Ryoma — Patch 1.63 Verdict
[Liquipedia RPL: B | Web: S | Web: S | Web: S | Web: A] Pro play (RPL 2026): 45 picks, 46.7% WR, 19.9% pick/ban rate. Note: pro meta may differ from ranked. Ranked S on zathong.com. Ranked S on metatierlist.com. Ranked S on pillarofgaming.com. Ranked A on commonsensegamer.com.
Ryoma — Warrior Guide
Key Insights
- Naginatajutsu empowered auto fires every 5s and deals 50% bonus damage at max melee reach, always hit the tip.
- The passive slow is your primary chase and gap-close denial tool; never waste the proc on a minion with an enemy hero in range.
- Reverse Slash refunds a 3s cooldown on hitting an enemy hero, so an aggressive Q into a trade nearly resets itself for the next exchange.
- Piercing Slash only stuns at maximum range, a target standing too close takes damage but gets no CC, so use Q first to create the correct distance.
- Wrath of Izanagi deals 4 sequential physical hits with lifesteal on each; cast it mid-trade after Hercules's Madness shield breaks, not as your opener.
Strengths
Naginatajutsu gives Ryoma the highest extended-trade damage floor in the lane.
Reverse Slash doubles as an offensive dash and a skill-shot dodge.
Piercing Slash tip-stun sets up kills without needing a support present.
Wrath of Izanagi's lifesteal lets him survive diving two or three enemies.
Weaknesses
- Piercing Slash stuns only at max range; Skud or Taara negate it by fighting close.
- Naginatajutsu's 5-second window means burst assassins like Murad kill him before it resets.
- One root or suppression after Reverse Slash leaves him stationary and CC-chained.
- Pre-Broken Spear he loses armor-shred races; over-aggressing at level 3-4 loses trades.
Matchups
Abilities
PNaginatajutsu
Every 5 seconds, Ryoma's next auto attack deals bonus physical damage to the target in a line and slows them for 2 seconds. Enemies at the end of the attack take 50% increased damage.
1Reverse Slash
Ryoma leaps backward while slashing forward, dealing physical damage to enemies. If Reverse Slash hits an enemy hero, reduce this ability's cooldown by 3 seconds.
2Piercing Slash
Ryoma unleashes a sword wave in a straight line forward, dealing physical damage to the first target. Subsequent targets take 50% reduced damage. The enemy at the end of the wave is stunned for 0.75 seconds.
RWrath of Izanagi
Ryoma slashes forward 4 times, dealing physical damage with each hit. Each hit that strikes an enemy hero restores health to Ryoma.
Skill Order
Priority: R > Q > W| Skill | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Reverse Slash | 1 | · | 3 | · | 5 | · | 7 | · | 9 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| 2Piercing Slash | · | 2 | · | 4 | · | · | · | 8 | · | 10 | · | 12 | · | · | · |
| RWrath of Izanagi | · | · | · | · | · | 6 | · | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | 15 |
Loadout
Onslaught
Assassinate
Dragon's ClawStandard Build
1
2
3
4
5
6Core Combos
Standard Trade
P21Open with the empowered auto to proc the slow, immediately fire Piercing Slash at maximum range for the stun, then Reverse Slash forward into the stunned target for the damage-and-reset; use the follow-up auto to sustain the pressure. This is your bread-and-butter 1v1 lane kill pattern.
All-In Kill Combo
21PRUse this when the enemy is already below 60% health. Piercing Slash tip-stun into Reverse Slash dash to close the gap, then detonate your passive empowered auto before immediately casting Wrath of Izanagi so all four R hits land on a slowed, locked-down target.
Flicker Initiate
2RP1Fire Piercing Slash at an out-of-range priority target, Flicker into the tip of its range so the stun lands, then immediately cast Wrath of Izanagi for the four-hit sustain burst; save Reverse Slash for repositioning or disengaging if the dive goes wrong.
Anti-Dive Response
1P2RWhen a jungler invades and closes on you, Reverse Slash backward to dodge their engage skill and face them, proc your empowered auto into their body, then Piercing Slash at the gap you just created to land the stun before finishing with the ultimate's healing.
Expert Video Guide
ROV : สอนเล่น Ryoma เทคนิคเดินเกมไว+โคตรโหดถ้าหยิบถูกเกม!!! — Jayop
Gameplan
Ryoma's first spike is level 4, when all three basics are available and his passive starts dictating trade rhythm. His real breakpoint is Broken Spear: the armor shred turns his physical damage from respectable to lane-warping, and most slayer opponents can't match his DPS from that point. The two-item spike of Broken Spear plus Omni Arms is when he should force Dragon fights. Wrath of Izanagi maxed, plus Hercules's Madness in the fourth slot, makes him nearly unkillable in sustained 5v5 brawls. He weakens slightly against fully-itemized tanks in the final minutes if he hasn't built Muramasa by then.
Early Game
Levels 1–6- →Respect enemy waveclear in the first two levels and focus on last-hitting; Ryoma's passive isn't fully impactful until you have all three basic abilities and a feel for the five-second rhythm, and rushing a trade before level three is the number-one cause of unnecessary early deaths.
