Akuma vs. Shao Kahn

## Description

*Two of the most powerful characters of their respected franchises go toe to toe to see who is the ultimate fighting game boss. Will Akuma teach Shao Kahn the meaning of pain, or will he brutally finished?*

## Interlude

Hiro: Overpowered antagonists, the things of every gamer's angriest nightmares, and the bane of controllers and TV screens.

**MBStarscream: Oh God, it's all coming back to me. My throat hurt like a bitch with how much swearing and screaming I made, and I was expected to pay for a smoking, demolished TV, an Xbox that had been broken in two, and a smashed controller.**

Hiro: And no fighters are as enduring as these two.

**MBStarscream: Akuma, the Raging Demon of Street Fighter.**

Hiro: And Shao Kahn, the conqueror of Mortal Kombat. I'm Hiro Hamada.

**MBStarscream: I'm MBStarscream.**

Hiro: And it's our job to examine both warriors' strength, abilities, weapons, and weaknesses to see who would win in a fight.

## Akuma

Hiro: Before he sacrificed his humanity for greater power and became a demon with an insatiable bloodlust, the man known as Gouki was the brother of martial arts master Gouken and both trained under a master named Goutetsu. Goutetsu taught a nameless life-threatening martial art, which incorporates elements of Karate, Judo, and Kempo. He also taught the Shun Goku Satsu, a lethal technique which, although incredibly powerful, puts the user in considerable danger.

**MBStarscream: As the brothers progressed under Goutetsu's tutelage, a dispute arose on the true nature of their fighting style and the path to master it. Gouken, unable to accept the violent nature and the Satsui no Hado of his fighting style, left Goutetsu to begin his own dojo, which Goutetsu did not oppose. Akuma continued Goutetsu's teachings, and vowed to use their fighting style as it was intended.**

Hiro: In order to learn Shun Goku Satsu, Akuma embraced the principle of Satsui no Hado, and was forced to give up any compassion he held towards other human beings. In addition, Akuma realized his limits as a martial artist could be expanded, and left Goutetsu's guidance of enlightenment to train alone to gain more power. However, due to embracing the Satsui no Hado to its fullest extent, he developed a lust to fight to the death, unlike Goutetsu, who had been able to use the Satsui no Hado without giving in to its dark side.

**MBStarscream: Ever since he killed his master and wounded his own brother to the point of leaving him in a coma, Akuma has devoted his entire life to combat and strengthening his ability through finding worthy adversaries. But very few can stand up to the Master of the Fist, for many reasons.**

Hiro: Akuma is a master of Goutetsu's fighting style, which was designed as a way to murder the opponent. The martial art contains aspects of Karate, Kenpo, and Judo. Akuma is good enough at this style of martial arts that he was able to defeat Gouken, another master martial artist.

**MBStarscream: Literally meaning "Surge of Murderous Intent", the Satsui no Hado is a form of dark ki rooted in the darkest forms of human instinct. The Satsui no Hado can only be tapped into if the user is willing to commit murder to fight a battle. Akuma has fully given himself to the Satsui no Hado, increasing his power greatly and changing his appearance to resemble a demon, though he usually holds it back unless he fights a worthy opponent.**

Hiro: Since Akuma has fully given himself to the Satsui no Hado, Akuma can use it to manipulate his own ki in the form of dark energy. He can manipulate his ki into the form of projectiles, channel it to enhance physical strikes, create balls of fire, or release powerful shockwaves. Akuma also has plenty of techniques to use in combat, like a more powerful version of Hadoken named Gohadoken.

**MBStarscream: This Hadoken is a life-threatening technique, but the lethality of the Gohadoken is literally increased whenever the Satsui no Hado is being embraced. His Tatsumaki Zankukyaku can floor the opponent and can also juggle, and his Goshoryuken can floor his opponent with one hit; it can lands up to 3 hits up close, and can also juggle with a single use in certain instances. Due to embracing the Satsui no Hado, Akuma has other special moves that Ryu and Ken normally lack.**

Hiro: The Ashura Senku is a fast teleport move that allows him to escape or position himself almost at will. The Tenmakujinkyaku is a fast downwards-angled kick that he can use at the peak of his jumps. The Hyakkishu is a flip attack, similar to Cammy's Hooligan Combination, that allows Akuma to either attack or grab an opponent while moving forward. He also has the Zenpou Tenshin in the Alpha games, which makes him hop and roll forward a short distance.

