Japanese historical people in popular culture

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Many significant Japanese historical people appear in works of popular culture such as anime, manga, and video games. This article presents information on references to historical people in such works.

Contents 1 Heian period 1.1 Abe no Seimei 1.2 Minamoto no Yoshitsune 1.3 Saito Musashibō Benkei 1.4 Taira no Kagekiyo 1.5 Taira no Kiyomori 1.6 Tomoe Gozen 2 Sengoku period 2.1 Akechi Mitsuhide 2.2 Azai Nagamasa 2.3 Chōsokabe Motochika 2.4 Date Masamune 2.5 Fūma Kotarō 2.6 Hattori Hanzō 2.7 Hōjō Ujimasa 2.8 Honda Tadakatsu 2.9 Honganji Kennyo 2.10 Hosokawa Gracia 2.11 Imagawa Yoshimoto 2.12 Ishida Mitsunari 2.13 Ishikawa Goemon 2.14 Izumo no Okuni 2.15 Katakura Kojūrō 2.16 Komatsuhime 2.17 Maeda Matsu 2.18 Maeda Toshiie 2.19 Maeda Toshimasu 2.20 Matsunaga Hisahide 2.21 Mōri Motonari 2.22 Mori Ranmaru 2.23 Naoe Kanetsugu 2.24 Nene 2.25 Nōhime 2.26 Oda Nobunaga 2.27 Oichi 2.28 Suzuki Magoichi 2.29 Sanada Yukimura 2.30 Sarutobi Sasuke 2.31 Shibata Katsuie 2.32 Shima Sakon 2.33 Shimazu Yoshihiro 2.34 Tachibana Ginchiyo 2.35 Takeda Shingen 2.36 Takenaka Shigeharu 2.37 Tokugawa Ieyasu 2.38 Toyotomi Hideyoshi 2.39 Uesugi Kenshin 2.40 Yamamoto Kansuke 3 Edo period 3.1 Amakusa Shirō 3.2 Harada Sanosuke 3.3 Hattori Masanari 3.4 Hijikata Toshizō 3.5 Inoue Genzaburō 3.6 Kondō Isami 3.7 Miyamoto Musashi 3.8 Nagakura Shinpachi 3.9 Nezumi Kozō 3.10 Okita Sōji 3.11 Saitō Hajime 3.12 Sasaki Kojirō 3.13 Serizawa Kamo 3.14 Yamanami Keisuke 3.15 Yagyū Jūbei 4 References

[edit] Heian period

Main article: Heian period

[edit] Abe no Seimei

Main article: Abe no Seimei

His name appears in many works of fiction, often as a helpful, wise man, and rarely as an enemy.

