Ryu Hayabusa

Ryu Hayabusa is the titular main protagonist of the series and one of the main protagonists of the series.
He was voiced by Keiichi Nanba in the TV series, and by in the video games in the Japanese version, and by in Ninja Gaiden, in Ninja Gaiden 2, in Dead or Alive: Dimensions and in Dead or Alive 6. In the live-action Dead or Alive movie, he is portrayed by , who previously portrayed Jiraiya (Ninja Black) in .
==Etymology==
His name is derived by two words, "Ryuu" (竜), which stands for "Dragon" and "Hayabusa" (隼), which stands for "falcon".
==Appearance==
===Classic===
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 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==
As a ninja, Ryu ruthlessly kills his enemies without mercy, executing them in a very cold, technical and calculative fashion. His rigorous upbringing in tandem with the many hardships and tragedies he has suffered, has forced Ryu to harden his emotions and disciplined his skills to perfection. He is undaunted by the lives he must take in order to protect the balance within the world, knowing that balance of the world is more important.
Likewise, Ryu has the demeanor and wisdom of a man far older than himself, due to his prolific lineage and mantle of station as a respected ninja. His exploits have given him an attitude far removed from most others and he understands things in more abstract and philosophical terms. Much like Gen Fu and Eliot, he adopts a tranquil nature; free flowing most of the time but unforgiving and crushing when roused. 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.
==Biography==
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==
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.
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 others such as non-ninja. 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. 
==Gallery==
===Images===
Ryu Hayabusa NGSP.png
WO3-Ryu Hayabusa.png
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Ryu hayabusa unmask by kissxingcai-d5zdw0b.jpg
Ninja-Gaiden-III-ninja-gaiden-24865109-640-360.jpg
DOA5 Ryu Render.png
Stars - Ryu.png
Ryu Hayabusa - Bath Outfit (MS).png|Ryu Hayabusa's bath outfit.
Hayabusa-ns.jpg
===Videos===
Ninja Gaiden (NES) - No Death Walkthrough
Ninja Gaiden 2 - Nes - ( The Dark Sword of Chaos ) - Full Playthrough - No Death
Ninja Gaiden 3 (NES) - Full Playthrough with Mike Matei
Game Boy Longplay 025 Ninja Gaiden Shadow
==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 , Phoenix Ikki in and the villainous Captain Ginyu in .
* 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…?, and Valerian Mengsk in the StarCraft series.
==External Links==
*Ryu Hayabusa - Koei Wiki
*Ryu Hayabusa - Ninja Gaiden Wiki
*Ryu Hayabusa - Dead or Alive Wiki
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