Ryuen

Biodata

Background

Ryuen brought Class C under his control through violence during the first month of school. By the midterm period, he was already known throughout the first year and regularly appeared with classmates who followed his orders 15.

His first documented transaction with Onizuka took place on a rooftop. Ryuen allowed Albert to attack as a show of force, but stopped the confrontation after Onizuka effortlessly caught Albert’s arm. He then purchased past exam papers for his class, bargaining Onizuka down to 50,000 points. Afterward, he rejected Albert’s suggestion of another attack, acknowledging that those present could not defeat Onizuka 15.

Appearance

• Expression and bearing: Frequently wears a cold, confident or mocking smile and watches others with a sharp gaze 38 43.
• Island clothing: Appears in a school uniform jacket during his jungle meeting with Class A, then wears casual beachwear and sunglasses at Class C’s camp 43 47.
• Post-island grooming: Trims his beard and showers after the island exam, contrasting with his disheveled appearance during the challenge 67.

Personality

Ryuen uses intimidation, insults, and violence to establish dominance. His classmates obey even when he attacks them, while students from other classes treat his arrival as a potential threat. He openly dismisses manners as useless and deliberately provokes rivals such as Katsuragi and Sakayanagi 22 50 75 87.

Despite his aggression, he can recognize an unfavorable position and negotiate. He abandons an immediate confrontation when he judges Onizuka too strong, accepts costly agreements when exposed to disciplinary consequences, and cooperates with enemies when doing so offers Class C a better result 15 34 48.

Repeated setbacks do not make him avoid Onizuka. He continues approaching and challenging him, although he eventually learns to ignore some of Onizuka’s taunts rather than provide the reaction he wants. His insistence on acting independently also leads him to reject the suggestion that he is Nagumo’s subordinate 51 67 91.

His treatment of classmates is not uniformly callous. He stops Onizuka from aggravating Komiya’s injuries and later gently helps an unwell Ibuki toward the infirmary. The latter incident surprises Horikita, who questions whether he genuinely cares about his friends 33 67.

Abilities & Skills

Close-Quarters Combat

Ryuen demonstrates fast reactions and is treated as a dangerous opponent in physical confrontations 52 75 92.

• Catches Ibuki’s powerful kick without unnecessary movement 52.
• Is among the stronger opponents Onizuka initially avoids during the Pole Toppling Competition 92.
• Is considered too difficult for Totsuka Yahiko to confront safely, according to Katsuragi 75.
• Recognizes that he and Albert cannot defeat Onizuka with their available group during their first rooftop meeting 15.

Coercive Leadership

Ryuen commands Class C through fear and uses classmates to carry out coordinated schemes 15 22 33.

• Orders Albert to inflict convincing injuries on classmates involved in framing Sudo 22.
• Directs underlings to obscure rooftop security cameras with spray paint 33.
• Sends Kaneda into Class B’s camp under the appearance of a victim seeking protection 51.
• Leads more than twenty Class C students in a concentrated attack on Onizuka during a sports event 91.

Negotiation and Contract Use

Ryuen bargains over prices, exchanges resources for recurring payments, and pays attention to what agreements do—and do not—require 15 43 48.

• Secures monthly payments from Class A in return for island supplies 43.
• Points out that his Class A contract does not make providing leader information mandatory 48.
• Accepts a non-reporting agreement with Classes B and D when his original island strategy becomes vulnerable 48 49.
• Acts as an intermediary in Nagumo’s purchase of Onizuka’s physical data, concealing the actual size of Nagumo’s offer 88.

Concealment and Rule Exploitation

Ryuen attempts to keep misconduct outside surveillance or disguise it as permitted competition 22 91 92.

• Checks for newly installed cameras before continuing the staged-injury scheme 22.
• Has students use elbows, body checks, and low blows rather than obvious punches during the Pole Toppling Competition 91.
• Orders students to kick up sand to obstruct the referees’ view 92.
• Nevertheless fails to detect Onizuka’s recordings of both the staged injuries and the rooftop confrontation 22 33 34.

Financial Agreements and Goals

• Class-transfer ambitions: Onizuka infers an 800-million-point objective from Ryuen’s focus on personal points. Ryuen reacts to the figure and states that, at worst, he could transfer himself for 20 million points 76.
• Contractual vulnerability: Onizuka warns that Class C could face expulsion if it fails to make its agreed payments, challenging Ryuen’s ability to pursue a personal transfer while leaving those obligations behind 76.

