Huang Gai

Huang Gai (rōmaji: Kō Gai) is a character who has been in every title following his debut in Dynasty Warriors 3. He is a loyal general who is famous for serving three generations of the Sun family, starting with Sun Jian. Historically, he devises the plan to burn Cao Cao's fleet at the Battle of Chibi, but the novel gives credit to Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang.

In the Dynasty Warriors series, he is 55 years old and his height is 187 cm (rounded up to 6'2"). Fans voted him to fifty-sixth place in Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll.

Role in Games

 * "No substitute for experience, huh?"
 * ―Yoshihiro Shimazu; Warriors Orochi

Dynasty Warriors
Huang Gai starts serving under Sun Jian by participating in the earlier battles of the Three Kingdoms period. He continues to fight for Wu after his lord's death by serving Sun Ce and Sun Quan. At the Battle of Chi Bi, he is given command of a task unit whose goal is to set the Wei fleet on fire. His success allows the smaller armies of Wu and Shu to defeat the larger army of Wei.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends takes place sometime before the showdown at Chi Bi. Sun Quan desires to gain an additional advantage against Cao Cao's fleet so Huang Gai volunteers to partake in a secret plan. Using deception, Zhou Yu orders a torturous beating for the Wu general and tells him to be taken away. Huang Gai feigns distrust for Wu and escapes to sneak into the enemy main camp. With his wounds still fresh, he needs to succeed in his goal while dodging the watchful eyes of other Wu generals.

Dynasty Warriors 5 states that he was a man born in poverty who trained himself to be one of the best warriors of his time. When Sun Jian issued a draft, Huang Gai joined immediately and proved himself during the Yellow Turbans Rebellion. He joins his lord when they face Liu Biao and, when Sun Jian falls victim to an ambush, he encourages Sun Ce to protect the Sun family. In time, Sun Ce dies so Huang Gai serves Sun Quan. He is in charge of protecting the task force at Chi Bi. After Wu deals with the Nanman tribe and Wei, he joins the campaign to crush Shu at Bai Di Castle. He is entrusted with attacking the castle from the west and solving the Stone Sentinal Maze that guards the castle's rear. With Wu as the land's rulers in his ending, he performs a toast to his previous masters' graves with Sun Quan.

He shares his Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion with Sun Jian and Sun Ce in an the incident takes place before Huang Gai has joined the Sun family. He spots Sun Jian trying to suppress Ou Xing's rebellion and concocts a plan to open the castle's gates from the inside by using stealth. If he succeeds, he will burst the gates open and invite Sun Jian to slay Ou Xing. Huang Gai will agree to serve Sun Jian if the two meet in battle. Should his plan fail, he will alert the enemy army and will need to defeat every general on the field to open the gates.

Huang Gai has no personal story in the sixth title but he continues to appear in the key battles mentioned in his infobox. When it is discovered, Huang Gai is the one who excitingly identifies the Imperial Seal for the Sun family. During Wei's version of the Battle of Chi Bi, his fire attack will succeed regardless of the players' attempts to thwart it; if they defeat Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, they will only weaken the tactic's effects.

Like his other appearances, Huang Gai participates in Sun Jian's campaigns and can be seen throughout the earlier sections of Wu's Story Mode in Dynasty Warriors 7. He may not always understand Sun Jian's methods, but he believes in his lord regardless. He offers comforting support for his lord's confused sons. He lives to call Sun Ce and Sun Quan as "Lord", respectively omitting his previous "Young Master". At Chi Bi, Zhou Yu gives him the task of setting the boats on fire, this time by ramming his single boat straight into Cao Cao's fleet. During the confusion of Cao Cao's troops, Huang Gai charges in alone to thrash his way through Cao Cao's army. He tries to pursue the fleeing commander himself but is stopped by Zhuge Liang, who assures that Liu Bei's army can take care of the rest. A wall of fire blocks Huang Gai from following, and he regretfully reports Zhuge Liang's actions to Zhou Yu. After performing his famous deed at Chi Bi, Huang Gai is quietly written out of the story.

