Steve Arneil to training at the "dojo". In 1959, Arneil left South Africa, bound for Southeast Asia. Arneil travelled to China, South Korea, and Hong Kong before arriving in Japan. He trained in a few karate styles, including Shotokan, Wado-ryu, and Goju-ryu (under Gogen Yamaguchi). In the course of these studies, the name "Oyama" was mentioned to him by several people, including Yamaguchi, and this aroused his curiosity. In January 1961, through Donn Draeger, Arneil began to study Kyokushin karate under Masutatsu Oyama. He recalled that, unlike the other karate schools he had visited in Japan (who had welcomed him with minimal
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