**MBStarscream: He also uses a punch that I have no freaking clue how to pronounce, hitting the ground and causing purple beams to blow his opponent into the air. He once used this to punch a whole island to bits!**

Hiro: But his most powerful attack is undoubtedly the Shun Goku Satsu, his Raging Demon attack. Literally translated as "Instant Hell Murder", Akuma glides towards his opponent and grabs them, beating them relentlessly. Raging Demon is a very powerful, but fatally dangerous technique taught in the original principles of the martial art taught by Goutetsu. As this move usually defeats the opponent instantly or kills them, the basis of the attack is said to be linked to karmic forces, channeling an infernal punishment in which the weight of sins and evil the victim has committed destroys their soul.

**MBStarscream: While immensely powerful, this attack cannot work on artificial life forms or people who lack souls, and it is often through the latter method that some characters have survived its wrath. And when Akuma becomes almost one with the Satsui no Hado, he becomes Shin Akuma.**

Hiro: In this form, Akuma uses the fullest extent of his power, but is more competitive in battle and less merciful when he is fighting a strong warrior. He will only fight at his true potential when he has found an equal to do battle with.

**MBStarscream: But people who can equal Akuma are hard to come by. He's kept up with Ryu and Ken at the same time, survived being on an exploding island, defeated his brother and killed his master, and killed M. Bison.**

Hiro: However, even as the strongest Street Fighter character, Akuma has weaknesses of his own. As mentioned, the Raging Demon is *not* a guaranteed kill; as its main purpose is to destroy an enemy's soul, it's useless against foes that lack a soul entirely. Gouken was also able to survive it by "emptying" his soul via the Power of Nothingness. People who are able to resurrect themselves like Gill also have an obvious resistance to this ability.

**MBStarscream: He's also easily angered and holds back most of the time, only going all-out on people he finds worthy. But simply put, you don't, and I repeat DON'T, fuck with the demon.**

*Akuma: I have surpassed heaven. I am power made flesh. The time has come! My fist versus yours. Let us see now which fist has no equal... Now begin!*

## Shao Kahn

Hiro: Thousands of years ago in the bleak realm of Outworld, the Dragon King Onaga ruled with an iron grip. His reign seemed unending, until one day when his chief bodyguard betrayed and poisoned him, taking the throne for himself.

**MBStarscream: That bodyguard was named Shao, and upon taking the mantle of Outworld’s emperor, he added a new title: Kahn. Throughout the millennia, Shao Kahn continued his campaign to conquer all the realms under his power. Along the way, he conquered the legendary realm of Edenia, known for its utopian landscape and revered power, and took the queen and princess as his own wife and daughter respectively.**

Hiro: His conquest went unopposed until he crossed paths with Earthrealm. There he met resistance in the form of the thunder god Raiden and his warriors, and they held a Mortal Kombat Tournament every 50 years. When he was one win away from victory, the monk named Liu Kang thwarted his plans and kept Kahn at bay.

**MBStarscream: Eventually through complex loopholes, Shao Kahn just tried to take Earthrealm by force. He nearly succeeded until he faced Raiden in a final battle in Earthrealm, where the Elder Gods themselves rained judgment on Shao Kahn and destroyed him forever.**

Hiro: Well, not exactly. The machinations of the Keeper of Time Kronika resulted in a past version of Shao Kahn being brought to the present timeline. Upon arriving, he was outraged to learn of his death and that Kotal Kahn became Outworld's ruler. He agreed to work for Kronika after learning of her plan to reset the timeline and wipe Raiden from existence.

**MBStarscream: He attempted to take his throne back from Kotal and rebuild Outworld's forces, but he was defeated by Kitana, who became the new ruler of Outworld and Kotal's successor. Shao Kahn later reunited with Sindel after a time-travelling Fujin and Shang Tsung revived her to help fight Kronika. Intending to take Kronika's Crown of Souls for themselves, the tyrants defeated Kitana and Liu Kang and assaulted Kronika's keep. However, they were betrayed by that backstabbing shitbag, who absorbed their souls. Oops.**

Hiro: Regardless, Shao Kahn is shown to be an immensely powerful being throughout the series. He has tremendous superhuman strength, capable of overpowering almost anyone he faces, jumping several dozen feet into the air, and tearing his victims in half as he walks through them like a set of double doors.

**MBStarscream: Shao Kahn can also take punishment far beyond what any human can normally take. He can shrug off Raiden's lightning and being impaled through the chest from Liu Kang's flaming fist.**

Hiro: Shao Kahn is highly proficient in the use of dark magic to achieve various effects, such as absorbing the souls of his victims to grant him various benefits. With every soul he absorbs, Shao Kahn's power and physical capabilities increases, and he is granted the unique abilities of the victim.

