Ryu

**Ryu** is a NoDQ CAW Superstar who debuted in Season 1. Ryu primarily performs as a tag team competitor with his tag team partner Ken as the Street Fighters, a team that previously held the NoDQ CAW Tag Team Championship.

## Appearance

Ryu is a human male of average height and weight but above average musculature. Ryu is Japanese and generally has a serious expression- he feels happiest during combat. He has dark brown hair which is tied back with a red hair-band, a gift from Ken as a symbol of their friendship. Ryu generally wears a white karate gi and black belt and a pair of martial arts gloves. Ryu is one of a small number of NoDQ CAW Superstars that wrestles barefoot.

## NoDQ CAW History

### Season 1

Ryu debuted in match 17 of Season 1 in a Fatal Four Way Match to determine a #1 Contender to Jason Voorhees' NoDQ CAW Championship. Ryu's opponents in this match were Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger and Superman, the latter of which was also making his debut. Despite a strong showing that put all of his opponents to the test, Ryu fell victim to the Super STO and was pinned by Superman. Ryu appeared next in match 24, a Triple Threat Match also involving the Terminator and Ken, to determine a #1 Contender to Superman's NoDQ CAW Championship. The match was brief as Ryu and Ken turned their attention to one another and ended up brawling up the entrance ramp, eventually getting counted out and allowing the Terminator to win the match without even moving from his starting position. Following this, Ryu and Ken competed against one another in a Street Fighter Showdown at Impact, a street fight which left both men bloodied and battered. Ryu was able to out-think Ken's attacks in the end, however, ducking a Poison Mist twice to deliver one of his own, followed by a Buzzsaw Kick for the victory.

### Season 3

Having previously enjoyed a friendly rivalry in Season 1, **Ryu** and Ken would team up as the Street Fighters to enter the T4 in Season 3. Their opening round opponents in the tournament were The X-Men and the two teams collided in match 42. Up against the regenerative abilities of Wolverine, however the two were unable to overcome the team of mutants, with Ken falling to a Wolvyslam.

### Season 5

The Street Fighters would resurface in Season 5 on Wade Needham's NoDQ Pacific brand. The duo returned quite late into the season, appearing on the sixteenth episode of the series. The duo challenged the Mario Bros. for the NoDQ CAW Tag Team Championship. Unluckily, a mistimed Scissor Kick Flip from **Ryu** hit the referee, leading to the team being disqualified. On the following episode, the teams met once more in a rematch, this time in a Hardcore Match to prevent accidental disqualification. The match ended up heavily involving weaponry but the Street Fighters would prevail as a Hadouken Fireball from Ryu to Mario sealed the match. At Date With Destiny, the teams would have a rubber match, once more for the Championship, this time in a TLC Match. In the closing moments of the match, Luigi would hit Ken with a Super Mario Stunner and give Ryu a Pipe Bomb, allowing Mario to recapture the Championship by retrieving the belts suspended above the ring.

### Season 6

The Street Fighters would collide with the Serial Killers II on the eighth episode of NoDQ Action to determine a new #1 Contender to the NoDQ CAW Tag Team Championship. Despite the obvious trust issues between Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers, the Serial Killers managed to work as a cohesive unit on the night and defeated the Street Fighters following an Elm Street Driver from Freddy to **Ryu**.

### Season 8

At The Road to Box Office Smash, the Street Fighters entered a #1 Contender's match to the NoDQ CAW Tag Team Championship against Mortal Kombat. Unluckily for **Ryu** and Ken, the teamwork of Scorpion and Sub-Zero proved more than the Street Fighters could handle on the evening and Mortal Kombat won the match.

At The Road to Thicker Than Blood 2, the Street Fighters challenged Spider-Man and Batman for the NoDQ CAW Tag Team Championship. Mirroring the team's bad luck in Season 5, Ryu accidentally got his team disqualified when a misjudged dive from the top rope collided with the referee. To prevent the same outcome repeating itself, both teams were placed in a rematch in a Steel Cage Match at NoDQ CAW's Main Event 10. While Ryu and Ken maintained an advantage over the Champions in the early part of the match, clever strategising from Batman would be enough to stop the Street Fighters from preventing Spider-Man from escaping the cage to win the match.

At Date With Destiny 2007, the Terminators were scheduled to face the Simpsons in a match but the Simpsons fled before the match could begin. To provide a tag team match to the viewers, the Street Fighters were sent out as a substitute team. Perhaps thrown off their game by the last-minute change in opponent, the Terminators found themselves on the back foot for the majority of the match. When Bart Simpson and Milhouse van Houten got into the production truck and triggered a pyrotechnic display by the stage, the Terminators were distracted, leading to their defeat by Ryu and Ken.

## Real World History

Ryu is the main protagonist of Capcom's *Street Fighter* video game series. Ryu is a practitioner of Ansatsuken, a martial art that originated as an assassin's fist. The style is not used exclusively to kill an opponent, however, as Ryu, Ken and their master Gouken practice a non-lethal version of the style. Gouken's brother, Akuma, also practices the style but will not hesitate to kill an opponent in combat- however, he will never kill a foe outside of combat as it breaks the principles upon which the style is taught. Ansatsuken also allows its users to perform energy attacks such as the Hadouken.

Ryu is a serious and honourable fighter and is determined to prove himself in combat against stronger foes. Ryu's story in the *Street Fighter* series sees him constantly tempted by the Dark Hado, which would give him incredible fighting strength but also force him to embrace a dark, murderous side. Ryu's refusal to embrace the Dark Hado sets him apart from Akuma, who effectively shows what Ryu could become if he embraced evil.

## In-ring Style and Personality

True to his roots in the *Street Fighter* series, Ryu's in-ring style relies on martial arts throws and strikes, with kicks being a large part of his offence. Ryu and Ken have a near-identical moveset, owing to them studying under the same master; however, Ryu has a wider variety of finishing moves, perhaps as a result of his determination to become the world's greatest fighter, whereas Ken is largely content with enjoying life.

Ryu always fights with honour and never uses underhanded tactics. He will use weapons in a match, but only if the match type explicitly encourages them, preferring to win using his own strength and skill.

## Finishing Moves

* Hadouken Fireball (Flip Attack)
* Poison Mist & Buzzsaw Kick
* Running Yakuza Kick
* Pumphandle Slam
* Scissor Kick Flip
* Shining Wizard
* Axe Kick
* **Momentum Shift:** Sweet Chin Music

## Trivia

* Ryu's name is consistently mispronounced by both Wade Needham and Aaron Rift on commentary. The two pronounce his name "Rye-ooh", whereas the official and correct pronunciation is "Ree-ooh". Similarly, the Hadouken Fireball is routinely mispronounced as the correct pronunciation is "Ha-doh-ken", as opposed to "Ha-doo-ken". Such mispronunciations are not uncommon in the *Street Fighter* fandom, however, particularly in the West, so it is more likely that Wade and Aaron were simply unaware of the correct pronunciation.

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