Evil Ryu

''"Violence is who I am!" ''

- Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition

Evil Ryu, officially named Satsui no Hado ni Mezameta Ryū ("Ryu who has Awakened to the Surge of Killing Intent"), (Dark Ryu in the UDON comics) is a playable character in various Street Fighter games beginning with Street Fighter Alpha 2. He was originally introduced in a Street Fighter Zero manga series authored by Masahiko Nakahira and later adapted in the Street Fighter canon by Capcom. He is the version of Ryu should he succumb to Satsui no Hado to his fullest extent, and depicts Ryu's struggle to resist the urge. Like Akuma, Evil Ryu has a signature symbol that appears when he performs the Shun Goku Satsu. Evil Ryu has a different symbol: in Alpha 3 and Capcom vs. SNK 2, his symbol was Metsu, for "Destruction" (滅), though it only appears in his ending, not during gameplay. He is a popular villain from the Street Fighter series.

Appearance
Evil Ryu often appears as a palette swap of Ryu wearing a black gi, although though the Alpha series also gives him a black head band. His skin also becomes a slightly darker shade along with his hair. From CVS and onward, he has been depicted with red eyes although some games leave his eyes totally red. In Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, his design was given an update, taking on a much more feral appearance with traits taken from Akuma; his eyes now glow and his hair spikes up with red tint. Most notable of all is his chest which seems to have had a gaping hole punched in, with a similar scar on his back that bears a glowing ten kanji, as if resembling the Meido Gohado used by Oni.

History
The only time Evil Ryu actually appears in Street Fighter canon is at the end of the first World Warrior tournament. According to the Street Fighter Alpha series, Sagat, the defending champion, crushed Ryu, and then extended his hand to help Ryu up after thinking that he had won. Ryu was so consumed with the desire to win that he gave into the Satsui no Hado ("Evil Intent" or "Dark Hadou" in the American version), and executed a Metsu Shoryuken, scarring Sagat's chest with rage and hate and also attacking his pride.

Since then, Evil Ryu has occasionally appeared in various Capcom games featuring Ryu. Nevertheless, Evil Ryu does not exist as a separate character and is only an alternate, "what if" version of Ryu. Despite the brief brush and/or temptation from the Satsui no Hado, canonically, Ryu rejected the Satsui no Hado from losing his humanity like Akuma, and has made mass innovations to Gouken's peaceful and spiritual aspect of the fighting style which helped him bring the fighting style up to par with Evil Ryu from the Alpha series by Street Fighter III. However, there is evidence which can be interpreted otherwise in the home versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3; if the player matches normal Ryu against Evil Ryu, they have a special pre-match introduction that involves normal Ryu attacking first with a rushing elbow, and then Evil Ryu counterattacking, suggesting either a fierce rivalry between the normal Ryu and what supposedly appears to be an "evil clone" of him or that the battle is taking place inside Ryu's mind, representing his struggle with the Satsui no Hadou. Also, in the home versions of Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, it is possible for the player to include both normal Ryu and Evil Ryu on the same team.

Evil Ryu is also a playable character in Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition. He is a secret boss in Arcade Mode, as well as being a playable character. Evil Ryu's design has been updated, now featuring red eyes and hair like Akuma, half of his gi torn, a large gaping void in the chest and the kanji 天 carved into his back as well as being far more powerful than he originally was. He was unlocked on March 25, 2011.

Gameplay
Gameplay-wise, Evil Ryu has more powerful attacks than the original, strikes faster and possesses some of the attacks of Akuma (such as the Shun Goku Satsu). He is also a hidden boss, known among fans as Shin Evil Ryu. He can cancel any attack with his Raging Demon attack, making it possible for him to corner any players before finishing them off with his Raging Demon.

In Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Evil Ryu has an updated moveset, with 1 brand new Ultra and a new Special Move, the Ryusokyaku. His Super Combo is the Shun Goku Satsu which is identical to Akuma's Super.

His Ultra 1 is Metsu Hadoken, normal Ryu's original Ultra. Unlike his standard counterpart, Evil Ryu is able to hold onto the blast for a maximum time of around 2 seconds. It does slightly less damage than Ryu's Ultra 1 to compensate, but it has much more tactical usage. You can now chain the light Shoryuken into Evil Ryu's Ultra 1 without the need for a Focus Attack Dash Cancel. The full animation for the Metsu Hadoken seems to activate upon shooting the Hadoken at point blank range and only when fully charged.

