Jiang Wei

Jiang Wei (姜維, rōmaji: Kyō I) is a general of the Three Kingdoms era who first served Ma Zun. He surrendered to Shu when his station was attacked and was praised by Zhuge Liang. Jiang Wei took it upon himself after the Prime Minister's death to keep waging war with Wei in the north. Even with Liu Shan's surrender to Deng Ai, Jiang Wei would oppose Wei until his death. He is Zhuge Liang's lone and trusted successor in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and one of the novel's tragic figures.

In the Dynasty Warriors series his character is 19 years old and his height is 180 cm (approximately 5'11"). He is eleventh place in Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll.

His character's height in Kessen II is 175 cm (close to 5'9").

Role in Games

 * "Strategy and skill - a true warrior!"
 * ―Ranmaru Mori; Warriors Orochi

Dynasty Warriors
Jiang Wei is the son of a reputed general who excels in martial arts and scholarly studies. Originally an officer of Wei, his talents are noticed by Zhuge Liang and, impressed by the strategist's abilities, he joins Shu. He contributes greatly to Shu's later campaigns against Wei and Wu. In the newest title, Jiang Wei continues to stand by Shu after the Battle of Wu Zhang Plains and loyally fights for his kingdom until his last.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends is the Defense of Jian Ge, in which he needs to defend the cowardly Liu Chan from Wei's army. Fearsome generals such as Cao Ren, Xu Huang and Xu Zhu attack the Shu army. Liu Chan, who cannot stand the bloodshed and warfare any longer, flees from his home to surrender. Jiang Wei, wanting to uphold his promise to his mentor, does everything in his power to prevent this from happening by closing gates along the way. When he reaches Zhong Hui, the Wei general implores him to not throw his life away and return to Wei. Jiang Wei responds by reaffirming his loyalty for Shu and drives the opposition back.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, Jiang Wei starts his story as an officer in Wei. Since his father passed away when he was young, he spent his childhood being raised by his mother. For her sake, he joins the military but soon sees his talents unappreciated by his commanding officers. Though disappointed by Ma Zun's leadership, Jiang Wei takes part in the offensive against Zhuge Liang's army. During the battle, an impostor of Jiang Wei attacks the defending army, making Ma Zun doubt Jiang Wei's integrity and further forcing the youth to prove himself. Upon defeating the strategist, however, he grows to respect Zhuge Liang's faith in him and joins Shu. As his protege, he tries to prove his worth against Sima Yi's tactics. While Zhuge Liang is busy with preparing for the final battle of the Northern Campaign, Jiang Wei leads a decisive victory against Wu at Bai Di Castle. He continues to lead the Shu army after his mentor's passing, successfully unifying the land under Shu. He acts as Liu Chan's advisory after the battle, wielding Zhuge Liang's fan as a keepsake.

He shares his Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends with Zhuge Liang and Wei Yan at the Battle of Mt. Qi. During Shu's Northern Campaign, Zhuge Liang surprisingly orders a retreat from the mountain. In Jiang Wei's version of the stage, he assists the Prime Minister's strategy by luring the three advance troops towards the mountain. Once three Wei generals hold their positions, Shu's army feigns a retreat but Jiang Wei remains on the field. If he successfully hides his presence from Wei's scouts, the Shu army reappears on the field and launches an ambush from three points on the map. They can easily entice Zhang He forward and cause the general's demise. Should Jiang Wei be spotted, Sima Yi catches onto the ruse and the Shu army will need to issue a real retreat due to lack of supplies. Jiang Wei will then fight the entire Wei army by himself.

Jiang Wei begins as a Wei soldier in Dynasty Warriors 7 and is described by many as a genius. His tactics against Zhuge Liang at Tian Shui impresses the strategist enough to later challenge him to a duel. A suspicious Ma Zun betrays Jiang Wei by setting their castle surroundings on fire, leaving both sides to die in the flames. With Zhuge Liang the victor of their meeting, the abandoned Wei army is taken in by Shu thanks to Liu Shan's acceptance. Jiang Wei then becomes Zhuge Liang's apprentice. Over the next few years, the armies of Shu find themselves in numerous battles with Wei. Prior to the Battle of Wu Zhang Plains, Zhuge Liang gives command of the forces to Jiang Wei, but the young apprentice is fearful of being unprepared for his new rank. Believing in his master's encouragement and the skills that he has learned, however, he leads the Shu army to victory. Sima Yi manages to escape with help from his sons, Sima Shi and Sima Zhao. When his master dies shortly after, Jiang Wei is determined to make Liu Bei's land of benevolence a reality.

During Jin's story, Jiang Wei continues to fight against the Sima family and antagonizes Wei on various occasions. He gains Xiahou Ba as a trustworthy ally for Shu and attacks the western lands of Wei twice. During the second confrontation, he orders three archers to rescue the young defector from Guo Huai, killing the Wei general. While Jiang Wei's plots are enough to belittle Cao Shuang, his plans are foiled by Deng Ai and the Sima family's efforts each time. He swears in aggravation to someday prevail, but his proclamations are ultimately in vain. Like the other defenders for Shu, Jiang Wei dies during their final stand at Cheng Du.

