Han Dang

Han Dang (onyomi: Kan Tō) is a veteran general who served three generations of the Sun family. He started his career under Sun Jian who acknowledged his subordinate's expert archery and horsemanship. At one point in his service, the Shanyue people feared his might and bravery, taking a submissive attitude towards him. He is posthumously considered to be one of the Five Veterans of Wu.

Before his playable Dynasty Warriors appearance, he was originally an NPC since Dynasty Warriors 2. He placed fifty-second in the Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends poll. The latest poll for the eighth installment puts him in seventy-fourth. The character poll for overseas fans puts him in eighteenth place for the Wu division.

Dynasty Warriors
Throughout the series, Han Dang is present in most of Wu's campaigns starting from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the final assault against Wei on He Fei Castle.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, he specifically assists Zhou Yu's preparations in countering the enemy fleet sent by Huang Zu. Players may help him fend off enemy troops that land near the main camp.

The Xtreme Legends expansion of the fifth title has him act as one of the many Wu officers assisting the Two Qiaos in testing their prospective spouses. He only appears as an ambush unit if Zhou Yu or any other character is spotted by one of Xiao Qiao's tiger sentries.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, Han Dang is an officer originally scouted by Sun Jian to serve him; the man is considered to be a masterful shipwright for his army. Before the battle against Liu Biao, he is the one who notices the strong wind and the breaking of the banner which leads him to warn Sun Jian. He goes on to serve Sun Ce and later on Sun Quan. Han Dang plays a central role in the battles at Chibi, Jing Province, and Yiling. In the latter battle, he displays some concern over Lu Xun serving as the commanding officer, but nonetheless serves dutifully and assists in the success of the fire attack against the Shu army.

In Wu's fictional path, he serves alongside Huang Gai in defending against the Shu army at Jiangxia, the leaders of which were attacking under false pretenses due to a ploy by Wang Yi. After Lu Xun successfully talks down Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the united Wu and Shu armies beat back the Wei forces. Han Dang is next seen at the Battle of Runan, where he joins forces with Lu Su, Lu Meng, Lu Xun, and Xiaoqiao to oppose the Wei army led by the Sima family.

In the Xtreme Legends expansion, Han Dang joins Sun Jian in an attack on Shouchun. His personal contribution to the battle is spotting the enemy's suspicious activities, and foiling their ambush.

During the climax of the Chibi campaign in Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed, Han Dang and the player are tasked with chasing after Cao Cao. He later returns as an enemy officer during the Battle of Fan Castle, demanding the surrender of Jingzhou while sending waves of assault captains to harass the player's forces.

His bond story starts off with him helping dispatch a group of marauders in Wuling, impressing Sun Jian enough to recruit him. He is also an instrumental figure in Sun Ce's conquest of Yangzhou which marks the true beginning of his reputation. When fighting alongside Zhou Tai, he cannot help but feel envious towards his partner's flashy moves, though the latter's praise for him leaves the older man touched. Han Dang's final story scene has him make a grand impact at Yiling by pursuing the Shu forces panicking due to the fire attack.

In Dynasty Warriors 9, Han Dang retains his previous roles. His story begins as a part of Sun Jian's army in the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He accompanies his lord to lure the rebels to Dong Zhuo's forces, who have refused to mobilize. After Zhang Jiao is slain, Dong Zhuo becomes the next one to invoke chaos, seizing the power of the imperial court for himself. After Sun Jian and Cao Cao fail to assassinate the tyrant, they return to their respective bases to prepare their armies. Han Dang is sent to watch over Sun Quan for his first battle alongside his family.

In the end, Dong Zhuo loots Luoyang and flees to Chang'an, where he is slain, while Sun Jian is able to find the Imperial Seal while repairing Luoyang. Because of this, he becomes a target of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, and Han Dang is able to protect his master from the latter's ambush. As Sun Jian's wife is taken hostage, the Sun Family become vassals to Yuan Shu in his fight against Yuan Shao. They move to fight Yuan Shao's ally, Liu Biao first, but Sun Jian is slain and the entire campaign is lost. Han Dang initially wishes to return home to retire as he is unable to stand the idea of serving Yuan Shu, but Cheng Pu dissuades him, as there would be no one left to look after their late lord's children if the veterans were to leave.

Han Dang then serves Yuan Shu shortly before joining Sun Ce to take the lands of Wu. After their victory, Yuan Shu declares himself emperor with the Imperial Seal from Sun Jian. Han Dang joins the expeditionary army to deal with the Zhong emperor, but Zhou Yu perceives Cao Cao to be their next big threat towards dominion of the Central Plains. Although the strategist wishes to head north to Xuchang, Sun Ce is caught in Xu Gong and Yu Ji's spell. Despite the efforts of Han Dang and other Wu generals, Sun Ce dies prematurely, leaving control of his kingdom to Sun Quan.

