10: Ma Chao
Ok, I admit, I admit, I like him purely due to his looks and color scheme. He's always been associated with Dragons, which is really badass, and most of his designs have been nothing short of amazing... except maybe his DW 6 looks. Ma Chao wields a spear, and flies with the traditional green colors of Shu, usually complimented with yellow armor and highlights and fights for justice. My favorite design was his DW 7 incarnation.
9: Dian Wei
While I liked Ma Chao for his looks, I like Dian Wei for his personality. Really, I'm not a fan of bald beefcakes, but this guy is all kinds of badass. Dian Wei isn't particularly smart, and thinks he can solve anything by force, and surprisingly, he is a very nice guy. He admires Cao Cao to a fault, becoming his bodyguard and eventually giving up his life for him in one of the most memorable scenes in the series... Even after dying from the numerous volleys of arrows, his body continues to stand in place, protecting his lord's retreat. Dian Wei usually wields an axe, although he did use the ball and chain in DW 6. My favorite version of Dian Wei is the one in DW 8.
8: Cao Cao
Early games portrayed Cao Cao as the most evil of the Kingdoms, in lieu with the somewhat biased novel, but as of.. 6? They've been showing that there was more to Cao Cao than a bloodthirsty demon. Which makes it hard not to somewhat sympathize with Cao Cao's views. Another pivotal moment that completely sold me on the character was Dian Wei's death in DW 7, in which he lamented Dian Wei's death as he promised: "I will not apologize, but I will make your dream a reality". That's Cao Cao, relentless on his pursue of his own vision of peace. Cao Cao has always fought with a Sword, and lately, he's been given some Ice attacks. My favorite rendition of the Lord of Chaos was in Dynasty Warriors 6.
7: Cao Pi
Cao Pi takes after his father, Cao Cao, and succeeds him after his death. Cao Pi is a very no-nonsense individual, and while he respects his father, he actually wants to surpass him. Proof of Cao Pi's worth is that Sima Yi respected him and worked with him... his successors weren't as apt as him, but Cao Pi gave Sima Yi his blessing should they not meet his expectations, further solidifying the mutual respect both men had for each other. Cao Pi has fought with two swords as well as a dual blade, and usually wears a ton of white alongside Wei's blue. My favorite version has to be the one in 8.
6: Zhou Yu
Zhou Yu used to be my favorite character, but my, how the mighty have fallen. His very first appearance, in DW 1 had him wearing a rather simple white attire. For DW2 he wore red and yellow, and as the games kept coming, he started adding more and more white to his colors. The first misstep was in DW 6, where they redesigned him from the ground up, and the result was hideous, they also took away his Jian for a bo staff. I can respect what they were going for with his DW7 version, but it was still a far cry from his badassery in previous installments. DW 8 is certainly a step in the right direction, but he is still wielding that damned staff. Zhou Yu was Wei's strategist, almost on par with Zhang Liao, he bore a rivalry with him until the ends of his days. One rather cute detail, is that Zhou Yu and his best friend Sun Ce married sisters. My favorite version was the one in Dynasty Warriors 5.
5: Lu Bu
You cannot make one of these lists without mentioning Lu Bu, you simply can't. While Zhao Yun is the guy that gets to appear in most covers, Lu Bu is the guy everyone remembers. Most games warn you not to pursue Lu Bu, and you'd best heed them until you've higher levels, else you might end up on the receiving end of his Halberd Boomerang-thing. As Cao Cao once put it, Lu Bu is stronger than anybody... and dumber than anybody else, his downfall is usually brought down upon himself by his own arrogance. Still, when you are this strong, you get bragging rights. My favorite costume of the mightiest warrior in the Three Kingdoms is his alternate costume in DW6, the gold version of the costume pictured above.
4: Sun Ce
Sun Ce, the 'Little Conqueror', is a very energetic, brash, charismatic and loud mouthed individual. He's prowess for battle isn't matched by his poor tactical insight, which is why he relies on his best friend and strategist Zhou Yu. His life is cut tragically short, but he leaves a lasting impression on his brother Sun Quan. Sun Ce is one of the many reasons Wu is my favorite Kingdom, he is an all-around nice guy, and is very straightforward in his approaches: If he can punch it, he will punch it. Sun Ce usually fights with Tonfas, but in DW 6 he used a Spear. My favorite version of the Little Conqueror was the one in 6, he had a very... Romeish attire, though I could do without the spear.
3: Wang Yuanji
Wang Yuanji is awesome. She's one of the few people that are not afraid to push Sima Zhao into getting stuff done. While she's Sima Zhao's future wife, in the game she seems to admire his brother, Sima Shi, and while she does have high hopes for Sima Zhao, she spends most of her time with him nagging. What makes Yuanji different from the rest of the rather plain female cast, is that she's very aloof and serious, and is more than "somebody's daughter" or "somebody's wife". Wang Yuanji isn't very strong, which is why her weapons are throwing knives, while weak, they cover a huge area and is ideal for raking up kills on common grunts. She's also cute like a button. My favorite version of her is.... tied. Both DW 7 and DW8 have great renditions of her!
2: Sun Quan
I admit I didn't like Sun Quan until Dynasty Warriors 7. He simply looked so... plain and forgettable. And then came Dynasty Warriors 7, and it delved deeply into Sun Quan, and my, was he an interesting character. He is what made, for me, Wu one of the most interesting Kingdoms in DW 7, and it's hard not to root for him. And, for the record, Shu totally had it coming, Liu Bei should've returned Jing as promised. He doesn't have the most badass look, he doesn't have the most badass personality, and the fact that he accomplishes so much while lacking in the badassery, is what makes him so engaging, you root for this guy, you want him to unify the Three Kingdoms. He's always used swords, and my favorite version of him is the one in Dynasty Warriors 8
1: Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao is the unlikeliest of heroes. At a glance, he looks and acts dumb, but that's only because he is lazy. Few people, like Want Yuanji and his brother, Sima Shi, can see beyond his laziness and the greatness that hides inside him. Sadly, it takes a while for his resolve to blossom, which makes enemies of some of his allies, but once he gets serious, he gets stuff done. He is the man that unified the three kingdoms, even if it didn't last long after his death. I really liked his story and personality in DW 7, but he looked... dumb, like a jock of sorts. But in DW 8 they changed him up, and he now looks like a proper hero. All in all, Sima Zhao is my favorite Dynasty Warriors character as of DW 8, hopefully his DW 9 redesign takes after his more heroic appearance.
No comments:
Post a Comment