Dynasty Warriors Origins has been largely regarded as having a generally positive reception, thanks to the properly rebooted action gameplay system. However, those who already have long-time attachments to the series, especially to the characters and historical events, would find a good number of gaping holes in the new game's storytelling due to the more-than-necessary cuts of recurring unique characters. One such character whose absence in Dynasty Warriors Origins is very noticeable is Lu Xun from the Sun Wu faction.

Lu Xun has been one of the popular mainstay characters of the Dynasty Warriors series ever since he appeared in the original PS1 fighting game. However, the historical figure was arguably best known for commanding the Wu army in launching a chain fire attack on the Shu camps at the Battle of Yiling in 222 AD.

Perhaps Omega Force referred to that feat as the primary reason for forgoing Lu Xun in Dynasty Warriors Origins, which only covered events up to the Battle of Chi Bi / Red Cliffs in 208 AD. Even though Lu Xun also had several campaigns against the unruly Shanyue tribe, which is also featured more prominently in the Sun clan's storyline in Origins, those skirmishes took place in the mid-210s. However, he historically started serving the Sun clan from around 203 AD, which is actually within the period covered in the new game.

In addition, as Omega Force claimed that Dynasty Warriors Origins has an extensive focus on the shorter period, it included several battles that were not covered in prior series entries. One of them just so happened to feature figures from the same clan as Lu Xun, which makes the latter's exclusion far more perplexing.

The battle in question is the Siege of Lujiang, which ran for two years and concluded in 195 AD. Even though this battle was barely mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, Sun Ce historically appeared and commanded the attacking side of the battle when he was still serving as a vassal of Yuan Shu. The leader of the defending side was none other than Lu Xun's granduncle Lu Kang, whose name in kanji/hanzi (陸康) is different from Lu Xun's future son (陸抗).

The historical relationship between the two key figures was not good either. When Sun Ce paid a visit to Lu Kang far before the siege, the latter disrespected him by not meeting him in person and sending a subordinate instead.

Lu Kang historically died roughly one month after the siege concluded, though not before he appointed Lu Xun as the new head of the clan. When Lu Xun eventually decided to serve under Sun Quan, the liege had him later marry one of Sun Ce's daughters as a measure to mend the relationship between the Sun and Lu clans.

When I previously published a list of period-relevant characters missing in Dynasty Warriors Origins' unique character roster, I initially assumed that Cao Ren would be the most jarring exclusion because he originally filled the enemy commander role in the Battle of Xinye. However, the game's producer Tomohiko Sho has since tweeted his defense of the decision, noting that he wants to depict Cao Ren closer to his deeds from historical sources rather than the fodder general persona as shown during the aforementioned battle in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel.

But I digress slightly. As the Dynasty Warriors series generally features a loose retelling of the Chinese Three Kingdoms-era history and folklore, Origins did also have some changes to the detailed relationships, especially since Omega Force portrayed Sun Ce in a better light as one of the game story's main characters.

With the Dynasty Warriors Origins rendition of Lu Kang noticing Sun Ce's difference from Yuan Shu when the former spared him, he may have conveyed the observation to Lu Xun when he was about to have the latter succeed him. However, Lu Xun ended up never appearing in the game when he should have as Sun Quan's reign starts in a later chapter.

I would consider this a missed opportunity even worse than Cao Ren's absence from the Battle of Xinye. It would have shown how Sun Ce's comion earned him respect from a clan he had defeated previously, especially amid the regional animosity that led to the battle that featured his historical death scene.

The latest mainline Dynasty Warriors entry that featured Lu Xun is Dynasty Warriors 9, which Koei Tecmo released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2018. The newer entry Dynasty Warriors Origins has been available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC since January 2025, but its unique character roster does not include Lu Xun.

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47 (Forty-seven). That is the total number of Musou Officers—the official term for the unique combatant characters—Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have specified in Dynasty Warriors Origins. This number is also exactly half of the Dynasty Warriors 9 roster, which had 94 characters. We have since known all the characters in that list. But while most of the missing characters are due to the period constraints, some of them are actually within the period covered and thus may bring the story depth of Dynasty Warriors Origins into question.

The PS2-era Dynasty Warriors entries covered events until the Battle of Wuzhang Plains in 234 AD. Dynasty Warriors 7 onwards extended the coverage to the fall of the Shu kingdom in 264 AD. However, Origins' producer Tomohiko Sho revealed that the new game will only go until the Battle of Chi Bi / Red Cliffs in 208 AD.

That naturally means characters who were born or debuted after 208 AD have no chance of appearing here. I also noticed a general aversion to bringing children characters outside Sun Jian's family, such as Cao Pi and Guan Ping. In addition, the protagonist's viewpoint will branch from the Han coalition to follow one of the period's three main faction leaders. That means the game will not seem to feature events outside those viewpoints, such as the debut of Ma Chao shortly after Dong Zhuo's assassination in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel.