• In 1994, Baku Yumemakura started a novel series named Onmyoji with Seimei portrayed as a handsome young adult male who lived in a Heian-period world populated with mysterious beings. This was turned into a manga by Reiko Okano and became popular with teenage girls. In 2002, an NHK television series was later made, based on the novels. Manga version of Abe has also been rendered by acclaimed Taiwanese mangaka Ethan, who has stated that he is a huge fan of the novel.
• The movie Onmyoji, starring Mansai Nomura as Seimei, was released in 2001 (2004 in the U.S.) by Pioneer (now Geneon). In 2003, a sequel, Onmyoji II, was produced. Though they share the same name as the above series, the two franchises are unrelated. To capitalize on the success of the Onmyoji films, Fuji Television produced a miniseiries in 2004, called Onmyoji: Abe no Seimei. This series has no ties to either of the above two productions.
• Seimei can also be seen in the anime Magical☆Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, which was released in 2004 in the U.S. by ADV Films. The show's focus was on the Onmyoji practice of changing events to avoid an ill occurrence, and the misadventures of two youths in the resultant realities.
• One of Seimei's rare appearances as a villain is in the anime series Otogizoshi.
• Another one of Seimei's appearances as a villain is in the 2005 anime Shin Getter Robo. (Where Shin translates to "New" as opposed to "True" - A very different Getter Robo series was produced in 1998 under the Shin (True) Getter Robo title. (Please see: Getter Robo: Armageddon)) Abe no Seimei appears as a powerful sorcerer inhabiting a castle and a surrounding township. He wields powerful magical abilities, has thousands of oni under his command, and can summon even larger oni with size on par with Getter Robo - evidently at will. After Ryoma and company defeat him in the time of ancient Heiankyo, he returns in the modern era, only to be effortlessly dispatched, courtesy of Getter Robo's upgraded Getter Reactor. His magical abilities falter in face of the activated Douji-Kirimaru. Near the end of the series, the four kami (Possibly the Four Heavenly Kings) inform Ryoma, Hayato, and Benkei that Abe no Seimei was an oni they had dispatched to destroy the Getter itself.
• He appears as a woman simply named Seimei, a heroine of Otogi 2, an Xbox video game.
• In the PS2 game Kuon, Ashiya Doman and Abe no Seimei are featured as rivals, the latter as a female.
• In the anime Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, Seimei appears as Abe no Yasuaki's creator and master. Again, he is portrayed as a powerful onmyoji.
• In the story Teito Monogatari, the evil onmyoji, Kato Yasunori, claims to be a descendant of Seimei. Since it is believed that Abe no Seimei never passed on his characteristics to following generations, Kato is more credibly the descendant of the most powerful onmyoji in history. According to plot of Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis, Kato is supposed to really be the culmination of the dead, resentful souls of the onmyoji, striking out against the foreign invaders of Japan during the 1920s. Since Kato possesses so much power in the magic of onmyodo, it could even be inferred that he is actually an incarnation of Seimei's dark side.
• In the anime Spirit Warrior: Festival of the Ogres Revival, he appears as a ghost.
• Hao Asakura in Shaman King (a manga and anime series) seems to be inspired by Abe no Seimei.
• Abe no Masahiro of the novel, drama, and anime Shounen Onmyouji is Abe no Seimei's grandson. Abe no Seimei appears in the series as a combination of mentor and obstacles to the main character, whose goal is to surpass his grandfather. Here he appears as an elderly onmyoji who observes his grandson's progress as an onmyoji constantly. While he praises his grandson whenever he achieves a good result, he's also quick to point out mistakes made along the way, enraging his grandson, who is always in his grandfather's shadow.
• The card Sealmaster Meisei from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is inspired by him.

[edit] Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Main article: Minamoto no Yoshitsune

• Yoshitsune appears in Warriors Orochi 2 where he ends up joining the Wu force and forming a rivalry with Lu Bu, he wields a "lightsaber".
• Yoshitsune appears in the manga Samurai Deeper Kyo as a zombie, he is called by his childhood name Ushiwakamaru.
• "Shike" by Robert Shea features a somewhat fictionalized account of the Genpei War in which Minamoto no Yoshitsune appears to be represented by the character Muratomo no Yukio. The names of the two rival clans have been changed, "Minamoto" to "Muratomo" and "Taira" to "Takashi".
• Akira Kurosawa's film The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail dramatises a legend about Yoshitsune, based on the kabuki play Kanjincho.
• Yoshitsune's feat of cutting leaves as they fell from a tree has been referenced many times in Japanese pop culture. In some instances, characters attempt the feat to compare themselves to Yoshitsune, as in the beginning of Blade of the Immortal. Sometimes, variations upon this motif are seen, such as in the manga One Piece where Zoro the swordsman achieves the ability to cut steel because he can hold a falling leaf on his sword's edge without cutting it, or in Hajime no Ippo, where the main character is facetiously given the task of catching falling leaves with his bare hands before he will be allowed into a gym. Ippo's eventual ability to indirectly mimic Yoshitsune is seen as a sign of great potential by the other characters.
• NHK's 2005 taiga drama Yoshitsune is a fictionalized account of the samurai's life and the political intrigues that sealed his fate.
• Game Republic's 2005 PlayStation 2 video game, Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is another fictionalized account of the story of Yoshitsune and Saito Musashibo Benkei.
• Sogo Ishii's film Gojō Reisenki Gojoe retells, with considerable reinvention, Yoshitsune's encounter with Benkei at Gojō Bridge.
• In an unusual twist, Yoshitsune along with Benkei and two Minamoto clan members, Yoritomo and Yoshinaka, are the villains of an old Namco arcade game Genpei Toumaden. The hero of the game is Taira no Kagekiyo, who was portrayed as the villain of Genji: Dawn of the Samurai. All of them make an appearance in the crossover game Namco X Capcom.
• Kodansha is publishing a manga about Yoshitsune. The manga is titled Shana Ō Yoshitsune. It is being written by Hirofumi Sawada.
• Yoshitsune appears as "Ushiwaka" (or "Waka") in the videogame Ōkami as a Taoist Prophet who often gives the main character (the incarnation of Amaterasu as a wolf) prophesies in the form of unusual riddles.
• Minamoto Yoshitsune is the protagonist during a campaign on the Nintendo DS game, Age of Empires: The Age of Kings.
• Yoshitsune appears as the main character of the manga Kurozuka by Baku Yumemakura, serialized in Jump Comics Deluxe.
• Japanese doll and figure company Volks have released a SD10 sized Super Dollfie Ushiwakamaru based on Yoshitsune as a child.
• Though not a direct representation of Yoshitsune, the general of the Air Treck team Trident in the manga Air Gear by Oh! great is named Yoshitsune and served by a second-in-command named Benkei.
• The videogame Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 by Koei features Yoshitsune as one of the main characters, and one of his combat abilities is based on slicing leaves in midair. Other main characters are Benkei and Yoshitsune's 'oni' swordsmanship teacher.

