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.

Dynasty Warriors
Cao Ren is portrayed as a stout, adamant, and good-willed general of the Wei army. With his many contributions in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Ren appears in many battles. He also seems to be one of the generals closer in relationship with Cao Cao. Like his novel counterpart, he effectively leads the assault with Lu Meng on Guan Yu at Fan Castle, and at Mai Castle. He also appears in the Shi Ting, He Fei, and Wu Zhang Plains battles.

Though he believes that his elder cousin Cao Cao is the only man capable of effectively ruling the land, his wish is to bring peace throughout the land, and put an end to the chaos that blindly devastates the land. Aside from his own ambition, he carries a soft and compassionate heart. In Dynasty Warriors 5, in his ending cinema, Cao Ren and four troops walk into a culmination of rice patties being tended by countrymen, as Ren looks to the sky and tells everyone to rest and lay down their weapons.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, Cao Ren is one of the many characters that recieved no Story Mode, but is playable in Free Mode.

Warriors Orochi
In the original Warriors Orochi, Cao Ren unwillingly serves the Serpent King Orochi.A t 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.

Somehow, in Warriors Orochi 2, Cao Ren joins with the Kingdom of Wei. Before the battle of Si Province, Cao Pi, Zhen Ji, and Cao Ren see off Cao Cao, Dian Wei, and Nu Wa. At Komaki-Nagakute, Cao Cao leads a command to rescue his son's army, who is sruggling against the attack of Kiyomori Taira and a reawakened Orochi. Afterwards, Cao Ren molds back into the main Wei forces.

Kessen
Cao Ren returns to support his cousin once more in Kessen II. 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. His relationship with Cao Cao is downplayed but Ren 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. He's rescued by the Wei's main army and fights for his country for the rest of the game.

Interaction

 * Cao Ren's elder cousin, Cao Cao, is one of the Wei generals that is closer to him. In the "To Share A Drink" cinema in Dynasty Warriors 6, Cao Cao arrives at a Wei camp at Shi Ting, where Cao Ren welcomes him. Cao Cao asks his cousin if it's been some time since they became lord and vassal, and Ren says that, even if they are of the same clan, they should still have the same respect towards each other as a normal soldier and his lord would maintain. In some stages like the Battle of Chi Bi, instead of a standard area in which "out-of-place" generals will be stationed at at the beginning of the battle, Ren would be in Cao Cao's main camp, seeming to guard him.
 * In Dynasty Warriors 4, Cao Ren has a deep friendship with Zhen Ji, even so as far as a guardian angel persona to her. In the cutscene, "Beyond the Mist", Ren and Zhen Ji converse on how beautiful he lakeside seems to be, and how they must play the "villain" role longer, to get closer to ending the chaos. In the Dynasty Warriors 4 opening cinema, 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.
 * Zhang Liao and Cao Ren spar before the Battle of He Fei in Dynasty Warriors 6 in the cinema, "To Question Tomorrow". During the session, Cao Ren asks why people such as Liu Bei and the forces of Wu continue to perpetuate war, to which Zhang Liao responds that men have free will, and if they have a dream, and as a warrior is a tool, they will strive to achieve it.
 * In Kessen II, he's the sworn brother of Xiahou Yuan and bares a grudge against Zhang Fei. If he faces his brother's killer in battle, Cao Ren gains a unique morale boost and will often have the upperhand against him.

Personality
Cao Ren is a kind man, but also a caring leader in times of war, and an adamant warrior. Ren usually refers to himself as a rock, obstructing his enemies' path, and how to get past him, he must be broken. He also strongly hates war and chaos, and those who perpetuate it and take joy in fighting. Gan Ning questions what Ren is doing with that "wicked looking thing", but Ren's philosophy is consistent with his actions. He sees war as as a necessary evil, the only way to end the currently ongoing strife. Ren specifically criticizes people who lack a sense of perspective about combat, not anyone who fights at all.

Cao Ren displays multitudes of compassion for his troops and countrymen alike, believing that even his enemies should be able to retreat, and that everyone should live in happiness. Though, he also believes that proper boundaries should be kept well between even those of the same bloodline. However, he knows that to achieve that purpose, he must still war alongside his lord, Cao Cao.

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)
 * 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

 * "Now that this base is mine, it shall never fall!"
 * "I will never yield, and never break!"
 * "I shall be the shield that guards our way forward!"
 * "I will carry out the dreams of Wei.. no.. all of the dreams of the land!"
 * "One more enemy outlasted!"
 * "Watch as the Serpent King's blade, shatters upon my armor."
 * "I shall stand as the shield for the innocent!"
 * "So this is what it's like to be the losing general."
 * "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 in the cinema, "Beyond the Mist"; 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 contemptable 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, "Tending the Fields"; Dynasty Warriors 5


 * "Wu's forces, marching toward us here at He Fei, and Liu Bei in the far west always menacing our flanks Why is it that men are so eager, to spread chaos across the land? Why must all the fighting go on?"
 * "I know why, because men have free choice! We're free to choose the dream we'd die for. And when you've found something to believe in, you will fight to achieve it. The warrior is merely a tool, and as such, he fights to make the dream come true!
 * "Hmm. So where there are so many dreams, it is inevitable that men will fight each other and cross swords. Then if there's no other way, we must make it our goal to use our swords to bring an end to this chaos!"
 * Cao Ren and Zhang Liao; 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.

Differences Between Games

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

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.

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 the, , undefined (undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined). 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 hs a stomp attack that knocks over enemies. The attack is in the form of the undefined. Though it has very bad range, the undefined charge 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.

Cao Ren's Tome Skill, Swift Attack, lends him Infinite Renbu and increased stats for a limited amount of time. His abilities to enhance the 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. The names of his three weapons are "Phoenix Wing", "Tortoise Bite", and "Dragon Scale".

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, , undefined (undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined) 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 fans is "Jindam" (ジンダム), an anagram of the Japanese pronunciation for Ren and Gundam.