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Satsui flag

The kanji '天' ( ten?, "heaven") representing the Satsui no Hado.

The Satsui no Hadō (殺意の波動 Satsui no Hadou?, "Wave Motion of Murderous Intent" or "Surge of Killing Intent"), sometimes translated as the Dark Hado, is a dark energy-based force that is known for its use by Akuma. It is the antithesis of the Power of Nothingness, which is mainly used by Gouken and Ryu.

Appearances

The Satsui no Hado made its first debut alongside Akuma in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. During the events of Street Fighter V, the Satsui no Hado within Ryu was being called out by the consumer of souls. However, in the end, Ryu managed to control and overcome the Satsui no Hado inside him by tapping into the Power of Nothingness (also called Kyosui no Hado) to seal Bison. It later manifested into a physical form known as Kage, though later on he apparently vanished from existence.

Description

What the Satsui no Hado is, rarely gets talked about in the mainline games. However, it's described as taking the spirit to kill the opponent to the extreme, and transforms it into a physical power. Martial arts made towards the purpose to kill, specifically Ansatsuken, come to have their repertoires and teachings intertwined with its power upon their founding, and their techniques ultimately hold the potential to develop the Satsui no Hado due to its originating intention.[1] Alternately, according to Seth in Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind, his definition of the Satsui no Hado has him describe it as power rooted in the darker natural basis of the human instinct, including competition, the desire to survive, trample and impose over opposition, and the manifestation of destruction borne out of conflict and fighting. In the dynamics of ki, the Satsui no Hado is said to be a yin energy.

Physical and Mental Changes

For the people who do succeed in harnessing it, they become extremely powerful, but at the cost of losing their humanity and compassion; they develop a cold, negative outlook on life, a nihilistic detachment from themselves, as well as other people, and develop an obsessive, dark, murderous, and even suicidal desire to fight.

When under the Satsui no Hado's influence, a person's eyes will glow red and their teeth will extend into sharp fangs, and their skin darkens over time. Their hair also turns red, and their nails grow into claws. The voice of the user will also become deeper to the point of gaining an echo effect. If one embraces it to a lesser degree, their eyes will glow blue. If one balances the Satsui no Hado and the Power of Nothingness, they will be in complete control of their power; however, if one has used it to their fullest extent for too long, they cannot be released from its evil hold and will transform into a supernatural entity, likely one similar in appearance and personality to both Oni and Kage.

Powers and Abilities

A user of the Satsui no Hado gains immense strength, as well as the ability to both sense and absorb other sources of power to make themselves stronger. They also gain abilities such as telekinesis, flight, and can also potentially influence the emergence of the Satsui no Hado in others. Once an individual has tapped into the Satsui no Hado within them, it can be very difficult to resist conflict and conquest. Learning the Satsui no Hado is the first step in learning the most fatal technique known to all of their martial arts - the Shun Goku Satsu, also known as the Raging Demon.

From within the events of Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, the Street Fighter Alpha manga, Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind, and the UDON comic series, the user has apparently the special ability to talk and speak with others telepathically, gain a healing factor, and manipulate the soul of an individual and the weather, as seen and displayed with Evil Ryu and Kage.

Users

Street Fighter characters

Goutetsu

Goutetsu himself was once seen meditating while tapping into the Satsui no Hado, so he probably encouraged or at least accepted it, but he did not lose his humanity like Akuma. This is likely because he only used it sparingly and wisely, which is why he kept his human facial appearance and did not demonstrate signs of corruption. This was also how both of his students, Gouken and Akuma, were introduced to the Satsui no Hado and the Power of Nothingness.

Akuma

AkumaSFIII3rd

Akuma's usual form.

After Akuma fully gave in to the Satsui no Hado, he lost all of his humanity and compassion, and was solely motivated by violence and darkness.

Akuma wanted to tap into the Satsui no Hado to become more powerful, and wanted to use it to kill people he found "worthy", rather than using it for enlightenment perfection like his mentor. Goutetsu may have been unaware of his student's descent into darkness.

