Warriors Ultimate

Warriors Ultimate, known in Japan as Unrivalled: Ultimate Battle (Japanese: 無双: 究極戦い Musō: Kyūkyoku-sen), is a crossover hack and slash video game developed by Koei Tecmo and Existence Software for the Nintendo Switch. Warriors Ultimate is a spin-off of Koei's Warriors franchise (consisting primarily of the Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, and Warriors Orochi series), and, similarly to the 2017 game Warriors All-Stars, the game features a cast of characters from a large variety of franchises. Unlike Warriors All-Stars, Warriors Ultimate is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo, Nintendo, Capcom, Sega, and Bandai Namco Entertainment, and includes a large variety of intellectual properties owned by those companies. The game has also been described as a "spiritual spin-off" of the Project X Zone series developed by Monolith Soft, as Nintendo, Capcom, Sega, and Bandai Namco all previously came together for the titles in that series.
== Gameplay ==
Unlike 2018's Dynasty Warriors 9, which took the Warriors series in a more open world-focused direction with an overhaul to the series' oft-criticized combat system, Warriors Ultimate returns to the Warriors franchise's more well-known linear-based scenarios. Combat is performed with a combination of button presses, utilizing "basic" and "charge" attacks each linked to a separate button - the button for basic attacks and the button for strong attacks. Attack combos can range from a simple C1 combo () to a more complex C9 combo (). All Dynasty Warriors characters and some other characters have extendable combos (referred to as "Charge Movesets"), which can be performed by pressing the button again after the button at the end of a combo; those who can not extend their combos, such as the characters from the Samurai Warriors series, can instead perform Hyper Attacks, which are the inverse of the charge-ended combos (i.e. ) and see the warrior performing it dash forwards with each press of the button, and thus do not have default C1 attacks. In addition to basic and charge attacks, the player's character also has a Musou Gauge, which fills as the player defeats enemies, and the player can perform a strong Musou Attack by pressing the button. 
There also exists a Kagayaku Gauge, which, like the Musou Gauge, also fills when the player defeats enemies, albeit at a much slower rate. Once the Kagayaku Gauge is filled completely, the player can hold both the and buttons to enter Kagayaku Mode, drastically increasing their damage output, attack speed, and general movement speed. While a character is in Kagayaku Mode, the player can also perform a Kagayaku Attack, which is the strongest move a warrior has at their disposal, by pressing the button at any time before the Kagayaku Gauge empties completely. For plot-related reasons, some characters have a second Kagayaku Gauge that; players can use the first Kagayaku Gauge once it is filled completely, or wait for the second to fill. Once this second Kagayaku Gauge is filled completely, both will be used up as the character enters an Enchanted State and becomes fully invincible for the short period of time it is active for while all of the character's attacks gain a single type of elemental attribute.
As in the Warriors Orochi series, the player can take a team of three warriors into battle and switch between them seamlessly while in combat. Unlike in the aforementioned title however, in which only the character the player is controlling appears on the map, all three of the player's party members appear in battle at once, and the player can issue orders to them on the pause screen - such orders include telling them to travel to specific areas of a map, or focus on protecting a certain ally or attacking a certain enemy. Players can switch between their three party members with the or buttons. A character's Musou Gauge will only fill should the player be controlling them. All characters can form Bonds by completing missions together, with characters receiving bonuses when near each other should their Bonds be high enough. Following the default "Level 0", there are three levels of Bonds with each level granting an effect that stacks on the previous ones:
* Level 1: Slightly increases attack speed when close enough.
* Level 2: Increases the rate at which the player's Musou Gauge fills.
* Level 3: Increases attack speed a greater amount and slightly decreases the amount of damage taken from attacks.
Additionally, all characters have a partner with which they can have a "Special Bond"; which is classified as a fourth bond level. When their Special Bond is achieved, something that is more difficult to do in comparison to previous bonds, a special bonus Bond Scenario will be unlocked. For a complete list of Bond Scenarios, see here.
In terms of defensive actions, holding the button will cause a character to block attacks - this lessens the damage they take from the front, though their guard can be broken by dealing enough consecutive damage or a particularly-strong attack.
Returning from Warriors Orochi 4 is the Sacred Treasures gameplay mechanic. In Warriors Orochi 4, all characters had a Sacred Treasure associated with them, which grants them a single basic, charge, and unique Magic Attack that can be performed by holding down and pressing any of the , , or buttons respectively. In the aforementioned title, these Sacred Treasures granted the playable warriors the powers of gods or deities from a variety of different cultures' mythologies, and all characters who shared a Sacred Weapon also shared the same basic and charge Magic Attacks, with only the unique Magic Attack being, as its name states, unique to each warrior. In Warriors Ultimate this gameplay mechanic acts almost identically, though has been renamed to Traverse Armament as these "magical" weapons instead take the form of items from the series represented in the game. The use of Traverse Armaments is tied to the character's Musou Gauge, with basic Magic Attacks using up a minimal amount, Charge Attacks using up roughly a quarter of the Musou Gauge, and unique Magic Attacks utilizing one-half of the bar. Just as with the Musou Attacks, defeating enemies with Magic Attacks does not fill up the Musou Gauge. By holding the button and pressing , the player can summon a steed to ride around the battlefield, with this act not draining the Musou Gauge.
The player can collect Power Prisms by defeating enemies or completing side missions that can power-up a character in certain ways with Skills and increase their basic attack power, acting as a replacement to the weapon tiers present in most other Warriors titles. Some Power Prisms can also imbue characters with special bonuses, such as adding elemental damage to attacks that would otherwise not have them or increasing the rate at which the character's Musou Gauge fills. While only a limited number of Power Prisms can be carried per character, the player is able to merge Power Prisms to combine their bonuses should empty ability slots be present. Power Prisms come in three basic varieties - Bronze, Silver, and Gold Tiers - which, in conjunction with their level, generally determines the attack strength for a character.
