might turned out to be true.
Street Fighter III
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 next World Warrior Tournament, but again watched from the shadows. In the final match, he appeared and used his Shun Goku Satsu on Gill, sponsor of the tournament, and fought the other finalist himself (though Gill managed to resurrect himself later). 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.
Physical Appearance
Akuma usually wears a dark-colored gi with the sleeves removed (similar to Ryu and Ken); it is often blue, black, or gray, but varies depending on the series or artwork. He has red hair with a topknot, sharp, pointed teeth, and is often bare-footed, though some games have him wearing brown sandals. Depending on the game or piece of art, he either wears a black belt at his waist or a length of rope. Over his hands he either wears brown training gauntlets or wraps his hands with rope as well (again, depending on the source). He has tanned skin and crimson eyes, and wears his deceased master Goutetsu's prayer beads around his neck, with a visible black "heaven" (天, ten) kanji on the center bead in some games. In Street Fighter Alpha: Generations, he was seen having eyebrows when he was young.
This kanji is featured frequently in Akuma's appearances, most often at the end of a Shun Goku Satsu attack, where it burns itself onto the back of Akuma's gi top. It takes on a slightly different shape between the original Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV; the top stroke of the kanji is more narrow in Super Street Fighter IVthan in the original, and may have taken this shape due to Akuma's second alternate costume using exactly the same new shape on the back.
In his artwork for his Street Fighter V profile, Akuma's hair is completely white, and has grown out; he wears a dark yellow loincloth with a white sash on each side, going shirtless while retaining his gray karate pants. This is designed as a contrast to his older brother Gouken's outfit.
In his full appearance in Street Fighter V, his hair has grown out considerably, resembling a lion's mane, though he retains his familiar clothing. He also has the hair on top of his head tied into a pigtail. He also wears his prayer beads like a sash. The 神人 "shin" kanji used by Shin Akuma in Capcom vs. SNK 2 is seen on his back when performing the Shun Goku Satsu.
In the Street Fighter III series, his hair is slightly grayed, hinting that Akuma, while seemingly inhuman, still physically ages.
In Street Fighter 6, Akuma's design combines parts of his standard appearance and his Street Fighter V design. His hair retains the long lion mane look, with the topknot now moved back to its original position. His prayer beads are black like his Street Fighter V design, but return to being around his neck. His outfit bears a strong resemblance to an older Street Fighter V concept art, in which he wears a pelt as opposed to his gi top. Most notably, his hair is now entirely white to show the passage of time. His karate pants seems to have some stitched patches to keep it from being tattered even more. Akuma also no longer wears sandals.
Abilities
Akuma is widely renowned as a legendary martial artist, to the point of having earned the title of "Master of the Fist". He has refined his own version of Ansatsuken to terrifying perfection, not having any hint of inexperience to show in regards to battle and never ceasing to improve as time goes on. Akuma also flawlessly controls the Satsui no Hado, harnessing its several combat applications without succumbing to its influence, something no one before could do. He has felled hundreds of opponents, exchanging thousands of strikes and engraving every moment into his every being. Akuma also has sculpted innumerous statues as keepsakes of each battle to the death he has fought. He entered several tournaments and has always been unsatisfied by anything short of a battle to the death.
His journey began with the defeat and killing of his master Goutetsu, the man who at the time stood at the pinnacle of the "Assassin's Fist". Over the course of his life Akuma has proved himself against other extraordinary martial artists such as Gouken, Gen and Oro, even defeating the first two on at least one occasion each. He always proved himself beyond Ryu's reach, who failed to provide him with an enjoyable battle until the events of Street Fighter VI. Is implied to have fought M. Bison in a fair match to test his skill.
Akuma belittled the skills of the Player, who at that point had already went through the events of the main story, acquired the fighting styles of at least three fighters (and potentially of all the other characters available) and was repeteadly stated to be a prodigy at performing techniques and learning fighting styles. He can be quite knowledgeable in mysticism and philosophy, as displayed by his speeches and musings.
Personality
| “ | Where is the challenge that can satisfy me... Does such challenge exist? | „ |
| ~ Akuma's SF3: Second Impact winning quote. |
Akuma is a cold and extremely powerful warrior whose sole reason for being is to hone his fighting skills by battling and destroying strong foes. He rarely displays any sign of emotions, aside from occasional bursts of anger, and rarely smiles.
