Gouken
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
in the Street Fighter series. He is the martial arts
master who trained Ryu
and Ken, as well as the elder brother and former training partner of Akuma
. Gouken is usually depicted as a bearded man who wears Mala
prayer beads on his neck and a karate gi with the kanji
mu
(無), or "void
" sewn to the back. Although Gouken has been a supporting character
in the background story Street Fighter series since Super Street Fighter II Turbo
, he did not make his first full-fledged appearance in the video game until his appearance as a hidden character in Street Fighter IV
.
While the backstory for the early installments of the Street Fighter series established that Ryu and Ken trained under the same martial arts master, the identity of this character was originally unnamed. The character Gouken was conceived to serve this role in the Masaomi Kanzaki manga
Street Fighter II: Ryu, an adaptation of the original Street Fighter II serialized in Japan's Family Computer Magazine (and later adapted into English under the simplified title Street Fighter II). In the storyline of the manga, Gouken trained Ryu and Ken in his temple somewhere in the Japanese wilderness. One day, Akuma stormed Goukens dojo and killed him, leaving Ryu and Ken with the duty to avenge their masters death. While the manga took liberties with the established canon of the games, Goukens character would be adapted in the storyline of the later games in the series following Akuma
's introduction in Super Street Fighter II Turbo
.
Other characters were also conceived to fill the role of Ryu and Kens mentor in licensed adaptations. in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
, which was released shortly after Super Street Fighter II Turbo in Japan, is mentioned to be Ryu and Ken's master when their vital statistics are compared in a scene. Although Goutetsu was also introduced in Akuma's background story in Super Turbo as well, in the video game canon he serves the role of Gouken and Akuma's sensei. Also filling a similar role is in the 1995 manga Street Fighter II V Retsuden by Yasushi Baba (a loose adaptation of the TV anime series Street Fighter II V
serialzed at Comic Bon Bon). In Retsuden, Gou-un was the assistant instructor who taught Ryu how to perform a Hadoken.
The instruction manual for the American and European versions of Street Fighter II for the SNES
identified Ryu and Ken's master under the name of Sheng Long
, a name derived from a mistranslation of Ryu's victory phrase in the arcade version of the game ("You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance"), which was also basis of the hoax character of the same name
. In fact, Sheng Long is the Mandarin pronunciation of the first two kanji characters in , the Japanese name of the Dragon Punch, one of Ryu and Ken's special techniques. Shōryūken, or shēng lóng quán in Mandarin, means "Rising Dragon Fist".
Gouken makes his first full-fledged appearance as a fighter in the arcade version of Street Fighter IV
, where he appears as a secret computer-controlled challenger. His presence in the game was hinted months before his official appearance in the game, with Street Fighter IV project manager Natsuki Shiozawa showing a silhouetted illustration in her blog, claiming that the character was "Sheng Long", as well as the character being featured in an animated teaser for the console versions of Street Fighter IV and in Akumas ending in the game. In the home versions, he becomes a selectable character, but has to be unlocked.
According to the backstory that was developed for Super Street Fighter II Turbo and the Street Fighter Alpha series, Gouken and Akuma learned a murderous martial art style from their master, Goutetsu. which included the special techniques the Hadoken, the Shoryuken and the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, 20 years before the Street Fighter tournament. After Goutetsu was killed by Akuma, Gouken refined these special techniques, eliminating the "murderous energy" they possessed, and developed them into a purely combative martial art. He would then teach this new style to two students, Ryu and Ken. Gouken also trained Dan
at one time, but then expelled him after seeing that Dan was motivated by revenge.
Gouken makes an appearance in Akuma's ending in the original Street Fighter Alpha, in which he is depicted as a white-bearded old man with bushy eyebrows. Akumas dialogue exchange with Ryu in Street Fighter Alpha 2
suggest that Akuma killed Gouken prior to the events of the Alpha series. Suzaku Castle, Ryu's home stage in the Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 2, and Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, is the apparent resting place of Gouken.
