Dynasty Warriors IX

Dynasty Warriors IX (Shin Sangoku Musou 8 in Japan) is the upcoming Hack and Slash title sequel of the Dynasty Warriors (Shin Sangoku Musou) series which will be available for the Playstation 4 and the PS Vita. As with previous Dynasty Warriors titles, Dynasty Warriors IX takes place during historical events of the Three Kingdoms period in Ancient China and the novel based on the events Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The game will be the first Dynasty Warriors title with the timeline extended from Wei's conquest of Shu, finally reaching the end of the Three Kingdoms era when the Jin Dynasty conquers the Kingdom of Wu and unifies China.

6 characters from the previous title Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires (Shin Sangoku Musou 7: Empires in Japan) are cut from the game, instead 13 new characters will make their debut, totalling the character roster to 92. There are officially 62 battles to participate in, spanning from the beginning of the turmoil duriing the time of the Later Han Dynasty, to the end of the Three Kingdoms era.

Game Options and Gameplay
Dynasty Warriors IX has a selection of menus and options to open, from the main menu, there is Kingdom Story Mode, Free Battle Mode, Challenge Mode, Battle Creator Mode, Gallery, Encyclopedia and of course Options.

Kingdom Story Mode has its own section (scroll down to know about it). Free Battle Mode is where you can play the battles available to you as any available character officer, unlike the previous titles, you can fully play as a character that appears in a battle and won't have a double appearing (that always annoyed me), you can also play as part of the enemy side in any battle, like for examples: fighting for the Yellow Turbans, defending the Nanman home or even aiding Emperor Cao Mao in his uprising.

Challenge mode features a set of minigames which you can use a playable warrior to play in, the list of challenges are Rampage, Sudden Death, Time Attack and Knockoff where you are on a high bridge and you have to send as many enemies flying off the bridge as possible before you are knocked off (the enemy gets a bit stronger from time to time). Challenge Mode also sees the recurring Versus Duel Mode where you (and another player) and face off against a playable enemy officer of your choice (or fight against your friend).

Battle Creator Mode is a much more advanced version of what Musou Battlefield Mode in Warriors Orochi 3 (Musou Orochi 2) should've been, giving you full reign of what battlefield you like to use (as well as what officers to use), how the battle should go and make comments of your own for any officer you chose. Gallery is where you can view the wallpaper of the playable characters and each five factions, character models, animals, weapons and listen to the voices of the characters.

Gallery also has a new Album section where it lets you view pictures of the battles you've participated (see Gameplay part below). Encyclopedia allows you to read on the history, events, officer biographies, timeline and such of the Three Kingdoms period.

The gamestyle hasn't changed as much from Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends (Shin Sangoku Musou 7: Moushouden) although some characters have new moves and/or Musou attacks to better their gameplay. Although new to the Dynasty Warriors IX is the camera view/picture take mechanism which is appears in the pause menu where it allows you to view around the surrounding battle and take pictures which you can view in Gallery. There some characters who have had their signature weapons replaced and changed:
 * Huang Yueying keeps her Dagger Axe as opposed to be given her Blade Bow, which is now given to the new character Zhang Ti.
 * Liu Shan keeps his Rapier weapon, the weapon he had in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires (Shin Sangoku Musou 7: Empires in Japan), Dragon Column, did not sit well with the fans.
 * Wang Yi retains her Trishula weapons while her Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires weapon, Emeici, is given to the new character Sun Chen.
 * Instead of his Circle Blade weapon, Ding Feng has been given back his original weapons, Gloves, since Menghuo now has the Stele weapon which the latter was given in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires. Although Ding Feng still has his alternate musou 'Flaming Moon' which he uses the Circle Blade.
 * Bu Lianshi has been given back her Crossbow weapon instead of her Mandarin Duck Hooks, the decision to change her EX weapon in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires proved to be an unpopular move for fans.
 * Deng Ai keeps his Lance weapon while the weapon he had in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, Revolving Crossbow, has been given to the new character Man Chong.
 * Xiahou Ba has been given back his Great Sword weapon instead of using the Siege Spear weapon. This is due to the fact one of the characters, Guan Ping, was cut from the game, but the Great Sword movelist is very popular. Xiahou Ba retains all his original musou and EX attack and been given new ones as well.
 * As mentioned in the case with Ding Feng, Menghuo keeps his Stele weapon while Ding Feng now has the Gloves weapon.

