History UsefulNotes / DateMasamune

** ''Dokuganryū Masamune'' (独眼竜政宗, 1987). Adapted from the novel of the same name by Sohachi Yamaoka. Having been released in the aftermath of the reconstruction of the Zuihoden (which was destroyed in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and rebuilding beginning just around 1979), the series also integrates then-recent archaeological findings about Masamune and the Date clan's holdings. It notably casts his succession drama with his mother and sibling (which ended in the execution of the latter) as instigated by his uncle Mogami Yoshiaki. These days, it is remembered for [[StarMakingRole starring a young]] Creator/KenWatanabe as the adult Masamune.

* A {{Gender Flip}}ped version appears in ''LightNovel/TheAmbitionOfOdaNobuna''. She's a LargeHam BrattyHalfPint here too. Given her youth, she's still going by Bontenmaru and thus the time-traveling Yoshiharu doesn't realize who she is at first.

* '''Date Shigezane''': Masamune's cousin, and considered one of his most powerful retainers, pretty much they and Kojuro form a PowerTrio amongst the Date army. His most noteworthy feature is his [[CoolHelmet helmet that has a centipede ornament on it.]] It is likely that when portrayed in fiction, Shigezane and Kojuro will be the RedOniBlueOni (respectively) supporting Masamune, especially as they did [[TrueCompanions grow up, study and command the clan together]].

* ''[[VideoGame/TotalWarShogun2 Total War: Shogun 2]]'' has him as the starting ''daimyo'' for the Date clan. He lacks any indication of being one-eyed, but he does retain his trademark crescent helmet.

* CoolHelmet: Of all the Japanese ''daimyo'' in the Sengoku period, Masamune had a flashy set of armor that included a kabuto helmet adorned with a large crescent moon.

* ''[[VideoGame/TotalWarShogun2 Total War: Shogun 2]]'' has him as a special general for the Date Clan.

* '''Mogami Yoshiaki''': The daimyo of Mogami clan, usually becoming the chief ally of the Date by the virtue of being Masamune's uncle, being Yoshihime's brother (she has intervened between Mogami-Date territorial disputes a lot before things could get worse), allowing them to respect each other. Perhaps for that, the Mogami escaped being put on the hit-list on Masamune's rampage and they continue to assist the Date throughout Sekigahara, making the Mogami the second most popular of the northern clans (only beaten by the Date), with Yoshiaki as the main face of the clan. They do sometimes run the risk of HistoricalVillainUpgrade in fiction, especially when it is implied Megohime's assassination attempt against her son was also their idea.

* '''Date Shigezane''': Masamune's cousin, and considered one of his most powerful retainers, pretty much they and Kojuro form a PowerTrio amongst the Date army. His most noteworthy feature is his [[CoolHelmet helmet that has a centipede ornament on it.]]

* '''Mogami Yoshiaki''': The daimyo of Mogami clan, usually becoming the chief ally of the Date by the virtue of being Masamune's father-in-law, being Yoshihime's mother and that she intervened their battles a lot before things could get worse, allowing them to respect each other. Perhaps for that, the Mogami escaped being put on the hit-list on Masamune's rampage and they continue to assist the Date throughout Sekigahara, making the Mogami the second most popular of the northern clans (only beaten by the Date), with Yoshiaki as the main face of the clan.

** ''Dokuganryū Masamune'' (独眼竜政宗, 1987). Adapted from the novel of the same name by Sohachi Yamaoka. Having been released in the aftermath of the reconstruction of the Zuihoden (which was destroyed in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and rebuilding beginning just around 1979), the series integrates also integrates then-recent archaeological findings about Masamune and the Date clan's holdings. These days, it is remembered for starring a young Creator/KenWatanabe as the adult Masamune.

