History Characters / RomanceoftheThreeKingdoms

[[index]]
* [[Characters/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdomsShu Shu]]
* [[Characters/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdomsWei Wei]]
* [[Characters/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdomsWu Wu]]
* [[Characters/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdomsJin Jin]]
* [[Characters/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdomsOther Other]]
[[/index]]

[[foldercontrol]]





!Other Warlords
[[folder:Zhang Jiao]]
!!Zhang Jiao
A Taoist mystic leading a rebellion against the Han Empire, kickstarting the end of the Dynasty.

* AGodAmI: So he claims.
* EvilSorcerer: For a given definition of "evil".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: His rebellion serves as a foreshadowing to problems the Han Dynasty will suffer.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: His death is what puts in motion the downfall of the Eunuchs.
* ReligionIsMagic: That's what it's portrayed as, at any rate.
* SiblingTeam: He has two Brothers and they form a trio. Doesn't last long though.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Despite being a relatively minor character, his rebellion triggers a lot of important events (such as Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Bei becoming Brothers).
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The historical pronunciation of his name is actually "Zhang Jue", but the second character of his name has the modern reading "Jiao" instead.
* WarmupBoss: The first threat to appear in the story, his rebellion basically there for the various characters to show their military ability and personal quirks.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dong Zhuo]]
!!Dong Zhuo
A tyrant who attempts to take control of the Empire by deposing one emperor and ruling through that emperor's younger brother. A woman comes between him and his second-in-command, Lu Bu, and he is assassinated.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: He is effectively the BigBad for the first portion of the book, but he's defeated very early on.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Dong Zhuo has always cared for his aged mother.
* FatBastard: The biggest one in the story.
* FatIdiot: Compared to Lu Bu and Li Ru, yeah.
* HateSink: Although the story lionizes the Shu characters at the expense of Wu and Wei, it is still possible to respect and root for the latter kingdoms. Dong Zhuo, though, is just repulsive, and probably has no fans whatsoever.
* {{Jerkass}}: He is by far one of the most unlikable characters of the whole tale.
* RegentForLife: His plan is to become this.
* VillainousGlutton: He grows ''ridicuously'' fat when he becomes regent.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Li Ru]]
!!Li Ru
Dong Zhuo's most trusted advisor. He is the one who kills the deposed Emperor Shao, his consort, and his mother. He is executed after Dong Zhuo's death.

* BrainsAndBrawn: The brains to Lu Bu's brawn.
* TheChessmaster: To an extent he sometimes seems to be full-on precognitive.
* TheCorrupter: For Lu Bu.
* DeathByAdaptation: Historically, he's spared from execution after Li Jue convinced Emperor Xian that Li Ru was [[JustFollowingOrders just following Dong Zhuo's orders]].
* TheDragon: Shares this role with Lu Bu for Dong Zhuo.
* EvilGenius: Being Zhuo's most trusted avisor, this is a given.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: For Dong Zhuo. He effectively solves all crisis for him.
* KickTheDog: His murder of the royal Family is seen as this.
* ManipulativeBastard: Displayed when he converts Lu Bu to his side.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation: In the novel, he is Dong Zhuo's son-in-law. Historically, this may not be the case.
* TheStrategist: He sees through Diao Chan, but can't get Dong Zhuo to listen to reason.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lu Bu]]
!!UsefulNotes/LuBu
The mightiest warrior in all of China. After serving Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo (and assassinating both), he becomes a powerful warlord in his own right. He is eventually defeated by Cao Cao and executed.
* TheAce: Even in the WorldOfBadass of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was legendary. There's a reason why people continued to want him on their side despite his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.
* TheBrute: He's a peerless warrior, but as a general shows poor leadership, has no mind for politics and is too aggressive for strategy. His only asset is inhuman power and skill, and his only tactic is brute force.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: It eventually comes back to bite him in the ass when Cao Cao considers accepting his service after defeating him, only to be reminded that he suffers from this. And it had also earned him the notoriety of being "a house slave under three family names".
* CoolHorse: His famous steed Red Hare, said to be the swifted horse in all of China. Red Hare was so fast and so closely associated with Lu Bu that "Among men Lu Bu, among Horses Red Hare"[[note]]Essentially, "Lu Bu is the supreme man and Red Hare is the supreme horse".[[/note]] became a popular saying.
* DotingParent: He was said to be very fond of his daughter. The story actually counts this as a ''negative'' trait, as everyone thinks he should really be concentrating on warfare and conquest, not his daughter.
* TheDragon: To Dong Zhuo.
* FourStarBadass: In a series full of them, he deserves special mention.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Less famous than [[OneManArmy his ability to defeat nearly anyone within spear's reach of him]], he also managed to get Liu Bei and a general of Yuan Shu, Ji Leng, to stand down and not battle against each other by betting to them that he could hit the left branch of his halberd with an arrow from 150 paces away.
* InSeriesNickname: 'Bastard of Three Fathers'. This because, aside from his birth father, he also chose a general as a 'Father' later, and not long after that, ''killed'' his 'father', and chose the tyrannical Dong Zhuo as his 'father'. Add to that, the fact that he keeps on changing his allegiances at the drop of hat, and that's how that nickname came to be.
* {{Jerkass}}: Aside from his aforementioned ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, he was also harsh, rough, impatient and violent. He was unpopular with even his own men.
* OneManArmy: It was said that he killed a thousand men a day just to keep his skills sharp and temper even. He holds Hulao gate almost completely by himself, and only retreats when attacked by Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Beu simultaneously. Before Liu Bei joined the fray, he was perfectly capable of holding his own against Zhang Fei and Guan Yu at once, two of the mightiest warriors in the novel, with Zhang Fei in particular only being surpassed by Lu Bu himself.
* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Inverted. Cao Cao was going to spare him in order to make use of him, until Liu Bei pointed out the fate of his previous lords. Cao then changes his mind and executes him.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Both of the lords whom he assassinated were also adoptive fathers.
* WorldsBestWarrior: He is famously known as this in Ancient China. He famously dueled Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Liu Bei at the same time.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Diao Chan]]
!!Diao Chan
A singing girl who is roped into bringing down Dong Zhuo by her adopted father by playing him and Lu Bu against each other.

* HoneyTrap: At her adoptive father's urging, she used her beauty and wits to drive a wedge between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo until Lu Bu ultimately killed Dong Zhuo.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She convinces both Dong and Lu that she is miserable whenever she is with the other one, making them both want her more.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Chen Gong]]
!!Chen Gong
A strategist who followed Cao Cao until he became disgusted by his immoral behaviour, then joined up with Lu Bu in order to oppose him. When Lu Bu is defeated, Cao Cao offers him a chance to repent, but he refuses and is executed. Cao Cao was so moved that he provided for Chen Gong's family thereafter.

* DoomedMoralVictor: Chen Gong ends up joining with Lu Bu against Cao Cao. When Lu Bu loses, mostly because of his refusal to heed Chen Gong's advice, he is taking captive and willingly chooses death.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He assists Cao Cao in killing his adoptive uncle's household, under the false impression that they were going to betray him and Cao Cao to the authorities.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Cao Cao proves to be more ruthless than he thought.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Chen Deng]]
!!Chen Deng
Another strategist for Lu Bu who, along with his father, acted as a fifth column in favour of Liu Bei and Cao Cao. They were both highly rewarded after Lu Bu was defeated.

* EvilChancellor: Towards Lu Bu.
* TheMole, possibly TheMole depending on how you feel towards Lu Bu and Cao Cao.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan Shu]]
!!Yuan Shu
A warlord vying for power and brother of Yuan Shao. He declares himself Emperor when Sun Ce trades him the Imperial Seal for troops.

* AlasPoorVillain: His death is arguably the most pathetic in the entire book.
* SmugSnake: All of Cao Cao or Sima Yi's arrogance with only a tiny fraction of their competence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan Shao]]
!!Yuan Shao
The most powerful warlord in the north. His arrogance eventually leads to his downfall at Guan Du.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Like most generals in the book.
* BlueBlood: The Yuan family is one of the most distinguished at the beginning of the story.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: The most likely explanation why he TookALevelInJerkass is that the writer originally modeled him on the historical Yuan Shao, before inventing {{Fatal Flaw}}s for the doomed warlord to fit the novel's Confucian moral slant.
* HotBlooded: One gets the feeling he never thinks his actions through.
* TheLeader: For the coalition against Dong Zhou.
* OnlySaneMan: He and Cao Cao are the only people of the plot against the Eunuchs with any sanity.
* TheProudElite: His FatalFlaw is his high-born arrogance.
* ThePurge: He ''really'' hates Eunuchs. [[KarmicDeath Not that they didn't have it coming]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: ''Boy'' can he hold a grudge. Specially if you're an Eunuch.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Early on he seems a fundamentally decent character. His arrogance and high and mighty approach only appear when he talks with the three Brothers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Liu Zhang]]
!!Liu Zhang
The governor of Yizhou. He was considered an incompetent by some of his own officers, who wanted Liu Bei to replace him. The rest served him loyally until his defeat, whereupon most of the survivors joined Liu Bei.

* GeneralFailure: He was unable to correctly use the talented officers under his command, which led to their resenting him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Meng Huo]]
!!Meng Huo
A barbarian king, he attempts to rebel against the rule of Shu only to be beaten seven times by Zhuge Liang. After the seventh time, he repents and swears loyalty to Shu.

* HumiliationConga: Zhuge Liang puts him through one of these, constantly capturing and releasing him in the hopes that he'll eventually submit willingly. It takes seven captures, but ultimately he yields.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lady Zhurong]]
!!Lady Zhurong
Meng Huo's wife who claimed to be a descendant of the goddess of fire. She is the only woman in the book to actually fight.

* ActionGirl: As mentioned above, she is the only woman in the book to actually fight. She used knives in battle.
* LadyOfWar: She's definitely no pushover, as she successfully manages to take two Shu officers prisoner, and was only captured herself by the combination of Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, and Ma Dai.
* PrisonerExchange: After her capture, she was set free in exchange for the two leaders of Shu she captured.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gongsun Yuan]]
!!Gongsun Yuan
The ruler of Liaodong who rebels against Cao Rui. He was defeated by Sima Yi.

* BadBoss: Publicly executed two of his strategists for criticizing his rebellion.
[[/folder]]

!Kingdom of Wei






!Kingdom of Wu
[[folder:Sun Jian]]
!!Sun Jian
Patriarch of the Sun family, who claims to be a descendant of Sun Zi. He is killed by an ambush.

* GeniusBruiser: A given for a man who descends from Sun Tzu, the writer of the ''Art of War''.
* LaserGuidedKarma: After making away with the Imperial Seal, he said on several occasions, "If I'm hiding this thing, may I die a violent death!" He gets that violent death by virtue of being crushed by boulders in an ambush.
* OneManArmy: See badass.

[[folder:Sun Ce]]
!!Sun Ce
Heir of Sun Jian, who managed to set the foundations of what would become Wu. He would die young. Also called "The Little Prince", after crushing a captured officer to death under one arm while scaring another to death with a shout.

