Who is your favourite love-interest of the series?

[johnvivant]

If at the end of Ryo's journey you have the option to choose which love interest Ryo returns to, who would it be?

I love all the Shenmue girls, but Xiuying is my favourite.

[Shenmue_Music]

It's either Nozomi or Joy. I believe Ryo would return to Nozomi though, that I'm sure of.

[FlagshipFighter]

Ryo only loves martial arts.

[Kiske]

Ryo only loves martial arts.

And Jet-Cola.

[FlagshipFighter]

And revenge.

[ShenGCH]

Can Xiuying, Chunyan, Eileen, Minako, Miki, Akemi, Ailian He, and Lianfei Yang really be counted as 'love interests'? For a character to qualify as a love interest, surely there must be an obvious fondness from one side or the other, whereas the aforementioned show no such feelings towards Ryo outside of the fact they're women he encounters during his adventure. The others, however, are definite love interests (barring the Shenmue III characters as we've yet to encounter them); I'm going with Nozomi

[SMDzero]

It's either Nozomi or Joy. I believe Ryo would return to Nozomi though, that I'm sure of.

Joy isn't really Ryo's type.

The best match is Nozomi

[Anonymous81]

Is it weird I never really thought much about that angle of the game? I always felt like Ryo cared about people, but ultimately was very focused on his "mission" if you will. Anytime any sort of intimated or subtly implied romance arose, he seemed to be trying not to hurt their feelings, but also to be unwilling to engage with it really.

It seemed more implied or like a suggested possibility rather than something actually happening for the character on a real emotional level. So I just never really got into the notion of romance in Shenmue.

[delvec19]

Voted for Izumi, she is something.

[Jesse]

I voted for nozomi I think she's the person that would wait however long for Ryo to complete his journey. Ryo could run the dojo while married to her. I've always thought that a dark horse candidate is shenhua with the whole predetermined since ancient times have their paths been intertwined. She's a close second I can see him staying in China with her.

It would be a nice touch if you get to pick who to marry when the saga ends.

[KidMarine]

[John Doom]

I voted for Xiuying, but I think she only thinks of Ryo as her brother. In this case, I'd choose Joy.

[NewDog]

A little off-topic, but given that this concerns Ryo and women, I felt it best to ask here: Where is it mentioned Ryo isn't up to pursuing romance due to getting into a fight with someone who mocked him contemplating the idea back when he was a child?

[johnvivant]

A little off-topic, but given that this concerns Ryo and women, I felt it best to ask here: Where is it mentioned Ryo isn't up to pursuing romance due to getting into a fight with someone who mocked him contemplating the idea back when he was a child?

its in the official bio for little Ryo:

http://shenmuedojo.net/new/games/s1characters.html

At age 7, Ryo began to seriously study the martial arts under his father’s tutelage. Around this time, he was dubbed Suedeheaded Ryobo by Setsu Abe, a shopkeeper, and was often scolded for being bratty. He experienced his first feelings of love for a girl during this time, but when a friend of his teased him about it, Ryo started a fight with him. Since then, he has shied away from any involvement with girls.

[Himuro]

Nozomi but I'm of the opinion that she's the one that got away and will live the rest of her life in Vancouver. I think there should be long term ramifications for how Ryo behaved towards her after his father's death. Not everything needs a happy ending.