Cao Ren

Cao Ren is a character who first appeared as a playable character in Dynasty Warriors 4. He is one of Cao Cao's cousins and has served under him for almost two decades. Wanting to bring peace to the land under his cousin's name, he becomes the loyal shield of Wei and is known for his incredible defensive strategies.

In the Dynasty Warriors series, he is 31 years old and his height is 174 cm (5'8.5"). In Kessen II, he stands at 180 cm (close to 5'11").

Dynasty Warriors
Cao Ren is a stout general who prides himself for his tenacity and stamina. He is known in this series for being the main commander at Fan Castle. Without his tactical coordination, Lu Meng's plan to slay Guan Yu with the united Wei and Wu armies would have not succeeded. Cao Ren often continues to serve in his home's decisive battles against the other kingdoms in the series.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends takes place after Wei's defeat at the Battle of Chi Bi. Cao Cao retreats north and Cao Ren stations himself within Jiangling to guard his escape. He defends against the pursuing Wu army by concentrating on defense. His subordinate, Niu Jin, gives into Zhou Yu's taunts and recklessly charges from out of Wei's castle. However, he is soon surrounded and on the verge of defeat. To rescue his retainer and bring him back safely, Cao Ren decides to join the march. Worried that the castle will fall without him, the castle guards ask Cao Ren to reconsider. Even with their pleas, he hurries to Niu Jin's aid. While escorting his general back, Zhou Tai and Zhou Yu attack them. Cutting them down and having Niu Jin escape ends the conflict.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, Cao Ren is noted as a someone who was rough and frivolous in his youth. Joining his cousin to fight for the land's peace, he reinvents himself to become a disciplined general. He serves in all of Cao Cao's major campaigns and distinguishes himself by cutting an escape path for his lord after they lose Chi Bi. While they rebuild their defenses against the other forces, he is ordered to be one of the defenders for He Fei. When Guan Yu invades Jing Province, Cao Ren resists him at Fan Castle. Keeping the morale high with his determination, they repel the invaders but learn that Cao Cao passed away after their victory. Cao Ren continues to serve under his cousin's son, Cao Pi. As he helps repel Shu away from Chen Cang, the fall of the Wu happens simultaneously at He Fei Castle. Shu is soon struck down at Wu Zhang Plains and Cao Pi, pleased with Cao Ren's accomplishments, orders his other subordinates to follow his example. Seeing the land at peace, Cao Ren dismisses his soldiers and wishes for the hard won serenity to endure endlessly.

He shares his Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion with Cao Cao, Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He. Together, they struggle against the supernatural powers wielded by the Five Bushel sect. Cao Ren takes the western mountain path and worms his way up the summit. Upon reaching the second story level, Zhang Lu casts an illusion to conceal the staircases. As the only one who is close to the statues responsible for the trick, Cao Ren is given the task of destroying them, even when they explode as they shatter. He perseveres and the way to the enemy main camp is opened. After the battle, Cao Ren renews his goal to keep up the fight.

Dynasty Warriors 6 continues to have Cao Ren appear at He Fei, Fan Castle and Shi Ting. Still the leader of the Wei-Wu alliance at Jing, he keeps a vigilant watch over the main camp. In Special, he is also one of the Wei generals present at Ru Xu Kou. He defends one of the three bases on the Wei front.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, Cao Ren unwillingly serves Orochi. In the Battle of Nagashino Gaiden stage, the Takeda-Uesugi alliance bravely faces the massive Orochi army headed by Sun Quan and Cao Pi. If the player successfully rescues the Takeda-Uesugi alliance within two minutes of the start of the stage, then successfully escorts the Takeda cavalry to the retreat point, Cao Ren will be inspired by the Coalition's will to fight, even in the face of inevitable annihilation.

The sequel has him as one of the generals who remain at Wei during Cao Cao's absence. He defends Cao Pi from the brunt of Kiyomori's attack at Komaki-Nagakute. Afterwards, he resumes his service in the main army. In his dream mode, he teams up with Katsuie and Sun Jian to rescue Oichi from Yuan Shao.

