Genshin Impact: Cyno / Characters

Cyno

Introduced: September 28, 2022 (v3.1 "King Deshret and the Three Magi" [first half])
Voiced by: Li Qingyang (Chinese), Miyu Irino (Japanese), Lee Woo-ri (Korean), Alejandro Saab (English)

Judicator of Secrets

"Good deeds and bad... In the end, all will be placed upon the scales."

Rarity: 5★
Element: Electro
Weapon: Polearm
Constellation: Lupus Aureus, the Golden Wolf

A Spantamad graduate who now works as the General Mahamatra, leader of the Matra. Serious and no-nonsense, his loyalty to the Akademiya is only matched, if not surpassed, by his sense of justice and morals, even if that causes conflict with his superiors. This same conflict causes him to become a steadfast ally of the Traveler, helping them overthrow the Sages to free Lesser Lord Kusanali.

Cyno deals his brand of justice in the form of relentless strikes that hit hard where it hurts. His Elemental Skill, Secret Rite: Chasmic Soulfarer, is a simple but swift Electro-elemental lunge, while his Elemental Burst, Sacred Rite: Wolf's Swiftness, puts him in the "Pactsworn Pathclearer" state, which imbues his regular attacks with an Electro effect that cannot be overridden with reactions, endows him with heightened Elemental Mastery and resistance to interruption and Electro-Charged damage, and, more importantly, changes his Skill into Mortuary Rite, which deals wide-ranging Electro damage and extends the duration of the state.^note

