Zuo Ci

Zuo Ci was a powerful mystic well versed in the dark arts who followed Cao Cao on his rise to power, believing that he may be the one to restore peace. After losing faith in Cao Cao due to his brutal methods, he instead supported Liu Bei. In Three Kingdoms, he tempted Cao Cao to resign as Prime Minister and hand over power to Liu Bei, angering Cao Cao who ordered him executed, but Zuo Ci escaped, and cursed Cao Cao with a neural disease, causing his timely death. He wields a mystical tarrot card deck. As of Dynasty Warriors 5, he is the most powerful character in the series statistically, ending the tradition of Lu Bu being the ultimate character. He was added to the series by fan request but was left out of Dynasty Warriors 6. He was included in the Dynasty Warriors/Samurai Warriors crossover Warriors Orochi and it's sequel, Warriors Orochi 2.

Historical Information

 * "You are but a living corpse who has chosen to watch the world go by. You have no need for this book."
 * "There is a purpose to my observation. Hence, I am here."
 * -Zhang Jiao and Zuo Ci.

Zuo Ci (?-304), was a Taoist that practiced on Emei Mountain. He was nicknamed, "Master Black Horn". In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zuo Ci is executed by Cao Cao for embarrassing him, however, in reality, Zuo Ci never predicted Cao Cao's death, and served him until retirement.

In historical texts, Zuo Ci studied atop the Mount Tianzhu, practiced medicinal alchemy and nourished his vital essence by controlled breathing, as well as other means. It is said that he could live for long periods without eating. He was also very knowledgeable in the Confucian classics and in astrology.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

 * "I do as the fates require."
 * -Zuo Ci

Zuo Ci is a legendary personage of the Three Kingdoms period of China. Though he is known as a local of Lujiang, the years of his birth and death are unknown. It is believed that he had existed before the collapse of the Han Dynasty, and it is claimed that he lived to three hundred. He learned his magics and path to longevity from the Taoist sage Feng Heng, and eventually passed his arts to Ge Xuan.

Around the year 200 CE, a warlord by the name of Sun Ce, who was a strict Confucian, wanted to kill Zuo Ci and chased him on horseback. Zuo Ci, unmounted, still managed to escape by seemingly walking slowly.

Later, Zuo Ci went to Cao Cao, who granted him a pension to do his magics. Cao Cao may have shown an interest in the Taoist approach to longevity by doing this, but his son Cao Zhi wrote that the pensions are only intended to keep the magicians and their wild teachings under control. Zuo Ci showed Cao Cao's court a number of magics, such as catching an exotic fish from an empty copper pan, and teleporting far away to buy ginger. Zuo Ci once fed a whole court assembly with food and wine, but Cao Cao soon found out that Zuo Ci had emptied every wine shop in the region with his magic for this purpose. Cao Cao tried to execute Zuo Ci, but Zuo Ci escaped by walking through walls. When someone reported that Zuo Ci had been sighted in the market, everyone in the market became identical to Zuo's appearance. Another report said Zuo Ci went to the mountaintop, so Cao Cao and his men went, and realized Zuo Ci was concealed among a flock of sheep. Knowing he cannot find him, Cao Cao announced to the flock of sheep that he was merely trying to test Zuo Ci's skill, and had no intention to kill him. At the moment, a goat stood on its hind legs and spoke. Cao Cao's men rushed to the goat, only to find the rest of the flock also turned into goats and started standing and speaking like humans. Zuo Ci was never found by Cao Cao's men again.

Zuo Ci eventually retired from the world to practice his arts in the mountains.

Characteristics
Zuo Ci, who first appeared in Dynasty Warriors 5, has had a very unique look about him. His hair stood up in a funnel-shape, while his face was painted with markings that shaped as a yin-yang symbol. A long, protruding mustache matched his beard. He also wore robes, marked with Taoist symbols and Chinese characters, along with one boot. he is also portrayed a an immortal Mystic, and, unlike others of his "race" like Fu Xi and Nu Wa, Ci is very old, possibly his reflection of his age in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.His alternate costume consisted of the same wardrobe, but with his hair down. Zuo Ci the first character to have higher initial stats than Lu Bu. In every appearance, Zuo Ci has had a different air charge attack.

Unfortunately, along with other new characters such as Pang De and Xing Cai, Zuo Ci did not return to Dynasty Warriors 6, so he did not receive an updated costume. His incarnation does however live on in the Warriors Orochi games.

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: Releases an orb that explodes after a few seconds, press undefined once it's fire, twice and it's ice.
 * , undefined: Knock opponent upwards with cards.
 * ,, undefined(undefined, undefined): Surrounds opponents with a circle of cards, impales them and the cards surround the opponent from the other side, repeats twice, then at the end Zuo Ci throws cards forward spiraling in a circle.
 * ,, , undefined: Cards surround Zuo Ci and then Zuo Ci sends lasers from his cards in all directions.
 * ,, , , undefined: Zuo Ci blasts his cards spiraling forward, knocking anything in front of him skyward.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Zuo Ci sends his cards at the ground creating an explosion, knocking everything upwards, then creates another scattering opponents in every direction.
 * Cards spiral around Zuo Ci damaging opponents, then lightning rains down around him.
 * ,undefined: Rides down on cards with a spray of shadow spheres in front of him.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Spins cards for one revolution.
 * , undefined: One swipe to the right, followed by a card spin.
 * ,, undefined: One swipe to each side, followed by a card spin.
 * ,, , undefined: Two swipes to the right side, one to the left, followed by a card spin.
 * ,, , , undefined: Two swipes to each side, followed by a card spin.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Three swipes to the right side, two swipes to the left, followed by a card spin.
 * A string of side-alternating swipes, followed by one card spin. Ended when the Musou gauge empties.