Playable Officers
There are 92 playable warriors to choose from five factions: Kingdom of Shu (20 characters), Kingdom of Wei (21 characters), Kingdom of Wu (24 characters), Kingdom of Jin (17 characters) and Others faction (10 characters). The 14 new officers who'll make their exclusive debut in the battlefield are added with a *NEW* next to their name. Xiang Yu, the warlord who opposed Liu Bang (the founder of the Han) and appeared in Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2 appears as the guest character of this game. Bear in mind that the Kingdom of Wu have more characters due to their lasting longer over the other kingdoms of Shu and Wei, it is not because of favouritism.

11 of the returning characters have had their names corrected and changed, their former names were officially incorrect (Huang Yueying, Zhang Xingcai, Xu Chu, Zhen Ji, Cai Yan, Lü Meng, Bu Lianshi,  Lü Bu, Zhang Jue, Menghuo and  Lü Lingqi were formerly called Yueying, Xingcai, Xu Zhu, Zhenji, Cai Wenji, Lu Meng, Lianshi, Lu Bu, Zhang Jiao, Meng Huo and Lu Lingqi respectively).

Battle List
Here is the complete list of battles that you can choose to partake in either Kingdom Story Mode or Free Mode, there are 64 in total.

Kingdom Story Mode
Kingdom Story Mode shows the tales and events that occurred in the Three Kingdoms period, as well as the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. You can go through the story as one of the four factions (Shu, Wei, Wu and Jin) vying for control of China, either for virtue, ambition, bonds or talent. The Kingdoms of Shu, Wei have 28 battles each while Wu 30 battles, finally the Kingdom of Jin (which is available after you play and complete the stories of Shu, Wei and Wu) has about 27 battles to play through. All of the battles have specific officers which you can only play as in Kingdom Story Mode, for example in Shu's story, you can only either play as Zhao Yun or Zhang Fei, depending on which specific warrior you choose, you also see their point of view as well. After the battle is finished, the battle will be available to play in Free Battle Mode or used in Battle Creator Mode and you can choose any officer you want. The tales of Shu, Wei and Wu Kingdoms begin at The Yellow Turbans Rebellion while the story of the Kingdom of Jin begins at Battle of Wuzhang Plains.

BATTLE AND CHOSEN WARRIOR LIST

Kingdom of SHU

Kingdom of WEI

Kingdom of WU

Kingdom of JIN

New Character Biographies
WANG JUN (SHIZHI) - The Warrior Who Seized the Moment (206 A.D. - 286 A.D.)

Faction: Wei, Jin

Weapon: Sword Lance

 Historical Profile:  An officer of Jin and fomerly of Wei, Wang Jun was known as the Prancing Dragon General and fought mainly against the Wu army. He contributed heavily on the planning to conquer Wu, creating ships built to surpass the ones used in the Wu navy. Wang Jun pierced his way through the Wu army and was the first to reach Jianye, he forced Wu emperor Sun Hao to surrender, thus succeeding in ending the chaos where so many had failed and unfying China under the Jin Dynasty. He was given the title Commanding General Who Guides the Kingdom for his accomplishments.

 Musou Profile:  Outside of battle, Wang Jun likes to joke alongside his friends, but in battle, he understands what his objective is and will accomplish it with everything in his arsenal. Though Wang Jun states that he doesn't consider himself in the same light as Deng Ai or Zhong Hui, the Sima clan realize the potential he has and don't think less of him at all. Since he was born in a time of chaos and heroes, Wang Jun has pondered the question of what it means to be a hero in this age of chaos.

DU YU (YUANKAI) - The Inspired Book Genius (222 A.D. - 285 A.D.)

