Akuma Overview - Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike [4K]

Akuma boasts both powerful space control and ferocious, ambiguous setplay. What keeps him in check is the lowest defense in the game, meaning that any mistake is severely punished. Akuma is overall great for players who like to live on the razer's edge.
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[@MirrorSurfer]

Intern developer: Wait, what are his ex moves going to be? Senior developer: He is the ex move, kid.

[@praisesaintglory]

this is a phenomenal series that is amazing for this new age of fightcade players. these are amazinggggg

[@philithegamer8265]

Oh look, it's that one SF character with a zillion fanboys.

[@supamalleo64]

​@@philithegamer8265 Calm down. Gouki is deserving of his fame...

[@sugoi9680]

@@supamalleo64 Let him cry lol

[@supamalleo64]

@@sugoi9680 fr bros a hater

[@nezu-4007]

@@philithegamer8265bro wants to be different

[@Goku3001000]

I absolutely love this series, but the moment Makoto landed the grab I literally screamed "HE'S DEAD"

[@yigitkabaday3179]

Unfortunately that's all it takes... Still always gonna be my favourite character though.

[@ITRiBUTEI]

This is the coolest iteration of Akuma in any video game appearance he's made. This play style and look fits him best

[@HELLRAISER02]

Also,personal opinion,but 3rd strike has the coolest looking demon, and even tho his other supers are simple, i like em alot

[@Jayy_Kicks]

@@HELLRAISER02 3rd definitely has his coolest demon, the hell fire after is nuts

[@slymeking198]

@@Jayy_Kicks sf5 demon we can actually see what he's doing during raging demon I like that one best 😅

[@redjux04]

What y'all think about sf6 demon?

[@AziDoesQuestionableThings]

​@@redjux04fire

[@blvk3]

A minor correction, not only he has the lowest health, but also the lowest stun, something he's very well know for, especially with makoto match-up which can lead to an easy TOD with just one grab when you are not careful.

[@returningwhisper]

3S Akuma is far and away my favorite implementation of the character in any SF.

[@XNDL44]

The raging demon K.O screen is by far my favorite one in Third Strike

[@milpycafe6528]

Akuma main here. This is super well done. Very acurately described.

[@ShadyHitchhiker]

Can't believe I played this as much as I did without ever noticing Akuma doesn't have ex moves, lol

[@philithegamer8265]

Not that he needs them.

[@crack4184]

​@@philithegamer8265exactly

[@charliericker274]

As others have said, these videos are great for people just getting into this game now via fightcade. If I could suggest, similarly short basic guides to go with these characters, bnb combos, best supers, best pokes etc, would probably be equally appreciated by many. More in depth video guides exist, and there are combo lists out there too but it's actually hard to find concise videos explaining how to just get started with a character, and what you should be focusing on and doing to start.

[@thepuppetmaster9284]

I rarely see people pick Akuma in 3rdS. His low health is definitely the problem especially if he against like Chun, Yun, Ken, Urien, or Makoto who have high damage output. They can deplete his health in a blink of an eye 😁

[@bigshorty4855]

Most of the characters you mentioned also stop his escape options with supers or specials, making it even harder.

[@Iqzzy-KO]

I've got so many mates who were Akuma mains in 3rd Strike my older bro was a 3rd Strike Akuma main as well :)

[@dyldragon1]

As a Hugo player I both love and hate Akuma in this game. Hate his scary air fireballs but love seeing his health disintegrate with clap combos and 720

[@CDages]

He's actually quite capable in the Urien match-up since his teleport renders Aegis setups useless against him, forcing some Urien players to opt for Temporal Thunder Super for its high stun damage and juggle potential.

[@bigshorty4855]

@Iqzzy KO back in the sf2 days till early 2k's we would actually main most of, if not the entire cast.

[@93msimpson]

My favorite character. You can play him in so many different styles, its crazy

[@Zanetsu]

The game that started me being an Akuma main in Street Fighter. Great video, as always.

[@philithegamer8265]

Fanboy character

[@Zanetsu]

​@@philithegamer8265 OK dude, whatever.

[@abujasm2223]

@@philithegamer8265 I'm not an Akuma main, not even that much into Street Fighter actually, but c'mon! Can you blame anyone for fanboying over Akuma? He's like one of the coolest characters ever!

[@TheTrueUltimateDX]

Years ago i was a chun li main, i looked at the tierlist once and chose my main. But after messing around with the game with my friends i discovered that akuma is the one for me.