However, not all characters who are missing from Dynasty Warriors Origins' roster could fit into the above reasons. A few of them have notable episodes inside the timeline covered in the game, but they are still notably absent from the list.

For example, when Tomohiko Sho revealed Zhuge Liang's wife Yueying, he added that she will be the only female character in Liu Bei's faction. That line pretty much rules out Xiahouji, Xiahou Yuan's niece who is also the eventual wife of Zhang Fei. The two would have their fated encounter in the year 200 AD, which still falls within Origins' covered timeline.

We have also seen Zhenji appearing both in combat and event scenes. However, the lack of her future husband Cao Pi casts doubt on her prominence in the storyline. I would have liked to see Cai Wenji fill that slot instead. She could have been featured in a side stage based on an episode in 207 AD where Cao Cao ransomed her from the Xiongnu tribe. In addition, she does not come with any additional baggage as nobody else in her immediate family has been made a unique character in the series.

On the other side in the Sun family, Da Qiao had once suffered the fate of getting omitted in Dynasty Warriors 6's roster, with her sister Xiao Qiao making the cut. This time around though, neither of the sisters is on the list. That would add a question on how Omega Force will handle the background to the Battle of Chi Bi, as Cao Cao's interest in the Qiao sisters has been touted as one of the motives behind the campaign.

Outside the three main factions, Dong Zhuo's granddaughter Dong Bai is one of the characters not listed in Dynasty Warriors Origins despite appearing in Dynasty Warriors Blast and Dynasty Warriors 9. While Dong Bai did not appear in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, she did get a mention in the historical Records of the Three Kingdoms. Her appearance would have helped depict another side of Dong Zhuo, who granted titles and privileges to his family when he was in power.

One of the largest omissions in the list would be the daughter of Lu Bu, Lu Lingqi. The character has been garnering popularity in the Three Kingdoms fandom ever since Koei introduced her in the 2003 game Dynasty Tactics 2. Depicting Lu Bu's daughter as a warrior akin to her father has become a staple in many Three Kingdoms-themed games, so removing her from the roster would feel out of touch.

I have been mostly mentioning the series' female characters above, but there are also several notable male figures who are missing in Dynasty Warriors Origins' 47-character roster. Lu Xun, Xu Sheng, and Ding Feng were among the list of people who newly ed Sun Quan when the latter took leadership of the clan in the early 200s. However, it can be argued that their primary spotlights would come in the later battles.

But a couple of the most notable omissions would come from Cao Cao's faction. Man Chong had been working under Cao Cao since the early days. But even though he barely had notable activities during the early-period battles, he was the very man responsible for recruiting the great general Xu Huang into Cao Cao's ranks.

However, no omission in the roster is more jarring than the lack of Cao Ren. Historical notes suggested that the general often commanded separate units away from Cao Cao's main army, but the inclusion of Xu Shu necessitates the depiction of the latter's one-time tactical to Liu Bei, which turned into the Battle of Xinye in the novel. While Li Dian also took part in the opposing side of this battle, there would be a massive unfillable void if Cao Ren himself did not appear as the army's commander.

When I wrote this article, Omega Force was still gradually re-introducing the 16 characters who have appeared on the game's official website. Therefore, it is still unclear whether the characters mentioned above will still appear or remain entirely missing in Dynasty Warriors Origins.

But after seeing the introduction of Zhuge Liang's teacher Sima Hui as a new non-combatant NPC, it gave me a sliver of hope that some of the above characters can still appear as event-exclusive NPCs. Seeing warrior-type characters like Cao Ren and Lu Lingqi without any combat appearances would still feel rather out of place, though.

Dynasty Warriors Origins will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC worldwide on January 17, 2025.

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• “[Dynasty Warriors 9’s] system itself doesn’t fit Xtreme Legends, so there are no plans for a Dynasty Warriors 9: Xtreme Legends.”
• “Dynasty Warriors 9 is not received well by people who expected a usual Warriors/Musou game. And while there have been strong criticisms, there are also voices of praises. I think we may have derived and broadened our range too much on the challenge.”
• “Perhaps the Open World system won’t be adopted in future numbered titles, but it is the best method to pull out the appeal of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Although I still don’t know yet what kind of title it will be like, I want to try making it once more.”
• “Although it’s just my own personal opinion, I think such a route like Dynasty Warriors 9-II would also be possible.”
• “I hope we can announce the 20th anniversary celebration titles soon. By the way, there is not just one title to celebrate it.”
• “The live-action movie is already done and I watched the advance screening. It’s a wonderful movie and is totally a Musou.”

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While Dynasty Warriors 9’s initial reception may have been mixed, the title has just received an honorary designation. It has become a PlayStation Hits title. This means people can now pick up the entry for $19.99. It also means the base game itself is cheaper than each of its three season es, as the first was $24.99 and second and third were $44.99 each.

