Zhuge Dan

Zhuge Dan (onyomi: Shokatsu Tan) is Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jin's younger cousin. He is one of many Wei retainers who rebelled against Sima Zhao; his death dealt a deafening blow to the Cao family's influence over Wei's retainers.

Before his playable Dynasty Warriors appearance, he was the default name for a bodyguard in Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends. Fans voted him to forty-third place in Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll and forty-eighth in the Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends poll. The latest poll for the eighth installment puts him in fifty-eighth. The character poll for overseas fans puts him in twelfth place for the Jin division.

Dynasty Warriors
During Jin's Story Mode in Dynasty Warriors 7, he promotes himself as the commander at Dongxing. He has an argument with Sima Zhao and is infuriated by the young man's laziness. He leads the Wei army against the Wu forces led by Zhuge Ke. After crossing a large bridge with zealous Wei troops, the bridge is destroyed by Ding Feng. Isolated, they are surrounded by Wu troops. Due to Wang Yuanji's persuasion, Sima Zhao finally moves to assist. Each man blames the other for their respective failures at Dongxing. In a bid to increase the Sima family's reputation, Sima Shi ultimately lays blame on Sima Zhao.

Later, when Sima Zhao rises to power after Sima Shi's death, a jealous Zhuge Dan tries to bolster his reputation in retaliation. Seeking to restore power back to Wei's emperor, Cao Mao, he sells himself to the Wu forces at Shouchun. However, he loses his Wu allies due to his obsession with revenge and the cruelty he gives them, and they defect to Sima Zhao's side. To his ire, Sima Zhao confronts him to state he has lost everything for his ambition. Determined to defeat his enemy no matter what, Zhuge Dan sets the castle on fire in an attempt to end both of their lives. But the plan ends with failure as Sima Zhao kills Zhuge Dan and escapes the castle.

His first Legendary Battle allows him to prove his intellect as a member of the Zhuge family by defeating the other famed strategists of the time including his well-known relative Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Dan's second Legendary Battle allows players the chance to lead his rebellion to slay Sima Zhao.

Dynasty Warriors Next has Zhuge Dan appear as a playable officer in Jin's chapter. He struggles to defend Hefei Castle from the invading Wu forces, but is confident in Sima Shi's ability to drive them back. He does not betray Wei in this title due to Sima Yi's presence. When Wu returns with a massive army to attack Shouchun, Zhuge Dan begrudgingly cooperates with Sima Zhao to defend the area. He is among those present during the inauguration of Sima Yi's new kingdom in Jin's ending.

He continues a similar role in Dynasty Warriors 8 and initially fights alongside the Sima Family. Suffering a major defeat at Dongxing, Zhuge Dan blames Sima Zhao for the casualties incurred during said battle. Zhuge Dan later appears beside Sima Shi at Wen Qin and Guanqiu Jian's rebellion. During the struggle at Xuchang, Zhuge Dan defies Jia Chong's order of supporting Sima Zhao by guarding an eastern checkpoint, which Jia Chong notes will eventually mean that Zhuge Dan will eventually be a threat. Distraught with Sima Shi's death and blaming Sima Zhao's apathy during the battle, he rebels at Shouchun under the orders of Cao Mao. Shortly after his defeat, he defiantly asks Sima Zhao to kill him only for Jia Chong to perform the deed.

If no casualties are suffered at Dongxing, Zhuge Dan will appear at Hefei Castle beside Sima Shi. If Sima Shi's plan works without interruption, Zhuge Dan will begin to understand the meaninglessness of simply holding on to a family name. After his "reincarnation", he will appear to aid Sima Zhao's men at Mt. Tielong at the southern point, helping destroy the flying horses and wooden oxen. His behavior also changes drastically during Xuchang, and he acts instinctively to stop the reinforcements, proving to be a major help in finding Sima Shi. As the hypothetical route continues, Zhuge Dan helps Sima Zhao conquer Wu, and is present for the final battle at Chibi.

His role is later expanded in the Xtreme Legends expansion as he appears is some of Jin's new scenarios. He is present in a revised version of Shouchun. Zhuge Dan acts as a spy for Sima Zhao and pretends to rebel in order to be allowed into the castle by Wen Qin. Zhuge Dan will then betray Wen Qin by opening the rear gates, allowing the Wei forces to storm in. He also appears in Sima Shi's treasure hunt. He also appears in a revised Hefei Castle where the assault is led by Sun Quan and many of Wu's past heroes.

