SvC Chaos: SNK Vs Capcom/Akuma

豪鬼, Gouki
Difficulty	Average
Max Mode Needed?	Up to you, but very helpful
Tier Placement	Very Strong (A)
Standing Hitbox	?
Crouching Hitbox	Short

Introduction

Akuma, known as Gouki in Japan, is one of many shotos in SVC, and a popular antagonist character in the Street Fighter series, power hungry for the Satsui no Hado and made infamous thanks to his overpowered, yet secret, boss form in Super Turbo. There are many examples of shotos in SVC, so it's fairly easy to overlook Akuma in this game, especially when Shin Akuma exists. To narrow it down, Ryu's a simple, basics focused shoto with decent zoning, Ken is the more aggressive shoto, and Akuma is the glass cannon shoto with tons of offense focused tools. It'd be unwise to sleep on Akuma, however, because even if he isn't as good as Shin Akuma, his mixups, speed, air fireball pressure, phenomenal Exceed, and plentiful variety in his approach makes mastering him incredibly rewarding. The best part? Almost everyone knows the Shin Akuma matchup, but they very likely don't have a clue on normal Akuma.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Easy and fun to play and learn Very combo friendly Great corner pressure Demon Flip gives him useful mixups Safe divekick Can juggle with more than just Tatsu Air projectile makes jump ins hard to counter Has 100% combos Fast fireballs Pretty good mobility Shun Goku Satsu Exceed is very threatening No one knows the matchup because everyone plays Shin Akuma instead	Low health Tatsu into DP is only possible in the corner DP only fills the Super Bar if it hits the opponent Doesn't own the air game as well as a few others Teleport can be fairly unsafe Glass cannon, so his defensive options are limited Nothing he has is super broken

Moves List

Normal Moves

Close Normals

cl.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Same properties that the far version has, but with less reach(obviously).

cl.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is a good move for combos with light attacks, because it can hit everyone in the cast, and you can cancel it. Good for doing those tick throws(Hit and grab after they recover from the stun) too.

cl.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
The Shoto's cl.C. Cancel it if you want damage on a combo/punish.

cl.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
A 2 hit kick that is good on Max Mode combos. Can be used as an anti-air sometimes.

Far Normals

st.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
A simple, and quick punch. Can be cancelable. Whiffs on low crouching characters.

st.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
It's a little slow, but can be used as an anti-air if you want. It's not cancelable outside of Max mode. Whiffs on low crouching chars.

st.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
One of Akuma/Gouki's pokes. It's not cancelable, but the reach is good, and it doesn't whiff on the low crouching chars.

st.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Same properties as the far version of s.B, but a little slower.

Crouch Normals

cr.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rapid punch. Do like two/three hits and cancel it on something.

cr.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rapid kick. Nice for light attack combos, because it hits low and can be canceled too.

cr.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
The classic Shoto upper. Cancelable, and it's an option for an anti-air.

cr.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
The Shoto's sweep. You can use it as a low poke. It knocks down and it's cancelable, but it cannot combo(Well... Actually, this move can combo... See the combos section later for more details). Cancel it into a fireball if you want meter, or to get that block pressure(If the sweep was blocked).

Jumping Normals

For the jumping attacks, remember: You CANNOT cancel air normals into his Air Fireball/Air Tatsu/Air Super.

nj.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral Jumping Attack A simple chop that totally whiffs on Choi(And those low crouching characters too). Not that useful, really.

j.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Diagonal Jumping Attack Simple punch, simple move. Stays until you land.

nj.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral Jumping Attack Kick that aims up. If you need, use it when your opponent's char jumps higher than you(Choi,Vega, EQ and Chun-Li, for example).

j.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Diagonal Jumping Attack Good jump-in, but not the best one. Stays until you land.

nj.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral Jumping Attack His best neutral jump-in. Can be useful on mixups(But mixups with the neutral jump are dangerous against some characters in this game, so watch out).

j.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Diagonal Jumping Attack Good air-to-air move, but it can be dangerous if you don't know the right timing to use it.

nj.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral Jumping Attack Good for air-to-air, but it can be hard to land, so if you want, avoid it.

j.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Diagonal Jumping Attack This is the Akuma's best normal jump-in/air-to-air in this game. Be happy with this.

Command Moves

Now, his Command Moves... He is like Ryu and Ken, but with some more things(As you already know), now let's go ahead.

Zugai Hasatsu

• f+C - A 2-hit overhead that Akuma had since the SFA series. Good to use on the opponent's wakeup(For short, use it like Ryu's), but don't try to abuse of it. Cancel this into something when you're on Max Mode. And sadly, this is the only Command Move on this list that cannot be normal canceled.

Hiza Geri

• f+D - Decent cancelable kick. Use it only on combos. Oh, and this move is part of a Max Mode loop too.

Kurubushi Kick

• db+D - The Shoto's cr.MK, a very useful move. You can use this as a poke too, because it's faster than the cr.D(But the cr.D has better range, so it's up to you now). If you're already used to the Shotos in the SF games, you'll know how to use this. But remember: It's a command move, so you can cancel a normal move into this(Yeah, you can get more damage on combos with this move).