Kessen
In Kessen II, he is the eldest son of Cao Cao's uncle, Cao Bu. His relationship with Cao Cao is downplayed but he is still as loyal to his lord as ever. His request to stop Yuan Shao is rejected as Cao Cao barks that he can't handle sudden changes. In Wei's story, he falls victim to one of Zhuge Liang's ploys and is trapped by many of Shu's high ranking officers at Bo Wan Po. He's rescued by Wei's main army and fights for his country for the rest of the game. He marches into battle with a large army of foot soldiers and is often supported by offensive secondary units. Many of his officer skills focus on defense or sustaining morale, making him one of the more resilient generals in the game.

He is also Xiahou Yuan's sworn brother and bares a grudge against his brother's killer. If he faces him in battle, Cao Ren gains a unique morale boost and will often have the upperhand.

Personality
Cao Ren is a kind and compassionate man who is an adamant practitioner of endurance. He usually refers to himself as an immovable rock obstructing his enemies' path who will not falter unless he is broken. A pacifist at heart, he actually dislikes war and those who actively perpetuate it. He sees war as a necessary evil, the only way to end the currently ongoing strife. He cares for the safety of his allies and enemies, believing that everyone should live in happiness. Though blessed with indomitable determination, he isn't flexible with switching his mindset regarding proper decorum and personal relationships. He'll berate soldiers who he deems to be unprepared and cannot relax his warrior senses on duty, even whilst in the presence of loved ones.

He shares a close relationship with Cao Cao and his cousin addresses Cao Ren by his style name in the Asian script. In Dynasty Warriors 4, he acts as Zhen Ji's guardian angel. During the opening cinema for the game, if the player chooses Zhen Ji in the first scene with a boulder flying at her, Cao Ren will jump out and break the oncoming boulder to protect her.

Character Symbolism
Within the Asian ports, Cao Ren's weapons -including his polearm from Dynasty Warriors 6- have a "sword and shield" motif in them to describe the bladed section of his shield. The blade section has a slightly different name than the shield part in most cases. Though he doesn't fight with a shield in the sixth title, his skill chart at least is shaped like one.

The bladed part for his Level 11 Weapon is originally named "diamond", which can also translate to "thunderbolt" within Sanskrit. Within Asian culture, a diamond is famed as a powerful object that can slice through anything but itself and the thunderbolt is a powerful force often paired divine intervention. The same characters are also used to describe a weapon used by gods within Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, the vajra, which symbolizes spiritual integrity and fortitude. Cao Ren reputedly carries the "impenetrable wall" as the harness for his blade.

His third weapon took its namesake after a crane. Cranes within East Asian culture are a general symbol for longevity, grace, and intelligence. A bird of good fortune and happiness, China places it within particularly high regard and is second only to the fenghuang with its majesty. Newly departed spirits also rode the crane through the sky in various legends. The Japanese name for the pickaxe is named in ode to the bird and is broken down as "crane beak", the literal name for Cao Ren's blade.

Cao Ren's fourth weapon and his Standard polearm are likely named after the fenghuang, but the character used is an alternate spelling for another mythological bird from China, the Peng. According to the Xiao Yao You, the peng is the avian version of a gigantic fish living in the northern seas named Kun. When kun wished to leave its watery dwellings, it morphed into a bird of unmeasurable length for a seemingly endless flight. Journey to the West includes a peng and a single leap for it was 90,000 li (about 360,000 kilometers). Since its wings were said to eclipse the sky whilst aerial, the peng is sometimes attributed as a cause for solar eclipses.

If the crane is an aerial creature of longevity, its land-bound counterpart for the same right is the tortoise, the namesake for Cao Ren's Skill weapon. Within Japan, there is a famous saying, "A crane can live for a thousand years, a tortoise ages to six hundred." This statement contrasts several Chinese beliefs, stating the reptile could live for centuries or thousands years more. Nu Wa uses the legs of a turtle to continue supporting the sky within ancient myths. Stone tortoises were erected as pedestals for city structures to support this belief, the creature's endurance lasting for ages and the sturdy shell resilient to the beatings of time.

A dragon acts as the namesake for his Strength weapon, a mythological beast known for its ties to the Imperial family. Aside from being celebrated in the Chinese New Year, dragons like to live in aquatic dwellings yet can also soar into the sky or form new land by resting on the earth. They are known as wise advisors and bringers of life, a supreme entity over all other beasts. If they are ignored or offended, however, they retaliate mercilessly and are just as capable of taking away their gifts during their outrage. Dragons also double as a symbol of Chinese ethnicity for many years, a prominent symbol of cultural identity that continues with many proud and willing residents to this day.

