http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/AliceSoft
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AliceSoft is an eroge developer, one of the oldest in existence. While perhaps not as well known as the truly big groups like Type-MOON and Key/Visual Arts, AliceSoft has managed to carve out a niche for itself by incorporating interesting and involved gameplay elements that occasionally challenge the player. Where other developers will eschew gameplay in favour of telling a fantastic story or cutting straight to the heart of the matter, AliceSoft embraces it wholeheartedly to the point that many of their works on this wiki could be classified as both Video Games and Visual Novels.Advertisement:
The company began in 1989 making games for the PC88, MSX and PC98. These included a Visual Novel known as Intruder and the very first Rance game, chronicling the adventures of everyone's favorite Heroic Comedic Sociopath as he searched for and 'rescued' kidnapped girls. They continued to release games in uninterrupted succession until 2008.
Many of AliceSoft's games tend to be either Eastern RPGs, Dating Sims or Turn-Based Strategy Games and have a penchant for sly, subtle jabs at elements of anime and Japanese pop culture in general. Their more beloved titles fall squarely in the Explicit Content category, and have high quality soundtracks courtesy of their in-house composers. Occasionally, the company will allow its games to be adapted into short OVAs, that tend to overemphasise the 'porn' aspect of the works.
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- The Rance Series
- Rance/Rance 01 - Search For Hikari
- Rance II/Rance 02 - The Rebellious Maidens
- Rance III/Rance 03 - The Fall of Leazas
- Rance IV - Legacy Of the Sect
- Rance 4.1 - Save the Medicine Plant!
- Rance 4.2 - Angel Group
- Kichikuou Rance (Alternate Timeline)
- Rance 5D - Lonely Girl
- Rance VI - Collapse of Zeth
- Sengoku Rance
- Rance Quest
- Rance Quest Magnum
- Rance IX - The Helman Revolution
- Rance X - Showdown (final game in the series)
- The Miki-chan series (Made back when they were called Champion Soft)
- Sarawareta Miki-chan
- Little Vampire
- The Toushin Toshi/Tournament of the Gods series
- Toushin Toshi
- Toushin Toshi II
- Toushin Toshi III
- Darcrows
- The Beat series
- Beat Angel Escalayer
- Beat Blades Haruka
- Beat Valkyrie Ixseal
- The Dai Series
- Daiakuji
- Daibanchou/Big Bang Age
- Daiteikoku
- Gal Zoo Island
- The Pastel Chime Series
- Pastel Chime
- Pastel Chime Continue
- Pastel Chime: Bindseeker
- Ultra Magical Girl Manana (A serial in Visual Novel form chronicling the adventures of the titular magical girl)
- Mamatoto ~A Record of War~
- Mamanyonyo
- Widenyo (a remake of Mamanyonyo)
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Tropes That Apply To This Company
- Aborted Arc: Ilthere was Spared By Adaption in Rance 03, but he didn't appear at all in Rance X and a guidebook even stated he died, making the sacrifice of his apostles worthless.
- Absurdly High Level Cap: A good way of gauging how important someone is in the Rance series is by looking at their level cap. As the average person generally has a level cap in the single digits, someone with a level cap in the mid thirties is considered comparable to an elite soldier. For the most part, however, all of the major players in the Rance universe have level caps of forty or higher, with Rance (and, theoretically, his descendants) having no level cap at all!
- The Ace: The main characters of the Dai games are all incredibly talented alpha males who excel in pretty much everything. While Rance has slowly raised himself to this position in his games, the stand out example for the longest time was Rick Addison, who is presented as handsome, intelligent and better at fighting than Rance.
- Adaptation Distillation: As Kichikuou Rance condenses an entire six games worth of plot that had yet to be fully realized, along with several other pieces of additional background information, the majority of the events are simplified versions of what they would actually become in series canon, with some being completely different entirely.
- Adaptational Heroism: In the Rance series, Oda Nobunaga is presented as a laid-back Nice Guy capable of befriending even Rance, who only did atrocious things after getting possessed by an evil demon.
- Affably Evil: The vast majority of the Dark Lords aligned with the Kayblis faction are pretty okay people overall and simply work for Kayblis due to various circumstances forcing them to. Some, like Galtia, Warg and Kite are Punch Clock Villains while the most villainous ones like Medusa and Kayblis himself are prone to goofing around and having fun.
- Affectionate Parody: Rance is one to pretty much every medieval fantasy Role Playing Games, though particularly Ys and Dungeons & Dragons.
- Big Bang Age follows suit, parodying 80's shonen fighting anime as well as fighting games such as Rival Schools and Street Fighter.
- Dateikoku manages to be on to both the Space Opera genre and all of World War II.
- Afro Ass Kicker: Recurring character Abao Akuu sports a fantastic futuristic looking afro and is almost always a strong unit when playable.
- All There in the Manual: Pretty much the case with every game they make, though none quite like the Rance series, where there are several volumes worth of tie-in books that explain the history of the setting.
- Almighty Idiot: Annis of the Rance series is a level 3 Magic user, which is considered to be an exceedingly rare Physical God level of power. Along with this, she has a level cap in the eighties whereas most high ranking generals' fall some where between the thirties and fifties! While this may seem to make her an obvious candidate for World's Strongest Man, she's so utterly stupid and incompetent that she's much more of a danger to her own teammates than she is to anybody else and is more or less useless in fights as a result.
- Alternate Continuity: Kichikuou Rance is this to the main series, while Mamatoto seems to be a parallel universe featuring several of the same characters.
- Amazon Brigade: While there's no shortage of female warriors in Rance's world, the Leazas Gold Corps. is made up entirely of the strongest women Leazas has to offer and serve as the Queen's personal guard.
- Anti-Hero: Their protagonists manage to fall all across the spectrum. Rance and Akuji accomplish heroic goals, but are overall sociopathic sex offenders who are frequently hard to sympathize with, Tougou and Rouga are both cocky and arrogant but are otherwise entirely heroic characters, while Nanus and Kentarou are straight-laced heroes who frequently get the short end of the stick due to their wimpiness.
- Anything That Moves: Most of their protagonists will have sex with anything so long as it's female. Notably, Rance is the only subversion, if only barely, as he refuses to have sex with anyone who looks underage, even if they're Older Than They Look.
- Art Evolution: Considering how the company has been around since the late 80s, there's been a lot of this. Especially noticeable in the Rance series.
- Author Appeal: TADA, the Director of the Rance Series, Executive Vice President, the chief of the Game developing department, and the one in charge of marketing the AliceSoft brand, likes silly girls, Meganekko, Role Playing Games, Global History (especially Pre-WW2), Romantic Comedies, both insulting and comforting girls, Cute Monster Girls, Battleships, and Military Planes. All of these elements have appeared in AliceSoft games one way or another.
- After Tori left the company due to health reasons, TADA made a post for applicants for her position. While he didn't list any of the above likes as being requirements for the job, they were listed as requirements for being his best friend.
- TADA also has examples of Author Unappeal as well, at odds with some of the other staff members. Primarily the Rance series' half-assed policy on monster design and his dislike of Lolicon.
- AliceSoft really, really likes Gundam. You'd be hard-pressed to find a game of theirs that doesn't reference a character or mobile suit somewhere.
- Author Avatar: TADA once again. He calls himself 'King Hanny' around the office and shouts 'Moe!' when he sees a cute girl in glasses, so the haniwa are basically an exaggerated version of him.
- A few of the other staff members like to insert themselves in the games as Mooks. Notably Tori and the Iyanayastu (Fan translated as 'Asshole' or 'Gross Guy') as well as Plum's Ghost.
- Awesome Mc Coolname: The King of Zeth, Ragnarokarc Super Gandhi.
- Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: While Sill's love for Rance is clear, their borderline abusive relationship, mixed with Rance's love of skirt chasing, makes his feelings for her rather dubious. Despite this, whenever he's about to face a near death situation, Rance is always quick to give Sill a very passionate hug. This becomes even more obvious in Kichikuou Rance where, when Sill gets kidnapped, Rance decides to conquer the entire world just to save her. After Sill becomes frozen in Sengoku Rance, Rance gets thrown into a Heroic BSOD and does everything in his power to try and free her.
- Rance X goes through yet another one of these situations at the climax of part 2, Demon King Rance, who should be little more than an Empty Shell consumed by the demonic bloodlust, incapable of even recognising his own family, staggers for a moment after seeing Sill frozen in ice. Later on, when his sanity is restored and Sill asks him why he would go that far for her, he finally admits loving her.
- Babies Ever After: With a franchise like Rance, it would be criminal not to end the game series without this. Rance has upwards of 100 children at the time of his death, who all become accomplished people in their own right.
- Battle Harem: Rance Quest has a massive character roster, but almost all of them are female characters, with the series' male cast getting reduced to occasional guest appearances. Naturally, Rance has sex with all of them.
- Big Bad: Played with in the Rance games. While Kayblis is certainly the closest thing the setting has to a main villain, he's not actually the designated Big Bad that is the Demon King, who is actually Rance's adorable ally Miki. To further his 'kind of the main bad guy but not really' image, it is made abundantly clear that he's just as much a pawn in the game that the Creator Gods are having as anyone else and holds no real power in the grand scheme of things and is generally treated as a Laughably EvilNo Respect Guy.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Kayblis is closer to this since he's not a Demon King, a Dirty Coward and is just a pawn in god's game.
- Black and Gray Morality: While there are some genuinely good people within Rance's world, the majority of the governments are led by corrupt rulers, Leazas included and Rance is the closest thing they have to a hero. The villainous characters, on the other hand, are so despicable that it's impossible not to root for Rance anyway.
- Pretty true for almost every game they make. While there are some legitimately evil people roaming around, for the most part everyone is a decent person, just embroidered in deep conflict with everyone else.
- Bleached Underpants: Their console and handheld ports, naturally.
- Bonus Boss: Generally there's at least one per game, though there are frequently several. The most iconic is definitely Gunagan, a titanic Humanoid Abomination who rewards the player the a bizarre and out of place piece of artwork upon his defeat.
- Born Lucky: Rance is one of the only individuals alive who is completely immune to the laws that govern his universe, which gives him a major edge over pretty much all of his opponents. Later games finally seem to address it and imply that he may be some kind of Humanoid Abomination known as a 'balance breaker', though this only opens up more questions.
- Breakout Character: Rance went from just another one of their protagonists to the company's poster boy. In fact, he was so popular that he dominated the Visual Novel Character Polls for years before the poll became exclusively for female characters. It says a lot when the most popular character from an Eroge is a guy.
- Breather Episode: Rance Quest, which takes place in the shadow of Rance's Heroic BSoD, is significantly more lighthearted and less plot heavy than the games proceeding and following it and serves as a way of setting up plot points for the next games rather than actually advancing the plot itself.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Rance's infinite level cap theoretically makes him the most powerful being in the universe barring the very beings who created it, but he is prevented from completely destroying every game by losing most of his levels between them due to NoAtrophy from not doing anything between them. He's gotten a bit better by recent games where he's managed to remain around level 40, but characters like Rick and Kenshin still surpass him due to constant training.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Pretty much all of the most powerful people in every game has at least one quirk that makes them this. This includes the protagonists, who are generally more interested in getting laid than saving the world, despite being very competent.
- TADA, the former head of AliceSoft and creator of Rance himself is prone to going off on tangents, making up lore for his universes off the top of his head and randomly shouting 'Moe!' in the middle of conversation. Naturally, he is the inspiration for the Mascot Mook hannies.
- Butt-Monkey: Rance's personal slave Sill suffers a lot of humiliation across the series, but she has nothing on Kentou Kanami, who pretty much exists to be the butt of all of Rance's cruelest jokes. Another recurring Butt Monkey is BirdLithfie, who is guaranteed to lose both his girlfriend and a limb whenever he appears usually because of Rance, but mostly because of himself.
- Everyone ends up playing this role from time to time, simply because Rance acts like a gigantic jerk to everybody, even the people he likes.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: Rance. While he does enjoy alcohol, he tends to try and refrain from drinking it because he is a lightweight to an absurd degree. Sadly, a lot of the men he's come to know as friends (except for Rick) like to share a drink with him, which generally results in him doing something foolish.
- The Casanova: While most of their protagonists are Chick Magnets, Tougou Tsuyoshi of Daiteikoku is the only one who fits the character type, being a suave flirt who constantly sleeps around.
- Cerebus Syndrome: While the Rance series always had genuinely serious moments, they were primarily meant to be wacky parodies. Starting with Rance VI, however, the series has become more and more focused on telling an epic story and the humor, while still very prevalent, has become less and less prominent over time.
- Even within the serious entries, Rance X is the darkest entry on the series by the largest margin, with mechanics depicting how many millions of humans are dying every month (keeping the remaining population and the percentage of casualties since the war started) tons of bad endings that either state or imply mankind's extermination (or at least the end of their role as protagonist race) and the A endings being very Bittersweet Endingat least until Part 2 brings things to a close and a Golden Ending.
- Character Development: While he's still very much a Heroic Comedic Sociopath, Rance has become a nicer guy over the course of his series. Compare his interactions with Patton in Kichikuou Rance with their interactions in Rance IX, which tells the same story but with an in universe year's difference between them. In Kichikuou Rance's disgusted at the thought of shaking hands with Patton while in IX they're Fire-Forged Friends. Rance has also developed a far more heroic motivation besides his usual 'have sex with every hot chick in the world': freeing Sill from the eternal ice she's encased in.
- His development comes to a head at the end of Rance X With Rance being willing to absorb Miki's demonic blood to spare her becoming Little princess, heartbroken by Sill's demise. Later on he did all he could to keep the bloodlust at bay, enduring five years every time, whereas the other demon kings always succumbed to the bloodlust instantly.
- Char Clone: The most iconic one is RickAddison of the Rance series, but IdagawaRen from Daibanchou and EagleDouglas from Daiteikoku also fit the bill.
- Recurring Traveller Abao Akuu more or less is Char except with a ridiculous design featuring a bright pink spacesuit and afro. Nearly every word out of his mouth is taken directly from the man himself.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Rance himself. From the point of view of someone who doesn't know the things he has done he is a boastful idiot. He does get himself into dangers he could easily avoid by simply thinking twice what he does. But when he gets serious there is nothing in the world able to stop him.
- Complete Immortality: Most of the higher gods in the Rance setting possess this attribute, though it's been stated that if the human population of the Continent plummeted to the single digits, the Hero would be powered up enough that even the Supreme Gods could be killed (the gods tried to object to this when it was implemented, but Ludo-Rathowmn found the idea of the highest gods getting killed by their own creations for negligence to be hilarious, so he overruled them). Demon King Gelle was also granted absolute immortality, on the condition that she be permanently reduced to 5% of the power she had previously commanded.
- Crutch Character: Due to the Nintendo Hard nature of most of their games, the player is generally given a character who can steamroll most of the early game with ease (Ferris and Rick from Rance, Shibagami from Daiteikoku), but rendering them unusable after certain events to prevent the player from relying solely on them. Interestingly, the main characters of each of the three Dai games also manage to be this due to having far better stats than pretty much every other playable character, particularly early on, but are incapable of getting character cleared, meaning they'll never get any New Game+ bonuses like the other characters.
- Cute Monster Girl: Played with for Gal Monsters. While most of the Gal Monsters have both 'cute' and 'girl' down, some of them are lacking in the 'monster' department. This is rather apparent in certain classes of Gal Monsters like Magician and Valkyrie, who don't have any part of 'monster' on them.
- Darth Vader Clone: Rance after becoming the Demon King in Rance X Part 2 has many traits of this. He wears dark armor with a cape and a helmet that covers his face. He was originally the anti-heroic protagonist of his series until he drank the bloodof the previous demon king. He was originally a swordsman, but gained more strength and magical abilities after becoming the demon king. He does not want to destroy humanity, but he is struggling to maintain control of himself against the bloodlust of the Blood Soul controlling him. His enemies are his own children, but unlike the original he has eleven of them who need to work together in order to just stand a chance against him. And at the end of the game he pulls a Heel–Face Turn and joins his children after the Blood Soul was absorbed by Quelplan and turns him back to normal.
- Deconstruction: Toushin Toshi 2 is one of the typical H-game, namely the player's presumed motive for playing to see sex scenes. Within the actual story, while the main character Seed has his own motivation of winning his girlfriend's hand in marriage by winning the tournament, the player can make him have sex with a large chunk of the female cast. While the game doesn't immediately punish Seed for being unfaithful, all but a few sex scenes require Seed to do increasingly horrible things to unlock them, culminating in murdering every girl he has sex with, which the game goes out of its way to describe in horrifying detail and having Seed become terrified and confused by his own actions. Ultimately the game asks the player the question of whether they're invested in the characters themselves, or simply want to see the sex scenes.
- Deconstructive Parody: The Rance series is just as much a deconstruction of traditional Role Playing Games as it is a parody.
- Defiled Forever: Averted in the Rance series, actually. When Kouhime is raped and is depressed because she believes she cannot marry anymore.. Rance tells her guys like that don't count, makes fun of the rapists' small penises, and promises to marry her himself if no one else will take her.
- Designated Hero: Rance is an iconic example, but Princess Lia from the same series is another perfect example. She's the de facto Big Good of the story but is a childish Yandere who was the main antagonist of the first game.
- Developers' Foresight: Hacking into Daibanchou to allow yourself to control characters who normally aren't playable like Kamui or Jeanne reveals that they have recorded dialogue for winning and losing battles as well as raising stats, despite never being intended as playable.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: The climax of Rance III has Rance rape the Humanoid AbominationPhysical God Demon Lord Gelle, historically noted to be the most dangerous Demon Lord of all time.
- Dirty Coward: A number of characters could fall under this, but Kayblis takes the cake. Despite being by far the most powerful demon other than the Demon King, he has a policy of never getting into a fight if there is even a 0.001% chance he could die. Considering how long he's survived, he might be on to something.
- Does Not Like Men: Rance! He finds ugly men to be hideous wastes of space and attractive men to be threats to his harem, to a point where he'll kill a man in a heart beat if he annoys him too much. There are a small handful of men that he doesn't hate (Patton, Gandhi, etc.) but he's still incredibly abusive towards them and frequently forgets their names. The only men who could genuinely be called his friends are Chaos, RickAddison and Oda Nobunaga, all of whom he has a heavyVitriolic Best Buds relationship with.
- Pretty much every AliceSoft protagonist is like this, with the exception of Rouga, who values men and women equally, and Tougou, who vastly prefers women but has no problem working with men.
- The Dog Bites Back: Happens eventually in Rance X, in which the resident Butt-Monkey of the entire franchise, Bird, finally snaps from getting ridiculed and humiliated across the series by Rance and kills Sill right after the entirety of Humanity has successfully managed to defeat Kayblis and liberate themselves from demon oppression, inadvertently setting off the events leading to the game's second part.
- However if you think about it. It's really hard to say how much of that was this trope, because while it's true that some of Bird's misfortunes came because of Rance directly (such as causing Kisara to leave him) or indirectly (Copandon deciding to leave him because his fortune actually read 'Misfortune' instead of 'Great luck' like Rance). Most other if not every misfortune he got were were actually his own fault or just outright bad luck with the biggest reason being his inability to admit his own faults and instead blame them on others and using it to guilt them into apologizing to him through sulking which in turn causes them to leave him since they believe his gentleman behavior is just a facade which is correct. This even escalated till a point he started blaming Rance for every misfortune that happened to him just so that he doesn't have to confront his own failings.
- Doing It for the Art: TADA stepped down from being President of AliceSoft to make the last few games of the Rance series, the best thing AliceSoft has ever made.
- Even though he has officially left the company due to health reasons, Shade (their in-house composer) said that he's making sure he sees the Rance series through to the end, because he can't see it going on without his scores.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Nagi su Ragarl, Shizuka's half sister and rival, appears on the cover of Rance 2, a full four games before her official debut in Rance 6. This is a case of What Could Have Been, as a scenario featuring her was planned for that game, but not implemented until the sixth one.
- Engrish: Due to their love of western settings and names, this happens a lot. Ironically, the most notable case of Surprisingly Good English (albeit a bit nonsensical) is in the opening to Big Bang Age, the game that takes place in Japan.
- Even Designated Heroes Have Standards: Rance can be a pretty horrible person, but he hates racism (especially notable in Rance VI) and goes ballistic when confronted with pedophilia.
- Everyone Can See It: Everyone knows Rance is in love with Sill, no matter how much he denies it. It reaches a point where, during his wedding with Lia in Kichikuou, the only thing several of the guests talk about is how shocked they are that he isn't marrying Sill.
- Fan Translation:
- The only source of English translations of their games, to the point where AliceSoft themselves encourage them.
- The efforts of the fan translations have caused AliceSoft to experiment with the idea of giving their games commercial releases internationally, with the very same fans working on the localizations.
- Final Death: Frequently is employed in their games, though not always. Played straight in Kichikuou Rance, Daiakuji and Daibanchou, used to a lesser extent in Sengoku Rance where fallen characters can randomly die after battles and completely averted in Daiteikoku.
- Fountain of Expies:
- They do this to themselves. Several character designs and personalities have been recycled in other games.
- Big Bang Age is on the receiving end of this to Rival Schools.
- Genre Roulette: The Rance series almost never sticks to one genre between games. There are generally RPG Elements and an increasing focus on Tactical Combat, but beyond that vary greatly in gameplay and presentation.
- Grand Finale: Rance X to the Rance and Little Princess series. It's even subtitled The Last Rance Series. The game revolves around a full-on demon invasion of all of the world's nations at once, with long-time Big Bad Kayblis at the helm of the demon army. It eventually ends with a Where Are They Now montage for a number of the main characters, finishing with Rance growing old after a lifetime of adventures, siring many children, and passing peacefully with Sill by his bedside.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Ludo-Rathowm, the jerkass God that rules the world, desires entertainment, but sadly he only finds some in suffering, so the entire world, the dark lord system with the Demon King is engineered to give him what he desires.
- Golden Ending: Clearing every ending in Rance IX and then watching one last time the true ending shows Sill getting finally defrosted by Crook thanks to a long ritual and a national treasure from Helman.
- Rance X also has one when the player managed to save very kingdom. This unlocks Part 2 which is about the children of Rance who need to defeat their father who became the Demon King and clearing it shows us the true ending of the series.
- Hard Levels, Easy Bosses: Both Daibanchou and Daiakuji require large amounts of micromanaging to keep troop morale up, maintain conquered territory and fight off endless swarms of enemies. In comparison, the bosses, though by no means ridiculously easy, are simply stronger versions of normal enemies with powerful special abilities, which shouldn't be a problem for you if you can actually reach them. Daiteikoku averts this by having a system that makes all fights be predetermined Curb Stomp Battles, meaning bosses simply require confronting with higher stats than normal enemies do.
- The Hedonist:
- Rance lives exclusively for his own pleasure, and has no real interest in any of the world's affairs despite the massive amount of influence he has on them. Tougou Tsuyoshi is also more interested in sleeping around and having a good time than running a navy, though he takes his job much more seriously than Rance does.
- Rance's hedonism is driven home in Kichikuou Rance, where the Golden Ending, which requires Rance to become King of Leazas, unite the human world, liberate the demon world and (momentarily) defeat the creator of existence, has him immediately filing a divorce from Lia and escaping Leazas to go on more adventures with Sill. In fact, his entire motivation throughout the game is to conquer the world so he can go back to screwing around in it.
- Hero of Another Story: Considering the scale of Rance's world, this isn't very surprising. There are actually three 'Designated Protagonists' within the continent consisting of Rance, KentarouOgawa and AriosTheoman. Another standout example would be Patton Misnarge, whose quest to reclaim his kingdom is quietly told in the background for over six games before taking center stage in Rance IX.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Tougou and his best friend and second in command Akiyama in Daiteikoku. They've known each other for years, serve as the other's confidant in times of need and raise a child together. Naturally, the Ho Yay gets lampshaded to hell and back, especially when one of their main crew members is a Yaoi Fangirl.
- Rouga and Kyoichirou from Daibanchou are also an example, with Akiyama being heavily inspired by the latter.
- A female example would be Maria and Shizuka in the Rance series, who are almost always together. In the one game where this wasn't the case, Shizuka was quickly added into the game as an update.
- Patton and Hubert from Rance also count, to the point where Hubert is willing to get declared dead by his country to help Patton out.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Almost every heroic character in the Rance series manages to somehow misinterpret Rance as a heroic person despite obvious hints suggesting otherwise. The stand out example would be KingRagnarokarcSuper Gahndi, who believes Rance to be the messiah!
- This even applies to evil characters such as the Jerkass Gods that govern and created the world Rance lives in. The Top God Ludo-Rathown expected him to become an evil tyrannical king that would bring chaos, destruction and despair to humanity which is why he was allowed to live despite being a Balance Breaker, but instead Rance actually shortens the war he's involved withnote and minimizes the amount of suffering humanity has to go through.
- Improbable Age: The cast of Daibanchou is made up of the elite members of the factions warring for control of Japan. Most of them are around 18 and only a small handful are above 30, meaning almost all of Japan's government is run by high school students.
- Irony: Demon Lord Gelle did everything in her power to sandbag the Hero System, ensuring that no noble champion would rise up to strike her down. She is instead defeated by Nominal Hero Rance, who rapes her after she's beaten and abandons her to a very long and lonely imprisonment in the alternate dimension they had fought in. To his credit, he does apologize for doing so as he exits, but it's made clear that a more traditional hero might have been sufficiently moved by her plight to at least try and save her.
- Jerkass Gods: The world of Rance is ruled by a giant Space Whale and his children, who created 'The Continent' in an excercise of defeating boredom. Everything that goes wrong in this world (and there is a lot of that) happens only to sate his own lust for entertainment. For example, humans are the third species to have taken control, following Cthulu-esque monsters (who were smart but too squishy) and uberdragons (who were too resilent), while humans can prevail but also can die in so many horrifically entertaining ways.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sure, Rance is a serial rapist, but he's still a passionate leader, and many of the games show his kindness to his troops and friends. A good example would be when he alongside his troops were supposed to subdue Medusa. Since she's an attractive woman he was originally planning to spare her for sex, but after hearing and seeing the atrocities she caused including crippling Rizna, he decides to just kill her even when she tried to bargain sex for her life. Naturally everyone was surprised to see him kill an attractive woman without any hesitation.
- Lady Not-Appearing-in-This-Game: Combined with Early-Bird Cameo, Tomato Puree and Nagi su Ragarl have been on the covers of Rance and Rance II, respectively, but they haven't made their in-game appearances until Rance II and Kichikuou Rance.
- Level Cap: One of the most notorious aspects of the Rance series is that every single individual has a set level cap determined from birth. The average person has a level cap of around 5, while an elite soldier has one of around 20. Of course, practically every major character has a level cap of 40 and above, with Rance and his descendants surpassing everybody with no level cap whatsoever, in theory making him and his descendants the strongest beings alive.
- This becomes an important plot point in Rance 03 Gele opens a dimensional rift, rapidly raising her level and Rance's, not even paying attention to him, only to be stunned by facing a level 560 Rance, and only that level because she closed the rift due to having met her own limit.
- Lighter and Softer: Daibanchou in comparison to their others games. While there's still plenty of rape, the main character Rouga never does any of it and is more or less an All-Loving Hero rather than a Designated Hero. The following game, Daiteikoku's hero Tougou Tsuyoshi is also considerably more noble and heroic than most of the other protagonists, but he's still far more of a jerk than Rouga is.
- Mamatoto, while still covering dark themes, has perhaps the most traditional hero of any AliceSoft game ever and makes almost all sex scenes completely optional, to the point where one could play through the entire game and only see two of them. As a tradeoff, however, the optional sex scenes are almost all rape courtesy of the protagonist's Manipulative BastardDirty Old Man of a father.
- Loads and Loads of Characters: Every game introduces dozens of new characters, all of whom are guaranteed to appear again in some capacity.
- Magnetic Hero: All of their heroes are on a first name basis with the most influential and powerful people in their universe by the end of the game, and have slept with all of the female ones.
- Mascot: Alice-chan, the lovable little girl who serves as narrator (in the Rance series), dev room operator (in most of the games), and is usually on the company's logo. The Hannies are also a prominent part of their advertising.
- Mascot Mook: The Hannies, goofy living potteries with a love of all things moe. One is on the company's current logo.
- Men Are the Expendable Gender: Male characters who aren't Rance are generally treated like losers or are outright villains and serve no other purpose than to have their women stolen by Rance or to get beaten up or even killed by him. This has steadily been reduced as the series continues to the point of being more or less averted, as more recent games feature just as many badass male characters fighting alongside the female ones.
- Minor Major Character: Tons in the Rance series. Characters like Arios Theoman, M.M. Rune and almost all of the Dark Lords only ever get passing mentions, yet are some of the most influential characters in the entire series.
- Most Writers Are Male: Averted in the Rance series, of all things. Tori (main writer for Rance 2-7) is a woman, and came up with most of the traits that define Rance as a character.
- Mutually Exclusive Party Members: A preferred tactic of theirs to create more Fake Difficulty and replayability. Generally it is impossible to recruit every single possible playable character in a single run through of a game.
- Nerds Are Sexy: One of the main characters of the Rance series, Maria Custard, is an Adorkable tech geek who is both clumsy and obsessed with robotics. Naturally she's one of Rance's most popular girls both in and out of universe.
- Nintendo Hard: Their games often have a steep learning curve, though some are definitely worse than others.
- No Export for You: Sadly AliceSoft isn't interested in licensing their work in the west, probably because of the media outbursts similar titles have caused in America.
- AliceSoft has recently entered a partnership with MangaGamer to give Beat Blades Haruka an official localization, with the potential for further commercial releases still on the table depending on how well it sells. Fortunately, it sold well enough that Rance 5D, 6, Sengoku Rance, Rance Quest, and Evenicle are getting official localization!
- Non-Action Guy: A common trend in their territory capture games is to feature one of these as your Mission Control. Examples include 3G in Sengoku Rance, ZanmaGou in Big Bang Age, Jun in Daiakuji and AkiyamaKeichirou in Daiteikoku. Occasionally these characters will also be playable in game, but they'll often be a Joke Character with almost no use in actual combat.
- Interestingly, Nanas from Mamatoto plays the very role described above despite being the main character.
- Not Blood Siblings: Nanas and Arvy in Mamatoto were raised as siblings despite Nanas not being Kakaro's biological son. The revelation of this causes Arvy to allow herself to give into her feelings for Nanas and are what ultimately allow them to become romantically involved by the end of the game.
- Not His Sled: As Kichikuou Rance was made long before half of the series was finished and covers the entire plot from beginning to end, by the time the events appear in the actual games they've changed completely to the point of only vaguely resembling their Kichikuou portrayal.
- Unlike the previous remakes that averted this trope, Rance 03 changes multiple plot points, some are small, like certain characters joining Rance, others are pretty big, Like Ithere's fate or Gele's relationship with Rance.
- Oblivious Adoption: Nanas, the protagonist of Mamatoto, is actually the prince of Gaston who was kidnapped by Kakaro as a baby and bread to be a tactical genius so that he could conquer the world for him. Nanas reveals towards the end of the game that he always subconciously suspected that this was the case, but chose to deny it in hopes that it wasn't.
- Obliviously Evil: For a degree of 'evil', if the heroes of AliceSoft games (Rance, of course, being the biggest example) do morally reprehensible thing like rape, torture, etc, it's generally because they run off the Insane Troll Logic that heroes don't do evil things, and they're the heroes, so if they do said act then they're not evil. It's actually a plot point in Rance's case, as he was subjected to a power that uses a person's inner evil to destroy them, and he was unaffected because he doesn't comprehend that he does evil things and thus has no inner evil. It generally helps that the villains in their games are usually far more cruel and depraved than the protagonists and revel in being evil.
- Obvious Beta: It's pretty clear that Rance Quest wasn't finished and that the Magnum expansion was how the game was meant to be.
- Old Master: Plenty, though the two most prominent examples are Barres Province, Supreme Commander of the Leazas Army and Freak Paraffin, the hundred-year old robot mage and mentor to the Patton Faction.
- Only Sane Man: At least one per game. While this position jumps around a lot in the Rance series, the most frequent holders of it are Kanami and Shizuka, Rouga and Nanus serve as this in their respective games and Akiyama serves as this in Daiteikoku.
- Orcus on His Throne: Kayblis. Even though he's so powerful that he could easily destroy the forces of man by himself, he refuses to budge from his castle unless absolutely necessary. His personal policy is to never get into a fight if there is even a 0.001% chance he could die, and with up to three demon-killing weapons going around on the battlefield, he'd rather just let his subordinates do everything.
- Pals with Jesus: One of your earliest units in Daiteikoku is Shibagami, who is the god of Japan. He admits to being rather weak for a god but this still makes it no less impressive that he's your subordinate.
- The Power of Love: Technically, it's 'The Power of H', but it's what powers Kouenja Sakuya's Escalayer form in Beat Angel Escalayer; and Takamori Haruka's and Shihoudou Narika's Blades form in Beat Blades Haruka. In both cases, it helps that love is a factor in recharging their powers faster, but having sex with a certain person gets the.. recharging going. The inverse is true: getting raped by their enemies drains their superpowered forms.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Hubert's 'disguise' in Rance IX consists of wearing a fake mustache and different armor. He's forced to wear it for the entire game.
- 'Pink Mask' from Rance 4.1 and 4.2 is most definitely not Sill in disguise. Hilariously, Rance completely buys into it, immediately countering anyone who suggests she may be Sill with 'She can't be! Sill's at home!'.
- Peaceful in Death: By the end of the series, Rance sires a ton of healthy children, became a successful adventurer who experienced tons of exciting adventures, succeeded in every goal of his life and died of old age with Sill by his side, smiling all the while. Pretty fulfilled life, is you ask us.
- Power Levels: Everyone in the Rance series is aware of their Level that determines how strong and tough they are. It ranges from an average human being at around Level 10, a soldier around 20, elites ranging from 30 - 40, with 60 and above being at 'legendary hero' status, and no human being in history being recorded above level 120 (the Hero's unique Game-Breaker powers notwithstanding). Originally, the Archfiend had a power level as well (suggested to be somewhere around 500) but this was retconned around Rance 5D: they still have great power, on par with 2nd or 1st class gods, but it is not codified in a Level system.
- Rated M for Manly: Surprisingly, Rance IX is an example of this. The game is primarily a war drama with a cast made predominantly of incredibly manly men doing manly things, with Rance's antics being sidelined for most of the game.
- Reality Ensues: What's the way to improve such Crapsack World ruled by a manchild whale god who only finds entertainment by watching the suffering of mortals? Convincing it to experience one life as a mortal, being able to mature, to grow a conscience, to gain loved ones and appreciate the world for what it was. Even though it was that easy to Stating the Simple Solution, it took mortals and gods alike thousands of years for Crook to reach such a simple solution.
- Recurring Traveller: The most common ones being the Moe-obsessed Hanny King, his Lust Object and walking Moe BlobIll Girl Nozomi Okita and Afro Ass KickerChar Clone Abao Akuu.
- Recycled Soundtrack: Oh, they've done this several times. Notable ones are..
- 'Running to the Straight'. Originated in Mamatoto as the main battle theme, it was remixed twice. The first time was in Sengoku Rancejust before launching the final assault on Tenma Bridge in the True Route. This was not included in the OST or sound test. The second time was in Rance IXwhich is the final boss theme.
- 'Ontology'. Originated in Kichikuou Rance as Kayblis's theme, it was remixed in Sengoku Rance, spelled 'Ontlogy', as the battle theme for the Demon Army, appropriately enough.
- 'My Glourious Days', Rance's Leitmotif, is actually not a remix from any of the AliceSoft games. It's actually a remix of the National Anthem of East Germany.
- 'Force' Leazas' theme in Kichikuou Rance was remixed in Rance 03 and used in the scenes where the Tulip III is deployed and Rance and his troops are having the greatest battles against Helman forces.
- Reused Character Design: Tends to crop up from time to time. This gets relentlessly lampshaded throughout Rance IX, with Hubert successfully disguising himself as Barbazza from Mamatoto simply by wearing a fake mustache, Rance confusing Hubert with Bernard and later Alexander throughout the game and Rance wondering why Milacle looks so much like the Raven Princess he saw in his mind during Rance Quest.
- RPG-Mechanics Verse: Skills, Levels, and Experience Points are something everyone is aware of. Skills and one's Level Cap are determined at birth, while Experience Points have to be handed off to a 'Level God' in order to level up and become stronger. There's even a Archfiend who is the ultimate evil for humanity to defeat ('Ma-ou' or 'Demon King' in Japanese, which is eye-rollingly stereotypical for a Japanese fantasy RPG Big Bad) and a 'Chosen Hero' with many supernatural advantages who is destined to battle against the forces of evil.
- Slasher Smile: Rance's only facial expression besides looking pissed off. He switches between which one is the default depending on how annoying the situation he's in is in each game.
- Sliding Scale of Gender Inequality: Surprisingly quite well balanced. While men generally make up the majority of the armies, there are several women in positions of power all across the continent and several of the strongest characters in the setting are women. At the same time, male characters have become more and more prominent as time has gone on and have just as much plot significance as the females do.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: The world of the Rance series is an incredibly cynical place in a constant state of war, with the few occasions peace had been achieved resulting in a complete apocalypse due to it boring the Jerkass Gods. Despite this, Rance's actions have legitimately shifted things for the better, suggesting that the world can improve, it just takes a complete sociopath with an insaciable libido to do so. In a way the golden ending of Kichikuou Rance and Rance X, the final games of their respective timelines, can be seen as part of the opposing side of the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism (despite both games ending with Rance continuing to travel with Sill).
- The ending of Kichikuou Rance represents the cynical side of the spectrum. The Top God Ludo-Rathowm still enjoys the suffering of humans in order to entertain himself and launched an attack to slaughter them all after they attained peace. The best Rance could do in the end was put the god to sleep for around three centuries, but the world is still in chaos thanks to the attack and isn't united. This means that Ludo-Rathowm still might get what he wants after sleeping for many centuries.
- The ending of Rance X represents the idealistic side of the spectrum. The Top God Ludo-Rathowm reincarnates into Rance and Crook's child El Mofus in order to experience how life on the continent felt. After an adventure Ludo-Rathowm learns how to appreciate his creations and most importantly empathy. This causes Ludo-Rathowm to dismantle the system his sons have created in order to entertain him. While the world is still divided in some ways. There are no more Demon Kings or Heroes that need to create suffering. This means that humanity may one day truly attain peace and not get attacked by an Angel Army like in Kichikuou Rance.
- Spared by the Adaptation: A completely unexpected one from Rance 03 Dark Lord Ithere was spared by Rance when asked by Shizuka to show him mercy. He was dying from his wounds anyway, but his apostles gave their lives to heal him just enough for him to survive and stay hidden in Leazas Castle.
- Spiritual Successor: The Evenicle series is one towards the Rance series even though the first Evenicle game came before the release of the final Rance game. The Evenicle series shares much background and beings the Rance series has, but still defers in way to be unique on its own.
- Stalker with a Crush: Queen Lia of Leazas' obsession with Rance reaches a point where she monitors his every action intently. She herself doesn't do the stalking, rather she forces a ninja to scout him out at all times while she watches from a crystal ball.
- Stylistic Suck: TADA's drawings in the dev room which in turn are used for doodle monsters. A more classic example would be the 'art' you get from Gunagan throughout the series, though that might count more towards True Art Is Incomprehensible.
- Supporting Harem: The Rance series features one. Despite his obsession with making every attractive woman in existence his, it's pretty clear that Rance cares more about Sill than he does anybody else. This is even recognized in universe, where characters who are in love with Rance like Maria and Lia recognize that they don't have a chance against Sill.
- Tsundere: Considering the number of games they've made, there are plenty. Interestingly, the two stand out examples from the Rance series, Shizuka and Kanami, lean so heavily to the tsun-tsun side that they more or less genuinely hate Rance, with the few genuine moments of kindness they show towards him leaning more towards 'He's not a total asshole' than anything else. The straightest tsundere in the Rance series would be Satella, who insists that Rance is her rival despite clearly having feelings for him. Keep in mind that Satella is a demon lord who is most likely hundreds of years old and one of the most powerful characters in the setting.
- Now averted with Kanami as of Rance IX. Turns out all it took was for Rance to actually treat her like her a girl and not just as a gopher/sex toy.
- Rance himself plays this quite straight in relation to Sill. He's constantly picking on her, but every game shows that he values her more than he does anything else in the world.
- Übermensch: Both Rance and Zanma Rouga are exceptionally talented young men who rise above their fellow men to tear apart the oppressive system. Rouga is a traditional example while Rance seems more interested in enjoying himself through any means possible, with everything else simply being a side effect.
- The Unchosen One: Rance isn't his universe's designated chosen one, but it is actually because of this that he is able to accomplish everything he does. He's a glitch in the system, and his actions tend to drastically change the world as a result.
- Token White: The unnamed Caucasian British man who works at AliceSoft and is only known outside of the company by his nickname Union Jack.
- Unmanly Secret: One of Rance's few hobbies that doesn't involve sex is reading Shoujo Manga.
- The 'Verse: AliceSoft has several major universes. These include..
- The Rance Universe, which is also the setting for the Toushin Toushi series and the 'Miki-Chan' series.
- The Dai Universe.
- The Beats Universe, which include Beat Angel Escalayer and Beat Blades Haruka.
- 'Where Are They Now?' Epilogue: Daibanchou features one detailing what happens to all party members that were Character Cleared, a few that weren't and a handful of secondary characters. Depending on how well the player did, this can last for nearly twenty minutes.
- World's Strongest Man: The previous holder of this title was Thoma Lipton of the Helman Third Army before he was killed in battle by Rance. Currently, Rick Addison is recognized as this though Rance has potential to become far stronger. Rance officially took the titel after becoming the Demon King, not only did his sword fighting skills improve, but he also gainedMagical Abilities. He was so powerful that not only was he stronger than other Demon Kings, but 11 of his children were needed to level grind to level 250 and above and got help from many allies just to fight against him. This still wasn't enough to defeat him and all they could do was restore his sanity with Reset's slap.
- Wrench Wench: Maria Custard, one of the series' poster girls is a witch who is far more proficient with machinery than she is with magic.
- Yandere: Queen Lia of Leazas refuses to allow Rance to see any girl besides her, and has attempted to murder Sill on multiple occasions because of this. Despite this, Rance sleeps with so many women that it's impossible for her to keep up.
- Zero-Approval Gambit: Rance willingly takes up the mantle of the Demon King after Kayblis is defeated, becoming the essential new token Evil Overlord of the continent, in order to ensure peace between the Demon realm and Humanity for the future. Only problem is, while he did this with a good purpose to ensure mankind's survival, he is slowly losing himself to the Demon King blood in his body, and as such is slowly turning into a flat-out villain and has begun the cycle of destruction anew. The entire plot of Part 2 revolves around his children teaming up to find a way to defeat him or find a way to bring him back to his senses.
Alternative Title(s):Sengoku Rance, Rance Quest
Index
Many significant Japanese historical people of the Sengoku period appear in works of popular culture such as anime, manga, and video games. This article presents information on references to several historical people in such works.
Akechi Mitsuhide[edit]
Akechi Mitsuhide is featured in various fictional works, mostly as a hero.
- He is featured in Capcom's Onimusha as Samanosuke Akechi's uncle/relative, as well as Onimusha Tactics, as a playable character.
- Mitsuhide is also one of the playable characters in Koei's Samurai Warriors series. He wields a katana, obviously taking techniques from the sword school of Iaido, and is portrayed to have a very close relationship with Mori Ranmaru. He goes against Oda Nobunaga but lets him live in one story. In another story, he is forced to kill Oda Nobunaga and Mori Ranmaru. In the second installment of the series, the relationship with Ranmaru is not present; instead he becomes closer to Nobunaga (and takes longer to fall out with Nobunaga) to a point where he does not want to kill him. This caused Saika Magoichi to assassinate Nobunaga from afar, leaving Mitsuhide to be blamed. Akechi Mitsuhide somehow defeats the Toyotomi and the Saika, uniting the land in Nobunaga's name. In a special side story, he has to fight off and defeat the Tokugawa and the rest of Japan. He also appears in the Warriors Orochi spin-off series as a starting character in the 'Samurai'/'Sengoku' story lines. In this game, he shows no intention of killing or betraying Oda Nobunaga and follows him faithfully; in fairness, this depiction is based on the Samurai Warriors 2 incarnation. In Warriors Orochi 2, he and Hosokawa Gracia, his daughter, are rescued by Xing Cai and Inahime. They become allies of Shu, and they tell Liu Bei of Taira Kiyomori and Sun Wukong. He has a dream mode stage where he teams up with Ling Tong and Yue Ying to battle Masamune Date. He is also in the spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana.
- He is featured as a playable character in Sengoku Basara, where he is portrayed as a sadistic psychopath who wields dual scythes, and enjoys killing his opponents. His counterpart in Devil Kings is known as the 'Reaper'. He appears in Sengoku Basara 3 in a new costume as well as a mask concealing his mouth, under a new name of 'Tenkai'.
- Mitsuhide plays a part in Konami's video game Demon Chaos.
- In Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Taiko ki (released in English as Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan), Mitsuhide is emotionally abused by Nobunaga, who calls him by the nickname 'kumquat head'.
- In Koei's video game Kessen III, he is portrayed as an ally turned main villain through the game; this is because Oda Nobunaga is portrayed as the hero and unifier of Japan.
- In Hikaru no Go, a character named Yuki Mitani plays Mitsuhide in a school play.
- In the manga series Tenjho Tenge, the character Sōhaku Kago initially went by the name Akechi Mitsuhide, and killed Oda Nobunaga by decapitation. He then faked his death and became the High Buddhist priest called Tenkai, manipulating the Tokugawa from within.
- In the James Clavell historical novel Shōgun, the character of 'Akechi Jinsai' is a pastiche of Mitsuhide.
- Akechi Mitsuhide is one of few captains who have non-generic faces in the erogeSengoku Rance. He can be replaced with his daughter Hosokawa Gracia, after doing two of his events using Rance's satisfaction points.
- In the anime series Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox, Mitsuhide is portrayed as a gender-switched version of himself, played by Eri Kitamura.
- In the anime series The Ambition of Oda Nobuna, Mitsuhide is portrayed as a female protagonist serving Oda Nobuna.
- In Drifters, he appears as a member of the Ends.
- In the Custom Game Mode of Warcraft III The Frozen Throne, One of the Selectable Heroes from the Orc Faction, is a Blade Master, with Various Names. Among the Numerous Blade Master Names was 'Jubei', in Reference to this Samurai Warrior.
- In Pokémon Conquest Mitsuhide appears as a warlord, with Lapras as his partner and later Articuno.
- Mitsuhide is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Mitsuhide is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Azai Nagamasa[edit]
- Azai Nagamasa makes appearances as a general in the Main Campaign and in various historical battles and historical campaigns in the strategy game Shogun Total War.
- Nagamasa is a featured playable character within the video game series Samurai Warriors, in which he is depicted as an extremely honorable man who will stop at nothing to ensure that his notions of justice are enforced. As like in history, Nagamasa decides to collaborate with his erstwhile allies, the Asakura, and fight against Nobunaga at Anegawa; he also expresses a more dramatized showing of love towards his respective wife, Oichi, and cares deeply for her welfare. In appearance, Nagamasa is depicted with his traditional kabuto helmet and carries a lance as his weapon of choice. He is also in the spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana. This version of the character also appears in the spin-off series Warriors Orochi, as an unlockable character for the Cao Wei storyline. Cao Pi and Mitsunari Ishida attack Nagamasa's forces, including his wife Oichi and Gan Ning of Eastern Wu. Instead of death, as they wanted, Cao Pi enlists the three of them into his army against Orochi. Later, Azai Nagamasa, Oichi, and Gan Ning work with Honda Tadakatsu in repelling Lu Bu and Orochi's forces. In WO2, Azai Nagamasa, the Asakura, and Oichi arrive as reinforcements for Jiang Wei and Maeda Toshiie. In Dream Mode, he works with Naoe Kanetsugu, Sanada Yukimura, and Ma Chao in rescuing peasants from Taira Kiyomori.
- Nagamasa is a non-player character (NPC) in Sengoku Basara 2, along with Oichi, but becomes playable in the expansion Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes. He wields a long sword and carries a shield with him. He is portrayed as a justice-loving man and his army is just like him.
- In the anime version of Sengoku Basara, Nagamasa is killed by Mitsuhide Akechi's arquebus corps shoots through him to kill Masamune Date.
- Nagamasa are two of the captains who have generic faces in the eroge Sengoku Rance (where they take the names 'Azai Nagamasa' and 'Asai Nagamasa').
Chōsokabe Motochika[edit]
- Motochika is a playable character from Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends onwards, where he wields a shamisen and sports a Glam rock-inspired appearance, which leads him to continuously call himself as 'The Bat King', due to Nobunaga historically referring to him as a 'the bat who refuses to fly away from its home'. He joins the Toyotomi to keep Shikoku safe, but his son is killed by Shimazu Yoshihiro at Kyushu. Surprisingly, he forgives Yoshihiro. In his ending, Motochika, living longer than he was supposed to be in history, unites Tachibana Ginchiyo, Yoshihiro, and Ishida Mitsunari defeat the Tokugawa at Sekigahara. In Warriors Orochi 2, he finds a resting place in Wu. He works with Sun Quan, Sun Ce, Da Qiao, and Minamoto Yoshitsune in flooding out the battlefield and repelling Taira Kiyomori and Lu Bu. At Chi Bi, the final battle for Wu, he teams up with Wu and Lu Bu in defeating Maeda Keiji, Orochi X, and Da Ji. In Dream Mode, he works with Diao Chan and Zhang He in convincing Lu Bu to turn traitor and repel Da Ji's forces at Osaka Bay. Before the release of Xtreme Legends, Motochika appears as an infamous general in Samurai Warriors 2 and Samurai Warriors 2 Empires.
- In Total War: Shogun 2, he is the daimyō of the Chōsokabe Clan.
- Motochika appears in the anime and video games Sengoku Basara as a sea-faring Pirate and is loved by his crew, who calls him 'Aniki' (Big Brother). His ability was fire-based and armed himself with a ship anchor spear fastened with a chain.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Dewott and later Samurott.
Date Masamune[edit]
- The Helmet of Date Masamune was an inspiration for the costume of Darth Vader of the Star Wars trilogy.[1]
- Date Masamune has been featured in several video games including Koei's video game Kessen series (where he is a relatively minor officer), and Inindo: Way of the Ninja as the daimyō of the Rikuchu province.
- In Samurai Warriors, he is depicted as a young and hot-headed ruler who is chaotically interrupting the battles of other warlords, usually attacking multiple armies at once. His weapon in the first game is a pair of bokken. In the second game, he now looks a little older, though still with the iconic crescent-moon helmet, with his weapons changed to a western-style sabre and a pair of pistols. He frequently expressed ambitions to explore the world beyond Japan, and acquire new, foreign technologies. In the first game, Date's childhood name, 'Bontenmaru' is the name of one set of his weapons. In the third game, Masamune has been aged even further, with longer hair and a more stylish costume. In this expansion, he has more of a friendship with Saika Magoichi and Naoe Kanetsugu, and still expresses his desire to explore the world beyond Japan. Masamune also appears in the related series Warriors Orochi, where he is an officer for Orochi's forces, but is unlockable in the 5th Gaiden for Shu Han. With the help of Xing Cai and Zhu Rong, Magoichi Saiga defeats Masamune, and convinces him to join Shu's quest to save Liu Bei. In the sequel, however, he returns as a permanent member of Orochi's forces. He also has a dream mode stage, where he teams up with Sima Yi and Mitsunari Ishida.
- In the manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo, Date Masamune (referred to in the series by his childhood name, Bontenmaru) is a member of the Shiseiten and former follower/rival of the main character Kyo. In the series, he is depicted as a tall, muscular, and physically imposing man with a heart of gold. Like his historical version, he wields a wooden sword as his primary weapon and can perform incredible feats of swordsplay with it, but is an even stronger fighter when unarmed. As a member of the Shiseiten, he goes by the name 'Bontenmaru'.
- In the anime series Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, the character Date Seiji is a descendent of Date Masamune. Seiji wears his hair covering one eye, and is at one point asked by Hashiba Touma if he does so because he is related to the One-Eyed Dragon.
- Capcom's highly successful hack-&-slash series Sengoku Basara, includes Date Masamune as one of the main characters. In Basara, a distinguishing trait of Date Masamune is his usage of Japanese-style English, or Engrish. Masamune is portrayed as a brazen young lord bent on having fun while conquering the country, dressed in blue and black with a tsuba as an eyepatch over his right eye as well as the historically accurate golden arc on his kabuto. He is also known in-game by his nickname, the One-Eyed Dragon (Dokuganryu). He is also depicted in a constant love-hate relationship with Sanada Yukimura, although there is no clear historical record to suggest such a relationship ever existed. He was shown having 6 Katanas which he uses simultaneously.
- Masamune also appears in the strategy game Shogun: Total War as a general in the Uesugi army but not until later in the game (around 1580). He also appears as the leader of the Date Clan in the Samurai Warlords Mod (aka the Shogun Mod) for Medieval Total War.
- He is also one of the Leaders (a class of Samurai) in Throne of Darkness.
- Date Masamune was also the main subject of the Japanese network NHK's taiga dramaDokuganryu Masamune (One-eyed Dragon, Masamune) in 1987, starring the then young Ken Watanabe as Date Masumune. To-date, this series is the highest rated NHK Taiga drama.[2]
- In the Thomas Harris's novel Hannibal Rising, Hannibal Lecter's aunt, Lady Murasaki, is said to be a descendant of Date Masamune. It is one of Masamune's swords that Lecter uses to commit his first murder by killing a butcher named Paul Momund for insulting Lady Murasaki because she is Japanese.
- In Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, Daimyō Date Masamune is available as a daimyō unit. In the game, he is available with Shogunate wonder, only for Japanese civilization. Daimyōs can receive shipments and train troops, while they are a powerful hand cavalry unit. They also provide an attack boost to nearby troops.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, the youkai king of Oushuu is Dokuganryuu Masamune. 'Dokuganryuu' is 'One-Eyed style' and also the nickname of Date Masamune, 'One-Eyed Dragon'.
- Masamune also makes an appearance in several smaller manga series such as Brave 10 and Neo Dragoon, as he is a popular figure within Japanese history and culture.
- Date Masamune also appears in Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox as a gender-switched version of his real-life self
- A hat similar to the Kabuto worn by Date Masamune is obtainable in Team Fortress 2, called the 'Samur-Eye'. It is wearable by the Demoman, who is also missing an eye.
- In the recent video-game spin-off anime series, Sengoku Paradise Kiwami, Date Masamune is dressed in purple outfit instead of blue.
- In the Young Samurai book series the ninja Dokuganryu is based on Date Masamune.
His voice actor, Kakihara Tetsuya also sang the opening song 「リターン乱世独眼竜」 'Ritān Ransei Dokuganryuu',[3] which is related to his nickname 'Dokuganryuu'.
- Professional wrestler DJ Nira wrestled as Masamune for the Dramatic Dream Team promotion on February 10, 2013.[4]
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Rufflet and later Braviary.His Warrior skill, One-Eyed Dragon,refers to his historical nickname.
- In Nioh, Masamune is a central antagonist of the first DLC expansion, Dragon of the North.
- Masamune is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Masamune is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Honda Tadakatsu[edit]
- Honda Tadakatsu appears in numerous Japanese jidaigeki that show the rise of the Tokugawa to power. He is a minor role in Akira Kurosawa's movie Kagemusha.
- Honda Tadakatsu also appears in the video games Kessen and in the Samurai Warriors series, in which he is in almost every way the equivalent of Lu Bu of the Dynasty Warriors series: extremely powerful, with his own theme music which plays when he is engaged in battle by the player character, and in any series trying to fight him alone usually results in death, unless playing as a character that is on par with him, such as Yukimura, Keiji, or Musashi; even then, he could very well defeat an opponent easily.
- In Onimusha 3, he is one of Akechi Samanousuke's allies in defeating Oda Nobunaga.
- In Sengoku Basara, he appears to be part machine and wield a giant drill. An unspeaking giant, Tadakatsu moves by way of jet packs in his armor, and is extremely hard to defeat.
- In Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends and Samurai Warriors 2, he works with Tokugawa Ieyasu to unite the land. In one ending in Xtreme Legends, he kills Maeda Keiji. He is also in the spinoff game Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, he is one of the resistance leaders against Orochi. In WO2, he is reunited as a starter character with his daughter, Inahime, and his lord, Tokugawa Ieyasu. He works with Zhang Fei in repelling Lu Bu's forces at Nagashino. He and Zhang Fei give Inahime and Xing Cai, their daughters, advice, and they see them go off to find information on Taira Kiyomori. In Dream Mode, he has two stories. In one, he fights alongside Maeda Keiji and Lu Bu. In another, he works with Zhang Fei, Miyamoto Musashi, and Inahime in rescuing Xing Cai and Tokugawa Ieyasu from the Toyotomi at Hinokawa.
- Honda Tadakatsu is one of the five racoon dog captains of the Tokugawa clan ruled by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the racoon dog youkai, in the eroge Sengoku Rance.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Metagross and later Dialga.
- Tadakatsu appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Tadakatsu appears as a supporting character in Nioh, first fighting William while being infected by Amrita and later aiding his lord in later campaigns.
Hosokawa Gracia[edit]
As a samurai wife or other invented roles, Hosokawa Gracia frequently appears as a character in Japanese historical fiction, both novels and drama. One website lists her as a character in over 40 stage dramas, movies, TV dramas (etc.) from 1887 to 2006. She is also frequently referred to in popular writing or talks on the history of the period.
- A work that has been translated into English is Ayako Miura's novel, Hosokawa Garasha Fujin (English title: Lady Gracia: a Samurai Wife's Love, Strife and Faith), which follows history fairly closely.
- James Clavell used Gracia as the model for the character of Mariko in his novel Shōgun, which was later adapted for television as a miniseries. Elements of Mariko's story follows Gracia's quite closely, although the manner of her death is different and the two characters do not fundamentally have anything in common.
- A very heavily fictionalized Gracia also appears in Futaro Yamada's novel Makai Tensho, as a sidekick to Amakusa Shirō Tokisada.
- In the video game Kessen, there is a cut-scene depicting Gracia dying heroically because her religion (Christianity) forbade her to commit suicide.
- Gracia is her father Akechi Mitsuhide's replacing general in the erogeSengoku Rance, after doing two of Mitsuhide's events using Rance's satisfaction points.
- Gracia is among the playable characters included in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends. Her story mode, which differs greatly from historical events, depicts her having run away from home, eager to learn more about the world. She befriends and tags along with Magoichi Saika. She also wields a pair of bracelets sealed with magical powers, conflicting that she has one of the most powerful musou attacks, despite her low stats. In her ending, Saika Magoichi redeems himself and rescues her from Ishida Mitsunari. In a special side story, she saves many legendary Japanese females from Saika Magoichi. In Warriors Orochi 2, she and her father are rescued by Xing Cai and Inahime. In Dream Mode, she fights alongside Guan Ping and Cao Pi in surpassing their fathers in a test.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Gothorita and later Gothitelle.
Imagawa Yoshimoto[edit]
- As a young man, Imagawa Yoshimoto is a playable character in the Koei action game Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends, as well as in Kessen III, an action-strategy game. Both games depict Imagawa as a childish dandy, although Samurai Warriors takes this to an extreme by giving him a kemari (a Japanese kickball), which he uses as a weapon (though he used a generic sword in the original Samurai Warriors game). In his story mode ending, Yoshimoto miraculously manages to defeat both Takeda Shingen and Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto, and then plays kemari to his heart's content in front of the other warlords, who look on in amusement and disgust.
- In Samurai Warriors 2 however, due to time constraints (as well as an overall shift away from Nobunaga's life towards the post-Nobunaga years), the Battle of Okehazama was shown as part of Nobunaga, Noh, and Mitsuhide's intro movies, and Yoshimoto was only mentioned and shown impaled to death within his palanquin by Nobunaga's spearmen.
- However, in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, the battle was brought back, and Yoshimoto himself is given an updated appearance and additional moves as well as a new story mode that tells about his quest for somebody to play kemari with him due to his extreme loneliness.
- He is once again made a free mode only character for Samurai Warriors 3. He is also in the spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana.
- In Warriors Orochi, he is found (using his Samurai Warriors model) retreating from the burning Wan Castle but, is rescued by the Tokugawa and escapes. Later, he becomes part of the Resistance against Orochi aiding Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin but, ends up supporting Wei after being defeated by them in the Saika Territory. Days later he had been ordered by Cao Pi to give Lu Meng aid at Osaka Bay. In Warriors Orochi 2 Imagawa (using his Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends model) joins Liu Bei. In Dream Mode, he works with Xing Cai and Tachibana Ginchiyo in rescuing their allies at Chen Cang Castle.
- Yoshimoto is also featured as an unplayable character in the Japanese video game Sengoku Basara, as well as the sequel (he becomes playable in Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes). On the anime, he was portrayed as a coward, weak and a pathetic leader that uses his men as scapegoats to save himself, but he was killed by Mitsuhide Akechi.