Using Zuo Ci

 * "Ah, so you control the winds. Still, with your little wings, you shall never reach the heavens. Come with me, leave behind your worldly desires. Let the peace of the heavens enfold you."
 * -Zuo Ci, speaking to Pang Tong

Dynasty Warriors
With only one incarnation, Zuo Ci is a very solid character. He's a very effective crowd clearer, as well as a good officer killer. His, , , undefined, and , , , , , undefined, and , , undefined(undefined, undefined) attacks are all superb for crowd clearing, with the latter being the most devastating. It repeatedly attacks a group of enemies in front of the player. This makes it useful for killing enemy generals, especially when the player and enemy are alone. For enemies to get full force, players are recommended to step a bit back before using it.

The, , , , , undefined string causes two explosions to set foes on fire, though it takes a long time to activate. Troops can easily interrupt the attack.

With a Heavy weapon, similar to most everyone else, Zuo Ci is left very vulnerable in between attacks. The slowness of his moveset is a weakness within Zuo Ci.

Warriors Orochi
Zuo Ci's weaknesses from Dynasty Warriors 5 apply to him in Warriors Orochi, but can be fixed with the addition of layers of Agility. In Warriors Orochi, Zuo Ci is significantly buffed compared to his incarnation in Dynasty Warriors 5. He is classified as a Speed-type character, and can therefore execute multiple combos with ease. With his special attacks that use no Musou, Zuo Ci is godly in power. The attack basically strengthens Zuo Ci in speed and power, at the cost of a small frame of vulnerability. After, all of his attacks go by fast, and enemies don't have a big gap to counter.

A hidden attack was placed without an in-game notice. After activating the attack buff, pressing will make Zuo Ci strike with a powered palm, known as the "God Hand" technique. The strike goes incredibly fast, and is only used right after the buff. However, in Warriors Orochi 2, Zuo Ci has been nerfed, and the special attacks take a significantly longer time to activate.

The third and final special attack has Zuo Ci send out multiple spheres that, when contact occurs, decreases enemies' defense significantly. This can be used in coordination with the God Hand technique, or a combo string.

Most all elements can be applied to Zuo Ci's weapons to increase potency, but recommended ones are Brave, Air, and Agility. The latter is to combat Zuo Ci's speed weakness. Depending on the player's playing style, Brave can be used to multiply the power of his, , undefined(undefined, undefined) to fight generals, especially on harder difficulties. The Air element can be added to those players who utilize Air Dash to juggle enemies.

Dynasty Warriors 5

 * 4th Weapon: Trump Deck
 * Base Attack: 20; Weight: Medium
 * Stats: Charge +15, Fill +20, Bow +15, Defense +15, Musou +20
 * Stage: Battle of Hu Lao Gate (Allied Forces)
 * Location: On the castle's wall near where Lu Bu first appeared.
 * Requirements: Defeat Lu Bu.

Role in Games

 * "The darkness has lifted... And yet the world still cannot find the light."
 * -Zuo Ci

Dynasty Warriors
Zuo Ci's role in the Dynasty Warriors series is very loosely connected to his Romance of the Three Kingdoms counterpart. He supported Liu Bei, as he saw him to be the only one capable of ruling China appropriately. This however, ended after Guan Yu's death, when Liu Bei failed to follow his advisers, blindly attacking Shu. At this point, Zuo Ci works against Shu. The Mystic also kept a watchful eye on Cao Cao, who would fall under his own will to conquer the land, instead of wanting to unite it. In this installment, Zuo Ci sends out fire after jumping in his air charge.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, Zuo Ci, along with many others, doesn't have too much of a role in the game. He helps free Zhao Yun from his prison at the beginning of the Shu storyline, along with Yoshihiro Shimazu and Xing Cai. From there, Zuo Ci only makes one last appearance later in the Shu storyline. He can be unlocked by completing every story mode. In this installment, Zuo Ci sends out blue waves after jumping in his air charge.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Zuo Ci is unlocked by completing Shu's Battle of Shi Ting stage, along with Taigong Wang. From there, Zuo Ci acts as the bridge between the humans and Taigong Wang, bringing the two together. As a conduit, Zuo Ci also helped reveal Wang's thoughts on mortals. In the Orochi story mode, which was a prequel before the first game, it is revealed that Zuo Ci worked with the other Mystics to bring down Orochi. This attempt, however, failed. In this installment, Zuo Ci sends out shadow spheres after jumping in his air charge.

Interactions

 * Fu Xi, Nu Wa, and Zhang Jiao: Before the first game, the Mystic army, including the three just mentioned, fight to bring down Orochi. The Mystic force includes Zuo Ci, as he helps create illusions to destroy the Orochi army.
 * Yoshihiro Shimazu, Zhao Yun and Xing Cai: In the original game, when Zhao Yun was imprisoned in Ueda Castle, Zuo Ci, along with Yoshihiro Shimazu and Xing Cai saved him. Zuo Ci convinced Yun that Liu Bei was still alive, and that he should fight on to find his leader.
 * Taigong Wang: In Warriors Orochi 2, Zuo Ci works with Taigong Wang to defeat Orochi with the Shu forces. Zuo Ci acts as a bridge between the humans and Taigong, was the latter cannot understand human values and attributes. In cutscenes and in-game dialogue, Zuo Ci helps convey Taigong's feelings about humans. In Shu's ending, though Taigong Wang leaves, Zuo Ci stays with Liu Bei and the rest of the Shu.