However, Gouken developed an alternative derivation of the style by removing the dark power out of fear and disgust for the Dark Hado, as he believed it to be inherently evil, as a result of seeing how Akuma used it to murder Goutetsu. He condemned his brother for corrupting his Hado no Chikara (波動の力 Hadō no Chikara?, "Surge of Power") and vowed to never teach it to anyone.

Although Akuma may have "mastered" the Satsui no Hado, he could not stop the side effects of this dark force, although it is highly likely he had no desire to. His understanding of the Satsui no Hado is so great that he can embrace it to a much lower degree, giving lesser opponents (such as Sakura, who Akuma is somewhat irritated at for being able to imitate the Ansatsuken fighting style) a fighting chance. However, he still cannot return to human form, as he has used it to his fullest extent for too long.

According to the story mode for Akuma in Street Fighter V, Akuma's skin has cracked and peeled away, leaving only the manifestation of the Satsui no Hado to show itself.

Oni

Oni is the result of Akuma fully merging with the Satsui no Hado. As explained earlier, his appearance has changed to that of a larger, demonic creature with a supernatural power beyond that of Shin Akuma. At this point, he has become a marauding berserker willing to kill anyone and anything, especially if he deems someone as a greater evil, such as Bison and Seth (despite having no involvement and interest in the affairs of Shadaloo). Some depictions of Oni however, especially in the UDON Comics, depict Oni as having mastered the Satsui no Hado in its entirety, yet he is reasonable, and his violence is not mindless.

Evil Ryu

Although Ryu never shows any signs of the Satsui no Hado's influence after the events of the Street Fighter IV series, several games present a hypothetical version of Ryu who has embraced the power, willingly or not, becoming Evil Ryu in the process. Furthermore, other media often depicts him temporarily succumbing to the Satsui no Hado and assaulting an opponent before returning to normal.

It was not until the end of Street Fighter IV that Gouken was able to seal it away using the "Power of Nothingness" to help him control it like Goutetsu; however, it is unknown how long the seal will be able to hold his dark power. In Street Fighter V, Ryu acquires help from his friends Dhalsim and Ken, managing to completely convert the Dark Hado into the Power of Nothingness via Hado Kakusei during Necalli’s attempt in devouring him for the gods while at the same time, he and the other Street Fighters prepare for a battle against Shadaloo. A demonic version of Evil Ryu appears in the Arcade Edition of Super Street Fighter IV with an appearance similar to that of Akuma, possibly to show how he would transform if the seal was broken.

In addition, Ryu and Ken's ending in the crossover game of Street Fighter × Tekken, suggest that Pandora's power is trying to influence and merge with the Satsui no Hado within him

In Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Evil Ryu appears with glowing hair and cracks on his body, very similar to the ones seen on Akuma.

Kage

Kage is the physical manifestation of the Satsui no Hado that was dwelling within Ryu. After Ryu overcame the temptations of the dark energy, it was assumed that the persona of Evil Ryu had been vanquished. Yet the Satsui no Hado would develop sentience and came to manifest as its own entirely separate, physical entity known as Kage. He wanted to prove that Ryu is nothing without him, but failed due to Ryu mostly ignoring the dark influence, telling Kage that he can do whatever he wants. Distraught and confused, Kage vanished from existence, his host no longer showing interest in him.

Shin Ryu

Shin Ryu

Shin Ryu

In the UDON comic book series Street Fighter Unlimited, Ryu finally attained complete control over the Satsui no Hado by entering a state he calls "Shin Ryu" (Shin meaning "True" in Japanese). This state allows Ryu to safely harness the Dark Hado by merging it with the Power of Nothingness, bringing balance to his light and dark ki. As Shin Ryu, he was able to finally defeat Gill, and later Akuma. Ryu's appearance in this form is mostly the same, the only noticeable changes are to his left eye, which glows red, as well as the occasional flare of a red and blue aura.

