is a video game character developed for the 1992 fighting game Art of Fighting from SNK. His name is most often written in kana, although in some games, kanji is used to write parts of his name. In the series, Ryo is a skilled martial artist who practices his family's fighting style, Kyokugenryu Karate, acting as the top disciple, alongside his sister Yuri, his father/sensei Takuma and his best friend Robert Garcia. While Art of Fighting follows Ryo's journey as a warrior to protect those he loves, he is also a regular character in the crossover series The King of Fighters, in which he participates in fighting tournaments. He also appears in other SNK games under the alias of with an older fighting form inspired by his father Takuma. Additionally, he stars in manhua adaptations of several series and appears in the anime original video animation version of Art of Fighting. SNK created Ryo as an homage to the Street Fighter characters as the staff who produced the first game in the franchise left Capcom to join SNK to produce other games. Ryo's inclusion in The King of Fighters series was decided immediately by the staff as SNK wanted to employ characters from other series they created so they could fight in crossover games. SNK artist Hiroaki Hashimoto was responsible for his alterego Mr. Karate's design as he wanted to create a new design distinctly different from the original. Multiple voice actors have provided their talent during Ryo's different appearances. Ryo has been well received by gamers; his character has been highly ranked in several popularity polls conducted by journals. Video game publications have praised and criticized Ryo's character. Although Ryo has been criticized for his similarities to the Street Fighter video games' characters, several reviewers have praised his development in several games from SNK such as his introduction in Fatal Fury Special and The King of Fighters. Ryo served as a model for the development of Dan Hibiki, a joke character in the Street Fighter series. Creation Origins and influences Ryo Sakazaki was created as an homage to the Capcom fighting games' characters because during the release of the game some members from the original Street Fighter video game from Capcom moved to SNK. This is further explored in the crossover games SNK had with the Capcom franchises where Ryo often interacts with Ryu from Street Fighter. His character