Men Without Fear.

A man chooses his own path and some roads that men tread upon requires sacrifices that will strip one of humanity's more nonsensical things in the grand scheme of life. While there are many who may take hold of their path and find that their choosing requires too much and some are unwilling to part ways with materialism and/or habits, there is one man (in the fictional world, of course) who is a testament who found his calling and strives for nothing but to perfect the tasks in his life long journey. This man's name is Ryu; a vagabond, a warrior, a Street Fighter.

The Classic 'Hadoken'

Not much is known about this man except for the fact that he he has no commitment to anything or anyone. He wanders all across the world with no real means to stop doing such what he does. He has one aspiration that drives him in this life long journey and that is to find meaning in being a 'True Warrior'. And all through the course of his gaming appearance he has done nothing but to try and find meaning to that endeavor in every battle he has fought and every warrior that he encounters, and of course one can only discern that Ryu had gained many experience and view point from all the warriors that had passed his road. This man has been around the decades from the premature days of gaming and now to its pinnacle age. Capcom has built Street Fighter's career through the many transmigrations and with that, Ryu has been its most prominent idol.

No fatigue can wear this Warrior down.

From the many different (and sometimes exuberant) Street Fighters, to the versus series (Marvel, SNK, Tekken), and the animes, Ryu has all been depicted as the lone vagabond who is fighting a battle for knowledge. While suffice to say that in all these years in the gaming world the story of each fighter from the said game had always been obscure or not entirely cohesive with each game, however Ryu's background had made it easy for him to remain somewhat the same character all through the years. While it can be argued that his lack of new zest had made his character a bit stale, I can still stand firm that a man who stays consistent with his morals and values is a prime example of a True Warrior.



However Ryu isn't exactly above to the idea that sometimes power may come from source that isn't the image of a 'True Warrior". Ryu constantly fights the spirit of the 'Dark Hadou', or better yet, Evil Ryu. The story of the Dark Hadou had always been obscure and not as clear as I would like it to be, or maybe my incompetence in regards to that part of his story just isn't as fresh, but to my defense, as I had mentioned before, the story of Street Fighter and its characters aren't exactly crystal clear. But the main core idea of the Dark Hadou is pretty easy to catch; Ryu's endeavor to become a strong warrior also makes him susceptible to the dark ki that flows in his veins. Better yet, he is vulnerable to the curse that flows in his blood. Very similar to Hulk might I add, when he becomes enraged in a fight, or perhaps when the situation looks dire, sometimes against his will (a few instances on his own accord), the dark power will emerge out of him and he becomes a force of juggernaut. Friend or Foe is irrelevant and he attacks anyone and just about everyone.

His most distinct feature as 'Evil Ryu' are his red eyes.

Some depict him having clear, white eyes.

Like Akuma, he also gets a 'sign'.

Evil Ryu's appearance in the game is usually his regular white gi is now black and of course the eyes becoming a bit more sinister by becoming red. Along with those distinct features, Ryu also seems to have a bit more feral 'vocabulary' and energy seems to seethe from his every step. Like Akuma, he also seems to bear an emblem of some sort that signifies his victory (I am not going to even bother claiming I know what that sign means or try and look it up because there could be a million other meaning like Akuma's). His iconic 'Hadoken' also becomes more vile and in gameplay it becomes longer for him to throw it, but either it's damage is a few folds more severe or it is unblockable (at least in a couple incarnations of the game that I have played; not too sure about Super Street Fighter IV arcade edition; yeah that is tongue full!). And Speaking of Akuma/Gouken, there has been an ongoing plot that Ryu is Akuma's son, thus why the two are able to use the Dark Hadou. While Ryu restrains it with the best of his ability, Akuma refutes the idea in his mind that it is a curse and embraced it willingly.

Father and Son?

Now whether Ryu is actually stronger as Evil or Good remains to be seen. From what I can gather, he is a force to be reckoned with as Evil Ryu, but he won't be able to distinguish between friend or foe, and his humanity and honor is on the line. As the normal Ryu, he has more inhibitions that perhaps prevents him to become a stronger warrior, but perhaps that is his strong point, his resistance. Both game and animes have made it up to the player/ watcher to make a judgement of that. Truth to be told, I am inspired by Ryu because of his ability to fight that side f him that has such power... but I can't say that letting himself be bound to the power won't be a complete detrimental thing. Using Evil Ryu in most games that he is in insinuates at the idea that his prowess lies in his strength to attack and his defense lacks while the normal Ryu is a bit more balanced. I personally always try to use Evil Ryu for more on the aesthetics than practicality.

