Diaochan

Diaochan is Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu's lover in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. She is one of Wang Yun's dancing servants who used her beauty and charms to turn both of her lovers against one another. Due to the open nature of her origin, she can either be seen as a malicious or loving character.

In the Dynasty Warriors series, her romantic ties for Dong Zhuo are discarded often in favor for her role as Lu Bu's lover. Her character is 19 years old and her height is 168 cm (5'6"). Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll has her at fourteenth place.

Her Kessen II counterpart's height is 165 cm (5'5"). Her voice actor is a thespian and television celebrity. She is one of the many celebrated actors who performed for the title.

Before 2012, Koei titles separated the Chinese characters for her character's name and called her "Diao Chan". Her given name is now properly localized in the games.

Dynasty Warriors
Diao Chan is a dancing maiden who wants to destroy Dong Zhuo, usually on request by her adopted father. She does so by infiltrating Dong Zhuo's army as a normal mistress and fights to gain the tyrant's trust. She also appeals to Lu Bu, using his feelings for her to antagonize Dong Zhuo. In their related Musou Modes, she joins Lu Bu's revolt. During other characters' scenarios, she either dies fighting against the Allied Forces at Hu Lao Gate or the army opposing Lu Bu at Xia Pi.

In her story in Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends, Diao Chan constantly flatters Lu Bu while they fight together in Dong Zhuo's army. Her performance in the battles against Cao Cao and Sun Ce earns Dong Zhuo's trust, and he allows her to accompany Lu Bu to conquer Shu on Dong Zhuo's behalf. Diao Chan convinces him to betray Dong Zhuo after they succeed, and their armies clash at Chi Bi. Lu Bu and Diao Chan are victorious and Dong Zhuo is slain. Afterwards, Diao Chan convinces the "politically inept" Lu Bu to support the Han Dynasty and the Han are restored. Diao Chan then attempts to leave Lu Bu, but her way is blocked by Lu Bu's officers and the remnants of the Three Kingdoms. Lu Bu corners her and refuses to let her leave. To leave the political arena for good, she defeats him to live peacefully by herself.

In Dynasty Warriors 4, her role varies depending on which kingdom the player selects. Choosing Lu Bu's scenario causes her to convince him into revolting against his master. However, she remains with Dong Zhuo from beginning to end if his scenario is chosen instead. It's unknown if her loyalty to him in this path is sincere or not. Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends details her version of Dong Zhuo's death. Diao Chan faithfully sticks to Wang Yun's plot to use Lu Bu to kill Dong Zhuo, yet the warrior doesn't move against Dong Zhuo. As the tyrant's reign of terror prolongs itself, she decides to carry out her father's will by herself and sneaks into Dong Zhuo's room within the capital. She may choose to avoid the patrol guards so as to not fight Lu Bu. When she completes her mission, Dong Zhuo expresses his disbelief that she has been targeting him since the start. Diao Chan reasons that his death is needed to start a new age and leaves. She continues to fight through Dong Zhuo's remaining officers to escape from the castle.

Dynasty Warriors 5 has Diao Chan assist the front at Si Shui Gate, reluctant with her role in her father's plot. As she draws closer to Lu Bu, she becomes infatuated with him and fears for his safety at Hu Lao Gate. When she tells him that she chooses to stand by his side, she confesses Wang Yun's plot to Lu Bu and the couple kill Dong Zhuo together. Although her role is finished, she devotes herself to her love and follows him where ever he goes. They are hunted down as rebels and Cao Cao and Liu Bei attack Lu Bu when he finally gains a land for himself at Xia Pi. While Lu Bu's forces were able to prevail, their leader exhausts himself and dies. Diao Chan, left with no will to fight, gives no heed to the land's ensuing chaos. She shares her Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion with Lu Bu and Zhang Liao. The trio work together to surround Pu Yang Castle and create a land of their own. They join forces with the Wei defector, Chen Gong. After the battle, Diao Chan laments being ostracized by the surrounding regional lords. Even so, she pines to spend more time beside Lu Bu.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, she has already carried out her father's plot to destroy Dong Zhuo. While her father's dying wish was for her to live her own life, Diao Chan promises to keep using Lu Bu's strength to restore the Han Dynasty. Once Lu Bu steals Xia Pi, she acts as a damsel in distress to manipulate Lu Bu into action. His army attacks Sun Jian for the Imperial Seal and defeat the indignant Liu Bei at Jing Province. Cao Cao retaliates against Lu Bu and the army runs away from him until Han Zhong. They rout the conqueror and are granted a moment's peace. Chen Gong, who isn't fooled by Diao Chan's lies, asks her real desires and what it has to do with Lu Bu's wishes, which has her ponder her feelings for him. During their following conflicts with Cao Cao, Diao Chan begins to realize Lu Bu's genuine care for her and begins to feel guilty about her scheme. When Lu Bu hints that he has known the truth about her since Dong Zhuo's death, she is surprised yet touched, truly thanking him for his efforts. Cao Cao falls at Xu Chang and the Han Dynasty is restored to its former power. Diao Chan and Lu Bu detach themselves from political affairs and live their lives together in peace.

In Dynasty Warriors 7 Diao Chan is hardly seen in the story modes of the three kingdoms. She fights the coalition army at Hu Lao Gate, but after Dong Zhuo is murdered, she wanders the land with Lu Bu and later aids Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan's forces in the Battle of Xu Province. Later, Diao Chan fights the armies of Liu Bei and Cao Cao in the Battle of Xia Pi, but she is not mentioned in any story mode after that. It is presumed that she dies alongside Lu Bu.

Her three Legendary Modes roughly follow her general role in the series. Her first one has her act on her father's wishes to personally assassinate Dong Zhuo in the capital. Diao Chan's secondary Legendary Mode has her star in the defense of Xia Pi, defending her lover from Liu Bei and Cao Cao's armies. Cao Cao states her duty to kill Dong Zhuo has long been achieved and asks how long she intends to keep up her farce to Lu Bu. Diao Chan has no idea how long she intends to follow Lu Bu, but she implies her feelings for her lover may be genuine. A beauty contest held between her and other maidens in the game acts as her last Legendary Mode. She defeats various beauties -including Zhang He- to prove her charms to be unmatched throughout the land.

The Xtreme Legends expansion adds a Hero Scenario dedicated to her. It is a detailed version of Dong Zhuo's assassination, in which she tries to convince other generals to defect. When her plan for stealth fails, it turns into massacre in the capital. Together with Lu Bu, the couple succeed in slaying the tyrant.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, Diao Chan originally followed Lu Bu into the Serpent King's service, but is disturbed by the cruelty of the Orochi Army and the effect that it has on Lu Bu. She eventually joins the Coalition against Orochi, causing Lu Bu to disown her. In the Japanese script, he merely says he looks forward to meeting her again.

She loyally follows her lover in the sequel and joins his side when he declares his independence. She shares her dream stage with Motochika and Zhang He as the three artistic warriors punish Da Ji for ruining the picture-perfect scenery. When Lu Bu appears on the field to aid the vixen, she chastises him for blindly following orders and convinces him to defect from the serpent forces.

During the original timeline of Warriors Orochi 3, Diaochan was Lu Bu's faithful companion in his travels throughout the dimensional realm. After Lu Bu's defeat to Nezha, she was killed by the cyborg at Tong Gate as she tried to protect Lu Bu. Her death is averted by the coalition by traveling to the past to chain boats together for her in a changed timeline. When they return to Tong Gate again, the makeshift bridge is enough to encourage her speedy and safe escape. Grateful for saving her life, she eagerly accompanies them in their quest to change the future. In the battle at Osaka Castle, she asks Lu Bu to join her if the two of them meet.

