History Series / ThreeKingdoms

* VillainousBreakdown: Cao Cao is so incensed by Liu Bei's occupation of Xuzhou that he briefly goes into a rage coma.

** Zhou Yu towards Zhuge Liang, albeit often obscured by Zhou Yu's jealousy. It is eventually revealed that Zhuge Liang reciprocated this to some extent, telling Liu Bei that only Zhou Yu's temper was his downfall, while later telling Pang Tong that Zhou Yu was a kindred spirit.

** In asking Wang Yun for Diaochan's hand, even Lu Bu outright admits that he's only with Dong Zhuo for political expediency, and (for the sake of Diaochan's hand) he'll consider Wang Yun his ''real'' adoptive father. (Unfortunately for him, [[spoiler:after his capture at Xiapi, Liu Bei implicitly points out to Cao Cao how temporary Lu Bu's loyalties by naming both Dong Zhuo and Wang Yun]].)

** Instead of being taken hostage by Guan Yu to escape an ambush set by Lu Meng, Lu Su ''informs'' Guan Yu of the ambush, which was against his wishes, and offers himself as a "hostage" so Guan Yu can safely escape the banquet. When Guan Yu says that he still won't hand over three territories of Jing province, Lu Su answers that he'd still have offered himself as "hostage" so as to preserve the Sun-Liu Alliance. Thanks to Guan Yu's particular sense of honor, this selflessness gets Guan Yu to honor him as the gentleman of Wu, and he agrees to hand over those parts of Jing province.

* AffablyEvil: If you consider Cao Cao evil, he's this. He laughs and executes people in the same breath, then tells them he'll provide for their families, and mean it too. He also holds ''tea parties'' to discuss the state of the world with his main rivals, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, in both cases soon before he curbstomps them in battle.

** While Lu Su doesn't manage to retrieve Jingzhou, each of his diplomatic visits gains a little more for Wu; he ends up forcing Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang to concede that they are only "borrowing" Jingzhou from Wu, and that they'll return it as soon as they have other lands. Moreover, the "Guan Yu takes Lu Su hostage to escape an ambush" incident from the novel is flipped on its head[[hottip:*:Lu Su actually reveals the ambush and tells Guan Yu to take him "hostage" so that Guan Yu won't die on Wu soil (thus preserving the Sun-Liu Alliance)]], and in return Guan Yu ''finally'' hands over three commanderies of Jing province.

* AnimalMotifs: The phoenix is Pang Tong's, the dragon Zhuge Liang's. Since the dragon is also the symbol of the Emperor, this becomes an issue later when Zhang Fei tries to [[spoiler: cast aspersions on Zhuge Liang's loyalty to Liu Bei by claiming he has greater ambitions, and for the first time even suspecting Zhao Yun]].

* OneSteveLimit: Averted due to linguistics. Most names in this series are two-syllable, there are only so many syllables in Chinese, and there are even fewer allowed in names or style names. Good luck remembering all of the Lius (not all of whom are related to the Imperial family) or distinguishing between the style names Wenchang, Wenyuan, Youchang, and Yunchang.

** Instead of being taken hostage by Guan Yu to escape an ambush set by Lu Meng, Lu Su ''informs'' Guan Yu of the ambush, which was against his wishes, and offers himself as a "hostage" so Guan Yu can safely escape the banquet.

** Ma Su, known in the original novel as 'that idiot that lost Jieting', got upgraded to being Zhuge Liang's most loyal student and ends up pulling off a dangerous diplomatic mission to Wu with aplomb. Unfortunately, he still loses Jieting.
* AffablyEvil: If you consider Cao Cao evil, he's this. He laughs and executes people in the same breath, then tells them he'll provide for their families. He also holds ''tea parties'' to discuss the state of the world with his main rivals, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, in both cases soon before he curbstomps them in battle.

** While Lu Su doesn't manage to retrieve Jingzhou, each of his diplomatic visits gains a little more for Wu; he ends up forcing Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang to concede that they are only "borrowing" Jingzhou from Wu, and that they'll return it as soon as they have other lands.

* AnimalMotifs: The phoenix is Pang Tong's, the dragon Zhuge Liang's. Since the dragon is also the symbol of the Emperor, this becomes an issue later when Zhang Fei tries to [[spoiler: cast aspersions on Zhuge Liang's loyalty to Liu Bei by claiming he has greater ambitions]].

* AntiHero / AntiVillain: Depending on who you talk to, Cao Cao can be either; is he a hero who wants to overhaul a broken system by putting himself in power, or a villain for aspiring to power he has no right to?
* AristocratsAreEvil: Incompetent, rather. Yuan Shao has an illustrious family name, but it and the armies it gets him can't save him from his own indecisiveness. For imperial relatives, Liu Biao dodders while his own wife and brother-in-law scheme against him, and Liu Zhang is too busy painting pretty women to handle ruling Yizhou properly.