- In the translation of Path of the Assassin, a Dark Horse Comics translation of Hanzo no Mon, which focuses on Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hattori Hanzō's perspectives, Yoshimoto is viewed more positively (perhaps ironically, compared to Nobunaga) and even decides during the Okehazama campaign to replace Ujizane with Ieyasu (then Matsudaira Motoyasu) as his heir, though dying before doing so.
- Imagawa Yoshimoto is the Hanny's king who rules a province full of hannys in the erogeSengoku Rance.
- He also appears briefly in the short manga Kacchu no Senshi Gamu by Yoshihiro Takahashi.
- Yoshimoto appears as a gender-switched character in Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox.
- In Sengoku Basara, he was portrayed as a coward general that attacks with puny force, retreating further and using his subordinates as decoys by raising them as the same rank. He is also shown with facial make-up, carrying a folded fan and moves like a kabuki.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Pineco and later Forretress. He was portrayed as an innocent dandy who likes the game Pokémari, which is based on kemari.
- He is a non-playable character in Inazuma Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone.
Ishida Mitsunari[edit]
- The story of James Clavell's novel Shōgun is based on the strife between Ishida Mitsunari (called Ishido in the novel) and Tokugawa (Toranaga) over the Taiko's son, Toyotomi Hideyori.
- He was portrayed by Hiro Kanagawa in the 2008 BBC docudrama Heroes and Villains, centering on the Battle of Sekigahara.
- Mitsunari also appears as one of the main characters of Koei's Kessen. He is the first of three commanders under the Toyotomi forces depicted opposing Tokugawa Ieyasu. Whether or not he survives the Battle of Sekigahara and defeats Ieyasu depends on the Player's actions.
- Mitsunari is a villain in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties campaign. In the Japanese campaign, players must kill him in order to win and unify Japan.
- He appears in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2, as a cold and sarcastic man who, despite his devotion to his lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, alienates many of his peers with his attitude. He wins the battle of Sekigahara in his ending, but is shown to disappear in many other stories. He also appears in the sequel with an updated character design and a closer friendship to Kato Kiyomasa, and in the spin-off series, Samurai Warriors Katana.
- In Capcom's Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, Mitsunari is the host of the Genma Cladius and serves as a major antagonist for most of the game.
- Mitsunari is the lead character in Koei's DS game Saihai no Yukue.
- In the Japanese eroge Sengoku Hime, the character 'Ishida Futanari' is a parody of Ishida Mitsunari
- Mitsunari appears in Capcom's Sengoku Basara 3, as a man with white hair wielding a katana, able to slash his foes with inhuman speed and uses Iaido. He shows an immense hatred towards Tokugawa Ieyasu for the death of his mentor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, although in Sengoku Basara: The Last Party, he hates Masamune Date more than Ieyasu, blaming him for his mentor's death.
- Mitsunari also appears in the Goemon movie. He is a retainer to Lord Hideyoshi but secretly has his own ambitions to overthrow his master. He was killed at Sekigahara by Goemon which prompts his army to retreat.
- In the Strategy game Shogun 2 Total War, he is one of the generals in the Sekigahara Historical Battle
- Professional wrestler Danshoku Dino wrestled as Ishida Mitsunari for the Dramatic Dream Team promotion on February 10, 2013.[4]
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Pawniard and later Bisharp. He is straightforward and cold, but is actually a good person and never forgets a favor done for him. He has a friendship with the other two warlords Kiyomasa and Masanori. The trio are depict as pre-teens in the game.
- Mitsunari is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Mitsunari is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
- Mitsunari is one of the primary antagonists in Nioh, having allied with Edward Kelley in order to gain power to fend off the Tokugawa forces.
Izumo no Okuni[edit]
Unlike her role in history, Izumo no Okuni's appearances in fiction often portray her as a fictional besshikime (別式女), a capable fighter skilled with weapons and magic.
- She is a playable character in Koei's Samurai Warriors series as a fighter using a parasol. As the game portrays her having a flirty personality, she is the cause of competition between Maeda Keiji and Ishikawa Goemon.
- In Samurai Warriors 2, she is a special character who is unlocked by clearing the Sugoroku game. She additionally appears in the spin-off series Warriors Orochi as a member of the Sengoku force, where she had developed a closeness with Ling Tong and a friendship with Xiao Qiao. The three join the Wu forces in Warriors Orochi 2. Her dream stage has her enlist the help of Meng Huo and Goemon Ishikawa to assist her in collecting donations for her Izumo shrine. Okuni appears in Samurai Warriors 3, with the same hairstyle as before, with slight enhancements.
- In the manga and anime Samurai Deeper Kyo, she is initially a foil for the main character, Mibu Kyoshiro, but later becomes a spy for Oda Nobunaga. However, her true allegiance is shown to be to Onime no Kyo (Demon Eyes Kyo), doing things for Kyo's sake whom she loves.
- Okuni is a playable character in the Capcom's video game Onimusha Tactics. She fights with a spear and can use healing magic. She is also mentioned as a close friend to Jubei Yagyu in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, where she is described as being a great dancer and fighter. According to the game's comic tie-in 'Night of Genesis', she is also a long-standing friend of Tenkai Nankobo.
- Okuni also appears as a character in the NHK's dramaMusashi; however, in this series she remains a performer and does not have any fighting skills.
- Okuni makes a small appearance as a little girl in Ōkami singing about the Water Dragon.
- The courtesan and geisha Kiku from James Clavell's novel Shōgun is based on Okuni.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Larvesta and later Volcarona.
Katakura Kojūrō[edit]
- In series with Date Masamune, Katakura Kojūrō has appeared as a character in fiction. He appeared in the video game Sengoku Basara 2, as second in command to Date Masamune, but is often depicted at times as a swordsman meeting his equal and showing a superior tactical ability to Date, although respecting Masamune's superiority.
- Kojuro is the name of Dokuganryuu Masamune's okero car in the eroge Sengoku Rance.
- Kojurou is often in any series where Date Masamune is present, though he may sometimes be a generic character.
- Kojuro is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Kobayakawa Hideaki[edit]
- Kobayakawa Hideaki appears as a unique NPC in Sengoku Basara 3. He is portrayed as a young, cowardly, glutton and as a result carries a pot and pair of wooden spoons to use as weapons. He will be made playable in the upcoming expansion, Sengoku Basara 3:Utage[5]
- Portrayed by Louis Ozawa Changchien in the 2008 BBC docudrama series Heroes and Villains.
- In Sengoku Basara: The Last Party, he was under Tenkai's clutch. He always likes to cook. He also tricked all generals to go to Sekigahara under guise if Ieyasu Tokugawa's invitation, but discovered by Ieyasu himself and plays along with his plans. He was also last seen falling down in the cauldron.
- In Nioh, Hideaki is presented as a vainglorious and cowardly lord who participates in the battle of Sekigahara on the Ishida side, but is later convinced by William to defect to the opposing side.
Komatsuhime[edit]
- In her role in the video game Samurai Warriors, Komatsuhime goes by her childhood name, Ina. She wields a long bladed bow, and can attack in melee combat and also at range. She is depicted as a proud daughter of Honda Tadakatsu, and that she would make her Lord and her Father proud as well. She also has a strong tomboyish tendency, where she may rather be fighting than be a regular woman. In the first installment, she is friends with Kunoichi. Additionally, in the game, she is charged with one of Hattori Hanzō's accomplishment during Ieyasu's journey in Iga: escorting Anayama Nobukimi, while Hanzo escorts the lord personally. Historically, Hanzō took both tasks at once and succeeded them both. Inahime is in the spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana on the Nintendo Wii. Ina also appears in the crossover game Warriors Orochi. In it, she befriends Sun Shang Xiang after Orochi blackmails the Tokugawa and the Wu Army into servitude. Although both of them are forced to fight for Orochi against their will, they end up joining the Resistance after Ina convinces Sun Shang Xiang to reunite with her older brother Sun Ce at Sekigahara. In Warriors Orochi 2, Shu is joined by the Tokugawa clan, Hattori Hanzō, Shang Xiang, Honda Tadakatsu, and Inahime. Inahime and Xing Cai become friends, and they rescue Hosokawa Gracia and her father, Akechi Mitsuhide. In Dream Mode, Inahime works with Huang Zhong and Xiahou Yuan in fire ambushing an enemy coalition led by Date Masamune.
- She is a playable character as Ina in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Prinplup and later Empoleon.
Kuroda Kanbei[edit]
- In his role in Koei's Samurai Warriors 3 video game, Kuroda Kanbei is chief strategist of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, feared by many for his demonic look. He later goes on to serve Tokugawa Ieyasu. His weapon is a magical orb.
- He appears as a playable character in Capcom's Sengoku Basara 3. He appears as a convict with his hands cuffed together and chained to a giant metal ball, which doubles as his weapon. According to the game he was a Lieutenant under the Toyotomi banner, and tried to seize some power form him in a failed coup. He is locked up in the Mines of Ishigakibaru and is often reigned in under Yoshitsugu Otani's control.
- In Kessen III he is a playable retainer that serves with Hideyoshi against the Mori.
- Kanbei is the main character of 2014 NHKTaiga Drama -- Gunshi Kanbei, played by Junichi Okada, member of V6
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Lampent and later Chandelure. His appearance resembles a ghost, probably because to resemble his Lampent.
- Kanbei appears as a supporting character, alongside his son Nagamasa, in 2017's Nioh.
Kyōgoku Maria[edit]
- Kyōgoku Maria, the older sister of Azai Nagamasa, is depicted in Capcom's Sengoku Basara 4 video game as a sorceress with the ability to manipulate her sleeves in combat and uses her charm to deceive enemies.
Maeda Matsu[edit]
- Matsu is depicted in Capcom's Sengoku Basara video game series as a woman who wields a naginata as her respective weapon, able to summon animal familiars, and possesses a significantly close relationship with her husband, Toshiie.
- Matsu had also been featured within a TV drama shown by NHK called Toshiie to Matsu, depicting her relations with Toshiie, and thus making her a primary figure of romantic fame.
- Although not a real playable character, Matsu is also a bodyguard in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2 under the 'Lady Samurai' class.
Maeda Toshiie[edit]
- Maeda Toshiie appears as a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, in which he is depicted as an apprentice to Shibata Katsuie and a man that would sacrifice himself in the name of a warrior, one of the common romanticizations that Koei regularly use to individualize their characters. He wields a serrated sword, accompanied by two spears. In his ending, he sees Shibata Katsuiie die in a flaming castle with Oichi, and he takes his wrath out on Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In Warriors Orochi 2, he and Saika Magoichi are rescued by Xiahou Yuan. He later works with Jiang Wei, the Azai, and the Asakura in capturing Da Ji. In Dream Mode, he works with Pang De, Shibata Katsuiie, and Sun Ce in defeating Da Ji and Himiko.
- His Sengoku Basara portrayal implies that he serves the Oda clan off screen, but confirmed served the Toyotomi clan to repent for their shortcomings. But his story mode depicts him as a dysfunctional family man, in which he has a close relationship with his wife Matsu and their 'nephew' Keiji, where the first two story modes tell on their unusual methods to support one another. He also uses fire-based techniques and summoning animals. His body scars bore brunt of his battles with the wild animals.
- The 2002 NHK Taiga dramaToshiie to Matsu (利家とまつ~加賀百万石物語~) was based on the story of their lives together. Maeda Toshiie was played by Toshiaki Karasawa, and Matsu by Nanako Matsushima. Karasawa later made a special appearance as the same character in the 2006 NHK Taiga drama Komyo ga Tsuji (功名が辻) (episodes 39 and 40).
- Maeda Toshiie is one of the few captains who have non-generic faces in the eroge Sengoku Rance. He can transform to Maeda Keiji after doing two of his events using Rance's satisfaction points.
- Maeda Toshiie (Inuchiyo) is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Maeda Toshimasu[edit]
Toshimasu (often depicted under the name of Keiji or Keijirō) is often portrayed as somewhat of a prankster and is often dubbed crazy, or kabukimono, by others for his wild ways. Sampling this where it was shown/mentioned in a few video games that he filled his uncle's (Toshiie)'s bath with cold water, a feat the historical man was well known for.
- He is a playable character in the Samurai Warriors series and is usually one of the strongest enemies to defeat. His weapon is a two-pronged spear, similar to a sasumata. He also appears in Warriors Orochi on the Orochi Army, later serving the Wu Army as a Gaiden character.
- Maeda Keiji debuted as a playable character in Sengoku Basara 2. This version of the character wields a giant Ōdachi and has a pet monkey. He is old friends with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and helps defeat the man in his ending. He appears in Sengoku Basara 3 as the representative of both the Uesugi and Maeda clans. On game, if you fight him, his men appear to be partying, stopped when a giant person sounds the alarm.
- Keijiro also appears in Onimusha Blade Warriors as well as the first Onimusha game, under the name: Yumemaru (a little boy that Princess Yuki takes care of).
- Maeda Keiji is also a secret playable character in Kessen III through loading a Samurai Warriors data file from the memory card.
- A manga series loosely based on Keiji's life illustrated by Tetsuo Hara (of Fist of the North Star fame) was produced titled Keiji.
- In the NHK television drama series Toshiie to Matsu, Maeda Keijiro is depicted by the actor Mitsuhiro Oikawa.
- Maeda Keiji is Maeda Toshiie's transformation in the eroge Sengoku Rance after doing two of Toshiie's events using Rance's satisfaction points.
- Maeda Keiji appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Additionally, Keiji's famed horse, Matsukaze, appears in a number of games and movies as well.
- Matsukaze is a ridable horse in the Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi game series.
- The jetbike Keiji rides in the Vasara game series is said to be the model 'Matsukaze 1000'.
Matsunaga Hisahide[edit]
- Matsunaga Hisahide is featured as a character in Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes, in which he is depicted as a man of treachery who enjoys any course of action that would subsequently present to him a greater sum of pleasure. He takes a primary role in Katakura Kojūrō's story; and by the end of such a scenario he sets aflame his initial base with explosives as a showing of defeat. Hisahide was announced as one of 14 characters to be made playable in the upcoming expansion to Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes[5]
- He also appears in Samurai Warriors 2 as a purchasable Bodyguard under the 'Fire Ninja' class. He later appears in Samurai Warriors 4 as a playable character.
- in Sengoku Basara, he also appears during the challenge, involving his mercenaries to destroy 2 gates. Then if you repulsed all attempts, he appears. If failed, he was shown waving his sword as it explodes. He excels in sword fights, mixing it with his fascination in explosives and fire-based techniques.
- In Nioh, William can interact with the ghost of Hisahide who refers to himself as 'Danjo'.
Miyamoto Musashi[edit]
- In Sengoku Basara anime and game, he was shown to be mischievous, using stones, oar and wooden sword to fight.
- He also appears in Samurai Warriors 2 as a rival of Sasaki Kojirō and wields two Daishōs.
Mōri Motonari[edit]
- He (along with King Lear) was the basis of Hidetora Ichimonji in the Akira Kurosawa film Ran.
- Motonari has also made an appearance in video games such as that of Capcom's Sengoku Basara 2 initially as a playable character who is relatively inconsiderate to his subordinates, abandoning them if they are below his standards and employing other means that can be deemed cruel. Motonari wields a large wheel as his weapon, which possesses an outer-layer of blades. He is the only character who can inflict damage on his own men in combat.
- Motonari also appears in Samurai Warriors 3, wielding a crossbow mounted to his arm. He comes out of retirement to help Japan fight off the threat of Oda Nobunaga.
- Motonari is the main protagonist of the NHK 36th drama Motonari.
- Motonari is one of the lords in the eroge Sengoku Rance. He has been cursed by a yōkai named Daidaara, the player can ask for Sakamoto Ryouma's information after recruiting her to lift his curse. His three daughters' names: Mōri Teru, Kikkawa Kiku and Kobayakawa Chinu are based on historical Motonari's three sons: Mōri Takamoto, Kikkawa Motoharu, and Kobayakawa Takakage.
- The board game Shogun features Mōri Motonari as one of the daimyōs to choose.
- Motonari also appears in the strategy game Pokémon Conquest, where he is become the warlord of the Ransei Region's Greenleaf Nation and he will be accompanied by a Snivy, who may evolve into a Servine.
- In the video game League of Legends Yorick Mōri has characteristics that are references to Mōri Motonari.
Mori Ranmaru[edit]
Ranmaru has appeared as a character in fiction and has appeared in several video games (such as Sengoku Basara, Onimusha, Kessen III and the Samurai Warriors series) in which he is usually portrayed as having a feminine to an androgynous appearance, in which leads to usual confusion of his gender by some of the other characters. He is also depicted as truly loyal to Oda Nobunaga, who in return praises Ranmaru for his skills (and possibly his beauty) in battle.
- Ranmaru is depicted greatly in Samurai Warriors as Nobunaga's most loyal bodyguard, where he wields a nodachi. Differentiating all the other portrayals was seen in the first Samurai Warriors, where he also has a close friendship with Akechi Mitsuhide, who at the time planned to assassinate Nobunaga, leaving Ranmaru in a state of confusion on which path he will follow. In Samurai Warriors 2, Ranmaru has no storyline, but is seen in some cutscenes and cinema cameos and is a special character unlocked by completing the first two Ranmaru's and Mitsuhide's requests in Survival Mode. He is also in the spinoff Samurai Warriors Katana, where he helps the player to find and rescue Oda Nobunaga at Honnouji, temporary replacing Hideyoshi as the player's guide in this stage. He also appears in Warriors Orochi as fighting for the Resistance Army alongside Ma Chao in Mt. Ding Jun. Sun Ce of the Orochi Army later on captures Ranmaru after a duel, yet was set free due to Sun Ce feeling some comfort fighting him. From then on, Ranmaru joins Sun Wu to understand more about the Sun Family's unbreakable bonds and is still serving them in the game's sequel. Though from his Dream Mode in Warriors Orochi 2 along with Zhou Tai and Dian Wei, it can be stated that Ranmaru is still on full alert to protect Nobunaga.
- Sengoku Basara portrays a different appearance for Ranmaru as a young, boyish, and eager archer in his early teens who seeks recognition from Nobunaga. He is apparently the most childish in all his portrayals, seeking only Kompeitō as a reward from his master in his endings. He also armed with a bow, with a deadly accuracy, but only rewarded with candies.
- The eroge Sengoku Rance portrays him as a girl, Ranmaru. She is one of the loyal retainers of Oda Nobunaga. She is in love with Shibata Katsuie, also Oda's retainer.
- The character Ranmaru Morii's name in Perfect Girl Evolution is a nod to the historical Ranmaru.
- Mori Ranmaru is one of the main characters in a manga oneshot by Inui Miku, Akatsuki no Fumi, where he is portrayed with slightly feminine features.
- Akihiro Hino has stated that the character Kirino Ranmaru in Inazuma Eleven GO was based on Mori Ranmaru.
- The anime Nobunaga the Fool portrays Ranmaru as a secret identity that's given to the character Jeanne Kaguya d'Arc by Nobunaga
- A female version of Ranmaru appears in Gaim's portion of Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. She is an attendant who served under Nobunaga and the OOO Army and when both Nobunaga and Bujin OOO fall to the hands of Bujin Gaim, she is forced to escape with Kaito Kumon/Armored Rider Baron. Later on, she is saved by bandits by Kaito and she makes him the new lord of the OOO Army which is renamed the Baron Army and recruits remnants of armies who were defeated by Bujin Gaim. She accompanies him to Ieyasu castle where the final battle takes place. She is last seen celebrating the defeat of Bujin Gaim which causes the return of rain to her world. She is portrayed by Mao Ueda.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Riolu and later Lucario. He also portrayed as having a feminine appearance in the game. In his own storyline, he join the beauty contest held in the Ransei region due to being mistaken for a girl. He is shown as extremely loyal to Nobunaga too.
- Ranmaru appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Naoe Kanetsugu[edit]
- Naoe Kanetsugu is the star of Yuji Takemura's manga Gifu Dodo Naoe Kanetsugu: Maeda Keiji Tsukigatari (義風堂々 直江兼続 -前田慶次月語り-)
- Kanetsugu is the protagonist of the 2009 NHKTaiga dramaTenchijin.
- Naoe Kanetsugu was featured as a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2, wielding an ornate sword and paper charms, portrayed as originally serving Uesugi Kenshin at the Battles of Kawanakajima and Tedorigawa, then serving Hideyoshi and later the Western Army against Tokugawa Ieyasu, though being concerned with justice and honor primarily. In his own scenario, he wins the Siege of Hasedo with Maeda Keiji's help and along with Uesugi Kagekatsu, and Sanada Yukimura leads an Uesugi-Sanada force against Edo Castle, killing Tokugawa Ieyasu's son Hidetada and later avenging Ishida Mitsunari's death by annihilating the victorious Eastern Army that returns to Edo Castle, ending the Tokugawa Shogunate and along with Yukimura, they vow to create a greater world based on righteousness. He also depicted as having an extremely close friendship with Maeda Keiji, Ishida Mitsunari and Sanada Yukimura. Kanetsugu also appears in Warriors Orochi, a crossover between Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors, usually alongside Kenshin Uesugi.
- The female character Naoe Ai from the eroge Sengoku Rance is based on him. She is the strategist of Uesugi Kenshin.
- Kanetsugu briefly appeared in the anime television series of Sengoku Basara, only to be defeated by Honda Tadakatsu in a comical fashion.
- In Sengoku Basara 2, he appears as a generic officer of the Uesugi army who constantly claims to be invincible. He appears again in Sengoku Basara 3, but has Kanetsugu's trademark helmet with the large kanji 'Ai' ('love').
- Appearing in a semi-fictional biography as the main protagonist of the historical manga Gifuu doudou Naoe Kanetsugu by Tetsuo Hara.
- In KissxSis, he was shown as one of Keita's teacher's fetish, Japanese samurai generals.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Kadabra and later Alakazam. He appears as a warlord who is warmhearted and dutiful, and honors love and justice very much.
- Kanetsugu appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Nene[edit]
- Nene is a featured playable character within the Samurai Warriors series and acts as an ultimate replacement of Kunoichi. Being the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nene respectively acts as his bodyguard and supporter in the persona of a female ninja, with almost the same moves as her predecessor, Kunoichi. Contrasting this is her special skills and her strange motherly personality, in which she refers to everyone (especially to her husband's retainers) as her 'children'. An example of her motherly personality can be found in one of her cutscenes, where she 'lectures' her defeated enemies to make them get to know one another. In her ending, she kicks out Hideyoshi's other wives and concubines and helps Hideyoshi unite Japan. In her special side story, she brings the Toyotomi clan back together at Sekigahara. She is in a spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, she works with Kunoichi against Orochi. Nene later joins Wei. In the sequel, she reunites with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In Dream Mode, she works with Yuan Shao and Zhu Rong in protecting a castle from falling.
- Nene appears in flashbacks in Sengoku Basara 2 in Keiji's story. It's implied that her husband killed her to achieve power. It is revealed later in the second season of the anime for Sengoku Basara, that the one who killed her was her husband Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Because he sought only power and a purging of all weakness, and seeing love as a weakness, he killed her in order to purge himself of it.
- Nene is a major character in Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Taiko ki.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Golbat and Crobat. She has a motherly personality in-game.
Nōhime[edit]
Unlike her role in history, Nōhime is usually portrayed as a femme fatale, in line with the traditional villainous portrayal of her husband, Nobunaga Oda.
- Her role in Sengoku Basara depicts a kind-hearted woman who would stop at nothing to achieve her husband's unity of the land, despite the fact that Nobunaga never cared about her. She wields a pair of guns (Ebony and Ivory from Devil May Cry), but her charge/prime attacks unleash a whole variety of gun weaponry.
- In Onimusha 3: Demon Siege she goes by the name of 'Vega Donna' and has been transformed into a demon woman to join her husband.
- Samurai Warriors depicts Nōhime as the 'Viper's Daughter', a sadist, who wields a pair of retractable claws, adding this is her use of bombs to add range. In the first installment, her relationship with Nobunaga is considered bipolar, in which she is torn between her sexual admiration for him and her desire to kill him for her father's wishes. One of her endings show an attempt of murdering Nobunaga at his moment of weakness, but failed at the moment he wakes up. Samurai Warriors 2 has a less prominent role for Nōhime, as Nobunaga treats her instead like any other retainer but in a sense that she still loves him loyally throughout the game(although one of her lines states that she has 'already tamed Nobunaga'.) In Samurai Warriors 3, Nōhime's role is still less prominent, but she is alongside her husband in most of his battles. Her sadism is more emphasized here, as even when she is in danger, she expresses enjoyment. As in the first game, she has to make the choice between her loyalty to her father's wishes to kill Nobunaga or stay with her husband. Nonetheless, she assists Nobunaga to exterminate her family thought she feels that she has no purpose in the world afterwards. She attempts to assassinate Nobunaga later on, but retracts herself. Her ending shows her and Nobunaga willingly remain to their death in the burning Honnoji Temple (after Mitsuhide's revolt) while pleasantly accept to live in hell. She is also in a spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, Lu Meng and Taishi Ci rescues her, and she joins Wu. In Warriors Orochi 2, she is reunited with Oda Nobunaga.
- A different view of Nōhime is presented in the game Kessen III. Under her childhood name of Kicho, she is presented as a chaste and innocent princess.
- Nōhime was portrayed by Japanese actress Miki Nakatani in the 1998 film Oda Nobunaga, and by Haruka Ayase in the 2005 sci-fi film Sengoku Jieitai 1549. Emi Wakui played Nōhime in the 2006 NHK drama Kōmyō ga tsuji.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, Oda Nobunaga Kazunosuke's deceased wife's name is 'Kichou', other popular name of Nouhime.
- She appears alongside Oda Nobunaga in the manga Sengoku Strays.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan'), with her partner Pokémon being Misdreavus and Mismagius.[6]
- In Nioh, her soul is transformed by antagonist Edward Kelley into a yuki-onna and is fought as a boss.
Sengoku Rance Perfect Save Album
Oda Nobunaga[edit]
Oda Nobunaga has appeared in a number of works across various media.
- Nobunaga's life and exploits were the subject of NHK's 30th taiga drama, 信長 Oda Nobunaga. He was portrayed by Naoto Ogata.
- Akira Kurosawa's film Kagemusha (1980)
- Film Goemon (2009)
- In the film Sengoku Jieitai 1549, Nobunaga is killed by time-travellers.
- Eiji Yoshikawa's historical novel Taiko Ki
- Novel and anime series Yōtōden
- Novel The Samurai's Tale by Erik Christian Haugaard.[7]
- James Clavell's novel Shōgun, the character Goroda is a pastiche of Nobunaga.
- In the illustrated novel series Samurai Cat as the boss of the main character Miaowara Tomokato, who goes on a quest of revenge to avenge Nobunaga's death by a group of enemies.
- Anime and manga series:
- Manga series:
- Tsuji Kunio's historical fiction The Signore: Shogun of the Warring States.
- Anime, as a female character:
- In music: Kamenashi Kazuya of the Japanese pop group KAT-TUN wrote and performed a song titled '1582' which is written from the perspective of Mori Ranmaru at the Incident at Honnouji.[8]
- The VOCALOID producer Utata-P created a Hatsune Miku song under the title 'Not a Dream.. Not a Lie.. A Happy Scene Before My Eyes' which details a resurrected Oda Nobunaga speaking from a kitten through a girl.
- In the erogeSengoku Rance
- Stage action and anime adaptation of Nobunaga the Fool
- Video games:
- Warriors Orochi series
- Sengoku Basara (and its anime adaptation) - Described as a literally demonic and heartless general. Uses a sword, shotgun and darkness-based attacks.
- As a playable character and the main villain in Pokémon Conquest.[6]
- Nobunaga's Ambition series
- Civilization V[9]
- In the parody manga Koha-Ace, and later the mobile game Fate/Grand Order, Oda Nobunaga is featured as a female Archer-class Servant.
- A version of Nobunaga appears in Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. In it, Nobunaga is the Lord of the OOO Army. When Bujin Gaim attacks Honnō-ji with a Greeed Army, Nobunaga awaits inside, contemplating the short life he's had. When he meets Kaito Kumon/Armored Rider Baron, Nobunaga takes a liking to him and realizes that they are both alike as they seek to unite their respective worlds through force. Nobunaga gives Kaito a spare Taka Medal and sacrifices himself to allow Kaito and Ranmaru to escape, dying in the flames with several kaijin. Nobunaga is portrayed by Hiroaki Iwanaga, who previously portrayed Akira Date, the original Kamen Rider Birth and second Kamen Rider Birth Prototype in Kamen Rider OOO. Nobunaga previously appears in Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider OOO & Double feat. Skull: Movie War Core, although this Nobunaga is revealed to have been a clone with the appearance and memories of the original. Nobunaga also appears in Kamen Rider Ghost as one of the 15 heroic souls and an alternative form for Kamen Rider Specter.
- Nobunaga is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Nobunaga is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Oichi[edit]
- Oichi was portrayed by the actress Tanaka Misato in the 41st NHKtaiga drama利家とまつ Toshiie to Matsu. (2002)
- Oichi has also made appearances in the video games Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, and Sengoku Basara 2. She is usually depicted as a beautiful, chaste, and loyal woman. Though her relationship with her brother Nobunaga usually formed into rebellion, due to her romantic involvement with her husband, Asai Nagamasa. She is also known as 'Ichi'.
- She was depicted in Samurai Warriors as a young peppy teen who loves both her brother and her husband to the point that she wants them no longer to fight. She wields a kendama. In Samurai Warriors 2, she matured, and that her relationship with Nobunaga became dissolved due to her more romantic involvement with Nagamasa. She also appears in Samurai Warriors 3 with an updated character design and a new weapon in the form of large, interconnected bladed rings. In the first Samurai Warriors game, she has two endings. One ending allows her to keep both her brother and her husband alive, but in the other ending, she is forced to wipe out her brother's clan and live on the run with her husband. In SW2, she is forced to leave him and kill him, becoming heartbroken, but in Nagamasa's ending, she gets to live with her husband and her brother in happiness. She is in a spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, she, Azai Nagamasa, and Gan Ning are captured by Cao Pi and join Wei. They work with Honda Tadakatsu in repelling Lu Bu and Orochi's forces. In WO2, Oichi, the Asakura clan, and Azai Nagamasa save Jiang Wei and Maeda Toshiie from death. In Dream Mode, she works with Shang Xiang, the Nanman, and Da Qiao in rescuing their husbands from Da Ji in Kyushu.
- Sengoku Basara 2's version Oichi is a gloomy, soft-spoken woman who wields a dual-bladed naginata (where she can also split it into two). She worries constantly for her husband (who seems to be slightly irritated by it), but stops at nothing for a deeper connection was made. As she is the blood sister of Nobunaga, it is implied that she is a witch, with demonic hands and an evil laugh or two appear at moments of low consciousness. She was voiced by Mamiko Noto. In Sengoku Basara 3, she now appears without her naginata, rather having her demonic hands be used as weapons.
