Soon thereafter, a fan of his, named Sakura, comes up and expresses her desire to train under him. He gives him his red hairband as a reminder to stay focused, which Ryu was sincerely grateful for. Ken realizes Ryu is not himself and has been deeply troubled since his last victory over Sagat. Sometime after escaping the island, Ryu battles Ken and loses. Akuma then uses his fist to smash the island, leaving Ryu stranded. He senses that Ryu has the same powers as he does, and tells Ryu about the Satsui no Hado - a power that consumes the practitioners of their shared fighting style, driving them to win even when it means killing the opponent. He encounters and fights Akuma on a secluded island known as Gokuentou, but Akuma was only testing him. Learning that Akuma had fought and supposedly killed his adopted father, Ryu began to travel the world to find this man. Ryu leaves Sagat behind and returns to his home only to find that Gouken, his master and adoptive father, has apparently been murdered. After regaining consciousness and discovering what had happened, Sagat swears vengeance on Ryu.
Ryu, however, having such a strong desire to win, allows himself to be engulfed by the Satsui no Hado and he strikes Sagat with a nearly-fatal Metsu Shoryuken that not only knocks Sagat unconscious but also marks his chest with a great scar. Sagat nearly beats Ryu into unconsciousness and, thinking he had won, drops his guard to help Ryu up. After defeating all challengers, Ryu's skills earn him the right to fight its host, Sagat. Ryu is one of the participants of the World Warrior tournament.