By John Schutt
The Monster Hunter series is no stranger to collaboration events, and the first big one for Wilds sees Akuma travel from Street Fighter 6 to the Forbidden Lands. Unlocking Akuma is both fairly simple and also very silly. It鈥檚 great fun, too.
How to unlock Akuma in Monster Hunter Wilds
To unlock Akuma, you first need to hit Hunter Rank 21 or higher. That means you鈥檒l be completing the campaign and at least a little of the post-game content. You also need access to the Grand Hub, as the quest that ultimately unlocks the Demon takes place in the Arena.
Provided you鈥檝e fulfilled those requirements, head to Azuz and speak to Quinn next to the black iron elevators near the base camp. She鈥檒l direct you to check for off-looking monster carcasses, as someone out there has been taking them out with ease. You鈥檒l be looking in the upper and middle stratum of the Ironwell Basin.
Where to find the upper stratum carcass
The upper stratum carcass is in Zone 5 at the southern edge of the Basin. You can easily reach it by climbing one of the southern walls of Zone 2. To get there quickly, set a waypoint to one of the collectibles (Honey or Monster Bones do well) and have your Seikret auto-navigate there. When you arrive, your Hunter and Handler will note the tempered monster carcass lying up against the shattered rocks.
Where to find the middle stratum carcass
The middle stratum carcass is in Zone 11 at the southern edge of the area. If you reach the main oil field in Zone 8, you鈥檝e gone the wrong way. Your Hunter will remark on the carcass as soon as you enter the zone, a mass of crystals with a single ray of light coming down from above.
Once you鈥檝e found both carcasses, you鈥檒l need to return to Azuz and speed to Maki, who will direct you to the lowest reaches of the subteranne. That鈥檚 where Akuma waits.
Where to find Akuma
To find Akuma, head to Zone 14 and look for the orange-glowing, oddly geometric rocks at its southern edge. You鈥檒l hear Akuma grunting as he strikes the walls. Climb up the small wall into a Y-shaped passage and head east at the fork. Akuma is at the back of the chamber.
He鈥檒l make quick work of your Hunter in a straight-up fight, and tell you to hone your skills. In this case, that means going to the Grand Hub and taking the Arena quest titled Demonic Strength.
How to complete the Demonic Strength quest
Your target this time is a Tempered Ajarakan, but there鈥檚 a twist: you鈥檙e playing as Akuma for the first time. Don鈥檛 worry, he鈥檚 not nearly as complex or demanding as his Street Fighter counterpart.
Instead, you have several assisted combos using the attack buttons you鈥檙e already familiar with. To use them, you need to have the Assisted Combo: Akuma item equipped in your Hotbar. You should also take a moment to equip the Gou Hadoken to your Slinger. It鈥檚 strong.
You can also use the Shun Goku Satsu, otherwise known as the Raging Demon, when hitting a monster鈥檚 wound or weak point with a Drive Rush. You can also do it manually by using Standing Light Punch, Standing Light Kick, Standing Medium Punch, and Standing Heavy Kick very quickly back to back. On a PlayStation controller, that would be Square, Square, Triangle, Circle, for instance.
Lastly, bind the SF6 Gou Shoryuken gesture to your Radial Menu, as using it at the end of a combo string enhances it. You can also use quarter-circle forward and Standing Light Punch. That鈥檚 rotating your control stick a quarter circle to the right and pressing Square on PlayStation.
Be sure to use a Max Potion and two Rations to top up your health and stamina, and pop a Hardshell Powder for a bit of extra defense. Otherwise, the fight is a standard fight against a Tempered Ajarakan. It鈥檚 aggressive, deals a lot of damage, and has minimal recovery between attacks.
After completing the Arena quest, return to Akuma at the lowest section of the Basin, and he鈥檒l take his leave.
How to craft Akuma armor
SF6 Tickets are one of the rewards you get for completing Akuma鈥檚 specific arena quests, True Strength and Demonic Strength. You鈥檒l need them and a collection of other parts to craft the entire Akuma armor set all at once. Specifically, you need:
5 SF6 Tickets
3 Ajarakan Scale+
1 Ajarakin Jewel+
Once crafted, you can equip the complete armor set at any time and use it in hunts throughout Monster Hunter Wilds. You have access to his combo items, the Hadoken Slinger, and everything else.
The whole process is a bit silly, but Akuma is thankfully enjoyable to use, even if he doesn鈥檛 fit the standard mold of a Monster Hunter character. Not that such a thing has ever stopped Capcom before.
For much more on the latest Monster Hunter, head over to our dedicated Wilds page.