Zhang Fei

Zhang Fei is a character who has been playable in every Dynasty Warriors title to date. He is Liu Bei and Guan Yu's youngest oath brother. He has a daughter called Xing Cai. He is one of the Five Tiger Generals of Shu who is said to wield the strength of 10,000 men on the battlefield. Though devoted to his brothers, he has bad drinking habits and a nasty temper when he's drunk.

In the Dynasty Warriors series, he is 27 years old. His height in Dynasty Warriors and Kessen II is 190 cm (close to 6'3").

Dynasty Warriors
Zhang Fei is a renowned warrior who loves his wine. In the series, he shares a minor rivalry with Lu Bu, as Liu Bei mentions both warriors to be of similar strength. Most games reenact the three brothers clashing with the warrior at Hu Lao Gate. A few games mention Zhang Fei's grudge for Lu Bu, as the latter steals Xia Pi away while it is under the former's jurisdiction. He is famous for serving as Liu Bei's rear guard at Chang Ban, guarding one of the bridges leading to his brother and bellowing a shout that terrifies Cao Cao's army. Zhang Fei usually dies around the same time as Guan Yu. In recent games, this either happens when he tries to reinforce his older brother at Fan Castle or when he participates in Liu Bei's army at Yi Ling.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends details his rear defense at Chang Ban. As Liu Bei escapes with the people, Zhang Fei stands to blocks Cao Cao's advance force. After claiming the lives of a few soldiers, he yells for the soldiers to challenge him. While the nearby men flee from his words, Cao Cao remains unshaken and orders his generals forward. After Zhang Fei defeats many of the pursuing generals, Cao Cao himself will try to pass by Zhang Fei. Near the end of the stage's time limit, Zhao Yun may appear to assist his comrade. With Cao Cao's defeat, Liu Bei flees via boat and swears to someday repay the losses he experienced.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, he swears brotherhood to Liu Bei and Guan Yu during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and they vow to create a land of justice. They are highly evaluated for their services and join the Allied Forces at Hu Lao Gate. To payback his humiliation for losing Xia Pi, he teams with his brothers and Cao Cao's army to slay Lu Bu. He notes being separated from Liu Bei for a time, but they reunite soon before Chang Ban. He leads the southern forces at Cheng Du and his brother proudly forms Shu. When he hears that Guan Yu is struggling at Fan Castle, Zhang Fei rides to his brother's rescue and they slay Cao Ren and Lu Meng together. Named one of the Five Tiger Generals, Zhang Fei continues to fight in the following wars to someday make his brothers' dreams a reality.

The oath brothers share a Legend Mode together in the Xtreme Legends expansion, and it describes their first meeting at Lou Sang Village. Zhang Fei had originally wanted to go to the village for a drink, but he is caught up in Zhang Jiao's raid. As he saves the villagers, he meets Guan Yu and Liu Bei. Although he isn't impressed by Liu Bei's fighting prowess, he exchanges a few testing blows with Guan Yu. Learning from his opponent that Liu Bei is a virtuous man, he lays down his guard and agrees to join him for a better land. Post battle, he remarks that both of the men he met are old-fashion yet "good guys". His second Legend Mode takes place at Jia Meng Gate, and he shares it with Zhuge Liang and Wei Yan. Striking an offensive in the center, he duels with Ma Chao. As Zhang Lu wails at his general to stop Liu Bei, Zhang Fei recognizes the younger man's abilities and invites him to join his brother.

Dynasty Warriors 6 states that Zhang Fei is a former meat and wine seller. He decides to test himself in the imperial draft for suppressing the Yellow Turbans and ends up being enlisted under Liu Bei's squad. Although he doesn't think Liu Bei to be too reliable, Guan Yu speaks in his favor by replying that brute force won't change the depravity of the world they live in. Cutting down Zhang Jiao and winning the battle, he asks Guan Yu and Liu Bei their future plans and is pleased to go with them. They swear brotherhood after the battle and try to find a land of their own. After Zhang Fei scores his revenge against Lu Bu for Xia Pi, Liu Bei temporarily stays in Cao Cao's care. Hearing from the conqueror that Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor, Zhang Fei accompanies his oldest brother to punish him for wrongly using the Imperial Seal. With Yuan Shu dead, Cao Cao's men accuse them of being traitors in an attempt to simultaneously get rid of Liu Bei. Realizing they were tricked, they leave Cao Cao and eventually flee from the conqueror at Chang Ban.