[edit] Saito Musashibō Benkei

Main article: Saito Musashibō Benkei

• Benkei along with Yoshitsune has appeared in the manga Samurai Deeper Kyo as zombies.
• He appeared in Namco arcade game Genpei Toumaden as a villain while he is portrayed a hero in Genji: Dawn of the Samurai.
• Benkei's death once mentioned in Case Closed.
• The character Benkei in Air Gear is named after him.

[edit] Taira no Kagekiyo

Main article: Taira no Kagekiyo

• Taira no Kagekiyo, like most figures in the supremely famous and popular Heike Monogatari, features in a number of traditional dramas, and in modern pop culture as well. In addition to the Noh play Daibutsu-kuyō, he is featured in performances and plays called Kagekiyo, which differ across a variety of disciplines, including kabuki, kyōgen and kōwakamai.
• A number of jōruri puppet plays feature Kagekiyo, including Shusse Kagekiyo by Chikamatsu Monzaemon.
• Kagekiyo features as the main character in the Japan-only 1986 Namco beat 'em up arcade game Genpei Tōma Den, as well as appearing in Namco x Capcom and Genji: Dawn of the Samurai.
• In the video game Soul Calibur II, Kagekiyo is an alternate weapon for the character Yoshimitsu.

[edit] Taira no Kiyomori

Main article: Taira no Kiyomori

• Taira no Kiyomori is also the main character in the Kamakura period epic, the Tale of Heike.
• In video games, Kiyomori appears in Warriors Orochi: Rebirth of the Demon Lord fighting for Orochi's army and using prayer beads as weapons.
• Kiyomori also features prominently as a sympathetic villain in Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix series in the first half of the ninth volume, Turbulent Times (retitled as Civil War in English), another Genpei War epic. Like most villains in the series he desires the titular bird for its immortality granting blood, due to his desire to continue to lead & protect the Taira clan & lack of confidence in his successors, but winds up being tricked into buying an imported Peacock instead.

[edit] Tomoe Gozen

Main article: Tomoe Gozen

• Her first appearance in literature is of course in the Heike Monogatari. She has been written about by and fictional authors alike, and has been incarnated as characters in various anime. In the 2005 NHK taiga drama Yoshitsune, Tomoe Gozen was one of the main characters. Her story is quite fictional. She was portrayed by actress and model Koike Eiko.

Jessica Amanda Salmonson wrote "The Tomoe Gozen Saga", a trilogy of fantasy novels respectively titled Tomoe, The Golden, and Thousand Shrine. The first was reissued in a corrected and revised edition as The Disfavored Hero. [1]

• Saisei, a character in the manga Samurai Deeper Kyo, turned out to be the resurrected Tomoe Gozen. She is accurately portrayed, wearing beautiful armor and being highly skilled with her naginata
• In the comic book Usagi Yojimbo, a major supporting character is Tomoe Ame, a female samurai loosely based on Tomoe Gozen.
• Tomoe Gozen is the Persona of Chie Satonaka in Persona 4.