In Street Fighter IV, Capcom retconned that Gouken had survived his battle with Akuma and was still alive. In Gouken's animated opening he reveals that after losing in battle to Akuma he did not die but was simply rendered unconscious for an extended period of time. Gouken survived the Shun Goku Satsu by completely emptying his soul of emotions, which left him in a deep coma. He is shown watching as Ryu and Ken walk off, believing him, Gouken, to be dead. He is not concerned, however, what Ryu and Ken believe as he knows that their path is a righteous one and that he looks forward to reuniting with them once more someday. Gouken's mid-game cutscene show him confront Ryu, much to Ryu's disbelief, for a friendly master versus student spar in which Gouken is victorious. In his animated ending, Gouken faces Ryu again, finding that his student is being overtaken by the murderous energy, defeats him and suppresses, after which he notices Akuma is in the area. He also appears again in Akuma's animated ending. In this scene, after Ryu has been defeated by Gouken, Akuma appears and challenges his brother to a fight to the death with the winner claiming Ryu. Gouken also reveals that he has reached a new level of mastery known as and has now become even stronger, to the point where Akuma stops his Raging Demon attack after sensing Gouken's power of Nothingness.
series (he can throw two at the same time as an EX Move as well); the , a technique in which Gouken advances (while passing through attacks and fireballs) towards his opponent in a pose similar to Akuma's Ashura Senkuu pose in Street Fighter EX and attacks with a powerful palm; the , a vertical version of the Tatsumaki Senpū Kyaku; and the , Ryu and Kens Aerial Hurricane Kick from Street Fighter II′: Hyper Fighting. While Gouken doesn't use the Dragon Punch as a regular special technique, his Super Combo is the , while his Ultra Combo is the , which was originally one of Ryus Super Arts from the Street Fighter III games and a Super Combo in Street Fighter Alpha 3. In addition, he also has Ryu's as a second Ultra Combo in Super Street Fighter IV; much like the original, it can be charged for greater damage and stun, and even provides a wall bounce which can be used as a follow up for a combo.
's manga adaptations of Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter III: Ryu Final, where he appears in flashbacks involving Ryu and Ken's training days. The Alpha manga differs from the back-story of the games in which it was Goutetsu, rather Gouken, who refined their martial art from an art of assassination to a pure martial art. In addition, the manga also established that Gouken forbade Ryu and Ken the use of the Shōryūken. Ryu Final depicts the battle between Gouken and Akuma, which results in the destruction of a forest and the collapse of a hill. The prayer beads wore by Akuma are the same ones that originally belonged to Gouken. Gouken also appears in the Street Fighter
episode "The World's Greatest Warrior", with his character design being similar to those in prior Street Fighter manga.
Gouken's role in UDON Entertainment's Street Fighter comic series is much the same as his official story. Gouken raised Ryu, an orphaned boy, in the ways of his martial art. During his training, Gouken committed himself to teaching Ryu only the non-lethal arts, sparing him from the darkness that would come from teaching him the full range of techniques (the side that embraces the Satsui no Hadō, or "Killing Intent"). He also would train the son of an American businessman, Ken Masters, much in the same way. Gouken maintains a difference in philosophy from his brother, Akuma, who believes that the only true mastery comes from training in all facets of their art. This eventually leads to his death during Ryu's absence from the dojo to attend the first Street Fighter tournament. Akuma challenges Gouken to a mortal battle and Gouken is defeated. For the remainder of the comic series, Ryu dedicates himself to forcing out the negativity that wells up within him and adhering to his master's precepts and teachings of humanity and respect for one's opponent. However, he also yearns to avenge Gouken's death and will seek out Akuma at any cost. This all comes to a head at the conclusion of the series (during the third series of comics, Street Fighter II Turbo) when Ryu is attending M. Bison's Street Fighter tournament. Akuma intervenes before the final battle of the tournament between Ryu and Bison and defeats Bison so he may fight Ryu. The two clash but Akuma still overpowers Ryu. Before he can land the final blow, Gouken's spirit is revived and engages a shocked Akuma. The two warriors battle to an unseen conclusion.
commented that Gouken is one of the best new characters from Street Fighter IV, recommending him highly due to his large number of combos and originality. Cam Shea of IGN AU held similar praise, adding "He just exudes power." Randolph Ramsay of GameSpot
shared the sentiment, noting that while Gouken had the same fighting style as Ryu and Ken he was very unique and powerful. On the other hand, Game Revolution
reviewer Nick Tan criticized Gouken's moves for being much stronger than those of many other characters, making evading them almost impossible. GamesRadar
mentioned that they want to see a matchup between Gouken and Jinpachi Mishima on their "12 matchups we want to see in Street Fighter X Tekken" list, exclaiming "Roided out Rumble in the retirement home!".
