Dynasty Warriors/Characters/The Wei Famed Generals

A list of the famed generals of the Wei Kingdom in the Dynasty Warriors series.

"The One-Eyed General"


""Allow me to show you how a battle is supposed to be fought.""

"Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese), Kirk Thornton (English)"

Born: (Unknown) Died: 13 June, 220 Japanese spelling: Kakouton

Age: 29 Height: 6'2" (188cm)

Xiahou Dun is the cousin and loyal vassal of Cao Cao. A stalwart member of the Wei forces during their formative years, Xiahou Dun would continue to loyally serve Cao Cao throughout his life.

When Cao Cao died in 220 AD, his successor Cao Pi appointed Xiahou Dun the Supreme General of the entire Wei army. However, Xiahou Dun did not long outlast his master, and would also die in the same year. He was posthumously honored with the title "Marquis Zhong". -

""Essence of my father, blood of my mother; I cannot throw this away.""
 * Badass - The arrow in the eye incident certainly qualifies him. Often regarded as Wei's answer to Guan Yu.
 * Badass Long Hair - DW4 and 5
 * BFS - Beginning since DW3 with his trademark Sinister Scimitar. However, subsequent reappearances shrank it and somewhat nerfed his attack speed.
 * Carry a Big Stick - Exclusively in DW6, his weapon is a cudgel.
 * David Kaye - DW3
 * The Dragon - Only if you portray Cao Cao and Wei as villains.
 * Eyepatch of Power
 * Eye Scream - He gets shot in the eye with an arrow. More importantly, he pulls the arrow out and eats the eye off of the end of the arrow.
 * The novel has him state the eye belongs to his family; he simply couldn't discard it:
 * The novel has him state the eye belongs to his family; he simply couldn't discard it:


 * Green-Eyed Monster - He wasn't a fan of Cao Cao letting Guan Yu temporarily join Wei. Cao Cao made no secret in how much he admired Guan Yu and the games portray Dun as being somewhat jealous of his presence among Wei's generals.
 * With Guan Yu making no secret of it being a temporary arrangement, can you blame Dun?
 * It gets worse when you read the novel and find out Cao Cao had no real intent of actually using Guan Yu as a warrior after Guan Yu declared his intent to repay Cao Cao with battlefield service before leaving. Then again, DW7 has Dun dismissing Guan Yu's value as soon as his first appearance at Si Shui Gate via slaying Hua Xiong.
 * Guan also killed one of his direct subordinates when he left Cao Cao in the novel. Their grudge was probably inspired by the part that Dun chased after Guan Yu and demanded his death until Zhang Liao stopped them.
 * Hey, It's That Voice! - In the Japanese release, he also voices another one-eyed badass dressed in blue.
 * Talking to Himself - Also voices Dian Wei; in the localization, Kirk Thornton also plays Meng Huo.
 * Jack of All Stats - Wei's equivalent to Zhao Yun: well-balanced with no notable weaknesses (depth perception not withstanding).
 * The Rival - With Guan Yu, who he sees as a Worthy Opponent and himself as The Only One Allowed to Defeat You.
 * Undying Loyalty - To Cao Cao. The novel makes it clear they were actually cousins, Cao Cao's father having been adopted into the Cao family.
 * What the Hell, Hero? - Calls Cao Cao out for his lack of sympathy over, though DW8 downplays or omits any of this. And historically, Cao Cao made a point of honoring Dian Wei posthumously for his service.

"The Happy General"


""Time for you to see what happens when I get really mad!""

"Voiced by: Yasuhiko Tokuyama (Japanese), Tony Oliver (English)"

Born: (Unknown) Died: 219 Japanese spelling: Kakouen

Age: 28 Height: 6'0" (183cm)

General of Wei, and relative of Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun. He is one of the most feared generals in the Wei army and has a number of major accomplishments to his name.

Not one for eloquence, Xiahou Yuan is a gruff yet practical man of war. Though dedicated to his family's vision, he is more social and loose than his older cousins, willing to crack affable jokes during battle. Always on the go, Xiahou Yuan thinks every battle as a step in Cao Cao's conquests and wants them to be done and over with as soon as possible. He has little tolerance for interruptions and is known to have a short fuse when the enemy gains the advantage. -


