List of Dynasty Warriors characters

There have been 48 playable characters in the Dynasty Warriors series as of the release of Dynasty Warriors 5; however, Dynasty Warriors 7 has over 60 playable characters and "Dynasty Warriors 8" has 82. Most of the characters were real figures from the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, although some possibly fictional characters from the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and folklore were also included in the roster, such as Diaochan and Bao Sanniang. Minor female characters from history have been placed on the battlefield by Koei, although aside from Wang Yi and the fictional Zhurong from the novel, they never fought in any of the battles. The list indicates Chinese names / Japanese (original version) names / Chinese or Japanese characters.

Playable character table

Wei / Gi / 魏

Further information: Cao Wei

The Wei faction is originally sorted second in the in-game factions list, though it is currently sorted first as of Dynasty Warriors 7. The faction is represented by the color blue and most of the members wear blue clothing. It has the second most characters out of the Three Kingdoms; however, it does not take account with the "Jin" faction, which is technically the late era of Wei.

Cai Wenji / Sai Bunki / 蔡文姫

Further information: Cai Wenji
Voiced by: Miku Yoshikawa (Japanese), Erin Fitzgerald (English)

Cai Wenji is a character who first appeared in the spin-off Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2, but later appeared in the main series starting on Dynasty Warriors 7. She is the daughter of Cai Yong and came from an imperial scholar family. Unlike most of the warriors in the Three Kingdoms, Cai Wenji is very pacifistic and peace-loving due to her decent upbringing. She is also sympathetic towards conflicted people and always wants to give hope for them. After being kidnapped by nomads and having to live an unhappy life, she is rescued by Cao Cao, who takes her back home. Instead of coming back to live her normal life, Cai Wenji joins Cao Cao's forces to assist him in the battlefield. Cai Wenji usually does not appear in the main stories, her role instead being relegated to the side stories.

In her debut in Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2, she wields an erhu as her weapon. In her Dynasty Warriors 7 and appearance and onwards, she switched to a harp as her EX weapon.

Cao Cao / Sou Sou / 曹操

Further information: Cao Cao
Voiced by: Yukimasa Kishino (Japanese), Robert Belgrade (2) Ivan Buckley (4) Douglas Rye (5-) (English)

Cao Cao is a warlord who establishes the foundation of what would become the Kingdom of Wei. He commands most of the earlier battles involving Wei but Cao Pi or Sima Yi will replace him in the later battles if the player is not playing as him. Cao Cao is portrayed as a prominent "Hero of Chaos", with cutscenes and dialogues describing him as an extremely ambitious man who thrives in chaos. He perceives others, including his friends and allies, as potential threats to his ultimate goal of conquering China. Strong emphasis is placed on Cao Cao's intelligence and cunning, with these factors attributing to his victory over his rivals Yuan Shao, Lu Bu and Ma Chao. While earlier games have made Cao Cao as an ambitious ruler with no redeeming value, later games have made the effort to portray him in a more human light, such as by painting him as a charismatic stalwart subject of the Han Dynasty, who attempts to prolong the dynasty's survival together with Yuan Shao. He receives several warnings continuously from the sorcerer Zuo Ci not to become like those he fights. However, Cao Cao becomes gradually corrupted by his ambitions and dreams of grandeur, seeking to rule China himself.

Cao Cao fights with a sword. His fighting style is almost similar to Liu Bei and Sun Jian, except that his musou attack involves more complex twirls and spins instead of forward slashes. As of Dynasty Warriors 8, his Jian sword which had been his associated weapon since the start of the series has been replaced by the general's sword and is able to produce phantoms of himself.

The dubbed English voice from Dynasty Warriors 2 until Dynasty Warriors 5 incorrectly pronounces Cao Cao's name as "Cow Cow". The correct pronunciation, according to Wade–Giles romanization, is phonetically similar to "T'sao T'sao", as used in the Warriors Orochi series. The correct pronunciation is used in the series as of Dynasty Warriors 6. His resemblance to Nobunaga Oda is often remarked upon in the Warriors Orochi series.

Cao Pi / Sou Hi / 曹丕

Further information: Cao Pi
Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna (Japanese), Kim Strauss (5) Doug Erholtz (6-) (English)

Cao Pi appears as a generic non-playable character in the earlier installments and debuted as a playable character in Dynasty Warriors 5. He is Cao Cao's son and is the founder of the Kingdom of Wei. He marries Zhenji after meeting her for the first time in the Battle of Guandu. He is portrayed as an ambitious and ruthless young prince who strives to surpass his father. In his time as a ruler, Cao Pi has a close professional relationship with the Wei strategist, Sima Yi. Thus, when Cao Pi dies of illness, Sima Yi willingly becomes one of Wei's leader and assists Cao Pi's son, Cao Rui to oppose Shu's frequent battles against Wei.

Cao Pi fights with a pair of swords and can attach their handles together to form a longer weapon. He fights with an aggressive and advancing style, using mainly precise vertical slashes that provide full coverage around himself for the most part. However, he swings with a below average attack speed that allows faster opponents an opportunity to break his combos. For his musou attack, he detaches his blades and swings wildly while swathing through enemies in front of him. He also has the ability to conjure a magical ball for his charge attack that explodes after a while, freezing enemies around it. In Dynasty Warriors 6, he wields a single royal sword and is only available in Free Mode. In the PS2 version his weapon is replaced by a longsword and he has his own Musou Mode. In Dynasty Warriors 7 he is associated with twin swords and can perform a unique EX attack when using them. His double-edged sword from his debut appearance returns as his EX weapon as of Dynasty Warriors 8.

Cao Ren / Sou Jin / 曹仁

Further information: Cao Ren
Voiced by: Hisao Egawa (Japanese), Beau Billingslea (English)

Cao Ren is Cao Cao's cousin. He speaks in a calm and composed tone in cutscenes and dialogues and mentions about "entering a world of peace" when he is defeated. From Dynasty Warriors 4 onwards, he is the Wei commander at the Battle of Fan Castle and refuses to leave the castle. In the later installments, he fights in the later battles, such as Battle of Wuzhang Plains. While he was a non-playable character in earlier versions, he fought in the early battles such as Battle of Hulao Gate as well.

Cao Ren appears as a short man dressed in heavy armour. His weapon is unique; it comprises a shield with a short double-blade implement attached to it. His fighting style is fairly direct and best suited for taking on multiple opponents and he has the highest defense stats of all characters. His attacks tend to rely on blunt force in weakening or breaking enemies' defenses and then unleashing the blade from his shield to cut down the opponent. His weaknesses are evident when he is without higher level weapons and power-ups. In Dynasty Warriors 6 Cao Ren's shield-blade is replaced with a large trident. His fighting style still remains highly defensive and it may take a few blows to cause him to flinch (if the player is playing as Cao Ren's opponent). In Dynasty Warriors 7 he is associated with a ball and chain. His debut weapon returns to him in Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires (referred to as the Spiked Shield).

Dian Wei / Ten I / 典韋

Further information: Dian Wei
Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese), Bill Sullivan (2) Beau Billingslea (4-) (English)

Dian Wei is Cao Cao's devoted bodyguard and a close friend of Xu Zhu. He appears in the Battle of Wan Castle and in the battles against Dong Zhuo in some installments. He follows Cao Cao to Wan Castle where they fall into a trap set by Zhang Xiu. Dian Wei's most memorable moment is when he protects Cao Cao from Zhang Xiu's men and holds them off alone while buying time for his lord to escape. He dies in Wan Castle if the player is not playing as him and chooses not to save him. In Dynasty Warriors 3 some characters replace others from the same kingdom in later battles after clearing their Musou modes, presumably to allow the player to continue playing as the character for some more levels. Dian Wei is one of these characters, replacing Xu Huang, Xiahou Dun, Zhenji and Zhang He in various battles. Once he clears his Musou Mode, the replacement cannot be undone, although the original replaced characters still appear as non-playable characters in Free Mode.

Dian Wei's attacks are slow but powerful. He wields a short battle axe. He has limited range and slow speed. However, when he attains his highest level weapon and equips himself with the correct items, he will become quite formidable. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he uses an iron chain with a large, iron ball attached to one end, but his attack range is still quite short. Dynasty Warriors 7 sees the return of his axe as his primary weapon.

Guo Jia / Kaku Ka / 郭嘉

Further information: Guo Jia
Voiced by: Junichi Miyake (Japanese), Quinton Flynn (English)

Guo Jia is a new character who appears in Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends. He is the strategist of Wei which Cao Cao heavily relied on before his death. He wields a Ball & Staff (More & less like a cue) as his EX weapon and his moves are portrayed as if he is playing pool in the battlefield. He can summon balls and shoot them at his enemies. Most of the time, the balls will rebound out of nowhere, even in midair. This makes him a really unique character to play with his strategic combos.

Jia Xu / Ka Ku / 賈詡

Further information: Jia Xu
Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (Japanese), Vic Mignogna (English)

Jia Xu is one of Cao Cao's strategists. Initially serving under Zhang Xiu, he was involved in planning the attack on Cao Cao during the Battle of Wan Castle that ultimately led to Dian Wei's death. He is first introduced as a playable character in Dynasty Warriors 7 where he wields a chain & sickle as his EX weapon.

Li Dian / Ri Ten / 李典

Further information: Li Dian
Voiced by: Kōsuke Toriumi (Japanese), Lucien Dodge (English)

Li Dian originally served Cao Cao during the early stages of the era before the Battle of Chibi. Li Dian also was a key figure in the Hefei wars. Li Dian's first appearance as a playable character is in Dynasty Warriors 8. Li Dian, in the game, appears as a young clean-shaven man. Based on his appearance, Li Dian resembles a young man possibly in his late teens or twenties. Li Dian is known for his calmness. He was also very cautious, warning Xiahou Dun about possible traps at the Battle of Bowangpo. He appears as a brunette and wields a wheel halberd which could set up traps while he attacks.

Pang De / Hou Toku / 龐徳

Further information: Pang De
Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (Japanese), Daran Norris (5) Keith Silverstein (7: XL-) (English)

Pang De resembles a Medieval European knight for the armour he wears. He serves Ma Teng and Ma Chao in the earlier stages before eventually submitting to Cao Cao. He participates in the Battle of Tong Gate on Ma Chao's side against Cao Cao and some of the earlier battles against the enemies of his homeland, Western Liang. In Dynasty Warriors 5: Special and Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends he leaves Ma Chao after the Battle of Ji to seek a greater purpose in life. He also appears at the Battle of Yangping Gate on Zhang Lu's side before surrendering to Cao Cao after Zhang Lu's defeat. He is fiercely loyal to his new lord and serves Wei dutifully at the Battle of Fan Castle, where he defends the castle from Guan Yu. Due to his lack of significance in the story, Pang De is one of the seven characters from the original series who are removed in Dynasty Warriors 6, but returns in Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends.

Pang De wields a pair of halberds. He has a slow moving speed, but that is substituted by his high attack power and strong defense. His musou attack is effective for crowd control as he slashes his halberds repeatedly in front of him while remaining stationary. He also quite good on horseback and slashes only on his right but his attack range is relatively short. In Dynasty Warriors NEXT he has been given, Xiahou Dun's Dynasty Warriors 6 weapon, a mace.

Wang Yi / Ou I / 王異

Further information: Wang Yi (Zhao Ang's wife)
Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese), Michele Specht (English)

Wang Yi is the wife of Zhao Ang, first appearing in Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends. She is the only survivor of the modest Wang family after an incident from Xiling. Driven by revenge, she joins Cao Cao to oppose her attacker and places Ma Chao of Shu as her sworn enemy. Her story then revolves around her trying to confront and defeat Ma Chao to avenge her fallen family. Wang Yi also targets anyone who bear the same surname as Ma Chao, including the latter's cousin, Ma Dai. Originally a sweet and pleasant woman, Wang Yi becomes cold, ruthless, and sadistic since the Xiling incident, believing that revenge is the only thing that could fulfill her personal desire. During her time in Wei, she develops a close relationship with Sima Yi, becoming one of the few people who could converse with him on even grounds. In turn, he respects her greatly, often complimenting her efforts on trying to achieve her goals.

From her debut to Dynasty Warriors 8, Wang Yi is associated with a pair of Trishula. Her attacks are fast and agile, and she is the only one of the female characters in the Wei faction to be battle-oriented with her high battle stats. One of her ground musou attack is unique in that it can be immediately followed by her aerial musou, which in turn also has a unique property; if she successfully lands the musou attack on an enemy, she will quickly follow it by impaling her enemy's neck, causing a shockwave that will hit nearby enemies. As of Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, Wang Yi's associated weapon is changed into Emei piercers.

