is a video game character created by
Capcomis a leading international developer and publisher of video games headquartered in Osaka, Japan. It was founded in 1979 as Japan Capsule Computers, a company devoted to the manufacturing and distribution of electronic game machines...
, from the
Street Fighter series, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a popular series of fighting games in which the players pit competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own special moves, against one another. Capcom released the first game in the series in August 1987..-Street Fighter :Street Fighter made its...
. Premiering in the first
Street Fighteris a 1987 arcade game developed by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series...
, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken participating in the Street Fighter tournament. Further games from the series show Ryu to be highly focused on his training, aiming to become the strongest he can. However, his powers also attract several criminals who want to use him for their plans. Ryu has been the lead character of the
Street Fighter series since the first game and has appeared in crossovers involving the franchise. He is also featured in manga from the series, anime adaptations and the
1994 live-action filmStreet Fighter is a 1994 American martial arts action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza. It is based on the same-titled video games produced by Capcom. The film features an international and multicultural cast that included Jean-Claude Van Damme , Raúl Juliá Street Fighter is a 1994...
.
Character design
In the first
Street Fighteris a 1987 arcade game developed by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series...
game, Ryu has red hair and wears a tattered white karate
gior dōgi is a uniform for training, used in martial arts derived from Japan, or budō. . In English, the term keikogi is sometimes referred to simply as the gi, which would be an incorrect use of the word in Japanese...
with a white
hachimakiA hachimaki is a stylized headband in Japanese culture, usually made of red or white cloth, worn as a symbol of perseverance or effort by the wearer. These are worn on many occasions, for example, by sports spectators, by women giving birth, students in cram school, office workers, expert...
(headband) and red gloves. Also, a constant trait in his design is the kanji motif (meaning
Wind, Wood, Fire, Mountain), battle standard of the historical Japanese military leader
Takeda Shingen' of Kai Province was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:...
, embroidered into his
obiis a sash for traditional Japanese dress, keikogi worn for Japanese martial arts, and a part of kimono outfits.The obi for men's kimono is rather narrow, wide at most, but a woman's formal obi can be wide and more than long. Nowadays, a woman's wide and decorative obi does not keep the kimono...
, simulating Karate Dan degrees. In
Street Fighter IIis a series in Capcom's Street Fighter saga of head-to-head fighting games, originally released as coin-operated arcade games. The Street Fighter II series started with the Street Fighter II game itself, released in as a sequel to Capcoms fighting game Street Fighter.Street Fighter II improved...
Ryu is shown to be older, with brown hair and a red hachimaki. He also fights barefooted this time. The
Alpha series features a Ryu much like the one depicted in the original
Street Fighter, with light red hair and a white hachimaki. In the
Street Fighter IIIis a series in Capcom's Street Fighter series of head-to-head fighting games, originally released as coin-operated arcade games. The series was started in with Street Fighter III - New Generation, followed by an updated version released less than a year later titled —which introduced new features...
games, Ryu has black hair and facial stubble to show his growth in age.
Street Fighter IVStreet Fighter IV is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom for the arcades since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008 with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
, story wise, is set between Street Fighter II and Street Fighter 3 and so Ryu has a more mature look than he does in Street Fighter II but still not as aged looking as in Street Fighter 3.
Because he was the only playable character in the original
Street Fighter, Ryu's designer, Manabu Takemura, wanted to make him easy to identify with. In
Street Fighter II, the character was selected for inclusion due to his presence in the first game, symbolizing the concept of a Japanese martial artist. As the series progressed, the design was made more muscular to coincide with the concept, while his white gi, considered his most defining character by the development team, was meant to let viewers know he was "a karate master at first sight".
Fighting style
Both Ryu and
Kenis a video game character created by Capcom. As a main character, he has appeared in all of the Street Fighter games along with his best friend and rival, Ryu. Like Ryu, Ken's goal is to test his power against many different fighters and strive to become stronger....
are practitioners of a nameless martial art rooted as an
assassination styleis a Japanese neologism used frequently in fictional works to describe any martial art style or fighting technique that has been developed with the purpose of killing an opponent. The term is used interchangeably as well.- Examples in fiction :...
. Both Ryu and Ken learned their art from
Goukenis a fictional character in the Street Fighter series. He is the martial arts master who trained Ryu and Ken, as well as the elder brother and former training partner of Akuma. Gouken is usually depicted as a bearded man who wears Mala prayer beads on his neck and a karate gi with the kanji mu , or...