- The gunner mercenary in Atlantica Online is based on Oichi, referencing her brother's claim to fame by using gunners in the battle of Nagashino.
- Oichi was named Oyu in Onimusha 2, in which she works with Yagyu Jubei, Saika Magoichi, Ekei Ankokuji, and Fuma Kotaro in defeating her brother. Oyu is also in Onimusha Blade Warriors.
- She is a character in Nobunaga's Ambition, a game series similar to Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
- She is a character in Kessen III, in where she looks the closest to her traditional paintings of her.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff.[6] She will help the player during the first story line.
- Oichi appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Ōtani Yoshitsugu[edit]
- Ōtani Yoshitsugu becomes a playable character in Samurai Warriors 4. His appearance with a white mask was inspired by his iconic exploits at Sekigahara for simple recognition. He is Ishida Mitsunari's loyal friend who sided with him at Sekigahara.
- Yoshitsugu has made an appearance as a masked samurai of the Western army in Kessen.
- Yoshitsugu is also a character in Koei's video game Saihai no Yukue. He is covered with bandages, due to his leprosy.
- Yoshitsugu is a minor character in James Clavell's tale Shogun where he appears as a Leprous Christian Daimyō called Onoshi.
- Yoshitsugu is a character in Sengoku Basara 3 who rides a floating chair with orbs as weapons.
- He also appeared in Sengoku Basara: The Last Party as Mitsunari's aide and lieutenant, doing anything to achieve Mitsunari's vengeance, alongside Oda Clan's Oichi. He was killed by Nobunaga when he tried to delay the Demon King for Mitsunari to recover. In Justice End, he never forsakes his master Mitsunari until he was defeated by Kojuro.
- Yoshitsugi is a secondary antagonist in Nioh, where he introduces Edward Kelley to Mitsunari and during the battle of Sekigahara fuses with his Guardian Spirit to fight William.
Saitō Dōsan[edit]
- Saitō Dōsan made an appearance at the eroge Sengoku Hime.
- He also appears in the eroge Sengoku Rance as the head of the Saito clan, the girl 'Aburako Dousan', after being crushed by the Ashikaga clan and wanders around Mamushi Oil Field, which is a pun about his nickname 'Serpent of Mino (美濃の蝮Mino no Mamushi)'. Aburako Dousan can be recruited after recruiting the Mino Three, her retainers, through using Rance's satisfaction points. The 'Mino Triumvirate', Saito's chief vassals, were made into the game, with Inaba's name changed to 'Ganko Ittetsu', Andou to 'Andou Kyuuri', and Ujiie to 'Takuwan-sama'.
Ōtomo Sōrin[edit]
- Ōtomo Sōrin appears in Sengoku Basara 3 as an NPC and is playable in later games. He is a young man who leads a religious cult devoted to Xavi.
Sanada Masayuki[edit]
- Sanada Masayuki is a major character in the 2005 movie Azumi 2: Death or Love.
- Masayuki, played by Masao Kusakari, is also a major character in the 55th NHK Taiga Drama Sanada Maru.
- He is also a non-playable character in the Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series. He later becomes playable character in Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada.
- He also appears as a playable unit in Kessen.
- He appears in Capcom's Sengoku Basara spinoff Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura-den. He was known as 'Magician' of Sengoku in the game.
- Masayuki appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Sanada Yukimura[edit]
- Sanada Yukimura appears in numerous films, including the musical filmBrave Records of the Sanada Clan (1963), where he is played by Minoru Chiaki of Seven Samurai fame as a rather ineffectual leader.
- Yukimura/Nobushige is the main character in the 55th NHK taiga dramaSanada Maru (2016) and is portrayed by Sakai Masato.
- Koei's Samurai Warriors series. Similar to Zhao Yun of the Dynasty Warriors series, Yukimura is the icon for Samurai Warriors and thus usually placed on the game manual/cover Perhaps because of this, in both games so far his lifespan and prominence have been greatly extended. In the first game, he was portrayed as Takeda Shingen's second-in-command even at the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima - which occurred 6 years before he was born historically. In the second game, the extension is more modest, but he is still portrayed as a major Takeda officer at the Battle of Nagashino, when he would have been 8. Both games feature the Summer Siege of Osaka Castle as his last and most notable battle. In many character storylines and endings, he is killed in battle at Osaka Castle. In one of his SW endings, he, Kunoichi, Uesugi Kenshin, and Takeda Shingen unite the land. In his SW2 ending, he proves his strength to his friend Maeda Keiji, and he saves Naoe Kanetsugu. Together, they united the land in honor of Ishida Mitsunari. He is also in the spinoff called Samurai Warriors Katana. Throughout the games Yukimura had a somewhat romantic relationship with his bodyguard Kunoichi. In the related series Warriors Orochi he was tricked by Orochi into thinking that Zhao Yun and the other resistance were phantoms. After losing to Zhao Yun in a fight, he realized that he was deceived, and apologizing, compensated his error by joining forces with Zhao Yun to help rescue Liu Bei. In the sequel, he works with Shima Sakon and Zhang Jiao to save Naoe Kanetsugu. In Dream Mode, he works with Zhao Yun and Shimazu Yoshihiro in saving Liu Bei and peasants.
- Akimine Kamijyo's popular anime and manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo has Sanada as a main character. He is depicted as a lighthearted, beautiful trickster with a love of battle, wine, women, and almost supernatural prowess as a tactician. He had a notable admiration for the then-late Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- In Capcom's series Sengoku Basara he is traditionally one of the main characters. He serves under Takeda Shingen alongside Sarutobi Sasuke. He wields two yari spears. In Sengoku Basara 3 Yukimura becomes the commander of the Takeda forces after Shingen falls ill. Hoshi Soichiro provides Yukimura's voice in the games and anime. Kouhei Takeda plays him in the Live Action TV Drama.
- In the popular anime and manga series Prince of Tennis, Japan's #1 school Rikkai Daigoku's captain is named Seiichi Yukimura, and their vice-captain is named Genichiro Sanada. Likewise, Echizen Ryoma, who defeated the two forementioned players, shares his last name with the commander whose troops killed Sanada Yukimura.
- Sanada Yukimura appears in his own anime called Sanada Juyushi Special (together with his brother Angelo Sanada), directed by Shimizu Keizo.
- Sanada Yukimura was portrayed by comedian Gino Jinnai in the movie Kamen Rider Den-O: I am Born!. His Braves also made a cameo in the movie.
- In the anime series Musashi Gundoh, the voice of Sanada Yukimura is played by Sayaka Kinoshita.
- In the manga series Tenjho Tenge, he appears during a flashback taking place days before the summer siege of Osaka castle.
- Sanada is one of the three playable characters in the videogame Vasara.
- Yukimura is one of the main characters in the manga series 'Brave 10', drawn by Shimotsuki Marlin.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Charmeleon and later Charizard. He is brave and very loyal to his lord Shingen.
- In the anime series Girls und Panzer, the gunner of Team Hippo, Kiyomi Sugiyama, calls herself Saemonza, Yukimura's nickname. She also wears his mon of three columns of two coins as a headband.
- In the video game Super Mario Odyssey, Mario can obtain a suit of samurai armor and helmet with a design similar to that of Yukimura's helmet, featuring antlers and his six-coin mon.
- Yukimura is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Yukimura is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
- Yukimura is a primary antagonist in the video game Nioh second and third DLC expansions, Defiant Honor and Bloodshed's End. In here, he commands the forces sieged in the Osaka Castle, defending Toyotomi Hideyori from the Tokugawa forces.
Sasaki Kojirō[edit]
- Sasaki Kojirō's famous battle with Miyamoto Musashi is the focus of the film Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island and the character appears in the previous film in the trilogy Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple. Both times he was played by Kōji Tsuruta, opposite Toshirō Mifune as Musashi.
- The epic historical adventure fiction novel Musashi, by famed Japanese author Eiji Yoshikawa, features a separate parallel plotline and various sub-plots highlighting the exploits of Sasaki Kojirō Ganryũ. Eventually the Musashi and Kojirō plotlines intertwine, with the pair's famous duel the climax and final chapter of the novel.
- Yoshikawa's novel is the basis of the 42nd NHKtaiga drama of the same name from 2003. The NHK serial retains the novel's plot structure, developing parallels between the lives of Sasaki and Musashi and thus rendering Sasaki as a major character, portrayed in the show by Matsuoka Matsuhiro.
- In the game Brave Fencer Musashi, the title character's sworn rival was named after Kojirō. And in Musashi: Samurai Legend, the main villain was named Gandrake (Ganryũ).
- The birth and growth of Sasaki Kojirō is also featured in Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue, a manga dedicated to the life of Miyamoto Musashi, though in it, Sasaki Kojirō is portrayed as being deaf and a good looking young man who was popular with the ladies.
- In Wangan Midnight manga, Gen Sasaki is named after Sasaki Kojirō, as they share the family name, Sasaki.
- In the manga by Masami Kurumada, Fuma no Kojiro, Sasaki Kojiro and Miyamoto Musashi are main characters. An Anime version of Fuma no Kojiro was released in 1992.
- Kojirō appears as the main spirit in the manga Kensei Tsubame (剣聖ツバメ lit. Sword Saint Tsubame), a story about kendo practitioners who become possessed by the spirits of many famous Japanese swordsmen. The protagonist, who is possessed by Kojirō, is named Tsubame Kamoshita. His name is probably a reference to Kojirō's technique.
- In Pokémon, the Japanese name James (of Team Rocket) is Kojiro. Additionally, James's partner Jessie's Japanese name is Musashi, a reference to Miyamoto Musashi.
- In the visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night, the Servant Assassin introduces himself as Sasaki Kojirō. However, it is debated whether his true identity is actually Sasaki, as he claims that he only took Kojiro's name. In episode 18 of the anime, Saber recognizes Assassin as Kojiro. Assassin then claims Kojiro is but a fake name and that the person called Sasaki Kojirou does not exist; he is but a character with a fabricated past that has been made into a master swordsman inside people's memories.
- In Samurai Warriors 2 by Koei, Kojiro appears as an enemy officer and an unlockable bodyguard, but not a playable character except through Nene's special ability (taking on the appearance and moveset of an officer nearby) and in Samurai Warriors 2: Empires. Kojiro is a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, with his own Story Mode, focused mainly on pursuing and fight Musashi. The ending features Kojiro becoming rather upset after killing Musashi, and his Dream Stage has Kojiro realizing that he wants to fight alongside Musashi, rather than kill him, and they battle their way through a series of officers and challenges to reach Oda Nobunaga. His skin color is bone white (possibly as white face paint), and he is depicted as an evil minded and bloodthirsty fiend who claims to give his enemies a 'beautiful end'. He appears in Warriors Orochi 2 where he joins the Samurai faction under Sakon Shima to be 'closer to' Musashi.
- Tachibana Ukyo from the Samurai Shodown series, is based on Kojiro just as Haohmaru is based on Musashi.
- In Gosho Aoyama's Yaiba, Sasaki Kojiro was revived from his death after the final battle with Miyamoto Musashi, Yaiba's teacher. He was brought to life by Yaiba's nemesis Onimaru in an attempt to defeat Yaiba. However, after a twisted turn of event he then join Yaiba and the gang. His reputation as cool, handsome, and know his way around girls as often portrayed in many fiction about him was parodied in this series as he is shown as a complete womanizer, playboy, and even has a radar for beautiful woman. His appearance in this series was almost entirely comedic although the same would also apply to almost all of the character.
- In Dr. Slump, Arale, Gatchan, and Taro used the 'Time Slipper' to travel to the day of Musashi's duel with Kojiro. It states that Musashi was late for the duel over a two-day game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Kojiro is shown waiting impatiently for Musashi, and is left waiting after Musashi goes with Arale to the future.
- Kojiro's Tsubame Gaeshi (Swallow Reversal/Turning Swallow) technique is used by Shusuke Fuji in Prince of Tennis, and by Sanada Kazuki in Fighting Spirit. The technique is also featured in Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game as the card 'Swallow Flip', as well as in Pokémon game series as the move 'Aerial Ace'. It is also the signature technique for the character Seraphim in 'Is This A Zombie?'.
- The sword Monohoshizao appears in Soul Blade, the first game of the popular Soul series fighting games. It was an extra weapon for Heishiro Mitsurugi, but it was simply named 'Kojiro's sword'. It later became an alternate weapon for Yoshimitsu in the third part: Soulcalibur II where it is described as a sword that was used by the renowned Japanese swordsman named Kojiroh Sasaki. In Soulcalibur III, it appears as an alternate weapon for the bonus character Arthur, a counterpart to Mitsurugi who himself is based on Miyamoto Musashi.
- Kojiro is an unlockable character in the Ubisoft/Genki game Sword of the Samurai. Which also has Ganryu Island a selectable arena. Also the game features Miyamoto with an actual oar instead of a self-modified oar-Suburito.
- Akane Takeda, from the Visual Novel Hanachirasu, develops Kojiro's Tsubame Gaeshi technique to counter Igarasu Yoshia's Hiru-no-Tsuki, which is an attack in which Igarasu launches himself overhead to attack the back, thus Akane literally 'Cuts a swallow from flight.'
- In the 2011 video game Dark Souls it is possible to obtain an extremely long katana-class weapon named the Washing Pole (in the Japanese release it is named 物干し竿; lit. 'Laundry Pole'), which is named as a reference to Kojiro's trademark weapon.[10] The sword in the game is much longer than Kojiro's, however, its blade extending an astonishing 7 feet in a caricature of the Monohoshi Zao's extended length.
Shibata Katsuie[edit]
- Shibata Katsuie's army plays a major role in the 1953 classic film Ugetsu monogatari.
- Shibata is a playable general in Koei's Kessen III in which he is clad in black 'Oni' armour, and looks the same facially in both Kessen III and Samurai Warriors 2, showing some continuity. he appears as a non-playable character in the sequel to Sengoku Period-based video game Samurai Warriors 2 as it's known in the US and Europe and also in Samurai Warriors Katana. He is available as an unlockable bodyguard through Samurai Warriors 2 'Survival' mode. He returns in the Empires expansion as a fully playable character. However, in Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends, uses a pair of hand-axes instead of a spear, making him a fully fledged unique character. In his story, he eventually gets to marry his love, Oichi, and he helps to teach Maeda Toshiie to be a true warrior. He and Oichi kill themselves by way of setting their castle on fire in his ending, preventing Hideyoshi from getting them as allies, and making Maeda Toshiie sad and upset. In Warriors Orochi 2, he works with Oda Nobunaga, Ishida Mitsunari, and Xiahou Dun at repelling Dong Zhuo and killing Taira Kiyomori at Tong Gate. In Dream Mode, he works with Maeda Toshiie, Sun Jian, Sun Ce, and Cao Ren in protecting Oichi from Yuan Shao and Liu Biao.
- He is portrayed in the eroge Sengoku Rance as a children's lover so that Rance thinks he is a lolicon. He will eventually become Ranmaru's husband after doing Ranmaru's events to clear her. His feelings about Kōhime, Oda Nobunaga Kazunosuke's younger sister, may be a pun of Shibata being the second husband of Oichi, younger sister of the true Oda Nobunaga.
- Katsuie appears in Sengoku Basara 4 as a low-rank vanguard under the Oda force. In the past he tried to rebel but failed. He is despaired in everything to the point that he's even losing emotions.
- He is also a character in the anime The Ambition of Oda Nobuna as a female protagonist serving Oda Nobunaga.
- Katsuie appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Shima Sakon[edit]
- Shima Sakon is a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2, where he is portrayed as a former servant of Takeda Shingen and wields an oversized falchion. He also makes vague impersonations of Elvis Presley, which are seen on his sideburns and his quotes ('Thank you. Thank you very much.', 'Sakon.. has left the battlefield.'). He must be defeated by the Eastern Army in the Battle of Kusegawa. In his ending, he and Ishida Mitsunari unite Japan. He also appears in the spinoff called Samurai Warriors Katana. He also appears in Warriors Orochi as an enemy and later ally in the Wu storyline. He developed a friendship with Lu Meng. In the sequel, Sakon is the leading character of one of the five storylines of the game, as Sakon unites the various samurai clans of Oda, Takeda and Uesugi, along with the Kingdom of Wu, in an attempt to prevent the resurrection of Orichi. He also develops a friendly relationship with the mystic Fu Xi.
- He also appears in the Kessen series and in Samurai Warriors Katana.
- Sakon appears in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, where his mind is twisted and brainwashed by Ophelia, one of the Genma Triumvirate. Tenkai Nankobo uses his purification skills to free Sakon of the evil mind-altering.
- Sakon is a manga series loosely based on Sakon's life, illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. He survives Sekigahara and is ordered by his lord to disrupt a plot set by Tokugawa Ieyasu's kagemusha.
- In the manga Tenjho Tenge authored by Oh! Great, a character is directly named after him, Sakon Shima.
- Sakon is playable in Sengoku Basara 4 as a cheerful young man who enjoys gambling and his flirtatious look. He serves under Ishida Mitsunari.
- Sakon appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Sakon appears as a secondary antagonist in Nioh, being a loyal servant of Mitsunari who survives the battle of Sekigahara and is later present at his master's execution.
Shimazu Yoshihiro[edit]
- Shimazu Yoshihiro appears in the Koei game Kessen.
- He also appears in Capcom's Sengoku Basara, where he wields a giant sword and a drunkard. In the game's sequel, Sengoku Basara 2, he is determined to duel Honda Tadakatsu to determine who is stronger.
- Yoshihiro is present in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2. While still portrayed as an old man, he wields a giant mallet and has a rivalry with Tachibana Ginchiyo (heiress to the Tachibana of Kyushu), while the surprise attack before Sekigahara is proposed by Toyohisa (and rejected by Mitsunari for honor's sake) at the opening of the Sekigahara stage. He unites the land under the Shimazu. He also appears in the spin-off series Warriors Orochi as a starter character for Shu Han, alongside Zhao Yun and Xing Cai. He assists Xing Cai and the mystic Zuo Ci in freeing Zhao Yun from Orochi's prison in Ueda Castle. In the sequel, he joins the samurai alliance. He works with Huang Zhong in saving Lu Meng and Gan Ning from Lu Bu's forces. In Dream Mode, he works with Zhao Yun and Sanada Yukimura in rescuing Liu Bei and peasants.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, the four brothers of Shimazu family are Yoshihisa, Kazuhisa, Toshihisa and Iehisa. While Yoshihisa, Toshihisa, Iehisa really were Yoshihiro's brothers, the second brother, Kazuhisa's name may be the reference of Shimazu Katsuhisa, Yoshihiro's father Takahisa's adopted father.
- He was mentioned by Haruo Niijima in Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple when Niijima was trapped and planned to use the method Shimazu used to charge through the Ragnorok's surroundings.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Gurdurr and later Conkeldurr.
Suzuki Magoichi[edit]
In most of his fictional portrayals, Suzuki Magoichi is often referred to his more common name, Saiga Magoichi.
- In Onimusha 2, Saika Magoichi is a calm musketeer trying to protect Saiga village from Nobunaga's army. He feels indebted to the women of the village because his mother died at a young age, so the women raised him. He raises doubts among Ankokuji Ekei and Yagyu Jubei (actually he was the first Jubei, grandfather of the infamous Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi, Yagyu Muneyoshi) when Tokichiro Kinoshita/Toyotomi Hideyoshi accuses him of serving Nobunaga. This same Magoichi is also in Onimusha Tactics, as well as Onimusha Blade Warriors. He also served as a mentor to Ohatsu, Oichi's/Oyu's daughter, from Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, tutoring her in the wielding of firearms. Judging from the timeline, it is likely that this Magoichi is Saika Shigehide.
- Magoichi is also a playable character in the Samurai Warriors series, wielding in all installments a musket with underbarrel bayonet. Magoichi is laid back and dressed in a trench coat. He bears no resemblance to either Suzuki Shigetomo nor Suzuki Sadayu (in fact, he cannot be Suzuki Sadayu; Suzuki is a separate character in the sequel). He fights to protect the people he cares about most as well as for the ladies, and even makes a friendly rival out of Maeda Keiji. He has a slight womanizing obsession. In his story path, beginning with the Battle of Ise (a fictional representation of the fall of Nagashima), and following a continuing anti-Nobunaga campaign, one ending has him becoming a wanderer after the surrender of the Ishiyama Honganji (having joined their campaign against Nobunaga), whereas a second ending has him years later raiding Azuchi Castle and killing Nobunaga.
- In Samurai Warriors 2, his storyline is revised to have him be a mercenary leader originally on friendly terms with Hashiba Hideyoshi, first fighting for Nobunaga at Anegawa and then opposing him in a later stage at Osaka Bay (intended to briefly touch on the Honganji). Angered by a retaliatory attack on his village (though he is able to mitigate the damage) and temporarily breaking his friendship with Hideyoshi, he rushes over to Honnō-ji where, amidst the chaos, he shoots and kills Nobunaga, and repentant Akechi Mitsuhide is the one to take the blame. Ironically enough at the end of the Battle of Yamazaki (his final stage) while standing over Mitsuhide's body he is mortally wounded by a random shot in the back fired from offscreen, and his ending has him surviving long enough to stagger into camp before collapsing and apparently dying in Hideyoshi's arms. He is shown surviving in several endings however, even though they are set years after Yamazaki. In Date Masamune's ending, the two strike an alliance, a relationship that is shown further in Samurai Warriors 3. In Warriors Orochi, Magoichi helps Zhao Yun and his army to free Yue Ying from Orochi's forces, and later joins forces with Shu Han at the end of the stage. His personality still is of a womanizer, attempting to flirt with the female Chinese characters such as Xing Cai, Yue Ying, Da Qiao, Zhu Rong, and even, Orochi's strategist, Da Ji. He even attempts to flirt with Zhang He at one point, not knowing that the extremely feminine Zhang is a man.
- Koei also depicts him in the Nobunaga's Ambition series (in particular installments XI and XII) and in Taikou Risshiden (in particular V). He also appears as an enemy general in Kessen III.
- He is also a hidden playable character in Visco Games' arcade shoot 'em upVasara 2, and is the grandfather of the female Saiga Magoichi in the original game, Vasara.
- Magoichi are two of the captains who have generic faces in the eroge Sengoku Rance (they take the names 'Saiga Magoichi' and 'Saika Magoichi').
- Magoichi appears in Sengoku Basara 3, appearing this time as a woman named Saika Magoichi (or Lady Saika in historical records). As Magoichi was the common name for the leader of the Saika Renegades, it still fits. This version of Magoichi carries a set of revolvers and other firearms at her disposal.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Grovyle and later Sceptile. He also appears as a womanizer in this game.
Tachibana Ginchiyo[edit]
- Tachibana Ginchiyo appears in Koei's Samurai Warriors series of video games. She is a popular character despite her debut and only appearance in Samurai Warriors 2, Samurai Warriors 2 Empires and Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (not counting Warriors Orochi). In the game, she has a rivalry with Shimazu Yoshihiro, the daimyō of Satsuma. In Xtreme Legends, she becomes an ally of Chōsokabe Motochika alongside Shimazu Yoshihiro. In reference to her father Tachibana Dosetsu her attacks are centered on lightning; one of her special abilities is to summon a lightning storm, or augment her sword with a lightning attribute. In her ending, she forgives the Shimazu clan and lets them live, but Shimazu Yoshihiro dies from battle wounds. In the sequel, she is joined by her husband. She also gets the honor of being the first female character in the Warriors series as a whole to wield a sword. He is also a character in Samurai Warriors Katana, a spinoff of Samurai Warriors for the Nintendo Wii. She also appears in the Warriors Orochi crossover game. She is seen by Zhao Yun, Xing Cai, and Yoshihiro Shimazu, escaping Ueda Castle, at the same time Cai and Shimazu are freeing Zhao Yun. She escapes with them, and joins Zhao Yun's Shu Han forces. In the sequel, Okuni brings Ginchiyo to Wu. She works with her equal in strength, Zhu Rong, in defeating Cao Ren. In Dream Mode, she works with Imagawa Yoshimoto and Xing Cai in saving their allies in Chen Cang Castle. In Warriors Orochi 3 updated series, it is revealed that she has a knowledge about Abe no Seimei, whom she recognized him from the history report about him, upon first meeting him while she's on a mission with Kaguya and Wang Yuanji.
- Ginchiyo also appears in Koei's Kessen III as a hidden character, voiced by Naomi Shindō.
- A woman who inherits the name Tachibana Gin appears in Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere wielding two dual sword weapons as well as four large cross shaped artillery weapons.
- She is a playable character in a sidequest in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Luxio and later Luxray.[6]
- Ginchiyo appears as a supporting character, alongside her husband, in 2017's Nioh.
Tachibana Muneshige[edit]
- Tachibana Muneshige appears in Koei's Samurai Warriors series of video games. He debuted in Samurai Warriors 3, wielding a sword and shield and is shown to have a peculiar relationship with his wife. The Tachibana fight together with Mouri Motonari to protect Japan from Oda Nobunaga's threat.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, he, along with his adopted father (also father-in-law) Tachibana Dousetsu, are generic-faced captains.
- In Sengoku Hime, his fathers Tachibana Dousetsu and Takahashi Shouun are gender-swapped and they are major generals of the Otomo family.
- He appears in Sengoku Basara 3 as a loyal (but troubled) retainer to the Otomo. He wields a set of katar with chainsaws on them and is depicted to be a large, solid man.
- A man who inherits his name appears in Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere and wields a gunblade for the fictional country of Tres España.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Staravia and Staraptor.[6]
- Muneshige appears as a supporting character, alongside his wife, in 2017's Nioh.
Takeda Shingen[edit]
The 1988 NHKTaiga drama television series Takeda Shingen was a fictionalized account of Takeda Shingen's life with Kiichi Nakai in the title role. His life is also dramatized in NHK's 46th Taiga drama Fūrin Kazan. Akira Kurosawa's 1980 film Kagemusha was also inspired by his life; it brought the musket-wound theory to public attention outside Japan.Takeda Shingen appears in Toshirō Mifune's historical film Samurai Banners (風林火山 Furin Kazan).
- He also appears in the epic film Heaven and Earth. The film's title is a reference to Takeda Shingen's famous quote, 'In heaven and earth, I alone am to be revered'.
- In the science-fiction film Sengoku Jieitai, in English also known as Time Slip and G.I. Samurai, a group of JSDF soldiers take on his forces. In this instance, he is killed in personal combat by the unit's leader, 2nd Lieutenant Iba.
- He is a playable character in the Samurai Warriors series by Koei. In SW1, he frees Uesugi Kenshin and lets him live. Another ending and his ending in SW2 have the Uesugi and the Takeda uniting Japan together. He is also a character in Kessen III by the same company and in Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, he arrives to meet Nobunaga Oda at Honnoji, but ends up helping Oda, Huang Zhong, and Xiahou Dun fend off Da Ji's forces. He forms an alliance with his nemesis, Kenshin Uesugi. In the main story, Uesugi and Takeda fall at Nagashino, while Nobunaga's forces are at Guan Du. In the Gaiden stage, aid is sent by Nobunaga to Nagashino, in the form of Huang Zhong and Guan Ping. Takeda and Uesugi join with Nobunaga in the Wu Zhang Plains to defeat Orochi's forces. At Koshi Castle, the Takeda, the Uesugi, and the Oda kill Orochi. In Warriors Orochi 2, Sakon reunties, the Takeda, the Uesugi, and the Oda to fight Orochi. Takeda Shingen recruits Sima Yi and defeating him at Chang Ban. He and Naoe Kanetsugu tried to do the same for Date Masamune, but it did not work. Takeda Shingen works with Fu Xi and Shima Sakon in killing Orochi at Sekigahara. In Dream Mode, he works with Zhuge Liang, Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, and Zhou Yu at He Fei Castle, repelling Shima Sakon's forces, Uesugi Kenshin, and Sima Yi's forces.
- He is a playable character with a very large staff axe in Sengoku Basara. In Sengoku Basara 3, he is rarely seen due to his sickness. In Yukimura's second story, he appears, completely healthy, to watch over Yukimura's final battle with Masamune. (At least, the last in this particular sequel.)
- Takeda Shingen is the main character in the NES game Shingen the Ruler, and his conquests are also portrayed in the video game, Takeda. Shingen also appears as a character in the Samurai Warriors and in Nobunaga's Ambition (信長の野望 Nobunaga no Yabo) game series, as well as Sengoku Basara
- The board game Shogun features Takeda Shingen as one of the daimyōs to choose.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, he is the ruler of the Takeda clan, who might be dead before the events of the game. His four chief retainers, the advisor Sanada Tourin, the cavalries Baba Shouen and Yamagata Masakage, the ninja Kousaka Yoshikage are based on four of Takeda Shingen's 24 head generals: Sanada Yukitaka, Baba Nobufusa (Baba Nobuharu), Yamagata Masakage and Kōsaka Masanobu.
- In the series Mirage of Blaze, Takeda Shingen is an evil spirit ready to be awoken by loyal retainers who have been reincarnated in the modern age. His resurrection is stopped by those in Uesugi Kenshin's army—more inclusively, his adopted son Uesugi Kagetora.
- Takeda Shingen was mentioned in episode 10 of The Tatami Galaxy when the protagonist noted that a 41⁄2tatami- room is perfect, and if a room were to be larger than the size of 41⁄2 tatami mats, it would end up being 'as spacious as Takeda Shingen's lavatory, and one might even get lost'.
- One of his notable descendants is video game music composer Ryu Umemoto (1974–2011).[11]
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Rhyperior and later Groudon.[6]
- Battle Girls: Time Paradox a 2011 gender swap anime, A maiden feudal general who led most powerful cavalry and wields a large fan and controls wind and fire. She owns a section of the Crimson Armor and is friends/rivals with Kenshin. She is rather awkward in expressing herself and never aware about the armor.
- Shingen is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Shingen is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Takenaka Shigeharu[edit]
- Takenaka Shigeharu is often likened to Zhuge Liang of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This is mostly due to a romanticized tale of Hideyoshi needing to visit Shigeharu many times before gaining his services, much similar to Liu Bei's three visits to Zhuge Liang.
- Shigeharu (as Hanbei) is featured in the game Sengoku Basara 2 by Capcom. Voice actor Akira Ishida voices him. He wields a whipsword and is shown to be very physically weak and ill due to tuberculosis. Despite his impending death due to his illness, he is very faithfully devoted to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- He also appears as Hanbei in Samurai Warriors 3 where he is depicted as a young precocious teenager fighting with a bladed sundial. He is shown to have a close relationship with Kuroda Kanbei.