== Story ==
=== Chapter 1 ===
With no fanfare, Reiji Arisu and Xiaomu find themselves in Kawanakajima. As a group of monsters begin attacking them, the two begin to do their duty and begin an investigation, meeting Yukimura Sanada, Kunoichi, and Nobuyuki Sanada in the process, who are also fighting against the monsters. As they cut through the monsters attacking them, the group comes to discover Ghirahim and Lu Bu leading the opposing army. While Ghirahim flees from the scene, Lu Bu charges in as he sets out to challenge powerful warriors from other universes. Though they manage to take out the general's lover Diaochan and do some damage to the Han Dynasty general, once he sees their strength to be formidable he manages to take the group out with one attack. Knowing they'd not be able to take out someone of Lu Bu's strength, the group suddenly see themselves teleported out of Kawanakajima, appearing inside of a regal castle.
The group of five are shocked to find themselves in a new area, and immediately turn their blades towards a girl with blue hair. Introducing herself as Lana, she explains as much about the situation as she is aware of: they, and several others, have been brought into a pocket dimension filled with a chaotic and negative energy. Though she is a powerful sorceress, her power has been weakened within this new realm so she is trying to locate powerful energy sources in order to enhance her powers; this is why she saved the Reiji and the others, as they gave off a large amount of energy that she was trying to track down so she could return everyone to their original worlds. Yukimura believes her story and he, along with his brother and Kunoichi, pledge their aid to her.
Hesitant to trust Lana after having just met her, Reiji and Xiaomu begin to leave the castle they find themselves in, only to wander into an group of monsters invading Hyrule Castle. Led by Nemesis and Fang the Sniper, the monster army pushes the group back towards the castle which forces Lana to join the fight despite her lack of magic. As more monsters are summoned into battle, Lana decides to take a massive risk and uses her remaining magic to devastate the invading forces with a blast of energy, which causes Nemesis to flee. Unable to be of any more use as she needs to restore her powers, Lana retreats to the castle and begins trying to pinpoint more powerful sources of energy as the others fight off the remaining stragglers. As Fang the Sniper is defeated and taken hostage, Reiji and Xiaomu escort Lana back to the castle, now trusting of her. The others interrogate Fang, though the weasel shares no valuable intel with them as he too had only recently appeared in this world and joined with Nemesis for protection. Fang decides to pledge allegiance to Yukimura, though the others are hesitant to trust him.
Xiaomu tries to give Lana some of her power, though this is unsuccessful. Fortunately Lana reveals that she knows the location of several more sources of magical energy, which she had been planning to investigate after saving Yukimura and his group. In response, the warriors split up into two groups - Xiaomu, Reiji, and Fang in one group, and the Sanada brothers and Kunoichi in the other - to try and locate the magic Lana senses.
Reiji and his group travel north, ending up in a place that looks remarkably like the Shibuya they know of. Though they don't understand the reason for it being there, they know that it mustn't be the same city they work in due to one major difference: a large purple crystal embedded in the ground and raising to the sky. Knowing that must be the source of the magic, the group plans to approach it but notice a group of monsters protecting it. With Xiaomu ensuring the others that she can transport the magic to Lana, they decide to formulate a plan of attack. This planning session is cut short as they notice Viewtiful Joe and Axel Stone trying to protect themselves from those protecting Shibuya and they jump in to aid them and clear out the enemies. At the helm of the enemy army is Zant, who flees as Reiji's group enter the battle.
Meanwhile, Yukimura's group find themselves in an icy canyon as they travel east. Like the other group, they find another giant crystal protruding from the ground, with this one also being protected. Yukimura blindly rushes in to fight the group in order to help Lana, leaving Kunoichi and Nobuyuki to chase after him, though they are too slow to help him. Yukimura is surrounded as he approaches the crystal, and his allies unable to save him as he is attacked by a metallic beast known as Chariot. As they try to approach him, they are continually pushed back which lowers their morale as Yukimura is beat down. Luckily, he is saved from death by Robin and Lucina, who aid in pushing Chariot back and cause him and the army to retreat. To Yukimura's group Robin explains that he was curious about the magic he sensed and came to investigate it, and the Sanada offers his thanks for their aid.
Xiaomu and Robin both examine their respective crystals and find that they are overflowing with an unfamiliar power to them. They then use their magical powers to channel small amounts of the giant crystal's energy into small fragments that have scattered near the giant one. With a small collection of energy in their possession, both groups begin their return trip to Lana.
While the Sanada's group returns with no difficulties, Reiji and his group are attacked part-way by Lu Bu's army as they pass through a grassy battlefield. Unable to fight properly as they need to protect their stash of crystals, the group decides to simply retreat and try to avoid combat altogether. Unfortunately a ninja affiliated with Lu Bu, Hibana, manages to steal the crystal cache, leading Reiji and his allies to track her down and reclaim what was stolen. With some trouble they manage to avoid Lu Bu's rage long enough to defeat Hibana, but not before Ghirahim appears in one last ditch effort to prevent the group from escaping. Along with him, Fang also defects to Lu Bu's army with some crystals of his own, and Reiji's group fight the two of them in order to escape. They manage to do so without needing to deal with Lu Bu, but Fang escapes with his collection of crystals before they can be reclaimed.