Ultra 2 is Messatsu Go-Shoryu and it is similar to Ken's Shoryureppa. He leads out with 2 very quick Shoryukens, and if the third and final one hits and the second did not knock out the opponent, it goes into a cinematic animation, leading to him into launching the opponent into the air, gathering dark energy in his hand, and proceeding to grab the enemy by the face and then smash him/her down into the ground below, then pulling his hand from their face once the move is finished. Its damage can vary depending on how many hits you land with the Shoryuken. The first Shoryuken does more damage than the second, but the second is needed to go into the final animation. Even though both hits must connect, only in certain situations will it trigger the full animation. Apparently the Ultra will only go into the full animation if the first frame connects with the opponent or if it lands as a Counter Hit.

Satsui no Hado
To tap into Satsui no Hado, a fighter must be so consumed with the desire to win that they are willing to kill. As a result, only people who push themselves to be the best at all costs can take advantage of it. However, the untrained mind can be driven to a temporary insanity if they have not prepared for it. For those who do succeed in controlling it, they develop an almost cold, cynical detachment from themselves. After Akuma tamed the Satsui no Hado, he lost all of his humanity and became a fighter who only seeks to become the strongest in the world. As such, Satsui no Hadou makes a human unbelievably powerful but at the cost of losing one's humanity. Akuma's understanding of Satsui no Hado is so great, he can seal himself off from it, giving lesser opponents a fighting chance. Learning Satsui no Hado is the first step in learning the most fatal technique known to all of their martial art, Shun Goku Satsu.

Goutetsu himself was once seen meditating while tapping into Satsui no Hado, so he probably encouraged, or at least accepted, it. This was also how both his students Gouken and Akuma were introduced to the power. Goutetsu would also have had to teach Satsui no Hado to his pupils if he did teach them the Shun Goku Satsu. Finally, he was actually pleased with his student Akuma for tapping into Satsui no Hado during a life or death battle for control of their school. Gouken, a student of Goutetsu who taught a toned-down derivation of his style, detested Satsui no Hado since he believed it encouraged killing. He condemned his brother Akuma for corrupting his Chikara no Hadou (Surge of Power).

Originally, Ryu scarred Sagat with a single Shoryuken. It was later retconned that Ryu lost control of himself by rising up fist first, upsetting Sagat (and nearly killing him) with a Metsu Shoryuken. His attack took on the properties of Goutetsu's original art despite having never been taught it by his master Gouken. Although Sagat wanted revenge for his scarred chest, he never knew that the scar came from the Satsui no Hado, a dark power that consumed Ryu. During Street Fighter Alpha 2, Ryu finally realized that the Satsui no Hado was the culprit behind his cheap victory over Sagat. Knowing about this dark intent, Ryu has vowed to reject the Satsui no Hado, but it wasn't enough to completely eliminate the Satsui no Hadou, as it still resided within him. It was not until the end of Street Fighter IV that Gouken was able to seal it away using the "Power of Nothingness".

Trivia

 * In Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Evil Ryu is seen with a hole in his chest and the kanji 天 carved into his back. This is a reference to a scene in the Ryu Final manga, in which Ryu is almost killed in his final battle against Akuma, in which Akuma punched through Ryu’s chest.
 * Ryu Final is the work of Masahiko Nakahira, who also made mangas for Street Fighter Alpha.
 * In Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, the full animation for the Metsu Hadoken could be a nod to Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie, where Ryu destroys the first robot under the influence of the Satsui no Hado at point blank with an extremely powerful Hadoken.
 * It is unknown how Evil Ryu truly received the hole in his chest, it is presumed that he was defeated or perhaps even killed in a battle with an unknown opponent. However, the hole appears to be an injury from Oni's Meido Gohado, as the attack hits the opponent in the center of the chest and explodes from the back in the shape of the kanji 天.
 * In Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, you can fight against Shin Evil Ryu. He can cancel his asura senku anytime and cancel most of his moves with the Raging Demon, making it very dangerous to attack him in closeup, and he can use that advantage to perform a Raging Demon on you when you are either blocking, unable to jump or stuck at a corner.
 * Ryu's tenth color in the Street Fighter IV series resembles a weaker version of Evil Ryu.
 * Evil Ryu's win quote in Arcade Mode against C. Viper in Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition references the animated movie Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind, in the part where C. Viper willingly awakens Evil Ryu by violently beating up Cammy, to gather information on his power. But in the game, he said Viper's curiosity lead her to death.
 * One of Evil Ryu's comments to Gouken after winning is "I shall send you to nirvana." Nirvana is a perfect happiness. This is either a mistranslation, or an indication that Ryu still has some bit of conscience unsuppressed.

Stage Theme
Street Fighter EX



Street Fighter Alpha 3



Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition