Gan Ning

Gan Ning is a character who appears in every title following his debut in Dynasty Warriors 2. Formerly a pirate, he wears bells on his clothing to "warn" his enemies of their impending doom, sometimes calling himself "Gan Ning of the Bells". Sun Quan particularly likes him and historically said, "Mengde has Zhang Liao, and I have Gan Xingba."

In the Dynasty Warriors series, he is 23 years old and his height is 181 cm (a little over 5'11"). His height in Kessen II is 180 cm (short of 5'11").

Role in Games

 * "Humph! When it comes to pure, mindless violence, you win hands down."
 * ―Ling Tong

Dynasty Warriors
Gan Ning is known as a menace on the seas by pirate and soldier alike. Leading his own personal unit of sailors, who are likely his former shipmates, he launches surprise attacks in most of his battles. In the games where he serves under Huang Zu, he causes Ling Cao's demise and earns Ling Tong's scorn. He is a rival of sorts for Zhang Liao at He Fei as they both lead key ambushes to turn the tide of battle. To restore Wu's broken morale from He Fei, Gan Ning leads a night raid on Wei's camp at Ru Xu Kou and proves to be a crucial warrior for Sun Quan. Unless it is his own story or players neglect him, Gan Ning generally dies against Shu at Yi Ling.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends takes place during his night raid at Ru Xu Kou. Planning a hit-and-run through Wei's camp, Gan Ning leads a small party to deal ten minutes of carnage. His time is limited to avoid having the enemy claim the ships they used. Although he caught the camp's generals off guard, Zhang Liao returns to challenge Gan Ning. Slaying his rival in their encounter, Gan Ning and his men make a getaway after their victory.

Dynasty Warriors 5 describes Gan Ning as a pirate who raided the docks at Jiang Dong. Taking advantage of the chaos, he joins Huang Zu and holds off Sun Quan at Xia Kou. Feeling under appreciated by his master, he soon seeks Sun Quan's service. After joining the chase for Cao Cao's head, Gan Ning distinguishes himself as an able officer at He Fei and Fan Castle. During his time in Wu, Ling Tong tries to avenge his father and attacks Gan Ning while they work together. When Gan Ning rescues Ling Tong, they eventually make amends at Yi Ling and they slay Liu Bei. Wu gains momentum and conquers the land with Gan Ning's support. In his ending, he is happy for some excitement as bandits raid his leisurely boat.

Ru Xu Kou continues to be his Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion. This time he shares the stage with Ling Tong, Lu Meng, Taishi Ci and Zhou Tai. Although his night raid is still a pivotal part of Wu's plan, he works together with his comrades to succeed. On Lu Meng's orders, he takes the center part of the map to draw Xu Huang and Xiahou Dun's attention. With them distracted, Gan Ning circles around the west through Wu's boats and attacks the main camp guarded by Cao Ren. If he takes the enemy camp quickly, Wei is thrown off balance and not even Zhang Liao's heroics can stop Wu's victory march.

Gan Ning's former employment is given a passing mention in Dynasty Warriors 6, and he is first seen joining the Allied Forces at Chi Bi. Cocky of his strength, Gan Ning insists on doing things his own way rather than listening to his superior's orders. Though Ling Tong is disgruntled with his brutish tactics, Zhou Yu and Lu Meng forgive his behavior since it lets him demonstrate his prowess to his new allies. As time progresses, Lu Meng grows weary with Gan Ning's apathetic attitude towards his comrades and chides him to work with them. The older gent, while he may criticize Gan Ning's methods, supports the former pirate and helps him gain a favorable image to Sun Quan. Joining the effort to reclaim Jing Province from Liu Bei, Gan Ning is excited to fight Zhang Liao at He Fei and distinguishes himself in the battle. Mourning Lu Meng's death at Fan Castle, Gan Ning decides to take his responsibilities more seriously in honor of his departed friend. With Shu eventually defeated by Wei, he cooperates with Lu Xun's instructions and supports the front at Shi Ting and He Fei Castle. Saying adieu to Wu and his band of sailors, Gan Ning forsakes profit to explore the peaceful land for adventure. His followers track him down and, touched by their similar desires, he decides to bring them with him.

Warriors Orochi
During Orochi's scenario, he acts as Zhou Yu's secret weapon against Zhuge Liang at He Fei. Teaming up with Zhang Liao, both warriors ambush the marching Orochi army. Despite their efforts, they are defeated and Gan Ning evades capture.

By the time Warriors Orochi takes place, Gan Ning initially allies himself with Lu Xun and Ling Tong to defy Orochi. He and Ling Tong also join a rebellion force led by Xing Cai and the two part ways after Gan Ning disobeys orders. He later enlists in a rebellion led Nagamasa and Oichi. When Nagamasa's army is beaten, he joins forces with Cao Pi. He is one of the officers who sides with Cao Pi over Cao Cao in Wei's ending.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Gan Ning fights alongside Lu Meng and they struggle to fight off Lu Bu's army. Seeing an opening through Lu Bu's charge, the former pirate momentarily retreats from the battle to seek reinforcements. Like Lu Meng, he joins Sakon's resistance in gratitude for saving them. He shares his dream stage with Zhang Liao and Kotarō at Ueda Castle. To support Sun Quan, they spring a surprise attack on Meng Huo's strategist, Zhuge Liang. As they progress through the map, Ling Cao spots them and needs to be defeated for their plan to work.