Xiahou Dun / Kakou Ton / 夏侯惇

Further information: Xiahou Dun
Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese), Bill Sullivan (2) Kirk Thornton (4-) (English)

Xiahou Dun is Xiahou Yuan's cousin and a distant cousin to Cao Cao. He appears as a bearded, fearsome and charismatic general. He is a just and honorable man, but hot-headed and ruthless in his attempts to help Cao Cao achieve the ultimate goal of conquering China. He loses his left eye at the Battle of Xiapi and remarks at how the event helped him to "see" how arrogant he had become. In Dynasty Warriors 5, Xiahou Dun's Musou Mode focuses on his hatred of Guan Yu. Due to his desire to become Cao Cao's most trusted general, he develops a strong and bitter rivalry with Guan Yu, who earns Cao Cao's favour as a respected warrior during his brief service under Cao Cao. When Guan Yu leaves Cao Cao and attempts to rejoin Liu Bei, Xiahou Dun finally has a reason to kill his hated rival, citing Guan Yu's formidable skills as justification to eliminate him and therefore prevent him from becoming a threat to Cao Cao's ambition. Xiahou Dun defeats him at the Battle of Fan Castle as the last stage of his Musou Mode and remarks that he is finally at peace after Guan Yu's death.

Xiahou Dun wields a scimitar in most of the installments, but in Dynasty Warriors 6 he uses a mace called "Wolf's Teeth Club". His attacks are relatively simple, being mostly forward-facing slashes, yet they remain highly effective nonetheless. In Dynasty Warriors 7, he is associated with a sword as he is able to perform EX attacks with it. As of Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, his EX weapon is changed to a Podao.

Xiahou Yuan / Kakou En / 夏侯淵

Further information: Xiahou Yuan
Voiced by: Yasuhiko Tokuyama (Japanese), Steve Blum (3-4) Tony Oliver (5-) (English)

Xiahou Yuan is the brother (cousin in Dynasty Warriors 7) of Xiahou Dun and a cousin of Cao Cao. He is portrayed as a stocky, bearded warrior clad in heavy armor, who is fiercely loyal to Cao Cao. In Dynasty Warriors 6, he is shown wearing little more than shoulder guards. Although he believes in justice and strives for peace, he is hot-headed and arrogant, often showing little regard for his opponents. This ultimately leads to his death during the Battle of Mt. Dingjun at the hands of Shu general Huang Zhong, who refuses to spare his life due to the disrespect he had shown earlier. If the player is playing as Xiahou Yuan, he will survive the battle, defeat Huang Zhong instead, and continue to fight for Wei in the later battles.

Xiahou Yuan uses a sword before Dynasty Warriors 4, in which his weapon becomes a large club. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he wields a Ghost Head Broadsword. His attacks are similar to Huang Zhong's, including his charge attack, when he fires several arrows in different directions. His musou attack is the same as Huang Zhong's as well, except that he does not stumble after the last move, and uses a finishing shockwave attack to cause heavy damage to enemies around instead. In Dynasty Warriors 7 he is associated with the bow and arrow and is able to execute an EX attack with it. As of Dynasty Warriors 8, his EX weapon is changed to the Bow and Rod, which consists of a mace along with a bow and arrow for combination attacks.

Xu Huang / Jo Kou / 徐晃

Further information: Xu Huang
Voiced by: Keiichiro Yamamoto (Japanese), Paul St. Peter (4) Travis Willingham (5-7) Kyle Hebert (8-) (English)

Xu Huang is a powerful warrior whose allegiance to Cao Cao is solid, although he may question his lord's methods of achieving his goals, denouncing them as dishonorable and unjust. He believes strongly in the strength of the warrior and facing an opponent respectfully and fairly. He dislikes strategists, calling their methods deceitful and cowardly, and generally abhors strategies or ploys involving elusive and immoral tactics. He maintains a close friendship with Guan Yu and often spoke with admiration and respect about the latter.

Xu Huang wields a large battle axe but in Dynasty Warriors 6 he changes his weapon to a dagger-axe. He resembles a Middle Eastern warrior, especially for the white turban he wears, that is absent for the first time in Dynasty Warriors 6. His fighting style is simple and direct, comprising forward hacks and slashes with the axe. His jump attack is unique, as he leaps into the air and descends while spinning with his axe like the rotor blades of a helicopter.

His EX weapon in Dynasty Warriors 7 is a pike. In Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires, however, his large battle axe returns to him.

Xu Zhu / Kyo Cho / 許褚

Further information: Xu Chu
Voiced by: Takahiro Yoshimizu (Japanese), Doug Stone (English)

Xu Zhu is an enormous, obese man whose thoughts and actions are like those of a child. In combat however, he transforms into a fierce warrior capable of inflicting heavy damage. He develops a close friendship with Dian Wei, whom he serves together with as Cao Cao's bodyguards. He is deeply saddened by Dian Wei's death at the Battle of Wan Castle. He has a significant role in the Battle of Tong Gate, where he fights with Ma Chao to defend Cao Cao.

Xu Zhu is the slowest character in the game but his strength is remarkable. He wields a giant hammer-like mace that has a good attack range. His attacks have varying effects on enemies, either sending them flying after knocking them down or simply leaving them in front of him. This makes Xu Zhu more suitable as a defender rather than an offensive attacker. His musou attack causes great damage per hit but sends enemies flying instead of hitting them multiple times and may even cause him to fall down on the last move. In Dynasty Warriors 5 the attack was changed slightly such that it hits enemies multiple times but causes less damage.

Xun Yu / Jun Iku / 荀彧

Further information: Xun Yu
Voiced by: Takashi Ōhara

Xun Yu is Cao Cao's first strategist renowned for his attractiveness and contributions that helped his lord rise in power near the end of the Han Dynasty. He also recommended Cao Cao other advisors that also contributed greatly to his conquest, including Guo Jia and Sima Yi. His EX weapon is a wand which can create wide-ranged shockwaves.

Yu Jin / U Kin / 于禁

Further information: Yu Jin
Voiced by: Atsushi Miyauchi (Japanese), Joshua Tomar (English)

Yu Jin is a general of the Wei Kingdom who is best known as one of the Five Wei Generals. He had served warlord Cao Cao since the beginning of his conquest as a ruler; when Yu Jin surrendered to Guan Yu's forces during the Battle of Fan Castle, Cao Cao was greatly saddened as to how he gave up while Pang De did not. He is known for adapting strict rules when deploying his generals, causing him to be feared by both allies and enemies alike. He is associated with a three-pronged spear, as he can perform EX attacks with it.

Yue Jin / Gaku Shin / 楽進

Further information: Yue Jin
Voiced by: Kentarō Itō (Japanese), Darrel Guilbeau (English)

Yue Jin is a general who served Cao Cao, then later onto the Wei kingdom. Despite Yue Jin's rather small body, Yue Jin had proved to be a capable and excellent warrior. Yue Jin became one of the Five Wei Generals. His first appearance, in Dynasty Warriors 8, he was the first revealed new character. In the game, Yue Jin wields twin hookswords.

Zhang He / Chou Kou / 張郃

Further information: Zhang He
Voiced by: Yoshiyuki Kono (Japanese), Yuri Lowenthal (English)

Zhang He is portrayed as a beautiful, graceful and effeminate warrior who used to serve Yuan Shao before defecting to Cao Cao at the Battle of Guandu. Due to his obsession with beauty, grace and elegance and his disdain for vulgarity and crudeness, Zhang He's sexuality has been a questionable topic among fans[1] although this has never been confirmed in the game. His effeminate appearance is further emphasized with the addition of pink silk garments, high-heeled boots and even a pair of wings in some installments. He is depicted with butterflies surrounding him in some of his posters.

Zhang He uses a pair of clawed gloves. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he wields a more traditional-looking halberd, but his claws are returned to him in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires. Zhang He's fighting style is very complex and graceful due to the nature of his claws and his musou attack involves him gliding across the battlefield in a zig-zag manner and knocking down enemies in his trajectory. His EX weapon in Dynasty Warriors 7 is his claws.

Zhang Liao / Chou Ryou / 張遼

Further information: Zhang Liao
Voiced by: Naoki Kinoshita (2) Hirofumi Tanaka (3-) (Japanese), Michael McConnohie (4-5) Roger Craig Smith (6-8) Joshua Tomar (8: XL) (English)

Zhang Liao is a general who used to serve under Lu Bu before joining Cao Cao after his defeat at the Battle of Xiapi. His most notable role in the game is at the Battle of Hefei, where he traps Sun Quan and charges towards him. Sun Quan manages to escape narrowly from death after leaping across the broken bridge but his army suffers a crushing defeat at the hands of Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao's wields a guan dao, which gives him high attack range and good power, both on foot and on horseback. His musou attack involves forward slashing and slicing with the blade. In Dynasty Warriors 6-8 he wields a pair of pole axes. In general, Zhang Liao is an all-rounded character without any significant strengths or weaknesses, and he relies on good range and powerful combinations to maximize his potential.

Zhenji / Shinki / 甄姫

Further information: Lady Zhen
Voiced by: Yuko Sumitomo (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (4-5) Wendee Lee (6-) (English)

Zhenji is Cao Pi's wife. She appears for the first time in the game at the Battle of Guandu on Yuan Shao's side. She is described in the game as a "serene woman with a noble heart", with a calm and even tempered demeanor, but nonetheless unwavering and merciless to some extent. In Dynasty Warriors 5 she is slightly more ruthless, probably to compliment Cao Pi, who makes his debut in that installment. She does not have any significant roles in the game, except in one battle, in which she is the default character who raises suspicions about Zhou Fang's possible defection to Wu, but this role in the cutscene is variable and can be replaced by any other Wei character except Cao Cao and Sima Yi.

Zhenji wields a golden flute. Her attacks are average and deal only a moderate amount of damage to enemies. Her musou attack involves her playing tunes on her flute while enemies around her are struck by the sound waves. In Dynasty Warriors 6 she uses a chain whip and shares the same move-set with Diaochan, although their whips appear different. In Dynasty Warriors 7 her flute was returned to her as her EX weapon. Like her husband, Cao Pi, some of Zhenji's attacks are ice elemental; her musou attack in Dynasty Warriors 6 ends with her releasing a cold mist that freezes nearby enemies (differentiating her with Diaochan, who simply expels nearby enemies instead), while one of her musou attacks starting in Dynasty Warriors 7 has her summoning a hailstorm.

Wu / Go / 吳

Further information: Eastern Wu

The Wu faction is originally sorted third in the in-game factions list, though it is currently sorted second as of Dynasty Warriors 7. The faction is represented by the color red and most of the members also wear red clothing. Before Dynasty Warriors 7, Wu had the most amount of characters out of the Three Kingdoms. It currently has the lowest amount of characters.

Daqiao / Daikyou / 大喬

Further information: Two Qiaos
Voiced by: Junko Shimakata (Japanese), Gina DeVettori (3) Wendee Lee (English)

Daqiao is Xiaoqiao's older sister and Sun Ce's wife. She makes a few appearances in the game as a minor character. The sisters help their husbands defeat the warlords of Jiang Dong led by Liu Yao and build the kingdom of Wu. The latest appearance she makes is at the last battle, in which she spearheads the attacks on the forts to surround Cao Xiu together with her sister. In Dynasty Warriors 4 the sisters are kidnapped by Dong Zhuo in one level and their husbands rescue them. In Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends she is one of the rivals of Zhurong and fights alongside her husband against Meng Huo's forces. She is portrayed as more reserved and mature as compared to her sister in the game. She looks significantly different from her sister as well, wearing a formal dress while her sister wears a short skirt. Daqiao is one of the seven characters from the original series who do not appear in Dynasty Warriors 6 for unknown reasons. She returns in the spin-off Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2 for the PSP, and later in the main series starting on Dynasty Warriors 7.

In her debut, Daqiao fights with a pair of fans with blades attached to the edges. She slices at enemies with the fans and uses them as boomerangs in some instances. She is light and speedy, but has weaker attack power and defense than most of the other characters. Her charge attacks are ideal for one-on-one duels, with the exception of her fifth charge attack. Her musou attack involves her spinning the fans in front of her and finishing by spinning them several times around her. In Dynasty Warriors 5 she can make her fans spin around and complete the attack by hurling a fireball at enemies. Her weapon is changed on Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2 from the twin fans to a pair of Pugil sticks reminiscent of magic wands. In Dynasty Warriors 7 she is associated with a single iron fan and can perform an EX attack with it. Her pugil sticks returns as a DLC for that game, and it finally becomes her EX weapon yet again starting on Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires.

Ding Feng / Tei Hou / 丁奉

Further information: Ding Feng (Chengyuan)
Voiced by: Ryohei Nakao (Japanese), Kyle Hebert (English)

Ding Feng is a new character introduced in Dynasty Warriors 7. He is a general of Wu and fights in most of the later battles.

Ding Feng uses a pair of clawed gauntlets as his primary weapon. In Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires, he wields a Circle Blade which appeared in the Dynasty Warriors 7 DLC. He also wields this in Dynasty Warriors 8.

