#Battle of Okehazama

[whencyclopedia]

Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga was the foremost military leader of Japan from 1568 to 1582. Nobunaga, along with his two immediate successors, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), is credited with unifying medieval Japan in the second half of the 16th century. An innovative general who also used diplomacy as well as superior military tactics and weapons to see off his rivals, the warlord was infamous for his ruthless drive to conquer all before him.

Rise to Power

Born into a family of local administrators in 1534, Nobunaga's father, Oda Nobuhide (1510-1551) was a minor feudal lord or daimyo in Owari Province, central Japan. Nobunaga would first come to prominence when, on his father's death, he became the lord of Nagoya castle. Using the castle as his base, Nobunaga extended his domination over rival daimyo with notable successes coming in 1555 when he razed the town of Kiyosu and in 1559 when he captured and obliterated the fortress of Iwakura. The warlord's reputation for ruthlessness was firmly established in 1557 when he ordered the murder of his own brother. In 1560 at the Battle of Okehazama, the warlord of Mikawa, Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519-1560), was defeated and killed when Nobunaga's outnumbered army sprang a surprise encirclement of the enemy. Nobunaga was well on his way to becoming Japan's most-feared military leader.

Nobunaga is the subject of two biographies in Japanese history, the first was Shincho koki by Ota Gyuichi, which was published in 1598, while the second, Shincho Ki, was published in 1622 and was compiled by Oze Hoan as an extension of the earlier work. Both works glorify their subject and, as with similar posthumous biographies of the medieval period, exaggerate the deeds of the famous daimyo and insert episodes of legend which likely never happened at all. The Jesuit missionary and historian Luis Frois (1532-1597), however, gave a much more revealing description of Nobunaga in the following extract from a letter written in 1569:

A tall man, thin, scantily bearded, with a very clear voice, much given to the practice of arms, hardy, fond of the exercise of justice, and of mercy, proud, a lover of honour to the uttermost, very secretive in what he determines, extremely shrewd in the stratagems of war, little if at all subject to the reproof, and counsel of his subordinates, feared, and revered by all to an extreme degree. Does not drink wine. He is a severe master: treats all the Kings and Princes of Japan with scorn, and speaks to them over his shoulder as though to inferiors, and is completely obeyed by all as their absolute lord.

(Keen, 1159)

Continue reading...

[redsamuraiii]

The Tragic Story of Tokugawa's Wife

Did you know that Kiri is based on Tokugawa's concubine who became his consort, after his wife died?

This tale I'm about to tell you takes place before the events of Shogun, where his wife, Lady Tsukiyama, died when he was serving Oda Nobunaga (Goroda, The Dictator).

Young Tokugawa was a hostage of Imagawa Clan. When the powerful Imagawa was defeated by Oda at the historic battle of Okehazama, Tokugawa used the opportunity to gain independence to claim his ancestral lands. However, in order to rescue his wife and child who were still hostage by the remnants of the Imagawa, Tokugawa secured a deal with Oda by becoming his vassal to free them.

Kasumi Arimura as Lady Tsukiyama, in Dou Suru Ieyasu (2024). In this scene, she awaits Tokugawa's arrival at the Imagawa encampment where he secures a deal to free her and her child.

All is well as Tokugawa's family is safe and his home province is secured, with Oda backing him for many years. Oda marries his daughter, Tokuhime, to Tokugawa's firstborn son, Nobuyasu to strengthen their alliance. But a new problem emerged, the power hungry Oda is hell bent on conquering more lands and making more enemies, dragging Tokugawa along to fight them.

Tokugawa realised what kind of monster Oda really is when he witness the massacre of Takeda Katsuyori's forces where Oda first introduced his rifle regiment and the use of European tactic, Volley Fire, which was never used or seen before in Japan, catching everyone off guard, including the once powerful Takeda clan which was reduced into a weak force after a single battle.

Over time, Tokugawa's resources became depleted due to its war efforts for Oda and his province fell into chaos with uprising against the endless war, forcing Tokugawa to suppress them mercilessly after receiving a threat by Oda that if something is not done, he will personally take of it. Lady Tsukiyama got weary of Oda that she began contacting the remnants of Takeda and Imagawa.

Kasumi Arimura as Lady Tsukiyama, in Dou Suru Ieyasu (2024). In this scene, she and her son, who oppose Oda's endless wars, met the enemies of Oda to secure a deal to be independent.

Oda's daughter, Tokuhime, who is married to Tokugawa's son, is terrified of her father and is compelled to report the secret meetings. Oda sent a warning to Tokugawa to get his house in order or he'll send his forces into his province to execute them as traitors. For a while, his wife and son seemed to stop meeting Oda's enemies but persisted again later on in a different location.

When Oda caught wind of this, he gave Tokugawa an ultimatum to deal with his wife and son, or risk putting his home province under Oda's control. Fearing an invasion, Tokugawa had no choice but to put his wife and son to the sword by killing them himself to prove his loyalty to Oda and to protect his people from being killed by Oda's forces, knowing the heinous things they do in war.

On the surface, Tokugawa appears to be pledging himself to Oda, much to the frustration of his retainers after killing his own wife and son, but deep down, he began plotting to overthrow both Oda and his successor, Toyomoti Hideyoshi (The Taiko), while protecting his province and people. So the result is what you see in Shogun, a cautious, calculative and cunning Toranaga.

He went through so much and lost so much, which is why is he is hell bent on ending the endless war by any means necessary and only wage a war he knew he could win as he knows all too well what exactly happens to the defeated, the rulers and the people.

Historically, he managed to unify Japan, as Japan enjoys over 200 years of peace under Tokugawa Shogunate. A time where Samurai began to focus more on reading, writing, administration, governance and martial arts. A time where the Bushido first emerged.

