Zhou Tai/Movesets

All the movesets for Zhou Tai in the Warriors franchise.

Dynasty Warriors 4

 * R3: Releases wisps of light that stun enemies within range. Aura may change color in Free Mode to match the user's chosen side.

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: Zhou Tai gestures his scabbard to lift the enemy up with it to grab them, and then pulls out his sword and slashes them, inflicting crashing knockback at a plummeting angle. One of the few grab moves to activate elements, and unlike most grabs, puts Zhou Tai in an airbone juggle state during its startup.
 * , undefined: Turns around, crouches and butts the sheath of his sword up.
 * ,, undefined, (undefined), (undefined), (undefined): Brings blade out in and out of its scabbard lightning-fast multiple times in multiple quick-draw slashes, ended with a last stroke that stuns. Can have one extra input even with the first weapon equipped.
 * ,, , undefined: Builds power in forearm and releases it via unsheathing his sword out of its scabbard vigorously. Inflicts crashing knockback.
 * ,, , , undefined, (undefined): Zhou Tai kicks the enemy into the air after turning. If undefined is tapped again, he jumps up to them and slashes them down with a low-aimed battōjutsu meteor slash.
 * ,, , , , undefined, (undefined): Zhou Tai brings his sword out of its sheath, and brings it back to behind his shoulder. Ended with a powerful, piercing step thrust with the blade. If undefined is pressed a second time, the attack will be slower, travels further, and be unblockable with more damage and further knockback. Inflicts crashing knockback on charged input, while it instead inflicts a small stationary launch on normal input.
 * ,, , , , : Slashes outward, inward, outward, leaps into a full-turn for a sweeping outward swing, a two-handed diagonally-downward cut leftward, then finishes with an outward two-handed upward swing to the right.


 * While standing in place, Zhou Tai pivots to each side, bringing his sword to each side and making an x-figure movements. Ends with dashing forward, turning around, bowing and crouching, and sheathing his sword. First rapid slashes cause opponents to fall-over/crumple per slash (counting as a grounded hit), while the final strike inflicts far-distance crashing knockback.


 * Dashing : Slashes at a diagonal angle upward as he brakes from his dash.
 * , : A midair unsheathing swipe outwards.
 * , undefined: Flips and slighty unsheathes his blade, then falls down with a scabbard-planting quake.


 * L1, undefined: Counters with his C4.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Zhou Tai leans to his left, then sweep slashes in front left-to-right.
 * ,, , , , : Six attacks to the right side.
 * Repeating slashes to all sides until the Musou gauge empties, with the final slash being his horse charge attack.

Fighting Style
Zhou Tai's characteristic style of swordsmanship is known as iaidō (re-sheathing) or battōjutsu (drawing blade techniques). His attacks mainly consist of low and swift horizontal slices, mostly done from drawing his sword from its sheath as often as possible, and in terms of iaidō, he may often instantly re-sheath his blade during certain slashes.

His wide range and high rotation speed also give him higher accuracy in hitting his enemy and other distractions around him. This makes him a deadly close range fighter, and perfect for singling out strong opponents and finishing them.

Zhou Tai is notable for being the Wu "horse general," the equivalent of Ma Chao for the Shu forces. Their advantage is that they have very long weapon range and attack only on the right side while mounted. Combine this with the Shadow Harness and they will be almost cheating even on the hardest difficulty level.

His moves tend to have some recovery time. If he fails to hit an opponent, it can leave him wide open for punishment. His moves also do not promote his mobility, as his attacks frequently require him to be stationary.

Dynasty Warriors 5
Remains the same with the following additions/changes (along with all of his sword slashes now having the same distinct sheath-drawing sound):

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: Zhou Tai unsheathes his blade, then advances forward twice with two slashes (inward-then-outward). Is invincible until he unsheathes his sword.
 * ,, , , undefined: Slashes outward with a drawing slash, letting loose a small red ground flashing quake in front of him that launches.
 * ,, , , , undefined, (undefined): Same as before, only the second input possess a Shadow element (regardless of orb choice) and thus drains his Musou upon connecting.
 * ,, , , , , , , : After the fifth input, Zhou Tai repeats his C4 chain.
 * (True): Ends with a shockwave generated from sheathing his blade that slightly launches and then a powerful turning drawing slash forward that inflicts crashing knockback.


 * , undefined: Sweeps up enemies on the ground into the air with a single-turning sword slash upwards, then continuously slashes at them while still airborne. Can tap undefined for extra hits.