Gan Ning / Kan Nei / 甘寧

Further information: Gan Ning
Voiced by: Shiyoki Kitatani (2) Hiroaki Miura (3-) (Japanese), Doug Stone (4-5) Michael Sinterniklaas (6-) (English)

Gan Ning is a gruff and experienced young general of Wu, who is often portrayed as a cocky warrior who does not take fights seriously but still manages to enjoy them thoroughly. He used to be a pirate before serving under Huang Zu. He defects to Wu at the Battle of Xia Kou and participates in the Battle of Chibi. He appears near the Wei camp with a large ambush party at the Battle of Hefei if the player (playing on Wu's side) defeats Zhang Liao for the first time. He continues to fight for Wu in the later battles until the Battle of Bai Di Castle.

Gan Ning wields a broad kilij that resembles a scimitar. He employs swift strikes with the saber and his charge attack involves him whirling around and slashing at surrounding opponents. His musou attack is unique and very unusual, in which he crouches slightly with his blade facing outward and charges forward at superhuman speed, plowing through any enemies in his path. As the fastest moving musou attack, it is perfect for "hit and run" fighting or even for moving around the battlefield, but the main disadvantage of the attack is the difficulty in controlling it. In Dynasty Warriors 6 Gan Ning wields a pair of daggers making his attacks much quicker and full renbu causes him to use the element of wind. In Dynasty Warriors 7 he is associated with a sickle and chain, and he can execute an EX attack while using it. In Dynasty Warriors 8 he is associated with a flail

Han Dang / Kan Tou / 韓當

Further information: Han Dang
Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka

Han Dang is one of Sun Jian's first officers along with Huang Gai and served both Sun Ce and Sun Quan. His career was considerably lengthy, starting from the Yellow Turban Rebellion and lasting until after the Battle of Yiling. At the Battle of Chibi, he is said to have rescued Huang Gai from drowning after the successful fire attack. He makes his first playable appearance in Dynasty Warriors 8, where his weapon is the short ji that was first introduced as a DLC weapon in Dynasty Warriors 7.

Huang Gai / Kou Gai / 黃蓋

Further information: Huang Gai
Voiced by: Tetsu Inada (Japanese), J.S. Gilbert (3) Michael Forest (4) Lee Everest (5-) (English)

Huang Gai is an old veteran warrior of strong build who serves Wu. In Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends he joins Sun Jian after they defeat the rebel leader Ou Xing and follows Sun Jian in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He participates in most of the battles involving Wu during Sun Ce's time and contributes to the founding of Wu, but most of the time he only follows orders. He gets the spotlight at the Battle of Chibi when he serves as the primary trigger for the fire attack on Cao Cao's navy. He also participates in the Battle of Bai Di Castle.

Before Dynasty Warriors 6, Huang Gai fights with a large rod that evolves to become more like a club in later installments of the game. He fights simply and predictably, swinging his club around to whack enemies. He has high defense and above average attack power. He is an unpopular choice for players despite his average statistics due to his image as a simple plodding fighter, his relatively dull fighting style, and low speed. However, he is the only "bombardier" character who has the ability to set and hurl explosives around the battlefield. This specialty is absent in Dynasty Warriors 6 and Dynasty Warriors 7. In Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires and Dynasty Warriors 8, Huang Gai uses an arm blade that resembles an iron boat.

Lianshi / Renshi / 練師

Further information: Bu Lianshi
Voiced by: Akemi Kanda (Japanese), Cristina Valenzuela (English)

Lianshi is Sun Quan's wife and one of Sun Shangxiang's armed maids who debuted in Dynasty Warriors 7. She is the daughter of Bu Zhi and was a member of the once wealthy Bu family which eventually fell to disgrace. She trained herself to become a warrior and later married Sun Quan. She is portrayed as a kind and supportive woman, often assuring her husband and her lady to be confident to themselves. She is also quite protective, trying to protect her masters at all time as she is aware of her status as a mere servant. Lianshi appears since the earlier Wu battles, witnessing Sun Ce's death and Sun Quan's subsequent rise as an emperor. Later, when her lady Sun Shangxiang left Wu to join Liu Bei, she ordered Lianshi to remain in Wu to continue serving Sun Quan.

Lianshi's primary weapon is crossbow and she can perform unique attacks with it. Her attacks are water-themed and some of them have healing properties to both her and her allies nearby. Her EX weapon is changed into a pair of crescent-shaped blades called the Mandarin Duck Hooks as of Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires.

Ling Tong / Ryou Tou / 凌統

Further information: Ling Tong
Voiced by: Taiki Matsuno (Japanese), Lex Lang (5) Sam Riegel (6) David Lodge (7-) (English)

Ling Tong is a young and energetic general of Wu. His father Ling Cao was killed by Gan Ning at the Battle of Xiakou and he bears a strong grudge against Gan for that, even after Gan defects to serve Wu. He serves as a junior strategist with a few prominent roles but is overshadowed by Zhou Yu, Lu Meng and Lu Xun.

Ling Tong uses a nunchaku and his attacks are extremely fast but with limited range. He has an unimpressive but effective musou attack, where he strikes enemies around him with the nunchaku and finishes with a relatively weak shockwave. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he wields a halberd. In Dynasty Warriors 6: Special, he uses a three-section staff and moves in a unique manner. This change is removed in Dynasty Warriors 7, in which is EX weapon is made back into a set of nunchaku. His three-section staff later returns in Dynasty Warriors 8 as his new EX weapon.

Lü Meng / Ryo Mou / 呂蒙

Further information: Lü Meng
Voiced by: Yukitoshi Hori (Japanese), Daran Norris (5-6) Tony Oliver (7-) (English)

Lü Meng is the oldest of the younger generation Wu generals. He is a loyal warrior with extraordinary determination, who fights with an impersonal mindset, without developing any dangerous anger of pride. He serves as a transitional Wu strategist after Zhou Yu's death, quietly expecting someone to succeed him eventually. When Cao Ren (Sima Yi in some versions) is besieged at Fan Castle by Guan Yu, he improvises a temporary alliance with Cao Cao to defeat Guan Yu. Lu Xun often cites Zhou Yu and Lu Meng as his role models when he becomes an important general of Wu in the later battles. If the player is playing as Lu Meng, he will continue to fight until the last battle at Hefei Castle.

Lü Meng fights with a long pike that evolves to become a halberd in later installments of the game. He has a fierce and forceful fighting style that relies on the strength and technique of his attacks rather than the motion and speed of the weapon as other characters do. He has a fairly simple but very effective musou attack, consisting of swipes and stabs with the halberd. In general, Lü Meng has high attack, defense, a decent running speed and a good move-set, with his only weakness being his low health and musou ratings as compared to any other character.

Lu Su / Ryo Shuku / 魯肅

Further information: Lu Su
Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese), Steve Kramer (English)

Lu Su joins the Dynasty Warriors roster in the eighth installment to the series. Lu Su is a strategist and adviser for the first three generations of the Sun clan, more around Sun Quan's reign. Lu Su succeeds Zhou Yu's role as strategist. Lü Meng later succeeds Lu Su as strategist. During the Jing campaign, Lu Su acts as an ambassador to the forces of Liu Bei.

He appears as a mid-age character and has a face that resembles Shu's Liu Bei in his Dynasty Warriors 5. His weapon is a rake.

Lu Xun / Riku Son / 陸遜

Further information: Lu Xun (Three Kingdoms)
Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (Japanese), Skip Stellrecht (English)

Lu Xun is a young strategist of Wu who is almost on par with Zhuge Liang of Shu or Sima Yi of Wei in terms of intelligence and abilities, with the latter commenting that Lu Xun might become a future threat to him. He starts at the Battle of Fan Castle, where he devises a plan with Lu Meng that ultimately leads to Guan Yu's defeat and death. He succeeds Zhou Yu and Lu Meng as the chief strategist of Wu eventually, leading Wu forces to victory over Shu at the Battle of Yiling. He also directs the Wu armies in the battles of Battle of Shiting and Hefei Castle, as well as the Invasion of Nan Zhong. He is a rival of Jiang Wei and Zhong Hui.

Lu Xun wields a pair of swords and his attacks comprise swift and short slashes. His attack speed is very high and he performs many acrobatic feats in his charge attacks, such as flips, spins and somersaults. He has an affinity for fire-based attacks as well, with reference to his fire attack strategy at Yi Ling, that is echoed in a dialogue between him and Zhurong. His musou attack involves him swinging his swords in front of him and ending with him conjuring a fireball in the air. He excels in musou and attack in terms of his stats, but he lacks in health and defense. He wields a single sword in Dynasty Warriors 6, but in Dynasty Warriors 7 he goes back to twin swords as his EX weapon as the counterpart Cao Pi's twin swords, Jiang Wei's spear and Zhong Hui's flying swords. In Dynasty Warriors 8, his EX weapon is changed to a pair of swallow swords, which could create a clone that helps him during combat by picking up one of his sword.

Sun Ce / Son Saku / 孫策

Further information: Sun Ce
Voiced by: Takahiro Kawachi (Japanese), Michael Lindsay (4) Yuri Lowenthal (5-) (English)

Sun Ce is the oldest of Sun Jian's three children and appears as a light hearted and good humored fighter. He participates in some of the earlier battles and his father dies in the Battle of Xiangyang against Liu Biao. He succeeds his father as the leader of Wu and establishes his kingdom in Jiangdong after defeating some local warlords. At that time, several new generals enter his service, including Taishi Ci, Zhou Tai and Ling Tong, in addition to the veteran Huang Gai and his father's old followers. Sun Ce has Zhou Yu as his sworn brother and they marry the older and younger of the Qiao sisters respectively. In Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends there is one stage about the encounter between Sun Ce and the magician Yu Ji, in which Sun has to defeat illusion clones of the magician, himself, his father and his wife.

Sun Ce fights with a pair of tonfas and his relatively unorthodox fighting style is very much like a modern martial artist's, supplemented by kicks and running attacks with bodily contact and a lot of movement. His musou attack is generally considered to be less stylish with simple hits and twirls with the tonfas. In Dynasty Warriors 6 Sun Ce wields a halberd with a straight-edged blade and another curved blade extending underneath, and he has a new move-set. His tonfas are later returned in Dynasty Warriors 7.

Sun Jian / Son Ken / 孫堅

Further information: Sun Jian
Voiced by: Yasuhiko Tokuyama (Japanese), Steve Blum (4-5) Grant George (5XL-WO) James Babson (6-) (English)

Sun Jian is the founder of Wu. He suppresses the Yellow Turban Rebellion together with other warlords and Ou Xing's rebellion in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends. He is portrayed as a charismatic and humorous man as well as a loving father to his three children who appear in the game: Sun Ce, Sun Quan and Sun Shangxiang. He leads the vanguard army of the coalition forces against Dong Zhuo at the Battle of Sishui Gate and Battle of Hulao Gate. He dies in the Battle of Xiangyang after falling into an ambush set by Liu Biao's men. His death is depicted differently in different installments of the game. In Dynasty Warriors 3 he is killed when a wall of rocks falls on him, while the preceding version has him killed in an ambush after being isolated while Dynasty Warriors 5 shows him critically wounded by a shower of arrows and he dies shortly after passing his last words to his children. Sun Jian's older son Sun Ce succeeds him and builds the kingdom of Wu with the help of a well trained army and a group of loyal followers left behind by his father. He claimed to be descended from the famous author Sun Tzu[2] he is called the "Tiger of Jiang Dong" by himself and others.

Sun Jian wields a long sword. He is an all-rounded character with above average stats. He wields a large broadsword in Dynasty Warriors 6 that he swings with little effort. His Jian sword returns as his EX weapon in Dynasty Warriors 7. As of Dynasty Warriors 8, his EX weapon is changed to the nine-ringed blade in which its rings could emit sounds that damage the enemy.

Sun Quan / Son Ken / 孫権

Further information: Sun Quan
Voiced by: Hisayoshi Suganuma (Japanese), Skip Stellrecht (5-6) Gideon Emery (7-) (English)

Sun Quan is the second oldest of Sun Jian's three children and he inherits the Wu kingdom from his older brother Sun Ce. He is the main commander of the Wu forces in most of the battles involving Wu from the Battle of Xiakou onwards in the game until the Battle of Hefei Castle. As compared to his father and brother, Sun Quan is more serious and ambitious in his plans and actions, that makes him a strong competitor to his rivals Cao Cao and Liu Bei. He scores major victories over them at the Battle of Chibi and Battle of Yiling, with help from his strategists Zhou Yu and Lu Xun respectively in those battles. His personal involvement, however, is not significant and most of the time he stays in the main camp, except at the Battle of Hefei when he performs an extraordinary feat by leaping on his horse across a broken bridge to escape from Zhang Liao.

