Dynasty Warriors/Characters/The Wei Rulers

A list of the rulers of the Wei Kingdom in the Dynasty Warriors series.

Cao Cao

"The Hero of Chaos"

"I am the only one worthy enough to walk the realm of ambition!"

• Voiced by: Yukimasa Kishino (Japanese), Douglas Rye (English)
• Born: 155
• Died: March 15, 220
• Japanese spelling: Sousou
• Age: 36
• Height: 174 cm (5'8½")

Cao Cao is the leader of the Wei Kingdom. He is known for his cunning and ability to bring together legendary generals to fight for his cause. He is called the "Hero of Chaos" and the one man who can perhaps unite China in these turbulent times.

Relentless in his desire to end the land's chaos, he will use any means to achieve his plans, even if it makes him an enemy to the other kingdoms. Fueled by his ambition to rule the land, he believes his rule to be predestined and is undeterred when Shu or Wu call him a traitor to the Han Empire.

• Affably Evil - Even the heinous acts he commits are done with the intention of bringing order and safety to a chaotic world; the games do ignore quite a few of his uglier moments in this respect (for example, the details of how he dealt with a conspiracy against him secretly backed by the Emperor).
• Ambition Is Evil - In DW2-5
  • Anti-Villain / Designated Villain - From DW6 on
• An Ice Person - His EX and Musou attacks in DW7
• Badass Baritone: His voice dropped in tone considerably in DW9.
• Badass Moustache
• Beard of Evil - Even since turning nicer in every game, he hasn't lost it.
• Cool Horse - Shadow Runner
• Cool Sword - Sword of Heaven
  • Blade of Fearsome Size - Dynasty warriors 7's Sword of Heaven is massive.
• Counterpart Comparison - To Oda Nobunaga in the crossover.
• Dirty Old Man - It was said he lusted after both of the Qiao sisters and wanted to add them to his harem. A DW4: Xtreme Legends stage has the two Qiaos escaping from his horny clutches.
  • Most importantly, the claim of this was used in the novel by Zhuge Liang to convince Zhou Yu to support a war against Cao Cao.
  • That said, the odd moment like the above-mentioned legend mode aside, it's usually averted in the games, where Cao's characterization tends to revolve entirely around taking over China.
• Dishing Out Dirt - His Tome Special in DW6 is to drop boulders.
• Foe Yay - With Liu Bei.
• Hey, It's That Voice! - Jun Uozumi, Oscar Hemeros and Higuma accidentally activated a time machine to this era.
• Humiliation Conga - Suffers a few of these.
• Magnificent Bastard
• Playing with Fire - His Elemental Orb attack in DW5.
• The Rival - Liu Bei and the Sun family
• Tempting Fate - During his escape from the Battle of Chibi in most of the games, he criticizes Shu's pursuit of him, mentioning he would've place an ambush at particular points on the map. Guess what happens?
• The Unfettered

Cao Pi

"The Cunning Successor"

"I shall advance in pursuit of my ambition!"

• Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna (Japanese), Doug Erholtz (English)
• Born: 187
• Died: June 29, 226
• Japanese spelling: Souhi
• Age: 27
• Height: 182cm (5'11½")

Cao Pi is the 2nd eldest son of Cao Cao and husband of Zhen Ji. He becomes the first emperor of Wei and strives to even surpass the dreams of his father. Though a loyal and respectful son, Cao Pi is also determined to surpass his father's image and realize his own goals.

To this end, he remains apathetic to Shu and Wu and is unimpressed by their efforts to oppose him. He shares an affinity with Sima Yi as their combined efforts soundly unites Wei's army after his father's death. At the same time, however, he loosely trusts his strategist's loyalty.

While he may seem cold and callous to others, he is gentle and even sweet to his beloved wife.