As Cao Cao has now destroyed Yuan Shao and his sons, Sun Quan foresees the eventual southern campaign and moves to take Xiakou from Huang Zu's men to gain a better foothold. Once Huang Zu's territory has been absorbed, Cao Cao begins attacking Wulin, and Han Dang helps thwart the warlord's attempt. Unfortunately, Cao Cao promptly leads a larger army south to Chibi.

With the help of Liu Bei's men, the Wu forces triumph and begin focusing on expelling Cao Cao's men from Jing Province. Cao Ren's defeat at Nanjun allows the Wu forces to celebrate, but the good news is cut short when Liu Bei's forces invade Nanjun and other territories gained, taking them from the battle-worn forces with ease.

Since Sun Quan and Liu Bei are still allies, Zhou Yu proposes marrying Sun Shangxiang to Liu Bei to strengthen the bond between their nations. As soon as Liu Bei arrives, Zhou Yu leads his loyalists to try and kill Liu Bei. Han Dang and the other officers defeat Zhou Yu and his men, allowing Liu Bei to escape. Shortly after the failed attempt, Zhou Yu dies from sickness.

The next move of the Wu forces is to impede Cao Cao's advance south to Ruxukou. Han Dang is able to help stop the warlord's attack on Wu territory, but Cheng Pu and Huang Gai begin falling to illness. Hoping to lighten their spirits back to the olden days, Han Dang performs admirably at Hefei. To his horror and shock, however, both veterans pass away to sickness, followed shortly by Taishi Ci to injuries incurred at Hefei and the arrival of Cao Cao's personal army. Forced to a corner without the hope of reinforcements from Shu, coupled with Guan Yu's decision to loot Wu supply bases for his upcoming campaign to Fan Castle, Han Dang and the others are barely able to beat back the Wei forces.

Nonetheless, as Guan Yu has now left Jing Province, Lu Meng and Cao Cao propose a temporary alliance until Guan Yu is killed. Ultimately, Guan Yu's death leads to Liu Bei lashing out at the Wu forces and beginning his advance east into the heart of Wu territory. Noticing his lord's colder demeanor, much more akin to Cao Cao than himself, Han Dang worries over the choice of Lu Xun as the commander as well as Sun Quan's reaction to pressure of Lu Meng and Cao Cao's deaths.

At the conclusion of the Battle of Yiling, Wu and Shu reconcile and restart their alliance, though Sun Quan is now plagued by the losses of his sister and Gan Ning. Sensing his lord's pain, Han Dang pushes the other officers to try and take more initiative in the next battle at Guangling rather than give their lord most of the responsibility.

In the battle itself, Han Dang is able to score the highest credit among his peers and is given a lavish ceremony led by Sun Quan himself. After the ceremony, Han Dang apologizes to Lu Xun for opposing his promotion during the early stages of Yiling. The youth, however, refuses the apology and insists that his plans could only be successful with someone like the general, comparing him to the legendary Sun Wu. Lu Xun then urges the general to follow him into their next battle. After his story, Han Dang briefly reminisces his career along with his late peers. He urges Sun Quan to be himself as he rules after Yiling, reminding him that he is neither a Cao Cao, a Sun Ce or a Sun Jian, but a Sun Quan. After giving his advice, he peacefully passes away just before Shiting.

Warriors Orochi
After suffering defeat at the hands of Orochi, Han Dang becomes one of the many Wu officers forced into servitude. Midway in the story, he loyally follows Sun Ce's plan to defect from the Serpent King's army in a bid to save Sun Jian and join forces with the Resistance.

The sequel has him continue serving Wu as one of its main defenders. He also appears in the Samurai faction story as one of the reinforcements sent to aid the isolated Lu Meng.

In Warriors Orochi 3, he acts as a replacement officer for Zhou Tai in any battle the general normally participates in.

He arrives alongside Lu Meng and Huang Gai at Honnōji to reinforce the coalition army against the forces of Wei, Toyotomi, and Athena in Warriors Orochi 4. He is among the coalition army's ranks during the mission to rescue Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and Jiang Wei who have just been transported to the new world. He later accompanies Sun Shangxiang, Kai, and Kaguya in clearing out the demon army near the Mystic Realm's portal at Itsukushima-Chengdu.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Han Dang is well-rounded in matters regarding war, leadership, and charisma. On the other hand, his stats in politics and intellect are somewhat mediocre.

Development
Omega Force wanted another character who excelled with leading navies and served the Sun family for three generations. Their main reason for favoring Han Dang over other possible candidates was that they wanted to exploit the instances when he didn't fight for Sun Jian or Sun Ce. Designers conceptualized his character to be "hard to notice" with playful yet defining facial hair. They particularly enjoyed the wide visual gap they created between his smiling and angered portraits. His overall design was made to be "powerful yet down-to-earth".