Kessen
Diao Chan acts as the narrator for both the Shu and Wei stories in Kessen II. She is a simple dancer and Liu Bei's compassionate lover. The infant Han emperor entrusted her with the Imperial Seal and asked her to find a worthy man to possess it. She kept its location a secret, but Himiko sensed that she had it thus leading Cao Cao to stage a rebellion against Liu Bei. She is kidnapped by him and is constantly interrogated to reveal the hidden treasure. She communicates with her lover through a crystal orb whenever she can.

As she stays with Cao Cao, Diao Chan begins to sympathize with him and realizes that he wasn't the cruel tyrant she originally thought. Midway through the game, Cao Cao's troops leak a false rumor regarding her death with the hopes of demoralizing Liu Bei. The ploy didn't last long as Zhuge Liang tells his lord that she is still alive.

During the later part of Wei's story, she eventually offers to tell Cao Cao the Imperial Seal's location. Cao Cao, who has a change of heart by this time, states he no longer needs it. In Shu's ending, she is happily reunited with Liu Bei and reveals that Cao Cao died due to the wounds he sustained in battle. Liu Bei is declared missing after his defeat in Wei's ending, so Diao Chan respectfully leaves Cao Cao to search for him. She finds him in the game's epilogue, and the lovers are content to leisurely sail on a boat.

Personality
Diaochan is an elegant and patient woman who displays her cunning with her charms. Normally a kind and benevolent individual, she painfully conceals her true feelings for her father's scheme. She does not enjoy violence yet finds that battle is inevitable in the times she lives in. A talented dancer and singer, she equates each encounter she fights as a dance. Her English counterpart is slightly stronger willed than her Japanese counterpart, who speaks in a dainty, graceful and overtly feminine dialect.

Her sincerity towards Lu Bu changes in each title. More often than not, she is only manipulating him to better serve her goals. However, a few titles and scenarios depict that she truly loves him and is genuinely devoted to him. She addresses her lover as "Lord Lu Bu" in the English script and "Lord Fèngxiān" in the Asian script. Like Zhenji, her sexually suggestive phrases for Lu Bu are often cut in the English script. She despises Dong Zhuo, which she emphasizes in every appearance. While she sides with Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu, she ultimately stays true to her own set of beliefs as she manipulates the men to do her bidding. In the Warriors Orochi series, she shares an affinity with Oichi and Nene during the first game while befriending Okuni and Sanzang in the later sequels.

Character Symbolism
In the Japanese version of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, Diao Chan is given the nickname of "The Fatal Lady" while the English version changes it to "The Dancer who Toppled Kingdoms". As a dominant ruler in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, she calls her five greatest warriors the "Five Warriors of Grace".

Her second weapon in older titles is named after the hisbiscus, or specifically the Confederate Rose. Its characteristic trait is its changing color as it blooms. When it's morning, the flower is white and it gradually turns scarlet by nightfall. According to legend, Hou Zhu of the Later Shu kingdom was surrounded by the flower at the castle he was within. Touched by the sight, he praised the flowers to match the charm and beauty of several thousand maidens. Today, the flower is the emblem of Chengdu and is famous for having fields of them when in season. Within the flower language, the flower means forbidden love or a delicate beauty.

Diao Chan's outfit in Dynasty Warriors 6 is decorated with a peony native to China, the Chinese peony. It is seen as a national flower and often paired with another native tree peony. An idiom for a beautiful maiden includes these flowers: "If standing, she is a Chinese peony; if sitting, she is a tree peony; and when she walks, she is like a lily." In the flower language, it means bashfulness or shyness. When pressed, it can also mean a growing sense of attrition or spite. Her outfit also has a butterfly adornment, which is related to a pun more commonly associated with Zhang He in the series.

Her weapons in the sixth title are originally named after romantic and pristine images. They are moon incense (Standard), a rainbow drop (Skill), and flower tears (Strength). Her skill chart has two hearts, likely a reference with her relationship with Lu Bu.

