Edit Characters (Dynasty Warriors)

Edit mode characters is a feature that was introduced to the Dynasty Warriors series in Dynasty Warriors 4. Edit mode allows the player to create their own characters based on preset costumes and abilities.

Dynasty Warriors 4
Players can choose a name, gender, costume, and weapon for their character. Edit officers' avatars are always silhouetted instead of showing the officer. After the character has been created, players will not be able to alter the character's appearance or weapon.

There are five weapon types an edit character can wield: sword, spear, pike, great sword and rapier. Choosing a weapon will emulate a player character's moveset with the exception the great sword and rapier. The corresponding character moveset and weapon are listed below:


 * Sword 1: Zhou Yu
 * Sword 2: Cao Cao
 * Sword 3: Sun Jian
 * Sword 4: Sun Quan
 * Sword 5: Liu Bei
 * Sword 6: Dong Zhuo (Males only)
 * Sword 7: Yuan Shao
 * Sword 8: Huang Zhong
 * Sword 9: Gan Ning
 * Sword 10: Xiahou Yuan
 * Spear 1: Zhao Yun
 * Spear 2: Ma Chao
 * Spear 3: Jiang Wei
 * Pike 1: Zhang Liao
 * Pike 2: Lu Meng
 * Great Sword: Fu Xi (Males only)
 * Rapier: Nu Wa (Females only)

Customization in Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires is similar to how it is in Dynasty Warriors 4 except for a few more additional features. Players can choose a name, a model among three male and three female model, each with their own accessories (helmet, armor, etc.). They can also be given three different voice tones and a unique tactical skill.

Dynasty Warriors 5
Customization in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends is similar to how it is in Dynasty Warriors 4. The option to unlock ten more costumes is added. Requirements for unlocking them are done by completing certain objectives during Destiny Mode. Like in the first Empires title, the player can choose from three different voice options for each gender: Passionate, Heroic, or Calm for males and Spirited, Relaxed, or Innocent for females. After creating a character, the game allows the player to change his or her clothes and outfit color.

New in this expansion is the option to change a created character's face and hair. Up to ten different faces and hairstyles per gender are available for players to choose from. Each combination is also given a rendered appearance in Empires.

Dynasty Warriors 6
In Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires, there is much more freedom of choice. Unlike the previous games, players are free to continue editing their characters after creating them. Additional costumes were made available through downloadable content. New options include:
 * Face - Customizable hair, hair color, skin color, face shape, eyes, nose, mouth, and additional accessories (eye-patch, rose, facial hair, etc.). Note that the options for faces are more limited in the PSP version.
 * Body - Changes the body shape and build: tall/small, thin/stocky.
 * Appearance - Changes armor/clothing. More become unlocked as the player progresses through the game and beats certain missions. Some are available as downloadable content.
 * Motion - Changes the weapon. The player can now select the moveset of any playable character, however NPC movesets have been removed.
 * Voice - Changes the voice type and pitch. Examples include "Pure" and "Easygoing".
 * Ability - Changes the stats of the character to preset standards such as "Offense", "Defense", "Quick", etc. Also has special move such as "Brace" and "True speed". This is also where the player may select the character's card, for use in Ruler Mode.


 * Allusions
 * Male Hair style 16 is based on Motochika Chōsokabe's Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends hair style
 * Female Hair style 1 is based on Sun Shang Xiang's Dynasty Warriors 5 hair style.
 * Female Hair style 7 is based on Nu Wa's hair style.
 * Female Hair style 14 is based on Himiko's hair style.
 * The "Ogre" armor set is based on the "Demon's Armor" costume from Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends.
 * The Male Costume parts; "Kung Fu", "Beast", "Blaze", "Noble" and "Skull" armor sets, and the Female costume parts; "Dancer", "Summer", "Fighter", "Princess" and "Maiden" are from Dynasty Warriors: Online.
 * The "Knight," "Japanese," and "Unicorn" costume parts, as well as the "Norse" DLC costume parts are all armor for the protagonist in Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War. Unlock them by gaining the trophies for beating Empires mode with a female and male character respectively. If the player ever has to reset their system, players cannot unlock these costumes again due to already having the trophy.

Dynasty Warriors 7
Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires keeps and expands the same options introduced in the previous installment. Every costume option from the previous Empires title —including those available as downloadable content— can be obtained in-game. Additional costumes are available through downloadable content. The key differences between the games are:


 * Players can buy costume parts from shops in towns. Most of them are old outfits from the previous Empires title while some are completely new.
 * Parts can be adjusted on the character by the player. The width and size of each part can be changed.
 * "Makeup" for a character's face can be removed for a natural look or changed to be more exotic.
 * Breast size for female characters can be adjusted up to four levels.
 * Children can be created.
 * Players are allowed to chose any combination of first musou, and second musou for their character's EX weapon, regardless of what type of weapon it is. Characters' EX attack are limited to similar weapon types. The old weapon EX attacks and musous that were replaced due to weapon reorganization will be available for characters in Edit Mode. Generic character musou and EX attacks will also be available for Edit Mode.
 * If players input the name of any preexisting Three Kingdoms individual for their character, that officer's appearance will be replaced by the newly-created character in the game, regardless of age or gender.
 * This applies to every character in the game, including the unique playable characters. In the case of unique characters, Empire Mode must be completed once before they can become replaceable.
 * If players use this feature to replace unique characters, certain events in Empire Mode will not happen. Replacing Yuan Shao, Lu Bu, or Dong Zhuo with an edit character will cancel the Battle of Hulao Gate due to edit characters lacking specific dialogue needed to trigger the stage.
 * Edit characters can be permanently registered to a special online server and can be downloaded by other players. A downloaded character's behavior in-game will be reflected by the uploader's recorded play history. Players can chose to make it so changes in an uploaders play style with that character will be sent to those who have downloaded it.

