Ryu

Ryu is a character from Street Fighter series, he makes his debut on the first Street Fighter game as the main protagonist.

He is a recognized icon in the world of video gaming, he and his franchise were also inspiration for other companies to create their own fighting games (In the case of Bandai Namco, Sega or SNK) or the main tool for plagiarism (In the case of ADK, Data East or Atlus).

Profile[]

The fighting world warrior who continues his struggle to become a true martial artist. Ryu was trained under his master, Gouken. Since then, he has participated in many different tournaments, always seeking stronger opponents. At the same time, Ryu's strict training is part of his efforts to overcome the destructive potential that slumbers inside his body, the "Satsui no Hadou." Although in the past he did succumb to this power, letting it take him over completely, he managed to come back to himself with the help of his friend Ken Masters and other allies. He now pushes aside all doubt and vows that he will master the correct use of just and true power.

Story[]

Early Life[]

As a very young child, Ryu was orphaned and left with no memories about his parents, and whether they were still alive. He was found and adopted by a man named Gouken who raised Ryu in his secluded dojo and trained Ryu in the ways of his martial arts. Shortly afterwards, Gouken would later train his best friend's spoiled son, Ken Masters. Ken served not only as a sparring partner, but also gave Ryu a friend in the form of a boy his own age. Ryu looked up to Gouken as a father figure, and regards Ken as his best friend and surrogate brother, a relationship which remains to this day.

When Ryu turned 23 years old, Gouken believed that Ryu was ready to travel the world in order to test and hone his martial skills against the best fighters from around the world. With this, Ryu left Gouken's dojo, and headed to fight in the World Warrior tournament.

The First World Warrior Tournament[]

Ryu is one of the participants of the World Warrior tournament. After defeating all challengers, Ryu's skills earn him the right to fight its host, Sagat. Sagat nearly beats Ryu into unconsciousness and, thinking he had won, drops his guard to help Ryu up. Ryu, however, allows himself to be engulfed by the Satsui no Hado and strikes Sagat with a nearly-fatal Metsu Shoryuken that not only knocks Sagat unconscious, but also marks his chest with a great scar. After regaining consciousness and discovering what had happened, Sagat swears vengeance on Ryu.

Beginning the Battles Against Akuma and Bison[]

Ryu leaves Sagat behind and returns to his home, only to find that Gouken, his master and adoptive father, has apparently been murdered. Learning that Akuma had fought and supposedly killed his master, Ryu began to travel the world to find this man. He encounters and fights Akuma on a secluded island known as Gokuentou, and wins; however, Akuma was only testing him, and senses that Ryu has the same powers as he does. He proceeds to tell Ryu about the Satsui no Hado - a power that consumes the practitioners of their shared fighting style, driving them to win even when it means killing the opponent. Akuma then uses his fist to smash the island, leaving Ryu stranded.

Sometime after escaping the island, Ryu battles Ken and loses. Ken realizes Ryu is not himself, as he has been deeply troubled since his last victory over Sagat. Ken gives him his red hairband as a reminder to stay focused, which Ryu was sincerely grateful for. Soon thereafter, a fan of his, named Sakura, comes up and expresses her desire to train under him. Ryu replies that he himself still has much to learn, but allows Sakura to take a picture of him for now.

At some point, Ryu is found by Sagat, who is out for a grudge match. Ryu protests that Sagat hasn't fully recovered from their last bout, but Sagat persists. Ryu lets Sagat win rather than do any further damage, and Sagat leaves. Only later, upon reflection, does Sagat realize that Ryu held back, vowing to fight him again.

Two years later, Ryu continues to be troubled by what Akuma had told him, compounded by his encounter with Rose, who has intricate ties to M. Bison. She tells him that he cannot defeat Bison unless he fights him at the cost of his soul. True to form, when Ryu confronts Bison, he is defeated despite putting up a valiant fight. Bison takes the semi-conscious Ryu and begins brainwashing him, using the revelation that the Satsui no Hado - the dark power Ryu struggles to avoid using - is akin to Bison's own Psycho Power.