**MBStarscream: Every soul Shao Kahn eats increases his overall lifespan, and he can create a magical tornado that vacuums up any souls in the realm if he wants to absorb multiple souls at once. Shao Kahn can also use some of the souls he's devoured to create new life forms, like Ermac or Mileena.**

Hiro: He can make a spear of pure magic to throw at the enemy as a projectile, shoot an explosive green fireball from his mouth, create a brief shield of green magic to reflect projectiles fired at him, and fire laser beams from his eyes. He also brainwashed Kitana and Sindel to believe they were his beloved daughter and wife respectively for millennia.

**MBStarscream: Just like how I've always been brainwashing you to believe I was your friend. Search your feelings, Hiro, you know it to be true!**

Hiro: You have *not* been brainwashing me for years. Besides, "friend" is a bit of a stretch. You're more of a partner than anything.

**MBStarscream: Ouch.**

Hiro: Anyway, Shao Kahn can teleport instantly across the battlefield, though he rarely does so, and though this is rarely ever shown, Shao Kahn has been proven to be capable of lifting objects with his mind before, albeit on a minor scale. His knowledge of magic seems to include cloning, as this is how he managed to avoid assassination at the hands of the Deadly Alliance.

**MBStarscream: His powers extend to wielding psychic powers, as he was able to enslave the thousands of souls within the magical being Ermac using his powerful mind control and is capable of using telekinesis to lift and rag doll opponents. It is revealed in Mortal Kombat 11 in an intro between Scorpion and Skarlet that Kahn has knowledge in other fields of magic as well, as he was the one who taught Skarlet how to use Blood Magik.**

Hiro: Despite being an otherworldly being, Shao Kahn is well versed in the Chinese martial arts Lui He and Tai Tzu, which he merges together to build a fighting style focused on defensive abilities and raw power. His moveset includes hooks, uppercuts, kicks, charging spikes, and upward shoulders.

**MBStarscream: Shao Kahn's signature weapon is the Wrath Hammer, a large warhammer with a handle that is half the height of its wielder connected to a heavy metal head with a face adorned with rows of pyramid-shaped tenderizers that makes the flesh that it hits softer for gorier results. It is far larger than any maul known to man, and its mass makes it too heavy for two superhuman soldiers to lift it. Only Shao Kahn can wield this weapon like a broken twig.**

Hiro: And when his opponent can fight no more, Shao Kahn ends them with a gruesome Fatality. He can uppercut an opponent into the air and smash them to pieces with his hammer as they fall, pound his opponent with his hammer until their neck is broken, and hammer his opponent into the ground before smashing their head off with a golf swing.

**MBStarscream: Shao Kahn is emperor for a very good reason. He's conquered many realms over the millennia, regularly gave Raiden a hard time,** **took every soul on Earthrealm except the participants for the Mortal Kombat tournement with a single Soulnado, and successfully led Outworld for 10,000 years. But sadly, he's not quite invincible.**

Hiro: Though he is an absolute powerhouse with several millennia of experience, Shao Kahn is horribly crippled by his arrogance. He constantly underestimates opponents in battle and sees himself as no less than a god beyond gods. Because of this superiority complex, Shao Kahn will actually stop in the midst of a battle to insult the enemy, leaving himself wide open to attack.

**MBStarscream: But that big ego of his isn't entirely baseless. He can kick anyone's ass and secure victory once he is focused, so don't stand between him and what he wants if you wanna live.**

*Shao Kahn: All realms will tremble before me! Outworld will again be conquerors, never the conquered!*

## Fatal Fiction

*Mario flips a coin.*

Hiro: Well, this duel between villains will shake this tournament, but only one warrior can prove their worth.

**MBStarscream: Don't you mean, *Oni* one?**

Hiro: When are you gonna save the puns for the end, Starscream?

**MBStarscream: I always do that.**

Hiro: Not *always*.

*A Mortal Kombat tournament*

Within a large coliseum, the crowd cheered loudly at the sight of two Tarkatans going blow for blow. Blocking a blow from his opponent, the first Tarkatan reeled his fist back and struck the other one hard in the face with a spray of blood. With a fierce scowl that showed his pointy teeth, the second Tarkatan unsheathed his arm blades as his adversary reciprocated. Sparks flew as they clashed their blades together.