All of the warriors regroup at Hyrule Castle and give Lana the crystals they collected, which allows her to restore her magical power enough to join them in battle. Wanting to learn more about the strange crystals, Lana and the group set off towards another site - apparently a new source of magic that appeared while the group was away. This source ends up being Aytolis City, where a battle is already taking place. The battle appears to be between a small army led by Rowan and Lianna, who are defending the town from an attack led by Lu Lingqi and Black Tiger. Lana's army decide to ally with Rowan and Lianna, and help them protect the town and yet another giant crystal protruding from the castle behind them. Their efforts are unsuccessful however as Lu Lingqi sets fire to the town. As a fire ravages the battlefield, Lana's army decides to retreat back the way they came, surrendering their chance at investigating this crystal. As they push to escape Aytolis City, the group encounters Asuka, who cuts down some of the enemies in the group's way as she aids their escape.
Returning back to their camp at Hyrule Castle, the small group welcomes Asuka into their ranks decide to go over all of the information that they have about this strange world: that it is a collage of areas stolen from other worlds, and it seems as though a large amount of other people have also been brought to this world; and may have been here for a significant amount of time. They also investigate some of the small crystal shards, and Asuka reveals that she had seen another giant crystal on an island just after being brought into this world. Before investigating that however, Lana suggests they return to Shibuya - an area that Reiji and Xiaomu are familiar with - in order to try and find out any clues that may explain why they were brought here.
Though the group follow their tracks back towards where Shibuya should be, they instead come upon Furuwatari Castle in the midst of a large-scale battle. Leading the two armies are cats, something that surprises Lana's army as they are suddenly attacked by both forces. During the battle, Lana's group fight against armies led by Nobunyaga Oda and Mona, and they come to learn that they had merely invaded a battle to decide who would lead their army; though with the appearance of Lana's army and the fact that they manage to defeat the two cats, they both (reluctantly) agree that perhaps Lana is the most fit to lead them. Together the cat armies - Nobunyaga Oda, Nyanmaru Mori, Mona, and Jibanyan - make truce and explain that they had been summoned to this world and attacked by a group of monsters, but Mona and Nobunyaga could not handle taking orders from one another and thus their feud extended long after the monsters retreated.
Exiting the grounds of Furuwatari Castle, the expanding army finally reach their destination of Shibuya. This time however, the city is drastically different from it's original appearance, as darkness now looms over the chained city. Before Reiji and Xiaomu can even question the change in surrounding, the army is split up as Shadows appear and half of the group is teleported across the battlefield. Axel, Jibanyan, Lucina, and Nobuyuki - the only ones who had not been teleported away - make it their mission to rescue their allies from the attacking Shadows. They manage to isolate most of their group with ease but as the Shadows begin fleeing, they notice that they had lost Yukimura and Lana. They need not make any effort to find them however, as they encounter the two of them fighting against a colossal suit of armour, Nightmare, in an isolated part of the city. They are losing against the monster, at least until Reiji and Xiaomu rush to aid the two.
Nightmare launches another attack at the army - a beam of red energy that cleaves the very earth in two - and the group judge that they are unable to defeat him at this time. Knowing this, they begin a new effort: to retreat back to Furuwatari Castle in order to form a strategy to defeat Nightmare. The monster does not let them go easily however, summoning monsters to prevent the army's escape and slowly chasing them down with his demonic blade. As the group make their way back out of the twisted Shibuya, Mona senses something and disappears from the battlefield, leaving his allies behind. Mona reappears as the group near their escape route, with Joker, Skull, and Panther in tow. With the new back-up, Lana's army manage to push back Nightmare's powerful army of monsters enough to allow them to retreat safely with the hope that Nightmare will not follow them.
Regrouping at Furuwatari Castle, Joker, Panther, and Skull introduce themselves and the group begin forming a plan. Knowing Nightmare has an army of monsters with him, Robin suggests trying to capture the outside of the city and lighting the inner city on fire. Though the others agree that this plan could work to defeat the monster, Rowan points out that others may be trapped within the city first. In order to make sure the city is empty of any civilians first, Rowan takes Yukimura and Kunoichi with him as a scouting party in the hopes of protecting anyone else who may have been summoned into this world before Robin and the rest of the group follow suit.
As Rowan, Yukimura, and Kunoichi reach the dark version of Shibuya, they notice that they had been followed the entire way by Jibanyan. Knowing the cat did not listen to the plan they had concocted, they watch as Jibanyan rushes into Shibuya with no care for his safety, so the other three follow him in haste. Alerting the enemies that they had arrived, the four then begin searching for any civilians who may be trapped in the city; they encounter four. Protecting them from Nightmare's army, Rowan escorts them out of Shibuya as Yukimura and Kunoichi protect him and Jibanyan runs wild. The four civilians are escorted easily, and the others arrive shortly thereafter and begin to light fires around the city's perimeter. As the fires are lit, Jibanyan rushes towards Nightmare and the others are forced to chase after him so he doesn't get defeated in battle. Rescuing Jibanyan, the group fight the weakened Nightmare as he is choked by flames but are still unable to defeat him so they are once again forced to flee.
The group rushes for safety but this time Nightmare stops them, standing in their way as the group begins running away. Forced into a fight against the monster, Lana senses a dark energy radiating from Nightmare and wonders if she could weaken him using one of the crystals that the others recovered due to the power they hold, though dislikes not being able to use it to sustain her own powers. As the group engage Nightmare again, Lana readies her plan; once the group holds off Nightmare for long enough, her plan is executed. Nightmare is significantly weakened by the crystal's power as she channels it's power into a devastating blast of magic, and the rest manage to take him down after the success of his plan. Nightmare collapses as he is damaged, but is consumed in a red energy as he crumbles, fading away as he does so. Believing him to be truly defeated everyone rejoices, but their celebration is cut short as they hear a sound from above.