** ''Sanada Maru'' (真田丸, 2016) features him in the latter half of the series--just as he surrendered to UsefulNotes/ToyotomiHideyoshi and begin to figure in the rise of the Tokugawa. He outwardly presents himself as a pretty fawning YesMan to Hideyoshi, while secretly admitting his desire to rule Japan for himself (even noting that if only his domains were not too far from Central Japan, he could have done what Nobunaga and Hideyoshi accomplished). He finds [[NotSoDifferent a kindred spirit]] with Nobushige/Yukimura, and has to deal with the fact that [[WorthyOpponent they would almost always be on opposing sides]] from Sekigahara onwards. He is portrayed by Tomoharu Hasegawa.

* Creator/{{NHK}} drama film ''Dokuganryuu Masamune'', starring a young Creator/KenWatanabe. Obviously about Masamune.

* '''UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu''': Masamune's chosen daimyo for alliance during Sekigahara. While most other daimyo didn't trust him for being a WildCard, Ieyasu distrusted him ''less'' than others, and his trust was paid well: Masamune helped him by staving off the Uesugi at Hasedo, contributing in his victory at Sekigahara, and when he was on his deathbed, Masamune read him a poem to calm his passing. See his page for his extensive other details (unrelated to Masamune).

Date [[note]]Also sometimes read Idate; pronounced "dah-teh"[[/note]] Masamune (1567 -1636)is one of the most famous [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod feudal era]] daimyo of Japan. Nicknamed ''Dokuganryuu'' ("[[RedBaron One/Single-Eyed Dragon]]") by later generations, and known for his helmet adorned with a huge crescent moon, he almost single-handedly unified Northern Japan with great ferocity and continued to rule as a political juggernaut for four decades through cunning and insight, especially in regards to foreign trade, Christianity and allegiances. He was an ally of UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu during the Battle of Sekigahara and later during the Siege of Osaka.

Date [[note]]Also sometimes read Idate; pronounced "dah-teh"[[/note]] Masamune is one of the most famous [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod feudal era]] daimyo of Japan. Nicknamed ''Dokuganryuu'' ("[[RedBaron One/Single-Eyed Dragon]]") by later generations, and known for his helmet adorned with a huge crescent moon, he almost single-handedly unified Northern Japan with great ferocity and continued to rule as a political juggernaut for four decades through cunning and insight, especially in regards to foreign trade, Christianity and allegiances. He was an ally of UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu during the Battle of Sekigahara and later during the Siege of Osaka.

* '''UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu''': Masamune's chosen daimyo for alliance during Sekigahara. While most other daimyo didn't trust him for being a WildCard, Ieyasu usually saw through this and continued to trust him anyway, and his trust was paid well: Masamune helped him by staving off the Uesugi at Hasedo, contributing in his victory at Sekigahara, and when he was on his deathbed, Masamune read him a poem to calm his passing. See his page for his extensive other details (unrelated to Masamune).

He kept several Christians under his protection (his favourite daughter may or may not have converted) and encouraged travel to foreign countries, even sending a letter to the Pope trying to establish ties for a potential alliance. He was also greatly interested in cookery and art, and possessed a rather flamboyant taste, leading folk etymology to assign the kanji of his surname to the word ''date'' (approx. "flashy").

His lasting success, along with his unique personality, means Masamune has remained as one of the more popular historical figures in modern Japan.

* '''Megohime''': His wife. Not much is known from her except she's from the Tamura clan and she's usually loyal to him and bore him his children (in spite of the betrayal of Ouchi Sadatsuna related to her and generally the catalyst of Masamune going on a rampage to subjugate the North, her clan included). And for some reason, she's kind of... popular for a woman that does not do much in that era, as far as Date women goes, though it's notable that despite Masamune's really bad luck with women around his clan (especially mother (see above), and aunt (see below)), [[TokenGoodTeammate Mego remained as one of the few women (aside of Katakura Kita) that stayed loyal and loving to Masamune]] despite [[LoveMartyr having reasons to hate him (him crushing her clan, for example)]]. If Megohime is represented in fiction, she's usually taking form of a really young girl, based on just how young she was when she was married to Masamune (he was around 13 by that time, she'd be younger).

