Guan Yu

Guan Yu (onyomi: Kan U) is arguably one of Liu Bei's bravest and strongest generals. A mighty warrior with a studious mind, he has been praised as a man who could cleave apart an "army of thousands with ease". His well-kept beard was famous and he was nicknamed "Beautiful Beard" (鬚髯) by his peers. To this day, Guan Yu is worshiped by many Asians as Guandi (関帝), the God of brotherhood, justice and righteousness. Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other Three Kingdoms fiction portrays him as the noble and dignified oath brother for Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. He has been dubbed one of the Five Tiger Generals years after his death. His historical children are Guan Ping and Guan Xing; his fictional children are Guan Suo and Guan Yinping.

Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll has him at thirty-fourth place out of sixty-two characters and fifty-sixth in the Shin Sangoku Musou 7: Moushouden poll.

Role in Games

 * "What is it that you desire, warrior of yore?"
 * ―Nobunaga Oda; Warriors Orochi

Dynasty Warriors
Guan Yu is a powerful general who is considered to be a hero in each kingdom. He meets and joins Liu Bei during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and follows his lord in the Allied Forces. In most titles, he and his brothers duel Lu Bu while at Hu Lao Gate. Following Dong Zhuo's downfall, Guan Yu is eventually separated from his brothers and is often captured by Cao Cao. Momentarily serving his new master until knowing his brother's whereabouts, he decides to repay the kind gift Cao Cao gives him at Guan Du and has special quotes if he cuts down Wen Chou and Yan Liang. If he spots his brother in Yuan Shao's army, Guan Yu will lay down his arms and retreat.

Tied by his oath he has to Liu Bei, a few games depict him leaving Cao Cao and journeying through five passes to reunite with his brothers. A few titles also has Guan Yu reinforce Liu Bei's flight at Chang Ban by guarding the boats for their escape. While his brother leads a campaign against Liu Zhang, Guan Yu is left to guard Shu's foothold in Jing Province. Aside from a few select scenarios, he often dies in Jing Province at Fan Castle.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends details his defense at Xia Pi. Surrounded by Cao Cao's army and his men's morale faltering, Guan Yu fights to protect the horse carriage holding Liu Bei's wife. He attempts to cut open an escape path for them while simultaneously braving the enemy's attack. As his generals try their best to keep the castle's gates sealed, Guan Yu may need to ring the castle's gongs to keep foes from over flooding the inner walls. Upon realizing that their ideal routes are blocked, he orders the carriage to proceed through the castle's water gates and flee towards safety in the north. Zhang Liao appears once the carriage is escorted, offering an official plea for Guan Yu's surrender. He accepts on the condition that he could leave once he hears news of his brother's safety.

Dynasty Warriors 5 notes that Guan Yu also served in the front at Si Shui Gate. For their service at Hu Lao Gate, Liu Bei is awarded the lands of Xu but Cao Cao attacks them. Guan Yu is separated from his brothers yet is captured by Cao Cao. When he spots Liu Bei fighting within Yuan Shao's army at Guan Du, he decides to leave Cao Cao and return to his brothers. He escapes with Liu Bei's wife, but he can never forget Cao Cao's kindness and feels guilty for slaying his former master's guardsmen. Although he wanted to someday apologize for his actions, he repays his debt to Cao Cao by letting him escape from Chi Bi. As the Three Kingdoms form, Guan Yu protects Jing Province from Wei and Wu, which leads him to try to defeat Cao Ren at Fan Castle. As one of the Five Tiger Generals, Guan Yu keeps his vigil and swears with Zhang Fei to someday make their dreams a reality.

The oath brothers share a Legend Mode together in the Xtreme Legends expansion, and it depicts their first meeting at Lou Sang Village. Guan Yu went to the village based on a rumor of a virtuous man being there, but is surprised to see the villagers under attack by the Yellow Turbans. As he saves the innocents, he meets Liu Bei and convinces Zhang Fei to see the former in a better light. Driving the rebels away, he swears to join the two men from then on. Guan Ping and Xing Cai share his other Legend Mode at Mai Castle. With the castle's defense crumbling from Cao Ren and Lu Meng's siege, Guan Yu and his son fight bravely in the face of defeat. He guards his son's leave from the front lines with hopes that the youth can gather reinforcements.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, Guan Yu joins the imperial draft to suppress the Yellow Turbans during his search for an honorable lord. He befriends Zhang Fei before meeting their group's superior for the battle, Liu Bei. Cutting down Zhang Jiao personally, both he and Zhang Fei are approached by their squad's leader. Guan Yu asks their leader his intentions for the land and is pleased to hear Liu Bei's virtuous answer. With the trio deciding to be together, Liu Bei declares that they are brothers. Though Guan Yu is content to stay with Liu Bei, his talents catch Cao Cao's attention at Hu Lao Gate, and the latter tries to appeal for his services. Later, when Liu Bei momentarily stays within Cao Cao's care, Cao Cao demands a trade with the older brother. Cao Cao would lend troops to Liu Bei only if he agrees to leave Guan Yu with him. The trade is made and Guan Yu stays with Cao Cao. With Guan Yu in his personal domain, Cao Cao barters for his loyalty, but the oath brother remains true to his siblings. After his service at Guan Du, Cao Cao sees that he cannot win over Guan Yu's will and allows him to return to Liu Bei.