Their battle was interrupted, however, when a purple explosion occured from the nearest wall, blowing up the two Tarkatans and causing a lot of smoke. A dark shadow started walking through the smoke, and was revealed to be a man in a dark-colored gi with the sleeves removed. He had red hair, sharp, pointed teeth, and wore brown sandals. He also wore a black belt at his waist and over his hands he wore brown gauntlets. He had tanned skin and crimson eyes, and wore prayer beads around his neck, with a visible black "heaven" kanji on the center bead.

This was **Akuma**, the Master of the Fist.

Someone then growled in anger and leaped into the air, landing directly in front of Akuma. It was a warlord with spiked shoulder pads, knee pads, and gauntlets, a large skull medallion embedded in two straps that intersected across his chest, and a samurai-esk helm with a skull in front... none other than **Shao Kahn**.

"Who dares step in my tournament announced?!" He demanded while summoning his Wrath Hammer. Unintimidated, Akuma answered, "I have heard of your warpath, Konqueror. You sound like a worthy opponent." He then stomped the ground, the Satsui no Hado aura flashing briefly, before taking his combat pose. "Do not disappoint me."

Shao Kahn only laughed indifferently. "Those who defy me kneel or die!" He boasted.

"I shall do *neither.*"

**FIGHT!**

Akuma spiraled towards Shao Kahn, his leg extended outward. Shao Kahn, however, blocked the attack and grabbed Akuma's leg, grinning as he tossed the demon aside and reared back in hearty laughter. Getting to his feet, Akuma growled at the emperor and raised a fist in the air, a pulsating ball of purple energy clutched in it. Akuma slammed his fist into the ground, ushering more beams from the ground that flung Shao Kahn into the air. Seizing the opportunity, Akuma leaped into the air and landed several blows from his Hurricane Kick on Shao Kahn before shooting a Hadoken into his chest, rocketing the conqueror to the ground. To Akuma's surprise, and joy, Shao Kahn rose once again, jibing, "Is that your best?"

The tyrant then hurled his warhammer at Akuma, who reacted with a Gohadoken. However, the hammer easily went right through it, slamming into Akuma and leaving him stunned. Shao Kahn laughed once more, then slammed into Akuma, knocking him further backward. The Master of the Fist charged up a massive Hadoken and hurled it at Shao Kahn, but the Outworld ruler uppercut the air and created a green field of energy that blocked the projectile, sending an equally sized green beam at Akuma. The Raging Demon was unable to dodge and the projectile exploded on impact, knocking Akuma back. Akuma slowly rose to his feet as Shao Kahn charged at his opponent.

Akuma countered Shao Kahn's charge by grabbing his arm and effortlessly judo-throwing the warlord over his shoulder. As Shao Kahn got up, Akuma grabbed the Konquerer of Worlds by the shoulders, then dropped on his back and kicked him backward with his foot. The demon then charged forward, spun, and attempted to slam the side of his left fist into Shao Kahn's face, but Shao Kahn backed away from him. Akuma moved forward and punched Shao Kahn in the nose, causing the emperor to recoil and stumble back. Akuma then attempted to punch with his left hand, but Shao Kahn blocked and deflected it with his right arm. Akuma swung his fist to the left at Shao Kahn's face again and barely missed. He then swung his fist to the right, but Shao Kahn ducked under the attack. While Akuma was turned away, Shao Kahn attempted to strike him, but Akuma turned and put his left arm up to stop Shao Kahn's right arm. The force of Shao Kahn's arm caused Akuma to bend at his knees, and he then punched Shao Kahn in the chest as hard as he could, causing the warlord to stumble back.

Shao Kahn angrily lifted Akuma by the neck, then punched him three times in the gut before slamming him on the ground. Summoning his Wrath Hammer again, Shao Kahn hit Akuma a good six times before tossing the demon into the air and smashing him away with his hammer. He then threw his maul in a boomerang fashion as Akuma slid underneath it. His hammer flying back into his hand, Shao Kahn leaped backward from Akuma as the Raging Demon's fist smashed into the ground. The emperor swung his hammer at Akuma, but the killer of Goutetsu phased through it and grabbed Shao Kahn, flinging him back. Shao Kahn knocked Akuma into the air with another swing of his hammer, then teleported his weapon away and flew upward as a green aura enveloped him.

