In ancient China, how many people could be called the God of War? In the history of ancient China, there were only two people who were truly honored as the God of War. One was Sun Wukong, and the other was Xiang Yu. Sun Wukong was known as the God of War because he fought with other demons and ghosts on the way to the scriptures. Xiang Yu was known as the God of War because he led the Chu-Han War and pacified the world. However, the title of War God wasn't open to everyone. Although some people had won major battles, they weren't generally recognized as War Gods.