Ryu Hayabusa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ryu Hayabusa | |
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| Nationality: | Japanese |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birthdate: | June 15th |
| Age: | 23 |
| Blood type: | A |
| Height: | 177 cm (DOA1-3) 179 cm (5 ft 10 in)(DOA4) |
| Weight: | 70 kg (DOA1-3) 78 kg (172 lb)(DOA4) |
| Measurements: | B105 W83 H92cm (B41 W33 H36 in) |
| Fighting Style: | Hayabusa style Ninjutsu |
| Occupation: | Curio shop owner |
| Favorite Food(s): | Sushi |
| Hobbies: | mountain climbing, fishing |
| Voice Actor(s): | Hideyuki Hori Justin Gross (Ninja Gaiden dub) |
| First Appearance: | Ninja Gaiden (Arcade) |
Ryu Hayabusa (龍 隼 Ryū Hayabusa?) is a fictional video game character who stars in the Ninja Gaiden series of video games, as well appearing in the Dead or Alive fighting game series, all developed by Team Ninja, a part of publisher Tecmo. According to official canon, he won the second Dead or Alive tournament.
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[edit] History
[edit] Dead or Alive series
[edit] Dead or Alive
Ryu bears the name "Hayabusa", an honor bestowed upon only the most distinguished of ninja from the Hayabusa school. His life was a continuous fight until he met his love, Irene Lew (アイリーン) from NES' Ninja Gaidens, as well as the Ninja Gaiden anime film), and found satisfaction and peace. But his thirst for challenge returned when learned his best friend's sister Kasumi, had vanished.
Shortly thereafter, a dark figure approached and handed Ryu a piece of paper stained in red. Then, without a word, the figure disappeared. Another seduction from the dark, the invitation beckoned to him like an old lover. Once again, Ryu enters the world of combat, and enters the DOA world tournament.
[edit] Dead or Alive 2
Apparently finishing his accounts up with the previous tournament, Hayabusa returns to a life of peace. However, he soon learns of the deeds committed to the human world by the evil Bankoutsubo, and decides he owes it to himself, and mankind, to confront and destroy the Tengu of Destruction. He does so, in the finals of the tournament, and once again returns home.
[edit] Dead or Alive 3
Now learning of the superhuman Omega, Hayabusa once again enters the DOA tournament to confront and destroy it. He also learns that his friend Hayate has recovered his memories, and Hayabusa defeats Hayate in a friendly match. In the finals of the tournament, however, Ayane destroys the superhuman Omega.
[edit] Dead or Alive 4
Ryu joins Hayate and Ayane in their mission to bring down DOATEC. While passing through the various labs in DOATEC's Tritower building, he spots Kasumi facing off against a clone of hers apparently made of pure energy, yet decides she must fight it alone.
At the end of the tournament Ryu dispatches several DOATEC aircraft (one of them possibly carrying Victor Donovan) before disappearing into the night.
[edit] Ninja Gaiden
Ryu Hayabusa is a direct descendant of the Dragon Lineage; ninja warriors from ancient times who forged the Dragon Sword that Ryu now wields, who slew the Dark Dragon and sealed away the Evil Deities.
Through years of training, developing his ninja senses and skills, Ryu has become what is known as a "modern day Super Ninja". He advanced even further and became the legendary Dragon Ninja, like the ones who sealed away the Evil Deities in ancient times.
[edit] Personality
Ryu has an adept understanding of what is right and wrong, and in his own way is an honorable person, but prefers to keep such facts hidden. In fact, he is quite responsible, but presents an attitude of noninvolvement to the world outside his life. He tries to avoid fighting Jann Lee in the second tournament, and also tries to avoid Ayane in his quest to eliminate the Tengu and Genra. On the other hand, once involved, Hayabusa doesn't hold back, immersing himself fully into the situation. Finally, he is very philosophical on matters concerning the world around him (very much like Gen Fu), and seems to be well beyond in wisdom than his current years would depict.
[edit] Game history
Ryu first appeared in the Ninja Gaiden beat 'em up arcade game in 1988. In that same year, Ninja Gaiden was released on the NES the Famicom and the Sega Master System, though these versions (being more centered around platformer-style gameplay), bore little resemblance to the original arcade game. Two NES sequels, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, followed in 1990 and 1991 to complete the trilogy. Also in 1991, Ninja Gaiden Shadow was released on the Game Boy. Ryu's next few appearances were as a playable fighter in the Dead or Alive series, which saw releases on the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms, as well as in arcades.
There is no story to the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden, except that Ryu and an unnamed red ninja sidekick who serves as the second player were beating up their foes throughout America. Ryu's story commences in Ninja Gaiden for the NES, when he receives a letter from his father, who has departed to fight a life or death duel. Players are left to guess as the story progresses throughout the game, as the young Hayabusa goes on his quest for revenge and to uncover the truth behind his father's disappearance. This was followed by the next two games of the trilogy, which have mysterious introductions that unfolded in a similar manner. In Ninja Gaiden II, players are introduced to a new villain who wields the Dark Sword of Chaos. In Ninja Gaiden III, Ryu Hayabusa is framed for killing his girlfriend.
Eventually, Ryu moved from Ninja Gaiden to Tecmo's Dead or Alive series. During the series, we are introduced to Ryu's new look as well as another ninja clan, a friend of Ryu's who mysteriously disappeared, and a martial artist who challenges the ninja.
Finally, after the long wait, Ryu returned to Ninja Gaiden for Xbox, in a 3D action game with deep gameplay. The story deviates from the original NES Ninja Gaiden Trilogy by a few small changes, but is still connected to the Dead or Alive series. This game could almost fit as a prequel to the original trilogy, except that the cinematic scene at the end of Dead or Alive 4 shows Ryu with the True Dragon Blade (which he obtains during the Xbox Ninja Gaiden). The prologue explains the Mythos of the Dragon Lineage who sided with the Dragons against the Evil Deities and the Tribes, and how they slew the Dark Dragon. The Dragons are described as god-like, benevolent creatures with metallic bones, teeth and claws, created by the Deity of Creation to counter the Evil Deities. The prologue includes a brief history of the two Dragon Swords. The first is the Dark Dragon Blade, carved out of the bone of the legendary Dark Dragon that betrayed his brethren out of jealousy and thirst for power, joining the Evil Deities. This blade consumes evil, charging as more evil is committed in its vicinity. As a result, the weapon turns its wielder into the devil incarnate. The second sword is the Dragon Sword, carved from the fang of the Dragon, and bequeathed the Dragon Lineage from generation to generation, and finally to Ryu Hayabusa. It is the same sword used by Ryu in the NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy.
[edit] Gameplay
Ryu is generally considered a top-tier character, both due to canon and game play. His reaction, execution time, and throws are all above-average, making him a balanced character, and his mix-up game is excellent. Additionally, Hayabusa's Izuna-Otoshi combo throw is one of the most effective in the game, garnering an average 80 points of damage, and increasing with environmental hazards such as walls and cliffs. His mix-ups and "surprise" attacks keep many players guessing which angle or height he will strike from.