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A-H

Animal Motifs: The jackal (or, specifically, the African or golden wolf (Canis lupaster), which modern scholars believe was the template for Anubis, the dog-headed god of the afterlife and judge of the dead in Egyptian Mythology). Cyno wears a cloak with jackal ears in the prequel web manga, as well as a jackal headpiece as a playable character, and appears on his Constellation.
Bargain with Heaven: His Burst is related to a mysterious deal he made with a spirit called Hermanubis, whom he channels to enforce justice.
Baritone of Strength: In contrast to his model, Cyno has a very deep voice, and enough endurance to single-handedly arrest 300 suspects over the course of a few days.
Best Friend: He is Tighnari's, as Kaveh mentions that he was introduced to Cyno as such.
Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: He is the Boke to Tighnari’s Tsukkomi, since Cyno tells his jokes completely seriously and waits for someone to laugh, and Tighnari responds by telling him his jokes are lame.
Bounty Hunter: Cyno's job as the General Mahamatra involves tracking criminals and bringing them to justice, much like how real-life bounty hunters hunt down people who skip out on bail and bring them to stand trial.
Breaking Old Trends: Of the characters representing each region in the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview trailer, Cyno is the first one whose Wish artwork when released as a playable character does not match the pose shown in said trailer^note. The representatives of Fontaine, Lyney and Lynette, would follow suit afterwards.
Broken Pedestal:
- Cyno's faith in the Sages was shaken when Azar refused to allow him to audit a project he was working on, claiming that the matra serves the sages and should never question them. This caused Cyno to suspect that the Akademiya cares for nothing but the pursuit of knowledge, morals, or consequences be damned. By the end of the Fourth Act of the Sumeru Archon Quest, it is completely shattered after witnessing for himself the broad, inhumane scope of the project.
- Played with in his Story Quest. Taj, his former partner and hero among the Matra, became a prime suspect connected to a large smuggling ring of Canned Knowledge, but it ends up subverted when he deduces that Taj faked his corruption to infiltrate the ring and destroy it from within. That said, Taj admits to being fallible, and Cyno acknowledges that age will likely erode even his own beliefs, and he can only hope that until then, he inspires people as Taj did.
Bromantic Foil: Cyno and Tighnari are both Collei's big-brother figures, is the leader of their respective groups, have canine Animal Motifs along with large animal ears, grew up in a family of scholars, and have desert ancestry but currently belong to the rainforest. However, Tighnari grew up with both his parents, who are descended from the Valuka Shuna who migrated to the forest long ago, while Cyno was adopted by Cyrus. In terms of appearance, Tighnari's fair skin, almost black hair, partially green eyes and clothing that only leaves his left forearm and a small section of his legs exposed contrasts with Cyno's tanned skin, white hair, red eyes and Stripperiffic outfit. Furthermore, Tighnari's animal ears are real while Cyno's animal ears are a part of his Signature Headgear.
Cannot Tell a Joke: Despite his efforts to be relatable off duty with some jokes, people can’t laugh because of a combination of his intimidating personality and the jokes being bad themselves. Even worse, if he notices no one laughing at his jokes, he'll proceed to explain it thoroughly, akin to a lecture, leaving them speechless. One of the few individuals who actually find his jokes funny is Nahida (From her Level 4 Friendship voice line), and later Albedo as well, who finds them funny despite not laughing.
Characterization Marches On: During his debut appearance in Sumeru's Archon Quest chain as well as Act I of his Story Quest, Cyno is portrayed as a stern, no-nonsense lawman. The limited-time events in versions 3.5-3.7 later clarified that this is how he is while on the job where there is no reason for levity; off duty, he turns out to be a Comically Serious Pungeon Master, prone to dishing out groanworthy puns to his friends, and has a massive obsession with Genius Invocation TCG.
Child of Two Worlds: Cyno is a rare case of a desert-dweller who holds a position of authority in the Akademiya, despite the institution's notorious prejudice against the desert people. The "Windblume's Breath" event goes into further detail about his past: namely, that he's been raised in the Akademiya since young, and he acknowledges that being different from both those of the desert and the rest of the Akademiya comes with its own difficulties.
Cold Ham: When off-duty - and even sometimes when on duty - Cyno is prone to overdramatic speeches, bombastic nerdy diatribes about his favorite books or trading cards, or just plain randomly roleplaying as a character he made up for kicks, all without ever leaving the same cold, intense tone of voice.
Comic Role Play: In the "Windblume's Breath" event, Cyno reveals that he has the tradition of having character role-play during vacation trips. For the trip to Mondstadt, he insists that he is "Cyno the Adventurer", accompanied by Tighnari the "Technological consultant to the Treasure Hoarders", and Collei the "Traveling Musician". When asked if he does this because he somehow thinks it's fun, he enthusiastically responds "Very much so" without hesitation. He momentarily breaks character when he starts getting serious with Lisa about his past and his affection for Collei and Tighnari, only to be reminded by Lisa that he is supposed to be "Cyno the Adventurer".
The Comically Serious: His gruff and commanding demeanor hides a love for bad jokes, which he tells (and subsequently explains) without ever breaking character, leaving most people too surprised to laugh, even if they thought the joke was funny.
Connected All Along:
- To Lisa, who is his senior as alumni of the Spantamad Darshan.