* ArrangedMarriage: This is a major subject of the Jingzhou arc, occurring between Liu Bei and Sun Quan's sister and used by Zhou Yu as a scheme to capture Jingzhou, kill Liu Bei, or both.

* RefusalOfTheCall: Xu Shu notes that Zhuge Liang has done this repeatedly, even as all of his friends [[JumpedAtTheCall went off to serve different lords]], but hopes that Liu Bei will be the one to avert this. He's right.
* RegentForLife: Although officially Chancellor, Cao Cao successfully becomes this to Emperor Xian

* SiblingYinYang: Cao Zhi is the educated and cultured scholar, and Cao Zhang is the muscleheaded and brash warrior. Cao Pi falls squarely between them and has a bit of an inferiority complex about it (although in history, he was as cultured a poet and scholar as Cao Zhi).
* [[SmartPeoplePlayChess Smart People Play Go]] Go seems to be Zhuge Liang's game of choice; he's seen playing it with both Liu Bei and Ma Su, but the only time Ma Su ever beats him is when he's distracted.
* TheStoic: Liu Bei in the first third of the season, to such an extent that the Chinese fandom took to calling him "Mister Facial Paralysis." Granted, he had good reason for concealing his emotions and ambitions around both Yuan Shao's coalition and Cao Cao, and he got much better after meeting Xu Shu and then Zhuge Liang.

** Practically everyone who ends up joining Liu Bei, ''including nameless peasants''. Liu Bei was so respected in Xu province that the commoners, when given money and food to flee for their own lives from Cao Cao's invading army, instead chose to follow Liu Bei's forces in their retreat.
** Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei to each other. While this is usually heartwarming, it also leads to Liu Bei's ill-fated vengeful crusade against Wu for being responsible for his brothers' deaths.

* VerbalTic: Dong Zhuo constantly says "Hao, hao," or "Good, good," particularly when he's excited.
* ViewersAreGeniuses: Some of the story moments aren't given nearly as much detail as they are in the novel, as their imagery is so iconic for Chinese audiences that they're expected to be aware of what's referenced.

* [[SmartPeoplePlayChess Smart People Play Go]]

* AdaptationalBadass: Compared to previous depictions as a morals-bound weepy idiot completely dependent on Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei is shown as much more perceptive, honorable, and capable. Lu Su gets an even stronger boost; no longer a hapless go-between for Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu's squabbling, he's now a skilled politician in his own right who still manages to be kind, just, and honorable.
** Lu Su is now the only person in the series who can get the better of Zhuge Liang in a verbal sparring match.

* AnimalMotifs: The phoenix is Pang Tong's, the dragon Zhuge Liang's. Given that the dragon is also the symbol of the Emperor, this becomes a salient point later when Zhang Fei tries to [[spoiler: cast aspersions on Zhuge Liang's loyalty by claiming he has greater ambitions]].

* AristocratsAreEvil: Incompetent, rather. Yuan Shao has an illustrious family name, but even it and the armies it gets him can't save him from his own indecisiveness. For imperial relatives, Liu Biao dodders while his own wife and brother-in-law scheme against him, and Liu Zhang is too busy painting pretty women to handle ruling Yizhou properly.
** In contrast, all three kindgoms' rulers (and Zhuge Liang) were men who rose from fairly low birth, although Sun Quan had some help from a badass father and brother.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: This is the case for most of Liu Bei's generals, including his two sworn brothers. Zhuge Liang questions this by noting that while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei might be good fighters, they lack the humility and patience needed to be good leaders of men.
* BadAss: Zhao Yun is the most high-profile example, riding headlong into Cao Cao's approaching forces to rescue Liu Bei's wives and son, then piledriving his way back out through battalions of mooks, all while carrying the baby in a makeshift sling. He later barehandedly kung-fus his way through a small horde of spear-wielding guards after his [[AbsurdlySharpBlade sword]] gets stolen.
** The majority of named characters who pick up a weapon get in on this trope, even Cao Pi for one (though only that one) scene.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Averted by Lady Cai, Liu Biao's wife and one of the more attractive women in the series, who schemes with her brother to murder Liu Bei and Liu Qi and set up her own son as ruler of Jingzhou. Inverted by Pang Tong, who has the face of a misshapen potato but is both intelligent and deeply loyal.
** Played pretty darn straight by Zhuge Liang, though.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: Cao Cao's kids scheme against each other constantly for the sake of being named Cao Cao's heir, to the point that Cao Pi has to [[spoiler: murder his youngest brother to]] both obtain Sima Yi's assistance and thin out the competition. Cao Cao's own reaction to this is a striking reminder that even the "hero of chaos" is only human when confronted with family.
* BloodFromTheMouth: This is the main indicator of illness, eventually-fatal injury, poisoning, shock, and every other ailment that results in a main character collapsing shortly afterward.
* BreakTheHaughty: Being from a long and illustrious noble family, Yuan Shao never viewed the lowborn Cao Cao as a credible threat until Cao Cao destroyed him at the Battle of Guandu. Cao Cao in turn got a hot dose of this upon underestimating the Sun-Liu coalition and being soundly defeated at Chibi.