Bushido, which dictates how a Samurai should behave, should do and should not do. Bushido did not exist before that, so it is of no surprised "honor" was absent in the battlefield during Sengoku Jidai. Samurai only began learning it during peace time.

[dream-meister-translations]

FATE GRAND ORDER

TAKEDA HARUNOBU (RIDER) CHARACTER PROFILE

━

BOND 1 Height・Weight: 185cm・85kg Source: Historical fact Region: Japan Attribute: Lawful・Evil Sub-attribute: Human Gender: Male "I'll settle this with my cavalry!"

━

BOND 2 Daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period. The legitimate son of Kai's former Daimyo, Takeda Nobutora, Takeda Shingen’s was named Harunobu on the day of his birth. He only became known by the name of Takeda Shingen after his death. His relationship with his father was heavily strained in life, and he would eventually usurp the position of Daimyo after exiling his own father to Suruga. He would launch a full scale invasion of Shinano shortly after, beating down the locals thoroughly and pacifying the surrounding regions. In the wake of his assault on Shinano, Takeda fought many battles with Uesugi Kenshin in Kawanakajima. Caught in a stalemate with the Dragon of Echigo, Takeda would soon turn his attention to Imagawa Yoshimoto, with whom he established a temporary truce. Following Imagawa’s fall at the Battle of Okehazama, he invaded the unsettled Suruga, thus marking the beginning of Takeda’s heyday. He led his army westward where he utterly annihilated the combined forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu at Mikatagahara. This loss crippled Ieyasu with a lifelong trauma. Takeda, meanwhile would lead his forces into Mikawa. However, he grew sick and died in camp. He perished halfway through his ambitions... "Raise the flag at Seta... perhaps..."

━

BOND 5 Takeda is a ruthless warlord widely considered a genius of his time. He is said to most effectively embody the Sengoku period itself. With his natural born exceptional physical attributes honed to a fine edge by his equally outstanding intelligence, he was a natural powerhouse. However, this bred no small amount of confidence and pride. He would often display great arrogance in battle, only using both hands against those he deemed worthy. Due in part to his exceptional talent, Takeda endured a difficult childhood and came to see everyone around him as foolish. Even his own father, Nobutora, would alienate himself from his own son. Despite Shingen being the rightful heir, Nobutora attempted to distance himself from Takeda and instead groom his younger brother to be his successor. This was out of fear for the future of Kai under Shingen’s leadership. However, Takeda took it upon himself to exile his father and became Daimyo of Kai, believing that Kai would perish otherwise. Having never experienced failure, Takeda never once doubted this decision… Or his reign. ...However, this truth would soon be shattered by Uesugi Kenshin, later known as Nagao Kagetora, the Dragon of Echigo… "There is no man stronger than me in all of the Sengoku era. Not now. Not ever." ―――Kenshin is an exception because he's actually a woman...

━

BOND 5 The Tiger of Kai: A - This is the name given to Takeda Shingen, who, through the employ of his own tactical genius and tacit diplomacy, won many battles and made his name renowned through the most turbulent era of Japanese history. Akaki Honoo: A - The constant flow of magical crimson energy that surges around Shingen. It is a magical circuit that ignites his blood in a furious roar. While its output is overwhelming, it eats through his magical reserves at an alarming rate. Tatenashi O-Yoroi: B - Takeda's divine artifact, said to have been passed down from the legendary hero Shinra Saburo Yoshimitsu. The Tatenashi O-Yoroi is an armor said to be so sturdy and impenetrable that the wearer had no need of a shield. It is so robust that it can't be damaged by ordinary attacks. With this equipped, Shingen boasts overwhelming defensive power, almost like a fortress in human form. Kurokumo: Harunobu's beloved horse, known for its fierce temperament, it is said that only Harunobu himself could ever tame it. Rumored to possess a robust physique and tremendous strength, Kurokumo wreaked havoc in the land of Kai. After a fierce battle with Harunobu, they came to respect each other, forming a close bond. When clad in armor, it was as formidable as the cavalry of the Sengoku period. A simply extraordinary horse that could even transform into a carriage. Kurokumo is said to have truly understood Harunobu's every intent.

━

BOND LEVEL 5 Let there be no doubt: No “man” could ever rival Takeda Shingen…But there was a “woman”... Had he, for the first time, met… An extraordinary human…? Eyes that seemed to stare straight through the abyss, lips twisted into a mocking smile. Confronted with this incomprehensible "thing”... For the first time in his life, Harunobu understood the concept of “fear” as it was instilled within him.. Yet even still, he resolved to overcome it. He honed his military strategy, made all the right preparations, delved into sorcery and magic, trained himself beyond the peak of his physical condition, enriched Kai with a wealth of resources, all in his quest to surpass Uesugi Kenshin. And in doing so, he became literally the strongest warlord of the Sengoku period with zero defeats against anyone other than Kenshin herself. Even the Demon King, Oda Nobunaga, refrained from making a move during Takeda Shingen's lifetime. However, he never did find his resolution with that "thing" to which he had become so obsessed… The chaotic times, his birthright, the Takeda clan, none of them allowed it. Bearing the weight of everything, he soldiered on, never once speaking of his own desires until the day of his eventual death. Though he does regret the final outcome, he also accepts it… Although… if he could, just one more time... ―――Yes, he would give that girl one last solid punch. A trivial obstinacy, to be sure… To those on the outside, it may just seem like he lost a fight to the neighbor’s kid, but that was precisely the "strength" of the once and never again undefeated Takeda Shingen…

[roppongi-division]

Zakari's Thoughts on Aichi Division

Shouta Takeda

"When I visit Aichi, which, unfortunately, isn't very often, I always stop by to see how Takeda-san is doing. I met him by chance when he was being hassled by some young punks who had nothing better to do than hassle than homeless. He looked he had it taken care of, but I helped him out, regardless. I hate people who bully or make fun of others who aren't as fortunate as them."