Zhang Fei, who is sick of running away from battles and Liu Bei's passiveness for conflict, is surprised to see his brother wholeheartedly agree to take revenge for Guan Yu's death. When Liu Bei doubts himself for slaying Sun Quan at Yi Ling, Zhang Fei encourages him to finish what they started for Guan Yu's sake. Liu Bei thanks him for his honesty and for treating him as a normal person. Defeating Wei at Han Zhong, the brothers' dream of a peaceful land is fulfilled. As Liu Bei is crowned the land's true emperor, Zhang Fei decides to leave and explore the land they created. Though Liu Bei is sad to see him go, Zhang Fei assures them that their three hearts are always together.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, both he and Guan Yu are forced to work for Orochi as their brother is one of his hostages. He and Guan Yu attempt to stop Sakon at Tong Gate. After that he faces Zhao Yun's forces. He alongside Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu join Zhao Yun after Da Ji is captured to try and take his brother back by force.

Zhang Fei starts in Shu's forces in Warriors Orochi 2. At the battle of Nagashino, Zhang Fei scouts the approach of Lu Bu's forces. When Guan Yu asks to engage Lu Bu, Zhang Fei demands that he be allowed to fight since he saw the enemy first. Liu Bei agrees and Guan Yu remains behind to guard the main camp. During the battle, Zhang Fei is the one who allows the reinforcements from Wu under Lu Xun to join the battle. Alternatively, Zhang Fei stays behind to guard the main camp at the Battle of Jia Meng Gate, while Guan Yu engages Kiyomori.

He shares his dream mode with Tadakatsu and Musashi as three masters of their respective weapons. They band together to save Ieyasu from Hideyoshi at Hinokawa. Zhang Fei enters the battle to additionally rescue Xing Cai, who is guarding Ieyasu.

Kessen
Zhang Fei is a starting character for Shu in Kessen II. Like the novel, he's one of Liu Bei's oath brothers and a fearsome general in battle. He has three daughters who are -from oldest to youngest- Mei Mei, Li Li, and Luo Luo. When Diao Chan was being taken away by Cao Cao's men, Mei Mei tried to rescue her. Unfortunately, she was killed shortly after. Zhang Fei marches into battle with his remaining daughters to avenge her death.

During one of his drunken rampages, he kills Xiahou Yuan in a duel either at or after Bo Wan Po. He stays by his brothers' side for the rest of the game.

Personality
Zhang Fei is a loud and brash man who thrives in a brawl. Stubborn and prideful, he never wants to turn his back on the enemy and is easily motivated into anger. He displays a wider range of emotions than his brothers as he's known to be cheerful one moment and deeply sadden in the next. Though his judgment may be questionable, his heart is in the right place and he usually knows when to be practical. He likes being in the spotlight if his brothers allows it. His loyalty to Liu Bei sometimes blinds him from trusting others as he is quick to criticize newcomers that his brother welcomes.

Though a menace on the battlefield, Zhang Fei is deeply tied to his family. He is fiercely loyal to his oath brothers and wouldn't hesitate to lay down his life for them. Out of the trio, he is the one who will most likely remark and joke about his brothers' serious behavior. He tells them to call him Fei (or by his style name in the Japanese script and "third brother"/"youngest brother" in the Asian script) and usually addresses them as "Brother". The Warriors Orochi series also reveals that he's a caring worrywart over his daughter's safety. This same trait follows him in Kessen II except he also goes into a boiling rage at the mere mention of his daughters being in danger.

Character Symbolism
Zhang Fei's characteristic appearance in Three Kingdoms fiction may draw inspiration from his description in Sanguozhi Pinghua or Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In the first account, he was born with a leopard-like face and round eyes. Stretched across his sparrow-like jaw was his tiger-like beard. Zhang Fei towered over others at a height of nine chi (approximately three meters or ten feet in modern conversions) and had a muscled imposing stature. Romance of the Three Kingdoms describes him as standing a little shorter (approximately 266 cm or 8'9" in modern conversions) and roughly follows the Sanguozhi Pinghua account. Two prominent features different from the former story is his voice booming like thunder and his spirit matching a raging horse.