, who refined the style as a purely combative non-killing style. Since the SNES version of
Street Fighter II, Ryu's fighting style has been referred as "
Shotokanis a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
" in the English localization of the games' instruction manuals and related literature.
While Ryu and Ken follow the same martial arts discipline, as the
Street Fighter series evolved, the differences between the two characters was portrayed by their attacks: Ryu focused on technique while Ken opted for stylish unpredictability. His does only one hit, so Ryu can effectively use this move at full power against airborne opponents. Ryu focuses more on the
Hadou principle of his style, which translates to him being very skilled with his usage of
kiIn traditional Chinese culture, qi is an active principle forming part of any living thing....
- Ryu has the most concentrated amongst all users. In addition, Ryu has mastered the , a powerful kick performed in mid-air. Ryu has been given special moves in various games, among those, , a fast side kick only available to him in the iterations of
Street Fighter III.
His enhanced moves are: , a powered-up variant of his standard Hadōken, the , a stationary variant of the normal move, but much faster, stronger and hitting multiple times, , a powerful version of the standard Shōryū-ken. In addition, in
Street Fighter IIIis a series in Capcom's Street Fighter series of head-to-head fighting games, originally released as coin-operated arcade games. The series was started in with Street Fighter III - New Generation, followed by an updated version released less than a year later titled —which introduced new features...
, Ryu masters the , fast electrified variation of the Hadōken, which has the ability to stun the opponent. In
Street Fighter IVStreet Fighter IV is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom for the arcades since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008 with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
, Ryu gains the , an incredibly powerful enhanced Shinkū Hadōken, as his Ultra Combo.
Evil Ryu
In the
Street Fighter Alpha series, there is a selectable version of Ryu known as . The concept of Ryu succumbing to the , the same power used by his nemesis
AkumaAkuma known in Japan as , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. In the storyline of the Street Fighter video games, he is the younger brother of Ryu and Ken's sensei...
, was first explored in the
Street Fighter Alpha manga authored by Masahiko Nakahira. It was not until the international versions of the game,
Street Fighter Alpha 2, that Evil Ryu was introduced as a
secret characterA secret character can be a player character or a non-player character in a video game that must be unlocked by completing a goal within the game...
in the games. Evil Ryu wears a dark grey gi and possesses a faint red glow in his eyes.
In terms of gameplay, Evil Ryu has more powerful attacks than his normal counterpart, strikes faster, and possesses some of the attacks of Akuma (such as the
Messatsu Gō Shōryū,
Ashura Senkū, and
Shun Goku Satsu). Like
AkumaAkuma known in Japan as , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. In the storyline of the Street Fighter video games, he is the younger brother of Ryu and Ken's sensei...
, Evil Ryu has a signature symbol that appears when he performs the
Shun Goku Satsu. Evil Ryu has had three different symbols: In
Alpha 3, his symbol was
Satsu, for "Murder" (殺) , though it only appears in his ending, not during gameplay, and in
Capcom vs SNK 2, the symbol was
Metsu (滅) for "Destruction." In
Street Fighter EX Plus he also appears to have the same sign as Akuma, which is "Ten", for "Sky/Heaven" (天).
Signs of the
Satsui no Hado first appeared when Ryu defeated Sagat, when Ryu gave Sagat a 'Metsu Shoryuken' causing that scar on Sagat's chest. Ryu's thoughts faded into anger thus tapping this dark surge of energy into his Shoryuken. Proof of this is found in Street Fighter Alpha 3, when Ryu does the special Metsu Shoryuken as a Super K.O., his victory pose is similar to Evil Ryu's. His back is turned...
Street Fighter series
Ryu debuted in the first
Street Fighteris a 1987 arcade game developed by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series...
as the primary playable character in the game, with his best friend, rival and sparring partner
Kenis a video game character created by Capcom. As a main character, he has appeared in all of the Street Fighter games along with his best friend and rival, Ryu. Like Ryu, Ken's goal is to test his power against many different fighters and strive to become stronger....
serving as the second player's character. He and his rival Ken (who both trained under the same master, a character later established to be
Goukenis a fictional character in the Street Fighter series. He is the martial arts master who trained Ryu and Ken, as well as the elder brother and former training partner of Akuma. Gouken is usually depicted as a bearded man who wears Mala prayer beads on his neck and a karate gi with the kanji mu , or...
