Xiang Yu

Xiang Yu (項羽, onyomi: Kō U) is a prominent military leader and political figure from the late Qin Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the Hegemon-King of Western Chu who was best known for his long power struggle with Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty. He is Beauty Yu's lover.

Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2 includes Xiang Yu as a hidden generic officer who uses Lu Bu's moveset, and has above average stats. He can be recruited by swiftly defeating him in his Treasure Trove location during the Han Forces' side of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. As an officer, Xiang Yu will increase the player's attack and defense. His skills allow guards to join the player's unit, Boost, which will temporarily double allied officers' attack when activated and Fill Musou, which automatically fills the player's Musou gauge.

In his playable appearance, he is one of the beings resurrected by Shi Huangdi and the unique boss of the Supremacy King chapter, a secondary story route in the game. On the behest of his dark leader, Xiang Yu wrecks havoc on Wei's territories, leaving the land in a sea of flames. At this rate, the hard fought harmony that was won in the first title would be jeopardized. Uniting their kingdoms for the same goal, Cao Cao forms an alliance with Sun Jian and invites Shu into Xu Chang for aid. Xiang Yu plans to confront the Three Kingdoms simultaneously.

His might and Shi Huangdi's beasts overwhelm the warriors' first impressions, thus leading to their first defeat against him. Xiang Yu, who retains his memories of his former life, then desires to create his own kingdom with the land he has conquered without Shi Huangdi's assistance. His defiance against Shi Huangdi is relatively ignored, as the aged emperor chooses to watch with bemused interest.

Cao Cao rebounds from the loss of his countrymen and coordinates the allied forces to again strike against Xiang Yu, eventually leading to his defeat. Xiang Yu apologizes to Beauty Yu for failing to create their kingdom but is content to have her within his arms. The couple then return to the afterlife together, Shi Huangdi's powers being stripped from them as they perish.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
He is called by his given name, Xiang Ji, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. The player can unlock him after finishing select scenarios within select titles. In the currently discontinued MMORPG, players could defeat a dungeon and witness Xiang Yu pledging his love to Yuji from afar.

Rise of The Phoenix
As one of the title namesakes of the Japanese version of the title, Xiang Yu is one of the star characters in the game. Players can choose to either follow his campaigns or fight against him as Liu Bang.

Personality
Overwhelming with military power and wit, Xiang Yu wants to revive the state of Chu and someday topple Shi Huangdi. If he cannot obtain either of his goals, he is willing to take his own life. Placed under a spell that prevents him from completing his own desires, his spirit becomes Shi Huangdi's unwilling puppet. He is protective of his lover, who he affectionately calls "Yu". If possible, he would want to forbid her from fighting and is upset upon learning that she asked Shi Huangdi's assistance for power. He dedicates his every action to her well being and safety.

Although his time in the mortal realm is brief, he held a rivalry with Lu Bu for the mantle of the strongest.

Voice Actors

 * Kazunari Tanaka - Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2
 * Masahito Yabe - Youkai Sangokushi (Japanese)

Gameplay
Xiang Yu mainly uses the twin daos moveset during his appearance in Multi Raid 2.

Fighting Style
In Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2 he offers the following traits:


 * Support Skill - Restores allies' health
 * Joint Party Ability - Destruction Power Boost: increases the party strength when destroying gates and obstacles
 * Card - Warrior type, Fire element, +20 to Blacksmith

Weapons
Xiang Yu uses twin daos as his main weapon in the game.

Historical Information
A native from the state of Chu, Xiang Yu was a child when his homeland was swallowed up by Qin's growing expansion. As a youth, Xiang Yu was raised by his uncle, Xiang Liang, who often complained that his nephew was never interested in books or strategies and only knew how to wield a weapon. By coincidence, they noticed the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, during an imperial tour, and Xiang Yu immediately pointed at the ruler and claimed to be able to replace him.

