OVA
Description
Ryu Lion is an elf from the Ryumilua Forest, where her family guarded the sacred tree. Disillusioned by elven attitudes toward other races, she departed her homeland at age eleven for Orario. Joining the Astraea Familia as the adventurer Gale, her combat against the Evilus organization accelerated her growth, achieving Level 4 within roughly one to one and a half years per level. She participated in defeating Alfia during the Great Feud seven years before the main events.
Two years after reaching Level 4, an ambush by the Rudra Familia in the Dungeon triggered a Juggernaut, killing nearly all Astraea Familia members except Ryu and Jura. Consumed by vengeance, Ryu convinced Goddess Astraea to leave Orario and embarked on a solo campaign of retribution. Using traps, trickery, and assassinations, she dismantled the Rudra Familia and allied Evilus factions, becoming a fugitive with an 80,000,000 valis bounty. Completing her revenge, she collapsed from severe injuries and was rescued by Syr, who took her to Mia Grand for care. Ryu retired from adventuring and became a waitress at the Hostess of Fertility, where coworkers dyed her naturally golden-blonde hair green.
Physically, Ryu possesses striking beauty with sky-blue eyes, snow-white skin, and pointed elven ears, often compared to a fairy. At the Hostess of Fertility, she wears a green maid uniform with a white headband, apron, and brown boots over black leggings. Her adventurer attire features a green flower-shaped hood, sleeveless white top, green bloomers or shorts, brown gloves, boots, and a white sash holding her weapons, sometimes adding a green mask for anonymity.
Personality-wise, Ryu maintains a calm, stoic exterior but holds deep loyalty and protectiveness toward friends. She possesses a strong sense of justice, though her idealism about saving everyone shifted toward pragmatism after her Familia's destruction. While selective about physical contact like most elves, she heeds advice from her late comrade Alise to accept those who earn her trust, demonstrated in her connection with Bell Cranel. She trains others with extreme rigor, sometimes causing injuries. Unlike many elves, she harbors no resentment toward the Crozzo family for historical forest destruction, citing temporal distance and no direct impact on her village.
Ryu's combat abilities are exceptional. After rejoining the Astraea Familia and updating her falna, she achieved an unprecedented double level-up from Level 4 to Level 6, attributed to experience from her five-year hiatus. Her physical prowess includes extraordinary strength (trading blows with high-Level opponents like Hogni), speed (creating afterimages and outpacing seasoned adventurers), durability (withstanding attacks from Level 8-tier entities), and endurance (surviving four days with severe injuries in the Dungeon's lower floors). She is armed with a wooden sword, dual kodachi (inheriting Kaguya's Futaba), and later acquires Alf's Justitia. Her fighting style emphasizes high-speed evasion and rapid strikes, incorporating Far Eastern tachi techniques learned from Kaguya, though she self-assesses her mastery at roughly 40% of Kaguya's proficiency.
As an elf, Ryu has innate magical talent, mastering concurrent chanting to cast spells during complex combat maneuvers. Her magic includes Agaris Alvesynth (wind-based offensive spells) and the versatile Astraea Record, granting healing, support, and combat capabilities by channeling her fallen Astraea Familia comrades' spirits. Her skills include Mind Load (enhancing physical strikes) and Astrae Varmas (improving magic effects).
Her character development centers on her bond with Bell Cranel. After surviving a harrowing journey against the Juggernaut on the 37th Floor—facing starvation, monster hordes, and near-fatal injuries—Ryu begins developing romantic feelings for him. This relationship motivates her to formally rejoin adventuring under the Hestia Familia as Ryu Astraea, participating in conflicts like the Great Faction War. Her experiences with Bell help her reconcile her traumatic past and rediscover purpose beyond vengeance.
Two years after reaching Level 4, an ambush by the Rudra Familia in the Dungeon triggered a Juggernaut, killing nearly all Astraea Familia members except Ryu and Jura. Consumed by vengeance, Ryu convinced Goddess Astraea to leave Orario and embarked on a solo campaign of retribution. Using traps, trickery, and assassinations, she dismantled the Rudra Familia and allied Evilus factions, becoming a fugitive with an 80,000,000 valis bounty. Completing her revenge, she collapsed from severe injuries and was rescued by Syr, who took her to Mia Grand for care. Ryu retired from adventuring and became a waitress at the Hostess of Fertility, where coworkers dyed her naturally golden-blonde hair green.
Physically, Ryu possesses striking beauty with sky-blue eyes, snow-white skin, and pointed elven ears, often compared to a fairy. At the Hostess of Fertility, she wears a green maid uniform with a white headband, apron, and brown boots over black leggings. Her adventurer attire features a green flower-shaped hood, sleeveless white top, green bloomers or shorts, brown gloves, boots, and a white sash holding her weapons, sometimes adding a green mask for anonymity.
Personality-wise, Ryu maintains a calm, stoic exterior but holds deep loyalty and protectiveness toward friends. She possesses a strong sense of justice, though her idealism about saving everyone shifted toward pragmatism after her Familia's destruction. While selective about physical contact like most elves, she heeds advice from her late comrade Alise to accept those who earn her trust, demonstrated in her connection with Bell Cranel. She trains others with extreme rigor, sometimes causing injuries. Unlike many elves, she harbors no resentment toward the Crozzo family for historical forest destruction, citing temporal distance and no direct impact on her village.
Ryu's combat abilities are exceptional. After rejoining the Astraea Familia and updating her falna, she achieved an unprecedented double level-up from Level 4 to Level 6, attributed to experience from her five-year hiatus. Her physical prowess includes extraordinary strength (trading blows with high-Level opponents like Hogni), speed (creating afterimages and outpacing seasoned adventurers), durability (withstanding attacks from Level 8-tier entities), and endurance (surviving four days with severe injuries in the Dungeon's lower floors). She is armed with a wooden sword, dual kodachi (inheriting Kaguya's Futaba), and later acquires Alf's Justitia. Her fighting style emphasizes high-speed evasion and rapid strikes, incorporating Far Eastern tachi techniques learned from Kaguya, though she self-assesses her mastery at roughly 40% of Kaguya's proficiency.
As an elf, Ryu has innate magical talent, mastering concurrent chanting to cast spells during complex combat maneuvers. Her magic includes Agaris Alvesynth (wind-based offensive spells) and the versatile Astraea Record, granting healing, support, and combat capabilities by channeling her fallen Astraea Familia comrades' spirits. Her skills include Mind Load (enhancing physical strikes) and Astrae Varmas (improving magic effects).
Her character development centers on her bond with Bell Cranel. After surviving a harrowing journey against the Juggernaut on the 37th Floor—facing starvation, monster hordes, and near-fatal injuries—Ryu begins developing romantic feelings for him. This relationship motivates her to formally rejoin adventuring under the Hestia Familia as Ryu Astraea, participating in conflicts like the Great Faction War. Her experiences with Bell help her reconcile her traumatic past and rediscover purpose beyond vengeance.