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/\ |< |_| |\/| /\ STREET FIGHTER III 3RD STRIKE FAQ
by Joseph Christopher
version 2.0
Oct. 4, 1999

this faq is copyright 1999 Joseph Christopher

by reading this faq you agree that I, the author, am not in any way
liable for any harm that anybody thinks came from reading this faq

* Akuma is THE best streetfighter there is. Sure, he can also be the
cheapest, but that depends on YOU, the player. I, for one, NEVER use
Akuma in a cheap way (e.g. throwing air fireballs all over the place,
teleporting, etc.) There are other ways to beat the crap out of anyone
without using these. Ryu and Ken ain't cheap right? Then if Akuma is
used like them, he wouldn't be a cheap character either! But why
choose him if you'd use him like the other two? Well,

1. Akuma is balanced, (let me put it this way: he's stronger than Ken,
and faster than Ryu.)
2. Akuma has 5 supers and can choose from three during the game (the
two being his Shun Goku Satsu and Kongou Kokuretsu Zan)
3. Akuma's supers are easier to connect w/o use of combos (take for
instance his Gourasen vs. Ryu's ShinShoryuken and Ken's Shinryuken)
4. Akuma has a better juggling ability


Why read this guide:
I. Legend
II. General Moves
III. Special Moves
IV. Supers
V. Combos
VI. Vs. Computer
VII. Vs. Human
VIII. Ending
IX. Credits
X. Revision History
XI. Final Words
XII. Last note on
Shotokan Haters

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I. Legend

U - up
D - down
B - back
F - forward
+ - at the same time
P - any punch
K - any kick
L - low
M - medium
H - high
/ - or

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II. General Moves

dash - F,F / B,B (goes in direction you choose)
super jump - D,U / D,UF / D,UB (goes in direction you choose)
throw - LP+LK / F+LP+LK / B+LP+LK (different throws depending on
direction)
overhead P - MP+MK
taunt - HP+HK
parry - tap F at moment of impact of opponent's attack (maybe done
in mid-air)
low parry - tap D at moment of impact of opponent's attack

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III. Special Moves

1) Gou Hadouken - D,DF,F+P

This is his blue fireball. Beginners can evade it, Normal players
can parry it, Better players will counter. In short, don't you EVER
use it. Not even in combos cause there's always a LK Tatsumaki->HP Shoryuken
to replace it. Don't even think of using the mid-air version, (Zankuu
Hadouken) cause you'll tend to rely on it and thus become a genuine
cheapoid.

2) Zankuu Hadouken - UB/U/UF,D,DF,F+P

Didn't you read my comments on Gou Hadouken? If you did, you won't
be reading this!

3) Shakunetsu Hadouken - F,FD,D,DB,B+P

His red fireball: used on opponents who are getting up from a fall.
Always use the HP version. Even the greatest of players can do nothing but
parry so try to dash in and sweep or do a D,MK-> LK Tatsumaki->
HP Shoryuken combo while they're busy flashing like crazy

4) Gou Shoryuken - F,D,DF+P

What's a Shotokan w/o an uppercut? Always use the LP except in
combos where you're sure it'll connect.

5) Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku - D,DB,B+K

The hurricane K may be done in mid-air. As with the Shoryuken,
always use the LK version but this time even in combos where you're
sure to add more.

Exception: when used as a combo finisher, of course, use the HK version

6) Tenma Kuujin Kyaku - (in peak of jump) D+MK

The greatest jump-in combo starter cause it's relatively harder
to parry or counter. It gives much less damage tough.

7) Hyakki Shuu - F,D,DF+K

You can end this in 5 ways:
Hyakki Gouzan (let go of all the buttons) - sweep
Hyakki Goushou (pause a sec then HP) - palm strike
Hyakki Gousen (pause a sec then HK) - dive K
Hyakki Gousai (at opponent's head, LP+LK) - throw1
Hyakki Goutsui (at opponent's head, F+LP+LK) - throw2

8) Ashura Senkuu - F,D,DF+PPP : long forward
F,D,DF+KKK : short forward
B,D,DB+PPP : long backward
B,D,DB+KKK : short backward

"A true warrior never escapes from danger, he faces it" (nuff said)

9) Zugai Hasatsu - F+MP

Another overhead P that does not jump. It's slower but harder to
detect so maybe you can use this but only in the first round when your
opponent ain't familiar of your style yet.