Seeing a large pink crystal, not unlike the others, on a crash-course with the earth, the group brace for impact as they move out of the way. The crystal collides with the ground, it's tip shattering on impact; the spray of crystals flies away from most of the group, with the exception of Yukimura, who is on the opposite side of the crystal. Needing to be protected from the crystal's shrapnel, Kunoichi jumps in the way and is injured by the tiny shards, flying away as she absorbs the impact. Despite taking so many shards, Kunoichi shows no wounds as the crystals are absorbed into her body and she falls comatose from the pain. Yukimura, grateful for her help, picks her up and leads the others back to Furuwatari Castle to treat her.
As the group returns to Furuwatari Castle, Lana takes Kunoichi after sensing a great deal of energy within her. Leaving the others, Nobunyaga leads Lana into the castle as they look for a good place to treat Kunoichi. While they are gone, the Phantom Thieves question how they ended up inside a Jail and decide to return to Shibuya to see if it has a King residing in it; Reiji also decides to follow, in order to look into clues regarding the Shibuya he and Xiaomu were in before, while Rowan joins them in case a fight were to break out. Aster they leave, Lianna decides to return to Aytolis City to see if anything survived the fires set to the city, and Viewtiful Joe decides to protect her in this endeavour.
Lianna and Viewtiful Joe make it back to Aytolis City with no issues, and are shocked to find the city completely fine; as if it had never been burned down. Though no civilians reside in the village, Lu Bu's army has set up camp in the abandoned city. Wanting to protect her home, Lianna decides to fight against Lu Lingqi and Lu Bu in an attempt to push the monsters out of the city. Though Lu Lingqi and Black Tiger are easily defeated by Lianna and Joe, Lu Bu is too tough for them. Though the attacks do not faze Lu Bu, Ghirahim appears and cuts the fight short, something which Lu Bu agrees with as he sees the two as too weak for him. Ghirahim and Lu Bu leave the city with no more qualms.
Meanwhile the Phantom Thieves arrive at Shibuya; just as with Aytolis, this group too are surprised to find that the gloomy Shibuya is undamaged by the fires that had been set. With a giant crystal now sticking out of the landscape here too, the group are surprised to find that an army led by Mitsunari Ishida is investigating the crystal. The strange new army decides to launch an attack against the Phantom Thieves, and Mitsunari orders Takamaru and Sakura Amamiya to fight against their enemies, though they are quickly disposed of. Seeing their forces at a loss, Mitsunari orders his army to retreat as the Phantom Thieves close in on him. The group defeat him but allow him to escape as they instead set their sights on looking for the King of Shibuya's Jail. Though he is confused about their actions, Mitsunari flees as he knows he is beat but vows he will get revenge. Watching Mitsunari's army go, Mona then announces that it's time to find their King and the group begins their search.
Back at Furuwatari Castle, the remaining members of the army try to decide what their next goal should be while Lana examines the comatose Kunoichi. Their planning session is interrupted as Nyanmaru returns to the group in a panic, explaining that an army is heading their way. Asuka quickly goes to confirm the report while Nobuyuki and Robin begin rallying the others and forming a strategy. Their attempt to plan is cut short as monsters invade the town around them. Yukimura, depressed about bringing harm to Kunoichi, casts his doubts away as he rushes to the front lines to begin pushing back the monsters. Asuka, who returns to the group as the invasion begins, reports that Nightmare is leading the charge, spurring confusion in the group. They don't have much time to question the situation around them as the village is lit ablaze in a manner not dissimilar to their previous strategy, stirring panic among the warriors as Yukimura is separated by the blaze.
The group manage to evacuate some of the cat-civilians inhabiting the city while fighting off Nightmare's army, but are unable to discern both the location of the commander and Yukimura. Lana and Nobunyaga reappear to the group as the flames engulf the town and report that they'd managed to bring Kunoichi to safety and are willing to join the fight, and Nobunyaga leads Nyanmaru as the two push through the flames to aid Yukimura. As the two push through the burning city they find Nightmare and Yukimura locked in combat, but still walled off by deadly flames. The two watch as Yukimura is knocked around by the monstrous armour, clearly unable to win, and plan to aid him. They are cut short as, while a grounded Yukimura is about to be finished off by Nightmare, a bright pink figure emerges from the flames and saves the samurai: Kunoichi. Seemingly powered up by magic, Kunoichi throws her blades at Nightmare before leaping into him and retrieving them in the process, dealing a significant amount of damage to him. The others regroup with Nobunyaga and Nyanmaru as they rush through the flames to help Kunoichi, their morale boosted seeing that she's ok and Nightmare has been weakened.
With Kunoichi's help, the group manage to defeat Nightmare for a second time, and the monster once again fades away in dark red energy. The monsters begin fleeing as some of Nobunyaga's men begin putting the fires out, a calm rushes over the battlefield as Kunoichi tearfully reunites with Yukimura as the village burns around them.
=== Chapter 2 ===
Lianna and Viewtiful Joe decide to make their way back towards Furuwatari Castle and report back to Rowan that Aytolis City has somehow been unharmed after being burned down. As they leave the city in the direction they came from, the two find the landscape to have completely changed and they enter ThornTail Hollow, a battle raging in the city. One army, led by the tyrannical Dong Zhuo, chases after Sterkenberg Cranach and Princess Peach, and Lianna and Joe quickly jump to their aid. As Sterk and Peach are overwhelmed, Lianna and Joe assist them by focusing their energy on Dong Zhou himself. Dashing through the village, Lianna and Joe are attacked by Wario, and his strength deters them. Lianna and Joe's efforts to assist are further hindered as Dong Zhuo launches a full-out assault on the two, with the warlord himself entering the fray. Even as Sterk and Peach manage to fight their way towards the others, they are no match for Dong Zhuo's army. Just when it seems as though all hope is lost, two figures appear to help take down the seemingly-supercharged Dong Zhuo and Wario: Lars Alexanderrson and Hajime Arima. With the additional help, Dong Zhuo and Wario are forced to flee.
