Do you know whichStreet Fightercharacter is cool? Ryu. He’s stoic, strong, determined, and his whole life is about dedicating himself to the art of fighting. That’s very cool. But what if he dressed in black and killed people? Well, you’d get Evil Ryu. But before there was Evil Ryu, there was Akuma. He was the Venom to Ryu’s Spider-Man.
There is only one way to really sell a character like Akima: you need to make him lethal. That’s exactly what they did with Akuma. His style? The Assassin’s Fist. His signature attack? The Surge of Murderous Intent (though we call it a Raging Demon in the West). Everything about this man, from his backstory to his introduction, is all aboutmurder. And I am absolutely positive that the Street Fighter franchise wouldneverundermine that aspect of his character. clears throat Anyway, onto the murders!
5Goutetsu
“There Is No One Who Can Defeat Me. Yet, I Am Empty”
We only see Goutetsu once in the entire Street Fighter series. An image of him appears in Akuma’s ending as he contemplates how unbeatable he is. Beyond that, we know that he was Akuma’s former master and subsequently became his first victim.
Everything we know about Goutetsu has come in bits and bobs from Capcom. They released a profile of him during Street Fighter 5’s run, but basically all it said was what I wrote above. That, and it established that he was good with a bo staff. Do with that information what you will. While we know little about him, it is with Goutetsu that Akuma’s journey starts. From here, it is just a trail of bodies a mile long. Probably.
4Gouken
“Satsui no Hado can consume one from the inside out. Self-awareness is the key.”
One of the first notable deaths in the series is of Gouken.He’s Ryu and Ken’s master,who was murdered before the events of Street Fighter 2 by his own brother: the dastardly Akuma (whodefinitelykills people). Canonically, Gouken was the second character to die by way of the Raging Demon. Well, at least hewas.
You may think that Ken and Ryu entered the tournament to find Gouken’s murderer or something, but actually, they seemed to be largely over the brutal death of their master by the time the World Warrior tournament rolled around.
You see, Gouken popped up in Street Fighter 4. What happened to the whole being dead thing? Well, that was just a big misunderstanding. He had been sleeping… for two years. When he woke up, he dug himself out of his grave (horrifying) and decided to spy on his students (yes, that is his story in Street Fighter 4). So, turns out that “deadly” art of Akuma’s may need a little tweaking? Still, he Rip Van Winkled him. That’s got to be worth something, right?
3M. Bison
For You, Dying Will Be A Significant Event. For M. Bison, It Was A Tuesday.
Okay, even if you aren’t a huge Akuma fan, you have to admit that his introduction into the series is absolutely stellar. If you get a high score, use no continues, and reach the boss in 25 minutes, you will start the final fight facing the infamous M. Bison. Then, BAM! Out of nowhere, Akuma lands the first Raging Demon ever seen by gamers. For the rest of the match, M. Bison’s lifeless body remains on the ground. Brutal. What a statement!
But, of course, M. Bison got better. You see, he has clones everywhere. In fact,multiple playable characters in the series are his clones. Cammy, Decapre, Falke, and Ed are all Bison clones. So, after Akuma killed him, his spirit just, like, went into another clone body. Or something. Don’t worry, Akuma, I’m sure you’ll get ‘em next time.
Why don’t Falke and Ed look like Cammy and Decapre? Why do none of them look like M. Bison? Here’s a question for you… Why do you ask so many questions? Shut up. It makesperfectsense if you don’t think about it!
2Gen
“You Are A Fool. I Think Those In The Afterlife Will Agree”
Street Fighter Alpha 3’s version of Gen is a sickly man. Having been an assassin his entire life, and seeing that the end was near, he sought one final battle. So that he could die with honor. And there’s only one dude to turn to if you are looking to get big-time killed. The master of murder himself: Akuma. Gen’s ending declares that “he is in the underworld by now”, with a superimposed image of Akuma flexing in the background. Well, Gouken and M. Bison may have gotten away, but it looks like Akuma has another notch on his belt.
That’s what I’d say if Gen didn’t show up in Street Fighter 4, at least. We’re told he is still super sick, but I’m wondering if Gen needs to seek a second opinion? Honestly, he seems to be doing fine. As for Akuma having killed him, well, we have no official word on how their encounter concluded. My guess is that, like Gouken, the Raging Demon just made him super sleepy. As of Street Fighter 5, Gen was still kicking around in the story, so we’re going to have to count this as another L, Akuma.
Please don’t spend any time thinking about how Akuma is, canonically, incapable of killing a sickly old man.
1Gill
“Resurrection!”
Finally, Akuma’s most recent victim isthe all-powerful Gillin Street Fighter 3: Second Impact. Akuma, seeking to test his strength, seeks Gill out and engages him in combat. He hits him with his Raging Demon attack, and that’s all she wrote. We see his dead body lying lifeless on the ground and everything. Done like dinner…
But Gill is also the boss of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, and he makes an appearance in Street Fighter 5, so youknowthat’s not all she wrote here. This death lasts seconds, as we see Gill use his resurrection ability once the credits stop rolling. Tough luck, bud.
It is no wonder Akuma hasn’t even pretended to have “killed” anyone in multiple games now. The poor guy is probably suffering through one hell of an existential crisis. What are the odds that Goutetsu is fine? Maybe he’s just in hiding because he doesn’t think Akuma’s ego could handle the truth?
