Cyno

Overview

Cyno is a character in Genshin Impact who holds the position of General Mahamatra, the head of the disciplinary officers overseeing the scholars of the Sumeru Akademiya. Hailing from the secret desert organization known as the Temple of Silence, he harbors the divine power of Hermanubis and fights using a polearm alongside an Electro Vision. In his official capacity, he is feared as a stern and uncompromising enforcer of academic law. Away from his duties, however, he possesses a passionate obsession with tabletop card games and a infamous habit of telling deadpan puns.

Appearance

Cyno is a dark-skinned young man with medium silver-grey hair covering his right eye and orange-red eyes with vertical pupils. He wears a dark, gold-trimmed headpiece styled after jackal ears, reminiscent of Anubis. His attire includes an open-chested Arabian-style outfit, a black choker, a usekh collar, arm guards, black gloves, a gold waist belt, and a waist cape. His legs and feet are bare, adorned with gold anklets and a toe ring.

Personality

When performing his duties, Cyno is completely uncompromising, patient, and impervious to bribes, physical resistance, or deception from corrupt scholars. Despite his intimidating reputation, he is deeply honorable, protective of others, and guided by a firm sense of justice. In casual settings, he frequently attempts to relax the atmosphere by blurting out terrible, deadpan puns, which he insists on explaining in dry detail if nobody laughs. He is also a fanatical player of Genius Invokation TCG, willing to go to great lengths to acquire rare cards and custom deck backs.

Abilities

Cyno fights using a polearm infused with Electro Vision energy. His Elemental Skill performs a swift forward thrust dealing Electro damage. Upon activating his Elemental Burst, he becomes possessed by a divine spirit, entering the Pactsworn Pathclearer state as his arms transform into massive Electro claws. In this form, his normal, charged, and plunging attacks convert into un-overrideable Electro damage, his Elemental Mastery and interruption resistance are boosted, and Electro-Charged reaction damage is nullified. He is also skilled in ancient ritualistic arts, capable of executing complex sealing rites to suppress god residue.

Background

As a child, Cyno was surrendered by his parents to the Temple of Silence in the desert to serve as a test subject for the divine power of Hermanubis. The scholar Cyrus stopped the experiments out of compassion, taking Cyno in as his foster son and pupil. After studying at the Sumeru Akademiya, Cyno rose to the position of General Mahamatra. He later traveled to Mondstadt, where he sealed the god residue afflicting Collei and brought her back to Sumeru. During the crisis involving the Akademiya's corrupt sages, he withdrew from his post to investigate their abuses, ultimately uniting with the Traveler and Alhaitham to stop their artificial god initiative.

Relationships

Cyno holds great respect for Cyrus, his teacher and adoptive father, from whom he inherited his idiosyncratic sense of humor. He shares a close bond with Lisa Minz, a fellow disciple under Cyrus. He maintains a warm friendship with the Forest Watcher Tighnari, to whom he entrusted the care of Collei. Though initially suspicious of the Akademiya scribe Alhaitham, Cyno developed a working trust with him during their joint operation to save Sumeru. He also maintains business relations with the merchant Dori to purchase rare card game supplies.

Trivia

Cyno's character design draws heavy visual inspiration from the ancient Egyptian god Anubis, reflected in his jackal-shaped helmet and accessories. His specialty dish is Duelist's Soul, a variation of Tahchin. His character ascension requires Scarabs found throughout the Sumeru desert, which were notoriously tricky to spot and harvest due to their blending into the desert sands.