Kessen
Gan Ning appears as a general for Wu in Kessen II. He is a bare-chested, tattooed general who is mentioned to being a former pirate. He is often seen alongside Sun Quan and acts as one of his closest generals. He's often worried by his lord's actions and will lightly question his judgment. He leads an archer unit in battle and is a solid physical fighter. If Cao Cao issues a scheme to weaken the trust between Liu Bei and Sun Quan at Chi-Bi, both he and Zhang Fei will get into a bloody scuffle. They will lose men and lower ally morale. His Dynasty Warriors 2 appearance makes a short cameo in a cutscene after the Battle of Chi Bi.

Personality
Gan Ning is a man of action who doesn't like to adjust to proper etiquette. Wild and fearless, he is merely satisfied with a good brawl in battle. He's confident in his abilities and, though he seems arrogant, he has a good head on his shoulders and knows when to rely on teamwork. He especially likes his private army of sailors and they fondly call him "Big Bro". However, he's fickle about who he'll take orders from as seen in the Warriors Orochi series. Putting up a tough front, he occasionally has difficulty expressing his opinions in a nicer tone. In the Japanese script, he is quite bashful when he tries to voice his dedication to the player's characters and is especially fretful over his wife in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires.

His relationship with Ling Tong is strained at first, mostly on the latter's end regarding his father's death. Gan Ning is personally more agitated by Ling Tong's haughty attitude and persistent insults. Their hostility towards one another eventually turns into a civil rivalry between comrades, each one trying to outmatch or outwit the other in combat. Their sour ties are downplayed in Dynasty Warriors 6. His rival forgives him and they're good comrades in the end.

He respects Lu Meng as his good word helped him enter Wu. They share a mentor-student relationship in recent games, as Lu Meng often chides him for his reckless and nonuniform behavior. Gan Ning acts as though he doesn't care and often shrugs off the strategist's concerns. He nicknames Lu Meng, "Old man" (オッサン, ossan), a term that displeases the veteran as he's just in his late twenties.

Character Symbolism
The original name for his Strength weapon in Dynasty Warriors 6 can also be translated as Dragon Dance, a traditional performance with a line of dancers during Chinese New Year festivities. Dragons in China are revered as creatures of good fortune and longevity who grant fertile rainfall for the coming year. The dance has been said to be thwart future illness, a few legends stating that it was used to appease the Dragon King Ao Guang.

His skill chart is roughly shaped after the "bell" character (鈴).

Voice Actors

 * Doug Stone - Dynasty Warriors 4~5, Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Seong Wan Gyeong - Dynasty Warriors 2 (Korean)
 * Kim Yong Joon - Dynasty Warriors 3 (Korean)
 * Byeon Yeong-hui - Dynasty Warriors 4~5 (Korean)
 * Shiyoki Kitatani - Dynasty Warriors 2 (Japanese)
 * Hiroaki Miura - Dynasty Warriors 3~6 and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Yasushiko Tokuyama - Dynasty Tactics (Japanese)
 * Munehira Tokida - Dynasty Tactics 2 (Japanese)
 * Mahito Ōba - Kessen II (Japanese)

Quotes

 * See also: Gan Ning/Quotes


 * "Fight me if you dare!"
 * "Gan Ning is back in action!"
 * "Kill your enemies, protect your allies. It's as simple as that."
 * "I like adventure, that's the way I am and always will be. Taking my ease in a world of peace? The thought puts shivers down my spine."
 * Talking with Ling Tong; Dynasty Warriors 6


 * "Oh yeah! When the bells come a ringin', death comes a swingin'!"
 * Dynasty Warriors 6 Special

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: A series of left and right slashes as he sprints forward.
 * , undefined: An upwards slash.
 * ,, undefined, (undefined, undefined, undefined): A series of vertical cuts. Ends with a diagonal slash as he holds his sword backwards.
 * ,, , undefined: Wide slash to his left.
 * ,, , , undefined: An uppercut with a fiery shockwave. Launches foes.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Hops and slashes. Creates a whirlwind around him. Is invincible until the whirlwind comes out.
 * A fast running martial arts-style blade swipe. In his True Musou version, he leaps into the air and plants his sword into the ground, emitting a shockwave around him.


 * , : Downwards cut.
 * , undefined, (undefined, undefined, undefined): Gan Ning lifts his foes into the air with a slash. Stays aerial and dices his enemies in the air before slashing them back down.
 * Dashing : Sliding knee attack.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Leans to each side and swings his weapon.
 * ,, , , , : Three slices to the right, three slices to the left.
 * Repeated left and right strikes as Musou gauge empties.


