Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / TheFourGods

Go To

1%%%
2%%
3%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
4%%
5%%%
6
7%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1452266899092104700
8%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
9%% The examples on this page have been alphabetized.
10%%
11[[quoteright:349:[[TabletopGame/PuzzleSarang https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kgrhqzg4e8k7g6rhbpufopcg60_57.png]]]]
12
13The Four Gods are the central figures of an ancient Chinese system of astrology and geomancy which was imported to Korea and Japan and absorbed into UsefulNotes/{{Onmyodo}} mysticism, among other beliefs. In this system, there are 28 star houses (that is to say, constellations) which run the circumference of the sky. The Heavenly Emperor divided the sky into the northern, southern, eastern, and western quadrants, each with seven star houses and each ruled by a divine beast. In the original Chinese version, [[OneExtraMember there was one more divine beast]], Huánglóng, the Yellow Dragon of the Center, embodying the element of Earth, which is essentially synonymous with China itself. He is missing from most other versions.
14
15The Four Gods are:
16||align=left border=1 width=100%
17||'''Mandarin Chinese'''||'''Japanese'''||'''Korean'''||'''Vietnamese'''||'''English'''||
18||Qīnglóng||Seiryū||Cheongnyong||Thanh Long||[[DragonsAreDivine The Azure Dragon]]||
19||The God to the East. It represents Spring and Wood and is centered by the Heart house.[[note]]Until fairly recently East Asia considered blue and green [[UsefulNotes/GreenIsBlue hues of the same color]], so qīng/sei/cheong/thanh means not strictly "azure" and would be better understood in English as "green" because of the association with plants. A closer translation would be 'teal'.[[/note]]||||||||||
20||Zhūquè||Suzaku||Jujak||Chu Tước||[[DivineBirds The Vermilion Bird]]||
21||The God to the South. It represents Summer and Fire and is centered by the Star house.||||||||||
22||Báihǔ||Byakko||Baekho||Bạch Hổ||[[GreatWhiteFeline The White Tiger]]||
23||The God to the West. It represents Autumn and Metal and is centered by the Hairy Head house.||||||||||
24||Xuánwǔ||Genbu||Hyeonmu||Huyền Vũ||[[WiseOldTurtle The Black Tortoise (lit. Occult Martial)]]||
25||The God to the North. It represents Winter and Water and is centered by the Emptiness house.||||||||||
26||Huánglóng||Kōryū or Ōryū||Hwangnyong||Hoàng Long||[[TopGod The Yellow Dragon]]||
27||The God to the Center. It represents the Changing Seasons and Earth and is without star houses of its own.||||||||||
28
29From the concept's earlier stages, a few variations have emerged. Before there were four and before they were associated with the sky, there were three: the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent long]], the [[ThePhoenix fenghuang]], and the [[{{kirin}} qilin/kirin]]. The fenghuang and the kirin got replaced by the bird and the tiger respectively. Because of the similarity between the fenghuang and the bird, the latter is sometimes depicted as the former. Meanwhile, the kirin is still regularly used instead of the tiger in religion and fiction, but also sometimes replaces the yellow dragon in fiction to bring together five distinct beasts.
30
31The tortoise, as old as the other three but incorporated into the group a tad later, is a well-revered entity in China. Ancient mythology has it that [[InterspeciesRomance all tortoises are female and to reproduce they take snakes as mates]] and this divine union is considered a symbol of good fortune. For this reason, the tortoise commonly gets depicted as being a two-headed tortoise/snake hybrid, a tortoise with a snake coiled around it, or straight-up a tortoise and a snake having sex. The alternative name and identity of the Occult Martial is a conceptual fusion between the tortoise and the Warrior of the North from the Four Heavenly Kings, another group of four associated with the cardinal directions. Why this happened specifically to the tortoise is unclear, but might have been influenced by the similarity of a tortoise's shell and a warrior's shield as well as the fact that there are several turtle-based insults in Chinese that you should definitely not call someone if you so much as remotely doubt you could take them in a fight. Hence why "Xuánwǔ" omits a regular word for "turtle" and uses "martial" instead. Other instances might refer to the said tortoise as a chimera of some sorts instead.
32
33A little-known fact is that the [[ColorMotif color of the animals]] also plays an important part in distinguishing the cardinal directions. You see, many cultures have associated certain colors with directions, and the ancient Chinese were no exception. As can be inferred, the Chinese associated black with north, blue with east, red with south, and white with west. This association is incredibly ancient and predated the rise of the Chinese as a people, with similar (though not quite the same) arrangements being seen in places as far away as UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast.[[note]]This is the reason why the Black Sea and the Red Sea are named the way they are. They are not literally black or red-colored, but rather because, from the perspective of the Middle East, the Black Sea is located to the north, while the Red Sea is located to the south. Also, some local languages call the Mediterranean (which is of course located to the west of the Middle East) "White Sea" or something similar, e.g. Turkish ''Akdeniz'', Arabic ''Al-Bahr Al-Abyad Al-Mutawassit'' (The Middle White Sea).[[/note]]
34
35Over the course of the years, a number of anime, manga, and video games have drawn upon the imagery of the Four Gods. Some works may forgo the Chinese elements (fire, water, wood, metal, earth) in favor of the more common arrangement of fire, water, earth, and air (sometimes with ElementNumberFive). Both still make the Four Gods an example of a ClassicalElementsEnsemble. In other cases, it is used as a stock name for a QuirkyMiniBossSquad in an evil organization; see EliteFour.
36
37----
38!!Examples
39
40[[foldercontrol]]
41
42[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
43* In ''Literature/AccelWorld'', the Imperial Palace is guarded by extremely powerful enemies based off the Four Gods, but the story takes liberties with their respective elements, having them represent fire, water, earth and wind (Suzaku represents Fire, Genbu represents Earth, Seiryu represents Water and Byakko represents Wind). All four of them possess deadly abilities that, combined with the ability to essentially spawn-camp their defeated foes until they're driven off of Brain Burst in an "Unlimited EK", make them nearly impossible to defeat alone. Worse still, all of them have to be engaged simultaneously, or else they'll regenerate health too quickly to be killed. [[spoiler:Nega Nebulus broke apart as a result of a failed attempt to defeat the Four Gods by attacking them with the Burst Linkers of the same element, thus resulting in some of the members being trapped in the Unlimited Neural Field, unable to enter lest they be killed repeatedly.]]
44* The Four Gods appear as antagonists for an arc in ''Anime/AngelTales''.
45* The four swords of the ancient heroes in ''Manga/{{Basara}}'' are named after one of The Four Gods.
46* The Four Elemental Kings in ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' -- and until [[spoiler:Griffith]] joined the party, the Godhand.
47* ''Franchise/{{Beyblade}}'':
48** The four main characters of ''Anime/BakutenShootBeyblade'' each have a bit-beast that corresponds to one of the four gods. They're even referenced sometimes as the four holy beasts, therefore ranking them higher than all the other bit-beasts in the series. A blader wielding the Yellow Dragon joins up in the third series.
49** Their villainous expies in ''Anime/BeybladeShogunSteel'' also use beys based on this motif, although there are two differences. For one, while the Suzaku expy is still a firebird, its name is Garudas, which invokes the bird deity Garuda. For two, the Yellow Dragon is replaced by a Yellow Kirin.
50* [[spoiler:Hacchi]] has a technique named after them in the latest ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' chapters. Earlier, the four gates of the walls protecting the Seireitei were color-themed after the Four Gods, with the black to the north, white to the west, blue to the east and red to the south.
51* The heads of the main guilds in ''Literature/BofuriIDontWantToGetHurtSoIllMaxOutMyDefense'' fit the theme. The Genbu equivalent is Maple, whose main armor is black and has a monster companion in the turtle Syrup (while [[spoiler: the snake aspect is represented by Kasumi's monster partner, Haku]]). Mii, with her red attire, fire abilities and [[spoiler: her phoenix companion, Ignis,]] is Suzaku, while Payne's blue color scheme and [[spoiler: dragon companion, Ray]] makes him Seiryu. Byakko is represented by [[spoiler: Velvet, who dresses in white, uses lightning based attacks and has the ability to turn herself into a white tiger]].
52* The B'ts of the Four Spirit Generals in ''Anime/BtX'' are based on the group, with the kirin replacing the tiger. Though they're still "gods" in a broader sense, the two teams have nothing to do with each other, and said mythologies are constantly mixed up outside of East Asia.
53* In an arc of ''Manga/CaseClosed'', all of these holy beasts are referenced in the individual chapters' names, and the gem attached to the statue of the legendary Qilin (which is [[DoubleMeaning also the word for giraffe in Japanese]], as explained by Conan himself) that is a substitute for the Yellow Dragon. This is, of course, another arc where Conan's pitted against Kid the PhantomThief, who, [[SharedUniverse if you've read his own manga]], you'll know why he keeps doing all these stealing-then-returning-gems shenanigans.
54* In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'', the global spell that swapped everyone's appearance was [[spoiler:accidentally set in to motion by Touma's father collecting supposedly mystical figurines that represented TheFourGods and placing them in each of their associated directions.]] And Tsuchimikado gets rid of it by [[spoiler:using accordingly-colored paper figurines placed in certain directions[[note]]essentially magical feng shui[[/note]] to directly invoke the Gods and fire a magical WaveMotionGun at the house]].
