Capcom’s Street Fighter series has featured a number of memorable characters over the years, but one standout first made his surprise debut 25 years ago this month – Akuma. The villain first arrived as a secret, hidden character in Super Street Fighter II Turbo that would appear if the player met certain requirements over the course of fighting other opponents.

Akuma’s creation came about as the result of a prank; there had been an April Fool’s joke made previously about a hidden character in other Street Fighter titles that was allegedly named Shen Long. Noritaka Funamizu, a developer and planner at Capcom, had requested that the development team actually make a hidden character in response to the disappointment from fans at having been duped by the “Shen Long” story. Akuma’s design was largely based on that of main character Ryu’s, but with a darker and more tattered appearance. He was also designed in order to contrast with another Street Fighter antagonist, M. Bison.

Akuma, who’s name literally translates to “demon,” is the younger brother of Gouken, Ryu and Ken’s master. He is a wildly powerful fighter with almost no emotions beyond an occasional burst of anger, and his only motivation is to find stronger fighters to defeat. Akuma is the user of a force known as the Satsui no Hado, or “Surge of Murderous Intent,” which has had a drastic impact on his mind. Akuma eventually comes to battle against both Ryu and Ken, and has fought in many of the tournaments in which they’ve participated. He also later takes on a form known simply as Oni, appearing in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, which is the result of him becoming one with the Satsui no Hado.

Thanks largely in part to how well he contrasted with other Street Fighter bad guys, Akuma quickly became one of the most popular characters in the franchise. His entrance in his debut appearance – in which he casually and swiftly defeats M. Bison before challenging the player – also cause quite the stir. Despite being framed as a villain, Akuma’s strict adherence to a warrior’s moral code seemed to put him beyond such black-and-white framing of good versus evil, helping him to become not simply one of Street Fighter’s most popular characters, but one of Capcom’s most popular in any franchise.