When is Akuma Joining SF6? Release Date, Price, Fighting Style

Street Fighter 6 started off with an impressive roster but fighting game fans noticed some names were missing. Luckily, developers have revealed that DLC fighters are on the way in the form of the Year One bundle, ending with Akuma. Here’s everything we know about the incoming fighter.

When Is Akuma Coming to Street Fighter 6?

Akuma is the last fighter in the Year One bundle. He will be released in the spring of 2024. No exact release date has been revealed just yet.

How Much Are DLC Fighters in Street Fighter 6?

The Year 1 Character Pass is $29.99. This will get you all four DLC fighters, including Akuma.

Who Is Akuma?

Akuma is a very popular Street Fighter antagonist who first showed up as a boss in Street Fighter II. He is known for his heartless and emotionless attitude as well as his lion-like mane of hair and massive muscles.

Akuma’s hair is white and grown out in Street Fighter V. He also wears a darker yellow loincloth with a white sash on top of karate-style pants. Like always, he’s shirtless but is seen with prayer beads across his chest. In Street Fighter 6, Akuma will still have his long hair but there’s now a topknot in its original position. His prayer beads also moved to be a necklace around his neck.

This sinister demon is cold and focused on destroying anyone who crosses him. You will almost never see any emotion or humanity from Akuma except for rage. You also won’t ever catch him smiling. He is often focused on his training and will destroy anyone who interrupts him. Despite being eerily cold, Akuma won’t fight helpless people and sometimes even defends them.

Akuma hates his brother, Gouken, because he didn’t come to the dark side with him. He also blames Gouken for sealing off Ryu’s darkness, not allowing him to reach his full potential. This made Akuma no longer believe Ryu could ever defeat him in battle.

Akuma Fighting Style

We haven’t yet seen any gameplay footage of Akuma fighting in Street Fighter 6. But we can speculate what his playstyle may be like based on how he fought in older Street Fighter games.

Akuma is a master of Shotokan, focused on offensive techniques and oppressing the enemy. His attacks are quite powerful and his moves keep him mobile, making him quite difficult to deal with once he gets started. He pressures opponents with high-damage combos and special attacks, not letting up on downed enemies.

If you whiff an attack, however, Akuma is left wide open for punishment due to his low stamina. He also has poor range and can struggle in the neutral game. You’ll want to zone with projectiles until you can find the right moment to strike.