Dynasty Warriors: Online
In Dynasty Warriors: Online, players are limited to using edit characters only. Characters can switch between weapon movesets if they own that weapon. Customization options for characters are as follows:
 * Head - The hair and eye colors can be chosen from a large color spectrum. The face and hairstyle can be chosen from premade options.
 * Body - Four different options for males and females: small, normal, tall, large.
 * Voice - Separated into two different categories such as "warrior" and personality such as "brave".
 * Appearance is based on the gear players earn for their characters. Armor can be dyed to become a differnt color.
 * Stats are heavily based on the player's weapon. Each weapon type has different strengths and weaknesses. Other factors that affect stats are items, commanding generals, and gear. Serving under a commanding general grants a stat bonus and domestic skill bonus so long as the player stays loyal.
 * Characters can also have passive abilities called Domestic skills. These skills range from the merchant discounts to the quality of weapons, gear, and items found on the battlefield.
 * Players can own a personal house where weapons, gear, items, and furniture can be stored. Players can upgrade this house and buy furniture using real world currency.
 * Items known as Spirit allows any players to gain the complete orginal moveset of any playable character from Dynasty Warriors 5. These are obtained by defeating the orginal character under certain special conditions.

Dynasty Warriors Next
Players have the option of creating their own characters in this game. Aside from their character's name and gender, the following can be changed for their character.


 * Head - Can change the contour of character's face, as well as change their hair and eye color. Decorative accessories are also available.
 * Body - Girth and height of their figure can be altered.
 * Guard - An ability that edit characters can perform when they're in battle together.
 * Motion - Choose attack motions from the unique playable cast.
 * Voice - Prerecorded options with different attitudes.
 * Stats - Chance to alter beginning stats.

Dynasty Warriors VS
Dynasty Warriors VS forces players to create their own characters for the game's original story mode. Aside from their character's name and gender, players can also change:


 * Face - Change facial features.
 * Body - Girth and height of the character's figure can be altered.
 * Equipment - Customizes character's appearance.
 * Motion - Choose attack motions from the unique playable cast.
 * Voice - Prerecorded options with different attitudes.
 * Musou Skill - Selects the avatar's special ability.

Weapons

 * See also: Edit Characters (Dynasty Warriors)/Weapons

Character Symbolism
Since the big sword and rapier are the same movesets for Fu Xi and Nu Wa, their names are also identical in each of their game appearances.

For the sword users in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends, their weapons are named after the wind. The level 7 through 11 weapon names implies they can soar through the sky. An alternative meaning is the same as their English counterparts. Spear users are endowed with the power of a vacuum. Halberds have a naming motif for destroying the heavens.

The new weapons in Dynasty Warriors Online each have unique naming motifs as well. The long cudgels are after whirlwinds and wind gods. Battle disks invoke the image of the earth shaking and quaking, including the sky and seas. Whips follow a serpent and aquatic theme. Its second ranked weapon is named after White Snake, an entity said to have been a water god of fortune. Black Tortoise, which is encircled by a snake, forms the namesake of the third. The whips' higher ranked weapons are named after a legendary river god, Jiaolong.

Voice Actors

 * David Beron - Male characters in Dynasty Warriors 4 (English)
 * Kenji Nojima, Kouji Haramaki, Hiroaki Miura - Male characters in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends (Japanese)
 * Rumi Kasahara, Chizu Yonemoto, Rika Komatsu - Female characters in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends (Japanese)
 * Shunzō Miyasaka, Kei Murakami, Kouji Haramaki, Hiroaki Miura, Hideo Ishikawa, Takahiro Fujimoto, Keichiro Yamamoto, Kōhei Fukuhara - Male characters in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires (Japanese)
 * Umeka Shōji, Rika Komatsu, Akemi Satō, Yuko Sumitomo, Junko Shimakata, Rumi Kasahara, Emi Uwagawa - Female characters in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires (Japanese)
 * Shunzō Miyasaka, Junichi Miyake, Kouji Haramaki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Hiromu Miyazaki, Keichiro Yamamoto, Nobutoshi Canna, Ichitarou Ai, Kenji Akabane - Male characters in Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires (Japanese)
 * Miku Yoshikawa, Akemi Kanda, Rika Komatsu, Emi Uwagawa, Chizu Yonemoto, Yuko Sumitomo, Rumi Kasahara, Junko Noda, Ai Nonaka, Ayaka Maeda - Female characters in Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires (Japanese)
 * Shingo Horie, Tsuyoshi Takishita, Naoki Imamura, Hisao Egawa, Takahiro Fujimoto, Hiroshi Okamoto, Keiji Hirai, Hidehiko Kaneko, Masaharu Satō, Michitaka Kobayashi, Takeshi Mori, Kenji Nojima, Yūsei Oda, Yūgo Takahashi, Kōta Nemoto, Tomohisa Asō, Keiichi Nanba, Hideo Ishikawa, Kouji Haramaki, Taiki Matsuno, Masato Hirano, Hiroaki Miura - Male characters in Dynasty Warriors Online (Japanese)
 * Umeka Shōji, Hiroko Emori, Junko Noda, Chie Satō, Hidemi Anzai, Aiko Hibi, Kimiko Saitō, Noriko Uemura, Miyuki Kawashō, Yuka Takamatsu, Kumiko Nishihara, Yui Kano, Chizu Yonemoto, Chisako Tatsumi, Yuko Sumitomo, Erika Yamashita, Emi Uwagawa, Ai Bandō, Rika Komatsu, Masako Okōchi, Haruka Nakanishi, Mayu Yamaguchi, Rumi Kasahara, Misako Watanabe, Yoshimi Iwamoto - Female characters in Dynasty Warriors Online (Japanese)