Ryu (Life & Death)

Ryu (リュウ, Ryū) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Life or Death.
Orphaned at a young age, Ryu was raised and trained by master Gouken in the art of Ansatsuken, or Assassin's Fist. Gouken would later take on a second pupil, Ken Masters. Ryu and Ken became best friends and rivals as they trained together and eventually left Gouken's dojo. After leaving, Ryu entered the first World Warrior tournament, hosted by Sagat, the self-proclaimed King of Muay Thai. Ryu advanced through the tournament, and eventually came face to face with Sagat himself. 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. 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.
Ryu is voiced by Kyle Herbert in the Western versions of Life or Death while Hiroki Takahashi voices him in the Japanese version of the game. 
==How to Unlock==
Ryu is available from the start of a new game and doesn't need to be unlocked.
==Moveset==
* Ryu always faces his opponent during a one-on-one match or when only two players are remaining in a match.
* A small flash will appear whenever Ryu does the input command version of one of his Special Moves instead of the standard B input.
* Sound effects from the Street Fighter II series, albeit heavily modified, are used when Ryu hits an opponent instead of the standard knockback sound effects. The intensity of the sound depends on the power of the move. Ryu also uses a unique sound effect when he performs a parry, which is based on the parry sound effect from the Street Fighter III series. Ryu shares these traits with Ken.
 	Name 	Description
Neutral Attack 	N/A 	Tapped: A jab, followed by a short straight-punch, followed by a hook. The first two hits can lock. It is based on his standing light punch from Street Fighter II (albeit with its animation from Street Fighter III), close standing medium punch from Street Fighter III, and standing hard punch from Street Fighter III, respectively. The first and second hits can be special-cancelled; this is recommended due to the third hit dealing comparatively low damage. At low percents, Shakunetsu Hadoken can effectively rack up damage, while at high percents, Shoryuken will act as a KO combo.
Held (Far): A spinning hook kick. It is based on his standing heavy kick in Street Fighter II. Unlike many of his other moves, it cannot be special-cancelled, though it deals enough knockback to KO at high percents and possesses good range, allowing it to act as a poking/KO option from a distance. However, Ryu's leg is positioned high during the move, allowing even medium-sized characters like Mario to duck under it while using certain moves, or even during their landing animation after jumping.
Held (Close): An uppercut similar to his held up tilt, but with significantly different properties, doing virtually no knockback and being special-cancelable. This makes it extremely potent for combos, reliably cancelling into Shoryuken's sweetspot well past realistic percentages on any character.
Forward Tilt 	N/A 	Tapped (Far): The tsumasaki geri , a kick used in Okinawan Karate. It launches the opponent diagonally upward, and grants intangibility on Ryu's leg from frames 7-12. Good for following with a dash attack or forward aerial at low percents. It is based on his standing medium kick in Street Fighter III. Cannot be special-cancelled.
Tapped (Close): An inward hook. based off his Street Fighter II close medium punch. This move causes the opponent to slightly shift towards Ryu, allowing it to combo into any of his special moves. Even at 999%, this move is incapable of KO'ing. This move can also lock, which grants Ryu a potent combo on missed techs: floored opponents can be hit by two light forward tilts, a held neutral attack, then true Shoryuken, which will deal around 50% and act as a guaranteed KO as early as 60%.
Held: The overhead of the same name that debuted in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Ryu draws his fist back over his shoulder before thrusting it forward and down. Despite its appearance, it hits twice much like the original version. Deals very high shield damage, but its start-up makes it difficult to use on quick opponents. It is best used after conditioning an opponent to shield, or while they are trapped shielding near a ledge, where Ryu can use his tilts to potentially lead into a shield break.
Up Tilt 	N/A 	Tapped: The sok ngat, an uppercut-style elbow strike used in Muay Thai. It can be used repeatedly as fast as the player can press the attack button. It has lost its misleadingly large hitbox, making it less reliable as an all-purpose move, though it is still effective at chaining into itself, leading into many of Ryu's moves for a quick finisher, or forcing opponents to hold their shield long enough to use a held forward tilt for a shield break. At high percents near the ledge, light up tilt can lead into down aerial as a powerful KO option. It is based on his close standing light punch in Street Fighter II.
