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"His road of pain sharpened him to a master! The Invincible Dragon shares his wisdom! RYO SAKAZAKI."
- The King of Fighters XV

Ryo Sakazaki (リョウ・サカザキ) is the main protagonist in Art of Fighting series. He has appeared in every Art of Fighting and The King of Fighters game. He forms the first half of the Japanese series' namesake as "The Invincible Dragon" (無敵むてきりゅう).[1][2]

Development[]

In an interview Takashi Nishiyama states that Ryo was created as a homage to Ryu from Street Fighter, Ryo's overall appearance was also modeled after both American actor, dancer, singer-songwriter Patrick Swayze and Hokuto no Ken manga protagonist Kenshirō.[3] Artist Shinkiro has expressed he had no problems with designing Ryo in contrast to Robert Garcia due to Ryo's poor state.[4] SNK staff members Youichiro Soeda said that Ryo and Robert's debut was unique to other games based on the company because it did not focus on fighting tournaments but instead of the duo's quest to save Yuri Sakazaki.

Personality[]

Ryo is very serious about fighting and is loyal to his friends and family. Martial arts are his life, and his primary motivation is to train hard, improve both himself and his students, and to promote the Kyokugenryu style. He has been given discipline through his Karate training by his father, Takuma. He treats Robert as his rival, but they are best friends. He is a little old fashioned and blunt, which sometimes alienates him from his trendier sister and stylish rival. He's also admits to not being very smart or talented but he believes that these are obstacles for him to overcome. Compared to Yuri and Robert's ideology on training, Ryo believes he can attain greatness in his art through hard work and experience. Having raised both himself and Yuri during their childhood, he struggles with his own wishes to protect his sister and his own wishes to see her grow up. He accepts her growing maturity with bittersweet acquiescence.

Ryo has an interesting relationship with King. Formerly enemies, Ryo has gained great respect for her fighting prowess, and he has made several attempts to recruit her to the Kyokugen dojo as an instructor. King has thus far refused all of his invitations, but she has joined the Kyokugen team for a few of the KOF tournaments. King herself seems to have developed a romantic attraction to Ryo after he contributed to her brother's recovery in Art of Fighting 2. She tends to flush, smile, and act flustered in Ryo's presence. There is a long running joke in the games where Ryo will compliment King, and she will blush, thinking he is about to ask her out, just to get yet another invite to join Kyokugenryu.

Powers[]

  • Gather chi: Ryo can gather ki from Gaia, the Mother earth.
  • Energy Projectile: Ryo can fire the Kouken and Haoh Shou Kouken blast normally.
  • Multiple Attacks: Ryo can channel his ki energy into his arms to deliver multiple punches at a very fast ratio.

Skills[]

  • Auto Mechanic: Ryo has restored a motorcycle to running condition, suggesting he has sufficient knowledge of the inner workings of it.
  • Carpentry: Due to being engaged in DIY works, and being presumably skilled in it.
  • Farming: Ryo has successfully grown vegetables in his backyard, indicating he is gifted with a 'green thumb' or an ability to cultivate plants.

Fighting style[]

Ryo was taught to be the "tiger" of Kyokugenryu Karate, ironic since his nickname calls him the dragon. In Buriki One, he seems to use ordinary Karate. His main strength relies on his fierce punching attacks, which is closer to his father's style. His (in)famous Tenchi Haou Ken (Heaven & Earth Supreme Sparkle Fist) is a good result of this type of style as such a punch often was able to automatically put opponents in stun upon impact, despite the low damage it did compared to other DM's (KOF XIII amps this up with a stronger version of this technique as his Neo Max).

His Art of Fighting and KOF incarnations tend to differ from one another such as his fighting stance. His Kohou (Tiger Roar) often either faces towards the screen (KOF) or the background (Art of Fighting). In KOF '96 onwards, his signature Ko'ou Ken (Tiger Sparkle Fist) turned into a close range attack afterwards though his Capcom crossovers beg to differ.

During the NESTS Saga, Ryo adds defensive touches to his style. His Joudan and Gedan Uke (High-Level and Low-Level Reception) parrying command normals enable him to shave off attacks and press the offensive as Ryo is able to cancel into attacks should he block via this method. Both of these types of parries are based on traditional types of basic blocking seen in most martial arts dojos. His Joudan Uke however, has varied in terms of animation, ranging from a rushing cover block or an outward single arm block depending on the game; and in KOF XIII, his Gedan Uke also gets a change in animation.