Faction: Wei, Jin

Weapon: Rope Dart

 Historical Profile:  A renowned officer of Jin and formerly of Wei, he was married to Sima Zhao's sister Princess Gaolu. Du Yu played important parts during the conquering of both Shu and Wu, as an officer under Zhong Hui and a leading General respectively. He was always seen reading the novel Zuozhuan even in a war council that he was considered an addict, he is the ancestor of the famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu.

 Musou Profile:  His ability to alter very old tactics into a completely new one is what makes Du Yu special, he has an air sensitivity and calmness but has a habit of reading the same book to an extreme level. Du Yu is determined to end the chaos, since he considers the war like a story and that evetually, it has a ending, he believes the Sima clan are the only ones who can unify the land. He is friends with both Yang Hu and Wang Jun, though he sometimes bickers with the latter over the most silliest of issues.

YANG HU (SHUZI) - The Embodiment General of Kindness (221 A.D. - 277 A.D.)

Faction: Wei, Jin

Weapon: Dual Feather Swords

 Historical Profile:  A prominent military general who served under the Sima clan, Yang Hu was known even by his enemies as a benevolent kind man, even more so than Liu Bei. When the Kingdoms of Jin and Wu came to blows with each other, Yang Hu was put in charge to battle against Wu lead by Lu Kang, whom he clashed and eventually befriended. He is credited as being the one who laid down all the plans to conquer Wu and unify the land under Jin Dynasty.

 Musou Profile:  Humble and very kind, Yang Hu is one who would forgive even his enemies for attacking him. Though he doesn't like the war and what it does in the slightest, he knows it is a necessity if the land should ever be one again. More virtuous and benevolent than Liu Bei himself, Yang Hu wonders what a time of peace is actually like since he's seen nothing but war. He develops a friendship with Lu Kang of Wu, the one man who is also his rival in war.

HU LIE (WUXUAN) - Brave and Skilled Strong Arm of the Jin Kingdom (??? - 270 A.D.)

Faction: Wei, Jin

Weapon: Heavy Halberd

 Historical Profile:  Hu Lie was the son of Hu Zun and Hu Fen's brother. He participated in suppressing the rebellion of Zhuge Dan and helped defeat the Wu army by burning down the Wu supplies. In the conquest of Shu, Hu Lie crushed the Shu army led by Fu Qian at Yang'an Pass and was the one to capture Hanzhong. When Zhong Hui rebelled, Hu Lie managed to warn his son Hu Yuan about the ambitious general's plans, his son then rallied the other Wei soldiers to oppose Zhong Hui and kill him. When Wu marched west intending to take Shu's conquered lands from Wei, Hu Lie charged to the enemy main camp and destroyed it, forcing Wu to retreat empty handed. Hu Lie died heroically in a battle with the Xianbei tribe led by Tufa Shujineng when they raid Jin's borders in the west.

 Musou Profile:  Hu Lie comes from a military talented family that serve the Sima clan,  regarded by many peers and colleagues alike as the model soldier. While Hu Lie may appear as a man who shows himself as a warrior who is serious, stern, he is known to have a kind and generous side, which surprises his colleagues and common people alike. Hu Lie gives his utmost in every battle he partakes in, while he is not as cunning as his allies, he is a brave and loyal general who will not hesitate to destroy the enemies of Jin.

YANG HUIYU - Decisive and Wise Beauty (214 A.D. - 278 A.D.)

Faction: Wei, Jin

Weapon: Erhu

 Historical Profile:  Yang Hu's older sister and SIma Shi's third wife, she and her brother were also the grandchildren of the famed scholar and musician Cai Yong. She was claimed by Sima Shi as his 'favourite flower' and although she bore him no sons as heir, the couple got along well. When Sima Yan, Sima Zhao's son, became emperor, Yang Huiyu (who was then a Dowager Empress) requested him that his uncle's previous wives were given empress titles, to which Sima Yan agreed.

