᭡࿔ Ryu Natsume

This foreshadowed Hajun's later encounter with metal erosion in the "VIBES" dub. However, when confronted or questioned, Ryu often gives incoherent and evasive responses. Due to the experiments performed on him, Ryu does not react to traps, no matter how much Phantom Metal he uses.[3] Ryu considers his lack of reaction to a trap to be boring. In the "PRIDE" dub, he says he feels out of place and sometimes worries that this "definitely means [he] hasn't been able to connect with anyone." In the "Exhibition" Part 2 dub, Hokusai also describes him as a kind but lonely person, stating, "He's connected to everyone, but at the same time, he can't get close to anyone... Ryu is as lonely as a stray cat, but... he's a wonderful boy..."

Throughout the first Paradox Live tournament, Ryu's past remained a mystery, as he seemed to remember almost nothing. He recalls living "in a big house with white walls" and that there were many people there. How exactly he came to be under Naoakira and Youhei's care is also unclear, but he was taken in before Shiki. In the dubbed drama "FATE," it is revealed that Ryu was a subject of Phantom Metal experiments at the same Alter Trigger base as Itsuki and Rokuta from 1Nm8, who remember him as "Zero." Ryu doesn't remember his name being "Zero" and doesn't recognize Itsuki and Rokuta from the past. At some point in the TCW Hidden Path novel "MEMORIES," approximately nine years before the main canon, a young Ryu escapes from an institution and ends up near a hospital, where he encounters Youhei, hearing him humming. Ryu explains that he is looking for his older brother, the only person who was kind to him in the institution he escaped from. This man appears and reunites with Ryu, though it is implied that Ryu was eventually taken back to the institution. The identity of this man is unknown. Ryu is an eccentric, energetic individual who often says stupid things and behaves in ways that can be confusing or annoying to those around him. Although he does not adhere to social norms and can sometimes appear insensitive, he does not appear to have any ill intentions, and both Shiki and Hokusai describe him as a kind person. Sometimes, Ryu seems to understand things better than he lets on, and knows things he shouldn't. For example, he seemed to know what the adults were talking about in the "JUSTICE" dub despite not being there, was able to find Akanyatsura and Shiki's children in Raimentei "with electromagnetic waves" in the "Exhibition" Part 2 dub, and gave a vague warning to Hajun in the "PRIDE" dub, telling him he "doesn't have much time left."

age: 800 years
height: 173 cm
A childish yet mysterious rapper and member of the group The Cat's Whiskers, Ryu was discovered by Naoakira before the start of the series. He is currently training to be a bartender under Youhei. Ryu is also friends with Hokusai from Akan Yatsura. Ryu is a thin man with pale skin and violet eyes. He has gray hair cut asymmetrically, shaved at the side, and tied back. He wears baggy clothes that are too big for him. He wears an asymmetrical black shirt with a blue collar, revealing his midriff. He also wears blue suspenders with orange stripes, and a cat's paw brooch pinned to the right suspender. Over this, he wears a loose white jacket with thin black stripes and matching pants. The pants are slit on the right side and held up by garters. Ryu wears a lot of cat-themed items: he has a cat patch on his left pant leg and white cat-print loafers. He also wears a white necklace with a cat pendant, a skeleton bracelet, and an anklet. Ryu has numerous piercings: in both ears, one eyebrow, his tongue, and a stomach piercing. He also has several tattoos on various parts of his body. In his exhibition attire, Ryu wears a cropped white shirt with thin light stripes and purple trim. The shirt is adorned with a vibrant pattern of green, orange, and pink cat silhouettes on a chartreuse background, which is visible on the lapel and sleeve cuffs. He also wears dark purple suspenders with a lavender stripe and a matching black and green cat paw brooch on his right suspender. A similar strap hangs on his right sleeve. On his lower body, he wears the same loose pants, as well as what appears to be the bottom of his cropped shirt, which features a large cat head with a halo on the left side. For footwear, he wears black loafers with a purple midsole and lime-green sole with a cat paw print on the ball of the foot. He retains the accessories from his standard look, including bracelets, a choker, and piercings.