[@Jayy_Kicks]

Dude these overviews are fire Salami🤙🏾This was my first fighting game growing up, I always come back to this.

[@philithegamer8265]

Everyone and their daddy hated SF3 back then.

[@Jayy_Kicks]

@@philithegamer8265 never said I was born in the 90s.

[@NurseLee]

Kongou Kokuretsu Zan...Probably one Akuma's most sickest Supers in the Street Fighter Series. Especially in 3rd Strike. Man i cant wait to see how this dude plays in SF6.

[@HELLRAISER02]

I hope they replace SF5 akumas super with KKZ, tho, huh, akuma has like 10 supers, i wonder which 2 theyll pick (cuz lvl 3s easily demon), or if they give him 6 supers by giving him 3 air supers, thatd be neat for SF6

[@KisamaMokkorosu-qj7vh]

oh boy

[@twistedgambit9084]

My favorite character since day one playing 3rd strike.

[@MTR_Nara]

It’s the guy who’s always top tier

[@ThatBlastedSalami]

(except in this one)

[@Lexicon865]

​@@ThatBlastedSalami dang I thought he was better in this game than he is in current SFV

[@philithegamer8265]

​@TheScatmanBros12629 No. SF3 Third Strike has way more busted characters than Mr. Edgelord Akuma here.

[@feri7mble]

He is "simply" tournament-viable in this one.

[@HELLRAISER02]

​@@Lexicon865well if people think akumas mid tier in SF5, then 3rd strike akumas better, cuz hes high tier (and personally, i think 3rd strike akuma has a cooler gameplay design)

[@daisycasey9077]

third strike was such a good time.. the music, the backgrounds, the overall vibes.. just great

[@matthewleclair3189]

50% of the reason I play Akuma is for if my stage is selected, I get to hear Killing Moon

[@Point5_]

I don't even play any character you made in the guide but they are so entertaining and interesting that I still watch them. I didn't know much about most characters but now I understand what makes them unique

[@wusstunes]

The device of opening the video with the original version of a song and ending it with a remix is so cool

[@perryuppercut1]

Exceptional video.

[@ThatBlastedSalami]

Cheers!

[@MrMisfortune]

Akuma in 3S is definitely my favorite version of the character. I know some people aren't big on him not having EX but I think saving meter for supers is more fun anyway. He is incredibly high risk and absurdly high reward, and KKZ is in the running for my favorite fighting game move of all time.

[@HELLRAISER02]

I love that he has no EX because 1. Im a meter hoarder, and 2. I dont even like most EX moves n combos or neutral anyways

[@Badguy10472]

I am loving this series.

[@Neogears1312]

The most interesting part of him is his teleport. It ends immediately if people super at all but it gives Akuma a very strong niche that makes him better than ryu imo; Akuma is immune to unblockable set ups. Considering he’s got a good match up against oro and a match up on par with makoto v Q against urien he really shuts down this play style. Ironically this means that because these no longer work of Akuma, he technically is tougher than most the cast in this scenario, most people die off any oro set up, Akuma just takes 30% and resets to neutral.

[@MirrorSurfer]

For someone who (regrettably) only plays this game at social gatherings, I have to say you've definitely made me appreciate my main that much more. Can't pin down what you can't black stun/set up. 🤡 👹

[@Rafix]

man i loved your videos, i'm learning how to play 3rd strike on fightcade and your videos are helping me SO MUCH, THANK YOUU!!

[@bronzer5372]

Great video!! Let’s keep it going!

[@chucklos391]

Thank you TBS! I have yet to play this game and I intend to give a shot soon. I tried Street Fighter 5 and didn't like it, but this one looks great like and I love the graphics. I know it's a classic. The characters look intriguing to me now with this series.

[@infintelyevolving4937]

Killing Moon is definitely Akuma’s best theme song. It embodies the character perfectly.

[@Coswalker27]

It strange this is the only akuma overview video that exist on KZbin.

[@EliTheGleason]

This is a tiny thing but I'm going to rant on it. In most 2d fighters, throws can look kinda janky. Guily gear strive looks incredible, but the throws all just lack impact for various reasons (the lack of different poses, the point during the animation when damage is taken, etc.), but third strike is a shining exception to the rule. Every single throw in this game is gorgeous, and a particular one I love is Akuma. He's got the same forward throw as ryu and Ken, but the animation is sped up just a bit at the end, giving it a much more violent, less technical feel, like instead of focusing on form like ryu he's just slamming you with as much whip like force as he can. So yeah, 3rd strike has the best 2d throw animations, pretty neat

[@DEATHRAGE157]

The best thing about Akuma as a charater is that he is a glass cannon, but he is a serious threat, and people take him very seriously in lore too, usually that type of character is memed a lot, but not Akuma.

