Unique mechanic #1: Ninja Acrobatics: Ryu can wall cling like Zero Suit Samus and Greninja, but unlike these kinds of characters, Ryu can scale up and down the walls. Crouching can also have Ryu scale along the ground before transitioning to climbing the walls.
Unique mechanic #2: Split Clones: By flicking the joystick as quickly as quickly tapping the Down Taunt for Snake Codecs or Palutena’s Guidance, Ryu can create a clone of himself to fight alongside him. Similarly to the easter eggs, it takes a long time to activate and use in battle. The clones act similarly to Nana when playing Ice Climbers, but with differences: it is invulnerable, only one can be out at a time, it lasts only for 10 seconds and has a 30 second cooldown.
Jab: A swift left jab, followed with a right knee and finishing off with a slash with the sword.
Side tilt: An iaijutsu-style sword swing. Inspired by the attack animation of the original Ninja Gaiden for NES.
U-tilt: A flip kick over him.
D-tilt: A sweeping kick.
Dash Attack: Ryu does a straight lunge with the sword.
Pummel: Strikes the opponent with an open palm.
F-throw: Ryu jumps up, grabs their shoulders and flips them over himself, slamming them into the ground in front of him. Like Ken’s B-throw, this can be great for mobility. Based on Kubikiri-Nage from Dead or Alive 5.
D-throw: Ryu jumps upwards and plummets downwards, slamming his fist on top of them. Based on Hane-Karakuri from Dead or Alive 5.
B-throw: Ryu flips over the opponent and kicks their back. Based on Hayabusa-Geri from Dead or Alive 5.
U-throw: Ryu uppercuts the opponent and performs a weaker version of his Up-B, listed below. Based on Izuna-Otoshi from Dead or Alive 5.
N-air: Ryu uses the Jump and Slash art. This has some decent range and has an active hitbox.
U- and D-air: Ryu uses the Art of the Vacuum Wave, which shoots wind blades both above and below Ryu simultaneously. This has very little horizontal range but each blade has some decent horizontal range. Whether you use U-air or D-air, this will be used.
F- and B-air: Ryu does the iaijutsu-style sword-swing that Side tilt does.
Neutral-B: Art of Fire Dragon Balls: Ryu jumps upwards and shoots a fireball in a downwards angle from his sword. The joystick can be tilted so he may jump in place, backwards or forwards. If used in the air, he won’t jump, but shoot the fireball instead. The fireball itself works similarly to
Side-B: Windmill Shuriken: Similar to the Belmonts’ Cross, except it keeps coming back to Ryu with each time it misses until after a few seconds, in which it will disappear.
Up-B: Izuna Drop: Ryu jumps upwards, doing sword slashes as he ascends. If he hits an opponent, he will grab them and hurtle downwards with them. This can cause Hayabucide, and can damage others upon impact with the ground.
Down-B: Art of the Fire Wheels: Ryu summons a wheel of fire that damages multiple times. This can protect Ryu from projectiles and deal damage for 4 seconds, but this limits his combo capability and can be canceled out if he is damaged or if he uses a different special. For example, if Olimar manages to throw a fire Pikmin that grapples onto Ryu in this state, the Fire Wheel will immediately disappear from him taking damage. The wheel can also be absorbed by PSI Magnet, pocketed by the Animal Crossing characters or nullified by Rosalina’s Down-B.
Final Smash: Art of the True Inferno: Ryu summons a giant serpentine dragon made of fire that will swirl around Ryu for a few seconds before ascending upwards. Any airborne opponents hit will be sent upwards as it strikes, similarly to Moltres.