Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang is a character who has been in every Dynasty Warriors title to date. Known as a wise strategist with "unsurpassed intelligence", he agreed to serve Shu after Liu Bei visits him in person three times. Like the novel, he's also known as "The Sleeping Dragon". He is Yue Ying's husband and Jiang Wei's mentor. In the Dynasty Warriors series, he is 22 years old.

Dynasty Warriors
In the Dynasty Warriors series, Zhuge Liang usually joins the forces of Shu after a cutscene involving Liu Bei's third visit to his village home. He expresses his gratitude by joining Liu Bei, afterwhich he declares the start of the Three Kingdoms Era. From there on, Zhuge Liang acts as Liu Bei's strategist, advising him on many campaigns, and leading some himself.

Because of his position, Zhuge Liang is enrolled in many battles as well as many storylines. There are however key battles that he is involved with in almost every game. After pledging his skills to Liu Bei, he helps the people of Shu flee the forces of Wei in the Battle of Chang Ban. Zhuge Liang continues to gain victory after victory, next fighting at Chi Bi where he conducts a prayer to make the wind blow. This allows Zhou Yu's fire attack to succeed, thus leading to a victory for Zhuge Liang against the mighty Cao Cao.

Liang continues to go on campaigns with Liu Bei, creating rivals and allies at the same time. In one event, he gained the favor of Jiang Wei of Wei, who would later go on to be Liang's successor. In this time he also developed a cruel rivalry with Sima Yi, the strategist from Wei. Naturally they were rivals due to the fact they were on oppossing sides, but things began to get truly aggressive after Sima Yi picked up a victory over Ma Su, an officer under Zhuge Liang. The two generals would go onto to fight various battles against each other.

Zhuge Liang would goes on to support Liu Bei to the ending points of the game. After Guan Yu was assasinated at Fan Castle thanks to a Wu surprise attack, Liu Bei was infuriated and demanded to attack Wu. Although Zhuge Liang deeply advised him to do otherwise, he still supported his lord, setting up a stone sentinel maze to confuse the Wu forces at Yi Ling.

Zhuge Liang's role in the Dynasty Warriors games comes to an end at Wu Zhang Plains, where he has a final showdown with Sima Yi. The battle has many twists and turns depending on what installment you are playing on, but in most the battles marks the end of Liang, who falls victim to illness, leaving his role to Jiang Wei.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, Zhuge Liang is portrayed as an anti-hero in contrast to Liu Bei's heroism. While Liu Bei's virtue causes him to miss several opportunities to gain power because they are dishonorable, Zhuge Liang uses any and all opportunities to strengthen Liu Bei's position, drawing the ire of Zhang Fei after Guan Yu's death. He is willing to bear the scorn of others so long as it is not directed towards the land's beloved hero, Liu Bei. His conversation with Pang Tong reveals that he's most likely using Liu Bei as a means of effectively uniting the land. After their last confrontation with Wei, Zhuge Liang succumbs to an illness that he stubbornly ignored to treat during his plans. However, he is seen recovering thanks to proper rest and is happily visited by Liu Bei.

Warriors Orochi
In Orochi's scenario in Warriors Orochi 2, which serves as a prequel to the series, Zhuge Liang is the one who advises his lord to flee from Serpent King's army. To assist his lord's escape, he traps Orochi's men within a garrison and attempts to stop them by force. However, he's defeated and Liu Bei is captured by Orochi's men. As a member in Orochi's army, he leads the battle to subdue Wu and imprisons Sun Jian and many of their men.

Like many of Shu's generals, he continues to be a member of Orochi's army in Warriors Orochi. Not wanting to put Liu Bei's life into jeopardy, he acts as one of Orochi's strategists. He appears to be loyal to the snake but he's actually biding his time to capture Da Ji and set his lord free. As such, many of his plans are actually careful steps for Orochi's downfall.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Zhuge Liang is not present with Shu until the Battle of Odani Castle. After the castle is taken by Lu Xun and Taigong Wang, Da Ji sends Himiko off to run away. When she almost reaches the escape point, Zhuge Liang appears with Yue Ying to prevent her escape. After the Battle of Koshi Castle, he remarks to Taigong Wang about his risky tactics in allowing Da Ji and Himiko to escape after they caught the two.