- Cyno's investigation into the Sages was triggered by Tighnari's suspicions about the letters ostensibly sent by his former mentor, the Sage of the Amurta Darshan, who feared that his strong principles may have caused him to run afoul of his peers. They planned around it, even taking into account that Cyno might have to leave the Akademiya at some point and that Tighnari would be pestered even more by the scholars involved with the Sages' secret project, well before the Traveler arrived in Sumeru, shedding light on how Cyno came to discover the true extent of the Sages' corruption as well as Tighnari's defiance towards the Sages. It is for this very reason that Tighnari helps Dehya and the Traveler when they seek him for information, despite them not revealing the full details save for working with Cyno— Tighnari felt that he was responsible for Cyno getting caught up in this mess in the first place, and just as he'd promised, he would offer support as much as he could.
Consummate Professional:
- Subverted. While Cyno is completely serious and outright frighteningly efficient on the job to the point of scaring his own subordinates when he's not working, he shows a different side to himself, freely indulging in bad jokes and being extremely devoted to Genius Invocation TCG.
- Zig-zagged in his cameos in Kaveh's Hangout Event "The Pendulum of Weal and Woe," revealing his attitude both on and off-duty:
  - He's fairly kind to Kaveh in the "Wondrous Times" ending of Kaveh's Hangout and tries to cheer him up by telling him one of his jokes when he sees that he's distressed, showing none of the usual coldness he shows when he's working.
  - In the "Treasure and True Interest" route, Kaveh and the Traveler meet Cyno while he's on the job after bringing the loanshark Fakhr to the Matra and reporting Alkami's training center. In comparison to Cyno's attitude toward Kaveh in "Wondrous Times," Cyno is more blunt with him, and even states that he would have opened an investigation on Kaveh himself if Alkami had insisted that Kaveh was in on his schemes because it's the rules of the Matra, despite the fact that he and Kaveh are good friends. Downplayed, however, as he took Kaveh's word for it when he said he didn't collect a single coin because he knew Kaveh would never earn money through less noble means.
Cool Big Bro: He acts like one to Collei, despite not being biologically related to her.
The Coup: Assists in the plan to overthrow the Sages in Chapter III Act V, and personally arrests Grand Sage Azar for his treason.
Cowboy Cop: Cyno attacks Alhaitham first and asks questions later, and is not above using Jack Bauer Interrogation Techniques to get the information he needs. He also firmly believes in doing what's right, as he left the Matra as soon as his position became more of a hindrance to his investigation of the Sages than an asset. He says even if he was not a Matra, he would never stop enforcing the law.
Critical Hit Class: His Ascension stat is Critical Damage percentage (which can reach 38.4% at his sixth), and his signature weapon, the Staff of the Scarlet Sands, has Critical Rate as its bonus stat.
Dark and Troubled Past: His conversation with Lisa in the Knights of Favonius Library after Act 2 of the 3.5 Windblume event has Lisa compare him with Collei, in that he was once in a similar situation where a divine power brought him "great suffering." He then reveals that the higher-ups in the Akademiya had taken him in to be experimented on, though thankfully he was adopted and cared for by a professor in Spantamad and given the chance to become the person he is today.
Deadly Lunge: In its base form, his Skill is a swift dash attack. While Pactsworn Pathclearer is active, it is upgraded into a wide-ranging strike.
Defector from Decadence: He exiled himself from the Akademiya after discovering that the Sages did not respect the vows of the matra and felt their judgment was not to be questioned.
Dork Knight: Cyno's no-nonsense attitude as General Mahamatra belies his geeky side off the clock, particularly evident in the 2023 Windblume event. He loves telling lame puns, role-plays with Tighnari whenever they're on a trip, and later admits that his main reason to travel to Mondstadt, aside from looking after Collei, is to get the chance to meet "Calx"/Albedo and commission a special card holder for his Genius Invokation TCG deck. He isn't ashamed of admitting all of this.
The Dreaded: Cyno is not well-liked by most people, most of whom are terrified of him due to his position as leader of the Matra, which directly works for the Akademiya and its Sages. Even Collei, whom he attempts to visit and has a soft spot for, doesn't like his visits much since his very presence reminds her of her traumatic past. Tighnari suggests that his near-perpetual scowl doesn't help.
Dub Pronunciation Change: The Japanese dub pronounces the "Cy" syllable of his name as "Se".
Due to the Dead: At the end of his Story Quest, he asks the Traveler for their future assistance in planting flowers on the remains of the Court of Desolation, where Taj sacrificed himself to destroy it to cut off a major supply line of the smuggling ring he infiltrated.
Early-Bird Cameo: Cyno first appeared in the prequel webcomic where he helped seal away Collei's berserk powers, and was the featured Sumeru character in the Travail trailer, long before his appearance in the game itself.
Everyone Has Standards: In "A Parade of Providence", Cyno offers to pay a million Mora to Kaveh for his rare card, despite Kaveh's willingness to give it away as a gift. This is because Cyno is aware of the actual value of the card, and he's above taking advantage of Kaveh's obliviousness to its value.
Family of Choice: Considers Tighnari and Collei as this, saying that their relationship is equal and pure, unaffected by academic considerations. He later admits to Lisa that he also considers Lisa, Amber, and the other Knights of Favonius kind of an extended family for helping Collei back in the day.
The Fettered: Cyno devotes himself entirely to justice and responsibility, even stating that it's not about living a happy life but doing what he must. His Story Quest goes into further detail about how the path of a matra is a lonely and at times thankless one, but Cyno is nevertheless determined to see it through to the end.
Fire-Forged Friends: The entire plot to save Kusanali made Alhaitham and Cyno become cordial to each other, to the point Cyno says that Alhaitham is one of the few scholars he considers reliable despite their differences, and at the end of the Sumeru Archon Quest Alhaitham agrees to attend the party celebrating Cyno's reinstatement to the Matra. In Alhaitham's Character Demo, he is also seen hanging with Alhaitham, Kaveh, and Tighnari in a tavern.
