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Introduced in the base game
Nobuyuki Sanada
- Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English 2015 Anime), Robert Steudtner (German 2015 Anime)
Born: 1566
Died: November 12, 1658
Elder brother of Yukimura. As a part of their father's plan to secure the continued existence of the Sanada clan, Nobuyuki was sent to the Tokugawa to become an officer. There, he married Ina and continued to fight under the Tokugawa banner, coming to clash with Yukimura, but it was due to his influence that Ieyasu spared Yukimura to fight another day.
Nobuyuki fights with a special dual-bladed katana.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: With his brother; in almost every battle prior their split up - whenever you encounter one, the other one will be right there behind him.
- Badass Family: The Sanada Clan.
- Battle Couple: With Ina.
- Big Brother Instinct: He recognizes Yukimura as a greater warrior than himself, but still feels the need to look after him to the best of his ability, musing that it must be the "curse of being a big brother".
- Bittersweet Ending: The story modes of 4 and Spirit of Sanada ends with him surviving, the war ended, and him spending the rest of his days Happily Married with his wife Ina. However, most, if not all, of his friends and family are dead, and he has to ensure his own exile so peace remains.
- Blow You Away: Uses wind attacks in his True Musou and Musou Frenzy, even when his weapon isn't aligned with wind.
- Brains and Brawn: The Brains to Yukimura (and later Ina)'s Brawn.
- Katanas Are Just Better: His weapon appears to based on a nagamaki, but has a retractable blade hidden in the hilt. In cutscense, both blades can be seen, but in his normal stance the secondary blade is kept inside the hilt.
- Children Are Innocent: In Spirit of Sanada, when young Nobuyuki and Yukimura were talking about the death of Yoshinobu Takeda, they mention "He's gone away". Subverted, however, because they do understand that Yoshinobu is dead.
- Long-Lived: Historically, he lived past through his 90's and outlived his lord Ieyasu and wife Ina.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the Blue Oni for Yukimura, the cool-headed and pragmatic Sanada brother. He's also ironically the Blue Oni to Ina, he's a lot less reckless than his wife (though Ina is less Red than Yukimura), the irony being he wears mostly red-black while Ina wears blue.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: With Ina.
- Please Spare Him, My Liege!: After the Battle of Sekigahara, he begged Ieyasu to give clemency for Yukimura and Masayuki for their support on the Western Army which was approved, thanks to Hidetada. However, Yukimura escaped, aiding the remaining Toyotomi loyalists.
- Technicolor Blade: To go with the color motif of his clan, Nobuyuki's sword has a red and white blade.
- Sibling Rivalry: Subverted. He and Yukimura may be on opposing sides, but it's actually their father's design to ensure the Sanada clan's survival. This way, regardless of which side is the victor in the Sekigahara Campaign, the Sanada clan will continue on, either with Yukimura if the Western Army is the winner or Nobuyuki if it is the Eastern Army. Additionally, in the first game, where Nobuyuki was still generic, they still recognize each other as family. Yet, tied to their respective duties, they apologize and bravely face one another.
- Though in the fourth game, this is played straight once the brothers went on different paths, as Masayuki's plan was absent and Nobuyuki is on Ieyasu's side on his own volition, having deduced that the path of stability and peace Ieyasu promotes is the best way to keep the Sanada line (while Yukimura is too bound with his friendship with Mitsunari and Kanetsugu).
- This is zig-zagged in Spirit of Sanada. Again, Masayuki's plan doesn't exist. In fact, Nobuyuki is the first to voice that he would side with Ieyasu. Masayuki unexpectedly choose to side with Mitsunari because he claimed it'd be more beneficial to Sanada Clan and Yukimura choose to follow his father. The zig-zagged part is that their personal rivalry isn't very highlighted, instead the rivalry is more in leading their respective armies and arranging strategies against each other. Plus, the personal rivalry isn't very played like in 4 and 4-II, because Masayuki got more spotlight than Yukimura since most strategies are under hiss command. Nobuyuki is also entirely absent in the Osaka Campaign, so there's no chance to renew their rivalry. When Yukimura and Nobuyuki did reunite, it happened during the truce after the Winter Campaign, but there's no animosity whatsoever between them.
- Sibling Team: With Yukimura before they go down different paths.
- Spin Attack: Many of his attacks have him unsheating both blades and attack by spinning at great speed: his Musou attack has him spinning fast enough to generate a whirlwind from his blade.
Yoshitsugu Ōtani
- Voiced by: Satoshi Hino (Japanese), Sascha von Zambelly (German 2015 Anime)
Born: 1558
Died: October 21, 1600
Mitsunari's most staunch ally during the Sekigahara conflict. Although held back due to his illness (leprosy, to be exact), Yoshitsugu continues to give support to his friend that he values greatly.
Yoshitsugu wields a saihai-baton in battle that conceals a sword on the other end.
- Abled in the Adaptation: The game never mentioned his leprosy but they downplayed his illness to the point that he can move around quite well.
- Ambiguous Situation: In his ending for 4-II, Mitsunari manages to flee from Sekigahara thanks to Yoshitsugu's possible Heroic Sacrifice. Worrying about Yoshitsugu's safety, Mitsunari falls asleep. When he awakes, he finds that Yoshitsugu already stands before him, alive and well.
But the screen flickers and quickly fades away, implying the ending might not be what it appears to be. The most likely explanation is that Mitsunari is killed by Eastern soldiers after he fell asleep, and met with most-likely-also-dead Yoshitsugu in his Dying Dream. - Animal Motif: Dragonflies. According to
Word of God it was originally intended to be moths, but was changed out of concern that it could be confused with Nō's butterflies. - Badass Longrobe: A long white robe that doesn't prevent him in fighting.
- Brutal Honesty: He speaks what he has in mind.
- Driven to Suicide: His final fate in 4, after the defeat at Sekigahara. Takatora is forced to help him.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: He looks notably more pale than some other characters. Possibly a nod to his historical counterpart being a leper.
- The Faceless: Partially. Only his eyes and nose are visible. And it's hard to read his facial expression. Even his "happy" expression isn't very apparent.
- Fragile Speedster: For a sick guy, he moves pretty fast. He's especially Hyper Attack oriented in his movelist as well.
- The Gadfly: In his Chronicle event, he teases the player that anyone who has seen his face will die three years later. In his expansion story mode, he teases Masanori that he's a vengeful spirit when he encounters him at Sekigahara, with the vocal tone and all; Masanori literally spams "EVIL SPIRITS BEGONE!" while bawling his eyes out.
- Glacier Waif: His base normal attack string (barring the charge attacks) doesn't cover much in terms of distance, despite being solid in range and area-of-effect.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Takatora Todo; in 4. They both began their stories by serving Azai.