His Legendary Modes has Huang Gai prove his might against the young warriors of the age. In his first scenario, he pounds some discipline into the newer recruits in Sun Quan's army. His second Legendary Mode has him fight against young warriors found throughout the entire land.

Warriors Orochi
The first game has Huang Gai make several appearances throughout Wei's storyline. He is a leader of a small anti-Orochi squadron and constantly searches for his lord's whereabouts. Although he is released each time he is captured by Cao Pi, Huang Gai is not convinced by the latter's motives and refuses to join him. Hearing that Sun Jian was being held at Odawara Castle, he falls victim to an illusion conjured by Da Ji. The phantom appears in his lord's image and Huang Gai finds himself unable to defend himself against it. After he is rescued, he realizes Cao Pi's sincerity and joins his forces.

In Warriors Orochi 2, he is back with Wu. Huang Gai and Goemon try to clear a path for Wu's advancement to Yang Ping Gate and clash with Masamune's army at Okehazama along the way. They are aided by Xu Zhu and Pang De. He shares his dream mode with two other loyal servants to their masters, Hanzō and Xu Zhu. They band together to save Gracia and aid the besieged castle's defense. When she returns, she brings Sun Jian to the field who congratulates Huang Gai's bravery.

Continuing his service to Sun Jian, Huang Gai leaves Wu to pacify various sections of the dimension realm from the serpent army's forces. Within the original timeline in Warriors Orochi 3, he joined forces with Jia Xu and mistook the base at Dongkou as an Orochi outpost. He and his comrades learn the error of their ways too late as they lose their lives against the massive serpent army that appeared later. A future Hanbei returns to the past to prevent their advance and show them the truth. To make amends for his assault, Huang Gai joins the coalition for humanity. He supports their plan to save Odawara Castle and Lianshi.

Personality
Huang Gai is a muscular veteran who never loses faith in his countrymen. With stamina that belies his age, he is a bold and confident general for Wu. A devoted vassal, he is considered to be an irreplaceable member of the Wu army. Like Huang Zhong, he is known to make quips regarding younger warriors, but he also encourages them to always act for the greater cause. Aside from Sun Ce, he gives tips to Zhou Tai on what it means to be a loyal servant. Fond of explosions, he often mentions "booms" or "blasts" in his conversations.

While he respects each of his masters, he fondly calls Sun Jian "Great lord" (お殿, Otono).

Character Symbolism
In the Japanese version of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, Huang Gai is given the nickname of "Gentle Heart Cyclops" while the English version changes it to "The Master of Martial Arts". As a dominant ruler in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, he calls his five greatest warriors "Huang's Five".

Huang Gai's old weapon of choice within the Dynasty Warriors series is a heavy iron whip, the same weapon he uses in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Within ancient China, the blunt instrument was used to punish disobedience and has been alternately called a judgment whip. To disassociate with the Western interpretation of the latter weapon, however, most English translations usually refer to it as a club, mace, or rod. The addition of his bombs are likely an exaggerated homage for him setting fire to Cao Cao's fleet at Chi Bi. He historically used fire arrows for the attack, which is why he excels with bows in Dynasty Tactics and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Though he no longer uses explosives in his sixth Dynasty Warriors appearance, Huang Gai's skill chart in Dynasty Warriors 6 is shaped in their honor.

All of his weapons' names within the Dynasty Warriors series imply that his arms have the power to stop anything dead in its tracks. His Level 11 weapon literally allowed him to break the entire world, while his third and forth whips granted him the power to halt the flow of rivers or oceans. His clubs in Dynasty Warriors 6 continue the naming trend of him wielding a superb force though they imply a greater magnitude than his previous weapons. His Standard club can sever a great river, his Skill version can slice the very sky, and his Power variation can chop through mountain peaks. Alternatively, the river mentioned for his Standard weapon doubles as a reference to the Yangtze River, said to have been a part of the stage for Chi Bi.

The original name for his Personal Item in Warriors Orochi is the "Wine of Sun Wu". Mentions of Sun Quan honoring his vassals with a goblet of wine at banquets is prevalent throughout historical accounts for Wu's reputed officers, including Zhou Tai and Dong Xi, and it was a high honor for those who were toasted. Huang Gai, however, was not among those who received such appraisal; perhaps the team of Omega Force sought to reward him with similar praise. As a side note, Sun Quan in the novel frequently lavishes himself with the tonic and banquets when not at war, a distorted and negative trait associated with his persona.

