Musou Mode

Musou Mode is a mode in the Dynasty Warriors games where several stages are strung together to be played through. The specifics of this mode have evolved throughout the series. Musou modes focus around one character, developing personalities and revealing character relationships. They usually stray away from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, which the Dynasty Warriors series is based off of, but at times stick with the novel's plot.

Overview
In Dynasty Warriors 2, all members of the same kingdom would play through the same five stages, but you play through as each officer to unlock more officers to play as.

In Dynasty Warriors 3, the number of stages increased to seven, and the stages played were customized to that warrior. Also, with Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends, the Other characters were given Musou modes, as they had previously only been playable in Free Mode. Their modes served as what if scenarios and strayed largely from history.

The mode was changed up in Dynasty Warriors 4, with the Musou mode being for a whole kingdom, and characters could be changed in between stages. This mode had more, smaller stages, as well as secret stages and characters that could be unlocked. The Other characters were divided into their own forces for Yellow Turbans, Dong Zhuo's Forces, Lu Bu's Forces, and the Nanman, and had their modes shortened so they would not become too farfetched.

Dynasty Warriors 5 returned to the Dynasty Warriors 3 method, and shrunk it back down to 5 stages for most characters, 8 for Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Liu Bei, and Zuo Ci, and 4 for the Other characters. Each characters mode was made more unique, with before battle cutscenes and briefings where the warriors discussed their thoughts and were commented on by their superiors, and each character got their own unique ending cinema. This mode also stayed relatively accurate, changing as little as possible often by ending the mode around the time of the warrior's death, unlike previous titles which would have the warrior win a decisive battle putting their kingdom in charge, and providing alternatives when the outcome is different.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, only seventeen characters were given Musou modes - Five from each of the Three Kingdoms, and Lu Bu and Diao Chan. Musou modes only retained a total of six stages, though small plot-based briefings and cutscenes were featured at the beginning and end of the Musou mode, and before and after every battle, totaling up to 10 cutscenes. The stories, though still sticking somewhat to the plot of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, still deviated from the plot.