- Historical Beauty Update: Despite having historically suffered leprosy, what can be seen of his skin seems perfectly fine, paleness aside, and he's quite pretty overall.
- Morality Pet: To Mitsunari. This is based on the legends and folktales that claim Mitsunari is one of the very few, if not the only one, who would befriend the sickly Yoshitsugu.
- Mix-and-Match Weapon: His standard Saihai is large enough to function as a club, but also has a built-in switchblade which lets him use it as a sword in close combat.
- Power Trio: With Nagamasa and Takatora.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: A Rare Male Example.
- Running Gag: Yoshitsugu tends to tease people for his ghostly appearance.
- The Strategist: Worked as the strategist for the Azai, and later to Toyotomi and Mitsunari.
- Stuff Blowing Up: He can dish out energy-dragonflies and talismans alike that explode upon contact. Exaggerated with his strongest Limit Break, where the said dragonflies fly around dropping the talismans around him everywhere.
- Undying Loyalty: to Mitsunari.
- You Monster!: He did not take Hideaki Kobayakawa's betrayal well even if he suspected it, citing him as a "Treacherous Beast" on his betrayal.
Hisahide Matsunaga
- Voiced by: Kouji Ishii (Japanese)
Born: 1510
Died: November 19, 1577
Considered the 'Villain of the Sengoku Era', Hisahide is a daimyo of Yamato that attacked the previous shogun Yoshiteru Ashikaga and killed him or drove him to suicide. He's defeated by Nobunaga and became an on-and-off ally before finally betraying him for good, only to be defeated. Defiant to the End, Hisahide committed suicide by having his head blown off and even destroyed a prized kettle of Nobunaga beforehand.
His weapon of choice is a massive sickle.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: A humorous example in a DLC stage for 4-II, "Return to Honnoji". After he's defeated for the final time, he begs Nobunaga not to forgive him again. Unsurprisingly, against his wish, Nobunaga forgives him again. Why? Because it amused him.Hisahide: "Don't say you forgive me again! Please don't say it!"
- Animal Motifs: Spiders, due to his calculating, treacherous nature and the fact that his favourite teapot was called "Hiragumo" (Flat Cloud, though gumo can be read as spider too). He also has a web-shaped scar, spiders and webs motifs on his clothing and base weapon and a a few of his attacks can summon an energy web and even spiders.
- Ascended Extra: Could be doubled as a Continuity Nod, game-wise: He was a Fire Ninja Bodyguard in 2. As a playable character since 4, he's mostly associated with bombs and explosives.
- Ax-Crazy: We'll just leave it at that about Hisahide: Always hamming it up and Laughing Mad.
- Beard of Evil: Fitting such a self-declared villain, he sports a sinister black goattee and moustache.
- BFS: He wields an enormous sickle, though he also fights in tandem with explosives.
- Butt-Monkey: In 4-II, before he attempted to blow himself up, Hisahide resorted to various zany schemes to get Nobunaga killed... but all of them failed because Nobunaga gave him orders that made his schemes backfire right on his face.
- Card-Carrying Villain: He openly refers to himself as such.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: To Nobunaga. Once he's forced into becoming his vassal, he constantly instigates rebellions against him just for fun. While Nobunaga knows full-well of his actions, he's more amused than anything, knowing how much it infuriates Hisahide of how little his actions actually bother him.
- Combat Pragmatist: When Yoshiteru Ashikaga effortlessly kills his soldiers one after the others with his swords, Hisahide just toss him a lit stick of dynamite and blows him to pieces.
- Cruel Mercy: The main reason that Nobunaga keeps forgiving Hisahide is because he knows that as someone who is obsessed with both being acknowledge as a great villain as well as being in control of his own destiny, being disregarded as a nobody as well as having someone else deciding his destiny is far more humiliating than death.
- Defeat Equals Explosion: He literally blows himself up after his defeat by Nobunaga. In the expansion, it's revealed that he faked his death so he can resurface later on.
- Defiant to the End: To Nobunaga. This is one of the reasons why he's historically famous.
- Evil Is Petty: In this case, he's obsessed to be acknowledged as "Villain of the Sengoku Era" by manipulating Nagamasa and Mitsuhide; and openly defying the ambition of the conqueror (Nobunaga, that is).
- Evil Laugh:
- Gives this whenever he's defeated.
- In the expansion, he laughs maniacally after killing Nobunaga.
- Faking the Dead: In 4-II, he faked his death so he can resurface later on.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a network of scars across his right eye that resemble a spider web.
- Hero Killer: In his opening scene in 4-II, he assassinated Yoshiteru Ashikaga, the Shogun Swordsman, by throwing a bomb right to the swordsman's hand that literally destroyed him shortly after (not shown on-screen, of course).
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Granted, his Real Life title of "greatest villain of the era" was not undeserved, but it's doubtful he was ever so over-the-top about his villainy in reality.
- Large Ham: Oh, yes. He takes his proudly evil ways to absurd degrees during the Oda campaign and in his personal story of 4-II.
- Laughably Evil: While most of his evilness isn't Played for Laughs, it's hard not to get amused at many of his over-the-top villainy.
- Manipulative Bastard:
- He has his ways with his words, first instigating Nagamasa to eventually revolt, and hangs around with Mitsuhide to 'influence' him and while he resists it, after Hisahide's death, Mitsuhide becomes motivated to rebel against Nobunaga.
- In 4-II, he initiates the battle of Honnoji by flying Mitsuhide's clan banners in order to frame him as a traitor.
- Mighty Glacier: His attacks are powerful but have fairly lengthy wind-up time.
- Mythology Gag: His design in "Hyakuman-nin" has him holding a spider, which becomes a theme in his playable appearance.
- Noble Demon: Despite the villainous image that he actively cultivates, one scene has him handing out free meals to the poor. After briefly teasing the player character with the possibility of the food being drugged, he explains his disgust with the concept of "justice" as an excuse that people use to lord over others, like the idea that those who don't work deserve to go hungry.
- Not Worth Killing: It is implied in 4 that the reason Nobunaga keeps forgiving him (other than that he finds it amusing) is because his rebellions are merely motivated by his petty ego rather than a desire to change the state of the land, unlike Nagamasa's or Mitsuhide's.
- Only Sane Man: Hilariously, of all people, Hisahide fills this role in a DLC stage for 4-II where Hanbei and Hideyoshi were looking for the missing Kanbei. At one point, he's openly annoyed by them for trying to find a lone missing person in the middle of war zone. Also, contrary to what some players may have thought, he's not responsible at all for Kanbei's disappearance.Hisahide: "Hello!? Can we stop playing detective for a while? We're in the middle of battle here!"
- Pet the Dog:
- Has a few moments of these in Chronicles Mode. Given a certain answer, will literally pat the player character's head.
