12th Feb: A new policy is being put in place for TRS threads: Make your case that the name/page is broken in the Opening Post, or the thread will be nuked immediately. See Everything You Wanted To Know About Changing Names for what "Make your case" means.
5th Feb: Echo Chamber Season 1 blooper reel on Youtube here
The lead character of the franchise and theFighting Game character, Ryu is a stoic Japanese martial artist who wanders the globe seeking the meaning of being a "true warrior". He can be recognized by his sleeveless white karate gi and a red or white hachimaki depending on the game. He trained alongside his friendly rival Ken under their mutual master Gouken and was the victor of the first Street Fighter tournament. His encounter with his master's nemesis Akuma during the Street Fighter Alpha sub-series awoke the untapped Satsui no Hadou or "murderous intent" within him, although this power was eventually removed by Gouken in IV. In III, he continues to travel the world in search of strong opponents.
His Evil Ryu version has been present in the Alpha and EX series, and has made a reappearance in the arcade edition of Super IV.
Berserk Button: While he isn't exactly a social person, he does have close friends and allies, who are not to be harmed in front of him. Crimson Viper found this out the hard way in The Ties That Bind.
Blood Knight: Fighting is everything for Ryu, though he does not share Akuma's love of carnage. In other words, he's a Lighter and Softer Akuma.
(in his rival match against Ken) "Neither of us have reached our full potential."
Casting a Shadow: In IV and its respective pseudo-sequel, Ryu gains the Metsu Hadouken and Metsu Shoryuken. The former originally appeared as a super for Evil Ryu in Capcom vs. SNK (there, it functioned akin to an evil version of the Denjin Hadouken). The latter was the very same move he used to scar Sagat.
Moreover, while he would like to start a family someday, he believes he's not ready to consider doing so.
Dangerous Forbidden Technique: The "Satsui no Hadou" state, literally "Surge of Murderous Intent". Used by his alter-ego in the Alpha series, Evil Ryu.
Fireballs: His normal Hadouken is often mistakenly called a fireball, but he can turn them into the Shakunetsu Hadouken, which is imbued with thermal energy.
Hair Colors: Red in the original Street Fighter, reddish-brown in the Alpha series, brown in Street Fighter II, black in IV, and black with what appears to be blue highlights in Street Fighter III. To put it simply, it gets darker with age.
The III example is a case of Hair Color Dissonance. Artwork from that series has his hair as black.
Iconic Item: Ryu's red headband, given to him by Ken to help rouse Ryu out of his semi-Heroic BSOD after his fight with Akuma. The cutscene is a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, thanks to the music. Before this, he wore a white headband (gray in the original SF) to match his gi.
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: It takes Sagat's urging and Sakura's injuries from her fight with Bison (plus the memories of all his friends and rivals) to snap Ryu out of his brainwashing in Alpha 3.
Limited Wardrobe: He's only ever seen wearing a dogi and being barefoot.
This is taken to the extreme in one piece of artwork where Ryu is doing his laundry IN HIS UNDERWEAR at a laundromat (assumingly because Ryu's gi is the only article of clothing he travels with)..
Meaningful Name: Ryu means "dragon" in japanese and his rival Sagat is tiger-themed.
Mind-Control Eyes: A rare case of the sclera changing color to show this trope. Instead of the sclera being white it turns pink most likely as a result of Bison's Psycho Power which helped brainwash him.
Nice Guy: Practically autistic in terms of social and emotional maturity, but is in his own emotionally reserved way a sensitive and kind man.
Playing with Fire: Not to the extent of Ken, but he does possess the Shakunetsu Hadouken, and in Alpha and Alpha 2, the fifth and final hit of his Lv3 Shinkuu Hadouken actually sets his opponent on fire.
Ship Tease: With Chun-Li. The fact that the two have good chemistry and that, normally, Ryu never appeared in a crossover without Chun-Li and viceversa, only serves to fuel speculation.
The only time they were ever shown getting romantic was in the Malibu comic.
To Be a Master: He continually searches the world for strong opponents to fight.