"He thanked me for helping him out and he showed me some neat tricks on how to make graffiti. In return, I showed him some tricks on how to win at poker. I hope he's making use of it."

Issey Nishizawa

"Issey is a good buddy of mine. Unlike me, he's rarely in class (not that I blame him for cutting, though). I think, like Jiro-kun, he likes to see me perform dares to see if I'll chicken out or not. He's always amazed to see just how far I'll go. It makes me laugh seeing the expression on his face after I've completed one of his dares!"

"I also know he's a big fan of my dad and his radio show. He didn't believe me at first when I said that the legendary 'DJ Veenyle' was my dad. To prove it to him, I called my dad's show and asked him some questions that only he and I could answer. Issey's mouth hit the floor, afterward! My dad got into me for holding up the line, but I didn't care. Seeing Issey's expression was worth it!"

Eiji Mizoguchi

"Eiji is another pal, but I don't hang out with him as much as Issey. When we do hang out, I get the feeling that he feels like a 'third wheel', which I don't want to make him feel, so I always try to include him in our convos. Like Issey, he was shocked to hear that my dad was actually 'DJ Veenyle'. I know my dad was happy to know that there was another African-American in the D.R.B. ...I have to admit, Eiji's not the first one I've seen or met, but the first one I've actually befriended. And it was all thanks to my dad. ...Huh. I know there's a lesson or something here, but I don't know what..."

Cloud 9

"I'm glad the division of Aichi finally has a team to represent them. You may not know this, but Aichi is a place of historical importance. It's where the Japanese warlord, Oda Nobunaga, made his stand against Imagawa Yoshimoto at the Battle of Okehazama. I've actually been to the place where the battle took place! It's a park now, but still!"

"As far as the team members go, I like all of them, especially Issey and Eiji! I'm looking forward to competing against them if we ever battle against each other!"

[sh0jun]

One amusing aspect of the Sengoku era is that Imagawa Yoshimoto, a warlord, met an unexpected fate while invading Oda Nobunaga's territory. During the Battle of Okehazama, he decided to take a nap, underestimating the threat. Nobunaga seized the opportunity, launching a surprise attack and defeating Yoshimoto while he slept. This unexpected turn of events marked a significant moment in Sengoku history.

[odaclan]

I only skipped straight to the Nobunaga scenes out of curiousity, so don’t ask me about my opinion of the Dousuru Ieyasu drama yet. 

I'm surprised to find out that the teaser shots of Nobunaga with loose hair and red attire that was shown on Twitter was actually supposed to be Nobunaga in his youth. 

The red clothing does make sense, as the Shinchoukouki describes that Nobunaga and his retinue of pages and attendants were all garbed in red. My surprise comes more from how old Okada Junichi looks in this scene (he was even sporting a light moustache), even though Nobunaga should still be in his teens. His father Oda Nobuhide is not even dead yet. 

Usually dramas would hold off the facial hair until Nobunaga is supposed to be in his later years, especially if they use the same actor to act as both the young Nobunaga and his older version. If the actor is not young anymore, having even the slightest amount of facial hair makes them glaringly old. The “adult Nobunaga”, from what is presumably the Okehazama scenes, looks younger than this “teenaged Nobunaga”. 

The choice to style the hair loose like this is also a unique choice, I do not believe I’ve ever seen Nobunaga wearing his hair like this in a “serious” historical live action movies or drama. I’ve only seen it when Nakamura Hashinosuke was Nobunaga in Kiriya Kazuaki’s Goemon movie, which purposely had a more game-like/fantasy feel to it. See below:

In a standard historical Sengoku movies, loose hair were usually seen in battle, worn under a hikitate-eboshi while the samurai is in armour, like this:

Or sometimes during death/execution scenes.

I imagine I could’ve mistaken the scene for a Chinese historical or fantasy drama if I was just shown screenshots, not the entire scene in context. Especially this rather odd scrappy “fort” that Nobunaga’s little gang has: 

It has more the vibes of a Chinese bandit gang, often seen in wuxia/martial arts series. I vaguely recall of a wuxia story  featuring a “beggar’s sect” with this kind of hideout. Nobunaga and his retinue were also acting like thugs too. 

Honestly, it feels like the direction this is going is more like “a live action adaptation of a manga” kind of look and feel. The atmosphere I’m getting from this is reminiscent of this manga called Sanzoku Ou by Sawada Hirofumi. It’s a historical manga, but with a touch of fantasy and typical shounen hot-blooded energy. Hopefully it doesn’t hurt the series too much, as I’ve seen reports that Japanese viewers were so upset they ditched the series on episode two because it’s too outlandish. 

If I have time to watch more than just a couple clips I might also give some more detailed comments. 

[yeonchi]

Koei Warriors Retrospective Part 5: Samurai Warriors 1

Samurai Warriors (戦国無双) Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox Release dates: Japan: 11 February 2004 (PS2)/29 July 2004 (Xbox) USA: 6 May 2004 (PS2)/13 July 2004 (Xbox) Europe: 25 June 2004 (PS2)/24 September 2004 (Xbox)

After working on DW3XL, the series being headed by Akihiro Suzuki, Hisashi Koinuma wanted to create a game based on Nobunaga's Ambition to reflect the Sengoku era of Japan, just as Dynasty Warriors was based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms for the late-Han and Three Kingdoms periods of ancient China. Koinuma apparently wanted to make a multiplayer game with up to four or five characters fighting a single boss, but online multiplayer was premature at the time. Thus, a new team was formed and the Samurai Warriors series was born.

The series celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024. Let's take a look at the game that started... well, some complicated feelings and situations later on down the line.