Kessen
Zhuge Liang appears as one of Shu's strategists in Kessen II. He is an adept sorcerer who uses astrology to foretell the future. Like the novel, he agreed to join Liu Bei during his third visit. However, Zhuge Liang declines Liu Bei's offers in his previous visits, stating that he has no interest in restoring the Han empire. Once he hears that Liu Bei's real desire is to save Diao Chan, he admires the lord and agrees to serve him. From then on, he acts as a political adviser and battle strategist, occasionally bringing in new generals to join Shu.

Not long after he joined, Zhang Fei confesses to his older brother that he doesn't trust the magician. In response, Zhuge Liang attempts to assassinate Cao Cao but only succeeded in knocking off his helmet. He brings it to Liu Bei to prove his loyalty. He distinguishes himself as a powerful magician when he cast a fire spell on Cao Cao's fleet at Chi Bi. When Shu heard rumors of Diao Chan's death, a jealous Himiko tries to convince Zhuge Liang to join her. In the process, she leaks out that the dancer is still alive. After he refuses her offer, he reports his findings to Liu Bei. In Wei's epilogue, he leads the final resistance against Cao Cao with Shu's remaining generals. In Shu's story, he stops Himiko's dangerous tornado spell by defeating her in a magic duel.

Personality
Zhuge Liang is a placid and calculating man who is always thinking one step ahead. He often states that every turn in battle is a part of his effortless planning. Like the novel, he speaks with a polite and proper manner at all times, albeit terrifyingly so when he completely stumps his enemies. Though his intentions are sometimes questioned, he is indeed loyal to Liu Bei as he admires his lord's humble and noble qualities.

Perhaps a bit too confident of his abilities, he only half acknowledges his rivals from Wei and Wu, Sima Yi and Zhou Yu. While they are intent on befuddling him and proving their mental superiority, Zhuge Liang will haughtily denounce their efforts. When they succeed, he congratulates them with quaint words of praise. Though Sima Yi has special enemy themed dialogue directed towards him, Zhuge Liang does not have any special dialogue directed to his rival in Dynasty Warriors 6. Instead, he shares special dialogue with Yue Ying.

Appearance
Zhuge Liang also usually appears with very basic robes, though also keeping a refined face and build. In Dynasty Warriors 3, he wore basic and layered robes of white, green and maroon, with vertically curving hat. In the next installment, his hat changed into something resembling a Chinese lantern, and his face became thinner and his facial hair grew out. The robe set-up was only slightly modified, this time with yin-yang symbols on opposite sides of each other, and mostly made up of green, and mystical and golden designs. In Dynasty Warriors 5, Liang's hat was reduced to a simple, but very imperial cap. The mid-robe area also was held down with a lion's head belt, giving him a much thinner appearance. The hair on his head also grew, and a large part of the main gown was cut. In general, Zhuge Liang was given a thinner, less-strategist-like costume.

In Zhuge Liang's redesign in Dynasty Warriors 6 seemed to have been heavily based off of Taoist yin-yang concepts. Again, more vestment was cut off, showing more of the hinging leggings and boots. Black and white gloves give a balanced look to Liang, and fur robes and a Prime Minister cap were modeled to him. His mustache became thinner, and his goatee became wider. The design overall was given a more elegant and sophisticated look.

Voice Actors

 * Jason Frankovitz - Dynasty Warriors 3 (English)
 * Lex Lang - Dynasty Warriors 4~6, Dynasty Tactics 2, Kessen II, Warrior Orochi series (English)
 * Masaya Onosaka - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Munehiro Tokida - Dynasty Tactics (Japanese)
 * Masashi Hironaka - Dynasty Tactics 2 (Japanese)
 * Somegoro Ichikawa - Kessen II (Japanese); also model for character
 * Kaneto Shiozawa - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * "There is no greater weapon than a prepared mind."
 * "I foresaw that my time would come."
 * "My strategies will be studied for centuries to come."
 * "Outthought, and outfought."
 * "Men's will is more powerful than you could ever fathom."
 * Zhuge Liang speaking to Orochi X; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "The stars are in great disorder, making it extremely difficult to predict the future... However, that bright, shining star up there is a light of hope. Before it was a faint light, but now it has gained strength from the surrounding stars and is shining brightly. This is my lord's star."
 * Zhuge Liang; Kessen II

