Dynasty Warriors/Characters/The Five Tiger Generals

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


A list of the Five Tiger Generals from the Shu Kingdom in the Dynasty Warriors series.


Guan Yu

"The God of War"

"I am the instrument of justice on the battlefield!"

Voiced by: Yasunori Masutani (Japanese) Dave B. Mitchell (English)

Born: 162
Died: 219
Japanese spelling: Kan'u

Age: 30
Height: 6'9 1/2" (205cm)

Guan Yu is a military hero and sworn oath brother of Shu leader Liu Bei and fellow general Zhang Fei. As one of the famed Five Tiger General, Guan Yu is a central figure in the founding and expanding of the Shu kingdom.

Tall and powerful, Guan Yu is a stalwart man who firmly believes in justice and virtue. Normally calm and benign, he stands with an air of noble dignity and has respectful manners. A man who also excels in literary studies, he gains many admirers from each kingdom with his might and has earned the sobriquet "God of War".

  • Ambiguously Red: He has very red accented skin, especially in later games.
  • Badass - Even as a ghost he was badass enough to kill people.
    • Badass Beard - True to form, considering he's also called "Lord of the Magnificent Beard", this is only natural. One look at his beard was enough to cause some to surrender. Cao Cao admired it so much he had a bag made to protect it while Guan Yu was serving Wei.
    • Badass Family - The patriarch of the Guan Family, with extended members including adoptive sons Guan Ping and Guan Suo, and daughter-in-law Bao Sanniang.
  • Blade on a Stick - The ORIGINAL guan dao user (said weapon is named after him)...aptly named...
    • I Call It Blue Dragon, although...
      • Green Is Blue - Transliteration issues abound with the name of his weapon, most often referred to as Blue Dragon but save for a few bits of dialogue is Green Dragon as of DW7. The original Chinese name, and by extension the Japanese name, can be translated either way and uses of the weapon's name typically lack context to distinguish which is the correct localization.
  • Cool Horse - He'll usually be the one mounting the Red Hare in any stage that takes place after the final defeat of Lu Bu. Justified, as Cao Cao gave the stallion to him when he temporarily allied with Wei.
  • Crispin Freeman - DW5
  • Feel No Pain - A famous story about Guan Yu has him casually playing chess while a doctor preforms surgery on his arm that was infected from a poison arrow. He refused to be put to sleep for fear the enemy could attack. Others in the room apparently gagged and wept at the sound of the knife scraping the bone, but Guan Yu continued to play, laugh, and talk like nothing was happening.
  • Freudian Trio - With Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. Superego, the (mostly) stoic giant in contrast with Zhang Fei's Boisterous Bruiser.
  • Good Parents: Is very proud and protective of his kids.
  • Historical Hero Upgrade: Oddly averted as time has gone by. In fact, the games have increasingly reflected the historical reality that he was a good warrior, but a so-so general at best.
  • Justice Will Prevail - While not as much as Ma Chao, starting from 6, Guan Yu has been focusing more on the word 'justice'.
  • Lightning Bruiser - In DW7XL, his EX weapon is Speed Type, and Guan Yu still hits as hard as if he's Heavy Type, as he's fast and can use dodges.
  • Mighty Glacier - Always slow without a horse, but has excellent Mook butchering ability with Green Dragon.
  • Oh Crap - How the everyone reacted when he killed Hua Xiong at Shi Shui Gate and when he killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou in one stroke they were the strongest warriors after Lu Bu.
  • Worthy Opponent - To a large number of warriors


Zhang Fei

"The Unequaled Courage"

"It looks like it's time for me to crack some skulls!"

Voiced by: Hirohiko Kakegawa (Japanese) Steve Kramer (English)

Born: (Unknown)
Died: 221
Japanese spelling: Chouhi

Age: 27
Height: 6'3" (190cm)

The sworn oath brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, and one of the Five Tiger Generals of Shu. He is known to be very protective of his beloved daughter Xing Cai.

Zhang Fei is a loud and brash man who thrives in a brawl and loves his wine. Stubborn and prideful, he never wants to turn his back on the enemy and is easily motivated into anger. He displays a wider range of emotions than his brothers as he's known to be cheerful one moment and deeply sadden in the next. Though his judgment may be questionable, his heart is in the right place and he usually knows when to be practical.


Zhao Yun

"The Dragon of Chang Shan"

"I challenge any and all comers to test me in the art of battle!"

Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (Japanese), Terrence Stone (English)

Born: (Unknown)
Died: 229
Japanese spelling: Chou'un

Age: 24
Height: 6'1" (185cm)

Zhao Yun is a Shu general and one of the Five Tiger Generals. Zhao served Shu on many battles, with the Battle of Changban probably being the most famous. It was said that Zhao Yun went to save Liu Bei's infant son, Liu Shan, and he had to fight through thousands of Wei soldiers singlehandedly all the way back to Shu's camp.

Zhao Yun is usually one of Liu Bei's right-hand men, faithfully serving him for the good of the land as a calm yet valiant general. He is always courageous and heroic, facing impossible odds in stride.

