Sun Quan

Sun Quan (onyomi: Son Ken) is Sun Jian's second son and his elder brother's successor. He is famed for his love of wine and his bushy beard. His father was pleased by his birth and proclaimed that he would be the one to lead the family's future, a line which became true years later. Sun Quan ruled as the first living emperor of Wu and sought to govern with patience and careful consideration, which had mixed results during the era. Romance of the Three Kingdoms degrades him to be an arrogant and short-tempered leader whose love for wine clouded his judgment. Sun Shangxiang is his younger sister, and Lianshi is one of his historical wives.

Historically however, Sun Quan became increasingly stubborn as he aged for a number of unknown reasons, which lead to unreasonable decision making and only heeding advice from even the most infamous of his family members; this eventually caused both Wu's downfall via internal dispute and Lu Xun's death (whose advice Sun Quan often refuse to heed and whose death he later regretted after meeting with Lu Kang).

Dynasty Warriors Sun Quan is forty-ninth place in Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll and sixty-fourth in the Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends poll. His Dynasty Warriors counterpart also has a character image song titled Carry on.

His character's height in Kessen II is 170 cm (5'7").

Role in Games

 * "Just like Liu Bei, I was desperately holding on to a dream founded in a past glory. But our lord - He has a vision of an entirely new type of land. A vision of the future."
 * Lu Xun; Dynasty Warriors 6

Dynasty Warriors
Sun Quan is a leader who shoulders the dreams of his father and brother. Starting as a member in his family's campaigns, he leads the Sun family after his brother's death. He acts as the main leader during the Battle of Chi Bi and at He Fei. During the latter battle, his life is put into danger when he is ambushed by Zhang Liao. As he retreats back to the main camp, the bridge for his path is shattered and a wide gap remains between the two shores. Braving his steed forward, his horse hops to the opposing shore and he rides to safety. He continues to expand his territories after the battle to form the Kingdom of Wu. Though formerly allies with Shu, he becomes one of Liu Bei's worse enemies when Guan Yu dies at Fan Castle. After the conflict at Yi Ling, he may choose to either end Shu or Wei for unification in Wu's name.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends reenacts his close shave with Zhang Liao at He Fei. While participating in the siege of He Fei's castle, the Wu army appears to win an early victory against Wei. As they advance their troops more inward, however, they walk into Zhang Liao's trap and fall victim to an ambush. Swearing to survive no matter what, Sun Quan cuts himself an escape path to open the gates blocking his path. He defeats Zhang Liao thrice during his retreat. Reaching the broken bridge back to his camp, he scoffs at Wei's attempt to stop him. Safely landing on the bridge's opposite end, he declares that he will live to change the times.

Dynasty Warriors 5 describes him taking the family reigns when he was only nineteen. Though not as skilled in warfare as his predecessors, Sun Quan possessed the unique ability to draw people to him and earned the people's admiration. Donned the new leader of Wu, he starts his campaigns by taking revenge for his father at Xia Kou. After the battle of Chi Bi, he decides to suppress the south and destroys the Nanman tribe. The Battle of He Fei ends with his army victorious, but they don't gain new territory from the battle. Time passes, and Sun Quan decides to put an end to both kingdoms once the sons of his rivals gain leadership. He slays Cao Pi at He Fei Castle and ends Liu Chan at Bai Di Castle. With the land under Wu, Sun Quan swears to continue building his empire so that it may last forever.

Sun Quan shares his Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion with his younger sister and Lu Xun. Described as a new generation of warriors for Wu, they face Cao Xiu at Shi Ting. While the other two warriors deal with the setup for their plan, Sun Quan acts as the distraction and draws the enemy to him in the center. Once Zhou Fang's defection takes effect, he drops his plans for defense and orders the army for a full-scale assault.

He has no personal story in Dynasty Warriors 6, but he plays a large supporting role in Wu's stories. After Sun Ce's abrupt demise at Xu Chang, he orders a retreat and leads the Wu army. He dreams to create a new land where all three kingdoms can work together in harmony. He mainly tries to participate in wars to end aggression's directed towards him. In Lu Xun's story mode, his dream becomes a reality, and he is one of the figure heads for Wu. In his sister's story, he clashes with her, and his life is spared by Liu Bei at Yi Ling. As a part of the new Shu-Wu alliance, he helps Liu Bei crush Cao Cao. He worries about his sister being apart from her love but swears to make their dreams a reality. Conversely, in her husband's story, his dreams are harshly cut short by Liu Bei and his lands are completely integrated under Shu.

In Taishi Ci's story in Special, he focuses on defending what remains of their kingdom. Although they expand their lands with their victory at He Fei, Sun Quan doesn't want to gamble their future away by trying to take Xu Chang once more. Allying with the larger Wei, he ends Liu Bei and his brothers at Fan Castle.