- →At level three, begin pressuring the enemy laner with the passive-W-Q trade pattern whenever the minion wave is even or pushing toward their tower, denying safe farm and threatening a tower dive if they overextend.
- →Ward the river bush and play slightly back when your jungler hasn't shown; Ryoma with Reverse Slash on cooldown is a free kill for any roaming assassin, so map awareness is the most important non-mechanical skill in this lane.
Mid Game
Post Broken Spear- →Complete Broken Spear before any major objective contest and immediately apply pressure to the slayer tower; the armor shred forces opponents off the tower faster than almost any rival warrior item spike.
- →Join Dragon fights as the secondary engage or the follow-up to your support's initiation; use Piercing Slash's stun to lock down whoever the team is focusing, then layer Wrath of Izanagi for the healing sustain that lets you stay in the fight longer than the enemy expects.
- →If your laner recalls after you take tower, rotate mid and look for a Piercing Slash tip-stun on the enemy mid-laner; Ryoma's CC is under-respected by mage players who have never faced him, and a surprise stun into your midlaner's follow-up is a free kill.
Late Game
Teamfight phase- →Build Hercules's Madness as your fourth item and position as the initiating bruiser in teamfights; you want to absorb one or two abilities to crack the Madness shield, then pop Wrath of Izanagi while the burst-damage buff is active for maximum healing and damage overlap.
- →Do not solo-engage onto the enemy team's carry if they have hard CC remaining; instead, use Reverse Slash to bait out a displacement skill, then re-engage on the now-cooldown-spent backline.
- →In the final minutes, split-push only if your team has a clear vision advantage; Ryoma with Blade of Eternity takes towers rapidly, but he cannot escape a coordinated five-man collapse without Flicker available.
Pro Tips
- →You can use Reverse Slash diagonally into a wall to reposition around terrain rather than purely backward; this makes Ryoma nearly uncatchable in the river and jungle corridors when used correctly.
- →The 50% bonus damage sweetspot on Naginatajutsu is a specific range most players never consciously aim for; stand just outside the enemy's attack range before firing the empowered auto so the projectile hits at its extended tip rather than at melee distance.
- →Wrath of Izanagi's healing scales with physical lifesteal items, meaning Omni Arms and Muramasa passively amplify its sustain output; do not ignore this interaction when calculating whether you can commit to a deep dive.
- →Against opponents who learn to stand on top of you to nullify Piercing Slash's tip-stun, use Reverse Slash to create exactly the right distance and immediately fire W before they can close the gap again; the timing window is tight but it is a learnable rhythm that turns your weakness into a read-punish.
Ryoma is the slayer lane's most complete warrior on the current Thai-server patch. He rewards players who invest in understanding his trade rhythm over those who simply press buttons in sequence. His depth lives in the interplay between the Naginatajutsu timing window, the defensive utility of Reverse Slash, and the positioning needed to land Piercing Slash's tip-stun. If you are a Diamond-plus player who wants a slayer carry that scales through all three phases, brings real CC in teamfights, and punishes opponents for misreading your range, he is the best investment on the roster right now. The thing to master is the Naginatajutsu sweetspot: land that extended-tip empowered auto consistently and the rest of the kit falls into place.
Ryoma — Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ryoma good in the current ROV patch?+
Yes. Ryoma is S tier on the Thai server this patch with a 15.8% pick rate and 4.1% ban rate, numbers that reflect genuine high-rank respect rather than casual popularity. His 46.7% win rate sounds modest but is typical for contested S-tier heroes drafted into unfavorable matchups by players trying to force them; in the hands of someone who understands his trade patterns and item timings, his real performance is much stronger.
What is the best build for Ryoma?+
Thai-server consensus runs Gilded Greaves into Broken Spear as the mandatory core; the armor shred is non-negotiable and should be rushed before any other offensive item. Follow with Omni Arms for the hybrid auto-attack amplification, Hercules's Madness for the burst shield that works with Wrath of Izanagi's healing, then Muramasa for penetration against itemized tanks, and Blade of Eternity as late-game insurance for teamfights.
How do you counter Ryoma?+
He is most reliably beaten by heroes who resolve their damage faster than his five-second passive cycle: Murad's ultimate suppression and Quillen's full-burst combo both kill him before Naginatajutsu resets, making them the highest-priority picks into him. A hard point-and-click root like Alice's after Reverse Slash is on cooldown also leaves him stationary for any physical dealer to follow up. Avoid prolonged auto-attack trades at any stage; that is exactly where he wants to be.
Is Ryoma hard to play / good for beginners?+
Medium. His buttons are simple enough for a new player to get by, but optimizing him requires conscious tracking of the five-second Naginatajutsu cycle, deliberate Piercing Slash range management to hit the tip-stun, and knowing when to commit Wrath of Izanagi mid-fight rather than opening with it. Beginners find him far more forgiving than a true assassin, but Diamond-and-above players who treat him carelessly will keep losing trades they should win.