Ryo's Appearance in DIGIMON TAMERS (episodes 28-41)
Takato, Ruki, Jian and the rest of the gang come to the DigiWorld to save Culumon and get him back home. They get separated when Ruki and Renamon are trying to save Hirokazu and Kenta from a stream but they get caught by it and transported away from their friends. The same thing happens to them again because Hirokazu and Kenta can really be dumb sometimes and they end up in this weird world full of clocks and gears. They explore the area and find a broken clock. Ruki fixes it against Clockmon's and Hagurumon's warning. An evil Megidramon appears but Kyubimon is no match for the Ultimate level Digimon. Cyberdramon appears suddenly:
... and defeats Megidramon. However, he doesn't want to stop attacking him until Ryo interfers.
He has to grab Cyberdramon's arm with a D-Power whip to finally stop the blood thirsty Digimon. Ryo appears like a superhero. His appearance is sudden, the wind is blowing through his hair and he's just standing in the distance so that we can get a good look at him. It feels a bit over the top but it's nothing compared to his outrageous reappearance as Justimon in episode 46. Anyway, we understand Ryo must be an experienced Tamer.
As soon as the fight is over, Ryo turns to the newcomers and looks like a nice guy with a laid back personality (RYO: "That was close, huh?").
He introduces himself to Ruki and shakes her hand (RYO: "I'm Ryo. Nice to meet you."). The sudden change in his behaviour leaves her speechless but she comes to herself fast and is instantly annoyed by him. He warns them about Digimon wanting to load a Digimon with a Tamer because they believe it could get them to the Real World.
Clockmon asks Ryo to help Hagurumon and he saves him by returning him a missing gear. It seems like this wasn't the first time he saved him. He fixes the clock too and tells the two Digimon to go home so that others won't be worried about them. The two are really ecstatic by Ryo, Hagurumon even blushes when he asks him if he thinks he too will go to the Real World someday and meet a Tamer like Ryo. One of them says "Ryo's so cool..." when they're leaving.
Ryo's established as a cool laid back guy, a confident and experienced Tamer with a strong aggressive partner that actually needs to be tamed. This, his good looks (RUKI: "Tanned skin. Sparkling white teeth. Refreshing smile.") and his reputation as the Legendary Tamer make him seem like a perfect hero. And it pisses Ruki off.
It seems to me that Ryo knows about his fame and is kind of humble about it at the same time. He doesn't deny being the legendary Tamer but he's also caught off guard when Hirokazu and Kenta go all ecstatic about him. I think he just knows how cool he is but doesn't really care about it.
They're all sitting by the fire later, talking about the other Tamers and Ryo's time in the DigiWorld. He realizes he's been there for ten months and explains them why he came to the DigiWorld in first place.
Ruki is super annoyed by him and his stupid wandering around for ten months, hahaha. Hirokazu accuses her of being in a bad mood because Ryo once beat her in a Digimon card tournament and she could only become the Digimon Queen after he disappeared. Ruki is of course pissed off by Hirokazu ("What did you say? Before saying that, how about you try becoming a little stronger yourself? So far you've only been a burden to me!"). Ryo doesn't seem to remember ever battling her and she denies knowing him as well. Ryo scolding her for being this rude to him when he just saved their lives just adds fuel to the fire.
Ryo tells them the way out of this part of the world and asks them if they want to join him, since he was leaving anyway. Ruki doesn't want to go with him and tells them she'll find her way out. Ryo's trying to convince her not to do it but she and Kyubimon walk away and ignore everything he's trying to say. Ryo gives up:
Takato, Jian and Juri end up in the black-n-white world where they meet Ryo, Hirokazu and Kenta. Hirokazu introduces him as the legendary Tamer and both Takato and Jian know who he is (and so must Ruki). Ryo's a little embarassed by Hirokazu's ecstatic introduction.
When they find out that Ruki went her own way, Takato immediately assumes it has something to do with Hirokazu. Ryo feels like it's his fault:
Takato tells Ryo about Culumon and how Deva attacked the Real World. but Ryo hadn't seen the Digimon they were after.
Ryo brings them to a castle where they can stay over night in a giant bedroom. Juri wishes Ruki could be there with them and Ryo's feeling guilty for driving her away again. Everyone has trouble sleeping except for Ryo, who's used to stay in the castle with Knightmon patroling it.
Jian makes an interesting remark about Ryo's seemingly laid back personality. Ryo had to adapt to his new environment where he had spent his last 10 months.
Next day Ryo helps them return to the desert-looking part of the DigiWorld. They see Makuramon and Majiramon looking for Culumon and Cyberdramon gets agressive again. We find out by the end of the episode that Cyberdramon is searching for his arch-enemy and will keep fighting until he defeats them. His urge to fight is so strong that he doesn't even listen to Ryo anymore, thus the D-Power whip.
Cyberdramon attacks Majiramon and the rest of the Digimon help him. Ryo then uses a card called King Device and Cyberdramon brutally destroys Majiramon. The rest of the Tamers are in awe of what just happened, especially Ryo's part in it.
Ryo's not very humble about his card skills and it's cool that we get to experience some of it too and not just believe the legend of the Legendary Tamer (although he only uses this one card and we have to believe it was this truly brutal one that not everyone can use (((why-give-it-to-Suzie-then)))).
Cyberdramon gets impatient again and Ryo has to use the whip. He knows he can't stop him and has to say goodbye to the rest of the Tamers, even though he'd like to help them save the world.
