History Characters / DynastyWarriorsWeiKingdom

* AmbitionIsEvil: In ''2'' to ''5'', his ambition to rule the land was considered evil regarding Shu (for instance) who focused more on "noble" goals. From [[VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi the crossover]] on he tends to be portrayed in a more positive light.
* AntiVillain: From ''6'' on, particularly in the Shu and Wu campaigns, characters will remark that basically he is a good guy with bad methods. Guan Yu, for instance, says that he is a fair man who seeks to bring peace, "worthy to be called a hero" but does not let his heart be swayed by emotion and so is not sympathetic to the common people. On his own, he frequently drops the villainy altogether.

* EvilChancellor: While he is the real power in Wei, he is actually "only" a high-ranking minister, and in earlier games he uses this as an excuse for his campaigns of conquest and subjugation. In ''7'', he's accused of this by Emperor Xian himself. The Evil gets kinda deemphasized as Wei stops being an "evil" faction, per se.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Just like with Liu Bei, his campaign in ''8'' starts out with just him, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, and from there he not only goes on to found the most powerful of the three kingdoms (to the point that Shu and Wu need to form an alliance to stand a chance against him) but the only one officially backed by the Han emperor.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: PlayedWith. Cao Cao was initially treated as a villainous character, but later games began looking at his historical record, which portrayed him as a capable and wise ruler. While he's slowly gotten a better characterization as the series has gone along (especially after ''6''), outside of the Wei campaign, he's still mostly portrayed as ruthless and cruel. Historically, he was an excellent leader both as an administrator and a commander, and he treated his men as family (though this particular aspect of his personality is very much part of his character in the games). [[note]]However, he was demonised in folklore as he acted in many ways which went against the norms of his era. His ambition and ruthlessness were deemed deeply un-Confucian, while his system of meritocracy went against the norm that officials should be hired primarily on their morality and ethics. On top of these, his origins of having a foster grandfather who was a eunuch during an era where bloodlines mattered greatly worked against him as well. [[/note]]

* NotSoDifferentRemark: When Xiahou Yuan notes the unlikeliness of Liu Bei being the leader of the last Anti-Cao Cao forces in Wei's hypothetical route in 8, Xiahou Dun shoots back that their rush to power started with them running away from Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao accepts this, and finally acknowledges Liu Bei as a WorthyOpponent.

* SelfMadeMan: He once was Dong Zhuo's subordinate before betraying him by failed assassination on the tyrant. After he managed to escape Dong Zhuo's clutches, he raised his own army in his hometown, starting with his family from Cao and Xiahou, and later Xiahou Dun also brings Li Dian, Yue Jin, and Dian Wei to serve him. He even had the handicap of being adopted by a eunuch family, and being part of a eunuch's family was a MAJOR disadvantage politically after the chaos eunuch interference in politics had caused for much of the Eastern Han era (culminating in Dong Zhuo seizing power). Becoming China's most powerful man despite having that political disadvantage is an incredible feat.

* TheUnfettered: Played with. While Cao Cao is famed for his ruthless ambition, he also has many lines he refuses to cross. Still, it is his rival's [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids deep idealism]] that drives an initial wedge between he and Liu Bei.

* BoobsOfSteel: Averted, despite that metal bustier she wears giving her literal ones. She's the only physically-oriented female in the Wei character lineup, but, while no slouch, she's got a ways to go to catch up with [[MsFanservice Zhenji]].

* {{Bishonen}}: The first Wei officer to be young and attractive and it gets taken rather far. Koei seems to have done this with him as a character based on the fact that he was a recognized poet.

* {{Bishonen}}: The second good-looking young officer to be introduced for Wei, though subdued in comparison to [[DudeLooksLikeALady Zhang]] [[AmbiguouslyGay He]].

* {{Bishonen}}: He's a rather attractive man.

* {{Bishonen}}: Younger and prettier than most of the Wei officers.

* {{Bishonen}}: Like Yue Jin, counterbalancing the older Wei cast.

