For those of you actually followingůIt's been two years.
Two years in the making.
But finallyůI swear.
We backů.We're really backůLet's get into itů
*Opening Intro*
Welcome back to Epic Character Breakdown, where wanting to get stronger and win gives
you an unhealthy desire to become a demon and kill people.
I'm the Resident Remixer of the FGC and your host: Saitoshi.
And here on ECB we break down the characters most of us know and love in a quest to find
out what gives them the legendary status known as "Epic".
This month's ECB focuses on the evil version of a homeless martial arts masterůand a shadow.
*Cues Shadow the Hedgehog* No, not that shadow.
I'll get into that later.
But first, a bit of history.
If you haven't heard of Capcom by now, where the hell have you been?
As I explained in the very first ECB, which is unlisted now because screw you, I'm a perfectionist---Capcom
was first founded under a different name in 1979 before undergoing multiple changes to
become the company we know today.
In 1983, Capcom Co., Ltd was established and from there it's history.
Literally.
Because of Capcom, we have some of the most iconic IP's known to man.
There's The Walking Dead (Biohazard/Resident Evil), Astro Boy (Rockman/Megaman), Medievil
(Ghosts N' Goblins), Ninja Gaiden (Strider), Ghost Trick---Waitůthat's an actual Capcom
game?
Well, alright, guess I gotta go play that now.
But for me (And probably for most of you watching this right now), Capcom was known for its
many different fighting games all throughout the 90's.
I swear, if you didn't grow up on X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Power Stone, Rival Schools,
and Capcom Vs. SNK, then you've missed out on some of the greatest fighting games that
particular generation had to offer.
Of course, there are emulators and for those of you that still own a PS3 you can probably
just play Capcom Vs. SNK 2 if it's still in the store.
But it was something about living in that era.
One of those "You had to be there!" moments.
Coming into the FGC before I even knew what the FGC was at that time and age was a major
influence for who I would end up becoming today.
And although Capcom is going through a bit of an on and off rough patch, especially with
this past year, their most iconic fighting game IP is still continuing to run strong,
regardless of its current Esports state.
And that title is none other than Street Fighter.
THE WORLD WITHIN---
Soooo, Ima be honestůI wasn't quite the Street Fighter fan growing up.
I mean, I played most of the Vs. Games.
But, I didn't really get into Street Fighter until New Generation, 2nd Impact, and 3rd
Strike.
And while I did play the Alpha games back then, I didn't play them seriously until my
sophomore year in high school where a friend let me borrow the anthology.
Whenever I did play the Vs. and Alpha games, I was mostly a hardcore shoto main.
You know, back when teen Ryu was cool as hell and less awkward.
But I didn't play Ryu all that often.
Oh, no.
Whenever my cousin came over, I played mostly Ken and Akuma cuz fire and raging demons.
But one special day my cousin came over with Alpha 3 and I saw one of the most beautiful
creatures I ever did seeůEvil Ryu.
I don't know if y'all knew this but evil and slightly dark characters are kinda my thing.
It works for me, okay.
Evil Ryu, or Ryu with the surge of killing intent awakened, is literally what his name
suggests---Ryu being influenced by the power of the Satsui no Hado.
Now, the Satsui no Hado is a type of ki that awakens an individual's true dark nature.
It can feed off of the immense desire to win, the need to survive, desperation, any form
of destruction, loss, and any other negative emotion or situation.
A power of this form usually manifests from extreme obsession or influence in any of these
situations.
But where did this power come from in the first place?
Well, the power of the Hado was cultivated in an unknown style known as an Ansatsuken
(Asassination Fist) art.
The earliest known practitioners of this art were Goutetsu, master to Gouken and Akuma;
and according to the 2014 live-action film greenlit by Capcom, Assassin's Fist, Goutetsu's
unnamed brother.
While there are practitioners before them, their names are unknown.
In this style, their power derived from the Satsui no Hado.
