For more information about Ryo, see his Art of Fighting and King of Fighters (Orochi Saga) entries.
- First appearance: Art of Fighting
- Other appearances: The King of Fighters series, Fatal Fury Special
- Related characters: Yuri Sakazaki, Takuma Sakazaki, Robert Garcia
Ryo Sakazaki is the main character in Art of Fighting, and one of the main characters in The King of Fighters. The story of Ryo begins in the first Art of Fighting in a traditional damsel in distress story. Yuri is kidnapped by Mr. Big, a local criminal mastermind. With the help of best friend and rival Robert Garcia, Ryo manages to confront Mr. Big, leading him to a karate dojo where a mysterious man (originally unnamed in the game, but was named "Mr. Karate" by fans, and officially named as such in later games) challenges the two to a fight. When Ryo prevailed, he threatens to kill Mr. Karate unless he knew that Yuri was alive. As Ryo prepared to kill him, Yuri appears, telling Ryo to stop, for Mr. Karate was their father. During this journey, Ryo met a bouncer named King, a Muay Thai expert. There has been some unspoken romantic tension between the two.
Normal Ryo is based on his Art of Fighting style of play. Extra Ryo is based more on his appearance in The King of Fighters, in particular the versions from '96 and beyond. Ryo in Capcom vs. SNK 2 is a blend of the two styles.
Pro version changes
- Improved vertical priority on Ryo's Kohou.
- Ryo can cancel into a regular Ko'ou Ken from his standing
and 
- Lower Priority on his Level 1 Ryoku Ranbu, even if done very close to the opponent. If they have a roundhouse out it will likely trade hits instead of connect.
- Improved Speed on the startup for the Haou Shoukou Ken, and it's better as an anti-air.
- Extra Ryo's Tenchi Haou Ken Super Combo has nearly twice as much range as before; it can hit from nearly a three character distance away.
- Extra Ryo can no longer combo into his 3 hit auto combo special from the crouching
. - Ryo's Hien Shippuu Kyaku also goes fullscreen on , the second part of the kick no longer misses a lot after the first hit connects as it used to.
- The Haou Shoukou Ken increases in size as the level of super used increases. Much bigger and more effective as a Level 3.
Moves
Capcom vs. SNK, Pro
Normal
| Name | Input | |
|---|---|---|
| Hyouchuu Wari |  +
|
|
| Ko'ou Ken | .png){kind=small}  +
|
|
| Kohou |  +
|
|
| Hien Shippuu Kyaku |  +
|
|
| Zanretsu Ken |  +
|
|
| Ryuko Ranbu |  +
|
|
| Haou Shoukou Ken |  +
|
|
Extra
| Name | Input | |
|---|---|---|
| Hyouchuu Wari | +
|
|
| Ko'ou Ken | +
|
|
| Kohou | +
|
|
| Hien Shippuu Kyaku | +
|
|
| Mouko Raijin Setsu |  +
|
|
| Kyokugen-ryuu Renbu Ken |  +
|
|
| Ryuko Ranbu | +
|
|
| Haou Shoukou Ken | +
|
|
| Tenchi Haou Ken |  +
|
|
Capcom vs. SNK 2
| Name | Input | |
|---|---|---|
| Hyouchuu Wari | +
|
|
| Ko'ou Ken | +
|
|
| Hien Shippuu Kyaku | +
|
|
| Kohou | +
|
|
| Zan Retsu Ken | +
|
|
| Mouko Raijin Setsu | +
|
|
| Kyokugenryu Renbuken | +
|
|
| Ryuuko Ranbu | +
|
|
| Haou Shoukou Ken | +
|
|
| Tenchi Haou Ken | +
|
|