In Shin Sangoku Musou Blast, Zhuge Dan's desire to meet his famous relative is granted by Gan Ji who transports him to Shu's past battles. Although the younger strategist is not recognized by Zhuge Liang in each encounter, his efforts to best him are acknowledged sincerely much to the former's delight.

Zhuge Dan's bond story in Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed focuses on his struggles as an up-and-coming officer. Having distinguished himself by saving Du Ji from a boating accident, he rose up to the ranks of the imperial court until Cao Rui intervened, having seen him as a power-hungry social climber. After regaining his position from Cao Fang, he wisely aligns himself with Sima Yi to survive the political shift within Wei.

His defection to Wu is reprised, only this time the official restrictions imposed by Sima Zhao are what cause him to snap. Though he dies in battle, many of his personal guards gladly choose death over surrender as a sign of loyalty to their fallen leader.

In Dynasty Warriors 9, Zhuge Dan plays more active roles in Wei's later battles and first appears as a confidant of Sima Yi when he rescues Cao Xiu from Zhou Fang at Shiting. When Sun Quan leads another army north, Zhuge Dan wishes to retreat to Shouchun to minimize casualties, but Man Chong chooses to defend Hefei in order to prevent the Wu forces from breaking into the central plains.

Shortly after Hefei Castle, Sima Yi is temporarily forced into retirement by jealous officials, much to Zhuge Dan's concern. Fortunately, he is recalled in time to deal with Zhuge Liang's last set of Northern Campaigns. With his relative defeated and dead at Wuzhang Plains, Zhuge Dan is taken north to eliminate Gongsun Yuan's rebellion.

With the northern frontier taken, Cao Shuang, mad with jealousy, leads an overzealous campaign on Shu, against the advice of Zhuge Dan and other notable officers and officials. Predictably, the campaign fails, but Sima Yi's faction is able to gain more fame by salvaging the operation. After Cao Shuang's demise, Sima Shi takes over his father's duties and begins an assault on Wu right after Sun Quan's death. Unexpectedly, they are defeated, and are forced to withdraw back to Hefei castle to oversee the area's defense once more.

As soon as the Wu forces pull back, Jiang Wei begins leading Shu's renewed offensive. During one of his attacks, Sima Zhao is ambushed, but rescued by his brother, who is wounded by the encounter. Thanks to Sima Shi's time of weakness, Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin break out from Wei and rebel at Shouchun. Putting down the rebellion puts too much exertion on Sima Shi's body and he dies soon afterwards. While heartbroken by the loss, he tearfully accepts Sima Zhao as his brother's successor and is stationed at Shouchun to protect the border against Wu.

During this, he receives a promotion for defeating Sun Jun and he goes back to Xuchang to receive it. While visiting Sima Shi's grave, he promises to uphold his late lord's trust in his brother, affirming his willingness to serve despite his incompatible personality with Sima Zhao.

Ironically, Zhuge Dan is spurred to rebel thanks to a letter written by the Emperor. In his defeat, he accepts death, with Sima Zhao promising his men to be spared. When interrogated before his demise, he reveals a hidden letter written by Cao Mao that caused him to rebel.

After his death, Sima Zhao uses Zhuge Dan's rebellion as propaganda against Cao Mao's men in order to make them switch to his side.

During Zhong Hui's DLC scenario, Zhuge Dan will continue supporting Cao family against Sima Zhao's growing influence. Working under Zhong Hui, Zhuge Dan remains a close ally of Zhong Hui as Sima Zhao launches his campaigns against Wu and Shu. Once Zhong Hui slays Sima Zhao and turns against the emperor, Zhuge Dan will organize his private army within Luoyang to try and attack Zhong Hui, but he can be negotiated with and will defect instead.

His betrayal causes the rest of the remaining imperial loyalists of Wei to lose morale. After all of Zhong Hui's enemies are vanquished and he can finally begin his rule as emperor, Zhuge Dan is the first of the new government to pay homage to their new ruler.