Following Qin Shi Huangdi's death and the incompetent rule of Qin Ershi, various peasant rebellions sprung out. The administrator of Kuaiji (modern day Zhejiang), Yin Tong was keen on rebelling and invited Xiang Yu and his uncle. Rather than act on another's behest, they killed Yin and took control of the rebellion he intended to make. To further their cause, Xiang Liang found the grandson of Chu's final king and placed him as a figure head while Xiang Yu acted as his marshal in restoring Chu. When their rebellion was in full swing, the new king, King Huai II, announced that he would award whoever reached Qin's capital, Xianyang, with the title of king. Xiang Yu, and the then-unknown Liu Bang, took great notice of the king's promise.

The great initial successes, however, would inflate the ego of Xiang Yu's uncle and he was subsequently killed by Qin troops at Dingtao while Xiang Yu ended up becoming the lieutenant of his uncle's second-in-command, Song Yi. Conflict between the two sparked when they were sent to aid insurgents of the former Zhao state, where Song Yi wished to wait and let the other forces tire themselves out as opposed to rushing in immediately. Song would then give an order that "any fierce as a tiger, recalcitrant as a ram, greedy as a wolf, so headstrong they will not submit to orders should be executed. Xiang Yu was incensed by this jab and his commander's refusal to follow his plan and took advantage of Song leaving for a small party with his son. While making his morning report, Xiang killed his commander and took control of the troops; claiming that Song was corrupt in his role and sent the message to King Huai II, who approved of Xiang's actions.

Now the commander-in-chief, Xiang Yu would battle against Zhang Han, the Qin general at Dingtao, and Xiang made sure to burn his ships as soon as he crossed to give his men no option other than to fight to the death. Xiang Yu became famous when he crushed Zhang's 300,000 strong army. When the remaining 200,000 surrendered, Xiang Yu buried all but Zhang Han, and his deputies, Sima Xin, and Dong Yi alive. Despite his crushing victory, it was Liu Bang that would reach Qin's palace first to receive the final emperor, Ziying's surrender.

When he realized that Liu would become king in accordance to King Huai II's command and that Ziying would be his chancellor, an enraged Xiang Yu marched his 400,000 strong army to Qin's heartland. At the time, Liu Bang only barely had a quarter of an army than that of his foe's. Xiang Yu's advisor, Fan Zeng, warned his lord that Liu Bang's ambition would consume them if they did not act, and Xiang decided to invite his future rival to a banquet where he would assassinate him and his close retainers.

Unfortunately, Xiang Yu's uncle, Xiang Bo, was close to Liu Bang's advisor, Zhang Liang. Xiang Bo warned Zhang Liang, who in turn warned Liu Bang of the plot. Liu would escape the feast at Hong Gate by claiming to be drunk and sneaking off to a latrine where he made his escape. Liu Bang later presented jade cups and tablets to Xiang Yu to excuse himself for leaving early. While Xiang Yu accepted the gesture, Fan Zeng angrily destroyed the presents and predicted that they would fall to Liu in due time.

Xiang Yu would remain in the Guanzhong region for a small period of time, but his cruel and violent rule, including the execution of Ziying and his family despite their surrender and the burning and looting of Qin's Epang Palace, led to the people seeing him as a tyrant. Against the advise of his men, Xiang would leave the region after a few months to return back to Chu.

With the fall of Qin, Xiang Yu petitioned to have his lord's status elevated to emperor, whilst he becomes a king and the rest of the land is divided into several independent kingdoms. He would intentionally overrule King Huai's previous promise of giving Guanzhong to Liu Bang by handing the region to the three Qin generals spared at Dingtao and passing the rugged lands of Hanzhong to Liu Bang instead. By this point, King Huai was nothing more than a puppet, and Xiang Yu eventually had his ruler put into exile and later assassinated.

