| Ryu | Story | Move List | Gallery | Quotes | Trivia |
Ryu (リュウ) is the protagonist of Capcom's Street Fighter series, as well as a reoccurring character in the SNK vs. Capcom series. He is a featured character in The King of Fighters All Star (game developed by Netmarble and authorized by SNK), along with other Street Fighter characters.
Appearances
Personality
Ryu is a wise, humble, self-deprecating, and respectful individual; which is often juxtaposed against the lighthearted, fiery persona of his childhood friend, Ken. He wanders the world with the desire for complete mastery of his martial art, and takes both his travels and training seriously. For Ryu, the training and the mastery that comes from the fight are all that he requires for satisfaction, declining the more material trappings of his various accomplishments as a warrior, simply moving on to his next challenge once he is victorious without delay, unless he is offered food or if he wants to converse with his friendly rivals.
Because of this "wandering warrior" persona and also being trained far away from modern-day culture, Ryu often appears distant to others. Despite this, he is a kind, authentic, good-hearted, and demonstrative warrior who readily helps those less fortunate than himself, is protective and gentle towards children, and on rare occasions, shows a sense of humor (albeit a bad one). He also respects his opponents with skills equal to his own and formidable opponents who he is able to beat and is on friendly terms with, he compliments or encourages them to continue training and get stronger, sometimes offering help first hand.
In his non-canon appearances such as the manga adaptation of Street Fighter II, the anime series Street Fighter II V, the UDON Entertainment comics, and as revealed to Marshall Law Street Fighter X Tekken, due to his profession and very active and demanding lifestyle, Ryu will partake in eating large amounts of food if the opportunity presented itself. Ryu is also not a very picky eater, though he generally turns to Japanese staples out of basis.
Ryu is also described as being straightforward, honest and pure, while some consider it a good trait, others view it as a trait that makes him worse than the bad guys.[1][2][3] This purity does not exactly make him a "hero" in a sense, as he shows no interest in saving the world and only focuses on becoming a true martial artist,[4] though he will participate in the former if the need arises. There’s also an official setting of Ryu working as a bouncer for gangs and drug dealers, showing that he doesn’t particularly care who he works for so long as it doesn’t intervene with his goal. [5] This is also shown in crossovers where Ryu compliments and takes orders from boss characters who are considered evil in their own series. [6][7]
There is, however, a dark side to Ryu: His drive to improve himself, no matter the difficulty, risks developing into a drive to win and to be the best at any cost. This darker drive is fed by (and in turn feeds) the Satsui no Hado within his soul, an influence which Ryu must constantly fight to suppress from killing (at least until the time of Street Fighter III). In times when his inner darkness threatens to overcome his humanity, Ryu relies on his friends and rivals - primarily Ken, Gouken, Sagat, and Sakura - to keep him grounded and help him overcome out of it.
By the time of Street Fighter III and Street Fighter 6, despite being socially maladapted[8], Ryu is somewhat more friendly yet still very quiet and reserved, much like his master Gouken. Ryu's favorite type of women are ones who look good in the spring of Japan.[9] Outside of martial arts, Ryu also takes interest in learning other cultures and histories in whatever country he's in during his training.[10]
Powers
Fighting Style
Music
- Theme of Ryu (SFV Arrange) - The King of Fighers All-Star (also his theme on Street Fighter V)
- Ryu Stage - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Featured Appearances
Games
- Street Fighter (first appearance)
- SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium - playable character
- Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 - playable character
- Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 - playable character
- SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos - playable character
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - playable character
- Street Fighter 6 - playable character
Mobile
- The King of Fighters All Star - playable character
Actors/Voice Actors
Japanese
| Toshiyuki Morikawa | Hiroki Takahashi | ||
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List of Roles:
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English
| Kyle Hebert | |
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List of Roles:
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External Links
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- ↑ "Ryu's face is the definition of purity, which is appropriate for one pursuing the path of martial arts and seeking true strength. His eyebrows, which threaten to rip right through his headband, are also one of his more defining features." from Street Fighter X Tekken artbook.
- ↑ Alex: "Your fighting spirit is pure.... That is something worth having!"
Gill: "Pure, in a sense, we are worse than bad guys." 「純粋だなある意味、悪人よりもたちが悪い」
winquotes from Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact & 3rd Strike. - ↑ Hosaka: "Costume of Jin Saotome from Cyberbots! Though Jin and Ryu are complete opposites, they do have some similarities, such as their straightforward and honest natures. Let's meet again someday...in space!"
from CFN Costumes - ↑ Everyone has different goals.Ryu doesn't even think about saving the world, but wants to know what a true fighter is. (みんな違うゴールがあって。リュウは「世界を救う」なんて微塵も思っていなくて真の格闘家とは何かを求めている。) from Nakayama’s twitter
- ↑ Nishimura: "That's right. And he has a passport, too. What Yasuda said was "It's like a world-round trip, he'll usually do dangerous things like work as a bouncer for gangsters. Basically, if he runs out of money he'll earn it himself in a street fight."
Nishimura: "and I don't think there was any description of poverty or anything like that." (西村: そうですよね。 ちやんとパスポートも持つているわけだし。 安田が营言つてたのは 「世界ー周嘩旅みたいな感じで、ギヤングの用心棒とか危ないことも普通にやる。基本的にはストリートフアィトでお金がなくなつたら自分にけて稼ぐ」 とかで、貧乏とかの描写はなかつたような。 )
from Street Fighter Eternal page 130 - ↑ Geese: "Next you will show me your power." 「次はお前の力、見せてもらおうか」
Ryu: "Oh, good. I'll do my best!" 「ああ、いいとも。全力でいく！」
winquote from Capcom vs SNK 2 - ↑ Ryu: “Heihachi Mishima… I see now why they call you the King of Iron Fist.”「三島平八…さすがは、鉄拳王と呼ばれた男だ」
Heihachi: “Solid skills and good manners to boot. How about becoming my foster son, Ryu?”「腕が立ち、礼儀も弁えておるとは。儂の養子にならんか、リュウ？」
Ken: “I think you should try fixing things with your real family first.”「腕実の息子と孫との仲を、まず何とかしろよ！」
victory dialogue from Project x Zone - ↑ "Brothers Yun and Yang are, so to speak, street gangsters, scary brothers in the city, and Ryu is that socially maladapted person."(「ユン&ヤン兄弟は、いわばストリートギャング、街のこわいお兄さんたちんたちですし、リュウはあのとぉりの社会不適応者です。」 ) from Gamest World.
- ↑ --What kind of woman do you like? "My favorite type of woman is a woman who looks good in spring in Japan"(――好みのタイプの女性は？ 「好みのタイプの女性は, 日本の春が似合う女性」―― Konomi no taipu no josei wa? `Konomi no taipu no josei wa, Nihon no haru ga niau josei') from an interview in "Capcom Official Answer! Let's Know the Secrets of Strong Guys STREET FIGHTER III Q & A" Gamest Mook Vol. 81 – Street Fighter III New Generation ‘Fan Book’ page 85.
- ↑ • Ryu: "People often describe me as being obsessed with the martial arts, but of course I have other interests."
• Ryu: "I've become deeply interested in the cultures and histories of the countries I've visited during my training."
• Ryu: "Humans, all from different environments, produce so many incredible things."
• Ryu: "Food, music, art, monuments, architecture, tools...And the value systems underpinning them all."
Ryu's dialogue from World Tour Mode.