* {{Bishonen}}: Consider that he came from the same village as Guo Jia; that place raised some handsome men.

* ChivalrousPervert: Part of his bon-vivant personality. In Warriors Orochi 3, he flirts with both Ina and Xingcai. Unfortunately for him, his advances are not only rebuffed but also catches the attention of [[OverprotectiveDad their]] [[PapaWolf fathers]], who are none too pleased.

* ExoticWeaponSupremacy: His weapon in ''8'' is a [[BladeOnAStick pike]] with spiked wheels attached to the pike.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: In the battle of Xu Chang, the final level against Wei, when it becomes clear the battle is lost the Wei soldiers beseech Cao Cao to withdraw. Instead of fleeing, Cao Cao refuses and orders the gates to be shut so his enemies can't chase his escaping forces and he begins his last stand. "''If this is my destiny so be it!''"

* DevilishHairHorns: Always has two tufts of hair that stuck out from both sides of his head. In ''6'' a peasant mistakes him for the devil.

* DevilishHairHorns: Always has two tufts of hair that stuck out from both sides of his head. In ''6'' a peasant mistakes him for the devil.

* DrivenToSuicide: In the novels, he commits suicide by drinking poison after Cao Cao offers him an empty box which made him realize that Cao has no further need for him due to Xun Yu's disagrement to Cao Cao for claiming himself the Duke of Wei.

Wei, led by Cao Cao and later Cao Pi, is represented in-game as a faction driven by its leader's vision of unity via force. It is this method towards peace that puts Wei at odds with the other two kingdoms, most poignantly, Shu. However, do not automatically label them as "bad guys" as that would be grossly oversimplifying the situation; for they genuinely aim to end the age of chaos that's enveloped China in their time (although they did tend to [[CardCarryingVillain embrace the bad guy persona]] [[CharacterizationMarchesOn back in the day]]). Its officers are most often defined by their ambitions, for better or worse. The color used to represent them is a deep shade of blue, and its identifying animal is a phoenix/fenghuang (hou'ou).

* ContraltoOfDanger: From her debut in ''7:XL'' through ''8'' and ''8:XL'', she had the lowest voice of any female playable character, and was one of the most violent and sadistic. Averted in ''9'', where her voice is higher pitched.

* BadassBaritone: The English dubs give him a significantly deeper voice than the [[SimpletonVoice Japanese version]].

* BadassBaritone: It's the kind that gives off a sense of authority.

* BadassBaritone: English-wise, when he was voiced by Kirk Thornton, was a that of a deep, gruff and commanding tone. His Japanese voice isn't a slouch in this department either.

* MyNameIsNotDurwood: An interesting case; this series in the English dub has Cai Wenji be the ''only character'' to use her style name, while nothing else outside of the Asian scripts/Japanese dub uses style names at all. Cai Wenji is also actually meant to be called "Cai Yan", as even in the Japanese dub, her normal name of "family name-then-given name" isn't mentioned.
** Also applies to her style name as well: historically, her style name was Zhaoji (or Shōki), but historians were forced to change the "Zhao" character via a naming taboo placed by the historical Sima Zhao. [[note]]Historians of the Jin era followed the taboo as Zhao was posthumously declared an emperor by his son Yan, the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty. Zhao became Emperor Wen of Jin, while his brother Shi was Emperor Jing; their father Yi was Emperor Xuan.[[/note]]

* HeroicSacrifice: His LastStand at Wan Castle, Historically speaking, allows Cao Cao to escape.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Despite also using the correct pinyin, his given name is misspelled as "Zhu" instead of "Chu"; thus, Xu Chu was his actual name historically.