Samurai Warriors

Samurai Warriors focuses on the stories of three warlords of the era, namely Nobunaga Oda, Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda. Masamune Date was introduced in this game even though his relevance in history began a few years after Nobunaga's death. Goemon Ishikawa and Okuni were also introduced even though they weren't samurai or affiliated with the main clans, though for the former case you could say that for the female characters in Dynasty Warriors. Here's a full list of the characters who were introduced in this game:

Yukimura Sanada

Keiji Maeda

Nobunaga Oda

Mitsuhide Akechi

Goemon Ishikawa

Kenshin Uesugi

Oichi

Okuni

Kunoichi

Magoichi Saika

Shingen Takeda

Masamune Date

Nō (spelled Noh in this game only)

Hanzō Hattori

Ranmaru Mori

The following unique NPCs were introduced in this game as well:

Hideyoshi Hashiba

Yoshimoto Imagawa

Ieyasu Tokugawa

Nagamasa Azai

While Kennyo Honganji and Dōsan Saitō are also NPCs in this game, the former only appears in Magoichi's story and the latter only appears in a movie for Nō, so they have been separated from the list.

Unlike in Dynasty Warriors, where scenarios are defined by kingdom or taken from a shared pool of scenarios, Story Mode in Samurai Warriors is individualised and versions of each battle will be different for each character. Each character has five stages, but for most characters, there is a split path after the third or fourth stage. In the case of Keiji and Magoichi along with Goemon's upper path, their fifth stages are unlocked by fulfilling certain requirements in the stages before it. Okuni does not have such restrictions.

Because of the individualised Story Modes, Free Mode of course gives you the option to play any Story Mode scenario as any character. As I alluded to in the review for DW3, movies are unskippable when they are first played, but at least they're subtitled (captioned) in the English version. Some scenarios have third-party enemies, represented in yellow (instead of blue for allies and red for enemies) that can fight both armies in the battle.

Much of the stages revolve around Nobunaga's main campaigns such as Okehazama, Mt. Inaba Castle, Anegawa, Nagashino and Honnōji. Post-Nobunaga stages include Yamazaki, Ueda Castle and Ōsaka Castle (Siege of Ōsaka/The Ōsaka Campaign). Some stages are field battles and some are castle battles. Some, however, are siege battles, meaning that they are two-part field and castle battles. Yeah, you'll know if it's a siege battle when you see it.

At the end of each Story Mode, there are two endings you can unlock. Most of them are as simple as clearing the upper or lower paths, but for some, there are conditions you have to fulfil to unlock them, like achieving a certain mission or defeating a certain officer. I said that Okuni didn't have split paths or a fifth stage that needs to be unlocked a certain way, but Okuni has multiple "Dreams and Illusion" endings that are unlocked by achieving certain objectives.

Each battle has objectives/missions to guide you. The first mission typically begins at the start of each battle and certain missions occur depending on whether other missions are successful or failed. Certain missions also occur when you approach certain officers or areas. These factors matter if you are trying to 100% the game. Of course, you could disregard the missions, but the battles become a bit harder that way.

If you thought having your player character being listed as a subofficer was diminishing enough, imagine playing in Free Mode as a non-listed character only to be listed under the allied commander as literally "Player 1" or "Player 2". Not even that, it's also there on the battle preparation screen just before you start the battle. Even DW3 didn't do this.

New Officer Mode is the CAW system implemented differently, because after you name and pick a model for your character, you have to go through 12 months (sessions) of training and pass the Trials of Acceptance with a clan in order for your character to be saved. In each month, you pick a training exercise, which is the same as those in Challenge Mode, and at the end, two of those exercises become your Trials depending on the clan you decide to serve under. You need a combined score of 100 to pass (it is possible to pass with the first test, even if you go over 100), you are assigned the weapon you are the strongest with (sword, spear or naginata) and an element depending on the clan you picked, and your stats carry over into your growth in the main game. New Officer Mode is good, but I prefer to be able to directly create my characters rather than going through this training bullshit.

There are a total of 12 character models available, but four need to be unlocked. This can be done by having your weapon attack stat over 50 by the fourth month of your training, at which point you will encounter a Strike Ninja who has come to wreck the place. You'll fight him, but then you'll discover that he recovers his health every time. Your master will discover that Musou Attacks are his weakness and you'll use it to defeat him.

There are also other encounter events that are available if you select a particular challenge with certain stats above certain levels. Hanzo gives you an item for the game, Magoichi allows you to use a rifle instead of a bow for your R1 ranged attack and other characters allow you to unlock a particular skill once your character is saved. Do note that in most cases, you won't face a challenge with the same weapon you're training with, which can be detrimental if you've been training with a spear or naginata and you're suddenly given a sword (that you never trained with) for the challenge.

Speaking of these challenges, giving your characters certain names in the Japanese version will boost certain stats, which can help to achieve the encounter events particularly if you use the eight names listed below (I allowed space in my list just to do that). I don't know if such a feature exists in Western releases, particularly on the PS2 as the entry I found on GameFAQs apparently relates to the Xbox version.

Sometimes, your master, his daughter Saya or his other student Dokkimaru will give you something to boost/nerf your life/musou or recover your health (if you haven't recovered it during training). If you train with a particular weapon too frequently, your master will ask you to use another weapon for the next training session just to mix it up. Once your character is saved, they can then be played in Story Mode as they will have their own story. In fact, all the CAWs share the same Story Mode where they fight with different clans.

Each of the challenges make use of the game's battle mechanics. The Melee challenge is your usual "defeat as many enemies as possible" trial, Musou has you do that with only your Musou attack, Combo asks you to rack up 5+ hit combos, Archery has you shoot enemies to stop them from getting past you, Deflect requires you to skilfully deflect arrows with your attacks, Burst is where you get to the goal as fast as possible, and Riding has you run two laps around an obstacle-laden Honnōji on horseback as fast as possible. With regards to Riding, there'll be an enemy ambush you need to clear in the second corner of your second lap and after clearing the third corner there are two paths you can choose; one with obstacles and one with recovery items. I think it's obvious what players will likely pick.