Voice Actors

 * Lynn Harris - Dynasty Warriors 3 (English)
 * Melodee Spevack - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English)
 * Carrie Savage - Dynasty Warriors 5~7 (English)
 * Wendee Lee - Kessen II (English)
 * Bae Jeong-mi - Dynasty Warriors 2 (Korean)
 * Jeong Hyeong Yeong - Dynasty Warriors 3 (Korean)
 * Choi Deok Hui - Dynasty Warriors 4 (Korean)
 * Kim Seon Hye - Dynasty Warriors 5 (Korean)
 * Rika Komatsu - Dynasty Warriors series, Warriors Orochi series, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 12 (Japanese)
 * Emiri Nakayama - Kessen II (Japanese); also the model for character and actor for Diao Chan's live action sequences
 * Maria Kawamura - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series

Quotes

 * See also: Diaochan/Quotes


 * "I will serve under you always and forever... my love, Lord Lu Bu."
 * "Rest now... My beloved."
 * "There is only one man I wish to stand by... and it is you, not Lord Dong Zhuo!"
 * "Your dance has beauty, but it is faithless, and it only brings dishonor to the battlefield."
 * "Honor, faith... These words mean nothing in this world of turmoil..."
 * Kanetsugu and Diao Chan; Warriors Orochi


 * "I walk the path I have chosen... I only wish to dance by my lord's side."
 * "I see... Even if your lord is determined to walk the path to hell?"
 * Diao Chan and Ginchiyo; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Lady Sanzang, please listen. My dancing is impure. I think..."
 * "Diaochan, there is sadness in your movements, but that can soothe the human heart."
 * "Lady Sanzang, you must be all-knowing. Maybe I can learn to appreciate my dancing somewhat."
 * Diaochan and Sanzang; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "I am sorry to disturb you my lord, but I am afraid. I feel that I will never see you again once you leave the castle."
 * "You do not have to worry, for I am invincible. I will not be defeated by the likes of Cao Cao. I have always come back to you after a battle, have I not?"
 * Diao Chan and Lu Bu; Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: A sliding kick, kicking and tripping enemies in her path.
 * ,undefined: An uppercut with a single mace.
 * ,,undefined,(undefined,undefined,undefined): Repeatedly does a horizontal swing with her maces, followed by a flip kick, slam with her mace, and lastly, an uppercut.
 * ,,,undefined: Spins around with her maces and a powerful kick.
 * ,,,,undefined: Shoots a floral pink tornado.
 * ,,,,,undefined: Brings both maces in, and swings both out in their respective directions, sending out two wind razors.
 * ,,,,,,,,: Hits once with her left mace before using both maces to attack at once. Spins and attacks with her right mace before she turns into a kick. While still spinning, she keeps her maces stretched outwards. She attacks with right mace when she pauses and attacks with both maces forward. Twirling once more, she swings both her maces as she turns and ends with a kick.
 * A quick series of side flips which hits enemies with Diao Chan's legs and maces, ended by a last spin.


 * ,: Basic mace swing.
 * ,undefined: Jumps in the air and smashes into the ground with her maces, creating a shockwave.
 * Dashing : Performs an aerial cartwheel.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Diao Chan leans to each side, and spins her weapon.
 * ,, , , , : Three attacks to the right side, three to the left.
 * Repeating slashes to all sides until the Musou gauge empties.


 * Warriors Orochi
 * R1: Performs a dance increasing the health of all allied officers and leaders.
 * R1 (counter): Strikes a small pose making a small shockwave at the center of the character stunning enemies back.

Dynasty Warriors 6

 * She shares her attacks with Zhen Ji. See Dynasty Warriors 6/Weapon Movesets for more details.


 * Special attack: True Speed: greatly boosts speed. Holds the first few sections of her whip in front during her sprint and flips when using her charge attack while running also when upgraded she can split her body into three allowing dopple gangers to assist her attack thrice as many times when she hits opponents.
 * Dashing : Spins her whip on alternating sides.
 * Dashing undefined: Performs an aerial cartwheel and smacks the ground in front of her with her whip.

Dynasty Warriors 7
Diao Chan is affiliated with nine sectioned whip in this appearance. When she is equipped with it, she can perform a unique attack exclusive to her. When she performs her musous, she will automatically use the weapon in her attacks.