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: A single light orb which explodes after a set amount of time. Cannot be blocked.
 * , undefined: An upward thrust with Liang's fan.
 * ,, undefined: Sends out glowing circle that cannot be blocked.
 * ,, , undefined: Zhuge Liang leaps in the air and throws his fan around him in the air, spinning it like a spiral.
 * ,, , , undefined: Sends out a giant light sphere.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Zhuge Liang sends out three light orbs which explode after a set amount of time.
 * A rapid succession of green lasers. True musou will fire one large laser instead of four.
 * , : Jumps in the air, and sends out fan.
 * , undefined: Jumps in the air and sends out multiple green lasers before landing again.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Sends fan out to each side, forming an x-shape.
 * ,, , , , : Three fan swipes to the right, three to the left.
 * Repeated fan swipes until the Musou gauge empties.

Dynasty Warriors
In Dynasty Warriors 6, Zhuge Liang's attacks focus more on magic as a good majority of his attacks are controlled gusts of wind created by his fan. Aside from wind, he can also shoot laser beams and can create a miniature lightning storm in his Musou attack. One of his most formidable attacks is his Special, which has the power to emulate the effects and damage of a fire attack. When properly used, he can severely weaken a group of nearby enemy officers and easily take them out with a few hits. Some of his attacks available for purchase in his Skill Tree, namely Flame and Hellfire, increase the damage of his attack. Hellfire, which greatly increases the attack of the Tome Attack, is exclusive to Zhuge Liang, making him have one of the deadliest fire attacks in the game. Other Tome Skills include Battlecry, which stuns nearby enemies, and Stamina, which increases the duration of the attack. His moveset usually leaves his back opened so players must take some caution whilst charging into a crowd of enemies.

Dynasty Warriors 4

 * Level 10 Weapon: Peacock Feather
 * Base Attack: 50
 * Stage: Battle of Wu Zhang Plains
 * Requirements: Head for Zhang He's position and defeat him. Approach the castle to witness the cut scene. When the supply unit arrives in the west fortress, head there and defeat Xiahou Dun. After he is defeated, the supply team should reach the camp without any distraction.

Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends

 * Level 11 Weapon: Divine Feather
 * Base Attack: 44
 * Attributes: Level 11 Tiger Amulet, Level 20 Nanman Armor, Level 20 Cavalry Armor, Level 9 Seven Star Sash
 * Stage: Yue Ying, Woman Warrior
 * Requirements: Defeat Yue Ying six times, all "by a wide margin". Defeat two of the three other officers.
 * 1) Use the Vorpal Orb/Way of Musou/Musou Power Scroll Combo. Yue Ying dies in two true musous. Vorpal Orb works on the juggernauts. Use C1 against them. Note: There will be a precious item report (Power Rune), and at the same time you'll get the Level 11 message.

Dynasty Warriors 5

 * 4th Weapon: Peacock Feather
 * Base Attack: 32; Weight: Medium
 * Attributes: Charge +18, Bow +15, Musou +20, Fill +15, Defense +18
 * Stage: Battle of Tian Shui (Shu)
 * Location: In the middle of the eastern garrison.
 * Requirements: Defeat Xiahou Mao and recieve Nan An Castle; also defeat Cui Liang and recieve An Ding Castle. Wait for Jiang Wei's "I must return to Tian Shui Castle" message, and defeat Jiang Wei before he gets to Tian Shui Castle.

Historical Information
He was born at 181 A.D.in Yinan, Shandong, China. He dies in Wu Zhang Plains in 234 A.D. at in Wu Zhang Plains, Shaanxi, China.

Trivia

 * Zhuge Liang's motion actor for Kessen II is a seventh generation kabuki actor and a traditional Japanese dancer.