Tenma Kuujin Kyaku

• Jump uf, db+B at apex - Akuma's classic dive kick. It still is a nice Command Move to start combos, because you'll go to the ground a little faster than normal, and the damage is good. This move is very important for his offensive game.

Special Moves

Gou Hado Ken

• QCF+P - The classic Shoto's projectile. You know how to use it. If you use this while the opponent is near you, he/she'll be knocked down. C version is faster.

Shakunetsu Hado Ken

• HCB+P - Akuma does his Shoush stance and throws a fireball. This is a standard projectile(It will be canceled if it connects with another projectile), but it has more damage than the projectile above. A version does 1 hit, and C version does 3 hits(Better for cheap finishers).

Zankuu Hado Ken

• (In Air)QCF+P - Akuma's classic air projectile(He had since his first appearence). This is a nice defensive(Jump backwards and do this move) and offensive move to use(You can even do jump-ins with this). Akuma will gain meter only if the projectile hits the opponent(Thanks again, SNK). And if you use this air projectile, you cannot use the ground one.

Gou Shouryuu Ken

• DP+P - The classic Shoto's DP. It hits 3 times, but, sadly, it has no startup invincibility(But this move comes out really fast, so you don't need to worry). Use the C version on combos only(This version is part of a loop too).

Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku

• QCB+K - Akuma's classic tatsu that juggles the opponent. Extremely good for combos. D version spins longer than the B version, but the D version can be hard to combo after the 2 hits(You'll need to hit the opponent with the last hits of the move). He can pass through some projectiles with this(And Choi standing too).

Kuuchuu Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku

• (In air)QCB+K - Aerial version of the move above. You can juggle with this too, but for combos it can be hard to use.

Ashura Senkuu(Forward)

• DP+PP/KK - Akuma's classic teleport is here guys! The A+C version makes Akuma goes further than the B+D version. He is fully invincible while he is teleporting, so you can use this to run away from the corner, and even bypass those Supers/Exceeds(Yeah, you can make your opponent use his Exceed IN VAIN). But in the end, Akuma is vulnerable, so don't use the wrong version.

Ashura Senkuu(Backwards)

• RDP+PP/KK - Same as the above, but he moves backwards.(By: Captain Obvious)

Hyakki Shuu

• DP+K - Important move(This 3S input is easier than the SFA version). Akuma just jumps, but depending of what you do after it, you can get some damage(Yeah, this move is like Cammy's Hooligan Combination). Watch out when you use it, because the followup can whiff the opponent if Akuma "tries to crossup" the opponent(Yeah, I'm talking about Choi, Zero, and those low crouching chars). Oh, and remember something... You can't cancel the followups(Sadly). D version goes a little further than the B version.
  • Follow-Ups:
    • Hakki Gouzan
      • Do nothing after Hyakki Shuu - A low kick that knocks down. Only that. Use on wakeup mixups.
    • Hyakki Goushou
      • Press Punch - A hard knock down. It can hit the opponent while he/she is in a jumping state.
    • Hyakki Goujin
      • Press Kick - Akuma's dive kick(From the Command Moves section). It has the same properties, and it's the only followup that you can combo after.
    • Hyakki Gousai
      • Press PP or KK when Akuma is above the opponent - A simple grab. I don't need to say it, but it's unblockable, and the opponent can't escape from it.

Super Moves

Messatsu Gou Shouryuu

• QCF(2x)+P - A Shoryuken with 7 hits. Resembles Ken's Shoryu Reppa. The first animation can pass nuderneath projectiles, so don't forget this move when you need. It's good to use on combos too.

Messatsu Gou Hadou

• HCB(2x)+P - Super projectile with 8 hits. A verion is slower than C version. The command may be a little hard to do sometimes, bua a nice thing about this Super is that you can juggle your opponent in the corner after the super hits the opponent, but you'll need to be quick with the followup.

Tenma Gou Zankuu

• (In Air)QCF(2x)+P - Super version of the air projectile. A version is slower. This move is not recommended for any situation other than the opponent's wakeup(You can stop those DP anti-airs with this), but it's not that hard to punish this move. It's Akuma's weakest Super in damage terms too.

Exceed

Shun Goku Satsu
A,A,f,B,C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Okay, Akuma's classic Raging Demon is here too, but you'll have only 1 chance to hit this move on your opponent, so watch out. Akuma has total invincibility at the beginning of the warp. And remember that this is a grab, not an unblockable(If the opponent jumps, you cannot do THAT damage to him/her, sadly, and Shin Akuma's Raging Demon is an unblockable move. To clarify, Shin Akuma's RD can be stoped with autoguard moves while Akuma's simply plows through for the complete damage).

The Basics

Akuma's gameplan

Akuma's gameplan is simple. Just try to be offensive almost every time with his combos, mixups and his dangerous Exceed(Don't make it whiff, please). You can use the Shoto's classic gameplan too(Something like throw projectiles, and when your opponent tries to do a jump-in, DP on him, but don't try to do that every time, okay?).

Advanced Strategy

Well, this is the good part. Now you'll see what Akuma can do in the intermediate/pro levels. Prepare yourself.

