Zhou Yu

Zhou Yu (onyomi: Shū Yu) is the famous military commander who protected his lord's territory from Cao Cao at Chibi. A reputed warrior talented in war and literature, Zhou Yu's potential was feared by Cao Cao and Liu Bei. He shared a devout fellowship with both Sun Ce and Sun Quan; he was practically tied to the hip with the elder brother, and he acted like a gentle older sibling to the younger brother. Romance of the Three Kingdoms fabricated his jealousy for Zhuge Liang, in which he was constantly vexed by his counterpart's intelligence. Xiaoqiao is his wife.

Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll places his Dynasty Warriors incarnation at thirty-second with fans and thirty-ninth in the Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends poll. In Famitsu's character survey, he placed ninth in the boss category.

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

Role in Games

 * "The hero of Chi Bi creates a new legend!"
 * Mitsuhide; Warriors Orochi

Dynasty Warriors
Zhou Yu is Wu's first strategist and a loyal officer who often first serves Sun Jian. He quickly befriends Sun Ce and the two friends unite to see a land of peace under Wu. Should Sun Ce die in their pursuit of their dream, Zhou Yu will continue to carry on Sun Ce's ambition and guide Sun Quan. A few titles in the series also emphasize his animosity towards Zhuge Liang, particularly at Chi Bi. Zhou Yu often disappears after his role at Chi Bi. In his personal story in Dynasty Warriors 3, he continues to aid Wu by destroying Wei at He Fei and Shu at Yi Ling.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends takes place after Wu claims victory at Chi Bi. With his task finished, Zhuge Liang plans to sail back to Liu Bei. Knowing that the strategist will prove to be a liable threat to Wu's future, Zhou Yu chases him down to slay him. By the time he arrives at the docks, Zhuge Liang has already boarded a boat and bids farewell to Wu. Zhou Yu pursues the sailing boat by land and faces the first three Five Tiger Generals. Blocking the strategist's escape path in the south, Zhou Yu cuts Zhuge Liang down.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, he is a warrior who comes from a prestigious family and is known for his good looks and musical talent. He joins the alliance against Dong Zhuo at Si Shui Gate with Sun Jian. Upon his return to their homeland, he joins Sun Ce to attack Liu Biao. After the elder tiger's death, Zhou Yu gathers more troops for their cause and works with Sun Ce to conquer the land of Wu. Although Sun Ce dies of illness, he continues to guide Sun Quan in his friend's memory. Huang Zu falls soon after and the Wu kingdom is greatly expanded. In due time, Wu clashes with Wei at Chi Bi and deliver a resounding blow to Cao Cao's army. Surviving the conflict, he swears to uphold Sun Ce's dream of conquest.

His Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion pairs him and Sun Ce to win the hands of their future wives. While arriving to the marriage site, they are challenged by the Two Qiaos to prove their worth. Xiao Qiao instructs Zhou Yu to take the eastern path and must use cunning and strength to bypass her tests. Along the way, he unexpectedly faces loyal soldiers of the Sun family such as Han Dang and Huang Gai. When the ordeal is over, he admits that it was a meager yet interesting lesson since he was also able to prove his might to the Sun family officers.

Sun Jian personally asks him to watch Sun Ce in Dynasty Warriors 6, and the two men first meet at Hu Lao Gate. As his guard, Zhou Yu guides and protects his new friend. Hearing that Cao Cao's main army was returning to Xu Chang, Zhou Yu pleads his friend to withdraw and saves him from a premature demise. As Liu Bei asks for their aid, they join forces to defeat Cao Cao at Chi Bi. Sun Ce's army successfully kills Cao Cao and they are victorious. What Zhou Yu didn't realize is Zhuge Liang's trap, as the Shu strategist uses Wu's efforts so that Shu could steal Jing Province away from them. Though they were allies, Wu reclaims Jing Province and slays Liu Bei at Yi Ling. The land is united under Sun Ce, but Zhou Yu perceives that his friend does not want to spend his time ruling it. Wanting to find more adventure, Sun Ce passes his mantle of leadership to Sun Quan and Zhou Yu leaves together with his friend.