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Street Fighter series. He is the martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
master who trained Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
and Ken, as well as the elder brother and former training partner of Akuma
Akuma (Street Fighter)
Akuma known in Japan as , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. In the storyline of the Street Fighter video games, he is the younger brother of Gouken, Ryu and Ken's...
. Gouken is usually depicted as a bearded man who wears Mala
Prayer beads
Prayer beads are used by members of various religious traditions such as Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Anglicanism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Bahá'í Faith to count the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions, such as the rosary of Virgin Mary in Christianity and dhikr ...
prayer beads on his neck and a karate gi with the kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
mu
Mu (negative)
or Wu , is a word which has been translated variously as "not", "nothing", "without", "nothingness", "non existent", "non being", or evocatively simply as "no thing"...
(無), or "void
Anatta
In Buddhism, anattā or anātman refers to the notion of "not-self." In the early texts, the Buddha commonly uses the word in the context of teaching that all things perceived by the senses are not really "I" or "mine," and for this reason one should not cling to them.In the same vein, the Pali...
" sewn to the back. Although Gouken has been a supporting character
Supporting character
A supporting character is a character of a book, play, video game, movie, television or radio show or other form of storytelling usually used to give added dimension to a main character, by adding a relationship with this character...
in the background story Street Fighter series since Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Super Street Fighter II Turbo, released in Japan as , is a competitive fighting game released for the arcades by Capcom in . It is the fifth arcade installment in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Super Street Fighter II...
, he did not make his first full-fledged appearance in the video game until his appearance as a hidden character in Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter IV
is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008, with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
.
Character development
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Street Fighter II: Ryu, an adaptation of the original Street Fighter II serialized in Japan's Family Computer Magazine (and later adapted into English under the simplified title Street Fighter II). In the storyline of the manga, Gouken trained Ryu and Ken in his temple somewhere in the Japanese wilderness. One day, Akuma stormed Goukens dojo and killed him, leaving Ryu and Ken with the duty to avenge their masters death. While the manga took liberties with the established canon of the games, Goukens character would be adapted in the storyline of the later games in the series following Akuma
Akuma (Street Fighter)
Akuma known in Japan as , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. In the storyline of the Street Fighter video games, he is the younger brother of Gouken, Ryu and Ken's...
's introduction in Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Super Street Fighter II Turbo, released in Japan as , is a competitive fighting game released for the arcades by Capcom in . It is the fifth arcade installment in the Street Fighter II sub-series of Street Fighter games, following Super Street Fighter II...
.
Other characters were also conceived to fill the role of Ryu and Kens mentor in licensed adaptations. in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, known as in Japan and Australia, is a 1994 Japanese animated film adaptation of the Street Fighter II fighting games written by Kenichi Imai, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and animated by Group TAC. The film, originally released in Japan on August 8, 1994, has...
, which was released shortly after Super Street Fighter II Turbo in Japan, is mentioned to be Ryu and Ken's master when their vital statistics are compared in a scene. Although Goutetsu was also introduced in Akuma's background story in Super Turbo as well, in the video game canon he serves the role of Gouken and Akuma's sensei. Also filling a similar role is in the 1995 manga Street Fighter II V Retsuden by Yasushi Baba (a loose adaptation of the TV anime series Street Fighter II V
Street Fighter II V
, is an anime series based on the fighting game Street Fighter II. Directed by Gisaburo Sugii , the series first aired in Japan in 1995, from April 10 to November 27, on YTV...
serialzed at Comic Bon Bon). In Retsuden, Gou-un was the assistant instructor who taught Ryu how to perform a Hadoken.