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IV. Supers

* the first three supers you choose from before a match and make use of
one bar while the rest makes use of two
* no matter which super you choose, Akuma will have the same long,
2-level super bar

1) Messatsu Gou Hadou - D,DF,F,D,DF,F+P

A multi-hitting Hadouken. Can be done in the air. (Tenma Gou Zankuu)
Least damaging of the three and easiest to parry but I still recommend
using it cause it has the highest priority and safest recovery.

* Tenma Gou Zankuu - UB/U/UF,D,DF,F,D,DF,F+P

Use this only as an escape move if you're in the air and see an
attack coming your way. If your opponent is just standing on the ground
don't do it cause most likely he's ready to parry.

2) Messatsu Gou Shoryuu - D,DF,F,D,DF,F+P

Three Shoryukens, the last one having more hits and more damage.
Mostly used in combos

3) Messatsu Gou Rasen - D,DF,F,D,DF,F+K

A hurricane K that spins so fast, it carries Akuma up in the air,
much like Ken's Shinryuken. Mostly used in juggles.

4) Shun Goku Sastu - LP,LP,F,LK,HP

It's fast, it's damaging, it's UNBLOCKABLE! oh, don't use it.
Why? cause good players can also be fast, damaging, and UNBLOCKABLE
(cause you can't do anythin) while your doing this move!

5) Kongou Kokuretsu Zan - D,D,D,PPP

It's a great counter for jumps, dash-ins, and hops but takes so
long to execute, good players can just throw you out of it I don't recommend
relying on this.

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V. Combos (every HK Tatsumaki may be replaced by any of the three selectable
supers)
(every HP Hadouken and HP Shoryuken may be FOLLOWED by any of the
three selectable supers)

Beginner

1) UF-> HK-> D+HK
2) UF-> HP-> D+HK
3) UF-> HK-> MP-> HP
4) UF-> HP-> MP-> HP
5) UF-> HK-> D+MK-> HP Hadouken
6) UF-> HP-> D+MK-> HP Hadouken
7) UF-> HK-> D+HP-> HP Hadouken
8) UF-> HP-> D+HP-> HP Hadouken

Intermediate

1) UF-> HP-> D+HP-> HP Shoryuken
2) UF-> HK-> D+HP-> HP Shoryuken
3) UF-> HP-> B+HP-> HP Shoryuken
4) UF-> HK-> B+HP-> HP Shoryuken
5) UF-> HP-> D+HP-> HK Tatsumaki
6) UF-> HK-> D+HP-> HK Tatsumaki
7) UF-> HP-> B+HP-> HK Tatsumaki
8) UF-> HK-> B+HP-> HK Tatsumaki
9) UF-> HP-> D+LP-> D+LK-> HP Shoryuken
10) UF-> HK-> D+LP-> D+LK-> HP Shoryuken
11) UF-> HP-> D+LP-> D+LK-> HK Tatsumaki
12) UF-> HK-> D+LP-> D+LK-> HK Tatsumaki

Expert

1) UF-> Dive K-> D+MK-> LK Tatsumaki-> HK Tatsumaki
2) UF-> Dive K-> D+MK-> LK Tatsumaki-> HP Shoryuken
3) UF-> HK Tatsumaki-> LK Tatsumaki-> HK Tatsumaki
4) UF-> HK Tatsumaki-> LK Tatsumaki-> HP Shoryuken

Improbable yet Possible (I have successfully done these yet only on
rare occasions)

1) In corner, fully charged (23 hits!)

UF-> HP-> Overhead P-> D+MK-> LK Tatsumaki-> HP Shoryuken->
Messatsu Gou Hadou-> LP Shoryuken-> Messatsu Gou Hadou-> LK Tatsumaki->
HP Shoryuken

* you will only allow two of the three hits of the HP Shoryuken to connect
and then cancel into the Messatsu Gou Hadou
* LP Shoryuken must be canceled into the Messatsu Gou Hadou

2) Fully charged

UF-> HP-> HK-> Shun Goku Satsu (17 hits)

* HK must be the roundhouse, not the axe.
* HK will turn the opponent around giving you time for the super
* HP must hit the chest, not the head of the opponent
* this combo won't work on people with high recovery those who don't easily
turn around (Gill, Hugo)

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VI. Vs. Computer
* a general strategy would be to jump backwards and do a HK Tatsumaki.
as you land, the opponent will jump. Jump again and give him a
HK Tatsumaki-> LK Tatsumaki-> HP Shoryuken / HK Tatsumaki / Any Super

* These are NOT 100% applicable in all cases. There's always a chance,
slim as it may be, that the computer did not follow what I say below.
But it's safe to say that if you follow my guidelines, you'll always
win.