The original name for Cao Ren's Personal Item in Warriors Orochi is the Wei Liaozi, one of the Seven Military Classics of China. The twenty-four scroll compilation stresses a balance of military and civil affairs for a country to reach a reasonable state of equilibrium. A ruler should treat his people with respect and concern for they create and build the land's resources. At the same time, a ruler should also stress discipline with military training and recruitment, punishing rebels without hesitation.

Voice Actors

 * Beau Billingslea - Dynasty Warriors 4~6, Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Son Jong-Hwan - Dynasty Warriors 4~5 (Korean)
 * Hisao Egawa - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Keisuke Baba - Dynasty Tactics 2 (Japanese)
 * Bin Shimada - Kessen II (Japanese)
 * Yūji Machi - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * See also: Cao Ren/Quotes


 * "I will carry out the dreams of Wei... No... All of the dreams of the land!"
 * "Watch as the Serpent King's blade, shatters upon my armor."
 * "I shall stand as the shield for the innocent!"
 * "Everybody, follow me! If we win this battle, we can bring an end to the chaos! I will protect you, and together we will create a new age!"
 * "Enemies should always be allowed to flee. But this time, there is no escape!"
 * "I am a rock! The waves of chaos break upon me!"
 * "Is everything alright?"
 * "I was gazing out at the lake. Could it be that one day, the world will be as peaceful as this?
 * "That day will come soon enough. Do not forget, that is the reason we have come, to vanquish the Kingdom of Wu."
 * "Yes. To end the turmoil, I shall play the villain a while longer!"
 * Zhen Ji and Cao Ren; Dynasty Warriors 4


 * "My lord, no! If you go, the castle will fall!"
 * "How can I protect a castle if I cannot protect the lives of my men? Open the gate!"
 * Cao Ren's troops trying to stop him from rescuing Niu Jin; Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends


 * "You know, there is one kind of person I just can't get along with! And that's people like you! People that take pleasure in fighting!
 * "Oh? And what is that wicked looking thing you're carrying for? Sewing?"
 * "Silence! I shall break that contemptible blade of yours!"
 * Cao Ren and Gan Ning at He Fei; Dynasty Warriors 5


 * "It is finally over. Everyone, lower your weapons and live in peace. This is the time to tend to your fields and to hold your families close. May the land and it's people enjoy endless prosperity!"
 * Cao Ren in his ending; Dynasty Warriors 5


 * "Ren, it has been some time since you began to call me 'Lord', has it not?"
 * "It is true that we are of the same blood. But we must maintain the proper bounds of Lord and Vassal."
 * "I would have this chaotic world end, that we might once more sit at a table and share a drink together."
 * Cao Cao and Cao Ren; Dynasty Warriors 6


 * "The enemy of Xiahou Yuan shall be destroyed!"
 * Cao Ren facing Zhang Fei; Kessen II

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: A stomp that knock over enemies.
 * , undefined: An upward swing of the buckler.
 * ,, undefined (undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined): Shoots out spinning projectiles.
 * ,, , undefined: A bear hug of sorts.
 * ,, , , undefined: Slams the ground sending enemies skyward.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Runs over enemies with shield.
 * Multiple slashes then a ground-shaking stomp.


 * , : Downward diagonal slash to the right.
 * , undefined: Cao Ren jumps, then performs a flip onto the ground, smashing his buckler into the ground to create a shockwave.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Cao Ren slashes at both sides.
 * ,, , , , : Three attacks to the right side, three to the left.
 * Repeating slashes to all sides until the Musou gauge empties.


 * Warriors Orochi
 * ,R1: Dashes forward with his shield up front. Ends with a rising uppercut.
 * R1 (counter): Quick slice forward. Creates a horizontal slash effect.


 * As opposed to in Dynasty Warriors 5, Cao Ren shoots saw-like projectiles in his C3. In the Warriors Orochi series, he shoots out blue waves.

Dynasty Warriors 6
He shares his moveset with Lu Meng, Xu Huang, Guan Ping, and Ling Tong. See Dynasty Warriors 6/Weapon Movesets for more details.
 * Special attack: Swift Attack: immediately boosts Cao Ren's Renbu gauge up to the Infinite Renbu and grants higher attack and defense power. When used at low, red health, the effects of Swift Attack increase.

