AKUMA FAQ- STREET FIGHTER 3: THIRD IMPACT ========================================= Written by the Azn Bomber (Kevin S) *New E-mail: Azn_Bomber@hotmail.com Version 1.4 Sunday, September 17, 2000 Location: Toronto, Canada Table Of Contents ================= Part 1===> Move Definition Part 2===> Universal Commands Part 3===> Akuma's History Part 4===> Why Use Akuma? Part 5===> Strengths and Weaknesses of Akuma Part 6===> Normal Attack Analysis Part 7===> Special Move Analysis Part 8===> Super Art Analysis Part 9===> Tips to Setup the Raging Demon (Shun Goku Satsu) Part 10==> Tips To Play Akuma and Street Fighter 3 (in general) Part 11==> Cheap Yet Effective Akuma Tactics Part 12==> Tips Against Specific Characters Part 13==> Akuma's Normal Combos Part 14==> Akuma's Super Art Combos Part 15==> Tricks Part 16==> Revision History Part 17==> Special Thanks Move Definition =============== U- Up B- Back D- Down F- Forward Note: I can write combinations such as UF meaning Up Forward. LP- Light Punch MP- Medium Punch HP- Hard Punch LK- Light Kick MK- Medium Kick HK- Hard Kick P- Any Punch K- Any Kick QCF- Quarter-Circle Forward (D,DF,F) QCB- Quarter-Circle Back (D,DB,B) HCF- Half-Circle Forward (B,DB,D,DF,F) HCB- Half-Circle Back (F,DF,D,DB,B) Cr.- Crouching St.- Standing Jmp.- Jumping Universal Commands ================== Forward Dash- Tap F,F Backward Dash- Tap B,B Backward Jump- Tap UB Vertical Jump- Tap U Forward Jump- Tap UF Super Backward Jump- Tap D,UB Super Vertical Jump- Tap D,U Super Forward Jump- Tap D,UF Standing Block- Hold B when attacked Crouching Block- Hold DB when attacked High Parry- Tap F when you are just about to be hit by a high attack Low Parry- Tap D when you are just about to be hit by a low attack Air Parry- Tap F when you are just about to be hit by a high attack (Lands far from opponent) Throw I- Go close to opponent tap F+K/P (depends on the character and the strength of punch and/or kick) Throw II- Go close to opponent and press F or B and tap LP+LK Tech Throw- Press LP+LK when about to be thrown Universal Overhead- Press MP+MK Taunt- Press HP+HK Akuma's History =============== Akuma was a human but has always trained to become the most powerful fighter in the world, no matter what the cost. He was eventually shun away by his master because the evil within Akuma. Akuma then continued to train in the techniques of Shotokan Karate. After training many years, he finally mastered every technique of Shotokan Karate. He felt empty inside and knew there must be more to Shotokan Karate, then he was taught. After, he found the hidden part of the Shotokan Karate, also known as the Dark Shotokan Karate. Akuma began to train under the Dark Shotokan Karate and unleashing the power, demons soon merged into Akuma's body. Akuma's power increased greatly, but now he was nothing human. Why Use Akuma? ============== Your probably asking, why not use Ryu and Ken? Well, because Akuma for starters has a wide variety of moves, which all have a variety of uses. Akuma does good damage and he has combos that just plain hurt. Akuma now has 5 types of supers. The three you can pick from, the Shun Goku Satsu (Raging Demon) and his NEW Kongou Kokuretsu Zan. Strengths and Weaknesses Of Akuma ================================== +Akuma is versatile, he can handle almost situation +Akuma can play both offensive and defensive +Akuma has great anti-air +Akuma have 5 supers +Akuma has the best juggling possibilities out of all the Shotokans -Akuma take a heck of a lot of damage -Akuma has a VERY SHORT stun bar -Akuma is not one of the faster characters in the game -Akuma has no EX specials -Akuma (as like every Shotokan) meaning he's too damn predictable -Akuma lost a lot of his priority in SF3:3S Normal Attack Analysis ======================= St. LP- Just a regular quick (to come out) jab, fast recovery and low damage. Best use is just for setting up a combo. Cr. LP- Like the St. LP, quick (to come out) jab, fast recovery and low damage. Just like the St. LP except your crouching now. Jmp. LP- An elbow which does little damage and short ranged, personally I wouldn't suggest using it to much. St. MP- Akuma takes an overhead chop. The damage is ok and this move is great for people who just love to crouch all day and is great to mix up and confuse your opponent with. Just be careful with it, because it has some start up time. Cr. MP- This move is fast, and is great to do when away from the opponent (to charge up your super). Overall it's not bad, but I would rather use the Cr. MK. Jmp. MP- A downward jumping punch, does the same purpose as the Jumping HP, yet comes out faster. Yet, I prefer to do the HP as a jump in because it just does more damage. =) St. HP- If close Akuma does a mini uppercut, which is great for cancelling into almost any special move. If far, Akuma takes a HARD forward punch which is good as a counter attack. Cr. HP- Akuma just does a crouching uppercut, but I prefer the dragon punch/St. HK and the CR. HP has too much starting time. Jmp. HP- A downward jumping punch, great priority, good damage and great to set up your combos. St. LK- Takes a little kick foward which has no start up delay yet very little damage. Great for setting up Akuma's combos though. Cr. LK- Akuma takes a small kick crouching with is nice as something to chip at your opponent life. Too bad the damage sucks. =( Jmp. LK- Akuma jumps and attacks with his knee sticking out. Not the best jump in, cuz of the low damage. At least it has priority. St. MK- From far, he takes a step and does a straight kick. Looks ugly, crappy damage and is so predictable you're asking for a super in your face. >From close, Akuma knees the opponent, which does ok damage and is great for chaining into other moves. Cr. MK- Great for chipping at your opponents life and has decent range and damage. It's also great to do when you're away from your opponent to charge up your super bar. Jmp. MK- Good as a jump in and has priority. But, the HK does the same thing with more damage. St. HK- Akuma takes a BIG kick forward and does this hurt. It's comes out fast and has priority. Cr. HK- Akuma takes a sweep, but now it's speed is greatly reduced from Street Fighter Alpha Series. The recovery time just plain sucks. When blocked by your opponent, expect you to get hit back, possibly by a super too. Jmp. HK- Same as the jumping MK, but has more power. I prefer the jumping HP as a jump in because it has more priority and gets you more close to the opponent, meaning more hits for my combos. =) Special Move Analysis ====================== Hadou-Ken- Fireball (QCF+P): (Akuma throws a purple fireball foward) Depending what you press with QCF+P the speed of the fireball will work like this. LP- Slow (Speed) Fireball MP- Medium (Speed) Fireball FP- Fast (Speed) Fireball Fireball has now almost have completely become obsolete. Fireballs are easy to parry, has low damage and barely charges up your super meter. It does have its uses, but only in combos now. I noticed if you do a combo ending with a fireball, and the fireball is blocked, the opponent can counter depending on the character. Well, at least you can super cancel the fireball into any of your supers, but super cancelling reduces the damage greatly of your super, making it kinda of a waste to use your super like this. Fireballs can be thrown to allow you to advance forward though, because most people parry it allowing you to get a little more up close. Effectiveness: 3/10 Zankuu Hadou Ken: Air Fireball (In mid-air press QCF+P): (Akuma throws a purple fireball that goes towards your opponent from midair) Depending what you press with QCF+P the speed of the fireball will work like this. LP- Slow (Speed) Fireball MP- Medium (Speed) Fireball FP- Fast (Speed) Fireball The air fireball is great due to the fact that you can pin your opponent down. Even if he parries it, who cares, very rarely will he be able to counter it even if he does parry it. The damage is rather low, but this isn't really used for offense, just offensive pressure. A great trick to do is to super jump, and release a LP air fireball at the beginning of the jump. The fireball will hit him before your jump in, somewhat shielding you from his anti-air. Even if he parries it, your opponent will get confused because he still has a jump in to worry about. You'll probably use the LP one though, cuz you wanna in your opponent down. Remember, your using this for offensive pressure, not for the damage. For some reason, people really have some problem if you use this move. I hear A LOT of bullshit excuses on how this is "cheap". Just because people can't deal with a air projectile, doesn't mean you should stop using this. This move is great to mix up in your Akuma game. Effectiveness: 7/10 Shakunetsu Hadou Ken- Red Fireball (HCB+P): (Akuma gathers his chi and release a burning red fireball) Depending what you press with QCF+P the number of hits, start up time and damage of the fireball will work like this. LP- 1 hit fireball (slight start up delay -> Travels Fast) MP- 2 hit fireball (moderate start up delay -> Travels Slow) FP- 3 hit fireball (long start up delay -> Travels Really Slow) This fireball does good