Warriors Orochi
In the original timeline, Zhuge Dan is one of the warriors who was overwhelmed at Ueda Castle in Warriors Orochi 3. He is perplexed when Sima Zhao and company explain they came from the future one day, and by their urgent request to assist their defense. While he is aghast by their bogus sounding story, Zhuge Dan eventually comes to terms with it and agrees to save their allies in the past and future. From then on, he acts as a secondary adviser for Sima Zhao's forces.

Ultimate has him participate in the hunt for Tamamo alongside Lu Xun and Tadakatsu Honda. The trio manage to corner their target with Chen Gong's cooperation, though they are unable to trap her inside the Divine Mirror.

On the side mission of Chapter 4, he, along with Xu Shu and Kanetsugu Naoe have a special training with Seimei Abe, Zhuge Liang, and Pang Tong.

In Warriors Orochi 4, Zhuge Dan was among the stranded officers that were rescued by Nobunaga. As a member of Nobunaga's army, Zhuge Dan constantly defied the Rebel army until the final defeat at Honnōji. After Nobunaga's defeat and Nuwa's revelation to the Rebel army, the two forces merge together, with Zhuge Dan joining the newly-formed Coalition.

During Nobunaga's absence to search for other snake bracelets that are scattered, Zhuge Dan and Ieyasu Tokugawa are left behind at Honnōji in order to oversee the area's defense. Later on, Athena arrives alongside the Toyotomi army, looking to occupy the Oda forces' main base. Thanks to Zhuge Dan and Ieyasu's staunch defense, both armies are defeated and forced to withdraw.

He later accompanies Xun Yu, Cao Cao and Toyohisa to Nagashino, where they hear rumors of two heroes being attacked by Ares's army.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
He mainly appears as an above-average officer in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. He usually appears as a secondary and optional general for Wei and has done so since the early titles of the series. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms VI, he stars in a short scenario centered around his revolt in April 257. Players can reenact his first rebellion against the Sima family.

During the Online adaption, he is one of the four focal characters in the 2008 summer event. Zhuge Liang requests players to help him face against his other talented family members from the Zhuge family. He includes himself, Zhuge Dan, Zhuge Jin, and Zhuge Qiao in a competition in Jing Province, using their wits to concoct various inventions against one another. If players choose to support Zhuge Dan, they get to use fire-breathing tiger cannons against his family's siege weapons.

Development
Zhuge Dan was made to be the tragically flawed character for the series. He is a man who isn't bad by nature but ironically suffers his downfall due to his beliefs. To represent his character as a stiff man of discipline, the producer wanted to give him sleeked back hair and a suffocating collar. His white gloves were meant to signify nervousness and the anxieties he tries to keep hidden. Zhuge Dan is meant to be a character who struggles to overcome his various internal complexes and conflicts, for better or worse.

Personality
Proud of his family's reputation for intelligence, Zhuge Dan thinks himself worthy to be the same ilk. He tries to act as an assertive and wise individual at all times. He is indeed talented in concocting reasonable strategies and possesses natural leadership. Zhuge Dan's brilliance, however, is overshadowed by his impatience. His eagerness to act on his decisions clouds him from rethinking his steps and severely narrows his focus. He neglects to consider alternations or consequences of his plans. When the epiphany finally dawns on him, it's often too late for him to do anything about it. The knowledge may cause him to react with nervousness or anger, his humiliation with his fault breaking his otherwise stern composure.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, Zhuge Dan is portrayed as sympathetic towards the peasants, promising to avoid destroying their fields and giving them extra food; he becomes distraught when he fails to protect them. He gains a deep respect towards Sima Shi when the leader shows him how his family pride clouded his judgement. A great behavior change that he has between the historical and hypothetical routes is that the former is much too concerned with the smaller aspects while the latter is able to see the bigger picture in focus.

In his original appearance, Zhuge Dan is depicted as a man who has no real friends or allies. Everyone who knew him judged him for his misdemeanors. For his Warriors Orochi appearance, he shares an affinity with Sima Zhao, Zhuge Liang, Taigong Wang, Sakon, and Toyohisa. The geniuses offer friendly tips for improving his thinking process or jest about his uptight appearance.