* BloodBrothers: With Zhou Yu.
* BurnTheWitch: Didn't like Taoists.
* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Ends up crushing one of his captives to death under his arms.
* TheMagnificent: He built the foundation for what would become the Kingdom of Wu while he was in his 20s.
* MakeMeWannaShout: He shouted at a pursuer, and his voice frightened the pursuer so much that he fell off his horse and died on the spot.
* YoungConqueror: Frequently nicknamed "Little Conqueror". As he was killed from an arrow at the age of 25, he got quite the reputation in a short amount of time.

[[folder:Sun Quan]]
!!Sun Quan
Sun Ce's brother and heir. He took Wu to its largest boundaries, eventually declaring himself Emperor.

* DistressedDude: Is frequently needing rescue.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Subverted. His attempts to lead his army from the front just wind up with the entire enemy army targeting him, and his favourite officers being forced to risk life and limb to get him out of danger.

[[folder:Lady Wu]]
!!Lady Wu
Sun Jian's wife, and mother of Ce, Quan, and Shangxiang. She was instrumental in Liu Bei's survival during his marriage to Lady Sun.

* CoolOldLady: She completely tears into Zhou Yu (who sadly, wasn't there to hear it) for using the "Fair Damsel" ruse and ruining her daughter's future just to get Jing Province.
* MyBelovedSmother: Sun Quan would never go against his mother's wishes, and Zhuge Liang took advantage of that fact to ensure that Liu Bei would be safe during his time in Wu.

[[folder:Lady Sun]]
!!Lady Sun
Sun Quan's younger sister, who would marry Liu Bei. Was something of a tomboy, who enjoyed arms and taught all of her serving maids swordplay.

* ActionGirl
* AmazonBrigade: Her maids.
* LadyOfWar
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Despite originally being a ploy to get Liu Bei into their power, Liu Bei and Lady Sun end up truly loving each other, so much so that just the rumor of his death causes her to commit suicide by drowning.

[[folder:Zhou Yu]]
!!Zhou Yu
Advisor to the Sun family. He was especially close to Sun Ce, who was his blood brother. After Ce's death, he served Sun Quan capably but was never able to keep up with the wiles of Zhuge Liang.

* AlwaysSecondBest: To Zhuge Liang.
* BloodBrothers: His sworn brotherhood with Sun Ce.
* DeathByDespair: Granted, the arrow wound that never properly healed was a primary factor as well, but his rage at Zhuge Liang always being one step ahead of him contributed to that in turn.
* DrivenByEnvy: He keeps trying and trying to outwit Zhuge Liang, but Zhuge Liang continues to have his number time and time again.
* FakingTheDead: Uses this to beat Wei forces.
* TheStrategist: He did have a few cunning schemes up his sleeves, such as swindling Wei forces out of a city by feigning his own death, and he and Zhuge Liang both independently determined that the way to beat Cao Cao's navy was to KillItWithFire. It's just a shame that Zhuge Liang happens to exist.
* UndignifiedDeath: He [[DeathByDespair dies from despair]] after being trolled by Zhuge Liang three times. In real life, Zhou Yu simply passed away from illness.

[[folder:Lu Shu]]
!!Lu Su
Strategist of Wu, famous for his generosity. He is Zhou Yu's eventual successor as chief strategist of Wu.

* TheWatson: For Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang's plots.

[[folder:Lu Meng]]
!!Lu Meng
An officer of Wu, who also took up scholarship after being criticized by Sun Quan. He was the successor of Lu Su as chief strategist of Wu. He was the mastermind of the campaign against Guan Yu in Jing.

* BadassBookworm: Was the one that eventually outwitted and killed Guan Yu.
* PlayingSick: A fake illness, followed by a show of meekness from his supposed successor, caused Guan Yu to lower his guard against Wu invasion.

[[folder:Lu Xun]]
!!Lu Xun
A scholar who was named Lu Meng's successor. Served in the campaign against Guan Yu in Jing, as well as masterminding the victory over Liu Bei at Yiling.

* ExtremeDoormat: When taking over during Lu Meng's fake illness, he pretends to be one of these towards Guan Yu to lower his guard further.
* TheStrategist: Defeated Liu Bei's forces with a significant numbers disadvantage. Incidentally, his strategy was the exact same one used by the Wu-Shu alliance against Cao Cao: setting the enemy on fire.
* StrawCivilian: Subversion. All of the military officers under him are unhappy with serving someone they view to be a mere scholar, right up until he manages the Wu victory at Yiling.

[[folder:Gan Ning]]
!!Gan Ning
A former pirate who joins Sun Quan after serving Sun Quan's rival, Liu Biao. During his previous service, he killed Ling Tong's father, causing friction between the two.

* AgentPeacock: When he was a pirate he would wear feathers in his and have bells attached to his clothes.
* BoisterousBruiser: Comes with the territory of being a pirate known for wearing bells to announce his presence.
* CoolBoat: Gan Ning was called "The Pirate of the Silk Sails", because his ship only used silk sails.
* TheRival: To Ling Tong

[[folder:Ling Tong]]
!!Ling Tong
A general of Wu. His father was killed by Gan Ning, causing friction between the two. This is exacerbated by the fact that Gan Ning is a better commander than he is.

* AlwaysSecondBest: To Gan Ning.
* EmbarrassingRescue: By Gan Ning.
* YouKilledMyFather: Gan Ning killed his father, Ling Cao, and Ling Tong always wanted to avenge his death. When Gan Ning saves his life at Hefei, they bury the hatchet.

[[folder:Zhou Tai]]
!!Zhou Tai
An officer of Wu, famous for the injuries he received defending Sun Quan.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Good, in his case.

[[folder:Huang Gai]]
!!Huang Gai
An officer of Wu. His false surrender allowed for the fire attack at Chibi. One of the few to have served under three rulers of Wu.

* FakeDefector: He pretended to defect to Wei so he could lead Wu's fire attack against their navy.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: He and Zhou Yu pretend to have a feud each other to give Cao Cao a false sense of opportunity for him to exploit. He gains the trust of Cao Cao after he gets flogged with 50 sticks for talking back to Zhou Yu and becomes TheMole within the Wei army.

[[folder:Taishi Ci]]
!!Taishi Ci
An officer of Wu. He joined after having been defeated in Liu Yao's service.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: His duel with Sun Ce is inconclusive, but it impressed Taishi Ci enough that, when he's ultimately captured, he willingly surrenders.

[[/folder]]

!Other Warlords
[[folder:Zhang Jiao]]
!!Zhang Jiao
A Taoist mystic leading a rebellion against the Han Empire, kickstarting the end of the Dynasty.

* AGodAmI: So he claims.
* EvilSorcerer: For a given definition of "evil".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: His rebellion serves as a foreshadowing to problems the Han Dynasty will suffer.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: His death is what puts in motion the downfall of the Eunuchs.
* ReligionIsMagic: That's what it's portrayed as, at any rate.
* SiblingTeam: He has two Brothers and they form a trio. Doesn't last long though.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Despite being a relatively minor character, his rebellion triggers a lot of important events (such as Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Bei becoming Brothers).
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The historical pronunciation of his name is actually "Zhang Jue", but the second character of his name has the modern reading "Jiao" instead.
* WarmupBoss: The first threat to appear in the story, his rebellion basically there for the various characters to show their military ability and personal quirks.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dong Zhuo]]
!!Dong Zhuo
A tyrant who attempts to take control of the Empire by deposing one emperor and ruling through that emperor's younger brother. A woman comes between him and his second-in-command, Lu Bu, and he is assassinated.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: He is effectively the BigBad for the first portion of the book, but he's defeated very early on.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Dong Zhuo has always cared for his aged mother.
* FatBastard: The biggest one in the story.
* FatIdiot: Compared to Lu Bu and Li Ru, yeah.
* HateSink: Although the story lionizes the Shu characters at the expense of Wu and Wei, it is still possible to respect and root for the latter kingdoms. Dong Zhuo, though, is just repulsive, and probably has no fans whatsoever.
* {{Jerkass}}: He is by far one of the most unlikable characters of the whole tale.
* RegentForLife: His plan is to become this.
* VillainousGlutton: He grows ''ridicuously'' fat when he becomes regent.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Li Ru]]
!!Li Ru
Dong Zhuo's most trusted advisor. He is the one who kills the deposed Emperor Shao, his consort, and his mother. He is executed after Dong Zhuo's death.

* BrainsAndBrawn: The brains to Lu Bu's brawn.
* TheChessmaster: To an extent he sometimes seems to be full-on precognitive.
* TheCorrupter: For Lu Bu.
* DeathByAdaptation: Historically, he's spared from execution after Li Jue convinced Emperor Xian that Li Ru was [[JustFollowingOrders just following Dong Zhuo's orders]].
* TheDragon: Shares this role with Lu Bu for Dong Zhuo.
* EvilGenius: Being Zhuo's most trusted avisor, this is a given.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: For Dong Zhuo. He effectively solves all crisis for him.
* KickTheDog: His murder of the royal Family is seen as this.
* ManipulativeBastard: Displayed when he converts Lu Bu to his side.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation: In the novel, he is Dong Zhuo's son-in-law. Historically, this may not be the case.
* TheStrategist: He sees through Diao Chan, but can't get Dong Zhuo to listen to reason.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lu Bu]]
!!UsefulNotes/LuBu
The mightiest warrior in all of China. After serving Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo (and assassinating both), he becomes a powerful warlord in his own right. He is eventually defeated by Cao Cao and executed.
* TheAce: Even in the WorldOfBadass of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was legendary. There's a reason why people continued to want him on their side despite his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.
* TheBrute: He's a peerless warrior, but as a general shows poor leadership, has no mind for politics and is too aggressive for strategy. His only asset is inhuman power and skill, and his only tactic is brute force.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: It eventually comes back to bite him in the ass when Cao Cao considers accepting his service after defeating him, only to be reminded that he suffers from this. And it had also earned him the notoriety of being "a house slave under three family names".
* CoolHorse: His famous steed Red Hare, said to be the swifted horse in all of China. Red Hare was so fast and so closely associated with Lu Bu that "Among men Lu Bu, among Horses Red Hare"[[note]]Essentially, "Lu Bu is the supreme man and Red Hare is the supreme horse".[[/note]] became a popular saying.
* DotingParent: He was said to be very fond of his daughter. The story actually counts this as a ''negative'' trait, as everyone thinks he should really be concentrating on warfare and conquest, not his daughter.
* TheDragon: To Dong Zhuo.
* FourStarBadass: In a series full of them, he deserves special mention.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Less famous than [[OneManArmy his ability to defeat nearly anyone within spear's reach of him]], he also managed to get Liu Bei and a general of Yuan Shu, Ji Leng, to stand down and not battle against each other by betting to them that he could hit the left branch of his halberd with an arrow from 150 paces away.
* InSeriesNickname: 'Bastard of Three Fathers'. This because, aside from his birth father, he also chose a general as a 'Father' later, and not long after that, ''killed'' his 'father', and chose the tyrannical Dong Zhuo as his 'father'. Add to that, the fact that he keeps on changing his allegiances at the drop of hat, and that's how that nickname came to be.
* {{Jerkass}}: Aside from his aforementioned ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, he was also harsh, rough, impatient and violent. He was unpopular with even his own men.
* OneManArmy: It was said that he killed a thousand men a day just to keep his skills sharp and temper even. He holds Hulao gate almost completely by himself, and only retreats when attacked by Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Beu simultaneously. Before Liu Bei joined the fray, he was perfectly capable of holding his own against Zhang Fei and Guan Yu at once, two of the mightiest warriors in the novel, with Zhang Fei in particular only being surpassed by Lu Bu himself.
* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Inverted. Cao Cao was going to spare him in order to make use of him, until Liu Bei pointed out the fate of his previous lords. Cao then changes his mind and executes him.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Both of the lords whom he assassinated were also adoptive fathers.
* WorldsBestWarrior: He is famously known as this in Ancient China. He famously dueled Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Liu Bei at the same time.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Diao Chan]]
!!Diao Chan
A singing girl who is roped into bringing down Dong Zhuo by her adopted father by playing him and Lu Bu against each other.

