Wei Kingdom | Wu Kingdom | Shu Kingdom | Jin Kingdom | Other Characters | Strikeforce | Origins
Characters who aren't part of any of the four main kingdoms are classified as 'Others'. There are Lu Bu's forces, characterized by the brute force of its leader, Lu Bu. There's Dong Zhuo's forces, characterized by Dong Zhuo's tyranny; Yuan Shao's forces, characterized by Yuan Shao's nobility; the Yellow Turbans, led by Zhang Jiao, the religious group who kickstarted the era in a spectacularly bloody rebellion and the Nanman tribes, who are united under their Great King, Meng Huo and characterized by their fraternal unity and by being barbarians.
Here's the list of characters categorized in the 'Others' in Dynasty Warriors, arranged in their chronological appearance in the series. Asterisk (*) mark those characters who are playable in the DLC.
Debuting in Dynasty Warriors
"The Intriguing Dancer"

- "I am ready to bring light to our darkest hour."
Diaochan is a dancing maiden who wants to destroy Dong Zhuo, on request by her adopted father. She is willing to use all of her available talents to see the despot is disposed of.
She is an elegant and patient woman who displays cunning with her charms. Normally a kind and benevolent individual, she can show a manipulative side if the occasion calls for it. She does not enjoy violence, yet finds that battle is inevitable in the times she lives in.
Although she despises Dong Zhuo, her feelings on Lu Bu are far more complicated. She's also the only one to call him by his style name: Fengxian (Housen in Japanese).
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Downplayed. Diaochan's relationship with Lu Bu fluctuates across the series, either being genuinely in love with him or using him as a means to an end. Lu Bu is still infatuated with her in Origins, but Diaochan herself directs her affection toward Ziluan, the protagonist, though she does admit to caring for Lu Bu, even admitting she would have chosen him if Ziluan were not already in her heart.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Sometimes she is legitimately attracted towards Lu Bu, despite his cruel Blood Knight tendencies. But she's never attracted to Fat Bastard Dong Zhuo. This is averted in Origins where she falls for Ziluan, who is the complete opposite of Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo, as he is always stated to be kind and humble.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: She gives one to Ziluan in her final Bond event in Origins. While she adores him and wants nothing more than to be by his side, she feels that all the actions she's undertaken under Wang Yun (and later under Dong Zhuo in order to drive a wedge between him and Lu Bu) makes her unworthy to be with him. The anguish mainly comes from her realization that the paths they take are diverging: Ziluan, after losing his memories, chooses to tread in the light by serving one of the three lords in the open, while Diaochan chooses to use subterfuge and guile to manipulate people in order to bring about the age of peace. She still hopes that they will one day reunite, however.
- Anti-Hero: Her motives are always good, but her tactics tend towards the underhanded.
- Anti-Villain: After shacking up with Lu Bu in his own campaign to conquer the land.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: She's completely NUDE in her Strikeforce form, as mentioned below. However, her goods are not detailed.
- Becoming the Mask: Initially, her relationship with Lu Bu was just a useful weapon against Dong Zhuo in some games. Eventually, though, it became something more, to the point where she fights alongside him during his Last Stand at Xiapi.
- Beware the Nice Ones: She is a benevolent woman who loves her land and dislikes conflict, but bears the job of being a manipulative Honey Trap if that means freeing China from a tyrant like Dong Zhuo.
- Birds of a Feather: In Origins, her budding relationship with the protagonist, Ziluan, highlights this notion. Diaochan seemingly takes an interest in Ziluan due to the many shared traits and upbringing she has with him: both are kind individuals who can't stand the plight of the common folks, fight for the sake of others, calm and collected in nature; both also have been trained since childhood to fight corruption from the shadows (the story reveals Diaochan's backstory as a little girl who grew up in a community that trained young kids as spies, while Ziluan was taken in by a clan of assassins who called themselves the Guardians of Peace that trained young children to become secret agents to the Han dynasty), and are lonely underneath.
- Brainy Brunette: She's always depicted as a brunette with a cunning and cultured mind.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: Does this in Origins to the protagonist, Ziluan. Diaochan willingly enters the service of Dong Zhuo the Tyrant in order to corrode his reign from within by pitting him against Lu Bu. By doing this, she stands against Ziluan, who chooses to come against Dong Zhuo with the lords in the open. At the Battle of Hu Lao Gate, Diaochan lampshades that she still cares for Ziluan despite having been forced to fight against him, and goes on to meet him in secret afterward to say goodbye to him before putting her plans to execute Dong Zhuo in motion. This action does in fact save the quarreling lords (and Ziluan) much trouble, for their alliance against Dong Zhuo has begun to shake, even before the battle of Hu Lao Gate. Had she not defected and worked on Dong Zhuo's downfall from within, the alliance and Ziluan would have been in trouble.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: She has the curvaceous figure that's expected of a Honey Trap seductress. Dong Zhuo even explicitly describes her as a voluptuous beauty.
- I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me: Her later dialogues with Ziluan in Origins have these undertones. In her final Bond event, she is genuinely surprised if Ziluan says that he too would like to meet her, and even gets positively flustered if Ziluan confesses his feelings to her. This surprise likely stems from her shame of having to live a 'life of deceit' prior to meeting Ziluan and while she was working to actively sabotage Dong Zhuo's reign. In the same Bond event, she illustrates her inferiority to Ziluan by depicting him as somebody who is out of her reach, mainly due to the righteous path Ziluan has taken coming in contrast with her life of lies and manipulations.
- Cherry Blossoms: As if to symbolize cherry blossom petals, she has been consistently wearing pink in Dynasty Warrior games. In Origins, her final Bond event in which she expresses her affection for the protagonist, Ziluan, happens under a huge cherry blossom tree in full bloom.
- Daddy's Girl: She's almost always portrayed as being close to her father Wang Yun, and he is often involved in her decision to act against Dong Zhuo. Her motivations in 6 are based on her adoptive father's last wish. In 8, meanwhile, her mission is to ensure Dad gets out of Luoyang alive and Dong Zhuo doesn't. This is made more prominent in Origins, as the game explores her relationship with Wang Yun for one whole chapter.
- Dainty Combat: She remains a graceful figure even in battle, relying upon once her dancing prowess and agility instead of brute strength.
- Dance Battler: A common theme to her movesets is that she dances throughout the battle, regardless of the weapons used.
- Depending on the Writer: Whether she truly loves Lu Bu or is just using him to fulfill her father's wish. Modern installments prefer the former, but sometimes include bits of the latter for drama.
- I Did What I Had to Do: In her more honorable portrayals, she's not proud of stringing Lu Bu along, but feels it was necessary to bring Dong Zhuo's tyranny to an end. In Origins, she and Wang Yun also lampshade this: it is revealed that Diaochan has been trained from a young age to use subterfuge, guile, and underhanded tactics to bring about the age of peace. Diaochan herself acknowledges that these actions are dark and corrupt in nature, and she is not proud of them, but feels that these are necessary to ensure peace can reign again.Diaochan: I perform these dark deeds in order to bring light to the future.
- Dual Wielding: Prior to 6, Diaochan fought with a pair of Chuís
. - Flower Motifs: The peony. All of her costumes involve this flower as an ornament.
- Girly Girl: While she's still an Action Girl, she's easily the most traditionally feminine character in the roster, with her dainty and delicate figure, patient and graceful demeanor, and an overtly feminine dialect.
- Happily Adopted: In almost all installments, Diaochan has a positive relationship with Wang Yun, a Han government official who adopted her. This is played straight in Origins as the story explores more of their relationship: we see that Diaochan willingly goes along with Wang Yun's plans, all in order to repay his kindness of taking her in when she had nobody to turn to. The feeling is mutual, as Wang Yun treats her like he would his own daughter, though he does lament the fact that he has to sully her hands in order to eliminate threats to the Han from the shadows.
- Heroic Seductress: She's a benevolent woman who uses her sex appeal to manipulate evil men into ruin for the sake of the people. Played straight in Origins when Cao Cao cites her as a sharp and "beautiful sword" that Wang Yun has given him to cut down Dong Zhuo with.
- Honey Trap: She sought to become a concubine to Dong Zhuo so she could work against him from within his own power base, usually by sowing mistrust between him and his strongest retainer, Lu Bu.
- Hotter and Sexier: Starting from 6, her outfits include exposed midsections and notches the Stripperific aspects. Diaochan in 7 sports longer, visible hair (rather than tied to smaller buns), while 8 goes up a notch with what is essentially a bikini. 9 finally inverts this, returning her to a more covered outfit, though she still shows some skins.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: She has an average frame for a woman, but both of her "lovers" Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo have huge frames and she tends to look very tiny next to them.
- Implied Love Interest: In Origins, despite usually being depicted as Lu Bu’s love interest, she ends up being this for the game’s protagonist, Ziluan, getting more Ship Tease with him than any other character. She highlights her similarities to Ziluan several times, even citing that their fates are intertwined when they start working together at the beginning of Chapter 2. Story-wise, she disappears from the game after Chapter 2 without saying a word to Lu Bu, yet she takes her time to find Ziluan to properly say goodbye to him. In her final Bond event, she outright confesses her feelings for him and states that she would like to be by his side when the time of peace comes.Diaochan: (To Ziluan) I could have taken up with Lu Bu but that was not an option — for you see, there was no room in my heart for anyone but you...
- Love at First Sight: Both Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo fall in love with her the first time they see her. Any man that sees her also seems to be hit with this. In Origins, Bailuan also seems to think this is also the case for Ziluan and lambasts him in a later letter, accusing him of letting whatever feelings he has for Diaochan cloud his judgment.
- Love Hurts: In Origins, her relationship with the protagonist, Ziluan, is illustrated to be a bittersweet one. In the later parts of Chapter 2, when Wang Yun and Diaochan's plans to bring down Dong Zhuo are beginning to spring into motion, she constantly expresses both gratitude for being able to meet and befriend Ziluan, as well as regret for having to go down a dark path of deceit to stop Dong Zhuo. Wang Yun's letter to Ziluan in her optional Bond Event implies that although Diaochan had been drawn to Ziluan from the time they worked together, she chose to repress her desires in order to fulfill her role as Wang Yun's weapon to put Dong Zhuo's tyranny to an end. In the Chapter's final stages and her maxed Bond event, she confirms this by saying that she's tried to put her feelings for Ziluan aside by severing her ties with him so her stained reputation wouldn't get in the way of Ziluan's chosen path. This does not go well, however, as she still yearns for him, even after she's chosen to disappear from his life.
- Manipulative Bitch: She's a cunning woman who uses her feminine charms to manipulate Dong Zhuo, and (sometimes) Lu Bu. Given how much of a tyrant the former is, she's always portrayed as being benevolent when trying to bring him down, but her interactions with Lu Bu tend to vary in how they portray her. In certain titles, she seems only to be manipulating him to better serve her goals, but other titles and scenarios depict that she truly loves him and is genuinely devoted to him. This trope is expanded upon in a more sympathetic light in Origins, as the game explores more of her story and background: Origins touches upon Diaochan's back-story as someone who has been trained since childhood to become a spy by her clan; after her clan's demise, said training later continued under Wang Yun, as he took her under his wings to become his 'sword.' Working under Wang Yun edges her on to use her skills in subterfuge, manipulation and guile, albeit for a noble purpose which is to eliminate enemies of the Han from the shadows.
- Maybe Ever After: This happens to her and the protagonist, Ziluan, should the player get her final Bond event in Origins. Though she does openly confess her feelings for Ziluan, she also feels that they can't be together just yet because of the different paths they are each taking. However, she leaves on a hopeful note that they can one day reunite when the time of peace comes. The game ends their story at that, but given that all available endings point towards a more peaceful time, in no small part thanks to Ziluan's contributions to one of the three lords, the pair's reunion seems likely.
- The Mistress: At first to Dong Zhuo (unwillingly), and then to Lu Bu (willingly in some installments).
- Morality Pet: To Lu Bu, particularly in his mini-campaign in 8.
- Ms. Fanservice: Holds the moniker of the World's Most Beautiful Woman, which could justify this, since in every installment, Diaochan's costumes and appearance gets more and more fanservicey. Ironically, she was a lot more wholesome in her earlier designs. This gets averted in 9 and Origins as her costumes become more conservative.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: In 8 her outfit has a plunging neckline that goes past her navel.
- Official Couple: Several games have her be in an actual romantic relationship with Lu Bu. Origins subverts this by making her attracted more to Ziluan, the protagonist, than Lu Bu.
- Petal Power: Her EX, charged and Musou Attacks in 7 and 8.
- Pink Means Feminine: She's a traditional Girly Girl wears a lot of pink clothing, and is often associated with the color.
- Reluctant Warrior: The games make it abundantly clear that she would rather not take to the battlefield, but will if she must.
- Rescue Romance: On the receiving end of this trope in Origins. She and her father, Wang Yun, got rescued by the protagonist, Ziluan, when they were running from imperial assassins. This event ends up with them enlisting Ziluan to help them with their plans, and thus, marking the start of their shared story throughout Chapter 2.
- Secret-Keeper: Initially tried to be this in Origins, by keeping Ziluan's past as a Guardian of Peace a secret from the amnesiac Wanderer. Wang Yun later subverts this trope by revealing the truth to Ziluan, however, stating that Ziluan has every reason to remember his identity. In that same conversation, Wang Yun also mentions that Diaochan did "beg him not to tell" Ziluan any of it, likely due to her sincere wish for the Wanderer to live a more carefree life without his memories, unburdened by his past.
- Ship Tease: Between her and Sun Shangxiang, Diaochan gets this the most with the Wanderer, Ziluan, in Origins. Story-wise, they have the highest number of scenes together: she initiates what could be called a first date between her and Ziluan, confides her worries and hopes in him, and is prone to suggestively tease him in a friendly manner. Her dialogues in later battles also imply that she genuinely cares for Ziluan's well-being, even when they are forced to temporarily stand against each other. It is to the point Lu Bu is convinced Diaochan has feelings for Ziluan.Lu Bu: (To Ziluan) Looking at you now, it’s all starting to make sense — who she really cared for all this time. The same shadow follows you both...
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Played straight in Origins, as she forms a bond with the protagonist, Ziluan, before she gets entangled with Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu. She often expresses admiration and gratitude to Ziluan for his kindness and selflessness, later even stating that his existence alone is like a gentle starlight that illuminates her in the darkness.
- So Beautiful, It's a Curse: She is regarded as one of the most beautiful women in China, and the games constantly underline her tragic life and fate. In some installments, she even dies young or goes missing after the campaign against Dong Zhuo ends.
- Spectacular Spinning: Most of her moveset relies on this, particularly her Musou Attacks in 7.
- The Starscream: In 6:E, if you decide to ascend to the throne as a ruler and add her into your ranks, she will turn against you and take the majority of your officers with her.
- Stripperiffic:
- Beginning with 6; this includes the Strikeforce spinoffs.
- In her Awakening Form in Strikeforce, she doesn't even have any strips at all.
- Downplayed in 9, where her outfit is reigned in a lot.
- The Tease: In the Asian script she's known for her sexually suggestive lines. These are consistently Bowdlerise in the English releases. In Origins, she sometimes plays this part as well towards the protagonist, Ziluan, though her lines come off as more friendly and good-natured compared to the tone she carries with Dong Zhuo or Lu Bu.