Sun Quan uses a long sword and his fighting style resembles his father's, except that he has slightly lower stats. His weapon changes to a larger broadsword in Dynasty Warriors 6. As of Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, Sun Quan uses the flame blade as his associated weapon. His appearance also changes in 6 to make him look younger, as he is now clean-shaven and styles his hair in a more "junior" manner. Before that, he used to wear a hat and sport a beard, making him look older than his brother (who sports a small goatee).

Sun Shangxiang / Son Shoukou / 孫尚香

Further information: Lady Sun
Voiced by: Emi Uwagawa (Japanese), Lynn Harris (2) Michelle Ruff (4-WO) G.K. Bowes (6-) (English)

Sun Shangxiang is the youngest of Sun Jian's three children and younger sister of Sun Ce and Sun Quan. She participates in some of the later battles involving Wu but her role is not very significant, except at the Battle of Shiting in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends. The last stage of her Musou Mode is the Battle of Yiling, in which she fights on her brother's side against Liu Bei, defeating him eventually and mourning while he dies in her arms, promising "to live a life worthy of Liu Bei's memory". In Dynasty Warriors 6 she denounces Sun Quan instead and sides with Liu Bei, and spares her brother's life only when Liu Bei asks her to do so.

Sun Shangxiang made her debut in Dynasty Warriors with a bob cut hairstyle and wearing a simple pink traditional Chinese dress. She uses a sword and has a move-set based on Zhou Yu's. From Dynasty Warriors 2 until Dynasty Warriors 3, she wields a pair of wind and fire wheels (translated as chakrams in the English-dubbed versions of the game). She uses striking and spinning attacks supplemented by kicks and she can throw the wheels for a short distance in her musou and charge attacks. Although she is an extremely fast and agile fighter, she lacks in attack power and defense, so she needs to use more hits to take out enemies than other characters. In Dynasty Warriors 6 she uses a bow and arrows, but her chakrams are returned to her in Dynasty Warriors 7 (although her skill with a bow is repeatedly boasted in in-game dialogue, and she has special dialogue when using any bow in Conquest Mode. She also uses a bow in her aerial and one of her ground musou, launching a gunpowder arrow).

Taishi Ci / Taishi Ji / 太史慈

Further information: Taishi Ci
Voiced by: Richard Grosse (2) Hirohiko Kakegawa (Japanese), Terrence Stone (4-5) Darrel Guilbeau (6) Matthew Mercer (7-) (English)

Taishi Ci is a hulking warrior who used to fight for the warlord Liu Yao before deciding to serve Wu after being defeated by Sun Ce in the Sun Ce's conquests in Jiangdong. He participates in several battles involving Wu, including the Battle of Chibi. He is killed by Wei archers at the Battle of He Fei while defending Sun Quan from Zhang Liao's men. He has a relatively smaller role in the mainstream games but appears quite frequently in the Xtreme Legends versions.

Taishi Ci fights with a pair of thick, club-like rods and dons full body armour. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he wields a large trident called "Rage Trident". But Dynasty Warriors 6 Special sees the return of his twin rods. He is a remarkably strong and fast attacker. His musou attack involves him moving slowly and steadily forward while plunging his clubs into the enemy in a predictable pattern. He is the hardest enemy character to defeat in the Battle of Jiang Dong stage if the player is playing on Wu's side.

Xiaoqiao / Shoukyou / 小喬

Further information: Two Qiaos
Voiced by: Junko Shimakata (Japanese), Gina DeVettori (3) Wendee Lee (4-5) Carrie Savage (6-) (English)

Xiaoqiao is Daqiao's younger sister and Zhou Yu's wife. She usually participates only in the battles that her husband is involved in and appears by his side. The sisters help their husbands defeat the local warlords of Jiang Dong led by Liu Yao and establish the kingdom of Wu. Another significant appearance she makes is at the Battle of Shiting, in which she captures two forts. In one stage in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends the sisters are kidnapped by Dong Zhuo and their husbands must rescue them. She appears to be more reckless and childish than her sister as shown in the cutscenes and dialogues in the game.

Xiaoqiao's fighting style is very similar to her sister's but with some minor differences and some players have a tendency to play as either one of them since they are almost clones of each other. She wields a pair of fans with blades attached to the edges. Her charge attacks have a wider attack range than her sister's and more suitable for crowd control but her charge attack in Dynasty Warriors 5 is more ideal for one-on-one duels. She controls her fans with psychic powers but in her musou attack she wields the fans in her hands and spins through the air with them. In Dynasty Warriors 6 her physical appearance is drastically altered and her move set features many spinning attacks and acrobatic dance-like moves. In Dynasty Warriors 7 she is associated with a single large fan. She returns to using a pair of small fans as her EX weapon in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires.

Zhou Tai / Shuu Tai / 周泰

Further information: Zhou Tai
Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (Japanese), Michael McConnohie (4-5) Travis Willingham (6-7) Kyle Hebert (8-) (English)

Zhou Tai is a towering figure on the battlefield and was one of the earliest generals to join Wu. He is one of the few characters to wear a cape. He has a scar across his left eye and wears more elaborate iron masks in some of his character designs. He is a man of few words and speaks softly. He saves Sun Quan from the warlords' ambush at the Battle of Jiang Dong and from Zhang Liao's men at the Battle of Hefei. He also participates in some of the later battles, serving as one of Lu Xun's subordinates.

Zhou Tai fights with a tachi (a type of katana) and keeps his weapon sheathed all the time except when attacking (suggesting that he practises a form of Battōjutsu or Iaidō). His fighting style is unique, comprising graceful and swift strokes with his sword and sheathing it immediately after attacking. His musou attack requires him to remain stationary, when he swings the tachi and slashes all enemies within range, and he "poses" after the last move before sheathing the sword again. He is more suitable for taking on single opponents or small groups of enemies since his attack range is rather limited. His weapon becomes a larger but shorter sword in Dynasty Warriors 6. When mounted, he attacks enemies on his right only but his attack range is rather short. In Dynasty Warriors 7 however, his katana returns.

Zhou Yu / Shuu Yu / 周瑜

Further information: Zhou Yu
Voiced by: Takahiro Yoshimizu (Japanese), John DeMita (4) Michael Gough (5) Michael Sinterniklaas (6-) (English)

Zhou Yu appears as a youthful and handsome long-haired man dressed in stylish robes. He is Sun Ce's sworn brother and Xiaoqiao's husband. He joins Sun Ce in defeating the warlords of Jiang Dong and contributes to the founding of the kingdom of Wu. He serves as an important strategist to Sun Quan after Sun Ce's death. His greatest accomplishment is at the Battle of Chi Bi, where he plans the fire attack on Cao Cao's navy and leads the allied forces to victory. He does not appear in any battles after that if he is a non-playable character.

Zhou Yu wields a long, slightly curved sword. He has fast but relatively weak attacks but high defense power. His moves are simple and unique as compared to the other sword-wielding characters. His strikes are more wispy and swashbuckling, with a few fanciful martial arts-style thrusts and spins. His musou attack is rather straightforward, when he moves while slicing his sword forward left and right. He has the ability to conjure a fireball for his charge attack as well. He uses a staff in Dynasty Warriors 6 and it is his EX weapon in Dynasty Warriors 7.

Zhu Ran / Shu Zen / 朱然

Further information: Zhu Ran
Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara

Zhu Ran is a military general of Wu and a childhood friend of the Emperor of Wu, Sun Quan, credited for launching the fire attack in the Battle of Yiling. He is also best known for his participation in the Battle of Jiangling where he defended the territory from Wei with only one tenth of the enemy's troops. His EX weapon is the blaze bow.

Shu / Shoku / 蜀

Further information: Shu Han

The Shu faction is originally sorted first in the factions list, though they are currently sorted third as of Dynasty Warriors 7. The faction is represented by the color green and most of the members wear green clothing. Before Dynasty Warriors 7, Shu had the least amount of characters out of the Three Kingdoms, though they currently have the most.

Bao Sanniang / Hou Sanjou / 鮑三娘

Further information: Bao Sanniang
Voiced by: Ai Nonaka (Japanese), Kari Wahlgren (English)

Bao Sanniang is a fictional character commonly known as the wife of Guan Yu's fictional third son, Guan Suo. She is notable for being the first character in the main series not sourced from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel (excluding Fu Xi and Nüwa, who are based on mythological deities); instead, she is sourced from the Chinese folktale Hua Guan Suo Zhuan, which starred Guan Suo as the main protagonist. Bao Sanniang is portrayed as a tomboyish female character who strongly believes in herself, not wanting to be with anyone. However, her meeting with Guan Suo changed her personality completely as she works to get his affection. She also has a behavior similar to that of a cat, mainly due to her arbitrary personality. In Dynasty Warriors 7, she does not appear in the main story mode and instead appears in side stories which detail her meeting and subsequent infatuation with Guan Suo. Similarly in Dynasty Warriors 8, she only appears in the hypothetical path of story mode, mainly participating in Shu's Nanman Campaign with Guan Suo.

In her debut, she is associated with a bladed yo-yo and can perform several unique attacks with it, some of which reflects her "cat" behavior.

Fa Zheng / Hou Sei / 法正

Further information: Fa Zheng
Voiced by: Tomohisa Hashizume (Japanese), Marc Diraison (English)

Fa Zheng is a strategist under the warlord Liu Bei. Before serving him, he was originally a vassal under Liu Bei's distant relative, Liu Zhang, but later defected to join Liu Bei as he viewed him as a competent leader. Fa Zheng replaces Pang Tong's role as a strategist after his death, and becomes one of Liu Bei's closest advisor, so much that Shu's other strategist, Zhuge Liang, laments that Liu Bei would not direct a disastrous attack on Wu in the Battle of Yiling had Fa Zheng, who had already died at that time, interfered. He wields connected fabrics (shaped like sleeves) as his EX weapon.

Guan Ping / Kan Pei / 關平

Further information: Guan Ping
Voiced by: Ryohei Nakao (Japanese), Bryce Papenbrook (English)

Guan Ping is Guan Yu's adopted son. He fights alongside his foster father in various battles and defends him from pursuing Wei forces when the latter is escaping from Cao Cao (appears only if the player is playing on Wei's side). His most significant role is during the Battle of Fan Castle, where he assists in initiating the flood attack on Cao Ren. Guan Ping survives the battle in his first few appearances until the seventh installment of series. In the fifth installment, Guan Ping survives the battle at Fan Castle and continues to participate in the Battle of Yiling. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he survives the Battle of Fan Castle and does not appear until the Battle of Wuzhang Plains, in which he is partnered with Zhuge Liang's wife, Yueying. In Dynasty Warriors 7 Guan Ping falls in battle at Fan Castle in an attempt to stall the enemy long enough for Guan Yu and Guan Suo to escape. Guan Yu is still captured and killed, but Guan Suo is knocked into the river and survives by his father, who trades his own life for Guan Suo.

Guan Ping is commonly seen as a generic officer until Dynasty Warriors 5, where he wields a giant back-hand sword. The weapon's size slows him down and he has to rely on momentum to wield his sword rather than skill. His attacks involve a combination of straight forward slashes, swinging and twirling and throwing of the sword. Guan Ping has a mixed level of effectiveness in combat. His slow attacks leave him vulnerable yet his potentially devastating charge attacks can be exactly as expected. Typically, his suitability in combat can fluctuate, leading him to being either extremely valuable or very undesirable to a player. His musou attack is a few simple spins with his sword to slash those around him and very much similar to his father's except for the final move. In Dynasty Warriors 6, he uses a halberd that resembles Lu Bu's Sky Piercer. In Dynasty Warriors 7 Guan Ping is associated with his giant sword and can perform a unique EX attack when using it.

Guan Suo / Kan Saku / 關索

Further information: Guan Suo
Voiced by: Hiroaki Miura (Japanese), Spike Spencer (English)

Guan Suo is Guan Yu's fictional third son and the brother of Guan Ping, Guan Xing, and Guan Yinping, as well as the husband of Bao Sanniang. Though fictional, he frequently appears in Chinese opera and plays and epitomizes Shu's heroic deeds in some sources. Guan Suo is depicted as always having low self-esteem, thinking that he tarnishes his family's name and is not a fearsome warrior unlike his father. In the series, Guan Suo appears in the Battle of Fan Castle to assist his father's battle with Wei and later mourns his and Guan Ping's death at the end of the battle. Later, he participates in the Battle of Yiling to avenge his family's deaths. He also appears serving Shu in the Jin story mode up to the last story mode stage for Jin. His meeting and relationship with Bao Sanniang is explored in the side stories, which serve as a nod to the folktale Hua Guan Suo Zhuan, which starred him as the main character.

In his debut, Guan Suo's EX weapon is a pair of nunchaku. This changes into a pair of sabaton in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires.