chipping damage but the start up time is insane. Don't bother using the LP and MP fireball, it's pointless if your using it for chipping damage. The only real use I find for this is after you knock down your opponent you do this, which forces them to block or parry. If your opponent decides to parry it, try to dash in and do a combo (only works for the FP Red Fireball. NEVER do this move when your opponent is actually standing, unless you like a super in your face. =) Effectiveness: 4/10 Shoryu-Ken- Dragon Punch (FQCF+P): (Akuma rises in the air and hits with a uppercut) Depending on how hard the punch is, the higher and more powerful (more hits) this dragon punch is. The dragon punch does solid damage, stuns good and helps to charge up your super meter. Remember though, the dragon punch is no longer invincible, so you must time the dragon punch right now. Never do this every time someone jumps in because, they'll pick up the pattern and begin to parry it. Like in all SF games, the recovery time for this is really bad, meaning you will be easily punished if you miss. Effectiveness: 6.5/10 Tatsumaki-Senpuu-Kyaku: Hurricane Kick (QCB+K): (Akuma defies the law of gravity and spins with one leg extended in mid-air). Akuma's hurricane kick is a multi hitting one, doing good damage. It's a great combo finisher and is decent for air to air battle. The light hurricane kick (if connected) Akuma can juggle the opponent because Akuma lands from the hurricane earlier that his opponent, give Akuma more comboing ability. Watchout for Cr. Opponents because you will just pass over them, which could mean they could follow up to counter you. This move can also be done in the air, which can beat lower priority air attacks. There is also juggling possiblities after connecting a hurricane kick in mid-air. Effectiveness: 6.5/10 Tenma Kuujin Kyaku: Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK): (Akuma dives down from the air with one leg extended) Great as a jump because of its great speed and the damage is decent. Mix this up with the jumping FP to keep your opponent off balance. Remember, if this connects your opponent will be stunned long enough for you to do a combo on them. Also, take note that when it is parried, you'll be right beside your opponent. Effectiveness: 7/10 Ashura Senkuu: Teleport (FQCF+PPP, BQCF+PPP, FQCF+KKK, BQCF+KKK): (Akuma moves his physical self backwards and foward, leaving only a trail of shadows for his opponents to see until he reappears) FQCF- Teleports Akuma forward BQCF- Teleports Akuma backwards PPP- Teleports further than KKK KKK- Teleports shorter than PPP Akuma's teleporting move has no startup time and he is completely invulnerable while teleporting. Becareful though, at the end of the teleport, you are completely vulnerable. Your opponent can hurt you pretty bad if you did a bad teleport. Remember though, while in the teleport you are invulnerable, even to supers. =) Although I never use it, you can try to add it to your game for style, but I think it's just too slow to be used except defensively and to get your out of corner traps. Effectiveness: 5/10 Hyakki Shuu: (FQCF+K): (Akuma does a jump foward) Depending on what button you press after, will decides it's outcome. If you press nothing, you will do a slide as you land. This slides comes out slow and easily counter. Besides trying to cross up your opponent. I wouldn't suggest that you do this move, since there are better options. Effectiveness: 4/10 Hyakki Goushou- Press P while in air: Also known as the KO punch. This move knocks the guy down, setting you up for the next set of punishment. Since this move is blockable, it's not recommended unless your sure that it's going to connect. Don't rely on this move to fool your opponent because this isn't what this move is for. Effectiveness: 5.5/10 Hyakki Gousen- Press K while in air: This makes Akuma do a dive kick, which comes out quickly and should be used unexpectedly. The Dive Kick has been weakened since SF:2I because when parried, it leaves you OPEN. This move can be done at any point of the demon flip from it's peak onward. This move is even worse because Akuma has lost a lot of priority since his appearance in SF: 2I. Effectiveness: 6.5/10 Hyakki Goutsui- Press LP+LK while in the air: This makes Akuma do an overhead throw, which tosses the opponent in the direction your facing. This can confuse your opponent, by making him believe this is an air throw, yet in fact it is just a throw executed when the opponent is on the ground. This move is great to pressure your opponent with and should be mixed up in your Akuma game, since it's unblockable. Just do it too much, or you'll be eating an air the second they see you attempt it. Effectiveness: 7/10 Super Art Analysis ================== I Messatsu Gou Hadou: Super Fireball (QCF,QCF+P) (Akuma gathers Chi and releases a large puprle fireball forward) Akuma can hold 2 of these and it can be done in the air (In mid-air QCF,QCF+P): This super's strengths is that it's extremely versatile. You can pretty much punish any mistakes with this super due to the fact it can travel the whole screen and this super art is hard to counter unless they are beside you. Being able to do this in the air is also a plus. The bad side is, it's Akuma's weakest super. When you super cancel this, the damage is even worse (almost to a point where a HP dragon punch would do more damage. Even to make things worse, good players can parry all the hits from this super. This super can also be done mid air, doing a large Zankuu Hadou Ken. I personally found this mid air fireball is slighty too slow and only works on brain dead opponents. Effectiveness: 8.5/10 II Messatsu Gou Shouryuu: Special Dragon Punch (QCF,QCF+P) (Akuma does three consecutive dragon punches) Akuma can hold 2 of these. The good thing about this super is that it hurts more than the super fireball. This super has good priority, it has the ability to snuff most normal moves and some special moves. The bad side is you lose versatility and the recovery of this super art is just plain bad. If this super is blocked, you can kiss 1/2 of your life goodbye. =( Personally, I noticed no one ever pick this super, then again his other supers are just more effective than this one. The recovery for this super is awful, so try not to miss. =) Effectiveness: 7/10 III Messatsu Gou Rasen: Special Hurricane Kick (QCF,QCF+K)(Akuma does his hurricane kick, but instead of going horizontally, it now goes vertically) Akuma can hold 2 of these. The strength of this super is that it's his most powerful super art of his 3 you can pick from. It can be used somewhat as an anti air attack and can also be done in the air. Treat this somewhat like Ken's Shinryuu Ken (Vertical Dragon Punch) except this has more range. Even when super cancelled, the damage is respectable. The downside is that this super art has really short range, making it hard to use as an counter attack except when your opponent is right beside you. This super can be done mid air, yet this ability is not too handy, but it doesn't hurt to have it. You can also pull this off to counter cross-ups if your fast enough. Note the recovery is very bad if you miss this super. Effectiveness: 8/10 HIDDEN SUPER: Shun Goku Satsu: Raging Demon (LP,LP,F,LK,HP) (Akuma slides foward and grabs you and does his Instant Hell Murder) You must have 2 full super bars to execute this. Oh man, this super hurts BAD. The strength of this super is that it hurts, slap one of these on your opponent and see 60% of his life disappear and best of all, it can't be blocked. The problem is to actually get this to hit your opponent. Akuma is completely vulnerable, a simple fireball can stop him in his tracks. You can just easily jump over Akuma when he does it too. Also, its so damn obvious when you do because all of a sudden you would be doing a few light punches and a light kick and then your opponent will know what's up already. A trick to do is to trip your opponent and then use the raging demon. Due to the fact that it would be too late for them to do anything if they were in a blocking stance (which most people do after getting up). I've heard rumors that the Raging Demon can be cancelled off the St. HK, but I find it purposeless. The fun part of the Raging Demon is the fact that it can take 60% off, what's the fun when it only takes 30%? If you can do the Raging Demon at will, this is a great offensive tool. Try to practice a "Parry-Demon", it's damn stylish and hurts like hell =P Effectiveness: 5.5/10 or 8/10 (If you mastered the Raging Demon) HIDDEN SUPER: Kongou Kokuretsu Zan: (D,D,D+PP) (Akuma lifts up his hand and hits the ground HARD and purple flames surround him) You must have 2 full super bars. Does this super rock or what!?!? The strength of this super matches the raging demon and is a lot easier to connect. Isn't it great when your losing a match and all of a sudden you do one move and you just won. =). The strengths of this super is that it can be used as anti-air and it does a MAD amount of damage. Even the block damage is insane. The weakness is that it takes 2 super bars, but since Akuma has no EX's, that shouldn't be much of a problem. I don't think this move can be super cancelled due to its start up time. It is possible for people to go right beside Akuma and avoid the super though. Remember that this super is for show only. I think this super is humanly impossible to parry, even though I've seen computer in training parry it all?? Effectiveness: 6/10 Tips to Setup the Raging Demon (Shun Goku Satsu) ============================================== I have heard from others that the Raging Demon is a powerful move and one can use this move offensively after mastering this attack. In California Mike Watson and Alex Valle has fallen many times to Hsien's Raging Demon. Here are some setups: 1==>If you land a Cr. MK and then chain into a LK hurricane, instead of doing a Dragon Punch, do a St. HP and cancel into Raging Demon. If you time it just right, your opponent will land right in it. It is possible to reverse this, but some character cannot counter quick enough or you can just catch opponents off guard. *Note* Instead of a St. HP, you can try a St. LP 2==>Do a red fireball from close range, and if they parry it, Raging Demon their ass. 3==>If someone jumps, dash back and their attack will miss. Then dash under them and do the Raging Demon. 