Riyu

Overview

“I've been helping this one with his ninja training. He's shown much potential. I anticipate his first Spinjitzu tornado will be soon. If he keeps up his hard work.”
Rontu about Riyu to Sora, "For Whom the Bell Tolls"

Riyu is a Mountain Dragon who is part of the ninja, and is Master Rontu's student. Distinguished from his tribe, Riyu stands out as a remarkable dragon due to his dragon energy. As he was still a baby dragon, his power gained the attention of Lors Ras, who had the Claws of Imperium capture him before Riyu was aided by Arin, a Spinjitzu prodigy, and Sora an Elemental Masters whom he boosted her power of Technology, until all three were finally rescued by the Green Ninja Lloyd Garmadon, who then recruited them into the ninja. From there, Riyu would journey on adventures alongside the ninja, and eventually became one himself after the Dragon Master Rontu took charge of his ninja training and taught him Spinjitzu.

Appearance

Appearance[]

As a baby, Riyu was a blue-gray dragon with a few white markings on certain parts of his ridged body, green eyes with black irises, and small wings with light blue membranes. When using dragon energy, his eyes glow white.

Upon maturing into a teen, Riyu has grown taller. His scaly skin has become a little lighter, and his white markings—including additional ones—have changed to gold and yellow. His wings have become larger, with the arches featuring gold accents, a small gray claw on each, and blue-white lightning markings on the membranes. He has developed small, horn-like protrusions, and his underside has changed to dark blue from his neck downward. His tail end is shaped like an anchor. No longer a baby, his eyes have become smaller in proportion to the rest of his head. He also has dark blue markings underneath each eye.

As a result of being infused with a Mutation Monster's energy that Sora collected to cure him of the Numbness, Riyu underwent an evolution,[1] growing more larger and taller, nearly equal in height to Rontu. His wings have expanded, now featuring a larger golden claw on each and more visible blue-white lightning markings along the membranes. His neck has lengthened slightly, and his dark blue underside now spreads towards his lower jaw. He has gained additional dark blue markings next to the golden ones on his head and legs. The anchor-shaped end of his tail is more pronounced, the horn-like protrusions on his head became larger and more defined, and he is now adorned with gold armor on his shoulders, arms, and legs, along with a red sash adorned with a gold brooch on the back that has an emerald around his midsection.

Personality

Personality[]

Riyu might look small but he's big and strong at heart. He cares deeply for his friends, especially Arin and Sora, as they were the ones to save him from the Claws of Imperium and reunite him with his herd. He's especially incredibly brave and loyal towards all his friends and ready to help them when they need him or are in danger. He’s always ready to protect his friends and yet very curious. Always ready to stand by his friends’ side, he now flies into action in order to protect them or keep them safe.

Relationships
Weapons and abilities

Weapons and abilities[]

Abilities[]

