RYU DOB: July 21, 1964 Height: 5'10" Weight: 150 lbs. Blood Type: O Nationality: Japanese Discipline: Shotokan Karate "Power, determination, and skill decide the victory."

Ryu is a vagabond warrior who travels the earth in search of worthy competition. Nothing matters to him but the fight, and he has dedicated his life to the goal of becoming a true warrior. He began martial arts training at an early age. An orphan, he was raised by the Shotokan karate master Gouken. Ryu found that he had a natural talent for martial arts, and trained long and hard with Gouken and his fellow student Retsu. Both men were considerably older than Ryu, however, and he was glad when another young man named Ken came to train with Gouken. Ken could not have been more different than Ryu: He was the son of wealthy American parents, and he approached martial arts recklessly. The two, however, grew to be great friends and often trained together. They formed a friendly rivalry, and often competed to see who could master a new move first. Ken was able to completely master the dragon punch, while Ryu's Hadoken was far superior to Ken's.

After ten years at Gouken's dojo, their training came to a tragic and abrupt end. One day, while returning from practicing in the woods, Ryu and Ken found their master battling with an unknown challenger. In horror, they watched as the fighter finished Gouken off with a lethal move and left him for dead. Ryu and Ken tried to stop Gouken's assailant, but the fighter merely swatted them aside. They rushed to their master's side, but it was too late. Following the tragedy, Ryu and Ken left the dojo and went their seperate ways.

Ryu began to wander in search of competition. After several years, he learned of the World Warriors tournament being held in Thailand and rushed to enter it. Several skilled fighters had entered the tournament, but none so formidable as Sagat, the Grand Master of the tournament and reigning Muay Thai champion. Much to Ryu's surprise, Ken had also joined the competition, and the two shared their past few years' experiences before the tournament began. Ryu faced many challengers, including Ken,and emerged victorious against them all. He finally faced Sagat, and defeated the Grand Master to capture the World Champion title. His defeat of Sagat left the Muay Thai champion scarred, and Sagat swore vengeance.

After becoming world champion, Ryu turned his attention to honing his skills. He traveled the world, seeking new challenges. In his travels, he learned of a secret island hidden in the Pacific Ocean. It was said to be the home of a powerful warrior, one who's style resembled Ryu's. Interested by these rumors, Ryu traveled to the island to find the mysterious fighter. He found the man hidden deep within a cavern, and discovered that it was the same man who had murdered Gouken all those years ago. The warrior identified himself as Akuma. He explained to Ryu that he had unlocked the true potential of Shotokan karate, and Ryu had the same power within him. He sought to challenge Ryu, but claimed that Ryu was not ready and quickly dissapeared. Ryu barely escaped the island before it exploded.

The events of the past few days deeply troubled Ryu, and he decided to visit Ken to discuss these matters with him. Ken was married and living on the California coast, but was glad to see his old training partner. Ryu challenged him to a fight for old times sake, but since he was distracted Ken won easily. Afterwards, Ryu had a long talk with Ken and told him about their master's killer. Before Ryu left, Ken gave him his red headband so Ryu would always remember him.

Ryu continued to travel, attempting to sort out the events of the past few months. He encountered Sagat again, who was consumed with hatred for Ryu. Taking pity on the fallen champion, Ryu let Sagat win their ensuing fight. Sagat knew he had been allowed to win, and this only made him hate Ryu more. Ryu departed from Sagat and returned to Japan, where he met Sakura, a schoolgirl who claimed to be his biggest fan. She begged Ryu to train her, and although he was impressed by her determination he declined the offer. He felt that he still had much learning to do. Before leaving Japan, he encountered Guy, a Bushin ninja who was under attack from Sodom and Rolento. Ryu helped the valient warrior defeat his foes before moving on to other challenges.

After several months, Ryu encountered a man named M.Bison, the leader of a criminal organization called Shadowlaw. Ryu nothing of the man, but sensed the same evil aura that had surrounded Akuma. Ryu found himself captured by Shadowlaw forces and placed in a laboratory. Bison was attempting to access Ryu's untapped power, but Ryu managed to escape before the tests were complete. Even though he was free, Ryu's "evil intent" had been awakened by Bison's experiments. It took all of Ryu's self-discipline to supress these evil energies and regain control. He had thought that his training was nearly complete, but he realized that it had really just begun.

Ryu continued to train, and soon the evil intent was forgotten. He heard of a second World Warriors tournament being hosted by Bison, and entered in the hopes of facing Bison again. En route to Thailand, Ryu passed through India where he met Edmund Honda, a sumo wrestler who was also an entry in the upcoming tournament. The two became good friends, and trained together in the last few days before the tournament began.

With his great skill, Ryu advanced in the tournament quickly. He again defeated Sagat and found himself facing Bison once again. This time, Ryu was more focused, and Bison did not have his soldiers with him. Bison quickly fell to Ryu's powerful Shoryuken, and once again Ryu was named World Champion.

With Ken married, Ryu began to wonder about his own life. He had devoted his life to the way of the warrior, and this prevented him from leading what others considered to be a normal life. Although this bothered him, he devoted himself further to the warrior's life. His skills increased, but as the years passed he realized that he still lacked suitable competition. He had learned a new move, the Gou Hadou, but he could not control it consistently. He desired new competition to test the move on, and he found this when the third World Warriors tournament was held. The tournament had attracted many skilled fighters with unique styles, and Ryu was able to defeat every one of his challengers. He eventually reached the Grand Master, Gill, who was the master of many fighting styles. Against such vast power, Ryu had to use every bit of his skill just to stay alive. Ryu unleased his mighty Shoryuken just as Gill was about to kill him. Ryu won the match, and was named World Champion for the third time. Victorious but badly beaten, Ryu bid farewel to Ken (who had entered the tournament as well) and set out on a new journey. He was confident that he had finally reached his ultimate potential, and sought new challenges to test his power.

APPEARANCE LIST
1.  Street Fighter
2.  Street Fighter 2
3.  Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition
4.  Street Fighter 2 Turbo
5.  Super Street Fighter 2
6.  Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
7.  Street Fighter Alpha
8.  Street Fighter Alpha 2/Alpha 2 Gold
9.  X-Men Versus Street Fighter
10. Street Fighter EX/EX Plus/EX Plus Alpha
11. Street Fighter 3
12. Street Fighter 3: 2nd Impact
13. Marvel Super Heroes Versus Street Fighter
14. Street Fighter EX 2/EX 2 Plus
15. Street Fighter Alpha 3
16. Marvel Versus Capcom
17. Street Fighter 3:3rd Strike
18. SNK Versus Capcom
19. Marvel Versus Capcom 2


TRIVIA