10 Best Dynasty Warriors Characters
Koei-Tecmo's best selling game has a looot of characters. We culled the list to the best!
Koei was once known for its strategic simulation games, back before they merged with Tecmo. Such classics as Nobunaga's Ambition, Aerobiz, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the latter of which is the inspiration for Koei-Tecmo's best-selling series, the hack-and-slasher Dynasty Warriors. Originally a 3D fighting game for the original PlayStation, the PS2 sequel would go on to spawn a whole franchise.
Since its debut on the PlayStation 2 in 2000, the Dynasty Warriors franchise has sold over 21 million units worldwide, and with a total of over a dozen games, including expansions, there's quite a bit of game to play. One of the hallmarks of the Dynasty Warriors series is the huge roster of characters. What originally started as thirteen warriors in a fighting game has ballooned to a total of 94 playable characters in the latest release, Dynasty Warriors 9.
We have, painstakingly, reduced that roster of 94 characters into the ten (or so) best characters in the franchise. As a quick note - this list is really in no particular order and takes into account not only the latest game, but the entire previous series.
10. Lu Bu
Well, let's just go ahead and get this out of the way here – Lu Bu's on the top ten list. He should be on all top ten lists if he's being designed correctly. He was the final boss of the original fighting game, regardless of which side you were fighting on, and his involvement in one of the opening battles – Hulao Gate - is a major story point. “Do not pursue Lu Bu”, anyone?
Known in the novel the whole series is based on as the greatest warrior of the age, Lu Bu was a betrayer of many, but also an indomitable warrior, armed with his trademark crescent-bladed trident halberd in the early games, and given a weird bladed tire iron (for lack of a better descriptor) in DW6. Koei, thankfully, have given him back his old halberd in the more recent games.
Consistently strong, if not outright overpowered, with good combos and destructively locking musou abilities makes him an all-around badass. Which he should be.