Mr. Karate II

Ryo Sakazaki is the central character in the Art of Fighting series of fighting but he is also a central character in Buriki One, a game for the short-lived Hyper Neo Geo 64. In this game, he appears in his older persona, and fighting in a grappling tournament without many of the flashier moves he is known for, as these defy physics and the game took some novel approaches to a more realistic fighting system. His look in the game is similar to Takuma's in the KoF series, only with his traditional spiked hair dyed blonde and a dark grey gi instead of white or orange. He is voiced by Masaki Usui.

In Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, a port of the Arcade game with for the PlayStation featuring some new characters, he (and not Takuma) uses the title of Mr. Karate (without a mask), as an aged and more powerful Ryo. Aesthetically, other than looking somewhat older but still with blonde hair, he's unshaved and isn't wearing the top of his orange gi, showing instead the black t-shirt underneath. The reason behind Ryo being older than Terry Bogard in this game is that Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition assumes that the retcon to the Art Of Fighting timeline did not happen.

Although he has appeared in no other unrelated games, he is often referenced indirectly in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, he has his own student, Khushnood Butt (a.k.a. Marco Rodriguez). In The King of Fighters XI, Ryo indicates that Marco is currently a green belt.

More recently, in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, Ryo goes by the name "The Second Mr. Karate" (二代目 Mr.カラテ, Nidaime Misutā Karate), while his look is the one used for Buriki One. There he retains many of his classic moves, along with using some of Takuma's, and one of his supers appears to be a homage to Buriki One's unique control system, since the player has to input a sequence of joystick directions (instead of button presses) after a specific command in order to attack. He is joined there by an older Robert, previously unseen in other games. He also has a special ending artwork if the player finishes the game with Robert as his partner.

In KOF: Maximum Impact, Ryo's alternate costume is similar to that of his Buriki One costume. If you complete the game with him, you are able to use his "Rigging Model", a few additions to his costume include a Tengu Mask similar to Takuma's. In Maximum Impact 2 he also has the Buriki One costume as a secondary but still plays similar to KoF Ryo.

In KOF: Maximum Impact 2, Ryo has two 'versions': his traditional KoF one and his Mr. Karate version, the primary costume of which comprises a Tengu mask slightly different from his father's, that Ryo is seen using for the first time. His "Another" costume is a very slightly modified version of his Fatal Fury Wild Ambition costume This Ryo however plays much like Takuma and his Neo Geo Battle Coliseum form, and caries the same stance in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.

Story
After the events of the Art of Fighting series, Takuma Sakazaki retires from the fighting scene and Ryo takes the identity of Mr. Karate. This new Mr. Karate travels the world proving the power of Kyokugenryu Karate. He appeared in Southtown and in Japan, during the Buriki One '99 in Tokyo tournament. He has yet to be seen again.

He teams up with Terry in the online novel for Mark of the Wolves. Both fighters enter the sudden and suspicious King of Fighters: Maximum Mayhem tournament because they are concerned for Second Southtown. He also was feeling insecure of his strength -his reason for being absent from the first Mayhem tournament- and wants to prove his worth for peace of mind. Though Terry and Ryo both ascend the finals in Geese Tower, the duo are interrupted by various fighters along the way. On the second to last floor, Ryo tells Terry to go on ahead and battles Axel Hawk in his stead.

Personality
As Ryo grows older, he becomes more serious about fighting and embraces his father's wishes.

Powers

 * Energy Projectile - Mr. Karate can fire a projectile of energy.
 * Multiple Attacks - Mr. Karate can deliver several punches at an amazing speed.

Fighting Style
Mr. Karate is now a master of Kyokugenryu Karate.

Game Appearances

 * Buriki One
 * Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition
 * KOF: Maximum Impact 2
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum

Similar Characters

 * Ryo Sakazaki