Dan Hibiki

In the events of UDON's Street Fighter Legends: Sakura comic, Dan falls to the dark power while fighting Sakura. However, Dan's attempt to perform the Shun Goku Satsu on her fails with him comically tripping over her backpack and rendering himself unconscious by Sakura's attack. Though this event can be dismissed as comedic, it underscores the seriousness of the extent the Satsui no Hado can manifest from.

Dan has a different kanji appearing on his back, showing the kanji ( chichi?, "father"). It is possible Dan's power stems from the feelings of hatred that he harbors towards Sagat for murdering his father.

Sakura Kasugano

In UDON's Super Street Fighter comics, Sakura actually falls to the influence of the Satsui no Hado[2] while fighting Akuma but loses it thanks to Ryu absorbing it.

In Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, there is a secret character known as Dark Sakura (also called Sunburnt Sakura), a version of Sakura who utilizes a mixed moveset of Akuma and Evil Ryu. Despite her rather odd foreshadowing throughout the mainline series (only being mentioned in Stree Fighter Alpha 3 and Sakura being affected by the BLECE project in her Street Fighter IV ending) and the similar abilities, this form of Sakura does not use the Satsui no Hado, as referenced by her article on the Shadaloo Combat Research Institute database. Instead, she is angry because she got a sunburn. The 2007 manga Sakura Ganbaru! constantly showcases throughout both volumes a similar unnamed form that doesn't change Sakura's skin & clothing color, but changes her eyes from a lively brown to a soulless brown. This version of Dark Sakura also increases Sakura's speed, fighting prowess, and her intelligence while also limiting most of her speech to battle cries and attack names.

In her normal forms, she also uses a variation of the Shun Goku Satsu that is not fueled by the Satsui no Hado, as seen in both the Rival Schools and the Street Fighter EX series.

Ken Masters

In the Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist movie, Ken finds a manuscript in Gotetsu's dojo, with instructions on how to access the Satsui no Hado, which he studies to quickly learn the Hadouken. Upon putting the manuscript's instructions to practice, Gouken immediately senses the Satsui no Hado, and calls Ken to his pressence, scolding him for using it and asking him where did he learn that. Gouken tells Ken to never use it again and to never speak about the Satsui no Hado to Ryu, to which he agrees.

Juri

In Street Fighter Legends: Cammy, it is stated that Juri's Feng Shui Engine is a gateway between Satsui no Hado and Psycho Power that was used to bring back Bison with a new body host.

Sagat

Sagat's own bout with the Satsui no Hado occurred during his story mode in Street Fighter V. Although not totally consumed by that energy, it has given him darker thoughts and visions of killing. He however overcomes the murderous intent and finally realizes that this is what his long-time rival was fighting against all along. Sagat becomes more determined to fight and seeks more of the same path Ryu always followed.

Oro

Oro is capable of utilizing the Satsui no Hado, or what he considers an imitation of it. Though he only uses it as an example for Dhalsim in his lecture on the nature of ki, Dhalsim notices that for that moment, Oro truly held a killing intent. Oro believes that the Satsui no Hado is not an inherently evil power, but rather an alternate form of surpassing physical limits much like Yoga, Soul Power, and Psycho Power. By seeing such powers as mere tools and having a distant detachment to these, through his knowledge, he is able to wield it without the power tainting his mind nor falling completely victim to it.

Lily

Lily's spirit, Toyno'Ikonoi, is suspected by Dhalsim to be the "dormant" state of the Satsui no Hado. Ryu also mentions in his win quote against her that he has "sensed" the power of the "spirit" that were embedded within Lily's wind attacks before. As of Street Fighter 6, Lily is still unaffected by the negative power of the Satsui no Hado, pursumably because she is totally unaware of the true nature of Toyno'Ikonoi and thinks of it simply as a spirit. Lily's relationship with the Satsui no Hado is currently not elaborated upon by the official media.

