Dynasty Warriors 5/Shu

Guan Ping
Guan Ping fights with a sword called "Young Dragon" and is almost impossibly large. Due to his weapons size he is somewhat slow and has to rely on momentum to wield his sword rather than skill. This can also be attributed to his young age and eagerness to prove himself to his adoptive father Guan Yu. His attacks involve a combination of straight forward slashes, swinging and twirling and throwing of his actual sword. Guan Ping has a mixed level of effectiveness in combat. His slow attacks can leave him very vulnerable, but his potentially devastating charge attacks can be exactly what is needed. Typically his suitability in combat can fluctuate; leading to him being either extremely valuable or very undesirable to a player.

Guan Yu
Guan Yu has a very no-nonsense fighting style. He uses broad sweeps and stabs of his large weapon called "Blue Moon Dragon", and his charge attacks mostly consist of spinning attacks. His Musou Attack is also simple; he simply moves forward while spinning around, swinging his weapon in a circle. His simple but effective style makes him a popular choice for beginners, and he is always selectable right at the beginning of the game.

Huang Zhong
Huang Zhong is more often than not seen with his bow and arrows in cutscenes, since his archery proficiency was somewhat legendary. However, his main weapon when actually fighting in-game is a sword called "Oracle Sword". His fighting style is simple and predictable, with a Musou Attack that involves just spinning around and slashing. His Musou Attack hints at his age; he stumbles slightly on the last hit. Huang Zhong has a higher bow attack than any other character, but the rest of his stats are very average

Jiang Wei
Jiang Wei fights with a spear with a trident-like blade called "Blink". He fights much like Ma Chao, having quick strikes and good running speed. He also has a slightly higher defense than Ma Chao, but his move set is effective for crowd clearing. Despite his somewhat later introduction into the game, he can be played easily by most players.

Liu Bei
Liu Bei fights with a fairly standard style of attacks. He uses his longsword called "Gold Moon Dragon" and he has slightly above average stats in basically all fields. He is also one of only three characters to have a special horse as an NPC, Hex Mark.

Ma Chao
Ma Chao is a powerful warrior, the hybrid of attack and speed. He has attack power around that of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and a rate of attack comparable to Zhao Yun, and has a higher ratio of mounted attack to total attack power than almost any other character. These characteristics give Ma Chao very high potential. His attack style consists of arc swings and deep lunges with his spear called "Stallion Fury", making him look like a fencer at times, and he moves his feet a lot, making his stances look highly choreographed. When on horseback, Ma Chao has no equal as his normal attacks are wide swings on the right side and his charge attack sends out a blue shockwave that can kill most units with one hit and does knockback damage on those who are not killed at first.

Pang Tong
Pang Tong, with staff in hand called "Tornado Staff" and low height, looks a little like an ape when he fights. He twists his body erratically and strikes enemies with his staff, while sometimes using magic in his charge attacks. In his Musou Attack, Pang Tong creates a tornado and continues to spin it for as long as he can, catching all enemies in range in his wake. This results in massive combos, since Pang Tong does not move around, but can also result in missing the target with no chance of getting in range. Also, his jump-charge attack is unique in that it is more of a quick way to get around the battlefield rather than to attack the enemy directly.

Wei Yan
Wei Yan fights with a double voulge called "Comet Strike", consisting of a single edged blade attached to each end of a pole. His attacks are quick and powerful, to make up for his slow running speed and poor defense. Since his weapon is a voulge, his move set consists of many spins, and other acrobatic techniques to expliot the effective design of his double voulge in combat. This has the potential to create an almost constant attack radius, with little vulnerability in between. He has a somewhat unorthodox fighting style, using spins and involving his whole body in attacks, this makes him a somewhat unpredictable character but quite effective nonetheless. Wei Yan is recommended to more experienced players of the game.

Xing Cai
Xing Cai is the second female character to enter Shu's selection. She wields a fork spear called "Ambition". Despite the size of the shield she carries, she apparently has little problem using it as a bashing weapon or makeshift boomerang.

Yue Ying
Yue Ying, is the wife of Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. She wields a war scythe known as "Oblivion". Her attacks center on sweeping motions, and her Musou Attack is much like Guan Yu's in that she spins in a circle slashing all enemies in range.

Zhang Fei
Zhang Fei's weapon is "Viper Blade", a coiled bladed spear. Although he uses the spear set of weapons, as opposed to the heavier halberds, Zhang Fei's approach to fighting is strong and straightforward, and more similar to the halberd-wielders than the spearmen. He uses standard bashing and slashing strikes, relying on his brute strength to kill enemies. The long range of his weapon and his great power make him a formidable horseman, making up for his rather slow speed.

Zhao Yun
Zhao Yun, like many Shu generals, wields a spear type weapon, namely, a light spear called "Fierce Dragon". Although he is not as strong as most of the other officers, he has very quick attacks and runs fairly fast. His quick attacks can generate combos that are not easily interrupted, and he steps into his attacks, giving him considerable range. As is the case with most pole arm users, Zhao Yun is good on a horse as well. He is lacking in defense, however, being smaller and more frail than some of his comrades. He is arguably the most balanced character in the series. His Musou Attack involves him spinning around in circles making it impossible to block due to the ability of the spin.

Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang wields a large white fan called the "Peacock Feather", using the feather fan to literally strike his enemies, and to fire energy beams that penetrate multiple enemies. His Musou Attack involves him levitating, while shooting energy beams in a straight line in front of him. Zhuge Liang is a very specific character who is abusable for his killer Musou.