Author: Casey "Waveflame" Rinaldi

After profiling the Mad Gear gang’s “Headbutt Brigade” earlier this week–before taking some time off for the Christmas holiday–the CFN Portal site is back with a special post-Holiday treat: to honor Akuma’s recent addition to the playable cast of Street Fighter V, the Shadaloo Activity Report has finally released their report on the final currently-revealed playable cast member in the franchise, as well as some concept artwork for the “Master of the Fist!” First introduced to the series as a time-release character in 2010’s Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, it’s the “Mad Demon,” Kuruoshiki Oni!

Private Nakagawa: “Scaaaryyyy! It’s a bit soon to scatter beans though, [this update being posted on December 26th; he’s referencing 節分 Setsubun, when children throw beans at demons, usually their fathers in disguise] This is the form Akuma will take after continued exposure to the Satsui no Hadō!

Basic Info:

Name: Kuruoshiki Oni
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Blood type: Unknown
Birthday: Unknown
Home Country: Unknown
Likes: Unknown
Dislikes: Unknown

Private Nakagawa: A demon god who has lost and emotion and feeling in his body, and whose existence is entirely devoted to fighting and battle. Satsui no Hadō continuously flows from his body. He beats his opponents with violent techniques, such as Rakan Dantōjin [“Arhat-severing Tower Blade.”/”Demon Slash.” His half-circle-forward + kick special from USFIV.] or Sekisei Jiraiken! [“Red Star Landmine Fist.”/”Ground Pound.” His Dragon Punch + kick special from USFIV.] His physique has improved, and so has his strength.

In addition to this 213th Character Profile, the CFN Portal site has also released some new concept art for Akuma, showcasing how the Raging Demon’s new look slowly began to take shape in Street Fighter V, before he became the lion-esque, bearded beast we now have today. First some words from Director Takayuki Nakayama!

Director Nakayama: Although the Raging Demon has finally been released, his appearance has been redesigned. Here are some of the rough pictures drawn when we were introducing his new design.

Naked Upper Body ver.

Director Nakayama: His waist is a bit slim. The gi and wild beard are close to what we adopted.

South American Demon ver.

Director Nakayama: If you came back to South America and lived there for life, there is exactly such as guy, and it is a Mad Demon that cannot come out to appear.

Is it Hot or Cold? ver.

Director Nakayama: He was thrown away because his coat was gloomy. Since he was attacked by a bear when it became a little chilly, he defeated it and made it into a scarf.

I picked up a baby ver.

Director Nakayama: His V-Trigger rocks the baby to sleep. By doing so, you can demonstrate his original power. He never comes down from his back. A baby can appear as “a character brought up by a Mad Demon” in a few years. It’s a super delicious setting.

Almost Completed ver.

Director Nakayama: There is nothing, it is almost a finished version of the Raging Demon. Actually, it is almost what I drew up in a meeting for the first time. In other words, while keeping the designs of past works as well, I tried and tried to make a new Demon. The baby’s topic is fine. The development members were also hit by the loveliness of Ako. Please look forward to next time.

That brings us to the end of another CFN profile. Will the Andore Family or the members of the Mad Gear Gang from Final Fight 2 be spotlighted in the coming days? Keep your browser locked right here to Shoryuken, as we’ll be covering the next profiles as they are released! But if you’re looking for more Oni action, you can catch him in the latest issue of UDON’s Street Fighter Unlimited #12, which is on sale now for $3.99 USD, anywhere comic books are sold!

Sources: CFN Portal (Oni Profile); Akuma Concept Art

(Special Thanks to Midgardsorn for translation and footnotes of the Oni Profile)

Last week, we covered VesperArcade’s Assist History video, where he and Canadian Marvel player Detramantix took a look at the evolution of the Assist mechanic throughout the Vs. Series. Now they return with a bit of a follow-up video, focusing on how the Infinity Stones, or rather Gems, were implemented back in 1995’s Marvel Super Heroes, and use what we know about them there to speculate how they might be utilized in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.

