How old is Ryu in Street Fighter 6?

As one of the only two characters who have appeared in every single game in the franchise, fans are wondering how old is Ryu in Street Fighter 6.

Ryu has been on a long journey of self-improvement, looking to become the strongest warrior in the world, battling other remarkable fighters and learning new ways to overcome obstacles, like controlling and later expelling the Satsui no Hado energy from his body.

• Read more: How old is Chun-Li in Street Fighter 6?

Going from a young, enthusiastic fighter in the Alpha series to the more stoic, calm, and reserved character fighting game fans have come to know, Ryu's evolution has been fascinating, to say the least.

Ryu's age in Street Fighter 6

Credit: Capcom

In Street Fighter 6, Ryu is in his 40s. Depending on how many years have passed since Street Fighter III, he could be in his early or mid-40s.

Ryu's age is an educated guess, as trying to figure out how old he actually is can be tricky, considering that in recent years Capcom doesn't confirm in-game dates for any of the events within the Street Fighter franchise, most likely to avoid ageing their characters during specific periods, letting them become more timeless.

According to official Capcom information, Ryu was born on July 21st 1964, making him 23 years old when the first Street Fighter game was released in 1987.

Prior to the launch of Street Fighter 6, SFIII Third Strike was the oldest game in the franchise lore-wise, with the stories of Street Fighter IV and V serving as prequels.

In Third Strike, we don't get an exact timeframe for when events unfold, although many fans simply assume they happen in 1999, the year the game was released. Ryu would be 35 at this point.

If we take the release year as the actual period in which the story of Third Strike takes place and add roughly five or 10 years, since that is how much time we can assume has passed leading up to SF6 with characters like Li-Fen now in their teens, then that gives us that, as we said, Ryu is at the very least above 40.

Of course, until Capcom comes out and officialises some of the dates in the Street Fighter universe, these are all mere guesses.

We suspect that Ryu's age moving forward will remain a mystery. After all, with the recent success of Street Fighter 6, we don't really expect Capcom to retire the face of the franchise any time soon.

For more content, check out our Street Fighter 6 character tier list.