Like other titles in the series, Sun Quan fights alongside his father and siblings at the start of Wu's Story Mode in Dynasty Warriors 7. While proud of his father and older brother's heroism, Sun Quan doubts his own integrity. Players control him during Ou Xing's rebellion, allowing him to boost his reputation. He valiantly supports his father and older brother's campaigns. When Sun Ce goes missing before their invasion of Xuchang, Sun Quan decides to lead the men in his stead. They conquer the city, but he is shocked to witness his older brother's death after their victory.

Hurriedly entrusted with leadership of the Sun family, Sun Quan tries his best to cope with new responsibilities. Zhou Yu acts as his trustworthy adviser, telling him to lure Cao Cao south by attacking Xiakou. As Sun Quan dwell with doubt in the main camp, Lian Shi lectures him to recognize his vassals' loyalties to him. Composing himself, he leads his men to victory and gains new territory for his family. Soon after, he shelters a fleeing Liu Bei and decides to take his chances with an alliance. Boldly declaring that his land will fight to the death, Sun Quan and company prevail over Cao Cao at Chibi. Chasing Cao Cao's army northward at Nanjun, Sun Quan decides to marry his sister to Liu Bei. Sun Quan simultaneously visits a bedridden Zhou Yu to watch his sister depart. As the young lord basks in the happy occasion, his jubilation is cut short when the strategist quietly passes away.

After failing to take Hefei, Sun Quan later accepts an alliance with Cao Cao to end Guan Yu. Although he is aware that his actions will alienate himself from Liu Bei and his sister, Sun Quan believes striking the general down is needed for the protection of his home. He and his army later confront an infuriated Liu Bei at Yiling. To avoid causing his sister more grief, he spares Liu Bei. When Liu Bei suddenly dies, Sun Quan reforges Wu's alliance with Shu with help from Sun Shang Xiang. Cao Pi, the new leader of Wei, sees this alliance as a threat to his kingdom and attacks Dongkou. Sun Quan personally kills Zhang Liao and leads the Wu forces to victory. He allows Cao Pi to live, stating that someone needs to take care of Wei. After Wu's victory, the three kingdoms are stuck in a momentary ceasefire. He sees a dream of his belated family members and vassals congratulating him. Content by the vision, Sun Quan decides to enjoy his remaining days in the brief time of peace. Sun Quan is mentioned to have passed away during Jin's Story Mode, shortly after Sima Shi succeeds Sima Yi. His death, as well as that of Lu Xun, causes chaos in Wu.

His first Legendary Battle is the Battle of Hefei, where he leads the Wu forces to fight Cao Cao. In his secondary Legendary Battle, Sun Quan fights Sima Yi, the new leader of Wei, to unite the land under Wu's name.

Sun Quan makes his appearance in the third chapter of Dynasty Warriors Next supporting Sun Ce's conquest. During the Battle of Wujun, he and his sister are rescued by their brother from Taishi Ci's ambush. In turn, he later advises his elder sibling to obey the imperial edict against Yuan Shu so that the other warlords may acknowledge their might. The sixth chapter revolves around his development as leader of Wu. Initially pressured by the burden of his new role, he comes to accept it after receiving encouragement from his subjects. As the player's avatar in Xiakou, he empathizes with Ling Tong over the loss of his father and helps alleviate the younger officer's rage. Their victory over Huang Zu inspires Sun Quan to recruit potential allies like Gan Ning to aid Wu's cause. The ruler's confidence peaks when the Battle of Chibi ends favorably for his army.

Other scenarios including Jin have Sun Quan serve as the enemy commander at Jianye where his death means Wu's downfall. Wei's final chapter gives players the option of wounding him at Hefei to earn vast quantities of experience points. In his own kingdom's scenario, Sun Quan heeds the counsel of his advisers to subdue Shu first. Rather than killing Liu Bei, he persuades the crestfallen leader to join him for the sake of his followers. He then personally takes charge of the assault on Xuchang, bringing Cao Cao down on his knees. The Wei leader balks at the idea of serving Wu until Sun Quan convinces him otherwise by appealing to his intellect. With peace restored to the land, Wu finally establishes a harmonious kingdom where different ideas and beliefs can come together. During Sun Quan's coronation ceremony, he rouses his friends and former enemies with a compelling speech to celebrate their brighter future together.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, Sun Quan mainly reprises his role from the previous installment. In the hypothetical route, he saves his father and brother from their deaths. When he tries to give Sun Ce his role as leader back, his brother declines. Despite his protests, both Sun Ce and Sun Jian state that they will support him as he leads Wu. At Jiangxia, Sun Quan strengthens Wu's alliance with Shu after Liu Bei's brothers accidentally attack Wu forces due to being misled by Wang Yi. He then fights with his family against Cao Cao at Xuchang. Afterwards, Sun Quan holds a banquet for the three kingdoms in celebration for the new peace.