Although it isn't mentioned on the wikis (or elaborated on in the manual) for some reason, Versus Mode is a thing in this game, where you can play challenges against another player or the computer. There is Showdown, where you race to be the first to defeat all your opponent's officers; Pursuit, where you gather information to find the real Goemon; and Strike, where you race to be the first to defeat 1000 enemies (enemy officers get you 50). You have infinite lives in this mode and you can defeat your opponent to delay them.

Finally, there is Survival Mode, aka the Infinity Castle Mode. In Abyss, you fight your way 30 floors deep into the castle where you will encounter Lu Bu (of the Bu Army) as a secret character. In Tower, you try to clear as many floors as possible within 20 minutes. There are items to be obtained when you clear 30 floors in either challenge. The game automatically saves every 3 floors so you can pick up where you left off. Of course, this mode gets harder the longer you play it, but since I was mostly playing to obtain all the items, I put on some cheats near the end. No additional voices are recorded for this mode except for Lu Bu.

Moving onto the battle mechanics of the game. You can keep up to 3 weapons per character. The item selection is similar to DW3 where you can pick up to five items (including saddles) to use in battle. Some items are specially made for field or castle battles. You can also select from three groups of up to 4 bodyguards to accompany you in battle, selecting their uniform colours and their orders. The bodyguard groups can also be edited and renamed, the various types being infantry, spear, ninja, archer, musket and lady ninja.

Depending on the weapon, characters can perform up to 8 Normal Attacks and 4 triple-tiered Charge Attacks. This moveset would become known in later games as the Charge/Power Attack moveset. There are four elements available; Fire, Ice, Lightning and Dark, the latter being where the player drains life from an opponent to recover theirs. There is still a bit of lock-on happening when you perform charge attacks, however, but it's not as bad as it was in DW.

Like in the Dynasty Warriors games, holding down R1 allows you to perform a ranged attack by shooting arrows, or becoming a sniper in the case of Magoichi Saika. There are no arrow stocks to collect so you essentially get unlimited arrows. Using the bow can help you in castle battles as sealing off strongholds/bases/checkpoints can give you an extra 60 seconds of time.

Musou Attacks in this series use up the whole gauge when activated and not for as long as you hold down the Circle button like in DW. If you're not holding down the button, you can freely perform other attacks until the Musou Attack ends with a shockwave finish. When triggering your Musou Attack, you will see a kanji character that is representative of the character at the start of it and you will see a different kanji for the True Musou Attack. For custom characters, the Musou kanjis vary depending on the gender of your character's model and the weapon they are using (for this game only, the spear Musou is different depending on the gender of your character). In the Japanese script, Musou Attacks are called Musou Ougi (無双奥義) instead of Musou Ranbu (無双乱舞) in Dynasty Warriors.

When playing with a second player, you both work to charge one Musou gauge from both sides and when one player activates their Musou, the other can perform their Attack too, before ending with the True Musou finisher (even if you haven't done anything). This is called the Double Musou Attack, or the Final Musou Attack (無双最終奥義) in Japanese.

When you end up in a deadlock and you push your enemy over the edge by pushing your bar up to the end, you perform a Deadlock Attack to deal damage.

When on horseback, you have the same 8 normal attack and 4 charge attack string you would have on the ground. This moveset would remain the same in future games. The horseback C1 usually has the horse stomp its front feet on the ground if you're stationary, but if you're moving then the Triangle button allows you to jump with your horse. Exclusive to this game, the horseback Musou has you swing your weapon back and forth while charging forward, similar to DW.

Aside from the ordinary horse saddle, the rare saddles you can obtain are those for Matsukaze and the Persian Mare, aka the Arabian Steed, the legendary horses for Keiji Maeda and Masamune Date. Take note that while riding on Matsukaze, you run the risk of running over allies and depleting their health.

At the end of each stage, you can earn skill points to unlock or upgrade skills. Skills can be upgraded up to Level 3, but when you reach level 20 at 99,999 XP, you stop earning skill points or boosting stats, which means you have to be conservative about what skills you decide to unlock.

The English dub of this game was produced by Voicegroup, which had previously dubbed DW4. As such, you can hear the likes of Douglas Rye as Nobunaga Oda and Tadakatsu Honda, Richard Cansino as Hideyoshi Hashiba and Yoshimoto Imagawa and Wendee Lee as Oichi and Ina. Those three voice actors would prominently be featured in future Dynasty Warriors games. I'm especially highlighting this here because I want to discuss the state of the Samurai Warriors English dub as time goes on. Narrations are not dubbed in this game, but the narrator in the Japanese version is Hiroshi Isobe, who also voiced Magoichi Saika.

Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends

Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends (戦国無双 猛将伝) Platforms: PlayStation 2 Release dates: Japan: 16 September 2004 USA: 9 November 2004 Europe: 25 February 2005

Like with the Dynasty Warriors games before it, the Samurai Warriors series also received its own Xtreme Legends expansions.

Hideyoshi Hashiba and Yoshimoto Imagawa were unique NPCs in the vanilla game, but in the expansion, they are made playable. Tadakatsu Honda and Ina make their debut as Tokugawa officers to complement Hanzō. All four officers have their own Story Modes with split routes.

Survival Mode is upgraded to provide gold rewards after playing. The two existing modes are also upgraded to Deep Abyss and High Tower. A new stage is added, Gold Rush, where you have five minutes to collect gold in the Training Hall while completing challenges to extend that time limit. You can only keep the gold you earned if you exit the stage in time, which is absolutely bullshit for someone like me who only bothers to play up to Level 3 weapons. With such a small time limit, you should be able to keep the money you earned (or part of it at least) if you run out of time and not die during the stage.