Relationships

• Onizuka Tsukasa — Rival, creditor, and occasional business partner. Onizuka repeatedly exposes or redirects his plans, but Ryuen continues dealing with him when their interests overlap 15 34 48 76 88.
• Albert — Trusted enforcer who accompanies Ryuen to confrontations and follows his orders. Sharing a tent with Albert leaves Ryuen exhausted and visibly displeased, though he declines to explain why 15 22 49 75.
• Ibuki Mio — Classmate involved in the island operation. She attacks him when recalled from Class D, but later receives his assistance when Onizuka’s remarks make her ill 52 67.
• Kaneda — Subordinate sent into Class B’s camp after enduring beatings for the scheme. Ryuen ends his assignment and orders him back to the ship once the alliance makes the operation unnecessary 51.
• Komiya — Underling involved in framing Sudo. Ryuen punishes him for carelessness and uses further injuries to support the false complaint 21 22.
• Sudo — Target of Ryuen’s expulsion scheme. Sudo remains openly hostile after Class C withdraws its complaint 21 35 52.
• Katsuragi Kohei — Supply-contract partner turned antagonist. Their island agreement becomes a source of recrimination, and Katsuragi later refuses further deals with him 43 75.
• Ichinose Honami — Temporary ally whose trust in Class C deteriorates when Kaneda’s deception is exposed 51.
• Sakayanagi — Rival whom he deliberately insults as a “rich young lady,” even after she announces that she will lead Class A 87.
• Miyabi Nagumo — Pays him to obtain Onizuka’s physical data. Ryuen later insists that his sports-festival attack is his own decision, not Nagumo’s instruction 88 91.
• Kushida Kikyo — Secret collaborator in sports-festival schemes; Ryuen’s thoughts confirm their cooperation when Onizuka mentions leaked information 91.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sudo’s Framing and the Rooftop Settlement

Ryuen oversees an attempt to have Sudo expelled through a false violence complaint. After Komiya carelessly discusses the plan outside, Ryuen orders him back into the Special Building. There, Ryuen kicks the participants and has Albert worsen their injuries to make their accusation convincing, unaware that Onizuka is filming 21 22.

Onizuka later summons him to the rooftop and reveals the recording. Faced with possible suspensions and substantial Class Point deductions, Ryuen negotiates a long-term payment settlement. Onizuka also reveals a miniature camera recording the confrontation, undermining the group’s attempt to disable the rooftop surveillance. Class C subsequently withdraws its complaint 33 34 35.

Uninhabited Island Exam

Ryuen spends Class C’s exam resources on an extravagant camp while arranging to supply Class A. His missing classmates become a weakness when Onizuka questions their whereabouts and explains that class leaders can be changed, limiting the usefulness of stolen leader information 43 47 48.

Rather than forfeit, Ryuen accepts Onizuka’s proposal for cooperation with Classes B and D. He then recalls Kaneda from Class B and retrieves Ibuki from Class D, exposing the deception behind their presence in the other camps. Class C finishes the island exam with fifty points 48 51 52 67.

VIP Exam and Aftermath

Ryuen approaches Horikita and Onizuka with a provocative offer of information. The encounter ends when Onizuka’s references to the island distress Ibuki, prompting Ryuen to take her to the infirmary 67.

The VIP Exam’s abrupt conclusion catches him off guard. Class C loses 150 Class Points, and he searches for an explanation by confronting Katsuragi and then Onizuka. He suspects Onizuka manipulated the outcome, but cannot produce the proof Onizuka demands 74 75 76.

Sports Festival

Before the festival, Ryuen provokes Sakayanagi and brokers Nagumo’s attempt to acquire Onizuka’s physical data. When Nagumo complains about the unusable report, Ryuen maintains that the failed tests still produced genuine results and ends the call 87 88.

During the Pole Toppling Competition, he prioritizes attacking Onizuka over supporting his own team’s position. He commits more than twenty classmates, accepts the possibility of sacrificing events to stop him, and uses sand to obscure the referees’ view. His later conduct is comparatively restrained, though Class C continues sabotaging runners—including members of its allied Class B 91 92 93.

Notable Quotes

“No particular reason. Since when do you need a reason to provoke someone?” 88

“Don't look down on me. I'm not some lackey who comes running when he calls and shuts up when he tells me to!” 91