- Token Good Teammate: She counts as this in Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi. Despite being on Lu Bu's side, she tries to curb his violent tendencies, and is always stated by others to be kind in nature.
- Trouble Entendre: In a conversation with Dong Zhuo in 8's Ambition Mode, she requests that he dismiss his guards and wait for her alone that night so that she can perform her "special dance" for him.
- Underestimating Badassery: Officers generally look down on her on the battlefield, not expecting a dainty woman to put up a fight. They frequently end up regretting it.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Her final fate is always Left Hanging and it is never known what happened to her after Lu Bu's eventual defeat in Xiapi, just that she leaves him after Dong Zhuo's downfall. In some hypothetical routes, she fights alongside him during the Xiapi battle, and either dies in the battle, or goes MIA and is never heard of afterwards. This recurs in Origins, as she disappears from the story proper after Dong Zhuo's demise in the last stage of Chapter 2. It is later revealed in an optional Bond event that she has left Luo Yang and the protagonist on purpose after the conclusion of Chapter 2. She felt that it was necessary for her to disappear from his life so that her soiled reputation may not interfere with Ziluan's path as an officer.
- Whip of Dominance: Diaochan is a manipulative woman who tends to have men wrapped around her finger. While she originally fights using a pair of chuís (Chinese maces), she switches to a chain whip starting from Dynasty Warriors 6.
- World's Most Beautiful Woman: Noted as one of the Four Great Beauties of China. In her third 7 Legend Stage in Conquest Mode, she fights to prove she is this in China and faces off against randomly generated female characters from the cast. Her final opponent is always the same: who does she beat to claim the crown? Zhang He...
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: She manipulates Lu Bu in 6 and 8 by acting threatened by Dong Zhuo. Since she's trying to use him to topple an Evil Overlord and save her father, it's a rare heroic example. Played with in NEXT, where, after using him on Dong Zhuo, she turns him on all the warlords in China, hoping that he will simultaneously weed out the most dangerous and unite the land in stopping him. It works... right up until the "stopping him" part.
"The Powerful Demon God"

- "I am the greatest warrior this world has ever seen!"
Lü Bu is one of the most feared warriors in the Three Kingdoms period. He was brought up by his adoptive father, Ding Yuan, whom he betrayed for the infamous horse Red Hare and an ample amount of gold. When he joined the ranks of Dong Zhuo, he performed many extraordinary tasks, such as fighting Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei all at the same time.
While serving the tyrant, he fell in love with the beautiful Diaochan, who was then given to Dong Zhuo. To take her for himself, he assassinates Dong Zhuo, yet this was all a plan conceived by Diaochan's adoptive father Wang Yun to rid China of Dong Zhuo. Lu Bu becomes a warlord of his own accord, fighting mostly Cao Cao. In 198 AD, he was betrayed by his own men, and executed by Cao Cao.
- 24-Hour Armor: He's usually heavily armored in all of his scenes. Lampshaded in his hypothetical ending, when Chen Gong asks why he continues to wear his armor instead of an Emperor's robes, claiming that his days of battle are "behind him". Lu Bu proudly states that he wouldn't be caught dead in robes.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Downplayed in Origins. While he still falls for Diaochan, she doesn't reciprocate and she instead falls for Ziluan. He's nonplussed and accepts this, though he's greatly confused why Diaochan didn't rush back to Ziluan's side when Dong Zhuo died.
- All Love Is Unrequited: In Origins, Diaochan is in love with Ziluan and not Lu Bu. While disappointed, he's not too broken up about it. In fact, he's surprised that Diaochan never went back to Ziluan's side after Dong Zhuo's death and instead remained in hiding.
- Ascended Meme: Remember the statement "Do not pursue Lu Bu" in earliest installments? In Dynasty Warriors 7, there's an achievement called "Okay, you can pursue Lu Bu now" for beating him.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: In his hypothetical ending in 8:XL, Lu Bu becomes Emperor of a China united by his own strength, and proclaims that if anyone would challenge his rule, they can come take him on.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: As far as Lu Bu is concerned, the only strategy he needs is to just crush everything in his way.
- Back from the Dead: In the final chapter of Strikeforce and in 8 as a phantom resurrected by Zuo Ci.
- Badass Boast: Most of the time; take this example from 4 during his "officer defeated" quote:Lu Bu: WHO ELSE SEEKS DEATH?!
- Beast and Beauty: Lu Bu could be considered attractive, but his monstrous rage compared to the elegance and grace of Diaochan justifies this trope. Lampshaded in 7, where you can get them the exact outfits as Downloadable Content.
- Berserk Button:
- DO NOT defeat/kill Diaochan if they're on the same side or you might be dealing with an angry Lu Bu.
- In 9, Yuan Shu demanding that Lingqi marry his son to ensure a political alliance immediately sends Lu Bu into a screaming fury, declaring that he should cut him down where he stands for that.
- The Berserker: Played with; he would fit the trope to a T if he just wasn't considered a simple overpowered fighter on the battlefield.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Not initially but his character design has evolved to feature extremely large, prominent eyebrows.
- Bling of War: A notable example compared to others. While it was somewhat apparent in earlier titles, before shifting to a predominantly black with red color scheme beginning with 6, it's in 8 that his armor has a golden sheen. 9 merely ups the ante by giving him a golden chiseled chest plate amongst other things.
- Blood Knight: All he cares about is fighting. The tougher the battle, the better. It is sometimes implied (if not outright said) that he puts himself into severely disadvantageous scenarios just for the sake of this.
- Brains and Brawn: The brawn to Chen Gong's brains.
- The Brute: He's typically characterized as a bloodthirsty savage who only cares about fighting worthy opponents and has little mind for such things as strategy to the point that he barely listens to Chen Gong.
- Character Development: Happens in 8XL, depending which route that the player takes in his story:
- In the historical route, he becomes more aloof, arrogant and keeps ignoring many of his companions' advice.
- In the hypothetical route, he becomes more respectful to his officers, although some of his arrogance still remains.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder:
- His overall history in-game and even in real life; he first served Ding Yuan, then Dong Zhuo, and then helped with Xu Province for Liu Bei until he takes it for himself.
- Has a high defection rate in 6: Empires.
- Even Warriors Orochi 2 lampshades this. In one battle, when he betrays Kiyomori, a random mook informs him of this "turn of events". Kiyomori appropriately responds:Kiyomori: Betrayal? No... That man is being true to himself.
- In Warriors Orochi 4, Chen Gong actually plans for Lu Bu's inevitable betrayal of Odin as part of his own scheme to position his lord against the God.
- Climax Boss: In Origins, the final battle with him as Xiapi is this for Shu. While Wei also fights him, Lu Bu is the Arc Villain for Shu's Chapter Four, and overcoming him restores Liu Bei's broken confidence and puts him on the path that will eventually lead to the establishment of Shu.
- Cool Horse: Red Hare, which serves as the best unlockable mount in the games due to its speed and ability to trample through enemies.
- Crutch Character: In 6:Empires because of his extremely high defection rate. Unless you want to play as him, he usually doesn't go through one or two battle before defecting.
- A Day in the Limelight: In 8:XL, he gets his own mini-faction and storyline due to his daughter and strategist being the new playable characters of that game.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: "Friendship" is a strong word for Lu Bu. In Origins, he can be recruited in the post-game as a companion if you defeat him at Haluo Gate. In the main story, though, he's as prickly and haughty as ever, only acknowledging Ziluan's prowess on the battlefield and his rival.
- Died Standing Up: His Historical Ending in 8:XL has him getting cut down by Cao Cao, with his corpse standing upright.
- Dragon with an Agenda: To Dong Zhuo. He invariably kills Dong Zhuo due to Diaochan's machinations, and he only plans on serving Orochi until becoming strong enough to defeat him and regain his claim as the world's strongest warrior.
- The Dreaded: Both in-universe and the community, to the point where even the mere mention of his name traumatizes players who got their asses handed to them by him. The phrase "do not pursue Lu Bu" is also spoken both in-universe and in the community. In some missions, Lu Bu just stepping foot onto the battlefield is enough to make the opposing army start hemorrhaging morale. If you somehow manage to defeat him when he does show up, the enemy morale takes a nosedive while your army gets a massive boost in confidence since you just beat the scariest bastard on the battlefield.
- Dumbass Has a Point: While not stupid, Lu Bu isn't the sharpest when it comes to strategy or politics. Even so, in his hypothetical ending for 8 he berates the Emperor for allowing chaos to flourish, saying the man at the top must be strong. To be fair, he's not wrong.
- The Emperor: His hypothetical campaign concludes with him deposing, but pointedly not killing the last Han Emperor, Liu Xie/Emperor Xian and crowning himself as a new ruler of a united China.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- While he cares little for his adoptive fathers (who were both killed by him), he definitely loves Diaochan to the point that if she's harmed, he'll go berserk and do everything he can to kill the one responsible.
- In later games, he also shows he deeply cares for his daughter Lingqi, best seen at the end of his historical route in 8: Xtreme Legends, where he begs her to flee from Xiapi after he's captured.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Despite his bloodthirsty nature he won't kill people who can't defend themselves, like the Emperor. He's also disgusted by cowardly people like Dong Zhao. In the former case, it's not out of personal honor or where he draws the line, it's out of personal disdain and calling them Not Worth Killing.
- Evil Sounds Deep: In both the Japanese and English versions, though Lu Bu has recently been played as more of a Noble Demon.
- Fatal Flaw: His inability to remain loyal to maintain respect as aforementioned, which is perhaps his most glaring flaw. The real life Lu Bu had another one: he was over-controlling with his own soldiers stationed in conquered territories, leading to 0% Approval Rating by many residents when his soldiers did whatever they pleased in said conquered territories. His arrogance in his own strength is another glaring one, as while his strength is without a doubt unmatched, his unwillingness to listen to his subordinates has caused his partnership with Chen Gong to end in bitter terms. These flaws have been averted, or at least heavily downplayed come his hypothetical route in 8: Xtreme Legends. His willingness to heed Chen Gong’s advice as well as put trust in his subordinates has allowed him to gain a significant foothold in China and gain a number of significant victories, where even his 0% Approval Rating has been replaced with universal adoration amongst his men, admiring his strength and having high hopes with him as their leader. It’s gotten to the point where He actually became the Emperor and defeated every other faction gunning for his head. All in a span of a single battle.
- Fictionalized Death Account: In Origins, rather than being captured and executed by Cao Cao, he meets a Disney Villain Death by falling from the keep of Xiapi.
- Final Boss: In the first game and Strikeforce. Inverted in his final stage for 6, where the final bosses are almost the entire cast other than Diaochan and Zhang Liao.
- Gate Guardian: Often first encountered in the games defending Hulao Gate.
- General Failure: While undoubtedly a deadly enforcer for whomever he's working for, as an independent warlord his natural hotheadedness and unwillingness to listen to others makes him a terrible commander who inevitably faces an ignoble end.
- Good Parents: One of Lu Bu's most redeeming qualities is his genuine affection for his daughter, Lingqi. He first insists that she stay away from his violent and dangerous lifestyle, and when he finally relents to letting her fight, he tells her to run at the first sign of danger as well as assigning Zhang Liao the duty of guarding her. It's telling that, for as violent as Lu Bu is, his daughter has grown into an intelligent and well-mannered young woman, and she absolutely adores him.
- Graceful Loser:
- Occasionally averted that he's quite a Sore Loser, but played straight way back in 4 where his retreat quote is him essentially expressing surprise that he actually met a strong opponent.
- In Origins, he realizes Diaochan's love is reserved for Ziluan. He's not angry about it, but he is confused why she never returned to Ziluan's side after Dong Zhuo died.
- Grapple Move: The list shows as:
- His first charge attack in 4.
- His R1 Type Action in Warriors Orochi.
- His EX attack and fifth charge attack in 7.
- His new R1 Type Action in Warriors Orochi 3.
- His True Rage Rampage and second standing Musou in 8.
- Heartbroken Badass: A dead Diaochan will quickly lead to a painful period of mourning. Painful for his enemies, that is.
- Hellish Horse: Red Hare becomes borderline demonic in 7, complete with glowing crimson red eyes, and a mane and tail of fire.
- Hero Killer: Lu Bu's hypothetical campaign in 8:XL and his story mode for 6 climaxes in the slaughter of every other faction's heroes, leaving him to rule at the top. During gameplay, he is responsible for being many players' first game over.
- Hidden Depths: With some of his dialogue with Diaochan in 6, where he simply will do what she asks without complaining despite Diaochan's possible protests of manipulating him. Also see Well-Intentioned Extremist below. That, and he tends to be rather civil to his daughter and doesn't wish for anyone else like her to follow his path.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He attempts to swear loyalty to Cao Cao after his capture. Cao Cao's advisors point out Lu Bu's long history of Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, causing Cao Cao to decide it's not worth the risk and to just have Lu Bu executed.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: In at least some encounters (especially early in the game), it's basically impossible to defeat him. Instead, the goal is to achieve the battle's victory condition before he catches up to you or some officer whose defeat is an instant loss condition. It is technically possible to beat him in these early encounters, but at that point it's mainly bragging rights and a test of skill.
- Hot-Blooded: Just hear him growl in-game.
- Hot-Blooded Sideburns: Actually chest-length bangs.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Much larger and taller than his Love Interest Diaochan.
- Hunk: He's built, and ruggedly handsome.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: His C5 attack as of 7 will end with him skewering an opponent on his halberd before slamming them into the ground hard enough to create a fissure. Though this first was displayed in a rather brutal fashion for its time in 4.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Downplayed in most installments (though he has pretty good ratings with bow weapons in 8), but a famous moment in his campaign, the original novel and real life involves him settling a dispute with a bet: that he can't hit the distant hilt of his halberd with a single arrow.
- Inconsistent Spelling: The correct Pinyin spelling of his name is Lü Bu (note the umlaut), not Lu Bu. Lu Meng also shares this problem, along with Lu Bu's own daughter, Lu Lingqi.
- Ironic Echo: In 8:XL, both the historical and hypothetical routes in his campaign end with him shouting that he is the strongest in the land. Although the lines are slightly different from each other in English, they're exactly the same in Japanese.
- Irony: He’s a powerful warrior well known for defecting on his masters, yet in 8:XL on his hypothetical route, Two of his allies, Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, turn their sword against him to defend the Emperor. It did little good anyway.
- It Amused Me: His motivation for getting involved in the battles of Guandu and Chibi in 6. Lu Bu hoped to gain some amusement out of the battles. At Guandu, he thought that the armies of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were nothing but pathetic worms squirming about. But he did find the battle of Chibi to have some interesting moments. His actions result in Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and Sun Quan trying to take revenge at Hulao Gate with the revived Zhang Jiao and Dong Zhuo.
- Karma Houdini: Is this in his story in 6. Instead of dying at Xiapi, he gets involved with battles that don't concern him. At Hulao Gate, all of the warlords try to attack him, only to fail and get slaughtered themselves.
- Karmic Death: After having practically built his career around betrayal and deceit, Lu Bu's downfall is ultimately caused by he himself being betrayed, first by Liu Bei at Xiaopei, then by Song Xian and Hou Cheng at Xiapi.
- Knew It All Along: Two notable examples.
- In 6, Lu Bu eventually reveals that he knew about Diaochan manipulating him to gain revenge for her father, but went along with it due to his love for her.