As the group introduce each other, Lars and Hajime reveal a shocking fact that explains why Peach was targeted by Dong Zhuo's army: in an effort to create his Grand Paradise, Jiǔ​chí​ròu​lín, Dong Zhuo's army has been travelling around this strange world and capturing any woman they come across. Lars and Hajime reveal that they had been working on concocting a plan to free the captives, and ask Lianna, Joe, Sterk, and Peach for assistance.
The six head towards Dong Zhuo's base of operations in Luoyang, and pass through the Forgotten Nursery on their way. As they pass through the abandoned field, the group is ambushed by a small force led by Sun Wukong. Wukong's forces surround the group, but are easily dispatched by Lianna's group. Enjoying the challenge, Sun Wukong goes into hiding as a number of his clones appear around the battlefield. Once all of his clones are dealt with, Wukong's back-up arrives in the form of Bark the Polar Bear and Bean the Dynamite. Despite the reinforcements, Lianna, Joe, Sterk, Peach, Hajime, and Lars easily disperse with Wukong's army, leaving only the monkey behind. Sun Wukong, too, is easily defeated and he flees in the direction of Luoyang. Assuming Sun Wukong has connections to Dong Zhuo, the group give chase with the goal of interrogating the monkey.
As Sun Wukong is chased down, he ducks into a nearby cave. The group easily catch up to Sun Wukong's group as he stops in front of another army. Thinking his pursuers foresaw his actions, Wukong commends Lianna's group but they are equally as confused about the sight of Nobunaga Oda and his army. Nobunaga orders his army to destroy the entrance to the cave, explaining that the radioactive substances within the cave do not harm Genma such as him and his army but should slowly chip away at the intruders' health. Knowing there must be another exit, Lianna, Joe, Sterk, Hajime, Peach, and Lars team up with Wukong, Bean, and Bark to find an escape before they are fully corrupted and perish. Nobunaga, enjoying their misery, sics his demonic army onto them to halt their escape attempts, though this proves unsuccessful as the group pass through the Phaaze caverns and towards relative safety. In one last attempt to end the lives of his intruders, Nobunaga appears at the exit, powered-up by the Phazon around him, and engages with the others. Though he is a formidable opponent, their numbers out-match Nobunaga's, and the Genma allows them to leave before retreating back into the cave. As the group venture out into the sunlight, the entrance to the cave behind them is blocked as another pink crystal falls from the sky.
The group finally interrogate Sun Wukong and his associates, and the monkey reveals that they were attacked by monsters as they appeared in this world, and thought Lianna's group may have been controlling them. Bark and Bean apologize for the misunderstanding, while Wukong just comments on how everyone makes mistakes. As they talk, they finally reach the gates of Luoyang, where another battle is occurring. Around the city, troops from two armies are already engaging. From a cursory glance, it is clear that Hildegard von Krone leads one group, while their opponents are led by Vashyron; the latter defending Dong Zhuo's land. Though the goals of Lianna's group seem to align with those of Hildegard's army, she sics Akira Yuki and Jean-Luc Cougar on them as they approach. Lianna's group, in a panic, fight back while also working towards their goal of freeing Dong Zhuo's hostages. Hildegard continues fighting both Vashyron's defences and Lianna's attacks, but eventually the former army overpowers her. Before Lianna's group has a chance to take down Hildegard, still while also staving of the attacks of Vashyron, Zephyr, and Leanne, she receives reinforcements in the form of Mitsunari Ishida, Takamaru, and Sakura Amamiya. Their appearance allows Hildegard to retreat safely, allowing Lianna to focus on the other army. Bean suggests planting explosives around the city in order to weaken it's defences and confuse the enemy; Lianna has him follow through on that plan, and after they clear out certain areas, they break open the wall of Dong Zhuo's palace. This allows them to fight Wario, who reveals that he has the ability to enter a magical-enhanced pink form, making him a deadly force that is a challenge for Lianna's entire army. Vashyron's group, surprised that Wario had been hiding such a power, defects to Lianna's as they become weary of Dong Zhuo and the knowledge he may have been hiding, and with their additional help the army is able to damage Wario enough to cause him to flee. With Dong Zhuo still in the city, the group set their sights on taking the tyrant down, and challenge him in a duel. His strength amounts to nothing without Wario's aid as he is easily defeated by Lianna's army, and taken captive.
With Dong Zhuo captured, Hajime and Lars then begin searching for his captives. The tyrant reveals that they are not here however, and that they had been pawns for a greater plan. Before they can get any more information out of him, a mysterious woman - Saya - appears before them and orders Dong Zhuo to say no more, and that their plans here have been completed. Though Dong Zhuo begs for her assistance, Saya leaves without another word, leaving the tyrant blabbering away with the others. Lars and Hajime return soon after with the women that Dong Zhuo had held captive. A fourth woman then appears behind the group, which surprises Sun Wukong, though the woman, Sanzang, prevents his leave. As Sanzang scolds Wukong for his disappearance, the other three women thank the group for their assistance, revealing that they were overwhelmed by monsters as they appeared in this world, and were taken captive before they could realize what had happened. The three women introduce themselves as Athena Cykes, Momo Kanda, and Sophie Neuenmuller, and the latter catches the attention of Sterk as she reveals that she is an alchemist. Lianna, not knowing what to do now, suggests they head back to Furuwatari Castle, unaware of it's desertion, and she thanks Vashyron's team for their assistance. They decide to follow them back as well, saying that they had simply been hired to protect Dong Zhuo and feel no remorse for his defeat, and the group accept them too.