* Messatsu Gou Rasen is the most recommended super for the computer

Akuma - if you block a combo of his that ended with a Hadouken, do a
HP Shoryuken cause he'll jump and try to do another dive K combo
- if he's in the corner and blocks your Hadouken, he'll jump.
Do a Gou Rasen if you will

Alex - whenever he does a HP Back Fist, duck. He'll follow up with a
Double Dive P which you should be ready to parry and counter
- if he suddenly walks back for 3 sec, get ready to parry his charging
elbow

Chunli - she wouldn't be herself if she didn't jump at least 10 times per
match. Have a handy LP Shoryuken at your disposal

Dudley - he is, on my opinion the hardest to parry cause it's so dam hard
to anticipate his moves. A good strategy would be to block his
attacks and retaliate
- note: don't block all day, especially if he's close cause he,
like most computer opponents, can always throw you when you least
expect it

Elena - memorize her body language and you'll see her charging kick from
a mile away
- low blocking her D+LK will make her do an overhead kick and follow
it with a sweep so counter as you see fit
- she'll super jump for you if you're too far away so meet her in the
air with a HK Tatsumaki-> LK Tatsumaki-> HP Shoryuken

Gill - continue parrying his fireballs until he does something else
- he rarely parries in mid-air so you know what to do
- super jump and HK Tatsumaki to land behind him if he gets too close
- don't get intimidated by his meteor shower; it can be parried
- get intimidated by his ULTRA CHEAP angel of death super
- have at least one super ready to counter his resurrection super
- minimize your jumps when he is fully charged

Hugo - jab occasionally to make sure he doesn't grapple you
- when he jumps, carefully time a sweep cause he never expects it

Ibuki - if she jumps back, she'll throw a dagger so don't try to follow
- if she jumps forward, meet her in the air and pummel her to the
ground with a HP

Ken - don't jump on him or if you do, get ready to parry a three-hit Shoryuken
- if he's near fully charged and you launch a Hadouken, he'll jump
over it and propell himself with an EX Tatsumaki, landing behind you

Makoto - don't risk slow moves even if you think their damage is worth
the wait. She'll surely punish you with her speedy power P
- don't HK repeatedly just to charge up your super meter. She'll
see to it that you learn your lesson

Necro - don't jump cause he has a whole lot of ways to counter
- his mid-air drill K is always followed by a sweep
- he mixes his groud and air attacks but keep an eye on his feet
and you'll know when to do a Shoryuken

Oro - he'll always follow a straight fireball with an upward one
- he rarely uses his uppercut now. That means you can always beat
him via jump-in combos

Q - he's crap. Don't know why he was chosen for a secret challenger. He'll
never compare to THE original secret challenger (Akuma!) not much
strategy is needed for him. He can be obliterated even by simple
jump-in combos

Remy - concentrate on countering his attacks and low parrying his projectile
- don't rush cause that's what he's waiting for
- if you must jump, be sure you're ready to parry a 2 hit flash kick

Ryu - if he dashes backwards, expect two Hadoukens to come your way. Jump
and select from a wide variety of combos

Sean - you're half-screen away and you throw a Hadouken, he'll always counter
with a hopping heel K which you, in turn can counter with a parry->
super
- two D+LK s will always be followed by a hopping heel k. Parry and
super

Twelve - don't lose hope if he's been countering all your jump-ins for half the
round. he won't be countering the succeeding ones and thus victory
for you
- keep an eye out for his invisibility. It's when you give all you've
got: He'll accept every last bit of it.

Urien - crouching for 3 or more seconds yields a dive knee
- walking back for sec yields a charging shoulder
- standing for 3 or more seconds yields a projectile

Yang/Yun - they may have different abilities, but the strategies the computer
has in mind when playing them are identical
- whenever they're very far from you, they'll super jump and
dive K. You'll parry and super

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VII. Vs Human

Well, there won't be any universal rules for fighting against humans cause
no two humans think identically. There are, however, general rules that
could apply to at most 80% of your encounters with human challengers

1) Messatsu Gou Hadou is the most recommended super

As I have mentioned above, the Messatsu Gou Hadou has the highest priority
and safest recovery of the three supers. That just means you can dash in
and strategically find an open spot while your opponent is parrying it.
If he blocks it, of course, damage has already been done. And even if the
opponent jumps over it, which by the way is the only logical solution to
this problem, he can still get a hit or two because of the fireball's size.

2) Mix-up your D+MK, Overhead P, and your throw

If you get close to an opponent, try as randomly as possible to execute
one of these attacks and follow it up with another randomly chosen move.
Most of the time I just mix-up the crouching kick and the overhead punch
and only use the throw when my opponents' getting the hang of it.

