Zhang He

Zhang He became a playable character in Dynasty Warriors 3. His skills were noticed by Sima Yi and he eventually became one of the Five Generals of Wei. He is one of the most unique figures in the Dynasty Warriors series, often cited by fans as one of its most unusual and memorable characters (although opinions are split on the matter). Due to his eccentric traits, fans often perceive him to be homosexual, but this has never been confirmed by Zhang He or any other character in the series.

In the Dynasty Warriors series, he is 29 years old and his height is 194 cm (a little over 6'4"). He stands at 180 cm (short of 5'11") in Kessen II.

Dynasty Warriors
Zhang He is an eccentric man who is obsessed with dancing and beauty. He starts as an officer under Yuan Shao but joins Cao Cao either during or after the Battle of Guan Du. Once the Three Kingdoms are formed, he is sometimes ordered to guard Mt. Tian Dang. After he suffers defeat, he assists Xiahou Yuan's defense at Mt. Ding Jun. He often assists the capture of Han Zhong and partakes in deflecting Shu's advance in their Northern Campaigns. A few scenarios depict his death at Mount Qi.

Mount Qi is where his Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends takes place. Zhuge Liang's army has taken a position around the mountain top and threaten Sima Yi's forces. To counter, Zhang He is sent to the mountain to investigate Wei Yan's shady movements. As he pursues the fleeing general, Shu closes the gates along the mountain road and trap him with boulders and other traps. Undeterred, Zhang He corners Wei Yan and slays him to claim victory.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, Zhang He is described as one of the many drafted to end the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Finding his way to Yuan Shao, his reputation as a warrior grew when he suppressed Gongsun Zan's forces. In his story, he helps win the battle at Guan Du yet becomes enchanted by Cao Cao's beauty. He joins Wei afterwards and destroys his former master. After his assistance at Tong Gate, he is ordered to guard Mt. Tian Dang but suffers defeat. Humiliated by his loss, he gets his revenge against Shu at Mt. Ding Jun. Losing Xiahou Yuan and Cao Cao after the battle has a profound effect on Zhang He and he chooses to renew his oath of loyalty under Cao Pi. Wanting to end the tragedy that the wars have wrought, he contributes to the end of Shu at Jie Ting and Chen Cang. Zhuge Liang dies in their last battle and Wei easily conquers the rest of the land. To celebrate their grand victory, Zhang He orders the Wei army to disarm and join him in a dance.

He shares his Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion with Cao Cao, Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren. Together, they struggle against the supernatural powers wielded by the Five Bushel sect. While the other generals lead their individual paths, Zhang He guards his liege in the center. He uses the shorter ascending paths to open his lord's path.

Zhang He appears during the Battle of Chi Bi and Sima Yi's campaigns in the sequel. At Chi Bi, he will be inspired by the flames caused by the fire attack and gains a substantial morale boost. During the strategist's story, he is suspicious of Sima Yi's declarations of ambition but, taken by the strategist's daring plans, he joins the betrayal at Xu Chang.

In Dynasty Warriors 6: Special, Zhang He cares less about the results of a battle and more about his pursuit of beauty. After repelling Cao Cao's army at Guan Du, he becomes entranced with Cao Cao's military tactics and is convinced by Zhen Ji to leave Yuan Shao. As an officer in Wei, he keeps the armies motivated with his dances and contributes to uniting the land under Cao Pi's rule. Content with finding beauty during war, he ends his story by striving to find beauty during peace.

Warriors Orochi
In the first game, Zhang He appears in all four stories as an officer of Orochi usually under Cao Pi's command. In Wei's first Gaiden stage, Zhang He is frustrated to serve such a "misshapen beast" and refuses to aid Cao Pi's efforts in defending their main camp. He criticizes Cao Pi for abandoning his "beautiful dream of total domination", and is in turn condemned for not doing his duty. He rejoins Wei's efforts when Cao Pi defends him from his attackers. The two will reconcile with Zhang He's faith fully restored in Cao Pi.