4==>If someone jumps in, do a St. HP. If they get hit, follow up with a juggle. If they parry the St. HP, cancel into the Raging Demon and they'll land right into it. *Note* You got to have REALLY FAST reflexes to do this one. 5==>If someone jumps in, parry and then QUICKLY Raging Demon them. Tips To Play Akuma and Street Fighter 3 (in general) ==================================================== Tip 1: In Street Fighter 3, you must use your THROW, if not don't play this game. Don't be surprised if you see 10+ throws a game, especially from a good opponent. It does great since you can now use (Go close to opponent and press F or B and tap LP+LK), which makes it easier to throw. You wouldn't believe how many moves can be countered by a throw, almost everything blocked can be parried right after. Also, never get the impression that throwing is cheap. Situation 1: Akuma is getting everything parried, like his fireball/dragon punch and your opponent is just countering everything you parry. 9/10 chance is that he's turtling, so do you know what to do? Just walk right up to him and THROW him. Most likely he won't even do a anti-air or any special because the throw was not expected, or he was in a blocking stance or he was getting ready to parry, thinking you were doing a special move (joystick is tapped forward). That should give him a wake up call, and if he doesn't learn from it, keep throwing him. Don't let some SCRUB that knows how to turtle and parry ruin your day. Someone who knows how to go on the offense and parry is a whole different story. =) Trick 1: If someone constantly parries your jump-in attacks, just jump in and throw him. You wouldn't believe how many times this worked, it ain't pretty. Tip 2: Use your Universal Overhead (Press MP+MK). Never forget to use your universal overhead, it gives your opponent a wake up call and does a bit of damage. This keeps your opponent confused which then you mix your attacks hitting both low and high. Situation 2: Akuma should always mix up his ground offense with an occasional universal overhead. This moves especially good for Akuma because most people expect Akuma to do a sweep most of the time. This move is also great for turtlers, just do this move to give them a wake up call. Tip 3: Learn to Parry- Sure it may take time to get it down, but try to learn to parry. If you can't get it down perfect, try to at least parry the fireball and dragon punch. Situation 3: Some scrub knows how to do a fireball/dragon punch trap. Even though this in general doesn't work anymore, it can be a real pain in the ass if you don't know how to parry. You jump over the fireball and then you'll be eating a dragon punch. Learn to parry and you can easily parry the fireball, completely destroying your opponents lame strategy. You can even just jump over his fireball and parry the expected dragon punch, and then counter by giving your opponent a combo for his efforts. Parry can really give you a serious advantage if you mastered it, but learning to do so isn't easy. Something that pisses me off is turtlers who think they are good by parrying. How hard is it to be on the defense and parry? On the other hand, a GOOD player can parry for defense and use it to break any defense when on the offense. Tip 4: Practice Doing the (QCF, QCF)- Man, Capcom did a great job by making the supers the (QCF, QCF). Personally, when I go to the arcade and watch people think their so good with Wolverine, can't even do a super in SF3. Personally, I'm tired of scrubs from Marvel vs Capcom and it's funny watch their sad effort in SF3. HCF is much easier than (QCF, QCF) which leaves the scrubs without supers in SF3. (I love Marvel vs Capcom, but it's funny when people who think their good with Wolverine can't do jack in SF3). Situation 4: Your opponent did a mistake and you have the opportunity to counter. Instead of doing a super, you do a fireball. You just took 8% of this life when you could have hit him for 50% of his life. This situation can happen to many new players. Practice makes perfect. Tip 5: Dash, Dash, Dash (FF or BB)- Gets you into the offense/defense quickly and confuses. Situation 5: Dashing in and out can really confused your opponent, but you easily back in the offense when you do a mistake. Akuma has a decent dash, short distance but it comes out and is fast. When you see your opponent do a mistake, dash in and combo/throw him. Tip 6: Mix it All Up- Patterns suck, cuz people will punish your sorry ass. Situation 6: You got a combo that hits hard, but then your opponent parries it all. What's the problem with the combo? It's nothing with the combo, 95% chance you did this repetitively. Unless you enjoy the thrill of losing, remember to mix up your attacks. This works great with Akuma, because of his wide variety of moves. Tip 7: Classic Ryu/Ken style doesn't work anymore- SF2, SF Alpha style doesn't work in SF3. Situation 7: Fireballs have become obsolete in SF3 now, because of the ability to parry. The air fireball is decent and should be used to pin back the opponent. They are easily to jump over, and which then for sure your going to be counter attacked. The dragon punch is no longer as invulnerable as before, so try not to rely on this move as much as in SF2. The classic fireball/dragon punch trap just doesn't work anymore, so don't even bother trying. Tip 8: Akuma can't take much punishment- Ouch, that's what you'll be saying when you see Akuma get hit. Akuma also stuns VERY easy, since he has a real small stun gauge. Situation 8: When using Akuma, don't even try to go for trading hits and expect to win. Akuma takes a LOT of damage, so watch your life gauge carefully. Akuma's small stun gauge can also be a problem, people like Dudley can easily stun Akuma with a few simple combos. Tip 9: Ask your opponent if he/she is playing mercy or expecting you to play mercy. Situation 9: You slack off in the second round thinking you are getting a mercy round, meaning you just lost 50 cents. The other situation is the opposite, and I've seen opponents that this pretty bad. Still, it's only a quarter or two, nothing to go psycho over. Tip 10: If your losing, don't keep using Akuma over and over again Situation 10: You keep losing, even when your really good with Akuma. People can learn your pattern, so change your character. (This means getting good with more than just 1 person). Tip 11: Understand Akuma is not the best character in SF3:3I Situation 11: Just read my Strengths/Weakness of Akuma. Cheap Yet Effective Akuma Tactics ================================= 1--> Do an air fireball, land and then throw 2--> Do the Demon Flip (Hyakki Shuu) and hit kick for the dive kick. This pushes them back to the perfect range for you to do another Demon Flip, but this time do the throw version. Tips Against Specific Characters ================================ I don't give strats to beat computer, cuz computer is all pattern, which I find lame if you need my help to beat em. Trust me, your not cool if you can beat computer, it's when you beat real people than you can call yourself the SF3 master. Akuma Vs Akuma =============== You really have to mix up your attacks to come out victorious, because your opponent will expect you to play Akuma like classic Ryu/Ken. The ability to parry will help greatly on both defense and offense. Parry any fireballs, which he throws at you. When on the offense, parry his dragon punch or St. HK and do a combo of your choice. Lately, I find Akuma players very aggressive, launching fireballs everywhere and constantly using their dives kicks to find an opening to combo you. Akuma Super Art Analysis ------------------------- I. (2x) Messatsu-Gou-Hadou- (Akuma gathers chi and releases his super fireball) It comes out fast and can easily be comboed. The damage is only average for it, and when cancelled does close to nothing. If you are good at parrying, don't hesitate to do so. Be careful if your opponent decides