55* One of ''Anime/CodeGeass''' central characters is named Suzaku; his late father's name was Genbu. The characters were designed by Creator/{{CLAMP}}, who are known for making references such as this.
56* In the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "[[Recap/CowboyBebopSession21BoogieWoogieFengShui Boogie Woogie Feng Shui]]", the heroes use a clue about the four gods to locate one of the episode's {{Plot Coupon}}s. (The episode apparently assumes that its audience knows what "the four gods" are and doesn't explain further, leaving Western audiences in the lurch.)
57* The [[TheGrimReaper shinigami]] in ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'' could summon "shikigami", helpful minor gods. Only two appeared in the anime, based off of Suzaku and Byakko. The manga, however, features the four of them.
58* The ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' franchise has the [[Characters/DigimonFourHolyBeasts Digimon Sovereigns]] (Four Holy Beasts [[DubNameChange in Japan]]), a set of OlympusMons based on the Four Gods. ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' marked their anime introduction with Azulongmon (Qinglongmon), based on Seiryū, being important to the plot. ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' introduced the remaining three; Zhuqiaomon based on Suzaku was initially an antagonist, and Baihumon based on Byakko and Ebonwumon (Xuanwumon) based on Genbu, play relatively minor roles. The fifth god, Huanglongmon based on Kōryū, existed in supporting material for years but didn't make his anime debut until a decade later in ''Anime/DigimonFusion'', but was only a MonsterOfTheWeek in it. [[spoiler:It was not until ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive'' that Huanglongmon was introduced as the TopGod it is supposed to be.]] ''Anime/DigimonAdventureTri'' revealed [[spoiler:four of the ''original'' Chosen Children's Digimon evolved into the Holy Beasts, at the cost of the ''fifth'' Chosen Child's Digimon.]]
59* The anime version of ''VisualNovel/{{Doukyusei}}'' (titled ''End Of Summer'' in English) is more subtle. In this case, they pared the list of girls (from the game) down to four. The follow-on OAV set (not released in the US) has the school nurse reminding Wataru that he can't keep all four of them forever.
60* ''Manga/FairyTail100YearsQuest'': In the guild [[CannibalismSuperpower Diabolos]], the guild master Georg Raizen wields the "Four Beasts" Dragon Slayer Magic and his [[EliteFour Dark Dragon Slayer Knights]] have theme after the Four Gods: Suzaku is named after Vermillion Bird and has bird-themed attire, Misaki's title is Azure Dragon and has a dragon-shaped belt, and Haku wears a coat that resembles the White Tiger that is also his title. Kirin is an odd case, representing Yellow Dragon/Qilin instead of the Black Tortoise, wearing giraffe patterned pants.
61* Parodied by the "Devoted Four Goddesses" that make up the Stolen FirstKiss Team in ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'', with Suzuka as the Suzaku (represented by a bird), Tatsuko as Seiryū ([[SeahorsesAreDragons represented by a sea horse, which in Japanese myth is seen as a baby dragon]]), and Nanaki as Genbu (represented by, well, a turtle). Kuroe then asked just who the White Tiger Byakko was supposed to be, whereupon Taiga appeared as the fourth member of the group.
62* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' and its {{Spin off}}s, as noted above, is one of the most well-known examples. [[Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden Takiko "Genbu no Miko" Okuda]], [[Manga/FushigiYuugiByakkoIbun Suzuno "Byakko no]] [[Manga/FushigiYuugiByakkoSenki Miko" Ohsugi]], [[Manga/FushigiYuugi Miaka "Suzaku no Miko" Yuuki and Yui "Seiryuu no Miko" Hongou]] are thrown into the world of the Four Gods to become the priestesses of the Gods and summon them to the benefit of the country that each deity protects.
63* Suzaku Kenran in ''Anime/FutureCardBuddyfight'' uses a deck based around this; they're all [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot cyborg dragons]] but stylized after the four gods. Additionally, three of them have effects that limit which position they can be called in, such that if the fourth, Variablecord, is your buddy, they line up with the four positions of the gods.
64* They haven't appeared as characters in ''{{Manga/Gate7}}'', but each volume's front cover features [[AmbiguousGender Hana]] with one of the four gods: Suzaku on volume 1, Seiryu on volume 2, Genbu on volume 3, and presumably Byakko on the yet-to-be-released volume 4.
65* The names of [[FieryRedhead Vermilio of the South]] (otherwise transliterated as Vamirio) and [[BlueIsCalm Azudra of the East]] in ''Manga/{{Helck}}'' are blatantly taken after '''Vermilio'''n Bird and '''Azu'''re '''Dra'''gon. They are two members of a set called [[EliteFour Four Heavenly Kings]] of TheEmpire. Later, Vermilio is even explicitly described as [[spoiler: [[ThePhoenix a phoenix]]]].
66** Its [[SharedUniverse Side Story]] ''Piwi'' and SpinOff ''Volundio'' also feature [[MysticalWhiteHair Kohaku of the West]], who unsurprisingly has [[GreatWhiteFeline feline ears]]. Her name also has the ''haku'' character, which means "white" and is otherwise prononuced ''byaku'' in [[GratuitousJapanese Byakko]].
67* Each of the girls in ''Manga/{{Hyakko}}'''s FourGirlEnsemble corresponds to one of the four gods. A broader ThemeNaming based on the twelve animals of the EasternZodiac is present in the rest of the cast.
68* In ''Manga/InuYasha,'' Saint Beast-inspired ninja are one of the many, ''many'' {{Quirky Miniboss Squad}}s the team faces in yet another filler arc. They also face off against a group like this in the fourth movie, though those guys are all actually powerful.
69* Author Ken Akamatsu has noted that the Four Gods appear in ''Manga/LoveHina'' in the form of various pets: Genbu is Onsen Tamago, the hot springs turtle; Byakko is Kuro, Kanako's cat; Suzaku is Shippu, the mysterious bird owned by Motoko's elder sister Tsuruko; and Seiryū is Leon, the chameleon owned by Ema Maeda (a manga-only [[LastEpisodeNewCharacter last-episode character]]).
70%% * ''Manga/KarasuTenguKabuto'': The four gods appear. -- ZCE
71* Ino from ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'' has a Cursed Technique that revolves around covering his face and becoming a medium from the Four Auspicious Beasts, although the theming seems to be [[InNameOnly In Name Only]].
72* In ''Anime/KillLaKill'', each of the Four Guardian Students of Kyoto's Abekamo Academy shares their surname with one of the four gods and are theme-named after the typical Japanese male sons names (Genbu Taro, Suzaku Jiro, Seiryuu Saburo and Byakko Shiro), and even produce a holographic image of their respective beast. Satsuki's own Elite Four are a downplayed nod, as each of them as a different color and animal motif, but they're not the classical ones (Yellow and Toads for Gamagoori, Blue and Dog for Inumuta, Red and Snake for Jakuzure, Green and Monkey for Sanageyama).
73* ''VideoGame/KoiHime'' uses the "girls of the four seasons" a bit explicitly. Each girl is a daughter of one of TheFourGods.
74* The Four Spirit Kings Yamatohime, Genbu, Byakko and Seiryū in ''Manga/{{Kurohime}}''.
75* ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' uses the Four Gods and UsefulNotes/{{Onmyodo}} mysticism as the foundation for its deceptively slapstick story.
76* The Four Beasts are instrumental to the plot of ''Anime/MaryuuSenki'', as well as reinarnated in the four main characters.
77* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
78** It's very subtle, but the original Four Emperors fit this scheme. Kaido the Azure Dragon, literally as he ate a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a giant blue eastern dragon, [[spoiler:The name of the fruit is eventually revealed to be the ''Uo Uo no mii, Model: Seiryu'' (''Fish Fish Fruit Model: Azure Dragon''). The name of the Fruit being ''Uo'' (Fish) instead of ''Ryu'' (Dragon) is most likely a reference to the famous legend of the carp that swam up a waterfall and became a dragon.]] Shanks the Vermillion Bird, associated with the color red and is also the most mobile of the emperors. Edward Newgate aka Whitebeard has a tiger theme and is associated with the color white. That leaves Charlotte Linlin, Big Mom as the Black Turtle, contrasting Shanks' mobility, as she primarily stays in her main territory, Totto Land. [[spoiler:After Luffy clashes with Big Mon at Totto Land, the news declares him the ''fifth'' emperor, and because he's the strongest contender to succeed Gol D. Roger's legacy and the reveal that his devil fruit is actually the ''Hito Hito no mii, Model: Nika'', this puts him as filling the role of the Yellow Dragon.]]
79** Following the Wano Arc [[spoiler:the new Four Emperors continue on this theme. Shanks maintains his position as the Vermillion Bird. Blackbeard takes Big Mom's place as the Black Tortoise, with his predominately black color scheme and large, rotund build. Buggy, who has a predominately blue color scheme, takes the role of the Azure Dragon, and Luffy, who has white hair and clothes in his Gear 5 form, takes the role of the White Tiger.]]
