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".

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?

• 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.