• Bifurcated Weapon - His dual swords connect to each other in 5/8.
  • Dual-Wielding - Twin broadswords in DW7
  • Cool Sword in DW6
• Bishounen
• Deadpan Snarker - Especially in Warriors Orochi
• Fan Nickname - "Bovine Urine," due to his name being pronounced in DW5 exactly how it's spelled.
• Hey, It's That Voice! - RID Ultra Magnus in the localization, Guts in the domestic release. Also, he voices the nunchuck hottie Maxi.
• Ho Yay - With Sima Yi
• Hypercompetent Sidekick - During Wei's version of the Battle of Chi Bi, Cao Pi recognizes the danger of Wu's fire attack, though Cao Cao brushes it off. Since his father's the one in charge, Cao Pi's only able to move himself and his wife to stop the attack.
  • DW8 reverses this, with him being dismissive of Shu's chances of attempting a fire attack.
• An Ice Person - His Elemental Orb attack in DW5 and EX and Musou attacks in DW7/8.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold - He is very sweet and gentle with Zhen Ji. A stark contrast from his behavior in the books.
  • Given that Zhen Ji is a fusion of the original and her successor from the book/actual history, he would otherwise would have been depicted a schizophrenic Tsundere, and as if to compensate for this, he leans closer and closer to being an outright Jerkass where Zhen Ji is not involved in later games.
• Rain of Arrows - His Tome Special in DW6.
  • In the Warriors Orochi spinoffs, he makes arrow-rains come from the ground.
• Smug Snake: This aspect of him becomes more apparent by DW8, interactions with Zhen Ji excepted.
• Stuck in Their Shadow - His father's, even in the crossover. In the novel, although he's the one to force the last Han Emperor's abdication and seize the throne, Cao Cao is retroactively canonized as the "Martial Emperor of Wei".
  • DW8 reverses this somewhat, with Cao Pi being portrayed as the final antagonist of the Wu Historical Route, and Cao Cao passes the torch to his son in the end of the Wei Historical Route, and even the Hypothetical Route for Wei has the soldiers remarking Cao Pi will succeed his father's legacy.

Zhen Ji

"The Imperial Flower of Beauty"

"I demand that you all kneel down before me!"

• Voiced by: Yuko Sumitomo (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English), Michelle Ruff (English DW4-5)
• Born: January 26, 182 or 183
• Died: 221
• Japanese spelling: Shinki
• Age: 25
• Height: 163 cm (5'4½")

Zhen Ji first served under Yuan Shao and was married to one of his sons. Cao Cao's son Cao Pi was taken by her great beauty and pursued her to be his wife after the Yuans' defeat.

Zhen Ji is a slightly arrogant woman who knows her status in society and isn't afraid to say it. She can sometimes come off as cold and aloof, even to her own husband. But she is loyal to Wei and she supports her father-in-law Cao Cao in his quest to unite the land.

• Armor-Piercing Slap - Some of her charged attacks
• Bare Your Midriff - DW3, 5 & 7
• Battle Couple - With Cao Pi
• Blue Blood
• Cherry Tapping - Jump canceling her EX attack in DW7 allows her to do this by walking into enemies.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Wears yellow early on before joining Cao Cao, switches to blue after.
• Designated Girl Fight - When there's one in a Dynasty Warriors game, she's usually in it.
• Dragon Lady
• Femme Fatale - If Dynasty Warriors has a bad girl, it's her.
• Good Bad Bugs - Jump canceling her EX attack in DW7 can result in her suddenly entering a slow-motion state until it's performed again or wears off, though alternately it can lead to...
  • Game Breaking Bug - Her walking speed surpasses that of Red Hare by a decent margin and picking up speed boots during that state? Ludicrous speed, activate!
• Hey, It's That Voice! - Can be recognized in the domestic releases as Millia Rage and Minami Shimahara.
• An Ice Person - Her primary Musou attack in DW7.
• Instrument of Murder / Musical Assassin - If she doesn't beat you to death with her flute, she'll play it so horrifically it kills you.
• Lady of War
• Playing with Fire - Her Tome Special in DW6
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin / Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette - Varies from appearances
• Rich Bitch
• Spared by the Adaptation: Historically and in the novel, she was made to commit suicide when Cao Pi found a new favorite; this is never mentioned in the games, where the two of them remain Happily Married to the end. Given she's often alive past her historically depicted death, she's been mashed up with her historical successor after Cao Pi remarried in those cases.
• Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
• Took a Level in Jerkass - Has notably become more crueler beginning in DW5. Then again, given her husband made his debut in that game, and considering how he's portrayed, this isn't such a stretch.
• Whip It Good - In DW6 and 9.