Ryu

An orphan boy adopted by a man named Gouken, Ryu was raised in Japan studying martial arts in a secluded dojo in Japan. Gouken took in his American friend’s bratty son, Ken, who began training with Ryu - the two would grow as close as brothers.

At 23 years old, Gouken believed Ryu was a seasoned fighter who was ready for competition and Ryu began traveling and entering fighting competitions around the world. In the first World Warrior tournament, he crushes his competition and fights the host of the event, Sagat. After nearly being beat into oblivion, a strong force takes over Ryu and he nearly kills Sagat with a fatal blow. Ryu wins the tournament and Sagat is left with a permanent scar on his chest that serves as a constant reminder he needs to get revenge on Ryu.

Ryu has fought Ken several times and is almost always the victor, being the more disciplined of the two “brothers”.