Wang Yuanji

Wang Yuanji is a newcomer in Dynasty Warriors 7. She is the daughter of Wang Su and is historically Sima Zhao's wife. She is a figure who only appears in The Book of Jin and does not make an appearance in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Her height for her Dynasty Warriors counterpart is 160 cm (5'3").

Role in Games
Jin's Story Mode in Dynasty Warriors 7 has her mainly featured as support for the Wei army. As Sima Zhao's fiancée, she at first begrudgingly fights beside him. During her time spent beside Sima Zhao, she helps him overcome his laziness and learns to accept him. She persuades him to rescue Zhuge Dan at Dong Xing since their downfall is Sima Zhao's fault. In their faction's ending, she gladly accompanies the landless Sima Zhao.

Her first Legendary Mode has her participate in a mock battle staged by Sima Shi. They both want to correct Sima Zhao's laziness and seek to discipline him in their battle. Wang Yuanji's second Legendary Mode allows her to personally subjugate Zhong Hui's revolt.

Development
According to the producer, Wang Yuanji was added as an "adult" character and deliberately sought to balance her with the rest of the female cast. She went through several iterations during her design process, but Suzuki believes that she fills the spot for "tsundere" of the series. He notes she quickly became popular with fans in Japan and was frequently asked questions regarding her before the game's release. Her high popularity rating has surprised the development team each time. Suzuki has responded that it's the first time that a new character has been so well received during their debut.

The reason why Koei decided to collaborate with Lawson was because the public relation departments from both companies were acquaintances with one another. At first, Lawson representatives didn't want to allow a clothing option for a character. However, once they looked at the rough design for the concept, they approved it. Wang Yuanji was chosen with hopes to avoid offending fans of the returning cast.

Personality
Wang Yuanji is a caring and gentle woman to the weak and innocent. With Sima Zhao, however, she spares him no sympathy and is rather curt with him. Eventually, she begins to see the potential of Sima Zhao and also mentions a few times that there is more of his father within him than he thinks. Both Sima Yi and Sima Shi are aware of her lover's faults, asking her to not misunderstand the Sima family due to Sima Zhao's behavior.

Voice Actors

 * Kate Higgins - Dynasty Warriors 7 (English-uncredited)
 * Kanae Itō - Dynasty Warriors 7 (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "I must go out and live up to the responsibilities I have been entrusted with."
 * "I'm first place? I thought it was some kind of joke, not that there would be any good reason to... It's not like I'm happy or anything... Don't misunderstand me..."

Dynasty Warriors 7
Wang Yuanji is affiliated with throwing knives in this appearance. When she is equipped with it, she can perform a unique attack exclusive to her. When she performs her musous, she will automatically use the weapon in her attacks.


 * EX Attack: ,,,undefined,undefined: Jumps up and throws knives in a large radius towards the ground.
 * Stardust: : Hurls knives in a wide cone in front of her.
 * Falcon Kick:, : Spins counterclockwise while airborne and descends to the ground in a flaming spiral.

Historical Information
Wang Yuanji was Wang Lang's granddaughter and Wang Su's daughter. She was a well studied child as she could understand Shijing, Lunyu, and the Sangfu when she was eight years old. She was loyal to her father and faithfully performed the chores around her household. Wang Lang was proud of her character and was said to have wished her to be another grandson.

When she was fifteen years old, she was married to Sima Zhao. During their marriage, she gave birth to Sima Yan, Sima Ding'guo, Sima You, Sima Zhao, and Sima Guangde. Her devotion to her family extended to her mother-in-law as she served her well. Wang Yuanji was a loving mother to her sons and was known to be a strong figure for their wives. With her knowledge in various literature, she would fortify the maidens with virtue and integrity.

At one time during Sima Zhao's reign, Wang Yuanji apparently foresaw Zhong Hui's eventual betrayal. To him she personally confided, "Zhong Hui is one who moves for his own merit and forgets his duties to you. He will surely rebel if left unattended." Her predictions of his character proved correct as he revolted not too many years afterward.

After her father died, she dressed in clothes of mourning and wept for him ceaselessly. She was named Empress Dowager after her husband's death during Sima Yan's reign. Wang Yuanji was admitted to the court yet sought to be simple and practical with conducting herself. However, since her followers apparently disapproved of her methods, her vassals were disorderly and instigated fights against one another. For this reason, she was said to have kept a low profile in political matters. It's not clear if the harsh charges against her were caused from her own ineptitude or due to purposeful slander from discontent retainers. She died in 268 with the honors of an empress and was buried at Chongyang Tomb with her husband.