~ Will Ryo Get His Revenge? ~
On September 13, 2020, GameRant published an article titled "Shenmue fans still need answers to these questions” I’ll explore not only the 10 questions from GameRant but also introduce more questions for us to discuss.
I decided to kick off this series with the compelling question: "Will Ryo Get His Revenge?"
At the beginning of the first game, Lan Di claims that Ryo's father (Iwao Hazuki) killed Sunming Zhao (Lan Di's father) in Mengcun, but we’re left wondering if that’s actually true.
Lan Di then kills Ryo's father right in front of him, sparking Ryo's quest for revenge. He is driven by the desire to avenge his father.
In Shenmue III Ryo had his first real battle against Lan Di. Ryo showed evolution but it was not enough to defeat Lan Di.
By the end of Shenmue III, Ryo's thirst for revenge remains strong. He carries a lot of anger toward Lan Di and is determined to stay on this path of vengeance.
~ My view ~
In my view, Shenmue’s story is told in a way that it is clear to me that Ryo will eventually change his mind and let go of his desire for revenge. I really
believe the feelings of vengeance will fade from his heart.
Throughout Ryo’s journey, many characters have tried to convince him that revenge isn’t the answer and that it leads to darkness. Characters like Master Chen, Xiuying and many others have attempted to change Ryo’s mind, but they haven’t succeeded.
From my perspective, Ryo still stands to glean two vital lessons – one imparted by his father and another underscored by Xiuying:
1. Keep friends... those you love... close to you. - Iwao Hazuki.
2. You still don't understand. Martial arts are used to protect people's lives. If you use your fists otherwise, you will walk on the path of evil, too. - Xiuying Hong.
Xiuying's brother is Ziming, and he's like a darker version of Ryo. Xiuying doesn't want the same path for Ryo.
I believe someday Ryo will learn these 2 important lessons and the feelings of revenge will completely dissapear.
One of my theories is that the Chi You Men killed Lan Di’s father but framed Iwao for it. Since Lan Di was just a child at the time, he was raised by the Chi You Men afterward. I really believe that the organization, especially the big boss Tentei, manipulated Lan Di’s mind from a young age. As a result, Lan Di likely grew up filled with hatred and anger toward Iwao.
I think that in Shenmue IV or V, Ryo and Lan Di will uncover the truth about what really happened in Mengcun between their fathers. This revelation could change Ryo's perspective—and perhaps even Lan Di’s.
This is just one possible direction for the story; there are many paths it could take. It all depends on the major revelations about what happened in Mengcun.
~ Yu Suzuki ~
What about Yu Suzuki? Has he ever discussed this topic in interviews?
In an interview conducted by Kenji Seang from the French website Shenmue Master, Yu Suzuki confirmed that Ryo's feelings of revenge will completely dissapear, he even said that Shenmue is a story of someone who grows.
~ Final Thoughts ~
Yu Suzuki mentioned that Shenmue is a story about personal growth. Originally, the series was called Virtua Fighter RPG, and because of that Shenmue has many connections to VF. I really believe that by the end of Shenmue, Ryo will be similar to Akira.
I believe something significant is going to happen that will change Ryo’s mind on revenge forever—a major plot twist.
I even think it’s possible that Ryo and Lan Di will come to understand each other by the end of the story. It would be amazing if they could understand each
other and join forces to take down the ultimate boss, Tentei, and his organization, the Chi You Men.
Since Ryo is Japanese and Lan Di is Chinese and their fathers were friends, it would be very emotional to see Ryo and Lan Di understanding each other.
As i said before... To me, Shenmue is more than just Ryo seeking revenge for his father. It's about the people Ryo meets along the way and what he learns from them. It's about Ryo's growth as both a martial artist and as a person, it's about friendship and many other things, so I truly believe that Ryo’s feelings of revenge will eventually fade away, and he will let go of the desire for revenge altogether.
It would be amazing and emotional if Ryo win the final fight against Lan Di to show his evolution but decide not to kill him.
If that happens, it would be really emotional to see the bandaid on his cheek fall to the ground, symbolizing that his emotional wounds have finally healed and that he is ready to move on, It would be an exciting moment if it happened that way.
Will Ryo get his revenge or not? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you all for reading, and remember to keep those you love close. See you in my next blog post! Bye Bye. ~ Hikari ~
~ Credits ~