Satsui no Hadou

, known in the EX series as the Murder Vibration, is the forbidden power depicted through Capcom's Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter II series. It was first introduced in Street Fighter Alpha 2, in which Ryu realized that this forbidden power was building within him — the main reason why Sagat was nearly killed.

To tap into Satsui no Hadou, a fighter must be so consumed with the desire to win that they are willing to kill. As a result, only people who push themselves to be the best at all costs can take advantage of it. However, the untrained mind can be driven to a temporary insanity if they have not prepared for it. For those who do succeed in controlling it, they develop an almost cold, clinical detachment from themselves. After Akuma tamed the Satsui no Hadou, he lost all of his humanity and became a fighter who only seeks to become the strongest in the world. As such, Satsui no Hadou makes a human unbelievably powerful but at the cost of losing one's humanity. Akuma's understanding of Satsui no Hadou is so great, he can seal himself off from it, giving lesser opponents a fighting chance. Learning Satsui no Hadou is the first step in learning the most fatal technique known to all of Goutetsu-Ryuu Ansatsuken, Shun Goku Satsu.

Goutetsu himself was once seen meditating while tapping into Satsui no Hadou, so he probably encouraged, or at least accepted, it. This was also how both his students Gouken and Akuma were introduced to the power. Goutetsu would also have had to teach Satsui no Hadou to his pupils if he did teach them the Shun Goku Satsu. Finally, he was actually pleased with his student Akuma for tapping into Satsui no Hadou during a life or death battle for control of their school. Gouken, a student of Goutetsu who taught a toned-down derivation of his style, detested Satsui no Hadou since he believed it encouraged killing. He condemned his brother Akuma for corrupting his Chikara no Hadou (Surge of power).

Originally, Ryu scarred Sagat with a single Shoryuken. It was later retconned that Ryu lost control of himself (when Sagat offered to help him up) by rising up fist first, upsetting Sagat (and nearly killing him) with a Metsu Shoryuken. His attack took on the properties of Goutetsu's original art despite having never been taught it by his master Gouken. Although Sagat wanted revenge for his scarred chest, he never knew that the scar came from the Satsui no Hadou, a dark power that consumed Ryu sometime in 1987. During Street Fighter Alpha 2, Ryu finally realized that the Satsui no Hadou was the culprit behind his cheap victory over Sagat. Knowing about this dark intent, Ryu has vowed to reject the Satsui no Hadou. It was not until the end of Street Fighter Alpha 3 that Ryu was able to fully reject the Satsui no Hadou.

The Satsui no Hadou was introduced in Alpha 2, where a player could choose to play as a version of Ryu, known as Satsu no Hadou ni Mezameta Ryu (known to English speaking fans as Evil Ryu) who had some of Akuma's moves. This also continued in home versions of Alpha 3, as well as games in the Capcom vs. SNK series and Namco x Capcom. Because of the aforementioned plot elements, Satsu no Hadou ni Mezameta Ryu does not appear in Street Fighter III.

In the Marvel vs. Capcom series, Sakura had an alternate form (Hiyakeshita Sakura, literally Sunburned Sakura but also known as Dark Sakura) that gave her some of Akuma's moves. Although this had little connection to Satsui no Hadou, as the Satsui no Hadou was not a central plot element in any game in the series, this sparked speculation as to whether other characters (not necessarily those from Capcom) could use this power. In particular:

* In the first Marvel vs. Capcom, Ryu could change "modes" altering his move set to conform with the move sets of Ken Masters or Akuma. Unlike games featuring Evil Ryu as an alternate character, the switch could only be performed during a fight.

* In Capcom vs. SNK 2, the final boss form of Rugal (God Rugal or Ultimate Rugal) had some of Akuma's moves.

* Part of Yuri Sakazaki's moves parodied moves that are trademarks of Satsui no Hadou in The King of Fighters 2001. This is seen as SNK's comeback at Capcom for their Dan Hibiki character, a mockery of Ryo and Robert from Art of Fighting.

Related Characters
* Ryu
* Akuma
*Goutetsu
*Gouken

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See Also

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