80* Seiryū, Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu are the names of Nekoyashiki's spiritual cat companions in ''Literature/RentalMagica''. They're useful for everything from shields to attacking to creating a gust of wind.
81%%* In ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'', the protagonist seems to be modeled after one of them.%%
82* Four enemy characters from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' are named after the Four Gods and each fights with an appropriate weapon and fighting style -- Seiryū uses a longsword and reads his opponent's attacks, Suzaku has twin shortswords and copies his opponent's moves, Byakko uses spiked bracers and relies on physical strength, and Genbu has a sectional staff and uses strategic planning to play the long game.
83* ''AudioPlay/SaintBeast'' happens to feature...well, yeah.
84* In ''Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo'', the main character uses the Four Gods as names as well as concepts for his ultimate sword techniques. In order he unlocks Suzaku (summons a phoenix-shaped blast which can reform if dispelled), Byakko (a tiger-shaped blast which continuously attacks even if dodged), Genbu (a dual attack composed of a dome-shaped barrier and a snake-shaped counterattack), Seiryuu (a dragon-shaped rising hurricane) and finally Kouryuu (a blast of energy from the heavens shaped like a massive dragon-like qilin). Mibu Kyoshiro can also use an attack in which he unleashes all the four beasts at the same time, called "Four Beasts Simultaneous Attack".
85* In ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'', the good dragon-gods of the world, as opposed to the evil chaos-demon-gods, are based on this pattern: four gods, each representing an element, and the supreme (actually, penultimate) god Ceipheed. The evil demon gods are based on Goetic demonology.
86* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' includes mecha named after the Four Gods, each belonging to the General roughly corresponding with the God's element: Byakou (Thymilph, fire), Sayrune (Adiane, water), Gember (Guame, earth), and Shuzack (Cytomander, wind).
87* ''Anime/TokyoMajin'' averts this, with the Yellow Dragon indeed representing Void/Destruction.
88* ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'' mostly takes place in a fictional area of Tokyo called Suzaku, with the huge (apparently the country's biggest) and prestiguous Suzaku High School being the center of it all. The rivaling high schools are called Seiryu, Byakko and Genbu, but nothing is known about these except that one of the main characters transferred from Seiryu, and two secondary characters used to go to the elementary and middle school departments of Genbu.
89* The four royals who appear in ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' Gogo are a dragon, a red/pink bird, a tiger and a turtle.
90* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', features "The Four Saint Beasts", a QuirkyMinibossSquad of demons based on the Four Gods. In sequence, they are:
91** Genbu, a rock monster who possesses the ability to separate his body parts and send them flying at enemies. Kurama manages to steal and destroy his core, killing him, but was severely injured in the process.
92** Byakko, a tiger-like beast that can create minions from his aura and has the ability to do EnergyAbsorption. Kuwabara manages to defeat him, but while Byakko survives, he gets killed by Seiryū for [[YouHaveFailedMe losing to the enemy]].
93** Seiryū, a blue humanoid with the ability to freeze people. He was [[CurbStompBattle defeated rather quickly]] by Hiei (16 slashes in a split second!)
94** Suzaku, the leader, is a handsome demon who can use electricity-based attacks, control insects with a flute and create clones of himself. After a difficult battle, Yusuke defeats him.
95[[/folder]]
96
97[[folder:Comic Books]]
98* In ''ComicBook/TheShadowHero'', the Chinese-American superhero the Green Turtle is empowered by the Black Tortoise. The other three gods also appear.
99[[/folder]]
100
101[[folder:Fan Works]]
102* ''Blog/BetterBonesAU'': The setting features four gods, each associated with a season - Midnight (spring), One-eye (summer), Sol (autumn) and Rock (winter), though they don't otherwise resemble the four this trope is based on.
103* In ''Fanfic/MiraculousThePhoenixRises'', the central four in the story are based off of The Four Gods, only with the bird and dragon swapping colors.
104* The four incredibly destructive water volcanoes in ''Fanfic/EmbersVathara'' are modeled off of this concept, but with different names given: Shirotora (the White Tiger), Asagitatsu (the Blue Dragon), Akitori (the Vermilion Bird), and Kurokame (the Black Turtle). Of these, [[TigerVersusDragon Shirotora and Asagitatsu]] are important in the story- Zuko's mother's home domain of Byakko has retained a measure of autonomy from the Fire Lord by being the only people who can reliably keep the volcano nicely dormant, while the lack of anyone doing something similar about Asagitatsu (whose last two eruptions killed Avatars and made life difficult worldwide for years afterwards) is a major plot point.
105* In ''Fanfic/FallingIsLikeFlying'', the city wards, the names of their leaders, as well as said leader's powers are all derived from this. For example, the Western District is governed by a person who is titled 'the White Tiger' and has ExtraOreDinary powers. He also leads a group called 'the Autumn Faction'.
106* In ''[[Fanfic/GodzillaNewEra Godzilla 2000: New Era]]'', An old {{Miko}} from Odo Island identifies the current Godzilla, the grown up "Junior" from the [[Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzillaII Heisei series]], as an incarnation of the Azure Dragon, Seiryū. It's [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane not confirmed]], but given this Godzilla is a GentleGiant who protects humans, hatched from his egg in Kyoto, and is azure both in respect to the color of his energy attacks being blue and originally being [[UsefulNotes/GreenIsBlue green as a youth]]; she might be onto something.
107[[/folder]]
108
109[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
110* Loosely referenced in the ''Film/{{Conan the Barbarian|1982}}'' movie, where Asian character Subotai mentions he prays to the Four Winds.
111* In ''Film/Gamera3AwakeningOfIrys'', Gamera (as a monster turtle) is equated with Genbu, whereas Suzaku is equated with the film's titular villain. In fact, the film even points out the similarities between Genbu's rivalry with Suzaku and Irys's desire to kill Gamera. Fittingly, the final battle happens in Kyoto within visual distance of Suzaku and Genbu's main temples.
112* All five are invoked in ''Film/Onmyoji2001'' by Abe no Seimei as part of casting a spell at the film's climax.
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Literature]]
116* The most prominent Chrysalis Mechas of ''Literature/IronWidow'' are based on the four gods. Protagonist Zetian pilots the Vermilion Bird.
117* The Four Gods are a staple in ''Literature/ArcanaMagiUniverse''. In ''Literature/ArcanaMagi'', they are known as The Sentinels of the Four Elements, while in ''Literature/ArcanaMagiZero'', they are known as The Four Mythic Elements.
118* Báihǔ in particular plays a BigGood in the Literature/BreakingTheWall trilogy, though the other three make at least token appearances.
119* ''Literature/CradleSeries'':
120** The [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Dreadgods]]; four ''immense'' {{Kaiju}} that periodically take turns terrorizing the world. The Bleeding Phoenix (a miles-tall bird seemingly made of blood), the Weeping Dragon (a serpentine dragon described as "kilometers-long" and "traveling on thunderstorms"), the Wandering Titan (resembling a stone warrior with the shell of a tortoise, tall enough to walk through mountains), and the Silent King (a white tiger with a halo of light, "merely" the size of a house). All four use Hunger madra in addition to something else (the Bleeding Phoenix uses Blood madra, the Weeping Dragon uses Storm madra, the Wandering Titan uses Earth madra, and the Silent King uses Light and Dream madra), which lets them siphon power from other sources. Therefore, there are cultists who follow around the Dreadgods to borrow their power and feed on their scraps. Each Dreadgod is absolutely impossible to kill, even for the [[PhysicalGod Monarchs]]; it takes an alliance between Monarchs just to drive one back temporarily. Worse, if there is ever a serious chance of a Dreadgod being killed, the other three immediately rise to defend them. The last time all four awakened at once, [[ApocalypseHow they killed the entire generation of Monarchs]].
121** There are rumors of a ''fifth'' Dreadgod, sometimes called the "father" of the Dreadgods, heavily implied to be [[SealedEvilInACan slumbering in]] [[BeastInTheMaze the Labyrinth beneath the continent]]): Subject One. It is supposedly the source of all Hunger madra.
122** In ''Reaper'', we finally get answers on where the Dreadgods come from. [[spoiler:Hunger aura is caused by Monarchs remaining on Cradle when they should have left. That aura creates Dreadbeasts, mutated animals maddened with pain and hunger. Researchers in the Labyrinth created the Dreadgods in an attempt to concentrate all the Hunger aura in one place and reduce the number of Dreadbeasts. Then the Dreadgods escaped, and everything got worse. Subject One is one of those researchers who ascended to Monarch level using Hunger madra, and is the only one still bound in the Labyrinth and sane. When he is killed, the other four get a sudden boost in both power and intelligence]].
123* All four animals are referenced in ''Literature/TheJoyLuckClub''.
124* ''Literature/{{Pale}}'': Matthew briefly mentions that an equivalent to the Judge system governing Kennet and the surrounding areas outside of the control of Lords in the East is none other than the Azure Dragon, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise.
125* ''Literature/HorizonInTheMiddleOfNowhere'' has the four Divine Beast [[HumongousMecha Gods of War]], created to stop Catholic incursion into Japan, hence the eastern god motif. Each has a power related to a different type of terrain, being Mountain for Seiryu-Bushin ([[ShockAndAwe lightning control]]), River for Hidamari-Genbu, Path for Michiyuki-Byakko (stable footing anywhere), and Swamp for Jizuri-Suzaku ([[PocketDimension creating a bottomless swamp]]). After being damaged in battle, they were stolen by different nations. Initially only Seiryu and Byakko's locations were confirmed, while various nations [[WeaponForIntimidation tried to pass off other Gods of War as Genbu and Suzaku]].