- In 8, while he didn't necessarily know the specifics, he's not particularly surprised when Chen Gong admits at the end of the hypothetical route that he used Lu Bu for his dreams of wielding great power, but again, he was willing to go along with it.
- Large Ham: Very much as he is one of the few characters who rivals Zhang Jiao in hamminess.
- Lightning Bruiser: In all games up to 5, he can run as fast as most generic horses and has plenty of attacks possessing high attack power. As of 7, his halberd strikes astonishingly quick for such a big, powerful weapon; in fact, its Switch Attack temporarily triples his attack speed. Naturally, in all games, Red Hare outpaces every other horse by a country mile.
- Master Archer: While it's not as emphasized as his skill with his halberd, he's also a superb Archer capable of nailing near-impossible shots. In 8:XL, he settles a dispute between Liu Bei and Yuan Shu by making a bet that he can hit his halberd after tossing it several meters away. In Warriors: Abyss he has the "Master Archer" tag.
- Master of All: He's generally the most powerful character in the games, to the point that in older games he even has both one of the fastest running speeds and no doubt, the highest base jump height. Tellingly, the Halberd (which uses his moveset) is considered the Infinity +1 Sword of Origins and is only unlockable in the post-game.
- Might Makes Right: He holds this view in Origins, stating that those with power exist to take from those unable to stop them, and as he himself is the strongest warrior in ancient China, it's his right to claim everything under the heavens. He disagrees with Ziluan's reasons for fighting, namely to protect the weak, but the fact Ziluan is one of the few people, if not the only person to ever match him on the battlefield (and potentially even beat him), he not only recognizes his rival's strength, but also dares Ziluan to change his mind.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: In some games, he assassinates Dong Zhuo for the sake of having Diaochan for himself.
- Neck Lift: His EX Attack in 7 and his True Rage Attack in 8. Both of them however, actually involve him grabbing his target's face.
- Nerf:
- Since anyone in 7 can use the halberd, what makes him different are two powerful, but uncontrollable (cannot be aimed once triggered) Musou Attacks, as well as an unblockable EX Attack. The only other thing he really has going for him is his unique "Synergy" Skill Seal.
- Played really straight in the crossover, especially Orochi 1 until Z. Lu Bu is typically one of the weakest characters in the roster thanks to his weak damage output and lack of enough elemental activation attacks. In particular, his signature C3 is massively nerfed and his R1 Type Action compared to others, just outright sucks when used by the player and not the CPU.
- Never Hurt an Innocent: It's never explicitly stated but for all his savagery and violence he always stops short of killing civilians or otherwise people who can't fight back. Even if it's more out of contempt than anything.
- Not Worth Killing: Assuming Diaochan is around, Lu Bu tends to spare those who can't defend themselves, though as much out of proud disdain as actual compassion.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: A variant of this trope is why none of Lingqi's admirers dare to ask for her hand in marriage. It's not that they don't find her attractive (at least two of her would-be suitors love her because she's an incredible warrior in her own right), it's just that the idea of having Lu Bu for a father-in-law understandably scares the hell out of them (and later games shows that demanding her hand in marriage is one of the easiest ways to piss him off).
- Oh, Crap!: The most common reaction to Lu Bu being on the battlefield.
- Ominous Walk: For the Assassination of Dong Zhuo stage in Origins, Lu Bu will follow you around the map at an implacable walk, never bothering to run. This actually adds to how scary he is, as this way he'll tend to catch up just as you're finishing off an enemy blocking your path, only to hear this theme override the stage music as a warning of impending doom. This walk is actually also a part of the Musou Rage with Lu Bu's halberd, with each step dealing area damage as well. To also compensate for no longer being able to run, the strong attack button is now a fast Foe-Tossing Charge during this state.
- One-Handed Zweihänder: He typically swings his massive halberd one-handed without issue.
- One-Hit Kill: In several installments, particularly on higher difficulties, he can do this to the player easily. In 8, a Musou Attack on Normal difficulty or higher is likely to kill you in a single hit, even if player's characters level is high.
- One-Man Army: Even in a Musou game, he is noted in the story for being one of these, mainly by being a walking slaughterhouse that takes a coalition of China's strongest warriors from Wei, Wu, Shu, and the Yuan nobility to stop for good.Lu Bu: You keep sending 'em, I'll keep knocking 'em down!
- Optional Boss:
- Generally in the battles against Dong Zhuo. The games specifically advise you to not fight him and instead take detours.
- Subverted in 5 and 6: even if you bypass him, when you're attacking Dong Zhuo, he'll yell for Lu Bu to protect him, who will head towards your character.
- Downplayed in 7 with Shu and Wu's Story Mode at Hulao Gate (part 2 of the campaign against Dong Zhuo): while he's a mandatory mini-boss, you only have to "hold him off" long enough with Guan Yu/Sun Jian, backed by the help of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei/Sun Ce, Sun Quan and Sun Shangxiang, respectively, so the Coalition can set up catapults to bombard Hulao Gate. Once the event is over, Lu Bu declares, "Hmph... if you want it so bad, you can have it!" and withdraws.
- In 8, he can be ignored, so long as the player ignores Diaochan.
- In the first Samurai Warriors, Lu Bu is accessible as an enemy boss only after reaching the end of the Abyss Survival Mode.
- Papa Wolf: For all his many faults as a human being, Lu Bu is a caring father to Lu Lingqi, and in the end of his historical route he goes to great lengths to save her life and convince her to run.
- Perfect Play A.I.: In the first Dynasty Warriors he serves as the final boss to almost all characters. If you have been button mashing or spamming the exact same move all this time, you will get absolutely destroyed. Lu Bu does not mess around, his moveset and reflexes being too brutal for the average player.
- Pet the Dog:
- His love for and devotion to Diaochan are always genuine, even in games where she's manipulating him.
- He genuinely loves his daughter. In his historical ending in 8: Xtreme Legends, he orders his daughter to run and live rather than risk her life for him when he is captured by Cao Cao's forces.
- He also will not harm innocents or weak fighters under any circumstances, although the latter is more because he doesn't want to waste his time on people who aren't a challenge. In his hypothetical ending for 8 he notably spares the terrified Emperor after taking the throne, proclaiming that there's no point in killing people who can't defend themselves.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: His color scheme since 6 has him wear black armor and crimson feathers, with golden details mixed in depending on the game.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Go ahead and kill Diaochan and see what happens. Particularly notable in 4 at Xiapi, where the whole goal of the mission is to get his morale down to the point where he's a much more reasonable fight. Killing Diaochan immediately brings it back up to dangerous levels.
- Schmuck Bait: To new players, the warnings to the players might just encourage them to see what the big fuss is all about, only to get destroyed, whilst veterans to the series might go test their skills against him, only to get destroyed.
- Secret Character: Just like in the previous titles, Lu Bu can be unlocked in the post-game as a companion in Origins by defeating him at the Battle of Hulao Gate. Defeating him in other encounters also unlocks his halberd (if you haven't already purchased it from a shop) and his steed Red Hare.
- Self-Made Orphan: Kills both of his adopted fathers, though the first isn't mentioned until Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends. Backfires fatally when he offers his services after his defeat at Xiapi, as Cao Cao doesn't get himself killed by recruiting a loose cannon like Lu Bu. In the novel, it is Liu Bei who more or less points this out, though in Lu Bu's historical ending of that game, Liu Bei also doesn't fall for Cao Cao's ploy of offering Lu Bu to him; even then, Liu Bei points out to Cao Cao if he "forgot about the prior fates of Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo", which Cao Cao had to agree on.
- SNK Boss: He's not quite a final boss character in any of the games beyond the first, but when he's encountered at Hulao Gate (as opposed to later stages) as an enemy officer, he's typically rendered twice as strong than anyone else on the field, including the actual stage boss, Dong Zhuo. At Xiapi, he's toned down out of necessitynote ... but if you defeat Diaochan first (depending on the installment) he'll enter Hyper Mode anyway.
- The Starscream: If Lu Bu is serving under your command, start making funeral arrangements. Averted in 7 and 8, because it's what gets him executed after his defeat by Cao Cao at Xiapi, though Cao Cao doesn't directly mention this, and when Lu Bu's historical ending has Cao Cao offering Lu Bu to Liu Bei, the latter doesn't oblige — though he disguises it under a claim that a living Lu Bu would only cause more chaos.
- Superboss: His serves as one at Hulao Gate when you're playing from the Coalition's side. He has insanely high stats when faced there, easily outclassing the Character Level you'd have the first time you play the stage, and you're almost always told some variation of the line "Don't pursue Lu Bu!", to fully cement that you aren't expected to fight him. If Diaochan is also at the battle, try attacking her and Lu Bu will activate his Hyper Mode, which makes it impossible to stun him, and increases his stats even further.
- Super Mode: One of the eight characters to receive a Deification form in Warriors Orochi 4. His form is based on Thor, the Nordic hammer-wielding god of lightning and thunder, which is suits him as Thor himself is also a Blood Knight. Fittingly, his Sacred Treasure is Mjolnir and his deified Unique Magic enlarges Mjolnir before he pummels it down on his enemies.
- In 8: XL, he's able to enter Hyper Mode at will if he uses his alternate ground Musou without someone on front of him.
- Super-Persistent Predator: Defeat Diaochan on the same map as him in 8, and he'll be the one pursuing you.
- Super-Strength: See Neck Lift above. At one point in 8:XL, two men carry his halberd out to him, visibly struggling to just hold it up. He effortlessly wields it with one hand, and, throughout the campaign, frequently throws it massive distances. The only other person capable of wielding it without difficulty is his own daughter.
- Sword Beam: His first Musou Attack in 7.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: At an amazing 6'10"!
- Theme Music Power-Up: So much that "Lu Bu's Theme" is effectively the de facto Leitmotif to the series for years, with each new installment remixing it, although by 7 and 8 the series got new opening cinematic themes.
- Theme Naming: His weapons especially in the Asian script, are named after a few things:
- His fourth weapon is named after the proverb "Guoshi Wushuang/Kokushi Musou", which literally means "Peerless One in the Kingdom".
- His fifth and level eleven weapon also doubles as his subtitle in this series' portrayal of him, called the "Guishen/Kishin" (lit. Ogre God), a term for an fierce god in Asian mythology that is often a name in ode to the addressee's awe and fear they instill with their might.
- This Cannot Be!: Due to his pride as a warrior, he tends to say something along these lines when he lost a battle. It's even his death quote in 4. Word. For. Word.
- True Final Boss: Of 4. In the Yellow Turban Rebellion on the Yellow Turban side, the last stage of the entire game, you have to defeat everyone, including Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Yuan Shao and the commanders of the previous optional Yellow Turban stages, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, as well as commander He Jin. After all these are dealt with, Dong Zhuo appears, after the pig is down, Lu Bu appears, and only after he is down can you finally celebrate beating the entire game.
- Turns Red: If you defeat Diaochan in his presence, he gets PISSED and becomes twice as strong, fast, and seemingly invulnerable.
- His second ground Musou Attack in 8 if done out of grab range of an enemy triggers temporary Hyper Mode.
- Unblockable Attack: His Aerial Musou from 7.
- Unique Enemy: In every game, Lu Bu usually has a moveset and weapon wholly unique to himself.
- Unstoppable Rage: If Diaochan is near him and not holding a door closed, then try not to attack her. Doing so will cause Lu Bu to become even more powerful, and he'll make it a point to only target you, and he won't relent until either you or him (more likely the former) is killed.
- The Usurper: At the end of his final mission from his hypothetical route in 8:XL, he forces the emperor to abdicate because he considers him too weak to quell the chaos that plagued the land and crowns himself as the new emperor.
- Villain Protagonist: Though Lu Bu is painted in a better light than normal during his mini-campaign in 8:XL, he's still clearly more of a Noble Demon than a straight-up hero.
- Villain Respect: With Ziluan in Origins. He's initially dismissive, but as he becomes more aware of Ziluan's prowess in battle, he acknowledges he is probably the only person in China who could rival him, though he bluntly tells Ziluan he won't change his mind about strength and insists Ziluan try and change his mind.
- Villain Takes an Interest: In his Bond event, he admits to being genuinely surprised by how much Ziluan has grown as a fighter, and is now his equal on the battlefield. This also makes Lu Bu determined to claim him.Lu Bu: I, who cared for naught by myself, found myself desiring you. Now that battle looms on the horizon, I will await the day you become mine—for now. But once I have claimed all under heaven, I swear I shall have you as well. [...] No one but you has ever provoked such passion in me—and no one else ever shall. I'll have you take responsibility for that.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Though not as powerful as his earlier incarnations by the time you have to fight him in most modern games, he's still usually a very dangerous adversary with better AI than you might be used to.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Everything he does is for Diaochan's happiness; whether she reciprocates is a whole other story.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: His Hypothetical route in 8:XL reveals that his ultimate goal is to depose and replace the Emperor, on the grounds that he is too weak to end the chaos sweeping China. Amazingly, when he does become Emperor, he does a damn good job of it.
- Worf Had the Flu: Subjected to this in Warriors Orochi 3 when he can't catch a break and keeps getting defeated by Nezha every time they meet. Justified as Lu Bu has been fighting through the Orochi army and the Hydra with no rest, just to get to Nezha ever since he killed Diaochan. After he gets some rest, Lu Bu defeats Nezha and Susano'o at the same time effortlessly in the Lu Bu's Revenge stage.
- World's Strongest Man: The mightiest warrior in the Three Kingdoms Era, bar none.
- Worthy Opponent: Considered this by virtually every warrior in the Three Kingdoms. Conversely, it's VERY rare to be considered this by Lu Bu; the few he's granted this to include Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Sun Ce, Zhang Liao, Tadakatsu Honda, Musashi Miyamoto, Orochi, Nezha, Yoshitune Minamoto, and Ziluan. Although being in a weaker state, Xiahou Dun and Guan Yu were also able to defeat him at Xiapi.
- Wrestler in All of Us: His EX Attack is a chokeslam.
Debuting in Dynasty Warriors 2
"The Despot of Debauchery"

- "Each day, I grow even closer to my dreams of paradise!"
Dong Zhuo is the Prime Minister during the late Han dynasty, after the consort kin faction led by He Jin and the eunuch faction wiped each other out. He was seen as a ruthless tyrant and he used the Han Emperor as a puppet in order to do what he willed. Dong Zhuo enforced his rule by having control of the mightiest man of the time, Lu Bu.
Portrayed as a repulsive and obese man, he often lets his lust and hedonistic pursuits get the better of him. This is what ultimately drives a wedge between him and his adopted son Lu Bu.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Origins still keeps him on the large and stout side, but removes the exaggerated Gonk that had overtaken his character, making him look more like a regular human being of significant stature rather than the Obviously Evil monster he'd been prior.
- Adaptational Personality Change: Origins drastically changes the way he carries his 'ruthless tyrant' persona without taking away his unpleasant jerk personality. Instead of being a comical, almost inept character, Dong Zhuo is a much more subdued Social Darwinist, making his ruthless actions look more realistic and dangerous.
- Ass Shove: What his second Musou in DW8 basically does to his opponent. Not all details are shown, but the play-out is still quite abhorrent where both its Japanese name and where he strikes imply that it's aimed right at their tailbone. OUCH.
- Back from the Dead: In Lu Bu's story for 6 and in Wei's hypothetical scenario in 8.
- Beard of Evil: Sports copious facial hair in every game.
