Ryuya Ryudo

Ryudo Ryuya (龍頭龍彌), or simply "Ryu" (龍), is the shogun of Hino Country and a childhood friend of Yami Sukehiro.

Appearance
Ryuya has dark-colored, medium-length hair that is messily tied back. He wears an eyepatch over his right eye. Like Yami, he has a stubble mustache and beard.

Ryuya wears a kimono with a darker-colored undergarment and belt.

In his youth, Ryuya wears a kimono and hakama. By 17 years old, he has taken to wearing a darker colored kimono and hakama and carrying two swords, a katana and a wakizashi.

Personality
Ryuya appears to be a very easy-going person, and he does not really mind being addressed so casually. He also deeply cares about the citizens of his country, prioritizing their safety, and helps protect them in any way, despite his lack of magic.

Biography
Ryuya was born into the Ryudo Clan, the regional lords of Goshu of the Hino Country. In his youth, Ryuya befriends Yami Sukehiro and would often ditch his overseers in order to hang out and fish with Sukehiro, Ichika, and the other villagers. He espouses his dream to one day make the country a place where everyone could happily live together, regardless of rank and magic power.

One night, after Sukehiro and Ichika are forcefed the Yami Clan's secret drug for inducing bloodthirsty rages, Ichika slaughters the rest of the clan, except her brother, and collapses from exhaustion afterwards. Ryuya and Sukehiro agree to hide the truth from her, blaming Sukehiro for the massacre instead. Sukehiro flees the country, and Ryuya becomes Ichika's benefactor.

While growing up, he has a friendly rivalry and regular sparring matches with Mushogatake Yosuga, the heir of the nearby region of Koshu. When they were 17 years old, a plague ravages their regions, killing those with weak magic power. As the two strongest, Ryuya and Yosuga are asked to acquire the Tengentsu in order to find the special herb that will cure the sick; however, the one who does will lose all of their magic power. Ryuya immediately accepts without hesitation. Ryuya succeeds in acquiring the eye and is able to locate the plant in time to save the regions' people. Over time, Ryuya gains popularity among the people by using the Tengentsu to help through out the country and to unite the country's warring factions. When the time comes to choose the next Shogun, Ryuya and Yosuga are the two candidates, but Yosuga withdraws in support of Ryuya and instead accepts a position in the Ryuzen Seven.

After finding Asta washed up on the shore of the country, Ryuya brings Asta and Liebe to his residence and has Mikuriya Fumito heal their injuries. When Asta wakes, he and Ryuya discuss the situation, and Ryuya reveals that he is a childhood friend of Yami. Asta wishes to hurry back to the Clover Kingdom, but Ryuya dissuades him, revealing that he can see what brought Asta down and that Asta cannot win as he is now, as well as noting the vast distance to the kingdom. Introducing himself, Ryuya welcomes Asta to Hino Country and offers to improve Asta's power. Ryuya assures Asta that he has time before Lucius Zogratis is ready to attack. When Ryuya compares his role as shogun to the Wizard King, Asta mentions that Ryuya does not seem that strong, with which Ryuya agrees. Ichika threatens Asta for disrespecting Ryuya, but he assures her that Asta's comments are fine. He then suggests that they take a tour through the nearby town.

Along the way, Ryuya explains the country's magic system. Predicting that some bandits are going to break down a wall, Ryuya rushes forward and ushers two civilians out of harm's way. When the bandits confront Ryuya, he points out that he has no magic power and then orders Ichika to handle them. After she quickly and easily defeats them, a crowd cheers for her, and Asta recognizes her surname. Ichika threatens to crush Asta's head, and Ryuya points out that she is Yami's younger sister and one of the Ryuzen Seven, under whom Asta should train. When the townspeople notice Asta's strange hair color, Ryuya whisks Asta and Ichika to Fumito's house to check up on Liebe.

Fumito makes a meal for everyone, and Ryuya praises Fumito's healing and cooking skills. During the meal, Asta asks about returning to the Clover Kingdom, and Ryuya reminds him that he is still too weak to take on Lucius. Despite Ryuya's assurances that there is time for training, Asta questions Ryuya's knowledge and advice, so Ichika slaps Asta, which frightens Ryuya and Fumito. Ichika convinces Asta to thank everyone for their help, but Ryuya dismisses it and agrees that Lucius is a major threat, as he will attack Hino eventually.