to dash in and combo you. I. (2x) Tenma Gou Zankuu- (Akuma gathers energy and then releases his super air fireball.) It comes out slightly slow and should only be used immediately after someone launches a fireball or on a brain dead opponent. Like the super fireball, it only does average damage at best. II. (2x) Messatsu-Gou-Shoryu- (Akuma's does 3 dragon punches in a succession) He does a LP Dragon Punch, then a MP one and follows up with a FP dragon punch. It comes out fast and has high priority. It lacks range but it does above average damage. Take note of the priority because it can snuff out regular moves. If he misses though, there should be no problem of punishing him. III. (2x) Messatsu-Gou-Rasen- (Akuma rises doing his hurricane kick vertically, but his legs are extended from the usual hurricane kick.) It has very short range, yet the damage is fairly high for this super. People can use this super similar to a dragon punch, but timing must be precise. Note that this super can be executed in the air. If he misses, he's in a big world of hurt, because this supers recovery is just plain bad. IV. (1x-Max Level) Shun Goku Satsu- (Akuma moves fowards and attempts to grab you, and if he connects, he hits you with a 15-hit combo) Akuma's signature move, the RAGING DEMON. Akuma is completely vulnerable when executing this super, yet this super is UNBLOCKABLE. In a hands of an idiot, this super is completely useless. Try not to fall for the Cr.HK followed up by the Raging Demon. In a hands of a master, this is a deadly offensive weapon. There are many effective setups for the Raging Demon, which you can find some in my FAQ. V. (1x-Max Level) Kongou Kokuretsu Zan- (Akuma lifts up his hand and hits the ground HARD and purple flames surround him) Akuma's new super. This super can be used as anti air if timed right. Since this super has a long start up time, you do not need to fear that this super can be cancelled. Note if you go right beside Akuma when he executes this, you can easily throw him out of it. Akuma Vs Alex ============== NEVER turtle against this guy, he'll punish every second you don't move. As much as you would like to feel a power bomb and lose about 30% of your life, you should go on the offense and keep the pressure up. Alex has some solid bread and butter combo, which do good damage and have fairly good recovery). His fierce flash chop will set up for a lot of combo possibilities, but it start up time makes it hard for Alex players to connec. Most of Alex's moves have bad recovery, and make sure you punish each mistake he does. Alex also stuns rather well, which can lead to problems for Akuma. Alex Super Art Analysis ------------------------ I. (1x) Hyper Bomb- (Alex attempts to grab you and then goes into a big auto combo.) The greatest strength of this super is that it is unblockable. If you turtle, Alex can punish you bad with this super. Also, remember this super HURTS bad, especially since your Akuma. II. (2x) Boomerang Raid- (Alex does an auto combo which begins with a few punches which ends off with a throw.) Alex players will not hesitate to cancel this super, which doesn't benefit you in any way. This super has almost no range though and if he misses, you can punish him easily. III. (1x) Stun Gun Headbutt- (Alex jumps across the screen depending on the punch button he press) (for range which can be done so that he's beside you or to you across the screen) If he lands beside you, he'll headbutt you until your dizzy. Then most players would use a HP Flash Chop and follow up with a Power Bomb. This super can be comboed with good timing after connecting Alex's Slash Elbow. This super is unblockable, but lacks priority. If you happen to dragon punch him in the super would be one way of countering it. You can also try jumping away from it. Akuma Vs Chun-Li ================= She fast, has high priority, has an air throw and he supers kick ass. Chun-Li's one opponent to be afraid of, especially in the hands of a master. Most good players I've seen using her minimize their special moves and often tries to stuff your moves with her lightning quick LP and LK, which has high priority. All of her regular moves come out lightning quick, so watch out, cuz get used to being stuffed. The dragon punch is handy in this fight because she'll be jumping all over the place, but don't abuse it. When fighting Chun-Li, expect to see many throws from both the ground and in the air. Chun-Li Super Art Analysis --------------------------- I. (1x) Kikou-Shou- (Chun Li gathers energy and does a large but short ranged fireball.) The damage for this super is rather good and the recovery is decent for it. This super can be used as anti air with good timing. The greatest weakness for this super is that it's short ranged and Chun Li can only hold 1 of them. II. (2x) Houyoku-Sen- (Chun Li dash forward and does an auto combo which finishes with a launcher.) This is probably Chun Li's most effective super, since it can pass through fireballs with good timing. This super can be comboed right after a Cr. MK, which means quick and painful damage. Also, Chun Li can follow up with some air hits after the launcher. III. (3x) Tensei-Ranka- (Chun Li does an improved version of the Hazan Shuu, in which she is protected by a blue flame.) This super can be used as an anti-air with good timing, yet it lacks range. EX happy players will use this super since there are 3 bars for this super. Akuma Vs Dudley ================ Dudley's moves come out extremely fast, but they have terrible recovery time. Dudley's hits have an EXTREMELY dizzying ability and Akuma has a really small stun bar, which ain't good. Dudley has some very nasty bread and butter that can smack you for half your life, so make sure Dudley doesn't have a chance to set that shit up. If you don't keep your guard up, expect to get dizzy and get smacked by a super. Just pressure him with some air fireballs and when he does a special move try to block/parry and then counter it. Dudley Super Art Analysis --------------------------- I. (2x) Rocket Uppercut- (Dudley does 3 consecutive Jet Upper, which begins with a LP Jet Upper, then a MP one and finishes with a HP Jet Upper.) This is easily cancelled and has high priority, like any dragon punch based super (but only in the beginning). If you block it, you can say he's good as dead. II. (1x) Rolling Thunder- (Dudley dashes forward quickly and if he hits you, he'll go into a big auto combo.) This super goes through fireballs, which you shouldn't be doing too much if you followed my advice. If he misses, he'll be vulnerable for a second, so take advantage of that. III. (3x) Corkscrew Blow- (Dudley does a big lunging punch forward.) This lacks range but you can hold up to 3 of these. The damage is decent and this super can be cancelled. Akuma Vs Elena =============== Elena can be a pain for Akuma because of her long reach and decent strength. All her moves look confusing and is rather hard to parry. The best thing for Akuma to do is, parry her air counters and keep the offensive pressure up. The dragon punch can snuff most of her special moves though. Her footsie game is insane though, and if she learns to parry, you're gonna be in a whole bunch of problems. Elena Super Art Analysis ------------------------- I. (3x) Spinning Beat- (Elena does 3 Scratch Wheels, beginning with her LK one, then her MK one, and finishing with a HK Scratch Wheel) This super has no start up delay so the most obvious use for this super is to put it into a combo. Having 3 short bars, expect to see this a lot and maybe a few EX's. II. (2x) Brave Dance- (Elena leaps forward and goes into an auto combo of somersaults) The strength of this super is that it leaps forward, so it can punish mistakes. A blocked Brave Dance means a dead Elena though, so take advantage of that. III. (1x) Healing- (Elena crouches down and begins to glow and heals herself) This is definitely a unique super for any character. Elena heals about 30% of her life, unless she's interrupted. This super is great when the machine damage setting is low, since it can mean the difference between a win and a lose. Don't worry too much about this super since she can only hold 1 Healing at a time. Akuma Vs Hugo ============== Hugo is easily the most powerful character (physically) in the game. Having a large stun gauge and a taking minimal damage means that trading hits with him will not be the smartest tactic to use. NEVER turtle when playing against Hugo, this would mean that you'll eat a Moonsault Press. A Moonsault Press on means that you just lost 35% of your life away. Yet, Hugo suffers from his bad recovery time, which you can take advantage of when you parry or block one of his moves. Good players parry everything you can throw at him (Hugo then seems like a moving wall) and punishes your mistakes. Hugo can dizzy pretty good and take note that his moves have LONG range (example) St. MP. The St. MP has extremely long range and will swat you like a fly. Remember that some of his attacks move him forward, letting him get closer to you. Hugo Super Art Analysis ------------------------ I. (1x) Gigas Breaker- (Hugo grabs you and does an auto