Line #27 UsefulNotes/TakedaShingen


1	[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/takeda_harunobu.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:1000:"[[Literature/TheArtOfWarSunTzu Be swift as the wind, placid as the forest, raging like fire, immovable as the mountain]]."]]
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4	Takeda Shingen (December 1, 1521 – May 13, 1573) was one of the Big Three of [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod late feudal Japan]], alongside his legendary rival UsefulNotes/UesugiKenshin, and Hojo Ujiyasu. Said to be of unparalleled genius, rivaling [[Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms Zhuge Liang]] as one of history's greatest strategists, Shingen is notable in that he was the first of the two great northern warlords, Kenshin being the other, who made their bid against UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga, only to die under mysterious circumstances before he could properly crush his opponent. His [[RedBaron nickname]] was "Tiger of Kai", [[TigerVersusDragon to contrast with]] Kenshin, the "Dragon of Echigo". His army was also well known for their cavalry units, called the strongest of their time.
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6	He's noted for often being painted with a war fan. This is mostly taken from a story that supposedly took place during the fourth battle of Kawanakajima: Kenshin snuck into Shingen's camp, sword ready to kill him, but then Shingen deflected all his attacks with a nearby fan.
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8	He made his bid to the capital earlier than the rest, in late 1572, and the first to get in his way was none other than UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu, currently an ally of Nobunaga. Shingen trounced Ieyasu pretty badly at the winter battle of Mikatagahara, forcing him to retreat, but Shingen failed to kill him. While continuing the march in the spring, however, Shingen fell ill and eventually died en route (some say that he was sniped by a rifleman when he was by himself and listening to flute music being played from the enemy camp), to be succeeded by his son Katsuyori, who while a good war general, wasn't as capable a daimyo, resulting into a disastrous battle at Nagashino where Nobunaga utilized his muskets to utterly annihilate the otherwise invincible Takeda cavalry. Needless to say, the Takeda [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen fell into ruins after that day]], and Katsuyori eventually committed {{seppuku}} after being cornered into a LastStand. Shingen's death propelled his rival Kenshin to make his own bid for the capital, managing to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge defeat Nobunaga once]] before he also died suddenly.
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10	Aside from his cavalry, intellect, war fan and rivalry with Kenshin, Shingen is also known for inventing the phrase/motto "[[BadassCreed Fuu-Rin-Ka-Zan]]" (風林火山). Borrowed from Creator/SunTzu's ''Literature/{{The Art of War\|SunTzu}}'', it translates to "wind-forest-fire-mountain", which serves for the phrase "swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce like fire, strong like a mountain". There's also some nasty rumors that Shingen kept boiling pots around his camp, probably to punish prisoners of war. Considering the turbulent times, such a degree of ruthlessness was not uncommon.
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12	Such is his legacy that a three-day festival, the Shingen-ko Festival, is held every year on the first or second weekend of April in Japan to celebrate him, which is full of serious, practiced reenactors to depict the Sengoku Period.
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14	----
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16	!!Takeda Shingen in fiction:
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18	!!!AnimeAndManga
19	* As with every other name in Japanese history, [[GenderBender genderflipped]] in ''Anime/BattleGirlsTimeParadox'', where [[LadyLooksLikeADude she's]] PlayingWithFire and [[BlowYouAway Blowing You Away]]. Despite FriendlyEnemy [[TigerVersusDragon Kenshin]] still being featured, it's ''Shingen'' who gets the "Instant awesome, just add dragons" treatment. Don't worry: [[MemeticMutation she's still got]] the god[[Creator/FrankMiller damn]] war fan, though.
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21	!!!Film
22	* Takeda Shingen's death and its aftermath is fictionalized in Creator/AkiraKurosawa's 1980 film ''Film/{{Kagemusha}}'', using the theory that he was fatally shot by a sniper. He (as well as the titular body double impersonating him) is portrayed by longtime Kurosawa veteran Creator/TatsuyaNakadai.
