Akuma

File:Akuma-TBOGT-front.jpg

An Akuma in The Ballad of Gay Tony.

The Akuma is a sportsbike introduced and available only in Grand Theft Auto IV's episode The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Design

Seemingly based on the Buell XB12Scg, the Akuma is a modern streetfighter centered around high speed riding. Although the bike is often depicted as being stripped down, the Akuma can in fact feature any of a multitude of visual configurations, including:

• Optional front and rear fenders; the bikes may appear with only the front or back fender, or both;
• Optional miniature carbon fibre fairing and rear mirrors; and
• Three seating and exhaust pipe configurations, including:
  • A large framed seat with a brake light and two full-length exhaust pipes mounted underneath;
  • A medium framed seat with a brake light and a full-length exhaust pipe mounted on the right side; and
  • A flat seat with exhaust outlets at the engine block and no brake light.

Performance

The Akuma's aggressive styling is matched by its raw power and high performance. While its overpowered rear torque and unreliable gear shifting hampers stability and the bike's otherwise good acceleration, the bike is second fastest motorcycle in GTA IV canon thus far, behind the Hakuchou Custom. The Akuma also allows the player to tilt the bike sideways much lower in turns, allowing the bike to negotiate sharper corners at higher speeds; alternately, its rear torque can occasionally trigger the bike to drift sharply against the player's will.

These traits, however, work against the Akuma's brakes, which, while still excellent, are not adequate when in higher speeds; the brakes are only effective when used to slow down a bike in high speeds or to completely stop a bike from moderately high speeds. At higher speeds, the bike tends to require a substantial braking distance.

Trivia

• "Akuma" is the name of a demon from Japanese mythology.
• Although the Akuma may come with a rear seat configuration that has no brake light, players can still see red illuminations on surfaces behind the bike when braking or when riding at night.
• The Akuma suffers from the color glitch with Pay 'n' Spray, when it will permanently lock onto a dark red color if the player tries to respray it.
• The player can spawn the Akuma by dialing in the cheat code: 625-555-0200. Using the cheat code is the only way to obtain an Akuma, as they do not normally spawn on the streets.

See also

• Vader, a similar sportsbike in The Ballad of Gay Tony.