* '''Katakura Kagetsuna''': Better known as Katakura Kojuro, this is without a doubt the most well known retainer of Masamune. They were friends since childhood and he often acted the brains behind Masamune, influencing his actions for the good of the clan, including the surrender to Hideyoshi. He's also noteworthy for saving Masamune's butt in his first battle by fooling the enemy by [[IAmSpartacus claiming that he's him]] so the enemy got distracted. [[RedOniBlueOni Usually portrayed as the Blue Oni with Masamune being the Red Oni.]] One of the theories was that he was the man Masamune asked to pluck out his smallpox-ridden eye.

* CulturedBadass: He was into a lot of Western cultures, becoming a patron for Christianity, reading poems for UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu (also on his deathbed) and he was a badass when it comes to the art of war.

Masamune's rampage eventually reached the clan known as Hatakeyama/Nihonmatsu, which he curb-stomped and decided to accept their surrender at cost of them giving up a majority of their lands. The surrender turned out to be staged, when Masamune least expected it, the clan, led by Nihonmatsu Yoshitsugu, took Terumune hostage and demanded Masamune to reverse his clan's misfortunes in exchange of his father. Instead of being a complete DistressedDude screaming for help, Terumune instead just told Masamune to [[SadisticChoice just open fire anyway, killing him along the way.]] Masamune had to comply on that, and as a retribution later, [[DisproportionateRetribution he made sure not just to re-conquer the Nihonmatsu supporters, he'd torture them too, no quarters given anymore.]]

* '''Megohime''': His wife. Not much is known from her except she's from the Tamura clan and she's usually loyal to him and bore him his children (in spite of the betrayal of Ouchi Sadatsuna related to her and generally the catalyst of Masamune going on a rampage to subjugate the North, her clan included). And for some reason, she's kind of... popular for a woman that does not do much in that era, as far as Date women goes, though it's notable that despite Masamune's really bad luck with women around his clan (especially mother (see above), and aunt (see below)), [[TokenGoodTeammate Mego remained as one of the few women that stayed loyal and loving to Masamune]] despite [[LoveMartyr having reasons to hate him (him crushing her clan, for example)]]. If Megohime is represented in fiction, she's usually taking form of a really young girl, based on just how young she was when she was married to Masamune (he was around 13 by that time, she'd be younger).

* '''Megohime''': His wife. Not much is known from her except she's from the Tamura clan and she's usually loyal to him and bore him his children (in spite of the betrayal of Ouchi Sadatsuna related to her and generally the catalyst of Masamune going on a rampage to subjugate the North, her clan included). And for some reason, she's kind of... popular for a woman that does not do much in that era, as far as Date women goes. If Megohime is represented in fiction, she's usually taking form of a really young girl, based on just how young she was when she was married to Masamune (he was around 13 by that time, she'd be younger).

* '''Megohime''': His wife. Not much is known from her except she's from the Tamura clan and she's usually loyal to him and bore him his children (in spite of the betrayal of Ouchi Sadatsuna related to her and generally the catalyst of Masamune going on a rampage to subjugate the North, her clan included). And for some reason, she's kind of... popular for a woman that does not do much in that era, as far as Date women goes.