* TheCassandra: Xu You appears a good bit earlier than in the novel, giving Yuan Shao sound, ''correct'' advice on multiple occasions only to be refused each time... ''despite'' Yuan Shao admitting regret at not listening to his advice to receive Emperor Xian! But even while being constantly ignored and belittled, Xu You didn't have the heart to abandon the lord that he'd served for over a decade [[spoiler:until the embezzlement charge that led to him joining Cao Cao]].

** Cao Cao, often. Wang Yun, with the plot against Dong Zhuo, although that ended up being his single stroke of brilliance, [[spoiler:and his subsequent arrogance from having achieved that stroke proved his downfall]].

* TheConsigliere: Every ruler has a military advisor who serves in this capacity. Zhuge Liang is Liu Bei's, Xun Yu was Cao Cao's [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness until he began disagreeing]] with Cao Cao's authority, and Lu Su was Sun Quan's until his death.

** But it turns out Zhou Yu was mostly doing it for the good of the Southland, at least in his own somewhat biased way... nevertheless, upon the death of Lu Meng, Zhou Yu's protege, and Lu Xun's subsequent suggestion to not appoint another Grand Commander, Sun Quan voices to civil advisor Zhang Zhao his relief at ''finally'' being free.

* EvilChancellor: Dong Zhuo executes ministers at the slightest suspicion, rapes imperial concubines at will, and enforces his self-named rule as Chancellor with a Xiliang army apparently just as bad as he is.
** Most of Cao Cao's rivals consider him to be this, although aside from murdering the Imperial Consort and treating the Emperor as a pawn, his rule as Chancellor was actually fairly beneficial to the realm.
* EvilLaugh: Sima Yi is prone to ''incredibly'' creepy, wheezing laughter.
* FakeDefector: Huang Gai used this as a ploy to get Cao Cao to let down his guard before the Battle of Chibi.

* FatIdiot: Dong Zhuo, who only manages to stay in power for as long as he does through Lu Bu and the Xiliang army's intimidation.

* HonorBeforeReason: Most of Liu Bei's problems are caused by his being unable to overcome personal honor for a greater goal, whether by refusing to wrong his "relatives" by conquering their lands, refusing to abandon peasants while fleeing, or refusing to accept Wu's peace terms without fully avenging his brothers.

* RevengeBeforeReason: While Liu Bei was still mostly reasonable after Guan Yu's death from Wu's conquest of Jingzhou, Zhang Fei's death takes him completely over the edge. He tries to execute an official who warns him against the invasion, discards the advice of Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang (who he had formerly trusted greatly), and even rejects a plea for peace from Wu which would have returned Jingzhou to him.
* SayMyName: Sima Yi roars Cao Cao's name when he thought that Cao Cao had died from head pain after [[LastRequest charging Sima Yi with the upkeep of his legacy]]. Turns out Cao Cao was being melodramatic, and Sima Yi's yelling ended up suddenly curing his headache.

* AdaptationalBadass: Liu Bei is shown to be much more perceptive and capable than previous depictions, and his claims of morality and honor now actually hold weight. But Lu Su probably gets the best example of this; he is no longer a hapless go-between for Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu who has to have everything explained to him, but a skilled politician in his own right who somehow still manages to be kind, just, and honorable.
** When it seemed that Zhuge Liang would have to execute Guan Yu for letting Cao Cao go, leading to Liu Bei killing himself also as per the Peach Garden oath, Lu Su is the one who 'convinces' Zhuge Liang to spare Guan Yu; this leads to the three brothers kowtowing to him. Afterwards, when Zhou Yu chides him for being too kind-hearted to let Liu Bei die, Lu Su reveals he had been fully aware that Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei were putting on an act, and simply played along for the sake of maintaining the Sun-Liu alliance and thus keeping the Southland safe.
** Another highlight occurs when Lu Su is able to force Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, in a ''verbal sparring match'', to concede that they are only "borrowing" the Southlands from Wu and that they'll return it as soon as they have other lands. In doing so, he became the only person in the ''series'' who could get the better of Zhuge Liang with words.
** Even Cao Pi gets in on this trope [[TookALevelInBadass by fighting like a demon]] to defend Cao Cao from rebels at Wufeng Tower, in episode 69. Despite being 'absolutely terrible at swordsmanship' in his father's own words, Cao Pi actually impressed his father enough with his loyalty that Cao Cao officially declared him his heir. (It helped that by normally being "absolutely terrible", he exceeded his father's expectations of him compared to his more martial brother Cao Zhang, and he also correctly discerned -- while Cao Zhang didn't -- that the main battleground was not the rebel grounds but Wufeng Tower itself.)

* AffablyEvil: If you consider Cao Cao evil, he's this. He laughs and executes people in the same breath, then tells them he'll provide for their families. He holds ''tea parties'' with his main rivals, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, in both cases soon before he curbstomps them in battle.
* {{Ambadassador}}: Zhuge Liang and Lu Su are the most prominent examples, although Ma Su gets some glory as well.

