Street Fighter 3: 2nd Impact/Akuma

Introduction

Akuma is perhaps the best character in 2nd Impact, there's no doubt about it, no character in this game causes people so much frustration and establishes this much dominance over the cast as much as Akuma does. With a toolkit that allows him to do whatever he wants, he's the most versatile and complete character in 2nd Impact, from rushdown to zoning. Inarguably top 1, and a character with a billion tricks up his sleeve, this character is a surefire way to get the opponent to hate everything about you.

Moves List

Normal Moves

Standing Normals:

stLP - Quick Jab, cancellable

clLP - Another Quick Jab, also cancellable

stMP - Awesome poke, useful for multiple purposes including anti-airing. You'll be using this to beat things out clean. Cancellable and links after clMK

clMP - Not as useful, great if you wanna combo into something but you have clHP for that

stHP - this is a POKE and a half, not cancellable but you just stop sign the fuck out of opponents with this sometimes

clHP - This is great after divekick because holy shit if this hits you either cancel into fierce DP and it does 60% stun, or you cancel into L.Tatsu and you get corner carry and the most fucked up 50/50 of your life. Do not ignore this normal at all! It's super good, pushes you back a billion miles away.

stLK - It's something you can press if you feel quirky and dont want to use stLP?

stMK - Another awesome poke, not cancellable

clMK - You can use this as a meaty, links into stMP which leads into a combo. Cancellable on its own as well

stHK - REALLY FAST AND GOOD NORMAL. You'll be using this for meter build sometimes since it recovers so quickly. Combos into demon on standing opponents since it causes backturn, there's a reason this got a close variant in 3rd Strike.

Crouching Normals:

crLP - Quick Crouch Jab, cancellable, exists.

crMP - Awesome poke much like stMP, cancellable as well. Great for meter build!

crHP - Sick anti-air, cancellable too, Probably won't be using this as much as his other normals but its still a fantastic normal, extended kara window that allows you to kara cancel much easier for some reason.

crLK - Low short, good, links into another Low short, which goes into a super.

crMK - It's Shoto crMK. this shit is a great poke. Cancels into whatever you want, and safe on block typically. Make sure to cancel into something on hit. Kara cancels into demon, somehow.

crHK - Shoto sweep, don't be stupid with this move because it's hella minus. I understand you might need a knockdown though. Your main low kara cancel into demon.

Command Normals:

f+MP - Overhead, It's not throw invuln like in 3rd Strike unfortunately, but it does do a lot of stun as well as serves as your most easy way to Kara Demon. Not as useful, but still strong

j.d+MK - Divekick, Once you start using it, you'll never stop and that's for good reason. It's extremely fast and has insane an insane hitbox, beating almost everything clean or trading at the very least. It does not end there though, it's also extremely plus on block and if timed right, safe on parry, but don't rely on the second part as much, most of the time you're getting punished on parry. The fact it's plus on block means that this is going to be the backbone of your pressure, as well as your combo starter for anything. It does insane stun and links to anything Akuma can do. You are not playing Akuma if you are not using divekick, be prepared to never be punishable for the rest of your life. It's also an overhead so if they crouch block they are dead.

This is the best move in 2nd Impact, be thankful they toned this shit down in 3rd Strike.

Other:

UoH - The other really good overhead, airborne so it evades throw and plus on meaty so it ticks into throw. Does respectable stun and links into supers.

Throws:

f+MP/HP - Seoi Nage: Punch throw leaves you incredibly close to your opponent afterwards, great for oki and pressure!

f+MK/HK - Tomoe Nage: Kick Throw flings them all the way across the screen, great for keeping them out! If you do this on hugo, you can OTG him with a super as well.

Special Moves

Gou Hadouken (QCF+P): The typical Shoto fireball, his grounded fireball is a good way to make your crMK pokes safer as well as control ground space, nothing too special ultimately.

Zankuu Hadouken (Air QCF+P): Air fireball, it's really damn good in this game and he can play a disastrously strong keepaway game because of it, jump-back air-fireball is a good way to establish space control, and this can also be used as a meaty with forward jump air-fireball

Shakunetsu Hadouken (HCB+P): Red Fireball, used less in this game as a result to how Akuma is played, but due to it being a multi-hit fireball, you can get some nasty parry setups off it, especially involving Raging Demon :)

Gou Shoryuken (DP+P): Shoryuken, invul on startup so is his main reversal and a solid anti-air, can be cancelled into his supers, really unsafe on block though so be careful. Shits out stun in combos though, especially with fierce shoryuken.

Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku (QCB+K, AIR OK): His tatsu is really hard to punish on block for a lot of the cast unless they have something really fast and far reaching, light and heavy can whiff on crouchers, L.Tatsu starts your corner vortex and launches the opponent. Incredibly useful special, do not sleep on this.

Zenten (HCF+K): I forgot he had this until I started writing the wiki and to be quite honest with you I'm gonna forget about it after I'm done writing the wiki. It's a fucking garbage shoto roll. I've never used this move and I do not think I will be using this move afterwards.

Ashura Senkuu Forward (DP+3P/3K): Forward Teleport, really good for getting out of mean setups and the corner, can be punished with supers though.

Ashura Senkuu Backwards (RDP+3P/3K): Backwards Teleport, really good for cornering yourself, potential crackhead setups, and running away like a bitch. Also punishable by supers.

Super Arts

SA1 (QCFx2+P, AIR OK): His fireball super isn't very good in this game unfortunately, while there's a utility aspect to it and the same sort of setups you can go for in 3S exist, in juggles and combos it is very underwhelming and honestly kind of bad, at least compared to his other supers. Air fireball is actually pretty good though so maybe you'd still want to use that. It also has actual startup frames which is not like his other supers.

SA2 (QCFx2+P): The Turkish Akuma's favorite super, This SHITS out stun and damage and grounded combos into it hurt like a motherfucker. Juggles into it absolutely suck however and there's no utility aspect to it. Super minus on block and does bare chip.

SA3 (QCFx2+K, AIR OK): The Tatsu Super. This super's garbage in 3S but in this game it's actually really good, it has a vacuum effect and a very wide hitbox, and also hits behind akuma. Crackhead anti-air and air to air as well. The real reason to use this is that it's amazing in grounded combos AND juggles, while it might do less hits depending on juggle potential, you will always get the proper knockdown unless you fuck up really badly and in the kind of fashion I've never seen before.

Raging Demon (LP -> LK HP): Raging Demon! Yeah this super is fucking AMAZING in this game. It's hitconfirmable in this game (Divekick, stHK xx Demon on a standing opponent) and you have a billion kara setups that are incredibly hard to avoid. The reward for landing this is sick and you will be landing it often if you know how to use it right. This is kind of the reason you'd pick a super for Akuma.

Target Combo

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