He’s finally here. Honestly, the wait for Akuma in Street Fighter 6 felt longer than it actually was, mostly because Capcom decided to save the "strongest" for last in the Year 1 Character Pass. If you’ve stepped into the Battle Hub lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a sea of glowing red eyes and messy top-knots.
Akuma isn't just another DLC addition. He’s a fundamental shift in the game's current meta.
For those who haven't been keeping up with the patch notes or the Pro Tour drama, Akuma has historically been the "glass cannon" of the series. He hits like a freight train but folds like a lawn chair if you sneeze on him. In Street Fighter 6, that tradition continues, but with a twist that makes him feel more oppressive than he’s been in years. He has the lowest health in the game—9,000 HP compared to the standard 10,000—but his toolset is basically a "best of" compilation of every nightmare-inducing mechanic from the last thirty years.
The Drive System and the Demon
The big question everyone had before the May 2024 update was how Akuma in Street Fighter 6 would interact with the Drive Gauge. Since Street Fighter 6 is essentially "Resource Management: The Fighting Game," giving a character with Akuma’s offensive pressure access to Drive Rush was always going to be risky.
It turns out, he's terrifying.
His Drive Rush speed is deceptive. It’s not the fastest in the game—that honor probably still goes to Juri or DJ—but it covers the exact amount of ground needed to make his standing medium punch a constant threat. If you get hit by that button, you’re losing 30% of your life bar. Minimum. That’s just the tax for playing against him.
But it’s his fireballs that are causing the most headaches in the Diamond and Master ranks right now. The Gouhadoken can be charged, which messes with your parry timing. If you’re used to the rhythm of Ryu or Ken, Akuma will break your brain. He can also fire them in the air, the classic Zanku Hadoken, which essentially shuts down anyone trying to play a traditional anti-air game. You try to DP him, you eat a fireball to the face. You sit still, and he lands a jump-in combo.
It’s a lose-lose situation if you aren't patient.
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Understanding the Adamant Flame
Capcom gave him a new move called Adamant Flame. It’s this forward-dashing strike that looks cool but serves a very specific purpose: it’s a combo extender that builds massive corner carry.
Why does that matter?
Because Akuma is a monster in the corner. If he gets you to the wall, he has access to his overhead, his command grab (Hyakkishu/Demon Flip), and some of the nastiest pressure in the game. Most players are struggling with the "Demon Flip" follow-ups. He can dive kick, he can grab, or he can just empty land and low-kick you. It’s a literal guessing game where a wrong guess means you're watching a thirty-hit cinematic.
Why the 9,000 Health Actually Matters
People complain about his damage, but you have to look at the health. One mistake against a character like Marisa or Zangief, and Akuma is basically dead.
I’ve seen matches where an Akuma player dominates for 80 seconds, gets hit by one Perfect Parry into a Level 3 Super, and the round is over. It’s high-stakes gambling. This is why you see top-tier players like Tokido—the legendary "Murderface" himself—approaching the character with such surgical precision. You can’t just go "unga bunga" with Akuma. Well, you can, but you won’t stay in Master rank for long.
The strategy against Akuma in Street Fighter 6 is becoming clear:
- Force him to use his Drive Gauge.
- Wait for the burnout.
- Cash in on his low health.
It sounds simple. It isn't. His walk speed is so fast that he can shimmy you effortlessly, making you whiff a throw and then punishing you with a Raging Demon.
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Speaking of which, the Shun Goku Satsu (Raging Demon) is back as a Critical Art. It’s only available when he’s under 25% health and has a full Level 3 bar. It’s a "flex" move mostly, but the psychological impact of seeing the screen go black and the "Heaven" kanji appear is enough to make any opponent tilt.
The Master of the Fist: Moveset Nuances
Let's get into the weeds for a second. If you're trying to pick him up, you need to understand his "Ashura Senku" (the teleport). In previous games, this was a "get out of jail free" card. In SF6, it's been rebalanced. You can't just teleport through everything anymore without consequences. It's more of a positioning tool now.
Then there's the Tatsumaki Zankuyaku. His hurricane kick.
Unlike Ken’s, which is great for combos, or Ryu’s, which is a solid side-switch, Akuma’s heavy Tatsu is a brutal launcher. If you catch someone in the air with it, the follow-up potential is disgusting. You can go into a DP, a Super, or even another aerial attack depending on the height.
The Problem with the "Standard" Gameplan
Most people play Akuma like they play Ryu with a temper. That's a mistake. Ryu is about solid defense and waiting for an opening. Akuma in Street Fighter 6 is about creating an opening where none exists.
His "Standing Heavy Punch" is one of the best buttons in the game. It’s a two-hit move that pulls the opponent in. If they block it, he’s still relatively safe. If it hits? You can cancel it into his command run or a Drive Rush and start the blender.
The complexity comes from his "heavy" inputs.
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Akuma has a lot of "target combos"—pre-set strings of buttons—that are easy to execute but leave him wide open if blocked. New players fall into the trap of mashing these. Don't be that person. Use his pokes. His crouching medium kick is a god-tier tool for checking an opponent’s movement.
How to Beat Akuma (Or at Least Not Get Perfected)
If you're tired of seeing the "K O" screen every time a demon appears, you need to change your mindset. You aren't playing a marathon; you're playing a sprint.
- Patience is a weapon: Akuma players want you to jump. They want you to press buttons. Because his health is low, they are usually in a rush to end the round. Use that against them.
- Check the Demon Flip: Almost every version of the Demon Flip can be poked out of the air with a quick standing jab. It feels scary to try, but once you time it, you neutralize his best mix-up tool.
- The Fireball War: Do not try to out-fireball him if you’re playing someone like Luke or Guile unless you’re very careful. His multi-hit air fireballs will eat yours and still hit you.
Realistically, the matchup is about 5-5 for most of the cast, but it feels like 7-3 because his pressure is so intense.
Actionable Steps for Mastering the Demon
If you're serious about climbing the ranks with Akuma in Street Fighter 6, stop focusing on the Raging Demon. It's cool, but it won't win you most games. Focus on these three areas instead:
- Learn the Safe Jumps: After a heavy DP or certain throw setups, Akuma has "safe jump" timings. This means you can jump at the opponent, and even if they do an invincible wake-up attack (like a Shoryuken), you'll land and be able to block in time. This makes your pressure "fake" but impossible to punish.
- Drive Gauge Management: Because Akuma uses so much energy for his big combos, you will find yourself in Burnout constantly. Practice your "Burnout defense." Know which buttons keep people away when you can't use your special moves.
- Hit Confirming: You must be able to tell if your standing medium punch hit or was blocked within a fraction of a second. If it hit, go into the big damage. If it was blocked, stop. If you keep going on block, you're giving the opponent a free chance to delete your 9,000 HP.
Akuma isn't just a character; he's a test of how well you understand the mechanics of Street Fighter 6. He rewards aggression, punishes laziness, and looks incredible doing it. Whether you love him or hate him, the demon is the new king of the Hill, and he isn't going anywhere. Spend some time in the training room recording the dummy to do Demon Flips. Once you can stop that consistently, the "scary" Akuma players become a lot less intimidating.
Watch the replays of high-level masters. Notice how they rarely use the teleport. Notice how they use the fireballs to bait a jump, not just to deal damage. That's the difference between a Gold-rank Akuma and a Legend.