Dynasty Warriors 7 has Zhou Yu primarily appear within Wu's Story Mode. He is first mentioned soon after the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition and assists Sun Ce in the Battle of Wu Commandery. After he defeats Yan Baihu and secures the southern garrisons, he leaves the command of the battle to Sun Ce. Later he assists the campaign against Yuan Shu in Shou Chun. Present at Xu Chang, Zhou Yu is one of the officers worried about the whereabouts of the missing Sun Ce. Zhou Yu is beside a dying Sun Ce's side when they take the capital. He is entrusted to continue guiding Sun Quan.

Together with Zhuge Liang, he later plans the alliance with Liu Bei and Sun Quan against Cao Cao's invasion of the south. Like many titles in the series, he plans the fire attack and is skeptic of Zhuge Liang's true intentions at Chibi. Luring the enemy's vanguard by pretending to be injured, he causes the elimination of several enemy troops. His coordination of the fire attack leads to a grand success, but they are prevented from pursuing Cao Cao due to Zhuge Liang's intervention. Though embittered by the strategist's decision, Zhou Yu commands the armies to instead keep pressing onwards to invade the north. As commander at Nan Jun, Zhou Yu again feigns injury on the field to confuse Cao Cao's army. This time, however, Zhou Yu's injury is genuine and he is bedridden after their victory. Sun Quan visits his bedside as Sun Shang Xiang is being married away to Liu Bei. After complementing his young lord, Zhou Yu quietly passes away. In Sun Quan's dream for Wu's ending, Zhou Yu appears as one of the belated individuals who praise him.

He shares his first Legendary Mode with Sun Ce. The two young friends try to impress the Two Qiaos with battling many other Wu generals. When Zhou Yu reaches Xiao Qiao, he remarks the beauty of the young girl. She is also impressed by the strategist, but she wants to fight him to make sure his reputation isn't superficial. After her defeat, she asks Zhou Yu to marry her. In his second Legendary Mode, he faces Zhuge Liang at Dongxing, seeking revenge for Zhuge Liang's actions at Chibi.

In Dynasty Warriors Next, Zhou Yu joins Sun Ce's forces starting in the third chapter. He also serves as a mentor for Sun Quan, occasionally advising the inexperienced leader not to endanger himself or give in to emotions. Following Wu's victory at Chibi, he wishes to capitalize on their momentum by taking Nanjun from Wei. The seventh chapter has him repeat his feigned withdrawal to lure in Cao Ren only for Zhuge Liang to reap the fruits of his efforts. In Wu's final scenario, however, he becomes aware of his rival's intentions and personally leads his men to isolate him. Regardless of which version the player chooses, Zhou Yu survives past his historical death. He also employs an ambush attack to counter the Shu strategist's tactics at Chengdu. With Wei as their final opponent, he has Lu Xun deal with them to observe the youth's own development as a worthy tactician.

On the hypothetical route in Dynasty Warriors 8, Zhou Yu saves Sun Ce from death by defeating Gan Ji, who had put his friend under a curse at Xuchang. He also survives the aftermath of Nanjun, enabling him to participate in the campaign at Hefei and help lead Wu to victory. He also appears in Wei's hypothetical story at Jianye, defending Wu's capital from being overrun by Cao Cao's forces. Though Zhou Yu attempts to impede their advance by activating a spike trap, Zhang Liao and the others are able to thwart his efforts.