Music[]

  • Uma to Boku (The Horse and I) - Art of Fighting 2
  • Get High - Art of Fighting 3
  • Ryuko no Ken Ver.230000000.0 (Fist of Dragon and Tiger Ver.230000000.0) - Fatal Fury Special
  • Ryuko no Ken (Fist of Dragon and Tiger) - The King of Fighters '94
  • Yureru Otokogokoro (The Trembling Male Spirit) - The King of Fighters '95
  • Kamikirimushi (Praying Mantis) - The King of Fighters '96
  • Art of Fight - The King of Fighters '98, R-1, R-2, SNK vs. Capcom: Match of The Millennium
  • Ryu-Ko (Dragon-Tiger) - The King of Fighters '99
  • Beauty and the Beast - The King of Fighters 2000, 2002, EX, EX2
  • Fight to the Limit - The King of Fighters 2001
  • Kyoku-gen - The King of Fighters 2003
  • After a Long Absence - The King of Fighters XI, XIII (when the music is set to "Type B", console version only, shared with Takuma Sakazaki and Robert Garcia)
  • ART OF FIGHT ~ Ryuko to Tsubame (Art of Fight ~ Dragon, Tiger and Swallow) - The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
  • Kyokugen Training! ~ Mountain Seclusion - The King of Fighters XIII
  • Tiger & Dragon - The King of Fighters XIV
  • Micha Iya! -KOF XIV ver.- - The King of Fighters XIV (as King's opponent)
  • A Kiss for Geese, Cyber Edit -KOF XIV ver.- - The King of Fighters XIV (as Geese's opponent)
  • How About a Trip to PAOPAO CAFÉ? - The King of Fighters XV
  • Diet -KOF XV ver.- - The King of Fighters XV (as Yuri's opponent)
  • Dragon Rising in the Night Sky - Days of Memories

Voice actors[]

Live action actors[]

  • Henry HE - Art of Fighting 2 commercials

Appearances[]

Games

Mobile

Cameos

Anime

Similar characters[]

Trivia[]

  • The plot of Buriki One, takes place in the same continuity year as The King of Fighters '99, but Ryo been de-aged by one decade (his birth year changed from 1957 to 1967) to fit the continuity and have him age realistically.
  • In this character name, his name is typically written in Katakana due to shared heritage, living and being prominent abroad, despite being born in Japan.
  • Ryo is the first champion of The King of Fighters tournament.
  • The appearance of Ryo in Fatal Fury Special as a secret final boss was perhaps inspiration to SNK's most notable fighting game series, The King of Fighters. Indeed, much of the appeal of the first KOF game, The King of Fighters '94, was that characters from Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury could fight alongside and against each other. Many details were originally retconned to allow the characters of Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury look around the same age though it's currently accepted that the KOF timeline is separate from their respective series. Although both protagonists would only play supporting roles in the series, Ryo and Terry share a friendly rivalry with one another. This is sometimes implied through special intros, official art, and game openings in select KOF titles.
  • His name is frequently written in katakana; earlier games, and currently some dialogues (mostly voice lines and cutscenes) used to write his name in kanji (坂崎さかざき りょう).
  • In Neo-Geo Freak 1998, the characters in KOF '98 have their own interviews. Here are Ryo's response to the questions.[5]
    • What is your aspiration in this competition? - "I think it would be good if I could reaffirm the strength of the Kyokugenryu at the competition. Winning is the next question."
    • Who would you like to fight the most? - "Well ... yes, I want to challenge my father."
    • Who would you like to team up with? / Who would you not like to team up with? - "I would team up with my old friend Robert. Next is my younger sister Yuri. She doesn't know what to do unless we work together... The one who I don't want to team up with is my father!"
    • What is "KOF" for you? - "It's an official stage once a year."
    • Finally, please give a word to your fans. - "A fan of me? I'm glad. Then my fans! Would you like to learn Kyokugenryu Karate?"
  • In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, Ryo was voted as the staff's twenty-fourth favorite character. He shared the spot with Sie Kensou and Toru Kurosawa, a character from Sega's Last Bronx. In the Neo Geo Freak's 1997 Volume 8 character poll, he was voted as the seventeenth favorite character with a total of 602 votes.[6] And in a 2005 poll made by SNK-Playmore USA, he was voted as the fifth fan favorite character with a total of 193 votes. Both Nobuyuki Kuroki and Youichiro Soeda have Ryo as their favorite character from the Art of Fighting series.[7]

