 Ryujō Prancing Dragon yaive ngarava inotakura ndege yakavakirwa Imperial Japanese Navy IJN mukutanga kwema1930. Duku uye yakareruka yakavakwa mukuedza kushandisa loophole muWashington Naval Treaty ya1922, iye akaratidza kuva wepamusoro-anorema uye chete zvishoma kugadzikana uye akanga adzoka muchikepe kuti agadzirise kugadzirisa nyaya idzodzo mukati megore rekupedzisa. Nokugadzikana kwaro kwakavandudzwa, Ryūjō akadzokera kubasa uye akashandiswa mumabasa munguva yechipiri yeChina-Japanese War. Munguva yeHondo Yenyika II, yakapa rutsigiro rwemhepo pamabasa muPhilippines, Malaya, neDutch East Indies, uko ndege dzayo dzakapinda muHondo yechipiri yeGungwa reJava. Mukati mokurwiswa kweIndian Ocean muna April 1942, mutakuri akarwisa ngarava dzokutengesa dzeBritain nezvombo zvake uye ndege. Ryūjō akazotora rutivi muHondo yeAleutian Islands muna June. Yakanyudzwa neAmerican inotakura ndege muHondo yeEastern Solomons musi wa24 Nyamavhuvhu 1942. 