- By the end of the Archon Quest, he also becomes closer friends with Nilou (who organized a banquet for him for getting back his job), Dehya, and Candace (who end up covering for him during his vacations).
Foil:
- To Collei. Both were, at a young age, brought up as test subjects by the Fatui and the Akademiya respectively, but while Collei had to go through one horrendous experiment after another, Cyno was fortunately spared from such because of his surrogate father, Cyrus. Additionally, Collei was instilled with the dormant remains of the gods as a result of the experiments, while Cyno had already been a vessel of Hermanubis way before the Akademiya found him. Either way, these shared qualities have brought many difficulties into their lives, and Cyno actively makes an effort in order for Collei to avoid having to endure the same treatment from the Akademiya: he leaves her under the tutelage of Tighnari, someone no longer affiliated with the Akademiya of whom he trusts wholeheartedly, and visits regularly to check in on her.
- To Alhaitham. They have a lot of common points. Both are alumni of the Akademiya, have serious and deadpan personalities, defected from the Akademiya during the Archon Quest to help overthrow the sages, and received their visions while reading books. However, they differ in the details of those points. Cyno is driven by his strong sense of justice and is straight-up lawful, while Alhaitham is moved more by cold logic and his own interests, and is willing to bend the rules if he finds them logically flawed. Cyno can be dorky off the clock, while Alhaitham is serious almost all the time. And while Cyno is the General Mahamatra and leader of the Matra, Alhaitham's job as a scribe at the Akademiya is pretty much the equivalent of a file clerk, to which he returns after having the job of Acting Grand Sage for a while.
- To Candace. They are both Egyptian-themed characters wearing Stripperiffic clothing who debuted in the same wish banners, are The Dreaded protectors of their field, canonically wield the Staff of the Scarlet Sands, have fathers (adoptive father in Cyno's case) that are Akademiya scholars, and are known to have links to divinity from the desert. However, their differences in terms of upbringing and connections with the divine have led them to drastically different stations in life. Candace is a tall woman who wears white who grew up in the desert, and her supposed ancestry from King Deshret is actually just a white lie, while Cyno is a short man who wears black, grew up in the Akademiya, and actually hosts a divine spirit within him. Candace is also far more warm and approachable partially due to her work as a hospitable host for visitors to Aaru Village while Cyno maintains a cold and distant demeanour while in work-mode.
- To Kaveh. Both are light-haired and red-eyed seniors to a Deadpan Snarker Dendro vision holder named after a historical Arab scientist who wear dark green and have similarly green and red/orange two-toned eyes, but Kaveh has a strained relationship with Alhaitham while Cyno's relationship with Tighnari is mostly harmonious, save for Tighnari's lack of tolerance for Cyno's joke-telling. Furthermore, within the two pairs, Kaveh's colourful clothing and occupation as an independent architect contrasts with Alhaitham as the junior with a simple green and black colour scheme and position as Scribe in the Akademiya, while Tighnari is the junior with a more colourful outfit who insists on working outside of the Akademiya in contrast to Cyno's predominantly purple and black outfit and position as General Mahamatra.
Four-Star Badass: The Sumeru Preview Teaser 03 reveals he is a General and a Vision holder both, thus he is this trope by default.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: One of his voice-overs expresses this as a belief he holds, mulling over that no matter what has been done, no matter what tragic or desperate reason the perpetrator has, a crime is a crime.
More About Cyno (III): Rather than thinking about the "why" of things, I prefer to focus on "what" has been done. There are countless reasons why people do things in this world, and upon hearing some of those reasons, you can't help but start to feel that the wrongdoer had a point, or that the public is being too harsh on them. The disadvantaged side will always garner people's sympathy, but the judge must abandon all such feelings. We may empathize with the pain and motivations of the accused, but a crime, once committed, cannot be left unpunished.
Gathering Steam: As a Character Card in Genius Invokation TCG, this is Cyno's gimmick. At the end of each Round, he gains one level of Indwelling, while his Elemental Burst adds two levels in addition to dealing 4 damage. At level 2, his Physical attacks become imbued with Electro, and at level 4 he gains a formidable +2 damage to all attacks. Once it hits 6, however, it plummets back down to 2.
Genius Bruiser: Is an alumnus from the Akademiya, loves playing Genius Invokation TCG, a game that largely relies on strategy, and works as the General Mahamatra, the top law enforcer in Sumeru.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: Whenever Cyno summons the spirit within him, the eyes on his headdress will start to glow, and the sight terrifies any who gazes upon him.
Good Is Not Soft: Cyno is wholly dedicated to the good of Sumeru and preventing dangerous knowledge from being exploited. This gives him a frighteningly no-nonsense attitude, leading to many people fearing him.
Happily Adopted: His conversation with Lisa in the 3.5 Windblume event has him reveal that he was adopted by their shared mentor Professor Cyrus, and Lisa even refers to him as Cyrus' "son-slash-student". Cyno is grateful to Professor Cyrus for not treating him like a test subject when he was brought into the Akademiya unlike what had been expected of him and for giving him the opportunity to become the man he is today.
Hellish Pupils: Has red eyes with slit, cat-like pupils and is terrifyingly efficient at his job.
Heroic Host: Activating Cyno's burst has him call upon a "divine spirit" that dwells within him to turn into the Pactsworn Pathclearer and deliver judgment where necessary.
Hiding Behind Your Bangs: Only his left eye is visible in all his appearances, with his right eye obscured by his hair.

