GENERAL/STORY:
Gouken is Ryu and Ken's original master, as well as the older brother and former sparring partner of Akuma. Gouken has always been a supporting character in the Street Fighter series since Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street fighter Alpha. He made his first official appearance in Street Fighter IV as a playable character.

According to the backstory later introduced in the series in Super Street Fighter II Turbo and the later Street Fighter Alpha series, Gouken and his younger brother Akuma (or Gouki) were apprentices of Goutetsu, a martial art master who taught the brothers an ancient assassination style. While Akuma embraced the murderous nature of this style, eventually killing Goutetsu in combat after mastering the forbidden technique of the Shun Goku Satsu, Gouken refined the techniques of this murderous style and developed them into a pure martial art, which he then taught to two pupils: Ryu and Ken. 

Prior to the events of the Street Fighter Alpha series, Gouken was challenged by Akuma to a death match and was defeated, setting off Ryu's quest to avenge his master's apparent death in Street Fighter Alpha 2. Gouken is also an old friend of Retsu's.

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ORIGIN:
Street Fighter IV

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OTHER APPEARANCES:
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REVIEW:
Finally, the mysterious Master Gouken made it to an actual fighting game... It sure has been a long time coming, since he's one of the most prominent characters in the Street Fighter storyline that was never actually in a game until SFIV. The wait was surely worth it, because his fighting style and appearance in Street Fighter IV is beyond epic (and badass). Gouken takes Ryu's 'Shin-Shoryuken' to a new "ouch factor" level with his version of the move in SF4... Man, I just never get tired of watching him hit that move.
 

Fighting  Style  /  Moves
Personality  /  Charisma
Outfit(s)  /  Appearance
Effectiveness  in  series
Overall Score