While the story begins with a focus on Cao Cao's ambitions and military rise, the other two factions - the honor-bound Sun family and the idealistic Liu Bei and his followers - are soon introduced, and their sides of the story told as well. The end result is an RoTK adaptation with a more balanced focus and carefully crafted characters which should appeal to newcomers and old fans alike. Of course, this is still [=RoTK=]; those who want to watch legendary heroes kicking ass DynastyWarriors-style won't be disappointed either.

While the story begins with a strong focus on Cao Cao's ambitions, developed through his various actions, military campaigns, [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready and eventually becoming the ruler of Wei]], the other two factions - the honor-bound Sun family and the idealistic Liu Bei and his followers - receive equal attention. The end result is arguably a more human and relateable version of the Three Kingdoms story which appeals to newcomers and old fans alike. Of course, this is still RoTK; those who want to watch legendary heroes kicking ass DynastyWarriors-style won't be disappointed either.

** On top of Sun Quan's sister having armed female attendants, she matches Liu Bei in a swordfight and would've stabbed him in the throat had the win condition not been Liu Bei removing her veil.

** In contrast, all three of the rulers of the Three Kingdoms were self-made men, although Sun Quan had some help from a badass father and brother.
* ArmorIsUseless: Even being in anachronistic full iron armor doesn't prevent soldiers from dying of armor-piercing arrows and blades.

** On top of Sun Quan's sister having armed female attendants, Liu Bei has to literally swordfight her wedding veil off... while drunk from the wedding feast!

* AffablyEvil: If you consider Cao Cao evil, he's this. He laughs and executes people in the same breath, then tells them he'll provide for their families. He holds 'tea parties' with his main rivals, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, in both cases soon before he curbstomps them in battle.
* {{Ambadassador}}: Zhuge Liang and Lu Su are the most prominent examples, but Ma Su isn't too shabby either.

* AntagonistInMourning: Zhuge Liang to Zhou Yu, even after more or less causing his death through despair. While this mourning is entirely for show in most Three Kingdoms adaptations, in this case Zhuge Liang seems to actually mean it, referring to Zhou Yu as a worthy adversary and "a kindred spirit" afterwards to Pang Tong.
** After Zhuge Liang's own death and the "wooden statue" trick, Sima Yi orders his son Sima Zhao to retrieve that statue no matter what -- after which Sima Yi addresses the statue as if it were Zhuge Liang and begins to break down crying.
* AntiHero / AntiVillain: Cao Cao is either or both of these, depending on who you talk to. Is he a hero who just wants to overhaul a broken system by putting himself in power, or a villain for aspiring to power he has no right to?
* AristocratsAreEvil: Incompetent, mostly. Yuan Shao has an illustrious family name going for him, but even it and the armies it gets him can't save him from his own indecisiveness. For imperial relatives, Liu Biao dodders while his own wife and brother-in-law scheme against him, and Liu Zhang is too busy painting pretty women to handle ruling Yizhou properly.
** In contrast, all three of the rulers of the Three Kingdoms were basically self-made men, although Sun Quan had some help from a badass father and brother.
* ArmorIsUseless: Even being in anachronistic full iron armor doesn't prevent soldiers from dying of armor-piercing arrows, halberds, spears, and other pointy things.
* ArrangedMarriage: One major subject of the Jingzhou arc, between Liu Bei and Sun Quan's sister, and used by Zhou Yu as a scheme to capture Jingzhou, kill Liu Bei, or both.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Seems to be the case for most of Liu Bei's generals, including his two sworn brothers. Questioned by Zhuge Liang, who notes that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei might be good fighters, but they lack the humility and patience needed to be good leaders of men.

* BadassGrandpa: Huang Gai and Cheng Pu for Wu, Zhang He for Wei, and Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun (later) for Shu. All of these were white-haired by the time of their last onscreen battles, and at least three [[DoNotGoGentle went out fighting]].
* BadassLongHair: Everyone, due to the Chinese taboo against cutting one's hair, which was regarded as a gift from one's parents. Not that you'd know it since most characters have it up in a bun, but Zhao Yun fit this trope to a T when his helmet was ripped off by an enemy spear at Changban Slope.
* BattleOfWits: Zhuge Liang vs. Zhou Yu, from the moment they meet all the way up until Zhou Yu's death, which was itself caused by Zhuge Liang winning so many of these.

* BreakTheHaughty: Being from a long and illustrious noble family, Yuan Shao never viewed the lowborn Cao Cao as a credible threat until the Battle of Guandu destroyed his own army. Cao Cao in turn got a hot dose of this upon underestimating the Sun-Liu coalition and being soundly defeated at Chibi.

* TheCavalry: Just as Liu Bei's ragtag band is trapped on the bank of the Yangtze and preparing for a final stand against Cao Cao, Liu Qi's fleet sails down the river and carries them to safety at Jiangxia.