Stated by Goutetsu himself in the film, his brother was driven mad by its power and hadn't
been seen or heard from without any idea if he were dead or alive.
*"Ansatsuken is a young man's game."
clip* Goutetsu, realizing the path that Gouken was taking, hints at another way of utilizing
the power of the Hado which would eventually lead Gouken to develop the Power of Nothingness.
But Gouki, whom we know today as Akuma, embraced the darkness of the art in its entirety.
So much so that he went behind his master's back to learn the teachings, ended up being
expelled from the dojo due to this, became a literal demon, and eventually returned to
murder his master after learning enough of and succumbing to the Satsui no Hado in order
to become the true master of the fist.
The Satsui no Hado drives its users to fight.
If one gives in completely, all humanity and morals are lost and killing anyone becomes
an option as the key purpose of this style is destruction.
This unspeakable need to fight and kill was the reason why there could only be one master
of this Ansatsuken style at a time until your boy Gouken changed the game.
The Satsui no Hado was originally thought to have existed in only those who practice
this certain Ansatsuken style or some variation of it.
That ain't the case apparently.
Because this thing targeted Sagat like I target Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
But, it was this very energy that caused the scar on Sagat's chest in the first World Warrior
tournament, retconning Ryu's original Street Fighter I win.
Ryu's desire to win and overcome by any means necessary caused this energy to awaken within
him, giving birth to the entity known as Evil Ryu.
But let it be known that in canon, Ryu has never been completely taken over by the Satsui
no Hado to the point where he becomes an entirely different person.
He's only been influenced.
Enter: Evil Ryu/Kage---
Evil Ryu's official appearance was in Street Fighter Alpha 2.
Zero 2 if you're in Japan.
The Alpha series takes place between the first tournament and the second, serving as a bridge
between the two events to show how things got to the way they were in World Warrior.
In Alpha 2, Evil Ryu's story is the same as Ryu's with the only difference being that
he shares Akuma's moves.
But once again, Japan gets all the good shit!
Zero 2 changes Evil Ryu's rival dialogues.
And after beating Akuma, a text scroll rolls, which says: "Ryu defeated Gouki with his blood-soaked
fist and then disappeared to whereabouts unknown.
Did Ryu embrace the real Satsui no Hadou, or did he succeed Gouki as The Master of the
Fist?
Only time will tell when we see him again.
Will he reach his full potential as a martial artist?
Or..."
In Alpha 3, Evil Ryu has a completely different story from his original where he seeks out
Akuma in order to defeat him and become the true master of the fist.
After defeating all in his path, Ryu looks back on his battles and fully embraces the
power of the Satsui no Hado.
Taking residence in Akuma's lair (Because even Evil Ryu has to keep up with being a
hobo), he sets out on a journey to find someone to defeat him.
Until now, the kanji for "Ten" or "Heaven" (Which used in Akuma's sense is meant to be
Heaven) showed up whenever the Raging Demon was performed with Evil Ryu.
This ending introduced Evil Ryu's signature kanji for Destruction.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is more of the same thing where Ryu seeks
out challengers to satiate his bloodlust.
After beating the crap out of Bison, he declares that weaklings aren't enough for him and decides
to destroy everything.
Boy, does that sound familiar.
And of course, what's an Evil Ryu ending without fighting Akuma or looking for a fight to the
death with Akuma.
There is no Evil Ryu in Street Fighter IIIů.Moving on.
Evil Ryu makes a cameo in Akuma's vanilla IV prologue but is made playable in Super
Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.
In this storyů.it's the same damn thing.
Why does a character so cool have such a bland story, holy shitů.But yeah, he awakens on
the ground in the middle of nowhere and realizes his power.
With that, he goes on a spree of destruction, even going through his own master.
In the end, Bison is attracted by his power and sends two troops after---Wait a minute.
Two?
Just two regular ass run-of-the-mill soldiers?
Like, bruh, you couldn't send Balrog or someone out here?
Homie couldn't send the Psycho Avengers or something?
Like, bro.