His trademark weapon in Three Kingdoms media is the shemao, commonly translated as "Snake Lance" or "Serpent Lance". Specifically, Zhang Fei's version is named after its archaic height listed in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which is over four meters or thirteen feet in modern conversions. Accounts regarding the length of the weapon vary, as it sometimes is told to be much longer than the novel's description. It acts as Zhang Fei's Level 11, third, fourth, and Standard weapon in the Dynasty Warriors series; his skill chart in the sixth installment is roughly shaped in its image. Zhang Fei received the weapon in the novel after reciting the oath with his brothers. An interesting variation of its origins is told in the Sanguozhi Pinghua, in which the spear is a literal serpent. When Liu Bei stayed in Qian'an, he and his brothers accepted the request to rid of a giant serpent terrorizing travelers in the nearby mountain path. Zhang Fei volunteered himself to deal with the beast alone. During the chilly night, as he was warming wine for comfort, the serpent appeared to attack him. After a long struggle, the warrior armed only with his sword and his raw strength successfully killed the monster. Upon its death, the giant serpent's body hardened to form the magnificent shape of the shemao. As a side note, the other famous wielder of the same shemao is Lin Chong from Water Margin, who looks similar to Zhang Fei.

The shemao acting as Zhang Fei's fourth weapon is additionally named after a star within the Big Dipper, Alkaid also known as Benetnash. Within Chinese history, the star is called Pojun or Yaoguang. According to myths and legends, Zhuge Liang relied on divinations of the star while performing his campaigns. If troops happened to face the direction or flow of energy emitting from the star, the campaign was doomed to fail. Turning their back to the star was a sign of unconditional victory. The idea of "heaven being on his side" is related to favorable conditions surrounding the star, said to have been responsible for his many alleged victories. In Japan, Shingen is fabled to have performed a similar rite for his strategies.

His Skill weapon is originally named "Shark Lance" and his Strength weapon is named "High Lance".

Voice Actors

 * Bob Papenbrook - Dynasty Warriors 4~5, Dynasty Tactics 2, Kessen II (English)
 * Steve Kramer - Dynasty Warriors 6, Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Min Eungsik - Dynasty Warriors 2 (Korean)
 * Lee Jang-won - Dynasty Warriors 3~5 (Korean)
 * Hirohiko Kakegawa - Dynasty Warriors series, Warriors Orochi series, Dynasty Tactics 2, Sangokushi Koumeiden (Japanese)
 * Tetsu Inada - Dynasty Tactics (Japanese)
 * Tesshō Genda - Kessen II (Japanese), Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * See also: Zhang Fei/Quotes


 * "Zhang Fei of Yan can drink and fight forever! Ha! A bunch of cowards! The lot of ya!"
 * Defending the bridge at Chang Ban; Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends


 * "Hey, not bad; I see now why they call you "Ma Chao the Splendid".
 * "Lord Zhang Lu's teachings are the only hope for this benighted land! I will do anything to protect him and his teachings of The Five Bushels Sect."
 * "Oh, shut up, you're not the only one sworn to protect something! Come on, let's see if you fight as good as you talk!"
 * Zhang Fei and Ma Chao in the Battle of Jia Meng Gate, Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends


 * "Yeah. Guan Yu has a lifelong fear of frogs! Awhile back, there was a frog in the road. He ordered me to move it so I threw it in his face!"
 * A drunk Zhang Fei; Kessen II

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: A stomp that knock over enemies.
 * , undefined: Knocks opponent in air with blunt edge of spear.
 * ,, undefined (undefined, undefined, undefined): A series of diagonal slashes then slams spear in ground making a shockwave.
 * ,, , undefined: Powerfully swings spear around the back of him.
 * ,, , , undefined: Fei jumps and brings the blunt edge of his spear to the ground, forming an earthquake.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Stomps on the ground to make an explosion.
 * Continuously brings spearhead up and down in opposite directions, ended with a 360 degree jump and swat.
 * , : Jump, then swing the spear to the right holding the blunt end of it..
 * , undefined: Zhang Fei jumps, then performs a flip and brings down his spear into the ground, causing an earthquake.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Zhang Fei leans to each side, and swings his weapon.
 * ,, , , , : Three attacks to the right side, three to the left.
 * Repeating slashes to all sides until the Musou gauge empties.