combo, which includes breaking your back and finishing you off by landing on you "OUCH!") The greatest strengths of this super is it's raw power and the fact that it is unblockable. This super ignores any normal attacks during it's execution, which is nice to have. The weakness of this super is that Hugo has to be real close for it to connect. This super has no combo possibilities, which means you don't have to fear about it getting cancelled into. Since your Akuma (meaning you take A LOT of damage), means that if your tagged with this, you'll lose about 90% of your life (don't be surprised if you lose 100% of your life if the machine damage settings is high). II. (2x) Megaton Press- (Hugo jumps diagonally foward and if he catches you in the air, he goes into a big auto combo) This super can be used as anti-air somewhat, but must be timed correctly. Hugo can combo this be connecting his Ultra Throw and immediately doing the Megaton Press. III. (2x) Hammer Frenzy- (Hugo does a auto combo which is just a mix of high and low attacks) This super is good because it has a mix of high and low attacks. Also, this super can be delayed by holding the punch buttons, so watch out for it. This super can be chosen by people who are EX happy. Akuma Vs Ibuki =============== Ibuki greatest asset is her speed. Yet, with her great speed, she lacks the power of the other characters. This means that one of Akuma's 3-hit combos would equal to an 8-hit combo by Ibuki. can be a pain, but your damage potential is higher than her. Her best anti air would have to be Kazekiri (kick version of the Dragon Punch). It must be parried multiple times but the damage isn't great for that move. Expect her to do her Tsumuji, but watch out because depending on the kicks she press, she can hit both high and low. Her Kyuu Kage (she slides across the ground) can easily be countered if you block low, but it's real fast when Exed, but it lacks power. If Ibuki doesn't know how to parry well, utilize your dragon punch to the most, since Ibuki loves to jump and hop around. Trading hits with her isn't a bad strategy but take caution because Akuma takes A LOT of damage. Ibuki's dash can be used for some ugly setups to cross you up, so just be careful about how you block/parry. Luckily, Ibuki is no longer as powerful as she was in SF3:2. Ibuki Super Art Analysis ------------------------- I. (3x) Kasumi-Suzaku- (Ibuki jumps in the air and throws about 20 daggers at you) This super cannot be comboed and the damage is only decent at best. This super can hold 3, which EX happy people will love to choose. This super has a small bar, which means that Ibuki will be doing this 3-4 times a round. This super is going to be used most often for EX or chipping (chipping is good for this super). II. (1x) Yoroi-Doushi- (Ibuki grabs you and charges her hand and blasts you away-close range) (Ibuki extends her hand and an orange fireball is released) At close range, this super becomes UNBLOCKABLE. This is her strongest super art, and probably the most effective. This super hits hard taking about 50% of your life instantly. So, just jump as you see her come close and do this super. At long range, she does a short ranged orange fireball that does about 20% damage. The range really sucks for this, so it's not much of a problem. III. (1x) Yami-Shigure- (Ibuki grabs her daggers and throws them at your feet, and if it connects, she dash around stabbing you back and forth) This super greatest strengths are that it comes out extremely fast and it hits low. The damage is really lacking for this super, but the bar for this super is pretty short. It has some stun potential, which could be a problem for Akuma. Also, Ibuki can control the distance she throws this, which makes this super much more versatile. If you can see it coming, it's pretty easy to avoid, just jump or block low. Akuma Vs Ken ============= Ken's probably has the best footsie game out of all the shotokans. Ken's power is amazing for his speed and his combo ability is stylish and hits HARD. Most good players no longer do fireballs, so you shouldn't be seeing it often. When you jump in, you should occasionally see a dragon punch, so just parry it and follow through with a combo. Ken has some great fakeouts and overheads (B+St.MK) which becomes annoying quickly. Most Ken players love to combo their supers in any means possibles, so Ken players won't hesitate to sacrifice damage due to canceling. If you jump in a lot, watch out for Ken's Super II because you'll get smashed up pretty bad. Ken players love to poke, which is hard to counter until you can see a pattern. Akuma has to watch out for Ken's jump-in with his MK, because it's a great cross up attack and followed by his St. MP and St. HP means you just lost 40% of your life. Ken Super Art Analysis ----------------------- I. (2) Shoryu-Reppa- (Ken does 3 Dragon Punches, beginning with the LP one, then MP one, finishing with his HP Dragon Punch. This super comes out really FAST and has decent horizontal range. It's strength is that the first Dragon Punch is invincible, meaning you can pretty much stuff any move as long as your quick on the draw. The recovery for this move is awful, so if your opponent misses with this, counter freely. II. (1x) Shinryu-Ken- (Ken does a vertical Dragon Punch) This super also comes out quick on the draw. This super has about 0 horizontal range but goes completely vertical, meaning your opponent can use this as an anti air. This is Ken's most damaging super, especially when he mashes the buttons. When your opponent chooses this super, becareful of your jump-ins because you'll get punished. Fortunately, Ken will probably only do this super once a round at most. III. (3x) Shippu-Jinrai-Kyaku- (Ken does a ground auto combo which finishes with a Hurricane Kick) This super strength is that Ken can hold up to 3 of these babies. The damage is decent at best though. Expect Ken players to cancel almost all of their attacks into this super, without any regrets. Since it has 3 bars, you can expect to see a lot of EX's from your opponent. Also, if your opponent does not connect this on you, he won't finish this super with a Hurricane Kick but there is still more than enough time for you to counter. Akuma Vs Makoto ================ Makoto is quick, has high priority and hits HARD. Makoto's poking game is great because of her Cr. MK, which has speed, priority and great recovery. Makoto has one of the best dashes in the game, meaning in less than a second she can be in your face. When she's up close, you can expect a Karakusa or a throw. Take note that her Hayate is lightning quick, and the EX version goes across the whole screen FAST. Makota also has good priority in the air with her axe kick. The axe kick has a slight delay, but once it's release, don't expect much of your attacks can counter it. Makota has decent recovery for most of her moves, so it's best you keep the offensive pressure up, instead of waiting for her to do a mistake. Don't hesitate to Dive Kick her because she lacks good anti air, unless your opponent can parry well. Makoto Super Art Analysis -------------------------- I. (1x) Seichusen-Godanzuki- (Makoto does a single punch to your gut and follows up with another 3 punches and finally smashes you into the air) This super has decent range and hits pretty hard. Perhaps the greatest strength of this super is that it combos off almost anything. Luckily, Makoto can only hold on of these at a time. II. (2x) Abare-Tosanami- (Makoto jumps back to the wall and comes down with a FAST divekick. If she connects, she goes into an auto combo and finishes with a Fukiage) When you see this super, think Spiderman's Maximum Spider. This super goes the distance Makoto wants it, from close range to across the screen. This super can be comboed with good timing, but your opponent will need mad skillz to pull it off. This is probably the best solution for Makoto to kill fireball happy opponents. Don't even try throwing 1 fireball if she has one bar filled. This super does only decent damage when connected, but since Makoto can juggle after this super, you can be in a big world of hurt. III. (1x) Tanden-Renki- (Makoto gathers her energy and turns all red for approximately 10 seconds) After Makoto does this, she will become completely vulnerable (Makoto can't block). However, she will be doing about twice as much damage. Definitely a expert super, if your against a person who can parry well, your gonna be in deep $hit. Expect simple bread and butter combos do take about 40% of your life. Just watch yourself and keep counter where you see appropriate. Akuma Vs Necro =============== Necro does solid damage and his range is probably the greatest in the game. Akuma will have a hard time with Necro because of his range. Fireballs don't have much effect on Necro, because they can be easily parried. Jump-ins are dangerous because of Necro's Denpa Blast (electricity around him). Necro's Snake Fang can punish your mistakes from quite a distance and grabs low, which is a strange property from most fighters. His spinning punches can be used to put pressure on you and most Necro players will capitalize on