Bro really looked at the footage and was like:
"Hey, Balrog?
Send Dave and Eustace to acquire Ryu.
They could use the experience."
OkaybuthwhatkindofanameisEust---Anyway.
Bitch, you've SEEN what's on these tapes that I'm somehow holding with boxing gloves on
and you wanna send him to Dave and Eustace?
EUSTACE?!
I mean, do we REALLY need Vega tho?"
"Oh, they'll be fine.
Just give them some guns and send them on their way.
The lord will take care of them."
"Okay, but since when the fuck did you start believing in God?"
"Since.
I. Met.
Me!"
*Moments of silence pass*
"Do you really believe tha---"
*Bison Interrupts*
"YES!
YES!"
*In the middle of Bison's exclamation* "Oh my God, that's like, the fifth time this week!"
*Spongebob clip* Needless to sayů.Dave and Eustace never made it back to base.
At the end of Akuma's ending in vanilla Street Fighter IV, Gouken was able to seal the Satsui
within Ryu.
But, it's difficult to say this is canon seeing as how Ryu still seems to struggle with this
power well into Street Fighter V. Along the events of this game though, Ryu is actually
able to purge the power himself thanks to mastering the Power of Nothingness.
Finally, the Satsui no Hado had been expelled from Ryu.
Except now this thing's an actual entity!
Introducing Kagenaru Mono: The physical embodiment of the Satsui.
Yep!
Ryu's dark desire for power Dr. Dolittle'd itself into reality and started ranting about
death.
Which is ironic because how you talk about death so much but don't kill your rivals when
you beat them?
Like, weird flex but, okay.
Also, can we just appreciate how Akuma completely son'ed Kage even after losing?
*Begone Thot* After defeating Sagat and Akuma, Kage returns to Ryu to brag about his victories,
trying to drive home the opinion of how Ryu is nothing without him.
And after a fight---Which is probably in Ryu's head because LOOK AT THIS FREAKING TRANSITION---Ryu
loses.
And so does Kage.
By acknowledging his existence but denying Kage any power over himself, Ryu vanquishes
this evil once and for all.
At least, for nowů
Oh!
AndůThen there's...Whatever this is from the Street Fighter EX seriesů
I love it!
Character Design---
Starting off, Evil Ryu was just a simple palette swap.
Give the man a tan, paint his gi black and his gloves brown and boom.
You know you're playing with evil Ryu.
This is the appearance that he's had in most of the installments he appears in.
What you're presented with is a modified karate gi with the ends of the shoulders and legs
tattered likely due to training.
You don't really see an uwagi (gi top) styled like this.
In fact, if you're looking to buy one of these puppies so you can give into the Satusi no
Hado yourself, the main (and to my knowledge, the only) manufacturer of this type of uwagi
is Century Martial Arts SupplyůNot sponsored.
These are mainly used for training in hot weather and were made iconic by the Kobra
Kai dojo in the first Karate Kid.
Moving on we have your standard zubon (gi pants) complete with a black obi.
You've got your special tailored hado gloves which turn brown to match the darker, earthier
color of the dark uniform.
Lastly, the iconic red headband given to him by Ken.
Before the red headband though, Ryu's original white headband also turned black due to the
power of the Satsui no Hado.
And boom, your homeless martial arts master turned evil.
Nothing really too appealing to the eye except for the refreshing color change.
But over the years, Evil Ryu's look has had a bit of an upgrade.
In Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, Evil Ryu looks to be more like Akuma than
he's ever been.
It's implied that this transformation happened after an intense battle as hi s uwagi, gloves,
and headband are all torn now.
His hair is red and has taken a spiked pattern.
Even down to his eyes, his sclera and pupils are black while his irises are red.
A red aura surrounds him constantly now.
And the most notable feature, a hole in his chest that seems to be flowing with energy
from an impact so strong that it reaches his back.
This hole in seems to be a reference to Masahiko Nakahira's Street Fighter III: Ryu Final manga
where Akuma literally punched a hole through Ryu.