- In his final stage in 4-II, he pretty much kills every Oda and Akechi retainers... except Gracia, whom he tied up and put in the box off-screen. He also attempted to do that on Ranmaru... except the latter was ordered to get him Buried Alive.
- Pyrrhic Victory: He kills Nobunaga in 4-II... then promptly gets himself blown up by one of his bombs while celebrating
- Red Baron: The Villain of the Sengoku Era.
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: He has many cutscenes in "Legend of Oda" for 4, and about half of the story depicts his treacherous tale before and during serving Oda, and finally after betraying and defying Oda for the last time.
- Obviously Evil: Aside from looking incredibly creepy, he seems to revel in his status as a villain.
- Small Name, Big Ego: As part of his Card-Carrying Villain image, Hisahide takes joy in manipulating others. Apart from the Cruel Mercy as listed above, the other reason Nobunaga never bothers to kill him is because he firmly believes someone who doesn't have the resolve to stand on the front line of their betrayal will never be a real threat. Hisahide proves this while never quite figuring it out for himself.
- Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter: A non-Religious version, but a recurring theme with his story. Hisahide wishes so hard that his villainy will actually get Nobunaga annoyed enough with him to the point he'll receive a punishment befitting of a villain. But Nobunaga just forgives him every time. This drives Hisahide nuts and eventually he just decides to 'smite' himself to piss on Nobunaga and to show that he's in control of his own destiny.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Both in his gameplay and cutscene, he really loves bombs.
- Throw Down the Bomblet: Tossing out dynamite plays a big part of his attacks, as pretty much all his charge attacks involves gunpowder or dynamite sticks.
- Villain Protagonist: For "Legend of Oda" in 4, ironically enough, since he got more focus than Nobunaga himself. And of course, he's the main character of his own story in 4-II.
- Villains Want Mercy: Invoked in Warriors Orochi 4: When Muneshige points out that the newly-arrived Demon Army are after the bracelet he stole, Hisahide notes that as a villain he has no problem turning around and begging his enemies for help before doing exactly that.
Lady Hayakawa
- Voiced by: Satomi Sato (Japanese), Leah Clark (English 2015 Anime), Kirstin Hesse (German 2015 Anime)
Born: (Unknown)
Died: April 5, 1613
Daughter of Ujiyasu Hojo who historically married Yoshimoto's son, Ujizane Imagawa, though this was not in the game.
She wields a dakyu stick and balls as ammo.
- Action Girl: She actively participates in her family's battle.
- An Ice Person: She can throw ice balls at foes which explode into more ice.
- Arranged Marriage: Averted in the game as the marriage is never mentioned. Historically, she has Arranged Marriage with Yoshimoto Imagawa's son, Ujizane.
- Carry a Big Stick: Uses a dakyu stick in battle.
- Cool Big Sis: To the youngsters of the Hojo clan.
- Hime Cut: Her hairstyle in 4.
- Hollywood Old: Looks like a girl in her late teens but she's supposed to be older than her generic-looking brothers (minus Saburo), who look way too old to be her younger brothers. The Rule of Cute demands it.
- I Know Madden Kombat: Similar to Yoshimoto, her fighting style is influenced by sports.
- Improbable Weapon User: Uses a dakyunote stick alongside elementally-laced balls.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With Kai. Hayakawa is older than Ujimasa who was born in 1538 while Kai was born in 1572.
- The Ojou: Lady of the Hojo Clan.
- Lady of War: Not only participates in battle, she's also quite elegant.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: More evident in her official artwork for 4.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Kai's red. Bonus points for their respective attires' color.
- The Resenter: Towards Kagekatsu Uesugi, due to his conflict with her brother Saburo (Kagetora Uesugi). She eventually grows out of it by the time of Osaka Campaign. The in-game bio also mentions that she resents the Takeda and disobeys Ujiyasu's deathbed will to renew the alliance with the Takeda since they're responsible for further decline of the Imagawa (her mother and husband's family), so she went to the Tokugawa instead.
- Ship Tease: In Warriors Orochi 4, she has a good friendship with Xiahou Ba because she saved his life. In return, Xiahou Ba aids her in confronting her father who is on Nobunaga's side at that time. Later, Xiahou Yuan thanks Hayakawa for helping his son.
- Shorter Means Smarter: She is wiser than Kai. She is also shorter than the latter.
- Sibling Team: With her brothers, as well as Kai. Kai may not be part of the Hojo clan by blood but Hayakawa makes it clear that she considers Kai a sister.
- Spared By Adaptation: Historically, Hayakawa died in 1613 and yet in the game itself, she participated in the Siege of Osaka which is set in 1615.
- Token Wholesome: She wears pretty modest clothing, compared to many other females.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to Kai's tomboy.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Ujiyasu is more rugged than ugly, but comparing Hayakawa and Saburo to him, one would rightfully ask what their mother looks like.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Hayakawa is soft-spoken, has a rather soft fighting style (with a game-like theme), loyal, kind-hearted, and will definitely not take crap from anyone daring to attack her home.
- You Monster!: If using Ieyasu in Odawara in 4 (not 4-II), Hayakawa will be horrified at Ieyasu's ruthless dedication to bringing peace no matter the cost, calling him a heartless monster.
Takakage Kobayakawa
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Okamoto (Japanese)
Born: 1533
Died: July 26, 1597
The third biological son of Motonari Mori who was adopted into the Kobayakawa clan. He eventually became the adoptive father of Hideaki Kobayakawa.
He fights with a longsword in tandem with a book.
- Absurdly Youthful Father: Well, uncle, as he looks way younger than his NPC nephew Terumoto. This does get rectified in 5, where Terumoto looks much younger.
- Ascended Extra: If you play Motonari's story in SW3, you may notice he occasionally appears as an NPC.
- Badass Bookworm: To the point that he seems to have trouble surviving without anything to read, which is often Played for Laughs. His strongest weapon even turns his sword into a giant pen.
- Brainy Brunette: Light brown hair, and unsurprisingly inherits his father's wisdom.
- Blow You Away: Many of his combos end with him blasting opponents with a spray wind.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: He refuses to abandon civilians in the middle of combat and prioritizes saving his men. Kanbei and Hanbei consider him very naive at first but they admire how his strategies managed to overcome them.
- Cool Uncle: He plays the wise supporter to his nephew Terumoto in his expansion story.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Though not as much as Ranmaru or Lu Xun of Dynasty Warriors, he still looks very young and girlish.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: He uses a sword as his weapon. Also, he is the main character of the Chugoku story who eventually becomes the leader of the Kobayakawa clan.
- Idiot Hair: Oddly enough, since he's very intelligent.
- Power Trio: Aside from being the smartest of Motonari's children, there are his other two generic older brothers (Takamoto and Motoharu). Historically, Takakage was often paired with his brother Motoharu.