Meanwhile the Phantom Thieves run through Shibuya trying to locate where it's King could be, and Reiji is surprised to find them enter the Shibuya from his world as it is seemingly within the centre of this gloomy Shibuya Jail. Mona suggests the King could be hidden in the normal Shibuya, and his hunch is instantly proved correct as Ghirahim appears before them. Explaining that the gloomy Shibuya was merely a side effect of his attempts to "resurrect his master", he orders Lu Bu's army to delay the Phantom Thieves a little more so their work could be completed before he disappears. The Phantom Thieves, now with a target, decide to rush into battle against Lu Bu's army, and swiftly take down Lu Lingqi and Black Tiger before setting their sights on Lu Bu. Just as the others turn their sights on Lu Bu, Ling Xiaoyu and Jin Kazama enter the battlefield and, confused about their surroundings, turn against the other two armies. This forces Lu Bu to turn his attention to these two strangers that appear strong, and Rowan rushes to their aid, though he is mistaken for an enemy and dispatched of as well. Lu Bu then attacks them head-on, and Rowan reappears to assist them. The Phantom Thieves join them, and together they manage to take down Lu Bu, though he flees before getting another word in.
With Lu Bu out of the way, the final base opens and the Phantom Thieves set their sights on Ghirahim, though three other figures await them when they enter the enemy's base: a sleeping girl, and two small creatures. The two creatures, who try to wake up the comatose woman, sudden panic as the warriors flood into the keep they had closed off, and the panic causes the girl to awaken and proceed to freak out. As the girl awakens, the shadowy Shibuya disperses, and Ghirahim appears to congratulate the Phantom Thieves. The girl, recognizing Ghirahim as the one who knocked her out, attacks the Demon Lord, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves assist her in doing so. After taking enough damage, Ghirahim decides to flee, taking the remnants of Lu Bu's army with him as they all teleport away. The girl and her two dinosaur-like companions thank the Phantom Thieves for saving them, and introduce themselves as Nokia Shiramine, Agumon, and Gabumon; the latter two claiming to be Digimon. Believing Mona to be a Digimon too, the two dinosaurs instantly befriend the groups (despite Mona's claims to the opposite) and Nokia decides to follow the Phantom Thieves despite being hesitant to engage in battle; her Digimon companions assure her that they will never cause any harm to her, so she decides to fight alongside them as well.
The Phantom Thieves, concerned about the fact that the Jail existed in this new world and was dispelled through unorthodox means, thank Jin Kazama and Ling Xiaoyu for their assistance in taking down Lu Bu, and they mimic the sentiments. The two explain that they have been travelling this world with the intention of tracking down any other members of the Mishima family, believing them to have a connection to this world, the two decide to travel with the Phantom Thieves as they could assist in their search. Grateful for the help, the Phantom Thieves and their growing army turn to begin marching back to Furuwatari Castle, but their efforts are halted when they see a giant pink crystal falling from the sky in the distance. The group decide to investigate the new crystal, and start their trek in that direction.
It doesn't take the Phantom Thieves, and their ever-expanding group, to reach the site of the crystal's impact: a middle-eastern marketplace. As they make their way towards the crystal, the group are surprised to find no resistance to their approach, but they are quickly proven wrong as Okatsu and her ninjas appear with the intent informing their allies of the group's appearance. The Phantom Thieves split up, with Jin and Ling rushing to out-pace the fleeing Okatsu while the others split up to deal with the ninjas attempting to deliver the message. Though the ninja messengers are apprehended, Jin and Ling Xiaoyu are caught up in an ambush led by William Adams and allow Okatsu to flee. While Jin and Ling Xiaoyu defend themselves against their attackers, the rest of the army is swarmed by William's reinforcements. William's reinforcements, which include the likes of Nina Williams, June Lin Milliam, Yuri Lowell, Samanosuke Akechi, and Fiora, are far too strong for the Phantom Thieves, and with no other choice the group chooses to flee. Their escape is halted when a third party, a small force led by Kazuya Mishima, appears before Jin, who blindly decides to engage his father in combat, but he is merely thrown aside; Ling Xiaoyu too is quickly defeated by Kazuya when she tries to help as well. Seeing him as a threat, William orders Kazuya be the focal point of the battle, but Kazuya merely walks through the battlefield as no one can even touch him, and both armies decide to retreat as his back is turned. As he reaches the crystal, Kazuya reveals that the energy from it has already been drained and disappears without another word, but both armies are out of range of this.
The Phantom Thieves head back in the distance of Shibuya, but instead of reaching the city they instead find themselves lost in a desolate gorge. The group, confused about their presence here, are then attacked by an army of monsters and a man who, after his attacks are blocked, claims himself to be Satan. The group duels Satan, but he teleports away before he can be finished off, and creates clones of himself around the battlefield to toy with the Phantom Thieves. The Phantom Thieves decide to pursue Satan in hopes of interrogating him, but it is revealed that all of his six clones were fakes, with he himself hiding elsewhere. Just as they are about to give up on this cause, a girl named Arle wanders into the desolate gorge, and the real Satan appears by her side at once. Shocked and disgusted by the sudden onslaught of compliments Satan gives her, Arle flees towards the Phantom Thieves, and the group, with Arle's aid, use this opportunity to take down Satan in order to interrogate him but he teleports once more. Instead of creating doubles however, the group is interrupted by another army's appearance. This army, led by Hajime Arima and Lars Alexandersson, attack the Phantom Thieves, who are forced to take them out. Sun Wukong, also on the side of the opponents, creates clones of himself to retaliate for the attack on Hajime and Lars, and once they are defeated he goes for the Phantom Thieves themselves. The fight ends as Lianna and Viewtiful Joe arrive, surprised to see that their enemy had actually been the Phantom Thieves, and halt both armies. Disappointed with this outcome, the real Satan appears in front of the group, but he is swiftly defeated by the army's attacks.