Gains a new ability.
 * Warriors Orochi
 * R1 -

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Several left and right swings, each with a wide radius. Performs a simple downwards slash and follows with two more swings. Ends the chain by twirling his spear around him six times while stepping forward.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Mighty downwards swing with the spear's longer blade end. Follows with a rising slash with his shorter blade. Spins his weapon above his head twice and yells, clearing enemies away from him.
 * undefined (held): Hard swing to the front. 90 degree hit radius.
 * Series of swings hitting left and right. During the finale, Zhang Fei smashes his spear into the ground and yells, clearing people away from him. When he's done, he yanks his spear out, kicking up soil and hitting foes who are in its range.


 * , : Quick downwards swing. Hits with the longer blade end.
 * , undefined: Rises a bit in the air, both arms holding his weapon behind him. Smashes the ground with his spear's bottom blade.
 * Dashing : Slash with the spear's shorter blade.
 * Dashing undefined: Wide swing with his spear's longer blade. Takes some time to execute and recover from.


 * Grapple attack : Midway overhead slash that stops at his torso. If it connects, he smashes the flat end of his blade twice on his enemy.
 * Grapple attack undefined: Shifts his weapon into one hand and swings his free arm forward. If he catches someone, he will rotate his body twice before throwing his foe.
 * Deadlock attack: Stabs the short blade of his spear into his foe's torso. Stomps forward a few steps before launching them off its tip.


 * Special attack: Swift Attack: immediately boosts Zhang Fei's Renbu gauge up to the Infinite Renbu and grants higher attack and defense power. When used at low, red health, the effects of Swift Attack increase.

Horse Moveset

 * string: Several swings to the right.
 * undefined: Hard swing to the right.
 * faster version of the string that ends with a undefined attack.

Weapons

 * See also: Zhang Fei/Weapons

Historical Information
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu joined Liu Bei's militia against the Yellow Turbans near the end of the 2nd century AD. Soon, he became Liu Bei's bodyguard, and grew as a friend as close as a brother to Liu Bei and Guan Yu, so much that the three often slept on the same bed. However, the famous Peach Garden Oath never occurred.

During Liu Bei's retreat at the Battle of Changbanpo, Zhang Fei along with twenty cavalries, demolished a bridge to slow Cao Cao's pursuit. Zhang Fei general stood beside the bridge and shouted in challenge at the opposing army, but not one enemy dared to move against him. Zhang Fei destroyed the bridge, allotting Liu Bei more time to escape.

When Liu Bei led a campaign against Yi province, Zhang Fei was commanded to attack Jiangzhou, where he captured Yan Yan. Because of Zhang Fei's insults, Yan Yan condemned him for invading. Originally, the latter was ordered for an execution by an angered Zhang Fei, though Yan Yan's fearlessness considering an impending death impressed Fei enough so much that the execution order was revoked.

Zhang Fei resisted attacks by Zhang He, a general of Cao Cao, after the capture of Yi province. Zhang Fei led a force upon Hanzhong, yet failed. Liu Bei annexed the area, and Zhang Fei was considered by many for a proper choice for the administrator. However, he was left in disappointed when the position was granted to Wei Yan.

After the official formation of the Shu and Wei dynasties, Zhang Fei was preparing to lead ten thousand men to join Liu Bei's campaign to avenge Guan yu. However, two men in Zhang Fei's camp, Zhang Da and Fan Jiang, assassinated him in his sleep and carried his head off to Sun Quan.

Historically, Zhang Fei did not whip the court official when drunk in Anxi, and was not intoxicated at the time. Also, he did not kill Cao Bao for drinking, or shouted at Xiahou Jie to cause his death during the battle of Changbanpo. Compared to the novel, Zhang Fei was a skilled military leader and more intelligent.

Trivia

 * According to his online blog entry, the wine the characters usually drink is a type of huangjiu wine.
 * His occasional nickname with Japanese fans is "Haruhi" (ハルヒ), a pun of the Japanese way of saying his name and the character Haruhi Suzumiya. Usually this name is used whenever his ferocity slips a bit (like when he worries over his daughter or brothers).