Guan Xing / Kan Kou / 關興

Further information: Guan Xing
Voiced by: Nobunaga Shimazaki

Guan Xing is Guan Yu's second son and the brother of Guan Ping, Guan Suo, and Guan Yinping. He is first seen participating in the Battle of Fan Castle alongside his family, a battle which claimed Guan Yu and Guan Ping's lives. After reluctantly delivering the news to Liu Bei, he is declared as his father's successor and represents one of Shu's future generation. He develops a close friendship with his sworn cousin, Zhang Bao, whose father, Zhang Fei also died shortly after Guan Yu, and participates with him during Shu's northern campaigns. Guan Xing's best friend is later taken out of him in the Battle of Chencang, causing him much grief, though he continues to participate in Shu's battles up to their final confrontation with the Jin Kingdom.

He is associated with dual wing blades and can perform EX attacks with it.

Guan Yinping / Kan Ginpei / 關銀屏

Voiced by: Shiori Mikami (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)

Guan Yinping is the daughter of Guan Yu and the sister of Guan Ping, Guan Xing, and Guan Suo. She has an interest in martial arts after initially practicing it for self-defense purposes. In the game, her role is mainly centered on the Battle of Fan Castle, where she fights alongside her family and later grieves her father and Guan Ping's deaths at the end of the battle. She continues to participate in Shu's northern expeditions up to their final battle with Jin Kingdom.

Guan Yinping is associated with a dual-headed mace and can perform EX attacks with it.

Guan Yu / Kan U / 關羽

Further information: Guan Yu
Voiced by: Yasunori Masutani (Japanese), Peter Barto (3) Crispin Freeman (4-5) Dave B. Mitchell (6-) (English)

Guan Yu is the sworn brother of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. He and Zhang Fei are the first two generals to serve under Liu Bei and fight alongside him against the Yellow Turban rebels and Dong Zhuo's forces. Guan Yu's character is clearly emphasized in the game, with a large stature, and him announcing rather than speaking, in a pompous but courageous tone. He plays an important role in Shu until his death, having participated in most of the major battles. He serves Cao Cao briefly and helps him slay Yuan Shao's generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou during the Battle of Guandu. He leaves Cao Cao later and escapes to reunite with his sworn brothers. He also leads Shu in the Battle of Fan Castle against the Wei general Cao Ren. Starting from the Battle of Guan Du, he rides Lu Bu's horse, the Red Hare, after he receives it as a gift from Cao Cao.

Guan Yu's fighting style is very straight forward, encompassing broad sweeps and stabs of his guan dao, called Blue Moon Dragon, and his charge attacks are mostly spinning attacks. His musou attack is rather simple and similar to Guan Ping's, except for the final move. He moves forward in a spinning manner to cut through enemies and finally conjure a whirlwind to throw his enemies up into the air. His simple yet effective fighting style makes him a popular choice for beginners and he is always a playable character at the start of the game.

Huang Zhong / Kou Chuu / 黄忠

Further information: Huang Zhong
Voiced by: Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japanese), Wally Burr (4-5) Alan Shearman (6-) (English)

Huang Zhong is the one of the oldest playable characters in the Dynasty Warriors series. He appears as an energetic and determined elderly warrior with a white beard and he mentions his old age often in dialogues. His most memorable role in the game is at the Battle of Mount Dingjun, in which he charges down a slope and battles the Wei general Xiahou Yuan. Although the outcome of the duel depends on whether the player is playing as Huang Zhong or Xiahou Yuan, in all other instances Huang will defeat and kill Xiahou.

Huang Zhong is seen in every cutscene wielding his bow and arrows as his proficiency in archery is legendary. However his primary weapon is still a broadsword. His fighting style is simple and yet predictable, with a musou attack that involves spinning and slashing around. His charge attack involves firing several arrows repeatedly but the number of arrows for bow attack does not decrease. Before Dynasty Warriors 6 his Musou attack seems to provide a hint towards his age, as he stumbles slightly on the last move. Huang Zhong also has a higher bow attack than any other character but his stats are very average in general. In Dynasty Warriors 7 his primary weapon becomes a bow.

Jiang Wei / Kyou I / 姜維

Further information: Jiang Wei
Voiced by: Hisayoshi Suganuma (Japanese), Richard Cansino (4) Joshua Seth (5) Darrel Guilbeau (7-) (English)

Jiang Wei is a former Wei general who joined Shu after his defeat at the hands of his future mentor, Zhuge Liang. He becomes one of the important generals of Shu despite having a small role in the game, having participated in the Battle of Jieting against Wei general Zhang He and others. Most notably, he becomes the Shu commander in the Battle of Wuzhang Plains after Zhuge Liang dies in the middle of the battle. He is one of the seven characters from the original series who are omitted from Dynasty Warriors 6 for unknown reasons but returns in Dynasty Warriors: Multi Raid 2. He returns in Dynasty Warriors 7 his Multi Raid 2 outfit and a new trident-like spear. In this installment, when playing under the Jin faction in story mode, Jiang Wei leads several invasions on Wei.

Jiang Wei fights with a spear that has a trident-like blade. His fighting style and Musou attack encompasses quick strikes and pierces and a good running speed. He has a slightly higher defense than Ma Chao, but his move set is effective for clearing crowds of enemies. Although he is introduced later in the game, he can be played easily by most players. His weapon is changed to the double-edged trident in Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2. His EX weapon is back to the spear in Dynasty Warriors 7, though his double-edged trident returns as his new EX weapon in Dynasty Warriors 8.

Liu Bei / Ryuu Bi / 劉備

Further information: Liu Bei
Voiced by: Moriya Endō (Japanese), Dan Woren (4-5) Dave B. Mitchell (6-) (English)

Liu Bei is the founder of Shu and sworn brother of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. He participates in battles against the Yellow Turban rebels and Dong Zhuo's forces. At the Battle of Hulao he and his two sworn brothers duel with Lu Bu. Most of the battles he is involved in are against Cao Cao, with the exception of the Battle of Chengdu against his distant relative, Liu Zhang. His last level is the Battle of Yiling against Sun Quan, to avenge the death of Guan Yu. If the player is not playing as him, he dies after the battle and his son Liu Shan succeeds him in the Battle of Baidi Castle.

Liu Bei fights with a fairly standard style, with a musou attack comprising simple forward slashes. He wields a long sword and has slightly above average stats in all fields. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he uses a pair of swords. As a non playable character, he is only one of three to ride a special horse in battle. His horse is called Hex Mark.

Liu Shan / Ryuu Zen / 劉禅

Further information: Liu Shan
Voiced by: Taiki Matsuno (Japanese), Steve Staley (English)

Liu Shan is Liu Bei's son and successor as ruler of Shu. He is known as Liu Bei's infant son who is rescued by general Zhao Yun during the Battle of Changban, almost sacrificing the general's life in the process. Prior to the seventh game, he was regularly only called by his childhood name "Adou". While his name was often assigned to a generic Shu NPC in later installments, it was incorrectly localized in English as "Liu Chan" (being corrected in the fifth).

As of his full-fledged debut in the seventh installment, he grows as a ruler, marries general Zhang Fei's daughter, Xingcai, and eventually succeeds his father after his death in the aftermath of Battle of Yiling. While he shares his father's love of virtue, he is not as competent as a ruler and relies heavily on his officers (Zhuge Liang, and later Jiang Wei). In the Jin storyline, he eventually surrenders to Sima Zhao, ending the kingdom of Shu. However, the interpretation of this act varies: with his physical/emotional state mirroring the exhaustion of Shu as a kingdom, and his choice to surrender to Sima Zhao being seen as a logical choice to save lives that would otherwise be lost in a hopeless cause.

In the eighth installment, Shu "Hypothetical" Rout included in him the final battle- alongside his father- quietly observing his father and seeming to garner insight from Liu Bei and the other figures of his father's generation.

His EX weapon is a rapier which changes into a weaponized bench called a "Dragon Column" in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires.

Ma Chao / Ba Chou / 馬超

Further information: Ma Chao
Voiced by: Kōji Haramaki (Japanese), Tony Oliver (4) David Berón (5-) (English)

In Dynasty Warriors Ma Chao tends to be portrayed as a mighty warrior who fights for justice. He is more independent than other characters as he only serves Shu because both Liu Bei and he have a shared foe in Cao Cao. His first stage is the Battle of Tong Gate, where he leads his men to attack Cao Cao to avenge his family. He loses the battle when his ally Han Sui betrays him to Cao Cao. He escapes after his defeat and serves Zhang Lu before eventually defecting over to join Shu at the Battle of Jiameng Gate.

Ma Chao is formidable in battle as a hybrid character with both attack and speed power. His attacks are very strong while his attack speed is fast and his ratio of mounted strength to total attack power is higher than any other character. His attacks are composed of arc swings and deep lunges with his spear. He looks like a fencer and his stances appear to be choreographed. His charge attack in Dynasty Warriors 4 and Dynasty Warriors 5 sends out a blue shockwave that kills most units with a single hit and does knockback damage on the survivors. In Dynasty Warriors 5 the shockwave becomes a ground flash and breaks the guards of enemies within range. In Dynasty Warriors 6 his horse move set is more basic and the shockwave is removed. However, he still remains one of the few characters capable of increasing the abilities of any horse he/she rides. In Dynasty Warriors 6 Special he uses a large sword but in Dynasty Warriors 7 he is once again associated with a spear, and he can perform a unique EX attack while equipped with it.

Ma Dai / Ba Tai / 馬岱

Further information: Ma Dai
Voiced by: Osamu Ryutani (Japanese), Justin Giddings (English)

Ma Dai is Ma Chao's cousin and faithful companion. After the Battle of Tong Gate ended with Ma Chao losing many of his generals, Ma Dai is the only one who continues to loyally follow him, including when he joins Shu. He often acts as his cousin's caretaker, advising him not to act careless in battles. Later, when Wei Yan defects from Shu after the Battle of Wuzhang Plains ended with Shu's retreat, Ma Dai quickly chases and convinces him to rejoin back Shu.

Ma Dai's primary weapon is an oversized ink brush, but it is called "Magic Brush" on the Koei Warriors website.

Pang Tong / Hou Tou / 龐統

Further information: Pang Tong
Voiced by: Takahiro Kawachi (Japanese), Richard Cansino (English)

Pang Tong is a hunched, obscure wise man, and a friend of Zhuge Liang. He appears as a non-playable character only in the Battle of Chengdu against Liu Bei's distant relative Liu Zhang. He dies in an ambush laid by Zhang Ren's archers, but his death can be prevented, if the player (using another character) can defeat Zhang Ren before the cutscene of Pang Tong's death is triggered. He appears in one cutscene in the Battle of Chibi, where he presents his chain-links strategy. He often wears a heavy cloak, distinctive hat and a mask covering his mouth, making him resemble an eccentric wizard.

Pang Tong is short in stature and fights like an ape, wielding a staff in hand. He twists his body erratically and strikes enemies with the staff, sometimes conjuring a green halo in his charge attacks. Before Dynasty Warriors 6 his musou attack involves creating a tornado and spinning it for as long as his musou bar lasts, catching all enemies within range. He can create massive combos with this attack because he remains stationary, but he may also waste the attack if no enemy enters the tornado range. In Dynasty Warriors 7 he is no longer hunched and his attacks become considerably fire-based. As of Dynasty Warriors 8, he has a new EX weapon in replacement of his staff; a shadow fan.

Wei Yan / Gi En / 魏延

Further information: Wei Yan
Voiced by: Yasunori Masutani (Japanese), Paul St. Peter (4) Lex Lang (English)

Wei Yan appears as a tribal warrior who serves Shu in the most of the later battles. He grunts single words, strung together by pauses in between to form (incomplete) sentences, in par with caveman speech. An example would be "Me...enemy...defeat!", which he says after slaying an enemy officer. His apparent inability to express his thoughts coherently, however, is substituted by his fighting abilities. He has no significant roles in the game except in Dynasty Warriors 4, where he slays his lord Han Xuan to defend Huang Zhong and submit to Liu Bei subsequently.

Wei Yan uses a double voulge, comprising a single-edged blade attached to each end of a pole. His attacks are swift and powerful, to make up for his slow moving speed and poor defense. His move set consists of many spins and other acrobatic techniques to exploit the effective design of his weapon in combat. This has the potential to create an almost constant attack radius with little vulnerability in between. Wei Yan's fighting style is somewhat unorthodox, encompassing spins and bodily contact, making him an unpredictable yet effective character. In Dynasty Warriors 6 the voulge is replaced with a gargantuan hammer-like club. In Dynasty Warriors 7 he returns to having his double voulge as his primary weapon.

Xingcai / Seisai / 星彩

Voiced by: Junko Noda (Japanese), Carrie Savage (5) Wendee Lee (7-) (English)

Xingcai is Zhang Fei's daughter and Liu Shan's wife. Her name is inspired by the idea of her being "the star that lights the path for Shu"; xing (star), cai (glory). She takes her father's place after his death and appears as a non-playable character only in the last two battles involving Shu (Battle of Baidi Castle and Battle of Wuzhang Plains). She has an ambiguous/platonic relationship with Guan Ping. She makes a last stand for Shu in the final battles together with Jiang Wei after Zhuge Liang's death. Xingcai has a calm and reserved personality and often described to be dutiful and strong willed. She displays little emotion, even more so in the original Japanese version of the games in which she appears.

