Akuma

Lore & Background

Born out of a request between developers from the franchise, Akuma was developed to contrast both M. Bison and Ryu. Akuma was created by request of Noritaka Funamizu to Akiman when creating a new Street Fighter character. Akuma was designed in order to please fans who were victims of April's Fools in the claims from journalists that there was a hidden character named Sheng Long. Funamizu wanted the character, Akuma, to be based on Ryu's design. While still being an evil character, Yasuda still wanted to create a major contrast between the regular boss, M. Bison, and Akuma. Akuma was created in a single hour when the designer was asked by his superiors to make something similar to the Super Saiyan transformation from the Dragon Ball franchise, based on Yoshiki Okamoto's directions. Akiman, who was in charge of the design, explained that "the face is based on a Buddha statue or a Kongo Rikishi statue". The Japanese kanji "ten" (天) — meaning "Heaven" —, was added by the staff at the time in a fit of impulse. Akuma first appears in Super Street Fighter II Turbo defeating the final boss with his Shun Goku Satsu (瞬獄殺, Shun Goku Satsu; lit. "Instant Prison Murder") technique which acts in fast fashion. The same move has been shown in other games like in Street Fighter IV where Akuma is seen defeating Gouken in the intro whereas Ryu's evil alter egos have performed it influenced by the Satsui no Hadou that Akuma controls and masters like Oni. Akuma's introduction in Super Street Fighter II Turbo stemmed from the development team's desire to introduce a "mysterious and really powerful" character, with his status as a hidden character within the game resulting from later discussions. When asked regarding the presence of Akuma as a secret character in several of Capcom's fighting games, Capcom's Noritaka Funamizu stated that, while he did not personally support the concept, he said, "Akuma is a character that can fit in any game design nicely".

In Their Own Story

Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, the fifth arcade iteration of the Street Fighter II games, where he appears as a hidden and unnamed character. After meeting certain requirements, Akuma appears prior to the player's final match with M. Bison and obliterates M. Bison before challenging the player. In the Japanese arcade version of the game, Akuma would introduce himself to the player before the match, proclaiming himself to be the "Master of the Fist" (拳を極めし者, Ken o Kiwameshi Mono). He also has two endings in the game as well: one for defeating M. Bison and another against himself. While the dialogue in these endings was omitted from the international releases of the arcade game, they were edited into one ending and included in the English localization of Super Turbo Revival for the Game Boy Advance. Shin Akuma is, however, an unlockable playable character in the Game Boy Advance version of the game, Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival, as well as the Japan-only Dreamcast version of the game, Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service. In the latter version, another version of Akuma referred to as Tien Gouki can also be selected. Akuma appears in Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, where he was given his name, once again as a hidden opponent and unlockable character. His backstory remains the same as in Super Turbo. Akuma was added to the immediate roster in Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 3, with a powered-up version of the character named "Shin Akuma" appearing as a hidden opponent. The character's relation with other Street Fighter characters begins to be fleshed out, establishing rivalries with Guy, Adon, Gen and Ryu. Shin Akuma, rather than "Final Bison", is Evil Ryu's final boss in the console versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3. Akuma and Shin Akuma are featured in Street Fighter EX as hidden boss characters, where he is one of the few characters able to move out of the 2D playing field, during his teleport. Akuma also appears in the arcade and home video game console adaption of Street Fighter: The Movie despite not appearing in the movie. In the game it is said that he is the brother of Sheng Long and not Gouken. Akuma is featured in the Street Fighter III series beginning with Street Fighter III 2nd Impact: Giant Attack. Like in his debut in Super Turbo, Akuma is both a secret opponent who serves as an alternate final boss and an unlockable character, with the CPU-controlled version being the "Shin Akuma" incarnation introduced in Alpha 2. He is a regular character in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike. Akuma reappears in Street Fighter IV, being one of the main antagonists and once again a secret boss in the Arcade Mode as well as an unlockable character in both console versions. A new form of Akuma, known as Oni (狂オシキ鬼, Kuruoshiki Oni; lit. The Mad Demon), was confirmed in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition by leaked videos. Akuma returns in Street Fighter V as a downloadable character, and again appears as a downloadable character in Street Fighter 6.

Reader's Guide

Akuma is a high-risk, high-reward fighter who excels at punishing opponents with devastating combos and powerful projectiles. His bio centers on his mastery of Ansatsuken, a style designed for killing rather than sport. His fighting style relies heavily on aerial mobility and the ability to inflict chip damage through his signature attacks. He can jump higher and move faster than most characters, allowing him to control space effectively. However, he often has lower health or defensive capabilities compared to grapplers, making him reliant on offense. This move traps the opponent in a dark dimension where they are beaten to death before being launched back out. Akuma has appeared as a playable character or boss in nearly every mainline Street Fighter game since his debut in Super Street Fighter II. He serves as a recurring rival to Ryu and Ken, often acting as the final obstacle representing the darkness within their own potential.

Did You Know?

• Akuma was created in a single hour when the designer was asked to make something similar to the Super Saiyan transformation from Dragon Ball, based on Yoshiki Okamoto's directions.
• The Japanese kanji 'ten' (天) — meaning 'Heaven' — was added to Akuma's design by the staff at the time in a fit of impulse.
• Akuma first appears in Super Street Fighter II Turbo defeating the final boss with his Shun Goku Satsu technique, though the move cannot be used ingame outside of the cutscene.
• In the arcade and home video game console adaption of Street Fighter: The Movie, it is said that Akuma is the brother of Sheng Long and not Gouken.
• Akuma appears as a character in Namco's Tekken 7, chosen by staff member Katsuhiro Harada who believed he would easily fit into the Tekken world; there was no model from Capcom so Akuma's entire character in Tekken 7 was completely created by Namco.