* HoneyTrap: At her adoptive father's urging, she used her beauty and wits to drive a wedge between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo until Lu Bu ultimately killed Dong Zhuo.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She convinces both Dong and Lu that she is miserable whenever she is with the other one, making them both want her more.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Chen Gong]]
!!Chen Gong
A strategist who followed Cao Cao until he became disgusted by his immoral behaviour, then joined up with Lu Bu in order to oppose him. When Lu Bu is defeated, Cao Cao offers him a chance to repent, but he refuses and is executed. Cao Cao was so moved that he provided for Chen Gong's family thereafter.

* DoomedMoralVictor: Chen Gong ends up joining with Lu Bu against Cao Cao. When Lu Bu loses, mostly because of his refusal to heed Chen Gong's advice, he is taking captive and willingly chooses death.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He assists Cao Cao in killing his adoptive uncle's household, under the false impression that they were going to betray him and Cao Cao to the authorities.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Cao Cao proves to be more ruthless than he thought.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Chen Deng]]
!!Chen Deng
Another strategist for Lu Bu who, along with his father, acted as a fifth column in favour of Liu Bei and Cao Cao. They were both highly rewarded after Lu Bu was defeated.

* EvilChancellor: Towards Lu Bu.
* TheMole, possibly TheMole depending on how you feel towards Lu Bu and Cao Cao.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan Shu]]
!!Yuan Shu
A warlord vying for power and brother of Yuan Shao. He declares himself Emperor when Sun Ce trades him the Imperial Seal for troops.

* AlasPoorVillain: His death is arguably the most pathetic in the entire book.
* SmugSnake: All of Cao Cao or Sima Yi's arrogance with only a tiny fraction of their competence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan Shao]]
!!Yuan Shao
The most powerful warlord in the north. His arrogance eventually leads to his downfall at Guan Du.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Like most generals in the book.
* BlueBlood: The Yuan family is one of the most distinguished at the beginning of the story.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: The most likely explanation why he TookALevelInJerkass is that the writer originally modeled him on the historical Yuan Shao, before inventing {{Fatal Flaw}}s for the doomed warlord to fit the novel's Confucian moral slant.
* HotBlooded: One gets the feeling he never thinks his actions through.
* TheLeader: For the coalition against Dong Zhou.
* OnlySaneMan: He and Cao Cao are the only people of the plot against the Eunuchs with any sanity.
* TheProudElite: His FatalFlaw is his high-born arrogance.
* ThePurge: He ''really'' hates Eunuchs. [[KarmicDeath Not that they didn't have it coming]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: ''Boy'' can he hold a grudge. Specially if you're an Eunuch.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Early on he seems a fundamentally decent character. His arrogance and high and mighty approach only appear when he talks with the three Brothers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Liu Zhang]]
!!Liu Zhang
The governor of Yizhou. He was considered an incompetent by some of his own officers, who wanted Liu Bei to replace him. The rest served him loyally until his defeat, whereupon most of the survivors joined Liu Bei.

* GeneralFailure: He was unable to correctly use the talented officers under his command, which led to their resenting him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Meng Huo]]
!!Meng Huo
A barbarian king, he attempts to rebel against the rule of Shu only to be beaten seven times by Zhuge Liang. After the seventh time, he repents and swears loyalty to Shu.

* HumiliationConga: Zhuge Liang puts him through one of these, constantly capturing and releasing him in the hopes that he'll eventually submit willingly. It takes seven captures, but ultimately he yields.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lady Zhurong]]
!!Lady Zhurong
Meng Huo's wife who claimed to be a descendant of the goddess of fire. She is the only woman in the book to actually fight.

* ActionGirl: As mentioned above, she is the only woman in the book to actually fight. She used knives in battle.
* LadyOfWar: She's definitely no pushover, as she successfully manages to take two Shu officers prisoner, and was only captured herself by the combination of Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, and Ma Dai.
* PrisonerExchange: After her capture, she was set free in exchange for the two leaders of Shu she captured.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gongsun Yuan]]
!!Gongsun Yuan
The ruler of Liaodong who rebels against Cao Rui. He was defeated by Sima Yi.

* BadBoss: Publicly executed two of his strategists for criticizing his rebellion.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sima Yi]]
!!Sima Yi
Advisor to Cao Cao and his heirs. He would later plot to usurp power from the Cao family.

* EvilChancellor: Subverted. He served Cao Cao and even Cao Pi relatively well, but after Pi's death, he began making moves to consolidate his power, which allowed his sons to take over, and his grandson to become emperor.
* IShallTauntYou: Inverted. Zhuge Liang constantly sends taunts to Sima Yi, at point even sending him a dress made of deer hide, to provoke him into battle. For the most part, Sima Yi is able to ignore the taunts, and even orders his men to ignore them.
* TheStrategist: He is equally as brilliant as Zhuge Liang.
* TheStarscream: Cao Cao feared Sima Yi would become one of these, so he made sure he didn't have much power to do so. Zhuge Liang took advantage of that paranoia running in his family to make it look like Sima Yi was planning to become one of these, so Cao Pi would strip him of his army and send him away.

[[folder:Sima Shi]]
!!Sima Shi

Sima Yi's first son who succeeded him as Prime Minister of Wei.

* EyeScream: After having a painful mole removed, he suffered a facial infection that resulted in his death when his eye fell out.

[[folder:Sima Zhao]]
!!Sima Zhao

Sima Yi's second son who originally planned to usurp Wei, but left the actual abdication to his son, Sima Yan.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: His takeover of Wei is seen as a direct parallel to Cao Cao's takeover of the Han, including having his son actually be the first one to take the throne. Some translations even call it revenge for the Han dynasty's fall.

!Kingdom of Wu
[[folder:Sun Jian]]
!!Sun Jian
Patriarch of the Sun family, who claims to be a descendant of Sun Zi. He is killed by an ambush.

* GeniusBruiser: A given for a man who descends from Sun Tzu, the writer of the ''Art of War''.
* LaserGuidedKarma: After making away with the Imperial Seal, he said on several occasions, "If I'm hiding this thing, may I die a violent death!" He gets that violent death by virtue of being crushed by boulders in an ambush.
* OneManArmy: See badass.

[[folder:Sun Ce]]
!!Sun Ce
Heir of Sun Jian, who managed to set the foundations of what would become Wu. He would die young. Also called "The Little Prince", after crushing a captured officer to death under one arm while scaring another to death with a shout.

* BloodBrothers: With Zhou Yu.
* BurnTheWitch: Didn't like Taoists.
* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Ends up crushing one of his captives to death under his arms.
* TheMagnificent: He built the foundation for what would become the Kingdom of Wu while he was in his 20s.
* MakeMeWannaShout: He shouted at a pursuer, and his voice frightened the pursuer so much that he fell off his horse and died on the spot.
* YoungConqueror: Frequently nicknamed "Little Conqueror". As he was killed from an arrow at the age of 25, he got quite the reputation in a short amount of time.

[[folder:Sun Quan]]
!!Sun Quan
Sun Ce's brother and heir. He took Wu to its largest boundaries, eventually declaring himself Emperor.

* DistressedDude: Is frequently needing rescue.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Subverted. His attempts to lead his army from the front just wind up with the entire enemy army targeting him, and his favourite officers being forced to risk life and limb to get him out of danger.

[[folder:Lady Wu]]
!!Lady Wu
Sun Jian's wife, and mother of Ce, Quan, and Shangxiang. She was instrumental in Liu Bei's survival during his marriage to Lady Sun.

* CoolOldLady: She completely tears into Zhou Yu (who sadly, wasn't there to hear it) for using the "Fair Damsel" ruse and ruining her daughter's future just to get Jing Province.
* MyBelovedSmother: Sun Quan would never go against his mother's wishes, and Zhuge Liang took advantage of that fact to ensure that Liu Bei would be safe during his time in Wu.

[[folder:Lady Sun]]
!!Lady Sun
Sun Quan's younger sister, who would marry Liu Bei. Was something of a tomboy, who enjoyed arms and taught all of her serving maids swordplay.

* ActionGirl
* AmazonBrigade: Her maids.
* LadyOfWar
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Despite originally being a ploy to get Liu Bei into their power, Liu Bei and Lady Sun end up truly loving each other, so much so that just the rumor of his death causes her to commit suicide by drowning.

[[folder:Zhou Yu]]
!!Zhou Yu
Advisor to the Sun family. He was especially close to Sun Ce, who was his blood brother. After Ce's death, he served Sun Quan capably but was never able to keep up with the wiles of Zhuge Liang.

* AlwaysSecondBest: To Zhuge Liang.
* BloodBrothers: His sworn brotherhood with Sun Ce.
* DeathByDespair: Granted, the arrow wound that never properly healed was a primary factor as well, but his rage at Zhuge Liang always being one step ahead of him contributed to that in turn.
* DrivenByEnvy: He keeps trying and trying to outwit Zhuge Liang, but Zhuge Liang continues to have his number time and time again.
* FakingTheDead: Uses this to beat Wei forces.
* TheStrategist: He did have a few cunning schemes up his sleeves, such as swindling Wei forces out of a city by feigning his own death, and he and Zhuge Liang both independently determined that the way to beat Cao Cao's navy was to KillItWithFire. It's just a shame that Zhuge Liang happens to exist.
* UndignifiedDeath: He [[DeathByDespair dies from despair]] after being trolled by Zhuge Liang three times. In real life, Zhou Yu simply passed away from illness.

[[folder:Lu Shu]]
!!Lu Su
Strategist of Wu, famous for his generosity. He is Zhou Yu's eventual successor as chief strategist of Wu.

* TheWatson: For Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang's plots.

[[folder:Lu Meng]]
!!Lu Meng
An officer of Wu, who also took up scholarship after being criticized by Sun Quan. He was the successor of Lu Su as chief strategist of Wu. He was the mastermind of the campaign against Guan Yu in Jing.

* BadassBookworm: Was the one that eventually outwitted and killed Guan Yu.
* PlayingSick: A fake illness, followed by a show of meekness from his supposed successor, caused Guan Yu to lower his guard against Wu invasion.

[[folder:Lu Xun]]
!!Lu Xun
A scholar who was named Lu Meng's successor. Served in the campaign against Guan Yu in Jing, as well as masterminding the victory over Liu Bei at Yiling.

* ExtremeDoormat: When taking over during Lu Meng's fake illness, he pretends to be one of these towards Guan Yu to lower his guard further.
* TheStrategist: Defeated Liu Bei's forces with a significant numbers disadvantage. Incidentally, his strategy was the exact same one used by the Wu-Shu alliance against Cao Cao: setting the enemy on fire.
* StrawCivilian: Subversion. All of the military officers under him are unhappy with serving someone they view to be a mere scholar, right up until he manages the Wu victory at Yiling.