your mistakes. Akuma must dash in and out and wait for an opening to hurt Necro. Try to block or dash away from his drill attack instead of parrying in case he decides to fake you out, which I see very often. Necro Super Art Analysis ------------------------- I. (1x) Magnetic Storm- (Necro steps forward and surrounds himself in electricity) This super has a neat vacuum property meaning it will suck up any one who comes close to it. This super leaves Necro almost invincible, to any move which doesn't involving using a projectile. The damage is rather good considering this super's short bar. Just throw an air fireball to stop your opponent from doing this super. II. (1x) Slam Dance- (Necro grabs you and smashes you HARD) This super is a throw super, meaning it's unblockable. Expect this to be chosen by the Necro player if he sees that you are turtling too much. You probably would only see this super once a round because of it's long bar and Necro can only hold one of these. III. (2x) Electric Snake- (Necro touches the floor and electricity travels along the floor) This super hits low, and goes under certain attacks. This super leaves Necro very vulnerable if you jump over the super though. Take advantage of that weakness. Akuma Vs Oro ============= Never underestimate an Oro player because he's surprising strong and his priority is really high. Expect Oro players to throw a lot, both in the air and the ground. Oro can do some funky combos that involve his Niou Riki. Don't be surprised to see Oro throw a few fireballs (mixed between low and high), but it's low damage shouldn't really be one of your main concerns. Watch your life gauge when fighting him, because don't be surprised if you took a LOT of damage from him without even noticing. Oro Super Art Analysis ----------------------- I. (1x) Kishin-Riki- (Oro glows orange and all his punches become throw attempts) Oro will now try his best to throw you, by just pressing his punches. If you don't watch yourself, you could lose a LOT of life. Just plain more defensively and wait until this super runs out and you should be fine. I. (1x) Kishin-Tsuki- (Oro grabs you and you get thrown up and land getting burned BAD) Oro players will take advantage of this super since it's unblockable. This throw can only connect you when you are on the floor. This means you can avoid this super by doing overheads. So if you can anticipate this super, try doing more overheads to dodge this super. Be careful of this super because it does a LOT of damage II. (3x) Yagyou-Dama- (Oro focuses and release a slow moving green ball of energy) Oro players will choose this super to use to setup combos and to help him pressure you. Oro can have up to three of these on the screen at a time, but rarely have I seen player do such. This super is easy to parry, but I don't suggest it because your opponent will follow up and combo you while you're parrying. II. (1x) Yagyou-Daikon- (Oro jumps into the air and throws a HUGE fireball) Don't be surprised that Oro players will use this super just for it high amount of chipping damage. If you are caught in the air with him when he does this, you will have no choice but to parry it. III. (1x) Tengu-Stone- (Oro surrounds himself with a bunch of garbage) Oro combos gets more hits with this super, because the garbage that surrounds him also hit your opponent. This will increase both his damage and will reduce his recovery time since some of the garbage surrounding him will still be hitting your opponent. III. (1x) Tengu-Ranseki- Akuma Vs Q =========== Q is a character who is VERY DANGEROUS in the hands of a master. Q has good priority and loves to poke. Q's Dashing Head Attack can counter you FAST across the screen and it gets worse if he EX's it. His High Speed Barrage can play games with your mind and can possibly confuses it because it just plain different from everyone else style. Up close, Q can Capture & Deadly Blow like crazy and follow up with some sick combos. Most Q players love to turtle, and it gets worse if you given him enough time to taunt 3x. (He takes 1/2 damage for the rest of the round), this combined with a person who can parry good means that your going to get your ass kicked. Tricks I have seen with the Capture & Deadly Blow is that he stands a distance away from you which you cannot throw him, but he can Capture & Deadly Blow you. Just be prepared for a hard match cuz Q rules. Q Super Art Analysis --------------------- I. (2x) Critical Combo Attack- (Q goes into an standing auto combo which finishes with a low hit) The strength of this is probably for Q to use EX's, since this super has 2 bars. The Critical Combo Attack itself kind of sucks for damage. Just watch out for the last hit, because it hits low. Besides that, there isn't much to fear from this super. II. (1x) Deadly Double Combination- (Q hits your gut HARD, and then smashes you to the ground so hard that you get knocked up HIGH) Expect most Q players to choose this super, since it is probably Q's best super. This super comes out instantly and can be followed up with his St. HP or Dashing Head Attack. This super takes off A LOT, and can easily be cancelled from some of his moves. Fortunately, expect only 1 per round max (usual). III. (1x) Total Destruction- (Q begins to glow and he will be able to perform special throws until the super ends) Q begins to glow and now he can do one of two special throws. D,DF,F+P will execute a long range, yet blockable throw. D,DF,F+K will execute a short range, yet unblockable throw. If you see your opponent do this super, just dodge until his super runs out. This is where the teleport comes in handy, because Q isn't the fastest character alive so there should be almost no chance that Q can actually smack you with this super, unless your dumb =p. Akuma Vs Remy ============== Remy own probably the only versatile fireball in the game. The charge time for his Light of Virtue is VERY short and since it can be used both high and low can be rather annoying. *I suggest you practice your low parry* The recovery for his Light of Virtue just like the Sonic Boom is great. If you mix up Remy with your overheads, Remy will have a harder time to charge up for his specials. Watchout for his Cold Blue Kick, because Remy players love to use this to pressure you, and this move comes out lightning quick. The EX Cold Blue Kick goes FAST, and the whole screen, so a good Remy player will be able to stuff most of your moves from anywhere. Also learn to air parry well, because you can expect a lot of anti air from Remy in both Rising Rage Flash and normal moves. Remy Super Art Analysis ------------------------ I. (2x) Light of Justice- (Remy throws out about 10-15 Light of Virtues, both low and high) Remy players will use this to punish almost any mistake you do, since this super travels across the screen. Don't even bother to parry this super, since the Light of Virtues are all scattered, making it hard if not impossible to parry. II. (2x) Supreme Rising Rage Flash- (Remy does three Rising Rage Flash, beginning with the LK one, then MK one and finishing it with a HK Rising Rage Flash) Expect most Remy players to choose this super because it is comboable and the damage is solid for this super. With good timing, a Remy player can use this as anti-air. It has a long bar though, but Remy can hold two. Easily punishable if he misses though. III. (1x) Blue Nocturne- (Remy taunts and flashes, if he is hit during this super (besides from a projectile/super he will go into a auto combo) This super combo is only used to counter attacks, meaning this cannot be comboed. This super does good damage considering its small bar. Remy can only hold one of these though. If you can anticipate this super, just do a fireball or a super to stop your opponent from looking like a moron. Don't worry if you jump-in attack this super, you most likely will only get counter attacked for a few hits, but nothing too major. Akuma Vs Ryu ============= Ryu (another Shoto) has GREAT stun potential and a high amount of power. Ryu goes for short and sweet combo unlike Ken's long and stylish combos. Ryu players also love to poke in both forms of Cr. LK and Cr. MK. Ryu's bread and butter combos that involve the Joudan-Sokutou-Geri, means there will be a LOT of stun involved. Ryu can do up to 70% Stun in ONE COMBO. This is worse for Akuma because its not typical that Ryu will be stunning Akuma no problem. Good Ryu players mix up their overheads, combos and throws. It's hard to block/parry a good Ryu player because it's hard to anticipate what they will do next. Ryu Super Art Analysis ----------------------- I. (2x) Shinkuu-Hado-Ken- (Ryu launches a large 5-hit fireball from his hands) Ryu players enjoy this super because it's very easy to combo and you can go EX happy when you pick this super. Also, this supers versatility is almost unmatched, you can use this super to punish, combo, after an EX Hurricane Kick and the list goes on. The damage is only decent with this super art and if you can parry well, feel free to do so against this fireball. Watch out if Ryu dashes in though, because you can't parry both high and low at the same