RyuzoRonin leader

Ryuzo is the story's argument that honour is affordable. He and Jin trained together; only one of them inherited land.

As a masterless ronin he leads the Straw Hats, a band with no lord, no stipend and no claim on anyone's protection. When the Khan offers food and a place, Ryuzo takes it — and the game frames this as a decision with reasons rather than a villain's turn.

His betrayal lands because Jin's own arc runs the other way from the same starting point. Both men conclude that the code they were raised on cannot feed or save anyone; Jin breaks it to fight the Mongols, Ryuzo breaks it to join them. The story does not let Jin claim much moral distance.

• The Tale of RyuzoMain Tale · Act 1 — Quest giver
• Blood on The GrassMain Tale · Act 1 — Central to the tale
• The Fate of TsushimaMain Tale · Act 2 — Central to the tale
• From The DarknessMain Tale · Act 2 — Appears
• Shadow of The SamuraiMain Tale · Act 1 — Appears
• The Iron HookMain Tale · Act 1 — Appears

• The Straw Hats take their name from the woven hats worn by masterless ronin, a visual shorthand the game uses to mark who has and has not got a lord.
• Ryuzo is one of the few characters who calls Jin by name rather than by title throughout, which quietly marks how far back they go.

Select any portrait to jump to that relationship