- Older Than He Looks: Despite his looks, Takakage is actually one of the older characters in the cast. He is older than the Three Unifiers, Tadakatsu, and Yoshihiro. It seems that Takakage is made to look young relative to his father, Motonari, who is the oldest character in the game, yet has a boyish face regardless of his graying hair (and before Takakage was introduced, Motonari actually did have black hair). Lampshaded in one of the DLC stages:Ina: Let's unite to fight against our fathers!Takakage: You know that I'm older than your father right?note
- Paper Master: Some attacks have him assault enemies with the pages of his book.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: In his story in the expansion, he reveals to Kanbei that he suffers from an inferiority complex, and that the reason he can come up with a good strategy is because his father was around, giving him a form of confidence.
Kojūrō Katakura
- Voiced by: Ryota Takeuchi (Japanese), Ian Moore (English 2015 Anime)
Born: 1557
Died: December 4, 1615
Real name Kagetsuna Katakura, he is a chief retainer of the Date clan, being the Number Two of Masamune.
Fights with an arm-mounted buckler storing a serrated sword, as well as throwing daggers and a pistol.
- Ascended Extra: He was actually a reoccurring officer who was the Only Sane Man with Masamune 1, who was a child. After having his role reduced further for two games (and garnering a lot of popularity due to his Sengoku Basara counterpart), he finally became playable in the fourth game.
- Battle Butler: To Masamune.
- Blind Without 'Em: Enough so that Aya manages to keep him on a firm leash simply by snatching his glasses away whenever he gets too uppity.
- Deadpan Snarker: Despite his unwavering loyalty to Masamune, he's not above the occasional quip about his lord's impulsive nature.
- The Dragon: Counts as this to enemies of Masamune and the Date clan.
- Guile Hero: One of his best talents is to instigate infighting, confusion, and panic among the enemy's ranks. So, even if it doesn't cause them to betray their allies and fight each other, it will still cause them to be afraid of Kojuro because how smart he can be to trick them regardless.
- Heroic Sacrifice: At the end of his story mode, he is already stricken with age and sickness, but is still willingly to secure the Date family by taking part in the Osaka Campaign. Having defeated Yukimura and secured the Date clan, Kojūrō takes off his glasses and runs toward the bleak battlefield knowing that it means his demise.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: He carries a buckler on his left arm, which serves as both a sheathe for his sword and pistol as well as an Arm Cannon. The function of the shield in-game brings to mind the medieval lantern shield.note
- The Lancer: The calmer, more stoic counterpart to Masamune's brashness.
- Legacy Character: Like Magoichi, 'Kojuro' is a title that is passed down throughout his clan.
- Mythology Gag: In Hyakuman-nin, Kojuro was usually seen with a flute. He has a different design as a playable character, but the flute stays in his repertoire.
- Older Sidekick: The decade older companion of Masamune.
- Older Than He Looks: Yeah, he's about 10 years older than Masamune.
- Sitcom Archnemesis: If he encounters Aya, chances are, things will devolve into both of them snarking at each other antagonistically.
- Swiss-Army Weapon: Kojuro's shield contains a sword, a pistol, who-knows-how-many knives, and an arm cannon.
- The Strategist: Enough that a number of his foes learn to fear him.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: One of the tallest and most handsome men of the cast.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Gets in a snarky comment every now and again about Masamune's recklessness.
- Walking Armory: As well as his rapier, Kojuro carries throwing knives, a pistol, a flute, and what seems to be a laser cannon.
- Undying Loyalty: To Masamune and the Date Clan in general. Emphasized in "undying" where he's even willing to take the bullet from the Toyotomi Army's riflemen for his young lord. He's not dead at the time, thankfully.
Toyohisa Shimazu
- Voiced by: Shunzou Miyasaka (Japanese)
Born: July 1570
Died: October 21, 1600
Yoshihisa and Yoshihiro's famous nephew who fought alongside the latter in Sekigahara, where he performed a Heroic Sacrifice to save Yoshihiro.
Wields a massive poleaxe as his weapon.
- Animal Motif: Acts rather puppy-like, to the point where Ginchiyo comments on it.
- Ascended Extra: He is a slightly unique-looking Shimazu general in the game he was an NPC, and it takes the fourth game to make him playable, unless you count his generic appearance in Samurai Warriors 2: Empires, where he wields a naginata.
- Badass Family: Member of the Shimazu clan.
- Cool Helmet: A horned helmet given by Yoshihiro.
- Duel to the Death: Near the end of his story mode in 4-II, he ended up dueling Naomasa after letting Yoshihiro escape. The duel ends with both of them falling onto the ground but it was Naomasa who stood up and later on Toyohisa dies on the ground, having succumbed to his wounds.
- Heroic Build: Just look at those rippling muscles!
- Heroic Sacrifice: He does it with style in 4, first he covers Yoshihiro's tracks, and bravely ate Naotora's dive kick to the face, only to shoot her, and then dying after Tadakatsu slashed him with Tombo-giri point blank. By that point, Yoshihiro is already safe.
- Hotblooded: Many cutscenes in 4 show him as this.
- Kiai: Yes! He, too, has a tendency to shout "CHESUTOOOOOOOOO!".
- Kind Hearted Cat Lover: Just like his uncle!
- Leeroy Jenkins: His Establishing Character Moment in 4 has him rush into battle with both Ginchiyo and Muneshige at the same time. Predictably, it doesn't go too well. When his uncle scolds him for his recklessness (after literally dragging him to safety), Toyohisa says that he would gladly lay down his life to bring victory to the Shimazu; Yoshihiro counters that you only get to sacrifice yourself once, and he should save it for the right time.
- Mask Power: Just like his other uncle Yoshihisa. Note that this generic design is somewhat exclusive for the Shimazu clan and some of their retainers. He trades it for a horned helmet when he becomes playable.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: He is the Red Oni to his uncle's Blue Oni. Toyohisa is over-confident, reckless, impulsive, and emotional compared to his calmer, more experienced and thoughtful elder. In 4-II, he's once again the Red Oni to... the Red Devil Naomasa Ii.
- The Rival: 4-II's story about him is about his rivalry with Naomasa Ii, who doesn't seem to take this 'rivalry' seriously, but in the end admits him as a Worthy Opponent.
- True Companions: Seemingly one for his uncle, Yoshihiro, especially in the old man's ending for 2.
- Weapon Across the Shoulder: How he carries his axe.
Koshōshō
- Voiced by: Ryōko Shiraishi (Japanese)
Born: (Unknown)
Died: (Unknown)
Was historically Motochika's concubine, though this is not referenced in the games. In Samurai Warriors 4, Koshōshō is downright antagonistic to Motochika at first, manipulating men to bar him from unifying Shikoku so she could claim it for herself.
In combat, she makes use of a cloth Hagoromo.
