SFV's Ryu is a fairly standard generalist Backliner, standing at 480 range, slightly above average for this archetype of unit. He has 51k HP with 5 KBs. Ryu stands out by sacrificing his damage per hit in return for very fast (2s) attack rate which pushes his base DPS to a decent ~4100. His Savage Blow ability has a 20% chance to activate, and his Strengthen ability increases his DPS by a further 50% when he is below 40% HP remaining. He has a 158 second Cooldown and 3750 cost.

Thanks to Ryu's relatively unique attack rate, you'll find him especially useful in stages that are high on "spam" enemies like Dark Doge, Gabriel, Black/Angel Gory, etc, because these enemies have low endurance which pairs nicely with Ryu's low damage per hit and fast attack rate. Factoring in Savage Blows, you can expect an average of 5800 DPS, or 8700 when Strengthen activates. And since Ryu bolsters an above average range for his backline role, you can still use him to output consistent damage on annoying, higher ranged enemies like Master A, Project A, and THE SLOTH that would normally kill other Backliners.

Although Ryu's performance may be consistent because of his attack rate, his DPS is still not very noteworthy compared to other units with the same usage without getting exceptional luck with Savage Blows. Post-Strengthen his DPS is now impressive, but triggering at 40% HP leaves him in a dangerous position. His low damage per hit can become detrimental against enemies whose endurance is high enough that Ryu has to land several hits in a row before he can push them back, giving them more time to push through your defenses and cause problems for you. Additionally, Ryu's above average speed can be somewhat troublesome to work with and his cooldown is subpar for his role, which may mean in some situations his downsides outweigh his advantages compared to generic Ururun-style backliners.

Ryu can be a valuable addition to the arsenal of any player seeking a consistently above average backliner. However, Ryu's build is focused too heavily on this consistent general use, which leaves his DPS in the dust compared to specialists, and even other generalists on their better matchups. He'll often be left behind as you progress further into the game, as your collection grows enough that you usually have a better option for the specific problem at hand. That said, though, Ryu is still respectable at what he does and can certainly work satisfactorily, albeit rarely incredibly, in a wide range of stages.

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