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 him among the "gaming's greatest patriots" of Japan. In 2011, "GamePro" speculated on Ryu's odds of filling the then-upcoming "Soulcalibur V's" lone guest-character slot (which ultimately went to Ezio Auditore of the "Assassin's Creed" franchise), opining that despite "Soul" regulars Taki and Yoshimitsu's "traditional place as the recognizable 'Japanese' characters, neither is a conventional ninja the way Ryu is." In 2012, after "Soulcalibur V" was released, Elton Jones of "Complex" included Ryu among fifteen guest characters he wanted in a future series entry. "We've had our fun going ninjitsu crazy with Taki and Natsu, but now it's time for Tecmo's