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Identical Grandson: Implied. The recording of the testament of Kasala, the last priest of King Deshret, shows that he looked almost exactly like Cyno, who zones out for a moment after the recording ends and has to be prompted to leave with the others. Presumably, he's aware of the resemblance and was considering the possibility that he may be a descendant of Kasala.
"Just Frame" Bonus: His first-ascension passive, Featherfall Judgment, allows Cyno to periodically enter the Endseer state every four seconds while the Pactsworn Pathclearer is active, symbolized by a glowing eye appearing on the screen. Using his enhanced Skill during the 1.4 seconds the eye appears triggers the Judication effect, which increases its damage potency by 35% and allows him to fire three Duststalker Bolts that each deal Electro damage equivalent to Cyno's Attack stat.
King of Games: Cyno is very fond of games, his biggest one being Genius Invokation TCG. He also loves role-playing while on vacations, insisting that his travel friends each have a role during the trip. As of the event "Duel! The Summoners' Summit!", Cyno is officially Sumeru's champion of Genius Invokation TCG.
The Knights Who Say "Squee!":
- During one of the quests, the Traveler and Paimon meet Fukumoto^note, an author from Inazuma who is writing "The King of Invokations", a novel based on the Genius Invokation TCG, and wants to ask Cyno to be his model for the main character. Not only Cyno accepts to be used as a reference for his favorite game's novel, but he also demands a card game with Fukumoto as payment.
- Cyno is a big fan of the legendary artist Calx and accompanied Collei and Tighnari to Mondstat to get a legendary card back commissioned by them. When Cyno finds out that "Calx" is Albedo, someone he had been speaking to for some time during that night, the fanboy side of his personality surfaces and he praises Albedo highly.
The Last DJ: The General Mahamatra is well-respected and feared for his unbending will to uphold the law and bring criminals to justice regardless of who they are. When Grand Sage Azar blocks him from investigating further into the Sages' suspicious activity, he goes on to Resign in Protest.
Living Lie Detector: He claims that his experience in interrogating criminals has made him an expert at telling when someone is lying. The lack of any such signs in the Traveler and Paimon when they speak of Kusanali convinces him that they're sincere.
Locked Out of the Loop: Despite being close friends, he was unaware of Kaveh's bankruptcy situation until the end of the event "Parade of Providence."
Meaningful Name: His name is an Ancient Greek/Latin prefix for "doglike," fitting his jackal motif.
Mirror Character:
- Cyno and Xiao are fearsome warriors famed for their sheer prowess, cold demeanor, and relentlessness in hunting down evil. But while Xiao is an old soul willing to retire should he be able to afford it, Cyno is young and reluctant to accept the fact that someday he may tire of his job, much less waver in his convictions. Gameplay-wise, both wield spears, have the Medium Male model, perform a Deadly Lunge for their Elemental Skill, and their Elemental Burst triggers a Super Mode that infuses their innate element to their regular attacks and increases their damage output, with the key difference being that Cyno's has the potential to be extended. Socially, Xiao tries to distance himself from people because of his karmic debt and his friends' safety, and his own insecurities about his own lack of social skills, while Cyno cares about people being intimidated by his stern personality, to which he tries to remedy by using jokes as an attempt to be relatable, despite not working most of the time.
- Much like Keqing, he doesn't trust the leaders he works with and is also an Electro Vision holder. Both also have passive skills that buff their efficiency in their home region's exploration (Shorter duration in Liyue for Keqing, Reward amount bonus in Sumeru for Cyno), as well as having a hobby many would consider geeky (Collecting Rex Lapis figures and TCG card games). However, Keqing managed to warm up to Ningguang after seeing the latter's decision to save Liyue, whereas Cyno decides to turn against the Sages upon learning of their corruption. Lastly, their respective animal motifs are cats and dogs.
- Cyno and Kujou Sara are Electro Vision holders and high-ranking officers in their respective nations' law enforcement bodies. However, Sara is unfailingly loyal to the Raiden Shogun and willingly helped enforce the Vision Hunt Decree, as well as antagonized the Traveler for much of the Inazuma Archon Quest until they and Miko forced her to confront the corruption within the Shogunate, by the time the Traveler met him, Cyno has grown disillusioned with the Sages, especially after discovering their illegal activities, and quickly became one of the Traveler's earliest allies in Sumeru.
- Cyno and Razor are not only the only male Electro Vision holders as of v3.5, they also have similar move sets, use the Medium Male model, have long pale hair, red eyes, canine associations, wear clothing that leaves their torso exposed, and both know Lisa through a mentor-student relationship, though Cyno and Lisa were students of the same professor while Razor is Lisa's student.
The Mole: Downplayed. Midway through the Sumeru Archon Quest, Candace suspects that the reason the Akademiya is one step ahead of the Traveler's group is because there's a mole in Aaru Village who's supplying information about the Traveler's next move to the sages. The mole turns out to be Cyno, albeit unwillingly since he has long defected from the Akademiya by that point, but Alhaitham explains that the Sages are still using Cyno's connection to the Akasha to predict his every move, and by extension, the Traveler's due to association. Cyno uses this to his advantage to mislead and blindside the perpetrators responsible for the kidnapping of the Village Keepers when they least expect it.
Moveset Clone: To Razor. Their Elemental Skills are low-cooldown nukes, and their Bursts are Super Modes that convert all their attacks to Electro while incentivizing not switching out as it would end their Bursts early.
Mr. Fanservice: Cyno is a handsome man with a deep voice, a cool demeanor, and an outfit that showcases a lot of his skin.
Mysterious Past: Cyno's life before becoming the Akademiya's General Mahamatra is a mystery that is implied to be linked to his in-game affiliation with the Temple of Silence, an organization, which as of writing there is scarce information about. What is known about the Temple positions it as holding more authority than the Akademiya, with a report found in the Valley of Dahri stating that it ordered all Khaenri'ahn machines to be sealed, as well as an in-universe theory that Faruzan's disappearance was due to the Temple imprisoning her for discovering a forbidden secret relating to King Deshret. Furthermore, the Akademiya has racist policies towards desert folk, with only exceptional talents such as Setaria being admitted, but somehow Cyno was able to gain admission despite not being particularly academic (a message on the Akademiya Public Message Board complains that he is not a renowned researcher), and Candace's voice line about him implies that he is not from Aaru Village. The 2023 Windblume event clarifies that he was adopted by Professor Cyrus as a child after the Akademiya took him in to be experimented on, but still leaves no hints about the specifics of his origins before his adoption.