He continues to serve Wei in Warriors Orochi 2. He is given the task of subduing Yuan Shao's army at Shizugatake. By turning the Yuan sons against one another through deception, Zhang He has Yuan Shao join their army. He shares his dream mode with Diao Chan and Motochika as three aesthetics who work together to punish Da Ji at Osaka Bay. Zhang He's personal task in the stage is defeating the flow of soldiers in the area and charming them with his elegance.

Kessen
Zhang He appears alongside Xiahou Dun in Kessen II. Before his return to Wei, he was occupied with quelling various uprisings in the country. He is clad in full body armor and is a strong warrior to have as a support. According to the developers, he is the type of person who never allows people to see his real face. He is a skilled bowman and often leads a crossbow unit into battle.

Personality
Zhang He is depicted as a narcissist who takes joy in aesthetically appealing things and has melodramatic theatrical mannerisms. He frequently decorates his sentences with the words "beautiful" and "graceful." He is also prone to dramatically posing during cutscenes, occasionally surrounded by a number of butterflies. Each war to him is a stage for him to demonstrate a beautiful dance. In spite of his odd behavior, his versatility and often flawless performance earns him respect from Cao Cao and Sima Yi.

Although he isn't always fond of Xiahou Yuan's attire, Zhang He is charmed by the general's war tactics and chummy sincerity. It is sometimes the former's compassion that allows him to overlook his defeat at Mount Tian Dang. Zhang He responds to his comrade's compliments with bubbling praise, which always isn't appreciated by the latter.

If an edit female character chooses to follow him, he will treat her in a different manner than other members of the male cast. His comments usually emphasize her bravery and elegance in battle, treating her as his fellow partner in crime rather than stating the personal feelings he felt by spending time with her. Humorously, when he offers his wife a break in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires, he states that their beauty will be sullied by overworking and they should both rest.

Appearance
Zhang He's alternate outfits are usually given butterfly adornments or are tinted soft shades of red or pink.

Voice Actors

 * S. Scott Bullock - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English)
 * Doug Erholtz - Dynasty Warriors 5 (English)
 * Yuri Lowenthal - Dynasty Warriors 6, Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Jeon Gwang-Ju - Dynasty Warriors 3~5 (Korean)
 * Yoshiyuki Konno - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Takeshi Kusao - Kessen II (Japanese)

Quotes

 * See also: Zhang He (Quotes)


 * "Behold my dance of death!"
 * "To dance is to live!"
 * "I will dazzle the battlefield with my exquisite dance!"
 * "I will gracefully cut you to pieces, and scatter them to the earth!"
 * "Victory is ours. Show your joy... not with your blade, but with a dance!"
 * "The enemy camp... Was it pretty?"
 * "Out of my way! I have no use of a man of your... persuasion."
 * "You are a dancer too, are you not?"
 * Okuni and Zhang He; Warriors Orochi

Ground Moveset

 * undefined (undefined, undefined): A backflip slash, followed by up to two forward flip slash attacks.
 * , undefined: Jumps in the air and kicks.
 * ,, undefined (undefined, undefined, undefined): A series of rapid slashes followed by a forward sliding lunge.
 * ,, , undefined: Zhang He brings his weight back, and lunges forward, shooting like a torpedo at high speeds. Ends with a flip and swipe.
 * ,, , , undefined: A butterfly-laden gust knocks enemies into the air.
 * ,, , , , undefined: A slide to the left and series of slashes then to the right and a series of slashes.
 * A series of rapid moving slashes followed by a powerful cross slash.
 * , : Jump, then swing.
 * , undefined (undefined): Zhang He jumps, then performs a flip upside down, and while still in mid-air, spins twice in opposite directions with extended claws.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Zhang He slashes downwards on each side.
 * ,, , , , : Three attacks with both claws to the right side, three to the left.
 * Repeating slashes to all sides until the Musou gauge empties.