Zhou Yu has a larger role in the expansion as he is playable in three of Wu's Xtreme Legend stages. The first one "Invasion of Runan" has him work with Sun Ce, Zhou Tai, and Sun Shangxiang to help Yuan Shu drive back Cao Cao's superior army. His personal contribution to the battle is anticipating Guo Jia's attempt to launch a sneak attack. Zhou Yu shares the second stage "Assault on Xu Province" with Sun Ce and Han Dang to capture the province from Liu Bei, while also driving off the encroaching Lu Bu. While the main force attacks from the center, Zhou Yu leads his own force through the town in the east. Zhou Yu last appearance is in Sun Quan's commander tournament facing off against his respective comrades Lu Su, Lu Meng, and Lu Xun. Zhou Yu's strategy against Lu Su is to receive Xiaoqiao's aid in the fight. In Shu's story mode, he helps Liu Bei in dealing with Lu Bu and Yuan Shu and acts as the battle's strategist. He later ends up impeding the ruler as he, his new spouse and Zhao Yun attempt to escape Jianye.

In Lu Bu's story mode, Zhou Yu plays a minor role as one of Yuan Shu's subordinates at Shouchun. In the hypothetical route, he has Han Dang stay hidden in order to have a pincer attack, but Chen Gong sees through the attempt, and Lu Bu's forces secretly defeat Han Dang and assist the unit Zhou Yu attacks. He later joins the final battle at Chang'an where he orders the ambush at the waterways and joins his friend in their attempt to avenge their comrades when Lu Bu's forces still breakthrough. Like most officers, he is slain.

Warriors Orochi
During Orochi's story, he coordinates his kingdom's resistance against the serpent army lead by Zhuge Liang. He tries to lure the enemy into the center of the field where Gan Ning and Zhang Liao wait in ambush. With a large number of generals, he aims to take Orochi's main camp. His tactics are countered when engineers destroy the bridge and he is eventually defeated.

He remains imprisoned until Sun Ce proves his loyalty to the serpent king in Warriors Orochi and resumes his role as Wu's main strategist. In the sequel, he accompanies his wife to Kanegasaki and stage a plot to lure Dong Zhuo away from his hiding place. He will run to his lover's aid if she experiences trouble, even though she has Okuni guarding her. He reports the other factions' activities to Sun Jian after the battle, but his news doesn't convince his lord to march into war.

Zhou Yu shares his dream mode with two other master strategists, Zhuge Liang and Shingen. They defend He Fei Castle from Sima Yi's army and counter with various tactics. Zhou Yu's role in the battle mainly has him call upon hidden reinforcements lead by Gan Ning, catching Sima Yi in a pincer.

Since he stayed beside his brother-in-law in the original timeline, Zhou Yu died in battle during Warriors Orochi 3. The coalition from the future prevent his fall at Changban and subsequently earn his trust as a comrade in arms. Later the strategist helps Ujiyasu regain his subordinate's trust at Shouchun.

During the final chapter of Ultimate, Zhou Yu spearheads the initial attack against Kyūbi with assistance from Sanzang and Diaochan. He is also featured in the hypothetical scenario of Changban where he is able to prevail over Zhuge Liang's tactics.

Dynasty Tactics
Zhou Yu acts as one of the starting generals for Wu in Dynasty Tactics. He starts as the army's strategist and often advises his friends on how to proceed. When Liu Bei flees to Wu's ruler for safety, he states that it is fine to keep the general within their care since they can keep an eye on him. Both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang agree on the fire strategy at Chi Bi and his plan is a great success. Knowing of Zhuge Liang's Three Kingdom strategy with the conquest of northern Jing, Zhou Yu proposes the Two Kingdom: integrate Liu Bei as a part of Wu and attack Cao Cao together.

If Sun Ce should die during the player's scenario, he will call for Zhou Yu but the strategist is not present for his friend's final moments. During one of Wei's scenarios, at Chi Bi, Zhou Yu sets fire, but notices dummy soldiers on the Wei ships and one burning ship sails forward. Zhou Yu sees to his horror it is a critically ill Guo Jia. As Guo Jia dies with a smile on his fast moving ship, Zhou Yu attempts to order a retreat, but it is too late, and the boat collides, killing everyone on board.

