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This Hero was Headlined on March 2015. | ||
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| “ | I have fought in many battles recently. Even in this world, my destiny to eradicate darkness remains unchanged. | „ |
| ~ Ryu Hayabusa. |
| “ | Did you feel it? I have purged your evil. | „ |
| ~ Ryu Hayabusa in Dead or Alive 6. |
Ryu Hayabusa is the titular main protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden series and the tritagonist of the Dead or Alive series.
He is a legendary, yet ruthless ninja warrior who is the last of the Hayabusa Clan as well as a descendant of the Dragon Lineage. His objective is to protect the world from supernatural forces and evil by eradicating darkness. Despite his violent tendencies, Ryu is nevertheless a courageous hero at heart, one who has a soft spot for children and will set aside his personal vendettas to save the world.
He was voiced by Keiichi Nanba in the TV series, and by Hideyuki Hori in the video games in the Japanese version, and by Justin Gross in Ninja Gaiden, Josh Keaton in Ninja Gaiden 2, Troy Baker in Dead or Alive: Dimensions and Dave B. Mitchell in Dead or Alive 6, with all of their voices in English. In the live-action Dead or Alive movie, he is portrayed by Kane Kosugi, who previously portrayed Jiraiya in the 1994 Japanese Television Series Ninja Sentai Kakuranger of the Super Sentai meta-series.
Etymology[]
His name is derived by two words, "Ryuu" (竜), which stands for "Dragon" and "Hayabusa" (隼), which stands for "Peregrine Falcon".
Appearance[]
Classic[]
Ryu’s classic attire.
In the posters of the first Ninja Gaiden arcade and NES games, as well as Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, as well as in game for the arcade, Ryu wears a traditional dark blue or purple ninja uniform with red armbands, a ninja mask and headpiece, a scarf and sandals, as well as blue leg wraps. In official artwork and in game for the NES games; as well as the poster of Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Ryu’s armbands are blue. When this outfit made its debut in the modern Ninja Gaiden series; specifically Ninja Gaiden Black, slight changes are made, as Ryu now wears a black scarf in place of his blue one and fingerless black gloves underneath the armbands, as well as black leg wraps that replace his blue ones.
Modern[]
Ryu's modern attire.
Ryu wears a full bodysuit with minor padding and straps which hold his kunai in place. He also wears tabi-style boots, black armor, a balaclava, a forehead protector, and a mask which covers his lower face. He also has the Dragon Sword secured to the right side of his back and in every Dead or Alive game; with the exceptions of the first three games, this is Ryu’s default outfit.
In great contrast to his deadly appearance, beneath the mask lies a handsome man capable of gentle expressions even, while still in his early 20s, Ryu's personality is that of a wise, composed man far older than himself. With this level of maturity, Ryu is perfectly able to act gentle and caring towards his relatives and friends, and very cold and deadly towards his enemies without hatred.
Dead or Alive[]
DOA1[]
Ryu wears a black-and-red shinobi shōzoku with a kanji character on his left breast, matching sneakers and arm-guards, a metal headband, and a mask which covers the lower half of his face.
DOA2[]
Ryu wears a grey-and-black shinobi shōzoku with grey-and-gold armor, white tabi-style boots, a metal headband, and a balaclava. He also has the Dragon Sword secured to the right side of his back.
DOA3[]
Ryu wears a black shinobi shōzoku with a hauberk worn under the shōzoku, black-and-gold armor, tabi-style boots, a metal headband, and a balaclava. He also has the Dragon Sword secured to the right side of his back and his hair is worn in a ponytail.
Personality[]
Ninja Gaiden[]
| “ | You are not a murderer. You're not exactly a hero either. Guess that's what it means to be a ninja. | „ |
| ~ Ishigami to Ryu. |
As a ninja, Ryu ruthlessly kills his enemies without mercy, executing them in a very cold, technical and calculating fashion. His rigorous upbringing in tandem with the many hardships and tragedies he has suffered, has forced Ryu to harden his emotions and discipline his skills to perfection. He is undaunted by the lives he must take in order to protect the balance within the world, knowing that the balance of the world is more important.
Ryu knows life following the ninja path can be both cruel and short, especially for one of the Dragon Lineage. He has already felt first hand the brutality of this life; watching Kureha, his best friend murdered right in front of his own eyes, his clan massacred and he himself killed as he tries to save his village. Ryu endures these hardships with his unstoppable will, an indomitable spirit shown in his exploits as he overcomes every challenge and obstacle, surviving even the trauma of death to return and exact his vengeance.
Though Ryu cares little for his enemies' well being, he still respects them on a warrior basis, even having mutual respect with some adversaries such as Genshin. Outside of battle, Ryu is modest and refined, he is popular among the local residents in his village. Not only as a strong role model for ninja in training, but he is heralded for being kind and gentle, as he cares for the safety of every resident in his home. This is due to the fact that each Hayabusa clansman from Jonin to cadet is cherished as family.
Ryu has the demeanor and wisdom of a man far older than himself, an understanding of the world around him and the balance of power within it. He ignores the pursuit of power to the dismay of his uncle Murai, showing no signs of curiosity for the dark powers that dwelled within the Dark Dragon Blade. When given a choice, he chooses to destroy it rather than consume its immense dark powers. Ryu also refused to keep its divine counterpart the True Dragon Sword, knowing this weapon's existence upsets the delicate balance of the peaceful world.