3) Try jumping straight up as the first round starts

Normally, your challenger would throw a fireball which you should parry.
If he jumps towards you, just do a HK. Sometimes he'll dash in. When this
happens, repeatedly tap forward and LP+LK to anticipate either an attack
or a throw.

4) Parrying is a big part of the game but...

Akuma does not rely on parrying that much. He is the offensive type.
The only sound way of playing him defensively if by being cheap, and
you don't want that, do you? Besides, parrying takes the risk of being
hit and Akuma takes a whole lot more damage than any other player so
basically, Akuma and parrying don't mix.

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VIII. Ending
* next time I'll put in the exact words used but for now...

As a deep-sea exploration team neared the bottom of their search, they
found a ship wreck. To their disbelief, standing on top of the mast is
a man...Akuma! Akuma destroys their mini-sub and then he cuts their ship
(which is waiting on the surface) in half with a move he called Tenshou
Kaireki Jin which looks a lot like his Gou Rasen. (maybe this'll be his
next Super in a 4th version of SFIII don't you think?)

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IX. Credits

Jeff Maxwell for sharing his opinions on the predictabilities of different
computer opponents and...
for constantly giving me a taste of brand new kung-fu shoes
(but that's nothing compared to the taste of old sandals that
have walked the globe! hehe)

Mech Gouki (MechGouki8@aol.com) for the correct names of all of Akuma's
moves

Sir "O" (Sir0rion@aol.com) for a little added info:

Shun Goku Satsu does not translate to "Raging Demon"
Shun Goku Satsu means "Instant Hell Murder"
"Raging Demon" translates to Akuma

* I think Shun Goku Satsu and Raging Demon are commonly used by so many
its hard to start campaigning on their difference but at least I followed
Sir O's advice of using only one of these terms throughout the faq.

Patrick Yap (jmaster0@hotmail.com) for improvements on Akuma's ending

Andrew Hart (megatron25@hotmail.com) for the Shun Goku Satsu combo and
a big part of my corner combo

Gamefaqs.com for paying attention to this faq
Capcom and all its affiliates for creating such a great game

Ms. AsianCuteness for inspiring me in just about everything I do!

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X. Revision History

v2.0 - landing a Shun Goku Satsu and a lot more combos
v1.9 - improved ending
v1.8 - added credits and last section
v1.7 - added a Zankuu Hadouken and Tenma Gou Zankuu
v1.6 - corrected spelling of moves
v1.5 - final touches
v1.4 - corrected names of moves
v1.3 - added ways to end Hyakki Shuu
v1.2 - added Gill strategy
v1.1 - added beginner combos

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XI. Final Words

Please feel free to email me if there's something about Akuma I left out
or if you just want to comment on my work. Thank you. If ever I revise
this faq and add something you feel came from one of your emails to me,
email me again and remind me bout it so I can give you credit. Thanks
again.

oh, i forgot; wanna increase the chances of landing a Shun Goku Satsu by 90%?
four main ways:

1) Knock the opponent down. As he gets up, do it.
2) Have your opponent block or parry any standing/crouching P/K and finish
the code before the animation is over
3) Use a K Teleort to position yourself behind the opponent and do it
(when I said Teleporting was cheap I meant the P Teleport which is really
for nothing but escaping a corner)
4) Jab like crazy until the opponent attacks. Pause for half a sec to parry
his attack and quickly complete the code with a LK,HP


* a present-minded opponent (there are very few) can just jab his way out
of this situation or worse, do a super. Well, at least computers are
100% suckers for this strategy, so there you have it!

* you can always resort to Andrews' combo (in my combos section) which
is, of course, a 100% increase in your chances of landing a Shun Goku
Satsu. But then again, besides requiring a nimble set of fingers, this
combo is not applicable to all fighters (mentioned above) and it's pretty
tough to land the roundhouse HK in a Vs Human situation.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

XII. last note on shotokan haters:
Let's be fair, alright? I don't give any harsh comments on kung-fu masters,
boxers, and professional wrestlers. It's not that I can't think of any,
it's just that I know there'll always be people who'll be offended so I
stick to giving praise to my favorite characters. (Ok, I said Q is crap
but I only meant the computer-controlled Q) So, why don't you do the same?
Don't emphasize and curse on what you think is the lameness of another
character cause someday you might eat your own words when someone (like
me) challenges and beats the crap out of YOU using the "lamest" shoto,
and without being cheap.

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