Ryu is a Clan Tora themed Hero for Ninja All-Stars. Heroes bring potent new abilities to a player's team that are entirely unique to them. Each Hero is themed to a single clan and make must have additions for players who pick up the clan box.

As a young boy, Ryu showed a talent in alchemy and was able to apprentice in this profession with his father. One fateful trip, however, saw them fall victim to a howling group of bandits. He survived, and wandering monks found him. As he grew in their monastery, Ryu soon became a strong and focused fighter with an understandable hatred for those who prey on the weak.