 Musou Profile:  At times, Yang Huiyu comes across as a carefree, ditzy person, but she posseses a serious, wise mind and is very knowledgable about life. She is good friends with Wang Yuanji and converses with her a lot, she finds herself thinking about Sima Shi the moment she sees him for the first time. Like her younger brother, Yang Huiyu is determined to end the chaos, she is very proud of the music she plays with her erhu during battle.

LIAO HUA (YUANJIAN) - He Who Thrived Against the Odds (??? - 264 A.D.)

Faction: Yellow Turbans, Shu

Weapon: Twin Spears

 Historical Profile:  A former Yellow Turban officer who eventually ended up serving Liu Bei, he was recognized with the yellow scarve that he wore on his head. Liao Hua was an exceptional warrior who could fight valorously and survive even when the odds were against him, such as when he was able to break through the huge Wei/Wu army when they surrounded Mai Castle, also he almost killed Sima Yi in an ambush in the Battle of Mt. Qi, taking the strategist's golden helmet as a trophy. He was a major officer for Shu during the later period of the Three Kingdoms. Liao Hua lived to see the Kingdom of Shu from its birth to its demise.

 Musou Profile:  A general serving Liu Bei and loyal to Guan Yu. Liao Hua originally joined the Yellow Turbans out of resentment for the Han, he believed there was no one serving the imperial family that had any shred of morals or dignity until he met Liu Bei during battle. He later decided to serve Liu Bei not out of belief like many, but out of curiosity. Liao Hua is one who doesn't let the size of the enemy army faze him at all, while he may appear as a typical vanguard officer, he truly shines when a nasty situation arises.

MA YUNLU - The Virtuous Female Warrior of the Dragon (??? - ???)

Faction: Shu

Weapon: Serrated Long Sword

 Historical Profile:  A fictional character from the Fan Sanguo Yanyi (which is a retelling of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel). She was Ma Chao's sister who possessed a very straightforward personality, she was very fond of battle and was a warrior of her own right, Ma Yunlu was friends with Yueying and they often talked about military strategy together. She met and eventually and married Zhao Yun with Liu Bei as witness and Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng as matchmakers.

 Musou Profile:  A female warrior who is proud of being part of a renowned family of Liang. When Cao Cao killed her father, Ma Yunlu also took up arms alongside her brother Ma Chao until they were defeated. She serves Liu Bei with equal loyalty like her brother, but she's also finds herself in wonder whenever she comes across the one known as 'The Dragon of Changshan'.

MAN CHONG (BONING) - Resolved Tactician of Just (171 A.D. - 242 A.D.)

Faction: Wei

Weapon: Revolving Crossbow

 Historical Profile:  Man Chong was an advisor and a military officer of Wei who was good friends with Xu Huang, whom Man Chong persuaded to join and serve Cao Cao. He contributed many strategies that brought victory to Wei, including the Battle of Fan Castle. When Wu invaded and laid siege to Hefei Castle, Man Chong was able to keep the massive Wu army at bay using his own strategies and planning, eventually making Sun Quan retreat before reinforcements lead by 2nd Wei emperor Cao Rui arrived.

 Musou Profile:  Man Chong is one of Cao Cao's trusted tacticians and an old friend of Xu Huang. He is the kind of person who discovers a weakness in both ally or enemy alike, and begins to work on it whether to put up defenses or exploit respectively. At first, Man Chong is someone who believes Cao Cao has the capability to unify and rule China, but as time passes, he eventually notices how things change quickly.

CHENG PU (DEMOU) - Great Veteran of Military (??? - 2?? A.D.)

Faction: Wu

Weapon: Serpent Halberd

 Historical Profile:  A leading veteran Wu general that served the Sun family for three generations alongside his comrades Huang Gai and Han Dang. Cheng Pu was famed in using the Serpent Spear and was widely respected by the other Wu officer, whom addressed him as 'Elder Cheng'. He aided Sun Ce in claiming the lands of Wu and was the leading commander along with Zhou Yu in the Battle of Chibi.

