Who is Ryuga in Beyblade? Explained

The Beyblade anime and manga series was one of the most popular titles back in the early 2000s. A major reason for this series’ success was its ability to let fans experience the joy of owning and using their favorite tops. Not only was the merchandise accurate to what was shown in the manga and anime, but the spinning tops also had advanced functional features that allowed the tops to spin for longer.

Aside from the well-designed tops, the anime series has left an indelible impression on fans due to its characters. Those who are new to the series must have come across a few characters through memes and posts on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and forums like Reddit.

One such character is Ryuga. Let’s take a look at this character and understand why he is one of the most, if not the most, popular characters in the anime and manga series.

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Who is Ryuga in Beyblade? A popular antagonist beloved by many

Ryuga as seen in the anime series (Image via Madhouse)

Ryuga was the antagonist of Metal Saga and the main villain in season 1 of the Metal Fusion series. However, he later becomes an important deuteragonist and assists the main characters against an even bigger common enemy. The reason for his popularity is his unapologetic demeanor paired with his ruthlessness displayed during Beyblade battles. He was also the main rival of the protagonist, Gingka.

He was also someone who had a left-spinning top, while the others had right-spinning tops. This allowed him to execute “spin steal,” or absorb the rotational energy from others, to boost his top’s ability to remain spinning. Meteo L-Drago, used by Ryuga, was a revolutionary Beyblade, and the left-spinning aspect of the top increased the character’s popularity. Here’s a list of all the tops that he has used in the anime and manga series throughout Metal Saga:

• L-Drago 105F
• Lightning L-Drago 100HF
• Lightning L-Drago 100HF - Polar Dragon Version (Manga exclusive)
• Meteo L-Drago LW105LF
• L-Drago Destructor F:S
• L-Drago Destroy DF105LRF (Manga exclusive)
• L-Drago Guardian S130MB (Manga exclusive)

Another interesting aspect about Ryuga is that he was voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda. He is one of the most popular voice actors of our time, and he has lent his voice to characters like Nanami Kento from Jujutsu Kaisen, Kishibe from Chainsaw Man, Atomic Samurai from One Punch Man, and Ripperdoc from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

L-Drago as seen in the anime series (Image via Madhouse)

Those who haven't seen Beyblade may be astonished to learn that Ryuga did not become evil of his own free will. It was L-Drago, his Beyblade, that possessed and corrupted him.

The spirit of the legendary reverse-spin top managed to get a hold of him and brainwash him into becoming one of the prime antagonists of the series. However, it was his rival, Gingka, who managed to free him from L-Drago’s possession.

There seems to be an unexpected resurgence of this anime series on various platforms, like X. Plenty of fans are partaking in numerous discussions and debates about their favorite characters and memorable moments in the series. One common thing is fans’ love for Ryuga.

Despite initially being an antagonist, he has managed to win over the hearts of all the fans who watched this series. His personality, demeanor, abilities, and the fact that he has L-Drago are some of the reasons why fans love Ryuga from the Beyblade series.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.