In the Street Fighter franchise, there are no more iconic World Warriors than Ryu and his sparring partner, Ken Masters. These martial arts rivals and best friends have been the face of the franchise ever since it started, shooting Hadokens and rising like dragons against foes like Sagat, M. Bison, Akuma and Gill. They also fight hard against each other, with one bout, in particular, deciding Ken’s family life.
Ken’s win streak against Ryu is nebulous, but a decisive victory against his best friend would have to have happened given the events of Street Fighter II. This somewhat confusing backstory is not made any better by the lack of regard for story in early fighting games, leaving it questionable when and if Ken ever beat Ryu. However, the moment where Ken finally bested his friend in an epic battle may be relevant to Ken’s eventual marriage and family in the classic Capcom franchise.
Ken vs. Ryu: Dramatic Battle
The biggest differences between Ken and Ryu are their personalities and how they live their lives. Ken is the son of a wealthy businessman and is seen by even his friend Ryu as someone born with a silver spoon. His attacks and general attitude are much flashier than Ryu’s, likely owing to the ostentatious upbringing that he had before being sent to train with Ryu under Master Gouken.
Ryu, on the other hand, is much more solemn and seemingly driven only to fight and keep getting stronger as a martial artist. Ironically, it’s Ken who later takes on the major responsibility of marriage and family. Street Fighter II, the first game where any sort of real story was emphasized with the characters, showed Ken marrying his girlfriend Eliza, with later games introducing his son Mel. As sweet as these nuptials may be, they raise a lot of questions given Ken’s statement on getting married in a prequel title.
When Did Ken Beat Ryu?
In Street Fighter Alpha 2, a prequel set between Street Fighter and Street Fighter II, Ken is able to beat Ryu, but Ryu is distracted by thoughts of his fight with Akuma. It’s in this fight that Ken gives Ryu his trademark red headband, along with a vow that he will not settle down until he beats Ryu in a fair fight, where neither are distracted and both fight at full strength. By the time of the canonically latest game in the franchise, Street Fighter III, Ken is married with a child on the way.
It’s possible that Ken did in fact beat a level-headed Ryu fair and square in a battle between the Alpha games and II and that it’s simply never shown in the games’ storyline. Another explanation would be that during Street Fighter II, Ken faces and beats Ryu in the Second World Warrior Tournament. After all, Guile is many times seen as that tournament’s winner, so Ryu couldn’t have gotten to the last round.
Later retcons and the semi-canon Udon comic books, however, would reveal that Ken and Eliza’s pregnancy was unplanned, occurring before they were married. The two, upon discovering this, soon got married a good while before the birth of their son Mel. It’s possible that suddenly being thrust into fatherhood made Ken forget about his earlier promise to Ryu and focus on his new family. This is possibly the best explanation for Ken’s family-oriented change of heart, especially given how much stronger Ryu becomes later in the series. By spending more time with Eliza and Mel, Ken seemingly gives up on his dreams of beating Ryu, but it proves once and for all that the message of Street Fighter is to go home and be a family man.
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