Ryu Aihara

is the only surviving member from the original CREW GUYS. Ryu was very close with former CREW GUYS captain Kazuya Serizawa, who's supposed death had a great effect on him. He later accepts the new and younger CREW GUYS, and becomes Ultraman Hikari's second host. At the end of the series, he becomes the captain of another CREW GUYS.
==Personality==
Ryu possesses an exceptionally passionate personality, and he takes immense pride in his role as a member of the GUYS. He firmly believes in the motto "It's our duty to protect the Earth with our own hands," which he holds close to his heart. However, his exuberance sometimes leads him to act impulsively due to his occasional clumsiness, earning him the nickname "passionate fool" from those around him.
Due to his impatient disposition, he often acts impulsively when his emotions run high, disregarding consequences. This impulsive behavior may lead him to be overly outspoken and inadvertently harm his fellow team members. Consequently, he frequently gives rise to friction and complications with those around him. Nevertheless, his genuine enthusiasm inherently serves as a motivating factor, ultimately becoming the primary pillar of unity among the GUYS members.
Initially, he bore witness to the sacrifices of all his teammates, instilling in him an extreme fear of letting his comrades and vulnerable individuals get hurt. As a result, he is perceived as a "risk," and whether they are extraterrestrial beings or individuals transforming into Ultraman, they instinctively direct their guns towards him as a first response. Additionally, he appears to harbor a fear of frightening entities such as ghosts.
As the series progresses, Ryu gradually cultivates a composed sense of judgment and objective insight. Upon assuming the role of team captain, his character gradually evolves towards maturity.
==History==
===Pre-Ultraman Mebius===
Prior to the restructuring of GUYS, Ryu had been serving as a subordinate under the leadership of Captain Kazuya Serizawa. He possessed exceptional piloting skills and held great respect for Serizawa. From him, Ryu learned the 5 Ultra Oaths and a multitude of specialized strategic techniques.
Ever since acquiring the 5 Ultra Oaths from Serizawa, Ryu has developed the habit of routinely reciting them.
===Ultraman Mebius===
At the beginning of the series, Ryu and other GUYS members were dispatched to deal with Dinozaur, the first monster attack on Earth in nearly 25 years. However, due to everyone's lack of preparedness for battle, Dinozaur easily overwhelmed his comrades. Eventually, only he and Serizawa remained in their fighter jets. In order to save Ryu from certain death, Serizawa ejected his seat. From that point on, Ryu became the sole survivor of the Former GUYS.
Initially, Ryu was skeptical about the existence of Ultraman, especially when Ultraman Mebius made his debut, and he felt angered by Ultraman's fighting style that seemed to disregard city damage. But this skepticism was further fueled by the decimation of the entire team, leaving him lost and grieving, unable to protect anything. In the depths of the night, he even briefly considered leaving GUYS out of frustration. However, under the counsel of a young individual he had known before, Mirai Hibino, he returned to the base and met Shingo Sakomizu, who had been appointed the new team leader. Through this encounter, Ryu learned about the new GUYS deployment of a joint attack fighter called the "Gun Phoenix." 
Subsequently, Mirai selected four civilians to join the new GUYS. However, Ryu, with his background in professional training, didn't meet the expected standards, causing him to feel dissatisfied and angered by Mirai's decision. To address this issue, Sakomizu intentionally sought out Ryu and brought up Serizawa's motto, "Do not rely on the power of others." He emphasized the importance of maintaining this mindset and stressed that Ryu needed to find a place within himself to uphold this belief, in turn aiding his journey to rebuild his confidence. 
Despite the subsequent formal establishment of the new GUYS, Ryu initially encountered challenges in his interactions with the other members. With Mirai's guidance and support, he gradually deepened his emotional connection with his colleagues. As the series progressed, he began to grasp the concept that Ultraman was willing to fight even at the cost of his own life. This realization led him to genuinely accept Ultraman Mebius as a fellow teammate.
Throughout the series, Ryu frequently assumed on-site command, standing in for Sakomizu who remained at the base, essentially functioning at a vice-captain level. Unable to come to terms with Serizawa's death, he initially addressed Sakomizu, who took over the captain's position, as "sir," indicating his reluctance to acknowledge him as the captain.
As he repeatedly witnessed Serizawa's presence during missions, Ryu became increasingly astonished and perplexed by the possibility of Serizawa's revival. However, when he discovered that Serizawa was actually Hunter Knight Tsurugi, Ryu found himself entangled in a web of confusion and disbelief regarding GUYS's past convictions. Sakomizu astutely recognized the amalgamation of Tsurugi and Serizawa. He posed a question to Ryu: "Does the present GUYS truly lack meaning?" This inquiry awakened Ryu from his confusion, propelling him to break free from it and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with his fellow team members.
Subsequently, he harbored anger towards Tsurugi for utilizing Serizawa as a vessel for his earthly activities. However, as Tsurugi, influenced by Ryu's earlier plea, reclaimed his benevolent nature, Ryu's perspective shifted. Yet, during a strategic mission, although they, along with the collaboration of two Ultras and GUYS, managed to defeat Bogarlmons, Tsurugi was mortally wounded in the process, leaving Ryu overwhelmed with sorrow.