After clearing Gold Rush, you will be brought to the Armory, where you can upgrade weapons at the weaponsmith or engrave a name on a weapon (per character). This can't be done for Level 6 weapons at all and Level 5 weapons until you get the Level 6 weapon. You can also buy or upgrade items here, with the Golden Rune being a rare item only available through this mode for 50,000 gold. Also, you should be able to directly access the Armory without having to go through Gold Rush.

Three more challenges have been added to Versus Mode, those ones being those actually covered on the wiki. Duel is a simple one-on-one fight where you can also select different stages to give you a bit of a challenge; Sumo is where you play as Strike Ninjas to force enemies out of the ring; and Gatekeeper is where you defend the checkpoint and prevent enemies from escaping behind you.

Among other improvements to the game, you can still earn skill points and develop basic abilities even after reaching 99,999 XP and you can also upgrade your skills to level 4. You may also see a green frame when you select a character; that character is a lucky character and playing as them will give you a higher chance of getting good weapons and items. The lucky character changes every time the game is booted.

In the options, Player 2 can be set to have an individual Musou gauge and unleash Musou Attacks independently at the cost of you being able to use the Double Musou Attack. The expansion also introduces the Novice and Chaos difficulties to the game.

Throughout the game, you will get bonus (rice) points to use in rewards. You can unlock voice tests for characters, change the save icon in the memory card, unlock additional models for characters, enable those models to appear in the game when you use them on your character), reduce the minimum difficulty to unlock Level 5 and 6 weapons (from Hard and Chaos to Normal and Hard respectively) and allow character levels to progress past the normal limits.

I don't know if it's a thing in the English versions, but in the Japanese versions of the Warriors games, you can install data to the HDD/BB Unit to reduce loading times. This would also later become a thing in the PSP games, but in DW6 Special and Empires for the PSP, installing data to the Memory Stick Duo would also enable encounter and defeat voices in battle dialogue.

Rant: The benefits of the Create-A-Warrior system

More of a ramble than a rant this time around.

So at this point, we have two mainline games with CAW capabilities, namely being DW4 and this game. This would become relegated to the Empires games before coming back to the forefront in SW3 and SW4. Earlier implementations of CAWs were quite limited in their customisation, though there is more freedom for this in future games.

Edit characters allow for a more unique experience in games as aside from being able to be played in Free Mode (and possibly other modes), they also get other unique modes through which to shine. With Samurai Warriors, that unique mode is the New Warrior Mode, where creating characters involves having to pass a trial with a clan in order to pass and save them.

As CAW characters are a main feature of the Empires games, it would be ideal if they had functionality to import CAWs from the save data of the main games to save time on having to create characters. DW7 and DW8 do not have CAWs in the main game, but even without a unique mode for them, they can get a chance to shine in the auxillary modes before being able to be imported into the Empires games.

Samurai Warriors is a decent adaptation of the Sengoku era into a hack-and-slash game while also making it distinct from Dynasty Warriors in terms of gameplay. It had its own fantastical and romanticised elements (just like Dynasty Warriors and its source material, Romance of the Three Kingdoms), plus there are quite a few pop culture references in the Japanese version, particularly with the True Musou Attacks and victory poses. These references would be toned down in future games as Koei began to get more serious with these games.

Next time, we take a look at this game's spinoffs, namely State of War and the Pachislot game. Why the hell am I even covering the latter? You'll have to find out then.

[valkyries-things]

OTAZU NO KATA // ONNA-MUSHA

“She was a late-Sengoku period onna-musha. She was the wife of Iio Tsuratatsu and retainer of Imagawa clan. When the Imagawa fell into disarray after their defeat at Battle of Okehazama, she turned against them and became leader of the Iio clan after Tsuratatsu's death.”

[vieillegarde]

The Minority Will

Outnumbered Battles: Okehazama Leuthen Yehuling Jena

[musical-theatre-encyclopedia]

Watch "Warring States Japan: Sengoku Jidai - Battle of Okehazama - Extra History - #1" on YouTube

[royumijapon]

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the 16th century unifier of Japan

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1539–September 18, 1598) was the leader of Japan who reunified the country after 120 years of political fragmentation. During his rule, known as the Momoyama or Peach Mountain era, the country coalesced as a more or less peaceful federation of 200 independent daimyo (great lords), with him as imperial regent.

Early life

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was born in 1536, in Nakamura, Owari Province, Japan . He was the second son of Yaemon, a peasant and part-time soldier of the Oda clan, who died in 1543 when he was 7 years old and his sister about 10. Hideyoshi’s mother soon remarried. Her new husband also served Oda Nobuhide, the daimyo from the Owari region, and she had another son and a daughter.

Hideyoshi was small for his age and skinny. His parents sent him to a temple for education, but the boy ran away in search of adventure. In 1551, he joined the service of Matsushita Yukitsuna, a servant of the powerful Imagawa family in Totomi province. This was unusual because both Hideyoshi’s father and stepfather had served the Oda clan.

Joining Oda

Hideyoshi returned home in 1558 and offered his services to Oda Nobunaga, son of the daimyo. At that time, the Imagawa clan’s army of 40,000 soldiers was invading Owari, Hideyoshi’s home province. Hideyoshi took a big risk: Oda’s army only numbered about 2,000 assets. In 1560, the armies of Imagawa and Oda clashed at the Battle of Okehazama. Oda Nobunaga’s tiny force ambushed Imagawa’s troops in a heavy storm and won an incredible victory, driving off the invaders.

Legend has it that the 24-year-old Hideyoshi served in this battle as Nobunaga’s sandal bearer. However, Hideyoshi does not appear in Nobunaga’s surviving writings until the early 1570s.