 * The Archer - In DW5, 7, 8 and Strikeforce
 * BFS - DW6
 * Big Fun: He's kinda portly and pretty jolly.
 * Bow and Sword in Accord - Uses a variant in DW4 and 5, one of two officers to use a bow outside the tacky FPS bow mode, along with his...
 * Carry a Big Stick - A war club in DW2-5 and 8.
 * Bumbling Dad - Plays this to some extent in DW7 and WO3 with Xiahou Ba, who he treats more like a friend than his child.
 * Apparently his idea of parenting involves headlocks. Lots of headlocks.
 * Comic Relief: Wei's resident source of it.
 * Fat and Skinny - With Zhang He.
 * Good Parents: Shows appropriate pride in his son.
 * Ho Yay - With Zhang He in DW6 to form a very rare bear/twink pairing.
 * Rain of Arrows - His Tome Special in DW6 and second Musou attack in DW7.
 * Steve Blum - DW4-5
 * Stout Strength - Not as much as Xu Zhu, though.
 * The Rival: Huang Zhong, his Shu counterpart.
 * Wave Motion Gun - His 1st musou in DW7

"The Unmatched Blade"


""My name is Zhang Liao, and I have come to fight!""

"Voiced by: Hirofumi Tanaka (Japanese), Roger Craig Smith (English)"

Born: 169 Died: 222 Japanese spelling: Chouryou

Age: 27 Height: 6'1" (185cm)

One of the most powerful fighters in the land, he defended He Fei so vigorously that the civilians and other warriors were in awe of his strength. Zhang Liao followed Dong Zhuo, who then appointed him under his top general Lu Bu. When Dong Zhuo was killed by Lu Bu, Zhang Liao joined him on his quest to conquer the land.

However, during the battle of Xia Pi, Lu Bu's forces were defeated by a combined Wei and Shu army. In the end, Lu Bu was defeated and captured by Cao Cao. Zhang Liao would submit and faithfully serve Wei until his death. ---


 * An Axe to Grind - Two of them in DW7
 * Blade on a Stick - A guan dao in all appearances pre-DW7; DW6 gives him two Ji halberds.
 * Badass Crew - The leader of the Five Wei Generals.
 * Badass Mustache: Somewhat French looking in DW5 and the first two Warriors Orochi games.
 * Big Damn Heroes (and Big Damn Villains if you decide to portray the Wei forces as villains) - Most notably at He Fei.
 * Composite Character - Because Pang De was removed in DW6, Zhang Liao absorbed parts of his attributes (appearance, his "path of the warrior" speech and even his weapons).
 * Pang De was restored after DW6, but Zhang Liao still kept most of the above, with Pang De getting a modified appearance and weapon to compensate.
 * The Determinator - When fighting against him in He Fei, he returns no less than four times after being defeated.
 * Michael McConnohie - DW4-5
 * Friendly Enemy - Guan Yu
 * Nice Hat
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Both he and Lu Bu are pretty manly, but while he served Lu Bu he's the sensitive one to his hot headed boss.
 * The Worf Barrage - Played with in Wei's story in DW7 at Chang Ban where he uses an attack that would normally kill a normal opponent against Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.
 * Worthy Opponent - To Guan Yu
 * The novel, in particular, has Guan Yu beg Cao Cao to spare Zhang Liao's life after the Battle of Xia Pi. Later, Liao served as the middleman who convinced Guan Yu to (temporarily) surrender and ally with Cao Cao.

"The Disciple of War"


""Witness the way a true warrior does battle!""

"Voiced by: Keichiro Yamamoto (Japanese), Travis Willingham (English)"

Born: (Unknown) Died: 227 Japanese spelling: Jyoukou

Age: 33 Height: 6'1" (185cm)

Honest and true, Xu Huang devotes himself to the warrior's path and constantly trains for self-improvement. He believes that only true strength can create the world that Cao Cao envisions.

Considered to be a mighty warrior with a strong sense of justice, Xu Huang is a man who adamantly stays true to his life as a warrior. He does not care for politics or bribery, believing that one's strength can only carve the new future. A man who lives by his blade, he will even continue his lifestyle during times of peace.


 * An Axe to Grind - All appearances until DW6, and again in DWNext.
 * Sinister Scythe in DW6 Cloned or not thats what she be.
 * Blade on a Stick - In DW7
 * Anti-Villain: Even as an enemy to Wu and Shu, he's just doing his job as a general of Wei and holds no grudge against anyone. Even his sole motivation is to basically be the strongest warrior ever and he just tries to achieve it as a loyal officer of Wei.
 * Badass Crew - Among the Five Wei Generals.
 * Blood Knight
 * Canon Discontinuity: His outright betrayal of Cao Cao in DW6 to aid Sima Yi's coup d'etat basically tosses every single aspect of integrity and loyalty he ever had out the window from historical record and ROTK. So much so the concept has never been revisited in later games.
 * Expy - Averted: he had his look long before Uesugi Kenshin.
 * Nice Turban
 * Paul St Peter - DW4
 * Race Lift: Has always had a varying degree of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance to his character design in most games despite being Chinese.
 * Worthy Opponent - To Guan Yu.