- Benevolent Boss: Bizarrely enough. Serve him well and he'll surely shower you with rewards, so long as you're not planning to oppose him, and he's generally more than willing to share a piece of his "paradise" with his loyal retainers. This is partially true in history; he can be kind to his loyal retainers. In fact, he historically also had a decent friendship with Cai Yong (Wenji's father, who respects Dong Zhuo in return but is also reluctant about it since he still dislikes Dong Zhuo's tyranny), whom he tried to kill in one of her legend stages in 7.
- The Chessmaster: In 5:XL Legend stage, Ten Eunuchs Rebellion. He sent a fake Ten Eunuchs member to kill He Jin, so then if he killed the fake, he'll be credited for killing the rebel. Historically, Dong Zhuo was actually a pretty effective military leader and schemer in his own right. note
- Despotism Justifies the Means: He wants to build a literal "heaven on Earth" for himself. The rest of the world is acceptable and expendable collateral damage towards this end.
- Dirty Coward: As arrogant and vile as he is who enjoys inflicting suffering on others, The moment that someone approaches him threateningly he's quick to scream for Lu Bu to protect him.
- Dirty Old Man: Probably the most openly-perverted character in the entire roster - He harasses numerous mistresses, repeatedly lusts after Diaochan and many of his stages in Warriors Orochi see him targetting the female cast.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He's an asshole to everyone else he came across, but he's at least decent to his own granddaughter Dong Bai, in as much as trying to be an 'evil family' together. That, and some records state that he had a soft spot for his mother.
- Evil Chancellor: He was chancellor and regent of the Han Dynasty by the time his tyranny began.
- Evil Laugh: If he laughs, then it's usually this.
- Face Death with Dignity: In Origins. When he realizes Diaochan has turned Lu Bu against him and his own prized soldier comes to kill him, he only lets out a quiet "I see..." and does nothing to stop his killer, accepting his impending demise.
- Fat Bastard: Becomes notably fatter and uglier with every installment, with 6 and 7 notching the former further.
- Grapple Move: His first bomb EX attack in 7 and Sheer Destruction Musou in 8.
- Hated by All: Everyone hates him for starting a reign of tyranny for his own pleasure that cause everyone suffered and anyone who so much as tried to stand up to him were brutally exterminated.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: With Diaochan. He also abducts several female characters in Warriors Orochi so he can have them as his harem.
- The Hedonist: Anything he does is for pleasure and to the gallows with anyone who gets in his way.
- Hypocritical Humor: If you manage to consistently defeat him without capturing or killing him in 7E, he will spout this comically ironic line if you encounter him one more time:Dong Zhuo: You are a villain that must be eliminated! I will be the person to do it!
- It's All About Me: He's not above sharing some of the benefits of his "earthly paradise" with his minions... so long as he doesn't want them too.
- Jerkass: On top of being EEEEVIL!, Dong Zhuo is just an unpleasant guy to hang out with.
- Karmic Death: We ought to praise Lu Bu for this.
- Large and in Charge: He's fat and large, Han Regent, and leads his own army of loyalists.
- Lust:
- After a 19-year-old Diaochan, while he's a 40-year-old man.
- He leches over much of the female cast in Warriors Orochi too (regardless of their age), most stages revolving around him kidnapping or pursuing them.
- Mighty Glacier: He is one of the slowest characters in the game, but also has fairly powerful attacks.
- Neck Snap: His flail EX Attack, upon tripping the opponent.
- Obviously Evil: The one character with almost no grey area, aside from his Benevolent Boss moments above.
- Pitiful Worms: His enemy officer defeated quote.Dong Zhuo: Another insect... CRUSHED!
- Progressively Prettier: Inverted. Dong Zhou was never attractive. Prior to 6 he was overweight, but not egregiously so, and was more average-looking rather than outright hideous. From 6 onward, his fatness and ugliness became greatly exaggerated and he became a full on Gonk.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He dies very early into the story, but his actions effectively kickstart the Three Kingdoms Era.
- Smug Snake: He isn't interested in ensuring that his reign is stable or long-lasting, and tries to brutalize his way out of any issue.
- The Social Darwinist: His characterization in Origins. He believes that only the strong can survive while the weak perish.
- Starter Villain: Is frequently one of, if not the first, enemy to be defeated.
- Stout Strength: Many of his movesets have stressed that, though he's really let himself go, Dong Zhuo's bulk isn't all blubber.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Often. Also in Warriors Orochi, he is hilariously blustery when his minions lose a stronghold. "What were you doing! Drag your sorry carcass back up there and reclaim that mountain!"
- Throw Down the Bomblet: His weapon of choice in Next, 8, Godseekers and Warriors Orochi 3 is an endless supply of lit bombs.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: Once he seizes control of the court in the aftermath of the Yellow Turban rebellions.
- Unholy Nuke: His "Black Hole" Musou Attack.
- Villainous Glutton: Frequent banquets and feasts turned him into a Fat Bastard.
- Villain with Good Publicity:
- The reason he's promoted as Han Prime Minister and Regent in the first place? He's the one who got the most credit for eliminating the Ten Eunuchs. See also The Chessmaster / Chronic Backstabbing Disorder above. That, and he historically managed to not get himself and his army involved in the chaos that was happening in Luoyang at the time. Once that was done, Luoyang was his for the taking.
- Subverted when he led the Imperial Army against Liang Province rebels. He's already an unpleasant person at the time, but he's not considered as a threat at the time. Not quite yet, at least.
- Walking Armory: Over the years, he had a variety of weapons to use such as a Broadsword in 2 and 3, a giant club in 6, a flail in 7 and 9, serrated swords in 3 as higher level weapon and 4 to 5 as primary weapon, which look more like saws and bombs in 8 which used to be his True Musou Attack finisher in 5 and then his "Mad Bombing" Musou Attack in 7. He gets this moveset in NEXT-onwards as his it becomes his primary weapon.
- We Have Reserves: Shows some traits of this. He does so losing his own man who was disguised as a eunuch. This isn't a problem for him as long as he got the credit.
- Wrestler in All of Us: His "Sheer Destruction" Musou Attack in 8 is an atomic drop and one of his EX Attacks in 8:XL is a chokeslam. Beforehand, he had a grab in 4 as his C1 attack and his R1 Type Action in the first few Warriors Orochi games also counts.
"Heir of an Illustrious Family"

- "I come from a long line of nobility."
Yuan Shao of the esteemed Yuan family is of royal blood and a prominent figure in the early Three Kingdoms period. He organized the movement against Dong Zhuo and developed a massive following in the northern provinces. He would cross paths with Cao Cao which would lead them to a decisive battle at Guan Du.
An aristocrat who can come off as snobbish, he believes that only one of wealth and privilege can unite the land.
- Anti-Villain: Calling him evil or tyrannical would be a bit of a stretch, but he is kind of a jerk, and he becomes an antagonist because his proto-kingdom proves an obstacle to Cao Cao's ambition.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Zigzagged. Yuan Shao isn't truly evil, but he is very classicist and ultimately is plagued by indecisiveness. Though historically, there were records of him ending up as corrupt despite his initial heroic deeds and rise to power.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!:
- Despite being capable of using proper strategy, he prefers to overwhelm the enemy with his massive and powerful army.Yuan Shao: Don't bother with strategy! Run them through!
- Averted in Lu Bu's final stage, Recapture of Chang'an. Yuan Shao's strategy alone immediately stops Lu Bu's forces momentum at the beginning of the stage. He ambushes Lu Bu's army with arrows from atop the castle walls to stop the ram used to break down Chang'an's walls, gets Lu Bu's men in a pincer attack and sends out his two best officers to take down the weaker officers in Lu Bu's army. The entire first half of the battle is overcoming Yuan Shao's plan by taking a detour (Which has the Wu forces lying in wait with even more ambushes along the way) to stop the arrows, and if you take too long Yuan Shao himself will charge straight for Chen Gong at the main camp whilst Lu Bu and Zhang Liao are away from him.
- Despite being capable of using proper strategy, he prefers to overwhelm the enemy with his massive and powerful army.
- Back from the Dead: In the final chapter of Strikeforce and in 8 for one of Wei's "what-if" scenarios.
- Badass Longcoat: He has one in 7.
- Big Damn Heroes: If Lu Bu helps him out earlier on, Yuan Shao appears in his hour of need to kick off his hypothetical route in 8:XL's mini-campaign.
- If you don't complete all objectives to get on the hypothetical route but still help Yuan Shao, he will still appear at Dingtao and hold off Cao Cao's massive army at the gate so Lu Bu and co can retreat.
- Blue Blood: Nearly every other line out of his mouth talks about the distinguished Yuan family; historically, four consecutive generations of the Yuan clan had held one of the three highest non-hereditary posts (the "Three Excellencies") in the Han imperial government.
- Comically Missing the Point: In the "Melee at Chibi" stage in 8:XL, when faced with an enemy fire attack, he questions why Sun Ce would use a fire attack against ships that sail on water.
- Cool Helmet: From 3 to 5. He gets it back in 9.
- Energy Weapon: In Warriors Orochi 3, his R1 Attack has him shoot a golden laser beam from his sword. No explanation is given why he can do this.
- Flanderization: Since 3, he has become more vain and pompous; by 6, he even looks the part. Likewise, his continual referencing of his lineage is pretty much exclusive to Dynasty Warriors; the historical basis for this (see Blue Blood) is never mentioned in the games' story, so he comes off looking particularly vain.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Used longsword in all appearances prior 6. Then, he uses Serrated Blade of Pain in the sixth game. In the seventh until the ninth games, he uses a Royal Rapier; however his rapier in 8 is a Retractable Weapon which can extend.
- Jack of All Stats: Always has above average stats in all areas as well as a moveset with a good consistency of speed, power and range. In 3:XL, Yuan Shao and Lu Bu are the only characters recommended for beginners due to his easy-to-use moveset and good defense stats.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Whilst he can be very rude to people, he has no problems with doing favours to help others. Talking to him in Ambition Mode in 8 will have him mention that he is quite liberal and he does listen to people regardless of their status and views, however there are some noblemen he has met who will punish others for even having a different opinion.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: He only cares about his Yuan families and consider himself powerful riches and high-and-mighty.
- Kick the Dog:
- He comes out with this golden line after He Jin is killed.Yuan Shao: What? He Jin is dead? It is only natural one of such low birth would suffer such a fate.
- This doubles as Historical Villain Upgrade (sorta) as well. In history, Yuan Shao and He Jin were good friends and Yuan Shao genuinely mourns He Jin's death. note He is one of the generals who took the initiative to kill the Ten Attendants to avenge He Jin's death.
- He comes out with this golden line after He Jin is killed.
- Large Ham: Has elements of this; his French voice actor in 3 is gloriously hammy.
- Light Is Not Good: His army's color code is yellow / golden yellow (to emphasize his nobility status, presumably). But he's far from being a saint, although he isn't really evil, either.
- NO INDOOR VOICE: He's rather comically turned into this in 9, which is lampshaded by Xiahou Dun. On the flip side, however, he becomes less pompous and more noble than when he was in 6, 7, and 8.
- Oh, Crap!: Doesn't take the news of anything putting him in a disadvantage very well. 6 has him panicking over Lu Bu showing up in the battle of Guandu. Though he and Cao Cao do end up working together as the battle goes on.
- 9 takes it further in Guandu. Completing all the side missions of the battle will cause him to react badly to the consequences each time. Though he is mostly shocked at the news of Wuchao being attacked. He would also be in disbelief over Yangren Castle being lost to Dong Zhuo's forces during Hulao Gate.
- Pet the Dog: Even if Lu Bu doesn't do a good job and not save Yuan Shao when they are allied together, Yuan Shao will still thank him for his effort and offer him a home and place in his army. Impressing Yuan Shao will cause him to save Lu Bu's army at his most crucial moment, effectively saving Lu Bu from the Bad Ending route.
- Rain of Arrows: His Tome Special in 6 and his EX Attack in 7 and 8.
- Red Mage: Not only is his weapon of choice a rapier, but he can summon a barrage of fire arrows and heal himself in battle.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Like Dong Zhuo and Zhang Jiao, he dies fairly early in the Three Kingdoms' history, but he's nevertheless an important character in that he's the first real obstacle to Cao Cao's path to power, and his death effectively solidifies the authority of Wei.
- Unblockable Attack: His first Musou Attack in 7 and 8
- Upper-Class Twit: Sometimes, though notably apparent in the crossover, much to many characters' chagrins. Interestingly, he is one of the few characters whose invented faults in the original novel aren't smoothed out in adaptations, as the historical Yuan Shao was well known to be very laid-back and humble about his exalted origins. Then again...
- Use Your Head: In 4 and 5, his first charge attack is a rolling headbutt into the enemy. In Warriors Orochi, it has blue shockwaves around him when doing it.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Yuan Shao is this in Warriors Orochi 3 due to his Musou Attack. New players won't realize Yuan Shao is preparing for his Musou Attack, until he One Hit Kills you with it. Veterans will be able to dodge, but others may decide to block it, only to realize Yuan Shao's Musou Attack has received a large damage buff and is rendered unblockable.
- We Used to Be Friends: Believe it or not, he and Cao Cao were once very close. note But Yuan Shao grew too arrogant, and Cao Cao too ambitious, and it all ended in blood.
- White Hair, Black Heart: Subverted, he's not really evil despite being arrogant.
"The Voice of the Heavens"

- "The Mandate of the Heavens lies with the Yellow Turbans!"
Zhang Jiao is the Taoist leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He was the founder of the philosophy known as "The Way of Peace", which he preached to the people of China and convinced the masses to overthrow the dwindling Han Dynasty.
Portrayed as a magician with rather ridiculous mannerisms, Zhang Jiao is known to frequently mention the word "Heaven" during his over the top speeches.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Of all the characters, he gets the most drastic redesign in Origins, which not only makes him look younger but also gives him a far less exaggerated hairstyle, making him a lot less ridiculous looking.
- Adaptational Heroism: Most of the franchise starts with the Yellow Turban Rebellion underway as your starter battles, so Zhang Jiao being an Anti-Villain doesn't really get much emphasis as he's trying to kill everyone fighting against him either way. By Origins, the game starts instead with him assisting the Wanderer and Guan Yu in fighting off the local banditry, and delves more into his Well-Intentioned Extremist mindset that realizes the horrors he's wrought, and yet has to face the fact that I've Come Too Far all the same.
- Adaptational Seriousness: Along with the revamp on his character design, Origins removed his bombastic personality and reworked him into a serious man who cares for the oppressed and laments his failures after realizing that he lost his way.
- Anime Hair: In 6, 8 and 9. His 8 hairdo actually resembles a star and this aspect has been emphasized in his DLC costume for that game
◊. And then, his hairdo in 9 is shaped like a moon. - Anti-Villain: Genuinely has the people's best interests at heart, but is ahead of his time in seeing the weak, corrupt state of the Han empire demands change.
- Back from the Dead: In Lu Bu's story for 6 and Wei's "what-if" route in 8
- Beard of Evil: Subverted, he's not exactly evil.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- Comes to the aid of Guan Yu at Fan Castle in Shu's "what-if" scenario in 8 He also has a personal scenario in Xtreme Legends where he and Zuo Ci arrive to assist Liu Bei at Runan and lead the charge to defeat Cao Cao.
- In the tutorial mission in Origins, he and the Yellow Turbans aid Guan Yu and Ziluan when they were cornered by the Imperial army.