In that game, based on the “Infinity Gauntlet” storyline, the six Gems: Power, Time, Reality, Mind, Soul, and Space, were not manually chosen by players before matches–as they will be in Infinite–rather they would be sorted into a random order revealed at the Vs. screen that they would follow during matches. In order to make them appear, players had to meet certain criteria, such as scoring the First Attack. The Gem will pop out on the side of the player who completed the condition to make it appear, but can be grabbed by both, and can even be stolen from players if they haven’t activated it. Players can carry multiple Gems, and could cycle through them with the Start button. Gem activation will also hit the opponent and knock them away, similar to how Ryu wall bounces Captain Marvel with the Power Stone in the MVC:I trailer.

Gem abilities were as follows:

• The Power Gem gave each character a damage buff, and granted certain characters special abilities, such as giving Spider-Man a mirror image of himself on the other side of the opponent, allowing for sandwich combos. Captain America received multi-hitting Specials that would eventually become his Hyper Combos in later titles. Wolverine created blurred shadow images of himself, that would follow him around. Psylocke was given an invulnerable clone, which appeared in front of and behind her and could deal damage.
• The Time Gem provided increased movement speed. Hulk gained 2-hits on his heavy attacks, while Shuma-Gorath’s normals turned his opponents to stone. Time Gem-specific combos were also possible, which seems to also be the case in MVC:I.
• The Space Gem increased defense. Juggernaut became immune to all attacks but throws, while Magneto gained a magnetic shield, making him immune to ALL forms of attacks.
• The Reality Gem provided elemental projectiles such as fireballs, icicles, lightning balls and even a pumpkin that can stun opponents. Blackheart could also become invisible.
• The Soul Gem allowed lost health recovery. Iron Man gained an electric effect on his normals that increased damage and allowed him to drain his opponent’s Super Combo gauge.
• The Mind Gem allows the regeneration of Super Combo gauge.

The game also allowed players the option of turning the Gems off by both holding down the Start button before the match, signified by a “No Gems” message, giving players a choice to abandon this mechanic for a more traditional experience.

You can see the full video below.

What did you think about the Infinity Gems in Marvel Super Heroes, and do you hope the Stones work similarly in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite? Let us know in the Comments below!

Source: VesperArcade

With Season 2 of Street Fighter V brining the return of the Raging Demon, players all over the world are battling it out to determine who is the true Master of the Fist. We’ve already seen some of what Tokido and Mago can do with Akuma, but there are battles being raged by other players out there as well!

First, we have Team Secret’s Poongko fighting it out with his Cammy against Hyde Buffy’s Akuma in a FT3 on the Kanzuki Private Beach.

Next, we have 6 Ranked Matches featuring AiAi’s Juri against number 7-Ranked Yuhi-hikali, who’s normally known for his fearsome Necalli play!

“HungryPoongko” takes the Raging Demon for a spin against Hyde Buffy’s Akuma and Cammy, TekkenBoy’s F.A.N.G, RINTO_TERUYO’s Chun-Li, tkg-r27’s Ibuki–featuring an impressive Raging Demon comeback from “The Machine!”

We head across the pond to witness a FT2 Ranked Match showdown between two Akumas from the United Kingdom, as ImStillDaDaddy faces off against MDZ Jimmy on the new Temple of Ascension stage.

Maximilian has released the first part of his Week Of! featuring him using Akuma against various online opponents.

We also have more matches featuring Tokido, taking on Nakodid’s M. Bison.

Here’s some highlights of Evil Geniuses’ Momochi’s Day 1 Akuma, which XusesGB believes to be on par with Tokido’s already.

It seems GGP|Kazunoko, LI Joe, EG|Justin Wong, Chris G, Yukadon, Onuki and Mago have also taken him for a spin.

Chris G and Winterfox’s XSK Samurai go to war in this Ranked FT3 Akuma Mirror.

Finally, we have even more–even longer–Ranked Matches from “The Murderface” Tokido, as he continues to gain proficiency with the latest incarnation of the character he’s most associated with in recent times.