Now captured, Satan reveals that he had been following Arle around (something which she berates him for doing) when he decided to teleport both armies to an open area for a fight, not knowing that they had been allies. Satan repeatedly denies knowing anything about the world they had all been summoned to (which Arle hesitantly says must be true) and he is let go. As Arle agrees to join the others in finding a safe way back home, Satan, like a little puppy following its master, does the same. At the insistence of Lianna, Rowan, Viewtiful Joe, and the Phantom Thieves, Satan teleports the group to Furuwatari Castle, unaware that it had been destroyed by flames; indeed, when they appear here, they find nothing but a landscaped scorched by flames. Lianna and Rowan, remembering Hyrule Castle, suggest they go there next, and Satan obliges and teleports the group there in an instant.
== Playable Characters ==
Characters that appeared in previous Warriors titles use their movesets when applicable, and the games that these movesets are taken from are listed in each character description. Takamaru, while he did previously appear in the bonus Murasame Castle Mode of Samurai Warriors 3, is an exception to this and has had a brand new moveset created for his appearance in Warriors Ultimate. Kasumi too has a new moveset that combines parts of those used by her in Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate and Warriors All-Stars. Additionally some other characters have had adjustments to their movesets made to utilize the Hyper style of moveset used by the cast of Samurai Warriors 4.
Just as in the Warriors Orochi series, all playable warriors are separated into one of three classes: Speed, Power, or Technique. These classes mean little in terms of the playable character's stats and play style, but do offer a small selection of differences:
* characters enter their full-speed dash at a faster rate than other characters, can jump to cancel out of any action, and can perform a short dash after jumping. The rate that a Speed character's Musou Gauge fills is also increased slightly.
* characters do not flinch from the attacks from basic enemies and are able to break an opposing Warrior's guard easier while their's are harder to break. In general, Power characters also deal more damage than characters of other classes.
* characters can guard to cancel out of any action, and can perform a quick forwards dash attack upon knocking an enemy into the air. A Technique character's Traverse Armament drains a slightly smaller amount of their Musou Gauge when used.
Every company has a total of 40 playable representatives. Including one original character and three guest characters (one from each of SNK, Level-5, and Marvelous), there are are total of 204 playable characters.
=== Bandai Namco Characters ===
Bandai Namco Characters: Alisa Bosconovitch · Alisa Ilinichina Amiella · Anna Williams · Aty · Azwel · BlackRose · Cervantes de León · Devil Jin · Hildegard von Krone · Ivy · Jin Kazama · Kazuya Mishima · Kissy · Kite · Klonoa · KOS-MOS · Lars Alexandersson · Lee Chaolan · Leroy Smith · Ling Xiaoyu · Mappy · Mia Karnstein · Momo Kanda · Nightmare · Nina Williams · Nokia Shiramine · Panda · Reiji Arisu · Reiko Nagase · Rick Taylor · Saya · Siegfried Schtauffen · Soma Schicksal · Sophitia Alexandra · Taira no Kagekiyo · T-elos · Velvet Crowe · Xiaomu · Yoshimitsu · Yuri LowellMore: Capcom · Koei Tecmo · Nintendo · Sega · Other
The following Bandai Namco series are represented with playable characters: , , , , , , , , , , , , Tales, , , and .
=== Capcom Characters ===
Capcom Characters: Accel · Albert Wesker · Arthur · Athena Cykes · Black Tiger · Blanka · Cammy White · Dante · Devilotte de Death Satan IX · Felicia · Guildenstern · Hsien-Ko · Itsuki · Jill Valentine · June Lin Milliam · Kojūrō Katakura · Masamune Date · M. Bison · Menat · Mike Haggar · Morrigan Aensland · Necalli · Nemesis T-Type · Nina · Nobunaga Oda · Poison · Princess Tiara · Roll · Ryu · Ryūnosuke Naruhodō · Saki Omokane · Sakura Kasugano · Samanosuke Akechi · Seth · Sherlock Holmes · Simon Blackquill · Tron Bonne · Viewtiful Joe · ZeroMore: Bandai Namco · Koei Tecmo · Nintendo · Sega · Other
The following Capcom series are represented with playable characters: , Black Tiger, , Cyberbots, Dai Gyakuten Saiban, , , , Gaia Master, , Mega Man, , , , , , , , , , and .
=== Koei Tecmo Characters ===
Koei Tecmo Characters: Achilles · Arnice · Ayane · Cao Pi · Dong Zhuo · Guan Yinping · Hajime Arima · Hisahide Matsunaga · Jean-Luc Cougar · Joan of Arc · Kasumi · Kunoichi · Lu Bu · Lu Lingqi · Lu Xun · Marie Rose · Mitsunari Ishida · Naotora Ii · NiCO · Nobunyaga Oda · Nobuyuki Sanada · Nyanmaru Mori · Nyotengu · Okatsu · Orochi · Ryu Hayabusa · Sanzang · Sima Zhao · Sophie Neuenmuller · Sterkenburg Cranach · Sun Shangxiang · Sun Wukong · Susano'o · Takatora Tōdō · Toyohisa Shimazu · Wang Yuanji · William Adams · Yoshitsugu Ōtani · Yukimura Sanada · Zhao YunMore: Bandai Namco · Capcom · Nintendo · Sega · Other
The following Koei Tecmo series are represented with playable characters: Bladestorm, Dead or Alive, , , , , , Samurai Cats, , , , and .
=== Nintendo Characters ===
Nintendo Characters: Anna · Ashley · Azura · Cia · Corrin · Daisy · Dark Pit · Darunia · Elma · Fi · Fiora · Ganondorf · Ghirahim · Isa Jo · Kachi · King Dedede · King K. Rool · Krystal · Lana · Lianna · Link · Linkle · Lin Lee Koo · Lissa · Little Mac · Lucina · Marth · Midna · Peach · Pit · Robin · Rowan · Ruto · Samus Aran · Shulk · Takamaru · Tiki · Wario · Zant · ZeldaMore: Bandai Namco · Capcom · Koei Tecmo · Sega · Other
The following Nintendo series are represented with playable characters: , , , Kirby, , , , , , , , Wario, and .