Voice Actors

 * J.S. Gilbert - Dynasty Warriors 3 (English)
 * Michael Forest - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English)
 * Lee Everest - Dynasty Warriors 5~8, Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Yang Seok Jeong - Dynasty Warriors 3 (Korean)
 * Park Man Yeong - Dynasty Warriors 4~5 (Korean)
 * Tetsu Inada - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Isamu Sugaya - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * See also: Huang Gai/Quotes


 * "Young punks, you still have a lot to learn!"
 * "May the heavens bear witness! This fire burns with the spirit of Wu!"
 * "Calling me a veteran is just a polite way of saying I'm old. Still, I'd like to see someone younger than me accomplish half of what I can do!"
 * "I'm going now! This shall be the greatest moment in my life!"
 * "Justice is with me! Prepare yourself!"
 * "What? Jaundice? Then you should be in bed, kid!"
 * Ma Chao and Huang Gai; Dynasty Warriors 5


 * "Without you my strategies wouldn't work. I thank you."
 * "Sometimes I would like to just cut loose. But completing difficult assignments is the pride of the aged."
 * "Hah! Is that so? Then perhaps I should give you all the really difficult work."
 * "Heheheh. I look forward to it!"
 * Zhou Yu and Huang Gai; Dynasty Warriors 7


 * "My lord... Where are you, my lord...?"
 * "Sun Jian is blessed with faithful retainers."
 * "Ieyasu, what should I do?"
 * "Above all, you must stay calm."
 * Huang Gai and Ieyasu; Warriors Orochi


 * "Even with Orochi dead, will your evil never stop?"
 * "Evil? Hah, such childish, clean-cut, schoolboy morals are outdated, old man."
 * Huang Gai and Masamune; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Master Huang Gai, your physique is most impressive. It is hard to believe it belongs to an old warrior such as yourself."
 * "As long as I remain on the battlefield, I must keep pace with these younger guys! Master Shimazu, you wield that enormous war hammer in battle. Your build must also be quite impressive under that armor."
 * Yoshihiro and Huang Gai; Warriors Orochi 3

Gameplay

 * See also: Huang Gai/Movesets

Dynasty Warriors 7
Huang Gai is affiliated with the club in this appearance. When he is equipped with it, he can perform a unique attack exclusive to him. Upon performing his Musou techniques, he will automatically use the weapon in his attacks.


 * EX Attack:, undefined, undefined: Grabs his opponent in a rolling grapple and kicks them away.
 * Musou - Piledriver (堅牢橋): : Reaches out to grab an enemy. If the grab connects, Huang Gai performs a jumping "Leg-hook Belly-to-back Suplex" wrestling move by placing him/her over his shoulders, jumps, and back-slams the victim into the ground. If the grab does not connect, he will follow with two flaming backfists.
 * Alternate Musou - Backbreaker (抜山蓋世撃): R1 + : Throws an uppercut, if it hits, the victim will be sent flying. Huang Gai then jumps and catches him/her in midair, lands and finishes the victim in a back-breaking bend.

His moveset has been changed in Warriors Orochi 3.
 * Warriors Orochi


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 * R1: Increases attack power and adds the wind attribute to attacks for a short period of time.

Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires
His weapon affiliation changes to the iron boat in this appearance. When he is equipped with it, he can perform a unique attack exclusive to him. When he performs his musous, he will automatically use the weapon in his attacks.


 * EX Attack:, , , , undefined, undefined: Attacks enemies with a blow strong enough to render water in half.

Dynasty Warriors 8
Huang Gai keeps the same moveset from the previous title with the following additions.


 * Aerial Musou - (回山側海堕):, : Performs a piledriver on a single enemy with enough impact to knock away other surrounding foes.
 * Awakening Musou: Spins around continuously while holding weapon sideways. It ends with the user tossing weapon at a short distance before kicking it away to emit a violent energy surge. During the extended version, the user rides up and down through raging tidal waves before initiating the final phase of the attack.

