With a successful surprise attack, the Dark Dragons were able to bring Drogen, the home of the Light Dragons, down to nothing but flames. If it were not for the old woman who had awakened him during his slumber, this young warrior may not have lived long enough to see his destiny. Ryu, the main hero of Breath of Fire 1, begins his quest by seeking his sister, Sara, who was captured by the Dark Dragons. Though it may seem a simple task, it is much more than the 'hero rescuing the princess' ordeal. It is a quest for pride and honor. Even though the light shines so faintly, it is obtainable if sought for earnestly. Ryu is the 'hope' heading towards the light. He is no ordinary warrior; he has the true spirit of the dragons within him. As Ryu ventures through his quest, he will obtain the ability to transform into one of many dragon forms. Ryu is the key to defeating the great evils that are awakening. Meeting many allies, as well as enemies, Ryu will travel to Scande, defeat the Dark Dragon Emperor, Zog, and rescue his sister.
Ryu, as many RPG heroes, is a well balanced character. He gains a plentiful amount of everything, although he levels up quite slowly. This slowness can easily be noticed when other characters, who you meet later on, at a lower level, start overtaking the young warrior, level-wise. Ryu has the ability to transform into one of many dragon forms (perhaps making up for his leveling up slowness), however, there is a catch to this. He cannot transform initially at the beginning of the game. Ryu must visit these 'dragon training grounds', located throughout the world. When he completes a session in one of these 'training grounds', he gains partial access to his dragon powers. It can be clearly said with confidence, that the dragon formations are ultimately powerful, especially the first time you gain access to them. However, they do a set amount of HP damage, so when Ryu reaches higher levels later in the game, he can-actually-do-more-damage-in-human-form-than-in-dragon. If you want to know more about dragons and such, take a visit to Ryu's ability section. Since he is a such a good character, overall, being in the front and attacking is the best decision to make. Another thing to note is that HE IS THE ONLY character who can equip the 'Rangs' found throughout the world. These weapons, although weaker in power compared to the swords, hits all enemies in battle, making them extremely useful. Once you get your first Rang, it is highly unlikely you'll ever need the swords for regular combat anymore. Though it is not recommended, you could equip a sword instead. THIS WAS NOT a review of EVERYTHING Ryu could do- there are still the things he can do on the world map. This review is just naming the actions he can take in battle, and what he is useful for. If you wish to know the last remenants of his actions and such, take a look at his ability section.