Zhao Yun



Zhao Yun is a Shu general, and is one of the Five Tiger Generals. Playable since the original Dynasty Warriors, Zhao Yun is a prominent Shu character and has become the Dynasty Warriors mascot, appearing on the covers of the mainstream Dynasty Warriors games and as the example character in the manuals' screenshots.

Role in the Plot
Zhao Yun originally served the warlord Gongsun Zan, an ally of Liu Bei who fought with him at Hu Lao Gate. After Gongsun Zan's death, he entered the service of Liu Bei, being drawn to the man's character and ideals. He fought an onslaught of Cao Cao's men at the Battle of Chang Ban, cutting throught he enemy lines to retrieve Liu Bei's son Liu Chan. Liu Bei was so upset at Zhao Yun's endangerment that he threw his infant son on the ground for having caused Zhao Yun danger; this action was said to have caused Liu Chan's incompetence as a ruler later in life.

During the course of events in-game, Zhao Yun appears in many battles past his death. His first appearance in the Shu storyline is during the Battle of Chang Ban, which is also his most important appearance. He and Zhang Fei are the lead generals in repelling Cao Cao's men, hoping to give Liu Bei a chance to escape to safety. They succeed, although Liu Bei's forces are scattered.

In Dynasty Warriors 3, he later appears as one of the three possible Shu officers to reinforce Sun Quan's army at Chi Bi, the other two being Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. In later games when more Shu officers appear, he is usually among them. He also fights alongside Liu Bei and Pang Tong in his successful campaign to take over the kingdom of Shu from Liu Zhang at Cheng Du. Later, when Liu Bei invades Han Zhong, he provides reinforcements at Mt. Ding Jun, leading to a crucial victory against Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He. Despite being dead in the original novel, he reinforces the Shu army at the Battle of Jie Ting as well, although the battle ends canonically in failure for Shu. Finally, Zhao Yun is present at the major battles of Yi Ling and in earlier games, Wu Zhang Plains, despite being dead in the novel at the time of the latter. He and Zhuge Liang tried to persuade Liu Bei not to fight against the kingdom of Wu, and instead cooperate with them against Wei. Liu Bei refused, and Zhao Yun was killed during the campaign.

Mascot
Zhao Yun is the most prolific Shu character, appearing on the Shu side of every battle in earlier games and in most battles in later ones (except for personalized battles like Fan Castle and Tong Gate). He is also the focus of the games' manuals and introductory movies, as well as the character that the character-select cursor starts on in most games.

Appearance
Zhao Yun's appearance has changed from game to game since Dynasty Warriors 3. In the original Dynasty Warriors, Zhao Yun was a purple-clad spear-wielder. In Dynasty Warriors 2 and 3, he was a young, lightly built man wearing light armor of a blue-green tint. In Dynasty Warriors 4, his face appeared much older and stockier, but his appearance was changed back the its Dynasty Warriors 3 style for Dynasty Warriors 5.

Fighting Style
Zhao Yun fights with a spear, like several other Shu characters. He is a quick and nimble fighter of average strength. His battle cries are high-pitched and energetic, and his footwork is active. He attacks opponents with sweeping strikes and short jabs, and his musou attack is a downward diagonally-spinning attack followed by a horizontal swing of the spear to clear out enemies.

Attack sequence

 * Charge: a spinning attack
 * S,T: a upward slash
 * S,S,T: a slash to the head
 * S,S,S,T: a spinning slash
 * S,S,S,S,T: a jump then a powerful bash.
 * S,S,S,S,S,T: a jab with the spear
 * Musou: A series of downward spinning strikes followed by a horizontal swipe.

Musou Stages
Having been a playable character since the original Dynasty Warriors, Zhao Yun is a participant in most main Shu battles during musou mode. His most important battle is the Battle of Chang Ban, where he is a lead general and hero. Zhao Yun fights with the Liu Bei/Shu forces in all battles unless noted otherwise.

Dynasty Warriors 3

 * 1) Battle of Chang Ban - major battle
 * 2) Battle of Chi Bi - fights on the Allied (Liu Bei/Sun Quan) side
 * 3) Assault on Cheng Du
 * 4) Battle of Mt. Ding Jun
 * 5) Battle of Yi Ling
 * 6) Nanman Campaign
 * 7) Battle of Wu Zhang Plains

Special Weapons
All you got to do is follow Zhuge Liang's instructions for this battle as Zhao Yun and make sure the Shu strategist enter the castle where Cao Cao is. (NOTE: It is important that Zhao Yun defeats all the generals of each trap Zhuge Liang has. Also, if you wish to make sure he gets the weapon, defeat the generals on the inside of the castle.)
 * Ultimate Weapon: Fierce Dragon
 * Power: 55
 * How to get it: Battle of Bo Wan Po

Miscellaneous
Zhao Yun is one of 13 playable characters to appear in Dynasty Warriors Advance for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. He can wield a halberd, a scythe, or a spear. His profile picture uses his face from Dynasty Warriors 4.