Weapons

 * See also: Huang Gai/Weapons

Dynasty Warriors 8
Huang Gai still uses the arm blade as his default weapon in this title.

Historical Information
Huang Gai originated from the Quanling county in the Lingling precinct. His son was Huang Bing.

Huang Gai was orphaned at an early age, and endured many difficulties as a baby. Even in his poor situation, he retained great ambition and studied how to read and write, and discussed military affairs.

He started off his career as a minor clerk within a commandery office, Huang Gai was then recommended as a "Filial and Incorrupt", a recommendation for talented people who retain filial piety and upright behavior. When Sun Jian gathered a volunteer force for the war against Dong Zhuo, Huang Gai joined him. He was made Major with a Separate Command after the defeat of the Shanyue bandits and Dong Zhuo's fleeing in the north. Sun Jian eventually passed away, leaving Huang Gai to follow his sons.

The Shanyue were rebellious, so Huang Gai was assigned to oversee the crippled prefectures. The officers in Shifeng were insubordinate and difficult to control, so Huang Gai appointed two people as heads of departments. He said to them, "Being the county's magistrate, I am neither talented nor virtuous. I obtained this post based on military merits, and administrative affairs are not my specialty. At this time, the bandits have not been pacified, and I have military duties to fulfill. Thus, I delegate the two of you to be in charge of all the documents, to supervise the various departments, and to point out as well as correct any mistake that they make. Within the jurisdictions of your two offices, you should discharge your responsibility for your administrative duties properly. Though I will neither punish you with whip nor cane, I hope that you will perform your duties to the best of your abilities, and not set a bad example for the rest." As a result of the speech, all were in fear of him, taking their tasks seriously thereafter. Though, seeing that Huang Gai did not check their documents, the officers became more relaxed and lenient.

Huang Gai grew disgusted at their lazy outlooks, and obtained evidence of the two officials' unlawful activities after some inspection. He held a gathering, inviting all officers to wine and food, but during the meal, he brought out the evidence and interrogated the pair about it. The department heads had nthing to say in defense, and begged for forgiveness. Huang Gai said, "Some time ago, I had already set out the decree – ‘Nor whip nor cane will I lay on you’. That was not said in vain." By order, the two department head's were executed, sending fear throughout the prefecture.

Later, he was transferred to be Prefect of Xunyang and Chief of Chunju, and in all was put in charge of nine prefectures. Wherever he commanded, the land became peaceful. In Danyang, Huang Gai received support from the Shanyue because he supported the weak and put down the powerful.

He was said to have looks that were stern and determined, while excelling at training soldiers. Every time a military expedition was called, his troops would fight to go first. He followed Zhou Yu to defend against Cao Cao at Chi Bi, suggesting the strategem of a fire attack. At the battles, Huang Gai was hit by a stray arrow and fell into a cold river. Some Wu soldiers rescued him and placed him on a bed, but didn't know it was Huang Gai. He gathered enough strength to call out Han Dang's name, and when Han Dang heard it, immediately turned to him and assisted him to change his clothing. Huang Gai survived the cold later on.

When the southern tribes of Wuling began rebelling, Huang Gai assumed the duties of the Grand Administrator, and only had five hundred men with him in the city. Knowing they would lose in a savage attack, he had the city gates opened, allowing half of the rebels to come inside. Here, his armies struck, quickly defeating several hundred enemies. The rest fled, returning to their respective towns. Huang Gai then defeated the leader of the rebels and pardoned those who surrendered. Between spring and summer, all of the local rebellions were put down, converting many pro-rebellion chiefs to change their ways. Huang Gai later died of illness in office after being promoted to Lieutenant-General. People in the kingdom remembered Huang Gai fondly offering sacrifices to him year-long.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the novel Romance of Three Kingdoms, Huang Gai allowed himself to be flogged severely by Zhou Yu in front of the other generals as part of their scheme to fool Cao Cao into accepting the former's false defection. The plan was a success, resulting in Wei's humiliating downfall at the battle of Chibi.

Gallery
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