[edit] Sengoku period

Main article: Sengoku period

[edit] Akechi Mitsuhide

Main article: Akechi Mitsuhide

Akechi Mitsuhide is featured in various fictional works, mostly as a hero.

• He is featured in Capcom's Onimusha as Samanosuke's uncle/relative, as well as Onimusha Tactics as a playable character.
• Mitsuhide is also one of the playable characters in Koei's Samurai Warriors. He wields a katana, obviously taking techniques from the sword school of Iaido, and is portrayed to have a very close relationship with Mori Ranmaru. In the second installment, the relationship is not present, instead, becoming closer to Nobunaga (and taking longer to fall out with Nobunaga) to a point where he doesn't want to kill him. This caused Saika Magoichi to assasinate Nobunaga from afar, leaving Mitsuhide as to blame. He is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa in the Japanese version, and Michael Gough in the English version.
• He also appears in Warriors Orochi as a starting character in the Samurai story line. In this game, he shows no intention of killing or betraying Oda Nobunaga and follows him faithfully; in fairness, these versions are based on the Samurai Warriors 2 incarnations.
• He is also featured as a playable character in Sengoku Basara, where in he is portrayed as a sadistic psychopath who wields dual scythes, and enjoys killing his opponents. For some reason, he is able to attack his allies without damaging them. He is voiced by Sho Hayami in the said game. In the US installment, Devil Kings, his name is changed into Reaper, and becomes unplayable.
• Mitsuhide plays a part in Konami's Demon Chaos video game for the PlayStation 2 set during feudal Japan.
• In Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Taiko ki, Mitsuhide is emotionally abused by Nobunaga, who calls him by the nickname "kumquat head".
• In the James Clavell historical novel Shōgun, Mitsuhide is renamed as "Akechi Jinsai", although he is referred to only in retrospect i.e. he has been dead for many years when the story begins.
• In Kessen III, he is portrayed as an ally turned main villain through the game, this is because Oda Nobunaga is portrayed as the hero and unifier of Japan.
• In Hikaru no Go a character named Yuki Mitani plays Mitsuhide in a school play.
• In the manga series Tenjho Tenge, the character Souhaku Kago initially went by the name Akechi Mitsuhide, and killed Oda Nobunaga by decapitation. He then faked his death and became the High Buddhist priest called Tenkai.

[edit] Azai Nagamasa

Main article: Azai Nagamasa

• Nagamasa makes appearances as a general in the Main Campaign and in various Historical Battles and Historical Campaigns in the PC game Shogun Total War (by Creative Assembly). (Shogun was re-released June 2006)
• Nagamasa returns as an Heir to the Azai Clan in the fan created Samurai Warlords Mod (aka the Shogun Mod) for Creative Assembly's PC game Medieval Total War. (Medieval was re-released June 2006)
• Nagamasa is a featured playable character within the video game series Samurai Warriors, in which he is depicted as an extremely honorable man who will stop at nothing to ensure that his notions of justice are enforced. As like in history, Nagamasa decides to collaborate with his erstwhile allies, the Asakura, and fight against Nobunaga at Anegawa; he also expresses a more dramatized showing of love towards his respective wife, Oichi, and cares deeply for her welfare. In appearance, Nagamasa is depicted with his traditional kabuto helmet and carries a lance as his weapon of choosing.
• Nagamasa is an NPC in Sengoku Basara 2, along with Oichi, but becomes playable in the sequel called Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes. He wields a long sword and carries a shield with him. His voice actor there is Tsujitani Kouji. He is portrayed as a justice loving man, much in vein of Ma Chao in Dynasty Warriors, and although he often scolds Oichi for being too apologetic and pessimistic, he deeply loved her, making him a male tsundere.

[edit] Chōsokabe Motochika

Main article: Chōsokabe Motochika

Motochika appears in the video game series Sengoku Basara as a playable character who takes the persona of a pirate commander. He wields a long anchor-like spear that is respectively equipped with a metal chain and appears within many variable conflicts as a supposed rival to Mori Motonari.

Motochika has also been featured within Samurai Warriors 2 Empires, but as an infamous general, he became playable in Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends, where he wields a shamisen and sports a Glam rock inspired appearance, which leads him to continuously calling himself as "The Bat". ^[1]

[edit] Date Masamune

Main article: Date Masamune

Date Masamune has featured in several video games including Koei's Kessen series (where he is a relatively minor officer), and Inindo: Way of the Ninja as the daimyo of the Rikuchu province.