Dynasty Warriors 9 showed up on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in February 2018. It marked a number of firsts for the series, with the biggest change being an open world people can explore. As usual, it eventually ended up having a roster of over 80 characters and went over the story of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Dynasty Warriors 9 is immediately available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, digitally the only options tend to be bundles that include DLC, though their prices will be reduced to go along with the new PlayStation Hits status. There is a free trial for Dynasty Warriors 9 available, for people who would like to sample the game before purchasing it. More recently, a mobile version from Nexon that makes it an action MMORPG was announced.

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Nexon announced that its subsidiary Nexon Korea has entered into licensing and global publishing agreements with Koei Tecmo for a new action MMORPG smartphone game, Dynasty Warriors 9 Mobile based on Dynasty Warriors 9.   According to the press release Dynasty Warriors 9 Mobile is under development by “One Studio” under Nexon Korea. The action MMORPG based on Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors IP will aim to recreate the original title’s open world and action with its warriors.   Here’s a quote from Kun Wook Song, Development Director of One Studio:

“We are very happy to be able to deliver Dynasty Warriors 9, which is a representative Musou action game, as a mobile MMORPG. Please look forward to enjoying the unique action of Dynasty Warriors 9 Mobile.”

  Dynasty Warriors 9 Mobile is in development for iOS and Android.

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  As mentioned in our previous report, Koei Tecmo began rolling out Season 3 of DLC for Dynasty Warriors 9 beginning in February, and now they have shown off three of the six new weapons that will be available for purchase on PS Store and Steam starting March 7, 2019 for 400 yen each.   Sanjiegun

  Wielder: Zhu Ran   Gameplay:   Fang Bow  

  Wielder: Huang Zhong   Gameplay:   Crossed Pike  

  Wielder: Lu Lingqi   The weapons will be available both separately and as part of the third Season .   Dynasty Warriors 9 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Check out the full Season 3 details in our previous article here.

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Koei Tecmo announced that Dynasty Warriors 9 is getting a Season 3 with DLC set to roll out from February 14. It includes 16 costumes, six new weapons, and four scenario sets that include costumes. The following characters will get Knight-style costumes:

• Lu Xun
• Xun Yu
• Wang Yuanji
• Yue Jin
• Sun Shangxiang
• Ma Dai
• Xin Xianying
• Gan Ning (samurai costume)
• Xingcai
• Guan Yinping
• Diaochan
• Li Dian
• Lianshi
• Jia Chong
• Wang Yi
• Ling Tong (samurai costume)

The following new weapons will be added:

• Sanjiegun
• Steel Flute
• Fang Bow
• Flail
• Crossed Pike
• Bow & Rod

The following characters will get additional hypothetical scenarios and costumes:

• Cao Pi
• Fa Zheng
• Lu Su
• Zhong Hui

The Season 3 releases in Japan on February 14, 2019, priced at 5,800 yen plus tax. Dynasty Warriors 9 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can check out some of the latest DLC costumes including nurse Wang Yuanji, bridal Diaochan, and more in our previous report.

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Dynasty Warriors 9 released its fourth wave of DLC costumes featuring a nurse outfit for Wang Yuanji, a bridal costume for Diaochan, a high school girl Lu Lingqi, and Gothic Lolita Dong Bai.   Wang Yuanji – Nurse Costume   Diaochan – Bridal Costume     Lu Lingqi – High School Girl Costume   Dong Bai – Gothic Lolita Costume* *Requires the Additional Scenario Pack sold separately to purchase   All four costumes are available for 300 yen plus tax each and are included as part of the Season 2.   Dynasty Warriors 9 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Check our previous report for a look at the game’s latest DLC weapons.

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  Dynasty Warriors 9’s next DLC brings back specialty weapons for Li Dian, Sima Shi, and Yue Jin. This means the Crescent-Moon Spade, Lightning Sword, and Twin Hookswords will return. The new weapons are set to come out on January 10, 2019 on PlayStation Store and Steam for 400 yen each.   Check out some screenshots and gameplay below: Crescent-Moon Spade

  Wielder: Li Dian     Lightning Sword

  Wielder: Sima Shi   Twin Hookswords

  Wielder: Yue Jin   These weapons will also be made available as part of the Season 2 DLC .   Dynasty Warriors 9 is available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The last set of DLC added was a collection of costumes themed around uniforms, which you can check out here.

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Koei Tecmo announced that Dynasty Warriors 9 is getting its next set of DLC costumes on November 22, 2018. It includes costumes for Xingcai, Bao Sanniang, Guan Yinping, and Xiahou Ji.     Xingcai – “High School Girl-Style Costume”   Bao Sanniang – “Cheer Girl-Style Costume”   Guan Yinping – “High School Girl-Style Costume”   Xiahou Ji – “Newly Married-Style Costume”   The costumes will be available for 300 yen plus tax each starting November 22. They’re also available as part of the game’s Season 2.   Dynasty Warriors 9 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It recently added online and offline co-op, which you can check in our previous report.