126[[/folder]]
127
128[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
129* ''Series/AlchemyOfSouls'': The Fire Bird is kept inside the mage Jinyowon to prevent it from wrecking havoc on the world. [[spoiler:The Black Tortoise also makes an appearance.]]
130* The Mandarin names of the suns in ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. The English names are somewhat less inspired (Red Sun, Blue Sun, White Sun, Georgia, and Kalidasa).
131* Yet another HumongousMecha example. Though colors are switched for the Tiger and the Dragon, together these four make up the CombiningMecha of ''Series/GenSeiShinJustiriser''.
132* ''Franchise/KamenRider'':
133** An episode of ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' mentions that the symbols on Fourze's limbs (an orange circle, a black square, a yellow triangle, and a blue X) are intended to represent the Four Gods.
134** In ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'', Kamen Rider Buster channels the powers of Genbu.
135* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' have several examples; often as part of sets of CombiningMecha:
136** While the colors are off, four of the Mythical Chi Beasts from ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'' (aka Thunderzords from ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'') are meant to invoke the Four Gods: [=RyuRanger=]'s Ryusei-oh (Red Dragon), [=HououRanger=]'s Seihōō (Pink Firebird, though colored Red), [=KibaRanger=]'s Won Tiger (White Tiger), and Daimugen (Tor), their Green/Black Turtle ally.
137*** Huanglong/Koryu shows up near the end in the form of the giant dragon Daijinryuu (Serpentera), a TrueNeutral in Sentai, and evil in Power Rangers.
138*** The other mecha are the Green Lion (''Black'' Lion), Yellow Kirin (Yellow ''Griffin''), and Blue Pegasus (Blue ''Unicorn'').
139** By a string of coincidences, Tommy has had powers and mecha of most of the Four Gods as his primary abilities, including their color schemes. This is in part due to his White Tiger Power being adapted from ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger''. In full:
140*** [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers The (green) Dragonzord]] of the NotZilla variety, similar to Seiryu
141*** [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers The aforementioned White Tigerzord]], directly invoking Byakko
142*** [[Series/PowerRangersZeo Zeo Zord V, the Red Phoenix]], similar to Suzaku
143*** The black, er, ''sauropod,'' the [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Brachiozord]]. However, if the Brachiozord's tail was instead a shorter head, it would be a dead ringer for Genbu.
144** The Shigenshou in ''Series/JukenSentaiGekiranger'' and Phantom Beast Generals of ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'' are based on this trope (though ''Jungle Fury'' downplays it): Sanyo the Basilisk/Snapper the Snapping Turtle (Genbu), Sūgu the Chimera/Whiger the White Tiger (Byakko), Mele/Camille the Phoenix (Suzaku), Long/Scorch the Dragon (Seiryū), and Rio/Dai Shi the Griffin (Huáng​lóng​). Lampshaded with Sūgu, as his prior identity had white tiger powers and he was nicknamed "Byakko" because of it.
145** ''Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger'' and ''Series/PowerRangersMegaforce'' also has a Pink Phoenix and a Red Dragon like in ''Dairanger'', as well as a Yellow Tiger and a Black Snake (the fifth was a Blue Shark). This may just be a coincidence, as unlike the other seasons listed here it focused on the LandSeaSky motif rather than any sort of Eastern and/or Mythology theme.
146** Four of the six mecha that make up Gekiatsu Dai-Oh in ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'' are Ho-ohmaru, Seiryumaru, Genbumaru, and Byakkomaru; joined by Pandamaru and Magoimaru (a koi fish). They appear as the Blaze Zords in ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaSteel''.
147[[/folder]]
148
149[[folder:Manhwa]]
150* ''Manhwa/AngelDiary'' has The Four Guardians. Roll call:
151** Kim Ah-Hin, the White Tiger.
152** Kim Ee-jung, the Red Phoenix.
153** Yun Doh-Hyun, the Black Turtle.
154** Yun Woo-Hyun, the Blue Dragon.
155* ''Manhwa/Ragnarok1997'': The Four Gods are referred to as "the four constellations" in the manhwa, and are followed by various {{Wutai}} cities like Fayon.
156[[/folder]]
157
158[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
159* The Tezcatlipocas of Myth/AztecMythology are a very similar concept, being color coded gods associated with the directions. There's the Black Tezcatlipoca to the north associated with jaguars, the White Tezcatlipoca (better known as Quetzalcoatl) to the west associated with snakes, the Blue Tezcatlipoca (Huitzilopochtli) to the south associated with hummingbirds and the Yellow or Red Tezcatlipoca (Xipe Totec) to the east associated with human (flayed skin).
160* The Bacab from Myth/MayanMythology represent the four cardinal directions while being associated with different colors and years- Cauac (the West and Black), Muluc (the East and Red), Kan (the South and Yellow) and Ix (the North and White).
161* Myth/NativeAmericanMythology:
162** The Navajo Four Winds are remarkably similar in many respects, with Okaga representing the South and Fire, Yata the North and Water, Eya the West and Lightning (in Wu Xing, lightning is part of the Metal element), and Yampa the East and Air. [[ArtisticLicenseReligion Modern syncretic neopagan circles tend to screw this up and assign Okaga/"Red" to Water, Yata/"White" to Air, Eya/"Black" to Earth and Yampa/"Yellow" to Fire.]]
163** The Iroquois have the winds of the cardinal directions personified as the bear spirit Ya-o-gah (North), the fawn Ne-o-ga (South), the panther spirit Da-jo-ji (West), and the moose spirit O-yan-do-ne (East), who are all led by the personification of the wind itself, the giant Gaoh who controls the seasons.
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
167* ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'' features the Directional Courts of China among the other Great Courts that changelings swear oaths to in order to avoid the notice of TheFairFolk. The courts are patterned off of TheFourGods and supposedly embody associated values (the North Court is made up of ascetics who use suffering to escape memory of their durance at the hands of TheFairFolk, the East Court values material wealth and draws power from envy, the South Court consists of artists and other creatives who value ecstasy, and the West Court is made up of honor-bound warriors).
168* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' has a similar setup with Gaia's Elemental Dragons, with the main difference being that all five are dragons; Mela (Blue, North, Air), Daana'd (Black, West, Water), Hesiesh (Red, South, Fire), Sextes Jylis (Green, East, Wood) and Pasiap (White, Center, Earth). Also, the four guardians at the shine of the Cup of Fire (aka, the Aidenweiss) are carvings of a coiled blue serpent facing east (Cherulong), a vermillion swallow facing south (Jujak), a white tiger facing west (Bayrakan) and a black tortoise facing north (Hymonmu). They come to life if the Aidenweiss is touched without permission, or if a creature of darkness even sets foot there.
169* In ''TabletopGame/KindredOfTheEast'', some character traits were actually dependent on a character's alignment with the Four, or rather Five - including "dharmas", an equivalent to Clans in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade''. While not all dharmas referred specifically to one of the gods, sometimes even switching the animals (such as South/Red-attuned Devil Tigers or North/Blue-attuned Resplendent Cranes), secondary traits were more in line with the original legend.
170* A few cards or groups of cards from ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'':
171** [[https://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Vermillion_Sparrow "Vermillion Sparrow"]]
172** [[https://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/ZW_- "ZW -"]] cards:
173*** "ZW - Tornado Bringer" (Azure Dragon)
174*** "ZW - Lightning Blade" (White Tiger)
175*** "ZW - Phoenix Bow" (Vermilion Bird)
176*** "ZW - Ultimate Shield" (Black Tortoise)
177** [[https://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Summoner Summoner]]" and "[[https://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Empower "Empower"]] cards:
178*** "Blue Dragon Summoner" / "Ventdra, the Empowered Warrior" (Azure Dragon)
179*** "White Tiger Summoner" / "Terratiger, the Empowered Warrior" (White Tiger)
180*** "Red Sparrow Summoner" / "Arnis, the Empowered Warrior" (Vermilion Bird)
181*** "Green Turtle Summoner" / "Hydrotortoise, the Empowered Warrior" (Black Tortoise)
182*** "Golden Dragon Summoner" / "Aether, the Empowering Dragon" (Yellow Dragon)
183** [[https://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Crystron "Crystron"]] cards:
184*** "Crystron Thystvern" (Azure Dragon)
185*** "Crystron Smiger" (White Tiger)
186*** "Crystron Rosenix" (Vermilion Bird)
187*** "Crystron Prasiortle" (Black Tortoise)
188*** "Crystron Sulfefnir" (Yellow Dragon)
189[[/folder]]
190
191[[folder:Theatre]]
192* [[{{Theatre/Tsukiuta}} Tsukino Empire - Unleash your mind -]] is about soldiers in a SpaceOpera setting, fighting aliens with BondCreatures, the most powerful of which are based on these. Hajime and Prince Shun are the only ones who can bond with Genbu and Byakko, respectively, and that's only because [[spoiler:they aren't human either]].