This manga, however, isn't canon.
Wouldn't make any sense anyway since IV is before III timeline wise.
But again, just a reference.
I like this incarnation of Evil Ryu A LOT because it's not just a color change.
It shows a progression of this character at a point that seems to be even further than
before.
Whereas Alpha's Evil Ryu seemed more reserved and cold while seeking power, IV's Evil Ryu
seems openlyůwell, Evil and destructive.
If this form were canon, I would think that this design signifies a point of no return
for Ryu.
Because with this design, you don't feel like you're just playing Ryu with Akuma's moves.
You feel like you're playing a brand new character.
Sure, the new moves are a huge part of that, but the look drives the hammer home.
This ain't your mom and pop's Evil Ryu.
And then there's Kage.
Not many people enjoy his design.
I'm not one of those people.
While I do think there can be more elements in his appearance, I'm completely satisfied
with his design due to the fact that he is a separate entity than Evil Ryu.
The deeper aspects of the Satsui no Hado are heavily based on an Oni.
I meanůif you couldn't already tell.
Now, if you didn't know, Oni are a type of yokai in Japanese culture that are typically
shown in anime as joke characters.
Oni are portrayed as huge, hulking characters that typically have sharp teeth and horns
growing out of their heads and as one goes deeper and deeper in the Satsui, these similarities
are apparent.
And points to Capcom for keeping it traditional in his alt costume.
Thanks to this you can finally play as Asura in Street Fighter V ha haaaaůNot really...
Kage's design keeps elements from both designs of Evil Ryu, but it's enough to distinguish
a clear difference between the two.
Off rip, you notice the horns, saturated and glowing in dark energy along with the teeth
protruding from his mouth.
In fact, that's most people's gripe with this design.
Although it didn't seem to be a problem for Oni.
But it's whatever, I guess.
Almost everything else from Evil Ryu stays the same, save for his uwagi resting around
his waist revealing a greater muscle mass than ryu.
But that's not all.
Over his body you can see small cracks of pure energy as if he's barely holding together.
Kage IS this energy.
It's all he is.
And quite frankly, a simple design choice that I think doesn't get enough credit that
I absolutely love that makes the character for me.
Ryu's headbandůIs Kage's scarf.
That was such a simple move but it's what really separates the two characters that are
so similar.
Ryu's headband is one of the most iconic pieces of clothing on him.
I just feel it's a better design choice overall.
And come on, who DOESN'T want to be a badass with a piece of clothing flowing in the wind
from their neck?
I mean, have you SEEN Strider?
Oh, shit, wait, Zeku---
I am going to give props to MVC:I's interpretation of Evil Ryu.
It honestly looks like a Shin Evil Ryu, which is dope.
And his alternate costume in IV which makes a comeback as Kage's story costume in V. Extremely
great designs overall.
CHARACTER ABILITIES---
There are many different styles of Karate.
In Street Fighter II, Ryu's style was listed as Shotokan.
Although it looks nothing like the style, it makes sense.
In martial arts, there are hard styles and soft styles.
A hard technique is anything that counters your opponent's force with your own.
An example would be the Muay Thai Teep, a front push kick that can be used to create
space between you and your opponent, counter an incoming attack, and deliver damage all
at the same time.
A soft technique exactly the opposite.
Instead of meeting force with force, you use your opponent's force and momentum against
them.
An example for this technique would basically be the entirety of the Aikido style.
Most styles usually incorporate both hard and soft techniques one way or the other and
Shotokan is listed as a style that's seventy percent hard and thirty percent soft.
Judging by Ryu's style, I would say this is exactly how he uses it.
The style of Ansatsuken was originally meant to be used solely to kill.
Its techniques literally drove men mad.
Thanks to Gouken, Ryu was able to learn a more distilled form of the style.
He dispelled the evil uses of it and integrated the Power of Nothingness into everything he
does.
Evil Ryu takes this knowledge of Ansatsuken and amplifies it with the Satsui no Hado,
returning it to its former glory of using it for murderous intent.