- He is a playable character as Hanbei in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Pikachu and later Raichu. He appears as a sleepy teenager with astonishing brainpower.
Tokugawa Ieyasu[edit]
- Within the video game series Samurai Warriors, Tokugawa Ieyasu is depicted as a man that values patience and the welfare of his subordinates above all else. Equipped with the kabuto that he was historically valued for, Ieyasu also wields a romanticized spear that has the ability to shoot flames and cannonballs from its center. He is in the spinoff called Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, he is a starter character, for Wu, alongside Sun Ce and Hattori Hanzō. Although resenting having to carry out the evil Orochi's orders, he resolves to patiently wait for the right moment to rebel, and encourages Sun Ce to do the same. In Warriors Orochi 2, he joins forces with Shu. He tries to save Date Masamune's soul at Saika village, but he fails. For Shu's ending, he tells Liu Bei that though Taigong Wang was young and cocky, 'he was a good man at heart.' In Dream Mode, he works with Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi in proving their strength to Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan at Fan Castle.
- The Akira Kurosawa film Kagemusha tells a fictionalized account of the events leading up to the Battle of Nagashino.
- Portrayed by James Saito in the 2008 BBC docudrama series Heroes and Villains.
- The novel Kagemusha Tokugawa Ieyasu by Keichiro Ryu tells the fictional story of the Ieyasu's double who changes places into assassination Ieyasu ahead of the Battle of Sekigahara. The novel was adapted to manga by Tetsuo Hara.
- Another novel, The Kouga Ninja Scrolls and its adaptations, Shinobi: Heart Under Blade and Basilisk (manga), are fictional stories in which Ieyasu is central to the storylines.
- Ieyasu appears as the leader of the Japanese civilization in Sid Meier'sturn-based strategy game Civilization III, as well as in its sequel Civilization IV. He also appears as the Japanese leader in the series' console version Civilization Revolution.
- Ieyasu is a recurring character in the manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo.
- Tokugawa Ieyasu is depicted as one of the six survivors of the destruction of the colony ship Mesopotamia in the anime series Saber Marionette J. He and the other five survivors (all male) land on the planet that becomes known as Terra II, and each man founds a new city-state reflective of his respective heritage. Each city-state is populated by clones of the founder; the Ieyasu that appears at the start of the series is the 15th cloned incarnation of the original.
- He is also featured as a non-playable character in Sengoku Basara. He appears as a man of short stature but has command of a very powerful general, namely Honda Tadakatsu. He appears in Sengoku Basara 3 with an updated, more mature character design and using new gauntlets in battle. His goal is to unite Japan by the force of 'bonds'. He has a rivalry against Ishida Mitsunari, and his ending confirming that they used to be friends, as he weeps over Mitsunari's death.
- The history of Ieyasu's rise to power is fictionalized in James Clavell's novel Shōgun under the name 'Lord Toranaga,' and in the television miniseries based on it.
- The board game Shogun, features Tokugawa Ieyasu as one of the Daimyōs to choose.
- In the game Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, Tokugawa's reunification of Japan is one of the campaigns of the game. He can also be unlocked in normal mode and is available as Japanese Shogun. He can train units, receive shipments and boosts attack of units around him. He also appears as the leader of Japan in Skirmish Mode.
- Tokugawa Ieyasu is the birth father of Yuki Hideyasu, who is the lead of the video game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. In game, he goes by the alias Soki.
- Tokugawa Ieyasu is the racoon dog youkai lord of the Tokugawa clan in the eroge Sengoku Rance. His five chief retainers: Honda Tadakatsu, Hattori Hanzō, Sakai Tadatsugu, Sakakibara Yasumasa, Ii Naomasa are portrayed as racoon dogyoukais like him. Another racoon dogyoukai in this game is also based on a general of Tokugawa clan, Honda Masanobu.
- Tokugawa is a main character in the video game Kessen.
- He appears in a flashback sequence in the manga Tenjho Tenge, as a man who is literally possessed by Sohaku Kago. His granddaughter Senhime also makes a more prominent appearance.
- Tokugawa is mentioned in Vampire Weekend's song, 'Giving up the Gun'.
- His name is used for Vongola Primo's Japanese name in Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.
- A gender-switched version of Ieyasu appears in Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox.
- 'The Red Sash of Tokugawa Ieyasu' was an artifact featured in an episode of the 1990s Nickelodeon game show Legends of the Hidden Temple.
- A version of Ieyasu appears in Gaim's portion of Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. He is the Lord of the Wizard Army and lost his Bujin Rider, Bujin Wizard, to Bujin Gaim. He mistakes Kouta Kazuraba/Armored Rider Gaim for Bujin Wizard's killer but realizes the two are not the same. He hires Kouta and Mitsuzane Kureshima/Armored Rider Ryugen as his new Bujins. After Bujin Fourze and Mitsuzane are 'killed' by the Nephenthes Inhumanoid, he reveals his intention to unify people in his world and bring forth an era of peace. He later gives Haruto Soma/Kamen Rider Wizard the Infinity Ring formerly owned by Bujin Wizard. He is last seen farewelling the Armored Riders and Mai. He is portrayed by JOY.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Aggron and later Registeel.
- Ieyasu is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Tokugawa Ieyasu appears in the Star Trek novel Home Is the Hunter.
- Ieyasu is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
- He can be seen in the anime television series Dinosaur king where he helps the d-team find the cosmos stone.
- Ieyasu is a supporting character in the video game Nioh, as William's benefactor and Okatsu's father.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi[edit]
Hideyoshi as he appears in Capcom's Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
- Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Taiko ki (English title: Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan) is about the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- Hideyoshi appears in the Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi game series. In Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends and SW2, he unites the land and allows many enemies to live. In Warriors Orochi series, he works with Oda Nobunaga in killing Orochi twice. He is reunited with Nene, his wife, in Warriors Orochi 2. In this series, he finds many women throughout the battlefields to be attractive. In Dream Mode, he works with Oda Nobunaga, and Tokugawa Ieyasu in proving their strength to Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan at Fan Castle. He is also in Samurai Warriors Katana, a spinoff of the SW series.
- He is a playable character in the game Sengoku Basara 2 as a giant man able to grab onto soldiers, blowing off a volley of arrows, even parting the sea, with his bare hands. He wants nothing more but power, so much that he killed his historical wife in order to become a unifier of Japan. He had a one-sided friendship with Maeda Keiji a long time ago until he was changed while being humiliated and injured by Matsunaga Hisahide. in Sengoku Basara 3, Hideyoshi is killed by Ieyasu Tokugawa before the events of the game. Mitsunari Ishida seeks to kill Ieyasu to avenge Hideyoshi, although in anime, he was killed by Masamune Date and Mitsunari wants to kill Masamune for revenge.
- Appearing in the Onimusha series, Hideyoshi was a major antagonist in the first two games while vassal to Nobunaga. Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, where he is one of the principal antagonists, gives a fictional portrayal of Hideyoshi's reign and death.
- He is also the center of Koei's Taikou Risshiden series of games, which focus primarily on Hideyoshi's rise to prominence.
- In the game Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion, in the 'Kyoto' scenario, the player, as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, must fight to avenge 'Lord Nobunaga's' death in Kyoto.
- Toyotomi (or his faction) is a selectable character in the Shogun: Total War and Throne of Darkness games.
- The character Taikō Nakamura in James Clavell's novel Shōgun is a pastiche of Toyotomi.
- The board game Shogun, features Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi as one of the Daimyōs to choose.
- In the eroges Sengoku Rance and Sengoku Hime, he is portrayed as a monkey named Toukichirou, which is Hideyoshi's other name (in Sengoku Rance) or a monkey general (in Sengoku Hime).
- Hideyoshi also appears in the anime series, Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox, where he is instead portrayed as a modern-day school girl named Yoshino Hide (a pun on Hideyoshi) who somehow winds up in Feudal Japan where she meets gender-swapped versions of the heroes during the Sengoku Period.
- In the strategy game Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition, he is featured with a Monferno. A special Wi-Fi episode focusing on him later reveals his connection to Reshiram, like Nobunaga is partnered to Zekrom.
- Professional wrestler Michael Nakazawa wrestled as Hideyoshi for the Dramatic Dream Team promotion on February 10, 2013.[4]
- A version of Hideyoshi appears in Gaim's portion of Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. He is the lord of the Double Army and appears alongside his wife Cha-cha. When Bujin Double is killed by Bujin Gaim and the Nephenthes Inhumanoid (assisted by Armored Rider Zangetsu/Takatora Kureshima who mistakes Bujin Gaim for his world's Gaim), Hideyoshi prepares to fight them himself but Cha-cha gives him an ultimatum: choose her or the war. Hideyoshi chooses her and they retreat. He is portrayed by Minehiro Kinomoto who previously portrayed Ryu Terui/Kamen Rider Accel (who Hideyoshi's personality and mannerisms are similar to) in Kamen Rider W.
- Hideyoshi is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Hideyoshi is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Uesugi Kenshin[edit]
- Uesugi Kenshin, as Kagetora, is the main character in the film Heaven and Earth.
- Kenshin, as Nagao Kagetora, is a central character in the Japanese sci-fi film Sengoku Jietai.
- Kenshin, played by Abe Hiroshi, is a major supporting character in the NHK Taiga Drama Tenchijin.
- Kenshin is featured in Koei's video game series Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi. He wields a seven-bladed sword and prays to Bishamonten every time he starts a battle.
- In Samurai Warriors, one ending has him allow many warriors to join him. Another ending has him release Takeda Shingen, and they become friends. A third ending has him working with Kunoichi, Takeda Shingen, and Sanada Yukimura in rebuilding Japan after its unification. In SW2, he lets go of Takeda Shingen. In the Warriors Orochi series, he works with the Oda and the Takeda twice to wipe out Orochi. In Dream Mode, he teams with Guan Yu and Xu Huang to rescue Inahime, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Mori Ranmaru from Sima Yi, the Date, and Taira Kiyomori.
- He also features in Koei's Nobunaga's Ambition series of games. He makes another appearance in Kessen III, also by Koei.
- Kenshin is also featured in Capcom's Sengoku Basara. In there, he is depicted as a much more feminine figure who would sometimes act rather narcissistic. He is assisted by Kasuga, a fictional Kunoichi who is apparently in love with him (she may possibly be named after Kasugayama Castle, Kenshin's primary fortress). He also attacks using Iaido and ice-based attacks.
- The board game Shogun features Uesugi Kenshin as one of the daimyōs to choose.
- Kenshin is portrayed by Japanese pop culture icon Gackt in the Japanese taiga dramaFūrinkazan (風林火山), as well as in the anime of the gag manga, Tono to Issho.
- In the anime Rurouni Kenshin, the main character is a wandering samurai named Kenshin, whose fighting style includes moves related to dragons in a reference to 'The Dragon of Echigo.' The anime character is also noted for his 'godlike speed,' and eventually comes into conflict with a gun-wielding entrepreneur whose surname is Takeda.
- In the Super NES video game Inindo: Way of the Ninja, Uesugi Kenshin is Daimyō of the province Echigo.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, Uesugi Kenshin is presented as one of the winnable girls who is also lord of two provinces in JAPAN.
- A gender-swapped Kenshin appears in Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox.
- In the anime Nobunaga the Fool Kenshin is portrayed as a Giant War Armor pilot and leader of the Uesugi Clan
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Gallade.
- Kenshin is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Kenshin is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Yagyū Muneyoshi[edit]
- The second installment of the Onimusha video game series as well features a swordsman by the name of Yagyū Jūbei, but this is in fact Jūbei's grandfather, Yagyū Muneyoshi. In the fourth game a female Yagyu by the name of Akane took the name of Jūbei as the strongest of her clan and is on a mission to go after Munenori; in this installment, he is represented by the name Sekishūsai Yagyū, one of his famous names.
Yamamoto Kansuke[edit]
- Yamamoto Kansuke was the subject of the 1969 film Samurai Banners, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, where the role of Kansuke was played by Toshiro Mifune.
- The 2007 NHK Taiga drama Fūrinkazan (風林火山) features Yamamoto Kansuke as the main character (played by Uchino Masaaki). It is based on the novel by Yasushi Inoue.
- Kansuke also appears in the Yoshihiro Takahashi's manga Kacchu no Senshi Gamu.
- He is also featured as one of the generals in the strategy game Civilization IV: Warlords.
- Kansuke appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- A statue of Kansuke appears in the Sony Spider-Man Videogame.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Darth Vader and Date MasamuneArchived 2010-10-12 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^Video Research (Japanese).
- ^'Sengoku Paradise Kiwami: Opening Song CD'. sgpk.jp/. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
- ^ abc'Into The Fight シリーズ 2013 in Odawara'. Dramatic Dream Team (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2013-04-08. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
- ^ abhttp://www.capcom.co.jp/basara3utage/character.html
- ^ abcdef'Nobunaga + Zekrom'. Characters. Pokémon conquest. Retrieved 2012-06-17.Cite error: Invalid
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tag; name 'Pokémon' defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).Cite error: Invalid<ref>
tag; name 'Pokémon' defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^Haugaard, Erik Christian (1984). The Samurai's Tale. Houghton Mifflin. p. ix.
Lord Oda Nobunaga – Lord Takeda Shingen's rival and enemy, well known for his merciless cruelty
- ^'English Translation and Backstory of the song 1582'. Kattun-hyphens. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- ^Civilisations, Civilisation 5.
- ^http://w.livedoor.jp/project_dark/d/%ca%aa%b4%b3%a4%b7%b4%c8
- ^Audi. 'A Dragon's Journey: Ryu Umemoto in Europe'. Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=People_of_the_Sengoku_period_in_popular_culture&oldid=896664655'
(Redirected from Sengoku Rance)
Rance | |
---|---|
The cover of the first game of the Rance series, Rance – Hikari Quest –. | |
Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
Developer(s) | AliceSoft |
Publisher(s) | AliceSoft |
Platform(s) | PC-8800 series, PC-9800 series, Sharp X68000 and similar models, Windows, others |
First release | Rance – Hikari Quest – 15 August 1989 |
Latest release | Rance X – Decisive Battle – 23 February 2018 |
Spin-offs | the Brutal King Rance-based time-line |
Rance is a role-playing video-game series created, developed, and published by AliceSoft.[1] It is the oldest continually-running erotic video-game series. The first installment, Rance – Hikari Quest –, was released in 1989, while the last main-series game, Rance X – Decisive Battle –, was released in 2018.[2]
The Rance series follows the titular character, Rance, as he saves a number of kingdoms, defeats demon invaders, and causes mischief in the in-game world, 'The Continent.' He has appeared in most of the main series games as the playable character, accompanied by his loyal slave, Sill Plain. The main series has nine games, while the Kichikuou Rance sub-series has five games either released as a part of the sub-series or canonically altered to be in that time-line. In addition, the first two games, Rance – Hikari Quest – and Rance Ⅱ – Rebellious Maidens –, have been retro-actively superseded by their later-released versions, Rance 01 – Hikari Quest – and Rance 02 – Rebellious Maidens –.
- 1Games
- 1.1Rance – Hikari Quest –
- 1.2Rance Ⅱ – Rebellious Maidens –
- 1.3Rance Ⅲ – Fall of Leazas –
- 1.4Rance Ⅳ – Legacy of the Sect –
- 1.9Rance Quest – Rance Quest –
Games[edit]
by release date | |
1989 | Rance – Hikari Quest – |
1990 | Rance Ⅱ – Rebellious Maidens – |
1991 | Rance Ⅲ – Fall of Leazas – |
1992 | |
1993 | Rance Ⅳ – Legacy of the Sect – |
1994 | |
1995 | Rance 4.1 ~ Saving Pharmaceutical ~ |
Rance 4.2 ~ Angel Army ~ | |
1996 | Brutal King Rance |
1997 | |
1998 | |
1999 | |
2000 | |
2001 | |
2002 | Rance 5D – Lonely Girl – |
2003 | |
2004 | Rance Ⅵ – Collapse of Zeth – |
2005 | |
2006 | Warring-States Rance |
2007 | |
2008 | |
2009 | Rance 02 – Rebellious Maidens – |
2010 | |
2011 | Rance Quest – Rance Quest – |
2012 | Rance Quest Magnum |
2013 | Rance 01 – Hikari Quest – |
2014 | Rance Ⅸ – Helman Revolution – |
2015 | Rance 03 – Fall of Leazas – |
2016 | |
2017 | |
2018 | Rance Ⅹ – Decisive Battle – |
TBA | Rance 04 – Legacy of the Sect – |
Rance – Hikari Quest –[edit]
Rance is given the task of finding and protecting the daughter of a rich family by Keith Gold, the owner of a local guild to which Rance is attached; he appears in almost all of the Rance series games. Rance investigates the city, while Sill investigates at Paris Academy, where the kidnapping victim attended school. The first game made by AliceSoft, it was released on the PC-8800 and PC-9800 series of computers, as well as the Sharp X68000, the MSX 2 and 2+, the FM TOWNS, and the PC88VA. A Windows 95–03 version of the game was released in the late 1990s, about eight years after the first game was released.
Rance 01 – Hikari Quest –[edit]
Rance 01 – Hikari Quest –, released for Windows in 2013, has the same setting as Rance – Hikari Quest –, and replaces the latter in the main canon. The game featured an improved gameplay system, and features more new content from Rance – Hikari Quest – comparatively to Rance 02 – Rebellious Maidens –, the re-release of Rance Ⅱ – Rebellious Maidens –.
Rance Ⅱ – Rebellious Maidens –[edit]
The city of Kathtom, a member of the Free Cities Alliance, is suddenly entombed under-ground by the Four Mages who were tasked to guard the town by Ragishss Cryhausen, the city's former guardian. Rance sets out with Sill to defeat them, but soon learns that their minds were corrupted by the power of the rings that they wield. Rance sets out to prevent them from receiving the magic power the rings grant. It was released on the same computer systems as the first Rance game was.
Rance 02 – Rebellious Maidens –[edit]
A graphical re-make of Rance Ⅱ – Rebellious Maidens –, released for Windows in 2009. It was the genesis for the other early Rance series game re-releases. It did not contain as much new content as the next re-release, Rance 01 – Hikari Quest –.
Rance Ⅲ – Fall of Leazas –[edit]
Leazas, a kingdom ruled by Queen Lia, who marries Rance in the Brutal King Rance time-line, is invaded by the warring empire of Helman, to the west. Demons are believed to be the cause of the attack, and to solve that problem, Rance sets out to find the 'Chaos' sword, which contains the soul of an incredible thief from about one and one-half millennia ago. It was released on the PC-9800 series of computers, along with Sharp X68000 and the FM TOWNS; an early Windows release, similar to those that the first two Rance games received, was also released.
Rance 03 – Fall of Leazas –[edit]
A complete re-creation of Rance Ⅲ – Fall of Leazas –, released for Windows in 2015. The graphics are renewed, while the story is changed to better fit into the main canon. It is the most advanced of the early Rance re-releases.
Rance Ⅳ – Legacy of the Sect –[edit]
This game directly follows the events of its predecessor. Rance, having defeated the demons of Helman and saved Leazas, is teleported to Ylapu, a giant floating island above Leazas. There, Rance must find a way to escape from the island, but is hindered by agents of Leazas and Helman who come to retrieve him to The Continent. The legacy alluded to by the game's title is a powerful magical artifact left by the Holy Magic Sect. It was released for the PC-9800 series and the FM TOWNS.
Rance 4.1 ~ Saving Pharmaceutical ~[edit]
Rance accepts a quest to stop a horde of under-ground monsters from attacking the Happiness Pharmaceutical building, where the Seirogan, a healing medicine, is produced. They discover that the perpetrators are the Angel Army; one of their commanders escapes, which begins the next game, Rance 4.2 ~ Angel Army ~.
Rance 4.2 ~ Angel Army ~[edit]
In a continuance of the previous game, Rance 4.1 ~ Saving Pharmaceutical ~, Rance chases down the remainder of the Angel Army, while himself being chased after by an assassination group and three 'Rare Gal-Monsters,' a class of unique enemies that he offended in Rance Ⅳ – Legacy of the Sect –. The two games were released for the PC-9800 series, with a separate on-disc version.
Brutal King Rance[edit]
The game was assumed to be the final in the Rance series, and one of the final AliceSoft games; however, its great popularity allowed the company to continue its production of games. Rance, bored of his normal life, gathers a group of outlaw bandits and takes over some towns in southern Helman. The imperial army quickly puts down Rance's rebellion and take Sill captive; however, he escapes to Leazas, where he marries the country's queen to become a tyrant 'brutal king,' commanding his own army to seek his revenge on Helman. Large opposition forces arise tried to remove the tyrant ruler from power; yet, Rance continues his trials to re-assert his power as the King of Leazas, retrieve Sill from Helman control, and take over the world. Rance, in fulfilling his general rôle as an epic hero, saves The Continent from destruction by a greater evil. It is the first territory acquisition-based Rance game, and was the genesis for other similarly-designed games. It was also the first AliceSoft game released for Windows, instead of any number of Japanese computer systems. All other Rance games to-date have been released for Windows.
Rance 5D – Lonely Girl –[edit]
The temporary stop in the production of Rance games, including the release of 'Daiakuji' a year prior, led to the largest time-gap in-between the release of two Rance games. Rance 5D – Lonely Girl – is based on a unique roulette system, where the role-playing elements are determined by randomisation. In the game, Rance is travelling through The Continent, trying to recover the always-lacking money, when Rance and Sill accidentally enter Genbu Castle, a separate dimension. Rance et al. must then escape the dimension, with a newly-found woman, Rizna Lanfbitt of Zeth.
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Rance Ⅵ – Collapse of Zeth –[edit]
Rance, continuing his trials from Rance 5D – Lonely Girl –, travels to Zeth, a kingdom to the south-west of Leazas. He offends Radon, a high governmental official, and is sent to the slave camp; Sill, who he bought from the Zeth slave camp, is treated very kindly. Whilst within the Zeth slave camp, Rance joins the resistance group 'Ice Flame,' which seeks to change the un-equal governing system of Zeth, which is biased against non-magic users. Rance Ⅵ – Collapse of Zeth – is considered to be one of the best games in the Rance series, which is helped by the continuance of the game from the Brutal King Rance time-line.
Warring-States Rance[edit]
Rance sets out for JAPAN, an island archipelago to the east of The Continent, which is modeled after the Warring-States Period of Japanese history. The original English translation of this game, that of Yandere Translations, gave the Rance series, and AliceSoft in general, a noticeable presence in the western world. Warring-States Rance, also known by its title in the Japanese, Sengoku Rance, was one of AliceSoft's best-selling titles of all time. In the game, Rance, having taken control of one of the feudal states, seeks to take over JAPAN through his control of the state, and save it from destruction.
Rance Quest – Rance Quest –[edit]
A continuation of the previous game, Warring-States Rance, wherein Rance returns to The Continent to seek a cure for the curse placed on Sill. While attempting to convince the Queen of Pencilcow, a kingdom to the west of Leazas, to cure Sill, he offends her, and she places a curse on him that he must become much stronger to overcome. He then journeys around The Continent, seeking a cure for himself and Sill. The game is based more upon the cessation of the stories of individual characters rather than a more continuous story-line.
Rance Quest Magnum[edit]
An expansion of Rance Quest – Rance Quest –, this game follows Rance as he quests around The Continent to break the curse incurred upon himself in the previous game. The game focuses on the addition of sundry quests, through which Rance can adventure, ostensibly to cure his curse, although primarily in practice to assuage the effects of the curse.
Rance Ⅸ – Helman Revolution –[edit]
The government of Helman has fallen into the hands of Stessel Ignon, who corrupts the country and plans to take over the entirety of The Continent. A revolutionary force gathers, seeking to replace the former emperor to the throne, and they solicit the aid of Rance, who agrees, hoping to remove Sill's curse. The Prime Minister, Stessel, has been planning this, and his actions have been seen earlier in the Rance series; he pushed for the war between Helman and Leazas in the events of Rance Ⅲ – Fall of Leazas –.
Rance Ⅹ – Decisive Battle –[edit]
The last game in the Rance series, it was released on 23 February 2018.[2] The war amongst the demon lords of the Monster Realm has ended, and they now invade the human realm, to their east. Rance leads the combined forces of all humanity to battle the attacking demons.[3]
Characters[edit]
The Rance series has featured a large number of characters throughout its installments. A number of characters are shown below.
- Rance (ランス)
The main playable and the titular character of the Rance series. He is a powerful warrior who was created to the 'kichiku' character archetype. He was based out of a town in the Free Cities Alliance, where he accepts jobs from Keith's Guild when he is low on money. He lives in the 'Rance Castle,' which he had built after the events of Rance Quest – Rance Quest –. The games generally feature quests and other missions that he embarks upon to gain or regain the money he has lost.
- Sill Plain (シィル・プライン)
A powerful magic user that generally accompanies Rance on his quests. Wurth wow. He bought her from a slave camp in Zeth, where she was born; she now must travel with him wherever he goes. She was frozen in ice at the end of Warring-States Rance and freed at the end of Rance Ⅸ – Helman Revolution –.
- Athena 2.0 (あてな2号)
An organic-base android that functions as a pet to Rance. An accident during her creation caused her to have lower intelligence and an inability to gain a higher level. She was created in the events of Rance Ⅳ – Legacy of the Sect –. She is a noted magic user, although she is not as powerful as Sill due to her limitations.
- Lia Parapara Leazas (リア・パラパラ・リーザス)
The Queen of Leazas, who married Rance in Brutal King Rance. She brought a new age of prosperity to the kingdom, which led to an antagonism en-brewed amongst a number of foreign countries and noblemen. She became the queen after her two brothers were killed in a succession dispute. She grants her hand-maiden, Maris Amaryllis, a large amount of governing power, whilst regularly taking maidens by way of her JAPANese ninja, Kentou Kanami. Her taking was eventually stopped by Rance.
- Kentou Kanami (見当 かなみ)
A JAPANese ninja acquired by Queen Lia Leazas after she got lost on The Continent. She is generally engaged in assisting the queen in getting the affection of Rance, although she was used to gather maidens until the events of Rance – Hikari Quest –.
- Rizna Lanfbitt (リズナ・ランフビット)
A magic user, originally from Zeth; she is first encountered by Rance in the Genbu Castle dimension in Rance 5D – Lonely Girl – when he accidentally enters there. She is incredibly naïve, and that naïveté caused her a lot of pain while trapped in the alternate dimension; while a kind spirit helped her, it was Rance that enabled her to escape. She is now in the protection of the King of Zeth, a childhood friend of hers whom she knew before she was imprisoned.
- Copandon Dott (コパンドン・ドット)
A noted business-women, who seeks to marry Rance to increase her luck. She was born as a miko, but after predicting her own future as one of great misfortune, became obsessed with luck and wealth; this caused her to strive towards business, where she succeeded. She is first encountered in Rance 5D – Lonely Girl –, while seeking a man who has great luck.
- Urza Pranaice (ウルザ・プラナアイス)
The leader of the Zeth resistance group Ice Flame. She is introduced to Rance when he enters the Zeth slave camp in Rance Ⅵ – Collapse of Zeth –, and takes control of her resistance group. The game continues, Zeth is made more equal, and the resistance groups is disbanded. She becomes one of the Four Lords who guard Zeth, the first non-magic user to do so.
- Crook Mofus (クルックー・モフス)
The Muralaloux of the AL Church, the dominant religion on The Continent. She first appeared in Rance Quest – Rance Quest – as a bishop in the church; she became the Muralaloux when the former one, Duran Teyuran, died. She has a great knowledge of curses, and helped free Sill from her curse at the ending of Rance Ⅸ – Helman Revolution –.
- Sachiko Centers (サチコ・センターズ)
She was saved by Rance whilst being attacked by monsters during the events of Rance Quest – Rance Quest – and turned into a slave. She is a member of the AL Church, and is very respectful to Crook, the church's Muralaloux. She is a very powerful guard in combat.
- Patton Misnarge (パットン・ミスナルジ)
A former prince of Helman, who led the war against Leazas in the events of Rance Ⅲ – Fall of Leazas –. He has a major rôle in Rance Ⅸ – Helman Revolution –, where Rance aids him in a large force seeking to take back the country from its current, corrupt state.
OVA[edit]
A hentaiOVA based upon the series, Rance: Sabaku no Guardian, was released on December 25, 1993. It was not directly related to the events of any game in the series. It consisted of two episodes.
A second original video animation series, Rance 01: Hikari wo Motomete The Animation, was an adaptation of the re-release of the first game, Rance 01 – Hikari Quest –, and was released from December 26, 2014 to June 24, 2016. Consisting of four episodes, the OVA was directed by Takashi Nishikawa and animated by studio Seven.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^The Rance Series. Retrieved from The Rance Series.
- ^ abランス10 | アリスソフトArchived 2018-02-16 at the Wayback Machine at the official AliceSoft web-site.
- ^Green, S. (2017). After Almost 30 Years 'Rance' Game Series Prepares For Final Battle. Retrieved from Crunchyroll - After Almost 30 Years 'Rance' Game Series Prepares For Final Battle.
- ^'ランス01 光をもとめて THE ANIMATION 第1話 第2話 第3話 第4話' (in Japanese). Retrieved July 27, 2018.
External links[edit]
- 'AliceSoft' at the Visual Novel
(Redirected from Sasaki Kojirō in fiction)
Many significant Japanese historical people of the Sengoku period appear in works of popular culture such as anime, manga, and video games. This article presents information on references to several historical people in such works.
Akechi Mitsuhide[edit]
Akechi Mitsuhide is featured in various fictional works, mostly as a hero.
- He is featured in Capcom's Onimusha as Samanosuke Akechi's uncle/relative, as well as Onimusha Tactics, as a playable character.
- Mitsuhide is also one of the playable characters in Koei's Samurai Warriors series. He wields a katana, obviously taking techniques from the sword school of Iaido, and is portrayed to have a very close relationship with Mori Ranmaru. He goes against Oda Nobunaga but lets him live in one story. In another story, he is forced to kill Oda Nobunaga and Mori Ranmaru. In the second installment of the series, the relationship with Ranmaru is not present; instead he becomes closer to Nobunaga (and takes longer to fall out with Nobunaga) to a point where he does not want to kill him. This caused Saika Magoichi to assassinate Nobunaga from afar, leaving Mitsuhide to be blamed. Akechi Mitsuhide somehow defeats the Toyotomi and the Saika, uniting the land in Nobunaga's name. In a special side story, he has to fight off and defeat the Tokugawa and the rest of Japan. He also appears in the Warriors Orochi spin-off series as a starting character in the 'Samurai'/'Sengoku' story lines. In this game, he shows no intention of killing or betraying Oda Nobunaga and follows him faithfully; in fairness, this depiction is based on the Samurai Warriors 2 incarnation. In Warriors Orochi 2, he and Hosokawa Gracia, his daughter, are rescued by Xing Cai and Inahime. They become allies of Shu, and they tell Liu Bei of Taira Kiyomori and Sun Wukong. He has a dream mode stage where he teams up with Ling Tong and Yue Ying to battle Masamune Date. He is also in the spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana.