time. =) II. (1x) Shin-Shouryu-Ken- (Ryu does a HARD hitting Dragon Punch at closer range and does a multi-hitting Dragon Punch at long range) When a Ryu player needs just pure power to punish mistakes, expect them to pick this super. This super hits HARD, doing about 60% to a regular character and about 85% to Akuma. This can be comboed, but this means that it's damaged will be reduced, but that's still a lot. Ryu can do a Hurricane Kick or a Joudan-Sokutou-Geri to continue to juggle their opponents for even more damage. If Ryu missed his super, he'll get a 5-hit Dragon Punch. It does very little damage, so most Ryu player won't be using this super for anti-air. III. (1x) Denjin-Hado-Ken- (Ryu charges up a fireball and depending on how long you charge will determine it's stun and damage) This super strength is that it is unblockable and stuns your opponent fast. This means that setting up this super, is pretty much the best way for a Ryu player to get this on you, rather than comboing it on you. This super is comboable, but the damage and stun would end up being pathetic. There is also a neat trick that Ryu can do with this super, and that is to rotate the joystick while charging, this decreases the time to charge the fireball greatly. This makes this super a great threat to Akuma, due to his small stun gauge. If you want, you can attempt to parry it, but I'd suggest to either jump over it or teleport through it, in case you make a mistake. Akuma Vs Sean ============== Sean strengths are in his normal moves, because they are fast and effective. It's sad that almost all of Sean's special moves are useless though. Sean' Tackle, can be seen a mile away and easily countered. Most players minimize the use of Tornado Kick, unless in a combo. If you block or parry one of these, throw immediately when it's finished. *Works like a charm =)* Sean's Ryubi-Kyaku can be easily parried, but watchout when your crouching, cuz it can easily tag you. Don't get crossed up by his rolls though. Sean's Dragon Smash is easy to parry because it only does one hit, and has about 0 horizontal range. All in all, Sean was weakened from SF:2I, and shouldn't be too much of a problem for Akuma. Sean Super Art Analysis ------------------------ I. (3x) Hado-Burst- (Sean does a fireball, and if it connects, blast you away) This supers most likely to be used if your opponent is going to use Exs. Besides that, this super sucks because Sean does very little damage and this super can be parried easily from a distance. II. (2x) Shoryu-Cannon- (Sean does 2 Dragon Smash, beginning with a LP one and finishing with a HP Dragon Smash) Definitely Sean's best super, doing solid damage and having the ability to combo. This super can be used as anti-air with good timing, so take care when you jump in. III. (1x) Hyper Tornado- (Sean charges forward at his opponent and goes into an auto combo) This super is used as a quick counter, if your opponent sees your doing a lot of mistakes. This super does solid damage, but luckily your opponent has one of these, meaning it's a one shot wonder. Akuma Vs Twelve ================ Twelve is certainly different from the average character. All his moves can confuse you because they all his moves are unique, think Shuma Gorath. Most Twelve players love to use anti-air, which he has a huge selection from. A good Twelve player can poke you occasionally with N.D.L, but the recovery is pretty bad. All you have to do is jump over it, because it's completely ground based. Twelve sole combo move is his A.X.E., which can be used to chip and as an anti air. Most Twelve players usually fall into patterns, which you must take advantage of it. If you can see the anti-air a mile away, parry and follow through. Also, be careful of D.R.A., because he can cancel it into an air attack, which might catch you off guard. Twelve Super Art Analysis -------------------------- I. (2x) X.N.D.L.- (Twelve sticks his arms into the ground and creates a wave of N.D.L. type spikes across the floor) This super comes out fast, and leaves Twelve relatively safe as long as you blocked this super. Twelve players can combo this super, so take note of that. This super does decent damage and can only be used to counter ground based attacks. If you can anticipate this super, it shouldn't be a problem to jump over. II. (1x) X.F.L.A.T.- (Twelve does a D.R.A. dive, and if it connects, Twelve will go into an auto combo) Twelve players will most likely use this to counter dumb mistakes and if you do a fireball. *DON'T DO FIREBALLS*. If you block this super, you can easily counter. Watch out, because this super comes out quicker than one would think. III. (1x) X.C.O.P.Y.- (Twelve becomes the character he is fighting) Twelve becomes your character for a limited amount of time and does not have the EX ability. In this form, Twelve take about 1/2 damage as usual. Just fight him like a usual Akuma (since this is an Akuma FAQ), but remember don't trade hits because Twelve will come out on top. Akuma Vs Urien =============== Urien has become a big bad ass now. Urien has now gained a lot of priority and recovery since SF3:2I. Urien still hits hard and his recovery for his moves are amazingly fast for such a big guy. Urien's Chariot Rush has almost 0 recovery time, meaning he can use this to pressure you easily. His EX Chariot Rush, comes out really FAST and smacks you hard. A good Urien player will stuff almost all your moves with this move. Never really on fireballs (like usual) in this battle, because an EX Vicious Knee Drop is all that is needed to knock some sense into you. Urien also has a very sick footsie game, and since his legs are sooo long, you probably won't be able to keep up with poking. Urien can pressure you by dashing in and out (since he has one of the quickest dashes in the game) and usually follows up with his throws. The most scary thing about Urien is how his elbow can set up for you to lose 60% of your life in one combo, so WATCH OUT! A weakness with Urien is that if he parries, he will be unable to use his specials, since he is after all a charge character. Urien Super Art Analysis ------------------------- I. (2x) Tyrant Slaughter- (Urien rushes forward and tries to close line you like mad) Urien players will utilize the speed of this super. This super has a very quick start up, meaning Urien players will most likely choose this super to punish mistakes. This super is surprisingly easy to parry though, so it doesn't hurt trying. II. (2x) Temporal Thunder- (Urien gathers energy and launches a huge fireball) Urien players usually don't choose this super because of its slight start up time. The damage isn't that good for this super too. This super is slightly harder to parry because the fireball accelerates as it goes across the screen (from slow to fast). III. (2x) Aegis Reflector- (Urien raises his hands and releases a mirror of energy) Expert Urien players will know how to mess with your mind with this super. Having two reflectors will give you hell, because you won't have any space to breathe. If you get caught in the corner with this, you could be in some deep shit. Akuma Vs Yang ============== Yang is another speedy pixie type of character. He has an annoying poking game that involves Tourou Zan. This can keep you guessing if he'll go for a low or high attack. His EX Tourou Zan, is definitely one of his best moves, if not one of the best moves in the game. This EX comes out FAST and his a very high stun potential. Yang has his Kaihou, which most players use to get into the offensive quickly, or to try to cross you up. The teleport itself is very fast, but he is vulnerable at start up and the end of this special. The Raigeki Shuu, is used as a jump-in by most Yang players, yet it does not stun long enough for him to combo, unless he does his dive kick chain. Try to block instead of parrying Yang's Raigeki Shuu, because good Yang players will often do a LK Raigeki Shuu, and then dash in to counter you (when you try to parry the Raigeki Shuu). Watch out for Yang's Byakko Soushouda, because the last few frames of this special, he is invincible. Overall Yang can't dish out too much damage, but getting hit combo after combo can be fatal. Yang Super Art Analysis ------------------------ I. (1x) Raishin-Mahhaken- (Yang stomps the ground and does his spear hand strike.If he connects, he will stab you and run right through you!) Yang players will use this to punish mistakes most often. You can anticipate this super because it has a *slight* start-up. Yang players can combo this off their Cr.LK, but I find that it's rare for players to do so. The damage is good, but certainly not worth Yang's super bar. Don't worry about Yang players using this as anti-air because it's really hard to pull off. II. (2x) Tenshin-Senkyutai- (Yang will roll forward and launch you sky high with him kick you up all the way) Yang players will choose this super mainly for the EX Tourou Zan. This supers damage is pathetic, so even get smacked by one of these, isn't such a big concern. Watch out for the EX Tourou Zan, because it hurts like a bitch. Since we're Akuma also, we'll get stunned from two EX Tourou Zan. III. (1x) Seiei-Enbu- (Yang