If you've been exploring Talos-II and stumbled across the term "Lung" in a quest or character profile, you're not alone. The word looks confusing in English, but it refers to one of the Elder races in the Arknights universe — essentially the dragon-human hybrid species. Right now, there is exactly one playable Lung character in Arknights: Endfield, and that's Chen Qianyu.
Quick answer: "Lung" is the in-game name for the dragon race. The only playable Lung operator is Chen Qianyu, a six-star Guard who wields a great sword and deals physical damage.
What the Lung race actually is
The Lung are classified as an Elder race within the world of Arknights: Endfield. Their design draws directly from Chinese dragons — the Long (龙 / 龍) of East Asian mythology. The name "Lung" itself is the Wade-Giles romanization of the Chinese word for dragon, which is rendered as lóng in modern Pinyin. This older romanization is why the spelling catches so many English-speaking players off guard.
Physically, Lung characters display distinctly draconic features. The most common traits include antler-like horns and serpentine tails tipped with hair tufts. Some individuals show even more animalistic characteristics, such as carp-like whiskers, lion mane-like hair, deer-shaped ears, and fish fins or scales. These visual markers make them stand out from other humanoid races on Terra and Talos-II.
In the broader Arknights lore, the Lung held significant social standing on Terra. Many were imperial members of the Yanese dynasty or occupied upper-class positions as tycoons, aristocrats, and civil servants. The Lung house is also known for a deep love of history. It's worth noting that the Lung are distinct from the Vouivre, another dragon-adjacent race in the Arknights setting — a point of lore that veteran fans tend to be particular about.
Chen Qianyu — the only playable Lung operator
As of the game's current roster, Chen Qianyu is the sole playable Lung character. She's a prominent member of Endfield Industries and a six-star operator, making her one of the rarer pulls in the gacha system. Here's a breakdown of her combat profile:
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Six-star |
| Faction | Endfield Industries |
| Race | Lung |
| Role | Guard |
| Damage type | Physical |
| Weapon | Great sword |
| Main attribute | Agility |
| Secondary attribute | Strength |
| Battle tags | Lift, stagger |
Chen Qianyu fills the Guard role, which means she's built around dealing consistent physical damage while disrupting enemies. Her battle tags — lift and stagger — indicate a kit focused on crowd control, launching enemies into the air, and interrupting their actions. She scales primarily off Agility with Strength as her secondary stat, and she swings a great sword despite her agility-focused build, giving her a mix of speed and heavy hits.
Where you'll encounter the Lung race label in-game
The most common place players run into the term "Lung" is in operator profiles. Every character in Arknights: Endfield has a listed race, and you can check this by opening the profile screen for any party member. If a quest or NPC dialogue asks you to find a Lung character, you're looking for Chen Qianyu specifically — she's the only one who fits that description among playable operators.
Some quests involve a child NPC who draws pictures, hinting at which character you need to bring along. If you see a drawing that resembles a dragon or a character with horns and a tail, that's your cue to swap Chen Qianyu into your active party. Since she's a six-star character, most players will have encountered her through the gacha or may already have her on their roster.
Lung vs. other dragon-like races
The Arknights universe contains multiple races that could loosely be described as "dragon-like," but they are not interchangeable. The Vouivre, for instance, are a separate race inspired by Western dragon mythology rather than East Asian dragons. Calling a Lung character a Vouivre — or vice versa — is a lore mistake that the game's community takes seriously. If a quest specifies a Lung, only a Lung will satisfy the requirement.
The broader racial system in Arknights: Endfield includes dozens of species, each tied to real-world mythological or zoological archetypes. Other examples include the Sankta (angel-like), Sarkaz (demon-like), Vulpo (fox-like), Caprinae (goat/sheep-like), and Aegir (aquatic). Each playable operator's race is listed in their profile, so if you're ever unsure which character belongs to which species, that's the fastest way to check.
For now, Chen Qianyu stands alone as the Lung representative on the Arknights: Endfield roster. Given that the game's character pool continues to expand with new banners and updates, it's reasonable to expect additional Lung operators in the future — but no official announcements for new Lung characters have been confirmed at this time.