Now how Ryu interacts with the rest of the Street Fighter mythos can be a bit obscure as is his story line. It just really depends once again on what story line we are going off of and what universe they are put in. However there are a few faces that no matter where Ryu is depicted, his rapport with them seems to rather stay the 'same' to a certain degree. One good example of this is his rival/reverence for his training partner, Ken Masters.

They trained and studied together for years, some storyline convey the name of their master (Goten?), while others keep that enigma for the fans to guess. Regardless of all the mysteries or lack of coherent timelines and/or stories, one thing is crystal clear in Street Fighter is Ryu and Ken's rapport. While it is more than obvious that Ryu holds the greater power and skill out of the two of them, and that rivalry sparks more interest in Ken for most days than Ryu. So while Ryu is the one to hold the true power of the Hadou (dark or light), Ken is the one who goes into battle with all his weapons drawn so to speak. He has very little inhibitions and he likes to be a spectacle in all areas. Ryu on the other hand holds back a lot which is what makes their dynamic rather bipolar but still complimentary. They push each other to their thresholds, and amidst all that, they gather strength from each other's effort. In the realm of the games, some may want to argue that Ryu and Ken are clones of each other. Way back when in SF II I won't argue that, however as the generations carried on with many Capcom transmigrations of the 'Shoryuken brothers', their difference becomes distinguishable. Ken being a bit more faster, lacking the strength and durability of Ryu, but still efficient. Of course Ryu being the more power house.

Dragon Uppercut as some would call it.

The Famous 'Sho-Ryu-Ken'

Of course a man who walks alone wouldn't be such a lone wolf without someone chasing after him. Chun Li, also a veteran character in the SF world has been an insinuated love interest for the vagabond. Perhaps it is one sided, or maybe it is mere infatuation, or 'fighter's respect', but one cannot simply deny that for as long as these two have been in the same game, their chemistry is more than sufficient to assume it goes deeper than the thrill of the fight. Ryu, in all his appearances in animus and fighting games had always admonished himself for somewhat underestimating Chun Li's ability; sometimes it is even to the point that he is at awe, or even as solid to the point that his Dark Hadou erupts at he idea of someone hurting her. Again these are all speculations on a fan's point of view, but it is hinted more than once that there is something going on. But the idea goes back to Ryu's dedication to his training. Having an interest in that are will more than hinder his path to become a True Warrior. So if there is something there, perhaps it will never fully come into full bloom until Ryu finds that answer. Truth to be told, perhaps Chun Li spends more time musing at the idea of possibly having something than Ryu does. The man seems to care mostly for what is in front of his fist.

This rivalry is a testament of two whose battle scars will forever hold a hate and respect until the end of their days. Ryu is responsible for Sagat's scar in the middle of his body. Inflicted by many have shown with his 'Sho Ryu Ken'. This in deed led Sagat to his downhill reputation of becoming a Shadaloo lackey. Once a great hero, a champion, and considered to be as lethal as a tiger (Sagat, Tiger; Ryu, Dragon. Fitting), the giant could not bear defeat in Ryu's hands, thus succumbed to the wrong path in hopes of finding the illusive Ryu to challenge him again. In more ways than one though, it is plainly obvious that Sagat regrets this decision for it isn't the path for him. However his need to redeem himself by finding Ryu is his driving factor. A goal he would use any means to get there.

His alliance in MVSC3 can vary depending on the player's discretion.

However this rivalry/alliance with Logan had been an ongoing thing since SF VS X-MEN

Now there are many other characters that have made an impact to Ryu. Rose, M.Bison, Sakura, and Guile just to name a few. Their rapports of course would shift depending on the idea if we are talking about anime or which Street Fighter game. His cast of friends and adversaries are limitless in a way, so to further name them would not be that sufficient of space. However, regardless on his rapports with every other person/fighter in the SF mythos, he remains to be the same vagabond.

In conclusion, I have mostly talked about Ryu as a character and not as a video game character. Again, as a playable character in the fighting world, he is by far a good example of a well balanced fighter. But there are many like him in terms of stats; he is the only one in terms of personality, goal, and aesthetics that captures me all in all.  Again his story can be incoherent and perhaps a bit too stale, but looking past all that, it's in his will and his purity (or his notion to keep fighting to keep it) that makes him one of my favorite all time video game character. His legen in the gaming world has perhaps added a lot of iconic faces; he is an inspiration, and with very little argument, he is perhaps one of those type of characters that can probably outlast the game itself, or perhaps the game can't exist without Ryu. In the realm of Capcom, perhaps he is what it means to be a True Warrior: fallible, honorable, powerful, durable, and simple.