Akuma's Resets

Akuma's resets are a little strange, but important to continue on the offensive. Generally they are made on the corner, and it's not that hard. Try this: Do any combo finishing with a QCB+B and hit the opponent with a normal move while he/she is on that juggle state. The opponent will be standing when he/she lands, and if you want, continue your mixups and you can even land your unblockable Exceed with this. There is a possible setup in midscreen too, but that's harder.

Canceling jumping normals into the Air fireball

Huh? I said that you CANNOT cancel jumping normals into the Air fireball? Sorry. I was just joking. You actually can, but only in Max Mode. And remember that combo with 2 Air projectiles? You can do while canceling air normals too. Try someting like this: Jump uf(Neutral is better if you want to do corner combos), j.D/C, Air Fireball, Jump again, j.D/C, Air fireball, Any combo. Oh, and remember that the same applies with the Air Super too, but this doesn't work very vell with the Air Hurricane Kick(You can cancel, but it's harder to combo because it knocks down).

Quick Air Fireball/Super

This is not that hard. A quick Air fireball can help you almost every time. The input is like Sagat's Tiger Knee, and here it is, if you don't know:

For the normal Air fireball: QCF, uf/ub(You'll do a High Jump after this), P(You need to time well)
For the Super Air fireball: QCF(2x), uf/ub, P(The same applies here)

The normal Air fireball is better when used with this strategy, because Akuma will crossup the opponent depending of your opponent's position(The projectile will hit the opponent normally, and Akuma will land on the opponent's back, and, if you want, you can grab him/her or you can do some blockstrings). The Super Air fireball is better to use only on the opponent's wakeup, because it's a little slow, and you can get hit by those wakeup anti-airs too, but you can hit the wakeup anti-air with this move, so use at your risk.

Combos

Akuma has a lot of Max Mode combos, but even without that his combo potential is quite high.

(Without Max Mode)
Combo	Damage	Notes
[Jump Attack/Air Fireball] cl./cr.C, (db+D), QCF(2x)+P/QCF+P - 3-10 hits		Practical combo. It does nice damage too, and with the Super, it does more than 50% of one bar without an attack in the air. Use the QCF+P if you don't have meter.
(Part one) [Jump Attack/Air Fireball] cr.B(2/3x), (db+D), QCB+B, HCB(2x)+C - Up to 14-15 hits		Good combo starting with a low hit to use on midscreen. The HCB(2x)+C part can be hard to do, but it's possible. If you do this combo in the corner, you can do the follow-up below:
(Part two) (After the combo above) QCB+B, QCF(2x)+P/DP+C (Corner only) - Up to 24 hits		Yeah, you can get more damage on that combo. Remember to time well too if you want to do this followup. The speed of the Air Projectile can help you sometimes. Assume you corner someone and then jump back to fire a Air Fireball before jumping forward for another Air Fireball. If the first one hits, the second one will combo from it and you can combo from there. You can get more damage from the first combo.
[Jump Attack/Air Fireball] cr.D, DP+K, P - '2-3 hits'		Remember the combo from the cr.D? It's here. The only possible combo from the cr.D. The opponent can't recovery roll from this too.
[Jump Attack/Air Fireball] cl.C, f+D, QCB+B, QCF(2x)+P/DP+P (Corner only) - 7-12 hits		Akuma's well known combo. Very simple, but unfortunately a corner only combo.
(With Max Mode)
[Jump Attack/Air Fireball] cl.C, DP+C, (max cancel the first/second hit) QCF(2x)+P - Up to 10-11 hits		This is an easy one. If you're having problems on canceling, after the DP hits the opponent just do a QCF+P and the Super will come out.
(Corner only) [Jump Attack/Air Fireball] db+D, f+D, QCB+B (You can choose what you'll do from here) - 4-5+n hits (Where n is the followup for the QCB+B)		Combo starting with a low. A nice mixup combo. If you're in midscreen, just cancel the db+D on a QCB+B/QCF+C.
[Air Fireball (Only with the Air Fireball this time)] f+C, DP+C(max cancel the second hit), QCF(2x)+P - 11-12 hits		A variation of the first combo, starting with an overhead. Nice for wakeup mixups with the combo above.
(Anywhere) DP+C (max cancel the first/second hit), f+D, DP+C (Same here), f+D... (When you want, max cancel any move into a) QCF(2x)+P/Exceed - n hits(Where n is the number of loops)		Better when used as a punish combo (Don't try to do jump attacks/normals to get more damage). The game might sometimes do a Super, due to the many DP inputs.
(Beginning on midscreen) c.C, DP+C(Cancel the second hit), QCB+B, dash, DP+P(Cancel again), QCB+B ... (When you and your opponent are on the corner) DP+P (Just cancel), DP+K, followup with K (You can do it again if you have Max Meter) ... (After the dive kick) HCB(2x)+P, (Quickly after the Super) QCF(2x)+P - 1+n hits		This is a punish combo that isn't too hard. You don't need to be in midscreen to do the first part. You don't even need to dash if you're already in the corner. Great damage. If you need damage on the QCF(2x)+P part, try to hit the opponent with the third Shoryuken.