 * EX Attack: ,,,undefined,undefined: Spins in place declaring her battle cry causing an attack and speed buff to temporarily increase speed and attack for a short time.
 * Silver Lotus: : Performs a "prancing" dance while surrounded by a pink flower pedal aura, hitting enemies as she dances.
 * Lunar Dance: R1 + : Performs a spinning dance in place, hitting enemies with the same flowery aura as she spins. The animation used for this move varies in each version of the game.

She gains the following additions in Warriors Orochi 3.
 * Warriors Orochi
 * ,undefined:


 * R1: Swings whip performing an aerial dance devastating the enemy within landing range

Dynasty Warriors
In earlier installments, Diao Chan fights with dual maces, consisting of decorative globes on the ends of sticks, as well as with dainty kicks. She is a fast runner and a quick attacker, but deals very little damage compared to other characters. In Dynasty Warriors 6 her weapon is now a chained whip. She is good with crowd control but bears the weakest attack stat of all the female characters. To compensate, she has highest musou stat.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, she has gained the undisputed title as the best character in the game, as all of her charge attacks (save her C5 and C6, which are non-elemental) are capable of defeating most officers with one use. Her crowd clearing ability is also one of the best, due to her C1 being extremely fast and strong enough to kill any peon and generic officers. Since she is low to the ground when she performs C1, she has no trouble with archers. Against playable officers, she usually only needs a C4 to kill one. If the enemy is even stronger, she can follow up with a C1 to finish them off.

In the second installment, she still has her officer killing ability with her C4, but with C1 now being non-elemental, she has trouble with her attack range, making crowd clearing somewhat of a challenge. Overall, she is still a very good character and still has an R1 counterattack if she gets surrounded. Her Enhanced C6 causes Diao Chan to send out five wind razors instead of just two.

Weapons

 * See also: Diaochan/Weapons

Historical Information
Diaochan is a woman who may have not existed in history as her name is not listed in historical records. While records suggests that Lu Bu did have relations with one of Dong Zhuo's maids, no mentions of her name are found anywhere. Nevertheless, she is known as one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China, who was said to be so luminously lovely that the moon itself would shy away in embarrassment when compared to her face.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Her name and backstory can be found in the novel Romance of Three Kingdoms. In the text she appears as a sixteen-year old songstress of unparalleled beauty, taken in at an unspecified time during her childhood by Wang Yun, one of the high-ranking ministers in the Han court. Wang Yun, despondent after during a banquet Dong Zhuo had a minister's head brought in on a red platter, walked to-and-fro at his home at night, weeping. There he hears the crying of Diaochan, who herself was grieving over her caretaker's depression caused by the tyranny of Dong Zhuo. She expressed how she would rather die ten thousand times before declining an oppurtunity to serve him. Wang Yun after observing her visage quickly formulated a plan, and prostrating before her presented his Double Snare plot, which was to catch the hearts of Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu and pit them against the other.

Diaochan hurriedly accepted the offer. Shortly after, Wang Yun introduced the fair maiden to his target's adopted son, Lu Bu, who was instantly charmed by her. Wang Yun promised her to the stricken youth but, only a few days later, he gave her to Dong Zhuo at a banquet. Diaochan's beauty enraptured the chancellor so much that official work was left alone for a month. Diaochan stayed with Dong Zhuo, and on more than one occasion acted helpless to Lu Bu while his adoptive father wasn't watching, just to at another time pretend to Dong Zhuo that his son was harassing her. Tension built quickly and despite advice from Li Ru, who was foreseeing what might have happened should the wedging bonds continue, Dong Zhuo would not let her go. Eventually, Lu Bu would betray his father and kill him in another trap set by Wang Yun.

After this event, Diaochan was made one of Lu Bu's wives. Diaochan stayed with Lu Bu until his death at Xiapi five years later. After his death, she isn't mentioned in the novel again.

Gallery
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