• In Sengoku Musou / Samurai Warriors where he is a playable character, he is depicted as a young and hot-headed ruler. His weapon in the first game is a pair of bokken. In the second game, he now looks a little more older, with his weapons changed to a western-style sabre and a pair of pistols. He frequently expressed ambitions to explore the world beyond Japan, and acquire new, foreign technologies.

• In the game Ronin Blade one of the male protagonist's blade is named after Masamune,though the blade's name could have also been a reference to the famous blacksmith Masamune also.

• In the manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo Date Masamune is a member of the Shiseiten and former follower/rival of the main character Kyo. Though he is referred to by his childhood name of Bontenmaru.

• In the anime series Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, the character Date Seiji is a descendent of Date Masamune. Seiji wears his hair covering one eye, and is at one point asked by Hashiba Touma if he does so because he is related to the One-Eyed Dragon.

• Capcom's highly successful hack-&-slash game Sengoku Basara and Sengoku Basara 2, includes Date Masamune as one of the main characters. In the English release, the game was renamed Devil Kings with all historical reference removed, and Date Masamune was renamed Azure Dragon. In Basara, a distinguishing trait of Date Masamune is his usage of Japanese-style English, or Engrish. Reminding fans of Dante of Devil May Cry's fame, Masamune is portrayed as a brazen young lord bent on having fun while conquring the country, dressed in blue and black with a tsuba over his right eye as well as the historically accurate golden arc on his battle helmet. He is also known in-game by his nickname, the One-Eyed Dragon (Dokuganryu). He is also depicted in constant rivalry with Sanada Yukimura, although there is no clear historical record to suggest such a rivalry ever existed.

• Masamune also appears in the PC game Shogun: Total War as a general in the Uesugi army but not until later in the game (around 1580).

• Date Masamune, leading the Date Clan, appears in the Samurai Warlords Mod (aka the Shogun Mod) for the PC game Medieval Total War.

• Date Masamune is the subject of the first 1/6 scale 12 inch samurai action figure produced by DID corporation, released in Fall 2006.

• He is also one of the Leaders (a class of Samurai) in Throne of Darkness.

• Date Masamune was also the main subject of the Japanese network NHK's Taiga drama Dokuganryu Masamune (One-eyed Dragon, Masamune) in 1987, starring the then young Ken Watanabe as Date Masumune. To-date, this series is the highest rated NHK Taiga drama.^[2]

• In the Thomas Harris novel Hannibal Rising, Hannibal Lecter's aunt, Lady Murasaki, is said to be a descendant of Date Masamune. It is one of Masamune's swords that Lecter uses to commit his first murder by killing a butcher named Paul Momund for insulting Lady Murasaki because she is Japanese.

• In Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, Daimyo Date Masamune is available as a daimyo unit. In the game, he's available with Shogunate wonder, only for Japanese civilization. Daimyos can receive shipments and train troops, while they are a powerful hand cavalry unit. They also provide an attack boost to nearby troops.

[edit] Fūma Kotarō

Main article: Fūma Kotarō

Fūma Kotarō is often depicted as the arch-rival of Hattori Hanzō (who is depicted as a ninja in the Samurai Warriors games). As the name Fūma means literally "wind demon", depiction of Fūma Kotarō is frequently more flamboyant, fantastical, and sometimes demonic, in contrast to Hanzō who is usually rendered with a relatively subdued appearance.

• Kotarō has been featured in the Capcom video game Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, and has made an appearance as a non-playable character in Sengoku Basara 2. He becomes playable in Sengoku Basara 2:Heroes ,and is literally portrayed as a silent assassin.