- Catchphrase: "That's one more disbeliever converted!"
- Church Militant: His "Way of Peace" is essentially a Taoist warrior cult out to take over the land.
- Dies Wide Open: His death in Origins has him expiring from his wounds while sitting beside the tree. Then, Ziluan closes his eyes.
- The Extremist Was Right: In 5, where he gets his own ending, he brings an end to the wars ravaging the land, builds a new faith of love and brotherhood, and creates a benevolent government that sees to the people's needs. So yeah, for all his building a violent rebellion around what amounts to a religious cult, Zhang Jiao has his heart in the right place.
- Face Death with Dignity: After his defeat in "Origins, he's aware that a Guardian of Peace will kill him. But Ziluan becomes a witness to his death, where he succumbs to his wounds as he expresses his wish for a peaceful world.
- Foreshadowing: Seems to be a walking version of this in 7, considering his conversations with Xiahou Dun, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei in the Wei, Wu, and Shu Story Modes, respectively.
- Heel–Face Brainwashing: He can optionally inflict this on Cao Cao and Sun Jian (along with their sub-officers and troops) in 5 if the player choose to pray with Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang on their respective altars to initiate the brainwashing spell.
- Heel–Face Turn: In Shu's Story Mode for 8, provided the peasants are protected.
- Hero Antagonist: Although each of the three factions make names for themselves toppling his rebellion, Zhang Jiao is a good man seeking an essentially positive end.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Somewhat literally. Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turbans are portrayed as rebels against the Han, NOT ruthless bandits looting all they can find. Unfortunately, many bandits simply find it convenient to use the Yellow Turban name as an excuse to rob and extort all they can take. Some of his scenarios revolve around rectifying this.
- He Who Fights Monsters: In Origins, he and the Yellow Turbans fought for the weak against the corrupt Han dynasty. Unfortunately, as time passed, the Yellow Turbans began oppressing the weak by ravaging the villages and Zhang Jiao realizes in the end that he's too late to stop the rebels' greed.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: Historically, he led the Yellow Turban rebels but he's presumably not a personal combatant. Also, he most likely doesn't really possess a magical power note . In the games, not only he possesses magical power, but he is also a personal combatant. In addition, he historically died of illness, while in the games he goes down fighting.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Historically, the character for "Jiao" (角) was supposed to be pronounced as "Jue". Thus, he would've actually been called "Zhang Jue".
- Kung-Fu Wizard: Combines magic and martial art techniques in his combat.
- Large Ham: The guy is preachy in every single one of his lines, even when he's giving a battle briefing. Mixes with
Narm CharmZhang Jiao: YOOOOOUUUUU ARE NOT WOOOOOOORRRRTHY TO FACE ME! - Looks Like Jesus: His appearance in a few of the games. His Origins character design really made him look like Jesus.
- Playing with Fire: Always has fire as his elemental power. It's only in 2 where he uses a sword. But after that, he uses a Magic Staff which lets him conjure fire.
- Religion Is Magic: To the point of hanging out with Zuo Ci and the other mystics in the Orochi campaign's final mission.
- Sinister Minister: His enemies see him as a devious rebel who uses the "Way of Peace" as a recruitment tool for his personal army. Naturally, his followers see him as a Good Shepherd who leads them to a better world.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He is literally the first major character in the Three Kingdoms Era to die, but his rebellion has a lasting effect in that it exposed the weakness and corruption of the Later Han Dynasty, setting the stage for Dong Zhuo's rise to power and the resultant chaos that came to define the time period.
- Squishy Wizard: Usually averted when you faced him as enemy.
- Token Human: In the last stage of Orochi's Origins Episode in the second Warriors Orochi game, the very-human Zhang brothers are inexplicably present amongst the otherwise-Mystic forces, contributing with a legion of phantom soldiers.
- Unique Enemy: In Origins, Zhang Jiao uses a staff, which uses the dao moveset in his normal attacks but in his boss battle he fully supplements it with magic.
- Verbal Tic: "THE HEAVENS!"
- Warm-Up Boss: Almost always the first boss you face in the main installments, as the whole story is triggered by the Yellow Turban Rebellion. However, being the first famous officer you fight, he's not exactly an easy boss and can catch you off guard, especially if he uses his Musou or magic traps.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Zhang Jiao starts his rebellion upon deciding that the Han state is becoming increasingly weak, despotic, and corrupt, and hopes to tear down the old order to create a new, better one. And, to be fair to him, the Han state is becoming increasingly weak, despotic, and corrupt, as all the other factions come to realize over the course of the game when they push to create their own kingdoms. Unfortunately, it appears that he is a little ahead of his time in this regard, and his preliminary rebellion is brutally put down. The eighth game's Shu Hypothetical route changes this somewhat, having him survive the destruction of his initial rebellion with a core of followers and throw in his lot with Shu, after perceiving that he and Liu Bei share an interest in fixing China.
Debuting in Dynasty Warriors 3
"The Great King"

- "There is no task too big for the Great King!"
Meng Huo is the King of Nanman and a powerful tribal chief among the southern tribes. While he is the official ruler, he often counsels with his wife Zhurong on matters.
Meng Huo is portrayed as a sweet but short tempered man who frustratedly attempts to outwit Zhuge Liang at every turn, but fails dismally each time. He has a very strong relationship with his troops and officers, and all consider themselves a close family with an unbreakable spirit.
- Amazon Chaser: He seems more than happy with having a fierce Jungle Princess as a wife, and never takes offense when she acts feisty against him.
- Barbarian Hero: He usually fights in a "wild," animalistic style and dresses in wild beast hides, but his goals are usually positive.
- Bash Brothers: With Wei Yan in Warriors Orochi 3.
- Battle Couple: Often fights alongside his wife and queen Zhurong.
- Big Fun: Quite a jolly guy, when he isn't fighting.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: The Nanman Campaign usually ends up with him and his people joining Shu after being defeated. In Warriors: Abyss, this is symbolized by him and his wife being able to be upgraded to have the "Shu" Emblem, allowing to benefit from synergies related to that particular Emblem.
- A Father to His Men: His inner corps of officers are like family to him, and his dialogue is pissed if you beat up a lot of them before confronting him.Meng Huo: RAAAGH! Those are MY people you're cutting down!
- Happily Married: Zhurong can be bossy with Meng Huo, but they are genuinely in love and they always support each other no matter what happens.
- Henpecked Husband: Zhurong is constantly scolding or bossing him around when he's being too mellow or failing to defeat his enemies.
- Heroic Build: In 6: Empires and 7
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Mostly. In most games, he is usually depicted as protecting his land from invading Shu forces, before eventually surrendering and agreeing to join Shu. However, in the novel and in history, he's actually the one who rebelled against Shu after some of Shu's traitorous regional leaders goaded him to it, arguing that Shu was weakening due to Liu Bei's death (something that also caused conflicts with his personal loyalties). Then, Zhuge Liang launched the Southern Campaign to suppress his rebellion, finally resulting in the surrender of Meng Huo and his Nanman people. note
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: He stands at a whopping 6'11". His wife may be the tallest woman in the cast, but anyone's going to look tiny next to that.
- Large and in Charge: He's the king of Nanman who is huge in both bulk and stature.
- Noble Savage: His wild ways and "uncivilized" culture belie a friendly and benevolent spirit, which is part of why he gets on so well with Shu.
- Power Fist: Uses a pair of large gauntlets in every installment except 6: Empires and 8: Empires where he can grab his opponent and toss them around.
- Ruling Couple: While Meng Huo is nominally the king, he and his queen Zhurong are often portrayed as having an equal amount of sway with their people.
- Stout Strength: All installments except 6: Empires and 7 have him having a portly build that possesses immense physical strength.
- Telephone Polearm: His inclusion in 6: Empires has him use a large pillar, but also throws in a palm tree and a giant mushroom in his moveset, which returns to him in 8: Empires as the "Stele". This also makes him an Improbable Weapon User where said palm tree and mushroom persists in the updated moveset for the pillar instead of being discarded after use. He can switch between the pillar, the palm tree and the mushroom depending on whatever charge attack the player does.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Meng Huo isn't completely hideous, but he's also clearly much less attractive than his lady.
- Wrestler in All of Us: Most of his moves in 7, while his "Beast King" Musou Attack is a rolling powerbomb.
"The Goddess of Fire"

- "I am a descendant of the Goddess of Fire. To know me is to know fear."
Said to be the daughter of the God of Fire, Zhurong is depicted as a fierce and attractive woman who often coerces her husband into action against rival kingdoms. As she finds Meng Huo's laid-back and contented nature a hindrance to the Nanman people, she sees it as her duty to inspire passion and ambition in him.
She is the only female character who actually fought in the novel, defeating two Shu generals in the battle.
- Battle Couple: Of ten fights alongside her husband and king Meng Huo.
- The Beastmaster: She employs all kinds of wild animals against you during the Nanman Campaign
- Buxom Beauty Standard: The Fur Bikini she usually wears naturally draws attention to the fact she's well-endowed, something even her own soldiers don't miss.
- Chef of Iron: A more than capable fighter, and, according to her husband at least, a great cook as well.
- Contralto of Strength: Her voice is noticeably deeper than other females. She's always more than happy to charge into battle and has plenty of strength to back her up.
- Defeat Means Friendship: The Nanman Campaign usually ends up with her and her people joining Shu after being defeated.
- Divine Parentage: She shares the name with a supposed ancestor, the God of Fire.
- Fur Bikini: Depending on the installment, it borders on Stripperiffic. In 7, she's wearing a skimpy
◊ Leotard of Power. - Happily Married: Zhurong can be bossy with Meng Huo, but they are genuinely in love and they always support each other no matter what happens.
- Hot-Blooded: She has a fiery and rowdy personality, and it's usually the one riling up her husband to take up arms.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Tiny compared to Meng Huo, yet the irony is Zhurong's the tallest female character in the cast and towers over other females.
- Jack of All Stats: Noted to be fairly balanced stat-wise and can attack at short and long distances with her weapon.
- Jungle Princess: She's from a region of China that was heavily forested, and is the closest one can get to this trope in the game.
- Meaningful Name: Named after "Zhu Rong", the God of Fire and claimed as her ancestor.
- Ms. Fanservice: She's a tall, beautiful woman with impressive curves and a tendency to wear very little clothing. It's only in 9 where her informal costume
obscures her body. - Mystical White Hair: She has a Divine Parentage to the Fire God, hence her striking white hair.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: Her outfit
◊ in 7 has an opening in the middle that ends on her waist, giving her a V-shaped neckline. - Noble Savage: She might be ambitious and aggressive Jungle Princess, but she does have a sense of justice, which is why she easily conforms with living in Shu.
- Nubile Savage: She's a beautiful barbarian queen who bares a lot of skin with her skimpy outfits.
- Playing with Fire: Most of her weapons are named after something to do with fire - "Spitfire", "Magma Wheel", and "Inferno" are just some examples. Also her first Musou Attack since 7 involves conjuring a gigantic fireball and detonating it by punching it, hurling flames in every direction.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang: Her weapon in every installment except 7 and 7: Extreme Legends
- Ruling Couple: While Meng Huo is nominally the king, he and his queen Zhurong are often portrayed as having an equal amount of sway with their people.
- Statuesque Stunner: The tallest female character in the series, and absolutely stunning.
- Tsundere: She clearly wears the pants in her marriage and is the only person Meng Huo fears.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: She's a beautiful Nubile Savage while her husband is a portly guy with brought features.
- Underwear of Power: Or Leotard of Power, it depends on the game.
- Xenafication: The only woman in the game to avert this - in the original novels, she was a formidable front-line fighter (the only true female one in the story, in fact - even Sun Shanxiang's fondness for martial arts was just a hobby) and the only Nanman general to seriously inconvenience the Shu army in their long Curb-Stomp Battle against her people.
Debuting in Dynasty Warriors 5

- "I see fate has brought us together. Shall we?"
A mysterious mystic who appears in Dynasty Warriors 5, 8 and 9, as well as the Warriors Orochi series. He was known most for having an encounter with Cao Cao and being one who openly stated that he opposes the Wei king's rule. Historically, he was mentioned in texts written by Cao Cao's sons Pi and Zhi. note Zuo also had a biography in Book of the Later Han.
- Anime Hair: Even worse than Zhang Jiao's. One could even mistake it for a hat. According to Warriors Orochi 3, it is a hat:"How does Master Zuo Ci get his hair to stand up like that? Wait ... You mean that isn't hair?"
- Broken Pedestal: He favors Liu Bei as China's unifier, but the Shu ruler's decision to abandon virtue in favor of vengeance at Yi Ling lowers him in Zuo Ci's estimation. Viewing Liu Chan as an Inadequate Inheritor and Cao Pi as his father come again, he nonetheless supports Shu over Wei at Wu Zhang, only to conclude that the land's reprieve from chaos will be a fleeting one and depart.
- Cool Old Guy: He is the oldest character in the game, and he is very wise. In his first appearance in Dynasty Warriors 5, he actually has the best stats of any character. He's as strong as Lu Bu and all of his other stats are far superior.
- Death Dealer: His weapons are Paper Talismans. He can control them telekinetically to strike enemies or use them to cast powerful spells, ranging from a variety of elements. The elements however, are largely scrapped in 8 save for a few traces (like in his C6); the specialty of this weapon is also to use its various charge attacks to inflict a slow-status-debuff on his target(s) should they connect.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning: His spells for his various inputs, and makes use of all three of them at once in his original True Musou Attack. However, it gets a bit downplayed in his new moveset for 8, where it's more about mystical energy and light beams than actual visible elements.
- Having a Blast: His original two-input C6 attack, which works the same way in 8.
- Kamehame Hadoken: A majority of his moves involve him firing lasers in some fashion, as well as his second EX Attack in 8: XL. His talismans' switch attack which also uses this even causes the screen to shake upon firing the laser.
- Master of All: Statistically he is above-average in all categories and has even better stats than Lu Bu, save for being sturdy on the get-go of course.
- Megaton Punch: Has this has his original hidden Direction+R1+Square Combination Art Type Action from the Warriors Orochi games prior to 3, where he literally puts his talismans on is forehead to power himself up for a while, then thrust-punches forward. Gets reprised in a different form as his first EX Attack in 8, where it becomes a two-input move; the first input also doubles as a guard break.
- Mind over Matter: How he moves his talisman cards.
- Mysterious Protector: To Liu Bei, who he believes to be The Chosen One.
- Mystical White Hair: He is a mystic in both Warriors Orochi and Dynasty Warriors (8 confirmed this, too) universe.
- Nerf: Suffers from this in the Warriors Orochi crossovers, with the third game being the most drastic. Since all Dynasty Warriors characters in Warriors Orochi 3 get an updated moveset due to a new engine and gameplay mechanics, Zuo Ci is kept with an inferior moveset, which has been nerfed further from Warriors Orochi 2. However, he gains an updated moveset in 8 which reuses most of his movements but changes the functions of many of his attacks.
- Not Quite Human: Implied in 5. But confirmed in the crossover, revealing him to be from the mystic realm, and continued in 8 where he outright states that he is from the Mystic Realm while attempting to destroy Wei on its hypothetical route. Historically, he was supposedly this as well. As with all things mystical, the truth may never be known.