Promotion

Six years later, Hideyoshi led a raid that captured Inabayama Castle for the Oda clan. Oda Nobunaga rewarded him by making him a general.

In 1570, Nobunaga attacked the castle of his brother-in-law, Odani. Hideyoshi led the first three detachments of a thousand samurai each against the fully fortified castle. Nobunaga’s army used the devastating new technology of firearms, instead of mounted swordsmen. However, muskets are of little use against castle walls, so Hideyoshi’s section of Oda’s army prepared for a siege.

By 1573, Nobunaga’s troops had defeated all of their enemies in the area. For his part, Hideyoshi was given control of three regions within Omi Province. By 1580, Oda Nobunaga had consolidated power in more than 31 of Japan’s 66 provinces.

Continue Reading >>>

[prometheusinitiative]

[1/2] Interim Epilogue | Freedom

Fuck it up.

Jules and Pet’s voices echo throughout Tracy’s domain as they break it. The Hellish landscape begins to groan and shake as you all hear chains snap. All of you begin to feel the floor collapse beneath you, your feet cannot find ground and soon you’re falling, 

falling, 

falling.

“...Working on becoming better is so hard but it's so worth it.”

"I don't want you to leave. You promised."

“...At the beginning, when we all met, we all decided we needed to rely on each other to get out of this whole thing…”

"You gave me one more chance... and we're giving you one more, too. Make it right." 

In your descent, you hear the meaningful words of your friends echo in your minds. You all feel emotions wash over you to drown out the fear of plummeting - You feel Tracy’s guilt, regret, and their unworldly sadness that they couldn’t be better. But there’s also hope. There’s determination. Hope and determination to do better. To help themself, to help everyone in their own battles. 

Falling doesn’t end with a crash. It ends in a blink, and suddenly you’re all standing amongst one another again. And before you, stands a familiar sight. 

Tracy, standing with their back to you. Little horns sprout from their head now and they seem to be holding the mask worn earlier, now broken. And they now wear their original blue coveralls, hair down. “You broke me free. You broke me…” Tracy tells the group. “You broke me free from the ones that tried to turn me against Ascentsy, against you all. Now… Now all decisions are my own.” They turn, smiling softly, tears spilling down their face. “I owe you all so much… for this second chance. Even if you don’t want me to be, I’m in your debt.” “All I can do now is say I’m sorry… n’ make up for it, right?”

It's a little terrifying-- that freedom. That responsibility. When your future actions held you truly accountable, it could be daunting. Is that why you all feel so much...

... vertigo?

"Something isn't right."

Ithika pipes up from behind the group, bright eyes flashing as they scan across you and your peers.

"Where's Wren?"

[dream-meister-translations]

FATE GRAND ORDER

GUDAGUDA SUPER GORYOKAKU #2

━

NAGAO KAGETORA : They were tracking us? No, this is another ambush!? Guess I should have expected as much from the finest archer in the Setouchi region...

??? : ...Where do you think you’re going? Other than leaving your comrades to die? 

SAITO HAJIME : We don't have time to waste on small fries like you!

??? : And just who are you calling a small fry!?

SAITO HAJIME : Whoa!! Easy!!

OKITA SOUJI : It seems you’ve met your match! Kagetora!

OKITA SOUJI : You need to get out of here! The safety of the Master comes first!

NAGAO KAGETORA : Understood! Gallop, Houshou Tsukige! Bishamonten's protection is with us!

OKITA SOUJI : Haaaaaah!!

??? : Hm. Now that is a surprise. Even injured your spirit remains formidable. Moreso than a certain Demon we know.

??? : Okay, bring it!!

??? : Hyahh!!

OKITA SOUJI : Grahh!!

━

NAGAO KAGETORA : There’s no turning back, Master! We have to keep running!

━

??? : I was so close, just to be stopped by such an unexpected development…

??? : Especially that Lancer, Kagetora… Her agility on horseback is remarkable…

OKITA SOUJI : Saito! Are you okay?!

SAITO HAJIME : Tsk… So even the Shinsengumi’s Invincible Number One is no match for him…

SAITO HAJIME : Okita this guy’s dangerous...

OKITA SOUJI : Yeah… We can't let him get to Master…

OKITA SOUJI : ...We need to finish this here and now.

??? : Hm? Well, it seems like we have a misunderstanding.

??? : It is you that I have business with...

SAITO HAJIME : Us…!?

??? : Yes, you, the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, Okita Souji. And you, the captain of the third unit, Saito Hajime.

??? : You will suffer the consequences of your past sins...

━

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : Pāpīyas Reborn, Demon King of the Myriad Heavens! 

??? : What power… The flames of the Demon King that burn even gods and the Great Buddha to nothing but ashes… You have reached such a terrifying pinnacle.

??? : But it doesn't matter if you're capable of consuming Buddha and the Gods, this mere mortal can no longer be burned in your flames!

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : ……..Huh!?

??? : It’s. Over. Nobunaga.

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : Hah! Urgh… As I thought… The Battle of Okehazama was a miracle from my life that would never come again…

DEMON KING NOBUNAGA : Indeed… This is how it ends… There was no other way…

??? : My apologies, Nobunaga…

??? : To have underestimated you when we met in life was undoubtedly my mistake…

??? : That is why… In this place… At. This. Very. Moment. I have put forth… Everything that I have…

??? : Honestly… It is a great relief… That I could slay you here… Once and for all…

TOSHIZO HIJIKATA : It’s not over yet! So long as I’m… SHINSENGUMI!!

TOSHIZO HIJIKATA : Ggrrraaaahhhh!!!

??? : One can see that just by looking. That not a single one of you can be underestimated as soldiers of war.

TOSHIZO HIJIKATA : Kuhh…!?

??? : Don’t. Make me say it again. In this place. At this very moment. I will never let myself lose!! Hahh!!