Cards[]

SNK vs SNK vs SNK vs SNK vs SVC Card Ryo Ryu CsmWKbpVYAAMVzs SNKHighSchool-Ryo KOF98UM OL Kimi Wa Hero Kimi Wa Hero KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star KOF All Star

Sprites[]

Metal Slug Defense King of Fighters R-2 Shinsetsu Samurai Supirittsu: Bushidō Retsuden Art of Fighting Art of Fighting 2 Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior Fatal Fury Special The King of Fighters '94 The King of Fighters '96 The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest The King of Fighters 2002 - Challenge to Ultimate Battle Capcom vs The King of Fighters XII

SNK vs SNK vs SNK vs

Gallery[]

References[]

Art of Fighting characters
Art of Fighting Logo Sprite Ryo SakazakiRobert GarciaRyuhaku TodohJack TurnerLee Pai LongKingMickey RogersJohn CrawleyMr. BigMr. Karate
Art of Fighting 2 Logo Sprite Yuri SakazakiTakuma SakazakiEiji KisaragiTemjinGeese Howard
Art of Fighting 3 Logo Sprite Kasumi TodohKarman ColeRody BirtsLenny CrestonJin Fu-HaWang Koh-SanSinclairWyler
Fatal Fury characters
Fatal Fury - King of Fighters Logo Sprite Terry BogardAndy BogardJoe HigashiRichard MeyerMichael MaxDuck KingTung Fu RueHwa JaiRaidenBilly KaneGeese Howard
Fatal Fury 2 Logo Sprite Kim KaphwanMai ShiranuiCheng SinzanJubei YamadaBig BearAxel HawkLaurence BloodWolfgang Krauser
Fatal Fury Special Logo Sprite Ryo Sakazaki
Fatal Fury 3 - Road to the Final Victory Logo Sprite Blue MaryBob WilsonFranco BashHon-FuSokaku MochizukiRyuji YamazakiJin ChonreiJin Chonshu
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special Logo Sprite Nightmare GeeseShadow AndyEX Blue MaryEX Billy KaneEX Tung Fu RueIori Yagami
Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special Dominated Mind Logo White
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 - The Newcomers Logo Sprite Rick StrowdLi XiangfeiAlfred
Fatal Fury - First Contact Lao
Fatal Fury - Wild Ambition Logo Touji SakataTsugumi SendoMr. Karate II
Garou - Mark of the Wolves Logo Sprite Rock HowardB. JenetLillien KnightsKim Dong HwanKim Jae HoonHotaru FutabaItokatsuGatoTizocMarco RodriguesHokutomaruKevin RianFreemanGrantKain R. Heinlein
Fatal Fury - City of the Wolves Logo PreechaVox Reaper • Potential Cristiano Ronaldo Character • Ken Masters (Guest)Chun-Li (Guest)
Fatal Fury - Legend of the Hungry Wolf Logo Lily McGuire
Fatal Fury 2 - The New Battle Logo Tony
Fatal Fury - The Motion Picture Logo Sulia GaudeamusLaocorn GaudeamusPanniHauerJamin
The King of Fighters characters
KOF '94 Logo Sprite Kyo KusanagiBenimaru NikaidoGoro DaimonTerry BogardAndy BogardJoe HigashiRyo SakazakiRobert GarciaTakuma SakazakiRalf JonesClark StillHeidernAthena AsamiyaSie KensouChin GentsaiKingMai ShiranuiYuri SakazakiKim KaphwanChang KoehanChoi BoungeHeavy D!Lucky GlauberBrian BattlerRugal Bernstein
KOF '95 Logo Sprite Iori YagamiBilly KaneEiji KisaragiSaisyu KusanagiOmega RugalNakoruru (Game Boy only)
KOF '96 Logo Sprite Leona HeidernMatureViceKasumi TodohGeese HowardWolfgang KrauserMr. BigChizuru KaguraGoenitzMr. Karate (Game Boy only)