- He is featured as a playable character in Sengoku Basara, where he is portrayed as a sadistic psychopath who wields dual scythes, and enjoys killing his opponents. His counterpart in Devil Kings is known as the 'Reaper'. He appears in Sengoku Basara 3 in a new costume as well as a mask concealing his mouth, under a new name of 'Tenkai'.
- Mitsuhide plays a part in Konami's video game Demon Chaos.
- In Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Taiko ki (released in English as Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan), Mitsuhide is emotionally abused by Nobunaga, who calls him by the nickname 'kumquat head'.
- In Koei's video game Kessen III, he is portrayed as an ally turned main villain through the game; this is because Oda Nobunaga is portrayed as the hero and unifier of Japan.
- In Hikaru no Go, a character named Yuki Mitani plays Mitsuhide in a school play.
- In the manga series Tenjho Tenge, the character Sōhaku Kago initially went by the name Akechi Mitsuhide, and killed Oda Nobunaga by decapitation. He then faked his death and became the High Buddhist priest called Tenkai, manipulating the Tokugawa from within.
- In the James Clavell historical novel Shōgun, the character of 'Akechi Jinsai' is a pastiche of Mitsuhide.
- Akechi Mitsuhide is one of few captains who have non-generic faces in the erogeSengoku Rance. He can be replaced with his daughter Hosokawa Gracia, after doing two of his events using Rance's satisfaction points.
- In the anime series Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox, Mitsuhide is portrayed as a gender-switched version of himself, played by Eri Kitamura.
- In the anime series The Ambition of Oda Nobuna, Mitsuhide is portrayed as a female protagonist serving Oda Nobuna.
- In Drifters, he appears as a member of the Ends.
- In the Custom Game Mode of Warcraft III The Frozen Throne, One of the Selectable Heroes from the Orc Faction, is a Blade Master, with Various Names. Among the Numerous Blade Master Names was 'Jubei', in Reference to this Samurai Warrior.
- In Pokémon Conquest Mitsuhide appears as a warlord, with Lapras as his partner and later Articuno.
- Mitsuhide is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Mitsuhide is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Azai Nagamasa[edit]
- Azai Nagamasa makes appearances as a general in the Main Campaign and in various historical battles and historical campaigns in the strategy game Shogun Total War.
- Nagamasa is a featured playable character within the video game series Samurai Warriors, in which he is depicted as an extremely honorable man who will stop at nothing to ensure that his notions of justice are enforced. As like in history, Nagamasa decides to collaborate with his erstwhile allies, the Asakura, and fight against Nobunaga at Anegawa; he also expresses a more dramatized showing of love towards his respective wife, Oichi, and cares deeply for her welfare. In appearance, Nagamasa is depicted with his traditional kabuto helmet and carries a lance as his weapon of choice. He is also in the spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana. This version of the character also appears in the spin-off series Warriors Orochi, as an unlockable character for the Cao Wei storyline. Cao Pi and Mitsunari Ishida attack Nagamasa's forces, including his wife Oichi and Gan Ning of Eastern Wu. Instead of death, as they wanted, Cao Pi enlists the three of them into his army against Orochi. Later, Azai Nagamasa, Oichi, and Gan Ning work with Honda Tadakatsu in repelling Lu Bu and Orochi's forces. In WO2, Azai Nagamasa, the Asakura, and Oichi arrive as reinforcements for Jiang Wei and Maeda Toshiie. In Dream Mode, he works with Naoe Kanetsugu, Sanada Yukimura, and Ma Chao in rescuing peasants from Taira Kiyomori.
- Nagamasa is a non-player character (NPC) in Sengoku Basara 2, along with Oichi, but becomes playable in the expansion Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes. He wields a long sword and carries a shield with him. He is portrayed as a justice-loving man and his army is just like him.
- In the anime version of Sengoku Basara, Nagamasa is killed by Mitsuhide Akechi's arquebus corps shoots through him to kill Masamune Date.
- Nagamasa are two of the captains who have generic faces in the eroge Sengoku Rance (where they take the names 'Azai Nagamasa' and 'Asai Nagamasa').
Chōsokabe Motochika[edit]
- Motochika is a playable character from Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends onwards, where he wields a shamisen and sports a Glam rock-inspired appearance, which leads him to continuously call himself as 'The Bat King', due to Nobunaga historically referring to him as a 'the bat who refuses to fly away from its home'. He joins the Toyotomi to keep Shikoku safe, but his son is killed by Shimazu Yoshihiro at Kyushu. Surprisingly, he forgives Yoshihiro. In his ending, Motochika, living longer than he was supposed to be in history, unites Tachibana Ginchiyo, Yoshihiro, and Ishida Mitsunari defeat the Tokugawa at Sekigahara. In Warriors Orochi 2, he finds a resting place in Wu. He works with Sun Quan, Sun Ce, Da Qiao, and Minamoto Yoshitsune in flooding out the battlefield and repelling Taira Kiyomori and Lu Bu. At Chi Bi, the final battle for Wu, he teams up with Wu and Lu Bu in defeating Maeda Keiji, Orochi X, and Da Ji. In Dream Mode, he works with Diao Chan and Zhang He in convincing Lu Bu to turn traitor and repel Da Ji's forces at Osaka Bay. Before the release of Xtreme Legends, Motochika appears as an infamous general in Samurai Warriors 2 and Samurai Warriors 2 Empires.
- In Total War: Shogun 2, he is the daimyō of the Chōsokabe Clan.
- Motochika appears in the anime and video games Sengoku Basara as a sea-faring Pirate and is loved by his crew, who calls him 'Aniki' (Big Brother). His ability was fire-based and armed himself with a ship anchor spear fastened with a chain.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Dewott and later Samurott.
Date Masamune[edit]
- The Helmet of Date Masamune was an inspiration for the costume of Darth Vader of the Star Wars trilogy.[1]
- Date Masamune has been featured in several video games including Koei's video game Kessen series (where he is a relatively minor officer), and Inindo: Way of the Ninja as the daimyō of the Rikuchu province.
- In Samurai Warriors, he is depicted as a young and hot-headed ruler who is chaotically interrupting the battles of other warlords, usually attacking multiple armies at once. His weapon in the first game is a pair of bokken. In the second game, he now looks a little older, though still with the iconic crescent-moon helmet, with his weapons changed to a western-style sabre and a pair of pistols. He frequently expressed ambitions to explore the world beyond Japan, and acquire new, foreign technologies. In the first game, Date's childhood name, 'Bontenmaru' is the name of one set of his weapons. In the third game, Masamune has been aged even further, with longer hair and a more stylish costume. In this expansion, he has more of a friendship with Saika Magoichi and Naoe Kanetsugu, and still expresses his desire to explore the world beyond Japan. Masamune also appears in the related series Warriors Orochi, where he is an officer for Orochi's forces, but is unlockable in the 5th Gaiden for Shu Han. With the help of Xing Cai and Zhu Rong, Magoichi Saiga defeats Masamune, and convinces him to join Shu's quest to save Liu Bei. In the sequel, however, he returns as a permanent member of Orochi's forces. He also has a dream mode stage, where he teams up with Sima Yi and Mitsunari Ishida.
- In the manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo, Date Masamune (referred to in the series by his childhood name, Bontenmaru) is a member of the Shiseiten and former follower/rival of the main character Kyo. In the series, he is depicted as a tall, muscular, and physically imposing man with a heart of gold. Like his historical version, he wields a wooden sword as his primary weapon and can perform incredible feats of swordsplay with it, but is an even stronger fighter when unarmed. As a member of the Shiseiten, he goes by the name 'Bontenmaru'.
- In the anime series Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, the character Date Seiji is a descendent of Date Masamune. Seiji wears his hair covering one eye, and is at one point asked by Hashiba Touma if he does so because he is related to the One-Eyed Dragon.
- Capcom's highly successful hack-&-slash series Sengoku Basara, includes Date Masamune as one of the main characters. In Basara, a distinguishing trait of Date Masamune is his usage of Japanese-style English, or Engrish. Masamune is portrayed as a brazen young lord bent on having fun while conquering the country, dressed in blue and black with a tsuba as an eyepatch over his right eye as well as the historically accurate golden arc on his kabuto. He is also known in-game by his nickname, the One-Eyed Dragon (Dokuganryu). He is also depicted in a constant love-hate relationship with Sanada Yukimura, although there is no clear historical record to suggest such a relationship ever existed. He was shown having 6 Katanas which he uses simultaneously.
- Masamune also appears in the strategy game Shogun: Total War as a general in the Uesugi army but not until later in the game (around 1580). He also appears as the leader of the Date Clan in the Samurai Warlords Mod (aka the Shogun Mod) for Medieval Total War.
- He is also one of the Leaders (a class of Samurai) in Throne of Darkness.
- Date Masamune was also the main subject of the Japanese network NHK's taiga dramaDokuganryu Masamune (One-eyed Dragon, Masamune) in 1987, starring the then young Ken Watanabe as Date Masumune. To-date, this series is the highest rated NHK Taiga drama.[2]
- In the Thomas Harris's novel Hannibal Rising, Hannibal Lecter's aunt, Lady Murasaki, is said to be a descendant of Date Masamune. It is one of Masamune's swords that Lecter uses to commit his first murder by killing a butcher named Paul Momund for insulting Lady Murasaki because she is Japanese.
- In Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, Daimyō Date Masamune is available as a daimyō unit. In the game, he is available with Shogunate wonder, only for Japanese civilization. Daimyōs can receive shipments and train troops, while they are a powerful hand cavalry unit. They also provide an attack boost to nearby troops.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, the youkai king of Oushuu is Dokuganryuu Masamune. 'Dokuganryuu' is 'One-Eyed style' and also the nickname of Date Masamune, 'One-Eyed Dragon'.
- Masamune also makes an appearance in several smaller manga series such as Brave 10 and Neo Dragoon, as he is a popular figure within Japanese history and culture.
- Date Masamune also appears in Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox as a gender-switched version of his real-life self
- A hat similar to the Kabuto worn by Date Masamune is obtainable in Team Fortress 2, called the 'Samur-Eye'. It is wearable by the Demoman, who is also missing an eye.
- In the recent video-game spin-off anime series, Sengoku Paradise Kiwami, Date Masamune is dressed in purple outfit instead of blue.
- In the Young Samurai book series the ninja Dokuganryu is based on Date Masamune.
His voice actor, Kakihara Tetsuya also sang the opening song 「リターン乱世独眼竜」 'Ritān Ransei Dokuganryuu',[3] which is related to his nickname 'Dokuganryuu'.
- Professional wrestler DJ Nira wrestled as Masamune for the Dramatic Dream Team promotion on February 10, 2013.[4]
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Rufflet and later Braviary.His Warrior skill, One-Eyed Dragon,refers to his historical nickname.
- In Nioh, Masamune is a central antagonist of the first DLC expansion, Dragon of the North.
- Masamune is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Masamune is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Honda Tadakatsu[edit]
- Honda Tadakatsu appears in numerous Japanese jidaigeki that show the rise of the Tokugawa to power. He is a minor role in Akira Kurosawa's movie Kagemusha.
- Honda Tadakatsu also appears in the video games Kessen and in the Samurai Warriors series, in which he is in almost every way the equivalent of Lu Bu of the Dynasty Warriors series: extremely powerful, with his own theme music which plays when he is engaged in battle by the player character, and in any series trying to fight him alone usually results in death, unless playing as a character that is on par with him, such as Yukimura, Keiji, or Musashi; even then, he could very well defeat an opponent easily.
- In Onimusha 3, he is one of Akechi Samanousuke's allies in defeating Oda Nobunaga.
- In Sengoku Basara, he appears to be part machine and wield a giant drill. An unspeaking giant, Tadakatsu moves by way of jet packs in his armor, and is extremely hard to defeat.
- In Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends and Samurai Warriors 2, he works with Tokugawa Ieyasu to unite the land. In one ending in Xtreme Legends, he kills Maeda Keiji. He is also in the spinoff game Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, he is one of the resistance leaders against Orochi. In WO2, he is reunited as a starter character with his daughter, Inahime, and his lord, Tokugawa Ieyasu. He works with Zhang Fei in repelling Lu Bu's forces at Nagashino. He and Zhang Fei give Inahime and Xing Cai, their daughters, advice, and they see them go off to find information on Taira Kiyomori. In Dream Mode, he has two stories. In one, he fights alongside Maeda Keiji and Lu Bu. In another, he works with Zhang Fei, Miyamoto Musashi, and Inahime in rescuing Xing Cai and Tokugawa Ieyasu from the Toyotomi at Hinokawa.
- Honda Tadakatsu is one of the five racoon dog captains of the Tokugawa clan ruled by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the racoon dog youkai, in the eroge Sengoku Rance.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Metagross and later Dialga.
- Tadakatsu appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Tadakatsu appears as a supporting character in Nioh, first fighting William while being infected by Amrita and later aiding his lord in later campaigns.
Hosokawa Gracia[edit]
As a samurai wife or other invented roles, Hosokawa Gracia frequently appears as a character in Japanese historical fiction, both novels and drama. One website lists her as a character in over 40 stage dramas, movies, TV dramas (etc.) from 1887 to 2006. She is also frequently referred to in popular writing or talks on the history of the period.
- A work that has been translated into English is Ayako Miura's novel, Hosokawa Garasha Fujin (English title: Lady Gracia: a Samurai Wife's Love, Strife and Faith), which follows history fairly closely.
- James Clavell used Gracia as the model for the character of Mariko in his novel Shōgun, which was later adapted for television as a miniseries. Elements of Mariko's story follows Gracia's quite closely, although the manner of her death is different and the two characters do not fundamentally have anything in common.
- A very heavily fictionalized Gracia also appears in Futaro Yamada's novel Makai Tensho, as a sidekick to Amakusa Shirō Tokisada.
- In the video game Kessen, there is a cut-scene depicting Gracia dying heroically because her religion (Christianity) forbade her to commit suicide.
- Gracia is her father Akechi Mitsuhide's replacing general in the erogeSengoku Rance, after doing two of Mitsuhide's events using Rance's satisfaction points.
- Gracia is among the playable characters included in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends. Her story mode, which differs greatly from historical events, depicts her having run away from home, eager to learn more about the world. She befriends and tags along with Magoichi Saika. She also wields a pair of bracelets sealed with magical powers, conflicting that she has one of the most powerful musou attacks, despite her low stats. In her ending, Saika Magoichi redeems himself and rescues her from Ishida Mitsunari. In a special side story, she saves many legendary Japanese females from Saika Magoichi. In Warriors Orochi 2, she and her father are rescued by Xing Cai and Inahime. In Dream Mode, she fights alongside Guan Ping and Cao Pi in surpassing their fathers in a test.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Gothorita and later Gothitelle.
Imagawa Yoshimoto[edit]
- As a young man, Imagawa Yoshimoto is a playable character in the Koei action game Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends, as well as in Kessen III, an action-strategy game. Both games depict Imagawa as a childish dandy, although Samurai Warriors takes this to an extreme by giving him a kemari (a Japanese kickball), which he uses as a weapon (though he used a generic sword in the original Samurai Warriors game). In his story mode ending, Yoshimoto miraculously manages to defeat both Takeda Shingen and Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto, and then plays kemari to his heart's content in front of the other warlords, who look on in amusement and disgust.
- In Samurai Warriors 2 however, due to time constraints (as well as an overall shift away from Nobunaga's life towards the post-Nobunaga years), the Battle of Okehazama was shown as part of Nobunaga, Noh, and Mitsuhide's intro movies, and Yoshimoto was only mentioned and shown impaled to death within his palanquin by Nobunaga's spearmen.
- However, in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, the battle was brought back, and Yoshimoto himself is given an updated appearance and additional moves as well as a new story mode that tells about his quest for somebody to play kemari with him due to his extreme loneliness.
- He is once again made a free mode only character for Samurai Warriors 3. He is also in the spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana.
- In Warriors Orochi, he is found (using his Samurai Warriors model) retreating from the burning Wan Castle but, is rescued by the Tokugawa and escapes. Later, he becomes part of the Resistance against Orochi aiding Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin but, ends up supporting Wei after being defeated by them in the Saika Territory. Days later he had been ordered by Cao Pi to give Lu Meng aid at Osaka Bay. In Warriors Orochi 2 Imagawa (using his Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends model) joins Liu Bei. In Dream Mode, he works with Xing Cai and Tachibana Ginchiyo in rescuing their allies at Chen Cang Castle.
- Yoshimoto is also featured as an unplayable character in the Japanese video game Sengoku Basara, as well as the sequel (he becomes playable in Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes). On the anime, he was portrayed as a coward, weak and a pathetic leader that uses his men as scapegoats to save himself, but he was killed by Mitsuhide Akechi.
- In the translation of Path of the Assassin, a Dark Horse Comics translation of Hanzo no Mon, which focuses on Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hattori Hanzō's perspectives, Yoshimoto is viewed more positively (perhaps ironically, compared to Nobunaga) and even decides during the Okehazama campaign to replace Ujizane with Ieyasu (then Matsudaira Motoyasu) as his heir, though dying before doing so.
- Imagawa Yoshimoto is the Hanny's king who rules a province full of hannys in the erogeSengoku Rance.
- He also appears briefly in the short manga Kacchu no Senshi Gamu by Yoshihiro Takahashi.
- Yoshimoto appears as a gender-switched character in Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox.
- In Sengoku Basara, he was portrayed as a coward general that attacks with puny force, retreating further and using his subordinates as decoys by raising them as the same rank. He is also shown with facial make-up, carrying a folded fan and moves like a kabuki.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Pineco and later Forretress. He was portrayed as an innocent dandy who likes the game Pokémari, which is based on kemari.
- He is a non-playable character in Inazuma Eleven GO 2: Chrono Stone.
Ishida Mitsunari[edit]
- The story of James Clavell's novel Shōgun is based on the strife between Ishida Mitsunari (called Ishido in the novel) and Tokugawa (Toranaga) over the Taiko's son, Toyotomi Hideyori.
- He was portrayed by Hiro Kanagawa in the 2008 BBC docudrama Heroes and Villains, centering on the Battle of Sekigahara.
- Mitsunari also appears as one of the main characters of Koei's Kessen. He is the first of three commanders under the Toyotomi forces depicted opposing Tokugawa Ieyasu. Whether or not he survives the Battle of Sekigahara and defeats Ieyasu depends on the Player's actions.
- Mitsunari is a villain in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties campaign. In the Japanese campaign, players must kill him in order to win and unify Japan.
- He appears in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2, as a cold and sarcastic man who, despite his devotion to his lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, alienates many of his peers with his attitude. He wins the battle of Sekigahara in his ending, but is shown to disappear in many other stories. He also appears in the sequel with an updated character design and a closer friendship to Kato Kiyomasa, and in the spin-off series, Samurai Warriors Katana.
- In Capcom's Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, Mitsunari is the host of the Genma Cladius and serves as a major antagonist for most of the game.
- Mitsunari is the lead character in Koei's DS game Saihai no Yukue.
- In the Japanese eroge Sengoku Hime, the character 'Ishida Futanari' is a parody of Ishida Mitsunari
- Mitsunari appears in Capcom's Sengoku Basara 3, as a man with white hair wielding a katana, able to slash his foes with inhuman speed and uses Iaido. He shows an immense hatred towards Tokugawa Ieyasu for the death of his mentor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, although in Sengoku Basara: The Last Party, he hates Masamune Date more than Ieyasu, blaming him for his mentor's death.
- Mitsunari also appears in the Goemon movie. He is a retainer to Lord Hideyoshi but secretly has his own ambitions to overthrow his master. He was killed at Sekigahara by Goemon which prompts his army to retreat.
- In the Strategy game Shogun 2 Total War, he is one of the generals in the Sekigahara Historical Battle
- Professional wrestler Danshoku Dino wrestled as Ishida Mitsunari for the Dramatic Dream Team promotion on February 10, 2013.[4]
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Pawniard and later Bisharp. He is straightforward and cold, but is actually a good person and never forgets a favor done for him. He has a friendship with the other two warlords Kiyomasa and Masanori. The trio are depict as pre-teens in the game.
- Mitsunari is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Mitsunari is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
- Mitsunari is one of the primary antagonists in Nioh, having allied with Edward Kelley in order to gain power to fend off the Tokugawa forces.
Izumo no Okuni[edit]
Unlike her role in history, Izumo no Okuni's appearances in fiction often portray her as a fictional besshikime (別式女), a capable fighter skilled with weapons and magic.
- She is a playable character in Koei's Samurai Warriors series as a fighter using a parasol. As the game portrays her having a flirty personality, she is the cause of competition between Maeda Keiji and Ishikawa Goemon.
- In Samurai Warriors 2, she is a special character who is unlocked by clearing the Sugoroku game. She additionally appears in the spin-off series Warriors Orochi as a member of the Sengoku force, where she had developed a closeness with Ling Tong and a friendship with Xiao Qiao. The three join the Wu forces in Warriors Orochi 2. Her dream stage has her enlist the help of Meng Huo and Goemon Ishikawa to assist her in collecting donations for her Izumo shrine. Okuni appears in Samurai Warriors 3, with the same hairstyle as before, with slight enhancements.
- In the manga and anime Samurai Deeper Kyo, she is initially a foil for the main character, Mibu Kyoshiro, but later becomes a spy for Oda Nobunaga. However, her true allegiance is shown to be to Onime no Kyo (Demon Eyes Kyo), doing things for Kyo's sake whom she loves.
- Okuni is a playable character in the Capcom's video game Onimusha Tactics. She fights with a spear and can use healing magic. She is also mentioned as a close friend to Jubei Yagyu in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, where she is described as being a great dancer and fighter. According to the game's comic tie-in 'Night of Genesis', she is also a long-standing friend of Tenkai Nankobo.
- Okuni also appears as a character in the NHK's dramaMusashi; however, in this series she remains a performer and does not have any fighting skills.
- Okuni makes a small appearance as a little girl in Ōkami singing about the Water Dragon.
- The courtesan and geisha Kiku from James Clavell's novel Shōgun is based on Okuni.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Larvesta and later Volcarona.
Katakura Kojūrō[edit]
- In series with Date Masamune, Katakura Kojūrō has appeared as a character in fiction. He appeared in the video game Sengoku Basara 2, as second in command to Date Masamune, but is often depicted at times as a swordsman meeting his equal and showing a superior tactical ability to Date, although respecting Masamune's superiority.
- Kojuro is the name of Dokuganryuu Masamune's okero car in the eroge Sengoku Rance.
- Kojurou is often in any series where Date Masamune is present, though he may sometimes be a generic character.
- Kojuro is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Kobayakawa Hideaki[edit]
- Kobayakawa Hideaki appears as a unique NPC in Sengoku Basara 3. He is portrayed as a young, cowardly, glutton and as a result carries a pot and pair of wooden spoons to use as weapons. He will be made playable in the upcoming expansion, Sengoku Basara 3:Utage[5]
- Portrayed by Louis Ozawa Changchien in the 2008 BBC docudrama series Heroes and Villains.
- In Sengoku Basara: The Last Party, he was under Tenkai's clutch. He always likes to cook. He also tricked all generals to go to Sekigahara under guise if Ieyasu Tokugawa's invitation, but discovered by Ieyasu himself and plays along with his plans. He was also last seen falling down in the cauldron.
- In Nioh, Hideaki is presented as a vainglorious and cowardly lord who participates in the battle of Sekigahara on the Ishida side, but is later convinced by William to defect to the opposing side.
Komatsuhime[edit]
- In her role in the video game Samurai Warriors, Komatsuhime goes by her childhood name, Ina. She wields a long bladed bow, and can attack in melee combat and also at range. She is depicted as a proud daughter of Honda Tadakatsu, and that she would make her Lord and her Father proud as well. She also has a strong tomboyish tendency, where she may rather be fighting than be a regular woman. In the first installment, she is friends with Kunoichi. Additionally, in the game, she is charged with one of Hattori Hanzō's accomplishment during Ieyasu's journey in Iga: escorting Anayama Nobukimi, while Hanzo escorts the lord personally. Historically, Hanzō took both tasks at once and succeeded them both. Inahime is in the spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana on the Nintendo Wii. Ina also appears in the crossover game Warriors Orochi. In it, she befriends Sun Shang Xiang after Orochi blackmails the Tokugawa and the Wu Army into servitude. Although both of them are forced to fight for Orochi against their will, they end up joining the Resistance after Ina convinces Sun Shang Xiang to reunite with her older brother Sun Ce at Sekigahara. In Warriors Orochi 2, Shu is joined by the Tokugawa clan, Hattori Hanzō, Shang Xiang, Honda Tadakatsu, and Inahime. Inahime and Xing Cai become friends, and they rescue Hosokawa Gracia and her father, Akechi Mitsuhide. In Dream Mode, Inahime works with Huang Zhong and Xiahou Yuan in fire ambushing an enemy coalition led by Date Masamune.
- She is a playable character as Ina in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Prinplup and later Empoleon.
Kuroda Kanbei[edit]
- In his role in Koei's Samurai Warriors 3 video game, Kuroda Kanbei is chief strategist of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, feared by many for his demonic look. He later goes on to serve Tokugawa Ieyasu. His weapon is a magical orb.
- He appears as a playable character in Capcom's Sengoku Basara 3. He appears as a convict with his hands cuffed together and chained to a giant metal ball, which doubles as his weapon. According to the game he was a Lieutenant under the Toyotomi banner, and tried to seize some power form him in a failed coup. He is locked up in the Mines of Ishigakibaru and is often reigned in under Yoshitsugu Otani's control.
- In Kessen III he is a playable retainer that serves with Hideyoshi against the Mori.
- Kanbei is the main character of 2014 NHKTaiga Drama -- Gunshi Kanbei, played by Junichi Okada, member of V6
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Lampent and later Chandelure. His appearance resembles a ghost, probably because to resemble his Lampent.
- Kanbei appears as a supporting character, alongside his son Nagamasa, in 2017's Nioh.
Kyōgoku Maria[edit]
- Kyōgoku Maria, the older sister of Azai Nagamasa, is depicted in Capcom's Sengoku Basara 4 video game as a sorceress with the ability to manipulate her sleeves in combat and uses her charm to deceive enemies.
Maeda Matsu[edit]
- Matsu is depicted in Capcom's Sengoku Basara video game series as a woman who wields a naginata as her respective weapon, able to summon animal familiars, and possesses a significantly close relationship with her husband, Toshiie.
- Matsu had also been featured within a TV drama shown by NHK called Toshiie to Matsu, depicting her relations with Toshiie, and thus making her a primary figure of romantic fame.
- Although not a real playable character, Matsu is also a bodyguard in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2 under the 'Lady Samurai' class.
Maeda Toshiie[edit]
- Maeda Toshiie appears as a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, in which he is depicted as an apprentice to Shibata Katsuie and a man that would sacrifice himself in the name of a warrior, one of the common romanticizations that Koei regularly use to individualize their characters. He wields a serrated sword, accompanied by two spears. In his ending, he sees Shibata Katsuiie die in a flaming castle with Oichi, and he takes his wrath out on Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In Warriors Orochi 2, he and Saika Magoichi are rescued by Xiahou Yuan. He later works with Jiang Wei, the Azai, and the Asakura in capturing Da Ji. In Dream Mode, he works with Pang De, Shibata Katsuiie, and Sun Ce in defeating Da Ji and Himiko.
- His Sengoku Basara portrayal implies that he serves the Oda clan off screen, but confirmed served the Toyotomi clan to repent for their shortcomings. But his story mode depicts him as a dysfunctional family man, in which he has a close relationship with his wife Matsu and their 'nephew' Keiji, where the first two story modes tell on their unusual methods to support one another. He also uses fire-based techniques and summoning animals. His body scars bore brunt of his battles with the wild animals.
- The 2002 NHK Taiga dramaToshiie to Matsu (利家とまつ~加賀百万石物語~) was based on the story of their lives together. Maeda Toshiie was played by Toshiaki Karasawa, and Matsu by Nanako Matsushima. Karasawa later made a special appearance as the same character in the 2006 NHK Taiga drama Komyo ga Tsuji (功名が辻) (episodes 39 and 40).
- Maeda Toshiie is one of the few captains who have non-generic faces in the eroge Sengoku Rance. He can transform to Maeda Keiji after doing two of his events using Rance's satisfaction points.
- Maeda Toshiie (Inuchiyo) is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Maeda Toshimasu[edit]
Toshimasu (often depicted under the name of Keiji or Keijirō) is often portrayed as somewhat of a prankster and is often dubbed crazy, or kabukimono, by others for his wild ways. Sampling this where it was shown/mentioned in a few video games that he filled his uncle's (Toshiie)'s bath with cold water, a feat the historical man was well known for.
- He is a playable character in the Samurai Warriors series and is usually one of the strongest enemies to defeat. His weapon is a two-pronged spear, similar to a sasumata. He also appears in Warriors Orochi on the Orochi Army, later serving the Wu Army as a Gaiden character.
- Maeda Keiji debuted as a playable character in Sengoku Basara 2. This version of the character wields a giant Ōdachi and has a pet monkey. He is old friends with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and helps defeat the man in his ending. He appears in Sengoku Basara 3 as the representative of both the Uesugi and Maeda clans. On game, if you fight him, his men appear to be partying, stopped when a giant person sounds the alarm.
- Keijiro also appears in Onimusha Blade Warriors as well as the first Onimusha game, under the name: Yumemaru (a little boy that Princess Yuki takes care of).
- Maeda Keiji is also a secret playable character in Kessen III through loading a Samurai Warriors data file from the memory card.
- A manga series loosely based on Keiji's life illustrated by Tetsuo Hara (of Fist of the North Star fame) was produced titled Keiji.
- In the NHK television drama series Toshiie to Matsu, Maeda Keijiro is depicted by the actor Mitsuhiro Oikawa.
- Maeda Keiji is Maeda Toshiie's transformation in the eroge Sengoku Rance after doing two of Toshiie's events using Rance's satisfaction points.
- Maeda Keiji appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Additionally, Keiji's famed horse, Matsukaze, appears in a number of games and movies as well.
- Matsukaze is a ridable horse in the Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi game series.
- The jetbike Keiji rides in the Vasara game series is said to be the model 'Matsukaze 1000'.
Matsunaga Hisahide[edit]
- Matsunaga Hisahide is featured as a character in Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes, in which he is depicted as a man of treachery who enjoys any course of action that would subsequently present to him a greater sum of pleasure. He takes a primary role in Katakura Kojūrō's story; and by the end of such a scenario he sets aflame his initial base with explosives as a showing of defeat. Hisahide was announced as one of 14 characters to be made playable in the upcoming expansion to Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes[5]
- He also appears in Samurai Warriors 2 as a purchasable Bodyguard under the 'Fire Ninja' class. He later appears in Samurai Warriors 4 as a playable character.
