How can Ryo avenge his father?

Nathanial Essex

Nathanial Essex

Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Location
London
Regardless of whether Lan Di was mistaken about Iwao killing his father, he killed Iwao and left Ryo an orphan. Let's say Ryo somehow defeats Lan Di in combat...then what? Does he kill Lan Di? That's the only way I can see him getting revenge and anything else seems quite pointless. But does Ryo killing a man end up killing his own soul? Can Ryo even do it in the first place?
 
I share the common suspicion-- and I think S3 has confirmed it-- that Ryo not only won't defeat Lan Di, he in fact won't be able to before the conclusion.
If we're through 40% of the story and we've gone from November to perhaps mid April, that'd suggest the story may take place in the course of a year. While there could of course be time skips and/or some serious training regime, I see no realistic scenario in which Ryo will learn to best a guy about 12 years his senior (outside of some "lucky move", and let's hope we don't repeat S3 like this).

To my mind, avenging Iwao will likely involve Ryo learning to master himself and become the man he's supposed to be, fulfilling his true legacy as both a man and a martial artist.

If anything, the chi you threat and Chinese backpacking extravaganza (at least he's not filming it with a go pro for youtube) is a means of Ryo fulfilling his destiny (meeting Shenhua, potentially ending a larger threat with her help if not that of Lan Di's) and finally embracing his father's advice: master arts but use them only for good, keep family/friends close. This series of wild events we've already started will help Ryo mature as a man, and I think Iwao would rather Ryo be "eating his carrots."

(Grammar edit)
 
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I think Ryo will have a chance to avenge his father, but not by killing Lan Di.

We know that there is somebody pulling Lan Di’s strings and I think that it is this person that Ryo will find himself face to face with at the end of the saga. When all’s said and done, I don’t think Ryo has what it takes to take a life and will instead choosing mercy.

Unfortunately for this person, I think that Lan Di will also have a reason to seek revenge once the truth has emerged and will not be so lenient. Whether Ryo stops Lan Di remains to be seen.
 
My thought for a while has been that something else is going to end up killing Lan Di. I mean, he did legitimately kill Iwao. It's not like the story can just let him off the hook and have him buddy up with Ryo when he realizes the idea of Iwao killing his father was all just a WACKY misunderstanding :geek:. But at the same time, it's obvious the game isn't going to taint Ryo by turning him into a murderer, either. Too much of the story has been spent on teaching Ryo patience, emotional control, and growing past revenge.
 
My theory is that Iwao killed Lan-di father because he was forced to do it due that the energy of the monster was in Zao. In the end, both, Ryo and Lan-Di will fight on top of a mountain like the one in Shenmue Online trailer, and the energy of the monster will go to the warrior with more rage, first Lan-di, and in beetwen the fight, Ryo. But then, just when Ryo is about to kill Lan-di, Shen-Hua will appear, and in some form, she will remember Ryo his journey and all the people he met, ("Your friends... Keep friends... those you love... close to you... ") and perhaps the death of Ren or Zimming too if that happened, taking away the desire of revenge and the monster.
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Sorry for my english.
 
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Nathanial Essex said:
But does Ryo killing a man end up killing his own soul? Can Ryo even do it in the first place?
Click to expand...



(crap fan fiction idea..)

ive said it before but i would like to see ryo not simply avenge his father...but save him.

you could have a double ending to the last shenmue game. ryo saves the world by stopping lan-di but he dies and through his sacrifice he is rewarded with a second chance at saving his father, in the hazuki dojo ( at the start of shenmue 1)

by saving his father all his anger will disappear.. he will destroy the mirrors and be able continue his life as normal.
 
I'd really like in the final part, after the Lan Di fight you, the player, choose whether to spare Lan Di or not. Shenmue isn't afraid of bad endings, so why not have the 'wrong' choice lead to that?

It could be a truly epic moment. The desire to avenge your father after all this time and continue the cycle of revenge or break the cycle and become a bigger man, yet forever tormented that you let your father's killer slip through your fingers?
 
I personally never felt like Ryo will kill Lan Di(at least not in vengeance), even back in 2000 when the first game was the only one out. It seems like the story is leading in the direction of Ryo learning forgiveness and to not walk the same path as Lan Di. However, I feel its entirely possible Lan Di will die, possibly at the hand of Ryo(or honestly more likely Shenhua)accidentally. Maybe a scenario where Shenhua talks some sense into Ryo about not dropping down to Lan Di's level, and Ryo realizes her wisdom, but Lan Di attacks him anyway and in order to save Ryo's life Shenhua kills Lan Di, but not in a martial arts sense, more so something along with her mystical powers. Or another scenario I've considered is Ryo decides against killing Lan Di in vengeance, but Lan Di won't let up(or possibly something where he's completely over taken by the Chi You) and Ryo is forced to kill him to save Shenhua rather than out of revenge(though I feel it would make more sense that Shenhua literally saves Ryo's life simultaneously saving his soul in the process by helping him realize to not let his rage overtake him) I think it's also quite possible the Chi You demon will channel itself through Lan Di. If the story ends with Ryo killing Lan Di straight up out of vengeance, the entire moral of the story so far about him not walking the dark path goes out the window. If that happens may as well take the games and drop them in the trash can as they will be no different than the other hundreds of games that are one dimensional glorifying darkness and revenge. From the way the series has gone since 1999, I doubt it'll go that path, but who knows? Anything is possible. I also can't see him 'teaming up' with Lan Di either, but who knows? This is all just speculation and opinion.
 
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More like in Shenmue 7 Ryo obtains the skill book "Butt bump" And it renders Lan Di defenseless and Ryo annihilates him.
 
At this point in the story, I don't see how Ryo would even beat Longsun Zhao let alone kill him. Keep in mind that Lan-Di killed Iwao with little effort, a man who is supposed to be a very experienced martial artist. However, let's say he does manage to defeat him and is in a position to kill him. Again at this point in the story, it's still hard to really say.

On one hand, I remember Yu Suzuki stated that as the story went on he would give up his desire for vengeance in pursuit of a larger goal. Most likely having to do with the prophecy, mirrors, "Tentei", and Chiyou (assuming the latter is still part of the story). Then there was his fight with Chunyan in Shenmue II that said a lot about what kind of person Ryo is even as she would have no doubt killed him if given the opportunity.

On the other hand, there was a reason why Xiuying took him in when she allows very few people into her life. She sees the same darkness in Ryo that once corrupted her brother Ziming. Also like I have said in the past, Ryo may have learned about the Wude or how vengeance is wrong, but I don't think he has internalized them. If anything, he seems even more hellbent on getting his revenge. So once again, its really uncertain at this point in the story (especially considering we're not even at the halfway point).
 
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