• He also appears in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2 (Sengoku Musou 2) as Hanzō's foe, who, despite serving the Hōjō, prefers chaos, and continually makes trouble for many of the factions (mainly in the form of ambushes). He commands the Hojo's defence during the Siege of Odawara Castle, laying numerous traps for the invading Toyotomi army. In his own story mode, he eliminates Takeda Shingen, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, establishing the Hojo clan as the most powerful in Japan, only to later betray them with the help of the Tokugawa. He then unifies the land himself, only to hand it over to Tokugawa Ieyasu, telling him to create his own history of how he came to power, before disappearing. He wields gauntlets that bestow him the ablility to elongate his arms at will. (Oddly enough it seems that he may be clairvoyant, as he predicts Nobunaga's death in fire at Honnouji before it happens, as well as spreading the news abnormally quickly.) He has light purple skin, tattoos, and red dreadlocks. He prefers to think of himself as the "winds of chaos"

• In Warriors Orochi he still likes chaos. At Chang Shan he had captured Supply dumps from Orochi's army, however Sun Ce, Zhou Yu and Hattori Hanzo had taken the supplies back and captured Kotaro. Then the chaos maker joins Sun Wu.

• He also makes an appearance in Samurai Deeper Kyo as Sasuke's childhood friend and rival.

• Kotarō also appears as a minor character in Nobunaga's Ambition II, as well as in Taikou Risshiden V. (While only daimyo can unify Japan, he is one of the ninja leaders who can be unlocked as a playable character, with his weapon-of-choice being the kunai.)

• He also is portrayed as the principal villain, in the popular Japanese TV series of the 1960s called, The Samurai, which became a cult hit in Australia.

• He is also a main character in the World Heroes fighting game series and his main rival was Hanzo Hattori. He along with Hanzo was also featured in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum. These Versions of Fuma and Hanzo were designed to look and fight just like each other in a similar fashion to Ryu and Ken.

• He can be summoned as a persona of the rare "FOOL Class" in the video game Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.

• Fūma Kotarō makes an appearance in Mirage of Blaze during the story arc involving the Hōjō clan.

• More recently, the Naruto character Pain was revealed to be of the Fūma clan. having previously killed the legendary ninja Hanzō.

• Fūma can be obtained in Kessen 3 after beating the game.

[edit] Hattori Hanzō

Main article: Hattori Hanzō

• Hanzō frequently appears in jidaigeki. Actor Sonny Chiba played the role in the V-Cinema series Shin Kage no Gundan[2]. Many films, specials and series on the life and times of Tokugawa Ieyasu depict the events detailed above.
• In the film Kill Bill, Hattori Hanzō (Sonny Chiba) is a master swordsmith who is called upon to create a katana for the film's protagonist. Quentin Tarantino stated in the supplementary material on the Kill Bill DVD that the character was named in tribute to Chiba's former role as Hattori Hanzō in Kage no Gundan, and that, while not stated on camera, the modern Hattori Hanzō is a descendant of the Hattori Hanzo that appeared in Shin Kage no Gundan.
• The life of Hanzō and his service to Tokugawa Ieyasu is fictionalised in the manga "Path of the Assassin," created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima.
• Hanzō also appears in the 1999 jidaigeki movie named Fukurō no Shiro (Owl's Castle). He was played by actor Jinpachi Nezu.
• The manga Basilisk features a character named Hattori Kyohachiro as an attendant to the shogun, being the son of the second Hanzō, and adopted son of the fourth Hanzō.
• In the novel Battle Royale the protagonist Shuya Nanahara's watch is described in page 82 as an "old, domestically manufactured Hattori Hanzō limited-edition diver's watch" donated to him through the orphanage.
• In a more romanticized setting, the manga Tail of the Moon features Hattori Hanzō and his clan.
• In the manga Ninja Hattori.
• In the parody anime and manga Gintama.
• In the anime Samurai Deeper Kyo.
• Hanzō appears as a recurring character in the Samurai Shodown video game series, appearing in every game in the series.
• In the World Heroes video game series, Hanzō serves as one of the main characters, and is portrayed as rivals with Fuma Kotaro, also featured in the games. Their rivalry is based upon the legend surrounding Hanzō's death.
• He features in Koei's video game series Samurai Warriors, where he is portrayed as a highly skilled ninja who makes frequent references to the shadows and is highly loyal to Tokugawa Ieyasu. In his Story Mode, he is attributed to the death of many of Ieyasu's rivals, including Imagawa Yoshimoto, Takeda Shingen, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Sanada Yukimura. In Samurai Warriors 2, he has an extremely fierce rivalry with Fuma Kotaro. He wields a Kusarigama. He also appears in Warriors Orochi, a crossover between Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors, aiding the Wu forces.
• In the popular anime/manga franchise Naruto a character named Hanzo stood as the leader of a ninja village. Hanzo was portrayed to be a powerful ninja and his name is likely a homage to Hattori Hanzo.
• In the first two games of the Gensou Suikoden series, a character named Hanzo is the leader of the hidden ninja village of Rokkaku.
• There is a weapon called the "Hanzo Sword" in World of Warcraft.
• Hattori Hanzō is a Great Spy in Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword.