The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Toned down these days, but in the early games he would be severely overpowered, always Dragon Punching a jumping opponent, always getting through their block, his damage being increased...
Theme Naming: Is the "Ryu" in Shouryuken, with his best friend being the "Ken"
Hugo's ending in 3rd Strike: Hugo recruits him (and several other street fighters) to be pro wrestlers. Ryu thinks he can learn a lot from wrestling. Ken's completely mortified that Ryu's actually enjoying this.
Walking the Earth: Is always traveling in search of new opponents and challenges, although he allegedly returns to Suzaku Castle (the burial ground of his Not Quite Dead sensei Gouken) once a year.
X-Ray Sparks: His Denjin-Hadouken Super Art from 3rd Strike has this effect on the opponent.
Full name Ken Masters, son of the wealthy Masters family, Ken is the former training partner and friendly rival of Ryu, who uses the same special techniques (specializing in the Shoryuken or "Dragon Punch"). He is characterized by his red karate gi and his medium-length/long blond hair. After completing his martial art training from Gouken, Ken moved back to his native America and won the U.S. Martial Arts Tournament, where he met his girlfriend Eliza. He eventually marries her by the end of Street Fighter II. In IV he hesitates joining the new tournament, but Eliza encourages him to do so, stating that he'll be back before their baby's birth. After the events of IV his son Mel is born, and in Street Fighter III Ken takes Sean as his apprentice and begins training his son Mel in his style of martial arts.
Adaptation Dye Job: He's inexplicably a redhead in the animated cartoon.
Bring It: A frequent in his taunts. It would appear to be the byproduct of Ken's confidence in his abilities, but given that he's actually a capable fighter, it could be a part of his game.
But Not Too Foreign: He has a 3/4 Japanese heritage, but he lives in America.
Calling Your Attacks: "Hadoken!", "Shoryuken!" and "Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku", which is rendered unintellible.
Family Feud: His wife and Guile's wife are sisters, making Ken and Guile brothers-in-law. Suffice to say, they don't get along, though this has more to do with their disrespect of each others' personalities.
Lonely Rich Kid: Until his father sent him to Japan to train with Gouken.
Meaningful Name: Before his nationality and homeland was retconned to American, Ken had his name spelled with the kanji for "fist".
Mind-Control Eyes: Again moreso a case of the sclera changing color to pink again as a result of Bison's Psycho Power but it isn't as prominent as in the Street Fighter II V cases.
Never officially stated—plus he's more usually depicted as being from the West Coast, according to his stages (San Francisco Bay for his Alpha 2 and 2nd Impact stage, Southern California for his Alpha 3). Also, the Street Fighter II anime movie shows him and Eliza living in Seattle. He only appears in New York in 3rd Strike, but that's because he shares the stage with confirmed New Yorker and fellow American Alex.
Obvious Pregnancy: His wife Eliza in IV. At least she gives birth to Mel in SSFIV.
Uncle Pennybags: Most notably in the Street Fighter II V anime.
Unknown Rival: Rufus in IV, and played with beyond that: not only he has no idea that Rufus is gunning for him, Rufus has no idea who Ken actually is, and continually mistakes other fighters for him. Including Cammy, who, as noted, is a girl.
(rival match vs. Rufus)
Rufus:So Ken Masters! At last we meet! This going is going to hurt like nobody’s business!
Ken:Hm... This could be interesting. Bring it on, meatball!
(Rufus rival match vs. Ken)
Rufus:Ha! Looks like I finally caught up to you, blondie! You gave me quite the run around! The fat ladie’s about to sing, ain’t she?
Banished monk and master of Shorinji Kempo who was notably the first guy you fought in the original Street Fighter. Although he never actually appeared as a fighter in subsequent games, he appears in concept art for the first Street Fighter Alpha, where he is shown beating the crap out of Dan and has a role in Udon's Street Fighter comics as an old friend of Gouken.
Meaningful Name: Retsu (?) means "violent" in Japanese and the reason why he was expelled from his monastery. It also goes along with the Theme Naming between him and Geki, who are named for the intensity of Japanese earthquakes.