Season 2’s first New Challenger continues to make an impact across the landscape of Street Fighter V. If you too walk the Demon’s path, you can check out another compilation of combos and match highlights here.

Sources: XusesGB; YogaFlame24; Maximilan Dood; E-SportsFighters(SF5)

After taking a few weeks off, the CFN Portal site is back to posting profiles once again, continuing the Shadaloo Activity Report’s look into the members of the Mad Gear Gang from 1989’s Final Fight, this time focusing on three of the gang’s portlier members, known for their powerful charging headbutts: Wong Who, Bill Bull and G. Oriber!

Private Nakagawa: I think there were many of you who were surprised by a sudden headbutt charge from offscreen. That sound, THOOM, THOOM, THOOM, was so scary!

Basic Info:

Name: Wong Who
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 214 kg
Blood type: 0
Birthday: March 8th
Home Country: USA
Likes: Karaage, Sweet Foods in general
Dislikes: Useless Efforts

Private Nakagawa: A giant active in the vicinity of Metro City’s harbor. He earned his living from weapon smuggling and contraband. He has a big tiger tattoo on his back. It seems he has a relative able to spit poison from his mouth, active in an Asian organization specialized in drugs. [It seems Wong Who’s related to T.U.S.K from the Nguuhao, who was killed by M. Bison during their failed coup attempt against Shadaloo.]

Next up, we have Bill Bull!

Private Nakagawa: Another one of the headbutt brigade. Sometimes he dished out a powerful front kick. He drinks, rages and breaks beer bottles. Scary, scary!

Basic Info:

Name: Bill Bull
Height: 195 cm
Weight: 212 kg
Blood type: B
Birthday: April 2nd
Home Country: USA
Likes: His Original Cocktail, Watching Baseball
Dislikes: Exercise

Private Nakagawa: He’s renowned for his original cocktail, in which he mixes Worcestershire sauce, shōyu, mustard, Chili oil and dressing. It seems that he’s recently enjoying mellowing it with honey. He tried a diet once, but it didn’t last long.

Rounding out the trio is G. Oriber!

Private Nakagawa: He’s the last member of the headbutt brigade. He has the strongest kicks amongst all its members. Well, at least he thinks so.

Basic Info:

Name: G. Oriber
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 209 kg
Blood type: A
Birthday: September 4th
Home Country: USA
Likes: Hamburgers, Fatty Foods
Dislikes: Police

Private Nakgawa: He has great faith in himself, and always tyrannises people. He boasts about his sideburns, that he never forgets to trim. Apparently, he doesn’t use an electric shaver, instead insisting upon using a straight razor. The G. in his name stands for “Graham.” [I also suspect that “Oriber” was actually Oliver (again, its kana interpretation goes both ways). That would nicely fit Capcom’s tendency to randomly reference rock artists in Final Fight.]

That wraps another set of CFN Profiles. For a look at more Mad Gear members, take a look at Axl, Slash and Roxy here, as well as El Gado and Holly Wood here,  Bred, Dug, Jake and Simons here, and TWO.P and J here. Stay tuned to Shoryuken, where we’ll bring you more CFN Portal site profiles as they’re released!

Source: CFN Portal, special thanks to Midgardsorn for translation and footnotes on these profiles

In a surprising development earlier today, Eduardo “PR Balrog” Perez announced that after his contract expires on December 31st, he will not be re-signing with Evil Geniuses in 2017, instead choosing to bring an end to his 52-month tenure with the company, that began back in August 2012.

Noting that there is no animosity between the two parties–with the split being fully amicable–Perez noted that he wants to go it alone in the new year.

I basically want to gather sponsors for myself, instead of being on a team, and I feel that’s going to be more like a personal growth of a brand of myself, instead of being in a team and promoting them, etc. I want to promote myself now. I think that’s the smart thing to do in the long-term.

In terms of his other plans for 2017, ‘Rog said that he wants to stream more, and will actually get a set schedule for his broadcasts, as well as hoping to acquire lots of sponsors for it. Perez also wanted to insure that the “retirement rumors” wouldn’t start cropping up again in the wake of his departure.