Kessen
He is Wu's main strategist in Kessen II but his role at Chi Bi is minimized. Instead of commanding the two armies, he acts as one of the main generals who bides time for Zhuge Liang's fire attack. When Sun Quan betrays Shu, Zhou Yu protests his lord's decision. In Wei's story, he stands by his liege's decision to attack Cao Cao before they are invaded. Before he fights any foe, he plays a short melody on his flute. He has an above-average War rating and can cast ice, fire, and lightning magic.

Personality
Calm and rational, Zhou Yu is a wise expert of strategy who is capable of seeing through most of his enemies' ploys. He was a darker and slightly more arrogant character in his first appearance, but has softened in following titles. He treats his allies with modest professionalism and genuine respect. His devotion to his homeland is unquestionable, and his talents are praised with renown. His perceptive nature is unsettling even to Zhuge Liang as seen in Dynasty Warriors 8 when the Wu strategist detected an ulterior motive behind the Wu-Shu alliance.

Since they are often childhood friends, Zhou Yu acts as the voice of reason for the hot-headed Sun Ce. They share a strong bond and both comrades can rely on the other in times of need. In previous titles, he refers to his friend by his style name in Japanese, though this was not the case in Dynasty Warriors 6. His mature and serious persona contrasts with Xiaoqiao's naive and cheerful one. While he is also a loving husband, his words of caution are not always appreciated by his wife. Even so, he thinks of her dearly and will not hesitate to come to her rescue. His relationship with the other strategists of Wu is further explored in the later installments especially with the inclusions of Lu Meng and Lu Su. Towards both, Zhou Yu often acts as their mentor and he trusts the newer strategists' decisions even if his life be put at stake, seeing them the same way Sun Ce sees Sun Quan.

During the Warriors Orochi series he treats Shingen, Ieyasu, Kanetsugu, Ranmaru, Yoshitsune, Ding Feng, and Hanbei with respect.

Character Symbolism
Within many Koei works as well as many fictional Three Kingdoms media, Zhou Yu is attributed to have played a flute. Historically, he was said to have been gifted with musical talent in his youth. A famous passage retorts that he could hear a mistaken note of a group performance even whilst drunk, turning his head directly to the lone performer who missed his/her part. While nothing in historical records notes that he particularly favored the woodwind instrument, flutes have a history of signaling the start of various ceremonies and a war strategist was occasionally given the honor of being the player. His act of playing a flute is likely a romanticized image for him inspired from these two sources –Koei works especially like to tie in this trait with his strategies at Chi Bi.

In the Japanese version of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, Zhou Yu is given the nickname of "Passion of Crimson" while the English version changes it to "The King-maker of Jiang Dong". As a dominant ruler in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, he calls his five greatest warriors the "Five Generals of Heaven", a nod to one of his famous quotes in the novel.

Zhou Yu's weapon within the Dynasty Warriors series oddly has a couple Japanese names within Asian ports. His second weapon is named Zantetsuken (斬鉄剣, literally Iron-Slashing Sword), a doting term used to praise the hard metals of a Japanese sword. The description implies that the unique methods for forming the blade makes it nearly indestructible, but this legend has been debunked more than once in history. His fourth weapon's name includes another term for Japanese swords, Shinuchi. It is used to describe the best part of a blade to hit multiple times.

The name of his third weapon, the gǔdìng dāo, was a weapon actually noted to have been wielded by Sun Jian within Romance of the Three Kingdoms, though it rarely made an appearance past his introduction. Zhou Yu likely uses a sword within the games due to a later event in the novel, wherein he performed a sword dance at a banquet for Jiang Gan.

All of his weapons in Dynasty Warriors 6 are named after aspects of the sky. In the Asian ports, they take specific inspiration from cloudy times of day during which the sun or moon will illuminate the sky for a picturesque effect (crimson irisation, vermillion morning haze, black misty spring moon). The reference of the light sources creating a brilliant shine may be a subtle nod to Zhou Yu's style name.

Zhou Yu's slain quotes against Zhuge Liang often act as a homage to the former's famous last words in the novel. On his deathbed, he often repeated his woes that he be born in the same era as his rival.

