Gouken

Hero Overview
"Hmm...You shall make an interesting opponent." - Gouken's famous quote.



Full Name: Gouken (last name unknown) Alias: Strong Fist, Sheng Long Origin: Street Fighter 4 (as a playable character) Age: Unknown Blood Type: Unknown Species: Human Gender: Male Nationality: Japanese Likes: Fishing, dumplings Dislikes: Mosquitoes Family: Ryu (adoptive son) Friends/Allies: Ryu, Ken Masters, Guile, Chun-Li, Cammy White Enemies: M. Bison Type of Hero: Well-Built Traveller

Gouken, known in Japan as Goken, is a supporting character in the Street Fighter series. He made his first playable appearance in Street Fighter VI, and he is the adoptive father of Ryu and the master trainer of Ken Masters, who is Ryu's best friend and rival.

Appearance
Gouken is a well-built, elderly man whose age and blood type are currently unknown. He has dark skin, a black sash, and bulky white trousers. He has a white beard and white hair done in a single long braid. He is very muscular and broad.

Personality
Gouken's personality is naturally that of the archetypical "master elder", which is common within media related to martial arts; the "elder" personality type is evident in the same type of media (as well as Western media characters such as Pai Mei); despite this, he does have many aspects that do have him stand out as a character.

As stern and serious as he can be, Gouken is nonetheless enthusiastic in the nature of competition, being a spirited and modest good sport at heart. His approach is silent and calm, evocative of "zen" principles and he often shares insightful (if not also blunt and critical) advice and wisdoms to that effect. For example, he tells Dan that anger will not help him (fearing it would lead him to a dark place) and he informs Dee Jay that if he is silent, he would be surprised at what he learns. He is on good terms with people like Rose and Dhalsim, who share similar ideals and beliefs. Gouken detests Akuma for killing their master, Goutetsu and embracing the darkness that resides within their arts instead of seeking a more pure form of strength. He also despises Bison for his use of Psycho Power, believing he endangered the world.

Trivia

 * Although Gouken did not make an actual appearance in Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, he is hinted in Ryu and Ken's flashbacks during their days as his students. He is referred to as "Goutetsu" in the closing credits for the film, probably because the movie was made before the names "Gouken" and "Goutetsu" were incorporated into the games.
 * Before the Alpha series, Gouken's death was portrayed in some materials to have been at the hands of Sagat or M. Bison. This was later changed in Alpha to him being "killed" by Akuma, and in IV, to be merely a duel that nearly killed him, but survived.
 * Gouken's death was never officially shown by Capcom. His death (and grave) was only shown in non-canon material. In SFA3, it's revealed that Ryu visits Gouken's grave once a year, however there's no scene of Ryu visiting the grave instead he's training in the same area he trained when he was young.