Dynasty Warriors
Cao Ren, though with a slow attack speed and initial below-par reach, makes up for his weaknesses with his superb defense and officer-killing abilities. Cao Ren is also relatively slow in terms of his running speed, but his dash attack makes him travel far in a short amount of time. Roc, the fourth weapon in Ren's array, has a weak attack, so it is recommended to upgrade its Attack, Charge, and Base Attack attributes.

One good stalling attack is his C3. As with every other third charge, the attack's last hit stuns enemies. With added-on elemental orb items, the attack chain can swiftly defeat officers, and either clear or spread out surrounding crowds. The Wei general is one of the many characters that has a stomp attack that knocks over enemies, which is his C1. Though it has bad range, it can give time for Cao Ren to flee. On a horse, Cao Ren has excellent reach. He also cannot flinch to normal attacks while he is attacking. This ability is unique to him and Xing Cai in Dynasty Warriors 5 and also to any character with a heavy weapon in the Extreme Legends expansion.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, Cao Ren was remodeled to wield a large trident and has a polearm moveset. The new moveset Cao Ren has focuses on wide-range attacks, accompanied by linear energy waves with a lightning effect, stunning enemies. His Musou attack also ends with a giant arrowhead shockwave that travels quickly in a straight line.

His abilities to enhance his Swift attack are Overawe (which causes enemy defenses to be reduced), Rage and Wild Rage (in which overall damage from Swift Attack is increased). Along with Special Start, a skill that makes Cao Ren start with one Tome every battle, Cao Ren's Officer Skills mainly focus on buffing up his defenses. Skills like Fire Resist, Lightning Resist, Ice Resist, and Arrow Guard help Ren resist elemental attacks and decrease damage taken from long-range arrows.

Warriors Orochi
As Cao Ren is a Technique-type character, he has access to Enhanced Strikes and one special attack. His Enhanced Strike allows him to counter in a wide arc in an invincible state. In the C2-ex special attack of Cao Ren, after, and an R1 tap, Cao Ren quickly sprints frontwards, and raises his arm, activating a black quake around him. In the original Warriors Orochi, Cao Ren would only use a very small amount of his Musou gauge, and would do a high of damage to all units. In the second installment, the Musou gauge cost for using his special attack increased dramatically, using about half of his initial level one Musou gauge. However, the damage also increased, and the initial strike now carries weapon elements.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Cao Ren gains a C3-ex special not listed in his move set. After, , and an R1, instead of shooting single waves repeatedly, he will blast out a six-round spread shot barrage. All rounds activate weapon elements.

To make up for Cao Ren's speed and range weaknesses, enhancing his weapon with Agility, Range, Flash, and high-damaging elements. In the first Warriors Orochi game, Cao Ren's C3 attack was noticeably weaker to Dynasty Warriors 5 and it's expansions. However, in the next installment, it's damage done to every unit of soldier was greater than past attacks.

Weapons

 * See also: Cao Ren/Weapons

Historical Information
Cao Ren was born in the fief of Qiao. His father was Cao Chi, his grandfather was Cao Bao, and his sons were Cao Tai, Cao Kai, and Cao Fan. Cao Ren's grandfather and father received appointments under the later Han Dynasty.

In his youthful years, though Cao Ren was fond of hunting and equestrianism, he was also rebellious. After becoming a general, however, he would become disciplined and wa strict towards the various laws. When Cao Cao begun raising an army for a campaign against Dong Zhuo, Cao Ren offered his services, along with one thousand men he gathered. He was made Major with a Separate Command and Colonel of Lifeng.

Cao Ren met much success during the punitive expeditions against Yuan Shu and Tao Qian, and usually led the cavalry in the army's vanguard. In the latter campaign, he attacked the flanks of Lu You, one of Tao Qian's generals, and achieved great victories against the enemy after regrouping with the main army at the city of Peng. Cao Ren also routed the Tao Qian-sent reinforcements for the attacked prefectures of Jimo, Hua, Fei, and Kaiyang. When Cao Cao ordered a campaign to vanquish Lu Bu, Cao Ren was able to capture Juyang city as ordered and also captured Liu He, a general of Lu Bu.

After Cao Cao guided and took the emperor under his wing, Cao Ren was promoted to the position of Grand Administrator of Guangyang. However, instead of being sent to his assigned area, he stayed in the capital to train the cavalry on the account of Cao Cao's favoring of Cao Ren's valor. Cao Ren raided some surrounding prefectures when Cao Cao battled Zhang Xiu, and would gain Cao Cao's praise after he begun raising troops' morale after the army was disheartened at the the losses dealt to them by Zhang Xiu.