Guan Yu does not know his brother's actual whereabouts, but he reunites with Liu Bei before the Battle of Chi Bi and fights against Cao Cao. With the Three Kingdoms formed, Liu Bei leads a campaign in Yi Province. To protect his brother and the future of Shu, Guan Yu and his son designate themselves to be protectors of Jing Province. Confronting Fan Castle, Guan Yu's army claims the position for Shu. Following the battle, a worried Liu Bei rides to their side on the belief that Guan Yu would have needed help. Both brothers are glad to see the other alive and well. With Wu the first to fall from the wars, Guan Yu joins the final showdown against Wei at Wu Zhang Plains. The land is under Liu Bei's reign after their victory, and Guan Yu is made the Commander of the army. Though there is no more need for armies or wars, Guan Yu honorably accepts the title to preserve the land's serenity.

In Dynasty Warriors 7, Guan Yu fights with his oath brothers against the Yellow Turbans to protect helpless villagers, and later joins Yuan Shao's coalition army to defeat Dong Zhuo. At Si Shui Gate, Guan Yu kills Hua Xiong, showing everyone how great of a warrior he is. Afterwards, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei accompany Liu Bei as he wonders the land and fight alongside him in the Battle of Xu Province. After Lu Bu betrays Liu Bei by stealing Xu, Liu Bei allies with Cao Cao to defeat Lu Bu. In the Battle of Xia Pi, when Liu Bei laments how their flood attacks will destroy the people's crops, Guan Yu assures his brother that the people will be happy once Lu Bu is gone. He also gains Cao Cao's interest and defeats his rival, Zhang Liao. Then, as Liu Bei hesitates with his orders from the emperor to kill Cao Cao, Cao Cao steals Guan Yu from him as well as Xu Province. In the Battle of Guandu, Guan Yu fights under Cao Cao, which causes Yuan Shao to turn on Liu Bei and accuse him of treachery. However, Guan Yu betrays Cao Cao and returns to his sworn brother to keep his oath.

During the battle of Chi Bi, Guan Yu is sent by Zhuge Liang to help Zhao Yun in taking down Cao Cao, but Guan Yu allows Cao Cao to escape as he cannot find it in his heart to do so. Guan Yu then heads for southern Jing to defeat Han Xuan, but finds that Han Xuan has been killed by Wei Yan, and the people immediately surrender. Huang Zhong pleads for Guan Yu to spare the people and to do whatever he wants with Wei Yan and himself, but Guan Yu does not hurt anyone and shows mercy, stating that Liu Bei will take care of all of them.

When Liu Bei decides to attack Cheng Du, Zhuge Liang entrusts Guan Yu to take care of Jing Province while he goes to aid their lord. Then Guan Yu and his sons, Guan Ping and Guan Suo, launch an attack on Fan Castle, but soon find themselves at a disadvantage when enemy forces surround the castle. Guan Yu and Guan Suo make for their escape for Mai Castle while Guan Ping stays behind to hold the enemy off and dies soon afterwards. During the escape, Guan Yu is injured by an archer. When he encounters Lu Meng, he learns that Wu had betrayed Shu for their own personal gain, which is something Guan Yu finds unforgivable. Upon reaching a cliff near a river, they find themselves cornered by enemy troops. Guan Yu pushes his son down to the river and stays behind to fight the enemies off, which ultimately ends with his death.

Guan Yu's first Legendary Mode depicts how he returns to Liu Bei after he leaves Cao Cao, having to fight through several Wei forces to do so. His second Legendary Mode is the Battle of Mai Castle, where he and his sons must fight a horde of Wu forces to stay alive.

In Dynasty Warriors 8 Guan Yu reprises his role from the previous game. However, if the player fulfills certain requirements before the battle at Fan Castle, Pang Tong and Xu Shu will reinforce Guan Yu and save him from death. He appears in the hypothetical ending, standing alongside his brothers, children and allies.

