Ryuu stands out as one of the few members of Mitsui's gang who actually gets real character development. He's basically second only to Tetsuo in terms of how much attention the series gives him.
During Mitsui's assault on the basketball team, Ryuu faces off against Rukawa—a matchup that goes badly for him. He manages to wound Rukawa's head with a broken mop handle, but Rukawa retaliates and knocks him unconscious. It's a brutal exchange that sets the tone for how outmatched he really is.
Things get more interesting in the anime, where Ryuu actually tries to challenge Tetsuo's authority within the gang. He recruits new members and turns his attention toward Tetsuo after Mitsui rejoins the basketball team. However, this internal power struggle doesn't last long. When Sakuragi's gang shows up, it creates the opening Mitsui and Sakuragi need to break away and make it to their third round match—though they're running late. The arrival of reinforcements completely overwhelms Ryuu and his gang members, leaving them thoroughly beaten.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
