Liu Shan

Overview

Liu Shan is the son of Liu Bei and a figure that appears in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He is known for being a weak-willed ruler; an aspect that contributed to the fall of Shu. He is playable all throughout the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. He also became playable in the seventh installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. He is not a playable character in the game's story mode and only appears in it toward the end of the Jin storyline, when Shu is on the verge of collapse and he surrenders. He is, however, playable in the game's Conquest Mode once he has been unlocked.

HIstorical Background

Liu Shan was widely regarded as weak-willed and incompetent. He was a poor leader, trusting the foolish Huang Hao over his more skilled and intelligent advisers. Many consider his rule to be the cause of Shu's fall; his lack of willingness to act and his trust of Huang Hao lead to much disorder. For centuries after his death in China, "Liu Shan" was synonymous with "fool."

However, Dynasty Warriors 7 paints him in a different light. Liu Shan, though soft-spoken, is ultimately considered to be the most level-headed of the Shu officers during the era of the Jin storyline. Jiang Wei, having become obsessed with fulfilling the dreams of the previous generation, expends Shu's resources in a series of Wei invasions, all of which end in failure. When the forces of Wei finally launch an invasion of their own, Jiang Wei once again puts up a tenacious fight, only to lose for a final time. Liu Shan, on the other hand, observes that Shu has no chance of victory and chooses to surrender before further reckless warring destroys Shu completely.