While we were all excited to see what Rohto|Tokido would do with his long time main character, another legendary player has picked up the newly released Akuma and is taking names with him left and right.
We’re speaking, of course, of the mighty Momochi who has already gotten Akuma into the 2000+ MR range and is showing a proficiency and understanding that is perhaps unrivaled. We’ve got a compilation of some of his best matches thus far thanks to Fight Club TV.
With so many useful tools across the neutral, offensive and defensive planes, Akuma can really shine when in the right hands. He’s a low health glass cannon, however, meaning that you’re likely going to lose a good bit while you hammer down timings and get your reactions in place, but it feels like Momochi all but skipped that step.
Not only are we seeing plenty of stylishly effective Drive Rush cancel combos and smart set ups, Momochi is even using some of the character’s less obviously beneficial tools, such as his now fully-vulnerable teleport.
Right around the 1:20 mark of the video, the Japanese pro uses a series of offensive maneuvers to quickly corner an opposing Cammy. Akuma shines in the corner with his many tools for opening foes up and draining life bars, so this is an especially scary place to defend from.
After a forward throw into the corner, Momochi closes the distance and threatens the aforementioned offense with a neutral Drive Rush, but then quickly teleports backwards before his opponent wakes up. The Cammy takes the bait and rifles off an OD uppercut that whiffs entirely and allows Momochi to lop off a ton of extra damage as a result.
If you’re learning Akuma right now this video is filled with sequences you’ll want to take notes on. Give it a watch and let us know any and all of the moments that stood out to you and why in the comments.