He rammed his spiked shoulder into Akuma's gut several times until the Master of the Fist was good and bloodied, Shao Kahn letting him hit the floor. Akuma got to his wobbly feet before Shao Kahn charged ahead again, the shoulder ram sending Akuma into a wall. Before Akuma could slide down, Shao Kahn produced an energy beam in his hand and impaled Akuma's stomach, making the demon gasp in pain as blood poured from his mouth. Shao Kahn summoned his Wrath Hammer again and prepared to deal the finishing blow, only to be sent flying back as a massive flame engulfed Akuma as his body began to glow with a more intense red aura and his hair turned a white color, his gi turning purple.

"I am power made flesh!" The voice of Shin Akuma echoed across the coliseum. "Feel how weak you really are!"

Akuma launched another Hadoken at Shao Kahn, who deflected it back at the demon. Akuma phased through his own projectile and charged a purple aura around his fist before rocketing Shao Kahn into the air with an uppercut. Akuma lunged into the air after him, landing a series of furious blows before elbowing Shao Kahn across the skull, sending him crashing to earth. Akuma was once again engulfed in flame as he vibrated madly as he stood on his toes, ready to finish the fight as a green force spiraled around Shao Kahn, the warlord's laugh even more maniacal than before.

Several decrepit hands grabbed Akuma and attempted to rip him apart, but Akuma phased through it and grabbed Shao Khan. All went dark as a series of purple strikes lit up the darkness. When the lights came back on, Akuma stood over a fallen Shao Kahn with a blazing inferno engulfing him, the Soulnado disappearing. He looked at the crowd who cheered him on, greatly impressed by what had just happened. Closing his eyes, Akuma turned around and walked away to find another worthy opponent.

"It's official: You suck!"

*What?!*

His face furrowing even further with anger, Akuma turned and glided at a very much alive Shao Kahn once more, attempting to enact another Raging Demon attack. However, he was promptly cut off when Shao Kahn swung his Wrath Hammer low to smash Akuma's legs free from his body. He did this again and Akuma's lower body was smashed to pieces. Putting down his hammer, Shao Kahn lifted Akuma up and delved his hands into the demon's chest. Akuma screamed in agony as Shao Kahn slowly split him in half, the emperor charging through the gore and laughing as he glowed green, absorbing Akuma's soul.

**FATALITY!**

## Results

**MBStarscream: Yikes!**

Hiro: Akuma may have been a much more offensive fighter and focused in his attacks, but Shao Kahn could match him in several abilities. Both can use energy weapons, but Shao Kahn can counter the Hadoken with the Emperor's Shield, taking out a big portion of Akuma's offense.

**MBStarscream: They are also matched in hand-to-hand combat, unless you look at Shao Kahn having *thousands* of years more experience than Akuma. Plus, he had a wide variety of defensive capabilities that can keep him unharmed from many of Akuma's attacks.**

Hiro: While Akuma was strong enough to destroy an island, Shao Kahn easily beats this by making the entire planet shake down to the core. Shao Kahn was also far faster, being able to keep with the likes of Raiden, who can move at around the same speed as lightning, and even faster. Lightning can move at around 220,000,000 miles per hour, so if Raiden can possibly move faster than this, Shao Kahn can go around at least 1/3 the speed of light.

**MBStarscream: Shao Kahn's also fought and taken hits from some strong Mortal Kombat contenders like Liu Kang, Scorpion, and as said before, Raiden, so he certainly had durability. Another problem for Akuma was Shao Kahn having more of an arsenal, seeing as he's got that big hammer, while Akuma doesn't have a real arsenal.**

Hiro: The real challenge is fighting Shin Akuma, making it harder for Shao Kahn to dodge the rapid fighting style he possesses. But Shao Kahn can counter with the Soulnado, making him more powerful.

**MBStarscream: The big thing that Shao Kahn has to fight is the Raging Demon, but as M. Bison showed, leaving a portion of your soul in someone else can save you. It may be likely that Shao Kahn can disperse his soul across all the souls he possesses, but it's also possible that, since he has soul manipulation, he can choose which soul the Raging Demon destroys.**

Hiro: It also isn't explicitly stated how Akuma deals with people with multiple souls, so he may just destroy a soul that isn't Shao Kahn's. The Master of the Fist did his best, but he could not contend with Shao Kahn's strength, speed, durability, intelligence, arsenal, and experience.

**MBStarscream: In this street fight, Akuma's choice of combat led him to a mortal end.**

Hiro: Shao Kahn wins.

## Advantages

### Shao Kahn (Winner)

* Stronger
* Faster
* More durable
* Arsenal advantage via Wrath Hammer
* Can counter the Hadoken with Emperor's Shield
* More experienced by thousands of years
* Raging Demon wouldn't have much of an effect on him