Geez, I kinda expected this to be a non-news day. You know, with it being MLK Day and all. Oh how I was wrong. Capcom has saw fit to drop a new character reveal on us. This time we get Akuma and Taskmaster. Yes I know, we were told there were going to be no more Shotos. Surprise! And as for Taskmaster, he did appear on some rumored roster lists so his appearance isn’t much of a surprise either. The more fighters the better I say. So I’m not really complaining.

#StreetFighter

So it is true. Evil Ryu and Shin Akuma (a real Shin Akuma, not the watered down one already in SSFIV) are going to be in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. The confirmation comes via a new trailer that was recently released by Capcom.

At the end of the trailer above we are shown images of Evil Ryu and Shin Akuma. Though both characters are both visually rather cool looking I can’t help but feel a little shafted if they are indeed representing the last bit of playable fighters we will be getting.

First off, we get Yun and Yang which are basically slight variations on the same fighter mechanics. Now we are shown Evil Ryu and Shin Akuma who would also be variation of already established fighter mechanics. Ironically Akuma and Ryu already share most of the same moves. So in the end it will likely be the same ol crap with a new paint job.

At this point I’m really hoping we get some seriously different fighters added to the game via time release or something or I will be a bit disappointed. Not saying I still wouldn’t play it… cause I would.

As the title of this posts suggests, the Ultra Shoryuken Costume Pack Available on PSN Today and Xbox Live Tomorrow. This pack includes new costumes for Dan, Akuma, Gouken, Ryu and Ken.

@UdonCrew @Zubkavich #StreetFighter

The guys over at UDON have are great. They have always been pretty good with interacting with the fans. Whether is Matt Moylan answering questions over on Capcom-Unity or Jim Zubkavich granting me exclusive interviews. For many though the future of Street Fighter comics has been a bit unclear as UDON had released it’s trade paperback of Street Fighter Vol. 6 (which wraps up the Street Fighter II storyline) and no real follow up was announced. Many fans wanted to see UDON journey into the Street Fighter III storyline but in a business like comics sometimes what seems to make sense is not always what makes sense. With the release of the VENT book it was starting to feel like UDON was going to move away from Street FIghter books altogether. A few people have asked me what , if anything, was coming next for the Street Fighter comics and I’ve told them that I honestly didn’t know. Today I just decided to ask UDON themselves on Twitter. This is how that convo went…

@UdonCrew Readers asking “what is the next Street Fighter comic series”. What should I tell them?less than a minute ago via webX-ism
_xism_

@_xism_ Akuma! But we’re doing it straight to graphic novel, not single issue comics.less than a minute ago via webUDON Entertainment
UdonCrew

@UdonCrew You guys are doing a Akuma Graphic novel?! Pretty. Freaking. Awesome. Best news I’ve gotten in a while.less than a minute ago via webX-ism
_xism_

So there you have it, an Akuma graphic novel! Personally I’m pretty excited about this book as Akuma has a lot of backstory to be explored as well as connections to several other characters in the series. I’m not going to try to take credit for this one but I do remember once pitching the idea of an Akuma Legends series to Jim Zub a while back .

Here’s are the new Super Street Fighter IV alternate costumes for Akuma, Vega, M. Bison, Balrog, Sagat and Gouken. I gotta say I’m impressed. Akuma looks demonic. Vega looks like a Spanish dancer. Bison is look like he will “royally” kick your @$$. Balrof is looking gangsta. Sagat got a throwback to before Ryu got all up in his chest. And Gouken is rocking the monk look. What do you guys think. Which is your favorite?

I’m loving this! First we got Chun Li and Ryu Nike Dunks and now we are getting a Akuma version of the P-Rod 4. These sneaks come in the same blue as Akuma’s gi and have his imfamous kanji ‘ten’ (天) on the back. Though these are not as elaborate as the other Akuma kicks we’ve seen, they are still pretty hot. And if you see them, then grab them because these are going to be limited to 400 pairs.

[N-SBorg]

I’ve been covering the Street Fighter Dunks for a while. It seems like many people felt the shoes “weren’t Street Fighter enough” because basically the only thing that lets you know the shoes have anything to do with Street Fighter is the insole. If you are a person that felt like that then you should check out these custom Akuma Air Force Ones from the guys at Clashofthecustomizers.

These shoes are Akuma top to bottom. It doesn’t just stop with the paint job on the shoe either. Twine rope is used for the laces which looks very much like the belt Akuma wears. Also his signature beads appear on the front of the shoe. These joint of off the meter!

No word on how much these would go for but as soon as I find out, I’ll pass it along.

[Device Magazine]

In case you are interested the Super Shoryuken Pack was released today for Super Street Fighter IV. The pack includes new costumes for Ryu, Dan, Gouken, Ken and Akuma. (more…)

A lot of people were complaining about Akuma‘s second ultra. Honestly it doesn’t bother me that much. I honestly thought they would have changed Gouken‘s first ultra somehow though as Ryu has the same ultra now, except Ryu’s looks much better.

Now I’ve seen some awesome Street Fighter busts but this has to be one of the best one’s I’ve seen yet. Akuma look looking as demonic as ever!

Sculpted by Jerry Macaluso, this bust stands 10 1/2 inches tall and runs about 180 dollars. If you got some cash burning a hole in your pocket then swing over to Urban Collector and grab one.

[Urban Collector]

Here’s another cool “evolution” video. This time showing all the various incarnations of Akuma‘s signature move, The Raging Demon. One of the cooler aspects of the video is that they show more than Akuma doing the move. Evil Ryu, Sakura, Dan and even the X-Men’s Rouge are shown doing the “Instant Hell Murder”.