What actually happened when Akuma clashed with M. Bison?
Both these characters are incredibly iconic and recognizable across gaming fans of all genres. On one side we have Akuma (known as Gouki in Japan), the man who went all in with the Satsui no Hado, harnessing its dark force to become one of the most powerful beings on the planet. On the other, we have M. Bison (known as Vega in Japan), the leader of the criminal organization Shadaloo, the man who uses the negative energy known as Psycho Power to rule and torment, and the man who has achieved nigh-immortality, being able to transfer his soul from surrogate body to surrogate body.
Did the two of them face off canonically? Who came out on top? In this article, we will be revisiting the story behind their face-off and what actually happened according to the official story of Street Fighter, as well as the consequences that came out of it.
Akuma’s Satsui no Hado
Akuma’s source of power is his embrace of the Satsui no Hado, the evil, killing intent that lies dormant in the martial art of Ansatsuken. Akuma had to make huge sacrifices and life-changing decisions to go down this dark path, sacrificing most of his humanity and killing his master, and almost murdering his brother in the process.
This Satsui no Hado grants great power to the one wielding it, and as such, it has always been in the scope of Shadaloo, M. Bison’s organization. In fact, most of the dictator’s interest in Ryu is because of this dormant power, and since Akuma is someone who fully wields it, Bison has always wanted to take Akuma’s power to himself.
Akuma and Bison don’t See Eye to Eye
M. Bison is ruthless and responsible for countless tragedies in the world of Street Fighter, having been responsible for the death of Chun-Li’s father, the eradication of Thunder Hawk’s tribe, human experimentation to the likes of Ed and Falke, the trafficking of drugs and weapons, the abduction and brainwashing of teenage girls to turn them into killing machines such as Decapre, Juni and Juli, the corruption of others such as Abel through Psycho Power, worldwide cataclysms, the creation of artificial beings like Cammy and Seth, having killed Juri’s parents and removed her left eye, manipulating Sagat, possessing Rose’s body, and most notably, the death of Charlie Nash.
In contrast, Akuma abides by a strong moral code, despite his transition to the dark side. Akuma doesn’t oppress the weak and seeks to find worthy challengers in order to test his strength, having been known to keep himself from delivering killing blows if he understands his opponent is not fighting at full power. Akuma takes great pride in what it cost him to become as powerful as he is, and despises M. Bison for his shortcuts to power, using Psycho Power to harness the energy of others unto himself and the lack of any morals whatsoever.
Their First Encounter
It is shown that Akuma fights M. Bison during the events of Street Fighter Alpha, and defeats him. After he beats the dictator, he feels empty and continues his search for a worthy opponent, eventually finding Ryu.
M. Bison becomes interested in the Satsui no Hado after learning about the power from Akuma. However, he focuses his search on Ryu rather than the demonic warrior, knowing that Ryu has great potential. Bison and Akuma share this obsession with luring Ryu and awakening his dark powers, for different reasons.
The Road to the Final Clash
Before the events of Street Fighter II, Akuma tracks and battles Ryu, but halts the fight and sinks an entire island after he realizes that Ryu still has much to grow. As Akuma travels the world waiting for Ryu to become stronger, he battles extraordinary foes, like Adon, who he easily defeats and spares. He also fights Guy until they stop quarreling once they understand they both stand against Bison, and most notably, he has epic battles with Gen, whom he spares after realizing the old assassin is sick.
During this time, Bison commits most of his most devious acts, until he ultimately has his plans foiled and the Psycho Drive, a device created to harness Psycho Power and grant M. Bison virtually unlimited power, is destroyed by the forces of Guile, Chun-Li, Charlie, and Cammy. Bison possesses Rose’s body until Shadaloo has a new body prepared for him. This new body is weaker, but it allows Bison to continue his plans of world domination.
The End of World Warrior II
The second World Warrior tournament was held by Shadaloo, as a means for M. Bison to lure some of the most formidable warriors in the world, to ultimately study and acquire their abilities and powers. The presence of Ryu was significant for the dictator, as he was still chasing after the Satsui no Hado, and Akuma was not invited to the tournament. Guile was also in the tournament to avenge his deceased friend Charlie Nash.
The tournament suffered a screw finish with no real winner when Akuma, learning of its existence, interfered with the competition and went chasing after M. Bison in Thailand, catching him off-guard with his deadly secret technique, the Shun Goku Satsu, also known as Raging Demon, killing the dictator in the process.
In the end, Bison didn’t actually die, only his body did, as he has been known to be able to migrate his soul from body to body, thanks to his notorious Psycho Power. Bison would return in Street Fighter IV and V, but his path would not cross again with Akuma.
Hopefully, this helped you get to know the amazing lore behind the relationship between two of the most (in)famous characters in fighting game history and got you more invested in finding out more about the stories of Street Fighter.
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