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Theme Parks]]
196* The ''Ride/RiversOfLight'' show at [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disney's Animal Kingdom]] features four totemic "Animal Spirits" that guide viewers through a mystical journey through the natural world that eventually goes into the northern lights and stars. Three of the four animals correspond to the Four Gods, with the bird in this case being an Owl, but instead of a dragon, there is an elephant.
197
198[[/folder]]
199
200[[folder:Toys]]
201* Subverted in the ''Anime/{{SD Gundam|Force}}'' toyline ''Toys/BBSenshiSangokuden'' -- the four gods do not appear as characters, but as symbols for the four kingdoms. Sho, led by Ryūbi Gundam, is Seiryū; Gou, led by Sonken Gundam, is Byakko (yellow instead of white); Giga, led by Sōsō Gundam, is Suzaku; and the unnamed forces of Tōtaku Zaku and Ryufu Tallgeese are Genbu (purple instead of black). Each faction has a stylised symbol indicating the god that represents it, on a corner of the boxes, while the Gundam designs would often carry elements of the gods (Ryūbi Gundam's dragon head crest, for example), even after defecting to some other faction at some point (Kochō Serpent, now a Giga general, retains the turtle motif from his days under Tōtaku Zaku's command.)
202** Ryufu Tallgeese comes banded with the [[http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10069166b/30/1 Tengyokugai]] weapons platform, able to turn into four forms for each of the faction leaders to use. While the four forms are modelled after the companion mecha for the Gundams that Ryūbi, Sonken and Sousou are based on ([=Sonken/GP03=] with the Tengyokugai Tiger form/Dendrobium Orchis is a fan favourite), they are officially named for the Four Gods, with little golden heads on each of them depicting the corresponding god for good measure.
203** The toyline would later introduce the Tenkaisyo weapon system, based on the Four Gods (a dragon head, tiger claws, phoenix wings and a turtle shell shield), but these are all in gold rather than the usual colors.
204** On an added note, the defunct Kishū faction led by Enshō Bawoo has no animal symbol assigned to it, though Ganryō Galus-L and Bunshu Galus-R are themed after a bull and a horse.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Video Games]]
208* The four factions in Creator/{{Acclaim}}[='=]s ''9Dragons'''s Wu-Tang Clan are named after these.
209* ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'' features the Four Creatures of the World for its Chinese New Year seasonal event (Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Red Bird, and Blue Dragon).
210* In ''Tale of the Dragon'' expansion of ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'', each of the Chinese gods of the Mythic age allows you to train myth units based on the four gods:
211** Chosing Ao Kuang allows you to create Azure Dragons and Dragon Turtles.
212** Chosing Chongli allows you to create Vermillion Birds
213** Chosing Xi Wangmu allows you to create White Tigers, plus her God Power allows you to summon two Earth Dragons.
214* ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'' has [[ChineseGirl Chinese]] RobotGirl Mei Fang, who has attacks named after the Four Gods, and following Soulgain's trend, she also has an attack based on Kirin called ''Kirin Jacket''.
215* The set of PerfectRunFinalBoss songs in ''VideoGame/{{Beatmania}} IIDX 13 [=DistorteD=],'' collectively called "Cardinal Gate", were themed around the Four Gods; each of the four songs unlockable from the start were written by artists that took their names as pseudonyms. A fifth song, by an invented 5th entity, "Kinjishi", was available after doing well on the first four. 3 of the artists (Suzaku, Genbu, and Seiryū) have released songs after [=DistorteD=].
216* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt2'' plays up the two playable heroes Gunvolt and Copen as Seiryuu and Byakko: One is a blue-clothed ShockAndAwe superhuman who believes in coexistence between superhumans and muggles, the other is a GadgeteerGenius human clad in white who believes superhumans will only destroy muggles. A noncombatant NPC, Xiao, is labeled as Genbu in [[AllThereInTheManual side materials]]. ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt3'' completes the set by bringing Kirin, the SupernaturalSealing {{Miko}}, as the Koryuu and Zed, a wielder of ThePowerOfTheSun who loves to conjure birds in his attacks, as the Suzaku.
217* ''VideoGame/BladeAndSoul'' features this symbolism prominently, most notably in the four main races you can choose from.
218* In ''Franchise/BlazBlue'', while references are not entirely direct, Litchi Faye-Ling may call out the names of the Four Gods when she uses the move to relocate her Mantenbou without launching it. If she's on the ground, she called out either Genbu or Byakko. If she's in the middle of jumping, she called out either Seiryuu or Suzaku.
219* ''VideoGame/BloodyRoar'' played with this a little throughout the series. The tiger came first in ''Beastorizer'' (later renamed Bloody Roar 1) through [[BareFistedMonk Long]] (who is a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting zoanthrope]] of a tiger), whom later had an evil clone in the form of Shenlong (who is an albino tiger) with a [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil yin-yang theme between the two]] (before Shenlong eventually grown more compassionate and less evil). Next came ''Primal Fury'' (the same as [[UpdatedRerelease Extreme]]) which had Cronos, who, besides being a penguin, [[ThePhoenix is also a flame-covered phoenix]]. Then comes ''Bloody Roar 4'', in which there was [[TheDragon Ryoho]] who was a water dragon of Gaia that was so powerful his dragon form had to be sealed off every so often. Finally, in the rare manga ''Bloody Roar The Fang'' (which takes place along Primal Fury's time), the trope is played straight with powerful zoanthropes representing the four gods, among the prominent ones being a tortoise zoanthrope with a snake for a tail. Out of them, only Long and Shenlong aren't considered as godly in status.
220* ''VideoGame/{{Bujingai}}'' has one level set in a temple hidden inside a mountain and dedicated to the four gods. You have to activate the altars of Seiryū, Genbu and Suzaku in order to reach the inner sanctum of Byakko.
221* Subaru Septentrion, the penultimate boss of Chelsea's path in ''VideoGame/BunnyMustDie'', assumes [[SequentialBoss 5 forms]], each one named and patterned after one of the gods:
222** Suzaku Force, a red, winged form that either flies across the screen or floats in the center firing projectiles
223** Genbu Force, a green, circular form that rolls and bounces across the stage.
224** Byakko Force, a grey, four-legged form that runs along the ground and off the walls.
225** Seiryu Force, a long, serpent shaped blue form that weaves through the air, occasionally stopping to shoot at you.
226** Kirin Force, a yellow form with four short legs and a very long neck that simply walks forward firing projectiles.
227* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'':
228** Four of Maria's subweapons in the ''Castlevania'' series are based on these four -- an overhead fire attack with birds, a running lightning cat that hits repeatedly, a flying dragon that hits for ice, and a turtle shell shield. The Item Crashes for these, where applicable, summon the actual Gods, and she also uses their power to revive Richter and grant him invincibility if he's defeated at the start of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''.
229** In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence'', there are serveral locked doors that grant access to hidden areas, and the four keys are named (and colored) after the four gods. [[AnachronismStew Not something you'd expect in a vampire castle in 12th century Europe.]]
230* In the fifth ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' game, the extra chapter takes place in China and has a puzzle based on statuettes of the "Four Guardian Gods" needed to unlock the crystal shell around a magical fan. In a moment of research failure, the Dragon and Tiger have swapped place.
231* In ''VideoGame/DigimonWorld3'', the four cities of Asuka Server are named Seiryu City (East Sector), Suzaku City (South Sector), Byakko City (West Sector) and Genbu City (North Sector). [[DarkWorld Amaterasu Server]] names its counterparts of the same cities using their Chinese names - Qing Long, Zhu Que, Bai Hu, Xuan Wu. The actual {{mons}} based on the Four Gods (see above) don't make an appearance, though, but they do show up in most other ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' games past that point.
232* The iconic ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' series as well as its source material of ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms''; when bringing up the iconic Guan Yu, you can't ignore his iconic Azure Dragon Weir Moon Blade lifted from the novel, though he may not have wielded that kind of blade in real life. Even in other installments, other aspects of each of the other four gods have been referenced:
233** Qinglong:
234*** Not only Guan Yu's iconic weapon, but his friend from the Wei kingdom, Zhang Liao, also used to wield a gouliandao (hook sickle blade) version of it with the same naming.
235*** Zhuge Liang in his Level 11 weapon in the fourth installment's expansions is also named after it, likely as a nod to his nickname of "Sleeping Dragon" and his home faction of Shu being themed after it.
236*** Also used in the Asian name of the item, Dragon Amulet (named as Dragon's Spleen in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'').
237** Zhuque:
238*** In both Zhuge Liang and Zhang He's original fourth weapons in the Asian script, including one of Xiahou Yuan's weapons in the seventh installment.
239*** Used in the Peacock Urn/Amulet's Asian name (named as the Phoenix Wing in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'').
240** Baihu:
241*** Both Lu Meng and Xu Huang have their classic fourth weapons themed after this, though Lu Meng keeps this in the English versions; likely a reference to their historical deeds at Fan Castle (Lu Meng acts as the jaw, while Xu Huang acts as the fang). Both of them also act as foils to Guan Yu and Zhang Liao's weapons via TigerVersusDragon.
242*** Also named in the Asian name of the Tiger Amulet item (named as Lion's Fang in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'').
