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A wandering street fighter who trains rigorously in order to become a true martial artist. Studied the art of Ansatsuken from his master Gouken, but does not wield it to take lives. He wishes to test his mettle against fighters around the world in order to find an answer in the heart of battle. He searches for Pandora to see if there is a connection between it and the Satsui no Hado.
In a nutshell
Ryu is the quintessential "basic" character in fighting games with an intuitive array of punches and kicks, and very basic special moves. This simplicity makes Ryu a favorite for beginner and intermediate players. Ryu is available in every single Street Fighter game, allowing players familiar with previous Street Fighter games to begin playing immediately, without having to worry about learning how to use a new character, however, there are a few tweaks in his moveset which vary depending on the game.
v. 2012 Update
With the latest update, Ryu's special moves were made more punishable. His Heavy Joudan Sokutou Geri is no longer safe on block, each version of his Dragon Punch has less block stun, and push back less. Allowing Ryu to be punished for careless uppercuts. His Medium Dragon Punch has invincible start up frames, so make that one your go-to anti-air if you intend to play Ryu.