) compete in the tournament depicted in the game in order to test their strength against the tournaments champion,
SagatSágat is a Sámi newspaper written in Norwegian that is published in the county of Finnmark in Norway with a circulation of 2,717 ...
.
His next appearance was in 's
Street Fighter IIis a series in Capcom's Street Fighter saga of head-to-head fighting games, originally released as coin-operated arcade games. The Street Fighter II series started with the Street Fighter II game itself, released in as a sequel to Capcoms fighting game Street Fighter.Street Fighter II improved...
. Set several years after Ryu defeated Sagat in the first tournament, Ryu participates in a second tournament, inviting his old friend Ken to compete against him. In his ending in the game, Ryu wins the tournament against Sagat and
M. BisonM. Bison, known in Japan as , is a video game character created by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, the character is a recurring boss and antagonist in the Street Fighter series of fighting games....
, but does not stay for the ceremony, already seeking his next challenge. This ending defines Ryu's characterization as a "wandering warrior".
Ryus backstory, along with those of other
Street Fighter characters, would be explored in the subsequent
Street Fighter Alpha prequel series. The first game,
Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams , features Ryu confronting Sagat as his last opponent in a rematch following their first fight.
Street Fighter Alpha 2Street Fighter Alpha 2, known as in Japan, Asia, South America and Spain, is a fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is a sequel to the previous years Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, which is itself a prequel to the Street Fighter II...
depicts Ryu on a quest to confront
AkumaAkuma known in Japan as , is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Akuma made his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss. In the storyline of the Street Fighter video games, he is the younger brother of Ryu and Ken's sensei...
, his masters brother and enemy. After their match, Akuma reveals that Ryu possesses the "evil intent" or "Satsui no Hadou" within him, the same power Akuma uses. An alternate version of Ryu using this power is featured in the game as hidden character (see Evil Ryu). In
Street Fighter Alpha 3Street Fighter Alpha 3, known as in Japan and Asia, is a fighting game by Capcom originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware. It is the third game in the Street Fighter Alpha series, following Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams and Street Fighter Alpha 2...
, Ryu is sought by Bison, who seeks to use Ryu as his next host body. With the help of Sagat and Sakura, Ryu is able to defeat Bison.
Ryu and Ken would return in
Street Fighter IIIis a series in Capcom's Street Fighter series of head-to-head fighting games, originally released as coin-operated arcade games. The series was started in with Street Fighter III - New Generation, followed by an updated version released less than a year later titled —which introduced new features...
, with a new character named Alex serving as the new lead character. It was followed by
Street Fighter III 2nd Impact and
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike. While Ryus motivation in the game and rivalry with Ken would remain the same, he was also shown getting acquainted with several of the new characters featured in the game, such as becoming a tag partner for Hugo in
2nd Impact or Oro's pupil in
3rd Strike. Ryu appears in
Street Fighter IVStreet Fighter IV is a fighting game produced by Capcom. It is the first numbered Street Fighter game released by Capcom for the arcades since . The coin-operated arcade game was released in Japan on July 18, 2008 with North American arcades importing the machines by August...
, which takes place after
Street Fighter II but before
Street Fighter III.
Ryu has appeared in spinoffs related to the main
Street Fighter series such as the
Street Fighter EXStreet Fighter EX is a head-to-head fighting game with 3D graphics, originally released as a coin-operated arcade game for the Sony ZN hardware in . It is a spin-off of the Street Fighter series co-produced by Capcom with Arika and was the first game in the series to feature polygon graphics...
series produced by
ArikaArika is a Japanese video game developer. It was formed in 1996 by former Capcom employees. The name of the company itself is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who created Street Fighter II. Arika's first game was Street Fighter EX...
.
Byron MannByron Mann is an actor who has made films in both Hollywood and Asia.-Biography:Mann was born Byron Chan in Hong Kong, the son of Trudy, a nurse, and Phillip Chan, a dentist. Mann attended a British all-boys high school, where he was active in community theatre as both an actor and a writer...
portrays the character in two separately produced video games based on the American film of the series, both titled
Street Fighter: The MovieStreet Fighter: The Movie may refer to:* Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, a 1994 Japanese animated film...
, where he wears Ryu's characteristic white karate gi and red headband.
Other games
The character has also been featured in Capcom's inter-company crossovers such as the
Marvel vs. Capcom series, the
SNK vs. Capcom series,
Namco x Capcomis an action RPG/tactical RPG hybrid game for the PlayStation 2 console, developed by Monolith Soft and featuring characters from games produced by companies Namco and Capcom.-Storyline:...
and
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars. Some game of the
SNK vs. Capcom series also include Evil Ryu as an unlockable character. In
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super HeroesMarvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes is the fifth Marvel Comics-licensed fighting game by Capcom and the third to feature Capcom characters . In contrast to X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel Super Heroes vs...