"The Champion of Magnificence"


""I think it's time we added some color to this battlefield!""

"Voiced by: Yoshiyuki Konno (Japanese), Yuri Lowenthal (English)"

Born: 167 Died: 231 Japanese spelling: Choukou

Age: 29 Height: 6'4 1/2" (194cm)

Zhang He began his service under Yuan Shao. However during the battle of Guan Du when Yuan Shao was being beaten by Cao Cao, Zhang He noticed how "unbeautiful" Yuan Shao's tactics were so he defected to Cao Cao and the Wei's army side.

He was in many battles, most noticeably was his role in the battle of Mi Teng when he trapped Shu's young strategist Ma Su on a mountain road and killed him. ---


 * Ambiguously Camp Gay - They don't come any fruitier than Zhang He, but it's never specified which way he swings or whether or not he doesn't swing both ways. Assuming he "swings" at all.
 * It's hinted in DW7 and DW8's Empires spinoffs he's either bisexual or just head over heels for anyone who meets his standards of beauty.
 * Animal Motifs - Runs with the butterfly motif since DW4, appearing in some of his attacks as representation of his obsession with beauty. DW4 gave him an alternate costume with butterfly wings, DW5 added energy butterflies to some of his attacks, and DW7 goes as far as giving him a butterfly attack that looks like the Moonlight Butterfly.
 * Badass Crew - Among the Five Wei Generals
 * Bare Your Midriff
 * Bishounen
 * Character Exaggeration - In DW6, to the point where he actually wears high heels. He seems to come back to his DW3 baseline level in DW7.
 * Dance Battler
 * The Dandy
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady - If you squint, it's hard to tell him and Zhen Ji apart.
 * Expy - Of Vega, at least with his debut for DW3. Reappearances in installments slightly avert this, until DW7 was released.
 * Bizarrely, he may also draw inspiration from a minor villain in Fist of the North Star. One of Shin's lackeys, Club, fights with the same type of dual claw gauntlets and several of Zhang He's stances are not unlike ones Club is drawn in during his (rather brief) appearance.
 * Even Evil Has Standards - In DW7 he expresses to Zhao Yun his distaste over having to attack a man carrying an infant, which is at odds with the fact he actually considered that a good time to attack him in the novels.
 * The Fighting Narcissist
 * Gorgeous George
 * Ho Yay - Arguably with everyone, but especially with Xiahou Yuan in DW6, and he's saddened when.
 * Large Ham
 * Long-Haired Pretty Boy
 * Pride- Very much in love with himself. Though if you marry him in 6 Empires, he will tell you to work too hard and spoil your beauty.
 * Trial by Combat - Ah... Nohime would be proud.
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight - No matter how much Zhang He flounces, twirls and singsongs during his monologues, other Wei officers barely bat an eye and converse with him completely in the norm.
 * DW7 especially averts this in many cases as there are a few unique quotes used by allies and enemies alike involving his sheer fruitiness. Zhao Yun even gets downright snarky with him regarding this in the first Warriors Orochi.
 * Wolverine Claws - All appearances except DW6, but he gets them back in the PlayStation 2 version and in DW6: Empires.

"The Steady Shield"


""I shall bring an end to this chaos, no matter what the cost!""

"Voiced by: Hisao Egawa (Japanese), Beau Billingslea (English)"

Born: 168 Died: 223 Japanese spelling: Soujin

Age: 31 Height: 5'8 1/2" (174cm)

A cousin of Cao Cao's and one of his most trusted retainers. An excellent general known for his ability to defend locations from attack. He would gladly sacrifice his life to help his lord.

Cao Ren is a kind and compassionate man who is an adamant practitioner of endurance. He usually refers to himself as an immovable rock obstructing his enemies' path who will not falter unless he is broken. A pacifist at heart, he actually dislikes war and those who actively perpetuate it. He sees war as a necessary evil, the only way to end the currently ongoing strife. He cares for the safety of his allies and enemies, believing that everyone should live in happiness. -


 * Anti-Villain
 * Badass Pacifist
 * Epic Flail - DW7 gives him a ball-and-chain/morning star as a weapon
 * Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me - His pre-DW6 weapon was a buckler blade, which returns in DW8.
 * Prongs of Poseidon - His cloned polearm moveset in DW6.
 * Mighty Glacier - In DW4 and 5, he was considerably slow and more oriented towards defense compared to others.
 * Reluctant Warrior - This is what happens when a Actual Pacifist forces himself to become a Technical Pacifist.
 * Stout Strength
 * Token Good Teammate - Amongst ambitious, jerkass, scheming, "villainous" characters, Cao Ren is a peace-loving man who hates chaos. Lampshaded in DW8 when Zuo Ci remarks he can find no evil in Cao Ren's soul.
 * Slightly downplayed in the first Warriors Orochi game, where he is borderline ruthless at times, but given he's just doing his job at the times in question and shows similar single mindedness in later DW games, it likely more to show his utter loyalty to Wei.