Xingcai wields a two-pronged battle fork and a shield. Her fighting style consists mainly of duel-orientated pierces rather than crowd-clearing slashes. Her musou attack renders her immobile as she remains stationary while swinging her fork left and right repeatedly in front of her. Despite the size of her shield, she can still use it as a bashing weapon or makeshift boomerang. She is one of the seven characters removed in Dynasty Warriors 6, but was briefly mentioned in Lu Bu's Musou Mode. She was removed for unknown reasons but returns in Dynasty Warriors 7, where she plays an important role in the Jin storyline, participating in several invasions on Jin. In this installment she is associated with sword and shield and can perform a unique EX attack when wielding them.

Xu Shu / Jo Sho / 徐庶

Further information: Xu Shu
Voiced by: Atsushi Kisaichi (Japanese), Darrel Guilbeau (English)

Xu Shu is known as Shu's first strategist who debuted in Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires, though he is not given story until Dynasty Warriors 8. He contributes in the fire attack in the Battle of Xinye, which results in Liu Bei forces' victory. He also convinces Yueying to introduce her husband, Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei. Xu Shu is later coerced to defect Shu and join Wei after his mother is threatened. In Shu's main story mode, he is killed in the fire attack during the Battle of Chibi, though the player can choose to save him, which results in him rejoining Shu. In Wei's main story mode, Xu Shu deeply regrets his decision to defect and does not participate in any of their battles; however, he can be successfully convinced in Wei's hypothetical story, resulting in him participating in battles against his former allies.

Xu Shu is associated with sword and hooked dagger and can perform EX attacks with it.

Yueying / Getsuei / 月英

Further information: Huang Yueying
Voiced by: Rumi Kasahara (Japanese), Lara Cody (4-6) Laura Bailey (7-) (English)

Yueying debuted as a default Shu bodyguard in Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends before becoming a playable character in Dynasty Warriors 4. She is Zhuge Liang's wife and fights for Shu. Yueying is portrayed as intelligent, mature and supportive. A skilled inventor, she is credited for the invention of the Juggernaut (a mounted fire-breathing device) and the Wooden Ox (an ox-like wooden machine that moves by itself, used in place of real oxen in transporting supplies). She meets Zhuge Liang at the Battle of Changban and marries him prior to the Battle of Chibi.

From her debut to Dynasty Warriors 5, then 7 to 8, Yueying's default weapon is a dagger axe. Her attacks consist of large sweeps while her musou attack involves her spinning in circles to slash all enemies in range. In Dynasty Warriors 6, her weapon is changed into a bow, which changes yet again in the "Special" version of the game into a bladed bow. She uses the same bladed bow in her appearance as of Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires.

Zhang Bao / Chou Hou / 張苞

Further information: Zhang Bao (Shu Han)
Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

Zhang Bao is Zhang Fei's son and the older brother of Xingcai. He first makes appearance after his father's death, where he is declared as his successor. He develops a friendship with his sworn cousin, Guan Xing and accompanies him during Shu's northern expeditions. In the Battle of Chencang, Zhang Bao sustains a fatal wound and in his dying breaths he passes the task to lead Shu's future generation to Guan Xing and Xingcai, before he dies on Guan Xing's arms; however, by fulfilling certain conditions, Zhang Bao can survive the battle and continue to participate in the northern campaign.

His EX weapon is a flail sword based on his father's iconic pike.

Zhang Fei / Chou Hi / 張飛

Further information: Zhang Fei
Voiced by: Hirohiko Kakegawa (Japanese), Bob Papenbrook (4-5) Steve Kramer (6-) (English)

The impulsive, fearless and fiercely loyal Zhang Fei is the sworn brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu. He is one of the first two generals to serve Liu Bei, fighting alongside him against the Yellow Turban rebels and Dong Zhuo's forces. He issues a challenge to Lu Bu during the Battle of Hulao Gate, which leads to the duel between Lu Bu and the three sworn brothers. His most memorable scene is at the Battle of Changban, in which he prevents Wei forces from crossing a bridge with a single bellow that also causes a fall in the enemy's morale.

Zhang Fei wields a coil-bladed spear. Although he uses a spear, his fighting style is strong and straightforward, resembling more of a halberdier rather than a spearman. He uses standard bashing and slashing strikes, relying on brute strength to kill enemies. The long range of his weapon and great power makes him a formidable opponent on horseback, which makes up for his slow speed. In Dynasty Warriors 6 his weapon is upgraded by having another blade on the other end of his spear. His speed increases significantly as well. In Dynasty Warriors 7 his primary weapon becomes a double voulge, and he can perform a unique EX attack when using this weapon. In Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, he gets a new moveset, and his weapon class is the Twin Pike.

Zhao Yun / Chou Un / 趙雲

Further information: Zhao Yun
Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (Japanese), Terrence Stone (English)

Zhao Yun is a young and energetic warrior fighting for Shu. He is a "poster boy" for the game as he is featured prominently on posters and instruction manuals, and appears in the opening videos more than any other character. His appearance changes over the series; in Dynasty Warriors 4, he was given an older, gruffer and more muscular look set in slightly shabbier garments. The change was reverted in Dynasty Warriors 5. His most heroic moment in the game is at the Battle of Changban, in which he successfully saves the infant Liu Shan despite being helplessly outnumbered by enemy forces.

Throughout the series, Zhao Yun wields a light spear. Although he has relatively low strength, his attacks are swift and he runs fairly fast. His quick attacks can generate uninterrupted combos and he steps forward as well, giving him considerable range. His musou attack involves spinning forward with his spear held in a diagonal manner that is hard for opponents to block. He fights well on horseback too. However he lacks in defense due to his relatively smaller stature as compared to his comrades.

In Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, his EX weapon is a dragon spear, which bends every time he attacks.

Zhuge Liang / Shokatsu Ryou / 諸葛亮

Further information: Zhuge Liang
Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (Japanese), Jason Frankovitz (3) Lex Lang (English)

Zhuge Liang is a brilliant strategist who conceives and realizes a vision of China under the Three Kingdoms. At first, he is unaffliated, but later joins Liu Bei after being impressed by his three separate visits to his homeland. Zhuge Liang promptly becomes Shu's strategist after their former strategist, Xu Shu is forced to join Wei. He is portrayed as a wise and calm man, who is loyal and dedicated to his cause of continuing his lord Liu Bei's legacy after the latter's death. In the game, other strategists such as Sima Yi, Zhou Yu and Pang Tong have been shown to be jealous of Zhuge Liang and even seen him as a rival. Sima Yi, in particular, admires and despises Zhuge Liang passionately. The two of them attempt to outwit each other in the later battles between Shu and Wei, each with their fair share of successes and failures.

Zhuge Liang wields a large white fan in battle. As a non-playable character, he rarely fights and issues orders most of the time. In the earlier installments he can use his fan to strike enemies as in melee attacks but in Dynasty Warriors 6, he casts spherical wind projectiles at enemies and uses magic frequently. His musou attack involves him firing streams of light green energy in a straight line while hovering slightly in the air. In battles involving Zhuge Liang as an NPC, if the player successfully completes an instruction from him, the Shu side will secure a swift and effortless victory over the enemy. Conversely, failure to comply with the instruction often leads to backfiring of the plan and a higher chance of losing.

Jin / Shin / 晋

Further information: Jin Dynasty (265–420)

The Jin kingdom is a new faction first introduced in Dynasty Warriors 7, named after the dynasty of the same name which succeeded the Three Kingdoms. However, the faction does not cover the dynasty's history at all and is technically the late era of Wei Kingdom, with Sima Yi devising a plan to usurp the Kingdom which would led to the unification of China and the creation of the dynasty. The faction is represented by cyan color and most of the members also wear cyan clothing.

Deng Ai / Tou Gai / 鄧艾

Further information: Deng Ai
Voiced by: Masato Obara (Japanese), Christopher Sabat (English)

Deng Ai is a Wei general who spent most of his career defending his kingdom from Shu attacks led by Jiang Wei. He is best known for conquering Shu together with Zhong Hui. His EX weapon is a rotating Drill Lance, which changes into a revolving crossbow in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires. He is portrayed as seasoned veteran with unwavering loyalty, resourceful knowledge of terrain and dedication to his duty.

Guo Huai / Kaku Wai / 郭淮

Further information: Guo Huai
Voiced by: Satoru Kamata (Japanese), Dan Woren (English)

Guo Huai is a Wei general who rose through the ranks during Cao Pi's reign. Together with Deng Ai and others, he has defended Wei's borders from numerous Shu attacks led by Jiang Wei. He is indebted to and highly admiring of both Sima Yi and Xiahou Yuan, and scornfully reproaches Xiahou Ba for joining his father's killers. In his debut he is shown to be a sickly man who frequently bursts into coughing fits.

Guo Huai wields a hand cannon as his primary weapon.

Jia Chong / Ka Juu / 賈充

Further information: Jia Chong
Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi (Japanese), Matthew Mercer (English)

Jia Chong is an advisor to Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, known for being involved in various events that would led to the formation of the Jin Dynasty. He is one of the new character introduced in Dynasty Warriors 8. He is associated with the throwing axes and can perform EX attacks with it. He is portrayed as a brooding young man with a ruthless personality and a dark sense of humor.

Sima Shi / Shiba Shi / 司馬師

Further information: Sima Shi
Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese), Josh Grelle (English)

Sima Shi is Sima Yi's eldest son and Sima Zhao's older brother. He takes the leadership of Wei after his father's death. At one battle, he sustains an injury to his left eye in an assassination attempt and thus is shown wearing a decorative eye patch. After his death by mortal injury in his injured eye, Sima Shi places the leadership of Wei in Sima Zhao's hands. He has a personality similar to that of his father, with his high ambition and ruthlessness, though he is shown to be quite childish, as shown by his tendency to make his speech overly dramatic and his obsession with meatbuns.

In his debut, his EX weapon is a rapier. This is changed in Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires, where he is associated with a lightning sword.

Sima Yi / Shiba I / 司馬懿

Further information: Sima Yi
Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Takishita (2-8:XL) Ryōtarō Okiayu (8:E-) (Japanese), Lex Lang (4) Richard Cansino (5) Kyle Hebert (6-) (English)

Sima Yi makes his debut in Dynasty Warriors 2. He is portrayed as a cunning, ruthless and extremely arrogant strategist who boasts endlessly about victory and insults his enemies with derogatory words. He is also unable to accept defeat and likes to dismiss the failure of his plans with the excuse that it is merely another cog in the gears of an upcoming grand tactic that he has devised. He harbors both intense admiration and hatred for his arch-rival Zhuge Liang, whom he constantly seeks to outwit and both of them have their own fair share of successes and failures. His Musou Mode details his struggle with Zhuge Liang in the many battles between Wei and Shu. He rarely takes to the battlefield and dresses in lavish robes and gowns, although he wears some armored helms and shoulder guards in earlier installments. Dynasty Warriors 6 further emphasizes Sima Yi's cunning and ruthless nature; Sima Yi aids Cao Cao in conquering and uniting China, but betrays and murders him later to claim the throne for himself. He is officially moved to the newly introduced Jin Kingdom in Dynasty Warriors 7.

Sima Yi uses a large, black fan similar to Zhuge Liang's (smaller) white feather fan. He can use the fan as though it was a weapon suited for melee fighting just like Zhuge Liang, but his musou attack has a wider range, involving firing purple energy streams in different directions. He is also one of the four characters who can use magic in combat. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he uses a pair of flexi-claws with hidden wires that he can swing ruthlessly in combat. In Dynasty Warriors 7 his black fan is returned to him. In Dynasty Warriors 8, his EX weapon is changed to Horsehair Whip, a broomstick-like weapon that could cast gravity fields that could trap enemies within them.

Sima Zhao / Shiba Shou / 司馬昭

Further information: Sima Zhao
Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio (Japanese), Kaiji Tang (English)

Sima Zhao is Sima Yi's second son and Sima Shi's younger brother. He is portrayed as extremely lazy and has no interest in politics or his responsibilities. With the death of his brother he reluctantly takes over leadership of Wei, and transforms into a talented, compassionate leader. He completes the conquest of Shu and establishes a respectful friendship with its former ruler, Liu Shan.

In his debut, his EX weapon is a sword. As of Dynasty Warriors 8, it was changed to the striking sword that could generate static shockwaves which can be redirected to other attacks.

Wang Yuanji / Ou Genki / 王元姫

Further information: Wang Yuanji
Voiced by: Kanae Itō (Japanese), Tara Platt (English)

Wang Yuanji is Sima Zhao's wife. She is a very mature, reliable and rational young woman who also has a caring side. Despite this, she is irritated and frustrated by Sima Zhao's laziness and irresponsibility, and tends to be somewhat sharp around him, demonstrating many of the typical traits of the tsundere character archetype. However, she gradually softens and able to accept him, even gladly accompanying him when he no longer has land to rule in the Jin Musou Mode ending.