Characters from other media

Gyūki

In UDON's Street Fighter Origins: Akuma comic, Akuma and Gouken's late father, who is named Gyūki ("Ox Oni"), used the Satsui no Hado years ago to murder the leader of a bandit gang and a former partner of Goutetsu.

Rugal Bernstein

In Capcom vs. SNK 2, Rugal Bernstein, after defeating Akuma, mixed the Satsui no Hado with his own Orochi powers and becomes God Rugal (sometimes referred to as Ultimate Rugal). As "God Rugal", he gains access to the Ashura Senkuu (renamed as "God Lane") and even the Shun Goku Satsu (renamed as "Last Judgement"). If God Rugal is beaten as the final boss of the Arcade Mode, he is shown unable to control the Satsui no Hado; his body and mind are subsequently overtaken by it, with his skin, face and hair changing to resemble Akuma's. He completely loses his mind, claiming "I am the one with no name. I am nothing and everything." before leaving the scene.

Jinx

In the Street Fighter × G.I. Joe comic, G.I. Joe character Jinx apparently uses the Hado as well in a fight against Bison.

Rogue

In X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Rogue can copy Akuma's Zanku Hadoken and Shun Goku Satsu.

Thanos

In the crossover game Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, on Earth-30847, Thanos built a containment device in Abel City. This device, a gauntlet of sorts, gave Thanos the ability to drain Ryu of the latter's Hado, which gave Thanos the power to wield the Satsui no Hado by artificial means, presumably with far better control and without the consequences of wielding it.

Belial

In Street Fighter vs. Darkstalkers, Belial was able to use this power to stop Jedah from overthrowing his title as the supreme and undisputed ruler of Makai.

Toro

In Street Fighter × Tekken, Toro is said to have the Satsui no Hado in him.

Shun

In Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, Shun used the Satsui no Hado when fighting.

Sadler

In Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, Sadler was able to gain the Satsui no Hado from Ryu with his technology as a means to rule the world.

Known victims of the Satsui no Hado

Street Fighter games

  • M. Bison - Defeated and seemingly murdered by Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, but survived the attack by putting by a part of his Psycho Power in another body.
  • Gen - Akuma used the Shun Goku Satsu on Gen during their fight in Street Fighter Alpha 2, but it had no effect on Gen since he had emptied his soul beforehand. In Street Fighter V however, Akuma returned to fight Gen again after realizing he had beaten his illness, thus deeming him worthy to kill. He defeated Gen with the Shun Goku Satsu after years of training harder.
  • Gouken - Defeated and seemingly murdered by Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu, but survived by emptying his soul using the Power of Nothingness.
  • Necalli - Defeated by Akuma in Street Fighter V.
  • Gill - Though disputed whether canon or not, he was defeated and seemingly murdered by Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu in Street Fighter III: Second Impact, but recovered via Resurrection.

Street Fighter-related media

  • Lee - Defeated by Akuma in Street Fighter Origins: Akuma.
  • Retsu - Defeated by a ten-year old Ryu in the UDON Comics.
  • Cody - Defeated by a possessed Ryu in the Street Fighter II Turbo comic.
  • Rose - Attacked by Akuma in an effort to save Ryu from Bison in the Street Fighter II Turbo comic.
  • Twelve - Defeated by a possessed Ryu in Street Fighter Unlimited.
  • Gebsion - Attacked by Dark Sakura during the events of Super Street Fighter: New Generation.
  • Birdie - Defeated by Evil Ryu in the Street Fighter Alpha manga.
  • Adon - Defeated by Evil Ryu in the Street Fighter Alpha manga.
  • Seth - Attacked by Akuma which caused him to go rouge in the Street Fighter IV comic.
  • Violent Ken - Defeated by Ryu in the Ultra Street Fighter II comic.
  • Guile - Attacked by Ryu's Shun Goku Satsu when his body and mind were possessed by Twelve in Street Fighter 100: Ryu vs. Chun-Li.