After the meal, they step out into the bamboo forest next to the house. There, Ryuya suggets that Asta learn Zetten in order to quickly overcome Lucius's strengths. After they watch Ichika's demonstration, Ryuya explains about ki and instructs Asta to utilize the Anti Magic since he has no magic power. Asta succeeds in replicating the technique, and the bamboo erodes in half. Laughing, Ryuya mentions that the bamboo is grown with magic power. Seeing as Asta has a solid foundation for Zetten, Ryuya tells Asta to continue to get more experience with it. Asta then thanks Ichika and the rest for the technique. Once Asta masters the basics of Zetten, Ryuya suggests that Asta fight Ichika in order to practice finding opportunities to utilize it in a real battle. Ryuya and Fumito watch the fight, with Ryuya commenting on Asta's progress. Ryuya is impressed that Asta remains conscious after withstanding Ichika's full force attack, although Asta was heavily injured and knocked out by her subsequent attacks.

After Fumito heals Asta's injuries, three other members of the Ryuzen Seven—Hanegatsuji Jozo, O'oka Daizaemon, and Imari Komari—arrive and train with Asta, battering him into unconsciousness again. While Asta is healing, the three bicker amongst each other, much to Ryuya's amusement. He thanks them for coming and helping out and has them continue training Asta.

Later that night, Asta and Ichika have a fight. Ryuya interrupts their Zetten clash, grabbing Ichika's hand and blocking the Demon-Slasher Katana. He tells them to stop, and Ichika immediately drops her Dark Cloaked Black Warrior spell and offers to commit seppuku as an apology, which Ryuya refuses. Ryuya then asks about Asta's head injury, but Asta asks about Ryuya's arm which blocked the katana, so Ryuya suggests that they visit Fumito for healing and food. Suddenly, Ryuya senses the arrival of the Paladins Lily Aquaria, Heath Grice, and Yrul in the sky above the Hino Country. He orders five of the Ryuzen Seven—Ichika, Kezokaku Ginnojomorifuyu, Komari, Daizaemon, and Jozo—to evacuate Goshu in preparation to fight the Paladins and the awakened five-headed dragon. Meanwhile, he has Mushogatake Yosuga and Tenmanyashiki Fujio continue Asta's Zetten training since he believes they will need Asta's strength.

After mastering Zetten, Asta joins the fight against the Paladins and defeats Yrul and Lily. Following her defeat, Lily cries over failing to help Asta and the other orphans, but Ryuya assures her that she did and suggests letting Asta help her. Ryuya then explains in detail Lucius' plan for Judgment Day and how it will affect the whole world, including the Hino Country. When Lily's Paladin power fades and she loses consciousness, Ryuya explains that she is alive but will not wake until Lucius is defeated. However, Ryuya has Fumito place her in Healing Magic as a precaution. After Asta's Anti Magic also fails to permanently injure the dragon, Ryuya stands atop the regional lord's palace and shouts encouragement to the Ryuzen Seven, while Fujio bolsters them with his biwa-playing.

Abilities

 * Master Swordsman: As the Shogun of Hino Country and the former rival of Mushogatake Yosuga, the strongest member of the Ryuzen Seven, Ryuya is an extremely skilled swordsman.


 * Enhanced Strength: Despite not having magic, Ryuya possesses extraordinary levels of raw physical strength. He is strong enough to stop Asta and Liebe's sword swing in Unite and Yami Ichika's hand in Dark Cloaked Black Warrior.


 * No Magic Power: In order to attain the Tengentsu, Ryuya sacrificed his immense magic power and so is unable to use magic.


 * Tengentsu: Ryuya's special right eye enables him to perceive everything that is going on at that moment. He can also read people's thoughts and memories, as well as gauge their strength.

Trivia

 * His surname contains the kanji for "dragon" (龍) and "head" (頭).
 * His personal name contains the kanji for "dragon" (龍) and "span, wide" (彌).