This can be shown in the manifestation of his moves.
His Hadoken is now purple and Shoryuken his multiple strikes.
Being Ryu at heart, he still holds most of his moves, like his Tatsumaki.
Screw you, I'm not saying the full thing.
But, he also shares some with Akuma.
Such as the Shakunetsu Hadoken, the Ashura Senku, and most notably the Raging Demon.
A lot of his normal moves are based off of Akuma as well.
You're essentially playing as both Ryu and Akuma in one character.
A new move however, is the Ryusokayku, a devastating overhead axe kick that deals a decent amount
of damage.
Evil Ryu's Ultras are the Metsu Hadoken which he shares with Ryu, and the Messatsu Goshoryu,
a devastating triple Goshoryu that ends with a charge of dark energy impacting into your
face to the ground from his fist.
And also, the Raging Demon.
With Kage being a separate entity all on his own, he gets a lot of his moves revamped.
He still shares the staples of the Ansatsuken movelist.
However, his Hadoken travels in a short burst similar to Dan's Gadoken and no Kage is not
Shin Dan!
His Shoryuken is performed the with his leading fist instead of his rear fist.
Instead of the Tatsu, Kage gains the Kurekijin.
It's a similar move but is only done with one rotation and is a more wilder variant.
His V-Skill is the Senha Kassatsu, a simple thrust of energy gathered from his palm which
can be amped up by his first V-Trigger.
Speaking of V-Triggers, Kage's first is called Taigyaku Mudo and gives him access to the
Ashura Senku.
Using this can lead to devasting combos.
His second V-Trigger is Rikudo Osatsu.
This V-Trigger not only gives him access to the Raging Demon but brings back a move first
seen in Capcom VS.
SNK 2 and hasn't been seen since Street Fighter X Tekken: The Misogi, a devastating knifehand
strike delivered from heaven itself.
The Satsui no Hado is a dangerous source of energy and the base for that Ansatsuken style.
Anyone that crosses its path is sure to be in for the fight of their livesůliterally!
CHARACTER THEMES---
For years, Ryu has basically had the same theme with the exception of all of Street
Fighter 3.
Evil Ryu isn't much different.
But he does have some good variations.
So, here's my tier list of Evil Ryu's themes.
Alpha 2 just rehashed Ryu's theme so that's out.
Not gonna count the EX series since he just shares a theme with Garuda, regardless of
it being one of my favorites.
And we're not covering SVC pocket color either cuz it's shared with Iori, sooooů
Starting from my least favorite (meaning I don't really like it) and Tier C is Evil Ryu's
theme from Zero/Alpha 3: Black Powerů.Which is either the most obscure shot I've ever
seen or a shout out to the 70's.
Most of Alpha 3's soundtrack is great ushering in all new themes for returning characters.
It still carries that signature CPSII style music, but for some reason to me, this theme
just doesn't hit me.
Sure, it has that sinister, corrupting feeling.
But, something about it just doesn't feel fitting to the character for me.
Next up in Tier A because there are no B tiers on this list is Ultra Street Fighter II.
I didn't really like this theme at first.
Buuuut, then it grew on me.
It keeps that Japanese influence, flute and all, while including a metal undertone.
Because when aren't guitars used to symbolize an evil character?
It's mostly an entirely new theme which is what's great about it.
The callback to Ryu's theme that still keeps the character in play is a great touch, too.
Last on Tier A is Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.
It starts off with that signature Shamisen or Koto that's always used in Akuma's theme,
which is definitely a great start and then transitions to Ryu's theme with a Shakuhachi
(something this game should have done for Ryu's original theme) and still keeps that
Japanese string present.
Yeah, it really is just a mashup of Ryu and Akuma's themes with dubstep undertones.
But it's one of the greatest mashups you'll ever hear.
It's more sinister in its presentation and when the orchestra kicks in?
Pure masterpiece.
Starting off Tier S is Asura's Wrath.