Out of Focus: He hasn't appeared at all since his first appearance.
Geki - Japan
A claw-wielding ninja who fought in the first tournament. It's been said that he was the one who a) trained Vega; and b) is related to Ibuki (possibly an uncle). He also uses shuriken and teleportation techniques.
Ascended Extra: In the UDON comic series, the Geki are an entire clan of ninja assassins, but the one of them implied to be the guy from the game is the villain of Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki.
Before this, in a bonus comic centering around Gen, an assassin is summoned to kill Gen (forcing him to react and kill his assailant in front of a young Chun-Li). This individual has the exact same garb and weapon as Geki, further reinforcing there are many of these warriors who practice the same style of combat.
Meaningful Name: Geki means "intense" in Japanese. It goes along with the Theme Naming between him and Retsu.
Former assassin and mentor to Chun-Li. A kung-fu master versed in an assassination style he created based on Chinese martial arts. In Street Fighter Alpha he is dying of a terminal illness and seeks one last good fight before he passes on to the next world. This brings him to Akuma's attention and the two fight, but Akuma stops the fight, noticing Gen's illness and leaving, due to his principle of never fighting anybody who isn't at the top of their game. An insulted Gen goes after him, seeking to finish the fight. In IV it is heavily implied that Gen knows that Chun-Li's father is alive, and when he is abducted by S.I.N, Gen heads out to take him back.
Death Seeker: He's dying of cancer. He seeks someone to give him a deathmatch so that he won't die in his bed.
Determinator: He will not die until gets his perfect opponent to actually fight him.
Difficult, But Awesome: With two completely distinctive moveset that he switch between on the fly, Gen is obviously not a pick-up-and-play type of character. Expert Gen players are rare to happen upon, but you'll notice that they can pull ridiculous strings of attacks on your ass within seconds and soar across the screen like flying squirrel, able to break your guard at a moment's whim.
Evil Mentor: To Chun-Li. Possibly to Yun and Yang as well (see above).
Finger Poke of Doom: Quite a few of his moves apply, like the Hyakurenko, but his Sou/Mantis Style Ultras in Super Street Fighter IV, Zetsui and Shi'tengetsu, are prime examples.
Morality Pet: Gen is a ruthless killer, but he ALWAYS shows a spot of tenderness to Chun-Li, who's probably his favorite (and greatest) student.
The UDON comic series also uses this to set up a My God, What Have I Done? moment that gives him his characterization. After having to defend himself in mortal combat against an assassin in plain view of the young Chun-Li, he decides that he has crossed a line in his choice of work and must give up his lifestyle before he imbues any negative values in his pupil.
Not Quite Dead: Though thought to have died after the Alpha series, he returns alive and well in Street Fighter IV. His intro in IV also hints that Chun-Li's father might still be alive too.
Old Master: Gen is considered the most dangerous assassin in the Street Fighter mythos. Even Akuma acknowledges that Gen in his prime would have probably wiped the floor with him.
Pressure Point: The Shi-ten-shu, which works as a Damage-Over-Time type of attack that culminates with a free stun—complete with a countdown, both of which can be stopped if the opponent manages to hit Gen. Several other attacks fit this as well.
Social Darwinist: One of his round win quotes in SFIV is, "The weak deserve death."
Stance System: Gen has the unique ability among the characters in the series to switch between two stances, Sou/Mourning/"Mantis" and Ki/Hateful/"Crane", while fighting. When he changes from one style to another, his fighting stance, basic techniques, Special Moves and even Super Combos are changed.
Stroke The Beard: In his opening animation, and one of his possible taunts in IV.
Weak, but Skilled: Old and ill and all, he can still pack quite a punch against younger, healthier and physically stronger fighters than himself. If Akuma is to be believed (and why shouldn't he be?), Gen's age and illness are the only things that make it remotely fair (in-story) for him to fight any of the other characters.
Lee - China
A Chinese kenpo master who enters the first tournament to test his skills. Apparently Lee is a relative to Yun and Yang of Street Fighter III. Other than the original Street Fighter, he makes an appearance in the Sakura Ganbaru!! manga as one of Sakura's opponents, and in the UDON comic as a challenger of Fei Long.