Personality
Despite his experience as a veteran of Wu, Han Dang is very concerned about people knowing who he is due to his intense fear of being forgotten. He shows great determination in battle and eagerly undertakes difficult missions in order to cultivate a reputation as a skilled and dutiful warrior.

However, he always seems to worry that he isn't trying hard enough to be recognized, and this insecurity makes him jealous of officers who stand out more than he does on the battlefield. He has a close relationship with Huang Gai, who never forgets about him and respects him as a fellow veteran.

In 9, he acts as the more level-headed veteran and often attempts to diffuse situations between the more rugged Cheng Pu with the rest of the younger generation of officers.

He has a special conversation with Motochika and Takatora in his playable debut in the Warriors Orochi series.

Voice Actors

 * Richard Epcar - Dynasty Warriors 5 (English-uncredited)
 * Skip Stellrecht - Dynasty Warriors 6 (English-uncredited)
 * Christopher Sabat - Dynasty Warriors 7 (English-uncredited)
 * Jeff Stewart - Dynasty Warriors 8 (English-uncredited)
 * Thom Rivera - Dynasty Warriors 9 (English)
 * Lisheng Luan - Dynasty Warriors 9 (Chinese)
 * Jeong Seong-hoon - Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed (Korean)
 * Hideyuki Tanaka - Dynasty Warriors 8~9, Warriors Orochi 4 (Japanese)
 * Itaru Yamamoto - Sangokushi Legion
 * Kanji Suzumori - Sangokushi Three Kingdoms TV series

Quotes

 * See also: Han Dang/Quotes


 * "Look out below, you filthy snakes!"
 * "If we retreat now, we could never face our lord again!"
 * "I promise to work harder in the next battle!"


 * "Hey everybody! It's Han Dang! He's so famous!"
 * "Hahaha... Calm down, Han Dang. Try not to get too excited."
 * "If I'm not constantly stepping forward, you'll forget about me. Actually, you didn't even order me to fight in the last battle."
 * "Uh, is that so? It's only because I just knew you would be."
 * Han Dang and Sun Jian; Dynasty Warriors 8


 * "Liu Bei has a lot of young warriors. You hold your own among them, don't you! You've even still got plenty of hair!"
 * "They have potential, but none of them know a thing about real battle. I don't have time to grow old! I need to support them so that they can achieve great things! That's how I find meaning in life!"
 * "You give all the glory to the young? I could never do that. If I don't stand out, everyone will forget me."
 * "No need to be so stingy! Giving one or two moments of glory away won't cost you anything in the long run! Talking like that will really thin your hair out! Get with it, man!"
 * Han Dang and Huang Zhong; Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers


 * "You're lucky, Motochika. You're good-looking, classy... And above all, you stand out..."
 * "Are you complaining about your plainness again, Han Dang?"
 * "H-Hey, that's kind of harsh. Plain...? I guess I am plain..."
 * "There's nothing wrong with being plain. Your plainness gives you character. And above all, you have valued comrades who appreciate you for who you are. You have a place where you belong. Many never have these things. You do, yet you want more?"
 * "It's because my comrades are so important to me that I don't want them to forget me!"
 * "Ha... Excellent. That's the spirit, Han Dang."
 * Han Dang and Motochika; Warriors Orochi 4

Gameplay

 * See also: Han Dang/Movesets

Weapons

 * See also: Han Dang/Weapons

Han Dang uses the short pike as his default weapon in this title.

Historical Information
Born in Liaoxi Commandery, Han Dang immediately gained Sun Jian's approval and became one of his first generals due to the former's prowess in archery, riding, and leadership. He was said to be a physically fit individual whose arms were as strong as steel. His contributions in subjugating the Yellow Turbans earned him a promotion as well as the respect of his peers.

As one of the four well-known veterans in Sun Jian's army, he fought under Sun Ce and Sun Quan after their father had been killed by an ambush unit. Although he was not particularly active during Sun Ce's establishment of Wu, Han Dang became part of the army's rear guard to ensure the safety of their leader. He participated in many more conflicts including the battle of Chibi where he rescued his fellow contemporary Huang Gai from drowning.

Han Dang also helped control the Shanyue tribe in the Poyang region before they assimilated themselves into Han culture. He even served in Wu's campaign against Guan Yu when the two parties quarreled over Jing Province. After the battle of Yiling ended in Shu's defeat, he passed away from illness shortly.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Han Dang used a heavy saber as his weapon of preference which he used to kill Zhang Hu after dueling against him for thirty bouts or more. The novel also depicts him as a man of honor who respects protocol and inspires his men to work together.

Trivia

 * His fun nickname with Dynasty Warriors fans is "Chinese Tintin", thanks to his hairstyle resembling a main character of Tintin franchise.

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