In Wu's hypothetical route, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei receive a letter that falsely accuses Sun Shangxiang of betraying Liu Bei and returning home to fight him, leading them to attack Wu at Jiangxia. When Lu Xun clears up the misunderstanding, they are attacked by Wang Yi, who is responsible for setting them up so she can defeat them. Making amends with Wu, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei work together with them to repel the Wei forces. In the end, he joins his brothers in attending a banquet held by Sun Quan.

Warriors Orochi
Guan Yu is one of the generals forced to serve Orochi in Warriors Orochi. To assure his brother's safety, he and Zhang Fei often side together in battle. After meeting Zhao Yun's resistance, the brothers eventually agree to defect in a bid to rescue their lord.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Guan Yu remains in Shu with his brothers, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. When Zhang Fei notices the forces of Lu Bu approaching at Nagashino, Guan Yu asks to be the one to battle. Zhang Fei replies that he saw Lu Bu first, and Liu Bei agrees to allow Zhang Fei to lead the force to attack Lu Bu and asks Guan Yu to guard the main camp. Later, at Jia Meng Gate, when the Shu forces are against Kiyomori, Liu Bei allows Guan Yu to take the lead since he was asked to stay behind in the previous battle. In the battle, Dong Zhuo sets fire to the main Shu camp and Sun Wukong sends forth phantom soldiers. Guan Yu is then reinforced by his old friend from Wei, Zhang Liao, who helps in dispatching the sorcerers who control the phantom soldiers. The battle is won with Guan Yu and Zhang Liao declaring to end the chaos by their might.

Following the years after Orochi's second defeat, Guan Yu fought in the name of his brother to pacify various riots throughout the land. As he was in the midst of returning to Chengdu, he was attacked by the serpent forces at Fan Castle. Placed under Kiyomori's spell, he became one of the serpent army's mindless pawns. His earliest story appearance is at Mt. Lintao where he is attacking his own son, Guan Suo. When Toshiie and company travel to the past at Mt. Ding Jun, he is beaten back to his senses. Grateful for their assistance, Guan Yu joins the coalition.

When Da Ji later directs the coalition to obtain Liu Bei and Ieyasu's allegiance, Guan Yu and company return to the past to confront Yang Ping Gate. Accepting his younger brother's tantrum, Guan Yu is the one who explains the coalition's reasons for allying with Da Ji at the end of the conflict. He later helps gain Cao Cao's allegiance by assisting the attack on Fan Castle.

Dynasty Tactics
This game features a unique cutscene in which Zhang Fei believes Guan Yu to have betrayed Liu Bei by serving Cao Cao of Wei. The brothers fight until Guan Yu convinces Zhang Fei that the former was captured by Cao Cao. After, the brothers charge into the ranks of Cao Cao and successfully repel his forces.

Should Guan Yu be stationed alongside Zhuge Liang in Fan Castle, he will be persuaded by the latter to have his daughter marry Sun Quan's son to help ease tensions between Shu and Wu. This event prevents his historical death from ever occurring.

Kessen
Guan Yu is a starting character for Shu in Kessen II. Like the novel, he's one of Liu Bei's oath brothers and a fearsome general in battle. He is probably the fastest unit in Liu Bei's army and rides Red Hare into battle (though it's never mentioned how or where he obtained the horse). He was the one who encouraged his brother to fight for Diao Chan. Early in the game, he also helps with his brother's policies and battle planning. He's an old friend of Zhang Liao and the two once fought over a woman ten years in the past. However, Guan Yu let his friend win the bout and the woman married Zhang Liao. He has a lifelong fear of frogs, a fact that Zhang Fei jokes about during one of his drinking binges. He's implied to also like his friend, Mei Sanniang, and will declare plans to avenge her if she's routed.

Personality
Guan Yu is a stalwart general who firmly believes in justice and virtue. Normally calm and benign, he stands with an air of noble dignity and has respectful manners. A man who also excels in literary studies, he gains many admirers from each kingdom with his might and has earned the nickname "God of War". In the Asian script, he speaks in an archaic tone befitting a warrior.

His indomitable loyalty to his brothers is his first and foremost duty in life. He will not abandon either one of them and treasures each one with unfaltering confidence. He acts as the calm advisor to Zhang Fei and as the faithful middle brother to Liu Bei. Guan Yu calls them different forms of "Brother", but he is known to sometimes call Zhang Fei by his full name. Before they swore brotherhood, Guan Yu had already thought highly of Liu Bei and called him "Lord Liu Bei". He acts as a good father figure for Guan Ping, and he may become self-sacrificing for his son's safety.