Voice Actors

 * Keith Silverstein - Dynasty Warriors 7~8 (English-uncredited)
 * Thom Rivera - Dynasty Warriors 9 (English)
 * Su Yu - Dynasty Warriors 9 (Chinese)
 * Takuya Kirimoto - Dynasty Warriors 7~9, Warriors Orochi 3 (Japanese)

Quotes

 * See also: Zhuge Dan/Quotes


 * "I carry the pride of my entire clan with me!"


 * "Well, if it isn't the black sheep of the Zhuge family."
 * "Silence! I'll show you."
 * ~Sima Yi and Zhuge Dan; Dynasty Warriors 7


 * "Master Zhuge Dan, the soldiers all love you. If only my father had been so popular..."
 * "You have both the talent and the skill. Your achievements can remove the stigma of your father's name."
 * "Yes! Thank you, Master Zhuge Dan!"
 * "Hahaha. I'm happy I could be of help."
 * Wen Yang and Zhuge Dan; Dynasty Warriors 8


 * "The entire Zhuge clan are skilled and clever. I must not soil that truth!"
 * "Haha... what a sad thing to say! Your gloomy face makes you look far less of a man. The moment you made that claim, with that face, you already soiled the name of your clan."
 * Zhuge Dan and Taigong Wang; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "This is odd. You don't look like a dog at all!"
 * "You there, boy. Apologize! Having one such as you call me a dog, I won't allow it!"
 * "Uwah, hold on a moment. Just listen, please. The way I am, I'm always mocked and called a whelp, or puppy, or pup. So I thought maybe I'd found a kindred spirit..."
 * "Ah. You heard about the Zhuge family calling me "dog", did you?"
 * "Yes. So I was amazed to find such a cool adult being called a dog. You seem so sure, so confident."
 * "I understand, then, that you had no mean intent in your comment, Master Toyohisa. However..."
 * "Yes?"
 * "Don't look at me with such expectation in your eyes! Ahem. Let me just say this. A dog means someone who is loyal. Don't forget that."
 * "Yes, thank you so much! You really are so cool!"
 * "It looks like this puppy has taken quite a liking to me."
 * Toyohisa and Zhuge Dan; Warriors Orochi 4

Gameplay

 * See also: Zhuge Dan/Movesets

Weapons

 * See also: Zhuge Dan/Weapons

Dynasty Warriors 8
Zhuge Dan now uses the short rod as his default weapon in this title.

Historical Information
Zhuge Dan was a politician and warrior who originated from Yangdu County in Langye (roughly modern day Linyi, Shandong). Honest, fair and non-judgmental, he was good friends with Xiahou Xuan and Deng Yang. He was praised as one of the "Four Bright and Eight Intellects", clever men who served Wei. According to the Shishou Xinyu, the following was supposedly written about the Zhuge relatives in the three separate kingdoms: "Shu has their dragon, Wu has their tiger, and Wei has their hound." Zhuge Liang was the dragon, Zhuge Jin was the tiger, and Zhuge Dan was the dog.

Even so, Cao Rui found his fame to be superficial and uttered, "His (Zhuge Dan's) reputation is like a portrait; one can try to complete it but they will never be satisfied." Thus, he dismissed Zhuge Dan at once. When Cao Shuang seized power, he and Deng Yang were summoned to govern politics. Zhuge Dan was entitled as an imperial advisor and returned as a minister. He later became the General of Illustrious Warrior and was sent to Yangzhou. He then distrusted Lujiang's Grand Administrator, Wen Qin.

While Deng Yang was murdered by Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuan was demoted to a meaningless post, Zhuge Dan was able to stay in power by assisting Sima Yi. After he helped suppress Wang Ling's rebellion in 251, he was put in charge of various military affairs in Yang Province and became the General Stabilizing the East. He was given Shanyang Juye soon after his appointment. It is said that his relationship with the Sima family was either due to family ties or ominous implications made by the Sima relatives for Zhuge Dan's head.

When Sima Shi climbed up the ranks of power, he and four other lords (Hu Zun, Wang Chang, Chen Tai, and Guanqiu Jian) were ordered to defend the capital from all sides. In 252, after Sun Quan's death, he banded with three of Wei's directional lords to strike Wu's position in Hefei. They targeted a castle in Dongxing and they desired to obtain the position for future water attacks. Seeing the threat early, Zhuge Ke, Ding Feng and Lu Ju drove his army back and he suffered heavy losses. He took responsibility for the defeat and had his governed province switched to Yuzhou as a result.