- Prophecies Are Always Right: Averted in 8, specifically the Wei hypothetical campaign. Despite his claims that Liu Bei must be triumphant, and that Cao Cao's victory will lead the nation into ruin, Wei's final victory sees Cao Cao taking Liu Bei's dying words to heart and ruling over a new nation of peace, reason, and equality with the people's well-being in mind.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: His ending in 5 shows him transforming into a crane.
- Wizards Live Longer: According to some sources, he was about 300 years old when he last appeared in the mortal world, though as a Mystic it might not be unusual for him.
Debuting in Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends

- "Soon, my name will echo throughout the land!"
Lu Bu's strategist, Chen Gong was a previous minister of Dong Zhuo, until he rescued Cao Cao from execution, but quickly left after seeing the warlord's brutal nature. After Dong Zhuo's fall, he offers his services to Lu Bu and continue to serve him, through good and ill, until his demise at Xiapi.
- Adaptational Villainy: In 8, contrasting his appearance from 7, he attacks Cao Cao and Diaochan takes his place and helps Cao Cao escape. Also in the Romance novel, he is the one who helped Cao Cao escape from Luo Yang after the latter failed to assassinate Dong Zhuo and he delivered a What the Hell, Hero? to Cao Cao for killing Lu Boshe (Cao Cao's relative) and his servants because Cao Cao mistook them for planning to assassinate him, and spent his life refusing to serve what he regarded as an ambitious usurper. In 8, when he's finally a playable unique character, he's turned into an ambitious usurper motivated by his own pride and desire for glory more than anything else.
- Note that the "virtuous" portrayal from Romance novel may or may not be accurate to the history. While he did betray Cao Cao and defected to Lu Bu in history, that's presumably done out of pragmatism, considering Cao Cao wasn't really an influential warlord at the time yet. This is touched a bit in 9, where Chen Gong is actually part of the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition (instead of serving him like in 8) and he's skeptical of Cao Cao's ability to lead and recognize that it's ultimately Lu Bu and not Cao Cao who ends up killing Dong Zhuo, which is why he decides to betray Cao Cao and defect to Lu Bu.
- In the case of real life, it was also hinted that Lu Bu didn't often rely on Chen Gong's strategies all the time due to some records stating he had rather loose loyalty in the first place, with some even speculating that Chen Gong even wanted to claim power all for himself.
- All According to Plan: The gameplay doesn't always reflect it, but the design idea behind his weapon boils down to this.
- Ascended Extra: In a similar process to Guo Jia for 7: Extreme Legends, he won the top spot of the poll and was given a unique character design to use in future games. At the same time, he is the first new "Other" playable character since Zuo Ci in 5.
- Badass Bookworm: For all intents and purposes, literally fights with a book. He's also skilled such that Lu Bu claims theirs and Zhang Liao's martial prowess is all they need to win battles, and given enough breathing room, he can hold his own against the Peach Garden brothers in the hypothetical route, something even Lu Bu struggled with back at Hulao.
- Batman Gambit: In Warriors Orochi 4, he claims that he was able to maneuver Lu Bu into eventually betraying Odin simply by encouraging him to fight recklessly until he started to interfere with Odin's plans, at which point the two would come into conflict.
- Brains and Brawn: The brain to Lu Bu's brawn.
- Character Exaggeration: Chen Gong in real life, especially noted by Xun Yu, was clever and heroically uptight, yet he was quite slow when it came to his decisions. A very common saying was often "Lu Bu should've listened to Chen Gong" when in reality, the real life Chen Gong was possibly overhyped by a majority of common opinions, and Lu Bu may have not even relied on all of Chen Gong's strategies in the first place. Here in Dynasty Warriors and in the novel, he was often part of Lu Bu's cornerstone one way or another while having a more reasonable personality (before the playable portrayal of him came along; more examples below).
- Characterization Marches On: Before 8:XL, Chen Gong's characterization was largely in line with the novel, as a virtuous man with bad taste in employers who constantly tries to rein in Lu Bu's wild impulsivity. In that game, he's...well, he's still trying to act as Lu Bu's brains anyway, though with his personality possibly more in line with how he may have been in real life under Lu Bu.
- The Chessmaster: In his hypothetical DLC scenario for 9, he manipulates Liu Bei, Ma Chao and Sun Ce to work with his strategies by earning their trust. He uses them to direct their forces against Cao Cao which not only get Cao Cao kicked out from his position but also earn the Emperor's trust, making him the his new Prime Minister.
- Commonality Connection: In Warriors Orochi 4, he forms a bond with Kojuro due to them being advisors to particularly hot-headed lords that rarely heed their advice.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He comes across as a hammy, opportunistic Glory Hound by immediately defecting from the Wei forces to serve Lu Bu, and laments that his talents were wasted on Lu Bu in the historical route of 8: Xtreme Legends. In Lu Bu's hypothetical route this actually turns out to be true — in two different stages he outwits Guo Jia and Zhou Yu, the most brilliant minds of Wei and Wu respectively.
- Deadpan Snarker: 6. In 8:XL, he's far too animated to be deadpan.
- Defiant to the End: To Cao Cao in Lu Bu's historical end in 8: Xtreme Legends, to the point that he mockingly offers to let Cao Cao serve him, and perishes claiming that his only regret is that the world will never know his true genius working as a strategist for a brute like Lu Bu.
- Do with Him as You Will: To Lu Bu in 4 once morale is low enough, as everyone else was already sick of his warmongering ways enough to abandon him.
- Everyone Has Standards: Notes in Lu Bu's historical campaign that he does feel bad about backstabbing Liu Bei after the benevolence he's shown them, but that he doesn't see any way around it.
- I Gave My Word:
- Despite Lu Bu and Chen Gong butting heads on a near-constant basis in the historical route after losing Yan Province, Chen Gong stays faithful to Lu Bu until their execution by Cao Cao.
- He remains loyal to Liu Bei in his hypothetical scenario despite the latter's grievances on him. Even though Liu Bei finds out in the end that he's being played like a piano, Chen Gong asserts that he never betrayed him throughout the campaign and reminds him that he should be happy that the Emperor is safe from Cao Cao's hands. Eventually, Liu Bei resigns to the fact that Chen Gong is right.
- Glory Seeker: His Goal in Life. He wants to go down in history as a great strategist who ensured the conquest of all China. In Lu Bu's historical campaign, he is bitterly aware that he is dying in obscurity, while in the hypothetical, Chen Gong is ecstatic that he is now the Emperor's own chief strategist. In his personal hypothetical scenario, he becomes Emperor Xian's Prime Minister after defeating Cao Cao.
- This remains Chen Gong's motivation in Origins, it is why he betrayed Cao Cao for Lu Bu (on top of the stated reason that Cao Cao's faction is "easy mode" for a strategist). Chen Gong wants to go down in history so much that he doesn't even mind if he is famed for his stupidity should his betrayal resulted in defeat. When that inevitably comes to pass he proudly walks to his own execution, refusing to be spared by Cao Cao.
- Hyper-Competent Sidekick: In 8:XL, Lu Bu's personal success all depends on whether or not he heeds Chen Gong's advice.
- Improbable Weapon User: Uses a bamboo scroll of The Art of War as weapon. While it also summons soldiers to fight for him, Chen Gong does sometimes just hit people with it.
- Insufferable Genius: His characterization as a playable character is that of a slimy and arrogant schemer, but also a shrewd and skillful tactician and strategist. He's not as good as he thinks he is, but that's only because no one is as good as he thinks he is.
- Large Ham and Milking the Giant Cow: Oh boy, he's probably the most stand out among all other new characters only because of these traits.
- Manipulative Bastard:
- In Warriors Orochi 4, he learns that rather than trying to directly advise Lu Bu, he'll get a lot further by manipulating him towards a goal of his own choosing. Specifically, he deliberately encourages Lu Bu to fight the coalition recklessly until Odin tells him to cut it out, at which point Lu Bu turns against the god and Chen Gong follows suit.
- His hypothetical DLC scenario shows him this at his best where he manages to get Liu Bei, Ma Chao and Sun Ce under his wing so he can defeat Cao Cao and earn recognition from the Emperor.
- The Minion Master: He's the only character who makes any form of use out of allied peons outside of being incidental meat shields, though the summoned minions don't last long.
- Odd Couple:
- Deconstructed on the historical route, where his and Lu Bu's differences in personality create a hostile situation where Lu Bu refuses to listen to Chen Gong's strategic and political advice, and Chen Gong gets so fed up with Lu Bu's arrogance and incompetence outside the narrow tactical sphere that he stops trying to talk to him. It leads to defeat after defeat, only deepening the chasm between them until each one dies insulting the other.
- Reconstructed on the hypothetical, where their learning to respect one another is an important factor in their eventual victory. Even when Chen Gong freely admits that he wanted to use Lu Bu in order to gain power, they're on such good terms that Lu Bu isn't surprised and is willing to help make Chen Gong's dreams come true.
- Only Sane Man: Is the only one who realizes that randomly going into battle is not a good idea in 6 and tries to rein in his master's more impulsive displays in the crossovers.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- He never meets his fate in the hypothetical route on 8:XL because he is able to get Lu Bu to listen to him and things worked out in their favor.
- In his hypothetical DLC scenario from the ninth game, Cao Cao spares him after he executed Lu Bu at Xiapi and tells him to serve another lord who is not like him or Lu Bu. Ironically, he recommends him to Liu Bei.
- Sycophantic Servant: Downplayed. He does tend to lavish praise on anyone in earshot, but only when he's genuinely impressed with them.
- Throw the Book at Them: The bamboo scrolls are technically the Later Han/Three Kingdoms Era's equivalent of today's books.
- Verbal Tic: Has a habit of a repeating certain words or phrases twice.
- According to some of Lu Bu's mooks, kids in the streets learned it off him pretty quick.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Ends up not appearing after the fall of Xiapi, when in other accounts he refused to serve Cao Cao, thus was executed; nevertheless Cao Cao supported Chen Gong's mother for the rest of her life. Averted in 8:XL, where, along with Zhang Liao, he forms the core of Lu Bu's mini-faction and the historical route ends with his and Lu Bu's execution.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Calls Diaochan out on her manipulation of Lu Bu in 6, and calls out Cao Cao in the novel.

- "I am the daughter of Lu Bu. It is my duty to lead everyone to victory!"
Lu Lingqi is the fictional name given to the daughter of Lu Bu and his wife in the novel Lady Yan note ; her real given name is unknown. Lingqi was originally offered for a political marriage with Yuan Shu's son, until that plan fell through. Her fate after her father's death is unknown.
- Adapted Out: She's absent in Origins despite being active during this timeframe.
- All Amazons Want Hercules: In the novel, Lu Bu offered her hand in marriage to Yuan Shu's son, and Yuan Shu turned him down out of loathing for his arrogance. In 8:XL, Yuan Shu's son proposed to her, and she turned him down, saying that he wasn't "man enough" to handle the daughter of Lu Bu. It just makes him want her more. In 9, it's Yuan Shu who makes the offer, which infuriates Lu Bu. Lingqi however is willing to accept it for the sake of a political alliance (as well as telling her father that they can turn on him whenever they want).
- Ascended Extra: An unnamed character only alluded to as a potential bride to Yuan Shu's son in the novel, she became an unseen, but referenced character in 4 at the Battle of Xiapi. With the increased focus on Lu Bu's forces for 8: Extreme Legends, Lingqi makes her playable debut.
- Badass Adorable: When she's happy, she's adorable. When she's on the battlefield, she's lethal, appropriate for the daughter of the most powerful warrior on the battlefield.
- Bifurcated Weapon: Inherits her father's twin double-edged wheel voulges from 6.
- Blow You Away: Her EX attacks create whirlwinds that throw enemies around.
- Boomerang Comeback: Lots of her attacks and Musou involve throwing the huge wheel and letting it spin back to her hand.
- Canon Immigrant: Lingqi made an earlier cameo in Dynasty Tactics; her current look uses the hairstyle and facial appearance as her Dynasty Tactics counterpart (only this time, she's wearing black-red armor like her father). She was also a playable character in ROTK9 and beyond.
- Daddy's Girl: She's always bringing up her father whenever she can.
- Hates Being Alone:
- Beneath her brave warrior persona, Lingqi is terrified of being alone in the world. Tragically, this is exactly what comes to pass in the Historical route, as her father orders her to save herself instead of risking her life to help him.
- In her camp conversation with Lady Hayakawa in Warriors Orochi 4, she admits that she doesn't have friends while growing up because she and her father spend some time moving around. Hayakawa feels sad about this and tells Lingqi that she wants to be her friend.
- Inconsistent Spelling: The correct Pinyin spelling of her name is Lü Lingqi (note the umlaut), not Lu Lingqi. Both her father and Lu Meng also share this problem.
- Just a Kid: Zhang Fei and Guan Yu have this reaction to her during the Battle of Xiaopei. She does not take it well.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Despite her pride in her heritage and prowess in battle, when talked to in Ambition Mode she utters the phrase word-for-word, noting that as Lu Bu's daughter most people are in awe of her.
- Lady of War: She is Lu Bu's daughter.
- Minidress of Power: Her armor, plus some pauldrons and stockings.
- Morality Pet: She is one of the few characters that Lu Bu doesn't treat with scorn or hostility to the point that he puts her safety above his own.
- No Guy Wants an Amazon: Averted, actually. In addition to Yuan Shu's son's attempts to win her over, the troops say in camp conversations that she's attractive enough, but the big turn off isn't her martial prowess. It's the thought of having Lu Bu for a father-in-law. One guy is clearly smitten with her anyway.
- The Not-Love Interest: A second time for a female character outside of Wei. While Yuan Shu's son and one particularly lovestruck mook do pursue her, Lu Lingqi isn't interested in romance despite passing the age for available marriage.
- One-Handed Zweihänder: Like her father, she wields a massive and cumbersome weapon one-handed and with shocking agility.
- Parent with New Paramour: Despite the fact that Diaochan bears no ill-will towards her, Lingqi doesn't approve of her father's mistress and usually treats her coldly as shown during a dialogue scene between them in Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers.
- Passed-Over Inheritance: After the Guan clan takes possession of Red Hare following her father's death, she tries to reclaim the horse as her "birthright". However, her ending in 9 instead has Zhang Liao and two of his soldiers give her his iconic halberd.
- The Rival:
- To Guan Yinping in one of her special stages.
- In Warriors Orochi 4, Ina is fittingly this for her as she is the daughter of the strongest warrior in the Sengoku Period, Tadakatsu Honda.
- The Smurfette Principle: Lingqi essentially exists to enforce the principle for Lu Bu's army. On the hypothetical campaign, where Diaochan is present, she never appears.
- Statuesque Stunner: Is beautiful and at 170 cm, is one of the tallest female characters and is tall for an Asian woman.
- Status Buff: Notable in that one of her EX attacks not only gives her a temporary attack buff, but also provides a defense buff to nearby allies.
- Super-Strength: Downplayed compared to her rival, Guan Yinping, but she carries a massive weapon bigger than she is with one hand. In her ending in 9, she is capable of swinging around her father's halberd with relative ease, a weapon that typically requires two normal men to carry around.
- Tsundere: Her conversation with Sun Shangxiang in Ambition Mode hints that she is this; with her saying that she can't smile if there's nothing to smile about, then getting flustered when Shangxiang calls her cute.
- Undying Loyalty: Lu Bu may have been known as "the Bastard of Three Fathers" for a very good reason, but it clearly wasn't genetic. Lu Lingqi is a devoted and dutiful daughter, and the only reason she doesn't end up giving up her life for her father is that he tells her not to.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: She doesn't even appear on her father's hypothetical campaign.