Held: An uppercut. Strong for its speed and grants his upper body intangibility from frames 4-10, making it a surprisingly effective anti-air attack and KO move. If it connects, it can instantly be canceled into any version of Shoryuken. A reliable finisher for his tapped up tilt. KOs at 152%. It is based on his close standing heavy punch in Street Fighter III.
Down Tilt 	N/A 	Tapped: A crouching, Hapkido-style shin kick. It can be repeated as fast as the player can press, similar to his light up tilt. If used on a prone opponent, they will be lightly launched back onto their feet, allowing Ryu to continue combos on them for extended periods of time. Ryu is unable to jump immediately after using down tilt, making special moves the most effective followup, though a forward aerial can catch a jumping opponent. It is based on his crouching light kick in Street Fighter II.
Held: A lunging, Hapkido-style shin kick. Like the light version, Ryu is unable to jump immediately after using this move. Despite having low power, it can be immediately canceled into a special move if Ryu hits the opponent or their shield, allowing Ryu to pressure his opponent. As of update 7.0.0, the move's changed angle allows effective combos from held down tilt even past 180%, with Hadoken allowing a free lock at high percents, and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku being a dependable KO combo. It is based on his crouching medium kick in Street Fighter II.
Dash Attack 	N/A 	A flying kick. Possesses high base knockback for a dash attack and it can reliably combo into many of his tapped attacks as a finisher. KOs at 150%. Based on his original jumping medium and heavy kicks in the Street Fighter Alpha/Zero games.
Forward Smash 	N/A 	The side kick of the same name from Street Fighter III. Moves him slightly forward and has the highest range of all his standard attacks, as it is able to hit opponents two character lengths away from him. However, it has noticeable ending lag. Deals slightly more damage and knockback when hit with Ryu's heel, and is Ryu's strongest standard attack if his heel connects. KOs at 110% with his heel and 120% anywhere else. Can cancel into his Final Smash upon hit.
Up Smash 	N/A 	Squats and then rises up to throw an uppercut. Makes his hurtbox smaller while attacking, making this a good anti-air attack. Slight ending lag and does not have much horizontal range, though it is the highest hitting of all his standing attacks, being the only one able to hit an opponent on a Battlefield platform. His arm becomes intangible on frames 3-6. A good finisher for his tap combos. KOs at 130%. Can cancel into his Final Smash upon hit. It is based on his crouching heavy punch in Street Fighter, albeit with its animation from Street Fighter III.
Down Smash 	N/A 	A legsweep. Launches opponents at a diagonal angle and unlike most down smashes, it only hits in one direction. Has the fastest start-up of all of his smash attacks, with more range than his up smash but less than his forward smash, making it a comparably safe option. However, it has below average knockback for a smash attack, which makes it unreliable as a KOing option. Instead, it functions better as a spacing and anti-pressure option. As of update 7.0.0, down smash now deals less shield damage, but can be special-canceled just like most of his moves, repurposing it into a capable combo starter at low percents. Can cancel into his Final Smash upon hit. It is based on his crouching heavy kick in Street Fighter II.
Neutral Aerial 	N/A 	A downward angled knee strike. Its limited range is compensated by its sex kick properties and low ending lag. Can cancel into any of his special moves upon hit. The late hit is capable of locking. Overall, this is one of Ryu's best combo starters/breakers, as it allows him to transition to the ground and pressure opponents into shielding, or start tilt combos. It is based on his diagonal jumping light kick in Street Fighter II.
Forward Aerial 	N/A 	A flying kick. Ryu's foot has high launching power, while his upper leg has a sourspot and deals less damage. Despite this, the sourspot deals high shield damage. A good combo move and very damaging for its speed, but lacks KO power due to its knockback growth, making it more suitable for damage racking unless near the side blast lines. Can cancel into any of his special moves upon hit, though this is most effective when using the sourspot, which has low enough knockback to effectively combo. It is based on his diagonal jumping medium and heavy kick animation in Street Fighter II.
Back Aerial 	N/A 	An outside crescent kick. It has very good reach, and its strength and fast start-up make it Ryu's most powerful aerial and a viable KOing option, able to KO at 115%. Due to Ryu always facing his opponent in one-on-one matches, it is difficult to use for edgeguarding: one must perform a reverse aerial rush, which takes longer to perform as Ryu, as he will only pivot around as part of his turnaround, and not in a dash dance (without performing a reverse aerial rush, it is impossible to jump offstage while facing towards it if the opponent is offstage). It is based on his vertical jumping heavy kick from Street Fighter II, which in some sources also doubled as his Senpuukyaku (旋風脚, "Whirlwind Leg") command normal/unique art from other games.