TOSHIZO HIJIKATA : Kurghh… Ahh… What the…?

TOSHIZO HIJIKATA : What a monster…

??? : …It is truly remarkable that you can maintain your spiritual foundation despite having my full power bearing down upon you. Like the fierce determination of a demon forever retold through ancient legend, or… or no… Perhaps you are even more fiercesome than that…

TOSHIZO HIJIKATA : …Hahh…!

??? : ……………

??? : ……Hm.

??? : Heh… ...It seems I, myself, am not without injury… Perhaps, even in this body… I am pushing myself too far…

??? : So this is the power of a Servant of Chaldea? You really are not to be underestimated.

??? : But with this, all things come to an end. Thus marking a new beginning for all that is yet to come.

??? : Those of the Heavens. Those that walk this Earth. Take a good look!

??? : The enemy of my very Destiny has finally fallen! Here! At Okehazama!

??? : And thus from this moment forward, let us usher in a new era!

??? : In the name of this unparalleled archer of the seas! The Bowman of Kaido!

??? : Behold me! For my true name is none other than Imagawa Yoshimoto!

[kultofathena]

Tenka Fubu – One Realm Under One Sword. This was the motto of famed Sengoku Daimyo Oda Nobunaga who had it emblazoned on his personal seal. One of the towering figures of Japanese history, this Katana pays homage to the ambitious and capable Nobunaga. This Dragon King katana, composed from vibrant T10 high carbon steel, and its visible hamon, was created when the differentially-hardened blade was skillfully tempered. The tsuba of the sword prominently features Nobunaga's Kabuto helmet, whilst the kashira pommel cap displays the helmet of Takeda Shingen – his bitter rival. The fuchi blade collar bears a battle flag and a war fan to symbolize Oda Nobunaga's 1560 victory at Okehazama when he fooled Imagawa Yoshimoto's army into mistaking his encampment position with decoy battle flags before springing a trap upon them.

[comicsvewor]

Dynasty warriors 7 xtreme legends ultimate weapons

Dynasty warriors 7 xtreme legends ultimate weapons upgrade#

Madden NFL 16 - First Look Be The Playmaker Trailerĭisney Infinity 3. Featuring characters and mecha from over 30 years of Gundam® anime and manga series, DYNASTY WARRIORS:GUNDAM 3 thrusts players into the galactic melee with over 50 playable and upgradab. The world is ripe with strife as gigantic mecha called Mobile Suits march to war on land and in space. Set in the future, chaotic warfare has engulfed the universe. View All Games Developed by Omega Force (18) The game was first going to be exclusive for Sony's Playstation 3, but later it came to light that it was going to be releas. It is based on the famous Hundred Years' War and will play fairly similar to the Dynasty Warriors series. At the start of the game Feudal Japan is divided into warring states and it is up to the player to resurrect a nation using equal amounts of strategy and strength! The game’s ultimate goal is to unite Japan’s 25 regions into a single nation under o.īased on the classic Three Kingdoms epic, Koei Tecmo's cult classic Dynasty Warriors is back for the seventh time.īladestorm: Hundred Years War will be Koei's and Omega Force's first video game for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. SAMURAI WARRIORS 2 EMPIRES combines the most exciting aspects of Action, Fighting and Strategy games. It is based on the famous Chinese novel, Roman. The game was released on 22 November, 2007 in Japan, Februin North America and Main Europe. Other games developed by Omega Force (17)ĭynasty Warriors 6 is a Hack and slash video game set in Ancient China and the sixth official installment in the Dynasty Warriors series, developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. View All Achievements for Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (29) There are 29 achievements with a total of 1250 points availableĬlear a certain character's Story Mode then save your game. Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends Achievements (29) Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends - Trailerīrowse All Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends Videos (1)

Dynasty warriors 7 xtreme legends ultimate weapons upgrade#

In Samurai Warriors 2, the highest upgrade is fourth weapons.Īdd To: My Games| My Wishlist| Now Playingīrowse All "Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends" Leaderboardsīrowse All Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends Screenshots Some considered it as an "alternative fourth weapon". It resembles Xtreme Mode from Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends.įifth weapons are present in the game, however, unlike the first game, the weapons has the same attack base as the original (before, the fifth weapon would have a higher attack base). Shibata Katsuie wields two hand axes, while Sasaki Kojir still carries a large katana, but can now summon an ex-dimensional sword during battle.īecause Imagawa Yoshimoto was put back into the game, the previously omitted Battle of Okehazama is brought back, and Hideyoshi's Shikoku campaign against Chosokabe Motochika is also included.Ī new mode known as Mercenary Mode is in the game. Imagawa Yoshimoto from Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends returned in the expansion with an updated character design, and Shibata Katsuie and Sasaki Kojir from Samurai Warriors 2 Empires are also playable and have new weapons. The expansion introduced new characters to the series, including Maeda Toshiie, Hosokawa Gracia and Ch sokabe Motochika.

[odaclan]

Ichikawa Ebizō XI is formally succeeding the Ichikawa Danjūrō name, becoming Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII Hakuen. In honour of that, Ebizō will once again perform as Nobunaga in a special TV drama about the Battle of Okehazama. The current working title for the movie is 「桶狭間 OKEHAZAMA～織田信長～」but it’s still subject to change. 

 Ebizō had previously played the role of Nobunaga in the 2017 NHK Taiga drama 「Onna Jōshu Naotora」. I saw an article where the NHK drama staff reportedly said that whenever Ebizō shows up, they felt like they were really in the presence of the real Nobunaga. Sounds like his performance had been quite impressive.

Official Website for the Okehazama movie: https://www.fujitv.co.jp/okehazama/

On a c=somewhat irrelevant note, Ebizō also had the role of Kylo Ren (Kairennosuke 魁連之助) in the Star Wars Kabuki. I thought that was interesting.