A warrior is a person habitually engaged in combat. In tribal societies, warriors often form a caste or class of their own. In feudalism, the vassals essentially form a military or warrior class, even if in actual warfare, peasants may be called to fight as well. In some societies, warfare may be so central that the entire people (or, more often, the male population) may be considered warriors (e. g. Maori, Germanic tribes). Professional warriors, i. e. people who are paid money for engaging in military campaigns, are Soldiers (when fighting on behalf of their own state) or Mercenaries (when offering their services commercially and unrelated to their own nationality). The classification of somebody who is involved in acts of violence may be a matter of perspective, and there may be disagreement whether a given person is a vandal, a hooligan, a gangster, a terrorist, a rebel, a freedom fighter, a mercenary or a soldier.

Warrior code

In many societies in which a specialized warrior class exists, specific codes of behavior (ethical codes) are instituted in order to ensure that the warrior class is not dangerous to the rest of society. Warrior codes often have common features and usually value loyalty, courage, and honor. Examples include the codes bushido and chivalry.

See also

• Soldier
• Mercenary
• Berserker
• Kshatriya
• Samurai