* AlliterativeName: Cao Cao. You really can't get more alliterative than having the same name twice... as long as you do not put in his style-name (Mengde) somewhere.
* AmbitionIsEvil: In ''2'' to ''5'', his ambition to rule the land was considered evil in regards to Shu (for instance) who were more focused on "noble" goals. From [[VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi the crossover]] on he tends to be portrayed in a more positive light.
* AntiVillain: From ''6'' on, particularly in the Shu and Wu campaigns, characters will remark that basically he is a good guy with bad methods. Guan Yu, for instance, says that he is a fair man who seeks to bring peace, "worthy to be called a hero" but that he does not let his heart be swayed by emotion and so is not sympathetic to the common people. In his own, he frequently drops the villainy altogether.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: His usual response upon capturing enemy officers, even those who have personally wronged him, like Jia Xu whose trap killed Dian Wei, is to offer them a job. In particular, the Wei story in ''8'' emphasizes this, with Xiahou Dun getting more and more frustrated with it, to the point of almost demanding an explanation when his cousin looks like he's giving a job offer to [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Lu Bu]]. [[spoiler:However, he ''also'' gives each recruit a SecretTestOfCharacter at the same time, and gives power only to those who pass. In particular, when Lu Bu fails, he is slain, while Xu Shu is only offered a better job if he reveals his ambition to surpass Zhuge Liang and quell the chaos.]]

** Downplayed. But in ''Videogame/WarriorsOrochi 2'', he never hesitates to tell off and call out the mystic Nuwa whenever he finds out that she's messing around with him.

** This is usually averted in the games where Cao Cao's characterization tends to revolve [[TheUnfettered entirely]] around [[TakeOverTheWorld taking over China]]. As for his historical self, the record's mixed. [[note]]Zhang Xiu rebelled against Cao after his first surrender due to Cao taking his uncle Zhang Ji's widow (given the surname Zou in the Romance) as a concubine.[[/note]]. However, there are occasions where it comes up.

** Interesting enough, he doesn't appear to lust after Cai Wenji, even after he freed her from her kidnapper. Granted, Cai Wenji's father Cai Yong is a very good friend of Cao Cao's, so there might be an ulterior motive there, but their friendship is purely platonic.

* BoisterousBruiser: Japanese-wise, Dian Wei sounds more boisterous, HotBlooded and joyful while being a badass bodyguard (in contrast to the more stoic, [[TalkingToHimself same-voiced]] Xiahou Dun). Toned down in the localization, where Billingslea tends to use a more deeper, scarier vocal emphasis on his "Coming Evil" persona, but retains the same personality.

* BareYourMidriff: In ''7'', for some [[FanDisservice inconceivable reason]], his big belly shows.

* BareYourMidriff: His main outfit in ''5'' was the only one that showed ''only'' his midriff. ''6'' only showed the leftside, while ''3'' and ''7'' showed his midriff and then some. Every other outfit averted this by covering the entirety of his torso.

* BareYourMidriff: Bares it in her main outfits in ''3'',''5'', and ''7'', and her alternate outfits in other titles.

* BareYourMidriff: Despite being the TokenWholesome, she shows some flesh in her "Strikeforce" form in which her beautiful navel is exposed.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: There are various good reasons why this guy can become a leader and one of them is his skill with a sword.

* TheDeterminator: When fighting against him in He Fei, he returns no less than ''four'' times after being defeated.

* {{Expy}}: He ends up resembling his ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' counterpart, Nobunaga Oda, since ''7''. In the "what-if" ending of the Wu Story Mode for ''8'', [[spoiler:he's DrivenToSuicide akin to Nobunaga's death in Honnoji.]]

** In ''[=8:XL=]'', he is ''also'' this for Lu Bu's historical route, which ends with the Battle of Xiapi.

* CleavageWindow: Because of the uneven buttoning of his shirt, the players get to peek on his chest [[DistractedByTheSexy which can be a bit distracting]].
* DualWielding: He wields two short spears called "Shooting Blade Spears".

'''Weapon''': Liuyedao (''2''-''5'', ''7''-''9''), Wolf teeth mace (''6'')\\

* SinisterScimitar: He provides the trope's image. In most appearances, he wielded what the series usually called a podao, which is different from other dao by its blade being massive and wielded in two hands, even if that's not how an actual podao looked like.[[note]]A true podao would be similar to that of the guandao, the polearm commonly associated with Guan Yu, or the Japanese naginata.[[/note]]