Up Aerial 	N/A 	An uppercut. Despite its appearance, it hits twice, has good vertical range, and is reliable at catching opponents above Ryu. His arm becomes intangible on frames 6-10. KOs at 155%. It is also effective as a landing option, as the first hitbox starts low enough to pressure shields and start combos; it can also extend into Shoryuken in the air as a KO combo. It is based on his diagonal jumping medium punch in Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
Down Aerial 	N/A 	A downward angled cross. Hitting an airborne opponent with the attack's sweetspot (his fist as it comes down) results in a meteor smash that powerfully sends opponents diagonally downward, while hitting an airborne opponent with the sourspot launches the opponent diagonally upward with high knockback. Hitting a grounded opponent, however, results in extremely low knockback that will not KO even at 300%, but nonetheless possesses the ability to start combos. Can cancel into any of his special moves upon hit, with Shoryuken being especially useful across all percent ranges. It is based on his jumping medium and heavy punch in Street Fighter II, albeit at an emphasized downward angle.
Grab 	N/A 	Reaches out. Ryu's overall grab range is short. It is based on his grab animation in Street Fighter III.
Pummel 	N/A 	A knee strike while holding the opponent in the collar-and-elbow position. It is based on Ken's Tsukami Hizageri (つかみ膝蹴り, "Grasping Knee Kick") throw in the Street Fighter Alpha/Zero games.
Forward Throw 	N/A 	The seoi nage (a Judo throw). If the opponent does not react or jumps, this throw can lead into a down aerial meteor smash at medium percentages. It is based on his punch throw in Street Fighter II, where it had the same name in most in-depth sources.
Back Throw 	N/A 	The tomoe nage (a Judo throw). Heavy opponents can be knocked back onto their feet with a tapped down tilt, then thrown again. It is based on his kick throw in Street Fighter II, where it had the same name in most in-depth sources.
Up Throw 	N/A 	A stretch kick transitioned into an axe kick. It can combo into an aerial attack at low percents. While the axe kick cannot hit the thrown opponent, it can nevertheless hit another opponent that is too close to Ryu. Unlike the stretch kick, the axe kick deals much more damage and has high knockback (KO's Mario starting at 77% from the edge of Final Destination). Ryu's leg becomes intangible during the axe kick (frames 25-30). It is based on his close heavy kick in Street Fighter II.
Down Throw 	N/A 	Pins the opponent to the ground and performs a knifehand strike. Its angle allows it to combo into held neutral attack at 0%, which can be extended into any special move. It also combos well into aerial attacks and Shoryuken until 30%, where thrown opponents are launched too high to get hit. Deals immense shield damage, enough to instantly break the shield of opponents that are right next to Ryu. Its shield-breaking properties and animation are based on the brick breaking bonus game in Street Fighter, though it also resembles Akuma's Shurettō (朱裂刀, "Vermilion Rending Blade") throw in Street Fighter IV.
Neutral Special	Hadouken 	Quickly cups his hands to his side and then thrusts them forward to launch a blue ki blast from his cupped hands that deals decent damage and low knockback, is capable of locking, and may cause tripping at low percents. Using it in the air stalls Ryu and allows him to control his aerial momentum a bit, allowing him to mix up his linear recovery. Only one Hadoken can be active, as attempting to shoot another results in a puff of smoke emitting from his hands. Holding down the special button greatly increases the blast's speed and slightly increases damage output. Three versions of the move can be performed, two of which have directional inputs: a small blue Hadoken (special button only), a slighty stronger (1.2× damage) and larger inputted Hadoken (↓ ↘ → + attack/special), and the red flaming Shakunetsu Hadoken that hits multiple times (← ↙ ↓ ↘ → + attack/special). Combos well out of his tapped tilt attacks and aerials, and is mainly used to rack up damage and control space due to its low knockback. The light version travels extremely slowly and can be used to control space and even start combos while approaching, while the heavy version is extremely fast and is useful for zoning. Shakunetsu Hadoken deals some shield damage, though not to the extent of his Collarbone Breaker. However, the Hadoken and its variants should be used wisely due to its low priority. All variants can cancel into his Final Smash.