[[folder:Gan Ning]]
!!Gan Ning
A former pirate who joins Sun Quan after serving Sun Quan's rival, Liu Biao. During his previous service, he killed Ling Tong's father, causing friction between the two.

* AgentPeacock: When he was a pirate he would wear feathers in his and have bells attached to his clothes.
* BoisterousBruiser: Comes with the territory of being a pirate known for wearing bells to announce his presence.
* CoolBoat: Gan Ning was called "The Pirate of the Silk Sails", because his ship only used silk sails.
* TheRival: To Ling Tong

[[folder:Ling Tong]]
!!Ling Tong
A general of Wu. His father was killed by Gan Ning, causing friction between the two. This is exacerbated by the fact that Gan Ning is a better commander than he is.

* AlwaysSecondBest: To Gan Ning.
* EmbarrassingRescue: By Gan Ning.
* YouKilledMyFather: Gan Ning killed his father, Ling Cao, and Ling Tong always wanted to avenge his death. When Gan Ning saves his life at Hefei, they bury the hatchet.

[[folder:Zhou Tai]]
!!Zhou Tai
An officer of Wu, famous for the injuries he received defending Sun Quan.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Good, in his case.

[[folder:Huang Gai]]
!!Huang Gai
An officer of Wu. His false surrender allowed for the fire attack at Chibi. One of the few to have served under three rulers of Wu.

* FakeDefector: He pretended to defect to Wei so he could lead Wu's fire attack against their navy.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: He and Zhou Yu pretend to have a feud each other to give Cao Cao a false sense of opportunity for him to exploit. He gains the trust of Cao Cao after he gets flogged with 50 sticks for talking back to Zhou Yu and becomes TheMole within the Wei army.

[[folder:Taishi Ci]]
!!Taishi Ci
An officer of Wu. He joined after having been defeated in Liu Yao's service.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: His duel with Sun Ce is inconclusive, but it impressed Taishi Ci enough that, when he's ultimately captured, he willingly surrenders.

!Other Warlords
[[folder:Zhang Jiao]]
!!Zhang Jiao
A Taoist mystic leading a rebellion against the Han Empire, kickstarting the end of the Dynasty.

* AGodAmI: So he claims.
* EvilSorcerer: For a given definition of "evil".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: His rebellion serves as a foreshadowing to problems the Han Dynasty will suffer.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: His death is what puts in motion the downfall of the Eunuchs.
* ReligionIsMagic: That's what it's portrayed as, at any rate.
* SiblingTeam: He has two Brothers and they form a trio. Doesn't last long though.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Despite being a relatively minor character, his rebellion triggers a lot of important events (such as Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Bei becoming Brothers).
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The historical pronunciation of his name is actually "Zhang Jue", but the second character of his name has the modern reading "Jiao" instead.
* WarmupBoss: The first threat to appear in the story, his rebellion basically there for the various characters to show their military ability and personal quirks.

[[folder:Dong Zhuo]]
!!Dong Zhuo
A tyrant who attempts to take control of the Empire by deposing one emperor and ruling through that emperor's younger brother. A woman comes between him and his second-in-command, Lu Bu, and he is assassinated.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: He is effectively the BigBad for the first portion of the book, but he's defeated very early on.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Dong Zhuo has always cared for his aged mother.
* FatBastard: The biggest one in the story.
* FatIdiot: Compared to Lu Bu and Li Ru, yeah.
* HateSink: Although the story lionizes the Shu characters at the expense of Wu and Wei, it is still possible to respect and root for the latter kingdoms. Dong Zhuo, though, is just repulsive, and probably has no fans whatsoever.
* {{Jerkass}}: He is by far one of the most unlikable characters of the whole tale.
* RegentForLife: His plan is to become this.
* VillainousGlutton: He grows ''ridicuously'' fat when he becomes regent.

[[folder:Li Ru]]
!!Li Ru
Dong Zhuo's most trusted advisor. He is the one who kills the deposed Emperor Shao, his consort, and his mother. He is executed after Dong Zhuo's death.

* BrainsAndBrawn: The brains to Lu Bu's brawn.
* TheChessmaster: To an extent he sometimes seems to be full-on precognitive.
* TheCorrupter: For Lu Bu.
* DeathByAdaptation: Historically, he's spared from execution after Li Jue convinced Emperor Xian that Li Ru was [[JustFollowingOrders just following Dong Zhuo's orders]].
* TheDragon: Shares this role with Lu Bu for Dong Zhuo.
* EvilGenius: Being Zhuo's most trusted avisor, this is a given.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: For Dong Zhuo. He effectively solves all crisis for him.
* KickTheDog: His murder of the royal Family is seen as this.
* ManipulativeBastard: Displayed when he converts Lu Bu to his side.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation: In the novel, he is Dong Zhuo's son-in-law. Historically, this may not be the case.
* TheStrategist: He sees through Diao Chan, but can't get Dong Zhuo to listen to reason.

[[folder:Lu Bu]]
!!UsefulNotes/LuBu
The mightiest warrior in all of China. After serving Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo (and assassinating both), he becomes a powerful warlord in his own right. He is eventually defeated by Cao Cao and executed.
* TheAce: Even in the WorldOfBadass of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was legendary. There's a reason why people continued to want him on their side despite his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.
* TheBrute: He's a peerless warrior, but as a general shows poor leadership, has no mind for politics and is too aggressive for strategy. His only asset is inhuman power and skill, and his only tactic is brute force.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: It eventually comes back to bite him in the ass when Cao Cao considers accepting his service after defeating him, only to be reminded that he suffers from this. And it had also earned him the notoriety of being "a house slave under three family names".
* CoolHorse: His famous steed Red Hare, said to be the swifted horse in all of China. Red Hare was so fast and so closely associated with Lu Bu that "Among men Lu Bu, among Horses Red Hare"[[note]]Essentially, "Lu Bu is the supreme man and Red Hare is the supreme horse".[[/note]] became a popular saying.
* DotingParent: He was said to be very fond of his daughter. The story actually counts this as a ''negative'' trait, as everyone thinks he should really be concentrating on warfare and conquest, not his daughter.
* TheDragon: To Dong Zhuo.
* FourStarBadass: In a series full of them, he deserves special mention.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Less famous than [[OneManArmy his ability to defeat nearly anyone within spear's reach of him]], he also managed to get Liu Bei and a general of Yuan Shu, Ji Leng, to stand down and not battle against each other by betting to them that he could hit the left branch of his halberd with an arrow from 150 paces away.
* InSeriesNickname: 'Bastard of Three Fathers'. This because, aside from his birth father, he also chose a general as a 'Father' later, and not long after that, ''killed'' his 'father', and chose the tyrannical Dong Zhuo as his 'father'. Add to that, the fact that he keeps on changing his allegiances at the drop of hat, and that's how that nickname came to be.
* {{Jerkass}}: Aside from his aforementioned ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, he was also harsh, rough, impatient and violent. He was unpopular with even his own men.
* OneManArmy: It was said that he killed a thousand men a day just to keep his skills sharp and temper even. He holds Hulao gate almost completely by himself, and only retreats when attacked by Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Beu simultaneously. Before Liu Bei joined the fray, he was perfectly capable of holding his own against Zhang Fei and Guan Yu at once, two of the mightiest warriors in the novel, with Zhang Fei in particular only being surpassed by Lu Bu himself.
* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Inverted. Cao Cao was going to spare him in order to make use of him, until Liu Bei pointed out the fate of his previous lords. Cao then changes his mind and executes him.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Both of the lords whom he assassinated were also adoptive fathers.
* WorldsBestWarrior: He is famously known as this in Ancient China. He famously dueled Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Liu Bei at the same time.

[[folder:Diao Chan]]
!!Diao Chan
A singing girl who is roped into bringing down Dong Zhuo by her adopted father by playing him and Lu Bu against each other.

* HoneyTrap: At her adoptive father's urging, she used her beauty and wits to drive a wedge between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo until Lu Bu ultimately killed Dong Zhuo.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She convinces both Dong and Lu that she is miserable whenever she is with the other one, making them both want her more.

[[folder:Chen Gong]]
!!Chen Gong
A strategist who followed Cao Cao until he became disgusted by his immoral behaviour, then joined up with Lu Bu in order to oppose him. When Lu Bu is defeated, Cao Cao offers him a chance to repent, but he refuses and is executed. Cao Cao was so moved that he provided for Chen Gong's family thereafter.

* DoomedMoralVictor: Chen Gong ends up joining with Lu Bu against Cao Cao. When Lu Bu loses, mostly because of his refusal to heed Chen Gong's advice, he is taking captive and willingly chooses death.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He assists Cao Cao in killing his adoptive uncle's household, under the false impression that they were going to betray him and Cao Cao to the authorities.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Cao Cao proves to be more ruthless than he thought.

[[folder:Chen Deng]]
!!Chen Deng
Another strategist for Lu Bu who, along with his father, acted as a fifth column in favour of Liu Bei and Cao Cao. They were both highly rewarded after Lu Bu was defeated.

* EvilChancellor: Towards Lu Bu.
* TheMole, possibly TheMole depending on how you feel towards Lu Bu and Cao Cao.

[[folder:Yuan Shu]]
!!Yuan Shu
A warlord vying for power and brother of Yuan Shao. He declares himself Emperor when Sun Ce trades him the Imperial Seal for troops.

* AlasPoorVillain: His death is arguably the most pathetic in the entire book.
* SmugSnake: All of Cao Cao or Sima Yi's arrogance with only a tiny fraction of their competence.

[[folder:Yuan Shao]]
!!Yuan Shao
The most powerful warlord in the north. His arrogance eventually leads to his downfall at Guan Du.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Like most generals in the book.
* BlueBlood: The Yuan family is one of the most distinguished at the beginning of the story.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: The most likely explanation why he TookALevelInJerkass is that the writer originally modeled him on the historical Yuan Shao, before inventing {{Fatal Flaw}}s for the doomed warlord to fit the novel's Confucian moral slant.
* HotBlooded: One gets the feeling he never thinks his actions through.
* TheLeader: For the coalition against Dong Zhou.
* OnlySaneMan: He and Cao Cao are the only people of the plot against the Eunuchs with any sanity.
* TheProudElite: His FatalFlaw is his high-born arrogance.
* ThePurge: He ''really'' hates Eunuchs. [[KarmicDeath Not that they didn't have it coming]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: ''Boy'' can he hold a grudge. Specially if you're an Eunuch.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Early on he seems a fundamentally decent character. His arrogance and high and mighty approach only appear when he talks with the three Brothers.

[[folder:Liu Zhang]]
!!Liu Zhang
The governor of Yizhou. He was considered an incompetent by some of his own officers, who wanted Liu Bei to replace him. The rest served him loyally until his defeat, whereupon most of the survivors joined Liu Bei.

* GeneralFailure: He was unable to correctly use the talented officers under his command, which led to their resenting him.

[[folder:Meng Huo]]
!!Meng Huo
A barbarian king, he attempts to rebel against the rule of Shu only to be beaten seven times by Zhuge Liang. After the seventh time, he repents and swears loyalty to Shu.

