Before you make a single crease, you must understand that the Ryujin is a marathon, not a sprint. Most tutorials (such as the seminal videos by Kade Chan) are several hours long. Your first step is not folding; it is selection.
Paper Choice is Critical: You cannot fold this model from standard kami (standard origami paper). It is too small and not durable enough. You have two primary paths:
Sizing: A standard Ryujin 3.5 usually requires a grid of roughly 50cm x 50cm (approx 20 inches). Cutting your paper to a perfect square is non-negotiable, as any imbalance will distort the dragon's symmetry. origami ryujin 3.5 tutorial
Since a standard step-by-step book doesn't exist, here is your official treasure map.
Note: This is a sectional tutorial focusing on critical, high-difficulty operations rather than full step-by-step diagrams. Follow an official Ryujin 3.5 diagram or crease pattern in parallel. Before you make a single crease, you must
The four legs are the "easy" part (relative to the hell you have survived). Each leg ends in a foot with five claws. The 3.5 model features curled claws. To achieve this, you do not cut the paper. Instead, you perform a series of pleat-reductions that turn a thick, blunt flap into five needle-like points. Each claw is 2mm wide.
There are six legs (fore, mid, hind). Each leg requires: Sizing: A standard Ryujin 3
If you are serious about this tutorial, you need visual aids. Here are the legal and reputable sources:
Once the grid and scale pre-creasing are done, you must collapse the paper. The Ryujin uses a "box-pleating" technique.
Folding the Ryujin 3.5 is a journey. It is an endurance test that teaches you more about paper mechanics than perhaps any other model. When you finally hold that scale-covered dragon in your hands, realizing that it came from a single, uncut square of paper, the exhaustion fades away. You haven't just folded paper; you have tamed a dragon.