- in Sengoku Basara, he also appears during the challenge, involving his mercenaries to destroy 2 gates. Then if you repulsed all attempts, he appears. If failed, he was shown waving his sword as it explodes. He excels in sword fights, mixing it with his fascination in explosives and fire-based techniques.
- In Nioh, William can interact with the ghost of Hisahide who refers to himself as 'Danjo'.
Miyamoto Musashi[edit]
- In Sengoku Basara anime and game, he was shown to be mischievous, using stones, oar and wooden sword to fight.
- He also appears in Samurai Warriors 2 as a rival of Sasaki Kojirō and wields two Daishōs.
Mōri Motonari[edit]
- He (along with King Lear) was the basis of Hidetora Ichimonji in the Akira Kurosawa film Ran.
- Motonari has also made an appearance in video games such as that of Capcom's Sengoku Basara 2 initially as a playable character who is relatively inconsiderate to his subordinates, abandoning them if they are below his standards and employing other means that can be deemed cruel. Motonari wields a large wheel as his weapon, which possesses an outer-layer of blades. He is the only character who can inflict damage on his own men in combat.
- Motonari also appears in Samurai Warriors 3, wielding a crossbow mounted to his arm. He comes out of retirement to help Japan fight off the threat of Oda Nobunaga.
- Motonari is the main protagonist of the NHK 36th drama Motonari.
- Motonari is one of the lords in the eroge Sengoku Rance. He has been cursed by a yōkai named Daidaara, the player can ask for Sakamoto Ryouma's information after recruiting her to lift his curse. His three daughters' names: Mōri Teru, Kikkawa Kiku and Kobayakawa Chinu are based on historical Motonari's three sons: Mōri Takamoto, Kikkawa Motoharu, and Kobayakawa Takakage.
- The board game Shogun features Mōri Motonari as one of the daimyōs to choose.
- Motonari also appears in the strategy game Pokémon Conquest, where he is become the warlord of the Ransei Region's Greenleaf Nation and he will be accompanied by a Snivy, who may evolve into a Servine.
- In the video game League of Legends Yorick Mōri has characteristics that are references to Mōri Motonari.
Mori Ranmaru[edit]
Ranmaru has appeared as a character in fiction and has appeared in several video games (such as Sengoku Basara, Onimusha, Kessen III and the Samurai Warriors series) in which he is usually portrayed as having a feminine to an androgynous appearance, in which leads to usual confusion of his gender by some of the other characters. He is also depicted as truly loyal to Oda Nobunaga, who in return praises Ranmaru for his skills (and possibly his beauty) in battle.
- Ranmaru is depicted greatly in Samurai Warriors as Nobunaga's most loyal bodyguard, where he wields a nodachi. Differentiating all the other portrayals was seen in the first Samurai Warriors, where he also has a close friendship with Akechi Mitsuhide, who at the time planned to assassinate Nobunaga, leaving Ranmaru in a state of confusion on which path he will follow. In Samurai Warriors 2, Ranmaru has no storyline, but is seen in some cutscenes and cinema cameos and is a special character unlocked by completing the first two Ranmaru's and Mitsuhide's requests in Survival Mode. He is also in the spinoff Samurai Warriors Katana, where he helps the player to find and rescue Oda Nobunaga at Honnouji, temporary replacing Hideyoshi as the player's guide in this stage. He also appears in Warriors Orochi as fighting for the Resistance Army alongside Ma Chao in Mt. Ding Jun. Sun Ce of the Orochi Army later on captures Ranmaru after a duel, yet was set free due to Sun Ce feeling some comfort fighting him. From then on, Ranmaru joins Sun Wu to understand more about the Sun Family's unbreakable bonds and is still serving them in the game's sequel. Though from his Dream Mode in Warriors Orochi 2 along with Zhou Tai and Dian Wei, it can be stated that Ranmaru is still on full alert to protect Nobunaga.
- Sengoku Basara portrays a different appearance for Ranmaru as a young, boyish, and eager archer in his early teens who seeks recognition from Nobunaga. He is apparently the most childish in all his portrayals, seeking only Kompeitō as a reward from his master in his endings. He also armed with a bow, with a deadly accuracy, but only rewarded with candies.
- The eroge Sengoku Rance portrays him as a girl, Ranmaru. She is one of the loyal retainers of Oda Nobunaga. She is in love with Shibata Katsuie, also Oda's retainer.
- The character Ranmaru Morii's name in Perfect Girl Evolution is a nod to the historical Ranmaru.
- Mori Ranmaru is one of the main characters in a manga oneshot by Inui Miku, Akatsuki no Fumi, where he is portrayed with slightly feminine features.
- Akihiro Hino has stated that the character Kirino Ranmaru in Inazuma Eleven GO was based on Mori Ranmaru.
- The anime Nobunaga the Fool portrays Ranmaru as a secret identity that's given to the character Jeanne Kaguya d'Arc by Nobunaga
- A female version of Ranmaru appears in Gaim's portion of Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. She is an attendant who served under Nobunaga and the OOO Army and when both Nobunaga and Bujin OOO fall to the hands of Bujin Gaim, she is forced to escape with Kaito Kumon/Armored Rider Baron. Later on, she is saved by bandits by Kaito and she makes him the new lord of the OOO Army which is renamed the Baron Army and recruits remnants of armies who were defeated by Bujin Gaim. She accompanies him to Ieyasu castle where the final battle takes place. She is last seen celebrating the defeat of Bujin Gaim which causes the return of rain to her world. She is portrayed by Mao Ueda.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Riolu and later Lucario. He also portrayed as having a feminine appearance in the game. In his own storyline, he join the beauty contest held in the Ransei region due to being mistaken for a girl. He is shown as extremely loyal to Nobunaga too.
- Ranmaru appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Naoe Kanetsugu[edit]
- Naoe Kanetsugu is the star of Yuji Takemura's manga Gifu Dodo Naoe Kanetsugu: Maeda Keiji Tsukigatari (義風堂々 直江兼続 -前田慶次月語り-)
- Kanetsugu is the protagonist of the 2009 NHKTaiga dramaTenchijin.
- Naoe Kanetsugu was featured as a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2, wielding an ornate sword and paper charms, portrayed as originally serving Uesugi Kenshin at the Battles of Kawanakajima and Tedorigawa, then serving Hideyoshi and later the Western Army against Tokugawa Ieyasu, though being concerned with justice and honor primarily. In his own scenario, he wins the Siege of Hasedo with Maeda Keiji's help and along with Uesugi Kagekatsu, and Sanada Yukimura leads an Uesugi-Sanada force against Edo Castle, killing Tokugawa Ieyasu's son Hidetada and later avenging Ishida Mitsunari's death by annihilating the victorious Eastern Army that returns to Edo Castle, ending the Tokugawa Shogunate and along with Yukimura, they vow to create a greater world based on righteousness. He also depicted as having an extremely close friendship with Maeda Keiji, Ishida Mitsunari and Sanada Yukimura. Kanetsugu also appears in Warriors Orochi, a crossover between Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors, usually alongside Kenshin Uesugi.
- The female character Naoe Ai from the eroge Sengoku Rance is based on him. She is the strategist of Uesugi Kenshin.
- Kanetsugu briefly appeared in the anime television series of Sengoku Basara, only to be defeated by Honda Tadakatsu in a comical fashion.
- In Sengoku Basara 2, he appears as a generic officer of the Uesugi army who constantly claims to be invincible. He appears again in Sengoku Basara 3, but has Kanetsugu's trademark helmet with the large kanji 'Ai' ('love').
- Appearing in a semi-fictional biography as the main protagonist of the historical manga Gifuu doudou Naoe Kanetsugu by Tetsuo Hara.
- In KissxSis, he was shown as one of Keita's teacher's fetish, Japanese samurai generals.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Kadabra and later Alakazam. He appears as a warlord who is warmhearted and dutiful, and honors love and justice very much.
- Kanetsugu appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Nene[edit]
- Nene is a featured playable character within the Samurai Warriors series and acts as an ultimate replacement of Kunoichi. Being the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nene respectively acts as his bodyguard and supporter in the persona of a female ninja, with almost the same moves as her predecessor, Kunoichi. Contrasting this is her special skills and her strange motherly personality, in which she refers to everyone (especially to her husband's retainers) as her 'children'. An example of her motherly personality can be found in one of her cutscenes, where she 'lectures' her defeated enemies to make them get to know one another. In her ending, she kicks out Hideyoshi's other wives and concubines and helps Hideyoshi unite Japan. In her special side story, she brings the Toyotomi clan back together at Sekigahara. She is in a spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, she works with Kunoichi against Orochi. Nene later joins Wei. In the sequel, she reunites with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In Dream Mode, she works with Yuan Shao and Zhu Rong in protecting a castle from falling.
- Nene appears in flashbacks in Sengoku Basara 2 in Keiji's story. It's implied that her husband killed her to achieve power. It is revealed later in the second season of the anime for Sengoku Basara, that the one who killed her was her husband Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Because he sought only power and a purging of all weakness, and seeing love as a weakness, he killed her in order to purge himself of it.
- Nene is a major character in Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Taiko ki.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Golbat and Crobat. She has a motherly personality in-game.
Nōhime[edit]
Unlike her role in history, Nōhime is usually portrayed as a femme fatale, in line with the traditional villainous portrayal of her husband, Nobunaga Oda.
- Her role in Sengoku Basara depicts a kind-hearted woman who would stop at nothing to achieve her husband's unity of the land, despite the fact that Nobunaga never cared about her. She wields a pair of guns (Ebony and Ivory from Devil May Cry), but her charge/prime attacks unleash a whole variety of gun weaponry.
- In Onimusha 3: Demon Siege she goes by the name of 'Vega Donna' and has been transformed into a demon woman to join her husband.
- Samurai Warriors depicts Nōhime as the 'Viper's Daughter', a sadist, who wields a pair of retractable claws, adding this is her use of bombs to add range. In the first installment, her relationship with Nobunaga is considered bipolar, in which she is torn between her sexual admiration for him and her desire to kill him for her father's wishes. One of her endings show an attempt of murdering Nobunaga at his moment of weakness, but failed at the moment he wakes up. Samurai Warriors 2 has a less prominent role for Nōhime, as Nobunaga treats her instead like any other retainer but in a sense that she still loves him loyally throughout the game(although one of her lines states that she has 'already tamed Nobunaga'.) In Samurai Warriors 3, Nōhime's role is still less prominent, but she is alongside her husband in most of his battles. Her sadism is more emphasized here, as even when she is in danger, she expresses enjoyment. As in the first game, she has to make the choice between her loyalty to her father's wishes to kill Nobunaga or stay with her husband. Nonetheless, she assists Nobunaga to exterminate her family thought she feels that she has no purpose in the world afterwards. She attempts to assassinate Nobunaga later on, but retracts herself. Her ending shows her and Nobunaga willingly remain to their death in the burning Honnoji Temple (after Mitsuhide's revolt) while pleasantly accept to live in hell. She is also in a spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, Lu Meng and Taishi Ci rescues her, and she joins Wu. In Warriors Orochi 2, she is reunited with Oda Nobunaga.
- A different view of Nōhime is presented in the game Kessen III. Under her childhood name of Kicho, she is presented as a chaste and innocent princess.
- Nōhime was portrayed by Japanese actress Miki Nakatani in the 1998 film Oda Nobunaga, and by Haruka Ayase in the 2005 sci-fi film Sengoku Jieitai 1549. Emi Wakui played Nōhime in the 2006 NHK drama Kōmyō ga tsuji.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, Oda Nobunaga Kazunosuke's deceased wife's name is 'Kichou', other popular name of Nouhime.
- She appears alongside Oda Nobunaga in the manga Sengoku Strays.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan'), with her partner Pokémon being Misdreavus and Mismagius.[6]
- In Nioh, her soul is transformed by antagonist Edward Kelley into a yuki-onna and is fought as a boss.
Oda Nobunaga[edit]
Oda Nobunaga has appeared in a number of works across various media.
- Nobunaga's life and exploits were the subject of NHK's 30th taiga drama, 信長 Oda Nobunaga. He was portrayed by Naoto Ogata.
- Akira Kurosawa's film Kagemusha (1980)
- Film Goemon (2009)
- In the film Sengoku Jieitai 1549, Nobunaga is killed by time-travellers.
- Eiji Yoshikawa's historical novel Taiko Ki
- Novel and anime series Yōtōden
- Novel The Samurai's Tale by Erik Christian Haugaard.[7]
- James Clavell's novel Shōgun, the character Goroda is a pastiche of Nobunaga.
- In the illustrated novel series Samurai Cat as the boss of the main character Miaowara Tomokato, who goes on a quest of revenge to avenge Nobunaga's death by a group of enemies.
- Anime and manga series:
- Manga series:
- Tsuji Kunio's historical fiction The Signore: Shogun of the Warring States.
- Anime, as a female character:
- In music: Kamenashi Kazuya of the Japanese pop group KAT-TUN wrote and performed a song titled '1582' which is written from the perspective of Mori Ranmaru at the Incident at Honnouji.[8]
- The VOCALOID producer Utata-P created a Hatsune Miku song under the title 'Not a Dream.. Not a Lie.. A Happy Scene Before My Eyes' which details a resurrected Oda Nobunaga speaking from a kitten through a girl.
- In the erogeSengoku Rance
- Stage action and anime adaptation of Nobunaga the Fool
- Video games:
- Warriors Orochi series
- Sengoku Basara (and its anime adaptation) - Described as a literally demonic and heartless general. Uses a sword, shotgun and darkness-based attacks.
- As a playable character and the main villain in Pokémon Conquest.[6]
- Nobunaga's Ambition series
- Civilization V[9]
- In the parody manga Koha-Ace, and later the mobile game Fate/Grand Order, Oda Nobunaga is featured as a female Archer-class Servant.
- A version of Nobunaga appears in Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. In it, Nobunaga is the Lord of the OOO Army. When Bujin Gaim attacks Honnō-ji with a Greeed Army, Nobunaga awaits inside, contemplating the short life he's had. When he meets Kaito Kumon/Armored Rider Baron, Nobunaga takes a liking to him and realizes that they are both alike as they seek to unite their respective worlds through force. Nobunaga gives Kaito a spare Taka Medal and sacrifices himself to allow Kaito and Ranmaru to escape, dying in the flames with several kaijin. Nobunaga is portrayed by Hiroaki Iwanaga, who previously portrayed Akira Date, the original Kamen Rider Birth and second Kamen Rider Birth Prototype in Kamen Rider OOO. Nobunaga previously appears in Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider OOO & Double feat. Skull: Movie War Core, although this Nobunaga is revealed to have been a clone with the appearance and memories of the original. Nobunaga also appears in Kamen Rider Ghost as one of the 15 heroic souls and an alternative form for Kamen Rider Specter.
- Nobunaga is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Nobunaga is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Oichi[edit]
- Oichi was portrayed by the actress Tanaka Misato in the 41st NHKtaiga drama利家とまつ Toshiie to Matsu. (2002)
- Oichi has also made appearances in the video games Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, and Sengoku Basara 2. She is usually depicted as a beautiful, chaste, and loyal woman. Though her relationship with her brother Nobunaga usually formed into rebellion, due to her romantic involvement with her husband, Asai Nagamasa. She is also known as 'Ichi'.
- She was depicted in Samurai Warriors as a young peppy teen who loves both her brother and her husband to the point that she wants them no longer to fight. She wields a kendama. In Samurai Warriors 2, she matured, and that her relationship with Nobunaga became dissolved due to her more romantic involvement with Nagamasa. She also appears in Samurai Warriors 3 with an updated character design and a new weapon in the form of large, interconnected bladed rings. In the first Samurai Warriors game, she has two endings. One ending allows her to keep both her brother and her husband alive, but in the other ending, she is forced to wipe out her brother's clan and live on the run with her husband. In SW2, she is forced to leave him and kill him, becoming heartbroken, but in Nagamasa's ending, she gets to live with her husband and her brother in happiness. She is in a spinoff of Samurai Warriors called Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, she, Azai Nagamasa, and Gan Ning are captured by Cao Pi and join Wei. They work with Honda Tadakatsu in repelling Lu Bu and Orochi's forces. In WO2, Oichi, the Asakura clan, and Azai Nagamasa save Jiang Wei and Maeda Toshiie from death. In Dream Mode, she works with Shang Xiang, the Nanman, and Da Qiao in rescuing their husbands from Da Ji in Kyushu.
- Sengoku Basara 2's version Oichi is a gloomy, soft-spoken woman who wields a dual-bladed naginata (where she can also split it into two). She worries constantly for her husband (who seems to be slightly irritated by it), but stops at nothing for a deeper connection was made. As she is the blood sister of Nobunaga, it is implied that she is a witch, with demonic hands and an evil laugh or two appear at moments of low consciousness. She was voiced by Mamiko Noto. In Sengoku Basara 3, she now appears without her naginata, rather having her demonic hands be used as weapons.
- The gunner mercenary in Atlantica Online is based on Oichi, referencing her brother's claim to fame by using gunners in the battle of Nagashino.
- Oichi was named Oyu in Onimusha 2, in which she works with Yagyu Jubei, Saika Magoichi, Ekei Ankokuji, and Fuma Kotaro in defeating her brother. Oyu is also in Onimusha Blade Warriors.
- She is a character in Nobunaga's Ambition, a game series similar to Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
- She is a character in Kessen III, in where she looks the closest to her traditional paintings of her.
- She is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff.[6] She will help the player during the first story line.
- Oichi appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Ōtani Yoshitsugu[edit]
- Ōtani Yoshitsugu becomes a playable character in Samurai Warriors 4. His appearance with a white mask was inspired by his iconic exploits at Sekigahara for simple recognition. He is Ishida Mitsunari's loyal friend who sided with him at Sekigahara.
- Yoshitsugu has made an appearance as a masked samurai of the Western army in Kessen.
- Yoshitsugu is also a character in Koei's video game Saihai no Yukue. He is covered with bandages, due to his leprosy.
- Yoshitsugu is a minor character in James Clavell's tale Shogun where he appears as a Leprous Christian Daimyō called Onoshi.
- Yoshitsugu is a character in Sengoku Basara 3 who rides a floating chair with orbs as weapons.
- He also appeared in Sengoku Basara: The Last Party as Mitsunari's aide and lieutenant, doing anything to achieve Mitsunari's vengeance, alongside Oda Clan's Oichi. He was killed by Nobunaga when he tried to delay the Demon King for Mitsunari to recover. In Justice End, he never forsakes his master Mitsunari until he was defeated by Kojuro.
- Yoshitsugi is a secondary antagonist in Nioh, where he introduces Edward Kelley to Mitsunari and during the battle of Sekigahara fuses with his Guardian Spirit to fight William.
Saitō Dōsan[edit]
- Saitō Dōsan made an appearance at the eroge Sengoku Hime.
- He also appears in the eroge Sengoku Rance as the head of the Saito clan, the girl 'Aburako Dousan', after being crushed by the Ashikaga clan and wanders around Mamushi Oil Field, which is a pun about his nickname 'Serpent of Mino (美濃の蝮Mino no Mamushi)'. Aburako Dousan can be recruited after recruiting the Mino Three, her retainers, through using Rance's satisfaction points. The 'Mino Triumvirate', Saito's chief vassals, were made into the game, with Inaba's name changed to 'Ganko Ittetsu', Andou to 'Andou Kyuuri', and Ujiie to 'Takuwan-sama'.
Ōtomo Sōrin[edit]
- Ōtomo Sōrin appears in Sengoku Basara 3 as an NPC and is playable in later games. He is a young man who leads a religious cult devoted to Xavi.
Sanada Masayuki[edit]
- Sanada Masayuki is a major character in the 2005 movie Azumi 2: Death or Love.
- Masayuki, played by Masao Kusakari, is also a major character in the 55th NHK Taiga Drama Sanada Maru.
- He is also a non-playable character in the Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series. He later becomes playable character in Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada.
- He also appears as a playable unit in Kessen.
- He appears in Capcom's Sengoku Basara spinoff Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura-den. He was known as 'Magician' of Sengoku in the game.
- Masayuki appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Sanada Yukimura[edit]
- Sanada Yukimura appears in numerous films, including the musical filmBrave Records of the Sanada Clan (1963), where he is played by Minoru Chiaki of Seven Samurai fame as a rather ineffectual leader.
- Yukimura/Nobushige is the main character in the 55th NHK taiga dramaSanada Maru (2016) and is portrayed by Sakai Masato.
- Koei's Samurai Warriors series. Similar to Zhao Yun of the Dynasty Warriors series, Yukimura is the icon for Samurai Warriors and thus usually placed on the game manual/cover Perhaps because of this, in both games so far his lifespan and prominence have been greatly extended. In the first game, he was portrayed as Takeda Shingen's second-in-command even at the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima - which occurred 6 years before he was born historically. In the second game, the extension is more modest, but he is still portrayed as a major Takeda officer at the Battle of Nagashino, when he would have been 8. Both games feature the Summer Siege of Osaka Castle as his last and most notable battle. In many character storylines and endings, he is killed in battle at Osaka Castle. In one of his SW endings, he, Kunoichi, Uesugi Kenshin, and Takeda Shingen unite the land. In his SW2 ending, he proves his strength to his friend Maeda Keiji, and he saves Naoe Kanetsugu. Together, they united the land in honor of Ishida Mitsunari. He is also in the spinoff called Samurai Warriors Katana. Throughout the games Yukimura had a somewhat romantic relationship with his bodyguard Kunoichi. In the related series Warriors Orochi he was tricked by Orochi into thinking that Zhao Yun and the other resistance were phantoms. After losing to Zhao Yun in a fight, he realized that he was deceived, and apologizing, compensated his error by joining forces with Zhao Yun to help rescue Liu Bei. In the sequel, he works with Shima Sakon and Zhang Jiao to save Naoe Kanetsugu. In Dream Mode, he works with Zhao Yun and Shimazu Yoshihiro in saving Liu Bei and peasants.
- Akimine Kamijyo's popular anime and manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo has Sanada as a main character. He is depicted as a lighthearted, beautiful trickster with a love of battle, wine, women, and almost supernatural prowess as a tactician. He had a notable admiration for the then-late Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- In Capcom's series Sengoku Basara he is traditionally one of the main characters. He serves under Takeda Shingen alongside Sarutobi Sasuke. He wields two yari spears. In Sengoku Basara 3 Yukimura becomes the commander of the Takeda forces after Shingen falls ill. Hoshi Soichiro provides Yukimura's voice in the games and anime. Kouhei Takeda plays him in the Live Action TV Drama.
- In the popular anime and manga series Prince of Tennis, Japan's #1 school Rikkai Daigoku's captain is named Seiichi Yukimura, and their vice-captain is named Genichiro Sanada. Likewise, Echizen Ryoma, who defeated the two forementioned players, shares his last name with the commander whose troops killed Sanada Yukimura.
- Sanada Yukimura appears in his own anime called Sanada Juyushi Special (together with his brother Angelo Sanada), directed by Shimizu Keizo.
- Sanada Yukimura was portrayed by comedian Gino Jinnai in the movie Kamen Rider Den-O: I am Born!. His Braves also made a cameo in the movie.
- In the anime series Musashi Gundoh, the voice of Sanada Yukimura is played by Sayaka Kinoshita.
- In the manga series Tenjho Tenge, he appears during a flashback taking place days before the summer siege of Osaka castle.
- Sanada is one of the three playable characters in the videogame Vasara.
- Yukimura is one of the main characters in the manga series 'Brave 10', drawn by Shimotsuki Marlin.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Charmeleon and later Charizard. He is brave and very loyal to his lord Shingen.
- In the anime series Girls und Panzer, the gunner of Team Hippo, Kiyomi Sugiyama, calls herself Saemonza, Yukimura's nickname. She also wears his mon of three columns of two coins as a headband.
- In the video game Super Mario Odyssey, Mario can obtain a suit of samurai armor and helmet with a design similar to that of Yukimura's helmet, featuring antlers and his six-coin mon.
- Yukimura is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Yukimura is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
- Yukimura is a primary antagonist in the video game Nioh second and third DLC expansions, Defiant Honor and Bloodshed's End. In here, he commands the forces sieged in the Osaka Castle, defending Toyotomi Hideyori from the Tokugawa forces.
Sasaki Kojirō[edit]
- Sasaki Kojirō's famous battle with Miyamoto Musashi is the focus of the film Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island and the character appears in the previous film in the trilogy Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple. Both times he was played by Kōji Tsuruta, opposite Toshirō Mifune as Musashi.
- The epic historical adventure fiction novel Musashi, by famed Japanese author Eiji Yoshikawa, features a separate parallel plotline and various sub-plots highlighting the exploits of Sasaki Kojirō Ganryũ. Eventually the Musashi and Kojirō plotlines intertwine, with the pair's famous duel the climax and final chapter of the novel.
- Yoshikawa's novel is the basis of the 42nd NHKtaiga drama of the same name from 2003. The NHK serial retains the novel's plot structure, developing parallels between the lives of Sasaki and Musashi and thus rendering Sasaki as a major character, portrayed in the show by Matsuoka Matsuhiro.
- In the game Brave Fencer Musashi, the title character's sworn rival was named after Kojirō. And in Musashi: Samurai Legend, the main villain was named Gandrake (Ganryũ).
- The birth and growth of Sasaki Kojirō is also featured in Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue, a manga dedicated to the life of Miyamoto Musashi, though in it, Sasaki Kojirō is portrayed as being deaf and a good looking young man who was popular with the ladies.
- In Wangan Midnight manga, Gen Sasaki is named after Sasaki Kojirō, as they share the family name, Sasaki.
- In the manga by Masami Kurumada, Fuma no Kojiro, Sasaki Kojiro and Miyamoto Musashi are main characters. An Anime version of Fuma no Kojiro was released in 1992.
- Kojirō appears as the main spirit in the manga Kensei Tsubame (剣聖ツバメ lit. Sword Saint Tsubame), a story about kendo practitioners who become possessed by the spirits of many famous Japanese swordsmen. The protagonist, who is possessed by Kojirō, is named Tsubame Kamoshita. His name is probably a reference to Kojirō's technique.
- In Pokémon, the Japanese name James (of Team Rocket) is Kojiro. Additionally, James's partner Jessie's Japanese name is Musashi, a reference to Miyamoto Musashi.
- In the visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night, the Servant Assassin introduces himself as Sasaki Kojirō. However, it is debated whether his true identity is actually Sasaki, as he claims that he only took Kojiro's name. In episode 18 of the anime, Saber recognizes Assassin as Kojiro. Assassin then claims Kojiro is but a fake name and that the person called Sasaki Kojirou does not exist; he is but a character with a fabricated past that has been made into a master swordsman inside people's memories.
- In Samurai Warriors 2 by Koei, Kojiro appears as an enemy officer and an unlockable bodyguard, but not a playable character except through Nene's special ability (taking on the appearance and moveset of an officer nearby) and in Samurai Warriors 2: Empires. Kojiro is a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, with his own Story Mode, focused mainly on pursuing and fight Musashi. The ending features Kojiro becoming rather upset after killing Musashi, and his Dream Stage has Kojiro realizing that he wants to fight alongside Musashi, rather than kill him, and they battle their way through a series of officers and challenges to reach Oda Nobunaga. His skin color is bone white (possibly as white face paint), and he is depicted as an evil minded and bloodthirsty fiend who claims to give his enemies a 'beautiful end'. He appears in Warriors Orochi 2 where he joins the Samurai faction under Sakon Shima to be 'closer to' Musashi.
- Tachibana Ukyo from the Samurai Shodown series, is based on Kojiro just as Haohmaru is based on Musashi.
- In Gosho Aoyama's Yaiba, Sasaki Kojiro was revived from his death after the final battle with Miyamoto Musashi, Yaiba's teacher. He was brought to life by Yaiba's nemesis Onimaru in an attempt to defeat Yaiba. However, after a twisted turn of event he then join Yaiba and the gang. His reputation as cool, handsome, and know his way around girls as often portrayed in many fiction about him was parodied in this series as he is shown as a complete womanizer, playboy, and even has a radar for beautiful woman. His appearance in this series was almost entirely comedic although the same would also apply to almost all of the character.
- In Dr. Slump, Arale, Gatchan, and Taro used the 'Time Slipper' to travel to the day of Musashi's duel with Kojiro. It states that Musashi was late for the duel over a two-day game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Kojiro is shown waiting impatiently for Musashi, and is left waiting after Musashi goes with Arale to the future.
- Kojiro's Tsubame Gaeshi (Swallow Reversal/Turning Swallow) technique is used by Shusuke Fuji in Prince of Tennis, and by Sanada Kazuki in Fighting Spirit. The technique is also featured in Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game as the card 'Swallow Flip', as well as in Pokémon game series as the move 'Aerial Ace'. It is also the signature technique for the character Seraphim in 'Is This A Zombie?'.
- The sword Monohoshizao appears in Soul Blade, the first game of the popular Soul series fighting games. It was an extra weapon for Heishiro Mitsurugi, but it was simply named 'Kojiro's sword'. It later became an alternate weapon for Yoshimitsu in the third part: Soulcalibur II where it is described as a sword that was used by the renowned Japanese swordsman named Kojiroh Sasaki. In Soulcalibur III, it appears as an alternate weapon for the bonus character Arthur, a counterpart to Mitsurugi who himself is based on Miyamoto Musashi.
- Kojiro is an unlockable character in the Ubisoft/Genki game Sword of the Samurai. Which also has Ganryu Island a selectable arena. Also the game features Miyamoto with an actual oar instead of a self-modified oar-Suburito.
- Akane Takeda, from the Visual Novel Hanachirasu, develops Kojiro's Tsubame Gaeshi technique to counter Igarasu Yoshia's Hiru-no-Tsuki, which is an attack in which Igarasu launches himself overhead to attack the back, thus Akane literally 'Cuts a swallow from flight.'
- In the 2011 video game Dark Souls it is possible to obtain an extremely long katana-class weapon named the Washing Pole (in the Japanese release it is named 物干し竿; lit. 'Laundry Pole'), which is named as a reference to Kojiro's trademark weapon.[10] The sword in the game is much longer than Kojiro's, however, its blade extending an astonishing 7 feet in a caricature of the Monohoshi Zao's extended length.
Shibata Katsuie[edit]
- Shibata Katsuie's army plays a major role in the 1953 classic film Ugetsu monogatari.
