History Series / ThreeKingdoms

-->''Turbulent times bring about unpredictable changes\\

* BatmanGambit: Many times, following both [[Literature/TheRomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms the source material]] and [[UsefulNotes/ThreeKingdomsShuWeiWu actual history]]. Some examples include:

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 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 ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors''-style won't be disappointed either.

* BadassBaritone: Cao Cao and Zhang Fei are the most notable.

* [[SmartPeoplePlayChess Smart People Play Go]]: Go, or weiqi, 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.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: This is the case for most of Liu Bei's generals, including his two sworn brothers. Zhuge Liang points out though that while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are good fighters, they both lack the humility and patience needed to be good leaders of men, which is why he favors Zhao Yun.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: This is the case for most of Liu Bei's generals, including his two sworn brothers. Zhuge Liang points out though that while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are be good fighters, they both lack the humility and patience needed to be good leaders of men, which is why he favors Zhao Yun.

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

* PyrrhicVillainy: Just as in history and in the Romance, [[spoiler: Sima Yi is the ultimate victor of the series, ending with his family effectively in control of the state of Wei and all those who could stand against him - notably Zhuge Liang - either dead or powerless. However, he's forced to murder his concubine Jingshu (and while she was pregnant with his child, no less) [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes despite his apparent genuine love for her]]. The death of Zhuge Liang leaves him without a WorthyOpponent to measure himself against and he admits, in private, that he now feels [[LonelyAtTheTop truly lonely]]. His advanced age means that he dies not long after his usurpation, and his last scene shows how in old age even his remarkable intellect has left him, as he's so deep into senile dementia that he can barely follow a conversation.]]

* BossSubtitles: Every important character gets them, every episode. It's practically a necessity, given the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters present.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: By any reasonable measure played straight, but actually ''averted'' when compared to the original source material, which had several hundred named characters. In the show many minor characters' actions were condensed, glossed over, or attributed to more memorable major characters instead.

* NeverMyFault: Among his other gifts, Cao Cao demonstrates a ''staggering'' talent for refusing to take the blame for his acts of villainy, starting with his murder of Lü Boshe, which he spins as [[InsaneTrollLogic not being murder at all]], [[FromACertainPointOfView but a tragic death resulting from the chaos engulfing the realm]]. [[spoiler: He dips into it again when standing before Xun Yu and Guan Yu's graves, but this time it comes across as more of a psychological coping mechanism]].

* {{Manchild}}: Zhang Fei at times comes across as this, with his [[BoisterousBruiser boisterousness]], [[EmotionalBruiser wild emotions]] and fierce temper sometimes more suited to a big kid than a fully-grown man. [[spoiler: It ends up being his FatalFlaw as, after Guan Yu's death, he's so deep in grief that he begins to act ever-more erratically and sincerely doesn't seem to understand that he can't beat his officers half to death, then expect them to laugh it off with him over drinks. It winds up costing him his life]].

** Zhang Fei's belligerent nature is there from the very start, when he threatens people or claims to be willing to beat people he doesn't like up. Even when this causes disaster (for example, Liu Bei loses Xu to Lü Bu because Zhang Fei brutally beat [[DisproportionateRetribution a man who declined to drink with him]], the man informing [[TheDogBitesBack Lü that Xu is undermanned]]), Zhang refuses to change, despite repeatedly claiming he'd learned his lesson. Two of his officers murder him in his sleep when they protest they need time to complete his orders to outfit the entire army with white cloth (symbolising mourning over Guan Yu's death), and his response is to have them [[BadBoss whipped before threatening to kill them]].
** Guan Yu's is his arrogance, which slowly but surely grows over the course of the show. It becomes especially notable during the Fancheng campaign wherein he dismisses warnings and negative reports and commits several crucial blunders that ultimately end in the loss of Jingzhou [[spoiler: and his death, as well as the death of his son]].

* AlasPoorVillain: Cao Cao's death; that is, if you consider him evil. His dying episode is one of the most somber in the series; the Hero of Chaos, now a tired, ill old man on his last legs, laments how his work remains unfinished despite everything he did and everyone he lost or betrayed, and finally [[FaceDeathWithDignity faces death calmly]] and appointing Cao Pi as his successor.

* AdaptationalRelationshipChange: In the novel, Lü Meng never had anything to do with Zhou Yu other than being part of the same army. Here, he's introduced as Zhou Yu's subordinate and mentee, to the point after Zhou's death he's so determined to make Shu pay he willfully ignores Sun Quan's instructions (such as ignoring orders to cease pursuit of Guan Yu).

* BatmanGambit: Many times, following both [[Literature/TheRomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms]] and [[UsefulNotes/ThreeKingdomsShuWeiWu actual history]]. Some examples include:

** Yuan Shao, after realising that his gigantic army has been basically annihilated with only a few hundred horsemen accompanying him. He's almost DrivenToSuicide, but he's talked down. [[DiedOffscreen He's later mentioned as having passed away after a second attempt at an attack fails too]].

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: [[spoiler: Guan Yu. Rather than being captured and executed by Wu, here, on being surrounded by Wu troops, he chooses to [[SlashedThroat cut his own throat with his sword]]]].

* DiseaseBleach: On learning of the loss of Jingzhou, being forced to retreat from Fancheng, and the pain of his wound continuing to weaken him, [[spoiler: Guan Yu's]] hair and beard turn white, seemingly overnight.