The instruction manual for the American and European versions of Street Fighter II for the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
identified Ryu and Ken's master under the name of Sheng Long
Sheng Long
Sheng Long is a character hoax related to the Street Fighter video game series, created by Electronic Gaming Monthly as an April Fool's gag in 1992. The joke, based upon a mistranslation that suggested the existence of a character named Sheng Long in the Capcom video game Street Fighter II,...
, a name derived from a mistranslation of Ryu's victory phrase in the arcade version of the game ("You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance"), which was also basis of the hoax character of the same name
Sheng Long
Sheng Long is a character hoax related to the Street Fighter video game series, created by Electronic Gaming Monthly as an April Fool's gag in 1992. The joke, based upon a mistranslation that suggested the existence of a character named Sheng Long in the Capcom video game Street Fighter II,...
. In fact, Sheng Long is the Mandarin pronunciation of the first two kanji characters in , the Japanese name of the Dragon Punch, one of Ryu and Ken's special techniques. Shōryūken, or shēng lóng quán in Mandarin, means "Rising Dragon Fist".
Gouken makes his first full-fledged appearance as a fighter in the arcade version of Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter IV
is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008, with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
, where he appears as a secret computer-controlled challenger. His presence in the game was hinted months before his official appearance in the game, with Street Fighter IV project manager Natsuki Shiozawa showing a silhouetted illustration in her blog, claiming that the character was "Sheng Long", as well as the character being featured in an animated teaser for the console versions of Street Fighter IV and in Akumas ending in the game. In the home versions, he becomes a selectable character, but has to be unlocked.
Fictional background
Dan Hibiki
is a video game character from Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. Introduced in Street Fighter Alpha, Dan is consistently portrayed as an arrogant, overconfident, yet utterly feeble character.-Concept and creation:...
at one time, but then expelled him after seeing that Dan was motivated by revenge.
Gouken makes an appearance in Akuma's ending in the original Street Fighter Alpha, in which he is depicted as a white-bearded old man with bushy eyebrows. Akumas dialogue exchange with Ryu in Street Fighter Alpha 2
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Street Fighter Alpha 2, known as in Japan, Asia and South America, is a fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is both a sequel and a remake to the previous years Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, which is itself a prequel to the Street Fighter...
suggest that Akuma killed Gouken prior to the events of the Alpha series. Suzaku Castle, Ryu's home stage in the Street Fighter II series, Street Fighter Alpha 2, and Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, is the apparent resting place of Gouken.
In Street Fighter IV, Capcom retconned that Gouken had survived his battle with Akuma and was still alive. In Gouken's animated opening he reveals that after losing in battle to Akuma he did not die but was simply rendered unconscious for an extended period of time. Gouken survived the Shun Goku Satsu by completely emptying his soul of emotions, which left him in a deep coma. He is shown watching as Ryu and Ken walk off, believing him, Gouken, to be dead. He is not concerned, however, what Ryu and Ken believe as he knows that their path is a righteous one and that he looks forward to reuniting with them once more someday. Gouken's mid-game cutscene show him confront Ryu, much to Ryu's disbelief, for a friendly master versus student spar in which Gouken is victorious. In his animated ending, Gouken faces Ryu again, finding that his student is being overtaken by the murderous energy, defeats him and suppresses, after which he notices Akuma is in the area. He also appears again in Akuma's animated ending. In this scene, after Ryu has been defeated by Gouken, Akuma appears and challenges his brother to a fight to the death with the winner claiming Ryu. Gouken also reveals that he has reached a new level of mastery known as and has now become even stronger, to the point where Akuma stops his Raging Demon attack after sensing Gouken's power of Nothingness.
Techniques
Goukens special techniques in Street Fighter IV include the , a variation of the Hadōken projectile techniques which he performs with only one hand, in addition to being able to launch them at an angle and delay their release, similarly to Urien's Metallic Sphere technique in the Street Fighter IIIStreet Fighter III
is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping...
series (he can throw two at the same time as an EX Move as well); the , a technique in which Gouken advances (while passing through attacks and fireballs) towards his opponent in a pose similar to Akuma's Ashura Senkuu pose in Street Fighter EX and attacks with a powerful palm; the , a vertical version of the Tatsumaki Senpū Kyaku; and the , Ryu and Kens Aerial Hurricane Kick from Street Fighter II′: Hyper Fighting. While Gouken doesn't use the Dragon Punch as a regular special technique, his Super Combo is the , while his Ultra Combo is the , which was originally one of Ryus Super Arts from the Street Fighter III games and a Super Combo in Street Fighter Alpha 3. In addition, he also has Ryu's as a second Ultra Combo in Super Street Fighter IV; much like the original, it can be charged for greater damage and stun, and even provides a wall bounce which can be used as a follow up for a combo.