=== Sega Characters ===
Sega Characters: Akira Yuki · Amy Rose · Arle Nadja · Axel Stone · Bark the Polar Bear · Bayonetta · Bean the Dynamite · Beat · Honey · Chariot · Dreamcast · Excela Noa Aura · Fang the Sniper · Gilius Thunderhead · Goro Majima · Hibana · Jacky Bryant · Joker · Kate Green · Kazuma Kiryu · Leanne · Mona · Mr. X · Nanashi · NiGHTS · Pai Chan · Panther · Popo · Riela Marcellis · Sakura Amamiya · Sarah Bryant · Satan · Skull · Sophie · Toki · Ulala · Vashyron · Vyse · Wolf · ZephyrMore: Bandai Namco · Capcom · Koei Tecmo · Nintendo · Other
The following Sega series are represented with playable characters: , , , , , , Mushiking, NiGHTS, Persona, , , , , Shining, Shinobi, , , , , , , and Yakuza.
=== Other Characters ===
Other Characters: Asuka · Jibanyan · Nakoruru · KuzuryūshinMore: Bandai Namco · Capcom · Koei Tecmo · Nintendo · Sega
Guest characters are included from the following franchises: , , and .
== Traverse Armaments ==
Boss Galaga · Camera Obscura · Cane of Flight · Dark Rider · Eternal Sword · Herb of Spiritual Life · Medusa Head · Opa-Opa · Pepper · Piranha Plant · Proto Buster · Puyo · Red Wing · Sacred Bow · Sir-Ice-A-Lot · Soul Edge
== Scenario Maps == 
Aytolis City · Berry Big Circus · Chun-nan · City of Mercy · Desolate Gorge · Duomo di Sirio · Forgotten Nursery · Furuwatari Castle · Hilal Stronghold · Holoska · Hyrule Field · Jiangdong · Kamurocho · Kawanakajima · Kowloon · Lair of the Four Kings · Luoyang · Makai · Nineteenth Hole Hotel · Phaaze · Pumpkin Hill · Shibuya · Shibuya's Jail · Shrine of Eurydice · Souq · ThornTail Hollow · Wan Castle · Willamette Parkview Mall · Zaphias
== Gallery ==
ACL Warriors Ultimate logo.png|English logo
ACL Ultimate Orochi.png|Kuzuryūshin
== Trivia ==
* Warriors Ultimate was originally conceived as a sequel to the aforementioned Warriors All-Stars title, which saw a number of characters from various Koei Tecmo IPs come together as they are summoned to a strange new world, and break into factions led by one of the three royal siblings that rule over this land. Parts of this game's basic story concept are reimagined for Warriors Ultimate. Gameplay mechanics, however, are primarily inspired by the Warriors Orochi series instead. Additionally, the game's plot is loosely connected to the Warriors Orochi series', though characters that appear in those games have no memory of the events that occurred in those titles (much like in Warriors Orochi 4).
** While Warriors Ultimate was originally conceived as a sequel to Warriors All-Stars, its many similarities to the Warriors Orochi series stem from another unused concept called Warriors Orochi NeXt. This was to be a Warriors Orochi title that included a variety of Nintendo titles alongside the casts of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series.
* Characters from SNK, Level-5, and Marvelous were chosen to be added into the game as guest characters due to Koei Tecmo previously collaborating with the companies: Dead or Alive characters Ayane, Marie Rose, and Honoka have made guest appearances in the Senran Kagura series; Level-5 and Koei Tecmo collaborated on the crossover title Yōkai Sangokushi, which combined elements of Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms (and Dynasty Warriors) series with the gameplay of the Yōkai Watch franchise; and Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond from The King of Fighters series have been released as downloadable fighters for the Dead or Alive series. A character who appeared in each of these series was thus chosen to represent Koei Tecmo's collaborations with these companies.
* William Adams, Fi, Midna, and Chariot are the only characters in the game who do not speak Japanese. William speaks English, just as he did in Nioh and Warriors All-Stars; the voices of Fi and Midna are incomprehensible sound clips based upon their voice clips from Hyrule Warriors, as well as their original appearances in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess respectively; and Chariot does not have any dialogue. Despite the language barrier, characters are capable of understanding each other with no difficulty.
* Despite Ayane debuting in the Dead or Alive series (and appears using her design from Dead or Alive 6), the development team decided to have Ayane represent the Ninja Gaiden series as her moveset is based upon that used by her in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. Just as with Warriors All-Stars, Ayane was chosen to represent Ninja Gaiden as to not over-saturate the amount of Dead or Alive characters in the game.
* As the Donkey Kong series of video games typically does not feature any spoken dialogue from the characters, this is the first video game since Donkey Kong 64, the only game in the series to do so, in which King K. Rool speaks an intelligible language. Jūrōta Kosugi, K. Rool's voice actor in Warriors Ultimate, has previously voiced the character in the Japanese dub of the Canadian/French Donkey Kong Country animated series.
** Coincidentally, Kosugi is also the voice actor for the Samurai Warriors character Nobunaga Oda and the Atelier character Sterkenburg Cranach, both of whom have made appearances in Warriors games previously. The latter also appears alongside King K. Rool in Warriors Ultimate.
* Sophitia Alexandra is the only character who is classified as a "veteran" to the Warriors series and is neither owned by Koei Tecmo nor come from a series that has had a formal collaboration title with the Warriors franchise (e.g. Hyrule Warriors or Persona 5 Scramble); this is because Sophitia appeared as a guest character in Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate.
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