Pang De


""I shall show the land what a true warrior is capable of!""

"Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (Japanese), Keith Silverstein (English)"

Born: 170 Died: 219 Japanese spelling: Houtoku

Age: 31 Height: 6'9" (205cm)

Pang De begins as a warrior serving Ma Teng. Prior to his story, he participated in the Yellow Turban Rebellion with his lord's former ally, Dong Zhuo. However, the tyrant seeks his eyes on his lord's land, Liang Province. He succeeds in driving their enemy back and later assists Ma Chao's revolt against Cao Cao at Tong Gate. Though they poised on the opposing sides of the field, he respects the invading warlord once he meets him face to face. When Ma Chao's army claims victory, Pang De decides to join Wei after the battle, branding himself as a traitor by Ma Chao and a loose cannon by his new allies.

Pang De is a stoic veteran who bravely stays true to his principles. He believes that a traditional warrior should never question their orders or be mislead by their own doubts during their duty. However, his insightful nature allows him to be a bit flexible in his loyalties. He won't hesitate to join a cause that he deems to be worthy. His consistent valor in battle continues to gain him respect wherever he goes. -
 * Ascended Extra - Was in many games as a generic officer, but became a playable character in DW5 and its spin-offs.
 * Badass Army - He can summon the Xiliang cavalry to charge with him during his 2nd Musou.
 * Badass Long Hair - As seen in his summer outfit.
 * Blade on a Stick / Powerful Pick - Wields two pickaxe/halberd polearms in all appearances.
 * Carry a Big Stick - In DW:NEXT, his weapon is changed to a cudgel/mace.
 * Daran Norris
 * Mighty Glacier - Like Cao Ren, Pang De moves notably slower than average on foot, but he makes up for it with tremendous weapon reach and horseback attacks.
 * What Could Have Been - According to Word of God, he was supposed to return in DW7 but in the middle of the development process he ended up not getting too featured in the storyline, thus was axed, most noticeably when it's Cao Ren and Xu Huang leading the defense at Fan Castle but Xiahou Dun is the playable character.
 * The excuse is pretty strange since there are many characters don't appear in Story Mode at all.

Wang Yi


""There are some things that can only be reclaimed On the battlefield.""

"Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese), Megan Hollingshead (English)"

Born: (Unknown) Died: (Unknown) Japanese spelling: Ou'i

Wang Yi is the lone survivor of the Wang family, a family of modest prestige in Hanzhong. Her clan experienced ruin due to riots from Xi Liang. Seeking vengeance, she marks Ma Chao as her sworn enemy and joins Cao Cao to oppose him. -

"Wang Yi: "Everyone... I have avenged you... Now you can rest in peace...""
 * Action Girl - Or leering to Dark Action Girl since her 2nd Musou got her a little bit on the sadistic side, pinning the enemy on the ground and stabbing the enemy's throat while doing an Evil Laugh.
 * She's also one of the very few who was this trope in the original novels.
 * Arch Enemy - Ma Chao
 * Badass
 * Captain Ersatz - Hey, Lightning! What are you doing in Ancient China?
 * Drowning My Sorrows - In her ending in DW7.
 * Foe Yay - Ma Chao
 * Goth: Her appearance leans this way by DW8, with only Jia Chong looking even more this trope than her.
 * Hot Chick with Sai
 * Lady of War
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge - more than half of her voice clips revolve around vengeance. Some even veer into Revenge Before Reason territory, despite her insistence of the contrary. Her death quote if slain by Ma Chao, in particular, can show how far she can fall; it's delivered in a delusional, despairing tone:


 * She's Got Legs
 * Token Evil Teammate: Even for a latter series Wei character (which shed a lot of it's Designated Villain status from the earlier games), she's pretty ruthless, obsessed with revenge, willing to do cruel, underhanded things to win, and even outright advocates torturing Guan Yu at one point in DW8.
 * Zettai Ryouiki - Only the inside of her thighs are uncovered.