On February 10, another year got added to the World Warrior-Ryu-from-Street-Fighter fame. And even if it was a bit of an unfair moment for some, the entire gaming community was largely unified on the celebration. The official Street Fighter Twitter had started the celebration by wishing Ryu: “Maybe Ryu is meditating right now or eating instant soba on his special day.” Such is the life of the classic Rifu. While the majority of players flocked with praises in the replies, some… well, lets say opinions.
Here comes the wholesome side. Gamers worldwide dropped birthday wishes in several languages, including Indonesian (“Selamat ulang tahun bang Ryu!”), thereby attesting his wide appeal. Others considered him their “favorite Shoto main,” as @ShoryukenF said, whilst @UnKamenSoul named him as “one of the most important characters in my life.” Some really deep losses there. @theBoZai phoied on his zens and said, “Enjoy moments of relaxation and reflection,” truly on-brand.
Now…the chaos. Some of the replies were straight-up requests for some nerfs. @ZeroTwo_w joked about gifting Ryu with “birthday nerfs,” and @avbcarvalho starkly said that the Hashogeki LP move is overpowered and must be toned down, ouch. Meanwhile, @Spawn0fSparda went mad for Capcom slashing Drive Tickets from 1,000 to 300, calling it “super lame.” In the same veins, @IbrahimBiyikal sarcastically wished Ryu a “bad day.” Harsh; but hey, that is a fighting game community for you.
A couple more comments got…well, interesting. @aet1_ ironically matronized Ryu as “John Street Fighter,” something we can get behind. @Ed_idk1 gave Ryu birthday wishes in Arabic and then added, “ten minutes and you die, please.” Ew… Worship or hostile concert? Meanwhile, @janejp3 decided to speak for the birthday party and demand more stages and costumes for Street Fighter 6. Priorities.
Talking about birthdays…here comes the nostalgia. @SpencerBN_ called Ryu “the face of SF,” and @OnlineNinj37797 went hardcore with lore and quoted that famous line from Ryu: “The answer lies in the heart of battle.” Meanwhile, @Rayfun_25028 dropped some art for Ryu and captioned it with “To greater heights”. A+ vibes.
And moss to that are the memes. @Knock0utkiddd shared a Langopian of Ryu and Ken eating burgers captioned “These two know how Ryu wants to celebrate.” True. @jade_matcha described Ryu as “inspiring bara for decades,” which… Yeah, that tracks too.
So, what are we to take away from this? Ryu is still a legend, but the Street Fighter fandom is still mad. Be it for Hadoukens, the drama, or those birthday Pocky packs, one thing is sure: Ryu will always be remembered. Now, about those nerfs…