This scene is interrupted by the entrance of Sagat, Ken, and Sakura, each of them having followed Ryu for their own reasons. While Ken and Sakura distract Bison, Sagat fights the brainwashed Ryu, quickly noticing the effects Bison's brainwashing has had on him. At Sagat's urging, Ryu comes to his senses to confront and defeat Bison, destroying him temporarily.

Second World Warrior Tournament and Bison's Return[]

During the World Warrior tournament, Ryu enters to test his skills, and defeats many of the new warriors. He encourages Ken to re-enter as well. During the tournament, he helps Guile, Ken, Chun-Li and Cammy defeat Bison. However, Bison refused Guile's offer to surrender himself to the military before unleashing all of his Psycho Power to commit suicide and it is unknown how far Ryu himself progressed in the tournament, although it is implied he may have lost to Ken. Other sources on the other hand support the idea that he's the tournament winner.

In his non-canon ending, he shortly leaves the tournament after he wins against Bison, and revisits his master's grave to tell about his victory and the experiences he had with the other fighters. Ryu then states that the ultimate battle is out there waiting for him and departs, stating that the fight is everything.

In HD Remix, Ryu appears in Ken's ending, appearing in a somewhat blurry photo with Guile wearing a tuxedo but still wearing his red headband. This is the first time Ryu is seen wearing anything other than his gi.

S.I.N. Tournament and Battle Against Seth[]

After the second World Warrior tournament, Ryu continued his journey and wound up in an isolated desert where he trained. Ryu then remembers his argument with Akuma, with Akuma urging Ryu to give in to the Dark Hado or else he will kill him. Ryu then leaves a desert and goes to a bar where he meets a biker. The biker then tells him a story about an American Martial Arts Champion who abandoned his family. Believing it to be Ken, Ryu visits the house of the said champion but is ambushed by C. Viper.

During the fight, Ryu tries to fight off the secret agent but was no match for her. Suddenly, the Delta Red agent Cammy then attempts to ambush C. Viper. However, Cammy was also no match for Viper and Viper then tortures Cammy, in which the Dark Hado then takes over Ryu and engages C. Viper but would easily defeat her. Luckily for Viper, she manages to escape the possessed Ryu. Angered, Ryu then slaughters multiple S.I.N scientists who witnessed the fight until Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, and Sakura arrive to save Ryu and help Cammy.

Sakura would then restrain the possessed Ryu as Ken calls the hospital to help Cammy. Ryu would then regain his consciousness and realize what he has done. After being sent to Ken's mansion, Ryu realizes he is being targeted by S.I.N and its leader Seth for their evil plans. With Guile's plan to infiltrate Seth's cruise ship to incarcerate him, Ryu then tags along, knowing that Seth would be waiting for him. After traveling to the base, Ryu and Ken then dispatch multiple S.I.N thugs before Ryu encounters Seth himself.

Ryu and Seth then engage, with Seth easily overpowering Ryu and giving him his twisted philosophy of power. Ryu then admits that he never understood what power is and that he understands Seth's philosophy fore stating that the power he describes is not what he's after. Seth, unamused, continues beating up Ryu before Ryu awakens a new power and nearly kills Seth with it. Ryu then collapses from this power, and senses it in Ken. A few days later, Ryu and Ken then part ways, with Ryu stating that they will meet again.

Ryu then enters into a new tournament to further master his skills as well as reunite with his longtime friend Ken for another rematch. During his journey, he meets up with Sakura whom he encourages to train harder. Meanwhile, Ryu also meets up with Sagat once more; the two fight, and while the result of the fight is unknown, it is implied that Ryu won.

During the final round with the tournament host Seth (actually a copy of him), he defeats him in the S.I.N. headquarters. During and after this battle the building fell around them as Ryu unleashed the Satsui no Hado on the BLECE machine, a weapon of mass destruction developed by S.I.N. that harnessed the energy in the human body.

