Ryuuza and her sister, Iku, were born to the joy of their province and showered with all the kingdom had to offer. Their father was a very powerful General in the Kingdom's Army and thus had many more people looking after them then there were looking up them. While Iku was a congenial young female Elvaan disinterested in history, books, and social behavior, Ryuuza was a more polished Elvaan. She became a well-rounded individual, with skills in all that was expected of her as a knight. She learned the art of battle, chocobo-riding, dancing, flirting (well, this she may have picked up on her own...), social graces, and how to fight using spears.

From somewhere, possibly the large San d'Orian library, she discovered the dragons. Whether this was considered a fitting hobby for the young General’s daughter is unknown, but Ryuuza certainly went ahead with researching it. She definitely was of a very intelligent and scholarly manner to understand the topic, yet she was also a social creature.

Though always a genteel woman, she had a tendency to flirt with every single man present. This may have originally been through a desire to find love and security, as Ryuuza's parent's died when she was a young woman and her best friend left voluntarily. Ryuuza's father died when she was nearly 18. This was rather a young age to take such responsibility as commanding the San d'Orian empires army, but Ryuuza had been preparing for it during her father's long illness. While she mourned what would soon be the loss of a father she loved and admired, she knew that she had to be strong and shield Iku, who wouldn't have handled it well. When her father died, Iku indeed took it extremely badly, both with horror at her father's death and disgust that all discussion soon moved on to solely speaking of who the next commander would be.

Because there were no sons in their family, the responsibility for ruling the knights fell on both of his daughter’s shoulders. The King had decided to divide the army into two separate parts they would each rule, to stop possible conflicts between the two sisters. Iku, however, was desperately sick of the throne and the chains of being a ruler. She only wanted to get away. Ryuuza felt the same longing for freedom, but knew realistically that her father’s knights had to be ruled by someone in the family or they would lose their royalty. They agreed that their fate would be decided by the flip of a coin, and if heads landed up, they would pick their own fate. Tails, therefore, would be to follow the King’s plan.

Before the coin had even landed, Iku had chosen her fate. And when heads actually landed on the table, she was already halfway out of the door. Her choice lead her into the mountains South of San d'Oria and into the teaching of the Monk. Ryuuza, however, choose to stay in San d'Oria and continue to lead her people. She was a cunning leader, with an ability to both slay the biggest of foes, and also see the hidden truth in people.

It is unknown what lead her to ally herself with the Shadow Dragons. Her first encounter with the group came when Tyreal and several other members of the group stormed the King's citadel. They entered into the back way and headed straight for the detention area in the dungeon. The large Galka easily tossed aside the few guards that were stationed between the entrance and the jail. After freeing a sickly-looking Hume who had been brought in earlier that night on public drunkenness, they turn around and headed back for the same doorway they entered through. Though never intervening in this matter, Ryuuza watched the groups every move. As the group exited the building, the large Galka looked around the room and for a moment Ryuuza and his eyes met. She learned a tremendous amount about him from those few seconds. After that, the door closed and the dungeon returned to normal.

Several hours later, Ryuuza sent out her best scouts to try and determine who this group was, who their leader was, and why they had seen fit to waltz into her prison to free a drunkard. The scouts soon returned with all the information that she needed. They knew of the group’s whereabouts as well as had more information on the leader, the infamous Tyreal. Intrigued to learn more about the company that Tyreal surrounded himself with and their purpose, she took the information and traveled to the location they were staying at while in San d'Oria.

Walking in through the front door just as Tyreal had done at the prison, she was greeted by several people restraining her. Then from several feet away in the shadows came the Galka’s unmistakable bellowing laugh. As Tyreal gave the ok, her assailants let go of her. Ryuuza and Tyreal spoke for several hours that night about a wide range of topics, from personal matters to the overall state of Vana’diel. As the morning began to break, both of them felt they could turn to the other for help if it were ever needed.

It was perhaps this acquaintance with Tyreal that caused her to seek his help several months later. Rumors began circulating that the Shadow Lord had a hand in her father's death. She certainly saw the Shadow Lord for the monster he was and for the world domination for which he and his followers seemed to be preparing. Tyreal and his familiarity with the dark lord may have provided her a deeper personal understanding of the Shadow Lord’s motives. It may also help her discover a weakness in the dark leader’s psyche.

After only two meetings between Ryuuza and the Shadow Dragons, a representative of the Shadow Lord approached Ryuuza. They were looking for allies. If she did not agree to ally herself and her kingdom's land to the Shadow Lord then he would attack them and take the land by force. Realizing this would not only save lives, but could give her another edge in defeating the Shadow Lord, she accepted his offer.