Victor Thruster Ryuga II Pro review: controlled dragon attack frame
Victor Thruster Ryuga II Pro (TK-Ryuga II Pro) sits above Ryuga II with Power Ring Pro, WES 2.0, Free Core, and a harder, faster attack brief.
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Overview
Victor Thruster Ryuga II Pro (TK-Ryuga II Pro) sits above Ryuga II with Power Ring Pro, WES 2.0, Free Core, and a harder, faster attack brief. Kodai Naraoka’s association with the frame fits the brief if you already smash with structure — not a friendly first attack racket. After Ryuga II’s sugar-leaning reputation, II Pro is the family returning to violence with better aiming tools.
Place in the line
My 4U G6 samples: built about 92–95 g with butt, balance about 308–310 mm on court (empty balance can sit near 330 mm before grip and film), Pyrofil shaft around 6.6–6.8 mm painted, stiff, box frame with 11–1 aero, 76 holes, 9–3 grooves, warranty into the low 30s lb, often VBS-63 or VBS-66N at 26–28 lb. Handle length about 208 mm. Cosmetics keep Ryuga II dragon language in a darker, quieter palette — more scales, more presence, less carnival. 3U G5 notes: empty balance can clear 315 mm with strung-on-court figures still high (~311 mm) while frame mass sits a touch light for a typical 3U — head-heavy manners without a brick-heavy blank. Some markets skip 4U G5 entirely; check grip SKUs before you order. Versus the family: Ryuga gen 1 is the tough-elastic classic that can feel wild on direction; Ryuga Metallic is the extreme metallic smash outlier with wood handle and the hardest shaft; Ryuga II is the friendlier, more continuous sibling; II Pro lands between gen 1 and Metallic for me — thinner frame wall (~10.0 mm vs thicker gen-1/Metallic samples), quicker swing than Metallic, stiffer clearer shaft feedback than gen 1 / plain II, Free Core damping, Power Ring Pro coupling into the cone. Absolute one-shot violence loses to Metallic; continuous accuracy and speed-attack manners beat gen 1 and plain II. Hardness sits a notch above original Ryuga and clearly above sugar II — only Metallic feels stiffer in the family.
On court
First swings feel delayed through the head, then hard to brake — high swing weight plus stiff coupling of frame and shaft. Warm-up clears already show leverage and punch; light force can press like a flat clear. Net brush, soft drop, and hooks feel unusually stable for a hammer frame — torsion hold on long lines is excellent. Power Ring Pro removes the soft unload some Free Core frames leave on full smash; feedback reads closer to a wood-handle hit without dumping Free Core’s vibration control. Fast doubles flat exchanges and emergency escapes are the tax. Even when you borrow the head, getting out of the rear court under pressure is hard work; panic power makes a mess. Once you force a lift and get a kill chance, kinetic smash weight, spring, and whip angle show why Naraoka-class aggression fits — jump kills sit lower and sharper than gen 1 for me. Flat drives are cleaner than original Ryuga thanks to the thinner, quicker-recovering shaft, but continuous mid-court wars still punish the wrist once fatigue hits. 3U is a singles hammer; most club doubles players are happier in 4U waiting for the kill ball.
Who should buy
Buy Ryuga II Pro if you want flagship Thruster attack with better directional control than wilder Ryuga siblings and can pay the drive cost. Skip it for beginners, injured arms, or pure speed-doubles players who live on flat mid-court wars — look at Auraspeed HS Plus or a milder Ryuga II instead. Do not confuse it with Metallic (Lee Zii Jia black dragon / wood handle) or original Thruster Ryuga gen 1 — different swing weights, handles, and ceilings.
Verdict
Ryuga II Pro is a serious attack racket that rewards clean mechanics and stamina. More precision tool than cartoon smash stick — still not a soft club all-rounder, and still not a “Naraoka made it easy” toy.
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