 Musou Profile:  His rough face hides a wise mind, Cheng Pu is a general who has served and fought alongside his lord Sun Jian for many years. Cheng Pu is the most respected general in the Wu army and officers like Han Dang always ask for his advice. As the war continues, Cheng Pu believes he should show those younger than him what it means to be a great general, so that they too will demonstrate their abilities to the future.

LU KANG (YOUJIE) - The Legacy of the Lu Clan (226 A.D. - 274 A.D.)

Faction: Wu

Weapon: Thin Sword (Lu Xun's weapon in Dynasty Warriors 6)

 Historical Profile:  The son of Lu Xun. After his father's death, Sun Quan placed Lu Kang as the army commander, although he was not as good as his father was, Lu Kang had amazing foresight and was able to pick out weaknesses and other defensive shortcomings, utilizing military constructions against Wei. His finest moment was the Battle of Xiling where he was able to put down the revolt Bu Chen, who had defected, and prevented Jin from taking Jiangling. He was unable to prevent the decay from within Wu caused by emperor Sun Hao. He was a rival and eventually friend of Jin officer Yang Hu during the time.

 Musou Profile:  As he is the son of a famous tactician and strategist, Lu Kang feels it is his responsibility to ensure that Wu is the one who will sieze the land. A thoughtful and compassionate individual, he is aware that his talents will always be shadowed by that of his father, but Lu Kang intends to do what it takes to make Wu stronger.

ZHUGE KE (YUANXUN) - The Reckless Genius of the Zhuge Family (203 A.D. - 253 A.D.)

Faction: Wu

Weapon: Spiked Rod

 Historical Profile:  Sometimes known as Zhuge Luo. He was the son of Zhuge Jin and the nephew of Zhuge Liang who said to be clever but very arrogant, but Sun Quan was always impressed with the wit Zhuge Ke carried. He became the main strategist after Lu Xun died and began military campaigns against Wei, though he scored an impressive victory at the Battle of Dongxing, Zhuge Ke suffered a major loss a year later when he tried to take Hefei Castle. He was assassinated by Sun Jun for never admitting his failure after the battle.

 Musou Profile:  Zhuge Ke takes pride in his family name, and because of it, he believes he is a master of war and politics like his uncle Zhuge Liang, but in truth, he is hotheaded and can be overaggressive at times. Many people have questioned if Zhuge Ke has what it takes to help Wu's future, but Zhuge Ke is confident that he will never make mistakes that will harm the kingdom of Wu.

SUN CHEN (ZITONG) - Bringer of Countless Atrocities (231 A.D. - 258 A.D.)

Faction: Wu

Weapon: Emeici

 Historical Profile:  Historically known as Sun Lin, he was Sun Jun's younger cousin. Before he died of illness, Sun Jun transferred his powers to Sun Chen who would become greedy and arrogant with his newfound power. Sun Chen ruled tyrannically and committed countless atrocities towards the people of Wu. He brought down Lü  Ju and Teng Yin's revolt when they opposed Sun Chen, and had Zhu Yi executed when the officer failed to defeat Sima Zhao's army during the rebellion of Zhuge Dan. He was finally arrested and executed for his atrocious crimes by third emperor of Wu Sun Xiu and generals Ding Feng and Zhang Bu.

 Musou Profile:  An arrogant man who first obeys his cousin Sun Jun's orders without question. He believes that a person in power must show an example of why he is in power, but doesn't realize that such a judgement has made him more enemies than allies. Because of this, Sun Chen is ruthless and abuses his authority.

ZHU YI (JIWEN) - Promising Future of Wu (??? A.D. - 257 A.D.)

Faction: Wu

Weapon: Flame Sword

 Historical Profile:  Son of the Wu general Zhu Huan, Zhu Yi was given his father's position after the latter died. Originally fought under the command of Zhu Ran (no relation), Zhu Yi soon made a name for himself, he led 2,000 troops on a daring assault on Wei's large encampment in Lujiang that was commanded by Wen Qin. The attack decimated the Wei forces utterly and Sun Quan could not help but praise Zhu Yi for the achievement, remarking that he was "braver and sturdier than he had heard". Zhu Yi also performed well in the Battle of Dongxing, where he impeded the enemy advance and destroyed Hu Zun and Zhuge Dan's floating bridges. When Zhuge Dan rebelled against Sima Zhao in 257, Sun Chen ordered Zhu Yi to assist him, but Zhu Yi kept losing against Wei due to his troops weak from the journey and lack of provisions. Zhu Yi complained the reason they were losing, but this only angered Sun Chen and Zhu Yi was executed as a result.

