Gen Fu

Gen Fu (Chinese: 元福, pinyin: Yuán Fú) is a bookstore owner and a master of xinyiliuhequan from the Dead or Alive series, who first debuted in the first Dead or Alive. He joined the Dead or Alive Tournaments to help his sick granddaughter, Mei Lin, but as of Dead or Alive 4, he no longer needs to join the tournaments, since Mei Lin is back to full health and the doctor's bills are paid off. He is also the mentor of Eliot.

History
Gen Fu was a humble book store owner and master of xinyiliuhequan; a powerful and dangerous martial art involving the use of the hands and upper body. He lived out his days in solitude and peaceful tranquility, looking after his young grandaughter, Mei Lin. At some point during the years, he took on Eliot as an apprentice; why he chose Eliot is a mystery, even to the boy himself.

The First Tournament
When Mei Lin contracts a terrible disease, Gen Fu enters himself into the first Dead or Alive Tournament, intending to use the prize money to pay for her costly treatment.

During Fame Douglass's announcement of the tournament in the Freedom Survivor, he detests Zack as he wants to take the prize money to Las Vegas and tells him "Fool, my granddaughter's life is all that matters!" Zack playfully says that he can double the money once he has won it. Gen Fu shouts in disbelief "Impossible!"



The Second Tournament
When normal medical care didn't seem to help Mei Lin's illness, Gen Fu enters the second tournament to aquire money to fund more research for her rare disease.

During the tournament, he is approached by Leon, who says "I won't hold back, old man". Genfu replies, "Don't take me lightly, young man." and he power stomps the sand which blows in Leon's face. They battle.

Next, Gen Fu has to fight Helena Douglas, who asks why he's in the tournament. Gen Fu tells Helena that he wants to win the prize money to save Mei Lin, and Helena decides not to interfere with that. However, when Gen Fu asks why she's in the tournament, she tells him it's none of his business, which leads to their battle. Gen Fu loses to Helena but heads to defeat the Tengu anyway. In his ending he is shown defeating the Tengu and taking its nose, hoping it will save Mei Lin, as the creature's nose is reputed to cure any diseases.

The Third Tournament
Thanks to the prize money that Gen Fu won in the second tournament, Mei Lin is making a steady recovery. However, to complete the surgery and pay for a full rehabilitation, Gen Fu again needs a vast sum of money. For this reason, Gen Fu fights yet again. It is implied that Gen Fu ranked second place in the third tournament.

During the tournament, Gen Fu trains Eliot in China to hone his fighting skills. They encounter Hayate and Ayane and he asks them for a tag duel, wanting Eliot to have experience with fighters with different techniques.

The Fourth Tournament
Since Mei Lin is fully recovered, Gen Fu has no reason to compete in the fourth tournament. Eliot, now sixteen years old, goes on to fight in the tournament to prove himself worthy as Gen Fu's apprentice. When the boy returns he asks for a fight against Gen Fu himself. Eliot wins, proving to himself that he is worthy.

The Fifth Tournament
Once again, Gen Fu does not compete in the fifth tournament. However, in China, he appears before Eliot after the tournament. Gen Fu tells his apprentice that he has mastered xingyiquan and that he'll teach him his own technique: xinyiliuhequan. Gen Fu warns Eliot that the training will be a bit harder this time around, but the young apprentice happily accepts the challenge.

Personality
Gen Fu is very much an honorable man, as well as a model martial artist. He is wise and kind-hearted, but somewhat gruff and closed compared to other fighters in the tournament. Much like Ryu Hayabusa, he adopts a tranquil nature, much akin to water; free flowing most of the time, but unforgiving and crushing when roused. Furthermore, Gen Fu is very articulate. He paints, writes poems and ponders on the philoshophical aspects of his martial art as well as on that of the world around him.

Etymology
Gen Fu's name is a Japanese reading of the Chinese name 元福 "Yuán Fú" (Cantonese: Yuen Fuk).

Helena Douglas
Gen Fu and Helena were partners in Dead or Alive 2 and worked together. Gen Fu asked Helena why she joined the second tournament and instead of replying to the question, Helena said it was none of his business. However, Helena seems to like Gen Fu; even offering to pay for his granddaughter, Mei Lin's operation.