** More appropriately later, [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready Zhuge Liang]]. Some of his battles are plotted out in such detail in advance that the show doesn't even bother to give them screentime, because they happened Exactly As Planned.

* CombatByChampion: Happens quite often, mainly to raise the morale of the troops behind the winning champion. Generally a foregone conclusion if one of the champions involved is a big-name character.

* DarkestHour: After Cao Cao conquers Jingzhou, Liu Bei is confined to Jiangxia with few forces and little land, and stuck between a southward-looking Cao Cao and Eastern Wu. Zhuge Liang, however, notes that "now that we are at our lowest point, we have nowhere to go but upward."

** Liu Bei nearly crosses this twice in quick succession. First, after losing battle after battle against Cao Cao and being confined to a small town in Jingzhou, and upon finding that Cai Mao is approaching with the intent to kill him, he merely sighs and asks, "must I keep running?" Luckily, Liu Qi convinces him to escape, and he acquires Xu Shu's aid soon thereafter. However, he would have nearly crossed this ''again'' when Xu Shu is forced to leave due to Cao Cao threatening his mother, but for Xu Shu remembering to tell him at the last moment that a certain Master Sleeping Dragon lived nearby.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The gatekeeper who turned in his cousin as one of Ma Teng's conspirators, thereby saving Cao Cao from Ma Teng's revolt, did so because he coveted his cousin's concubine. Upon hearing this, Cao Cao immediately orders the gatekeeper's execution, stating that given how many wives and concubines ''he'' had, there was no way he could trust someone willing to betray his own family for a woman.

* [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose Heads I Win, Tails You Lose]]: When Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei were arguing who would attack Guiyang, Zhuge Liang suggested that they "draw slips". The impulsive Zhang Fei opened his slip first to find that it said "stay," so Zhuge Liang promptly declared Zhao Yun the winner... even though Zhao Yun's slip ''also'' said "stay." When Zhao Yun privately voiced his concern of favoritism, Zhuge Liang declared that the trick simply showed that Zhang Fei was too brash for the task.

* FatalFlaw: In the blink-and-you'll-miss-it sense, but Zhuge Liang is not much of a people person. Where Xu Shu would patiently explain his actions to skeptics, and Pang Tong would go drinking with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to cement his position as "one of the bros", Zhuge Liang preferred to use his intelligence to wow critics into submission instead. Unfortunately, this made people more resentful and suspicious of him in the long run, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei never fully trusting him and eventually infecting Liu Bei with this mentality, leading to disaster after Liu Bei refused to listen to Zhuge Liang and marched on Wu.

* KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand: Liu Bei to Lu Meng. [[spoiler: Subverted, since Lu Meng actually does take a swing at him. Thank goodness for Zhao Yun's kung fu skills.]]

* PluckyComicRelief: Zhang Fei wobbles between being this and a [[JerkAss drunken lout]] when off the battlefield, and often does both in rapid succession when around Zhuge Liang.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Tian Feng is just one of many characters demoted to menial positions for getting on the boss's bad side.
* RevengeBeforeReason: While Liu Bei was still mostly reasonable after Guan Yu's death from Wu's capture of Jingzhou, Zhang Fei's death takes him completely over the edge. He tries to execute an official who warns him against the invasion, discards the advice of Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang (who he had formerly trusted greatly), and even rejects Wu's plea for peace which would have returned Jingzhou to him. His eventual loss to Lu Xun could only be expected.
* SayMyName: Sima Yi roars Cao Cao's name when he thought that Cao Cao had died from head pain after charging Sima Yi with the [[LastRequest upkeep of his legacy]]. Turns out Cao Cao was being melodramatic and Sima Yi's yelling had suddenly cured his headache.

*** When Lu Su calls out Guan Yu for [[spoiler:releasing Cao Cao at Huarong Road]], Zhuge Liang is obligated to order Guan Yu's execution -- however, Liu Bei then vows that ''he'' must die with his brother as well, at which point both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei offer ''their'' lives in trying to talk Liu Bei out of it.
** When Guan Yu and Zhang Fei threaten rebellion against Zhuge Liang during Liu Bei's absence, Zhuge Liang sends away the troops protecting him so that Liu Bei's army's strength would not be lowered by in-fighting, and states that he was willing to die to prove his loyalty. While this becomes unnecessary due to Liu Bei's return, Zhuge Liang does bear out this trope by loyally serving Liu Bei and striving to fulfill his goals for the rest of his life.
* VerbalTic: Dong Zhuo constantly says "Hao, hao" (Good, good), particularly when he's excited.
* ViewersAreGeniuses: Some of the story moments aren't delved into in nearly as much detail as they are in the novel, as their imagery is so iconic for Chinese audiences that they're expected to be aware of what's referenced.