[@ConsiderableBulk]

Oh my Ganesh, this series is absolute FIRE!!! I hope you're proud of yourselves, Mr Salami and team?!?!?!?!?!?

[@toshitvaidya9901]

Really loving these 3s videos. Next gotta be oro

[@thephantazm5139]

Alex deserves more love he is my fav street fighter character i wish he could be in more games

[@lukeves]

OP AF, Goated for sure

[@randomjhoni5993]

i wouldnt call akuma a set up character just because of the air fireball and resets, instead i think he excels at mixing and making the oponent guess at every moment with the help of his demon flip and ground mix

[@realchezboi]

hope a crazy akuma wit millions of possible setups and mixups comes to sf6

[@dekuskrub2154]

My man's coming up next!

[@Albert_420]

shoutout to all the mexican akumas

[@kumaradio5414]

This series is great since theres a new arcade near me that has 3rd strike so im definitely thinking of picking up Akuma and Q

[@brandonallen9605]

Is there follow up to this series going be actually guides to each character? Love your Tekken 7 guides and would totally dig your take on 3rd Strike character primers.

[@ShinAkuma204]

Great video. I came in thinking - Is this gonna be some youtube random that doesn't know fighting games? Nope, this is a solid video.

[@HELLRAISER02]

Lets vo, akuma :)! I usually akuma the super shoto, but in 3rd strike, set up shoto makes more sense

[@Aware_Wolf_X4]

Air reset > KKZ is incredibly fun to hit.

[@bastayFGC]

my boy a styler in this game

[@All-Muscle]

Can't wait for Hugo turn :3.

[@jhsrt985]

These r the best

[@KurstKensei]

PikachuAkuma is my fav third strike Akuma player.

[@robertgeorge4602]

Akuma isnt busted af. Welp, time to go back to 2nd impact and play a game where Akuma is OP. The lack of EX moves always felt like a weird oversight? Yes his specials are good but having the option for even stronger EX moves who be appreciated. Its also worth noting, Akuma has good defensive tools for zoning and wakeup. Its just his HP and stun are super low. Excellent series on 3rd strike.

[@Fly_Ry]

The lack of EX is completely warranted imo. Akuma's got the best anti-air, the best checkmate chip tools, the best shoto specials, one of the best Kara-Throws (one which gives you an un-throwable overhead if you screw up, too), excellent mobility, an unparriable reset into KKZ, an un-jumpable point-blank demon cancel, combo damage high enough that you can save your Supers for chip-kills, etc. There's literally nothing that EX could give him that he doesn't already have, except *maybe* a Tatsu that doesn't whiff on some crouchers. But I'd say that that, along with his low health/stun and the lack of a low/overhead super cancel mixup are more than a fair trade for all the sweet shit he gets to do.

[@robertgeorge4602]

@@Fly_Ry For me, I guess it comes down to why does Akuma lack a feature ever other character has except him? Its not the end of the world because like you said, his specials are already so good. But this combined with all of supers having the same sized bars means Akuma has the worst meter efficiency in the game on top of his fragility. Maybe Capcom nerfed Akuma hard like Sean to make up for the destruction they caused in 2nd impact? idk just food for thought.

[@make_some_noise]

damn that's the dude my favorite streamer plays smile

[@Sketch1396]

Poor Akuma, him and Sean are two characters that probably got the biggest nerfs from Second Impact. On second thought fuck that dive kick.

[@philithegamer8265]

Be glad he's not downright overpowered as he usually is...

[@ZEBASS]

He's very nicely balanced for 3s in my opinion. 2i was just too strong, and here while he is still VERY strong, he's not stupid broken like Chun/Yun.

[@SkullBro12]

I want to introduce my friend with 3rd strike and I want to practice my Akuma so that they would have YOU WILL LEARN moment at them.

[@davicpetrovski155]

Check Zabi, Decoy, Manma and Match for top 3s Akuma play.

[@kaio0777]

the best Akuma theme in the series don't @ me it's facts

[@RameoMTL]

I'm surprised you didn't mention his Kara grab

[@saadhasan2518]

Akuma's an absolute monster in this game, easily there to demolish you if you are not careful.