During this, Sakura - who has been searching for Ryu - finds him and the BLECE machine, and a pulse of energy from it knocks her into a wall. Ryu defends her by unleashing a Shoryuken on the machine, and they leave the building together, the weapon destroyed.

He then encounters Gouken, who has in fact survived his last battle with Akuma, and Gouken uses the "Power of Nothingness" to seal the Satsui no Hado which is eating at Ryu, knocking him unconscious. Akuma then arrives on the scene to challenge his brother for a death duel, the winner of which will claim "the cub" (meaning Ryu). The outcome of the duel is unknown but, since Ryu is later seen free of Dark Hado's influence, it is very likely that either Gouken won or the battle ended in a draw (possibly interrupted).

Later, Ryu and Ken chase their long-lost master along a cliff face, with Ken wanting Gouken to stick around while Ryu wishes him well. Afterwards, he and Ken are walking through the desert while Rufus mocks them on his motorcycle, though it later breaks down and he is left pushing it while Ryu and Ken drives by (in Ken's jeep). Ryu later bids Sakura farewell as she, Dan and Blanka leave for home on a cruise ship. Some time later, having decided that his battles have made him stronger, he meets a now-older Sakura. What happens next is unknown, although Gouken might have taught Ryu the Shin Shoryuken and Denjin Hadoken at some point before Street Fighter III.

Final Battle with Shadaloo[]

In his dream, he is fighting against his evil self, claiming to him that the power to kill will make him stronger, which Ryu ultimately rejects it. Gouken is in a sparring match during the incident. Ryu charges himself in the Satsui no Hado and attempts to hit his master with a single Hadoken. It explodes in a flash of light. Ryu wakes up from his dream with Gouken telling him that the Satsui no Hado almost consumed him.

Rashid and Azam find Ryu, introducing himself as a hero who travels the world. Gouken questions Rashid why he comes to see Ryu. Rashid states he wants to challenge Ryu in a match which is to test his mettle. Ryu doesn't immediately get up to fight, worrying about the Satsui no Hado, which confuses Rashid and has Gouken questioning him why he didn't do it, citing Ryu's quote "The answer lies in the heart of battle". Ryu eventually gets up and spars with Rashid, resulting in a victory. Rashid learns from the fight about himself. He thanks Ryu for the lesson and leaves. Ryu decides that he should leave, too, and better understand his power. Gouken tells Ryu to meet Ken, who has been concerned about him.

Ryu and Ken finally meet in Brazil. Ken was told by Gouken about Ryu's struggles with the Satsui no Hado and thinks a good match can solve it, so they fight. Afterwards, Ryu still worries about the Satsui no Hado. Ken reassures Ryu that if Ryu falls over to the dark side, he'll take him down and stop it. Ken tells Ryu to just relax and fight.

Ryu goes to China and gets ambushed by a Shadaloo soldier. Nash comes in and takes down the soldier. Nash expected to see Ryu, which triggers a bit of Satsui no Hado within him. Nash says they have to fight so he can understand the power and know its limits. The fight ultimately ends in a draw. Nash is surprised by the power, having it surpass his expectations. Ryu tells him that he tries to suppress the power and struggles with it, but has decided to not let it take him over, which Nash respects. Ryu thanks him for the fight and Nash leaves.

Ryu meets with Dhalsim, training Mahesh, and says he is still struggling with the Satsui no Hado and needs help. They decide to have a spar. After the spar, Dhalsim tells him that suppressing the power will eventually lead to the power consuming him. He tells him that he needs to face the Hado and conquer it. Necalli drops down from above, looking to consume fighters' souls. Dhalsim defends Mahesh while Ryu fights Necalli. Necalli overpowers Ryu, which almost triggers his dark power. Dhalsim takes Ryu's punch, proclaiming that he can't let the Hado take him over. Dhalsim fights off Necalli. Ryu notices a Black Moon veering over and blocking the sun, which gives him visions of M. Bison. Necalli eventually melts away temporarily. He is told about Necalli by Dhalsim, telling him that Necalli is an ancient being that consumes warriors' souls and only appears when many warriors are needed in a crisis. Ryu concludes that the world is in crisis because of the Black Moons.

