Unit Types (Samurai Warriors)

The following is a list of common troop and officer types found in the Samurai Warriors series. General troops cannot perform musou attacks unless the player uses Nene's clone technique. While disguised as them, the player can execute this ability with the exception of the Women troops. Their movesets are also generally limited to one hit attacks. Generic officers can perform simple, musou attacks against the player by default and can execute a higher number of simple combos.

Common Troops

 * Soldier - Soldiers wear simple colored headbands, chest plates, gauntlets and shin guards. Their arms and legs are exposed and they carry a sword.
 * Light Infantry - They wear wide-brimmed hats and a simple armor to protect themselves and wield a spear. They appear in Samurai Warriors as bodyguards.
 * Infantry - These troops wear similar armor and use the same spears as the Light Infantry but wear stronger helmets.
 * Heavy Infantry - They wear heavier armor than the light troops and command a unit of four infantry. They wield a shield and a spear and usually serve as defense captains for gates and bases.
 * Woman - The female counterpart of the soldier wearing simple armor, and metal headbands with their arms and thighs exposed. They will wield a sword or a naginata. Both weapons have the same movesets as officers, but are limited due to their class type.
 * Archer - They wear leather armor and a hat and can command a few archers under him. Unlike muskets, arrows cannot penetrate the player's guard but can make the player fall off their mount or stagger when on foot. Their female counterpart uses the woman model, and is only available as a bodyguard in Samurai Warriors 2.
 * Musketeer - They wear leather armor and a cap and command a few riflemen. Musket bullets can break your guard and make the player fall from their mount.
 * Peasant - These soldiers wear simple cloth armor, little protection and use spears.
 * Shrine Maid - They appear only as bodyguards in Samurai Warriors 2, wearing a typical priestess attire and wield a naginata.
 * Lady Samurai - Another bodyguard unit originating from the second game. They wield a sword with the same moveset as a normal officer.

Ninja

 * Ninja - They are one of the fastest troops, wearing a basic ninja attire and use ninjato. They are the only troop that utilizes a complete basic moveset, containing four normal attacks and charge attacks each. Ninja are slightly less sturdy than typical troops and can perform a wind-based musou attack as Nene. Ninjas also appear as bodyguards in the series.
 * Kunoichi - Also called Lady Ninja, are the female counterparts of the Ninja and use the same moveset. They wear slightly more revealing clothing and also appear as bodyguards in both the first and second games.
 * Sumo - Also called Strike Ninja in the first game, they are the heaviest and slowest of all the units. They use their bare hands to push or throw enemies aside and are more resilient than all other units. Their strikes are quite powerful and can break a player's guard.
 * Sky Ninja - A skinny ninja wielding a drill. They only have a normal attack, which involves burrowing into the ground. He can move whist buried and launch an unblockable attack by leaping out from underneath the player. A glowing red circle on the ground will indicate when they will strike.
 * Monk - Also sometimes known as Wind Ninja, they wear basket-like hats that cover their heads and a monk attire. Their normal attack involves the monk rolling around, damaging any enemy he hits. Their charge attack is a support move, giving troops near him a status buff while playing a tune from his flute. They also appear as bodyguards in Samurai Warriors 2 and they are given a naginata moveset instead.
 * Fire Ninja - A ninja bringing a backpack full of bombs. His normal attack plants a bomb which will explode after a certain amount of time. His charge attack throws a bomb that explodes on impact. He also appears as a bodyguard.
 * Master Ninja - These units wear heavier ninja tunics, use ninjato and command lesser ninja units.

Kyushu Troops

 * Kyushu Soldier - These troops dress in a fusion of European-styled breastplates and samurai armor as protection for their shoulders and thighs. They all carry spears and wear simple helmets.
 * Kyushu Captain - Captains wear a slightly more heavily armored variation of the typical soldier mentioned above. They don thicker helmets and use a sword.

Generic Officers

 * Brave - Officers in this category wear a typical full set of armor, an opened-faced, antlered-horned helmet and fight with a spear.
 * Strong - These generals dress in typical armor used for the chest, shins, shoulders and gauntlets. They don a two horned, black helmet, a plain, open-sleeved surcoat over their armor and wield a sword. They are generally younger in appearance than the other officer types.
 * Fierce - Generals in this class fix armor only on their left shoulder and wear no under-robe. They are adorned with a small breastplate, throat guard, protection for their legs. They carry a spear and wear a flamed-horn helmet.
 * Noble - These soldiers wear light protection, equipped with a simple breastplate and gauntlets. They wear aristocratic hats and white headbands to reflect their status and use naginata.
 * Wise - Warriors in this group usually consist of strategists and old army veterans. They wear a similar attire as the younger Strong officers, don a simple cap and wield a naginata.
 * Wild - Officers in this rank equip a mix of European-styled breastplates and typical samurai armaments for the arms and legs. They wear a face mask, a tall feathered helmet and employ a sword.