- There is also the matter of the "divine spirit" that he calls upon to enter the Pactsworn Pathclearer state, which he does not elaborate further than saying that he can utilize its powers due to his natural constitution as well as "a deal (he) willingly made in the past." The conversation he has with Lisa in the 2023 Windblume event implies that the spirit is linked to the powers of a historical priest from the desert called Hermanubis, and Lisa compares him with Collei in that they share similar negative experiences of hosting divine powers in their bodies.
- The recording from Kasala, the last priest of King Deshret, reveal that Cyno resembles the former greatly, hinting at an unknown bloodline that he was previously unaware about.
- His Vision story states that in-universe, there are many theories within the Akademiya regarding how Cyno received his Vision, some of which suggest that Cyno has relations with King Deshret or a high-ranking religious authority from the desert, though the mundane truth is that he got it while reading up on the six cardinal sins of the Akademiya.
Mystical White Hair: He has white hair and whenever he uses his Elemental Burst, he becomes a vessel of Hermanubis.
Mythical Motifs: His jackal-based design and Constellation, as well as his position as head arbiter of the Akademiya's laws, brings to mind Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the afterlife and judge of the dead in Egyptian Mythology.
The Napoleon: Even among the medium-sized males, Cyno is remarkably short (a message on the Akademiya Public Message Board crudely refers to him as "that desert dwarf"), but that does not stop him from having a terrifying presence as the General Mahamatra.
Noble Top Enforcer: Cyno is the leader of the Matra, the Akademiya's fearsome disciplinary force. As strong as his loyalty to Akademiya is, however, he has a stronger loyalty to his morals and principles, which ultimately drive him to turn against the Sages after witnessing firsthand their extremely questionable activities.
Not So Above It All:
- Despite the intimidating, no-nonsense attitude he gives off most of the time, Cyno does know how and when to relax. He likes cracking (terribly unfunny) jokes and is an avid fan of Genius Invokation TCG, which he plays in his downtime from his duties with the matra. He is also fond of role-play and will rope his friends into joining him with their own roles.
- His Serenitea Pot lines reveal that he actually invokes this trope, as he realized his "ultra-serious" behavior was stressing out his fellow Matra, so he started telling jokes to balance out his image.
- Tighnari tells that if Cyno gets too insistent with his jokes, it's a sign that he is comfortable among the group. He even repeats a joke five times to Albedo.
- In Alhaitham's trailer, he is seen relaxing over some Genius Invokation TCG with Tighnari and Kaveh at a tavern and is casually talking with them about Alhaitham's combat skills.
"Not So Different" Remark: Lisa points out that he and Collei's respective situations aren't so dissimilar, as Cyno had once struggled with the power of Hermanubis when he was younger, the same way Collei struggled with the remains of gods that lay dormant within her. This really sheds more light onto Cyno's protectiveness and affection for her, as he understands all too well what she's been through.
Odd Friendship: With Tighnari.
- Cyno is the strict head of the Matra, a high-ranking position in Sumeru, while Tighnari is the leader of the Avidya Forest Rangers and Amurta alumnus who declined a position in the Akademiya in favor of watching over the rainforests. The latter has mentioned their disapproval of some of the Akademiya's methods numerous times and has even willingly bent the rules as with the case of Karkata. On the other hand, Cyno bears a strong conviction towards the rules and is fiercely passionate about his duty as General Mahamatra, always seeing the law as absolute. Despite these differences, however, they still seem to get along well and bear a strong, mutual trust with one another.
  - However, their roles reverse into a Boke and Tsukkomi Routine dynamic whenever Cyno is off the clock. When not at work, Cyno becomes a Hurricane of Puns, and insists on doing Comic Role Play during trips, to which Tighnari becomes the Straight Man, often rolls his eyes or abruptly changes subjects so he won't beat the joke to the ground.
- He also befriended Kaveh, a passionate aesthete and famed architect, prior to the Sumeru Archon Quest. Alhaitham's Character Demo and the event "Pride of Providence" reveal that they are quite close despite their differences in careers and personalities.
Older Than They Look: Due to his short stature, Cyno can get mistaken for a teenager at first glance, as shown in his character teaser, however, his deep voice and Tighnari's story mentioning that he was already the General Mahamatra when the former was still studying in the Akademiya indicate otherwise. Most notably, his appearance from the manga looks exactly the same as he does in the game, and during the Windblume's Breath event, Cyno confirms that he is chronologically older than Tighnari.
Power Floats: One of his idle animations has him channel his Electro powers to briefly levitate.
Proud to Be a Geek:
- He is a proud Genius Invokation TCG player and gets excited whenever someone mentions the game.
  - When the author of the Genius Invokation TCG novel "King of Invocations" goes all the way to Sumeru, he wants the Traveler to ask Cyno for a few photos of him to draw inspiration for a character. Cyno agrees to let them take pictures, as long as they play some rounds of Genius Invokation TCG later.
  - During the 3.5 Windblume Festival, he asks the Traveler if they had played the TCG before. His next response varies depending on the option chosen:
    (If the Traveler says that they have): And that is why I am proud to call you my friend.
    (If the Traveler says that they have not): Well, you should. For the sake of our continued friendship.
  - He also admits that he insisted on accompanying Collei to Mondstadt because he wanted to commission Calx with artwork for his TCG card backings. Once Albedo agrees to do it, Cyno is later seen at Stormterror's lair, with a Kamera set up pointing to the entrance, proudly replying to Mika that he is getting inspiration for his commission.
  - During the event "A Parade of Providence", Cyno reveals that he volunteered to take part in the tournament because there's a rare TCG card included in the prize. What's so special about that card? It's holographic. What else does it do? It makes his deck look cooler.
  - When Cyno wins the second round, Nilou asks him if he wants to say something after his victory, to which Cyno uses the oportunity to dedicate his victory to Tighnari... by quoting a speech from his favorite novel "King of Invocations".
- He is also into role playing while on vacations, saying without an ounce of shame that he is "Cyno the Adventurer", and Tighnari and Collei also are supposed to have roles of their own. When the Traveler asks if he finds the whole thing fun, he straight up responds "Very much so".
Pungeon Master: Once Cyno is into it, the dad jokes won't stop, no matter how much Collei and Tighnari beg him to stop. A few characters find his jokes funny, like Nahida^note and Albedo^note, since both of them appreciate the wordplay and references in them. Charlotte, meanwhile, as a journalist who has to write catchy headlines for articles, appreciates Cyno's puns.
Purple Is Powerful: Cyno is the General Mahamatra and the host of the spirit of a powerful ancient priest, and his outfit contains purple elements, is blessed with an Electro vision, and when he channels the spirit during his burst, his headdress turns purple and he sports gigantic purple claws with purple floating bandages.