23	* The enemy of Uesugi Kenshin in the 1990 film ''Heaven and Earth'' (not [[Film/HeavenAndEarth that one]]). He is portrayed by Masahiko Tsugawa as a massive LargeHam, to contrast with protagonist Kenshin's TheStoic.
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25	!!!LiveActionTV
26	* The {{Creator/NHK}} Taiga Drama platform will usually involve him in most of its UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod-oriented series. Notable primary appearances include:
27	** ''Takeda Shingen'' (武田信玄, 1988): Notably the last Taiga to air during the Showa period. Covering essentially the whole breadth of Shingen's life. He is portrayed by noted character actor Kiichi Nakai.
28	** ''Furinkazan'' (風林火山, 2007): While still essentially covering the Takeda-Uesugi rivalry, the main protagonist is instead Shingen's strategist Yamamoto Kansuke (portrayed by Masaaki Uchino)--a ronin who eventually finds service under Shingen and helps mold him into the legendary warlord he becomes. The portrayal of Shingen by Ichikawa Kamejiro is a WartsAndAll version: a young heir seeking to surmount his father's disapproval, a maverick warlord slowly becoming DrunkWithPower, then a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who learns from his mistakes. Ironically, the series is probably best remembered for the supporting cast instead, with a) Creator/TatsuyaNakadai (the Shingen of ''{{Film/Kagemusha}}'') [[CastingGag playing Takeda Nobutora]] ([[WellDoneSonGuy Shingen's much-disapproving father]]), Creator/ShinichiChiba as [[MentorOccupationalHazard Shingen's mentor Itagaki Nobukata]], and {{Creator/GACKT}} as Kenshin, whose charismatic screen presence dwarfs even Shingen and Kansuke's storylines.
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30	!!!Toys
31	* ''Franchise/SDGundam BB Senshi'' had a model series titled ''SD Sengokuden Ten to Chi To'', which focused on making Gunpla based on figures in Japanese history. However it only released two models, with one of them being Shingen Gundam. This concept was later revisited in ''Toys/SDSengokudenBushinKourinHen'', which while also short-lived had more models, including Takeda Shingen Gundam.
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33	!!!VideoGames
34	* Leader of the Takeda clan in the videogame ''VideoGame/ShogunTotalWar''
35	* A playable character in the ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' series. As usual, he has his legendary rivalry with Kenshin, and is shown to be a DeadpanSnarker but at the same time a laughable CoolOldGuy who's quite the TechnicalPacifist at heart (he cares more about his men's safety than his plans getting botched). Also there's one historical misinterpretation, in that UsefulNotes/SanadaYukimura is amongst his army. While historically Yukimura never served the Takeda, his predecessors did such as Masayuki, for example (this is actually something they finally got right in ''Samurai Warriors: Sanada-Maru'', by having the young Masayuki being an officer of Takeda while Yukimura is still a child at that era). His weapon? That infamous paper fan of his (and he's quite the [[WrestlerInAllOfUs grappler]] as of the second title), along with [[BlowYouAway a]] [[GreenThumb variety]] [[PlayingWithFire of]] [[DishingOutDirt elemental powers]] at his disposal in nod to his ever so recurring creed. And NO ONE has EVER seen what's underneath that mask of his.
36	** His first Japanese voice actor in those said portrayals is the late [[Creator/DaisukeGori Daisuke Gouri]]; ''Samurai Warriors 3'' was his last voice acting gig before his death. [[Creator/RyuzaburoOtomo Ryuuzaburou Ootomo]] takes over as of the ''Samurai Warriors 3'' expansions.
37	** Shows up as Ground-type nation Terrera's warlord in ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest''. Teamed with Rhyperior [[spoiler:and eventually Groudon]], he's still shown as being Uesugi Kenshin's friendly rival. He's also portrayed as carrying his infamous paper fan.