He then jumps on Cyberdramon and they run away, leaving everyone pretty confused. Read more about Takato's confused look here.
Ryo's reason for being in the DigiWorld lies completly in Cyberdramon's need to fight. He couldn't stay in the Real World with him because it'd be too dangerous, and he stayed in the DigiWorld for so long because he was accompanying his Digimon on his search for the arch-enemy. We'll see that most of Ryo's actions are motivated by Cyberdramon. What makes this kind of a relationship more interesting is the history behind it that is established through the WonderSwan games. But more about that somewhere else.
Takato's rage over Leomon's death made MegaloGrowmon digivolve to Megidramon, an evolution so nasty it puts both of the worlds in danger. Beams of red lights start to appear from the ground all over the DigiWorld and Ryo and Cyberdramon witness them too.
The fight against Beelzebumon is over. While Takato and the rest of the group are happy to be reunited, Ryo and Cyberdramon are wading through some mist, still searching for the enemy. Ryo seems to be just following his Digimon's lead, since he doesn't know where they are. Cyberdramon can feel the "the most powerful enemy we've ever seen is right ahead". They continue their search.
Ryo and Cyberdramon come to Baihumon, the Sovereign Cyberdramon was sensing as the strongest opponent yet (RYO: "Be careful. He's really strong.").
However, they meet Xuanwumon there, the forth Sovereign. Cyberdramon wants to fight whatever Digimon he sensed and Xuanwumon tells him he was sensing the true enemy. It's supposed to be hiding in the ground. Cyberdramon feels it's not a Digimon Baihumon's fighting against and Xuanwumon tells him to leave the enemy to Baihumon, since it's too strong for him.
The two stay for the fight that seems to be quite brutal since it makes the ground collaps at some point and Cyberdramon has to save Ryo from falling into the abyss.
Baihumon returns from fighting D-Reaper. He's injured but it seems like managed to capture the enemy. Cyberdramon has no reason to stay there anymore:
He meets the others at the deep chasm where Culumon is captured (they're more or less happy to see him xD). The D-Reaper bubbles coming out of the chasm are erasing everything they touch.
Zhuqiaomon returns out of the chasm, injured from fighting the D-Reaper. Tamers know they have to save Culumon asap. Ruki and Renamon decide to explore the area and Ryo's loudly against it:
He starts following her when she slips and Renamon catches her (RYO: "Man, she's so stubborn..."). The four of them are going more and more deep into the chasm. Ruki finally gets to Culumon and the moment of happiness is interupted by a bubble that erases Ruki's backpack. Cyberdramon saves them from a second bubble and Ryo pulls them inside a cave to safety.
Ryo has an idea to capture the bubbles until they safely return to their friends. He goesout of the cave and uses cards to help Cyberdramon cover them with rocks (RYO: "All right, it worked! That's our chance."). They must hurry back up before the bubbles come through. Ryo fears an explosion of the surpressed bubbles could happen. They're already close to the top when the bubbles come through the barrier and one of them destroys the armor thingy Ryo has on his arm. He calls Ruki to hurry up.
He turns and sees her looking down to the cliff. She tells him that she has to do something or else they won't make it away from here.
He can't believe how reckless she is and screams her name one last time when she jumps into the bubbles. She digivolves with Renamon to Sakuyamon and stops the bubbles from progressing, giving them enough time to get away from the chasm. Ryo praises her as the more couragous of the two of them and she seems pleased hearing that.
They all go away from the cliff. When they're safe on a solid ground, the D-Reaper splashes from the abyss.
D-Reaper keeps destroying everything it touches (RYO: "That damn D-Reaper... It's like it's scaring us on purpose just to enjoy itself.").
Culumon returns the light of evolution and the Tamers get a message from Yamaki telling them the ark is finished and they can all go home. They have 40min to find it and board it. The Sovereigns tell them to go, that they will fight the enemy in the Digiworld.
They have less than 30min until the ark comes when Renamon and Ruki decide to go get Impmon.
Ryo now understands that Ruki might be too reckless and will always do what she thinks must be done but can also take good care of herself. He doesn't oppose their decission and just tells her to be back in time.
The ark appears on time but the connection to the Real World is not stable and they have to go at once. However, Ruki and Renamon are still not back.
Ruki and Renamon are running late and the rest don't want to leave without them. Ark starts to move, Takato is waiting outside and Terriermon suggests Jian to go look for Ruki. Ryo jumps in:
Ryo acts according to his hero-boy side of personality, which is even emphasized because it was Terriermon's idea first and Ryo just jumps in when Jian doesn't jump from the ark immediately. I know people dislike Ryo a lot because of this characteristics. However, it is much more stressed in the dubs (and linked to Ruki most of the time). For example, when they return to the ark in time, he asks Ruki what he'll get for saving her life not once but twice*, making his act of going after her way more wnb heroic than it actually is.
Anyway, they board the ark on time. Cyberdramon dedigivolves into the clumsy Monodramon and they go home. Ryo comments he's glad he can finally go home*:
Ark gives its best to make it to the real world. They successfully return to Shinjuku park, their parents are waiting for them. Ryo's dad came to pick him up and he seems angry at him (can't blame him for that). Ryo seems more embarassed than sorry by his absence.
D-Reaper follows them to the Real World and a few hour later Shinjuku is covered with it.