Yuan Shao

Yuan Shao first appears as a Warriors character in Dynasty Warriors 2. Yuan Shao is a nobleman and supporter of the Han Dynasty who raised a large, powerful army in response to the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He strives to protect his family honor in the land's wars. He is the father of Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Yuan Shang. His younger half-brother is Yuan Shu.

In the Dynasty Warriors series, he is 37 years old and his height is 178 cm (5'10").

Dynasty Warriors
Yuan Shao is a proud nobleman who wants to uphold his prestigious family name. When Cao Cao gathers the surrounding regional lords to take a stand against Dong Zhuo's tyranny, he nominates Yuan Shao to be their leader. In honor of his family's reputation, Yuan Shao leads the Allied Forces at Si Shui and Hu Lao Gates. He tries to restore order in the capital, but ultimately loses his trust in the Han Dynasty. With his own ambitions, he often conquers Gongsun Zan in the north and becomes one of the largest forces in the land when he suppresses Hua Bei. He attacks the central plains and confronts Cao Cao at Guan Du. In most scenarios, he either dies or suffers a grave defeat from the battle. A few titles mention a follow up campaign to completely destroy his family.

In Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends, Yuan Shao, instead of dying at Guan Du, defeats Cao Cao, who fades temporarily into obscurity. He then moves to wipe out Liu Bei, who leaves his service after encountering Guan Yu at Guan Du. After destroying Liu Bei at Chang Ban, Yuan Shao heads to Fan Castle, defended by his general Zhang He, to reinforce him against the allied armies of Guan Yu, who escapes Chang Ban alive, and Sun Quan, who rules in the Wu kingdom. After he defeats them and takes over much of Wu, Sun Quan marches against him at He Fei Castle, but Yuan Shao defeats him again, destroying the Wu kingdom. Yuan Shao's final enemy is Cao Cao in Wei, who manages to raise a large army to confront Yuan Shao. Though the efforts of Cao Cao and his strategist Sima Yi are fierce and determined, Yuan Shao is victorious and unites China under the Yuan family rule.

Dynasty Warriors 4 has Yuan Shao participate in the Han's forces during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He continues to lead the Allied Forces and completely destroys Cao Cao at Guan Du. As the ruler of northern China, he conquers Liu Bei and Sun Jian to unify the land. His Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion takes place during the Battle of Jieqiao, one of the conflicts between him and Gongsun Zan. The cavalry general assembles his fearsome "White Riders" unit to charge through Yuan Shao's army. Although the horse riders are known for their skill, Yuan Shao refuses to withdraw his troops and orders his army to stand firm. With the pride of his family on the line, Yuan Shao personally counters the famed cavalry. He encounters Zhao Yun, Liu Bei, and Liu Bei's brothers trying to stop him, but he eventually faces Gongsun Zan's personal unit and cuts his adversary down.

In his story in Dynasty Warriors 5, he subjugates the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province and personally lead the Allied Forces at Si Shui Gate. Yuan Shao doesn't destroy Dong Zhuo personally since his army does it for him in the capital. Realizing that the Han Dynasty is losing its power, Yuan Shao decides to create a new land. As he returns home, Zhang Yan and Gongsun Zan invade his home with former Yellow Turban members. Taking pity on the general, Yuan Shao temporarily shelters Lu Bu and orders him to join the march in Chang Shan. Deciding to prevent the general's defection is optional as Lu Bu does not appear in Yuan Shao's army after the battle. Soon afterwards, he faces Cao Cao at Guan Du and slays his rival to claim the central plains. Rewarded with various imperial rewards and titles, the land's wars end and Yuan Shao is named the land's new emperor. He swears to his army that he will create a land worthy of the Yuan family.

He shares his Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion with Dong Zhuo. Both men desire to save the emperor from the Ten Eunuch's plot, but both have different desires in the battle. Yuan Shao wants to save He Jin and liberate the court from the eunuch's influence. Punishing the eunuchs, he declares that the land should better know his family name but worries about the Han's decline. To prevent such an event from happening again, Yuan Shao reasons that it may be time for his family to shine.