Removes the bow moveset from previous games. Gains the ability to air dash and two Combination Arts.
 * Warriors Orochi
 * , : An airdash that makes him temporarily invincible. Zhou Tai leans forward slightly for his dash.
 * R1: Slices the screen in a single horizontal battōjutsu slash into a 180 turn, then re-sheathes his blade for another area-of-effect strike. Both strikes cause a crumple effect.
 * Direction + R1: A quick battōjutsu slash forward that sends a miniature flashing wave of energy forward. Shares this type of move with Mitsuhide's Art 2.
 * In Warriors Orochi 2, this move is severely nerfed in both damage and hitstun.


 * Warriors Orochi 2
 * Triple Attack 1: Generates air gusts that travel within a certain distance.
 * Triple Attack 2: Slashes the air to release a fierce stream of wind.
 * Triple Attack 3: Performs a crouching slash that sends out a strong gust of wind.

Dynasty Warriors 6
He shares his moveset with Xiahou Yuan and Huang Zhong. See Dynasty Warriors 6/Weapon Movesets for more details.
 * Special Attack: True Speed: greatly boosts speed. Holds his sword in front of him defensively as he sprints.
 * Dashing : Two diagonal cuts, hitting right and left.
 * Dashing undefined: Quicker version of his normal dashing undefined. Sends a slicing airwave forward.

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce
Zhou Tai mainly uses his version of the blade moveset in this title.

Dynasty Warriors 7
Zhou Tai is affiliated with the curved sword 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: Sheathes his sword before quickly unleashing a barrage of quick slashes in front of him, then finishing with one extra unsheathing slash.
 * Musou - Void (無): : Does one quick upward slash, as he sheathes his sword he is surrounded by multiple slashing marks as they launch the targets. All parts of the attack are unblockable and Zhou Tai recovers during the final portions of the attack (allowing the remaining slashes to trigger non-Musou Attack attributes). Classified as a Multi-strike Musou in Next and used in Warriors Orochi 3.
 * Aerial Musou - Wind (風):, : An aerial version of his EX attack while suspended in midair, with the final upwards slash lifting him in the air a bit.


 * Dynasty Warriors Next
 * Speed Musou - Scythe: Tap both sides of screen: Unleashes several thin slices done at high speed. Zhou Tai finishes the assault by knocking away his victims with a wide angular slash.

Reprises a previous Type Action.
 * Warriors Orochi 3
 * , undefined: Stabs the ground while landing with a sword plant. Can hit downed targets.
 * , : Zhou Tai performs a leaning 180 turn to his right slanted to his left.
 * R1: Same as his original R1 Type Action AKA his Combination Art 1, only the initial slash is more pronounced in the distance Zhou Tai moves forward at, and the re-sheathing causes crashing knockback while Zhou Tai is standing up as he re-sheaths. The attack is also slower than before, but does more damage as a trade-off (and is unblockable only via the first slash). Causes Zhou Tai to turn around automatically when aimed backward right after one R1 or a character switch, despite having no turning-ability.
 * , R1 (Ultimate only): Does a single horizontal swipe that leaves behind a trail of multiple slash marks. Zhou Tai is pushed back through the air during this attack, and launches targets.

Dynasty Warriors 8
Zhou Tai keeps the same moveset from the previous title with the following additions.


 * ,, undefined, undefined: Same as before, only the slashing trails are red, and the final slash is angled more vertically than before.
 * EX Attack 2 (Xtreme Legends only):, , , undefined, undefined: Performs a wide horizontal slash via re-sheathing his blade that leaves behind a red-colored trail. The attack slowly suspends affected enemies in mid-flight, leaving them vulnerable to further hits.
 * Alternate Musou - Flash (閃): R1 + : Does an instantaneous upward drawing slash from his sheath (and slashes with an inward crossing slash if the first one misses). Upon connecting, he tosses his sheath up to grab his sword with two hands, unleashing two crossing slashes at an angle (which inflicts freezing hitstun). The move then ends with a sudden red streak of light caused by Zhou Tai having his sheath land back on his blade holstered beside him on his right that knocks over all targets in range.
 * Awakening Musou: Unsheathes weapon in time for a series of crisscross slashes. The final phase involves him performing multiple cuts shortly before unleashing a wide burst of energy. During the extended version of the attack, he does a full spinning slash that ends with several slices to the front.