Get to Know: Akuma (Street Fighter)

One of the many things I set out to do with this blog is to try to bring people into fighting games through talking about their characters, and that is what I will be doing with this particular series. You see, before I can go into detail with things like tier lists and the like, I have to make sure my audience knows the stories and characters, so that they can hopefully begin to develop the emotional attachment to these characters that I myself have through learning who they are and what makes them tick, and what better place to start than with some personal favorites? The first character I will be covering is Akuma from the Street Fighter series.

Ryu's storied archnemesis first appeared as a hidden boss in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. If you were to reach the final battle against M. Bison without using continues(which I personally couldn't possibly think of attempting), then Akuma, at the time a very mysterious figure, would appear and destroy the villain instantly before challenging you in his place. His fighting style was a variation of that used by Ryu and Ken, but with the ability to shoot airborne Hadokens and a chain of unseen hits known as the Raging Demon that would brutally destroy opponents.

The prequel series, Street Fighter Alpha, would later delve more into who Akuma actually was. Here, we learn that Akuma is one of two brothers who studied the Ansatsuken arts under the master Goutetsu. While his brother, Gouken, chose to pursue a path of harmony and enlightenment through the arts and raised the orphaned Ryu to become a good-hearted warrior, Akuma chose a darker path and set off to pursue ultimate power, embracing the darker aspects of the art known as the Satsui no Hadou and slaying his own master in a deadly battle. Afterwards, Akuma paid a visit to Gouken and defeated his brother in a battle that was originally believed to have ended with Gouken's death.

Following these events, Akuma traveled to China to face the elderly martial arts master and assassin, Gen. Although Akuma was victorious in this battle, he ultimately chose to spare Gen after he learned that his opponent was terminally ill. Eventually, Akuma was confronted by Ryu on the island of Gokuentou. The battle ended with Akuma retreating, vowing to face the young warrior again when he has become aware of the true dark power of their arts.

While waiting for Ryu to embrace the dark power of the Satsui no Hado, Akuma traveled the world seeking worthy opponents. He faced the muay thai fighter Adon, in battle and won, but ultimately spared him, deeming him unworthy. Afterwards, he faced Guy, who sought to prevent him from facing M. Bison. Akuma ignored Guy's warnings and challenged him before moving on to face the dictator. When Bison declared himself to be invincible with the Psycho Drive, Akuma berated him for not relying solely on his fists and defeating the dictator with a Raging Demon, destroying Bison and forcing him to move to a replacement body using his technology. Akuma was not aware at this time that Ryu had rejected the Satsui no Hadou.

Akuma would eventually face Ryu again before the events of Street Fighter IV, learning of the latter's resolve to become stronger without giving in to evil and berating him for not accepting the true extent of his power. Ryu fought back and the fight was interrupted by Ken.

Eventually, Akuma sensed the Satsui no Hadou reemerging within Ryu during S.I.N.'s tournament and set off to challenge him. He found Ryu under the care of Gouken, revealed to have survived their last battle and mastered the Power of Nothingness, and fought his brother again, hoping to earn the right to face Ryu under the Dark Hadou's influence. Both survived, and Gouken rescued Ryu. Some time afterwards, the African princess Elena attempted to befriend Akuma.

During Street Fighter V, Akuma seems to have killed Gen and also destroys the Aztec deity Necalli in battle before facing Ryu again after Ryu has purged the Satsui no Hadou from his soul. He was also confronted by the specter Kage, a personification of the Satsui no Hadou who sought to torment Ryu as vengeance for rejecting the dark arts. Akuma survived their battle and viewed the specter with disdain, calling him a soulless silhouette.

During the events of Street Fighter III, Akuma challenged the Illuminati leader Gill in battle and performed a Raging Demon on him, afterwards leaving without realizing that Gill resurrected himself. Here, he is again a secret boss, and after being defeated, he unleashes his true power for a second fight as Shin Akuma.

Shin Akuma is Akuma after he becomes almost one with the Satsui no Hadou, but not to where he loses his humanity in the process. This form of Akuma is the version taht appears as a secret boss in the Alpha series, SFIII, and several crossover titles, including Capcom Vs. SNK 2, SVC Chaos, and Capcom Fighting Evolution. He is also a hidden playable character in Ultra Street Fighter II.

The Arcade Edition of Super Street Fighter IV also introduced another form of Akuma called Oni, who has been completely taken over by the Satsui no Hadou. This form of Akuma is a hidden boss in SSFIV:AE and Ultra Street Fighter IV.

The mecha-based fighting game, Cyberbots, also featured a mecha based on Akuma called Z-Akuma, appearing as a hidden character.

In the crossover fighting game Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, the final boss is Cyber-Akuma, a cyborg version of Akuma under the control of popular X-Men villain Apocalypse.

Akuma has also gained increased prominence through a guest appearance in Tekken 7, where he becomes a canon part of the story for Namco's venerable fighting franchise and challenges Heihachi and Kazuya Mishima in battle, seeking to kill them to repay a debt to Heihachi's late wife, Kazumi, for saving his life in the past.

I enjoy Akuma as a character because he is a perfect example of an archnemesis done right. As an enemy who embraces darkness, he is what pushes Ryu to grow stronger through his own means, even if the results aren't what Akuma himself particularly wants, and it's so that Ryu can prove that he can be greater without becoming a monster in the process. Even then, Akuma himself still possesses some instances of humanity. Unlike a stereotypical archnemesis, Akuma doesn't kill indiscriminately, and only accepts challenges. Also, he does not use his true strength unless he deems an opponent worthy of such. He is constantly testing his opponents, and is a harsh judge of character. While he's not above the occassional sneak attack, he usually prefers an even bout, shown when he backed out of the fight with Gen in Alpha 2. In 3rd Strike, it is implied that his increased strength through the use of the Satsui no Hadou is coming closer to completely taking him over, and he may have abandoned his moral code, his win quotes reflecting his changed state.