I'm a complete fool for orchestral stuff and does this deliver!
When I first heard this I was in complete shock.
It's not fast paced, it isn't scary, and it isn't full of too much impact.
Instead, the impact is in the battle itself.
It's a more somber track.
To me, this track symbolizes a Ryu that's lost his way.
*Cue Before My Body is Dry* Not only is this one of the greatest Cameo's in one of the
greatest games, but it's also one of the greatest tracks I've ever heard.
You know where this is goingů
Lastly, Kage's theme on the SS Tier.
Starting off I didnĺt like this one either because it just reminded me of the opening
theme to vanilla Vů.And this stageů.And this stageůAnd this sta---
But this one grew on me as well.
Why?
First of all, its opening segment as a whole.
It's a similar, but a different opening from the regular Satsui theme.
Secondly, its ambience.
These ambient undertones honestly make the theme what it is.
It holds a plethora of perfectly place sound sequences.
Certain rises and chimes.
The Nohkan flute, named for its use in traditional Noh theatre, is a nice touch as well.
And speaking of this particular segment; I'm sure most people didn't notice this, but this
part is a callback to Ryu's theme as well---which is another genius touch.
This theme is literal eargasm.
LEGACY---
Sometimes, we never really know that we needed something so badly until we actually have
it.
I think this was the case for Evil Ryu.
When Akuma dropped on the scene, I don't think most people thought about Ryu becoming evil.
Did we really need it?
No.
But why not do it anyway?
Let's see what a righteous and morally pure martial arts master becomes if he's corrupted
by the one thing he lives by.
How do you fight the only thing that's given you purpose and power?
How do you fight what you are inside when you find that the morals you've adopted were
originally malicious and impure?
You literally become corrupted by who you are.
And I think that's a struggle that almost all of us face.
Evil Ryu is a perfect representation of two situations.
The first being that too much of something is never a good thing.
And the second being that there are two sides to every coin.
Evil Ryu may not be a canon character, but he represents what we could and what some
of us already have become out of the game.
We as humans can fall prey to darker desires at any time.
The temptations are always there.
In-game, Evil Ryu is what we love to see.
Ryu at a darker and more powerful level.
His morals aren't like Akuma's, whom still holds honor until he transforms to Oni.
Evil Ryu is truly what the Satsui can become if left unchecked.
So, how do we fight something that makes us who we are?
We acknowledge that it's there.
We acknowledge it's part of us.
But it is not who we are as a whole.
Ryu set out on a path of self-improvement and mastery of his style.
He sought a way to rid himself of the Satsui no Hado and he eventually did so by finding
another path to his goal.
You usually hear people say how you get there doesn't matter and it's the journey that means
the most.
Not always true.
But, there are many different paths on the roads we travel.
Question is, which one will you choose?
Whatever we choose, we move forward.
And just when we thought we finally got rid of the temptations, what happens?
It comes back in a new way.
So, what then?
Do the same thing and stand your ground.
But realize that who you are now is not who you were before.
And what was part of you before is not part of you now.
It's there and it exists.
But, it is no longer a part of what makes you who you are.
You keep moving forward.
And sometimes it won't be that simple.
It'll take work to overcome, but we always can.
We don't even know if Kage is canon yet and if he is, he was given a hella short character
arc.
Can anything spawn from this after 3rd Strike?
Probably.
Because Evil Ryu is a popular character.
And while Kage isn't actually Evil Ryu, he is born from what made Evil Ryu, hence being
a shadow.
It's odd because Kage isn't just Ryu, but the entire Satsui, including Akuma, Sagat,
and anyone else who has it.
Which begs the question: Is Ryu's darkness even stronger than Akuma's due to the form
Kage takes?
WellůLet's discuss that in a different video, shall we?
Until then, make sure to keep your ears tuned to my content by subscribing and hitting that
notification bell.
This has been your Resident Remixer and until the next melody, thanks for listening, thanks
for watching, and don't forget to ALWAYSů.Let the musicůPlay.
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