[edit] Hōjō Ujimasa

Main article: Hōjō Ujimasa

Hōjō Ujimasa is a playable character in Capcom's Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes, in which he wields a large hooked spear and strongly fears and respects his ancestors.

[edit] Honda Tadakatsu

Main article: Honda Tadakatsu

Honda Tadakatsu appears in numerous Japanese jidaigeki that show the rise of the Tokugawa to power. He is a minor role in Akira Kurosawa's movie Kagemusha.

Honda Tadakatsu also appears in the video games Kessen, Onimusha 3, Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends, Samurai Warriors 2, Samurai Warriors: State of War, Sengoku Basara, and Warriors Orochi.

[edit] Honganji Kennyo

Main article: Kōsa

Kennyo appears as a non-playable character in Koei's Samurai Warriors video game, in which he possesses a distinct Buddhist wheel on his back. He also appears in Capcom's Sengoku Basara 2, where he is portrayed as a large and greedy man.

[edit] Hosokawa Gracia

Main article: Hosokawa Gracia

Gracia frequently appears as a character in Japanese historical fiction, both novels and drama. One website lists her as a character in over 40 stage dramas, movies, TV dramas, etc., from 1887 to 2006. She is also frequently referred to in popular writing or talks on the history of the period. A work that has been translated into English is Ayako Miura's novel, Hosokawa Garasha Fujin (English title: Lady Gracia: a Samurai Wife's Love, Strife and Faith), which follows history fairly closely.

James Clavell used Gracia as the model for the character of Mariko in his novel Shogun, which was later adapted for television as a miniseries. Elements of Mariko's story follows Gracia's quite closely, although the manner of her death is different and the two characters do not fundamentally have anything in common.

A very heavily fictionalized Gracia also appears in Futaro Yamada's novel Makai Tensho, as a sidekick to Amakusa Shirō Tokisada.

In the video game Kessen, there is a cut-scene depicting Gracia dying heroically because her religion (Christianity) forbade her to commit suicide.

Gracia is among the playable characters included in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends. Her story mode, which differs greatly from historical events, depicts her having run away from home, eager to learn more about the world. She befriends and tags along with Magoichi Saika. She also wields a pair of bracelets sealed with magical powers, conflicting that she has one of the most powerful musou attacks, despite her low stats.^[3]

[edit] Imagawa Yoshimoto

Main article: Imagawa Yoshimoto

Imagawa Yoshimoto is a playable character in the Koei action game Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends. He also appeared early on in the company's action-strategy game Kessen III. Both games depict Imagawa as a childish dandy, although Samurai Warriors takes this to an extreme by giving him a kemari (a Japanese kickball), which he uses as a weapon (though he used a generic sword in the original Samurai Warriors game). In his story mode ending, Yoshimoto miraculously manages to defeat both Takeda Shingen and Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto, and then plays kemari to his heart's content in front of the other warlords who look on in amusement and disgust.

In Samurai Warriors 2 however, due to time constraints (as well as an overall shift away from Nobunaga's life towards the post-Nobunaga years), the Battle of Okehazama was shown as part of Nobunaga, Noh, and Mitsuhide's intro movies, and Yoshimoto was only mentioned and shown impaled to death within his palanquin by Nobunaga's spearmen. However in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, the battle was brought back, and Yoshimoto himself is given an updated appearance and additional moves as well as a new story mode of him surviving the onslaught at Okehazama.

In Warriors Orochi, he is found retreating from the burning Fan Castle but, is rescued by the Tokugawa and escapes. Later, he becomes part of the Resistance against Orochi aiding Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin but, ends up supporting Wei after being defeated by them in the Saika Territory. Days later he had been ordered by Cao Pi to give Lu Meng aid at Osaka Bay.