243** Xuanwu:
244*** Used only so far in the Asian name of the Tortoise Amulet item (named as Chimera Shell in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'').
245** Huanglong:
246*** Liu Bei's classic third and fourth weapons, Guan Yu's fourth weapon and Zhang Liao's classic fourth weapon are named after this in the Asian versons. In both Guan Yu and Zhang Liao's case, they even nod to another TopGod Dragon by the name of Shenlong/Shinryū (lit. God/Divine Dragon) in their fifth/level 11 weapons. Guan Yu even gets nods to both Bailong/Hakuryū (lit. White Dragon) and Heilong/Kokuryū (lit. Black Dragon) in the sixth installment as well.
247* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
248** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'':
249*** You can summon and fight four incredibly powerful powerful monsters based upon these deities in [[FloatingContinent Tu'Lia]]. Most players refer to these as "Sky Gods" or "Shijin". There is a center god as well but it's a Kirin rather than a dragon. While they share their names, their appearances can differ as they use generic ''XI'' enemy models as appropriate, with the Kirin being the most drastically different as it uses a [[OurManticoresAreSpinier manticore]] model.
250*** Kirin is notably of the Earth element and like the original center dragon god, is the powerful of the five.
251*** Ōryū is also in the game as an [[DishingOutDirt earth-based]] [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Wyrm]]. His fights are completely unrelated to the gods in Tu'Lia.
252** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', there are four creatures in the game's penultimate dungeon who are based on the Gods: a large stone tortoise called Pandemonium, a large blue fish named Slyt, and a white tiger-like biped named Fenrir. Later in the game, a side quest takes the player to the same location to hunt down a Seer who is said to control powerful beasts. After defeating a Phoenix along the way, the Seer himself summons all four of the aforementioned bosses over the course of the battle.
253** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV: Stormblood'' has an endgame side story involving the Four Lords of Othard. Genbu is a dungeon boss, while Byakko, Suzaku, and Seiryu are trial bosses. They are the most powerful of the Auspices, animals which have lived for over 1000 years and as a result gained intelligence and powerful magic. Koryu is also said to have been the strongest of them all before he succumbed to madness, forcing the others to seal him away in the temple that they now guard; the latter three Lords are on the verge of meeting the same fate until the Warrior of Light beats the senses back into them.
254** There is a "Four Gods' Shield" found in all three ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' games.
255** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyType0'' has four countries named after the four beasts, and the beasts are prominently featured on the flags and coats of arms of the countries.
256* In the ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden: Kagami no Miko'' game, it turns out that [[spoiler:a cult from the ''Legend of the Four Gods'' world wants to establish a religion and new nation centered around Kōryū aka Huanglong, [[TopGod The Yellow Water Dragon]]. So when the ChildhoodFriends Mariko Kobayashi and Takumi Mochizuki are accidentally spirited into the Book, the group captures Takumi and brainwashes him into a FaceHeelTurn, then sets out to force Mariko to become the Kouryuu no Miko.]]
257* The Four Gods appear as {{Superboss}}es during the post-game segment of ''VideoGame/GanbareGoemon: Mononoke Dōchū Tobidase Nabe-Bugyō!'' You're able to [[GottaCatchThemAll capture them]] after going through the [[BonusDungeon Celestial World]] and [[BossRush defeat them along with the rest of the game's major enemies]]; they have the advantage of performing unique [[CombinationAttack combination attacks]] when paired up with certain main characters.
258* In ''VideoGame/GotchaForce'', there are 4 Robots that can merge together to total 4 different combinations, each one named after a different one of the four gods.
259* An event in ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' revolves around this trope, which is titled Rise of the Four Beasts, featuring all four of them and the additional Huanglong and Qilin for you to fight.
260* In ''VideoGame/GuardiansCrusade'', creatures based on these who helped the hero Darwin seal [[spoiler:[[BigBad Xizan]]]], and hold the stones previously used for such & that Kalkanor and his crew are searching for. You can fight all five, though some are optional. The turtle's a bit of a stretch, as Ruval, its corresponding holy beast, is a golem.
261* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars Factions'', the mission Nahpui Quarter has the players defeat celestial creatures based on the Four Gods in order to become "Closer To The Stars": Kaijun Don the Kirin, Kuonghsang the Turtle Dragon, Tahmu the Dragon, and Hai Jii the Phoenix. Interestingly, these celestial avatars actually ''look'' like constellations, with visible stars and connecting lines composing the skeleton of the creature.
262* ''VideoGame/{{Harukanaru Toki no Naka de}}'''s local CastFullOfPrettyBoys consists of eight guardians who are explicitly connected to the Four Gods: two guardians -- for Heaven and Earth -- corresponding to each of the Gods. The Gods themselves originally protected the capital before they were stolen by the villains, and much of the original story revolves around getting them back. On a side note, ''Haruka'' does technically have the "central dragon" as well, in the form of the Dragon-God, whose powers are wielded by the main heroine (although it is actually white rather than yellow).
263** The Dragon-God also happens to have Yin and Yang sides (Dark Dragon and White Dragon), the former controlled by the DarkMagicalGirl. To further complicate the matter, there's also the Black Kirin, apparently under the BigBad's control.
264* One level of ''VideoGame/{{Killer 7}}'' requires Smith to [[SolveTheSoupCans slide four screens together]] to lower a bridge. Each screen represents one of the four gods, and is located at the proper compass point.
265* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfParadise'', the world of Ouka is based around the Four Gods. The player character hails from the eastern Seiryu clan and journeys to the southern, northern, and western parts of Ouka during the course of the game. Each clan is protected by a God of the same name (which Shinbu eventually must battle), as well as a special clan sword. Notably, the Center God is featured; the corresponding realm is called "Kirin".
266* ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'':
267** The series features four characters that each represent one of the Gods. [[TheHero Kaede]] = Seiryū, [[OmnicidalManiac Kagami]] = Suzaku, [[OldMaster Okina]] = Genbu, and [[GentleGiant Shigen]] = Byakko.
268** The final boss of ''Last Blade 2'' [[spoiler:and the master of Kaede, Moriya and Yuki]], Kōryū (Japanese for Huáng​lóng​, making a rare Japanese appearance).
269* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'' has an attack called Summon Four Gods. Surprisingly, it is just a non magical martial arts technique, and not a spell that unleashes the EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. It looks pretty cool though, and the CoolOldGuy who pulls it off displays fantastic acrobatic skill for his age.
270* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' features the four Divine Beasts, {{Magitek}} HumongousMecha built in the long distant past to battle Calamity Ganon. They don't line up perfectly with the four gods, but they do reside in the four corners of Hyrule, are animals, and are associated with different elements:
271** Vah Ruta, an elephant associated with water and ice.
272** Vah Rudania, a lizard associated with fire and earth.
273** Vah Medoh, a bird associated with wind.
274** Vah Naboris, a camel associated with electricity and sand.
275** The Japanese view of the center being the Void can also possibly be represented by [[OmnicidalManiac Calamity Ganon]] himself, who is sealed in the ruins of Hyrule Castle in Central Hyrule. [[spoiler:Not only does he briefly manifest a cyborg body made from the same kind of {{Magitek}} as the Divine Beasts, his "true form" is called "Dark Beast Ganon," all implying a deliberate negation of what the Divine Beasts represent.]]
276* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III'' and ''IV'' has Rean invoking the names of "Kōryu" and "Genbu" when he's using his critical hit rate brave order and his improved defense brave order respectively despite the fact that Zemuria only has one goddess.
277* ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'':
278** ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'' has Kiryu as the azure dragon and Ryuji Goda as the yellow dragon, with this motif being reflected by the tattoos they wear on their backs.
279** ''VideoGame/Yakuza4'' has each of the playable characters themed after the four gods, as well as having their own tournaments at Orchid Palace Mahjong.
280*** Shun Akiyama is Suzaku, having gone from being a banker to living on the streets as a penniless bum after being framed for embezzlement, then rising from the ashes after getting a windfall from the [[VideoGame/Yakuza1 10 Billion Yen Incident]]. His style is about high flying, flashy kicks.
281*** Taiga Saejima is Byakko, who's considered [[UnskilledButStrong wild in combat]] but much more honorable than modern yakuza. It also helps that he has a [[AnimalMotif tiger]] as his [[TattooedCrook irezumi]].
282*** Masayoshi Tanimura is Genbu, his coat styled almost like a turtle shell while his combat is much more defense-based with specialization in counterattacks.
283*** Kazuma Kiryu is Seiryu, better known in the Japanese underworld as the [[RedBaron Dragon of Dojima]] who's known as a [[NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters friendly neighbourhood gangster]] at his best and a face wrecking, vengeful beast at his most wrathful, and wears a tattoo of the Silver Dragon on his back.
284* In ''VideoGame/LostKingdoms,'' four of the six most powerful cards in the game are based off of the four gods: The White Tiger, the Blue Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Great Turtle.