  • The Ace - Almost to the point of being a Gary Stu in the source material.
  • Badass - Oh, so very. Consider the opening movies for the games: in DW5, he singlehandedly destroys an entire Wei army just to get to Cao Pi, 6 and Strikeforce's opening pits him toe-to-toe against Lu Bu, considered the strongest person in the series, while for DW7, he manages to kick a horse in the face that topples and destroys an advancing guard.
  • Badass Long Hair
  • Battle Butler
  • Bishonen
  • Blade on a Stick - One of the few characters with an unchanging main weapon.
  • Cool Old Guy: In his later years.
  • Everything's Better with Spinning - Not the most egregious example, but he's pretty spin-happy with his spear until DW6, which gives him more a more acrobatic moveset.
  • Ho Yay - With Ma Chao and Liu Bei
  • Jack of All Stats - One of the easiest characters to pick up and play for novices and veterans alike, though he is not a Game Breaker.
  • Justice Will Prevail - Just Like Ma Chao!!
  • Mascot - Unofficially, he's the one for the Dynasty Warriors franchise, having been on the front cover of most of the main installments.
    • Cover Stealing Squad - Technically, he's also KOEI's poster boy, as it's rare there's a cover for any Dynasty Warriors game without his handsome face on it.
  • One-Man Army - As per the source material, some of the games let you play as him running into, and out of, the middle of Wei's army at the Battle of Chang Ban alone to save Liu Shan and killing plenty of mooks and several officers in the process. Also carries into his ingame abilities. In 2, he's the crowd-clearer. In other titles, he usually gets the safest crowd-clearing moves, and easily one of the best crowd-clearers when upgraded.
    • Notched Up to Eleven in DW5's opening movie, where he cuts up about a million Mooks before going toe-to-toe with Cao Pi.
  • Playing Against Type - Just like Zhuge Liang, Masaya Onosaka as Zhao Yun discards comic relief in place of being taken very seriously.
  • Scarf of Asskicking - A very nice looking one in DW7
  • Screams Like a Little Girl - In DW6, he sounds distinctively unmanly when calling for help. "Somebody! I am in need of assistance!"
  • Undying Loyalty - To Shu, more specifically, Liu Bei.

Ma Chao

"The Splendid Spear"

"Come and watch how Ma Chao fights a battle!"

Voiced by: Kouji Haramaki (Japanese), David Berón (English)

Born: 176
Died: 222
Japanese spelling: Bachou

Age: 21
Height: 6'1 1/4" (186cm)

Son of Xi leader Ma Teng and cousin of fellow Shu officer Ma Dai. After the assassination of his father, Ma Chao believed that the leader of Shu, Liu Bei, was behind the crime. So he marched to Cheng Du in order to kill Liu Bei. He learns however that it was really Cao Cao who was behind the murder of his father. Ma Chao then joins with Shu because he believes that Liu Bei is on the side of justice and becomes one of the Five Tiger Generals.

Filled with a warrior's pride, Ma Chao is a straightforward man who believes in making his future with his own power. A firm believer of justice and heroics, he is always intent on declaring his intentions for all to hear.

  • Animal Motifs - Aside from being associated with stallions, his armor is always adorned with dragon motifs.
  • Automaton Horse - In DW4 and 5, your horse likely won't be getting any breaks with Ma Chao in the saddle, especially if he mounts Shadow Runner.
  • Badass - It's oft forgotten how he was one of the most badass characters in the novels, a brilliant general and nigh unstoppable fighter. Hell, even Cao Cao was terrified of him.
  • Blade on a Stick - All appearances except DW6: Special and 6: Empires, where he uses a...
  • Bling of War - This applies to every character, but Ma Chao stands out for wearing a full suit of gilt (solid gold) plate armor in most of his appearances. This is true to the novel, where he was known as "Ma Chao the Splendid" for his skill and very nifty armor.
    • He actually lampshades this for one of his Conquest Mode dialogues in DW7.
  • Hair of Gold - A rare heroic male blond.
  • Flanderization - JUSTICE!
  • Game Breaker - Pre-DW6, equipping him with the Shadow harness makes him Nigh Invulnerable due to him attacking only on the right side, allowing him to infinitely juggle the officer.
    • Possibly in reference to this, his stratagem in Next is called "Splendid Cavalry" and causes mounted damage to "increase considerably" for the next battle.
  • Ho Yay - With Zhao Yun.
  • JUSTICE Will Prevail
  • Rated "M" for Manly - While he could qualify as a Bishounen, his more manly qualities define his character.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge - At Tong Gate, he is determined to avenge his father. Cao Cao actually ran away in fear when he appeared.
  • Sobriquet - "Demon of Xiliang". Granted, it's just Wang Yi referring him as such due to him butchering her family.
  • Tony Oliver - DW4
  • You Killed My Father


Huang Zhong

"The Infallible Archer"

"I have conquered many battlefields in my day, and will continue to conquer many more!"

Voiced by: Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japanese), Alan Shearman (English)

Born: (Unknown)
Died: 222
Japanese spelling: Kouchuu

Age: 62
Height: 6'0 1/2" (184cm)

Huang Zhong is an old soldier who gained his fame during his later parts of life. He is a fellow comrade of Wei Yan as both of them served Han Xuan. He fights Guan Yu and each man is greatly impressed by the other. Thinking he would betray him, Han Xuan attempts to execute Huang Zhong, but is stopped and killed by Wei Yan. They later join Shu together.

A master of archery, he is admired greatly by the other Shu officers. He always wants to prove that, despite his age, he is still a very capable officer and combatant.

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