Ganryu (Tekken)

Ganryu is a recurring character in the Tekken franchise.
He is a sumo wrestler who seeks the ranks of yokozuna. While he worked as a bodyguard for Kazuya Mishima during the events of the second King of the Iron Fist Tournament, he was ordered to achieve an amulet from Michelle Chang. After defeated and rejected by Michelle, Ganryu fell in love with her and give up his life of crime and cleaned his name in the sumo business and being an honest man. During the fourth tournament, he saw a young fighter named Julia Chang, the adoptive daughter of Michelle and developed feelings for her and will do anything to earn her affection.
In Japanese, he has been voiced by in the original Tekken, in all appearances from Tekken 2 to Tekken Tag Tournament, and (who also voiced Birdie and Goro Majima) in all appearances since Tekken 5. In English, he has been voiced by Lowell B. Bartholomee in Tekken: The Motion Picture, in Tekken: Blood Vengeance, and Earl Baylon in Tekken: Bloodline.
== Biography ==
Ganryu was banned from the sumo ring after he was caught fixing fights in his favor. Blackballed from the only sport that he was capable of fighting in, Ganryu ended up being employed by Heihachi Mishima in Tekken. He fights Yoshimitsu who defeats him and steals his ill-gotten money. Later, he works for Kazuya Mishima in Tekken 2. Entering the second King of Iron Fist Tournament, Ganryu ended up falling in love with Michelle Chang - a love that Michelle was oblivious to, believing Ganryu to be a disgusting, woman-crazed madman. After Michelle defeated him, and the disappearance of Kazuya, Ganryu returned to Japan.
However, his ban from Sumo was lifted, and he became the youngest ever Rikishi. Among the dialogue in Tekken 5, it is stated that Ganryu has never won a championship. After the events of Tekken 2, Ganryu opened a sumo stable and worked as a trainer to other sumo wrestlers. He did this to finally forget about Michelle.
One day, while watching a televised showing of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, he spotted Julia Chang as one of the competitors. Remarking how much she looked like his old crush, Michelle, Ganryu decided to enter the fifth tournament, convinced that he would win Julia's heart if he recovered her lost Forest Rejuvenation Data
== Trivia ==
* The kanji for Ganryu's name individually mean: "rock" (巌 gan); "dragon" (竜 ryū).
* While Katsuhiro Harada's favorite Tekken character is Heihachi Mishima, sometimes he will answer that it is Ganryu out of pity (because he is the least popular character in the series).
* Ganryu is one of only two Japanese characters (the other being Miharu Hirano) who is currently not connected to either the Mishimas, Kazamas or the Manji Clan.
* Ganryu is the only person who worked for Kazuya Mishima in Tekken 2 that does not work for him in Tekken 6.
* Ganryu bears a striking resemblance to E. Honda from the Street Fighter series, Taka-Arashi from the Virtua Fighter series and Akatsuki-Maru from Buriki One, but this is mainly due to the archetypal outfit and haircut worn by many Sumos in fiction, along with a similar set of eyebrows & loincloth (mawashi).
** However, E. Honda within his playable appearance in Street Fighter 6, shares Ganryu's P2 outfit in Tekken 5 and Tekken 6 as his main outfit only wearing the left sleeve from his yukata as well as sharing their occupation as an sumo chef.
== Navigation ==
Category:Anime Heroes
Category:Dimwits
Category:Brutes
Category:Wrestlers
Category:Arrogant
Category:Obsessed
Category:Charismatic
Category:Casanova
Category:Comedy Heroes
Category:Disciplinarians
Category:Determinators
Category:Envious
Category:Redeemed Villains
Category:Failure-Intolerant
Category:Fighters
Category:Honorable
Category:Honest
Category:In Love
Category:Incompetent
Category:Jerks
Category:Loyal
Category:Male
Category:Manga Heroes
Category:Martial Artists
Category:Thrill-Seekers
Category:Video Game Heroes