Rage Within the Machine: Cyno had already gone on a Self-Imposed Exile after realizing that the Sages wanted him to turn a blind eye to their transgressions, but when he learns of the entire truth regarding their goals, he uses his authority as General Mahamatra to smuggle Rahman's Eremite band into Sumeru City to prepare for The Coup.
Random Drop Booster: His utility passive, The Gift of Silence, increases rewards by 25% when dispatched on an Expedition in Sumeru for twenty hours.
Red Baron: Among Genius Invokation TCG circles, Cyno appears to be known as "Lord Jackal" based on a message on the Puspa Cafe message board, and in the 3.7 event Duel! The Summoners' Summit he becomes the King of Invocations as a result of winning the local tournament.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: His natural eye color is red, which goes according to his intimidating aura when working with mercenaries and criminals.
Red Herring Mole: Late through the second third of the Sumeru Archon Quest, Alhaitham seemingly suspects him of being the Akademiya's mole, given the speed with which they evacuated the Village Keepers from the Eleazar hospital at Dar al-Shifa. However, ultimately he doesn't blame General Mahamatra for it, and neither do the Traveler, Paimon, Dehya, and Candace, because, as he points out, the Sages have been keeping tabs on Cyno ever since he first became a matra, wherein his activity logs are constantly being fed into the Akasha, which then calculates every possible action he could take. The shocking revelations caused Cyno to realize that the Sages never trusted him despite his loyalty and lofty position, fueling his desire to overthrow the Sages.
Regenerating Mana: His fourth Constellation upgrade, Austerity: Forbidding Guard, restores 3 Energy to his allies whenever he triggers Electro-Charged, Superconduct, Overloaded, Quicken, Aggravate, Hyperbloom, or Electro Swirl reactions whenever he is in the Pactsworn Pathclearer state (up to five times).
Resign in Protest: When Alhaitham questions Cyno on his absence from the Akademiya during Chapter III Act III, he gives this as the reason because Grand Sage Azar had blocked him from investigating further on the Sages' dubious project.
Save the Villain: His character story mentions that on occasion, criminals fleeing from him end up in dangerous situations, prompting Cyno to rescue them without hesitation and often earning their respect in the process. His goal is to bring people to judgment, not to accidentally be their executioner.
Save Your Deity: Is a key figure in the plot to free Kusanali from her prison during Chapter III Act V, and also personally arrested her treasonous Grand Sage for his mistreatment of her.
Scientist vs. Soldier: Towards the Sages of the Akedemiya in an inversion of this trope, as he’s the good guy rather than the villain. Cyno as the General Mahamatra, works to enforce the very laws that the Sages established, while they’re willing to break those laws in the name of scientific progress. Likewise, Cyno decides to let the Dendro Archon punish the Sages for their crimes, due to how they tried to keep her locked up, since she didn’t meet their perceptions of a God of Wisdom and tried to have her replaced.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: No one is immune to Cyno's sense of justice, not even the Sages. In fact, he exiles himself from the matra once it's made clear that they see the matra as merely their attack dogs and don't actually care about enforcing an ethical code.
Self-Imposed Exile: When the Traveler first encounters Cyno, he had exiled himself from the Akademiya to prevent the Sages from restricting his movements so that he could continue investigating into their plans.
Serious Business: Genius Invocation TCG is this for him, to the point where he’s willing to pay a large sum of mora for a simple card back, and in the "Duel! The Summoner’s Summit" event, when he learns that the Treasure Hoarders were using card backs to relay hidden messages to other members, he vows that he will destroy anyone who defiles the game for selfish desires.
Shout-Out: His signature dish is a blatant Shout-Out to Yu-Gi-Oh!, what with its name, description, and is shaped like a pyramid with what looked like an eye hieroglyph on it.
Signature Headgear: Whether in the prequel manga or in the game, Cyno always wears jackal ears on his head. His cloak in the prequel manga has the jackal ears attached to his hoodie while the description for his in-game outfit states that he had commissioned his jackal headpiece with custom-made ornaments which were complicated to make, and requires regular maintenance.
Significant White Hair, Dark Skin: Stands out among the people at the Akademiya for not only being the few desert folk there (hence his tanned skin) despite the Akademiya's discriminatory policies but also having white hair despite his youth.
Skeptic No Longer: Since the Akademiya has long ignored Kusanali in favor of continued worship of Rukkhadevata, Cyno admits that while the former certainly exists, as far as he was ever concerned, given her apparent lack of deeds as a god, she might as well not. When the Traveler realizes that the insane erudites defending Aaru Village were actually Nahida protecting her people through them, Cyno has a hard time believing it, despite not rejecting entirely the possibility. He is convinced of Kusanali's real presence in Sumeru after he witnesses how she saves the group in that same way and becomes determined to make justice by saving her and punishing the sages.
Staff of Authority: Cyno is commonly seen wielding one of the Staff of the Scarlet Sands (the other half is with Candace) in official media, and its Flavour Text states that they "grant the right to lead the people of the desert".
Straight Man and Wise Guy: Despite his overall stoic demeanor, Cyno tends to play the silly Wise Guy to Tighnari's exasperated Straight Man when he's not on duty and letting himself loose. Many of their scenes are routines of Cyno's antics driving Tighnari up a wall.
Status Buff:
- His first Constellation upgrade, Ordinance: Unceasing Vigil, increases the speed of his normal attacks by 20% for ten seconds after using Burst, which can be refreshed whenever he triggers Judication.
- His second Constellation upgrade, Ceremony: Homecoming of Spirits, increases his Electro Damage Bonus by 10% for four seconds whenever his normal attacks connect (with at least 0.1-second intervals), to a maximum of five stacks (equivalent to a 50% boost).
Strange Minds Think Alike: Cyno and Nahida have similar ways of thinking. Cyno tends to explain his jokes, citing in detail all the references and the puns, while Nahida often talks in metaphors, which are often too complex, which makes sense on why she finds his humor to her liking.
Stripperiffic: Cyno's outfit bares a great deal of skin, revealing his legs, arms, and bare chest. Instead of shoes, he wears foot wraps, which expose his toes and heels.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Despite Cyno's terrifying reputation, serious personality, and constantly stern expression, he's a considerate ally, civil to people he trusts, and willing to sympathize with his targets even if he won't bend the rules for them. The Traveler even remarks on how much friendlier Cyno is to them than he is to others while in work mode. His more relaxed side can be seen during the Windblume Breath event, where according to Tighnari, Cyno starts making a lot of terrible pun jokes if he is comfortable around people he considers his friends.
