The Dynasty Warriors roster is massive. Koei's open-world hack and slash series has been going since 1997, with the first title in the epic saga of the Three Kingdoms featuring 16 playable fighters before later titles filled out the ranks with more and more additions. With Dynasty Warriors 9, the series' most recent release, boasting a staggering 90 playable characters from five distinct factions, the franchise isn't short on protagonists.

Dynasty Warriors is bursting at the seams with varied and unique warriors, many of whom could justifiably be cited as being the best, from the face of the series, Zhao Yun, to the infamously powerful antagonist Lu Bu. However, another fighter who has been there since the very beginning can claim to be the franchise's greatest hero.

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Xiahou Dun Dynasty Warriors 9

Xiahou Dun, the cousin of the legendary Wu warlord Cao Cao, is easily one of the most recognizable and beloved Dynasty Warriors protagonists, distinguishable via his huge, curved scimitar and distinctive eye patch. He may not possess Lu Bu's legendary strength or Zhou Tai's katana-wielding presence, but Xiahou Dun's personality and design make him one of the series' elites. An independent poll of hundreds of Dynasty Warriors players found Xiahou Dun to be the Wu Dynasty's most popular character with 2,416 votes, with only Lu Bu receiving more across all factions. While Lu Bu might be iconic, his death comes early in the Three Kingdoms narrative, slain by Cao Cao's coalition. Xiahou Dun remains integral to the story long after Lu Bu's death.

If Xiahou Dun is one of the most popular Dynasty Warriors fighters, he's also an acquired taste in terms of how he plays. Other warriors such as Zhao Yun and Ma Chao are more accessible, offering novices quick, effective combos and large attack zones compared to Xiahou Dun's tighter style. Still, the one-eyed general is ideal for those looking to inflict massive, concentrated damage with amazing speed. Xiahou Dun can quickly dispatch enemy officers and generals, and mastering the famous Wu general is immensely rewarding if given time.

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While Xiahou Dun may be known for his fiery temper and capacity for cruelty, few could doubt his honor and loyalty to Cao Cao. The pair's friendship is one of Dynasty Warrior's key dynamics, built upon Xiahou Dun's unwavering devotion to his cousin and shown in a key scene in which he cannot focus on a game of Go until he has defeated Cao Cao's rival, Yuan Shao. However, when conversing with Xu Zhu, Xiahou Dun expresses frustration that this devotion doesn't necessarily bring him clarity over his master's plans: "when it comes to my cousin," he muses, "who could understand his convoluted dreams?" When Xiahou Dun slays Guan Yu, meanwhile, his hatred for his rival doesn't preclude him from giving the Shu general the proper respect in death. The one-eyed general has surprisingly subtlety, depth, and even a hint of internal moral struggle.

Xiahou Dun Dynasty Warriors

Xiahou Dun's may be a steady companion off the battlefield, but his reputation on it is even more impressive. Xiahou Dun was integral to Cao Cao's conquest of China, his exploits in the decisive battle of the Wu Zhang Plains especially marking him out for acclaim. While Lu Bu or Guan Yu often take much of the attention as warriors verging on gods, Xiahou Dun's unparalleled tenacity and unwavering spirit epitomize noble heroism. The story of the loss of Xiahou Dun's eye is infamous in Dynasty Warriors lore, with the Wu general pulling out and swallowing his own eyeball in battle after an arrow struck him from a distance. Even if Xiahou Dun isn't the strongest warrior, his tenacity and bravery are practically unmatched.

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Dynasty Warriors is undoubtedly a series that leans heavily on aesthetics to bring its settings and characters to life. Its heroes' designs are often integral in dictating whether they will be well-received by the series' fan base. Some warriors are generic and bland, while others suffer from cluttered, confused ideas and chronic over-design, but Xiahou Dun is just right, his piratical garb, iconic eye-patch and sleek black hair defining the character before he's uttered a syllable. Character development and narrative arcs have their place, but style is as important as substance in arcade-esque series like Dynasty Warriors.

Xiahou Dun is a vital component of the Dynasty Warriors series despite not dominating the property as some of his contemporaries do. Rarely the cover star and sometimes overshadowed by generals of higher status, Xiahou Dun is integral to his clan and the Three Kingdoms story. What separates him, however, is his personality, tenacity and bloody-mindedness in the face of unwinnable odds, as well as his unfailing loyalty to his master. Dynasty Warriors doesn't often deal in subtle characterization, but Xiahou Dun is arguably the closest the franchise gets to a genuinely well-rounded, even complex hero.

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