Yuan Shao continues to be the army's commander at Hu Lao Gate in the following title and fights Cao Cao at Guan Du. In Special, he survives his defeat from Cao Cao and makes a final stand against his enemy's forces at He Bei. He works together with his family, relying on his sons to aid him.

Warriors Orochi
In the first game, Yuan Shao leads a force of warriors, including Yukimura, against troops led by Wei Yan. Da Ji planted agents among his forces to convince them that they were fighting ghosts resurrected by magic and forced to do Da Ji's bidding. Yuan Shao was defeated and fled from the battlefield, only to be captured and held in Wu territory. He was eventually rescued by a combined force of Zhao Yun and Yukimura's troops, although they were expecting Liu Bei rather than himself. The general was in fact bait in a trap created by Zhuge Liang, who at the time was serving Orochi. Yuan Shao misconstrued their disappointment as awe over his presence, and volunteered to lead them to Liu Bei. The Resistance accepted Yuan Shao's help. After aiding in the rescue of Sun Ce's forces from Sima Yi, Yuan Shao remembered that he had heard Liu Bei was being held in Edo Castle.

Yuan Shao tries to create his own army once more in Warriors Orochi 2. He stations himself at Shizugatake and gains the traveling Jiang Wei's services. He tries to stop the bickering amongst his family by having Jiang Wei send a letter to his son. If this is interrupted, Yuan Shao will be forced to enter the battle personally. After his defeat, he is pleased to join Wei, as he considers all of the warriors within the faction to be serving him. He shares his dream stage with Nene and Zhu Rong as three charitable warriors. They defend Hideyoshi from Cao Pi's massive army at Mai Castle. His personal goal in the stage is to convince the neutral Dong Zhuo to help them.

Kessen
Although he doesn't make an on-screen appearance, Yuan Shao stages a rebellion north of Wei's territory in Kessen II. In Shu's story, Wei's army concentrates their efforts on him before they move to finish Liu Bei. In Wei's story, Cao Cao leaves the battle of subduing Yuan Shao to Xiahou Yuan and marches to disrupt Liu Bei's attack on the capital. He is defeated in both scenarios and his property is integrated into Wei.

Personality
In earlier titles, Yuan Shao is portrayed as an honourable and proud general, reluctant to take the role of the alliance's supreme commander during the war against Dong Zhuo. As the series progresses, Yuan Shao's pride and haughty traits have been vastly exaggerated to the point of absolute arrogance and pretentiousness. Becoming the series' comic relief character, he speaks with a flamboyant and high-and-mighty attitude, which is toned down considerably in his English appearances. He is known to make passionate and inspirational speeches about justice and valor, gaining the love of the people for his impeccable image. Somewhat incompetent compared to other lords and unwilling to take others' advice, however, he is depicted as a man who doesn't completely fit the heroic image he claims to be.

Yuan Shao is a childhood friend of Cao Cao, but their relationship is strained at best. Yuan Shao in particular deems his friend to be of inferior rank and considers his friend to be a rude upstart. Cao Cao in turn criticizes him as a man who relies too much on his family past and is too inept to survive in the land's wars. Even so, Yuan Shao does express regret when they face one another at Guan Du.

Voice Actors

 * Paul St. Peter - Dynasty Warriors 4~6, Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Dave Wittenberg - Dynasty Warriors 6 Special and Empires, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce (English)
 * On Yeong-sam - Dynasty Warriors 2 (Korean)
 * Jang Seong-ho - Dynasty Warriors 3~5 (Korean)
 * Osamu Ryutani - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Hirohiko Kakegawa - Dynasty Tactics (Japanese)
 * Hisao Egawa - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * See also: Yuan Shao/Quotes


 * "To have to slay my own friend by my own hand... I suppose that is the price that I must pay. Cao Cao, please forgive me. I yearn for the day when we can meet and talk again as friends."
 * "The shining light of nobility will lead us through this darkened age!"
 * "None are fit to face me!"
 * "I'll do it myself!"