285* The ''VideoGame/{{Lunar}}'' series references this. In addition to the Goddess Althena whom gave life to Lunar (and, despite not being a dragon herself, could be seen as The Ōryū as she holds the same power and [[DependingOnTheWriter can also be controlled like them depending on the game]]), there are four dragons, each with a color matching one of the four gods and a similar appearance to the appropriate god to boot. The similarities are strongest in ''VideoGame/LunarDragonSong'': The Red Dragon is covered in feathers and has a hooked muzzle resembling a bird's beak. The White Dragon strongly resembles a large cat with wings and has stripes along its body. The Black Dragon is more or less a giant tortoise with a more dragon-like face and build. The Blue Dragon resembles a giant serpent.
286* ''VideoGame/MahjongFightClub'' uses them to represent different aspects of Mahjong skill. Each player, upon reaching [[KyuAndDanRanks 1st dan rank]], is classified under one of the four based on which aspect of their play is the strongest:
287** Seiryuu: Players who are lucky and/or have many ''dora'' tiles in their winning hand.
288** Suzaku: Players who frequently win hands.
289** Byakko: Players whose winning hands are frequently high-scoring in value.
290** Genbu: Defensive players who seldom discard the final tile that someone else needs to win.
291** The game also has a fifth: Kōryū, the Yellow Dragon, based on Huáng​lóng. Kōryū replaces the player's classification when they surpass the Master rank.
292* In ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight'', the Korean developers made an OriginalGeneration superhero team called the Warriors of the Sky that's based on the Four Gods; comprised of Blue Dragon, War Tiger, Shadow Shell, and Sun Bird.
293* In ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'', the Hand's ninja temple has a couple of puzzles in which statues of the Four Gods must be pushed around and placed upon their respective colored pads in order to unlock doors. During the first such puzzle, Iron Fist recognizes each of them as you interact with each statue.
294* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
295** In ''VideoGame/MegaMan10'', the [[DualBoss Dual]] [[MiniBoss Minibosses]] of Solar Man's stage are two phoenixes. One of them is named "Suzak".
296** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero4'' contains the boss "Heat Genblem." Three guesses what it's supposed to be.
297* ''VideoGame/MobileLegendsBangBang'': The Oriental Fighters group, located in the heavily Chinese-themed area in Cadia Riverlands (Dragon Altar), correspond to the Four Gods. Their leader, the Great Dragon, can also be said to be the representative of Huánglóng:
298** Qīnglóng[=/=]Azure Dragon: Zilong, the Spear of Dragon. Wields the Great Dragon Spear and possesses various dragon imagery.
299** Xuánwǔ[=/=]Black Tortoise: Baxia, the Mystic Tortoise. Aside of being the biggest fighter, he wields two giant shields, as an alternative of a tortoise hard shell.
300** Báihǔ[=/=]White Tiger: Wanwan, the Agile Tiger. As her title suggests, she's extremely agile. There are also tiger-ish elements in her design.
301** Zhūquè[=/=]Vermillion Bird: Ling, the Cyan Finch. While his title is non-indicative (and he wears blue), his rivalry with Zilong refers to the old days where there's only the dragon and phoenix (and the nearby Qilin) as the deities, which made them rivals. Additionally, his skills have a lot of imageries of flight (like a bird flying), and he's either found leaping very high to the sky or walking above walls, like a bird perching.
302* The teams in Team Battles in ''VideoGame/{{Ninjala}}'' are represented by the Four Gods, though the Byakko team is yellow, the Suzaku team is cyan (formerly purple), and the Genbu team is white (formerly green).
303* ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/Nioh2'' features the Four Gods, in one way or the other, as Guardian Spirits, sometimes in disguise, with one of them, Byakko, serving as a boss fight. Namely:
304** Nekomata, the talking two-tailed cat of Hattori Hanzo, is really Byakko in disguise and after absorbing too much negative energy he turns into a monstrous version of Byakko with black wings you have to defeat. Holds the element of Thunder.
305** Suzaku first appears as a harmless sparrow guardian in possession of Torii Mototada, but reveals his true phoenix-like form when he performs his historical HeroicSacrifice and is bestowed to William. Holds the element of Fire.
306** Genbu is represented by a large turtle with a shrine on its back and a serpent in lieu of his tail, and is the guardian spirit of Tenkai Nankobo, aka [[spoiler:UsefulNotes/AkechiMitsuhide ]]. In the first game has the element of Earth, changed to Water in the second game.
307** Seiryuu is a massive blue eastern dragon and the guardian spirit of UsefulNotes/DateMasamune in the expansion, appropriately enough, but makes a return in the second game. Has the element of Wind in the first game and Thunder in the second.
308* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', the 2018 "Year of the Dog" Chinese New Year event features character skins themed after the Four Gods. In addition to their overall appearances, each skin has a stylized glowing logo representing the god.
309** Qīnglóng: Pharah
310** Zhūquè: Mercy
311** Báihǔ: Genji
312** Xuánwǔ: Zarya [[note]]Includes the snake element of the god as details on her gun.[[/note]]
313* ''VideoGame/{{Palworld}}'': One of the Pals is called Suzaku, a red, fire-element bird that can be used as a flying mount. The other three aren't present, though possible cases can be made for Cryolinx (an ice-element, light blue bipedal tiger with long arms) representing Byakko, as its internal name is "[=WhiteTiger=]", and Digtoise (a tortoise with a spiked shell) representing Genbu, as it sports a black shell and naturally learns a Water attack despite being Ground-element.
314* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' has the four Vellumentals, powerful origami beings which are modeled after the four gods: the Earth Vellumental is based on the Black Tortoise, the Water Vellumental is based on the Azure Dragon and the Fire Vellumental is based on the Vermillion Bird. The Ice Vellumental is a variation, however, as it is not a tiger but a polar bear.
315* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Ho-Oh is a phoenix Pokémon based off the Vermillion Bird.
316** The Therian forms of the three male members of the Forces of Nature, introduced in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', seems to based on three of the Four Gods. Therian Thundurus is Azure Dragon, Tornadus is Vermilion Bird and Landorus is White Tiger. While the primary colors of their body doesn't match, the Therian forms each gained a gem on their navel that is the same color as the Four God that they are based on.
317*** ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' introduced the fourth and only female member of the Forces of Nature, Enamorus. Her Therian form is a turtle with a snake on her back, representing the Black Turtle and completing the set after almost ten years.
318* ''VideoGame/{{SaGa|RPG}}'':
319** The four gods appear as the bosses of each major world in ''VideoGame/TheFinalFantasyLegend'', each guarding a sphere that allows you to continue climbing the tower, and Kōryū (called "Ko-run" in the English version) is also present as both a random encounter monster type and a form that Monster player characters can turn into.
320** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendII'', Monster characters can acquire any of their forms. In a slight variation, each one also represents one of the [[ElementalRockPaperScissors four western elements]], with Genbu as Earth, Seiryū as Water, Byakko as Air, and Suzaku as Fire.
321** The four elemental schools of magic in ''VideoGame/{{Romancing SaGa 3}}'' are named after the Four Gods.
322* The bosses of ''VideoGame/SegaGoldenGun'' are historical characters posessing the Four Gods. Zhang Jiao is Genbu and Da Ji is Byakko, but the hosts of the other two gods consist of Gao Qiu and [[spoiler:Sun Wukong]].
323* ''VideoGame/SengokuRance'' has the four apostles of Demon Xavier who are named after the four gods: Rengoku/Byakko, Shikibu/Seiryuu, Madou/Genbu, and Gigai/Suzaku. Of the four Apostles, Gigai's "transformation" (the transformation seen in the game is not a true transformation) is closest to what is depicted in the Four Gods. We don't get to see Shikibu's transformation. Their personalities, however, are pretty much true to their gods.
324* ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts''
325** In the [[VideoGame/ShadowHearts first game]] to procceed through the DiscOneFinalDungeon you need to collect sacred paintings imbued with the powers of the four gods, and place them on correct altars.
326** In ''[[VideoGame/ShadowHeartsCovenant Covenant]]'' some of Yuri's stronger weapons are based on the Four Gods.
327* The Four Gods appear in the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' game series, and in ''VideoGame/Persona2'' they have a fusion spell (Celestial Veil/28 Mansions Protection in Japanese) that blocks all [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental damage]], which is useful for exactly one battle, right after you [[GuideDangIt technically]] gain the ability to cast it.
328** ''VideoGame/Persona3'', ''VideoGame/Persona4'' and ''VideoGame/Persona5'' have the Four Gods as Personas, along with Kohryu, who can only be obtained by fusing the Four after completing the Hierophant Social Link.
329** ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' also features four guardians associated with the cardinal directions, but it's a different set, consisting of the Four Heavenly Kings, instead. Oddly, Seiryū still makes an appearance, albeit as a mundane demon and without the other usual three.
330** The Four Gods and Huáng​lóng are also in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'', where they have their Chinese names. The Four Heavenly Kings also return.
331** In ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', the Four Gods and Huánglóng return. The first four are simple extra bosses who appear after killing Ananta; Huánglóng appears after killing the four others as a brutally vicious {{Superboss}}.
332** In the ''Devil Children'' series (known simply as ''[=DemiKids=]'' outside of Japan) the Four Gods can be obtained by fusing through the Relic System. You have to get their Soul to resurrect them, otherwise they will simply be zombies (Byakkozom, Suzakzom, Seiryuzom, Gembuzom).
