Han Cunningham: Difference between revisions

Han Cunningham (ハーン・カニンガム, Hān Kaningamu) is a supporting character in Suikoden II. Han is a Highland general and the former bearer of the Black Sword Rune. He was a close friend of Genkaku.

History

Han Cunningham was a renowned hero and military commander of the Highland Kingdom, celebrated for his valor and leadership on the battlefield.

Born into a distinguished military family, Han rose to prominence as the commander of the Highland 1st Army during the war between Highland and the City-States of Jowston. He shared a deep friendship and rivalry with Genkaku, a warrior who fought for the City-States, as both hailed from the same village. Their bond was one of mutual respect and admiration, tempered by the fierce competition between them.

During the war, Han and Genkaku encountered the split Rune of Beginning in Toto Village, with Han inheriting the Black Sword Rune. Recognizing each other's strength, the two agreed to a duel to determine the outcome of the war, a testament to their shared desire to test their skills against one another.

However, their duel was thwarted by Darell's conspiracy, resulting in Genkaku's disappearance and Han being falsely hailed as the hero who ended the war. This undeserved acclaim left Han burdened with guilt and a lingering darkness in his heart, as he felt his victory was built on deceit.

Following the war in SY 434, Han and Genkaku returned their runes to the shrine in Toto Village. Han was appointed Commander of the Highland 2nd Army and tasked with defending the Imperial Capital, L'Renouille. Stationed in the capital, he would also serve as Prince Luca Blight's sword instructor for a number of years.

He remained in the capital during the attack on King Agares' royal caravan in SY 443, though he did lead the rescue effort. He also played no active role in the Dunan Unification War until its final stages.

Some speculated that Luca Blight deliberately kept Han out of the public eye, wary of his influence and integrity. Though Han held great disdain for Luca's brutal methods, he refrained from openly opposing him, adhering to his duty as a soldier. He did not interact with Jowy Atreides much, due to the two operating in different fields.

When the Highland capital was besieged by the New State Army, Han made his final stand within the L'Renouille Palace. Seeing reflections of himself and Genkaku in the hero—Genkaku's adopted child—and Jowy Atreides, Han challenged the New State Army's leader to single combat.

This act was both a defense of the palace and a personal reckoning, as Han sought to settle the unresolved duel with Genkaku and atone for what he saw as his failure to fulfill the responsibility of the Rune of Beginning.

Defeated but at peace, Han spent his final moments reminiscing about his days with Genkaku. He passed away serenely, satisfied that he had finally settled his score with his friend and rival, and confident that the hero would usher in the era of peace he and Genkaku had been unable to achieve.

Genso Suikoden Card Stories TCG

Card #	Name	Type	Release
021	Han	Leader	Booster Pack Vol.1
276	Han	Leader	Premium Pack
CS2-146	Han	Leader	CS2 Booster Pack Vol.2
CS2-396/R021	Han	Leader	Remake Booster

Gallery

Artwork

Suikoden II artwork by Ishikawa Fumi
Genso Suikoden Card Stories TCG artwork by Chiyoko

In-Game

Suikoden II Sony PlayStation portrait
Suikoden II Windows 95 portrait
Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Suikoden II portrait

References

Genso Suikoden II 108 Stars Character Guide (ISBN 4-88317-769-6), page 227
Genso Suikoden Encyclopaedia (ISBN 4-575-16297-3), pages 208-9
Genso Suikoden Genso Shinsho Vol.5 (ISBN 4-88317-884-6), pages 56-7
Genso Suikoden Genso Shinsho Vol.9 (ISBN 4-7753-0088-1), page 87
Genso Suikoden Kiwami Encyclopedia, page 193