“Well, you certainly have a special energy about you, little one.”
Arrakore to Riyu, "The Last Djinn"
  • Dragon Physiology - Being a dragon, Riyu has a lot of enhanced physical prowess even as a baby. As he grew up and went through a series of training under the Ninja and Rontu, these abilities have become more developed.
    • Enhanced Strength - Despite his appearance, Riyu has enhanced physical strength even as a baby, being able to tackle and knock out opponents with ease. As a teenager, he was able to lift up Zane’s giant robot form that merged with P.I.X.A.L's Car and Sora's jet to help them fight. After more training with Rontu, Riyu's physical strength has improved, being able to smash things in Kreel's Junkyard with just one hit. After evolving, he became strong enough to take down many Elemental Monsters.
    • Flight - Riyu has the ability to fly, allowing him to travel long distances quickly.
      • Enhanced Speed - Thanks to his wings, Riyu has been able to fly at great speeds, catching up to Jordana easily or quickly able to reach Kur with his Spinjitzu before she could destroy the Arc Dragon of Focus’s crystals.
    • Enhanced Durability/Endurance - Riyu has been seen taking serious attacks but has only ever been knocked down and was able to immediately get back up after taking these blows, namely against the use of Shatterspin. He was even able to catch up to Zanth with little fatigue and was resilient against multiple blasts from Elemental Monsters.
    • Wing Barriers - Following his evolution, Riyu can now block attacks with his wings.
    • Expert tracker/Enhanced Smell - Riyu is an expert tracker thanks to his great sense of smell.
    • Illusion Immunity - Riyu appears to be immune to illusions as he was not affected by the illusions in the Land of Eternal Dawn.
    • Bipedalism - As a teenager, Riyu can stand on his two legs though he often struggles to maintain his balance. Upon his evolution, he can now do this more easily, allowing him to wield weapons with his front paws as he did against a Mutation Monster.
    • Prehensile Fingers - Upon evolving, Riyu is now able to manipulate his front paws like hands to grasp and manipulate objects with precision, enabling him to wield weapons.
    • Sword Proficiency - After his evolution, Riyu gained the ability to fight with swords, such as when he used two rotor blades against a mutated Mutation Monster.
    • Draco-Ergokinesis - Like other powerful dragons such as Source Dragons, Arc Dragons, and Thunderfang, Riyu is capable of manipulating his dragon energy.
      • Sparks - Like all dragons that possess a high level of dragon energy, Riyu has the ability to share his dragon power with Elemental Masters. For instance, he once transferred his dragon power to Sora, allowing her to tap into her Elemental Powers until she unlocked her True Potential. Another instance occurred when Riyu granted his dragon power to Nya, which helped her create a psychic link with Kai and connect with Dragon Ivory.
        • Elemental Power Augmentation - Riyu can increase the powers of Elemental Masters with his dragon energy.
      • Psychic link - Riyu possesses the ability to form psychic connections, as demonstrated when some of his scales landed on Kai, allowing him to communicate with the Fire Ninja even while the latter was stuck in the Nether-Space.
        • Psychic link transmission - By using his dragon energy, Riyu can extend his psychic link to others connected to the person he is communicating with. A notable instance of this occurred when Riyu transferred some of his dragon power to Nya, enabling her to speak with Kai and establish a connection with Dragon Ivory.
      • Power Overload - During "Beyond Madness", Riyu displayed the ability to overload the Earth Dragons using his own dragon energy, which left him physically exhausted.
  • Spinjitzu - Riyu can perform Spinjitzu, which was taught to him by Master Rontu. He used this ability for the first time in "Chaos Reigns" against Kur in the Djinjago's Cave of Bells.
  • Family link - Riyu has a deep connection to his tribe, allowing him to find them wherever they are using only his instincts.
  • Empathic Perception - Riyu has the ability to sense the emotions of other dragons, which was evident in his realization of the Dragonians' corruption.

Weapons[]

  • Rotor Blades - Riyu broke off two rotor blades from a windmill to use as makeshift swords against a transformed Mutation Monster.
  • Sword - Upon returning to Imperium, Riyu utilized a golden sword in combat against the Loyalists and Elemental Monsters.
Official descriptions

Official descriptions[]

Baby Dragon Riyu[]

FIRE! ICE! LIGHTNING! EARTH! Ummm...Tech?!?

Has a new elemental power been discovered? And is it linked to the bond between Sora and the impossibly cute, curiously powerful baby dragon Riyu? Mystery surrounds this tiny, cuddly creature, but Arin, Sora and Lloyd know that he needs protecting...[3]

(Super) cute[]

Riyu, a young dragon, is brave yet unaware of his limits. He never looks before he leaps – not good when your wings aren’t big enough to fly![4]

Play Stories[]

  • STRENGTH: Bravery
  • TALENT: Risk-taking
  • SECRET FEAR: Not helping his friends
  • ULTIMATE GOAL: To be the Source of Balance

YOUNG HEROES AGAINST EVIL FORCES![]