King Huai's death, however, led to the various kingdoms waging battle on one another for territory. While Xiang Yu was busy fighting the state of Qi, Liu Bang finally made his move and invaded the Guanzhong region. Through a series of alliances, Liu Bang had assembled a formidable army of 560,000 to take Western Chu's capital of Pengcheng. Although vastly outnumbered, Xiang Yu took 30,000 troops and launched a surprise attack on Liu Bang. The Han forces were handily defeated with several kings turning from Han to Chu. An even greater prize was the capture of Liu Bang's family.

Before Xiang Yu could mount an offensive, Liu Bang had managed to convince Ying Bu to rebel. Xiang Yu was forced to deal with Ying, but by then, Liu Bang had reorganized his army and their war would split into two fronts. While Xiang Yu was focused on sieging Liu Bang at Xingyang, the Chu army would suffer a string of critical defeats at the hands of Han Xin, who subdued several of Chu's allies into annexation or surrender. Xiang Yu attempted to send a person to convince Han gain his own independence, but Han rebuffed the offer and now began making plans to advance south and rescue Liu.

As the tide had now turned in favor of Han, Xiang Yu decided sign an armistice with his enemy at Hong Canal, giving up his hostages and splitting the country between east and west for Chu and Han respectively. On the way home, Liu Bang reneged on the armistice and attacked Xiang, but because he was reliant on the arrival of Han Xin and Peng Yue when neither lifted a finger, Xiang easily defeated the Han forces. Liu Bang would learn from this mistake and made sure to secure the support of his allies before attacking.

Now united, Liu Bang, Han Xin, and Peng Yue marched on Chu from three fronts. Xiang Yu was trapped in between Liu Bang and his allies, and the Han forces were ordered to sing Chu's songs to fool Xiang Yu's men into thinking their homeland was lost. It had the intended effect as Xiang now had to deal with surmounting desertion, and the thought of losing his home a second time led him to drink heavily and compose the Song of Gaixia in sorrow. Xiang Yu's wife felt that she was being a distraction to her husband by this point and committed suicide, which pained but roused Xiang Yu.

In spite being heavily outnumbered, Xiang Yu repeatedly outwitted Han Xin's pursuit parties, but his numbers inevitably kept dwindling until he had a mere 28 man army left. After being given incorrect information by a farmer while looking for directions, Xiang Yu's forces reached a swamp. Realizing the perilous situation, Xiang Yu gave a speech to his remaining men that it was now apparent that Heaven wished him gone, but did not blame his failures as a lack of his own skills as a commander.

Upon reaching Wu River (present day Maanhan, Anhui), a boatman offered to take Xiang Yu home and revealed that most of Chu still supported him and was actually unconquered. Too ashamed to return back when none of his original men survived, Xiang Yu refused his only avenue of escape and asked the boatman to ferry his horse, Zhui, to safety as he was unable to see his companion of so many years die. Xiang Yu's men also refused to abandon their general and were intent to stick with him until the end.

Xiang Yu then led his army into a final charge against Han Xin's men and killed several of Han Xin's men. Upon seeing his old friend, Lü Matong, Xiang Yu declared that "I have heard the King of Han has offered 1,000 gold ingots and the title Wanhu Marquis (lit. Marquis of 10,000 Households) for my head. On account of our past friendship, that reward will certainly be yours!" before slicing his head off. Han troops began scrambling for the general's head, and Xiang Yu's body was reportedly mutilated in the chaos. Nonetheless, six men, including Lü, were able to successfully claim Liu Bang's reward.

Liu Bang, as a show of respect, gave his long-time rival a grand funeral fitting his rank of Duke, and spared Xiang's remaining family and made them Marquises. Xiang Yu would subsequently become a prime example by Confucians of the issues of ruling by fear as Xiang Yu's rampage against Qin's former cities even after surrender led them to oppose him until death. His conflict with Liu Bang also drew parallels to the analogy of how water overcomes stone; a stone may be firm, akin to Xiang Yu's unmatched military might and having an army size quadruple that of Liu Bang's early on, but can be weathered over time by the constant dripping of water, referencing Liu Bang's cunning which led to Xiang Yu's allies and retainers leaving their lord until his final defeat.

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