Overall, Ryu's exploits have given him an attitude far removed from most others as he understands things in more abstract and philosophical terms. He adopts a tranquil nature, free flowing most of the time, but unforgiving and crushing when roused. Ryu is also very stoic, he is usually seen not speaking very often. He usually speaks in profound bursts of wisdom, even sometimes looking down on his enemies.
Dead or Alive[]
In this series, Ryu Hayabusa retains his wise demeanor, due to his prolific lineage and mantle of station as a respected ninja. Much like Gen Fu and Eliot, Ryu also adopts a calm nature; only turning dangerous when provoked. Through the Dead or Alive tournament, he has extricated himself from many of the subplots involving other characters, concentrating instead purely on the larger goals that present themselves.
Ryu is Hayate's best friend as well as an ally of Kasumi and Ayane. He and his ninja brethren have been direct players in the defeat of every major threat in the DOA tournaments, himself defeating the rogue Tengu in single combat during the second tournament. Ryu has also befriended several people from the DOA tournaments, notably Jann Lee, with whom he shares a mutual respect.
In his appeals Ryu shows his shinobi side, but at the same time he shows a traditional respect. Sometimes, though, he will smack talk his opponents, saying they can't distract him when they fight, and in his victory quotes he affirms he has no weakness and that nothing can hinder his spirit, showing that he refuses to let any insecurities cloud his mind and won't tolerate weakness in himself.
Overview[]
Ryu is a member of the Hayabusa clan’s head family and he is the wielder of the legendary Dragon Sword; which was passed down for many generations and was passed down by his father Jô Hayabusa. Although Ryu appears as a normal human, he’s actually a human-demon hybrid whose ancestors drew their blood on the same evil deities he faces, with the Holy Vigoor Emperor as an example.
In the Dead or Alive series, Ryu participated in the first Dead or Alive tournament just like the rest of the main cast and helped Kasumi damage Raidou enough just so she can kill him for crippling Hayate. In the second Dead or Alive tournament, Ryu defeated Tengu after he found out about his doings and won.
Powers & Abilities[]
Ryu uses his athleticism and ki manipulation to destroy the enemy helicopter to protect Ayame in Dead or Alive 5.
Trained intensely from childhood in the ways of Hayabusa Ninjutsu, Ryu had to adapt to survive the harsh ninja life and live up to a birthright placed upon him. Eventually he earned the right to bear the Hayabusa clan legacy in his name and excelled as a top student amongst his peers, gaining skills and abilities that are signature of the Hayabusa Clan.
Likewise, Ryu is able to move at lightning fast speeds, leaving after images of himself when taking out enemies in a blink of an eye. His reflexes are immensely sharp, even faster than bullet time, allowing him to effortlessly block bullets from multiple automatic assault rifles shooting at him from all directions. He has immense superhuman strength, able to lift huge weapons with ease, as well as cutting through thick tank steel and jets in half with his legendary Dragon Sword. Ryu is also able to easily and quickly wield hefty weapons such as the Dabilahro, Enma's Fang and the gigantic Eclipse Scythe while maintaining high levels of speed and agility, with only slight difficulties of struggling to keep balance during long swings. Cognitively, he is a tactical fighter and highly calculative in battle. His skills in hand to hand combat and weaponry are at the master level, particularly his swordsmanship skill. Due to his level of mastery, Ryu is often seen using his weapons at their peak physical limit, often requiring the services of a legendary blacksmith to upgrade his weapons past these limitations. He also shows multiple chi and elemental abilities like conjuring a giant flaming dragon and using different types of elements with his attacks.
Ryu uses his ninja acrobatics to advance through places, reaching areas that would normally be unreachable.
Ryu is able to infiltrate many areas skillfully, including heavily guarded territories, observing things undetected from afar, and sneaking up on enemies to perform stealth kills. Additionally, he uses his ninja acrobatics to move about his environments and surroundings, reaching places that would normally be unreachable by many others. He is also able to land in such a way that he is unharmed from drops of great heights, including heights exceeding 1000 ft. Ryu is also capable of adapting acrobatics into fighting, able to evade multiple enemies from all directions and counterattack just as quickly.
Trivia[]
- Hideyuki Hori, who is Ryu’s Japanese VA in the Dead or Alive and the modern Ninja Gaiden games, has previously voiced Bartholomew Kuma in One Piece, Phoenix Ikki in Saint Seiya and the villainous Captain Ginyu in Dragon Ball Z.
- Josh Keaton, who is Ryu’s English VA in Ninja Gaiden 2, has previously voiced Spider-Man (both his Spectacular and Edge of Time counterparts, as well as Ultimate Spider-Man in Shattered Dimensions), Darel in Kulipari, Captain America and the HYDRA Stomper in Marvel’s What if…?, Rick Taylor (in 2010 version of Splatterhouse), Jack Darby in Transformers Prime series and Valerian Mengsk in the StarCraft series.
- He is the current mascot of the Mature template, replacing Andy Barclay.
External Links[]
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