Jiang Wei's first stage of Legendary Mode is a retelling of the Battle of Tian Shui from his point of view as he faces of against Zhuge Liang and the forces of Shu. In his second stage, Jiang Wei leads the Northern Campaigns after Zhuge Liang's death, but finds himself in Guo Huai's trap and must counterattack in order to stay alive and save his allies. In his third stage, after several successful campaigns, Jiang Wei fights Sima Shi to end the conflict once and for all.

Warriors Orochi
Jiang Wei is one of the many who opposes the Orochi forces in Warriors Orochi. He previously joined the resistance lead by Ma Chao and fought against the army lead by Sun Ce. After this he is surrounded by the serpent army at Nanzhong. With Yoshihiro's aid, they successfully trap the officers leading the frontal assault and demoralize the Orochi army. Grateful for his ally's assistance, he joins Zhao Yun's army.

In Warriors Orochi 2, he leaves Shu to test himself and finds service under Yuan Shao. When Zhang He attacks Yuan Shao at Shizugatake, Jiang Wei is given the chance to test his mettle. They soon realize that his sons are fighting amongst one another and Yuan Shao entrusts Jiang Wei with a letter to clear the struggle. When the Shu officer is caught, he defects to Wei and convinces Yuan Xi to join him. At Yamatai, he and Toshiie attempt to locate and capture Da Ji and Himiko. However, they were unaware of Da Ji's well prepared defenses. However, they are given aid by Nagamasa and his allies, the Asakura. In the end, Himiko escapes but they capture Da Ji.

He shares his dream stage with two other young strategists, Lu Xun and Sakon, as they strive to prove themselves to their masters. Jiang Wei sees through Zhuge Liang's ambush and counters by using the area for his own purposes. Feigning an all out offensive, he tricks his master to run into his trap. Impressed, Zhuge Liang praises that his student finally surpassed him.

During the original timeline in Warriors Orochi 3, Jiang Wei left Shu as one of two escorts for Liu Shan. He was separated from his comrades when the serpent forces attacked them. Aware of Xingcai's imprisonment, he planned and attempted a lone infiltration of the castle. As he reached Mt. Xingshi, Jiang Wei was gravely injured by Zhong Hui's battalion. Though he barely evaded capture, the battle with Zhong Hui ultimately caused his demise when the enemy soldiers spot him at Xuchang. He succumbs to his wounds while the coalition save the hostages at Xuchang.

Liu Shan and company eventually act to save Jiang Wei by defeating Zhong Hui's forces in the past at Mt. Xingshi and hurrying to his side at Xuchang in the changed future. Although he is dumbfounded to see Xingcai free and Liu Shan at the castle, Jiang Wei accepts their story that they used time-travel to save him and joins their cause in gratitude.

Kessen
In Kessen II, Jiang Wei is a young man who wishes to fight with Liu Bei. He is a man of simple origin and appears when Zhao Yun returns to Shu. His defeated quote implies that he greatly respects Zhuge Liang, but this isn't expanded on in the game's story. He rides into battle as reinforcements and continues to serve Liu Bei from then on. He serves as a political adviser and fights with a volunteer army consisting of men from Tian Shui. He is good with both magic and warfare, making him one of the more balanced units in battle.

Personality
Steadfast and a bit hot-blooded, Jiang Wei is a formal perfectionist who strives to always act his best. Lionizing Zhuge Liang as "Prime Minister", he hopes to someday make his mentor proud. Though competent in war and strategies, he suffers from a slight inferiority complex when he experiences failure and is known for profusely apologizing to Zhuge Liang when this occurs. However, these setbacks do not completely dwarf his spirit and he is always eager to learn from his mistakes. He is depicted as a bud of fresh talent; depending on the scenario, he is either too green to overstep his idol's shadow or is more than capable of leading Shu after Zhuge Liang's death.

A faithful student to his mentor, he sometimes forgets his composure and zealously shouts his defense for Zhuge Liang if someone berates him. Zhuge Liang, though appreciating his enthusiasm, may chide him to restrain himself. Aside from the Prime Minister, Jiang Wei is respectful towards his other allies in Shu, addressing them with the terms "master" or "lady". His politeness carries into the Warriors Orochi series, wherein he additionally praises Nagamasa, Ranmaru, and Mitsunari.

Since he takes his mentor's place in the later battles of the era, he is often a rival to Sima Yi as they clash wits at Wu Zhang Plains. Dynasty Warriors 5 and its spin-offs imply a minor rivalry between him and Lu Xun, the former mainly denouncing the latter's "mistaken" reputation. Within the Warriors Orochi series, he treats Sakon, Ieyasu, and Taigong Wang as his cross universe rivals. He befriends Nagamasa and Hanbei in the newest installment.