Ryu finally joins up with Ken, Chun-Li and Karin as they team up to make a final assault against Shadaloo. As Chun-Li defeats F.A.N.G. while rescuing Li-Fen, Ryu finally faces off Bison, who is ready to challenge him, and Ryu states that his strength was to push forward and he is ready to fight him. After an epic long battle, Bison isn't giving up yet, until Ryu hits him with a Hadoken, infused with the Power of Nothingness, seemingly hinting at Ryu's mastery of the power and a sublimation of the Satsui No Hado. Bison's body begins to crack as it dissipates in a flash of light, defeating the madman. As the base is about to destroyed, Ryu, Guile, Chun-Li and Li-Fen escape; Chun-Li is slow to catch up, so Ryu uses his Denjin Hadoken to stop the fires from the explosion.

After the incident, Ryu is meditating as Ken visits him for the second time. He challenges him for a friendly sparring match as he tells Ryu to prove if he already found his answer. Ryu is able to defeat Ken as Ken also manages to knock Ryu's red headband. As it falls on the ground, Ryu realizes that he already found his answer of his true strength. As he gets his headband, Ken is happy to see his friend has grown, and Ryu also says that he still needs his headband for the battle. The two are later seen having a friendly fist bump with each other.

Third World Warrior Tournament and Battle Against the Illuminati[]

Years later, Ryu enters the third World Warrior tournament to further advance his fighting abilities. His most notable fight during the tournament is against Hugo, who is able to withstand his Shin Shoryuken and hold his own. He continues his travels afterward, meeting Oro along the way. Ryu ends up being defeated by Oro who likes him to be his successor. He was later seen in Oro's ending, being trained by him but Ryu is unaware of Oro's presence as he only heard his voice.

Shortly after the tournament, Ryu meets up with Ken for a friendly match in the latter's storyline, from which he emerges the victor. Ryu later fights against Sean who has been asked by Ken to fight him. Ryu easily defeats him from time to time with just a single Hadoken as he noticed his actions. Ryu also serves as Hugo's pro-wrestling tag-team partner for a brief period of time before moving on, also shown in Hugo's storyline.

At some point, he encounters Alex, whom he solidly defeats. Ryu encourages the young wrestler to continue honing his abilities against strong opponents. Fascinated by Ryu's skill and determined to become stronger, Alex soon sets out to find Ryu for a rematch.

In his ending, Ryu is under a waterfall practicing his mind and body. He mumbles about the meaning of a true warrior, why he needs to be strong and reminisces his youthful days. A single leaf falls over him and he crushes the leaf with his left hand. Ryu believes that as long as his strong opponents and some fierce battles will excite him, he will possess the strength to move even one of his fingers and decides to keep on fighting.

Theme Music[]

Theme of Ryu ~ Street Fighter II (Also used in most of his appearances)
Theme of Ryu ~ Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter
The Road (Theme of Ryu) ~ Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Also used in Street Fighter Alpha 3 Infinite)
Good Fighter ~ Street Fighter III: New Generation (Shared with Ken)
Good Fighter (Arrange) ~ Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact (Also used in Street Fighter III: Ultra Challengers)
Kobu ~ Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Ryu vs Ken (Story Mode's Final Battle) ~ Project X Zone 3: Sacred Destinies

Street Fighter Appearances[]

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Infinite

Ryu appears as the main protagonist.

Street Fighter III: Ultra Challengers

Ryu appears as the main protagonist.

Street Fighter The Team Slugfest

Ryu is part of the Hero Team along with Chun Li and Alex.

Crossover Appearances[]

Capcom All-Stars Battle Royale

Ryu is one of the characters from Street Fighter side.

Capcom vs. series

Ryu appears in all of Capcom vs titles, in most of them, he is the face of Capcom.

Project X Zone 3: War of Infinite Worlds