* HumiliationConga: Zhuge Liang puts him through one of these, constantly capturing and releasing him in the hopes that he'll eventually submit willingly. It takes seven captures, but ultimately he yields.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lady Zhurong]]
!!Lady Zhurong
Meng Huo's wife who claimed to be a descendant of the goddess of fire. She is the only woman in the book to actually fight.

* ActionGirl: As mentioned above, she is the only woman in the book to actually fight. She used knives in battle.
* LadyOfWar: She's definitely no pushover, as she successfully manages to take two Shu officers prisoner, and was only captured herself by the combination of Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, and Ma Dai.
* PrisonerExchange: After her capture, she was set free in exchange for the two leaders of Shu she captured.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gongsun Yuan]]
!!Gongsun Yuan
The ruler of Liaodong who rebels against Cao Rui. He was defeated by Sima Yi.

* BadBoss: Publicly executed two of his strategists for criticizing his rebellion.
[[/folder]]

!Kingdom of Shu-Han
[[folder:Liu Bei]]
!!Liu Bei

Founder of the Kingdom of Shu. Portrayed as a loyal servant of the Han Empire and its people. After the Han's downfall, he continues the Han lineage as the ruler of Shu-Han.
----
* BloodBrothers: With Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, of course.
* BlueBlood: He claimed to be a descendant of Duke Liu Sheng of the Han Dynasty. Except said Duke lived 300 years ago before Liu Bei's birth, and had at least 120 sons. This made his claim impossible to verify.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Lampshaded by one of Sun Quan's officers.
* DualWielding: His rarely seen fighting style.
* {{Gonk}}: If you take his description in the novel literally, it is hard to believe he was even human. His eyes were able to look at the back of his head, for starters.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade
* HonorBeforeReason: Many times throughout the story, he's refused opportunities that would greatly improve his position just because they would be dishonorable things to do.
* HypocriteHasAPoint: Was the person who pointed out Lu Bu's ChronicBackstabbingDisorder when Cao Cao considered sparing the former.
* MessianicArchetype
* RefusedByTheCall: The way the story builds Liu Bei up paints him as the chosen hero to unite the land and banish tyranny. Unfortunately for him, Chinese history did not turn out that way.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Everything that happens after [[spoiler: Guan Yu's death.]]
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler: On Wu. It failed.]]

[[folder:Liu Shan]]
!!Liu Shan
Second and final emperor of Shu. His bungling is largely blamed for Shu's downfall.
----
* ChildhoodBrainDamage: His father threw him on the ground as a baby in anger for nearly losing one of his generals. Many believe that this had an effect on his eventual rule.
* TheHedonist: Liu Shan has been living in its capital city Luoyang for some time after surrendering to the kingdom of Wei. When Sima Zhao asks him if he misses the country that used to be under his rule, Liu Shan responded that he is so happy living here and enjoys the music, wine, and the dancing women that he doesn't miss his former land at all.
* TheLoad: Even his father would rather have Zhuge Liang rule his kingdom if he proves to be incompetent as a leader.

[[folder:Guan Yu]]
!!Guan Yu

One of Liu Bei's oath brothers. Famous for his moral rectitude and incredibly long beard. The leader of the Five Tiger Generals.
----
* AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: A lifetime of badassery made him do this.
* TheBigGuy: The taller and more imposing brother. According to the novel, he was 9 chi tall, making him roughly 208 cm tall or 6 ft 10 inches tall.
* BladeOnAStick: The guandao.
* CoolHorse: The Red Hare, or Chi Tu Ma...the steed that originally belonged to Lü Bu.
* GeniusBruiser: His Fan Castle tactics made him one.
** Later subverted as he was easily tricked by Lu Meng.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: What happens to most of his enemies.
* HonorBeforeReason
* MadeOfIron: He plays a game of ''TabletopGame/{{Weiqi}}'' and drinks a few cups of wine when he undergoes surgery because his arm was shot by a poison arrow. This man doesn't even flinch and even smiles when the surgeon carves out the toxin off his bones, though the other player and bystanders couldn't help but cringe at the disturbing sight.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Earlier, Guan Yu is pretty loyal, also humble and well-meaning. Late on his life, he got more callous in his position and treated his subordinates poorly (in particular Mi Fang and Fu Shiren). This eventually bit him in the ass and led him to his defeat and death.
* SuperStrength: He bisects people in half with ease. He also wields a weapon that weighs 82 catties (49 kilograms).

[[folder:Zhang Fei]]
!!Zhang Fei

The youngest of Liu Bei's oath brothers. He had a fiery personality and a love of alcohol that got him into trouble at times. A member of the Five Tiger Generals.
----
* TheAlcoholic: Even for the standards of his time.
%%* AntiHero: A bit of a Type III.
* BadBoss: He had a reputation for being harsh with his men, even beating or killing them if enraged.
* BadassBoast: "I am Zhang Fei of Yan! Who dares to challenge me?!"
* BloodKnight: He lives to fight, and he's damn good at it. He tends to get himself into trouble and debauchery when he doesn't have a battle to occupy him.
* BoisterousBruiser: Basically his defining trait.
* TheDreaded: So much that he held a bridge against Cao Cao's entire army by himself because nobody wanted to fight him, to the point that one of Cao Cao's men ''died from fear''. That, and he was smart enough to make it look like he had reinforcements on the other side even though he only had about twenty men, [[BatmanGambit causing Cao Cao to hesitate]].
* DrowningMySorrows: Every single time something bad happens to him.
* GeniusBruiser: During Liu Bei's conquests of Shu and Han Zhong.
* ManlyTears: His emotional volatility sometimes induced these.
* TookALevelInBadass: Goes from an incredibly strong drunkard to a crafty general.
* UndyingLoyalty: His defining trait, after his alcoholism and skill. He's unshakably devoted to his BloodBrothers Liu Bei and Guan Yu.
* YouShallNotPass: He manages to make Cao Cao's army retreat simply through VictoryThroughIntimidation when one of the generals died of shock from excessive fear.

[[folder:Zhao Yun]]
!!Zhao Yun

A former servant of Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. He joins Liu Bei when the latter is fleeing from Yuan Shao. A member of the Five Tiger Generals.
----
* TheAce: One of the most skilled warriors in the book, arguably rivaling the likes of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. But what makes him stand out is that he is reasonable and has a cool head, making him one of the best generals in the book. He is also courageous, loyal, handsome, intelligent and honorable to boot. Cao Cao was so impressed by Zhao Yun's skill that he ordered his men to capture him.
* BadassAndBaby: Rescues an infant Liu Shan in Changban, plowing through Cao Cao's army by himself. Later in the book, he rescues a very young Liu Shan a second time from being taken away by Lady Sun.
* {{Bishonen}}: Pretty much every adaptation makes him one. The book also describes him as handsome a few times.
* CoolSword: He picks up Cao Cao's personal sword, the Qinggang Blade (also known as the Blue Blade), after defeating Xiahou En in single combat. The sword has been said to be able to cut through metal with ease.
* TheFettered: The main reason he joins Liu Bei.
* KnightInShiningArmour: The closest equivalent of this trope in the book. Almost fits this trope to a T. He rides a white horse, is clad in white and is a skilled and honorable warrior.
* LightIsGood: Zhao Yun's predominant color has always been white, and is synonymous with his historical counterpart. His clothing in white serves as a sign of his purity - a man who is good, loyal, and somewhat faultless.
* OldSoldier: Later on in the book he defeats 4 generals in a duel, and then kills their father. This frightens 80,000 soldiers to the point where they couldn't fight. He was said to be 70 at the time.
* OneManArmy: He was able to plow through Cao Cao's army just to rescue Liu Shan. Furthermore, Cao Cao was so impressed by his combat prowess that he ordered his men to capture him. To quote the book, Zhao Yun fought his way through Cao Cao's forces ''seven times'' at the battle of Changban alone, and rescuing Liu Shan only accounted for ''three'' of those skirmishes. And yet Guan Yu still receives credit for being the biggest badass in the book.
* UndyingLoyalty: He is extremely loyal to Liu Bei, to the point where he risked certain death to rescue his family from enemy forces.
* VagueAge: When he rescues Liu Shan in 208, he is said to be "two score and two years" (40-41 years old, 42 years old in East Asian age reckoning), yet 20 years later when he defeats 4 generals he is said to be 70.

[[folder:Ma Chao]]
!!Ma Chao

The eldest son of Ma Teng, the ruler of the Liangzhou region in northwest China. When his father is assassinated by Cao Cao, Ma attempts to fight off the Wei army on his own, but fails and is forced into the service of Zhang Lu. He would eventually defect to Liu Bei's force, where he would become one of the Five Tiger Generals.
----
* AntiHero: His "heroic" actions are against the man who had his father killed, and at one point, he even wipes out an entire city just because it was the home of a man that wronged him.
* DespairEventHorizon: His repeated defeats by Cao Cao, as well as him having to watch his family slaughtered, led him to give up on his wish to kill Cao Cao and instead made him an underling to Zhang Lu.
* KickTheDog: Murdered the mother of a Wei officer, as well as every denizen of her town.
* LaResistance: He led one, for a short time. It didn't end well...
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: At one point in the novel he chased Cao Cao and his forces relentlessly, dueling several of Cao Cao's best warriors and winning, slaughtering most of Cao Cao's men and coming very close to killing him.
* YouKilledMyFather: He has a vendetta against Cao Cao for the death of his father Ma Teng.

[[folder:Huang Zhong]]
!!Huang Zhong

A veteran general who has to deal with being discriminated against because of his age. Famous for his ability with a bow. The last of the Five Tiger Generals.
----
* CoolOldGuy: He is known to be much older than the other Tiger Generals. He kills Xiahou Yuan in a duel at 71 years old.
* MasterArcher: He was said to be one of the greatest archers of the time. His skill is described as "equal to piercing a willow leaf at a hundred paces."
* OldMaster: One of the oldest people who still actively fought in battle.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Wei Yan when they first join Shu.

[[folder:Zhuge Liang]]
!!Zhuge Liang/Kongming

A master strategist, politician, scholar, and inventor, possibly the greatest of his age. He joined with Liu Bei after Liu made three visits to his cottage, and served him and his son loyally until his death. Rose to the position of Prime Minister of Shu.
----
* AutomaticCrossbows: An invention of his.
* BatmanGambit: He's damn good at making strategies, but he cannot account for a person 100%; and if they act differently than what he plans they would do; he usually comes up with a backup plan twice as quickly.
* FatalFlaw: Zhuge cannot account for people 100%. He never once thought Wu would betray their alliance for Jing Province which in turn sent Liu Bei into a fury he couldn't quell. Even before that, Zhuge Liang didn't think that they'd lose Pang Tong so early in the story, which put more work and stress on him.
* OhCrap: Not outright stated, but the loss of Pang Tong meant Zhuge Liang had to pull double duty as both the political and the military strategist; and his military strategy while sufficient was not the same as Pang Tong. Also, this ended up overworking him and would eventually take a toll on his health. Doubly so when Liu Bei loses Guan Yu and Liu Bei goes mad with grief.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivers one so good, the recipient ''died'' from exasperation.
* TheSmartGuy: Especially in comparison to everyone else.
* TheStrategist: He is one of the archetypes against which other strategists in fiction are measured.

