Five Tiger Generals

The Five Tiger Generals are five generals of Shu considered by Liu Bei to be of extraordinary value to the kingdom. They include:


 * Guan Yu: Oath brother of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, head of the Tiger Generals.
 * Zhang Fei: Oath brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu.
 * Zhao Yun: Former officer of Gongsun Zan, admirer of Liu Bei.
 * Ma Chao: Enemy of Cao Cao and head warrior of an esteemed family.
 * Huang Zhong: Old Shu general.

This "rank" isn't an official title and isn't mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In official records for Shu, however, the five generals' biographies were featured and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were mentioned as "tigers". This source is the likely origin but its importance has been exaggerated in popular culture.