New Arthas skin brings Guan Yu to Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm‘s Taiwan YouTube channel has unveiled an upcoming Arthas skin based on Guan Yu — a historical Chinese military general still revered to this day. Guan Yu appears in the Dynasty Warriors franchise, a game-ification of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which is itself a fictionalized version of historical events. (Confused yet?) Guan Yu also appears in deity-based MOBA Smite and countless other games. If this Arthas skin seems familiar to you, it probably is. Arthas trades Warcraft‘s legendary runeblade Frostmourne for Guan Yu’s legendary guandao, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

The teaser video also includes a glimpse at Red Hare. If you were expecting an actual bunny mount, brace yourself for disappointment: It’s a horse. Red Hare was the name of Guan Yu’s horse in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and its story is longer than that of many individual persons in the Romance. For those who’ve been exposed to Romance of the Three Kingdoms primarily through Dynasty Warriors, Red Hare is likely better known as the mount of Lü Bu — but Guan Yu came to possess the horse later on.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms remains a massively popular blend of history and fiction in China and Chinese territories. While the Lich King’s skill set hardly aligns with the fantasy of Guan Yu, a blending of Warcraft and the Three Kingdoms is a natural fit given Warcraft‘s own staggering popularity in China. As this skin has only thus far been teased in the Taiwan region, it’s unknown whether or not it will release in other regions, but I certainly hope so. Playing Guan Yu astride Red Hare has me pretty pumped, too.