Meng Huo

Meng Huo was a character in Dynasty Warriors, whose appearances were from Dynasty Warriors 3 to the fifth. Along with six other characters, Meng Huo was absent in Dynasty Warriors 6, but returns in the Empires expansion. His story generally involves a group of battles revolving around protecting his home, Nan Zhong, from the various invading northern warlords. This occurs in various orders and locations throughout each game, but usually culminates in a final face-off with Zhuge Liang of Shu.

In the Dynasty Warriors series, he is 35 years old.

Dynasty Warriors
Meng Huo is the king of the Nanman tribe and husband of Zhu Rong, and is highly protective of both his people and his wife. He seeks to defend them from threats and live in harmony. He fights an array of forces, hoping to avoid being taken over, and perhaps eventually, make peace.

In Dynasty Warriors 4, his forces branch out to attack the north after realizing the true threat they hold. His Story Mode ends with him in control and the land in peace.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, Meng Huo's story mode has a little more realistic kick to it. It involves Meng Huo and Zhu Rong unifing the south, and fighting off invading forces until their land is at peace. Two major forces involved are Wu and Shu, along with several other armies. The Nanman army fights with different tactics hoping to surprise the enemy. These include elite soldiers, and beast units made of tigers and elephants.

If you do not play Meng Huo or Zhu Rong's story mode, you will encounter them only with a few characters in a single battle. Perhaps the most famous battle in the South was that of between Meng Huo's forces against Zhuge Liang's. The famous strategiest of Shu was intent on gaining Meng Huo's trust. The famous event consisted of seven battles. Each time, Meng Huo was captured and released until he submitted to the Shu forces and agreed to become their ally. In the Shu Story Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4, Meng Huo will come to reinforce your army if you choose to participate in the optional Southern Campaign.

Kessen
Meng Huo continues to be Naman's king in Kessen II. Like his wife, he leads a unique elephant army. Unlike his Dynasty Warriors counterpart, the couple act as the slap-stick duo in the game. He is the lovable fool in the marriage who is rather submissive to his aggressive wife. After he was captured and then released by Shu, he and his wife decide to lead a final resistance effort against Shu. He protests her sudden decision to join Liu Bei but nevertheless follows her orders to defend Nanman during her absence.

Personality
Meng Huo is portrayed as a sweet but short tempered man who frustratedly attempts to outwit Zhuge Liang at every turn, but fails dismally each time. He has a very strong relationship with his troops and officers, and all consider themselves a close family with an unbreakable spirit. Although Meng Huo is the "Great King" and technically the leader of the Nan Zhong people, he is shown to be completely submissive to his wife, Zhu Rong, who is far more intelligent and aggressive than Meng Huo.

Voice Actors

 * Kirk Thornton - Dynasty Warriors 4~5, Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Doug Stone - Kessen II (English)
 * Yoshiyuki Konou - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Daisuke Miyagawa - Kessen II (Japanese)
 * Toshihiko Seki - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * "I'm the Nanman King of Nan Zhong! I don't care who Zhuge Liang is, but I will deal with him like all the others. Anybody else is nothing more than pushovers! And I promised my sweet heart I will get them next time."
 * "Another officer devoured!"

Ground Moveset

 * undefined (undefined, undefined): Get down on all fours, and dashes, tackling any enemy in his path.
 * , undefined: Meng Huo uppercuts with one of his gauntlets.
 * ,, undefined (undefined, undefined, undefined): Spins with gauntlets slightly away from his stomach. On the last hit, Huo stops halfway during his spin and claws out.
 * ,, , undefined: Brings weight back and jumps forward, landing on his belly.
 * ,, , , undefined: Leaps up and slams both fists on the ground, creating an earthquake.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Slams right fist into the ground, creating a large quake.
 * Punches the ground repeatedly, causing enemy-tripping earthquakes.
 * Jump.
 * , : Jump, then puts legs to stomach and lands on butt.
 * , undefined (undefined): Meng Huo jumps, then stomps and hops forward, knocking enemies off-balance.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Meng Huo leans back, and rushes forward, firing his gauntlets in a parallel direction forward, until they come back to reach him.
 * ,, , , , : Three jabs to the right side, three to the left.
 * Repeating slashes to all sides until the Musou gauge empties.
 * Dismount.

Dynasty Warriors
He is a very slow attacker and runner, but is, in game terms, the strongest character, with a higher strength than even Lu Bu. His powerful attacks can often crush enemies, and many of his attacks involving stomping the ground. A downside to this is how low defense and speed, as faster characters can often overwhelm and heavily damage him before he can successfully retaliate.

His weapons of choice in Dynasty Warriors 3 to Dynasty Warriors 5 were a pair of large, gauntlets called the "King of Beasts". But, in the Empires expansion of the sixth installment included a pillar, a tropical tree, and a mushroom.

Dynasty Warriors 4

 * Level 10 Weapon: King of Beasts
 * Base Attack: 49
 * Stage: Battle of Cheng Du
 * Requirements: Defeat Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang, Yue Ying, Jiang Wei, Ma Chao, and Guan Yu.

Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends

 * Level 11 Weapon: King of Nanman
 * Base Attack: 52
 * Attributes: Level 17 Tortoise Amulet, Level 15 Speed Scroll, Level 16 Jump Scroll, Level 20 Herbal Remedy
 * Stage: Nanman Warfare
 * Restrictions: No bodyguards
 * Requirements: Defeat Xiahou He, Xiahou Hui, Xiahou Wei, Zhong Hui and Deng Ai. All allies must be rescued.

Dynasty Warriors 5

 * 4th Weapon: King of Beasts
 * Base Attack: 36; Weight: Light
 * Stats: Charge +15, Fill +15, Mounted +15, Attack +18, Life +19
 * Stage: Battle of Nan Zhong    (Shu)
 * Location: In the southern secret passage.
 * Requirements: Defeat Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and Yue Ying.

Historical Information
Meng Huo was aristocrat in the Nanzhong region, south of Shu Han, during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He was involved in several small skirmishes with Shu Han, and in retaliation Shu's strategist Zhuge Liang launched a full invasion on the Nanzhong region. After being captured by Zhuge Liang seven times, Meng Huo surrendered to him and swore his allegiance to Shu Han.

In the official histories, Meng Huo was in fact Han Chinese.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
The popular image of Meng Huo follows Luo Guanzhong's semi-fictitious novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where he is portrayed as a southern barbarian tribal leader. In the novel, Meng Huo was married to the fictional Lady Zhurong, who claimed descent from the god of fire, Zhu Rong.