 Musou Profile:  Zhu Yi is the son of Zhu Huan who is quickly becoming a rising officer of promising renown, he has known Lu Kang and Lü  Ju since they were all young and he works well together with them. In battle, he deals with a situation that is suited best for him and his army even in the face of defeat, he wishes to keep the casualty of his allies as low as possible. Zhu Yi wishes nothing more than to perform not only his best but that of his allies too.

LÜ  JU (SHIYI) - Loyal General to His Kingdom (??? - 256 A.D.)

Faction: Wu

Weapon: Sword & Spear

 Historical Profile:  The second son of Lü  Fan, Lü  Ju was an extremely gifted military general of Wu during the late Three Kingdoms period. He fought amazingly well in the Battle of Dongxing under Ding Feng, scoring an amazing victory, and was also present in the Siege of Hefei Castle and the rebellion of Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin. When Sun Chen claimed power after Sun Jun died, Lü  Ju, along with Teng Yin, opposed him due to his atrocious ways and rebelled, but they were struck back militarily by Sun Chen. Despaired at the fact that he rebelled against the kingdom he loved, Lü  Ju committed suicide.

 Musou Profile:  A very talented warrior with a promising future. Lü  Ju is completely loyal and would willingly give his life to Wu, eagerly showing his enemies the strength and passion behind it. He gets along well with Lu Kang and Ding Feng whom he has fought alongside in the past and also regards the troops under him with respect.

ZHANG TI (JUXIAN) - The Last Wu Chancellor (236 A.D. - 280 A.D.)

Faction: Wu

Weapon: Blade Bow

 Historical Profile:  A civil officer of Wu before becoming the kingdom's last prime minister, Zhang Ti's major role in the Three Kingdoms era was when Jin finally invaded Wu. Zhang Ti defended his country against Jin and keeping them at bay, declaring that he'll never abandon his kingdom in its time of need. Defiant to his enemies and loyal to his kingdom, Zhang Ti was eventually killed when Jin officers Xue Sheng and Jiang Ban launched a massive suprise attack.

 Musou Profile:  A man who begins his service with Wu when the kingdom is beginning to struggle. A believer of hope, Zhang Ti holds firm that Wu will not fall as long as people like him still care about the land and its people. He is aware of the position he is in, now that the land of Wu is lead by Sun Hao and has become a dangerous and poor place to live.

Characters Include/Cut Section.
This section is where I reveal my reason of including the new characters into game and cutting the most godawful choices Koei ever came up for a character. Although there would've been slightly a little more characters cut from the game, but they either have a significant role or because wellll....they've more or less grown on me for all these years. First off, I'd keep Pang De in the game because Battle of Fan Castle would never be the same without him if Koei decided to cut him in the next game. Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, Guan Ping, Guan Suo, Bao Sanniang, Xu Shu and are cut off from this game because to me, having them as playable characters in the first place doesn't make any sense at all.

THE REASONS I INCLUDED THESE CHARACTERS

WANG JUN - Very important character when Jin conquers Wu. Wang Jun is by far one character other than Liao Hua that needs to be included, this guy WAS the warrior who succeeded in bringing an end to the chaos where even the likes of Zhao Yun and Xiahou Dun failed.

DU YU - Same as Wang Jun. Du Yu fits the bill for serving as 'the lancer' to the new Jin characters, plus he's an important character for the Late Three Kingdoms era storyline in the game.

YANG HU - Same as both Wang Jun and Du Yu. Also his friendship with Lu Kang makes him quite important to the story, so seeing it will be interesting to say the least.