Side Special 	Tatsumaki Senpukyaku 	A jumping, spinning crescent kick. Ryu moves in the given direction he is facing. Has sex kick properties, grants intangibility on Ryu's legs for the whole duration the hitbox is active, and deals more damage and knockback after the first few frames. Holding down the special button increases damage dealt, distance traveled, and the move's duration, also giving the attack additional knockback. Using an inputted Tatsumaki Senpukyaku (↓ ↙ ← + attack/special) sees Ryu announce the move by name and results in it dealing 1.16× damage, covering more distance, and granting it better KOing potential. It is an almost guaranteed KO move at very high percents if held down tilt connects, can extend aerial combos on opponents that are hit horizontally, and can be used to prevent Shoryuken from getting stale as a KO option. The move can be used as a good horizontal recovery while not causing helplessness, but it can only be used once in the air without touching the ground or taking hitstun. It also cannot be canceled once used, and its slow spinning hitbox makes it very easy to punish offstage. Can cancel into his Final Smash.
Up Special 	Shoryuken 	Ryu's signature leaping uppercut, with him announcing the move's name while propelling his fist into the air at high speed. Holding the special button increases damage and height traveled. An inputted Shoryuken (→ ↓ ↘ + attack/special) deals even more knockback, deals 1.2× more damage, has 2/3rds the landing lag, and grants Ryu both slightly more intangibility (frames 1-14 versus frame 5) and lower landing lag (16 frames versus 23 frames). Aside from being his main vertical recovery move, Shoryuken is also a viable KOing option due to its fast start-up, especially when used in conjunction with Focus Attack. In comparison, an inputted Shoryuken is Ryu's most powerful vertical KOing option overall and has the highest growth in his entire standard moveset, and can be also used as a risky method to escape combos due to its intangibility. However, it has heavy aerial lag as, alongside his low air acceleration, Ryu cannot alter his aerial drift for around two seconds after he attacks, and he becoming helpless once he descends. It is also unable to sweetspot ledges until the end, making it mandatory for Ryu to gauge his travel distance. Can cancel into his Final Smash.
Down Special 	Focus Attack 	Assumes a focused stance while emitting a black ink-like aura, and then throws a short straight-punch. Crumples opponents where they stand with a lengthy stun animation if charged for more than half a second, which can allow for follow-ups. Ryu gains heavy armor that can withstand a single hit while it is charging, depending on the amount of charge (16.8%-33.6%). When fully charged, the attack becomes unblockable and will pierce through counterattacks. Peculiarly, if a fully charged focus attack hits a shield at any distance it will still crumple even if the shielding opponent is out of range, essentially making the move more effective on shielding enemies. The move's charge is indicated by Ryu flashing during its start-up. Level 1 is performed immediately and slightly launches an opponent. Level 2 is performed after half a second and crumples an opponent, but deals the least amount of damage. Level 3 is performed after a whole second, can block any normal single hit attack, crumples the opponent for a much longer time and deals the most amount of damage. Ryu can also perform a technique called the Focus Attack Dash Cancel. This is performed by tapping left or right twice, which cancels Focus Attack and instead propels Ryu a set distance depending on where the control stick was tapped. However if the punch misses, Ryu will be unable to cancel the move. If the move hits an airborne opponent, they will instead by launched with heavy hitlag. Although Focus Attack cannot block grabs and is countered by multiple hit attacks, it is a useful tool for baiting opponents and punishing, while its Dash Cancel can function as a horizontal recovery option while offstage.
Final Smash 	Shin Shoryuken / Shinku Hadoken	A Final Smash that varies depending on range. At point-blank range, Ryu traps the opponent with the Shin Shoryuken, a three-hit combo that launches the opponent with an even stronger Shoryuken. Begins KOing at specific percentages for every character, much like KO Uppercut and Finishing Touch. At any other range, Ryu performs the Shinku Hadoken, a much larger Hadoken that vacuums nearby opponents into it before dragging them a distance across the screen and exploding. Shin Shoryuken has much higher KO potential against a single opponent, whereas Shinku Hadoken has more range, reliably affects multiple opponents, and is capable of bypassing walls. Shin Shoryuken can be cancelled into from Ryu's neutral attacks (both tapped and held variants), tilts, smash attacks, aerials, and special moves (for the variants of Hadoken, it must be at point blank range).