Out of Focus: He hasn't appeared at all since his first appearance.
Satellite Character: Partially due to him not being in any other game but the forgotten original. All we know about him is that he's friends with Gen and is the uncle of Yun and Yang.
Birdie - England
"I am Birdie! The most rotten villain in the world... I hope!"
A British bar bouncer who enters the first tournament looking for cash. He returns in the Alpha series, seeking to join Shadaloo. He succeeds and tries to steal Bison's Psycho Drive, but fails and escapes the destruction of the Shadaloo base. In the first Street Fighter he was tall but slender light skinned mohawked punk, but was changed into a brutish black (but still British) thug in the Alpha series.
All There in the Manual: Some background details; For instance, he was once a professional wrestler and formed a fearsome tag team with fellow British goliath Titanic Tim from the Saturday Night Slam Masters games.
In the Street Fighter Alpha animated movie, he's the only "new" character to get any real depth, even fighting the Big Bad with the heroes, and saving Chun-Li.
Chained by Fashion: Wears a chain around one wrist and forearm and uses it in his throws.
Out of Focus: He seems to be out of action following Alpha 3.
Scary Black Man: Except in the original game, (where it may have been a simple mistake) where he was white. He jokes in Alpha 3 that he was really sick back then, and it made him look pale and flushed.
Theme Naming: Birdie and Eagle are two terms used in Golf.
Unskilled, but Strong: UDON's World Warrior Encyclopedia sums up Birdie's fighting style as "an unrefined, sloppy combination of barroom brawling and crushing professional wrestling maneuvers." He's never had any actual training as a fighter, but he's powerful and he has a lot of experience.
British bodyguard who enters the first tournament to test his skill. He did not make another playable appearance until Capcom vs. SNK 2, and was added to the portable editions of Street Fighter Alpha 3 after he gained more recognition.
Everything's Better with Spinning: Of his special moves, only St. Andrews Green doesn't involve spinning in some fashion or another. He even twirls his batons around like a drummer when he taunts.
I Know Madden Kombat: An extremely muted example, but it's there; one of his moves, the above mentioned St. Andrews Green, is just Eagle swinging his sticks like a golf club.
Manly Gay: He's openly gay, his character is apparently inspired by Freddie Mercury (note the Queen references in his victory quotes).
Meaningful Name: A golf term, shares this theme with Birdie. Supplementary material suggests he's quite skilled at golf, even.
Out of Focus: He was thought to have disappeared with the other original Street Fighter characters, but appeared in Capcom Vs. SNK 2 and the handheld versions of Alpha 3. Even so, he's easily the least represented character from the Alpha series in other media.
Theme Naming: His attacks are named after various locations in England plus colors; Manchester Black, for example. Additionally, both Birdie and Eagle are two terms used in Golf.
Joe - USA
An underground American martial artist who entered the tournament to test his skills. One of the first opponents in the original game and about as generic as they come.
All There in the Manual: He didn't appear in another Street Fighter game outside the 1st as a playable character, but he appeared as the white guy whom punched the black guy in the Street Fighter II intro. However, the two characters seen in the SFII intro simply resemble the former characters: they could be completely different persons from what Word Of God has let us know.
Out of Focus: He hasn't appeared at all since his first appearance.
Urban Legend of Zelda: Some fans believe he is really Balrog, or M. Bison as he is called in Japan, since the "M." in M. Bison originally stood for Mike.
A hotheaded, arrogant Muay Thai master. He used to be Sagat`s apprentice until Sagat's loss against Ryu in the first game. During the first two Alpha games, Adon challenged Sagat for the title of Emperor of Muay Thai and won, although barely. In Alpha 3, he went to find Akuma, but failed in his search. He cameos in Street Fighter IV, where he returned to Thailand only to be defeated by Sagat.
A God Am I: "I will see them worship me as a god!" said to Sagat in Super Street Fighter IV before their rival match.