[[folder:Pang Tong]]
!!Pang Tong

A strategist of Shu. Was turned away from Wu for being too ugly. Died relatively young in an ambush by Liu Zhang's forces.
----
* {{Gonk}}: Since it was said that fledgling phoenixes were ugly and they were to grow to be majestuous creatures, he gained the nickname of "Young Phoenix".
* TheStrategist: Well, more like "a strategist". But he was considered incredibly skilled: it was said that if you could control both him and Zhuge Liang, you could reunite China. His early death means this was never really tested.

[[folder:Wei Yan]]
!!Wei Yan

Defected from Han Xuan because of Han's shoddy treatment of Huang Zhong and his own desire to serve Liu Bei. Served Liu Bei loyally and skillfully, but after Liu Bei's death he became dissatisfied. Zhuge Liang was able to keep a leash on him, but on Zhuge's death he revolted and was eventually killed.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: Zhuge Liang knew about Wei Yan's ambition, and took some measures to be effected posthumously against it.
* TooDumbToLive: After having spent most of his later live serving Zhuge Liang, he should have known that the guy had taken some precautions against potential traitors.
* UnknownRival: To Huang Zhong when they first join.

[[folder:Mi Zhu]]
!!Mi Zhu

An officer under Tao Qian who joined Liu Bei when Tao left his city to Liu. Protected Liu Bei's family from Lu Bu.
----
* BewareOfHitchhikingGhosts: When he picks up a woman on the side of the road, he looks straight ahead, never once turning to look at her. She reveals herself as the Goddess of Fire who was sent with orders to burn his dwelling, but his politeness caused her to warn him in advance, which gave him time to save his possessions and his family.
* NonActionGuy: In battle, he's mostly left behind to protect Liu Bei's family, since he's the brother of one of Liu Bei's wives.
* OfficerAndAGentleman: His gentlemanliness saves his possession and his family from being destroyed in a fire.

[[folder:Mi Fang]]
!!Mi Fang

Brother of Mi Zhu. When Wu invaded Jing province, he defected to avoid a threatened punishment from Guan Yu.
----
* EvilCounterpart: To Mi Zhu.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: His first treason went off well. But when he tried to get back into Liu Bei's good books by bringing him the head of one of Guan Yu's killers, Liu Bei had him executed.

[[folder:Sun Qian]]
!!Sun Qian

Another officer of Tao Qian that Liu Bei inherited on Tao's death.
----
* {{Ambadassador}}: He is usually the guy to go on diplomatic missions for Liu Bei.

[[folder:Ma Dai]]
!!Ma Dai

A cousin of Ma Chao, who served under him. He served in Zhuge Liang's Southern and Northern Campaigns, often playing crucial roles.
----
* DistressedDude: He was one of two Shu officers defeated and captured by Lady Zhurong.
* [[NotMyDriver Not My Boat Captain]]: [[spoiler: When Meng Huo flees to what looks like a Nanman ship, Ma Dai is actually the captain.]]

[[folder:Liu Feng]]
!!Liu Feng

Liu Bei's adopted son. Was forced to commit suicide after failing to supply Guan Yu with reinforcements on Meng Da's advice.
----
* DrivenToSuicide
* RevengeBeforeReason: A victim of this: Liu Bei would eventually regret forcing him to commit suicide.

[[folder:Liao Hua]]
!!Liao Hua

A bandit who quits banditry to serve Guan Yu. Briefly survived the fall of the Kingdom of Shu.
----
* ChasteHero: When he kidnaps Liu Bei's wives, his partner wants them to marry the two women. When Liao realizes who he's kidnapped, he kills his partner and returns the wives, along with his partners head, to Guan Yu as an apology.
* CoolOldGuy: He's first seen as a bandit and a former Yellow Turban rebel, meaning he was at least of fighting age in 205CE. He would be at least in his fifties when he chased Sima Yi alone into a dense forest and, despite being unable to kill him, returned to Zhuge Liang with his helmet. It would be at least another thirty years before he died, having been part of Shu since the very beginning and outliving all of his contemporaries.
* DeathByDespair: Died of grief when Liu Shan surrendered Shu to Jin.

[[folder:Jiang Wei]]
!!Jiang Wei

An officer of Wei who defected to Shu because of the machinations of Zhuge Liang. He would be the main support of Shu for most of the last quarter of the story.
----
* ArrowCatch
* BadassBookworm: In his first appearance he outsmarts Zhuge Liang and outfights Zhao Yun.
* CatchAndReturn: [[spoiler: How he killed Guo Huai.]]

[[folder:Meng Da]]
!!Meng Da

An officer of Liu Bei's who defects to Wei after Fan Castle to escape execution. He is killed by Sima Yi as he tries to return to Shu.
----
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: He had defected to Wei to save himself from being killed by Liu Bei for not aiding Guan Yu. When he wanted to defect back to Shu, however, he was entrapped and killed by Sima Yi before he could.
* TooDumbToLive: Was told multiple times by Zhuge Liang not to fight against Sima Yi and winds up being killed for it.

!Kingdom of Wei
[[folder:Cao Cao]]
!!Cao Cao

Minister of Han. While young, a sage told him he was "a good subject in peaceful times; a crafty hero in a troubled land." This prediction was borne out: as the land became more and more divided, Cao amassed more and more power until even the Emperor was afraid of him.
----
* TheAce: Aside from being a warlord, Cao was noted to be an accomplished martial artist, and reportedly an archaeologist. Whether or not it is an [[InformedAbility informed ability]] has yet to be decided.
* AmbitionIsEvil: His ambition is the reason he's portrayed as the antagonist of the story.
* BornLucky: Fortune favours him like no other. [[LampshadeHanging The text even starts complaining about it.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: Against Tao Qian, namely that while Tao Qian may or may not have had a role in the murder of Cao Cao's father, [[RapePillageAndBurn taking it out on the people of Xuzhou]] (Tao Qian's domain) is near certainly taking it too far.[[note]]Unlike other cases of [[{{HistoricalVillainUpgrade}} Historical Villain Upgrades]], this time we have historical records of this event happening so not even historical Cao Cao can escape this trope.[[/note]] [[LampshadedTrope Chen Gong ends up going to his camp and calling him out on this.]]
* FakingTheDead: Against Lu Bu.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: And how!
* HumiliationConga: Happens a couple of times to him.
* ItsAllAboutMe: [[LampshadeHanging His infamous quote.]] "I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me!"
* LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: As a "crafty hero in a troubled land," he has a knack for exploiting chaotic situations to his advantage.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Played straight, but also famously averted after he accidentally kills his father's sworn brother after suspecting treason:
-->'''Cao Cao:''' Better I betray the world than the world betray me.
* RegentForLife: Despite ascending as high in rank as Prince of Wei, he refuses to take the final step and overthrow the Emperor.
* SpeakOfTheDevil: The Chinese version of the proverb is "Speak of Cao Cao and he shall appear".
* WarriorPoet: One of the greatest poets of his age.
* WickedCultured: Though he's portrayed as a villain, he's also a WarriorPoet.

[[folder:Cao Pi]]
!!Cao Pi
Cao Cao's eldest son and heir. He was the one who took the step of usurping the Imperial Mandate from the Han Emperor. Well known for his poetry.
----
* BigScrewedUpFamily: Pi and his brothers Zhi and Zhang squabbled over becoming Cao Cao's heir.
* OfferedTheCrown: Subversion. In order to maintain an air of propriety, Cao Pi insists that the Imperial title be offered to him, not once, but three times. The terrified Emperor does so.
* WarriorPoet: Much like his dad.

[[folder:Cao Rui]]
!!Cao Rui

Cao Pi's heir. He indulged in palaces and women after Zhuge Liang's death
----
* TheHedonist: Ordered the construction of numerous palaces in spite of officials' protests and bad omens. He also moved numerous statues from Chang'an which caused the death of many workers.
* KarmicDeath: Became deathly ill after he was [[TheDogBitesBack haunted by his dead wife]].
* LikeFatherLikeSon: Just like Cao Pi, he ordered his wife to commit suicide after he found a new favorite

[[folder:Lady Zhen]]
!!Lady Zhen
The widow of Yuan Shao's son, Cao Pi was taken by her beauty and made her his wife. Later, she would be replaced by Lady Guo, who intrigued against her. She was forced to commit suicide.
----
* DisposableWoman
* DrivenToSuicide

[[folder:Xiahou Dun]]
!!Xiahou Dun
A general of Wei. One of Cao Cao's most loyal generals. Famous for eating his own eye after it was shot through with an arrow.
----
* EyepatchOfPower: His left eye was hit by a stray arrow, so he famously devoured it in the midst of battle. He wore an eyepatch ever since then.
* EyeScream: Takes an arrow right to the eye. Then pulls it out and eats it. Then kills the archer that shot it.

[[folder:Xiahou Yuan]]
!!Xiahou Yuan
A general of Wei, and elder cousin of Dun. Was famous for his lightning-quick attack, but was easily provoked into attacking which led to his downfall.

[[folder:Dian Wei]]
!!Dian Wei
Cao Cao's personal bodyguard. A man of great physical strength and loyalty to Cao Cao. He died holding a gate against Cao Cao's enemies.
----
* DualWielding: He was strong enough to dual wield polearms.
* GrievousHarmWithABody: When his weapon broke during his last stand, he used fallen enemy soldiers as bludgeons.
* YouShallNotPass: Despite having no weapons, and later, despite being dead, his mere presence still caused soldiers to hesitate long enough for Cao Cao to escape.

[[folder:Xu Zhu]]
!!Xu Zhu
Head of Cao Cao's personal bodyguard, the Tiger Guards. A man of great size, both girth and height, and strength, but known for being gentle and simple off the battlefield. Also known as "Crazy Tiger" or "Marquis Tiger".
----
* GentleGiant: Outside of battle, at least.
* StoutStrength: Once dragged two stampeding oxen backward by their tails.

[[folder:Zhang Liao]]
!!Zhang Liao
The leader of the Five Generals of Wei. Originally served Lu Bu, but was spared at the request of Liu Bei and Guan Yu after Lu Bu's defeat and execution. After a devastating victory against Wu with an inferior force, he became used as a boogeyman by Wu mothers.
----
* TheDreaded: His spectacular victory over the Wu Army during the Battle of Hefei made him a boogeyman in Wu, and it was said that the mere mention of his name would terrify crying Wu children into silence.
* FourStarBadass: He's not the leader of the Five Generals of Wei for nothing.
* FriendlyEnemy: Of Guan Yu.
* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Despite his taunting of Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Guan Yu vouched for him, so he lived while Lu Bu died.

[[folder:Xu Huang]]
!!Xu Huang
One of the Five Generals of Wei. Was instrumental in the campaign against Guan Yu in Jing.
----
* BigDamnHeroes: His first appearance is saving the emperor from bandits.
* FriendlyEnemy: Of Guan Yu.
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: When Guan Yu attempts to turn him to the side of Shu, he states that his public obligations outweigh his private friendship with Guan.
* WorthyOpponent: Of Guan Yu.

[[folder:Zhang He]]
!!Zhang He
One of the Five Generals of Wei. Formerly served under Yuan Shao before surrendering to Wei during the Battle of Guandu. Frequently served as Sima Yi's front-line commander, and was feared by Zhuge Liang.

* BadassBookworm: Off the battlefield, he promoted learning of the Five Classics.
* TheDragon: To Sima Yi.