* Date Terumune: His father, as mentioned above. About one of the few people Masamune respected. Killed via a hostage situation gone wrong, but even Terumune knows that he's better off dead that way and tells Masamune to kill him anyway rather than becoming his son's obstacle for greatness.
* Yoshihime: His mother, and as mentioned, she does not like him, going so far as poisoning him later, then fled to her homeland Mogami (she's the sister of the daimyo Mogami Yoshiaki), though as said, their relationship eventually got better. Most fictions tend to soften this antagonism if they included her, usually making her a WellIntentionedExtremist and overall just flat out avoids making her an EvilMatriarch.
* Mogami Yoshiaki: The daimyo of Mogami clan, usually becoming the chief ally of the Date by the virtue of being Masamune's father-in-law, being Yoshihime's mother and that she intervened their battles a lot before things could get worse, allowing them to respect each other. Perhaps for that, the Mogami escaped being put on the hit-list on Masamune's rampage and they continue to assist the Date throughout Sekigahara, making the Mogami the most famous non-Date northern clan, with Yoshiaki as the main face of the clan.
* Megohime: His wife. Not much is known from her except she's from the Tamura clan (one of the clans that Masamune later crushed) and she's usually loyal to him and bore him his children (in spite of the betrayal of Ouchi Sadatsuna related to her and generally the catalyst of Masamune going on a rampage to subjugate the North). And for some reason, she's kind of... popular for a woman that does not do much in that era, as far as Date women goes.
* Katakura Kagetsuna: Better known as Katakura Kojuro, this is without a doubt the most well known retainer of Masamune. They were friends since childhood and he often acted the brains behind Masamune, influencing his actions for the good of the clan, including the surrender to Hideyoshi. He's also noteworthy for saving Masamune's butt in his first battle by fooling the enemy by [[IAmSpartacus claiming that he's him]] so the enemy got distracted. [[RedOniBlueOni Usually portrayed as the Blue Oni with Masamune being the Red Oni.]]
* Date Shigezane: Masamune's cousin, and considered one of his most powerful retainers, pretty much they and Kojuro form a PowerTrio amongst the Date army. His most noteworthy feature is his [[CoolHelmet helmet that has a centipede ornament on it.]]
* Katakura Kita: Kojuro's big sister. In addition to being highly skilled in warfare and fighting, she was the mentor and foster mother to Date Masamune, as well as the mentor to Kojuro. Without her, Date might have grown up differently when you realize his biological mother was Yoshihime (at her worst)...
* Onamihime: Masamune's aunt, an [[LadyOfWar Onna-musha]], but she continuously antagonized him ever since the death of Terumune, and unlike Yoshihime who got over her dislike to Masamune after just not seeing him for years, Onamihime never got over her hatred. She's finally beaten in Suriagehara, and Masamune showed her mercy by letting her live in Suginome castle, but [[CruelMercy she didn't like it]], so she moved to her other nephew, and she lived through the Battle of Sekigahara, and naturally, the Satake clan got on with UsefulNotes/IshidaMitsunari and the Western Army, while Masamune and the Date clan got on with UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu and the Eastern army, ''exactly'' the perfect scenario for Onamihime who sided with the Satake. But even so, her side lost anyway and [[UnknownRival Masamune didn't even hear about her anymore]], when she died en route to her castle for a more definitive permanent retirement.

* Date Terumune: His father, as mentioned above. About one of the few people Masamune respected.

* Megohime: His wife. Not much is known from her except she's from the Tamura clan (one of the clans that Masamune later crushed) and she's usually loyal to him and bore him his children. And for some reason, she's kind of... popular for a woman that does not do much in that era, as far as Date women goes.

Born Bontenmaru, he married at thirteen, won his first battle at fifteen, and became head of the clan at eighteen, but his [[AbusiveParents mother Yoshihime never approved of him]] since he [[ValuesDissonance lost an eye to smallpox as a child]]. When he came to power, he decided that the Date Clan shouldn't be so submissive and so went on the offensive, conquering the neighboring clans. This ended up sorta biting him in the ass as one of the clans, the Hatakeyama, decided to take his father Terumune hostage to force him to pull his forces back. When Masamune confronted the Hatakeyama, Terumune instead told Masamune to just [[SadisticChoice open fire and kill him along with the Hatakeyama]]. Masamune did so... [[DisproportionateRetribution and then hunted down the rest of those Hatakeyama supporters and tortured them as retribution]].

With his father gone, Masamune continued his conquest, hindered only by a power struggle within his family: his mother, who favored his younger brother Masamichi, allegedly went as far as poisoning him. In the end Masamune killed his brother and disinherited him for seven generations(!) so no descendant of his would be a threat to Masamune's and his heirs' position. Yoshihime fled back to her home and Masamune never saw her again (which apparently did wonders to their relationship, as they seem to have reconciled with time).

