Dynasty Warriors/Characters/The Wei Strategists

A list of the strategists of the Wei Kingdom in the Dynasty Warriors series.

"The Calculating Man"


""I aim for a victory with a minimum of effort, although that is looking like a rather difficult task...""

"Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (Japanese), Vic Mignogna (English)"

Born: 147 Died: 224 Japanese spelling: Kaku

Height 5'8" (172cm)

One of Wei's greatest strategists, Jia Xu first made a name for himself serving under the tyrant Dong Zhuo. Later he served under Zhang Xiu and ironically was the mastermind behind one of Cao Cao's greatest defeats at Wan Castle, a battle that would also see the death of Dian Wei. Cao Cao though recognized the talent of Jia Xu and sought him as a strategist.

Jia Xu is known as a straightforward and practical man. He played a major part in helping Cao Cao defeat Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu. He later serves under Cao Pi. -
 * Almighty Janitor - His DLC outfit in 7.
 * Ascended Extra - Like many officers, he was featured in previous installments of the series with a generic character model; DW7 introduced him so that Wei would have a playable strategist, since Sima Yi is part of the new Jin storyline.
 * Brilliant but Lazy - A very subtle example: a lot of his quotes suggests he's not one for putting in a lot of effort, and the better answer to his question in Conquest Mode is.
 * Captain Ersatz - What do you mean he's not Captain Jack Sparrow?
 * Deadpan Snarker - Is not afraid to say what he really thinks about certain officers.
 * Epic Flail - Wields a weapon similar to Hanzo Hattori's.
 * Qualifies as a Sinister Scythe, really.
 * Genre Savvy - Displays this when captured by Cao Cao in DW8's Wei storyline. When asked if he's loyal to his employer even unto death or just is proud of his own strategic talents, he realizes its a loaded question, but decides to answer the latter. Cao Cao spares him, on the condition he works for him.
 * Karma Houdini - Subverted: as he's responsible for Dian Wei's death, Cao Cao states he has no qualms killing him if he's of no use to him. It's averted somewhat in the hypothetical where Dian Wei lives, though Dian Wei is not pleased to be working with him and Cao Cao still keeps an eye on him like he would had Dian Wei died.
 * In the Wei Hypothetical Route in DW8, he has fully paid off his karmic debt by having saved Guo Jia's life and thus have ensured Cao Cao's victory in the Battle of Chi Bi.
 * Nice Turban
 * Older Than They Look - He may look a bit of above-middle age person, but it's worth noting he's historically one year older than Huang Zhong.
 * The Strategist - Originally for Zhang Xiu, a local lord that Cao Cao subjugated. When Zhang was dissatisfied with this, Jia Xu suggested what would become the attack on Cao Cao at Wan Castle.
 * In Lu Bu's hypothetical route in DW8, he's the strategist for the Dong Zhuo remnants.

Guo Jia


""With me here, I suppose our victory is all but assured.""

"Voiced by: Junichi Miyake (Japanese), Quinton Flynn (English)"

Born: 170 Died: 207 Japanese spelling: Kakuka

One of Cao Cao's greatest strategists who gave good counsel and was held in high regard. He died during a campaign north from a heat stroke during their march through the inhospitable northern deserts. After Cao Cao's defeat at the Battle of Chi Bi, he said afterward, "If only Guo Jia was with us."

Guo Jia is described as a talented man of unsurpassed intelligence. He acts composed and gentile, a wistful smile present on his lips at all times. --


 * Ascended Extra - After a Famitsu poll had him topping the list of characters "the fans" would most want to see become playable/unique (post-DW7), Tecmo Koei came up with a pair of concept art for him. He then made his debut in DW7: Xtreme Legends.
 * Bishounen - Oh, dear God, yes, though somewhat justified as he died young.
 * Chivalrous Pervert
 * The Hedonist - A positive example. He's the type of 'live and let live' and always seek to get his enjoyment as long as he lives (knowing that he's going to die soon). Which includes drinking and hitting on ladies.
 * Heroic Sacrifice - In Dynasty Warriors Tactics at Chibi he boards a burning ship and crashes into Zhou Yu's ship killing them both.
 * Improbable Weapon User - His weapon is practically an Ancient Chinese version of a pool cue. Fans have noted it draws a similarity with Venom.
 * Hell, his first Musou looks similar to Venom's multi-hit orb super 'Dark Angel'.
 * Sadistic Choice - Pulls one on Guan Yu, threatening harm to Liu Bei's family if he doesn't serve Wei.
 * The Smart Guy - Considered one of the best from the Three Kingdoms era.
 * The Strategist - Serves as this for Cao Cao's earlier battles, most notably at Xia Pi and Guan Du.
 * What Could Have Been - Died at the age of 37. Cao Cao certainly thought he would have made a huge difference in Wei's coming battles, in particular remarking that the Battle of Chi Bi would never have gone the way it did had Guo Jia been there (which Tactics chose to reflect: see Heroic Sacrifice above).
 * DW8 has a hypothetical route that shows that he would have been pivotal in handing Cao Cao victory in the Battle of Chi Bi.
 * The Unfettered