Super Mode: Cyno's Burst summons Hermanubis to transform him into the Pactsworn Pathclearer state, wherein he dons a larger jackal headdress and claws on his arms. In this state, all his regular attacks become imbued with an Electro effect that cannot be overridden with elemental reactions, as well as upgrades his Skill to deal greater, wide-ranging damage and slightly extends the duration of the state.
Supernatural Golden Eyes: Whenever Cyno channels the spirit within him, the eyes on his headdress will glow yellow while his own eyes will be obscured.
Sword Beam: Whenever his enhanced Skill triggers Judication (provided Cyno has unlocked his first-ascension passive, Featherfall Judgment), it unleashes three Duststalker Bolts that deal Electro damage equivalent to Cyno's Attack stat. In addition, his sixth Constellation upgrade, Raiment: Just Scales, allows him to gather four stacks of Day of the Jackal (of which up to eight can be held at a time) whenever he triggers his Burst or Judication, which are consumed one at a time (with at least 0.4-second intervals) to unleash a Bolt in tandem with his normal attacks while the Pactsworn Pathclearer state is active; the stacks expire either after eight seconds or the state ends.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He is not fond of Alhaitham and does not enjoy having to work with him. Regardless, the two manage to put aside their differences for the sake of the greater good of Sumeru.
Tested on Humans: Part of his Dark and Troubled Past. During the Windblume's Breath event, he reveals in conversation with Lisa that he was taken into the Akademiya after making his pact with the divine with the intention of becoming a test subject for the Akademiya. Fortunately, he was rescued by a Spantamad researcher and found success.
To Be Lawful or Good: He chooses "good," placing the whole of Sumeru above its sense of order. In Nahida's voice lines, she praises Cyno for how swiftly he made this decision and his awareness that compromise between the two was not an option.
Token Good Teammate: He and Alhaitham are two members of the Akademiya to never support the Sages' plans, to the point that he exiles himself when he realizes they don't practice what they preach.
Tranquil Fury: Cyno is usually fairly even-tempered, but after learning the truth of the Akademiya's manipulations, not to mention seeing firsthand that they'd imprisoned Nahida, he's clearly seething when he confronts Azar.
True Companions: The event Windblume's Breath reveals that the familial relationship Cyno, Tighnari, and Collei developed, which Cyno describes as being akin to siblings, is unique in Sumeru society because it was not born from the pursuit of academics turned into a social relationship. The group had never worked together academically, allowing for a pure connection that lets them view each other as equals that are unaffected by academic considerations.
Turn in Your Badge: Rather than risk being fired and exiled, Cyno chose to quit the Matra himself so that he could properly investigate the Akademiya's Sages, who were obstructing him from holding an internal investigation on their projects by pulling rank on him.
Undisclosed Funds: In the "Parade of Providence" event, Cyno is willing to pay a million Mora for Kaveh's new card, which Kaveh initially intended to give him for free, not knowing how much it was worth. Kaveh wonders if being the General Mahamatra pays him plenty if he's able to throw so much Mora around, which Cyno doesn't confirm nor deny, although he does say that he saves a lot. If the Traveler reads his mind, Cyno considers the card his best investment so far.
Undying Loyalty: After learning the truth of how the Akademiya had Lesser Lord Kusanali isolated from her people, Cyno becomes enraged and swears to bring justice to the sages. When Nahida attends Cyno's party through the Traveler's body and thanks everyone for saving her, Cyno is visibly humbled and declares that protecting her has always been his duty.
Upgrade Artifact: A couple of variants:
- Cyno's fourth-ascension passive, Authority Over the Nine Bows, increases the potency of certain attacks while he is in the Pactsworn Pathclearer state based on a fraction of his Elemental Mastery Stat—normal attacks by 150%, and Duststalker Bolts by 250%.
- His third and fifth Constellation upgrades, Precept: Lawful Enforcer and Funerary Rite: The Passing of Starlight, add three levels to, respectively, his Burst and Skill.
Vague Age: While his age is never explicitly stated, there is plenty of evidence that he is already an adult, such as his graduation from the Akademiya. Kaveh's Hangout Event also hints at his age, as it is revealed that he is younger than Kaveh, who is the eldest of their circle of friends with Tighnari and Alhaitham, and is heavily implied to be in his late twenties through various bits of dialogue.
Vocal Dissonance: In the English dub, Alejandro Saab gives Cyno a fairly deep voice despite his mid-teenage appearance (helpfully conveying that he is an adult and is older than Tighnari). Not so in Japanese, where Miyu Irino instead gives him a more youthful tone to match his appearance, while still conveying his stoic personality.
Walking Shirtless Scene: His outfit, which leaves the majority of his torso exposed, makes him this.
Weapon Specialization: Cyno's Card art depicts him wielding the Staff of the Scarlet Sands (5★), whose Wish banner runs concurrent to his. Its Ascension substat of Critical Rate (9.6–44.1%) complements his natural growth in Critical Damage, while its "Heat Haze at Horizon's End" passive increases its wielder's Attack stat by 52–104% of their Elemental Mastery stat, as well as gathers up to three stacks of "Dream of the Scarlet Sands" for ten seconds whenever they trigger their Elemental Skill, which grants an additional Attack bonus based on 28–56% of their Elemental Mastery stat per stack.
Willing Channeler: In his "More About Cyno: II" voice line, Cyno explains that by using his body as a vessel, he is able to utilize the powers of a spirit that lives within him to turn into the Pactsworn Pathclearer in part due to a deal he made in the past.
Will Not Tell a Lie: In the Windblume's Breath event, he's nominated as a candidate for "the one who would never lie". Cyno's reply letter confirms that it's a conscious choice on his part to be as honest as he can, as his unusual position as a desert-dweller raised in the Akademiya makes it hard for both sides to trust him and lying would only reinforce that.
Work Hard, Play Hard: Cyno takes his responsibilities as the General Mahamatra extremely seriously, from exiling himself to ensure that the Sages don't hinder his pursuit of carrying out the law in the Archon Quests to singlehandedly arresting 300 suspects in his Story Quest, but when he's off duty he is unabashed about repeatedly telling terrible jokes, being passionate about Genius Invocation TCG, and may even insist on role-playing with his friends. Paimon even comments on how he feels like a completely different person when he was vacationing in Mondstadt in the 3.5 Windblume event.

Characters / Genshin Impact: Cyno

Cyno

Introduced: September 28, 2022 (v3.1 "King Deshret and the Three Magi" [first half])
Voiced by: Li Qingyang (Chinese), Miyu Irino (Japanese), Lee Woo-ri (Korean), Alejandro Saab (English)

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Characters / Genshin Impact: Cyno

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Cyno

Introduced: September 28, 2022 (v3.1 "King Deshret and the Three Magi" [first half])Voiced by: Li Qingyang (Chinese), Miyu Irino (Japanese), Lee Woo-ri (Korean), Alejandro Saab (English)

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Introduced: September 28, 2022 (v3.1 "King Deshret and the Three Magi" [first half])
Voiced by: Li Qingyang (Chinese), Miyu Irino (Japanese), Lee Woo-ri (Korean), Alejandro Saab (English)