Antivillain: He's motivated by frustration and rage at being abandoned by Sagat after the loss to Ryu, rather than his more familiar "I WILL BEAT UP EVERYONE EVER" deal. He eventually grows to hate Sagat for having smeared the name of Muay Thai by losing to Ryu, and decides to beat him down to take the crown as the reigning king of Muay Thai.
Arrogant Muay Thai Guy: He has nothing but contempt for anyone else, he shows absolutely no friendliness or respect to ANYONE. If you try to fight him, he will do everything to give you a savage beatdown.
Blood Knight: Unlike Sagat, Adon doesn't really fight for an expressed purpose. He just wants to play.
Cheshire Cat Grin: The only way to wipe that smug grin off his face is to beat it off. No easy task, that...
Curb-Stomp Battle: Prior to the events of IV, he challenges Sagat, who had come to see one of his matches. One Tiger Destruction later, Adon is down for the count.
Hypocritical Humor: His win quote if you beat Abel in Super Street Fighter IV ("Obsession with the past is a sign of weakness, worm!") sounds a bit odd once you consider what his characterization is after the 1st game.
The King of Muay Thai and former Dragon to M. Bison. He is considered a national hero in Thailand thanks to his dedication to his craft and hosted the first Street Fighter tournament to prove his superiority as a fighter. After his loss to Ryu, he became angry and confused, joining Shadaloo in an effort to find Ryu for a rematch. After battling a revenge-filled Dan Hibiki (Sagat had killed Dan's father Go in retaliation for the loss of Sagat's eye), Sagat realized the fruitlessness of his need for revenge against Ryu and left Shadaloo, seeking to fight Ryu instead as a true warrior. Believing himself to have lost his fighting spirit, he is challenged by Adon and defeats him, promptly reigniting it, and shortly afterward enters the Street Fighter IV tournament.
Achey Scars: Given to him in his first big battle against Ryu. This lasts until the climax of the Alpha series. He could even draw on his hatred as a super (or as an EX Move in IV) to briefly buff his next Tiger Uppercut Blow.
Antivillain: Sagat was in the first SF tournament merely to test his skills against the best fighters in the world. He might have been a ruthless fighter, but he wasn't an evil one. His defeat at Ryu's hands did instill hatred in him and motivated him to join Shadoloo, but he realized that Shadoloo was not the right way, and his rivalry with Ryu has cooled down with time. Now he's just basically a fighter who will not settle with being second place, and despite their rivalry, he and Ryu are friends now, according to his ending in Super Street Fighter IV.
Defector from Decadence: Decides during the Alpha series that Shadaloo was merely there as a vessel for his revenge against Ryu, which he no longer values, and leaves the organization, realizing that what he was associating with was not an honorable way for a warrior to live.
Friend To All Children: He's revered as a national hero in Thailand. In his ending from Super Street Fighter IV, you actually see him in a tender moment with some of the local Thai children.
He has a missing eye thanks to Go Hibiki, Dan's father. This prompted Sagat to undergo a Turns Red moment and kill him in response. Hence the whole You Killed My Father thing that drives Dan during Alpha.
As for the scar, after getting beat down by Sagat, Ryu's will to win at all costs opened him to the Satsui no Hadou, and in what is perhaps Evil Ryu's only canonical appearance, Ryu blasted Sagat with the Metsu Shoryuken. The rest, is history...
Sagat eventually got retconned in Alpha 3 to merely being consumed with rage over his loss and willingly joining Shadoloo simply to get another shot at Ryu. He learned of Bison and Shadaloo's true nature when Bison presented him with a fight with a brainwashed Ryu; he quickly underwent a Heel Face Turn, stalled out, and broke Ryu's mind control. In Street Fighter IV, Ryu and Sagat are rival matches in Arcade Mode and speak to each other as honored opponents.
Heel Realization: It takes a lot for this to take place, and only really kicks in when Bison fulfills Sagat's wish of a rematch with Ryu, but by presenting him with a brainwashed Ryu without any true fighting spirit. In that moment, Sagat realizes how far he's fallen, and that the man he has been aiding in order to further his own petty need for vengeance, is certifiably evil. It comes to no surprise that he is the only one of the original Devas not to rejoin Bison in IV.