** In the end, both Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi to some extent reciprocated this with one another -- in their final encounter, Sima Yi resolved himself to death with such composure that Zhuge Liang (out of earshot of Sima Yi) called him admirable, heroic and honorable. After Zhuge Liang's death, Sima Yi ordered his son Sima Zhao to retrieve Zhuge Liang's wooden statue and privately mourned him, complimenting him as "a kindred spirit".

* AdaptationalBadass: Liu Bei is shown to be much more perceptive and capable than previous depictions, and his claims of morality and honor now actually hold weight. But Lu Su probably gets the best example of this; he is no longer a hapless go-between for Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, but a skilled politician in his own right who somehow still manages to be kind, just, and honorable.
** When it seemed that Zhuge Liang would have to execute Guan Yu for letting Cao Cao go, leading to Liu Bei killing himself also as per the Peach Garden oath, Lu Su is the one who tells Zhuge Liang to spare Guan Yu; this leads to the three brothers kowtowing to him. Afterwards, when Zhou Yu chides him for being too kind-hearted to let Liu Bei die, Lu Su reveals he had been fully aware that Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei were putting on an act, and simply played along for the sake of maintaining the Sun-Liu alliance and thus keeping the Southland safe.

* {{Ambadassador}}: Zhuge Liang and Lu Su are the most prominent examples, but Ma Su isn't too shabby either.

** Basically the majority of named characters who pick up a weapon get in on this trope, even Cao Pi for one (though only that one) scene.

* BattleOfWits: Zhuge Liang vs. Zhou Yu, from the moment they meet all the way up until Zhou Yu's death, which was itself caused - at least a little bit - by Zhuge Liang winning so many of these battles.

** Even Cao Pi gets in on this trope [[TookALevelInBadass by fighting like a demon]] to defend Cao Cao from rebels at Wufeng Tower, in episode 69. Despite being 'absolutely terrible at swordsmanship' in his father's own words, Cao Pi actually impressed his father enough with his loyalty that Cao Cao officially declared him his heir.

* TheCassandra: Xu You appears a good bit earlier than in the novel, giving Yuan Shao sound, ''correct'' advice on multiple occasions only to be refused each time... ''despite'' Yuan Shao admitting regret at not listening to his advice to receive Emperor Xian! But even while being constantly ignored and belittled, Xu You didn't have the heart to abandon the lord that he'd served for over a decade [[spoiler:until the embezzlement charge that led to him joining Cao Cao]].
* TheChessmaster:
** Cao Cao, often. Wang Yun, with the plot against Dong Zhuo, although that ended up being his single stroke of brilliance, [[spoiler:and his subsequent arrogance from having achieved that stroke proved his downfall]].
** More appropriately later, [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready Zhuge Liang]]. Some of his battles are plotted out in such detail in advance that the show doesn't even bother to give them screentime, because they happened Exactly As Planned.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Poor Lu Bu, his CBD is so bad [[LampshadeHanging even other characters]] [[TakeThat in-universe notice it]]. Cao Cao finally decides not to extend the chain and executes him.
** Zhang Fei notes that Lu Bu brought terrible luck to all of his adoptive fathers, including Wang Yun (his father-in-law), to which Liu Bei (intending to receive Lu Bu as a guest) had to remonstrate, "I only want to be his friend, not his father!"
* CombatByChampion: Happens quite often, mainly to raise the morale of the troops behind the winning champion. Generally a foregone conclusion if one of the champions involved is a big-name character.

** But it turns out Zhou Yu was mostly doing it for the good of the Southland, at least in his own somewhat biased way... nevertheless, upon the death of [[spoiler:Lu Meng, Zhou Yu's protege]] and Lu Xun's subsequent suggestion to not appoint another Grand Commander, Sun Quan voices to civil advisor Zhang Zhao his relief at ''finally'' being free.

** In the end, both Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi to some extent reciprocated this with one another -- in their final encounter, Sima Yi resolved himself to death with composure to the point that Zhuge Liang (out of earshot of Sima Yi) called him admirable, heroic and honorable, while afterward Sima Yi ordered his son Sima Zhao to retrieve [[spoiler:the wooden statue of the late Zhuge Liang]] and privately complimented Zhuge Liang as "a kindred spirit".

* TheFarmerAndTheViper: With Lu Bu as the viper and his string of masters, culminating in Liu Bei, as the farmers. Interestingly, Liu Bei gets accused of this by quite a few people as well.

* AdaptationalBadass: Liu Bei is shown to be much more capable than he's usually portrayed, while still being kind and (mostly) honorable. Lu Su is also less of a hapless go-between and more of a skilled politician in his own right.
** One particular highlight for Lu Su: ''he'' is the one who [[spoiler:tells Zhuge Liang to spare Guan Yu]], which leads to [[spoiler:Zhuge Liang blaming himself (in front of Lu Su anyway)]] and [[spoiler:the three Peach Garden Oath Brothers kowtowing to Lu Su]].
** Another highlight occurs when Lu Su is able to force Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, in a ''verbal sparring match''. to concede that they are only 'borrowing' the Southlands from Wu and that they'll return it as soon as they have other lands. Recall Zhuge Liang's reputation with words.
** Even Cao Pi gets in on this trope [[TookALevelInBadass by fighting like a demon]] to defend Cao Cao from rebels at Wufeng Tower, in episode 69. Despite being 'absolutely terrible at swordsmanship', in his father's own words, Cao Pi actually impressed his father enough with his loyalty that Cao Cao officially declared him his heir.