- Shibata is a playable general in Koei's Kessen III in which he is clad in black 'Oni' armour, and looks the same facially in both Kessen III and Samurai Warriors 2, showing some continuity. he appears as a non-playable character in the sequel to Sengoku Period-based video game Samurai Warriors 2 as it's known in the US and Europe and also in Samurai Warriors Katana. He is available as an unlockable bodyguard through Samurai Warriors 2 'Survival' mode. He returns in the Empires expansion as a fully playable character. However, in Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends, uses a pair of hand-axes instead of a spear, making him a fully fledged unique character. In his story, he eventually gets to marry his love, Oichi, and he helps to teach Maeda Toshiie to be a true warrior. He and Oichi kill themselves by way of setting their castle on fire in his ending, preventing Hideyoshi from getting them as allies, and making Maeda Toshiie sad and upset. In Warriors Orochi 2, he works with Oda Nobunaga, Ishida Mitsunari, and Xiahou Dun at repelling Dong Zhuo and killing Taira Kiyomori at Tong Gate. In Dream Mode, he works with Maeda Toshiie, Sun Jian, Sun Ce, and Cao Ren in protecting Oichi from Yuan Shao and Liu Biao.
- He is portrayed in the eroge Sengoku Rance as a children's lover so that Rance thinks he is a lolicon. He will eventually become Ranmaru's husband after doing Ranmaru's events to clear her. His feelings about Kōhime, Oda Nobunaga Kazunosuke's younger sister, may be a pun of Shibata being the second husband of Oichi, younger sister of the true Oda Nobunaga.
- Katsuie appears in Sengoku Basara 4 as a low-rank vanguard under the Oda force. In the past he tried to rebel but failed. He is despaired in everything to the point that he's even losing emotions.
- He is also a character in the anime The Ambition of Oda Nobuna as a female protagonist serving Oda Nobunaga.
- Katsuie appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
Shima Sakon[edit]
- Shima Sakon is a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2, where he is portrayed as a former servant of Takeda Shingen and wields an oversized falchion. He also makes vague impersonations of Elvis Presley, which are seen on his sideburns and his quotes ('Thank you. Thank you very much.', 'Sakon.. has left the battlefield.'). He must be defeated by the Eastern Army in the Battle of Kusegawa. In his ending, he and Ishida Mitsunari unite Japan. He also appears in the spinoff called Samurai Warriors Katana. He also appears in Warriors Orochi as an enemy and later ally in the Wu storyline. He developed a friendship with Lu Meng. In the sequel, Sakon is the leading character of one of the five storylines of the game, as Sakon unites the various samurai clans of Oda, Takeda and Uesugi, along with the Kingdom of Wu, in an attempt to prevent the resurrection of Orichi. He also develops a friendly relationship with the mystic Fu Xi.
- He also appears in the Kessen series and in Samurai Warriors Katana.
- Sakon appears in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, where his mind is twisted and brainwashed by Ophelia, one of the Genma Triumvirate. Tenkai Nankobo uses his purification skills to free Sakon of the evil mind-altering.
- Sakon is a manga series loosely based on Sakon's life, illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. He survives Sekigahara and is ordered by his lord to disrupt a plot set by Tokugawa Ieyasu's kagemusha.
- In the manga Tenjho Tenge authored by Oh! Great, a character is directly named after him, Sakon Shima.
- Sakon is playable in Sengoku Basara 4 as a cheerful young man who enjoys gambling and his flirtatious look. He serves under Ishida Mitsunari.
- Sakon appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Sakon appears as a secondary antagonist in Nioh, being a loyal servant of Mitsunari who survives the battle of Sekigahara and is later present at his master's execution.
Shimazu Yoshihiro[edit]
- Shimazu Yoshihiro appears in the Koei game Kessen.
- He also appears in Capcom's Sengoku Basara, where he wields a giant sword and a drunkard. In the game's sequel, Sengoku Basara 2, he is determined to duel Honda Tadakatsu to determine who is stronger.
- Yoshihiro is present in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2. While still portrayed as an old man, he wields a giant mallet and has a rivalry with Tachibana Ginchiyo (heiress to the Tachibana of Kyushu), while the surprise attack before Sekigahara is proposed by Toyohisa (and rejected by Mitsunari for honor's sake) at the opening of the Sekigahara stage. He unites the land under the Shimazu. He also appears in the spin-off series Warriors Orochi as a starter character for Shu Han, alongside Zhao Yun and Xing Cai. He assists Xing Cai and the mystic Zuo Ci in freeing Zhao Yun from Orochi's prison in Ueda Castle. In the sequel, he joins the samurai alliance. He works with Huang Zhong in saving Lu Meng and Gan Ning from Lu Bu's forces. In Dream Mode, he works with Zhao Yun and Sanada Yukimura in rescuing Liu Bei and peasants.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, the four brothers of Shimazu family are Yoshihisa, Kazuhisa, Toshihisa and Iehisa. While Yoshihisa, Toshihisa, Iehisa really were Yoshihiro's brothers, the second brother, Kazuhisa's name may be the reference of Shimazu Katsuhisa, Yoshihiro's father Takahisa's adopted father.
- He was mentioned by Haruo Niijima in Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple when Niijima was trapped and planned to use the method Shimazu used to charge through the Ragnorok's surroundings.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Gurdurr and later Conkeldurr.
Suzuki Magoichi[edit]
In most of his fictional portrayals, Suzuki Magoichi is often referred to his more common name, Saiga Magoichi.
- In Onimusha 2, Saika Magoichi is a calm musketeer trying to protect Saiga village from Nobunaga's army. He feels indebted to the women of the village because his mother died at a young age, so the women raised him. He raises doubts among Ankokuji Ekei and Yagyu Jubei (actually he was the first Jubei, grandfather of the infamous Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi, Yagyu Muneyoshi) when Tokichiro Kinoshita/Toyotomi Hideyoshi accuses him of serving Nobunaga. This same Magoichi is also in Onimusha Tactics, as well as Onimusha Blade Warriors. He also served as a mentor to Ohatsu, Oichi's/Oyu's daughter, from Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, tutoring her in the wielding of firearms. Judging from the timeline, it is likely that this Magoichi is Saika Shigehide.
- Magoichi is also a playable character in the Samurai Warriors series, wielding in all installments a musket with underbarrel bayonet. Magoichi is laid back and dressed in a trench coat. He bears no resemblance to either Suzuki Shigetomo nor Suzuki Sadayu (in fact, he cannot be Suzuki Sadayu; Suzuki is a separate character in the sequel). He fights to protect the people he cares about most as well as for the ladies, and even makes a friendly rival out of Maeda Keiji. He has a slight womanizing obsession. In his story path, beginning with the Battle of Ise (a fictional representation of the fall of Nagashima), and following a continuing anti-Nobunaga campaign, one ending has him becoming a wanderer after the surrender of the Ishiyama Honganji (having joined their campaign against Nobunaga), whereas a second ending has him years later raiding Azuchi Castle and killing Nobunaga.
- In Samurai Warriors 2, his storyline is revised to have him be a mercenary leader originally on friendly terms with Hashiba Hideyoshi, first fighting for Nobunaga at Anegawa and then opposing him in a later stage at Osaka Bay (intended to briefly touch on the Honganji). Angered by a retaliatory attack on his village (though he is able to mitigate the damage) and temporarily breaking his friendship with Hideyoshi, he rushes over to Honnō-ji where, amidst the chaos, he shoots and kills Nobunaga, and repentant Akechi Mitsuhide is the one to take the blame. Ironically enough at the end of the Battle of Yamazaki (his final stage) while standing over Mitsuhide's body he is mortally wounded by a random shot in the back fired from offscreen, and his ending has him surviving long enough to stagger into camp before collapsing and apparently dying in Hideyoshi's arms. He is shown surviving in several endings however, even though they are set years after Yamazaki. In Date Masamune's ending, the two strike an alliance, a relationship that is shown further in Samurai Warriors 3. In Warriors Orochi, Magoichi helps Zhao Yun and his army to free Yue Ying from Orochi's forces, and later joins forces with Shu Han at the end of the stage. His personality still is of a womanizer, attempting to flirt with the female Chinese characters such as Xing Cai, Yue Ying, Da Qiao, Zhu Rong, and even, Orochi's strategist, Da Ji. He even attempts to flirt with Zhang He at one point, not knowing that the extremely feminine Zhang is a man.
- Koei also depicts him in the Nobunaga's Ambition series (in particular installments XI and XII) and in Taikou Risshiden (in particular V). He also appears as an enemy general in Kessen III.
- He is also a hidden playable character in Visco Games' arcade shoot 'em upVasara 2, and is the grandfather of the female Saiga Magoichi in the original game, Vasara.
- Magoichi are two of the captains who have generic faces in the eroge Sengoku Rance (they take the names 'Saiga Magoichi' and 'Saika Magoichi').
- Magoichi appears in Sengoku Basara 3, appearing this time as a woman named Saika Magoichi (or Lady Saika in historical records). As Magoichi was the common name for the leader of the Saika Renegades, it still fits. This version of Magoichi carries a set of revolvers and other firearms at her disposal.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Grovyle and later Sceptile. He also appears as a womanizer in this game.
Tachibana Ginchiyo[edit]
- Tachibana Ginchiyo appears in Koei's Samurai Warriors series of video games. She is a popular character despite her debut and only appearance in Samurai Warriors 2, Samurai Warriors 2 Empires and Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (not counting Warriors Orochi). In the game, she has a rivalry with Shimazu Yoshihiro, the daimyō of Satsuma. In Xtreme Legends, she becomes an ally of Chōsokabe Motochika alongside Shimazu Yoshihiro. In reference to her father Tachibana Dosetsu her attacks are centered on lightning; one of her special abilities is to summon a lightning storm, or augment her sword with a lightning attribute. In her ending, she forgives the Shimazu clan and lets them live, but Shimazu Yoshihiro dies from battle wounds. In the sequel, she is joined by her husband. She also gets the honor of being the first female character in the Warriors series as a whole to wield a sword. He is also a character in Samurai Warriors Katana, a spinoff of Samurai Warriors for the Nintendo Wii. She also appears in the Warriors Orochi crossover game. She is seen by Zhao Yun, Xing Cai, and Yoshihiro Shimazu, escaping Ueda Castle, at the same time Cai and Shimazu are freeing Zhao Yun. She escapes with them, and joins Zhao Yun's Shu Han forces. In the sequel, Okuni brings Ginchiyo to Wu. She works with her equal in strength, Zhu Rong, in defeating Cao Ren. In Dream Mode, she works with Imagawa Yoshimoto and Xing Cai in saving their allies in Chen Cang Castle. In Warriors Orochi 3 updated series, it is revealed that she has a knowledge about Abe no Seimei, whom she recognized him from the history report about him, upon first meeting him while she's on a mission with Kaguya and Wang Yuanji.
- Ginchiyo also appears in Koei's Kessen III as a hidden character, voiced by Naomi Shindō.
- A woman who inherits the name Tachibana Gin appears in Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere wielding two dual sword weapons as well as four large cross shaped artillery weapons.
- She is a playable character in a sidequest in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with her partner Pokémon being Luxio and later Luxray.[6]
- Ginchiyo appears as a supporting character, alongside her husband, in 2017's Nioh.
Tachibana Muneshige[edit]
- Tachibana Muneshige appears in Koei's Samurai Warriors series of video games. He debuted in Samurai Warriors 3, wielding a sword and shield and is shown to have a peculiar relationship with his wife. The Tachibana fight together with Mouri Motonari to protect Japan from Oda Nobunaga's threat.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, he, along with his adopted father (also father-in-law) Tachibana Dousetsu, are generic-faced captains.
- In Sengoku Hime, his fathers Tachibana Dousetsu and Takahashi Shouun are gender-swapped and they are major generals of the Otomo family.
- He appears in Sengoku Basara 3 as a loyal (but troubled) retainer to the Otomo. He wields a set of katar with chainsaws on them and is depicted to be a large, solid man.
- A man who inherits his name appears in Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere and wields a gunblade for the fictional country of Tres España.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Staravia and Staraptor.[6]
- Muneshige appears as a supporting character, alongside his wife, in 2017's Nioh.
Takeda Shingen[edit]
The 1988 NHKTaiga drama television series Takeda Shingen was a fictionalized account of Takeda Shingen's life with Kiichi Nakai in the title role. His life is also dramatized in NHK's 46th Taiga drama Fūrin Kazan. Akira Kurosawa's 1980 film Kagemusha was also inspired by his life; it brought the musket-wound theory to public attention outside Japan.Takeda Shingen appears in Toshirō Mifune's historical film Samurai Banners (風林火山 Furin Kazan).
- He also appears in the epic film Heaven and Earth. The film's title is a reference to Takeda Shingen's famous quote, 'In heaven and earth, I alone am to be revered'.
- In the science-fiction film Sengoku Jieitai, in English also known as Time Slip and G.I. Samurai, a group of JSDF soldiers take on his forces. In this instance, he is killed in personal combat by the unit's leader, 2nd Lieutenant Iba.
- He is a playable character in the Samurai Warriors series by Koei. In SW1, he frees Uesugi Kenshin and lets him live. Another ending and his ending in SW2 have the Uesugi and the Takeda uniting Japan together. He is also a character in Kessen III by the same company and in Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, he arrives to meet Nobunaga Oda at Honnoji, but ends up helping Oda, Huang Zhong, and Xiahou Dun fend off Da Ji's forces. He forms an alliance with his nemesis, Kenshin Uesugi. In the main story, Uesugi and Takeda fall at Nagashino, while Nobunaga's forces are at Guan Du. In the Gaiden stage, aid is sent by Nobunaga to Nagashino, in the form of Huang Zhong and Guan Ping. Takeda and Uesugi join with Nobunaga in the Wu Zhang Plains to defeat Orochi's forces. At Koshi Castle, the Takeda, the Uesugi, and the Oda kill Orochi. In Warriors Orochi 2, Sakon reunties, the Takeda, the Uesugi, and the Oda to fight Orochi. Takeda Shingen recruits Sima Yi and defeating him at Chang Ban. He and Naoe Kanetsugu tried to do the same for Date Masamune, but it did not work. Takeda Shingen works with Fu Xi and Shima Sakon in killing Orochi at Sekigahara. In Dream Mode, he works with Zhuge Liang, Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, and Zhou Yu at He Fei Castle, repelling Shima Sakon's forces, Uesugi Kenshin, and Sima Yi's forces.
- He is a playable character with a very large staff axe in Sengoku Basara. In Sengoku Basara 3, he is rarely seen due to his sickness. In Yukimura's second story, he appears, completely healthy, to watch over Yukimura's final battle with Masamune. (At least, the last in this particular sequel.)
- Takeda Shingen is the main character in the NES game Shingen the Ruler, and his conquests are also portrayed in the video game, Takeda. Shingen also appears as a character in the Samurai Warriors and in Nobunaga's Ambition (信長の野望 Nobunaga no Yabo) game series, as well as Sengoku Basara
- The board game Shogun features Takeda Shingen as one of the daimyōs to choose.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, he is the ruler of the Takeda clan, who might be dead before the events of the game. His four chief retainers, the advisor Sanada Tourin, the cavalries Baba Shouen and Yamagata Masakage, the ninja Kousaka Yoshikage are based on four of Takeda Shingen's 24 head generals: Sanada Yukitaka, Baba Nobufusa (Baba Nobuharu), Yamagata Masakage and Kōsaka Masanobu.
- In the series Mirage of Blaze, Takeda Shingen is an evil spirit ready to be awoken by loyal retainers who have been reincarnated in the modern age. His resurrection is stopped by those in Uesugi Kenshin's army—more inclusively, his adopted son Uesugi Kagetora.
- Takeda Shingen was mentioned in episode 10 of The Tatami Galaxy when the protagonist noted that a 41⁄2tatami- room is perfect, and if a room were to be larger than the size of 41⁄2 tatami mats, it would end up being 'as spacious as Takeda Shingen's lavatory, and one might even get lost'.
- One of his notable descendants is video game music composer Ryu Umemoto (1974–2011).[11]
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Rhyperior and later Groudon.[6]
- Battle Girls: Time Paradox a 2011 gender swap anime, A maiden feudal general who led most powerful cavalry and wields a large fan and controls wind and fire. She owns a section of the Crimson Armor and is friends/rivals with Kenshin. She is rather awkward in expressing herself and never aware about the armor.
- Shingen is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Shingen is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Takenaka Shigeharu[edit]
- Takenaka Shigeharu is often likened to Zhuge Liang of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This is mostly due to a romanticized tale of Hideyoshi needing to visit Shigeharu many times before gaining his services, much similar to Liu Bei's three visits to Zhuge Liang.
- Shigeharu (as Hanbei) is featured in the game Sengoku Basara 2 by Capcom. Voice actor Akira Ishida voices him. He wields a whipsword and is shown to be very physically weak and ill due to tuberculosis. Despite his impending death due to his illness, he is very faithfully devoted to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- He also appears as Hanbei in Samurai Warriors 3 where he is depicted as a young precocious teenager fighting with a bladed sundial. He is shown to have a close relationship with Kuroda Kanbei.
- He is a playable character as Hanbei in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Pikachu and later Raichu. He appears as a sleepy teenager with astonishing brainpower.
Tokugawa Ieyasu[edit]
- Within the video game series Samurai Warriors, Tokugawa Ieyasu is depicted as a man that values patience and the welfare of his subordinates above all else. Equipped with the kabuto that he was historically valued for, Ieyasu also wields a romanticized spear that has the ability to shoot flames and cannonballs from its center. He is in the spinoff called Samurai Warriors Katana. In Warriors Orochi, he is a starter character, for Wu, alongside Sun Ce and Hattori Hanzō. Although resenting having to carry out the evil Orochi's orders, he resolves to patiently wait for the right moment to rebel, and encourages Sun Ce to do the same. In Warriors Orochi 2, he joins forces with Shu. He tries to save Date Masamune's soul at Saika village, but he fails. For Shu's ending, he tells Liu Bei that though Taigong Wang was young and cocky, 'he was a good man at heart.' In Dream Mode, he works with Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi in proving their strength to Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Quan at Fan Castle.
- The Akira Kurosawa film Kagemusha tells a fictionalized account of the events leading up to the Battle of Nagashino.
- Portrayed by James Saito in the 2008 BBC docudrama series Heroes and Villains.
- The novel Kagemusha Tokugawa Ieyasu by Keichiro Ryu tells the fictional story of the Ieyasu's double who changes places into assassination Ieyasu ahead of the Battle of Sekigahara. The novel was adapted to manga by Tetsuo Hara.
- Another novel, The Kouga Ninja Scrolls and its adaptations, Shinobi: Heart Under Blade and Basilisk (manga), are fictional stories in which Ieyasu is central to the storylines.
- Ieyasu appears as the leader of the Japanese civilization in Sid Meier'sturn-based strategy game Civilization III, as well as in its sequel Civilization IV. He also appears as the Japanese leader in the series' console version Civilization Revolution.
- Ieyasu is a recurring character in the manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo.
- Tokugawa Ieyasu is depicted as one of the six survivors of the destruction of the colony ship Mesopotamia in the anime series Saber Marionette J. He and the other five survivors (all male) land on the planet that becomes known as Terra II, and each man founds a new city-state reflective of his respective heritage. Each city-state is populated by clones of the founder; the Ieyasu that appears at the start of the series is the 15th cloned incarnation of the original.
- He is also featured as a non-playable character in Sengoku Basara. He appears as a man of short stature but has command of a very powerful general, namely Honda Tadakatsu. He appears in Sengoku Basara 3 with an updated, more mature character design and using new gauntlets in battle. His goal is to unite Japan by the force of 'bonds'. He has a rivalry against Ishida Mitsunari, and his ending confirming that they used to be friends, as he weeps over Mitsunari's death.
- The history of Ieyasu's rise to power is fictionalized in James Clavell's novel Shōgun under the name 'Lord Toranaga,' and in the television miniseries based on it.
- The board game Shogun, features Tokugawa Ieyasu as one of the Daimyōs to choose.
- In the game Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, Tokugawa's reunification of Japan is one of the campaigns of the game. He can also be unlocked in normal mode and is available as Japanese Shogun. He can train units, receive shipments and boosts attack of units around him. He also appears as the leader of Japan in Skirmish Mode.
- Tokugawa Ieyasu is the birth father of Yuki Hideyasu, who is the lead of the video game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. In game, he goes by the alias Soki.
- Tokugawa Ieyasu is the racoon dog youkai lord of the Tokugawa clan in the eroge Sengoku Rance. His five chief retainers: Honda Tadakatsu, Hattori Hanzō, Sakai Tadatsugu, Sakakibara Yasumasa, Ii Naomasa are portrayed as racoon dogyoukais like him. Another racoon dogyoukai in this game is also based on a general of Tokugawa clan, Honda Masanobu.
- Tokugawa is a main character in the video game Kessen.
- He appears in a flashback sequence in the manga Tenjho Tenge, as a man who is literally possessed by Sohaku Kago. His granddaughter Senhime also makes a more prominent appearance.
- Tokugawa is mentioned in Vampire Weekend's song, 'Giving up the Gun'.
- His name is used for Vongola Primo's Japanese name in Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.
- A gender-switched version of Ieyasu appears in Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox.
- 'The Red Sash of Tokugawa Ieyasu' was an artifact featured in an episode of the 1990s Nickelodeon game show Legends of the Hidden Temple.
- A version of Ieyasu appears in Gaim's portion of Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. He is the Lord of the Wizard Army and lost his Bujin Rider, Bujin Wizard, to Bujin Gaim. He mistakes Kouta Kazuraba/Armored Rider Gaim for Bujin Wizard's killer but realizes the two are not the same. He hires Kouta and Mitsuzane Kureshima/Armored Rider Ryugen as his new Bujins. After Bujin Fourze and Mitsuzane are 'killed' by the Nephenthes Inhumanoid, he reveals his intention to unify people in his world and bring forth an era of peace. He later gives Haruto Soma/Kamen Rider Wizard the Infinity Ring formerly owned by Bujin Wizard. He is last seen farewelling the Armored Riders and Mai. He is portrayed by JOY.
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Aggron and later Registeel.
- Ieyasu is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Tokugawa Ieyasu appears in the Star Trek novel Home Is the Hunter.
- Ieyasu is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
- He can be seen in the anime television series Dinosaur king where he helps the d-team find the cosmos stone.
- Ieyasu is a supporting character in the video game Nioh, as William's benefactor and Okatsu's father.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi[edit]
Hideyoshi as he appears in Capcom's Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams
- Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Taiko ki (English title: Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan) is about the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- Hideyoshi appears in the Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi game series. In Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends and SW2, he unites the land and allows many enemies to live. In Warriors Orochi series, he works with Oda Nobunaga in killing Orochi twice. He is reunited with Nene, his wife, in Warriors Orochi 2. In this series, he finds many women throughout the battlefields to be attractive. In Dream Mode, he works with Oda Nobunaga, and Tokugawa Ieyasu in proving their strength to Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan at Fan Castle. He is also in Samurai Warriors Katana, a spinoff of the SW series.
- He is a playable character in the game Sengoku Basara 2 as a giant man able to grab onto soldiers, blowing off a volley of arrows, even parting the sea, with his bare hands. He wants nothing more but power, so much that he killed his historical wife in order to become a unifier of Japan. He had a one-sided friendship with Maeda Keiji a long time ago until he was changed while being humiliated and injured by Matsunaga Hisahide. in Sengoku Basara 3, Hideyoshi is killed by Ieyasu Tokugawa before the events of the game. Mitsunari Ishida seeks to kill Ieyasu to avenge Hideyoshi, although in anime, he was killed by Masamune Date and Mitsunari wants to kill Masamune for revenge.
- Appearing in the Onimusha series, Hideyoshi was a major antagonist in the first two games while vassal to Nobunaga. Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, where he is one of the principal antagonists, gives a fictional portrayal of Hideyoshi's reign and death.
- He is also the center of Koei's Taikou Risshiden series of games, which focus primarily on Hideyoshi's rise to prominence.
- In the game Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion, in the 'Kyoto' scenario, the player, as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, must fight to avenge 'Lord Nobunaga's' death in Kyoto.
- Toyotomi (or his faction) is a selectable character in the Shogun: Total War and Throne of Darkness games.
- The character Taikō Nakamura in James Clavell's novel Shōgun is a pastiche of Toyotomi.
- The board game Shogun, features Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi as one of the Daimyōs to choose.
- In the eroges Sengoku Rance and Sengoku Hime, he is portrayed as a monkey named Toukichirou, which is Hideyoshi's other name (in Sengoku Rance) or a monkey general (in Sengoku Hime).
- Hideyoshi also appears in the anime series, Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox, where he is instead portrayed as a modern-day school girl named Yoshino Hide (a pun on Hideyoshi) who somehow winds up in Feudal Japan where she meets gender-swapped versions of the heroes during the Sengoku Period.
- In the strategy game Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition, he is featured with a Monferno. A special Wi-Fi episode focusing on him later reveals his connection to Reshiram, like Nobunaga is partnered to Zekrom.
- Professional wrestler Michael Nakazawa wrestled as Hideyoshi for the Dramatic Dream Team promotion on February 10, 2013.[4]
- A version of Hideyoshi appears in Gaim's portion of Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle. He is the lord of the Double Army and appears alongside his wife Cha-cha. When Bujin Double is killed by Bujin Gaim and the Nephenthes Inhumanoid (assisted by Armored Rider Zangetsu/Takatora Kureshima who mistakes Bujin Gaim for his world's Gaim), Hideyoshi prepares to fight them himself but Cha-cha gives him an ultimatum: choose her or the war. Hideyoshi chooses her and they retreat. He is portrayed by Minehiro Kinomoto who previously portrayed Ryu Terui/Kamen Rider Accel (who Hideyoshi's personality and mannerisms are similar to) in Kamen Rider W.
- Hideyoshi is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Hideyoshi is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Uesugi Kenshin[edit]
- Uesugi Kenshin, as Kagetora, is the main character in the film Heaven and Earth.
- Kenshin, as Nagao Kagetora, is a central character in the Japanese sci-fi film Sengoku Jietai.
- Kenshin, played by Abe Hiroshi, is a major supporting character in the NHK Taiga Drama Tenchijin.
- Kenshin is featured in Koei's video game series Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi. He wields a seven-bladed sword and prays to Bishamonten every time he starts a battle.
- In Samurai Warriors, one ending has him allow many warriors to join him. Another ending has him release Takeda Shingen, and they become friends. A third ending has him working with Kunoichi, Takeda Shingen, and Sanada Yukimura in rebuilding Japan after its unification. In SW2, he lets go of Takeda Shingen. In the Warriors Orochi series, he works with the Oda and the Takeda twice to wipe out Orochi. In Dream Mode, he teams with Guan Yu and Xu Huang to rescue Inahime, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Mori Ranmaru from Sima Yi, the Date, and Taira Kiyomori.
- He also features in Koei's Nobunaga's Ambition series of games. He makes another appearance in Kessen III, also by Koei.
- Kenshin is also featured in Capcom's Sengoku Basara. In there, he is depicted as a much more feminine figure who would sometimes act rather narcissistic. He is assisted by Kasuga, a fictional Kunoichi who is apparently in love with him (she may possibly be named after Kasugayama Castle, Kenshin's primary fortress). He also attacks using Iaido and ice-based attacks.
- The board game Shogun features Uesugi Kenshin as one of the daimyōs to choose.
- Kenshin is portrayed by Japanese pop culture icon Gackt in the Japanese taiga dramaFūrinkazan (風林火山), as well as in the anime of the gag manga, Tono to Issho.
- In the anime Rurouni Kenshin, the main character is a wandering samurai named Kenshin, whose fighting style includes moves related to dragons in a reference to 'The Dragon of Echigo.' The anime character is also noted for his 'godlike speed,' and eventually comes into conflict with a gun-wielding entrepreneur whose surname is Takeda.
- In the Super NES video game Inindo: Way of the Ninja, Uesugi Kenshin is Daimyō of the province Echigo.
- In the eroge Sengoku Rance, Uesugi Kenshin is presented as one of the winnable girls who is also lord of two provinces in JAPAN.
- A gender-swapped Kenshin appears in Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox.
- In the anime Nobunaga the Fool Kenshin is portrayed as a Giant War Armor pilot and leader of the Uesugi Clan
- He is a playable character in Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan), with his partner Pokémon being Gallade.
- Kenshin is a playable character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- Kenshin is a playable character in the visual novel game (purchasable through Apple and Samsung) 'Ikemen Sengoku; Romances Across Time', produced by Cybird (company)
Yagyū Muneyoshi[edit]
- The second installment of the Onimusha video game series as well features a swordsman by the name of Yagyū Jūbei, but this is in fact Jūbei's grandfather, Yagyū Muneyoshi. In the fourth game a female Yagyu by the name of Akane took the name of Jūbei as the strongest of her clan and is on a mission to go after Munenori; in this installment, he is represented by the name Sekishūsai Yagyū, one of his famous names.
Yamamoto Kansuke[edit]
- Yamamoto Kansuke was the subject of the 1969 film Samurai Banners, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, where the role of Kansuke was played by Toshiro Mifune.
- The 2007 NHK Taiga drama Fūrinkazan (風林火山) features Yamamoto Kansuke as the main character (played by Uchino Masaaki). It is based on the novel by Yasushi Inoue.
- Kansuke also appears in the Yoshihiro Takahashi's manga Kacchu no Senshi Gamu.
- He is also featured as one of the generals in the strategy game Civilization IV: Warlords.
- Kansuke appears as a minor character in the social romance sim Samurai Love Ballad (天下統一恋の乱 Love Ballad) produced by Voltage (company).
- A statue of Kansuke appears in the Sony Spider-Man Videogame.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Darth Vader and Date MasamuneArchived 2010-10-12 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^Video Research (Japanese).
- ^'Sengoku Paradise Kiwami: Opening Song CD'. sgpk.jp/. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
- ^ abc'Into The Fight シリーズ 2013 in Odawara'. Dramatic Dream Team (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2013-04-08. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
- ^ abhttp://www.capcom.co.jp/basara3utage/character.html
- ^ abcdef'Nobunaga + Zekrom'. Characters. Pokémon conquest. Retrieved 2012-06-17.Cite error: Invalid
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tag; name 'Pokémon' defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).Cite error: Invalid<ref>
tag; name 'Pokémon' defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^Haugaard, Erik Christian (1984). The Samurai's Tale. Houghton Mifflin. p. ix.
Lord Oda Nobunaga – Lord Takeda Shingen's rival and enemy, well known for his merciless cruelty
- ^'English Translation and Backstory of the song 1582'. Kattun-hyphens. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- ^Civilisations, Civilisation 5.
- ^http://w.livedoor.jp/project_dark/d/%ca%aa%b4%b3%a4%b7%b4%c8
- ^Audi. 'A Dragon's Journey: Ryu Umemoto in Europe'. Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
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