- When She Smiles: In a special conversation with Sun Shangxiang in the Ambition base:Sun Shangxiang: You always look so tense. How about smiling once in a while?
Lingqi: I'm afraid I was born looking like this. I also find it hard to smile when there's nothing to smile about.
Sun Shangxiang: You are very cute. Seriously, you should try to smile more.
Lingqi: Cute? I am not! Stop it with your jokes.
Sun Shangxiang: See? You look even cuter when you're blushing. I'll help you work on your smile.
Debuting in Dynasty Warriors 9

- "I'll crush anyone who gives me any lip!"
The granddaughter of Dong Zhuo with an unknown father. She was given her passage to adulthood ceremony and a grand title at an unceremoniously young age despite a 50-year-old Zhu Jun's protests. For the grand ceremony, a platform was built to be five to six che –about 116 cm (3'10") or 139 cm (4'7") in modern conversions– and she rode in a blue-covered golden carriage as thousands of soldiers marched behind her. Dong Huang was said to have given her the seal personally. Dong Bai has no other mentions in historical records.
- Adapted Out: She's absent in Origins despite being active during this timeframe.
- All Just a Dream: As revealed at the final part of her ending, the events that occurred after she recaptured Luoyang is just a dream. It also justifies why Sun Ce and Liu Bei became willing vassals to the granddaughter of Dong Zhuo which is very Out of Character for them.
- Alpha Bitch: Her bitchiness really makes Zhenji look like an angel.
- Breakout Character: In a way. She's one of the characters that almost got no mention in history or novels alike (even less than Lu Lingqi), but her appearance in Dynasty Warriors Blast increased fan awareness around her greatly and she's one of the more well-received exclusive characters there, to the point that she's a unique NPC in 9, which would be a DLC in a later date.
- Daddy's Little Villain: More like granddaddy's little villain, she follows Dong Zhuo around and puts a cute attitude around him while being just as cruel to others just like him.
- Dark Action Girl: She's cruel and nasty but she can hold on her own as she can defeat the likes of Lu Bu and Zhang Liao in her storyline.
- Elegant Gothic Lolita: She has this kind of getup, evoking a menacing aura for a girl.
- Epic Flail: Her weapon is a flail just like her grandpa. Her ground Musou attack consists of tying her opponent with the chain and drag them to their knees before she flips them off the air. Meanwhile, her aerial Musou attack has her landing the metal ball on her opponent's abdomen and stomps them with it.
- Evil Counterpart: Of sorts to Lu Lingqi. While Lingqi is a proud warrior who sees her father as a hero to be revered, and becomes a noble warrior in response, Dong Bai embraces her grandfather's sadistic and cruel nature, becoming a sadistic monster that wants to see those who caused her father's death suffer.
- Evil Laugh: Let's just say that she's really Dong Zhuo's granddaughter when it comes to laughing.
- Kneel Before Zod: In her ending, she has Cao Cao, Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu on their knees and forces them to bow at her feet.
- Non-Standard Character Design: She is given a unique design in Dynasty Warriors 9. Her character design is based on her appearance in Dynasty Warriors Blast.
- Pet the Dog: Despite her cruel personality, she tells Cai Yong, the father of Cai Wenji, to stay alive for his daughter's sake. And as seen in Hua Xiong's ending, she treats the soldiers with her grandfather's warm wine as a reward for their appreciation in serving her grandfather.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: She consistently hounds Lu Bu in his story mode after he kills her grandfather. In her story mode, this also extends to Zhang Liao who abandons her after Lu Bu saves Diaochan from her clutches.
- Sadist: She's definitely thrilled of tying up her enemies and stomping them on the ground.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Possibly. Historically, after Dong Zhuo is assassinated, most if not all of his family members are executed under Wang Yun and Emperor Xian's order. This possibly includes Dong Bai. However, in 9, she's still alive after Dong Zhuo's death and intends to avenge him.
- Spoiled Brat: Since Dong Zhuo pampered her, she can be a condescending, spoiled girl.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Ever since her grandfather's death, she wants Lu Bu and Zhang Liao to pay for their betrayal. However when she has them at her mercy, she spares them and forces them to work under her.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Granddaughter, to be exact, but Bai's overall looks certainly doesn't come from her Fat Bastard of a grandpa.

- "I yearn for battle!"
Died: 191
Onyomi: Ka Yū
Height: 6'11" (210cm)
Weapon: Club
A powerful general under Dong Zhuo. He plays an important role in the Battle of Sishui Gate where he prevents Dong Zhuo's enemies from reaching Luoyang.
- Always Someone Better: He wants to be stronger than Lu Bu. Too bad that Guan Yu kills him. It's even worth noting that Guan Yu himself couldn't even match Lu Bu's strength.
- Ascended Extra: Was voted to be the recipient of the pre-made "Warrior" design for 7:E. Then, he became a unique NPC and later DLC in 9.
- Badass in Distress: In 8XL at Hulao Gate, where he is surrounded by coalition officers and may die if not rescued quickly.
- Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: He's a massive character, and uses a giant mace to complement his size.
- Carry a Big Stick: His weapon. He's a big guy who needs a huge weapon.
- Composite Character: Roughly with Xu Rong, in a sense of being Wake-Up Call Boss to Sun Jian. Also, Xu Rong historically defected to Wang Yun and Lu Bu's side after Dong Zhuo is assassinated by Lu Bu, much like Hua Xiong did in hypothetical route of Lu Bu's story mode in 8.
- Covered with Scars: On his face. A unique trait to his generic character model.
- Demoted to Extra: Gets hit with this the hardest of all the formerly playable characters in Origins. His only notable roles are as an ally during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and later as an enemy at Sishui Gate, and he's the only unique officer other than Yuan Shu that Ziluan cannot bond with.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Lu Bu's Hypothetical route begins with Hua Xiong suggesting at Dingtao that he pretend to be Lu Bu to act as a decoy, allowing the real Lu Bu to sneak off and intercept an enemy unit that planned to strike elsewhere.
- Dumb Muscle: He's as dumb as a rock since he fails to pick up on certain cues such as Diaochan's attempt to seduce him. Even Lu Bu finds him too simple-minded to understand that defeating Cao Cao doesn't mean that he's stronger than the rest.
- Gate Guardian: He is in charge of defending Sishui Gate.
- Glory Hound: He's more interested in fighting strong opponents and showing off his strength.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: The result of being Composite Character. The historical Hua Xiong was a relatively unknown general besides being "Dong Zhuo's general that got killed by Sun Jian" note . It's the Romance novel that made him famous to modern audiences by transferring some of Xu Rong's role to him and Dynasty Warriors games adapt this characterization.
- Non-Standard Character Design: In 8XL he's taller than any other NPCs save for Wutugu. In 9, he's given a true unique design.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Survives in Lu Bu's hypothetical route, and proves heroically vital to many important strategies therein.
- Undying Loyalty: To Lu Bu in 8:XL. In Lu Bu's story mode for 8:XL, he will stay loyal to Lu Bu if you choose to rescue him at Hulao Gate. He even sides with Lu Bu in the same stage where the latter assassinate Dong Zhuo! In Dingtao, if you fulfill all hypothetical criteria but still choose historical route, Hua Xiong will appear here but only to be killed where he lamented that he can't repay his life debt to Lu Bu. In hypothetical route, he will constantly appear until the end of the story.
- Unknown Rival: In 9, this is his dynamic with Lu Bu. Hua Xiong often attempts to one-up Lu Bu in terms of being the strongest of Dong Zhuo's generals, but Lu Bu dismissed him often. Had Hua Xiong possess a longer lifespan, it could have gone anywhere, but he disappears after the battle of Hu Lao Gate even if he didn't get slain by Guan Yu.
- The Worf Effect: Appears pretty much to die at Guan Yu's hands and thereby be the reason that Guan Yu's might was noticed.
- You Shall Not Pass!: In every of his appearances as well as the full extent of his role at Sishui Gate.

- "Soon, all the land will be mine!"
The younger half-brother of Yuan Shao. note He is a very important figure in the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty where he declared himself emperor after demanding the Imperial Seal from Sun Ce. However, this makes him as a target from various warlords which renders his "dynasty" short. Historically, he was also Sun Jian's liege lord; after his death, his son Yuan Yao fled to Wu and served as an official. A daughter became Sun Quan's concubine, and Yuan Yao's daughter later married Sun Quan's son Sun Fen.
- Artifact of Attraction: He ends up granting Sun Ce troops in return for the Imperial Seal which the Sun family had held onto after Sun Jian's death, but the possession thereof ends up fueling Yuan Shu's own ambition until he ends up declaring himself Emperor... which ends up making him an enemy of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Lu Bu and Sun Ce simultaneously! (Although it's actually pretty back-and-forth between him and Lu Bu, and Yuan Shu ends up taking his side in Xiapi since DW6.)
- Ascended Extra: Downplayed. Despite being rather important figure for the overall fall of the Han Dynasty, Yuan Shu was always rendered a generic NPC. By 9, Yuan Shu at least got an upgrade to a unique NPC, and then becomes a DLC character.
- Blue Blood: Like Yuan Shao, he comes from the noble and prominent Yuan clan. However, he looks down on those below his station, particularly on Cao Cao. Historically, part of his resentment towards Shao was that Shao's mother was a concubine (while his was the main wife), and yet Shao had greater success than him.
- Cain and Abel: He never gets along with his half-brother, Yuan Shao, due to their clashing personalities and beliefs. By the time Yuan Shu declares himself as emperor, Yuan Shao would not hesitate to kill him.
- Did Not Think This Through: Had he listened to Zhou Yu's and Sun Ce's advice, then he would still be able to get the upper hand against Yuan Shao. Instead, his stubbornness causes Sun Ce to have second thoughts on him to the point of leaving him when he declares himself as emperor. Likewise, declaring himself as Emperor makes him labeled as a traitor by the Han court with all the warlords wanting his head on a pike. In the end, Yuan Shu loses all his supporters and loyalists and dies alone.
- Green-Eyed Monster:
- The reason he does not send the supplies to Sun Jian during the siege of Si Shui Gate. Except in 3, 5, and 8; where the case appears to be that he's too busy being manhandled by enemy forces to send Sun Jian any supplies.
- He's obsessed in defeating Yuan Shao because he wants to prove that he's a better successor to the Yuan clan. Then, he loses Xiapi to Lu Bu and is extremely jealous of Sun Ce's victories which dubbed him as "The Little Conqueror". As a result, this leads him to self-proclaim himself as Emperor.
- I Have Your Wife: He takes Sun Jian's wife, Wu Guotai, as a hostage in exchange for the Imperial Seal. Sun Jian has no choice but to comply. The same thing happens in history except this time, Sun Ce is the one who has to exchange it in order to save his mother. note
- Heroes Prefer Swords: He wields a sword during his generic appearance. When he became a unique NPC, he wields a rapier just like older half-brother, Yuan Shao.
- It's All About Me: This is his reason for declaring himself as emperor so that he wants to prove to everyone that he's way better than them.
- Never My Fault: He never blames himself for his failures and projects them to his enemies and subordinates for trying to best him.
- Non-Standard Character Design: He is given a unique appearance in Dynasty Warriors 9.
- Pet the Dog:
- Reinforce Lu Bu's outnumbered forces in 8:XL's Xiapi if you fulfill certain hypothetical condition, even though it still ends up with Lu Bu (and Chen Gong) being executed.
- In one cutscene of his storyline, he gives oranges to his officer's son. But when it turns out the boy didn't eat the oranges and keeps it instead so he can give it to his mother, Yuan Shu doesn't punish him due to his amazement on the boy's filial piety. This is Truth in Television because that boy is Lu Ji
, Lu Xun's second cousin once removednote , who eventually served Wu under Sun Quan and this cutscene is actually based from his account which is included in The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars
(#13).
- Small Name, Big Ego: Self-proclaimed himself as Emperor of a new dynasty, without even thinking if he would gain any supporters.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Mandarin orange, inspired by the historical account from The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars which was mentioned above.
Notable NPCs
- The Quisling: Towards Lu Bu's forces when they attempt to conquer Xia Pi.
- The Resenter: Towards Zhang Fei.
- Affably Evil: In 5, he seemingly wants to test Sun Ce's strength, more than everything else. This is some sort of Character Development, because his debut in 4:XL made him nothing more than just a Smug Snake. Later games have turned him into Manipulative and
Magnificent Bastard, though. - Combat Hand Fan: He wielded one in 7.
- Cool Sword: He wielded a broadsword prior to 7.
- Death Dealer: He Uses Paper Talismans in 8.
- Hero Killer: He's the mastermind behind Sun Ce's death in 7 and 8.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Historical records make little mention if he's outright evil. Most material source, instead, stated that it's just Sun Ce who suspects his teachings of Taoism and accuses him as a sorcerer.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Until 8, he was named "Yu Ji". Historically, he was named Gan Jinote .
- It's Personal: Historically, Sun Ce's purge of the Taoists is the reason Gan Ji seeks vengeance, leading to Laser-Guided Karma. The games instead angle Gan Ji as variable levels of antagonist, from performing a Secret Test of Character, to plotting his assassination because of the suggestions to cut the Sun family's warlord days short before they get out of hand, removing some of the personal stakes but not changing him as the man behind the fate of Sun Ce.
- Manipulative Bastard: In 7, he mind rapes Sun Ce and uses apparitions to lure him into an archer ambush, leading to Sun Ce's death.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Is given a unique costume as well as Zuo Ci's weapon in 8.
- What the Hell, Hero?: His apparitions (of various dead people, including Sun Jian) do this a lot to Sun Ce, such as forcing Sun Ce to fight his own soldiers and then calling him out on it.
- Arch-Enemy: His is Yuan Shao.
- Cool Horse: He's usually seen riding a white horse.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Ruler, but same difference.
- Small Name, Big Ego: After Hu Lao Gate in Zhao Yun's Musou Mode in 6, he states that Zhao Yun fought "almost" as well as he did.
- Adaptational Wimp: In Advance, he's depicted as a comically incompetent coward that pissed Cao Cao off.
- A Death in the Limelight: He's usually seen in the Yellow Turban Rebellion stage. But in 5:XL, there's a Legend stage dedicated for his death by the Ten Eunuchs. In this stage, it's up to you whether you want to keep him alive or not until the end of the stage because this time, losing him won't cause you to lose the battle. This stage makes a reappearance in 8:XL and it's the first stage for Lu Bu's musou mode.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Historically, he's assassinated by the Ten Eunuchs after they falsely invited him for a truce. In the games, he's killed in the battle during their rebellion.
- Nepotism: He become a general just because his sister is Emperor Ling's consort.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Usually only appear once as the Han Army commander in Yellow Turban Rebellion.
- Adaptational Wimp: He was actually a competent administrator; it's the novel (and by extension the games) which made him incompetent just to make Liu Bei look good. note
- Et Tu, Brute?: Feels betrayed after Liu Bei, whom he called for help, conquers the land of Shu.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: In 3 and 4, he surrenders to Liu Bei if you meet certain conditions.
- 0% Approval Rating: Considering that everyone wants Liu Bei to take over the land of Shu (To the point where even Zhang's own men defect to his army), with one soldier in DW7 even stating that Zhang's "the very picture of incompetence."