Voice Actors

 * Jeff Manning - Dynasty Warriors 2 (English)
 * John DeMita - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English-uncredited)
 * Michael Gough - Dynasty Warriors 5, Warriors Orochi 1~2 (English-uncredited)
 * Michael Sinterniklaas - Dynasty Warriors 6~8 (English-uncredited)
 * Cam Clarke - Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, Kessen II (English-uncredited)
 * Kai Taschner - Dynasty Warriors 3~4 (German-uncredited)
 * Liu Chaojian - Dynasty Warriors 3 (Chinese)
 * Yu Dong Gyun - Dynasty Warriors 2~3 (Korean)
 * Choi Jae-ho - Dynasty Warriors 4~5 (Korean)
 * Takahiro Yoshimizu - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Hikaru Midorikawa - Dynasty Tactics 2 (Japanese)
 * Shō Hayami - Kessen II (Japanese), Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * See also: Zhou Yu/Quotes


 * "I cannot forgive those who trouble innocent people!"
 * "I'll show you swordsmanship! Prepare to be dazzled!"
 * "The plan was a success! Sun Ce... Wherever you are, are you capable of seeing these flames as well? Let's go! My dream ― and the glory of Wu ― they will be with you for all eternity!"
 * "When a tree dies, nature brings it back to the earth. And after its death, a young shoot will grow up from the remains. This too is nature."
 * "A plan for a plan! Two bike locks for a bike!!"
 * "Dian Wei, was it? I call for a truce! There is something we must take care of first. Do you not agree?"
 * "Yeah! Without our commanders, we cannot continue anyway. But that dog Lu Bu has to be put down!"
 * Zhou Yu and Dian Wei; Dynasty Warriors 6


 * "Ahh, my friend! Let's go hunting!"
 * "You might try something other than hunting every once in a while. You know, music, poetry..."
 * "Nah, I don't need those things. Besides, I wouldn't understand them anyway."
 * Sun Ce and Zhou Yu; Dynasty Warriors 7


 * "Your command has been truly brilliant, Master Zhou Yu. We have been able to win so far because of it."
 * "It is I who have been helped by you, Master Cheng Pu. By your wealth of experience and strong character..."
 * "Then I will give you one piece of advice. Do not overexert yourself. You must put your health first."
 * "I see. I shall take your words to heart, Master Cheng Pu."
 * Cheng Pu and Zhou Yu; Dynasty Warriors 8


 * "Smart, handsome, strong... All right then, I'll tell you what. Say you're sorry, and I'll let you work for me."
 * "I refuse. For I have a wife, friends, and a country that I love."
 * Da Ji and Zhou Yu; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "You should take better care of yourself, Master Zhou Yu. Not that I'm one to talk."
 * "It's my duty to spend every waking moment coming up with new strategies. I don't have time to worry about my health."
 * "Hey, you do have me, the poor man's Zhuge Liang, on your side, right? Things would be easier if we split the burden between us."
 * Hanbei and Zhou Yu; Warriors Orochi 3

Gameplay

 * See also: Zhou Yu/Movesets‎‎

Dynasty Warriors 7
Zhou Yu is affiliated with the staff 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: Lands from a high jump, slamming his staff into the ground in an explosion of flames.
 * Musou - Hellfire (業火): : Staff is engulfed in flames and spins several times around to end in a shockwave. Classified as a Multi-strike Musou in Next and used in Warriors Orochi 3.
 * Aerial Musou - Meteor Shower (猛襲火):, : Stabs his staff multiple times towards enemies below and ends with a sweeping forward strike infused with fire.


 * Dynasty Warriors Next
 * Speed Musou - Spurt: Tap both sides of screen: Strikes the ground continuously, causing flames to erupt around the area. The attack ends with Zhou Yu rising upward while releasing a massive whirlwind.


