Diao Chan, One of the Wives of Terrantos
I am the True Beauty of the Entire Omniverse. Don't defy me its impossible even for a ugly being such as yourself.
Diao Chan 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.
In Beyond Light and Darkness, she discards Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo and chooses Terrantos as Her Lover and Husband. Diao Chan has Lu Bu placed as one of her Husband's Bodyguards and Dong Zhuo as his Demolition Specilist. Diao Chan is the Mother of Diao Ming, Diao Ke, Diao Zhao, and Diao Cho. She is also one of the Many Wives and part of the Harem of her Husband, Terrantos. She is also one of the Primary Antagonists of the Series serving as the 3rd Main Antagonist of the maidens of destruction arc.
Appearance[]
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.
In Beyond Light and Darkness,
Plot[]
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.
Shin Sangoku Musou 7 has Diaochan aid the worn out Cao Cao in his plight from Dong Zhuo in Luoyang by leading him to an escape route outside the palace.
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 since Lu Bu warned her to leave him. 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.
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