 * Warriors Orochi
 * ,: An airdash that makes him temporarily invincible. Gan Ning rolls forward.
 * R1: Gan Ning crouches and becomes transparent for five seconds. Lets him escape from attacks if timed correctly and increases his attack until he reverts. He can hit people at the exact moment of his transformation, but the damage isn't very high.
 * direction + R1: A hopping slice forward.

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Seven left and right slashes with his daggers and a knee attack. Lifts both of his daggers for a rising strike and follows with a spinning roundhouse kick. Performs a leaping uppercut with one of his daggers pointing forward and slashes once more when he lands. While in a lowered position, he quickly hurls twelve airwaves forward by slashing diagonal cuts with his daggers.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Smashes the ground with his fist, knocking his enemies skyward. Flip kicks and follows with a spinning kick. Slices the air with both daggers, sending airwaves forward. He hops into the air and slams his fist into the ground for an exploding impact.
 * undefined (held): Crouches and readies his daggers. Dashes with daggers forward in a straight path, cutting any within range.
 * Series of attacks depending on Renbu levels. Ends the sequence by hopping into the air and smashing his fist into the ground to create an exploding impact.


 * , : Cuts with both daggers.
 * , undefined: Slight lift in the air before he smashes his fist into the ground.
 * Dashing : Small hopping slice with one dagger.
 * Dashing undefined: Running jump kick that has Gan Ning surrounded in an aura.


 * Grapple attack : A short ranged slash. If it connects, Gan Ning bashes the dagger into his enemy's neck to stun them. He then kicks them to their knees, knees their face, and slashes them one more time with his dagger. Very quick, but his enemies have to be directly in front of him to successfully pull off the move.
 * Grapple attack undefined: A low diagonal cut. If it connects, he knees his foe twice before throwing them over his shoulder.
 * Deadlock attack: Jabs his enemy's chin twice before he pummels their torso with several punches. He performs a leaping uppercut to knock them down.


 * Special attack: True Speed: greatly boosts speed. Leans his upper body forward, poising his daggers in front of him while he runs.
 * Dashing : Stretches out his arms and slashes with each dagger.
 * Dashing undefined: Smashes the ground for an explosion.

Horse Moveset

 * string: Several one-handed swings to his right. Number of attacks increase with Renbu levels.
 * undefined: Cut with both blades on opposing sides.
 * Faster version of the string that ends with a undefined attack.

Dynasty Warriors
In Dynasty Warriors 6, Gan Ning is arguably the quickest character in the game. His skills emphasize speed and his attacks are naturally fast at any Renbu level. His weapons are two short knives, which has a slightly shorter range than his previous scimitar. Offensive strategies continue to work best with Gan Ning as he can keep up the pressure as long as he is near his enemies. Though he lacks reliable crowd control attacks and has a relatively weak defense, his agility will more than likely balance these out in the end.

Weapons

 * See also: Gan Ning/Weapons

Historical Information
Gan Ning, at the time a bandit and outlaw, served under Liu Yan, a warlord of Yi province. After Liu Yan's death, Gan Ning revolted against the Yi successor, Liu Zhang. His rebellion failed, and Gan Ning traveled back to Jing province seeking employment under Liu Biao. Instead, he came to work for Huang Zu. Yet, though Huang Zu forced him to stay under his service, Gan Ning was treated like no more than a common soldier. The event in which Gan Ning shot and killed Ling Cao, an officer of Sun Quan, was virtually ignored by Huang Zu. At the recommendation and urging of advisor Su Fei, Huang Zu promoted Gan Ning to the Chief of Zhu. Zhu was located relatively close to Sun Quan's territory, and Gan Ning escaped over to there.

The generals Zhou Yu and Lu Meng beseeched Sun Quan to allow Gan Ning into service, which he did. In 208 AD, the territory of Xiakou was subjugated, and Huang Zu was slain. Sun Quan offered two rewards after the victory: one for the head of Huang Zu, the second for the head of Su Fei. Because of the generosity and kindness displayed to him in his earlier years, Gan Ning pleaded with Sun Quan to grant Su Fei amnesty. Once again, Sun Quan accepted, and Su Fei was let off.

After the Battle of Chibi, Sun Quan ordered Gan Ning to capture the city of Yiling. Gan Ning easily claimed success in this objective, but was surrounded and hard-pressed by the troops of Cao Ren. Though outnumbered, Yiling was held long enough for Zhou Yu to arrive as reinforcements, and Cao Ren was repelled. Other grand exploits of Gan Ning include the scaling of the city Huan's walls with a silken rope during a siege, the raiding of Cao Ren's camp at Ruxukou, and the defending of Sun Quan's carraige at Hefei, along with Ling Tong and Lu Meng.

Unlike his portrayal within the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Gan Ning did not slay Yue Jin nor was killed by Shamoke. Instead, Gan Ning died of illness.

Trivia

 * In Dynasty Warriors 6, Gan Ning's bells can be heard as he runs around on the battlefield. They don't ring in certain versions of the game's PS2 port.