- Cloth Fu: She's using her sleeves and clothes to fight.
- Dark Action Girl: The second bad girl character in the series, preceded only by Nō.
- Composite Character: She took the role of Hideyori's mom Chacha at Osaka Castle in 4.
- Disco: She has something of a disco theme going for her, including summoning spotlights as well as her hairstyle. Her official artwork in the fourth game even has her doing the Saturday Night Fever pose.
- Femme Fatale: Her modus operandi, albeit in a rather different way than Nō.
- Hidden Depths: Although she may seem nonchalant about her unluckiness at first, she has recurring nightmares about disasters befalling the people important to her and them leaving her.
- Honorary Aunt: Sort-of becoming one for Gracia in 4-II.
- Imagine Spot: At the end of her story mode in 4-II, it turns out that Koshosho is just imagining Magoichi on her side which also means that he did died in Honnoji and she had a hard time dealing with his death. When Magoichi disappears, it means that she finally let go of him and moved on.
- The Jinx: Terrible things happen to everyone who gets close to her, earning her the title of "the Maid of Misfortune".
- Light 'em Up: She can summon disco lights to blast her enemies.
- Long-Lived: She first participated in the Miyoshi clan's fight against Nobunaga and live all the way up to the Siege of Osaka.
- Magical Floating Shawl: Koshōshō can manipulate her floating shawl to make it move at high speeds and hit her opponents with it, and she can even make it float above her so she can swing around with it, slamming herself into her foes.
- Manipulative Bitch: Her appearance in various stages in story mode for 4 has her influencing several men like the Miyoshi clan to fight against the likes of Nobunaga.
- Metronomic Man Mashing: Her Finishing Move involves entangling the target with her scarf, then repeatedly slamming them into the ground.
- Mrs. Robinson: Material source mentions that she's supposedly much older than Motochika.
- Ms. Fanservice: Considering her nature, this is probably intentional to makes her easier in manipulate people.
- Older Than He Looks: She might look like a young woman, but she's historically about two decades older than Motochika.
- Parasol of Prettiness: Tends to use a parasol in cutscenes.
- Parental Substitute:
- Ironically, in 4 and 4-II, she's probably the closest woman Gracia has as a maternal figure.
- She also seems to take parental role for Hideyori Toyotomi, whom she calls "Little Hideyori".
- Petal Power: Her Musous shower her enemies with magic pink petals.
- Platonic Life-Partners: Unlike what she did to other men before meeting with Motochika, Koshoōshoō actually began to be genuinely fascinated with Motochika due to his rebellious spirit. So, she sticks and remains loyal to him for the rest of his life.
- Playboy Bunny: Her DLC outfit for 4.
- Pretty Princess Powerhouse: Well, she certainly tries to be one while plotting to take over Shikoku. She's failed, however, but she chooses to stay with Motochika after being spared, and thus remains loyal to him for the rest of his life.
- Really Gets Around: Folklore states she was married often and the concubine of many males during her time.
- Rose-Haired Sweetie: The "sweet" part of the trope's usual example is quite invoked by herself, to say the least.
- Skinship Grope: Briefly touches Naotora's... private parts in the opening scene (a Furo Scene, no less) for Gracia's expanded storyline for 4-II.
- Stripperific: Not as blatant as Nō, but it still exposes much of her skin.
- Supermodel Strut: To denote her as a Femme Fatale, she often moves with a seductive sashay that has her arms, hips, and legs swaying from side to side, both in gameplay and in cutscenes. Especially during some of her combos and her Musou attack, where it's very obvious as she strolls forward with her hand posed on her hip.
Kagekatsu Ueseugi
- Voiced by: Ryota Takeuchi (Japanese)
Born: January 8, 1556
Died: April 19, 1623
Kenshin's nephew and biological son of Aya. He is one of the council of Five Regents, and led the Uesugi against the Eastern Army in Sekigahara.
Kagekatsu wields but two gigantic serrated cleavers in combat.
- Chainsaw Good: His ultimate weapon resembles a pair of massive chainsaws.
- Dual Wielding BFS: Yup! He dual-wields BFS! The swords alone are almost as big as he is, but they can even unfold to increase the reach.
- Face of a Thug: Just look at his picture.
- Gentle Giant: Looks scary, but is actually kind-hearted.
- Happily Adopted: By Kenshin, after his biological father's death.
- Not So Stoic: when Kagetora died, Kagekatsu let out Skyward Scream.
- Only Sane Man: He had to put up with his mother and Kojuro Katakura's bickering to each other and in the DLC of 4-II, he’s perplexed on why he ended up in Magoichi’s group of rejected men.
- Perpetual Frowner: He very rarely, if ever, smiles.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The manly man to Kagetora's sensitive guy.
- Serrated Blade of Pain: His swords are humongous and have serrated edges, kinda like saws.
- Sibling Rivalry: with Kagetora, especially after their adoptive father's death.
- The Stoic: He's a man of few words and is said to have his speeches covered with mostly just battle grunts.
- The Unfavorite: He seems to have vibes of this as Kenshin and Aya pampered Kagetora. However, eventually subverted, as he first learns to act like a big brother to Kagetora, and realized in the end that Kenshin and Aya already trusted him enough to work on his own without support, which is why he has no qualms for Aya siding with Kagetora during the succession battle.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: He wants to make Kenshin and Aya proud, and is troubled when they appear to favor Kagetora.
Introduced in 4-II
Naomasa Ii
- Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), John Burgmeier (English 2015 Anime) Nils Kreutinger (German 2015 Anime)
Born: 1561
Died: 1602
The adopted son of Naotora, and head of the Ii clan after her passing. One of the Tokugawa's most feared generals, the distinctive red armor worn by him and his men earned him the moniker "Red Devil".
Naomasa fights with a long-bladed glaive.
- Affectionate Nickname: His mother Naotora still tends to call him Toramatsu, his childhood nickname, to his displeasure.
- Ascended Extra: He appears as a generic officer throughout the series, especially in Chronicle 2nd and 4 due to his relation to Naotora.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: With Tadakatsu in several of the trailers and in his ending.
- Badass Crew: One of the Four Guardians of Tokugawa, led by Tadakatsu.
- Badass Family: Alongside his adoptive mother Naotora.
- Catchphrase: "This is no good, this is no good at all". Naotora explains he picked it up from a childhood spent accompanying her at court; her lords would respond to her suggestions with "This is no good", and Naomasa would respond with "This is no good at all" in her defense, and he grew up to use both halves of the phrase. It's subtitled inconsistently in cutscenes, mostly because he can mumble it out pretty quicklynote and it would obviously not match what was said.
- Character Development: His story mode has him learning how to stop being an hot-blooded glory hound who puts himself in unnecessary danger and how to actually work with his partners and deal with the enemy appropriately for the sake of the clan.