[[folder:Yu Jin]]
!!Yu Jin
One of the Five Generals of Wei. After a meritorious career, he was sent against Guan Yu, who captured him due to his obstinacy and jealousy of Pang De. He died of illness after being ridiculed by Cao Pi for being captured.

* BadassInDistress: During Guan Yu's flood attack, he is trapped and surrenders. When Wu takes over Jing Province, he's set free to return to Wei, only to die when he's put in charge of guarding Cao Cao's tomb.
* DeathByDespair: When he's put in charge of superintending Cao Cao's tomb, Cao Pi had an artist depict his cowardly surrender to Shu. Rage and despair drives him to death.
* DrivenByEnvy: He is envious of Pang De for having wounded Guan Yu, and abruptly signals for a retreat before Pang De can finish the job.
* GreenEyedMonster: His jealousy of Pang De results in him putting himself and his seven armies into a compromising position just to keep Pang De from acting. Almost all of them are wiped out in Guan Yu's flood attack.

[[folder:Yue Jin]]
!!Yue Jin
One of the Five Generals of Wei. Amongst other accomplishments, he was one of the three generals who held Hefei against Sun Quan's large army.

* DefensiveFeintTrap: His role in the Battle of Hefei.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Li Dian]]
!!Li Dian
The third of the generals who held Hefei. Famously cautious, especially compared to many of the other generals mentioned here.

* TheResenter: Towards Zhang Liao. However, he overcomes this for the Battle of Hefei.
* SourSupporter: His cautiousness clashed with most of his compatriot's more direct style of combat. However, he was usually justified.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pang De]]
!!Pang De
The former officer of Ma Chao and Zhang Lu. Marched against Guan Yu to prove his loyalty to Cao Cao, he was captured by Guan Yu owing to the jealousy of Yu Jin and then executed.

* DeathSeeker: He took a coffin with him to battle Guan Yu.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Guo Jia]]
!!Guo Jia
Advisor to Cao Cao, responsible for many of his early victories. He would die of illness in his thirties while on a campaign, and Cao Cao would lament his absence at the Battle of Chi Bi.

* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: He leaves instructions in his will that end in the deaths in the final two sons of Yuan Shao.
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Famous for his description of Cao Cao's ten strengths compared to Yuan Shao's ten weaknesses.
* TheStrategist: One of Cao Cao's best advisors, who tragically died young.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Xun Yu]]
!!Xun Yu
Advisor to Cao Cao. He was highly favoured, often acting as Cao Cao's steward when he was away on campaigns. However, he opposed Cao's ascent to dukeship, and was forced to commit suicide.

* DrivenToSuicide: When he has a falling out with Cao Cao over his desire to become Duke of Wei, Cao Cao sends him a present that has nothing in it. Xun Yu poisons himself to death as a response. Assumably, this is so Cao Cao doesn't execute him and his entire family.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. He served along with his nephew Xun You. In certain romanizations, the only difference between their given names was an umlaut.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Xu Shu]]
!!Xu Shu
Advisor to Cao Cao. Originally served Liu Bei, but was intrigued against and came to Cao's court against his will. He promised to never make a plan for Cao.

* EvilChancellor: Towards Cao Cao.
* TheStrategist: Albeit more during his tenure with Liu Bei.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Sima Yi]]
!!Sima Yi
Advisor to Cao Cao and his heirs. He would later plot to usurp power from the Cao family.

* EvilChancellor: Subverted. He served Cao Cao and even Cao Pi relatively well, but after Pi's death, he began making moves to consolidate his power, which allowed his sons to take over, and his grandson to become emperor.
* IShallTauntYou: Inverted. Zhuge Liang constantly sends taunts to Sima Yi, at point even sending him a dress made of deer hide, to provoke him into battle. For the most part, Sima Yi is able to ignore the taunts, and even orders his men to ignore them.
* TheStrategist: He is equally as brilliant as Zhuge Liang.
* TheStarscream: Cao Cao feared Sima Yi would become one of these, so he made sure he didn't have much power to do so. Zhuge Liang took advantage of that paranoia running in his family to make it look like Sima Yi was planning to become one of these, so Cao Pi would strip him of his army and send him away.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sima Shi]]
!!Sima Shi

Sima Yi's first son who succeeded him as Prime Minister of Wei.

* EyeScream: After having a painful mole removed, he suffered a facial infection that resulted in his death when his eye fell out.

[[/folder]]
[[folder:Sima Zhao]]
!!Sima Zhao

Sima Yi's second son who originally planned to usurp Wei, but left the actual abdication to his son, Sima Yan.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: His takeover of Wei is seen as a direct parallel to Cao Cao's takeover of the Han, including having his son actually be the first one to take the throne. Some translations even call it revenge for the Han dynasty's fall.
[[/folder]]

!Kingdom of Wu
[[folder:Sun Jian]]
!!Sun Jian
Patriarch of the Sun family, who claims to be a descendant of Sun Zi. He is killed by an ambush.

* GeniusBruiser: A given for a man who descends from Sun Tzu, the writer of the ''Art of War''.
* LaserGuidedKarma: After making away with the Imperial Seal, he said on several occasions, "If I'm hiding this thing, may I die a violent death!" He gets that violent death by virtue of being crushed by boulders in an ambush.
* OneManArmy: See badass.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Sun Ce]]
!!Sun Ce
Heir of Sun Jian, who managed to set the foundations of what would become Wu. He would die young. Also called "The Little Prince", after crushing a captured officer to death under one arm while scaring another to death with a shout.

* BloodBrothers: With Zhou Yu.
* BurnTheWitch: Didn't like Taoists.
* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Ends up crushing one of his captives to death under his arms.
* TheMagnificent: He built the foundation for what would become the Kingdom of Wu while he was in his 20s.
* MakeMeWannaShout: He shouted at a pursuer, and his voice frightened the pursuer so much that he fell off his horse and died on the spot.
* YoungConqueror: Frequently nicknamed "Little Conqueror". As he was killed from an arrow at the age of 25, he got quite the reputation in a short amount of time.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Sun Quan]]
!!Sun Quan
Sun Ce's brother and heir. He took Wu to its largest boundaries, eventually declaring himself Emperor.

* DistressedDude: Is frequently needing rescue.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Subverted. His attempts to lead his army from the front just wind up with the entire enemy army targeting him, and his favourite officers being forced to risk life and limb to get him out of danger.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lady Wu]]
!!Lady Wu
Sun Jian's wife, and mother of Ce, Quan, and Shangxiang. She was instrumental in Liu Bei's survival during his marriage to Lady Sun.

* CoolOldLady: She completely tears into Zhou Yu (who sadly, wasn't there to hear it) for using the "Fair Damsel" ruse and ruining her daughter's future just to get Jing Province.
* MyBelovedSmother: Sun Quan would never go against his mother's wishes, and Zhuge Liang took advantage of that fact to ensure that Liu Bei would be safe during his time in Wu.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lady Sun]]
!!Lady Sun
Sun Quan's younger sister, who would marry Liu Bei. Was something of a tomboy, who enjoyed arms and taught all of her serving maids swordplay.

* ActionGirl
* AmazonBrigade: Her maids.
* LadyOfWar
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Despite originally being a ploy to get Liu Bei into their power, Liu Bei and Lady Sun end up truly loving each other, so much so that just the rumor of his death causes her to commit suicide by drowning.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Zhou Yu]]
!!Zhou Yu
Advisor to the Sun family. He was especially close to Sun Ce, who was his blood brother. After Ce's death, he served Sun Quan capably but was never able to keep up with the wiles of Zhuge Liang.

* AlwaysSecondBest: To Zhuge Liang.
* BloodBrothers: His sworn brotherhood with Sun Ce.
* DeathByDespair: Granted, the arrow wound that never properly healed was a primary factor as well, but his rage at Zhuge Liang always being one step ahead of him contributed to that in turn.
* DrivenByEnvy: He keeps trying and trying to outwit Zhuge Liang, but Zhuge Liang continues to have his number time and time again.
* FakingTheDead: Uses this to beat Wei forces.
* TheStrategist: He did have a few cunning schemes up his sleeves, such as swindling Wei forces out of a city by feigning his own death, and he and Zhuge Liang both independently determined that the way to beat Cao Cao's navy was to KillItWithFire. It's just a shame that Zhuge Liang happens to exist.
* UndignifiedDeath: He [[DeathByDespair dies from despair]] after being trolled by Zhuge Liang three times. In real life, Zhou Yu simply passed away from illness.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lu Shu]]
!!Lu Su
Strategist of Wu, famous for his generosity. He is Zhou Yu's eventual successor as chief strategist of Wu.

* TheWatson: For Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang's plots.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lu Meng]]
!!Lu Meng
An officer of Wu, who also took up scholarship after being criticized by Sun Quan. He was the successor of Lu Su as chief strategist of Wu. He was the mastermind of the campaign against Guan Yu in Jing.

* BadassBookworm: Was the one that eventually outwitted and killed Guan Yu.
* PlayingSick: A fake illness, followed by a show of meekness from his supposed successor, caused Guan Yu to lower his guard against Wu invasion.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lu Xun]]
!!Lu Xun
A scholar who was named Lu Meng's successor. Served in the campaign against Guan Yu in Jing, as well as masterminding the victory over Liu Bei at Yiling.

* ExtremeDoormat: When taking over during Lu Meng's fake illness, he pretends to be one of these towards Guan Yu to lower his guard further.
* TheStrategist: Defeated Liu Bei's forces with a significant numbers disadvantage. Incidentally, his strategy was the exact same one used by the Wu-Shu alliance against Cao Cao: setting the enemy on fire.
* StrawCivilian: Subversion. All of the military officers under him are unhappy with serving someone they view to be a mere scholar, right up until he manages the Wu victory at Yiling.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gan Ning]]
!!Gan Ning
A former pirate who joins Sun Quan after serving Sun Quan's rival, Liu Biao. During his previous service, he killed Ling Tong's father, causing friction between the two.

* AgentPeacock: When he was a pirate he would wear feathers in his and have bells attached to his clothes.
* BoisterousBruiser: Comes with the territory of being a pirate known for wearing bells to announce his presence.
* CoolBoat: Gan Ning was called "The Pirate of the Silk Sails", because his ship only used silk sails.
* TheRival: To Ling Tong
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ling Tong]]
!!Ling Tong
A general of Wu. His father was killed by Gan Ning, causing friction between the two. This is exacerbated by the fact that Gan Ning is a better commander than he is.

* AlwaysSecondBest: To Gan Ning.
* EmbarrassingRescue: By Gan Ning.
* YouKilledMyFather: Gan Ning killed his father, Ling Cao, and Ling Tong always wanted to avenge his death. When Gan Ning saves his life at Hefei, they bury the hatchet.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Zhou Tai]]
!!Zhou Tai
An officer of Wu, famous for the injuries he received defending Sun Quan.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Good, in his case.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Huang Gai]]
!!Huang Gai
An officer of Wu. His false surrender allowed for the fire attack at Chibi. One of the few to have served under three rulers of Wu.

