Ryder Caza

Ryder Caza is a main character of *Deathboy 2000* and the narrator of a majority of the story. She is a former AKI mechanic from Hoover.

Be aware, this page contains spoilers for *Deathboy 2000.*

## History

### Early life

Ryder grew up in Northeastern Hoover with her parents and younger brother, Kile. Her parents were drug manufacturers and addicts, which meant she often cared for her brother and learned to take care of herself and their apartment at a young age. She had dreams of becoming a famous AKI player and often hung around the local AKI arcade, though she didn't have enough money to play.

One night in 506 AM, the Hoover police received a tip that her parents were creating and selling drugs and they broke into her home. The police melted her parents and their drugs with police grade acid, and splashed Ryder with it when she attempted to interfere.

Avo, the owner of the arcade which Ryder frequented, heard what was happening and posed as their older brother so he would be allowed to take her and Kile, to keep them out of the police's hands. He raised them and taught Ryder how to be AKI mechanic so she would be able to support herself and Kile. However, he disapproved of her dreams of becoming a pro player, because of his experiences as a former player, which had traumatized him and caused him to retire before he was 25.

### Mission

One night in 516 AM, while walking Kile home from school, Ryder stumbled across Skully Deathboy, who'd recently been abandoned by Ice Cream in Hoover. Believing him to be an addict like her parents, and seeing he was the same age as her brother, Ryder decided to take him home, so the police wouldn't kill him during the nightly raids. There, her, her brother, and Avo took care of Skully, who was suffering from a head injury and severe side effects from the drugs he'd been given. When he woke up and claimed to be the Messiah, Ryder believed he was still confused from his injury. However, after taking him to work with her one day and seeing that he was able to use phase purple, Ryder began to believe him and train him in AKI when he developed his idea of spreading his message through the sport.

While Ryder took Skully out to buy him AKI gear, Bristor ran into her and spilled his drink on her. He invited her and Skully out to dinner to apologize and they accepted. After Bristor agreed to join their group and help them with his funds, Ryder hesitated and spoke with Kile and Avo, who encouraged her to take the chance, so she also officially joined the trio.

Ryder trains Bristor and Skully in AKI and the group does fairly well, since Ryder is a skilled player, and most people don't know how to play against Skully. When they're gifted a practice bay, Ryder is the only one who's suspicious, but the others talk her out of her fear. When the lights go out and they're attacked, Ryder is able to fend off the attacker long enough for Bristor to help Skully get to safety, however she is injured in the process.

When they take the attacker captive and realize he is Jadoe Birue, Ryder is amazed. As an avid AKI fan, she is a huge fan of his, as well. While Bristor has no qualms about removing his activity inserts, Ryder objects and speaks on his behalf. She is eventually the first person to feed him, as well, as Bristor and Skully don't understand why he is unable to eat regular food. Ryder develops a crush on Jadoe and begins to follow him around regularly, much to Bristor's dismay.

When they get to Lot to return Jadoe, she follows him when he goes to meet with Prince Lot IX and she is shocked to overhear that him talk about his past with the Prince. She tells Skully what she's heard, afraid to tell Bristor because she doesn't want him to suspect her crush on him. When she discovers that Bristor bought Jadoe's freedom, she is just as surprised as Jadoe. She continues to train with and look up to Jadoe, she loses her crush on him after realizing he is gay and very different from how he appears in tournament interviews.

When they return to Newmerica to compete in Kennedy, Lincoln, Ryder is excited. She grew up fascinated with Southern Newmerica and the city is everything she dreamed of. Her and Bristor grow jealous of Alayna and Jadoe's friendship with each other, but after Ryder goes out with Alayna, the two become close. Ryder is at her happiest while they're in Kennedy and she welcomes being recognized as a talented AKI player, however she begins to miss her brother and Avo.

## Appearance

Ryder is a muscular young woman with tan skin and light brown hair. She has a large scar on the right side of her face from her acid burns when she was young, and her right eye is cloudy and has little vision. Her left eye is a warm brown. Ryder has long, messy hair which often gets tangled and caught in her equipment. She typically wears bright colors, especially blue, yellow, and red. Ryder wears comfortable and cheap clothing, as she is used to being poor and knowing that her work will ruin her clothes. Despite that, she often wears expensive AKI equipment, even when out of the field.

Ryder's portrait.Ryder's test portrait.Ryder's test full body sprite.
## Personality

Ryder is strong willed and unafraid to speak her mind. She can come off a bit brash to others, but she doesn't care. Despite her outward confidence, Ryder gets embarrassed easily and is often highly self conscious, especially around boys. While she tries to maintain a tough exterior, most know her for her caring side. Ryder is competitive and enjoys confrontation, so she loves AKI for more than just the fun of the games. However, she struggles with losing and regular practice, and she can become discouraged very easily.