- The Comically Serious: Naomasa is this whenever he has to deal with another Hot-Blooded characters. A bit of Hypocritical Humor since he's Hot-Blooded himself. For example, he's nothing more than annoyed when Toyohisa out of nowhere suggests they should fight together, and that he considers Naomasa as his rival, something that initially wasn't mutual on Naomasa's partnote . In Spirit of Sanada, he's immediately offended with Sasuke's lack of respect and contemplating to kill him for addressing Ieyasu as 'big guy', while Tadakatsu is only stunned in Visible Silence, Hanzo only boils himself in Tranquil Fury before privately scolding Sasuke about it, and Ieyasu himself can't help but feel amused.
- Diving Kick: The finisher of his Rage Musou attack, in a fashion that is a dead ringer for a Rider Kick.
- Duel to the Death: He ends up dueling Toyohisa at the end of the latter's story mode. They both fell into the ground but it was Toyohisa who dies while Naomasa stood up albeit injured with a possibility that he may ended up succumbing from his wounds just like his historical counterpart.
- Establishing Character Moment: His introductory cutscene has him dive-kicking a Takeda Cavalrymen off of his horse to defend his lord Ieyasu, as his theme music starts playing.
- Friendly Rival: Eventually with Toyohisa, though at first Naomasa is mostly just confused by Toyohisa immediately declaring them rivals.
- Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Starts his Limit Break with one.
- Happily Adopted: Although he can be a bit rebellious at times, Naomasa and his adoptive mother Naotora seem to have a very caring and loving relationship.
- Hot-Blooded: He's very serious about proving his loyalty to the Tokugawa, to the point others accuse him of being a greenhorn glory hog. He cools off as his story progresses, though his warrior spirit remains very much on display.
- Law of Chromatic Superiority: He and his men wear red armor to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies, as red is the most psychologically reactive color. This was inspired by Yamagata Masakage who did the same thing.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Has this tendency in the first few battles during his Story Mode chapter. He overcomes it after some Character Development and a lot of scolding from Tadakatsu.
- Leitmotif: His theme, titled Belief.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Anyone named the "Red Devil" is not someone to be trifled with.
- New Meat: Starts off this way during his story, as Naomasa's first few battles show his very aggressive tendency to charge forward alone to prove himself. This causes friction between him and many of the other older Tokugawa officers who look down on him as a rookie who's always getting into trouble. Fortunately his hot-hotheadedness cools down over the course of his story as he learns to work with his fellow officers (especially Tadakatsu), earning their respect and being recognized for the fiercely skilled warrior that he is.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: He launches a flurry of fist strikes during his triangle finisher. Well, considering who voices him, it might give an Actor Allusion of him doing Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken
- Red Baron: "Red Devil", as he did historically.
- Red Ones Go Faster: His unit was so fast, they achieved first blood at Sekigahara.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Visual Pun aside, he's the red to Tadakatsu's blue. Ironically, he becomes the blue oni to Toyohisa's red in the latter's story mode.
- The Rival: Shimazu immediately declares Naomasa to be his after the Seige of Odawara. Of course, in Naomasa's story mode, the battle after that is Sekigahara, so...
- Spin Attack: His moveset consists of A LOT of acrobatic flips and spins.
- Undying Loyalty: To the Tokugawa clan. Even his reckless actions are for the benefit of the Tokugawa.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Tadakatsu never get around to addressing each other with the respect they actually feel, but actions speak louder than words.
Introduced in Spirit of Sanada
Masayuki Sanada
- Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese)
Born: 1547
Died: July 13, 1611
Daimyo of Ueda and father of Yukimura and Nobuyuki. He was also a retainer of Takeda clan before Takeda's downfall. He is famously known for leading his army in defeating Tokugawa army led by Hidetada Tokugawa during the Defense of Ueda thanks to his brilliant strategies. Despite his brilliance, he is also known for not actively expanding territories just like the other daimyo.
Masayuki wields an ax-spear with the banner of the Sanada's Six Coins.
- Artistic Age: Masayuki was actually younger than Katsuyori by one year. This is likely because Masayuki would outlive Katsuyori and die years later, similarly to how Kanbei Kuroda is portrayed as older than Hanbei Takenaka, despite being the latter's apprentice, due to dying much later than his master.
- Action Dad: Father of Yukimura and Nobuyuki, and quite active in defending their land.
- Badass Family: If you wonder how the Sanada Clan got two badass brothers, you can thank this guy for his badass genes.
- Blow You Away: Several of his combos involve wind, one even summons a tornado.
- Characterization Marches On:
- Before 4, Masayuki was a generic old soldier. In 4, he's portrayed as a cunning, guile, and sharp-tongued strategist. One dialogue has him openly mocks Hidetada as Ieyasu's Sucksessor, and if you approach him in the Second Ueda Battle (for Tokugawa's side) after the game specifically instructs you to escort Hidetada to retreat point, he will taunt you about how you want to avenge your forces' loss by defeating him.
- As a playable character in Spirit of Sanada, Masayuki is calm, calculated, stoic, and is always thinking for the best for his clan.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Masayuki may swear loyalty to one side, but as long as the Sanada survive and thrive, he may as well swear loyalty to the opposing side.
- Cool Old Guy: His generic design is usually an older officer, and he is one of the best daimyo of his era.
- Decoy Protagonist: Invoked in Spirit of Sanada. In the beginning, he's the only controllable player character for all the time (sans child Yukimura outside battle), while other characters like Shingen, Katsuyori, and Sakon are only available in battle; giving the impression that Masayuki is the main protagonist. But of course, it remains Foregone Conclusion that he eventually would die of Plotline Death and the protagonist role is fully transferred to Yukimura.
- Establishing Character Moment: His first scene which he shared with Katsuyori establishes both of them as Hypercompetent Sidekick and (eventual) Sucksessor, respectively; where Katsuyori clumsily thinks a foggy sky is a good weather while Masayuki correctly thinks that it's a bad sign, as foggy weather can be used for ambush.
- Insistent Terminology: Repeatedly calls Mitsunari "boy" to put him in his place.
- The Lancer: To Katsuyori until Takeda's downfall, which is also an example of Hypercompetent Sidekick. During Odawara Campaign, he becomes this to Maeda Toshiie, who becomes emotionally conflicted during Battle of Hachioji Castle.
- My Greatest Failure: Masayuki would end up blaming himself for Katsuyori's death for the rest of his life.
- Not So Stoic: Has an emotional breakdown after learning of Katsuyori's death.
- Pragmatic Hero: By his own admission to Kanetsugu, he's not very idealistic. He also makes no secret about how annoyed he is at Kanetsugu's concept of "righteousness". In addition, Masayuki has a habit to change sides like he changes clothes, but all of them are seen by him as the best way to ensure the Sanada's survival.