In Shu's hypothetical route, Sun Quan remains an ally of Liu Bei due to Lu Su's actions at Lukou. After Cao Cao's defeat, he and Liu Bei are named vassal kings by the Han Emperor. During Wei's hypothetical path, however, Sun Quan may die fighting the Wei forces at Jianye or surrender to them after seeing half of his officers defect.

In the expansion, Sun Quan appears in two Xtreme Legend stages for his kingdom. The first one is a alternate scenario to the battle of Chibi in which the Wu forces are on run, and Cao Cao starts chasing them down as they flee to Jianye. Sun Quan works with Taishi Ci and Lu Su to ensure Zhou Yu and the others from being annihilated at Lujiang. The second scenario has Sun Quan lead an attack on Xiangyang and take down Liu Biao's son and successor Liu Cong. Together with Sun Shangxiang and Ling Tong, he hopes to capture the city before Cao Cao's reinforcements arrive, and with that gain control Jing Province. Sun Quan also hosts the "Chief Commander Face-off" after praising Zhou Yu and his comrades and saying that one of them might be greater than the other.

In the other kingdoms' stories, Sun Quan appears as Wu's leader. In Shu's scenario, Sun Quan will first appear among Sun Ce's forces as he and Liu Bei move to defeat Lu Bu. He also appears as the enemy commander in the revised Yiling, and leads an attack against Shu during Zhuge Liang's absence.

In Jin's story, Sun Quan lives past his historical death, and leads the assault against Wei's castle at Hefei alongside many other Wu officers of his generation.

Warriors Orochi
Sun Quan and his siblings are forced to serve as Orochi's officers to keep their imprisoned father safe. He is much calmer and stoic about his forced servitude than his brother, performing tasks for Orochi with little complaint. As time goes by he grows to doubt himself. After Sun Ce rebels, Sun Quan turns on him, believing him to have betrayed both Wu and their family. After repeated failures to stop his brother, he and his father are set to be executed. They are rescued by Hanzō and the family is eventually reunited. His family join together for the final battle with Orochi.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Sun Quan's role is downplayed as he respects his father's wishes to remain neutral. However, he does ride into battle to try to retrieve Yoshitsune and supports his comrade from falling against Kiyomori's large army. Arriving at Itsukushima, he defends the army's main camp and holds the Orochi troops at bay for Motochika's plan. After the conflict, he remarks that staying neutral is impossible and tries to press for an offensive front to his father.

As one of the rulers of the Three Kingdoms, he and his comrades challenge the Three Unifiers to a showdown at Ōsaka Castle. Sun Shang Xiang joins him in the conflict and is happy to see her brother and husband fighting side by side. Sun Quan's personal contribution to the battle is telling the army to remain firm against the enemy's assault from the Sanada Ward.

Sun Quan is one of the generals who is controlled by Kiyomori's magic in Warriors Orochi 3. He attacks the coalition in the past at Mt. Dingjun. Retaining some of his consciousness, a strained Sun Quan begs Zhou Tai to kill him. His servant instead frees his master from the spell, an act which gains his grateful recruitment to the coalition. Sun Quan later joins the rescue effort to save Xiahou Yuan in the past Nanjun.

Sun Quan and his siblings star in the downloadable stage, "Memories of Vyashion" where they help Nemea in defeating the demon army as he recalls the memories of his home world.

Dynasty Tactics
Sun Quan is one of the starting characters in both Dynasty Tactics games. He often assists Sun Ce on the battlefield. Akin to history, he becomes Wu's leader after his brother's death but the time when this occurs varies in each scenario.

Kessen
Sun Quan resumes his role as Wu's leader in Kessen II. He is followed by his closest generals, Zhou Yu and Gan Ning. A resourceful and patient ruler, he doesn't involve his kingdom into Shu and Wei's conflict until it threatens his home's borders. His army's presence at Chang Ban covers Liu Bei's escape and discourages Cao Cao's pursuit. Wanting to assist the resistance against the tyrant, he forms an alliance with Shu and fights against Wei at Chi-Bi.

During Shu's story, he grows worried about Liu Bei's growing power and fears that the leader would someday conquer Wu. His faith in Liu Bei was also shaken when he heard his trusted ally was the cause of the land's natural disasters. Though his generals protest, he rebels against Shu and his army traps Guan Yu in a naval battle. After Wu's defeat, Liu Bei forgives his betrayal and allows Sun Quan to continue leading Wu. In gratitude, their lands become a part of Shu's territory.

