So Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (SSF2THDR) is right around the corner, and I felt I needed to pay my respects to the best fighting game character ever created. Akuma is pure, unbridled awesomeness.

1. His name means "Devil", and all of his moves have insanely epic translations.
Such as Destructive Strong Surge Fist, Air-Cutting Surge Fist, and Instant Hell Murder/Raging Demon.

2. He isn't just a mindless brute; he actually has a strict code of honour that he rigidly adheres to.
He won't fight weaklings, and he only accepts challenges from those he deems worthy. For instance, he stopped his fight with Gen when he realized Gen had cancer, and he spared Ken because he believed he could improve greatly.



3. He is the strongest Shotokan character.
You could say that he's a mix between Ryu and Ken, but he's way more. If you go into a battle as Akuma with a Ryu or Ken mentality, you're likely to lose. He has his own strategies which are hard to describe, but I usually get by (if I'm playing for fun) with a Hyakkishu+HK into a crouching HP+LP Shoryuken. It completely destroys noobs, but not every iteration of him possesses the Hyakkishu jump-in so I gotta mix it up. He has awful defence in most games though, so it's best to go all out aggressive. (Also, it's possible that Gouken in SFIV is stronger, but I dunno yet.)

4. He looks menacing as hell.
Which is unfortunate, as he isn't really a villain, but it suits his style so well that it's not a problem. It was revealed in Street Fighter: Generations that he took his trademark prayer beads from his master Goutetsu after defeating him in a fierce battle (IIRC, I haven't watched it in ages). And his dark red hair, coupled with the black gi make for a vicious looking contender.



5. Shin Akuma.
You WILL die the first time you fight him in CvS2. You have no idea what you're up against. He's almost twice as fast, twice as strong, and has some ridiculously cheap moves. But it fits with the character, as Shin Akuma is just Akuma using his full power. He is NOT being controlled by the Satsui No Hadou; rather he has mastered it himself. Normal Akuma is him holding back so he doesn't accidentally kill his opponent too quick, sort of like the way Oro only fights with one arm to prevent a similar mishap.

6. He can destroy islands/landmasses, and cut through steel.
As often demonstrated in his end sequences, Akuma possesses far greater power than he fights with (mentioned in the previous point too). In his SFIII ending he literally cuts through a submarine with a single stroke, instantly obliterating it. He also destroyed an island in something (I can't remember whether it was a game ending or an anime).

7. Akuma WILL annihilate you in SFIV.
.....Provided you play on the highest difficulty, that is. As I plan to...



In closing, Bison is a pussy compared to Akuma. Deal with it, Bison fanboys.