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 ==History==
 [[File:Han confronts the party.png|thumb|left|220px|I thought you kids would never visit grandpa.]]
-Han Cunningham was known as a hero who fought on the front lines for the [[Highland Kingdom]]. Han came from a military family and during the war between Highland the [[City-States of Jowston]], he served as commander of the Highland 1st Army. He was a close friend and personal rival of [[Genkaku]], who fought for the City-State forces, the two having come from the same village.
+Han Cunningham was a renowned hero and military commander of the [[Highland Kingdom]], celebrated for his valor and leadership on the battlefield.
-Around this time, the two friends would come across the split [[Rune of Beginning]] in [[Toto Village]] and Han would inherit the [[Black Sword Rune]]. Respecting each other's abilities, they would agree to the proposed duel between the two to end the war. Han, recognizing Genkaku's skill, wished to test himself against his friend.
+Born into a distinguished military family, Han rose to prominence as the commander of the [[Highland Army|Highland 1st Army]] during the war between Highland and the [[City-States of Jowston]]. He shared a deep friendship and rivalry with [[Genkaku]], a warrior who fought for the City-States, as both hailed from the same village. Their bond was one of mutual respect and admiration, tempered by the fierce competition between them.
-However, their duel would end through [[Darell]]'s conspiracy instead and Genkaku would fade away while Han was lauded as a Highland hero, his wish to duel Genkaku unfulfilled. Since then, he carried a darkness in his heart as he was lauded as a hero who won the war for Highland, but on false pretences.
+During the war, Han and Genkaku encountered the split [[Rune of Beginning]] in [[Toto Village]], with Han inheriting the [[Black Sword Rune]]. Recognizing each other's strength, the two agreed to a duel to determine the outcome of the war, a testament to their shared desire to test their skills against one another.
-At some point following the end of the war in [[Solar calendar|SY]] 434, the two would return their runes to the shrine in Toto Village and Han was appointed Commander of the 2nd [[Highland Army]] and assigned to the defense of Highland's Imperial Capital, [[L'Renouille]]. As such, he was in L'Renouille when Agares' royal caravan was attacked in SY 443.
+However, their duel was thwarted by [[Darell]]'s conspiracy, resulting in Genkaku's disappearance and Han being falsely hailed as the hero who ended the war. This undeserved acclaim left Han burdened with guilt and a lingering darkness in his heart, as he felt his victory was built on deceit.
-He also did not see action in the [[Dunan Unification War]] until its last battle, when the city was besieged by a numerically superior [[New State Army]]. Some speculated that Luca deliberately tried to keep Han out of the public eye. Although Han held great distaste for Luca's actions, he also did not overstep his role to admonish or resist him. Due to his role, he also did not have the chance to interact with [[Jowy Atreides]] much.
+Following the war in [[Solar calendar|SY]] 434, Han and Genkaku returned their runes to the shrine in Toto Village. Han was appointed Commander of the Highland 2nd Army and tasked with defending the Imperial Capital, [[L'Renouille]]. Stationed in the capital, he would also serve as Prince [[Luca Blight]]'s sword instructor for a number of years.
-After L'Renouille was breached, Han would make one final stand in [[L'Renouille Palace]]. He saw himself and Genkaku in [[Hero (Suikoden II)|the hero]], who was Genkaku's adopted child, and Jowy Atreides, and so challenged the New State Army's leader to single combat both to protect the palace and to settle the score that he was never able to with Genkaku. It seems he also felt the need to push himself for what he felt was his abandoning of the responsibility of the Rune of Beginning.
+He remained in the capital during the attack on King [[Agares Blight|Agares]]' royal caravan in SY 443, though he did lead the rescue effort. He also played no active role in the [[Dunan Unification War]] until its final stages.
-Defeated, Han would reminisce one last time about his days with Genkaku before passing away serenely, satisfied he was finally able to settle things with his friend and rival and that the hero would be able to usher in the era they both couldn't.
+Some speculated that [[Luca Blight]] deliberately kept Han out of the public eye, wary of his influence and integrity. Though Han held great disdain for Luca's brutal methods, he refrained from openly opposing him, adhering to his duty as a soldier. He did not interact with [[Jowy Atreides]] much, due to the two operating in different fields.
+When the Highland capital was besieged by the [[New State Army]], Han made his final stand within the [[L'Renouille Palace]]. Seeing reflections of himself and Genkaku in the [[Hero (Suikoden II)|hero]]—Genkaku's adopted child—and Jowy Atreides, Han challenged the New State Army's leader to single combat.
+This act was both a defense of the palace and a personal reckoning, as Han sought to settle the unresolved duel with Genkaku and atone for what he saw as his failure to fulfill the responsibility of the Rune of Beginning.
+Defeated but at peace, Han spent his final moments reminiscing about his days with Genkaku. He passed away serenely, satisfied that he had finally settled his score with his friend and rival, and confident that the hero would usher in the era of peace he and Genkaku had been unable to achieve.
 ==Genso Suikoden Card Stories TCG==