Character Spotlight: Akuma/Gouki

The Raging Demon

"The true fighter can stare death in the face and lash out in rage against it!"—Akuma

Akuma (悪魔 or アクマ, "Demon, Devil" in Japanese), known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼, Gōki, "Great Devil", "Great Demon" or "Great Ogre"), is a popular fighter as well as a popular villain in the Street Fighter series and UDON comics. He is known as "The Supreme Master of the Fist."

Originally appearing in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss, he is Gouken's younger brother and Ryu's adoptive uncle. Akuma is voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura in all of Capcom's 2D Games; in Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken he is voiced by Taketora.

Akuma/Gouki usually wears a black gi, but varies in the series (occasionally displayed as blue in artwork). He has red hair, sharp, pointed teeth, and is often bare-footed, though some games have him wearing brown sandals. He has a tanned skin and crimson eyes, and wears his deceased master Goutetsu's prayer beads around his neck, with a visible black Ten (天, ten, "heaven") kanji on the center bead in some video games. He was seen with a black belt around on his gi, but is now replaced by a tightened rope around his gi. On the back of his gi, he has a red Tenkanji (天, Ten) that sometimes appears glowing during certain win poses. He is an inch taller than Ryu.

Akuma is one bad ass mother trucker, not only is he super powerful he has a special move that is so evil all you can see is the hits connecting and the scream of the defeated enemy. He's been my main since his inception in Super Turbo 2, though he's been nerfed significantly since he is still a great character if used right.