- The Strategist: Arguably one of the best of the Sengoku era.
- You Are in Command Now: Becomes the head of Sanada Clan after his two older brothers died in Nagashino.
Chacha
- Voiced by: Marika Kouno (Japanese)
Born: 1569
Died: June 4, 1615
Otherwise known as Lady Yodo, she's the eldest daughter of Azai Nagamasa and Oichi. After her parents' death, she came under the protection of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eventually becoming one of his concubines and bore him his heir Hideyori. They made a last stand together in Osaka from Tokugawa Ieyasu's siege, and she eventually committed seppuku with her son.
When playable she fights with a hairpin.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Unlike in history, Chacha didn't became Hideyoshi's concubine in Spirit of Sanada. This makes her son, Hideyori, non-existent despite appearing in the past games as one of the important commanders in the Siege of Osaka Castle.
- Adaptational Heroism: Chacha's unique debut in Koei's games isn't exactly this game, but an Ace Attorney-like game Saihai no Yukue where Chacha turns out to be The Woman Behind Ieyasu And Sekigahara, driven by vengeance to ruin Hideyoshi's legacy just like he ruined her parents, and was left in a Cruel Mercy by Ishida Mitsunari to later die at the Siege of Osaka. In her next Koei game debut, Chacha is decidedly more heroic and tragic.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Gracia was her only real friend while growing up, so she lays down her life to protect Gracia several times as an adult.
- Childhood Friends:
- With Gracia, who is the only character in the game that is allowed to address Chacha without honorific.
- And a brief but eventful one with Yukimura.
- Composite Character:
- Since she never becomes Hideyoshi's concubine, Hideyori didn't exist in Spirit of Sanada and Chacha took Hideyori's role as the last leader of Toyotomi.
- She can also be considered one to Akihime, Yoshitsugu Otani's daughter and one of Yukimura's wives in history, since she has close relationship with Yoshitsugu (her late father's former retainer) and Yukimura (her bodyguard).
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Her unfortunate upbringing leads her to shield herself with an air of inhospitality and pushes others away. However, her encounter with Yukimura and his comrades opens up her heart...
- Establishing Character Moment: Brushing Hideyoshi off when he tries to pull her and Oichi to safety and instead continues to watch her father's castle burn with him still inside. Note that she's still a child when she does this.
- Face Death with Dignity: She accepts her fate after the Toyotomi lost and stays in the burning Osaka Castle, mirroring how her parents both died.
- Foil: To Gracia as her own cynical, world-weary experiences contrast Gracia's ideals and naivete.
- Implied Love Interest: She's the closest thing for Yukimura as love interest, given that how devoted he is to her even after she tries to make him leave Osaka to save himself.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Downplayed with Gracia, who historically was 6 years older than Chacha. Amusingly, Chacha is the more mature of the two.
- Lady and Knight: Just like her mom was the Lady while her dad was the Knight, Chacha is the Lady to Yukimura's Knight in Spirit of Sanada.
- Mukokuseki: Considering her birth father was Nagamasa, who's blond here, Chacha inherited his hair color.
- Plot-Relevant Age-Up: Transitioning from childhood to adulthood in the game's second arc. Unlike the game's male characters, her Beauty Is Never Tarnished and she's never portrayed any older even in the third arc.
- She's Just Hiding: In-Universe, what the epilogue of The Spirit of Sanada implies for her and Yukimura.
- She Is All Grown Up: Grows from a cute kid to a beautiful lady.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Despite having a chance of victory in the Osaka Winter Campaign, the sight of Osaka Castle being set on fire by Hidetada's cannons causes her traumatic childhood memories to surface and she surrenders, leaving the Toyotomi with a huge disadvantage for the next battle due to Osaka castle being gutted and its moats filled as part of the peace accord.
- Sheltered Aristocrat: True to history, Chacha spent most of her life as a sheltered and privileged aristocrat. In the game, this is reflected at how many characters address and treat her in reverence.
- Tsundere: Type A towards Yukimura, especially as a kid, but he can see that she's genuinely a kind person.
- Vengeance Feels Empty: While she was not actively plotting revenge against Hideyoshi for being responsible for the death of her mother, she stated she could never forgive him and secretly wished for his death. After he does actually die, she begins to reconsider.
- Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Got this reaction from Masanori, the most outspoken man among Hideyoshi's retainers, due to her cold attitude. Mitsunari had this on her, too, but he's not as vocal as Masanori about it.
- When She Smiles: Hideyoshi makes sure to point this out when he witnesses it.
Sasuke
- Voiced by: Yohei Azakami (Japanese)
Better known as Sarutobi Sasuke, he is one of the Sanada Ten Braves, loyal ninjas serving Yukimura (in spite of the existence of Kunoichi). In this continuity, however, Sasuke used to be a disciple of Hattori Hanzō, without his surname.
Sasuke employs gauntlet-mounted blades.
- Becoming the Mask: Initially spying on the Sanada for Hanzo. But ultimately he feels true loyalty to Yukimura.
- Catchphrase: "Hai, hai." is his way to confirm things or say "Yes", reflecting his sarcastic, snarky attitude.
- Chekhov's Gunman: In the Battle of Mikatagahara in Spirit of Sanada, there's an unnamed Ninja Master accompanying Hanzo and after being killed by the player, his last words are a plead for Hanzo to take care of his son. This faceless mook turns out to be Sasuke's father, since later Sasuke tells Masayuki that his parents were killed at Mikatagahara and Hanzo's second biography mentions that he's friends with Sasuke's parents. Whether his mother was one of the many female ninja mooks at Mikatagahara or not is unclear, however.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Between Hanzo and Yukimura. Ultimately he chooses Yukimura, the first person who considers him family. Unfortunately to Hanzo, he's too stoic to tell Sasuke that he's like a son to him.
- Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes, such as when he describes Chacha as "barrel of laughs".
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Not as much as Ranmaru but at first glance, you could mistake him for a girl. Even his stance is feminine.
- Establishing Character Moment: As if to tell you he's a good guy despite starting his career as protege of Hanzo (who's always been the Sanada's enemy since the first game), he's introduced by saving Yukimura and Chacha from ruthless Akechi soldiers who Would Hurt a Child.
- Everyone Has Standards: He expresses disgust towards Akechi soldiers who attacked innocent children and women.
- Generation Xerox: Like mentioned above, his father (and maybe his mother as well) was also a ninja, albeit unnamed Elite Mook one.
- Ninja: Of course.
- Not Allowed to Grow Up: Like Kunoichi, he never ages in Spirit of Sanada, considering that he first met Yukimura and Chacha when they were kids.
- Only One Name: His more famous surname 'Sarutobi' is omitted due to his new origin of starting out as Hanzo's disciple.
- The Rival: Tends to team up with Kunoichi and serves as this for her.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: His ninja garb is sleeveless.