He takes his training very seriously and deals brutally with those who dare interrupt him, as seen in his Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike ending. Occasionally, he likes to test himself against worthy rivals (e.g. Gen, Oro). He is also somewhat nihilistic by principle as he seeks someone able to kill him and it is shown in his Alpha 2 ending.
Akuma detests his brother Gouken for not giving in to the dark side of their arts which is, according to Akuma, the way they were intended to be used. He also blames Gouken for sealing off the darkness within Ryu, thus preventing Ryu from reaching his true potential. This forces Akuma to give up on his planned duel with Ryu, as he believes that only a fellow practitioner of Satsui no Hado can one day hope to defeat him.
Akuma refers to himself as a "denizen of hell" and "evil incarnate", and is seen as such by many. This may be a result of the Satsui no Hado ("Surge of Murderous Intent") taking a toll on his mind.
Moral Code
Most of the time, Akuma abides by the code of the warrior. He is not evil in the dry sense of the word - he does not randomly seek people to kill, but rather only kills strong opponents in their best condition. He fights to improve his skills and defeat powerful foes - though on rare occasion, he does so to gauge the other's abilities. Although he killed his teacher and believed he did the same with his brother (Gouken), Akuma did so in combat, and thus can be said to have not transgressed on his principles. However, he's shown to be merciful, honorable, and even helpful towards others. Not only does he insist on having a fair fight, but he expresses disgust towards those who prey upon the weak, like M. Bison.
In combat, Akuma almost never resorts to his true strength, especially if testing another fighter; he only fights warriors that he deems worthy, or the ones he believes have the potential to become such. During the events of Street Fighter Alpha 2, Akuma fought Ryu only to gain insight on Ryu's abilities, while in 3rd Strike, he faced Oro in order to test his own strength.
Although Akuma usually prefers an even bout (as he backed out of a duel with Gen once he found out that Gen was fatally ill), it is not uncommon for him to deliver a lethal sneak attack to an unprepared opponent (as he did with Bison, Gill and Adon's unnamed rival). While the evil nature of Satsui no Hado itself may have corrupted Akuma's ways, it is worth noting that Akuma considers Bison a much more abhorrent type of evil. Also, he once saved a child who got lost in his cave.
Crossovers & Other Media
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.
In the original version of the game, he is one of the four unlockable characters and the first one unlocked, as he is unlocked after obtaining 2,000 Player Points from any game mode.
Akuma is now unlocked from the start in the updated version.
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 the superior fighter was 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 Hado, came out. Recognizing that this being was an enraged shadow of himself, Akuma engaged it.
Asura's Wrath
Akuma makes an appearance in 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 Armegeddon 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 wrath embodied god. Asura once again gains the upper hand when Oni initiates all of his Ultra Attacks but 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 appears in Tekken 7 as a special guest and playable character. Years ago, Kazumi Hachijo saved his life, and to repay his debt to her, he has vowed to kill both her son Kazuya and husband Heihachi Mishima, per Kazumi's own request. He entered Jinpachi Mishima's Dojo to fight against Heihachi, until the battle was interrupted by Kazuya's Jack-6 army. They temporarily joined forces and destroyed every single one of the Jack-6 to resume his battle. After Akuma "killed" Heihachi (who is still alive), he marched his way to G-Corporation to confront Kazuya. Before they fight, Kazuya questioned how Akuma knew his mother, Kazumi. Akuma replied that Kazumi once saved him, but gives no further details on the matter. As they fought, Akuma seemly overpowers Kazuya. When Kazuya turned into his devil form, Akuma powered up to prepare for fight to the death until IT was interfered by Heihachi's Mishima Zaibatsu satellite. During the Special Episode, Kazuya continued his fight with Akuma, but the outcome of the fight is unknown.
Trivia
- Akuma means "devil/demon" in Japanese.
- As a guest character in Capcom's X-Men: Children of the Atom, Akuma and The Juggernaut are the only non-mutants to ever appear in the game.
External Links
- Akuma on the Villains Wiki
- Akuma on the Villainous Benchmark Wiki
- Akuma on the Street Fighter Wiki
 Heroes
| ||
|
Kazama Family Yggdrasil United Nations Others Non-Tekken/Guest Heroes | ||