, Ryu has the ability to change his moveset to the ones from Ken or Akuma while fighting. He also appears in
Super Puzzle Fighter II TurboSuper Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, released in Japan as and commonly referred to as Puzzle Fighter, is a one or two player puzzle game first released in the spring of 1996 by Capcom on the CPS II arcade system...
, a puzzle video game featuring
super deformedSuper deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children....
characters along with the sequel,
Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, which is instead a fighting game.
Onimusha: Dawn of DreamsOnimusha: Dawn Of Dreams, released in Japan as , is the fourth canonical installment of Capcom's Onimusha series, released in March 2006. Dawn of Dreams focuses on a new protagonist, Soki Onimusha: Dawn Of Dreams, released in Japan as , is the fourth canonical installment of Capcom's Onimusha...
features Ryu as an unlockable costume swap for the game's protagonist Soki. Although his incarnation there is much slimmer, this change is merely cosmetic and does not affect gameplay. Incidentally, his stage music can be heard in the aforementioned game's Dark Realm minigame while the player uses this costume swap.
Cultural impact
In the same way Ryu is the lead character for most of the
Street Fighter games, he is also featured as the protagonist of all Japanese animated productions based on the franchise. In the
1994The year 1994 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :*This was the Highest Grossing film of 1994 Worldwidesource: - Awards :Academy Awards:* Andre...
film
Street Fighter II: The Animated MovieStreet Fighter II: The Animated Movie, known in Japan as is a 1994 anime film adaptation of the Street Fighter II fighting games written by Kenichi Imai, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and animated by Group TAC. The film, originally released in Japan on August 8, 1994, has been adapted into English in...
, Ryu becomes the target of Bison's organization. Bison captures Ken and brainwashes him, forcing Ryu to fight his former friend, but Ken manages to resist Bison's brainwashing and the two ultimately work together to defeat Bison. He was voiced by Kōjirō Shimizu in the Japanese version and
Skip StellrechtSkip Stellrecht is a voice actor who is also known as Henry Douglas Grey.- Anime Roles :* .hack//Liminality .... Guard B...
in the English dub.
Ryu was played by
Byron MannByron Mann is an actor who has made films in both Hollywood and Asia.-Biography:Mann was born Byron Chan in Hong Kong, the son of Trudy, a nurse, and Phillip Chan, a dentist. Mann attended a British all-boys high school, where he was active in community theatre as both an actor and a writer...
in the 1994 film version of
Street FighterStreet Fighter is a 1994 American martial arts action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza. It is based on the same-titled video games produced by Capcom. The film features an international and multicultural cast that included Jean-Claude Van Damme , Raúl Juliá Street Fighter is a 1994...
, where Guile is the lead character. Ryu (given the surname "Hoshi"), and Ken are traveling con artists who steal money from rich crime lords through schemes such as selling modified toy guns. He and Ken eventually work with Guile to infiltrate Bison's headquarters. By luring Guile to Bison's base, Ryu plays an important role in Bison's downfall, although it is Guile who ultimately fights and defeats Bison. Ryu also appears in the
US TV seriesStreet Fighter is an American animated series produced by InVision Entertainment based on the Street Fighter video game franchise. The series aired as part of the USA Network's Cartoon Express and Action Extreme Team lineups...
. In both these media, his name is mispronounced as "Raiyu" . Guile and Bison are the only characters who pronounce his name correctly in the film.
The premise of the 1995 Japanese TV series
Street Fighter II V, pronounced "two vee", also known as Street Fighter II Victory, is an anime series based on the fighting game Street Fighter II. Directed by Gisaburo Sugii , the series first aired in Japan in 1995, from April 10 to November 27, on YTV...
centers around a young Ryu and Ken, who travel the world with Chun-Li to improve their martial art skills by challenging other Street Fighters, such as Guile, Fei-Long, Sagat, Dhalsim, Vega, Balrog, Cammy and Bison. He was voiced Kōji Tsujitani in the Japanese version and once again by Skip Stellrecht in the English dub. The American
Street FighterStreet Fighter is an American animated series produced by InVision Entertainment based on the Street Fighter video game franchise. The series aired as part of the USA Network's Cartoon Express and Action Extreme Team lineups...
animated series, which also debuted in 1995, follows a loose combination of the depictions of Ryu in the live action movie and in the games. Ryu is once again a traveling con artist, paired with Ken, but like in the games, he is also dedicated to his training. Originally, Ryu and Ken were supporting characters in the series, but later episodes focus around the duo. He was voiced in the series by Tony Lung.