** Basically the wide majority of appearing-onscreen and named characters who pick up a weapon get in on this trope, even Cao Pi for one (though only that one) scene.
* BadassLongHair: Everyone, due to the Chinese taboo against cutting one's hair, which was regarded as a gift from one's parents. Not that you'd know it since most characters have it up in a bun all the time, but Zhao Yun fit this trope to a T when his helmet was ripped off by an enemy spear at Changban.

* TheCassandra: Xu You appears a good bit earlier than in the novel, giving Yuan Shao sound, ''correct'' advice on multiple occasions only to be refused each time... ''despite'' Yuan Shao admitting regret at not listening to his advice to receive Emperor Xian! Despite this and the other moments of being ignored or even belittled, Xu You didn't have the heart to abandon the lord that he'd served for over a decade [[spoiler:until the embezzlement charge that led to him joining Cao Cao]].

** More appropriately later, Zhuge Liang, [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready as is to be expected]]. Some of his battles are planned out in such detail in advance that the show doesn't even bother to give them screentime, because they happened Exactly As Planned.

** On top of his betrayals, although Lu Bu didn't betray Wang Yun (Diaochan's adoptive father), Zhang Fei considered Lu Bu a bringer of bad luck and the late Wang Yun one of Lu Bu's "fathers" -- to which Liu Bei (intending to receive Lu Bu as a guest) had to remonstrate, "I only want to be his friend, not his father!"

** Liu Bei nearly crosses this twice. First, after losing battle after battle against Cao Cao and being confined to a small town in Jingzhou, and upon finding that Cai Mao is approaching with the intent to kill him, he merely sighs and asks, "must I keep running?" Luckily, Liu Qi convinces him to escape, and he acquires Xu Shu's aid soon thereafter. However, he would have nearly crossed this ''again'' when Xu Shu is forced to leave due to Cao Cao threatening his mother, but for Xu Shu remembering to tell him at the last moment that a certain Master Sleeping Dragon lived nearby.

* EvilIsHammy: Dong Zhuo hams it like a pro, once cornering the Emperor in his own carriage and bemoaning his cruel lot in life and his bad reputation due to his "service" to the Emperor. He's just trying to help by taking over the empire himself!

Probably the most expensive project ever made for Chinese TV, ''Three Kingdoms'' is a milestone of the Chinese media industry. Even longer than the much-praised 1994 TV series (95 episodes compared to its predecessor's 86) it tells a more character-driven story of the political intrigues, multiple betrayals, and fleeting loyalties of the turbulent Three Kingdoms era, and often strays from the original novel's (limited) characterization to humanize its main characters. While the story begins with a strong focus on Cao Cao's ambitions, developed through his various actions, military campaigns, [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready and eventually becoming the ruler of Wei]], the other two factions - the honor-bound Sun family and the idealistic Liu Bei and his followers - receive equal attention. The end result is arguably a more human and relateable version of the Three Kingdoms story which appeals to newcomers and old fans alike. Of course, this is still RoTK; those who want to watch legendary heroes kicking ass DynastyWarriors-style won't be disappointed either.

** Even Cao Pi gets in on this trope [[TookALevelInBadass when defending Wufeng Tower]] in episode 69.
** On top of Sun Quan's sister having armed female attendants, Liu Bei has to literally swordfight her wedding veil off... while he's drunk!

** After Zhuge Liang's own death and the "wooden statue" trick, Sima Yi orders his son Sima Zhao to retrieve that statue no matter what -- after which Sima Yi addresses the statue as if it were Zhuge Liang and starts to break down crying.

* BadAss: Zhao Yun is the most high-profile example, riding headlong into Cao Cao's approaching forces to rescue Liu Bei's wives and son, then piledrives his way back out through battalions of mooks, all while carrying the baby in a makeshift sling. He later barehandedly kung-fus his way through a small horde of spear-wielding guards after his [[AbsurdlySharpBlade sword]] gets stolen.

* BadassLongHair: Everyone, due to the Chinese taboo against cutting one's hair, which was regarded as a gift from one's parents. Not that you'd know it, though, since most characters have it up in a bun.

** Cao Cao, often. Wang Yun, with the plot against Dong Zhuo, although that ended up being his single stroke of brilliance [[spoiler:and his subsequent arrogance from having achieved that stroke proved his downfall]].

** Zhuge Liang, after six northern campaigns, finally [[spoiler: succumbs to despair after a sudden rainstorm destroys the fire trap he had forced Sima Yi into only through the utmost effort.]]