Masamune succeeded in unifying the north, but by the time he did so, UsefulNotes/ToyotomiHideyoshi had already risen to power, so Masamune had no choice but to become Hideyoshi's vassal (though he was rather unenthusiastic about it). Under Hideyoshi's banner he took part in in eliminating the Hojo at Odawara and was rewarded, moving to Sendai (in the region ravaged by the 2011 earthquake/tsunami) as his home base and turning it from a small rural community into a prosperous city. He eventually allied with Tokugawa Ieyasu against an aging Hideyoshi, and aided him in seizing power following Hideyoshi's death. It took a long time for him to give up his dream of ruling all Japan, but after he finally realized he had no chance, he was a loyal and steadfast ally. Although considered a WildCard and not really trusted by anyone, Masamune did prove his loyalty and even [[WarriorPoet recited a poem when Ieyasu was on his deathbed]].

* Katakura Kagetsuna: Or better known as Katakura Kojuro, this is without a doubt the most well known retainer of Masamune. They were friends since childhood and he often acted the brains behind Masamune, influencing his actions for the good of the clan, including the surrender to Hideyoshi. He's also noteworthy for saving Masamune's butt in his first battle by fooling the enemy by [[IAmSpartacus claiming that he's him]] so the enemy got distracted. [[RedOniBlueOni Usually portrayed as the Blue Oni with Masamune being the Red Oni.]]

* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' included him in the first game as a BrattyHalfPint who'd interrupt nearly every battle and beat the crap out of both sides. He [[DualWielding DualWields]] two bokkens in that game. From the second game onwards, he got a PlotRelevantAgeUp and now wields a saber in one hand, and two pistols on his side. His focus changed about finding the right time to fulfill his ambition of taking over the land for himself and then making it prosper.

* Katakura Kagetsuna: Or better known as Katakura Kojuro, this is without a doubt the most well known retainer of Masamune, they're pretty much friends since childhood and often acts the brains behind Masamune, influencing his actions for the good of the clan, including the surrender to Hideyoshi. He's also noteworthy of saving Masamune's butt in his first battle by fooling the enemy with [[IAmSpartacus claiming that he's him]] so the enemy gets distracted. [[RedOniBlueOni Usually being portrayed as the Blue Oni with Masamune being the Red Oni.]]

* Katakura Kita: Kojuro's big sister. In addition to being highly skilled in warfare and fighting, she was the mentor and foster mother to Date Masamune, as well as the mentor to Kojuro. So basically without her, Date might have grown up differently when you realize his biological mother was Yoshihime (at her worst)...

* CulturedBadass: He's into a lot of Western cultures, becoming a patron for Christianity, reads poems for UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu (also on his deathbed) and he's a badass when it comes to the art of war.
* EyepatchOfPower: Subverted - he always wears an eyepatch in fictional depictions, but there's no record of him wearing one in real life. In fact, he specifically requested that his portraits be painted with him having ''both'' eyes. The reason for the latter is a bit of ValuesDissonance in the West--in East Asia the body is considered a gift from the parents, and alienating any part of it, even due to reasons beyond one's control, is considered disrespectful. Regardless, even the Japanese later can't help but give him the eyepatch anyway.
* ForeignCultureFetish: He was one of the few Japanese daimyo to embrace Western ideas even going so far as to send a letter to the Pope and launch a globe-trotting expedition. The other most known daimyo to do so was... UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga.
* HandicappedBadass: Losing eyesight in his right eye to smallpox didn't stop from becoming northern Japan's most dominant daimyo and an important ally to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

* RealMenCook: He tends to hold banquets, makes sure they're eloquent to fit his CulturedBadass status... and he cooked the meals himself.

* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' included him in the first game as a BrattyHalfPint who'd interrupt nearly every battle and beat the crap out of both sides. He's DualWielding two bokkens in that game. From the second game onwards, he got a PlotRelevantAgeUp and now wields a saber in one hand, and two pistols on his side. His focus changed about finding the right time to fulfill his ambition of taking over the land for himself and then make it prosper.
** ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'' has a rather interesting take on Masamune. Chronologically, he's a steadfast ally of the Tokugawa, but the Orochi forces trampled the united force of Tokugawa-Date easily, casting doubts that Masamune was capable of uniting Japan, and thus surrenders himself to Orochi, becoming his NumberTwo, as he slowly felt some sort of kinship bond. He continued to act like he's worshipping Orochi while showing that the heroes, humans like them, [[GreyAndGrayMorality were no better than him]] as they chose to prolong the war in the merged realm rather than being at peace, something even the heroes note about making a point. In ''3'', however, once Masamune realized that Orochi's incarnation, Hydra, no longer had the mindset of the Orochi he called friend and instead was a mindless monster bent on destruction (personification of his power), he just called it quits and then joined the good guys ([[spoiler:which, when it was revealed that Orochi's consciousness went to Shuten Doji, who's a good guy, it makes Masamune's allegiance to Orochi seemed less evil as he seems to find kindship on his consciousness that would become Shuten Doji]]). In ''4'', he sticks to the good guys because of the memory reset.
*** Should we also mention, that portrayal of him is voiced by the one and only HotBlooded Creator/NobuyukiHiyama? Ironically, he unlike most hot-blooded men, uses the elder [[UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns "washi"]] pronoun for himself despite his young age.
** This version of Masamune appears as one of the major Warlords of ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest''. Despite still using the "One-Eyed Dragon" moniker, he is instead a Flying-type specialist from the kingdom of Avia.

** This incarnation is famously voiced by Creator/KazuyaNakai, who actually is also famous for voicing two characters/historical figure portrayls in the above franchise ([[Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms Xiahou Dun and Dian Wei]]).
** The Basara version is so popular, that Miyagi prefecture (the area he used to control) used this image on posters encouraging people to vote in local elections.

* ''Anime/BattleGirlsTimeParadox'' give us a {{gender flip}}ped version of Masamune. [[spoiler:Who's actually Hideyoshi's teacher in the present day, Date-sensei its later revealed that Date Masamune is her ancestor and that she and Hideyoshi end up in a world where Date Masamune did not exist for some unknown reason.]]

* Masamune Date is mentioned in ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}'': apparently he was the owner of the "Victory" Orb, required to discover the location of the legendary Orb of Ryuujin. He hid the orb in a small temple.... along with other 99999 fake ones.

* Another {{Gender Flip}}ed version appears in ''Anime/SengokuCollection'', where she got involved with the {{Yakuza}} and is currently on the run from police.

* Masamune appears in ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' for the DownloadableContent titled "Dragon Of The North", serving as the BigBad. Accompanying him are Date Shigezane and Katakura Shige''naga'', who's the second to bear the name Kojuro, the son of Kagetsuna (the usual bearer of the Kojuro title we see everywhere else), who died before the events began. Masamune had a HeelFaceTurn after William beat him and revealed that he saved Shigezane while revealing Maria's manipulation on him; so in the next DLC (featuring UsefulNotes/SanadaYukimura), he became an ally.
* Makes an appearance in ''Toys/SDSengokudenBushinKourinHen'' via Date Masamune Gundam...as a {{Ninja}} rather than a Samurai.

* While Masamune never appeared as a Servant in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', the fourth GUDAGUDA event had him being represented by the swimsuit version of [[UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc Jeanne d'Arc]] [[EvilCounterpart Alter]], who already had a dragon-summoning Noble Phantasm (as well as being referred as 'The Dragon Witch'), and she took on the mantle because [[{{Chuunibyou}} she thought it sounded so cool]], though when pointed out that there's also the famous [[UsefulNotes/UesugiKenshin Dragon of Echigo]], she ridiculed that one as a 'try-hard' (reminder that this event for the most part had the Sengoku Period PlayedForLaughs). Fighting her also involve the default version of Jeanne (in swimsuit) representing Katakura Kojuro, and the child-version of herself in Santa outfit representing his wife Megohime (because they put 'Princess' on her name first).