10 Best Dynasty Warriors Characters

5. Zhou Yu

Zhou yun dynasty warriors
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One of the OGs of the series along with... well, everyone else already on this list, except Ma Chao. Zhou Yu has wielded both a longsword and a bo staff in his various incarnations. The Wu strategist and oath brother of Sun Ce, he is the mastermind behind the pivotal Wu victory at Chibi.

Consistently ranked high for his looks, he is colloquially known as 'Soy Sauce' in Japan, because the local pronunciation of his name 'Shouyu' is very similar to the condiment's pronunciation.

Switching to the staff changed his moveset and utility a lot in the more recent games. Before, he had been an elegant and graceful fencer, good for taking on generals or small groups. Now, with his staff, he is able to take on larger groups. Overall, though, his stats are pretty domineering and make him efficient at what he does – though his staff does make him a little slower to move offensively than his sword allowed in the earlier games of the franchise.

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Contributor

Author of Escort (Eternal Press, 2015), co-founder of Nic3Ntertainment, and developer behind The Sickle Upon Sekigahara (2020). Currently freelancing as a game developer and history consultant. Also tends to travel the eastern U.S. doing courses on History, Writing, and Japanese Poetry. You can find his portfolio at www.richardcshaffer.com.