333** In ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'', not only do the Four Gods and Kohryu re-appear as Personae, there is a puzzle in the second last floor of the fourth dungeon that requires knowing about their mythos.
334* ''VideoGame/Shinobi2002'' has the four Hellspawn Lords as demonic parodies of the original Four Gods, each with an elemental power and vague nod to the original. They are [[DishingOutDirt Shiragumo]] (a white GiantSpider with the head of a tiger), [[PlayingWithFire Benisuzume]] (a crimson giant moth woman), [[AnIcePerson Kurokuda]] (a [[AsianFoxSpirit kitsune]]-like humanoid with a giant black snake for tail) and [[ShockAndAwe Aomizuchi]] (a humanoid green-skinned dragon).
335* The siege of Anegawa in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara 2'' has you besieging 4 strongholds surrounding the main keep in order to reach [[DualBoss Nagamasa and Oichi]], and said Strongholds are named after the 4 Gods (though reversed on the map so that Genbu is in the south and Seiryuu on the left), each with an appropriate look: Seiryuu is surrounded by a water moat and full of respawning lancers, Suzaku has huge bonfires and archers with fire arrows, Byakko is the least defended but garrisoned with many GiantMook enemies, and Genbu is bigger and protected by the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Gohonyari]].
336* One of the "secret skills" in the first ''[[VideoGame/StarOcean1 Star Ocean]]'' allowed the unlocking of super techniques which augmented existing techniques with the power of the Four Gods.
337* In ''Literature/SwordArtOnline: Memory Defrag'': It's revealed that in the Underworld, in addition to the three main Goddesses, there were also four guardian deities based on the four Chinese animals, including the Tiger, the Tortoise, the Phoenix, and the Dragon. Kirito, Eugeo, Tiese, and Ronye respectively are given gacha units with outfits and powers based on the four creatures.
338* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'':
339** In the ''Alpha'' games and ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration 2'', [=RyuOhKi=] (Seiryū) and [=KoOhKi=] (Byakko) are ancient guardian {{golem}}-gods which absorb a pair of HumongousMecha and gain the ability to [[CombiningMecha combine]] into [[GlassCannon RyuKoOh]] or [[FragileSpeedster KoRyuOh]] (they can [[TransformingMecha switch forms at will]]).
340** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha 3'' introduces equivalents for Genbu and Suzaku, which merge with the other two to form the [[GameBreaker devastatingly powerful]] Shin [=RyuKoOh/Shin KoRyuOh=].
341** ''Second Original Generations'' expanded the Genbu and Suzaku counterparts, showing that they could merge together like the Seiryuu-Byakko pair into [=JakuBuOh=] or [=BuJakuOh=]. This combination actually exists from the ''Alpha'' backstory, just not shown. Also from both games, turns out the huge dragon ridden by [[SmugSnake Son Ganlong]] is supposed to represent Kouryuu/Huang Long.
342** Also in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAdvance'', though not as obvious (and this also carries over to the Original Generation universe). Axel Almer's Soulgain has attacks named after the Four Gods, though when it's translated to US, the reference becomes less obvious (Seiryū Rin -> Dragon Scale, Genbu Gōdan -> Black Warrior, Byakko Kō -> Tiger Bite, Mai Suzaku -> Phoenix Dance). Oh, and it also adds up the Qílín legend (Code: Kirin).
343** [[RobotGirl Aschen Brodel]] from ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'' has moves call ''Tigress Bite'', ''Genbu Strike'' and ''Dragon Scale''. Her overdrive attack is ''Phantasm Phoenix''.
344* The ''{{Franchise/Tekken}}'' fighting game franchise introduced a [[https://tekken.fandom.com/wiki/Ranking ranking system]] in ''Tekken 5'' to show how much experience and skill a character has due to their use online and offline. ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' and ''Tekken 7'' added the ranks Genbu, Byakko, Seiryu, and Suzaku as ranks 20th Dan through 23rd Dan. The background for the rankings also show the associated God. Genbu is represented by a snake coiled around a turtle, with the emphasis placed on the snake.
345* The Lords of the Burning Dawn of ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}} 2'' are named after the Four Gods.
346* ''[[VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial Tokimeki Memorial 2]]'' has the local {{Delinquents}} gang, the Four Heaven Kings, using the Four Gods themes, each of them wearing on their coats' back a symbol of the respective god they represent : [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Sou-Banchou]], the leader, is Seiryū ; [[GiantMook Kinniku-Banchou]] is Genbu ; [[HotBlooded Hi no Tama-Banchou]] is Suzaku ; and [[TheDragon Kogarashi-Banchou]] is Byakko. Baito-Banchou, on the other hand, being the SixthRanger in the gang [[spoiler:and the only one of the Four Heaven Kings you don't have to win against, [[HopelessBossFight just survive until she goes for her next part-time job]], as she's NighInvulnerable]], doesn't have a Four Gods theme.
347* While there is no real Four Gods quartet in ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', fanon has been more than happy to represent several appropriately-themed characters as such: Fujiwara no Mokou (an immortal girl with fire powers) as the phoenix, Toramaru Shou (a tiger youkai/Buddhist saint) as the tiger, Hong Meiling as the dragon (she's not really dragon-themed in canon except for being from China, but fanon sometimes outright makes her one), and either Genji (Reimu's turtle) or Kawashiro Nitori (a kappa) as the turtle.
348* In ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'', Kevin has a technique (and associated gear) corresponding to one of the Four Gods for each possible final class. Namely, Seiryuu Death Fist, Suzaku Sky Dance, Byakko Shock Wave, and Genbu 100 Kick.
349* ''VideoGame/Uncharted2AmongThieves'' features the Tibetan variation of the four gods in a puzzle.
350* Referenced in the ''VideoGame/WildArms'' series -- in almost every game of the series, the player characters can summon four different "Guardian" creatures that correspond to the Four Gods, in addition to other "Guardians".
351* When using the Construction Mode in ''VideoGame/WolfFang'', it's possible to get a mecha that, at least in the Japanese versions (no specific names in non-Japanese releases besides the mecha type number), can be named for one of the Four Symbols. More specifically:
352** Seiryuu/Qinglong (#62) is a combination of Electrigger/Stun Gun, Knuckle Shot, and 6-Wheeled.
353** Suzaku/Zhuque (#39) is a combination of Flame Launcher, Pile Bunker, and 2-Hover.
354** Byakko/Baihu (#06) is a combination of Homing Missiles, Iron Claw, and 2-Walker.
355** Genbu/Xuanwu (#28) is a combination of Grenade Launcher, Knuckle Shot, and 4-Walker.
356* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': The ''Mists of Pandaria'' expansion introduces the August Celestials., a group of Wild Gods native to the continent of Pandaria and closely linked to the culture and religion of the Pandaren race. Yu'lon the Jade Serpent in the east, embodying wisdom, Niuzao the Black Ox in the west, embodying fortitude, Xuen the White Tiger in the north, embodying strength, and Chi-ji the Red Crane in the south, embodying hope. They also serve as the source of the magic abilities of the Monk class, similar to how the other Wild Gods are the source of magic for the Druid class.
357* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', Byakko and Suzaku appear as two of the game's titular [[BondCreature Blades]], while Seiryu and Genbu appear as two of the massive [[GeniusLoci Titans]] humanity lives alongside/upon. The dub renames Byakko, Suzaku and Seiryu to Dromarch, Roc and Azurda respectively, leaving Genbu as the only reference to the Four Gods in the English version.
358* In ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'', the four Student Council members working under Megami have names and looks based on the Four Gods. Whether the symbolism takes on more significance has yet to be seen.
359** Kuroko Kamenaga-based on the black tortoise, has black hair, has the Japanese words for black (kuro) and turtle (kame) in her name, and wears earrings shaped like tortoise shells.
360** Akane Toriyasu-based on the vermilion bird, has red hair, has the words for red (aka) and bird (tori) in her name, and wears a hair decoration that has red feathers in it.
361** Aoi Ryugoku-based on the azure dragon, has blue hair, has the words for blue (ao) and dragon (ryu) in her name, and has an EyepatchOfPower with a blue dragon on it.
362** Shiromi Torayoshi-based on the white tiger, has white hair, has the words for white (shiro) and tiger (tora) in her name, and wears stockings and a scarf that are white with black tiger stripes.
363[[/folder]]
364
365[[folder:Webcomics]]
366* ''Webcomic/{{Flow}}'': In a modern world where everyone is born with a mythological creature who can grant them powers and a single wish, people with powerful gods gain extra education and special privileges, and those who wait to make their wish wind up having their gods disguised as animals following them around. Leerang is followed by the cat god, the most boring and useless of the gods, guaranteeing him an average life at best. However, when tragedy strikes and the cat god offers to turn back time by one day in order to undo the accident, it turns out that his cat god may have been the White Tiger, one of the most powerful gods ever known in disguise.
367[[/folder]]
368
369[[folder:Western Animation]]
370* In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaThePawsOfDestiny'', there was once a legendary group of kung-fu warriors called the Four Constellations, comprising Blue Dragon, Red Phoenix, White Tiger and Black Tortoise. The current Four Constellations (all panda cubs) each have a chi power acquired from their predecessor.
371[[/folder]]
372

Top