will make 3 images of himself) Expert Yang players will choose this because this super is used to confuse your opponent. Also, this super is hell to parry, so don't even try. This super last about 7 seconds, and the bar itself for this super is very SHORT. Don't be surprised to see Yang do this super 2x-4x a round. Luckily, this super doesn't hit too hard. Akuma Vs Yun ============= Yun is another quick character, but he can chain his supers much more easier than Yang, and he hits harder. But to do so, he sacrificed his recovery time. Expect Yun to constantly cancel into supers whenever he gets a chance. Yun has some very solid bread and butter combos, which he can all very easily cancel into a super to finish. Yun is great at faking you out with his jump ins, making you think to parry and when he lands he smacks you with a combo. If you jump in, expect him to do a St. MK, which you can easily parry and hit him hard. Yun's recovery is not as good as his brother, which you must take advantage of. The moment he misses his Zesshou Hohou, smack him hard. Yun Super Art Analysis ----------------------- I. (1x) You-Hou- (Yun punches his opponent up, then juggles them twice) This is Yun's most damaging super and this can be comboed very easily. Yun can only hold one of these at a time. Yun can further juggle you, after connecting all three hits. This super can be used as anti-air, but only one of the hits will connect. II. (3x) Sourai-Rengeki-(Yun lunges forward with a series of kicks and ends it with a jump kick) Yun does very little damage with this super, but since he can hold three bars, you can expect to see a lot of EXs. III. (1x) Genei-Jin- (Yun creates 2 shadows to follow him) Expert Yun players will choose this often to confuse his opponent. Just like Yang's super, don't even try to parry this, because it's close to impossible. This super comes in 1 very SHORT bar, meaning you'll see this super 2x-4x in a round. Again, the damage for this super is not great. Akuma's Normal Combos ===================== Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.MK==>Fireball (QCF+P) Description: The classic 2 in 1 combo. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.LP==>Cr. LK ==>Fireball (QCF+P) Description: The same as the above, except more hits and changes the timing for your opponent to parry. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>St. MK (Knee) ==>Fireball (QCF+P) Description: Another variation of the 2 in 1 combo Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.Mk==>HK Hurricane Kick (QCB+HK) Description: A solid damaging combo, except your opponent must be standing or your Hurricane Kick will miss. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.LP==>Cr. LK ==> HK Hurricane Kick (QCB+HK) Description: Solid damage, different timing to parry. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==> Cr.MK ==> LK Hurricane Kick (QCB+LK)==> HK Hurricane Kick (QCB+HK) Description: Good damage, and a nice amount of hits. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.LP==>Cr. LK ==> LK Hurricane Kick (QCB+LK)==> HK Hurricane Kick (QCB+HK) Description: Good damage, and a nice amount of hits. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr. MK ==> LK Hurricane Kick (QCB+LK)==> HP Dragon Punch (FQCF+HP) Description: A really good combo, with great damage. After the LK Hurricane kick, just juggle with the Dragon Punch. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.LP==>Cr. LK ==>LK Hurricane Kick (QCB+LK)==> HP Dragon Punch (FQCF+HP) Description: A really good combo, with great damage. After the LK Hurricane kick, just juggle with the Dragon Punch. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr. MK ==> HP Dragon Punch (FQCF+HP) Description: Solid damage, but make sure the Cr. MK connects or your gonna get hurt after the Dragon Punch. When you and your opponent are mid-air, do a HK hurricane kick==>St. HK Description: After your hurricane kick connects, do a St. HK to juggle. Cr. LP==> Cr. LK==> St. MP Description: This isn't a combo, but is used to confuse your opponent. The Cr. LP and Cr. LK are there to confuse your opponent. While he is still blocking, hit them with Akuma's St. MP (overhead). Cr.HK==> HP Red Fireball (QCB+HP) Description: Not a combo! If the sweep connects, use the Red Fireball as chipping damage. Akuma's Super Art Combos ========================= Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.MK==>Fireball (QCF+P)==> Messatsu Gou Hadou (QCF, QCF+P) Description: The Messatsu Gou Hadou is super cancelled, so the damage of this super will be reduced. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.MK==>Dragon Punch (FQCF+P)==> Messatsu Gou Hadou (QCF, QCF+P) Description: The super must be super cancelled while Akuma is still on the ground when doing the Dragon Punch. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.MK==>Fireball (QCF+P)==> Messatsu Gou Shoryu (QCF, QCF+P) Description: The Messatsu Gou Shoryu is super cancelled, so the damage of this super will be reduced. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.MK==>Dragon Punch (FQCF+P)==> Messatsu Gou Shoryu (QCF, QCF+P) Description: The super must be super cancelled while Akuma is still on the ground when doing the Dragon Punch. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.MK==>Fireball (QCF+P)==> Messatsu Gou Rasen (QCF, QCF+K) Description: The Messatsu Gou Rasen is super cancelled, so the damage of this super will be reduced. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==>Cr.MK==>Dragon Punch (FQCF+P)==> Messatsu Gou Rasen (QCF, QCF+K) Description: The super must be super cancelled while Akuma is still on the ground when doing the Dragon Punch. Jmp-In Fierce/Diving Kick (UF, at the peak press D+MK)==> Cr.MK ==> LK Hurricane Kick (QCB+LK)==> Messatsu Gou Rasen (QCF, QCF+K) Description: A good damage combo, the Messatsu Gou Rasen is super cancelled. Cr. HK ==> Raging Demon (LP,LP,F,LK,HP) Description: This is not a combo! If the Cr. HK connects, usually the opponent will be in a blocking stance, letting you connect the Raging Demon! As your opponent jumps in ==> Kongou Kokuretsu Zan (D,D,D+PP) Description: When your opponent jumps in, do this super. It is almost impossible to parry and there is no air blocking!! Trying to do this as late as possible for the highest amount of damage. Tricks ====== Akuma's Taunt- His attack power increases for all of his moves except throws. Additionally, all of his attacks (even throws) do more stun damage. Note that the Shun Goku Satsu will not do more damage even if you do Gouki's Personal Action. Hidden Colors for each character can be performed by pressing LP+MK+HP when you select your character. Q (Super Armor) Taunt 3x in a round and Q's will take only 1/2 of the damage for the rest of the round Ryu's Denjin Hadou Ken Quick Charge When charging his fireball, do 360s to charge quicker than usually. Revision History ================ Version 1.0- (Tuesday, August 24, 1999) -Nothing much to write about Version 1.1- (Thursday, March 23, 2000) -Tried to fix some spelling errors -Added new move for Akuma- Special Move Analysis (Forgot to put it in) -Updated Section- Special Move Analysis -Added new tips to Tips To Play Akuma and Street Fighter 3 (in general) -Updated Section- Tips To Play Akuma and Street Fighter 3 (in general) -Updated Section- Tips Against Specific Characters Version 1.2- (Monday, April 03, 2000) -Added Hyakki Shuu section (sorry, I forgot) -Added Tips to Setup the Raging Demon (Shun Goku Satsu) Section -Added Cheap Yet Effective Akuma Tactics Section Version 1.3- (Tuesday, April 04, 2000) -Added credit to Marvin (sorry, forgot to) -Completed Update Section- Tips Against Specific Characters -Added Character Super Art Analysis -Added small descriptions for each special move and super art Version 1.4- (Sunday, September 17, 2000) -Updated and Corrected Errors I Noticed Special Thanks ============== Arlieth- arlieth@west.net -For making the most in depth and accurate FAQ for SF3 (IMO). Also thanking him for teaching me a lot of tricks and tips for SF3. Read both his Yang and Makoto FAQS cuz they kick ass. Kmegura- kmegura@hotmail.com -For the info that made my Akuma FAQ more accurate. Echou- scuddman@uclink4.berkeley.edu -For some Ryu info Keith -Giving me the history of Akuma in this awesome site- http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~coxk/main.htm Elusive- elusive696@aol.com -Great SF3: 2I info for Akuma Andrew Ward- award@WPI.EDU -Thanking him for giving me some great info on how to setup up the Raging Demon and some effective tactics for Akuma. Marvin Li- chiggaroid@thebws.com -Thanking him for helping me information about the Hyakki Shuu and various other topics, and RAGING DEMONING me enough fucken times. "Parry Demon" Jay (Jahangir, LOL)- swtraverboy@hotmail.com -Thanking him for playing 100+ matches of SF3 on the Dreamcast with me and A LOT of other matches at the arcades. Any problems or suggestions? Should I write another FAQ and about who? E-mail me at Azn_Bomber@hotmail.com This document Copyright 2000 Azn Bomber (Kevin S) The author of this FAQ shall no liable to any damage or injury resulting from the use FAQ.