In her debut, she is associated with throwing knives and is able to perform an EX attack using it. Notably, despite her recent debut, she quickly becomes popular in Japan which is shown when she is voted the most popular character in Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll, becoming both the only female and new character that debuts in that game to achieve such position.[3]

Wen Yang / Bun Ou / 文鴦

Further information: Wen Yang (Three Kingdoms)
Voiced by: Yūki Ono (Japanese), Robert McCollum (English)

Wen Yang is an officer of the Jin and the son of Wen Qin. He was a former officer of Wei Kingdom until his father's defection from its leader Sima Shi, and is the one who fires an arrow that kills Sima Shi. However, after Zhuge Dan kills his father, he returned to Wei (now Jin Dynasty) through its leader Sima Zhao. He is known for his skills and fighting prowess, with many comparing it to the Shu general Zhao Yun.

He is associated with a javelin and can perform EX attacks with it.

Xiahou Ba / Kakou Ha / 夏侯覇

Further information: Xiahou Ba
Voiced by: Kenji Akabane (Japanese), Vic Mignogna (English)

Xiahou Ba is Xiahou Yuan's son. Fearing for his life under the regime of the Sima family he fled and defected to Shu. He became a valuable officer of Jiang Wei and participated in the attacks against his former homeland, leading to the death of his father's close friend Guo Huai.

His primary weapon is a large great sword similar to Guan Ping's. His EX weapon then changes to a siege spear in Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires.

Zhang Chunhua / Chou Shunka / 張春華

Further information: Zhang Chunhua
Voiced by: Masumi Asano (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)

Zhang Chunhua is the wife of Sima Yi and the mother of Sima Shi and Sima Zhao. A wise and capable mother, she harbors a frightening temper which prompts her family members to avoid offending her, in particular Sima Yi, whom she managed to intimidate by outwitting him. She is designed in the image of Sima Zhao, just as Sima Shi is designed based on Sima Yi. After helping her husband in his rise of power, Zhang Chunhua urges her husband to retire and give the position of power to their sons, stating that they have to learn in becoming mature by themselves. Afterward, she continues to keep an eye on her sons' rule behind-the-scenes together with Sima Yi.

Her EX weapon is the wired gloves, a weapon previously used by her husband Sima Yi in Dynasty Warriors 6.

Zhong Hui / Shou Kai / 鍾会

Further information: Zhong Hui
Voiced by: Ichitarō Ai (Japanese), Quinton Flynn (English)

Zhong Hui is a Wei general who conquers Shu together with Deng Ai. He is a highly intelligent if obnoxious strategist who fatally overestimates his own abilities. After the conquest of Shu he teams up with Jiang Wei and begins a rebellion, which fails and leads to his defeat. He is a rival of Lu Xun and Jiang Wei.

Zhong Hui's primary weapon is a set of flying swords as the counterpart of Cao Pi and Lu Xun's twin swords, and Jiang Wei's spear.

Zhuge Dan / Shokatsu Tan / 諸葛誕

Further information: Zhuge Dan
Voiced by: Takuya Kirimoto (Japanese), Keith Silverstein (English)

Zhuge Dan is Zhuge Liang's cousin. Formal and loyal to the emperor of Wei, he also struggles with an inferiority complex and develops a seething hatred against Sima Zhao. At later time, he defects from Wei and launches a rebellion against them, though he subsequently fails.

He uses a large feather fan as his EX weapon. It is later changed to the short iron rod in Dynasty Warriors 8.

Others

The Others faction compromises characters that did not join any of the Three Kingdoms, although they still played a major part in the era. Because of this, they are not uniformly tied to each other unlike the other factions' characters and their costumes are not color-coded, although they are commonly represented with the color yellow. It is the smallest faction in the series and until Chen Gong and Lü Lingqi's addition, there had been no new characters since Dynasty Warriors 5. The characters mainly appeared in the earlier battles, usually before the fall of the Han Dynasty, although two (Meng Huo and Zhurong) did not appear until the official creation of the Three Kingdoms while one (Zuo Ci) appeared in all timeline.

Chen Gong / Chin Kyuu / 陳宮

Further information: Chen Gong
Voiced by: Hiromu Miyazaki (Japanese), Jason Wishnov (English)

Chen Gong is a brilliant advisor and strategist who initially sides with Cao Cao. However, after seeing Lu Bu's might, he decides to leave his lord to join Lu Bu. Chen Gong devises many strategies employed during Lu Bu's battles, including when they take Xiapi from Liu Bei. However, Lu Bu loses when Xiapi is invaded by Liu Bei and Cao Cao, and Chen Gong is captured. Remaining faithful to Lu Bu, he chooses to be executed alongside him.

He is associated with a tactic scroll which he uses to call in troops and can perform EX attacks with it.

Diaochan / Chousen / 貂蝉

A cosplayer portraying Diaochan as she appears in the Dynasty Warriors series.
Further information: Diaochan
Voiced by: Rika Komatsu (Japanese), Lynn Harris (2) Carrie Savage (English)

Diaochan is an intelligent and kind young beauty who serves as a courtesan of Dong Zhuo. In most games, she is instructed by her adopted father, Wang Yun, to assassinate Dong Zhuo through the mighty warrior, Lu Bu. Using her beauty, she attracts the attention of both Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu, eventually causing the latter to betray the former, leading to his death. Diaochan primarily sides with Dong Zhuo's forces during the Battle of Sishui Gate and Battle of Hulao Gate. Depending on the games, Diaochan may fall in love with Lu Bu or used him to her agenda until they both meet their ends at the Battle of Xiapi, However in the former's case, Her sincerity towards Lu Bu changes in each title, from a manipulator to a truly devoted lover.

Diaochan uses a pair of maces in the earlier installments, which are actually decorative globes attached to the ends of sticks (see Chúi for the weapon), and adds a few dainty kicks in her fighting style. She is a fast runner and quick attacker but she deals relatively low damage to enemies as compared to other characters. Her musou attack involves her performing a spinning kick followed by a great swing of her maces. In Dynasty Warriors 6 she uses a chain whip, sharing it with Zhenji; to differentiate them, Diaochan's musou attack ends with her expelling her enemies, while Zhenji releases a freezing mist instead. Diaochan continues to use her whip in later installments, while Zhenji changes her weapon back to her flute.

Dong Zhuo / Tou Taku / 董卓

Further information: Dong Zhuo
Voiced by: Yukitoshi Hori (Japanese), Richard Epcar (English)

Dong Zhuo is a warlord who takes advantage of the turmoil of the Yellow Turban Rebellion to seize power from the Han Dynasty government. He is portrayed as an obese, ill-tempered and arrogant man who is concerned about his own safety and personal gain. He governs the land as a tyrant, until a coalition of warlords led by Yuan Shao decide to form an alliance against him to liberate those who suffered under his oppressive rule. He faces the coalition at the battles of Sishui Gate and Hulao Gate. He is defeated and killed if he is a non-playable character but he emerges victorious and becomes the emperor if he defeats the coalition in his Musou Mode. In the Xtreme Legends versions of the game he continues to bring the rest of China under his control by sending Lu Bu to attack the other warlords. Lu Bu eventually betrays him and confronts him at the Battle of Chibi but Dong Zhuo emerges victorious and becomes the sovereign ruler of China.

Dong Zhuo uses a large broadsword, and he fights elegantly like a fencer, but also uses attacks that are more brash, such as headbutting the ground to make a shockwave or stomping on the ground to create a small tremor. For his musou attack, he takes advantage of his tremendous bulk by flipping sideways into the air and landing on the ground to cause a massive tremor. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he uses a club and his fighting style resembles Xu Zhu's and Huang Gai's. In Dynasty Warriors 7 his EX weapon is a ball-and-chain style flail. In Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires, his EX weapon becomes a pair of bombs.

Lü Bu / Ryo Fu / 呂布

Further information: Lü Bu
Voiced by: Tetsu Inada (Japanese), Dan Woren (4) Jamieson Price (5-) (English)

Lu Bu is an extremely aggressive and brutish warrior who fights for the sole purpose of finding an opponent worthy of challenge. Generally considered to be the most powerful fighter in the series, he is easily identified by the pheasant tail feather headdress he wears. He also has a special theme song dedicated to him. He rides the Red Hare, the fastest horse in the game. He serves Dong Zhuo and fights against the coalition forces led by Yuan Shao at the battles of Sishui Gate and Hulao Gate. The three sworn brothers (Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei) and Cao Cao's bodyguards (Dian Wei and Xu Zhu) are the only ones who can hold him off for quite some time at Hulao Gate. The last stage of his Musou Mode is the Battle of Xiapi, where he faces the allied forces of Liu Bei and Cao Cao alone, after his subordinates are either defeated by the enemy or betray him. If the player is not playing as him, he is captured and executed after his defeat. In the Xtreme Legends versions Lu Bu continues to help Dong Zhuo eliminate other warlords in China before eventually turning against Dong Zhuo at the Battle of Chibi. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he is the only character whose Musou Mode involves fighting against both sides in various battles, such as Guandu. His last stage is set in Hulao Gate, where all the warlords he previously defeated will combine forces to fight him.

Lu Bu's fighting style is formidable and unmatched in the entire series. His halberd, called the Sky Piercer, gives him a long attack range, and when combined with his very high stats in almost all fields, presents him as a nightmare to players who play as his opponents, since it is hard to even get close to him and normal attacks deal negligible damage to him. He has the ability to regenerate once after sustaining a certain amount of damage at some point. In Dynasty Warriors 6 his weapon is significantly modified to resemble a giant shuriken, with a sharp blade on each end, like four halberds joined together. He can also detach them during certain attacks and wield them as double voulges. Moreover, his stats are also maximised to 1,000 at level 50, the highest attainable level in the game, effectively making him invincible. In Dynasty Warriors 7 he is associated with the halberd and can execute an EX attack while wielding it.

Lü Lingqi / Ryo Reiki / 呂玲綺

Further information: Lü Lingqi
Voiced by: Hiroko Ushida (Japanese), Kari Wahlgren (English)

Lu Lingqi is the daughter of the famous brutish warrior, Lu Bu. She is described as a brave woman who does not hesitate to fight in the front lines; however, she is emotionally scarred in the past and is afraid whenever she is left alone. In the games, Lu Lingqi helps her father in his battles, but later has to regretfully follow his last order to leave him when Lu Bu loses the Battle of Xiapi and is executed by Cao Cao. She appears in a later Shu's hypothetical stage to capture the Red Hare, her father's famous war horse and only memento, which has been taken by Guan Yu as war relic. However, she is driven back by Guan Yu's daughter, Guan Yinping, and her friends, forcing her to escape.

Her EX weapon is the cross halberd, a weapon previously used by her father in Dynasty Warriors 6.

Meng Huo / Mou Kaku / 孟獲

Further information: Meng Huo
Voiced by: Yoshiyuki Kono (Japanese), J.S. Gilbert (3) Kirk Thornton (English)

Meng Huo is the king of the Nanman tribes and Zhurong's husband. He is highly protective of his wife and people, calling them his "family" in several dialogues. He seeks to defend his land from external threats and make his people live in harmony. In his Musou Mode he has to defeat all the other Nanman leaders first to become king of a united tribe, before facing foreign invaders such as the Yellow Turban rebels, Wu and Shu. In the Xtreme Legends versions he has to fight invaders from Wei in one stage. If the player is playing on Shu's side, Meng Huo will be defeated by Zhuge Liang seven times, each time in a different location on the battlefield, before Meng Huo eventually surrenders. Meng Huo has several advantages over Shu, with an armored unit, beasts of prey and elephant riders under his command, as well as secret passages on his terrain and a lake that emits poisonous vapor.

Meng Huo's moving and attack speeds are very slow but his strength is the highest of all characters in the game. He wears a pair of massive gauntlets that resemble iron wolf heads with sharp blades for fangs. His powerful attacks crush enemies easily and his charge attacks involve him charging at enemies on all fours like an animal. For his musou attack, he stomps the ground repeatedly, producing shockwaves that can destroy all enemies within range. However, his low defense and moving speed puts him in a disadvantageous position as faster opponents can overwhelm him before he can retaliate. His weapon is changed into a stele in Dynasty Warriors 6: Special and Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires. He looks like an obese giant in the earlier installments. He is one of the seven characters removed from Dynasty Warriors 6 for unknown reasons, but returns in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires. He wields a large pillar as his weapon and looks drastically different, as an inhumanely muscular giant. He maintains his muscular look in his Dynasty Warriors 7 appearance, but becomes more realistically proportioned, and uses a much smaller pair of gauntlets. His appearance was further toned down in Dynasty Warriors 8, now more closely resembling his original appearance.