He gains new friends during his time in Wei, some of whom include Cao Cao, Zhang Liao and Xu Huang. In a few titles, Guan Yu's courage can even make his enemies at Fan Castle praise him. The attention he gets as one of the land's greatest warriors doesn't suit Xiahou Dun very well, though Guan Yu bears no ill will towards the former and has always considered the one eyed general to be one of his good friends.

Character Symbolism
Guan Yu's characteristic appearance in Three Kingdoms fiction draws inspiration from his description in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He towered over others at a height of nine chi (approximately three meters or ten feet in modern conversions), had a well kept beard that was two chi long (about 48 cm or 1'7" in modern conversions), and he had a crimson face like a matured date. It became a popular image for his appearance in Taoism and as the basis for male leads in Beijing opera. His beard is famed to be particularly beautiful in the novel, impressing all that gazed upon it during his duels. The famous mention of his hair within the tale is when Cao Cao glimpsed at the general's decapitated head. While speaking his marvel for his departed friend, the mouth of Guan Yu's head opened and its hairs spiked on their ends. The sight terrified Cao Cao to the point he fainted, but he praised the general nonetheless and had it buried with honors. Based on this tale, Guan Yu is often seen wearing some sort of headwear to cover his hair.

His trademark weapon in Three Kingdoms media is the Qīnglóng Yǎnyuèdāo, commonly translated as "Green Dragon Crescent Moon Blade" (青龍偃月刀). Within Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu received the famed blade after swearing his oath with his brothers. Its weight is 82 catties which is the equivalent to about 18 kg or 39 pounds. In another legend regarding the weapon, Guan Yu asked a blacksmith to merely forge him a rare sword without any particular specification. The blacksmith pounded a blade out with a greenish-blue tint, carefully forging the steel with several blows. As it neared the finishing touches in the furnace, a strange phenomenon occurred. The blade suddenly shot out a beam of light and hit the sacred green dragon in the heavens. Its blood forged the long hilt and carved out the crescent shape for the blade. As the frightened craftsmen fled, Guan Yu observed the area and claimed the famed long blade for himself. Legends of his weapon personifying itself as a spirit are also known and appear in Chinese literature. Within Koei's titles, Green Dragon Crescent Moon Blade is often affiliated with the Azure Dragon of the East and acts as one of Guan Yu's battle cries. Defeating Seiryuu (Qinglong) in Nobunaga no Yabou Online randomly awards the player this weapon, which is also a part of Koei's tradition to have the long blade appear in non-Three Kingdoms related titles.

In the Japanese version of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, Guan Yu is given the nickname of "The God of Battle" while the English version changes it to "The Impregnable Wargod of Shu" or merely "The God or War". As a ruling general in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, he calls his five greatest warriors the "Five Blue Dragon Generals".

Divine dragons continue to form the namesake for Guan Yu's weapons in the Dynasty Warriors series. The original name of his level 11 weapon in the Dynasty Warriors series is named after Shenlong (神龍), one of the nine traditional types of dragons in Chinese mythology. These specific dragons are revered as masters of the rain and winds, or as divine weather entities. Several shrines in China were made throughout history to appease them and to pray for plentiful rains. To cross them is considered a foolish mistake, as these dragons are quick to forsake their gifts if offended. If angered, they are said to create devastating hurricanes or droughts. His fourth weapon is named after Huanglong (黄龍); it may additionally refer to his personal status as "Emperor Guan". The dragons named in his Skill (Bailong) and Strength (Heilong) weapons are considered opposites within the Five Elements. They are said to share an antagonistic relation with one another. This also possibly alludes to the mistranslations of the Qīnglóng in most adaptions of the original weapon.

The original name of his personal item in Warriors Orochi is Chunqiu Zuoshi, which is better known as the Zuo Zhuan. According to legends surrounding Guan Yu, this was his favorite book to read and study.

Voice Actors

 * Peter Barto - Dynasty Warriors 3 (English-uncredited)
 * Crispin Freeman - Dynasty Warriors 4~5 (English-uncredited)
 * Liam O'Brien - Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends & Empires (English-uncredited)
 * Dave B. Mitchell - Dynasty Warriors 6~8, Warriors Orochi series (English-uncredited)
 * Beau Billingslea - Dynasty Tactics 2 (English-uncredited)
 * Steven Blum - Kessen II (English-uncredited)
 * Sin Seong Ho - Dynasty Warriors 2 (Korean)
 * Lee Jae Yong - Dynasty Warriors 3~5 (Korean)
 * Yasunori Masutani - Dynasty Warriors series, Warriors Orochi series, Dynasty Tactics series, Sangokushi Koumeiden
 * Hideyuki Hori - Kessen II (Japanese), Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series
 * Masaya Takatsuka - Romance of the Three Kingdoms 12 (Japanese)