- Ascended Extra: Was voted to be the recipient of the pre-made "Ruler" design for 7: Empires.
- Badass Army: The Xiliang cavalry.
- Cool Horse: He is from Xiliang, so it's self-explanatory.
- Demoted to Extra: In 5, he is the commander of the Liang forces. In 7 and 8, the commander is Bian Zhang, Ma Teng is just one of Bian Zhang's lieutenants. It's accurate to history, however.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: In 5, the narration made it looks like Dong Zhuo is the one who invaded his homeland in Liang during the Battle of Liang Province. In real history, which is beginning to avert this trope since 7, his Liang forces are the rebels to the Han and Dong Zhuo is under the banner of the Han Imperial Forces.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Historically, he surrendered to Cao Cao and became his official until Ma Chao and Han Sui rebelled and Ma Teng was executed as punishment for the two rebels. In the games, which adapted the Three Kingdoms novel, Ma Teng is killed/executed when he was conspiring to assassinate Cao Cao.
- Meaningful Name: His surname means "horse" and he leads one of the, if not THE, strongest cavalry force in all of China.
- Healing Factor: He is able to use magic to help his soldiers recover from battle.
- Ascended Extra: Origins has him appear as a prominent supporting character who guides the protagonist for the whole of Chapter 2, whereas in "8 XL", he disappears after Dong Zhuo's death.
- The Atoner: He confides in Ziluan that he burned down Diaochan's hometown due to imperial orders, but took her in as a form of atonement. His parental feelings for her are genuine, however, as he sincerely hopes that one day Diaochan can live a 'quite life' and reverts back to the girl she once was before she came to his service.
- A Day in the Limelight: He and Cai Yong have a bonus stage where they host a nobility contest.
- Shipper on Deck: He supports his adopted daughter, Diaochan's, budding interest and relationship with Ziluan in Origins. In one scene, as Wang Yun laments his failures as a father, he mutters his hopes in seeing Diaochan forging happier life with Ziluan's help. Doubles with The Matchmaker, as he plays this role in the final moments before his death: Wang Yun goes as far as writing a letter to both Ziluan and Diaochan to get them to meet again under a blooming Cherry Tree after Dong Zhuo's downfall.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Him conspiring to kill Dong Zhuo is a massive contribution to the creation of the Three Kingdoms. His survival leads to Lu Bu's hypothetical route in 8 XL. In Origins, his role is greatly expanded and explored, having the whole of Chapter 2 dedicated to him and his adopted daughter's actions behind the scenes.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In Lu Bu's hypothetical route of 8 XL, he can be saved, allowing Diaochan to help Lu Bu in the future.
- And This Is for...: Courtesy of Wen Chou in 3, which was delivered in a hilarious way and became his last words... for that game anyway.Wen Chou: "FOR YAN LIAAAAANNNG!"

- Bash Brothers: Yan Liang and Wen Chou are basically a duo fighter and Yuan Shao's main musclemen, they're rarely seen without each other while kicking ass. And they were killed in almost the same time too by the same person.
- Covered with Scars: Wen Chou's face.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: On the receiving end of one from Guan Yu.
- Dumb Muscle: They're not at all strategically inclined, but are fearsome in combat, enough to repel some of Cao Cao's mighty generals, which unfortunately made Yuan Shao a bit too cocky about the lack of strategies in his forces. Everything started going downhill once Guan Yu offed them both.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: The Romance novel that made them famous to give Guan Yu worthy opponents to fight and kill, and it's transferred in-game, where they're always a pair of souped up generals until Guan Yu kills them, usually in cutscenes. Historically, Yan Liang was beaten by Guan Yu by a surprise attack and only became known of "the victim of Guan Yu's strength getting beheaded in a showcase of strength" (a rarity in the battlefield back in those days, which made Guan Yu stand out). Wen Chou wasn't even doing something any of note. He's routed and killed in battle without Guan Yu being involved.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When Yan Liang was killed, usually Wen Chou enters a state of rampage and becomes a lot fiercer, slaying more Wei soldiers and driving away its reputed generals to honor his friend's death. He's also very pissed at the killer, but unfortunately, said killer put an end to his rampage permanently.
- Weapon Specialization:
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Yan Liang's.
- The Worf Effect: Their defeat often serves to show how awesome Guan Yu is.
- Ascended Extra: In one of the previews of 9's Empires expansion, the devs use him as example with the edit character replacement system and show a story about him.
- Badass Army: His mooks are usually always wearing his signature Nanman Armor.
- Cool Sword: Wields one of these.
- Improvised Armour: His Nanman Armor.
- Kill It with Fire: His Nanman Armor is weak against fire.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Of all NPCs in DW8, he is the tallest. Fitting, as he was
described to be very tall in the novel.
- Sibling Team: When Yuan Shao is alive, they fight together under his command; when he dies, they start fighting each other for his throne, mostly because Tan and Xi are dissatisfied as Shao named Shang as his successor despite him being the youngest of the 3.
- We ARE Struggling Together: They don't get along with each other. Yuan Tan and Shang especially despise each other. They're forced to team-up against Cao Cao, but they're terrible in working together. Upon being cornered, they call out each other to attack first while panicking.
Yuan Tan
Yuan Shao's eldest son.- Enemy Mine: In 4 during Battle of Ji Province, if the player chooses, Yuan Tan can temporarily defect to Cao Cao's side until Yuan Shang is killed.
- The Resenter: To Yuan Shang. Their father favours Shang more despite Tan being the eldest.
Yuan Xi
Yuan Shao's middle son.- Character Exaggeration: Yuan Xi might not be the most mighty officer in the era, but in the games, his indecisiveness or incompetence tends to be put on more focus to the point that Zhenji is disgusted at his display of weakness and eventually ditched him for the more competent and confident Cao Pi. In 6, his forces could actually stand a chance because Zhenji was the one doing the commanding. Once Cao Pi won her over, his army crumbles.
- Disposable Fiancé:
- His wife Zhenji usually leaves him immediately after being defeated by Cao Pi at Guandu.
- To add insult to the injury, in Battle of Mt. Bailang (that happens after Guandu) for 8, Zhenji is always among allied officers who attack Yuan Xi. In story mode, she's not playable, so her AI will always direct her to Yuan Xi's position sooner or later.
- Historical Downgrade: Not much is known regarding his relationship with Zhenji in history. But it's known that Zhenji was close to Yuan Xi's mother. So it can be assumed that they were quite Happily Married.
- Weapon Specialization: A Cool Sword in 5.
- What the Hell, Hero?: In Cao Pi's first Legend stage, he calls out everyone for trying to steal his wife.
Yuan Shang
Yuan Shao's youngest son.- Enemy Mine: In 4 during Battle of Ji Province, if the player chooses, Yuan Shang can temporarily defect to Cao Cao's side until Yuan Tan is killed.
- Parental Favouritism: Yuan Shao favours him more over Yuan Tan despite Tan being the eldest.
- Took a Level in Badass: In Origins, he grows quite a bit in the short interim between his two battles. In the Battle of Ye, he's merely clinging on to the family name and riding on his late father's coattails, acting like a spoiled kid refusing to accept reality. In the aftermath, reality hits and he swallows his pride, allies with the lowly Wuhuan, and accepts that he's no longer fighting to succeed his father, but restore the Yuan clan. Cao Cao notices this and goes from treating him as a joke in Ye to a serious opponent on Bailang.
- Chewing the Scenery: His voice in 3 is... rather loud.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Causes landslides / drops boulders in the Yellow Turbans Stage.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Like his brother Jiao, he originally wanted to fight the oppression of the Han Dynasty. He then started raiding the peasants they wanted to protect.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted — he has no relation to Zhang Fei's son of the same name.
- Religion Is Magic: His powers are fueled by belief.
- Sibling Team: With his brothers Jiao and Liang.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He is killed in the first chapter in nearly every game.
- Weapon Specialization: Depends on the game, varies between Cool Sword or Magic Staff.
- Blow You Away: Responsible for the Tornados/Strong Winds in the Yellow Turbans Stage.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Like his brother Jiao, he originally wanted to fight the oppression of the Han Dynasty. He then started raiding the peasants they wanted to protect.
- Religion Is Magic: Like his brothers, his powers are fueled by belief.
- Sibling Team: With his brothers Jiao and Bao.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He is killed in the first chapter in nearly every game.
- Weapon Specialization: Depends on the game, varies between Cool Sword and Magic Staff.
- Combat Pragmatist: He is said to stole Dian Wei's weapon in some games. True to history, although not very useful because Dian Wei is still able to fight barehanded.
- Cool Mask: Being a ninja and all.
- Gratuitous Ninja: By appearance in 7 and 8, at least. Perhaps a nod that historically, he stole Dian Wei's weapon.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Well, you know, he's a ninja. In 7 and 8, so far.
- Weapon Specialization:
- Cool Sword: In 7.
- BFS: In 8, contrasting his appearance as ninja.
- Abdicate the Throne: He was forced by Cao Pi to abdicate, signaling the end of the Han dynasty. This also happens in Lu Bu's hypothetical route in 8:XL, though in this case it's because he was utterly terrified of Lu Bu.
- Authority in Name Only: On paper, Emperor Xian is the most influential man in China. This would be true, if not for the fact the Han dynasty's power has significantly waned by the time of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and powerful warlords come crawling out of the woodwork. He's even reduced to being a Puppet King who can do little other than continue act as Emperor in name only. He's aware of this, and is really bitter about it.
- Distressed Dude: In 5:XL, 8, and Origins, where he gets passed around from lord to lord, each eager to use him to establish the legitimacy of their rule, before finally ending up under Cao Cao's protection. Cao Cao proves little better, but at least he's upfront about his intentions.
- The Emperor: Of China, naturally. That said, it's Authority in Name Only as he's lost much of his power and influence by the time of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Often simply referred as The Emperor. In some games, however, he is sometimes referred as Emperor Xian.note His real name is Liu Xie. Justified as even mentioning the Emperor's real name is a huge taboo in ancient China and an offense punishable by death.
- The Ghost: He is never seen in the Legend Modes that include him in 5:XL, only his carriage. Averted since 6, where he is finally given a unique design.
- Living MacGuffin: Having him in your country is an important source of prestige, despite his personal weakness, and whoever is in control of him controls the country. Naturally, he's constantly in the hands of those looking to take advantage of him while passing themselves as the "true power" of China.
- Non-Action Guy: Averted in 8, where he carries a broadsword to defend himself while Cao Cao helps him escape Chang'an, but otherwise played pretty straight.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Since 6.
- Out of Focus: Although an important figure in China, the games focus less on him and more about the up and coming major players seeking to unite China under their rule.
- Puppet King: Despite being the most powerful man in all of China, he's little more than a mouthpiece for those who have far greater power than he. The people who don't try to use him for their own ends can be counted on one hand, chief among them being the Sun clan.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Though weak and ineffectual, he is not malevolent. He also rewards those still loyal to him quite well, such as in Origins where in the hypothetical Wu ending, he gives them a substantial amount of political clout, giving the fledging Wu Kingdom even greater power, as thanks for Sun Jian and Sun Ce rescuing him from Cao Cao.
- Co-Dragons: To Dong Zhuo. They become Dragon Ascendants after Dong Zhuo's death.
- Crutch Character: For Dong Bai in her story for 9. They join her early on and are responsibly for leading her army and planning her battles, but it becomes apparent that the two of them alone aren't going to cut it against Lu Bu, and the two of them become quickly outclassed by Zhou Yu and Sun Ce. Downplayed however, as they both remain an integral part of the army and Li Jue's strategies are still used in combination with Zhou Yu's, whilst Guo Si actively helps you complete certain quests if you take too long. Gameplay-wise, they aren't as strong as the playable characters, but them being the very few officers early on for Dong Bai's army makes them decent backup regardless.
- Final Boss: Of Lu Bu's Hypothetical route in 8:XL.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation:
- Despite you clearly killing them in Lu Bu's hypothetical route, their defeat quotes are the standard "routed" lines. Possibly justified by the fact that generics don't have "slain" lines.
- Li Jue uses a greatsword in-game, but his death cutscene at Lu Bu's story shows him with a standard Jian.
- Kick the Dog: In Shu's Hypothetical path, Guo Si insults Liu Bei for aiding peasants instead of focusing solely on Zhang Jiao.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Story-wise. The fact that they, just like in history, were able to kick Lu Bu out of Chang'an shows that Lu Bu will never make it on his own out there despite his massive physical strength. note
- Weapon Specialization: Guo Si wields a spear, while Li Jue uses a greatsword.
- Almighty Janitor: Officially, they're only servants who works in the inner palace where the Emperor and his family resides. By the time of Emperor Ling, they become one of the most powerful factions in all of China, even more powerful than many high-ranking ministers and officials, thanks to their close relationship with the Emperor. note
- Eunuchs Are Evil: Ten of them.
- Final Boss: Of the revamped Ambition Mode in 8:XL.
- Older Than They Look: Zhang Rang gets the "young advisor" model despite being 54 at the time of He Jin and Co.'s "eunuch-purging".
- Smug Snake: Zhang Rang is incredibly arrogant.
- Starter Villain: For Lu Bu's story mode in 8:XL.
- Took a Level in Badass: In Lu Bu's story, they're essentially cannon fodder meant to showcase just how powerful Lu Bu is. In the final battle of the revamped Ambition Mode, they're one of the most powerful bosses in the game.
- Weapon Specialization: Throwing knives.
- Amazon Chaser: He will stop at nothing to marry Lingqi.
- Hopeless Suitor: To Lu Lingqi, who doesn't want to marry anyone weaker than her father.
- Irony: He eventually joins Wu, the faction his father Yuan Shu repeatedly tried to destroy and he spent a good deal of his life trying to escape.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: More like "I want my beloved to stay alive". In Lu Bu's final stage in the historical route, Yuan Yao and his father can appear as reinforcements to help Lu Bu (more like lessened casualties among Lu Bu's other retainers, really, since Lu Bu and Chen Gong still end up being executed) if you fulfill certain hypothetical condition. And if he met Lu Lingqi, he will encourage her to survive the battle and stay alive. This happened after she coldly rejects him two stages before.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Historically, he's a Benevolent Boss who is loved by his people and listened to Huang Zhong's advice to surrender peacefully to Liu Bei. In the games, he's a Bad Boss who attempted to execute Huang Zhong for his defeat against Liu Bei's forces. He's also implied to be hated by his people. Justified that this characterization is taken from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel.
- Killed Offscreen: In 7, Wei Yan killed him off-screen to save Huang Zhong.
- You Have Failed Me: In 4, he attempted to execute Huang Zhong for his defeat.
- Small Role, Big Impact: In 8, he kills Sun Jian, setting events into motion that end up creating the Historical Route. Stopping him naturally leads to the Hypothetical route.
- Decomposite Character: In the novel, he's the one who recommended Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong to Liu Bei. However, in the games, it's Xu Shu who recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei.
- Hermit Guru: In all his appearances in the games, he doesn't join any faction and usually aids the player as a shopkeeper either by providing them bodyguards, helping out in the tutorials, and managing their stats.
- Non-Action Guy: He never goes out in battle as he prefers to live in solitude.
- Put on a Bus: In Origins, he left his shop after Dong Zhuo was defeated, leaving Pang Tong in charge. Pang Tong doesn't know where Sima Hui went and when he would return.