After his death, Tsurugi was granted a second life through the miracle orchestrated by the Mother of Ultra. However, Ryu, on the other hand, lost his initial purpose due to Serizawa's death and sought to employ aggressive means to eradicate the Dinozaur. But as the entire team began their mission to strategize against the Dinozaur, Ryu found himself rescued by the newly revitalized Tsurugi in a critical moment during the mission. Subsequently, firmly believing in Serizawa's return in the form of Ultraman, Ryu later named this new warrior "Ultraman Hikari."
However, after Serizawa became the human form of Ultraman Hikari, he didn't return to GUYS. Despite having two Ultras now protecting Earth, Ryu continued to believe that humans must fight to their utmost with their own strength, just as Serizawa had taught him. In a battle where Hikari attempted to intervene, Ryu planned a continuous launch of Spacium-headed missiles to incinerate Saramandora's cells. To target the throat precisely, GUYS decided to execute the "Yamato Formation," a coordinated attack by two fighter jets. This was a tactic Serizawa had taught Ryu in the past, and Ryu understood better than anyone the difficulty of executing this tactical maneuver. With the assistance of Mirai, they successfully executed this formation. 
Afterward, Ryu reunited with Serizawa once more. Entrusting the responsibility of protecting Earth to Ryu, Mebius, and GUYS, Serizawa departed from Earth. During their farewell, Ryu and all GUYS members recited the 5 Ultra Oaths to him.
During an investigation into the phenomenon of red rain and an incident in Nanzawa City, Ryu fell victim to a kidnapping orchestrated by Vakishim and his body was controlled by Yapool. Yapool used Ryu's life as leverage to prevent Mirai from taking hasty actions. Later, Yapool disrupted GUYS' experiments and falsely framed Mirai for the incident. Fortunately, Yapool's scheme was exposed and thwarted by Sakomizu, who arrived in the nick of time and recognized the situation. Ultimately, Ryu was rescued by Mirai.
As Mirai was summoned back to the Land of Light and Inpelaizer, serving as Alien Empera's advance force, began attacking cities on Earth, Ryu witnessed the invasion's initiation. In this critical moment, Mirai chose to transform into Mebius before Ryu, revealing his true identity. However, due to physical discomfort, Mebius was defeated in battle. Amidst the ruins, Ryu searched for Mirai, feeling ashamed of his previous comments that indirectly hurt Mirai, and regretful for not noticing Mirai's concealed identity. Ultimately, amidst the debris, he found Mirai critically injured.
Afterward, he learned from Mirai the reasons behind the return command and the protection of Earth. He began to grasp the perspective that "Ultraman is also a 'companion' fighting alongside humans." Later, during the battle between Ultraman Taro and Impelizer, when they faced a predicament, Ryu encouraged Mirai to fight once more. To shield Ryu and others from attacks, Mebius expended his power during the battle. However, fueled by Ryu's and his team's convictions, Mebius was bestowed with new strength and evolved into "Mebius Burning Brave," achieving a brand new victory witnessed by all.
Subsequently, Ryu engaged in direct negotiations with Taro, expressing his determination to protect the Earth alongside Mebius and urging Taro to rescind the return command. From that point onward, he wholeheartedly supported and assisted Mirai in various aspects.
However, due to excessive focus on his teammates' performance, Ryu once misunderstood the situation while Mirai was negotiating with Alien Mates Bio. Without verifying the circumstances, he mistakenly fired shots at Bio, causing Bio's anger and ultimately leading to Bio's destructive actions using Zoa Muruchi, committing a serious error. After realizing his mistake, Ryu later openly apologized to Bio, explaining that his shooting was solely intended to protect Mirai and was not done with ill intentions.
During the final battle, Ryu and the rest of the GUYS members engaged in combat against Alien Empera. Witnessing Hikari's defeat, Ryu, filled with anger, piloted the Gun Crusader MX in an attempt to attack Alien Empera. 
However, his fighter was destroyed by the enemy. In this crucial moment, Serizawa entrusted him with the Knight Brace, enabling Ryu to temporarily take on Hikari's form and confront Alien Empera. Despite facing defeat once again, as Ryu reverted to his human self, he felt a renewed sense of despair about the situation. Yet, through the encouragement of the Ultra Brothers, the reappearance of the Knight Brace, and a conversation with Mirai's consciousness, he came to realize that he still had a role to play.
Ultimately, Ryu transformed alongside the others, joining forces with Mebius, Hikari, and GUYS to combine into their ultimate form, "Mebius Phoenix Brave," and together with Zoffy, they defeated Alien Empera.
After the battle concluded, Ryu and Hikari went their separate ways. They bid farewell to Mirai, who was returning to the Land of Light, along with the other team members. As the rest of the GUYS members also returned to their respective domains, Ryu made the decision to take on the role of the new leader of GUYS. He aimed to carry forward the beliefs of the former captain and uphold the mission of safeguarding the Earth.
===Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers===
In the movie, Ryu and the other members were stationed at Phoenix Nest. They received a report about the devastation caused by the unfamiliar Alien Temperor in Kobe City. Sakomizu dispatched Ryu and Marina to initiate an attack. However, after Mebius defeated Alien Temperor, Ryu once again returned to the base.
When Alien Zarab disguised himself as Mebius and began wreaking havoc in the city, Sakomizu once again sent Ryu to Kobe City. However, upon the arrival of the GUYS members in that area, they were met with the sight of the city enveloped in a protective shield. Upon learning that attempting a forced entry might result in the disintegration of their aircraft, the GUYS could only remain on standby at the perimeter.
Once the incident concluded, he reunited with Mirai upon his return while airborne, and the entire group made their way back to Phoenix Nest.
===Ultraman Mebius Gaiden: Armored Darkness===
When the Darknesphere was about to crash the Earth, Ryu and Harusaki, his new subordinate were sucked into it. Inside it, Ryu came upon a wast land covered by dark clouds, that reminded him of when Alien Empera attacked Earth. Suddenly, Ryu and Harusaki were attacked from underground by Armored Darkness, who hit the Gun Phoenix Ryu piloted. Ryu ordered Hirusaki to run away while he stayed in Gun Phoenix and tried to attacked Armored Darkness. However, Armored Darkness was too strong for him and he was seemingly killed by Armored Darkness. Harusaki cried after he saw his captain killed, but Mirai (Mebius) arrived and told Harusaki that Ryu was still alive after holding of the giant. Thanks to Ultraman King's power Ryu was saved.
After all the original crew of GUYS Japan came and entered Darknesphere to helped Ryu, they began to attack and Mirai transform into Mebius. Ryu planed to entered into the body of Armored Darkness to awaken and free Ultraman Hikari. He later joined with Hikari and became Hikari's temporary host again. He teamed up with Mebius to defeated Armored Darkness, but it was too strong. Finally, the two merged with team GUYS and again became Mebius Phoenix Brave. 
Mebius then overpowered Armored Darkness and destroyed it with the Mebium-Knight Shoot. After the battle Ryu was released from Hikari's body and he was teleported to Earth by Mirai while Hikari used his power to stop the Darknesphere from crashing into Earth and took it away.
==Powers and Weapons==
*Piloting skills: Being a member of GUYS, Ryu is extremely skilled in piloting the Mechas of GUYS.
*Knight Brace: He had this Knight Brace when Serizawa passed on the Knight Brace to him.
**Transformation: He is able to transform into Ultraman Hikari with the Knight Brace.
**Combination: Combining the Knight Brace and Mebius Brace and other GUYS members, he can become Mebius Phoenix Brave form.
MebiusPhoenixModeTransform.gif|Combination 
==Merchandise==
*Ultraman Mebius Deformed Pattern Acrylic Charm (2020)
**Release Date(s): October 29, 2020 (Bandai Fashion Webstore), May 2021 (Premium Bandai)
**Price: 550 yen for each piece
**Materials: Acrylic, metal (chain)
:Released as part of the Mebius-themed Deformed Pattern Acrylic Charm series to commemorate the show's 15th anniversary, Ryu (which is drawn in an Anime-fied style) is one the items to be produced as hanging acrylic keychain.
:Ryu (and the rest of the characters) is available as a made-for-order item (where the customers can choose one during purchase) for Bandai Fashion's webstore in 2020, and later the Premium Bandai site at May 2021.
==Gallery==
===Ultraman Mebius===
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Ryu Aihara 0002.png|Ryu's first appearance
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ryuu is my cute pet dragon.png
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Ryu Aihara 0021.png
meanigful gaze.png
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===Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers===
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===Ultraman Mebius Gaiden: Armored Darkness===
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===Miscellaneous===
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Ryu.png
Ryu Aihara 2006 1.jpeg
==Trivia==
*Actor Masaki Nishina, who portrayed Ryu, had previously appeared as EYES member Ryojiro Shoda in Ultraman Cosmos vs. Ultraman Justice: The Final Battle. Due to the original actor scheduled to play Ryu withdrawing due to scheduling conflicts, Nishina was invited by Shinichi Ooka to take on the role of Ryu.『平成ウルトラマン メカクロニクル』ぴあ株式会社〈ぴあMOOK〉、2021年4月30日。ISBN 978-4-8356-4288-8
*In the initial concept, Ryu had originally planned to witness Mirai's transformation process in episode 2. However, considering that this might disrupt the smooth flow of the series, this scene was moved to episode 29.講談社 編『ウルトラ特撮 PERFECT MOOK』 vol.05《ウルトラマンメビウス》、講談社〈講談社シリーズMOOK〉、2020年9月10日。ISBN 978-4-06-520800-7
*The development of Serizawa passing on his power to Hikari was communicated to the actor Masaki Nishina early on. Starting from episode 17, changes were made to Ryu's hairstyle to more clearly depict his character's growth.
==References==
id:Ryu Aihara
Category:Human Hosts
Category:Ultra Hosts
Category:Allies
Category:Ultraman Mebius
Category:Human Characters
Category:Ultraman Mebius Characters
Category:GUYS Members
Category:Leaders
Category:GUYS