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: In Alpha 3, Sagat fights the brainwashed Ryu while Ken and Sakura challenge Bison. It takes Sagat's urging, plus Sakura's injury at the hands of Bison to rouse Ryu out of his trance.
Karma Houdini: Suffers no repercussions with assisting the criminal efforts of Shadaloo. At least he wisened up and is making an effort to wash away the sins of his past.
Ki Attacks: Sagat can throw fiery projectiles at his opponent; since he's quite tall, he was given the ability to shoot the opponent both high or low from the ground.
Pet the Dog: During Alpha 3, Sagat is challenged by Dan, who's seeking vengeance for the death of his father. Seeing far more of himself, and his own vengeful behavior towards Ryu, in Dan than he's comfortable with, he lets Dan win, thus preventing Dan from going down his path.
Playing with Fire: The Lv3 versions of Tiger Cannon and Tiger Raid in Alpha.
Retcon: His loss against Ryu has been retconned so that he was scarred by Evil Ryu, and he has been retconned to undergo a Heel Face Turn post Alpha 3.
Revenge: What he wants from Ryu. However, upon seeing that Dan has the same look in his eyes that he has for Ryu, he gives it up, realizing that the pursuit of such things is an empty virtue.
Scary Black Man: Only in some of the official artwork and some Anime adaptations. In-game, his skin tone is a lot lighter. Lampshaded when he gets a scary black voice in IV.
Shoryuken: After being defeated by Ryu's Shoryuken in the past tournament, Sagat in response developed his own version of the move, the Tiger Uppercut.
Shotoclone: After the original game, his ability to use Tiger Shot and Tiger Uppercut make his fighting style eerily similar to Ryu and Ken's. He lacks a Hurricane Kick, but that isn't as iconic a move anyway.
Surprisingly Good English: Sakai Albright's rendition of Tiger Shot, Tiger Genocide, and Tiger Storm come out in perfectly clear English. Then again, like most of Sagat's seiyuu, he's plagued with stuff like "Tiger Rape!", "Tiger Bro!", and "Tiger Chow!" (respectively, that'd be Tiger Raid, Tiger Blow, and Tiger Cannon).
Theme Naming: As hinted above, most of his Special, Super, and Ultra attacks have the word "tiger" in them.
Ryu's name can be read as "dragon", and "the tiger and the dragon" has always been an idiomatic expression in Asian culture for two powerful, opposite forces.
In the live action Street Fightermovie, Captain Sawada was one of Guile's more trusted allies in the AN and aided in the assault on M. Bison's base. In the arcade game based on the film, Sawada is promoted to commander. A hand-to-hand combat specialist, Sawada is proficient in all kinds of martial arts.
Finger Poke of Doom: His Super Combo in the console version, Kamikaze Banzai. He puts his hands in the air and sliding into his opponent. It looks stupid but it's quite damaging; he's invulnerable to projectiles while performing it.
Blade, Arkane, F 7 and Khyber (the Bison Troopers) - Shadaloo
Blade, Arkane, F7 and Khyber are based off the Bison Troopers in the live action movie. These four are high-tech shock troops who are skilled in using deadly weapons as well as hand to hand combat.
The sole playable character in the Street Fighter II (Animated) Movie game released in Japan only, the Cyborg in the game is a heavily modified Monitor Cyborg constructed specifically for combat, capable of analyzing his target's moves and use them after learning them. This cyborg tracked Ryu and in the game defeated him in battle. Depending on the ending, he gets inspired by Ryu and turns against Bison or he sticks to his programming and ends up replacing the fallen Vega as one of the Four Devas.
Shotoclone: He has Ken's special moves from Super Turbo with a new sprite.
Street Fighter Online: The Mouse Generation
Shin - South Korea
The sole new character of Street Fighter: Online Mouse Generation, a Japanese-Korean Taekwondo master whose father is a former Japanese Karate master, while his maternal grandfather is a Taekwondo master from South Korea. Though, he doesn't like fighting and would rather become a musician.
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