HU LIE - It's a real shame he doesn't have a Three Kingdoms biography, let alone one in the Book of Jin. Hu Lie was a pretty damn good general if his military career is anything to go by. Screw it, he deserves to be playable full stop.

YANG HUIYU - Now we can't have Dynasty Warriors game without a new female character now can we? Since Sima Shi's father and brother have wives as playable, why not Yang Huiyu? Also I'd want Yuanji (who is my favourite character of the series btw) to have a friend to converse with. That's why I chose her.

LIAO HUA - This guy should've been playable in the series for a long time (especially Dynasty Warriors 7), he is by far a very, VERY important character for Shu in the late Three Kingdoms period. He is a much better choice than Guan Sucks, Bao Sannyaa~, Xu Shu and Fa Zheng. I just seriously don't understand why Koei don't include this awesome guy in the series, its like they hate him that badly, seriously, this guy's got accomplishments that qualifies him as playable than even just about every character. If there was ever a new game that was about the Three Kingdoms, I would pick this guy as the protagonist first hands down.

MA YUNLU - I know, I know she's fictional, in fact more fictional than Bao Sannyaa~, but to be honest, I'd prefer Ma Yunlu than the latter any day. And at least Zhao Yun was an actual person in real life who really did those deeds.

CHENG PU - So they included Han Dang in Dynasty Warriors 8, I'm surprised they didn't include this guy also. Cheng Pu is a much better character choice than Lu Su in my opinion.

LU KANG - I think what the Kingdom of Wu truly needs is characters from the late Three Kingdoms era, I'm aware that so many Wu fans hate what happens to their beloved kingdom but they all must accept it eventually. Anyway, Lu Kang would be the first choice for late Wu storyline, as he's pretty much the main character for them, also his friendship rivalry with Yang Hu is really signficant to the story and very relevant to their roles.

ZHUGE KE - Since Shu and Wei (well Jin) have a Zhuge in their roster, it would make sense that Wu can have a Zhuge member in their roster too. Also a late Wu character is essential so Zhuge Ke was relevantly chosen and no, his father Zhuge Jin would NOT be an ideal playable character.

SUN CHEN - I have three very good reasons why Sun Chen should be included. 1) The Dynasty Warriors series lacks evil playable characters so he should be added. 2) Wu needs late Three Kingdoms characters in their roster. 3) Sun Chen IS one of the main reason why the kingdom of Wu eventually turns into a state of decay because of his crimes, also he does have a military achievement.

ZHU YI  - Until recently, I didn't think much on Zhu Yi, like everyone else I thought of him as "the guy who gets executed by Sun Chen". But when I read about his history, there is indeed more to him and he was actually a pretty good general compared to other officers in Wu during the late Three Kingdoms era. No seriously, if you get the opportunity to find information about Zhu Yi (or ask me instead, it's up to you), you'll totally understand why I want him playable.

LÜ  JU - He is what might I consider the Zhuge Dan of Wu, though the difference is that Lü  Ju doesn't develop into a 'Ron the Death Eater' type like Zhuge Dan does since Sun Chen is a villain. I'd recommend Lü  Ju because he does have some military achievements and his rebellion against Sun Chen is worth metioning in the late Wu storyline.

ZHANG TI  - He may not have been an excellent choice by many people's standards, but Zhang Ti is one of the few good guys (along with Lu Kang, Ding Feng and Lu Ju) in late Wu. His major role was his final defiant stand during the downfall of Wu and I couldn't help but respect the guy. I'd include Zhang Ti not just because he's a late Wu character, but because he's one of the major characters in Jin's conquest of Wu and died heroically, yet he barely gets mentioned. I think Koei should include him to show just much of a crowning moment of awesome Zhang Ti has.

MAN CHONG - The only notable Wei character I can think of who is significant for the Siege of Hefei Castle, since its successful defense was his crowning moment, so he's relevant to the Wei storyline at that point, since Sima Yi got transferred as the leader of his own faction. Wei REALLY needs a playable character or two that lived around the time Siege of Hefei Castle and Battle of Wuzhang Plains occurred.