The dragon of the team
- Rescued by Arin and Sora
- Can activate Sora's inner powers
- Comes from a place called Three Peaks
- Cannot fly yet, but jumps and hops[5]

The Youngster[]

Riyu might be small but he has proven to be an essential part of the Ninja Team. And he hasn't even unleashed his full potential![6]

71810 Young Dragon Riyu[]

Soar into the sky high above the Shadow Forest with the young ninja dragon Riyu. Then swoop Riyu back down into battle with Arin riding on his back wielding a climbing hook and katana sword to take on a dangerous Wolf Mask Warrior. Back on the ground, you can team up with Sora as she battles the evil warrior who wants to seize Riyu. It’s down to you to stop the Wolf Mask Army![7]

LEGO.com[]

Riyu is a young dragon rescued from Imperium by Arin and Sora. He's brave but small and doesn't understand his own limits. His genuine concern for others pushes him to take risks.

71855 Ninja Dragon Riyu's Battle[]

Team up with Arin, dragon form Nya and Riyu for some epic battles! Riyu can soar into the sky before swooping down armed with a large sword and a shuriken to take on the villainous Mutation Monster and Loyalist. Watch out for their dangerous weapons! The ninja must triumph as the fate of the Merged Lands is at stake.[8]

Appearances

Appearances[]

Sets

Boxed Sets

Polybags

Ninjago: Dragons Rising

Season 1

The Elemental Mechs

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Other mini-movies

Books

Comics

Ninjago Magazine

Video games

Etymology

Etymology[]

Riyu's name is based on the Japanese pronunciation of “Ryū” which is referring to a Japanese dragon, a symbol of strength, wisdom, and prosperity. However, the pronunciation is different, being 'Rye-u', as opposed to 'ryu.'

Trivia

Trivia[]

  • He is the second dragon to be voiced by Brian Drummond, the first being Zippy.
    • Just like Zippy, he can also act like a dog in certain moments.
  • He was inspired by Kevin Burke's dog, Robbie.[9]
  • The specific classification of Riyu as a dragon remains unknown, as he distinguishes himself from his herd by possessing extraordinary abilities typically associated with powerful dragons. Notably, LEGO.com suggested that Riyu is a Source Dragon or possesses similar powers,[10] despite the rarity of such dragons, with only seven known to exist.[11]
  • Riyu is the second character to have aged into a teenager in Season 2 of his series, the first was Lloyd Garmadon when he grew older in Season 2 of the original series. However, unlike Lloyd, he aged naturally.
  • After Flame and Ultra Dragon in general, Riyu is the third dragon to appear physically in more than one regular set (although Firstbourne has a BrickHeadz set and Ice Dragon Creature has a mini-build) and the one that appears in the greatest number of sets, having a baby dragon minifigure that appear in many sets and several brickbuilt versions.
  • Riyu is now the third of the younger generation of Ninja to perform Spinjitzu. The first two Ninja were Arin in "The Merge: Part 1" and then Sora in "The Final Game".
    • Unlike Sora however, because of Rontu's training, Riyu did a full Spinjitzu tornado where Sora only did the semi-full tornado that Arin also did before "Truth and Lies".
    • Speaking of, Riyu is now the second of the younger generation to do a full Spinjitzu tornado, the first was Arin as seen in "Truth and Lies".
    • With Riyu now learning and using Spinjitzu, that means all four of the main Ninjago: Dragons Rising cast knows Spinjitzu. The other three are Lloyd, who first did Spinjitzu in "Pirates vs. Ninja", Arin, who first did Spinjitzu in "The Merge: Part 1" and Sora, who first did Spinjitzu in "The Final Game". Riyu first did Spinjitzu in "Chaos Reigns".
Video

Video[]

Translations

Translations[]

Language Name
Chinese (Simplified) 阿尤
Czech Ryiu
French Riyu
Japanese リュウ
Korean 리유
Ukrainian Раю
References