- Surpassed the Teacher: Subverted. He and Hanzo deliver a Mutual Kill to each other in the final chapter of The Spirit of Sanada.
- Tsundere: Type A. He's often annoyed or mildly angered every time Kunoichi or Nene tease him.
- Vocal Dissonance: He has a deep voice, despite his youthful and somewhat-feminine looks.
- Wolverine Claws: His weapon is a pair of gauntlets with single blades that curve over the back of his hands.
Katsuyori Takeda
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Okamoto (Japanese)
Born: 1546
Died: April 3, 1582
Shingen's son and successor, while well-meaning, proved to be less than capable in war and ended up leading the Takeda clan to ruin by the fatal defeat at Nagashino.
- Artistic Age: Katsuyori was actually one year older than Masayuki, despite looking much younger than him. This is likely because Katsuyori historically died when he was 36, while Masayuki outlives him and died many years later.
- Berserk Button: Really doesn't take well on betrayal. For example in Nobunaga's SW2 story, he is immediately enraged upon seeing Oyamada Nobushige, who surrendered to Oda after Takeda's loss in Nagashino, and charged out of Ueda Castle, unwittingly ruins Masayuki's plan who advised him to keep defending inside the castle for some time. In Spirit of Sanada, the reason he attacked Nagashino Castle because the castle chamberlain defected to the Oda.
- Friend to All Children: He's very friendly to young Yukimura and Nobuyuki.
- General Failure: His loss in Nagashino brought an end to the Takeda clan.
- Genre Blindness: Ordering an all-out cavalry attack when in front of you there are batallions of riflemen behind barricaded fences is certainly not a wise idea.
- Hot-Blooded: As opposed with his father's calm, collected, and cunning traits. Sakon lampshades this during Shingen's version of Nagashino.
- Leeroy Jenkins: See Berserk Button above, when he unwittingly ruins Masayuki's plan.
- My God, What Have I Done?: In Spirit of Sanada, he's plagued by guilt after his stubbornness to fight the Oda and Tokugawa in Nagashino ended up with many deaths of Takeda's key retainers, including Masayuki's two older brothers.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Prior to being playable, he has slightly unique design in 4 where he inherits and wears his father's white fur headpiece.
- Sucksessor: Even becoming playable and more sympathetic characterization don't save Katsuyori from becoming this. After Nagashino, the game take many jabs at his incapabilities, including and up to many Sanada retainers start questioning if they should sever ties with the Takeda who's no longer powerful clan under Katsuyori's terrible leadership. Poor guy.
Hidetada Tokugawa
- Voiced by: Shota Ebina (Japanese 2015 Anime), Yusuke Handa (Japanase Spirit of Sanada), Tyler Walker (English 2015 Anime), Dieter Maise (German 2015 Anime)
Born: May 2, 1579
Died: March 14, 1632
Ieyasu's son and the second Tokugawa shogun. Formerly his favorite son, their relations were strained when he was stalled by the Sanada in Ueda Castle during the battle of Sekigahara.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: He's certainly prettier than how last time he was a plump Gonk...
- Adaptational Wimp: Historically a very capable administrator, he strengthened the national economy by developing domestic trades, and he also strengthened the Tokugawa hold on power by improving relations with the Imperial court. In the anime and 4-II, he's portrayed a fat, whining guy who had hard time living up the Tokugawa name. Fortunately, this is averted in Spirit of Sanada where he proved to be capable.
- Big Damn Heroes: When his father is planning to execute Masayuki and Yukimura for switching to the Western army and rejecting Nobuyuki's pleas for clemency, Hidetada steps up in the last minute and tells him that if there's anyone to blame for the siege of Ueda, it should be him, his own son and heir. This forces Ieyasu to change his mind which saves Masayuki and Yukimura from being executed.
- Characterization Marches On: In previous games such as 2, he's still quite a Flat Character who has few Hot-Blooded moments (mostly because his "young" generic design), but he's nevertheless a generic guy. In the anime, see Sucksessor and "Well Done, Son" Guy below. He kept his plump head in 4-II, however, he dialed back his characterization to a more generic guy rather than keeping his ridiculously pathetic self in the anime.
- In Spirit of Sanada he is portrayed as brash but arguably a more sympathetic character than his father, with actions such as help convincing his father to spare Masayuki and Yukimura after Sekigahara and trying to stop Yukimura's final suicidal charge.
- Final Boss: Acts as this in Spirit of Sanada.
- Fire-Forged Friends: He doesn't trust Nobuyuki after Yukimura and Masayuki switched to Mitsunari's side. But he was able to support him when he asked for clemency for his brother and father which led them to become friends. After Yukimura escaped and rejoined the Toyotomi remnants at Osaka, Nobuyuki requests Hidetada to keep Yukimura alive after the end of the battle which he complied but failed after the end of the Osaka siege.
- This even becomes a plot point in the epilogue where it creates rumors that because of his friendship with Nobuyuki, he deliberately lost his battle at Ueda. This leads Nobuyuki to convince him to take the lands of Ueda away from the Sanada, which would publicly denounce the friendship between the two, much to Hidetada's initial objection.
- Gonk: Pre-Spirit of Sanada, he's basically a younger Ieyasu, and a bit plump too. Though his game appearance in 4-II, while keeping him plump-faced, makes his face look less ridiculous.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his impish and bratty mannerisms he cares for his men. In 4-II he prioritizes rescuing Tokugawa forces trapped inside a burning Osaka Castle after Yukimura sets fire to it. He's less of a brat in Spirit of Sanada, though.
- Katanas Are Just Better: His main weapon and yet his musou attack are the same as the generic musou sword attacks for the "Create-a-Warrior" characters.
- Nonstandard Character Design: Like Hideyori, 4-II gives him his anime appearance.
- Sucksessor: Smug as his dad's past self with little of his current charisma and competence. Toned down in Spirit of Sanada, while still clearly no match for Ieyasu, he's much more competent than his past incarnations. Considering that he's just the second in the long line of Tokugawa clan, it's implied that he eventually got better as a shogun, even if he'll never reach the competence of Ieyasu.
- Took a Level in Badass: When compared to his anime appearances, Hidetada certainly looks a lot more competent this time around
, though it probably still won't save him from his defeat at Ueda against Masayuki and Yukimura. - "Well Done, Son" Guy: This is the majority of his motivation to battle. Unfortunately, even in history, he's unable to do so, including being stalled by the Sanada in Ueda Castle to the point of not showing up at Sekigahara. Ieyasu is less than pleased. Though in 4-II, thanks to Nobuyuki's efforts, he managed to not get stalled. But even then, Ieyasu didn't comment about it. In Spirit of Sanada, Ieyasu doesn't show much of his annoyance and still trusts Hidetada at times.
