

Bison wished to learn the secret of the Satsui no Hadou to further his own ambitions, and brainwashed Ryu. When Sagat learned this, he vowed to fight Ryu again. Ryu quietly threw the fight, since Sagat had still not fully recovered from their last fight. Ryu also had a rematch with Sagat, who longed for nothing more than revenge for the humiliation he was put through at the World Warrior tournament. Ryu declined, believing he had much to learn himself. Ryu was also approached by a young fan of his named Sakura Kasugano, who asked him to take her on as a pupil. Ryu then sparred with Ken, who realized that his friend was not himself, and gave Ryu his red hairband as a reminder to stay focused. Ryu refused, and Akuma destroyed the island, leaving Ryu stranded. Upon confronting each other on a Japanese island, Akuma tried to persuade Ryu to give into the Satsui no Hadou as he had done. Learning of the murder from Ken, Ryu traveled the world to search for Akuma. This gave Ryu a second wind, and he took Sagat out with a powered up Shoryuken, which would leave a large scar across Sagat's chest.Īround this time, Gouken was murdered by his brother Akuma. The older Sagat nearly bested Ryu, but was defeated when Ryu was overcome with the desire to win, and thus opened himself to the Satsui no Hadou (the Surge of Murderous Intent), a force that grants its user great strength but slowly erases their humanity. Ryu advanced through the tournament, and eventually came face to face with Sagat himself. After leaving, Ryu entered the first World Warrior tournament, hosted by Sagat, the self-proclaimed King of Muay Thai. Ryu and Ken became best friends and rivals as they trained together and eventually left Gouken's dojo.

Gouken would later take on a second pupil, Ken Masters. Orphaned at a young age, Ryu was raised and trained by master Gouken in the art of Ansatsuken, or Assassin's Fist. Over the years, due to his simple play style, he has received many clones, including Ken and Akuma. Appearing in all Street Fighter games, Ryu's moveset is designed to be simple and beginner friendly, with a projectile and an anti-air move. Ryu is considered to be the "main character" of the Street Fighter series.