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: Lunges forward and headbutts any enemy in the way, similar to a bear crawl.
 * , undefined: Jumps in the air with sword up, knocking an enemy into the air.
 * ,, undefined (undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined): Advancing forward with each step, with a quick series of left-to-right sword swings, ended by two horizontal spins.
 * ,, , undefined: Swings sword in an arch over his head.
 * ,, , , undefined: Stabs sword at an angle into the ground, causing an enemy-lifting earthquake.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Yuan Shao spins around, letting loose a circle-shaped shockwave.
 * Yuan Shao swings his sword from side to side while advancing.
 * , : Jump, then swing.
 * , undefined: Yuan Shao jumps, slamming into the ground at an angle with his sword held in front of him. Causes an earthquake to pop-up.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Yuan Shao 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.


 * Warriors Orochi
 * R1: Raises his sword and creates an aura. Temporarily raises the attack power of the player's team. Can be coupled with other stat boosting specials.
 * R1 (counter): Takes a step to his left and slashes horizontally to a stop.


 * In Dynasty Warriors 5 and Warriors Orochi, the undefined attack is just a normal lunge. In Warriors Orochi 2, it gains a blue aura, extending the range of the attack.

Dynasty Warriors 6
He shares his moveset with Cao Pi and Sun Quan. See Cloned Moveset for more details.
 * Special Attack: Volley: releases waves of arrows surrounding the player to annihilate enemies. Yuan Shao's version may be upgraded to include a lightning element.

Weapons

 * See also: Yuan Shao/Weapons

Historical Information
Yuan Shao was a powerful warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. It was said Yuan Shao had a handsome face, and mingled well with subordinates. He occupied the northern territories of ancient China during the massive civil war towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era. He was also the elder cousin of Yuan Shu, a warlord who controlled the Huai River region, though the two were not in good terms with each other.

One of the most powerful warlords of his time, Yuan Shao spearheaded a coalition of warlords against the tyrannical Dong Zhuo, who held Emperor Xian hostage in the capital Luoyang, but failed due to internal disunity. In 200, he launched a campaign against rival warlord Cao Cao but was defeated utterly at the decisive Battle of Guandu. He died of sickness two years later in Ye. His eventual failure despite his powerful family background and geographical advantages was commonly blamed on his indecisiveness and inability to heed the advice of his advisors.

The Esteemed Yuan Family
The Yuan family rule a small portion of Northern China called the Ji province. The family lineage is unknown in Dynasty Warriors, however it is assumed that the Yuan's had to build their own family from scratch as Yuan Shao has much pride in his army and the officers he commands. Yuan Shao fought against the Yellow Turbans that attacked Ji Province, he later appointed himself Commander In chief for the coalition against Dong Zhuo and he and Cao Cao persuaded other feudal lords to join their cause.

After the Allied Forces broke up, Yuan Shao makes short work of the surrounding enemies within his reach. He scores a major victory against Gongsun Zan at the Battle of Jieqiao and secures his westward flank by defeating the bandit Zhang Yan. By 198, Yuan Shao was viewed as a force of great power. Tensions began to rise between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, both were gaining power and a conflict between them was inevitable, in 200AD Cao Cao moved his troops to Guan Du castle, in an attempt to battle Yuan Shao, despite being outnumbered.

Yuan Shao lost the battle of Guan Du in 200 against Cao Cao, despite the fact that Yuan Shao's army was larger and more powerful than Cao Cao's. Yuan Shao was reckless and overconfident, especially after losing his greatest Generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Cao Cao then discovered Yuan Shao's supply base at Wu Chao, which he attacked and burned to the ground demoralizing Yuan Shao and his troops. This was a major defeat for the Yuan family and showed the true strength of Cao Cao's army to the rest of China.

Yuan Shao died two years later and his three sons squabbled over the remnants of his lands, eventually by 207 AD Cao Cao claimed Yuan Shao's former territories by manipulating Yuan Shao's sons and claiming control over Ji and the surrounding provinces.

His great-great-grandfather, Yuan An, was appointed as one of the three Dukes of the Han Court, and Yuan An's sons had also been made Dukes of the Han Court afterwards. From then on until Yuan Shao's death, the Yuan clan had held incredibly influential and high positions within the Han empire.