During the Guandu campaign, Yuan Shao sent Liu Bei to raid the prefectures around Yinjiang and Yinjiang itself. Many commoners volunteered and joined Liu Bei, leading Cao Cao to be troubled. Cao Ren said to his lord that the commoners joined Liu Bei because they were threatened and believed that the men of Cao Cao were distracted with a bigger battle as to not be able to retaliate, and that Liu Bei did not have full control over the troops he was given, and so they would be easy to defeat. Cao Cao, enlightened, ordered Cao Ren take a cavalry unit to attack Liu Bei, and so he did, repelling Liu Bei and putting down all the rebelling prefectures. Cao Ren was also able to defeat Han Xun, a lieutenant whom was sent by Yuan Shao to ambush Cao Ren. Yuan Shao would not separate his force, and Cao Ren would be one of the commanders who destroyed Yuan Shao's supply sources.

Yuan Shao was defeated, and Cao Cao besieged the city of Hu Pass, yet the siege continued for months, causing him to order that after the city was taken all civlian and soldier alike would be killed. Cao Ren argued that for a successful siege, the attacker must allow the city's inhabitants to preserve their lives lest they fight to the death, and that Hu Pass was easily-defendable and well-supplied, and pointed out that attacking a city whose defenders realized that they would defend to the death was not a good strategy. Therein, Cao Cao pulled back the order of slaying all of Hu Pass' inhabitants, the city surrendered, and Cao Ren was promoted.

Cao Ren was made General who Conquers the South and was sent southwards to Jiangling to defend against the forces of Liu Bei and Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu led a company of several tens of thousands to attack Jiangling, and so Cao Ren sent Niu Jin with three hundred or so to respond. Niu Jin's unit was quickly surrounded, and officers worriedly stood watching the developments unfold. Angered and despite pleas and unresponded questions that losing a few hundred men wasn't comparable to losing a general, Cao Ren called for his horse and led some tens of his finest cavalry to rescue Niu Jin. The watching officers thought that Cao Ren would simply stay near the moat to back-up Niu Jin, but Cao Ren led his men forward tearing through the encirclement, escorting Niu Jin out, and plunging into the melee once again to save some stranded soldiers. Upon seeing Cao Ren return, the officers praised his as being godlike, and though Cao Cao also praised him for the deed, also lightly demoted him for eventually losing Jiangling.

Cao Cao then set into play operations against Ma Chao, and Cao Ren was able to defeat Ma Chao at the city of Weinan and quell a rebellion. He was then stationed at Fan in protection of Cao Cao's hold on Jing province. Hou Yin north in Wan rebelled, conquering some few cities and harassing surrounding prefectures, but Cao Ren succeeded in destroying the upstarts, for which he wwas estored to the former position of General who Conquers the South. Guan Yu would soon attack Fan, obliterating the companies of Yu Jin via flood, and Fan itself was surrounded by Guan Yu and water. Relief contingets for Cao Ren's thousand man-host stationed in Fan had not arrived, external communicatons were cut off, and supplies were at an all-time low. To combat the odds, Cao Ren kept the morale of his men up and eventually Xu Huang arrived as reinforcement and the floodwaters lowered Together with Xu Huang, Cao Ren broke the siege and repelled Guan Yu.

As Cao Ren was impressive in his discipline, and constantly consulted the oft-brought laws of conduct whenever facing an affair, Cao Pi once took Cao Ren as an example of one who obeyed the law dutifully to Cao Zhang. Once Cao Cao died, and Cao Pi usurped Emperor Xian, Cao Ren was made General of the Chariots and Cavalry, the second highest military position available. The size of his fief was doubled and he was also made Marquis of Chen. After Cao Ren and Xu Huang took over the Wu-controlled Xiangyang, Cao Ren was made in succession Regent-Marshal and Grand Marshal, the highest military positions and one of the highest civil ranks available, respectively.

Cao Ren died of natural causes in 223 AD, and was given the posthumous title of Marquis of Loyalty. Cao Ren's sons all achieved the rank of Marquis at the very least, and Cao Tai, his heir, was made General who Guards the East.

Trivia

 * His name with Japanese Dynasty Warriors fans is "Jindam" (ジンダム), an anagram of the Japanese pronunciation for Ren and Gundam.