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Akuma (Street Fighter Character) 'Akuma' also refers to a creature in Japanese mythology
Akuma, known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼), is a video game character created by Capcom. He originally appeared in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. He has red hair, and wears a dark blue gi with the Japanese character 'ten' (天) - meaning heaven - on his back. He wears prayer beads around his neck. He is voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura in many of the games he has appeared in. According to his official biography, Akuma stands 178 cm (just over 5' 10") and weighs 80 kg. Aside from his physical dimensions, no personal details are known. Origins of Akuma The name "Sheng Long" comes from the Japanese "shouryuu" meaning "rising dragon." The kanji used in "shouryuu" was pronounced as if it was Cantonese. One of Ryu's win quotes in the English version of the Street Fighter II said, "You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance." At the time, fans of Street Fighter thought that Sheng Long had referred to a person - the supposed master of Ryu and Ken, and not one of Ryu's moves (the Shouryken). The SNES version of the game offered the true quote, "You must defeat my Dragon Punch to stand a chance!" The creation of Akuma comes from an April Fool's joke in the video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly, where the editors claimed that the player can fight Sheng Long in the game by not touching M. Bison, the final boss of the Street Fighter II series. Sheng Long would then come out of nowhere and kill Bison, and the player would fight him. Sheng Long was supposed to have the moves of Ryu and Ken, but did much more damage and was also faster. To make this joke more believable, fake screenshots were made. Soon after, many fans, believing that the joke was true, flocked to Street Fighter II machines, hoping that they could fight a nonexistent character. When asked about whether the joke was true, Capcom did not confirm nor deny it as the sudden infusion of money into their machines was driving up business; Capcom USA was taken in by the gag, and actually contacted Capcom Japan and asked if the Sheng Long thing was legit. Only much later was this joke was revealed as such, by EGM themselves. Ironically, in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, parts of this story became true. Like the joke, Akuma would appear from out of nowhere and kill Bison, and the player would fight him, and similarly, Akuma had the moves of Ryu and Ken, and was much faster and dealt much more damage (Akuma can do the Hadouken in the ground and in the air, his Tatsumakisenpuukyaku knocks the opponent instantly and can also juggle, his Shouryuuken knocks down his opponent at the first hit and does 3 hits up close and personal, no matter the punch strength being used, and he can also juggle with a single Shouryuuken in certain instances. Akuma also had the ability to warp to different places in the screen.). As many people were accustomed to Sheng Long, Akuma was erroneously called by the name Akuma Long. The move that was used to kill Bison (the Shun Goku Satsu) was also erroneously called the Bison Killer. In the beginning, Akuma was exclusively a secret character and final boss, appearing in other Capcom games such as X-Men: Children of the Atom, which is considered the forerunner of the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Background Akuma and his brother Gouken, the master of Ryu and Ken, were students of Goutetsu. Goutetsu taught a style of Ansatsuken (Assassin Fist, see Ansatsuken), which incorporates elements of karate, judo, taekwando, and koppo, and a technique called Shun Goku Satsu (literally Instant Hell Murder but also known as The Raging Demon, see Shun Goku Satsu), a technique that is taught only to the most elite practitioners of the life-threatening martial art (it can not only kill its opponent, but also its user too if the user is not skilled enough). Being opposed to killing, Gouken did not teach it to his students. However, Akuma used the technique to kill Goutetsu, and battled Gouken to the death in a battle witnessed by Gouken's daughter (a character Capcom has apparently forgotten) and Ken, who possibly challenged Akuma and was defeated. Akuma has embraced the Satsui No Hadou, the Killing Intent, to become the ultimate personal combatant, transcending human limits; by the time of Street Fighter III, Akuma has devised a technique that split Ayer's Rock in half, and can remain underwater, under massive pressure, for extended periods of time, and destroyed a submarine while submerged. He is not a demon, nor is he possessed by one, but the comparison is accurate in a metaphorical sense. Akuma has a very different moral code than regular people. Although he killed his brother and his teacher, he did so in personal combat, and the field of battle does not distinguish between friend and foe. He believes he has committed no trangression. Akuma's training comes first and foremost, and he will not interrupt it to warn off unwary passersby (hence the destruction of the submarine). Related Characters See also
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