Street Fighter’s Ryu isn’t broke and jobless after all? Fans’ hobo theory officially proven false 

Dialogue from Street Fighter 6 has disproven the popular fan theory that Ryu is unemployed and penniless. A tweet that presents official proof of Ryu being loaded has gone viral. Fans are also expressing newly found appreciation for his friend Ken’s kindness. 

Ryu is the main protagonist of Capcom’s Street Fighter, appearing in each title since the original Street Fighter. He is known among fans for his non-materialistic character and ascetic lifestyle, caring only for the mastery of martial arts. Ryu carries only the bare essentials with him and goes around barefoot, having rejected the concept of shoes. His rough appearance has earned him the reputation of being too poor to even buy clothes, with fans lovingly calling him penniless and considering him an overall “hobo.” 

There had been statements to disprove such beliefs previously, such as when Shoei Okano, the artist who worked on creating some of the Street Fighter characters, commented in an interview that he often sees fanart depicting Ryu as a poor person, but that he did not at all have the intention of making Ryu poor when creating him, assuring fans that Ryu has a lot of money. However, Ryu’s broke impression seemed to be rather strong, and with the sources of his income still being a mystery, the hobo theory remained popular. 

But now, in the latest Street Fighter 6, Ryu’s financial situation has finally been clarified and, to the dissatisfaction of some fans, the theory that he is penniless has been disproven. 

In the rest of the dialogue attached, Ryu explains he has no idea how much money he has earned up until now through tournament prizes, guest appearances, receiving thanks for resolving brawls and similar, but that Ken had been receiving it all on his behalf and managing his funds. Ryu says Ken made him a Black Card, telling him that everything on the card is money he earned on his own and that he should use it freely. Ryu remarks that with his current spending habits, the savings will probably last him a lifetime. 

The tweet has since received over 6000 interactions, with fans being shocked at Ryu’s unexpected wealth. But even more than that, fans seem to be touched by the kindness of Ken for taking care of Ryu in this way, with people comparing their relationship to a married couple, or even mother and child.