Yuan Shao / En Shou / 袁紹

Further information: Yuan Shao
Voiced by: Osamu Ryutani (Japanese), Avi Landau (2) Paul St. Peter (4-5) Dave Wittenberg (6) Christopher Corey Smith (7-) (English)

Yuan Shao is a noble and supporter of the Han Dynasty who rallied an army to crush the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He is portrayed as an arrogant, overconfident and nepotist aristocrat who is reluctant to fight on the frontline in battles. He is nominated to be the leader of the coalition of warlords in the campaign against Dong Zhuo. He clashes with his old friend, Cao Cao at the Battle of Guandu, attempting to overwhelm Cao Cao's smaller force with scores of his troops without any particular strategy. He is utterly defeated when his supply depot is destroyed and several of his generals, including Zhang He, defect to Cao Cao. He dies shortly after the battle if he is a non-playable character, however he will unite China under his rule if he wins the battle in his Musou Mode. In the Xtreme Legends versions he defeats Cao Cao at Guandu and continues to conquer the other warlords in China before having another final showdown with Cao Cao.

Like Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Jian, Yuan Shao wields a long sword with the end of its blade like a serpent's tongue. His fighting style and musou attack are more or less similar to them. His charge attack is unique to him, when he goes on all fours to knock down all in his path and finishing with a somersault. In Dynasty Warriors 6 he uses a generic officer's sword. In Dynasty Warriors 7 his EX weapon is a rapier, sharing it with several other characters. He is given a new EX weapon called the extension blade in Dynasty Warriors 8.

Zhang Jiao / Chou Kaku / 張角

Further information: Zhang Jiao
Voiced by: Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japanese), Doug Stone (English)

Zhang Jiao is the leader of the Yellow Turban rebels. He is portrayed as a maniac-like zealot who behaves like a patriarch towards his followers. He speaks with a dramatic tone, often rolling his R's, hissing and enunciating. Originally, he wears simple garments and strings of beads but in the newer installments of the game, he dons fine robes and gold headwear. For his Musou Mode in the mainstream games, Zhang Jiao travels around the land and defeats various local warlords before engaging defendants of the Han Dynasty under He Jin's command in his last stage. In the Xtreme Legends versions Zhang Jiao leads his followers to the "Promised Land" while traveling across China and facing attacks from hostile warlords.

Zhang Jiao wields a magic staff and uses fire-based attacks. He fights in an erratic manner reminiscent of a non-human primate and gives off a sharp, high-pitched battle cry. He is one of the characters with the lowest stats in attack, defense and power. His move set involves him bashing opponents with his staff and his signature flame-spewing moves. If the player is playing as Zhang Jiao's opponent, Zhang's attack stats will be increased drastically until he becomes extremely hard to defeat. Most of the time Zhang Jiao's magic can be overcome if the player captures his altars and destroys his cauldrons, preventing him from conjuring dust storms and summoning phantom soldiers.

Zhurong / Shukuyuu / 祝融

Further information: Lady Zhurong
Voiced by: Chizu Yonemoto (Japanese), Dorothy Fahn (4) Jessica Gee (5-) (English)

Zhurong is the queen of the Nanman tribe and Meng Huo's wife. She has a small role in the mainstream games, as a general stationed in the Nanman camp. In the battle between Shu and Nanman she leads her troops to attack Zhuge Liang after Meng Huo is defeated five times. Her role becomes more prominent in the Xtreme Legends versions, in which she follows Meng Huo to conquer the other warlords in China before returning home for a peaceful life.

Zhurong wields a three-pointed boomerang and her fighting style comprises slashing and throwing attacks with the weapon. She moves and attacks at a low speed, with average attack power and high defense. Her musou attack is very effective for taking out large groups of enemies, when she throws darts in around her, taking out all surrounding enemies and gaining high combos before finishing with a charge and the boomerang spinning around her. She is one of the seven characters from the original series who do not appear in Dynasty Warriors 6 for unknown reasons, though she was re-added back in Dynasty Warriors 7. In Dynasty Warriors 7 her EX weapon is throwing knives. Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires sees the return of her boomerang as her EX weapon.

Zuo Ci / Sa Ji / 左慈

Further information: Zuo Ci
Voiced by: Masaharu Satō (Japanese), Michael Forest (5) Dan Woren (8-) (English)

Zuo Ci is an old and wise sorcerer who does not have his allegiance to any warlord in the game. In his Musou Mode he participates in some the major battles and is commonly seen trying to test Cao Cao and see if the latter is worthy to inherit his powers. He also appears in Xu Zhu's Musou Mode, trying to persuade Xu Zhu to leave Cao Cao. Xu Zhu, however, ignores Zuo Ci and accuses him of causing Cao Cao's death in one stage, and attempts to kill Zuo Ci to avenge his lord.

Zuo Ci uses a deck of cards as his weapon. He is the best character in the game in terms of his stats. He has an unorthodox fighting style, using magic of all the three elements (fire, ice and lightning) in his attacks. His musou attack involves him walking calmly towards enemies, chanting with his cards spinning around him and demolishing everything in his path. He can conjure fire and ice orbs at the same time before finishing with a jump into the air and creating a ring of lightning to destroy all around him. He is absent in Dynasty Warriors 6 and Dynasty Warriors 7, though he later returns in Dynasty Warriors 8 with his deck of cards as his EX weapon. He also appears regularly in the Warriors Orochi series, where he is treated as one of the mystics (instead of a warrior from the Three Kingdoms).

Unrelated characters

Fu Xi / Fuku Gi / 伏羲

Further information: Fu Xi
Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (3) Hiroki Yasumoto (WO series) (Japanese), David Lodge (WO series) (English)

Fu Xi is an ancient ruler in Chinese mythology. He is not from the Three Kingdoms period and appears as a secret character in Dynasty Warriors 3, who can be unlocked after the player clears the Musou Modes of Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Jian, and unlocks Lu Bu. While Fu Xi does not appear in any subsequent numbered installments, he does appear as a playable character in the Warriors Orochi series starting with the second installment, in which his appearance and move set are greatly updated. In that series, Fu Xi is Nüwa's husband and one of the mystics who imprisoned the Serpent King, Orochi in the mystic world and later attempted to execute him when he escaped, although he failed. Later, he joins the warriors of the Sengoku period of Japan to help them fight off the Demon Army. This incarnation also appears in the spin-off Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2.

Fu Xi fights with a greatsword, with slow but strong attacks. He does not appear in the later installments of the game but returns in Warriors Orochi 2 in a redesigned costume. However, his sword can be equipped as a weapon to custom characters in later versions of Dynasty Warriors.

Muwang / Bokuou / 穆王

Further information: King Mu of Zhou
Voiced by: Atsushi Kisaichi

Muwang was the fifth ruler of the Zhou Dynasty. He only appears in the spin-off Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2, as with all other new characters appearing from other dynasties of China in that game. Muwang appears in the Mystic chapter, where he is resurrected by an ancient entity, Xi Wangmu, who had weakened following her separation with her evil self, Huang Quan. She tried to instruct him to kill her evil self, but unable to convey the entire message, Muwang is afraid that the action might kill the goddess, so he resorted to serve Huang Quan to ensure Xi Wangmu's safety. He is eventually told by the rejuvenated goddess that killing Huang Quan will not result in her death, thus Muwang allies himself with the Three Kingdoms to confront and kill Huang Quan. However, he is mortally wounded in the conflict and as he is dying, he proclaims his happiness in achieving his goal.

In the game, Muwang wields tri-blades as his weapons.

Nobunaga / 信長

Further information: Oda Nobunaga

Nobunaga is the first character to appear in the game series who is not related to China and the Three Kingdoms era. He appears only in the first Dynasty Warriors game. The character of Nobunaga is based a 16th-century daimyo and he appears in other Koei games such as Samurai Warriors as well.

Nüwa / Joka / 女媧

Further information: Nüwa
Voiced by: Yuko Sumitomo (3) Yuki Makishima (WO series) (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (WO series) (English)

Nüwa is a goddess who created mankind in Chinese mythology. She is a secret character in Dynasty Warriors 3 who can be unlocked after the player clears the Musou Modes of all female characters in the Three Kingdoms. She does not appear in any subsequent numbered installments, though she does appear as a recurring character in the Warriors Orochi series starting with the second installment, complete with updated appearance and move set. In that series, Nüwa is one of the mystics responsible for sealing Orochi in the mystic world and also one of the mystics who attempted to capture him when he escaped, though they failed. After recovering, she joins the Wei Kingdom to help them fight off the Demon Army and to defeat Orochi. This incarnation also makes appearance in Shin Sangoku Musou 2 Multi Raid as a playable character.

Nüwa uses a rapier that can be equipped as a weapon to custom characters in later installments. Her attacks are fast but weak.

Shi Huangdi / Shi Koutei / 始皇帝

Further information: Qin Shi Huang
Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama

Shi Huangdi was known as the tyrannical first Emperor of China who united all China as the Qin Dynasty after the Warring States period. He only appears as an unplayable boss character in the spin-off Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2. Shi Huangdi is resurrected from the dead following Lü Bu's revolt and death in the previous game. Wanting to build an eternal empire for himself, he uses his power over resurrection to resurrect many figures from ancient China, including Xiang Yu and his lover Yu Meiren. He also gains an ally in the form of Xi Wangmu's evil self, Huang Quan. The evil emperor's terror sparks the warriors of Three Kingdoms to stop him. Even after he draws more souls for himself to consume, he is defeated by the warriors, prompting him to transform into a monster by merging with the Black Dragon and Mysterious Turtle. However, he is again defeated, releasing all of his consumed souls and killing him for good.

Shi Huangdi wields various weapons as he has control over sorcery, including sword, club, and axe.

Toukichi / とーきち

Toukichi is a character unrelated to the Three Kingdoms who appears in the first Dynasty Warriors game. He appears as a cartoon character with an extremely large head and no real information about him is disclosed. Fans speculate that he might be based on Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Also known as Kinoshita Toukichirou), a daimyo from the same period as Nobunaga. Besides, he is also the final opponent if the player is playing as Nobunaga.

Xi Wangmu / Sei Oubo / 西王母

Further information: Xi Wangmu
Voiced by: Yuka Shioyama

Xi Wangmu is an ancient goddess in the Chinese mythology, primarily known for her beauty and as the mother of immortal maiden. She only appears in the spin-off Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2. Being an ancient entity, she has extraordinary powers that borders on destructive, but she values peace and does not want to use it. However, she harbors a dark self called Huang Quan (黄泉, Kousen), which is eventually separated from her by the evil emperor Shi Huangdi. Greatly weakened, she resurrects and unsuccessfully instructs Muwang to kill Huang Quan, before retreating to recover herself. While Huang Quan continues to attack the Three Kingdoms with Shi Huangdi, Xi Wangmu is located and recruited by the alliance after she recovered herself. She conveys her full instruction afterwards to Muwang and as he lays dying after successfully killing Huang Quan, she thanks him for his efforts. However, Xi Wangmu is unable to fully participate in the final confrontation against Shi Huangdi and instead goes back to hermitage.

Both Xi Wangmu and Huang Quan wield crystal orb as their weapon.

Xiang Yu / Kou Seki / 項羽

Further information: Xiang Yu
Voiced by: Kazunari Tanaka

Xiang Yu was a prominent military leader and political figure in the late Qin Dynasty (the one that preceded Han). He only appears in the spin-off Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2, appearing in the Conqueror chapter. After being resurrected alongside his lover, Yu Meiren, by the evil emperor, Shi Huangdi, he is sent to wreak havoc in the peace founded by the Three Kingdoms by annihilating Wei's territory. However, while he serves under the emperor, Xiang Yu also wants to build his own kingdom through memories of his past life. He is eventually defeated by the united warriors of the Three Kingdoms and as he lies dying, he apologizes to his lover for his failed efforts in creating their own kingdom.

Xiang Yu wields twin daos as his weapon.

Yu Meiren / Gu Bijin / 虞美人

Further information: Consort Yu
Voiced by: Hiromi Konno

Yu Meiren was the treasured concubine of the military leader Xiang Yu in the Qin Dynasty. She only appears in the spin-off Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2. Yu Meiren appears in the Conqueror chapter, being resurrected alongside her lover by Shi Huangdi to attack the Three Kingdoms. She is gifted with supernatural powers by the evil emperor and begins wreaking havoc, vowing to always remain on Xiang Yu's side. She is eventually defeated by the allied Three Kingdoms, after which she forgives her lover for not being able to build a new kingdom for them as she is already content by being with him.

Yu Meiren wields a large flywheel as her weapon.

References

  1. ↑ "Dynasty Warriors Character Guide - Zhang He: a.k.a. "The Gay Guy"". Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  2. ↑ "Genrals of the South" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  3. ↑ "真・三國無双6キャラクター人気投票". Gamecity. Retrieved December 13, 2012.

External links

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