Wu becomes an obstacle for Cao Cao a second time in Wei's story. Seeing his ally's lands drastically weaken, Sun Quan raises an army to defend his own homeland. Though faced with overwhelming odds, he knows that his battle with the tyrant is inevitable and seeks to take the initiative in a naval assault. Despite his efforts, Wu is defeated and becomes Wei's territory.

Personality
Sun Quan is a proud and venerable ruler who dearly treasures his lineage. Contrary to his hot-headed brother, he is a patient, collected, and diligent individual. He is the strictest of the three leaders within his family, as he cannot forgive betrayals or excessive disobedience as easily as his family members. To protect his family's future, he strives to only take calculated risks and bides his time for his home's wars. Though known for his no-nonsense attitude, he softens with his generals and treats them with sincere respect. He also turns into quite the party man whilst drinking at banquets, though it's not known if he can hold his liquor very well, as Zhou Tai could out-drink him. In the Asian script, he talks in a formal archaic tone.

Dynasty Warriors 7 depicts Sun Quan as a man who couldn't help but watch his father and brother. After their deaths, he initially doubts himself as the leader of Wu (even suggesting Zhou Yu to lead the army at one point), knowing that he could not be like his father and brother. Lianshi, among other characters, constantly remind him that his awareness of his own weakness is his true strength. This eventually rekindles his spirit so he can become a capable leader. He is also more compassionate and emotional than previous titles, his strict and tact composure is mostly absent throughout this game's story.

He attributes his ability and skill to the spirits of his fallen family guiding his hand. Wanting to live a legacy befitting his father and brother, he commonly mentions them in combat to grant him strength. In the Asian script, he refers to them using honorable yet formal titles for "Father" and "Brother". He is a good older brother for his sister, even if they don't always share the same views. However, should they face the other on the battlefield, for the sake of his goals Sun Quan would slay her.

Character Symbolism
In the Japanese version of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, Sun Quan is given the nickname of "Deep Green Eyes" while the English version changes it to "The Hope of a New Era". As a dominant ruler in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, he calls his five greatest warriors the "White Tiger Generals".

Sun Quan's weapons follow two naming motifs in the Dynasty Warriors series, and both have ties to his family. The most prevalent one for him in the Asian ports are names that allude to his position as a ruler or emperor. All of his swords in Dynasty Warriors 6 are called dragons, a mythological animal which is known throughout Chinese mythology to have ties with royalty. One dragon is from the stars (Standard), the other is purely divine (Skill), and the third has its roots in the heavens (Strength). His level 11 weapon is literally translated as "Green Flame King". The character for green is the same utilized for his description in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Though a young man when he succeeded his brother's seat of power, he is famed for his "green eyes and purple beard". His skill chart in the sixth title additionally references the royal head wear he's seen wearing in his historical portrait —or the third and fourth main installments within the series.

The wolf theme found in his third and fourth weapons references an assessment of Sun Quan. Gongsun Du's entry in Book of Wei describes Sun Quan colluding with Gongsun Du's grandson, Gongsun Yuan, to attack Wei. An interesting yet scathing aside is included and roughly translated as, "Like his father, Sun Jian, who used brute strength to rob Zhou Commandery for himself, Sun Quan and his family are utter scoundrels. Wei has forgiven their crimes and granted them permission to have retainers, but the son of a wolf is still a wolf. Their blood cannot be disputed..." Following this idea, Sun Jian's third and fourth weapons are named after the wolf in the heavens (Sirius). In the third installment, Sun Quan's motif for the wolf follows the aforementioned ruler motif in the form of a king wolf (with his original fifth weapon nodding to the Sirius itself). In the fourth and fifth installments, the said wolf in his third and fourth weapons instead follows the aforementioned emperor motif; the fourth weapon in particular describes a wolf star that burns like a white flame in the sky. Omega Force most likely wanted to emphasize the family ties rather than the negative connotations of the quote, with Sun Quan following the motif in both the Asian and overseas scripts.

His personal item in the Asian ports of Warriors Orochi is the one and only Sun Zi​ Bing​fa, or literally, Sun Zi's Art of War, which "Sun Zi" being the pinyin reading of Sun Tzu's name. It is one of the seven military classics of ancient China and one of the most translated within the seven texts. Sun Jian is said to have been a descendant of Sun Tzu, but since his lineage barely mentions his father in historical records, the authenticity of the claim is disputed.

Voice Actors

 * Skip Stellrecht - Dynasty Warriors 4~6, Warriors Orochi series; first and second games only (English-uncredited)
 * Gideon Emery - Dynasty Warriors 7~8 (English-uncredited)
 * Terrence Stone - Dynasty Tactics 2 (English-uncredited)
 * John Snyder - Kessen II (English-uncredited)
 * Claus Brockmeyer - Dynasty Warriors 3 (German-uncredited)
 * Chen Zhongyi - Dynasty Warriors 3 (Chinese)