Eliot
Gen Fu and Eliot have a master/apprentice relationship; Eliot has a great deal of respect for his master and always wanted to prove himself worthy to him. Gen Fu may also accept him somewhat as family as he trusts Elliot around his granddaughter, Meilin, who refers to him as a big brother.

Brad Wong
In the third tournament Gen Fu meets Brad Wong. Brad had heard about the master possessing the "Iron Fist" through word-of-mouth stories, although Gen Fu assures him that his power is not fairytales. In Dead or Alive 4, Brad tells Eliot that he should pity Gen Fu because he had been "lonely" all his life. Brad possibly has respect for the old master.

Hayate
At the third tournament, he encountered Hayate and Ayane while training his apprentice, Eliot. Hayate seems to have a lot of respect for Gen Fu, going as far as to compliment him for still being strong despite his age, to which he replies "I'm not that strong, I'm just the best" proudly.

Gameplay

 * See also: Gen Fu's Command Lists

Gen Fu, although slow, is very powerful. His single strikes alone can do massive damage (such as his Ugyu-Haito). His gameplay could be compared to Bayman's, although unlike Bayman, Gen Fu's throws are less powerful but create more opportunities (his Unpei-Nichigetsu-Ha throw is an excellent tiger knee for air-juggles, for example). His forward + P-esque attacks result in massive damage, but his attacks rely on timing and presentation due to his slow recovery time and execution. He also has relatively few kicks and most of his attacks are mid-level, making him somewhat predictable. His preferred range is up close, as several of his more powerful strikes have a damage bonus when used point-blank, making some of them more powerful than many characters' throws. He is quite compatible with Kasumi, Ayane and Helena, as their speed and combo-potential compliment his power and more limited number of combos.

Unlocking Gen Fu
Gen Fu is an unlockable character in Dead or Alive 4 and Dead or Alive 5, and he can be used in every gameplay mode except Story Mode. To unlock him:
 * Dead or Alive 4: Complete Story Mode with Eliot.
 * Dead or Alive 5: Complete Eliot's chapter in Story Mode.

Dead or Alive series

 * Dead or Alive (arcade) (playable, 1996)
 * Dead or Alive (Sega Saturn) (playable, 1997)
 * Dead or Alive (PlayStation) (playable, 1998)
 * Dead or Alive++ (playable, 1998)
 * Dead or Alive 2 (playable, 1999 - 2000)
 * DOA2: Hardcore (playable, 2000)
 * Dead or Alive 3 (playable, 2001 - 2002)
 * Dead or Alive 1 Ultimate (playable, 2004 - 2005)
 * Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (playable, 2004 - 2005)
 * Dead or Alive 4 (unlockable, 2005 - 2006)
 * Dead or Alive: Dimensions (playable, 2011)
 * Dead or Alive 5 (unlockable, 2012)
 * Dead or Alive 5+ (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (playable, 2015)

DOA: Dead or Alive
Gen Fu appears in DOA: Dead or Alive, portrayed by Fang Liu. In the movie, Gen Fu can be seen fighting Leifang. He also has a brief fight with Kasumi where she paralyzes Gen Fu, but the scene was left out of the film. It is featured amongst the deleted scenes on the DVD.

Fighter quotes

 * Dead or Alive
 * Dead or Alive 2/DOA2: Hardcore
 * Dead or Alive 3
 * Dead or Alive 1 Ultimate/Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate
 * Dead or Alive 4
 * Dead or Alive: Dimensions
 * Dead or Alive 5/Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate/Dead or Alive 5 Last Round

Musical themes
The following are the musical themes used for Gen Fu throughout the series.

Gallery

 * See: Gen Fu gallery

Trivia

 * Originally, Gen Fu's name supposed to be Fang Fu (ファン・フー).
 * Gen Fu was originally the oldest main playable character in the series until Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, when he was replaced by Nyotengu.
 * Gen Fu shares some similarities with Gen from the Street Fighter series.
 * In the English version of the Dead or Alive 5 Official Game Guide, it is stated that one of Gen Fu's occupations is being an "antiquarian". However, this occupation has not been stated in any subsequent games or media since then, especially on the Japanese websites.