Zhang Liao

Zhang Liao (onyomi: Chō Ryō) is a general who served under three different lords before serving Lu Bu. When his master surrendered, Zhang Liao swore his loyalties to Cao Cao, under whom his career skyrocketed. He is most famous for his battles at Hefei, successfully defending the castle with just a few hundred men. When he perished due to illness, the emperor wept for him. After his death, he has been lauded as one of the Five Generals of Wei. Romance of the Three Kingdomsemphasizes his service under Lu Bu and dubs him one of his Eight Generals. The novel also heavily stresses his brief historical friendship with Guan Yu. His son is Zhang Hu.

His Dynasty Warriors incarnation placed seventh place in Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll and nineteenth place in the Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends popularity poll. The latest poll for the eighth installment puts him in seventeenth. The character poll for overseas fans puts him in second place for the Wei division and seventh in the semi-final round.

The English localization of the first Romance of the Three Kingdoms game misspells his name as Zhou Liao.