KOF '97 Logo Sprite Shingo YabukiYashiro NanakaseShermieChrisBlue MaryRyuji YamazakiOrochi IoriOrochi LeonaOrochi YashiroOrochi ShermieOrochi ChrisOrochi
KOF '99 Logo Sprite K'MaximaWhipBaoLi XiangfeiJhun HoonKyo-1Kyo-2Krizalid
KOF '99 Evolution Logo VanessaSethSyo KirishimaAlfredFiolina GermiGai Tendo
KOF 2000 Logo Sprite RamónLinHinako ShijoKula DiamondClone ZeroFoxyCandy DiamondAnother K'Another IoriAnother BenimaruAnother RobertCosplayer KyokoKang Bae DalSmart ChangCool ChoiKaoru WatabeBaitangDuck KingLilly KaneKim Jae HoonKim Dong HwanUnknownKing LionKim Sue-ilKaedeDuke EdwardsRockyAthenaNeo & GeoG-Mantle
KOF 2001 Logo Sprite May Lee JinjuK9999ÁngelZeroRonGluganIgnizMistyNests
KOF EX Logo Moe Habana
KOF 2002 Logo Sprite Kusanagi
KOF EX2 Logo Reiji OogamiJun KagamiMiu KurosakiSinobu Amou
KOF 2003 Logo Sprite Ash CrimsonDuo LonShen WooTizocGatoMalinMaki KaguraAdelheid BernsteinMukai
KOF MI Logo Alba MeiraSoiree MeiraLien NevilleMignon BeartChae LimDukeRock Howard
KOF XI Logo Sprite OswaldElisabeth BlanctorcheMomokoB. JenetShionMagakiSilberSho HayateJyazuHotaru FutabaItokatsuTung Fu Rue
KOF MI2 Logo Luise MeyrinkNagaseJivatmaNinon BeartHyenaHanzo HattoriKyo Kusanagi ClassicWild WolfMr. Karate IIArmor RalfRichard Meyer
KOF MIRA Logo Xiao LonMakoto Mizoguchi
KOF '98UM Logo Nightmare Geese
KOF 2002UM Logo Nameless
KOF XII Logo Raiden
KOF XIII Logo Hwa JaiBig BearSaikiEvil AshHonki ni Natta Mr. Karate
KOF XIV Logo Shun'eiMeitenkunGang-ilLuongXanaduSylvie Paula PaulaKukriMianNelsonZarinaBandeiras HattoriKing of DinosaursHeinNakoruruMamahahaMui MuiLove HeartAlice Garnet NakataAntonovVerseNajd (Aila)
The King of Fighters XV Logo Isla (Amanda) • DoloresKrohnen McDougallRe VerseOtoma RagaHaohmaruDarli Dagger
SNK vs. Capcom characters
SNK current logo Kyo KusanagiIori YagamiLeona HeidernOrochi IoriTerry BogardMai ShiranuiGeese HowardRyo SakazakiYuri SakazakiAthena AsamiyaHaohmaruNakoruruMamahahaJubei YagyuRimururuAkari IchijouMarco RossiFiolina GermiMars PeopleGenjuro KibagamiKim KaphwanMr. KarateKasumi TodohChoi BoungeEarthquakeShikiGoenitzHonki ni Natta Mr. KaratePrincess AthenaKingViceBenimaru NikaidoRaidenRyuji YamazakiRugal BernsteinChang KoehanRyuhaku TodohHibiki TakaneGod Rugal
Capcom Logo RyuKen MastersChun-LiGuileDan HibikiSakura KasuganoMorrigan AenslandFeliciaAkumaBaby Bonnie HoodM. BisonEvil RyuKarin KanzukiArthurRed ArremerDhalsimVegaSagatBalrogHugo AndoreTessaDemitri MaximoffZeroViolent KenShin AkumaRed ArremerBlankaCammy WhiteEdmond HondaEagleRolento SchugergMaki GenryusaiYun LeeKyosuke Kagami
CardFightersClash1 ShinKeiCapCometThe KidFoKanaHarumiZombieYoshikiNishiTakaNoriSakiYukiAkiTakeMikaNonakaKeikoYuriMikamiThe MaskRikuto ArataHaruna HatenaLip AyahaSasuke FuwaKido YoshijiRyugai TorawoAsō ShūkoDogou SōkenShin DaichiKei KikkaForu GottonYashichi FuwaCap ComComet ComNanako NijiiroZet Charles DetroitSys TemNeomantleRobomantleG-Lady
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