KanzarisKelshen posted...
Richard...(is) a worse swordsman than Hayabusa, but a better spellcaster and comparable reactionswise, if not better.
Richard, by wielding the Sword of Truth, has the knowledge of over a hundred blademasters before him that have used the weapon. I find it difficult to believe anyone would be a noticeably better swordsman than him, unless you want to start arguing about blade types. However, it can also cut through just about anything. He's also highly capable of figuring out the nature of situations and using (or at the very least not getting used by) enemy capabilities, meaning he would likely not face difficulties with whatever ninja trickery Ryu throws at him, and responds accordingly with his magic. I'm thinking that there isn't a much worse opponent for Hyabusa to face since he basically has an answer for everything.
However, that's before you consider the nature of the sword. If Richard believes Ryu is at least remotely a good guy, he won't be able to kill him using the Sword of Truth. He can duel Ryu and probably would even sunder his weapon, but he wouldn't be able to strike him down. I'm not sure how likely this is, considering there have been plenty of cases where Richard cuts through loads of guys that he didn't know in defense of his own life. Being a Sword of Truth fan, I'm inclined to believe Richard would win here, but there could be some shenanigans where he might not be able to kill him with the sword.