What are the differences between Akuma and Cyber Akuma?

Akuma is one of the most recognizable and iconic characters in the history of fighting games, transcending multiple franchises even outside of Capcom’s umbrella.

As such, some games have taken some liberties with the character and hence, Cyber Akuma was born. He first debuted in Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter as the final boss: a cyborg version of Akuma controlled by Marvel Comics villain Apocalypse.

10. Goals And Aspirations

Akuma seeks to prove himself as the most formidable fighter in existence, willing to destroy anyone in his path to prove this point.

Cyber Akuma, being a servant of Apocalypse, is also willing to destroy anything and anyone in his path, but he does not do it for himself, but rather for his master.

9. Relationships

As one of the main antagonists in Street Fighter, Akuma has deep connections with a lot of cast members. His pursuit to awaken the Satsui no Hado in Ryu, his legendary battles with foes like Oro and Gen, and the disturbing nature of his relationship with his own brother, Gouken, make him one of the most integral pieces in the lore of the series.

By contrast, the only relationship Cyber Akuma has is with his master, Apocalypse, and he’s willing to consider any enemy of Apocalypse his own enemy by default.

8. Character Archetype

Akuma is well known for being a glass cannon, equipped with multiple tools that allow him to adapt to any situation, with gameplay focused on aggression and a “kill or be killed” mentality.

On the other hand, Cyber Akuma is the final boss, and unlike regular Akuma, he has massive health and resistance, being suited to fight two opponents at a time. He is technically unlockable in the game, and to be fair, Akuma himself started out as a hidden boss himself, but the legacy each character carries is way different.

7. Appearance

Most notably, despite all the other differences these characters have, the most obvious one is of course their appearance.

Cyber Akuma is similar to Akuma, except he has a cyborg body, which includes a mechanical arm, a robotic left eye, and two massive wings sprouting from his back.

6. Origin

Akuma was a student of the Ansatsuken until he decided to fully embrace the Satsui no Hado, the dark intent that lies dormant within the very core of that martial art. When he did so, he became demon-like and sacrificed most of his humanity for power, twisting his mind in the process.

Cyber Akuma is the result of Akuma being captured, brainwashed, and modified by Apocalypse after the latter gained interest in the former’s power.

5. Speech

We can really see that Cyber Akuma is not the one we are accustomed to call Akuma when he speaks. Akuma, in his regular version, is full of personality, passion, and hunger.

His mechanical self, though, seems to only care about mindlessly pleasing his master, with quotes like “My new destiny is to serve and annihilate!” and “My creator wants you dead. It is done…”.

4. Legacy

Ever since his debut, Akuma has been featured in countless forms of media and referenced throughout the years countless times in countless games. He continues to show up in every Street Fighter game, and will likely be a mainstay in the series as long as it is running.

Cyber Akuma has not been so fortunate, as all he got since his debut has been small references here and there. Cyber Akuma’s design has been used in special DLC skins for Akuma in other games.

3. Raging Demon

Akuma’s most iconic move is the infamous Shun Goku Satsu or Raging Demon. It is unblockable, requires a very unique input, and deals massive damage, but cannot be used in combos.

Cyber Akuma, who has had his power augmented by Apocalypse, can use the Shining Gou Shock, a far more powerful Raging Demon that can be used mid-air and as part of high-damaging combos as well.

2. Moveset

The aforementioned Raging Demon is remarkable enough to be included in one entry, but the truth is that most of the character’s arsenal is vastly different.

On top of Cyber Akuma simply having powered-up versions of regular Akuma’s moves, he can also perform unique attacks such as firing his robotic arm as an exploding missile and canceling his massive fireballs into a swift teleport that opens the way for a mix-up conversion.

1. Powers and Abilities

Getting to the cream of the crop here. How do you take an over-the-top character like Akuma and make it somehow “enhanced”? What benefits does he take from having half of his body replaced with machinery?

Well, unlike his vanilla form, Cyber Akuma can sacrifice body parts and regrow them at will, he can generate lightning from his legs, he can fly, and Cyclops ending shows that he can even willingly change size. Oh, and he can also grow extra arms. Now that’s an overpowered character.

At the end of the day, Cyber Akuma is still Akuma after his body and mind are tampered with by the villainous Apocalypse. They’re the same character in the core, but separate entities when it comes to their roles in fighting game terms.

Hopefully, this list helped you understand the differences between both versions of the character, and you got to know Cyber Akuma better if you weren’t familiarized with him.

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