Ryu (Street Fighter) the development team, was meant to let viewers know he was "a karate master at first sight". In an interview with "Game On!", Capcom Research and Development head Noritaka Funamizu stated that of the series' characters, Ryu was one of the most popular characters with American audiences, alongside Zangief and Guile. For "Street Fighter IV", Kyle Hebert was cast as Ryu in preparation of the return of his "Evil Ryu" persona. In an interview with Gamereactor, Ansah talked about Ryu and Ken's story from "Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist" and said "a good analogy with Ryu is that he's not actually
Ryu Hayabusa had defeated in the past. This is compounded by the abduction of Irene—the only other returning character from the games, but identified therein only as Sarah's friend—in turn forcing Ryu to become the Dragon Ninja once again and defeat this new enemy and save her. The conclusion has Ryu remaining in America, where he marries Irene and they open an antique shop together. Ryu was played by Japanese-American actor Kane Kosugi in a minor role in the 2006 live-action "Dead or Alive" film adaptation "". He serves as the love interest of Kasumi after he informs her of Hayate's supposed