** But it turns out Zhou Yu was mostly doing it for the good of the Southland, at least in his own somewhat biased way... nevertheless, upon the death of [[spoiler:Lu Meng, Zhou Yu's protege in the show]] and Lu Xun's subsequent suggestion to not appoint a successor to their post, Sun Quan voices to civil advisor Zhang Zhao his view that he's ''finally'' free.

* EvilLaugh: Sima Yi is prone to ''extremely'' creepy laughter.
* [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose Heads I Win, Tails You Lose]]: When Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei were arguing who would attack Guiyang, Zhuge Liang suggested that they "draw slips". Zhang Fei's cloth said "stay," so Zhuge Liang promptly declared Zhao Yun the winner... even though Zhao Yun's slip ''also'' said "stay." When Zhao Yun privately voiced his concern of favoritism, Zhuge Liang declared that this trick wasn't favoritism... it was that Zhang Fei simply wasn't fit for the task.
* HeroicSacrifice: Liu Bei's morals prevent him from conquering Xichuan from its inept ruler, Liu Zhang. [[spoiler: Pang Tong solves this problem by provoking Liu Zhang into setting an ambush and knowingly walking into it, so Liu Bei can use his death as an excuse to attack. Also doubles as one heck of a [[TearJerker tear jerker]] ]]

* TheFarmerAndTheViper: With Lu Bu as the viper and his string of masters culminating in Liu Bei as the farmers. Interestingly, Liu Bei gets accused of this by quite a few people too.

** When Guan Yu and Zhang Fei threaten rebellion against Zhuge Liang during Liu Bei's absence, Zhuge Liang sends away the troops protecting him so that Liu Bei's army's strength would not be lowered by in-fighting, and states that he was willing to die to prove his loyalty. While this becomes unnecessary due to Liu Bei's return, Zhuge Liang does bear out this trope by loyally serving Liu Bei and striving to fulfill his last wishes for the rest of his life.
*** In return, when Guan Yu and Zhang Fei started voicing their concerns about the possibility of Zhuge Liang usurping the province while Liu Bei was away in Wu -- and when [[spoiler:their almost-mutiny resulted in Zhuge Liang's resignation and departure]] -- Liu Bei ended up ''angrily'' yelling at them.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: Some of the story moments aren't delved into in nearly as much detail as they are in the novel, as their imagery is so iconic for Chinese that it's expected that they'll be aware of what's referenced.

What differentiates this series from the others is its focus. It is far more willing to stray from the original historical novel's characterizations and dialogue in order to flesh out its characters, and gives almost equal attention to all three factions in its retelling of their respective development, desires, and goals. While the story begins with a strong focus on Cao Cao's ambitions, developed through his various actions, military campaigns [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready and eventually becoming the ruler of Wei]], the other two factions - the honor-bound Sun family and the idealistic Liu Bei and his followers - receive equal attention. The end result is arguably a more human and relateable version of the Three Kingdoms story which appeals to newcomers and old fans alike.

Probably the most expensive project ever in Chinese TV, ''Three Kingdoms'' is, in fact, quite a milestone of the whole Chinese media industry. Even longer than the much-praised 1994 TV series (95 episodes, while its predecessor had 86) it's a [[BloodierAndGorier darker retelling of the classic work]], with lots of beheading and blood spilling and the killing and the ravaging. Even with this gruesome curriculum, ''Three Kingdoms'' is very character-driven and mostly focused on the large-scale battles and the political intrigues and multiple betrayals and fleeting loyalties of the turbulent era, but it stills find time to present us some stunning Chinese landscapes from time to time. Still, those who want to watch legendary heroes kicking ass DynastyWarriors-style won't be disapointed.

* AntagonistInMourning: Zhuge Liang to Zhou Yu, even after more or less causing his death through despair. While this mourning is entirely for show in most Three Kingdoms adaptations, in this case Zhuge Liang seems to actually mean it, referring to Zhou Yu as a worthy adversary afterwards.

* BadAss: Zhao Yun rides headlong into Cao Cao's approaching forces to rescue Liu Bei's wives and son, then piledrives his way back out through battalions of mooks, all while carrying the baby in a makeshift sling. He later barehandedly kung-fus his way through a small horde of spear-wielding guards after his [[AbsurdlySharpBlade sword]] gets stolen.

** But it turns out Zhou Yu was mostly doing it for the good of the Southland, at least in his own somewhat biased way.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: Some of the story moments aren't delved into in nearly as much detail as they are in the novel, as their imagery is so iconic for Chinese that it's expected that they'll be aware of what's referenced. As an example, the Phoenix Pavilion incident (where Dong Zhuo found Lu Bu and Diaochan in a tryst) is only mentioned by Lu Bu as just that.

** Zhou Yu towards Zhuge Liang, albeit often obscured by Zhou Yu's jealousy. It is eventually revealed that Zhuge Liang reciprocated this to some extent.

* Evil Laugh: Sima Yi is prone to ''extremely'' creepy laughter.