The 1999
original video animation, abbreviated , is a term originating from Japanese animation for animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats...
Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation centers around Ryu's inner conflict with the Dark Hadou, as seen in the
Street Fighter Alpha manga and games. The 2005 OVA
Street Fighter Alpha: GenerationsStreet Fighter Alpha: Generations is a 2005 Japanese animated film produced by Studio A.P.P.P. and released by Manga Entertainment based on the Street Fighter Alpha video games by Capcom. Its production is unrelated to 1999's Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie, which was produced by Group TAC...
features a similar storyline, but is unrelated to the previous
Alpha anime.
UDONUDON Entertainment Corporation is a studio of Asian-influenced comic book creators which provides creative services to the entertainment industry. The company is also a publisher of comic books, graphic novels, and art books, as well as English editions of Japanese manga and Korean manhwa titles....
's
comic book adaptationUDON has been licensed by Capcom to produce an American comic book based on the Street Fighter franchise, in addition to Darkstalkers and Rival Schools...
of the
Street Fighter plot places Ryu in the center of the events of the comic. Ryu grows up training in the art of Shotokan and all the while fighting off the urge of the
Satsui no Hadō. He trains to be a strong fighter without relying on the hatred and consumption it brings. After returning from the first
Street Fighteris a 1987 arcade game developed by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series...
tournament, Ryu discovers that his master (Gouken) has been slain by his brother (Akuma) and sets out (along with Ken Masters) to avenge his death. Like in the
Alpha series, Ryu is a target of Shadaloo as a powerful fighter who shows great potential and this draws the attention of Interpol and more specifically,
Guileis a video game character in Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games. In the live action Street Fighter movie, Guile is given the full name of William F. Guile with the military rank of colonel, which was also used in the US Street Fighter cartoon, but was never adapted into the video game...
, who believe there is a criminal connection between the two. He also trains Sakura during the second arc of the comics and later on trains with other fighters (specifically
Dhalsimis a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games.-History:Dhalsim made his debut in the original Street Fighter II as one of the games original eight main characters. In his backstory, Dhalsim is characterized as a pacifist who goes against his beliefs by entering the...
and Gen) to give himself a better chance against Akuma. Like the official story, Sagat is consumed with thoughts of revenge against Ryu for taking his honor at the first Street Fighter tournament but he does seek him out to warn him of Shadaloo's advances.
Despite not appearing at all in
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, Ryu is mentioned at the end of the movie as a formidable Japanese fighter entering a tournament.
Promotion and reception
A Ryu-inspired costume for players to use in Sony's
LittleBigPlanetLittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP and developed under the title The Next Big Thing, is a puzzle platformer video game for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...
was released on December 12 of 2008 as
downloadable contentDownloadable content is a form of digital media distributed through the Internet. The phrase is used to refer specifically to content created for video games that is released separately from the main video game release...
for the title.
GameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which purchased...
featured him in their article "All Time Greatest Game Hero".
IGN ranked Ryu first in their "Top 25 Street Fighter Characters" article, stating "Ryu is a testament to the virtue of simplicity in character design. White gi, dark gloves, red headband for a little touch of color, and that is it. It's rare, when you think about it, to see too many fancy pieces go into the making of an icon".
GameDailyis a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 with the name Gigex, the site was acquired by AOL on August 16, 2006. The site offers articles on different video game topics, with a lot of lists where games are ranked....
listed him at number two in their "Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time" article, stating "He always seeks a bigger challenge, and that determination makes him one of our favorites"; in a later character profile article for Ryu, they stated "Ryu is a formidable fighter that gets the job done...Bottom line, you can't go wrong with Street Fighter's most iconic character." He additionally ranked number seventy-one on UGO.com's "Top 100 Heroes of All Time" article. In the February 1992 issue of
Gamest magazine in Japan Ryu ranked 3rd in Best Characters of 1991. In the January 30, 1997 issue Ryu ranked at No. 13 in Top 50 Characters of 1996. He also took the No. 1 Spot in the "Top 20 Characters of 2008" of the issue February 2009 of the magazine
Arcadia.
External links