Character Symbolism
In the Japanese version of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, Jiang Wei is given the nickname of "Gallant Unicorn" while the English version changes it to "The Heir to a New Era". As a dominant ruler in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, he along with Cao Cao and Dong Zhuo call their five greatest warriors the "Five Great Generals".

Jiang Wei's weapon of choice for his older appearances is the same weapon for a character who appears within Journey to the West and Fengshen Yanyi, Erlang Shen (known as Yang Jian in the latter source). It is a type of heavy spear also called the Three Point Double Edge Blade or the literal alternative, the Second Son Saber.

The original name for his Level 11 weapon is either a reference to the Four Divine Beast of the Constellations or the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism. In the latter case, the truths is a type of philosophy for meeting, identifying, confronting, and eliminating suffering in life. These four truths are sometimes categorized with aging, life, illness, and death. To live is to suffer; to experience and accept suffering is a part of life. The second part of his weapon's name implies that the victim of his swings will feel the sensations of all four entities/events within an instant.

His third and fourth weapons possibly alludes to one of Zhuge Liang's famous nicknames. Within Chinese legends, a dragon was said to hide a treasured gem within its mouth. If his mentor is the "Sleeping Dragon", then Jiang Wei is its treasure -or in this case, jaw.

As an homage to his time in Wei, Jiang Wei's original Dynasty Warriors 7 outfit includes a blue "Fenghuang University" patch on his arm. The characters in Wei feature the same school name on their uniforms.

Voice Actors

 * Ping Wu - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English-uncredited)
 * Richard Cansino - Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires (English-uncredited)
 * Joshua Seth - Dynasty Warriors 5, Kessen II (English-uncredited)
 * Darrel Guilbeau - Warriors Orochi series, Dynasty Warriors 7 (English-uncredited)
 * O In-Seong - Dynasty Warriors 2 (Korean)
 * An Yong-uk - Dynasty Warriors 3 (Korean)
 * Bang Seong Joon - Dynasty Warriors 4~5 (Korean)
 * Hisayoshi Suganuma - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Yōko Iwasaki - Kessen II (Japanese)
 * Yasunori Masutani - Sangokushi Koumeiden
 * Ryō Horikawa - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * See also: Jiang Wei/Quotes


 * "I will risk everything and vanquish you, Serpent King!"
 * "Jiang Wei is here!"
 * "I will kill you in the name of my Prime Minister!"
 * "You'll never be anything but a weasly little traitor!"
 * Jiang Wei and Sima Yi; Dynasty Warriors 5


 * "You naughty little boy!"
 * "Do not talk to me like you are my mother! My mother was nothing like you!"
 * Nene and Jiang Wei; Warriors Orochi


 * "Time to do some damage in the name of justice!"
 * "You really are a mercenary for justice, aren't you?"
 * Toshiie and Jiang Wei; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "You're still quite young, aren't you, Jiang Wei? Yet you're very mature for your age."
 * "Not at all. I merely try to live up to the ideals my teacher taught me."
 * "Live up to the ideals you were taught... You are indeed a strong man."
 * Nagamasa and Jiang Wei; Warriors Orochi 3

Moveset

 * See also: Jiang Wei/Movesets

Dynasty Warriors 7
Jiang Wei is affiliated with the spear in this appearance. When he is equipped with it, he can perform a unique attack exclusive to him. When he performs his musous, he will automatically use the weapon in his attacks.


 * EX Attack: ,,undefined,undefined: Spins a couple times with his spear and does a powerful slash charged with lightning.
 * Thunder Charge: : Jiang Wei pushes the butt of his spear into an enemy. If it connects, he rushes forward, pushing the the victim along the way, hits him/her into the air with the tip of the spear, then slams the victim back onto the ground complete with a lightning bolt.
 * Thunder Dragon:, : Throws the spear into the ground while airbourne, hitting enemies with a lightning bolt.

His moveset has been changed in Warriors Orochi 3.
 * Warriors Orochi


 * , undefined:
 * ,, , , , undefined:


 * ,undefined:


 * R1:

Shin Sangoku Musou 7
Jiang Wei is affiliated with the Double-Edged Trident in this appearance.


 * EX Attack:
 * Musou 1: :
 * Musou 2: R1 + :
 * Air Musou:, :

Fighting Style
In Dynasty Warriors 4 and onward, Jiang Wei is an exellent beginner character and is good in many situations. His C3 is one of the best crowd-clearing attacks in the series, and is good at opening certain defenses. His second special in Warriors Orochi can be considered cheap, since it's a fast attack that is unblockable and costs little to no musou. One of his only weaknesses is that musou is hard to aim fully, but gets easier with each installment.

Weapons

 * See also: Jiang Wei/Weapons

Big Star Weapons
Jiang Wei uses the following big star weapons in the game.
 * Ether Piercer
 * Savage Trident
 * Mystery
 * Dragon Slayer
 * Draconian Might
 * Virtuous Agony
 * Dragon's Maw
 * Merciless Might
 * Bug Catcher (DLC)
 * Clean Sweeper (DLC)
 * Moptop (DLC)

Gallery
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