* FakeDefector: He pretended to defect to Wei so he could lead Wu's fire attack against their navy.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: He and Zhou Yu pretend to have a feud each other to give Cao Cao a false sense of opportunity for him to exploit. He gains the trust of Cao Cao after he gets flogged with 50 sticks for talking back to Zhou Yu and becomes TheMole within the Wei army.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Taishi Ci]]
!!Taishi Ci
An officer of Wu. He joined after having been defeated in Liu Yao's service.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: His duel with Sun Ce is inconclusive, but it impressed Taishi Ci enough that, when he's ultimately captured, he willingly surrenders.

[[/folder]]

!Other Warlords
[[folder:Zhang Jiao]]
!!Zhang Jiao
A Taoist mystic leading a rebellion against the Han Empire, kickstarting the end of the Dynasty.

* AGodAmI: So he claims.
* EvilSorcerer: For a given definition of "evil".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: His rebellion serves as a foreshadowing to problems the Han Dynasty will suffer.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: His death is what puts in motion the downfall of the Eunuchs.
* ReligionIsMagic: That's what it's portrayed as, at any rate.
* SiblingTeam: He has two Brothers and they form a trio. Doesn't last long though.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Despite being a relatively minor character, his rebellion triggers a lot of important events (such as Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Bei becoming Brothers).
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The historical pronunciation of his name is actually "Zhang Jue", but the second character of his name has the modern reading "Jiao" instead.
* WarmupBoss: The first threat to appear in the story, his rebellion basically there for the various characters to show their military ability and personal quirks.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dong Zhuo]]
!!Dong Zhuo
A tyrant who attempts to take control of the Empire by deposing one emperor and ruling through that emperor's younger brother. A woman comes between him and his second-in-command, Lu Bu, and he is assassinated.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: He is effectively the BigBad for the first portion of the book, but he's defeated very early on.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Dong Zhuo has always cared for his aged mother.
* FatBastard: The biggest one in the story.
* FatIdiot: Compared to Lu Bu and Li Ru, yeah.
* HateSink: Although the story lionizes the Shu characters at the expense of Wu and Wei, it is still possible to respect and root for the latter kingdoms. Dong Zhuo, though, is just repulsive, and probably has no fans whatsoever.
* {{Jerkass}}: He is by far one of the most unlikable characters of the whole tale.
* RegentForLife: His plan is to become this.
* VillainousGlutton: He grows ''ridicuously'' fat when he becomes regent.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Li Ru]]
!!Li Ru
Dong Zhuo's most trusted advisor. He is the one who kills the deposed Emperor Shao, his consort, and his mother. He is executed after Dong Zhuo's death.

* BrainsAndBrawn: The brains to Lu Bu's brawn.
* TheChessmaster: To an extent he sometimes seems to be full-on precognitive.
* TheCorrupter: For Lu Bu.
* DeathByAdaptation: Historically, he's spared from execution after Li Jue convinced Emperor Xian that Li Ru was [[JustFollowingOrders just following Dong Zhuo's orders]].
* TheDragon: Shares this role with Lu Bu for Dong Zhuo.
* EvilGenius: Being Zhuo's most trusted avisor, this is a given.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: For Dong Zhuo. He effectively solves all crisis for him.
* KickTheDog: His murder of the royal Family is seen as this.
* ManipulativeBastard: Displayed when he converts Lu Bu to his side.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation: In the novel, he is Dong Zhuo's son-in-law. Historically, this may not be the case.
* TheStrategist: He sees through Diao Chan, but can't get Dong Zhuo to listen to reason.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lu Bu]]
!!UsefulNotes/LuBu
The mightiest warrior in all of China. After serving Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo (and assassinating both), he becomes a powerful warlord in his own right. He is eventually defeated by Cao Cao and executed.
* TheAce: Even in the WorldOfBadass of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was legendary. There's a reason why people continued to want him on their side despite his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.
* TheBrute: He's a peerless warrior, but as a general shows poor leadership, has no mind for politics and is too aggressive for strategy. His only asset is inhuman power and skill, and his only tactic is brute force.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: It eventually comes back to bite him in the ass when Cao Cao considers accepting his service after defeating him, only to be reminded that he suffers from this. And it had also earned him the notoriety of being "a house slave under three family names".
* CoolHorse: His famous steed Red Hare, said to be the swifted horse in all of China. Red Hare was so fast and so closely associated with Lu Bu that "Among men Lu Bu, among Horses Red Hare"[[note]]Essentially, "Lu Bu is the supreme man and Red Hare is the supreme horse".[[/note]] became a popular saying.
* DotingParent: He was said to be very fond of his daughter. The story actually counts this as a ''negative'' trait, as everyone thinks he should really be concentrating on warfare and conquest, not his daughter.
* TheDragon: To Dong Zhuo.
* FourStarBadass: In a series full of them, he deserves special mention.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Less famous than [[OneManArmy his ability to defeat nearly anyone within spear's reach of him]], he also managed to get Liu Bei and a general of Yuan Shu, Ji Leng, to stand down and not battle against each other by betting to them that he could hit the left branch of his halberd with an arrow from 150 paces away.
* InSeriesNickname: 'Bastard of Three Fathers'. This because, aside from his birth father, he also chose a general as a 'Father' later, and not long after that, ''killed'' his 'father', and chose the tyrannical Dong Zhuo as his 'father'. Add to that, the fact that he keeps on changing his allegiances at the drop of hat, and that's how that nickname came to be.
* {{Jerkass}}: Aside from his aforementioned ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, he was also harsh, rough, impatient and violent. He was unpopular with even his own men.
* OneManArmy: It was said that he killed a thousand men a day just to keep his skills sharp and temper even. He holds Hulao gate almost completely by himself, and only retreats when attacked by Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Beu simultaneously. Before Liu Bei joined the fray, he was perfectly capable of holding his own against Zhang Fei and Guan Yu at once, two of the mightiest warriors in the novel, with Zhang Fei in particular only being surpassed by Lu Bu himself.
* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Inverted. Cao Cao was going to spare him in order to make use of him, until Liu Bei pointed out the fate of his previous lords. Cao then changes his mind and executes him.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Both of the lords whom he assassinated were also adoptive fathers.
* WorldsBestWarrior: He is famously known as this in Ancient China. He famously dueled Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Liu Bei at the same time.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Diao Chan]]
!!Diao Chan
A singing girl who is roped into bringing down Dong Zhuo by her adopted father by playing him and Lu Bu against each other.

* HoneyTrap: At her adoptive father's urging, she used her beauty and wits to drive a wedge between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo until Lu Bu ultimately killed Dong Zhuo.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She convinces both Dong and Lu that she is miserable whenever she is with the other one, making them both want her more.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Chen Gong]]
!!Chen Gong
A strategist who followed Cao Cao until he became disgusted by his immoral behaviour, then joined up with Lu Bu in order to oppose him. When Lu Bu is defeated, Cao Cao offers him a chance to repent, but he refuses and is executed. Cao Cao was so moved that he provided for Chen Gong's family thereafter.

* DoomedMoralVictor: Chen Gong ends up joining with Lu Bu against Cao Cao. When Lu Bu loses, mostly because of his refusal to heed Chen Gong's advice, he is taking captive and willingly chooses death.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He assists Cao Cao in killing his adoptive uncle's household, under the false impression that they were going to betray him and Cao Cao to the authorities.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Cao Cao proves to be more ruthless than he thought.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Chen Deng]]
!!Chen Deng
Another strategist for Lu Bu who, along with his father, acted as a fifth column in favour of Liu Bei and Cao Cao. They were both highly rewarded after Lu Bu was defeated.

* EvilChancellor: Towards Lu Bu.
* TheMole, possibly TheMole depending on how you feel towards Lu Bu and Cao Cao.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan Shu]]
!!Yuan Shu
A warlord vying for power and brother of Yuan Shao. He declares himself Emperor when Sun Ce trades him the Imperial Seal for troops.

* AlasPoorVillain: His death is arguably the most pathetic in the entire book.
* SmugSnake: All of Cao Cao or Sima Yi's arrogance with only a tiny fraction of their competence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan Shao]]
!!Yuan Shao
The most powerful warlord in the north. His arrogance eventually leads to his downfall at Guan Du.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Like most generals in the book.
* BlueBlood: The Yuan family is one of the most distinguished at the beginning of the story.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: The most likely explanation why he TookALevelInJerkass is that the writer originally modeled him on the historical Yuan Shao, before inventing {{Fatal Flaw}}s for the doomed warlord to fit the novel's Confucian moral slant.
* HotBlooded: One gets the feeling he never thinks his actions through.
* TheLeader: For the coalition against Dong Zhou.
* OnlySaneMan: He and Cao Cao are the only people of the plot against the Eunuchs with any sanity.
* TheProudElite: His FatalFlaw is his high-born arrogance.
* ThePurge: He ''really'' hates Eunuchs. [[KarmicDeath Not that they didn't have it coming]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: ''Boy'' can he hold a grudge. Specially if you're an Eunuch.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Early on he seems a fundamentally decent character. His arrogance and high and mighty approach only appear when he talks with the three Brothers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Liu Zhang]]
!!Liu Zhang
The governor of Yizhou. He was considered an incompetent by some of his own officers, who wanted Liu Bei to replace him. The rest served him loyally until his defeat, whereupon most of the survivors joined Liu Bei.

* GeneralFailure: He was unable to correctly use the talented officers under his command, which led to their resenting him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Meng Huo]]
!!Meng Huo
A barbarian king, he attempts to rebel against the rule of Shu only to be beaten seven times by Zhuge Liang. After the seventh time, he repents and swears loyalty to Shu.

* HumiliationConga: Zhuge Liang puts him through one of these, constantly capturing and releasing him in the hopes that he'll eventually submit willingly. It takes seven captures, but ultimately he yields.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lady Zhurong]]
!!Lady Zhurong
Meng Huo's wife who claimed to be a descendant of the goddess of fire. She is the only woman in the book to actually fight.

* ActionGirl: As mentioned above, she is the only woman in the book to actually fight. She used knives in battle.
* LadyOfWar: She's definitely no pushover, as she successfully manages to take two Shu officers prisoner, and was only captured herself by the combination of Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, and Ma Dai.
* PrisonerExchange: After her capture, she was set free in exchange for the two leaders of Shu she captured.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gongsun Yuan]]
!!Gongsun Yuan
The ruler of Liaodong who rebels against Cao Rui. He was defeated by Sima Yi.

* BadBoss: Publicly executed two of his strategists for criticizing his rebellion.
[[/folder]]

* MadeOfIron: He plays a game of [[TabletopGame/{{Go}} Weiqi]] and drinks a few cups of wine when he undergoes surgery because his arm was shot by a poison arrow. This man doesn't even flinch and even smiles when the surgeon carves out the toxin off his bones, though the other player and bystanders couldn't help but cringe at the disturbing sight.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Against Tao Qian.

* ActionGirl: As mentioned above, she is the only woman in the book to actually fight.

* NiceHat: During a famous night raid on a Wei camp, Gan Ning and his men stuck white goose feathers into their helmets so as to be able to tell each other apart. The raid went off without a single casualty for Wu.

Due to being quite a {{Door Stopper}}, Romance of the Three Kingdoms has {{Loads And Loads Of Characters}}, here sorted by the kingdoms they serve.

* MagnificentBastard: He's one of the few people who knows Zhuge Liang well enough to not be fooled by his plans. His overcaution regarding Zhuge Liang may have led to some minor defeats, but Zhuge Liang was never able to score a decisive victory over him.