Skip to main content
IntoBadminton
← Reviews
2 min read·

Victor Thruster Ryuga review: gen 1 original smash hammer

Victor Thruster Ryuga (TK-Ryuga, 2021-era Lee Zii Jia All England generation) is the original family hammer. This is not Ryuga II, not Ryuga II Pro, and not Ryu…

Disclosure: Some outbound retailer links may be affiliate links. They never change editorial order or fit scores. Affiliate policy

Jump to section (5)
  1. Overview
  2. My 4U G5
  3. On court
  4. Who should buy
  5. Verdict

Overview

Victor Thruster Ryuga (TK-Ryuga, 2021-era Lee Zii Jia All England generation) is the original family hammer. This is not Ryuga II, not Ryuga II Pro, and not Ryuga Metallic — those are later forks. Gen 1 set the “one force beats ten skills” brief that attack players still chase.

My 4U G5

- Built weight about 95 g with butt and thin grip; balance about 303 mm - Shaft about 210 mm, Pyrofil, WES whip system, stiff but not Metallic-hard - Larger box hoop with traditional T-joint box transitioning to fluid box wings and 12-o’clock aero; 9–3 grooves - Strung around 25–27 lb on a lively multifilament in my trial (EB63-class) - Cosmetics: loud red / white / black dogtooth, asymmetric paint, sharp Ryuga shaft lettering — striking, a touch plasticky in finish for a flagship

On court

Light in the hand, heavy once swinging — classic head-heavy lag. High hardness keeps head and shaft rotating together rather than meteor-hammer flop; solid, comfortable contact compared with softer attack sticks. Clears are the quiet strength: borrow the head, stay unhurried, and depth arrives without forcing — high force-transfer efficiency. Add short burst for flat clears and pace jumps. Smash quality was the most violent 4U I had tried at the time of this court note. Three reasons stack: head mass that both adds downward bias and loads the shaft; fine Pyrofil rebound that is stiff without being brick; WES whip that still shows even when contact is slightly off-centre. Sound and pace sell the kill; opponents start sitting for smash, which opens deception if you can still soft-land. Net brush is stable when you take a high point; late, low contacts need precise dosing or the heavy head dumps the shuttle short or sails it. Small-action changes feel like parking a truck — fine for singles construction, clumsy for flea-weight deception. Doubles exposed the brief. Flat drives go dull after a rally or two; interceptions arrive late because inertia grows the swing; digs and scramble lifts eat the arm. After one Ryuga doubles session, switching back to a speed frame felt timing-broken for the next games — swing weight contaminates feel. Wrist and forearm load is high; I would not recommend it as a primary doubles stick. Even strong advisors have waved amateurs toward lighter weight classes if they only want a taste.

Who should buy

Buy gen 1 Ryuga if you want the classic Thruster smash feel that started the line and you already clear and kill with structure in singles. Skip for beginners, recovering elbows, or anyone living in mid-court drive wars. Prefer II Pro for Free Core + aiming upgrades, Metallic for the absolute ceiling, or plain Ryuga II if you want the name with less violence.

Verdict

Successful Nanjing-plant shaping of a targeted attack racket — fun and demanding, with a narrow ideal use case. Singles attackers may love it; I lasted seven days and two sessions before selling it on. The dragon tooth is real; the cost is continuous speed and arm budget.

ShareX / TwitterRedditWhatsApp

Was this article helpful?

Your vote helps us prioritize the next editorial sweep.

More reading

Keep reading

Privacy-first cookie choices

We use necessary local storage for the finder. Analytics and ads are optional and are off by default under our strict global baseline. Ads remain operationally disabled until a compliant consent platform is configured.