Quotes

 * See also: Guan Yu/Quotes


 * "It is a tremendous honor for me, Zhang Liao, to fight at the side of the great Guan Yu!"
 * "No, I have heard yours is a name feared throughout the land. It is I who feel honored."
 * "Then the time for words is past."
 * "Indeed, let our weapons do our speaking for us!"
 * Zhang Liao and Guan Yu; Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires


 * "Surely these acts repay the debt my brother owed you. Master Cao Cao, I will return to my brother's side."
 * "Will you not stay with me? Do you know where Liu Bei has gone?"
 * "Red Hare and I shall roam the land. If we follow the smiles of the common folk, we will find my brother!"
 * "I am unable to sway your mind? Farewell. May your duty never be more than you can bear."
 * Guan Yu and Cao Cao; Dynasty Warriors 6


 * "Unbelievable... Where does his strength come from? No matter, I'll put a stop to you myself, Guan Yu!"
 * "Stay out of my way! I will slay you if I must!"
 * Lu Meng and Guan Yu; Dynasty Warriors 7


 * "What a wonderful beard you have. And you know what they say about men with beards..."
 * "What are you, a pogonologist?"
 * Okuni and Guan Yu; Warriors Orochi


 * "Hey there, like the beard. Bet the girls love it too, huh?"
 * "Silence, fool! You just wish you could grow one."
 * Keiji and Guan Yu; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Would the brave generals of Wei, Xiahou Dun, Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, happen to be your nemeses?"
 * "I would consider each of them my equal, but we are not connected as you are to Master Shingen. One day, I hope to find a rival so great that when we meet in battle, we reach new heights together."
 * Kenshin and Guan Yu; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "Lord Cao Cao gave me his word upon my surrender that if I discovered the whereabouts of my brother, I could return to his side. If he breaks his word, I will just fight my way out."
 * Agreeing to meet with his brother; Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII


 * "We were once outlaws and were scorned by everyone! That changed! That day I decided I would do anything for Brother Liu Bei!"
 * Guan Yu remembering his brotherhood oath; Kessen II

Gameplay

 * See also: Guan Yu/Movesets

Dynasty Warriors 7
Guan Yu is affiliated with the pike in this appearance. When he is equipped with it, he can perform a unique attack exclusive to him. Upon performing his Musou techniques, he will automatically use the weapon in his attacks.


 * EX Attack: undefined, undefined: Sends forth an air wave and is surrounded in a fiery aura, temporarily increasing his strength.
 * Musou - Heavenly Gale (天空砲): : Sends forth a whirlwind.
 * Alternate Musou - Stormy Rage (天空轟断破): R1 + : Does a powerful fiery slash around him.

Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends
Guan Yu is affiliated with the crescent blade in this appearance. His EX Attack and musous remain unchanged in this installment.


 * Warriors Orochi 3
 * , undefined: Drives weapon unto the earth while landing.
 * R1: Exudes an aura of rage via a stomping posture (as he slams his weapon's butt-end on the ground) to launches foes upward. Then he slashes forward a blast of red energy.
 * , R1 (Ultimate only): Releases three short-ranged slash waves at different directions (diagonal-right-downward, diagonal-left-downward, then straight to the right) while hovering in the air.

Dynasty Warriors 8
Guan Yu keeps the same moveset from the previous title with the following additions.


 * EX Attack 2 (Xtreme Legends only):
 * Aerial Musou - Ascending Dragon (天空昇龍波):, : Launches a pillar of green-tinted energy by slamming the ground.
 * Awakening Musou: Does quick upward strikes repeatedly. The user then unleashes a wide slashing motion that releases a sudden burst. After inflicting a certain amount of hits, the user initiates two sweeping slashes diagonally and horizontally several times before thrusting weapon forcefully.

Weapons

 * See also: Guan Yu/Weapons

Dynasty Warriors 8
Guan Yu still uses the crescent blade as his default weapon in this title.

Trivia

 * As a part of the Yoshimoto Musou Project for Dynasty Warriors 7, Japanese comedian from the Yoshimoto performance group, Wacky, acted out a skit of him dressed as Guan Yu. He defeats several Wei "soldiers".
 * During the Koei-Tecmo company visit in the Weekly Toro Station's broadcast, Toro and Kuro meet the Dynasty Warriors 7 version of Guan Yu when they enter the meeting room. Kuro even quotes a popular Japanese Internet meme associated with the historical figure due to Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Sangokushi comic by exclaiming, "Geh! Guan Yu!" (げぇっ 関羽).

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