Capcom added Akuma to Street Fighter 6 on May 22 and, as part of the update, players can challenge a special boss version of the character named SiRN Akuma. Aside from being extremely difficult to beat, SiRN Akuma boasts a few moves regular Akuma doesn’t have access to… or so you’d think, as fans have figured out how to unlock these moves for themselves.
Doing so requires a very specific input, although I’ve seen a couple of suggestions on how to perform it. As demonstrated by Twitter user DelilahFGC, you need to do Akuma’s backwards taunt (the one where he sits on the ground) and then mash all three punch and kick buttons. However, a separate video by HiFight shows you don’t need to mash; you just need to wait when Akuma’s about to stand back up, and then input a down taunt. Either way, Akuma will pull out a rice ball and eat it, which fills his super meter and unlocks his boss moves.
These moves aren’t brand-new to Street Fighter 6, but are commonly associated with Shin Akuma, which is essentially a souped up and stronger version of Akuma that usually appeared as a secret boss fight in previous games. These moves are the Double Zanku Hadoken (where he throws two fireballs mid-air), the Misogi (where he jumps into the air and slams down on his opponent), and the Kongou Kokuretsuzan (where he punches the ground to emit a giant purple wave of energy). That last one is perhaps one of Akuma’s most iconic moves next to the Shun Goku Satsu, or Raging Demon as some call it.
I don’t know how anyone was supposed to figure out they could do this, but this still a very cool secret Capcom kept hidden from everyone. However, I also have to question how players are expected to actually use these moves in a real match. The whole animation for unlocking the moves takes roughly half a minute, so it requires your opponent to just stand there and let you do it. That’s never going to happen if you’re fighting an AI opponent (unless you’ve set the difficulty super low) and I can’t see it happening in online matches against random opponents where everyone’s playing to win. Unless there’s some gentleman’s agreement in place between players.
Even without these extra moves, though, Akuma has unsurprisingly proved incredibly fun to play as, and I’m curious to see whether he’ll become a top-tier pick for competitive matches or not. His inclusion has also marked the end of Street Fighter 6‘s first season of DLC, leaving the future of the game looking rather nebulous. I’m sure Capcom will announce a second season of characters in the near future; it’s just a question of who will be included.