38	* ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' had Shingen become more-or-less the BigGood, a hugely muscular and HotBlooded old man with a gigantic axe (shaped like his iconic war fan) and, aside from his rivalry with Kenshin, he's epically awesome to a fault ([[RuleOfCool like riding two horses at once, up a vertical wall]]). He also employs Yukimura as his ward, submitting him to TrainingFromHell, and they often enjoy a [[MemeticMutation memetic exchange]] of punches and wrestling moves while yelling each other's names. '''"YUKIMURA!" "OYAKATA-SAMA!" "YUKIMURA!!" "OYAKATA-SAMA!!" "YUKIMURA!!!" "OYAKATA-SAMA!!!"''' (rinse and repeat)
39	** Here, he's portrayed consistently by Creator/TesshoGenda. Also later on, it's revealed that he also employs Yukimura's family members, namely Masayuki and Nobuyuki.
40	** Curiously, for both ''Warriors'' and ''Basara'', it's like Shingen and the Takeda clan are something of a ButtMonkey for games like this. Shingen will always be the sole representative of the Takeda clan, whereas the other people in his ranks will usually be characters from the Sanada clan, like the Sanada is the developer's favorite and always leaving the Takeda and Shingen to look like 'stepping stones' to introduce more Sanada men. Which is quite a pity, because aside of Shingen and Katsuyori, the Takeda clan actually houses several competent and good officers such as Baba Nobuharu/Nobufusa, Yamagata Masakage (the original Red Devil), Naito Masatoyo, Kosaka Masanobu, etc. Also, the first Kunoichi, Mochizuki Chiyome, reportedly was in the service of Shingen. ''Samurai Warriors: Sanada-Maru'' is the first to break this mold even when the game was supposedly about the Sanada clan, by making Katsuyori a unique and playable character.
41	* He's the titular character of the old Creator/{{Jaleco}} arcade game, ''VideoGame/TakedaShingen'', depicted as a warlord fighting assorted enemies tom rule over the land.
42	* In ''VideoGame/OnimushaSoul'', Shingen appears as one of the selectable warlords, but surprisingly he's on the side of the Genma demons, the bad guys. Furthermore, a "demon hunt" (as in: demons hunting for people as if they were game) was mentioned in the second game as being hosted by "Takeda". He's portrayed as a massive manly guy with his typical helmet, mask and signal fan wielded in tandem with a giant broadsword, better contrasting Kenshin, who's a woman in this game.
43	* Appears as a [[http://voltage-inc.wikia.com/wiki/Shingen_Takeda#Samurai_Love_Ballad_Party main character]] in Voltage Inc's historical DatingSim ''Samurai Love Ballad Party'' as a handsome but fiery redhead who has [[spoiler:a strong case of tubercolsis]].
44	* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Shingen gets several mentions in the game, seeing that [[UsefulNotes/UesugiKenshin Nagao Kagetora]], his rival, is included as a Servant, and his kunoichi, Mochizuki Chiyome, is an Assassin-class Servant who mentioned her service under Shingen as one of her portfolios. During the first GUDAGUDA event, he was 'represented' by the Persian hero Darius III as 'Takeda Darius'. (His Noble Phantasm about summoning his stampeding army accompanied by WarElephants was considered a close enough substitute for Shingen's famed Takeda Cavalry.) He's PromotedToPlayable in the GUDAGUDA event at the end of 2023 for the Japanese server as a 5-Star Rider servant to represent his Takeda Cavalry. Unlike Kagetora, he's not subjected to GenderFlip. His voice is provided by Creator/YuichiroUmehara.
45	* In ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'', Shingen possessed Sword of Eden until his death at the hands of his rival UsefulNotes/UesugiKenshin.
46	* In ''VideoGame/SamuraiMaiden'', Takeda Shingen appears as a HistoricalGenderFlip antagonist. Shingen was a man in real life, but a [[https://youtu.be/T-jmdxacY3w promotional trailer]] (jokingly) states that this game is actually the accurate representation of the warlord.
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Context UsefulNotes / TakedaShingen