Cao Ren

Cao Ren is a character who first appears as 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, 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.

Appearance
In Dynasty Warriors 4, Cao Ren sports a loose-fitting, phoenix blue set of cloth undergarments, covered by thick cloth tassets, breastplates and spaulders. Brown leather gauntlets and boots cover his hands, wrists, and feet, while strips of black fabric pin heavy knee guards to his leg. A shell-like, framed and spiked helm covers his head, with tan triangles pointing downwards position themselves directly under the center of his eyes. The loose and tied-back clothing give Cao Ren a thick, stout appearance. In Dynasty Warriors 5, much of his appearance remains the same, though his chest armor and his gauntlets and boots change their color to blue. In contrast to his previous costume, most of all his model is made of blue and purple hues. In addition, his under-eye war paint starts from the farthest edges of his eye, then snakes to the shape of his eye and stops at the center, then sprouts down in an upside-down triangle similar to his Dynasty Warriors 4 appearance.

Cao Ren in Dynasty Warriors 6, in his redesign had gained an excessive amount of heavy metal armor, mainly brightened with light blue colors and rustic, golden edges. Most of his visible armor is iron, including his breastplate, pauldrons, gauntlets, tasset and boots. Two decorated bands of metal chained together mold his tasset to his brown pants. Blue Chinese phoenixes beautify his chest armor. As his former buckler blade has been replaced with a trident, he retains nothing similar to a buckler blade but a small wristguard. Most of his appearance makes him look bigger and heavily guarded. Due to his upright stance, Ren seems to be considerably taller than in previous appearances. Dark, shaded areas under his eyes and above his sinuses give Cao Ren a hardened veteran look. Because of his appearance, fans have jokingly poked fun at Cao Ren, comparing him to Optimus Prime of the Transformers franchise or Mega Man of the Mega Man franchise.

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 Cloned Moveset 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's weaknesses 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 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 it's 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.

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 quickly travels in a straight line.

His abilities to enhance his Swift attack are Overawe, which causes enemy defenses are reduced, Rage and Wild Rage, in which overall damage from Swift Attack 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 the long-ranged arrow.

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.

Level 10 Weapon

 * Roc
 * Base Attack: 56
 * Stage: Siege of Fan Castle (Wei)
 * Requirements: Defeat all four siege vehicles around the castle before Lu Meng arrives. Defeat Lu Meng when he comes charging out from the Wu castle in the west. Do not defeat more than two generals near the castle or Lu Meng will appear and the "all siege weapons destroyed" message will not appear.

Level 11 Weapon

 * Kai
 * Base Attack: 49
 * Attributes: Level 18 Peacock Urn, Level 17 Nanman Armor, Level 19 Cavalry Armor, Level 12 Seven Star Sash
 * Stage: Encounter at Jiang Ling
 * Restrictions: No bodyguards
 * Requirements: Meet with Niu Jin only after Niu Jin reaches 8-star morale. Then defeat Han Dang and Gan Ning after meeting with Niu Jin. Defeat the two ambush troop generals, Zhou Tai and Zhou Yu, after they appear. All the while keeping Niu Jin's health as high as possible, achieve at least 250 KO Count.

Strategy
Before defeating both Han Dang and Gan Ning, do the following:
 * 1) Do NOT meet with Niu Jin.
 * 2) Seal Gan Ning and Han Dang's gates.
 * 3) Boost Niu Jin's morale to 8 stars (each 15 KOs by Cao Ren will boost Niu Jin's morale by 1 star).
 * 4) After that, defeat Han Dang, Gan Ning, Zhou Tai ambush and Zhou Yu ambush within 10 minutes.
 * 5) Level 11 message.

Note: Defeating both Gan Ning and Han Dang will make Cao Ren meet Niu Jin automatically. You can defeat one of them first, but make sure the other one is alive when you complete step 1.

4th Weapon

 * Roc
 * Base Attack: 36
 * Weight: Light
 * Attributes: Fill +15, Bow +15, Attack +15, Defense +18, Life +19
 * Stage: Escape from Chi Bi (Wei)
 * Requirements: Quickly kill all the enemy reinforcements except for Liu Bei and Guan Yu. Take out the leading general of each enemy ambush before the corresponding ally reinforcement offers to help.  Defeat Sun Quan when he arrives.
 * Location: The dead end nook in the center of the battlefield, between where Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei appeared.

Historical Information
Cao Ren (168-223), was an officer under Cao Wei during the Three Kingdom period of ancient China. Cao Ren was born in the province of Qiao. His father and grandfather both held significant military posts, and was the younger cousin of Cao Cao. In his youth, a major interest of the warrior was hunting on horseback. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Cao Ren gathered soldiers to fight around the Huai and Si Rivers.

In 190, around the Battle of Hulao Pass, Cao Ren joined his elder cousin against to coalition against the tyrant, Dong Zhuo. Cao Ren fought with Cao Cao fiercely since joining, in campaigns against Yuan Shu, and Lu Bu. Other generals were impressed with his performances, as he positioned himself at the forefront of battle. After Cao Cao was entrusted with the custody of the current Emperor.

Trivia

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