In other media
In addition to his debut in the Masaomi Kanzaki's manga adaptation of Street Fighter II, Gouken also played a role in Masahiko NakahiraMasahiko Nakahira
is a manga artist from Kōchi City, Japan. He is best known for his numerous manga adaptations of the popular fighting game series Street Fighter...
's manga adaptations of Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter III: Ryu Final, where he appears in flashbacks involving Ryu and Ken's training days. The Alpha manga differs from the back-story of the games in which it was Goutetsu, rather Gouken, who refined their martial art from an art of assassination to a pure martial art. In addition, the manga also established that Gouken forbade Ryu and Ken the use of the Shōryūken. Ryu Final depicts the battle between Gouken and Akuma, which results in the destruction of a forest and the collapse of a hill. The prayer beads wore by Akuma are the same ones that originally belonged to Gouken. Gouken also appears in the Street Fighter
Street Fighter (TV series)
Street Fighter is an American animated series produced by InVision Entertainment based on the Street Fighter live action movie, which was in turn based on the Street Fighter video game franchise. The series aired as part of the USA Network's Cartoon Express and Action Extreme Team lineups...
episode "The World's Greatest Warrior", with his character design being similar to those in prior Street Fighter manga.
Gouken's role in UDON Entertainment's Street Fighter comic series is much the same as his official story. Gouken raised Ryu, an orphaned boy, in the ways of his martial art. During his training, Gouken committed himself to teaching Ryu only the non-lethal arts, sparing him from the darkness that would come from teaching him the full range of techniques (the side that embraces the Satsui no Hadō, or "Killing Intent"). He also would train the son of an American businessman, Ken Masters, much in the same way. Gouken maintains a difference in philosophy from his brother, Akuma, who believes that the only true mastery comes from training in all facets of their art. This eventually leads to his death during Ryu's absence from the dojo to attend the first Street Fighter tournament. Akuma challenges Gouken to a mortal battle and Gouken is defeated. For the remainder of the comic series, Ryu dedicates himself to forcing out the negativity that wells up within him and adhering to his master's precepts and teachings of humanity and respect for one's opponent. However, he also yearns to avenge Gouken's death and will seek out Akuma at any cost. This all comes to a head at the conclusion of the series (during the third series of comics, Street Fighter II Turbo) when Ryu is attending M. Bison's Street Fighter tournament. Akuma intervenes before the final battle of the tournament between Ryu and Bison and defeats Bison so he may fight Ryu. The two clash but Akuma still overpowers Ryu. Before he can land the final blow, Gouken's spirit is revived and engages a shocked Akuma. The two warriors battle to an unseen conclusion.
Reception
Ryan Clements from IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
commented that Gouken is one of the best new characters from Street Fighter IV, recommending him highly due to his large number of combos and originality. Cam Shea of IGN AU held similar praise, adding "He just exudes power." Randolph Ramsay of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
shared the sentiment, noting that while Gouken had the same fighting style as Ryu and Ken he was very unique and powerful. On the other hand, Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
reviewer Nick Tan criticized Gouken's moves for being much stronger than those of many other characters, making evading them almost impossible. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
mentioned that they want to see a matchup between Gouken and Jinpachi Mishima on their "12 matchups we want to see in Street Fighter X Tekken" list, exclaiming "Roided out Rumble in the retirement home!".
See also
- Sheng LongSheng LongSheng Long is a character hoax related to the Street Fighter video game series, created by Electronic Gaming Monthly as an April Fool's gag in 1992. The joke, based upon a mistranslation that suggested the existence of a character named Sheng Long in the Capcom video game Street Fighter II,...
, a hoax character conceived from a mistranslation in the original Street Fighter II