Ryu Hayabusa

50. Ryu Hayabusa

“First appeared in: Ninja Gaiden (1988)

There's no other ninja in gaming we'd rather have on our side. Yoshimitsu? Hop off. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Get back to your sewers. Ryu Hayabusa is the only psychotic swordsman we'd want on our team, and it's pretty obvious to see why.

He's a no-holds-barred maniac, hacking, slashing, backflipping, spinning and leaping all over the shop, chopping up swathes of enemies like he was dicing onions. Mid-air. With a scythe. There's also a bit of Wolverine going on, what with the claw-like appendages on his fists, painting the town red time and again with such grace he looks like some sort of bloody ballet dancer. Minus the tutu.

Also, he's not quite human, which also helps, and he welds the awesomely powerful 'dragon” read more

Best Video Game Swordsmen (POLL) (23 characters items)

"Series: Ninja Gaiden Sword: Dragon Sword Being a ninja, Ryu is proficent in the use of all kinds of weapons, but the one he always goes back to is the Dragon Sword, a family heirloom that has slayed demonic entities for countless generations. Thanks to his speed and agility, Ryu can carve up a bloody path through his enemies with relative ease. If things get really serious, Ryu can upgrade his sword to the True Dragon Sword, a legendary weapon capable of destroying Archfiends. "