[@philithegamer8265]

Not OP

[@saadhasan2518]

@@philithegamer8265 still though, the character can wreck you very easily.

[@Fly_Ry]

​@Ahmad Adnan Not really. Demon requires both super bars, can't be confirmed from normals, can't be used full screen to punish fireballs or whiffed normals, and requires a very difficult input to make it un-jumpable post-freeze. Meanwhile chun li has none of these restrictions

[@philithegamer8265]

@Durggan When some rando with a Pikachu PFP understands an SF game way better than some rando with a Ken Masters PFP. What's a Pokémon fan doing in an SF video?! SSB doesn't count. It's not a fighting game.

[@philithegamer8265]

@@saadhasan2518 The metagame isn't scared of Akuma. ROFL

[@YoutubeCommonman_Totas]

I just figured this out, but the air version of his super I does a tiny bit more damage

[@MTdaBlacking]

Now I'm wondering how Akuma/Gouki will shape up in Street Fighter 6...

[@rodrigojps]

I'll pick up 3rd Strike and Akuma looks the coolest. I'll switch to Ryu or Ken if he's too difficult with that low health.

[@melvinshine9841]

I'd like to think if we got this version of Akuma instead of a SF4 based one, he wouldn't be such a nightmare in Tekken 7. Akuma's always struck me as a character you have to play with a controlled batshit insanity in this game, since everybody will blow his ass up if they get their hands on him, anyway. It's also funny to me how Akuma is perceived as leaving scores of bodies in his wake, when he's only killed three people, canonically, and only one of those people actually stayed dead.

[@MansMan42069]

I'm just glad they didn't decide to put in the SF5 version of Akuma

[@melvinshine9841]

@@MansMan42069 Well that one's understandable since Akuma was in Tekken 7 for over a year before he was in SF5.

[@jonasfadi8213]

it's painfully hilarious how bad you are trying to downplay Akuma when legit no one wants any smoke with him , and those who did couldn't do jack shit to him in the end (all the while he held back from unleashing his full power).

[@melvinshine9841]

@@jonasfadi8213 What are even talking about, I'm not "downplaying" anything. It's a fact Akuma is one of the most powerful characters in SF canon and a fact that he very, very rarely actually kills anybody.

[@SAWmacaco]

My main, more than 1k hours played

[@Nightmaroid]

Did the OG 3rd Strike had those cool stage re colours in between rounds? Never noticed 'em before

[@ZEBASS]

Nope

[@Gurimoe]

Bit late, but the stage colors are based on a palmod pack I made (see: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoWrhn6eoph2pKc ). Most are 1:1 the same, for Hugo+Gouki so far I've noticed that they took my palmod colors and changed them a little for some reason (moving the hue/saturation of the whole stage by a little).

[@goosebumps7663]

urien next :DD

[@SHINSUSPECT01]

❤

[@emilholst9789]

All these character portraits in the beginning are sick. Really gives all of the characters alot of personality, and I don't even like streetfighter. Is it official concept art? 🤔

[@francof2437]

Thumbnail art: Daigo Ikeno 0:05 : white background art also Daigo Ikeno.. The akuma in the right side by Stanley "artgem" Lau

[@drgdfhg]

FEW characters with SECRET SUPERS???! :O wow, what are the rest of the secret supers then and with who? :o

[@realchezboi]

ORO i guess, he gets a super duper version of each of his supers if it’s max bar

[@Coswalker27]

i really wonder what there going to do with him in street fighter 6.

[@realchezboi]

i hope he does feel as oppressive as his 3rd strike counterpart, maybe also do the same no EX moves thing to try and balance him?

[@Txmskull1]

What is the background music?🥺

[@Made2Slash]

Taunts changes the backgrounds? Or is that an edit?

[@ThatBlastedSalami]

That's editing :)

[@ektran4205]

if you choose SA1 you can do 4 supers

[@realchezboi]

bro really has 7 supers

[@ektran4205]

@@realchezboi HE HAS SIX IN THE III series

[@JagerXIII]

2:28 i play sf4 akuma so i know about kara demon, but holy shit that was the fastest kara demon i’ve seen wtf. You just barely see the overhead

[@dabomb1111]

Preferred character pick of Mexican orange chicken chefs everywhere.