=== Cancelling ===
Ryu can perform a special move out of certain normal attacks, a mechanic known in his home series as special-cancelling. By pressing the special button or doing the command input after connecting with a normal attack on hit or on shield, Ryu will cancel the endlag of the normal attack and perform the move. The normal attacks that can be canceled include the first two hits of neutral attack, tapped and held down-tilt, tapped up-tilt, held up tilt, proximity forward-tilt, proximity held neutral attack and down smash. He is also capable of doing so with his aerials. Special-cancelling allows Ryu to perform blockstrings and hit confirms into Shoryuken for a kill, Tatsumaki Senpukyaku for a combo, or Hadoken or Shakunetsu Hadoken for safety and pressure. He can also bait the opponent out with a special cancel into a Focus Attack, further increasing mixup potential.
==Other Animations==
Animation 	Description 	Notes
On-Screen Appearance 	Walks onto the stage from some mist in the background, then gets into a fighting stance. 	
Taunt 1 	Pulls his headband's ends taut while stating "Come on!" (かかってこい！, Come on!) Unlike in Smash 4, Ryu does not turn around during the taunt. 	
Taunt 2 	Ryu holds his fist forwards, and declares "Talk is cheap!" (拳で語り合おう！, Let your fists talk!). 	
Taunt 3 	Stomps on the ground and grunts, causing the screen to briefly shake. This is his taunt from the Street Fighter III series games. 	
Star KO 	 	
Screen KO 	 	
Character Selection Screen	 	
Crowd Chant 	Ryu Ryu Ryu! 	
Victory Pose 1 	Crosses his arms, then winds back and does a pose with his right fist facing the camera; his victory pose from Street Fighter IV, saying "Give it your all!" ("必殺のタイミングを計れ!", Gauge the timing of your special moves!), one of his victory quotes from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. 	
Victory Pose 2 	Slings his bag over his shoulder while saying "The journey has just begun." ("旅はまだ…始まったばかりだ", Yet the journey... has just begun.). This is one of his victory quotes from Street Fighter Alpha 3. 	
Victory Pose 3 	Punches once before doing a victorious uppercut, referencing one of his more recurring win poses, while saying "Your range is one fist short." ("その間合いじゃ、拳半分届かない!", That range doesn't reach half a fist!). This is another one of his victory quotes from Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. 	
==Role in Classic Mode==
Like all other fighters, Ryu appears in Classic Mode. Ryu's Mini-Boss is unknown. 
===Ryu Ending===
==Role in The Kiss of Death==
==Alternate Costumes==
Most of Ryu's costumes appear to derive from his alternate colors in Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
Image	Number	Color 	Notes 	Unlockable?
 	01 	White 	Contains elements from his appearances in Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V. 	Default
 	02 	Grey 	Resembles his alternate color in Street Fighter II': Champion Edition when playing in a Mirror Match. It also resembles his "Medium Punch" color ("Strong" in reference source). 	Default
 	03 	Cyan 	Resembles his default color in Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting. Also resembles his "Heavy Punch" color ("Fierce" in reference source) and his appearances in Street Fighter and the Street Fighter Alpha titles.	Default
 	04 	Black 	Resembles his "Light Punch" color ("Jab" in reference source). 	Default
 	05 	Orange	Resembles his "Light Kick" color ("Short" in reference source). Also resembles Ryo Sakazaki, a fighter from SNK's Art of Fighting series. 	Default
 	06 	Blue 	Resembles his "Medium Kick" color ("Forward" in reference source). 	Default
 	07 	Green 	Resembles his "Heavy Kick" color ("Roundhouse" in reference source). 	Default
 	08 	Purple	Resembles his tenth color in Street Fighter V. This replaces his red alternate costume from the last game. 	Default
 	09 	 	 	Unlockable
 	10 	 	 	Unlockable
 	11 	 	 	Unlockable
 	12 	 	 	Unlockable
 	13 	 	 	Unlockable
 	14 	 	 	Unlockable
==Smash Taunts==
===Palutena's Guidance===
===Snake's Codecs===
==Fighter Spirits==
Ryu's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Ryu in The Kiss of Death allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Life & Death.
File:Ryu Spirit.png
==Trivia==
Category:Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Life or Death