Dynasty Warriors
Zhang He's primary advantage in the game is his somewhat unpredictable fighting style and his incredible mobility. His moveset consists of graceful flips and tumbles, quick slashes and rolling jumps. He is likely the fastest character in the game, actually capable of catching up with generals fleeing on horseback when equipped with the right items. He has high attack power, good range, high attack speed and above average defense. Some of his moves, especially his musou attack, are ideal for hit-and-run situations, since they stun or hurt the enemy and allow Zhang He to dart away. On a horse, he has high mounted attack, very quick attacks with extended range, and a sweeping musou attack.

Zhang He has good crowd control capabilities as well as one on one skills. In Dynasty Warriors 6, Zhang He wields a double ended spear instead of his former twin claws from the previous iterations. This weapon change was heavily criticized by fans of the games and his claws return in the special version. His fighting style changed slightly due to being reanimated through motion capture to be more consistent with the new Renbu system as well as give Zhang He's new claw moveset a smoother flow compared to his previous claw moveset.

Dynasty Warriors 4

 * Level 10 Weapon: Phoenix Talon
 * Base Attack: 43
 * Stage: Battle of Jie Ting
 * Requirements: Surround Ma Su's camp by defeating all his officers and Ma Su. Once that is done, wait for Shu reinforcements then defeat all the officers and generals on the field.

Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends

 * Level 11 Weapon: Infernal Talon
 * Base Attack: 46
 * Attributes: Level 12 Peacock Urn, Level 20 Speed Scroll, Level 20 Jump Scroll, Level 10 Huang's Bow
 * Stage: Pursuit at Mt. Qi
 * Restrictions: No bodyguards, no items
 * Requirements:Defeat Wei Yan while he's running away from you. Or, After Wei Yan stops retreating. Defeat Guan Xing and Zhang Bao. Then achieve 100 KO Count, not before.
 * Strategy:


 * 1) Right at the beginning, Wei Yan will retreat to attract Zhang He. Follow him past the base, and the base door will close.
 * 2) Wei Yan will continue to retreat past the north gate. Do not follow him through. Let the door close in front of you.
 * 3) Way too many archers will appear on the way, ignore them all (Koei is trying to make it look like the place where Zhang He died in the novel).
 * 4) Defeat Guan Xing. He'll roll boulders down the hill. Move up close to the right hillside and you won't get hit.
 * 5) After defeating Guan Xing, go back to the north gate. Zhang Bao will ambush you. Again ignore all archers on the way.
 * 6) Defeat Zhang Bao.
 * 7) Get 100 KOs.
 * 8) Level 11 message.

Note: If all your allies died, you'll get a message that says that Zhang He is isolated. It is okay. Note: It has been reported that you can also get the weapon if you manage to kill Wei Yan before he locks himself inside the north gate.

How to Obtain Phoenix Talon

 * Stage: Battle of Jie Ting (Wei)
 * Location: In the corridor leading eastwards of Ma Su's camp.
 * Requirements: Surround Ma Su, and defeat Gao Xiong and Wang Ping, as well as the gates near them. Once Ma Su starts retreating, defeat him.

Historical Information
Zhang He was a distinguished military general under the powerful warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He began his military career when the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted in 184 and subsequently served under Han Fu and Yuan Shao before defecting to Cao Cao during the Battle of Guandu. He participated in many major campaigns, including those against Yuan Tan, Zhang Lu, Ma Chao, and Liu Bei. After Cao Cao's death in 220, Zhang He was primarily engaged with defending Cao Wei against the Northern Expeditions led by Chancellor Zhuge Liang of the Kingdom of Shu. He died from an arrow wound received during an encounter with Zhuge Liang's forces in 231.

Famed for his resourcefulness that even Zhuge Liang was said to be wary of, Zhang He was considered by Chen Shou, author of the Records of Three Kingdoms, to be one of the five top generals of the Kingdom of Wei, along with Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Yue Jin and Yu Jin. He was also said to be full of respect for Confucian scholars, and supported the measure to adopt masters of the Five Classics in Cao Pi's court.