Best Playable Characters In The Dynasty Warriors Series

Summary

• Dynasty Warriors has a giant roster of 94 characters, leading to a long-lasting legacy.
• Characters like Zhang Fei, Diao Chan, and Zhenji each offer a unique playstyle in battle.
• Lu Bu, Lu Xun, Guan Yu, and Zhao Yun are beloved and powerful characters with distinct fighting styles.

Dynasty Warriors has enjoyed a long-lasting legacy outside its roots in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Coupling that with a giant roster of 94 characters across nine games and several spin-offs, there aren’t many game series that can say they have the same legacy.

When it comes to characters, anyone’s top ten characters can be vastly different from the ones below, and that’s okay; there are plenty of favorites to go around. So, let’s take a look at the characters we consider the cream of the crop.

10

Zhang Fei

Weapon Of Choice – Viper Spear

If the battlefield were a lively music hall filled with bands and concertgoers, Zhang Fei would be the loudest drum solo that went on for too long. The most loyal of Liu Bei’s army, he can clear a room with the wide berth his weapon affords him, but if you are one of the unlucky ones that get too close, you’ll get pummeled by his Shockwave.

All of that power comes at a cost in terms of speed, so when taking on faster characters like Sun Ce or others, you might find your health draining faster than you can fight it. It’s up to you whether you think the trade-off is worth it.

9

Diao Chan

Weapons Of Choice – Dual Mace/ Nine Section Whip

Some betrayals happen loudly in war, while others happen with whispers in the quiet dark. Diao Chan infiltrated Dong Zhuo’s forces with the singular goal of ending his life by becoming his lover, and it was ultimately revealed that her true love was none other than the most infamous betrayer of the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu.

Sometime between Dynasty Warriors 5 and 6, she had switched up her weapons from dual-wielding a set of maces to a chain whip. Fans largely prefer her dual mace over the whip, largely due to how different it makes her overall character feel if nothing else. You trade power for speed, but her agility more than makes up for it.

8

Zhenji

Weapons Of Choice – Flute/Chain Whip

Zhenji paved the way for some of your favorite women on the roster, by being the first female playable character, starting in Dynasty Warriors 3. Her beauty is known to end battles just as readily as it starts them, and can take out most enemies with her deadliest songs.

Lady Zhen is famous for using her flute to take out hundreds of enemies by both brute force and the sound of music, but she’s got martial arts prowess to fall back on if she finds her enemies too close for comfort. As she’s a glass cannon, you’ll need to rely on the flute’s aerial crowd control to keep her safe.

7

Sun Ce

Weapon Of Choice – Tonfa/Spear/Sword

The ‘Little Conquerer’ with the big personality, Sun Ce shows that he is not only ready to lead his army but can do it off pure charisma if he so chooses, despite his lack of experience. Instead, he prefers to fight along with his army and can wield several different types of weapons, such as a spear or a sickle, depending on which game you’re playing.

However, when you take away what makes Sun Ce unique among a roster that widely prefers bladed weapons to blunt ones, take away what makes him fun to play. His Tonfa attacks are the closest you get in the game to fist-to-face combat. That’s the real crime.

6

Zhou Yu

Weapon Of Choice – Sword/Staff

There aren’t many moments in the series where you find Sun Ce without his older brother-in-arms, Zhou Yu. The levelheaded side of the Sun Ce/Zhou Yu coin, he is often both the strategist of their armies, and the voice of reason when it comes to negotiations. His tactical prowess doesn’t stop in the planning room; he is more than willing to take his strategies to the field for practical application.

Until Dynasty Warriors 5, Zhou Yu’s main weapon was a simple but efficient sword, but he came to use the staff moving forward. While the staff is decent and extends his reach, his sword offers the ability to use several charge attacks in a row without depleting your Musou gauge.

5

Lu Xun

Weapon Of Choice – Swords, Both Singular and Dual

The most widely regarded strategist in all the Three Kingdoms, he led the Wu force through the fire and flame of battle and came out the other end with minimal losses. Hell, at the tender age of 17, by setting up a battle-winning ambush of the Shu forces. From then until his untimely death, he was considered a hero by many.

Starting from the original Dynasty Warriors on the PS1, Lu Xun has been a longtime playable character, and one who is easy to pick up for new players, but can deliver serious damage with his swords. He’ll brandish dual swords for most games. However, if you pick him up in Dynasty Warriors 6, he’ll only have a single blade to work with.

4

Cao Cao

Weapon Of Choice – Sword

Cao Cao is the perfect example of paving the road to hell with good intentions. All he wants for the land is the end of the war and chaos that threatens to tear everything apart. An admirable goal, but he often resorts to subterfuge and a ‘by any means’ mindset that can cause alliances with the Wei to break just as fast as they form.

His sword attacks are swift and surprisingly wide-reaching for the type of weapon he wields. Magic? Yeah, Cao Cao has that too and can shoot fireballs from his sword starting in Dynasty Warriors 4, and eventually can command ice when activating his Musou skills in the sixth iteration.

3

Guan Yu

Weapon Of Choice – Bladed Polearm

In a series where the strongest and most charismatic characters are known for their battle prowess or Musou attacks and their flashiness. Guan Yu, however? One of his nicknames that is known throughout the land is ‘Beautiful Beard’ for just how glorious it is. Outside of that, he is one of the Five Tiger Generals who are loyal to Liu Bei and his family.

His fearsome attacks can command the wind at will, and have enemy troops fighting for their lives trying to find their way back to the ground. He has a powerful combination of speed and power, making him a formidable foe to face. He is always meeting any battle he faces head-on and is held high.

2

Zhao Yun

Weapon Of Choice – Spear

Arguably the poster boy of the series, Zhao Yun has been in the series since day one and has continued to be a beloved character by fans of the game. He is a hero’s hero and has compassion for the innocents who get caught up in these battles. He is determined to serve Liu Bei to the best of his abilities and bring forth his Master’s vision.

Plenty of characters use a long-range weapon like a spear, but somehow, Zhao Yun makes it look graceful, almost as if he were dancing with the spear instead of slashing enemies with it. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be left out of any future games.

1

Lu Bu

Weapon Of Choice – Halberd And Your Fear

Did you think it was going to be anyone else? If you played any of the Dynasty Warrior games, this terror on horseback terrified you once he got onto the field. If you happen to get cornered and he shows up? Well, you’re destined to have a bad time. Once you’re able to get control of him? Well, prepare for a powerhouse unlike any other in the game.

Lu Bu uses a Halberd in battle, but you could call his fearsome personality his second weapon. He does not care for titles, alliances, or politics. The only thing Lu Bu truly cares about is sharpening his skills on the battlefield by any means necessary. So, if betraying people gets him fighting, then he’ll be more than happy to do it.