Another thing, please, I’m not retiring. I know that you guys want to keep that joke alive, “when is he gonna retire? Blah, blah, blah,” but no, I’m here to stay. I will be here for a long, long time.

In closing, Perez wanted to thank EG for the opportunity, as well as his teammates, claiming that he’ll always “bleed blue.” You can see the announcement video below.

We here at Shoryuken would like to wish PR Balrog the best in his future endeavors, and we look forward to seeing him at more tournaments in 2017!

Source: PR_Balrog

Today we feature a set from two players not currently seen much in terms of the competitive spotlight, as the two are known more for their “Excellent Adventures” these days—Mike “4th Place” Ross and Gootecks face off in this First-to-7 war, marking the first time the two have ever competed against each other inside a Battle Lounge.

Armed with their signature Laura and Urien, will Mike prove once and for all that he’s “The People’s Champ?” Or will Gootecks’ mastery of the “Dominating Light” from his Street Fighter III: Third Strike days guide him to victory with the Vice President of the Illuminati? This may not be the absolute strongest level of play we’ve seen out of these two characters so far in SFV season one, but it’s guaranteed to be entertaining! Find out who reigns supreme in the video below, and be sure to check out Xuses’ YouTube channel for plenty of high-level SFV action, including this recent set between Haitani’s Necalli and Osayu’s Cammy.

Source: XusesGB

After covering knife nuts El Gado and Holly Wood, the CFN Portal site continues its rundown of the Mad Gear members from the original Final Fight, with the Shadaloo Activity Report’s research on Poison’s partner-in-crime, Roxy, as well as Axl and Slash, three characters that are based on–or named after–famous musicians of the 80s, the time period in which Final Fight was both created and set in.

Private Nakagawa: Roxy, the flower (?) of Mad Gear! Apparently, she came from an orphanage in Los Angeles like Poison, but she doesn’t speak often about her past.

Basic Info:

Name: Roxy
Height: 174 cm
Weight: 51 kg
Blood type: 0
Birthday: June 10th
Home Country: USA
Likes: Muscle Training, Shopping
Dislikes: Train Travel

Private Nakagawa: She has a characteristic husky voice. Currently, she’s active with Abigail, Axl, and J around Metro City’s Bay Area. She loves to squander money.

Next, we move on to the first Mad Gear member who serves as  a Guns N’ Roses homage: Axl!

Private Nakagawa: His leather jacket is so cool! And his Double Hammer Punch is very powerful. He can even guard attacks.

Basic Info:

Name: Axl
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 90 kg
Blood type: A
Birthday: May 1st
Home Country: USA
Likes: Motorbikes, Soft Drinks
Dislikes: All Vegetables

Private Nakagawa: He loves his motorbike. He roars around Metro City all night long with his associates. Usually drinks a Japanese soft drink with plenty of calcium and iron added. [There are various Japanese soft drinks firms that produce those drinks, most notably Suntory.]

Finally, we have Axl’s partner and “head swap,” who’s a fellow shout-out to Guns N’ Roses: Slash.

Private Nakagawa: He let his grow, huh. He fights using whatever he finds around him as a weapon. Hates losing.

Basic Info:

Name: Slash
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 97 kg
Blood type: B
Birthday: February 6th
Home Country: England
Likes: Cars, Sports Games
Dislikes: Noisy People

Private Nakagawa: He has a high professional sense of consciousness, respected even within Mad Gear. He’s silent and taciturn, being a man of few words; but when he plays games, he always shouts and yells like Hell. He loves watching soccer (doesn’t like to play it, though).

That’s another three Mad Gear members down. For more about the gang, you can check out profiles on Bred, Dug, Jake and Simons here. Stay tuned, as we’ll provide more coverage of CFN Portal profiles as they appear!  Do you have any thoughts on Roxy, Axl and Slash’s new looks? Sound off in the Comments below!

Source: CFN Portal; special thanks to Midgarsorm for translations and footnotes