Other media

  • Heihachi Mishima - While he survived Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu by sheer endurance and super strength in Tekken 7, he was weakened as a result and due to it, was later defeated and killed by his son Kazuya.
  • Asura - Fought against and defeated Evil Ryu in Asura's Wrath. He would then fight against Oni, with their battle ending in a cliffhanger.

Trivia

  • While Kairi from the Street Fighter EX continuity is not a user of the Satsui no Hado, the power he wields works in a similar fashion.
    • Fellow Street Fighter EX fighter Garuda is also said to be linked to said power in the EX games, feeding from its power for his own existence. A similar power infests Garuda in Fighting EX Layer, but from another source.
  • In the iOS game Street Fighter IV Volt, the Satsui no Hado appears as a skill in Wandering Warrior. However, one would need the title "Messatsu!" to get this skill. When this skill activates, the player's avatar endures the hit that would have cost the avatar the match with 1 HP remaining, and then, it activates. While this skill is active, the damage the player's avatar scores on the opponent's avatar is increased.
  • Marvel Comics character Thanos is the first and only user who has obtained and used the Hado via artificial and mechanical means.
  • In Street Fighter Alpha: Generations, it is implied that supernatural beings of legend, such as an Oni, were actually people who gave into the Satsui no Hado and because of this, the bloodline of an individual was also altered as well.[citation needed]
  • As stated by Oro,[3] such malevolent powers ultimately share a ground of neutral capability as with all forms of other power; significantly within the history of martial arts, such history also ties in with the nature of human morality and thinking, as many societal factors, including a greater emphasis on the closeness of spiritual affairs with the living world through deeper practice of religion and mystical practices, and the rather fragile developing state of the human condition did not see the immediate execution of outlaws and criminals and death of warriors to be unnatural for their eras prior to the 20th Century and the modern day. Significantly in Japan, this would tie into samurai culture and their purposes in society, from being allowed with degrees of allowance to slay those who threaten society at large, and to help manage their ranks to uphold the honor of their caste, before the abolishment of the samurai caste into the Meiji era by 1868. This would explain why Goutetsu is able to balance his use of the Satsui no Hado.
  • While Akuma (until Street Fighter lll) embraced the full extent of the Satsui no Hado, his moral code served as a means of self-restraint that keeps him from committing indiscriminate assault against his opponents; this becomes non-existent once he evolves into Oni. However, in the case of Evil Ryu (and by extension, Kage), who lacks the moral principles of Akuma, are capable of borderline psychopathy, sadism, and homicidal tendencies due to their insatiable blood lust.[citation needed]
  • The reveal of Kage and Akuma's metamorphosis into Oni strongly suggest that the Satsui no Hado is what causes its users to turn into actual demons, the kind that are told of in Asian mythology and how they hunt people and wait for unsuspecting prey. This also implies that the Satsui no Hado is associated with Kegare.
  • In Street Fighter Origins: Akuma, the knowledge of the Satsui no Hado was not widely known about and the existence of the power was mostly know about through village and forklore.

References

  1. Taking the spirit to kill the opponent to the extreme, it transforms it into a physical power. As a power vector, it resembles Bison’s Psycho Power. Gouken worked to a method to restrain it; instead, Akuma refined it, choosing the path of carnage. It dwells naturally in Shoryuken, Hadoken and Tatsumakisenpukyaku; thus it's possible a user of these techniques like Ryu would wake up to it. (相手を倒したい心を極限まできわめ 、 物理的 な力へと変換したもの。 カのベクトルとしてはベガの 「 サイ コ パワー 」 に類似して いる 。 ゴウケンはこれを抑える方向に動いた が 、 豪鬼はこれをき わめて修羅進む ことに なった 。 昇龍拳波動拳 、 竜巻旋風脚に本来宿っており、これらの技 の 使い手であるリュウ も目覚め る可能性がある 。 ) from All About Capcom
  2. http://www.udonentertainment.com/blog/product/super-street-fighter-volume-2
  3. Shadaloo Combat Research Institute: Side Readers 01: "Musings on a Still Night" (part 2)
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