Three years later, Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin staged a rebellion. They invited for Zhuge Dan to join them, but he refused their offer and joined the subjugation. While he did struggle against his former comrades for a time, Zhuge Dan eventually fought the invading Wu general, Liu Zan. His general, Jiang Ban, killed the elderly general in a duel and his troops caused the enemy's downfall. Since Liu Zan was among the generals who caused his defeat along the eastern boarders, Zhuge Dan became a distinguished general. He was given 3,500 households and appointed as Great General who Subdues the East. However, when Xiahou Xuan (or Cao Shuang according to some accounts) was unjustly killed by Sima Shi, he was weary of the Sima family and became uneasy about the future. His doubts redoubled when Wang Chang, who shared an equal standing with him, was promoted for what he thought was a grave mistake. In 256, he requested 100,000 reinforcements to be sent to him. Officially, he said he needed them to suppress Wu, but it is argued that he wanted to keep them as a strong foothold against the Sima family.

As Sima Zhao came into power in 257, Zhuge Dan was appointed Minister of Works, one of the three most important titles in the Han Dynasty. He moved to the capital, Luoyang, and was ordered to recall troops. Either the court was suspicious of his behavior or Jia Chong's brother wanted to test Zhuge Dan's integrity and end the rebellion early. In spite of his new rank, he lead a rebellion with 10,000 soldiers during the same year and killed Yue Lin. He went with Wu Gang to request help from his youngest son in Wu, Zhuge Liang.

In 258, Sima Zhao ordered 260,000 to deal with Zhuge Dan and take possession of Shouchun Castle. The instigator had 30,000 people from Wu to assist him and additionally Zhu Yi's larger army as the conflict ensued. Although they were able to repel the initial blows of the struggle, his unfriendly relations with Wen Qin soon took its toll. Fearing that Zhuge Dan would one day kill themselves and their father, Wen Yang and Wen Hu defected to Sima Zhao. Their surrender dealt a massive blow to the morale of Zhuge Dan's army and they eventually scattered during the following confrontations. As he tried to abandon his position, Zhuge Dan was killed by troops lead by Hu Fen. Hundreds of his followers refused to surrender, believing that their rebellion was just, and shared the same fate as their leader.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
He is introduced during the later story arcs in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was Zhuge Liang's cousin and chose to employ himself in Wei. He received no particular promotions until his cousin died.

In chapter 110, he was given command over the forces of Yuzhou and ordered to march from Anfeng and possess Shouchun. He took Shouchun and received a seal from the dying Sima Shi. He became General Who Conquers the East and marched the army back to Xuchang. He eventually became Lord of Gaoping and Commander of the south and east of River Huai. To gauge his loyalty, Sima Zhao sent Jia Chong to secretly judge Zhuge Dan's feelings. Zhuge Dan pressed for Jia Chong to ascend and boldly declared that he would fight for what he believed the people wanted. To keep the rebel under his thumb, Sima Zhao appointed him as Minister of Works and forced him into the capital. Once Zhuge Dan heard that Yue Chen was responsible for the abrupt move, he angrily raided the man's residence and killed him.

With a total of five hundred thousand troops, he sent his adviser to ask Wu for aid and sent his son, Zhuge Jing, as a hostage on good faith. Wu accepted the gesture and sent seventy thousand to assist. He then joined forces with Wen Qin and his two sons. On the day of their confrontation, he lead the central vanguard unit. However, his forces were driven back and he decided to hold himself within Shouchun. As the river's waters began to rise, Wen Qin suggested to withdraw the northern troops and save supplies. Enraged by what he considered a suicidal suggestion, Zhuge Dan had Wen Qin put to death. Wen Qin's sons, Wen Yang and Wen Hu, left and were employed under Sima Zhao. When Zhuge Dan's troops saw the defectors treated with hospitality, their morale faltered and their commander put to death any who he suspected of betrayal.

Sima Zhao's army attacked soon after and Zhuge Dan was betrayed by Zeng Xuan, who opened the northern gates for the Wei army. Zhuge Dan tried to retreat but was cut down by Hu Fen. His followers were held prisoner and chose to follow their master's fate. His family within Wei were slaughtered.