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Dynasty Warriors 9 recently got two-player co-op in an update that added online and offline multiplayer gameplay. Koei Tecmo released a new trailer giving us a look at some of its multiplayer action.   The trailer also goes over the Season 2 that adds 16 new costumes, 6 new weapons, 4 more scenarios, 4 scenario costumes as new DLC, and plenty more.   Those of you interested in trying it out, a demo for Dynasty Warriors 9 will release for PS4 and Xbox One on November 1. The PC version will arrive earlier on November 1, 2018.   Dynasty Warriors 9 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Dynasty Warriors 9 producer Akihiro Suzuki and director Atsushi Miyauchi revealed in an interview with Famitsu that the game is getting its offline and online co-op play October 23, 2018.   While Dynasty Warriors 9 can run at 60fps on PlayStation 4 Pro’s Action Mode, during split-screen co-op play it’ll run at 30fps. As far as gameplay goes, players get some freedom by being able to take on their own missions. Co-op play basically runs on Free Mode, and you’ll get to freely choose any officers you’ve unlocked to play as.   While playing offline, another player can drop-in for some co-op by simply holding down the 2P controller button to start working together right away. 2P can drop out at any time.   In online play you’ll not only be able to summon friends, but also summon other players. However, while playing online everyone will get to keep all their respective items obtained, but in local co-op mode everything goes to 1P.     As far as other gameplay features go, players working together will get to do cooperative moves such as have 1P launch enemies in the air and 2P follows with some big hits.   As far as other updates go, Koei Tecmo is working on DLC that is being requested, from costumes for officers to scenarios. Weapons, popular content and more from past titles will be released in Dynasty Warriors 9. You can expect them to start coming in sometime starting late November.   Starting November 1, players will also get to check out its “Free Co-op & Demo Version” that lets you try out the game’s online co-op mode with friends. The demo lets you choose three of its 90 characters to play their opening stages. Those who only wish to check out certain officers can get them from 200 to 400 yen that varies based on their scenario length.   Dynasty Warriors 9 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Dynasty Warriors 9 producer Akihiro Suzuki shared an update on the series’ official Twitter saying that the game will add some co-op options later this month.   According to the tweet, Dynasty Warriors 9 will add two-player options for local split-screen and onlin with a free update this month. Additionally, there will be new DLC with costumes, weapons, and scenario. More information will be shared in the near future.   Dynasty Warriors 9 is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Koei Tecmo announced a few Warriors Orochi 4 bonuses for fans of the Warriors series that have save data of the previous entry Warriors Orochi 3 as well as Dynasty Warriors 9.   As a bonus for those who played its predecessor, “Stock EXP” will be given to players with save data for Warriors Orochi 3 and Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate. Stock EXP is basically experience points you can give to increase your character levels in Warriors Orochi 4. The number of exp varies based on the total number of enemies you’ve defeated, but there’s a cap of 100,000.   All you need is a save data from Warriors Orochi 3 or Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate. Here are the compatible titles:

• Warriors Orochi 4 (PS4 version):
  • Warriors Orochi 3 (PS3 version)
  • Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (PS4 version)
  • Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (PS3 version)
  • Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (PS Vita version)

• Warriors Orochi 4 (Nintendo Switch Version)
  • Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate (Nintendo Switch Version)

  There’s also a little something for those with save data from Dynasty Warriors 9 with the following costumes:

• Zhenji
• Daqiao
• Yueying
• Wang Yuanji
• Diaochan

  Here are the compatible versions and where they can get the save data from:

• Warriors Orochi 3 (PS4 version) – Dynasty Warriors 9 (PS4 version)
• Warriors Orochi 3 (Steam version) – Dynasty Warriors 9 (Steam version)

  Keep in mind that these are bonuses that were announced for Japan so it doesn’t include any bonuses for Xbox, but we’ll likely get something similar with it included in the West.   Warriors Orochi 4 releases in Japan on September 27, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The game releases in North America on October 16, 2018 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam worldwide. In case you missed it, check our previous report for trailers featuring the new characters Athena and Zeus.

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Dynasty Warriors 9 already released all  additional DLCS packs of its Season , but fans can look forward to more as Koei Tecmo says they plan to release more updates and DLCs for it in the future.   Here’s a message from producer Akihiro Suzuki on the series’ official Twitter : “Suzuki-P: Regarding Dynasty Warriors 9, we have plans to deliver more updates and DLC. We’re currently preparing all kinds of things, so please wait a little longer.”   Dynasty Warriors 9 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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