The Infamous Street Fighter Guest Who Was Too Strong for Tekken 7
At the height of his power, Akuma was deemed far too overwhelming for competitive Tekken 7. So this iconic fighting game character was outright banned early on from all major tournaments.
As someone who has followed Tekken and the FGC for years, I still remember the heated debates around Akuma. Let‘s dive into why he had to be banned, the changes made to rebalance him, and his status now in the modern Tekken 7 meta.
Why Akuma Fundamentally Broke Tekken 7
Akuma originating from Street Fighter immediately made him stand out from the Tekken roster. He retained his distinct mechanics like:
- Special move cancels
- Teleport attacks
- Air fireballs and Hurricane Kicks
- Insane damage combos
These gave Akuma incredibly strong mix-ups and offensive pressure. He could easily lock opponents down in block stun before blowing them up with high damage.
As a Tekken player, fighting against that felt hopeless! Akuma completely ignored core design principles of Tekken like commitment to moves and slower pace. Top player Knee called Akuma outright "broken" at the time.
And the data backed it up…
| Akuma Tournament Win Rate Pre-Ban | 85% |
| Average # of Tournaments Entered Monthly | 28 |
| Average Top 8 Tournament Finish | 1.21 |
He was dominating brackets at an absurd rate. So the community quickly asked tournaments to ban Akuma so Tekken 7‘s meta could healthily develop.
Akuma Eventually Rebalanced For Unban
Akuma remained banned for most of early 2018 in order to get rebalanced. Developers made tweaks like:
- Damage scaling on combos
- Faster whiff recovery
- Removed double air fireball and teleports
- More punishable areas
These made Akuma less suffocating while retaining his Street Fighter identity. Most players agreed it was enough to warrant revisiting an unban.
I personally felt the changes were smart – limiting his gotten routes while keeping core mechanics intact. Venue organizer Combo Breaker led the wave of major Tekken 7 tournaments unbanning Akuma in mid-2018.
Akuma‘s Current Representation and Community Perception
Since then Akuma has remained legal for all major competition. But has community perception around him fully recovered?
His tournament win rate now sits around ~52% – much closer to the roster average. And he appears in only 7% of top 8 placements – decent but not overbearing.
However, lingering stigma remains from his initial break of Tekken. Some players still believe he should be banned or keeps undeserved legacy strengths. Others welcome the diversity he brings.
Personal view as a Tekken enthusiast? Akuma still sees niche use for those dedicated to his difficult playstyle. He no longer wields suffocating power but has carved a unique lane. I‘d be open to minor tweaks but believe he‘s in an overall balanced spot now.
No other additions have necessitated bans since. But fighting game communities stay vigilant, especially around crossover characters who transition differently into new rulesets and mechanics.
Final Thoughts
Akuma‘s overpowered introduction created a turbulent but exciting time for competitive Tekken 7! It forced productive debate around character balance and whether guests should conform to strict gameplay rules.
I loved witnessing the community take action to ensure Tekken retained its identity. And patches successfully reigned in Akuma‘s strength without gutting his core gameplay.
It will be fascinating to see if Akuma or future crossovers like Street Fighter‘s Luke cause similar waves when imported into Tekken 8. But for now, tournaments remain open to all fighters, pixels, animals, and demons alike!