[@kahlt_]

Unironically can't wait for you to talk trash about my boy Remy

[@ayrtonbraam916]

Who is your personal favourite to play in this game?

[@ThatBlastedSalami]

I play Ken and Alex. Will be doing some 3S Fightcade streams soon!

[@webe9008]

1:58 « …That also excels, at being a bitch at low levels, and not blocking on wake up »

[@mildsome9713]

ryu over akuma?

[@Cezkarma]

Where's the Oro video?

[@nerdodragonnerdpl4167]

Can someone explain me raging deamon how it works? It's so hard to imput

[@twelve1844]

LP(2x), F, LK, HP is the input. Do it fast to surprise your enemies

[@nerdodragonnerdpl4167]

@@twelve1844 it's still hard But I figured it In capcom vs snk atleast

[@eddiestilll]

raging demon will never not be badass 🙂

[@bennyp915]

Do Sean next lololol

[@RGV_FALCO]

1 day closer to remy

[@ShikiRyougi05]

The what? The setup-shotter😅?

[@jinpei05]

You'd think the living embodiment of evil would be top tier. His low life bar make him more of a horrid troll 🤣

[@johnnyace2287]

Is he... human?

[@BabyAdriver2565]

Demon not human

[@johnnyace2287]

@@BabyAdriver2565 but.. he looks just like Ryu and Ken?

[@BabyAdriver2565]

@@johnnyace2287 Even he looks similar to Ryu and ken it does mean he's actually a clone copy

[@espurrseyes42]

​@@FelixBlocki Don't think that was ever confirmed.

[@realchezboi]

He has transcended his humanity in order to become an ultimate fighter, technically a human but very much corrupted by the Satsui no Hado

[@SmokePinchesBack]

shawto

[@Atlas_FGC]

I was expecting something more substantial than an incredibly brief summary, but this is fine I guess.

[@VeylmanTheRock]

Fire up the stove, we're going mexican.

[@Puzzl3man]

Meaty is just. The most disgusting word possible.

[@philithegamer8265]

Oh look, it's that one SF character who has an infinite number of fanboys.

[@nezu-4007]

Cornball

[@TeddyBelcher4kultrawide]

Alpha 3 better

[@TeddyBelcher4kultrawide]

Third strike was not even a real streetfighter game. At least Alpha is still pure streetfighter.

[@TeddyBelcher4kultrawide]

Go with alpha 3 extra defence

[@ThatBlastedSalami]

Street Fighter changes radically with each iteration, but even then I don't think you should be citing the one with air techs as an example of "pure" Street Fighter.

[@TeddyBelcher4kultrawide]

Turd strike and me more then 100 mile, turd strike and me is more then grey sky

[@akoyash9964]

@@TeddyBelcher4kultrawide ????????????

[@bigshorty4855]

It would actually be really easy to re balance this game into a good game. Simply by changing numbers. For example, Chun has 1000 health, sa 2 1 bar sa1 2 bars. Just by doing this, she becomes fair. You could do this with pretty much the entire cast and make a perfectly balanced game. The pretty much doesn't include Sean, though. He just needs to revert some things to his si version.

[@OMEN-999]

Giving sa1 2 bars would honestly be even better for chun as it still does massive damage, it’s a good anti air, it’s a even harder parry than sa2 and she still keeps her good confirms. So I think if you did this she would stay the same or even get better.

[@bigshorty4855]

@ØMEN except she has no range on sa1, and iirc you can't do mixups afterwards. So no, it wouldn't be better. Also, this is also easily fixed, making both sa1 and 2, 1 bar. It's not that hard.

[@OMEN-999]

@@bigshorty4855 True she does have less range than sa2 but it’s still not bad and unlike sa2 sa1 can anti air which can invalidate a lot of characters jump ins such as Hugo and Dudley. Also I think making both her supers one bar would be too big of a nerf as her super is what makes her so good. Without her supers all she has is good footies so she would probably end up being mid tier. Then of course there is still Yun to worry about. So instead I would propose tuning down the damage of sa2 or making the bar a good bit longer to put her in line with other high tiers. For Yun I would make the bar for sa3 longer with combos in sa3 scaling more heavily as well as making his crouch medium punch build less meter on wiff.

[@bigshorty4855]

@ØMEN Even without her supers, she still has one of the best Kara throws, and after sa2 still mix ups. Less damage on sa2 and/or longer meter would definitely fix her overpowering. And Yun is easily fixed by what you just mentioned.