 * Warriors Orochi 3
 * , undefined: Performs multiple acrobatic strikes before vaulting on the ground.
 * R1: Creates a whirlwind by twirling weapon.
 * , R1 (Ultimate only): Propels himself forward by twirling weapon horizontally.

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


 * EX Attack 2 (Xtreme Legends only):, undefined, undefined: Vaults unto airborne target and hurls them on a group of enemies below. Upon collision, a rain of fireballs suddenly appear to juggle them repeatedly.
 * Alternate Musou - Circling Flames (業旋火): R1 + : Launches a barrage of twirling hits enveloped in flames, ending the attack with a rising circular strike.
 * Awakening Musou: Gracefully swings weapon around multiple times at blinding speed. Ends the assault by jumping up and slamming the earth to emit a powerful burst of energy. After accumulating enough hits during the move, the initial motion turns into a twirling dash attack with his weapon imbued with fire as well as the inclusion of a few additional swipes.

Weapons

 * See also: Zhou Yu/Weapons

Dynasty Warriors 8
Zhou Yu still uses the staff as his default weapon in this title.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu accepted Zhuge Liang's offer of alliance at the Battle of Chibi, although Zhuge Liang was his rival of mastering tactics. He initially feigned ignorance in their first meeting, and attempted to have surrender to Cao Cao to test Zhuge Liang. Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang provoked Zhou Yu by stating that Cao Cao's intentions for attacking Jiangdong was to obtain the two Qiaos, who were wed to the late Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. In the events leading up to Chibi, he successfully deceived Jiang Gan into thinking that Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, among the few Wei officers with actual naval training, had defected, led Cao Cao to Pang Tong and made the famous bet with Zhuge Liang to obtain 100,000 arrows within only 10 days. He later led the attack against Cao Cao after Huang Gai's fire attack.

Unfortunately after that great battle, his destiny wasn't as good as Zhuge Liang's. During the battle of Jiangling, he was hit by a poisoned arrow, and he would spew blood constantly if he was angered sufficiently. Zhuge Liang would end up being the root cause of three major incidents that led to Zhou Yu's death.

The first time Zhuge Liang angered Zhou Yu was when he lost the provinces within Jing to Liu Bei's forces shortly after driving away Cao Ren. After Liu Qi's death, Zhou Yu attempted to invite Liu Bei over to Wu by using Lady Sun as an excuse to have a "political wedding". The event's real purpose was to trap Liu Bei within Wu and to keep him from communicating with his officers. Unfortunately, the marriage proceeded thanks to Zhao Yun endorsing the wedding to Lady Wu and Qiao Xuan as per Zhuge Liang's orders. The second time he vomited more blood was when Liu Bei, Lady Sun and Zhao Yun successfully escaped from Jiangdong back to Jingzhou thanks to Zhuge Liang's planning. When Zhou Yu attempted to give chase by boat, he was ambushed by Wei Yan and Huang Zhong, whose men shouted "Zhou Lang (Zhou Yu's nickname)'s brilliant strategy brings peace to the world. He lost both the lady and his soldiers!". Zhou Yu immediately spat blood and collapsed after this second incident.

The final straw occurred when Zhou Yu attempted to pass Jing province as an excuse to conquer Yizhou from Liu Zhang as a favor for Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang saw through the ruse, and ambushed Zhou Yu midway through his trip. Barely escaping, Zhou Yu received a letter from Zhuge Liang stating that he should give up because his absence from Wu would only give Cao Cao the opportunity to attack. Collapsing a third time, he laid on his deathbed giving woes on why he and Zhuge Liang had to have been born at the same time. He repeated these woes until he drew his final breath.

Trivia

 * The first Blu-Ray/DVD original short for TV anime Kuragehime (Kuragehime Heroes Sono Ichi Mayaya-sama no Maki) includes the younger Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI portrait of Zhou Yu.
 * Zhou Yu's nickname in Japan is "soy sauce" due to the similar pronunciation of his name and "shoyu". Fans also occasionally call him "lolicon" due to his spouse's stature and behavior.

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