Akuma - Mobile Edition

Street Fighter
Akuma
By Hervé St-Louis
September 28, 2006 - 09:35

Outside of the feud between Ryu, his allies and Shadoloo, lies Akuma. Particularly evil, but not aligned to any camp, Akuma seeks the best fighters so he can destroy them. Practising the dangerous art of Shotokan karate which puts his own life in danger, the stars have predicted that Akuma will one day face off against Ryu. And that day, one of them will leave this world for the next one. Akuma first appeared in Street Fighter II Turbo, after being rumoured to be hidden character Sheng Long in Street Fighter II. Sheng Long was a hoax for April’s Fool 1992, in EMG Magazine.

Likeness

Akuma’s strong nose and jaw are visible in the action figure, so is the design on the back of his gi. This version of the figure used the spiked hair.

Sculpt

Akuma looks like a calculating manic, ready to strangle his opponents. His body is calm but exude all of his power which he seems to barely contain. Fighting looks effortless for him. This is one of the best sculpt by Sota Toys. Most articulations are well hidden in the sculpt, avoiding the puppet look of some action figures. Sota went as far as sculpting the veins on his feet.

Paint

The figure is dirty. I don’t know what happened to it. For examples, part of his arms are grey, but it’s hard to guess if it’s a paint effect or dirt. It doesn’t look good on the figure. The beads on Akuma’s necklace are painted, unlike those of his brother Gouken. The feet and sandals of Akuma have lots of paint bleeds. Akuma’s hair has a nice red textured tone. There are dirt spots all over his face though.

Scale

Akuma is in scale with other Street Fighter action figures. Nearly the same height as brother Gouken, Akuma is taller than Ken, all the female figures, about the same height as M.Bison, Sodom. Somewhat taller than Adon and Guile. He is shorter than T. Hawk, Balrog and Sagat.

Stability

Akuma is stable thanks to his flat feet and balance upper body weight. Unlike a figure like Sodom, whose weight destabilizes, Akuma rest solidly. His arms help his balance too, as they are not heavy. Although he doesn’t have peg holes in his feet, there should be no problems with this figure. Posing his in an action stance for long might be a problem as the plastic used for his arms and legs are quite heavy.

Articulation

Akuma has 30 articulations at the neck, the shoulders, the biceps, the elbows, the wrists, the palms, the abdominal, the waist, the hips, the thighs, the knees the calves, the ankles, the soles and the toes. He doesn’t have double articulations at the elbows unlike figures such as Vega and Sakura. The waist’ articulation, hidden under his gi. It’s difficult to twist. His calve articulations also appear to be stuck.

Plastic

Sota used high quality PVC for this figure that makes them heavier. However, paint often glues the articulations. Akuma’s gi and hair are in soft rubber. His hair is glued on the base of his hair. His chest is hollow, containing the mechanism for his articulations.

Props

Akuma comes with an energy bolt and an alternate head and pair of hands. One set of hand is opened. The other are fists. One of his faces is groaning, the other silent.

Packaging

Akuma comes in a clear plastic package with a darker red leaflet featuring all the figures of the Round Four Street Fighter action figures. You’ll require scissors to open this package. I would not suggest purchasing this action figure for kids under twelve-year-old. They’ll destroy the figure which was not built to endure rough play, unlike Marvel Legends action figures.

Cost

Akuma costs about $12 to $14 in most stores. Prices vary at larger retailer and online ones.

Availability

This figure is still available from stores ordering through Diamond Comics, although many stores seemed to have missed it when it was solicited. In the United States, several large chains of music and collectible stores sell this figure. However, online stores are where you’ll find this figure easily. There are several coloured variants sold directly by Sota Toys or some exclusive retailers. However, beware of the counterfeit versions of this action figure which seem to populate auction sites or be announced on message boards. Although produced by the same plant who made the real Akuma figure, their packaging seems cheaper.