Yoshimoto is also featured as an unplayable character in the Japanese action game Sengoku Basara (as well as the sequel). The game was heavily retooled for the western market and renamed Devil Kings, eliminating all references to Japanese history. Yoshimoto's character thus became Muri. He becomes playable in Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes

In the translation of Path of the Assassin, a Dark Horse Comics translation of Hanzo no Mon, which focuses on Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hattori Hanzō's perspectives, Yoshimoto is viewed more positively (perhaps ironically, compared to Nobunaga) and even decides during the Okehazama campaign to replace Ujizane with Ieyasu (then Matsudaira Motoyasu) as his heir, though dying before doing so.

He also appears briefly in the short manga Kacchu no Senshi Gamu, by Yoshihiro Takahashi.

[edit] Ishida Mitsunari

Main article: Ishida Mitsunari

• The story of James Clavell's novel Shogun is based on the strife between Ishida (called Ishido in the novel) and Tokugawa (Toranaga) over the Taiko's son.
• Mitsunari also appears as one of the main characters of Koei's Kessen. He is the first of three commanders under the Toyotomi forces depicted opposing Tokugawa Ieyasu. Whether or not he survives the Battle of Sekigahara and defeats Ieyasu depends on the Player's actions.
• Mitsunari is also a playable character in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2. He wields a folded fan, similar to his depiction in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, although he is slightly good instead of evil like his Capcom counterpart, though he is arrogant and prone to making snide remarks in the game. He is also depicted as a friend of Sanada Yukimura and Naoe Kanetsugu. Towards the end of his story, he admits that he changed his arrogant ways due to the influence of his friends. In Sakon Shima's ending, he forms a friendship with him. In Kanetsugu's ending, he was defeated at Sekigahara and was never found, similar to his actual death.
• Mitsunari also appeared in Warriors Orochi, a crossover between Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors. In this game, he is part of Orochi's army, under the control of Da Ji but, later forms a friendship with Cao Pi after witnessing him allowing Sun Ce to escape from Orochi's forces during one of their battles and aids him throughout Wei's story line there on in.
• Mitsunari is a villain in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties campaign. In the Japanese campaign, players must kill him in order to win and unify Japan.
• In the anime Bleach, the character Uryū Ishida is based on Mitsunari and shares his last name.

[edit] Ishikawa Goemon

Main article: Ishikawa Goemon

• He has been the subject of many Kabuki plays.
• He was the subject of a movie, Shinobi No Mono (Review)
• A new Goemon movie is scheduled for 2009; it is directed by Kazuaki Kiriya.
• He is mentioned in connection with the Sanmon Gate at the Nanzen Temple in Yukio Mishima's work The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.^[4]

• He is the main character in a video game series produced by Konami known as Ganbare Goemon in Japan and as Mystical Ninja elsewhere.
• He recently appeared in the Koei game, Samurai Warriors, wielding a mace and with a cannon on his back but was omitted from the second game.
• He also appeared in Warriors Orochi, with improved attacks and different voice. One day he stole Wei Yan's treasure which was presented to him by Liu Bei. While Izumo no Okuni kept Goemon at bay, Wei Yan and Xing Cai recovered the treasure Goemon left behind. Goemon then joins Shu Han.
• He is claimed to be the ancestor of Goemon Ishikawa XIII in the Lupin III movies, the first in a lineage of renegade samurai. In one of the Lupin TV movies, Burn, Zantetsuken!, the opening sequence shows Goemon Ishikawa XIII weeping while watching the famed kabuki performance based on his ancestor's life.
• He appears in the third and fourth episodes of the anime series Divergence Eve: Misaki Chronicles where it is hinted that he is a lineal ancestor of the title character, Kureha Misaki.
• In a Neo Geo fighting game called Ninja Master's, Goemon appears as one of the selectable characters. This rendition of him, however, carries a large cannonesque gun that he uses in battle.
• Japanese pro wrestler Koji Nakagawa regularly portrays a character named GOEMON, who is loosely based on Ishikawa Goemon.

[edit] Izumo no Okuni

Main article: Izumo no Okuni

Unlike her role in history, Okuni's appearances in fiction often portray her as a betsushikime (別式女, betsushikime^?), a capable fighter skilled with weapons and magic.

• She is a playable character in the Koei videogame Samurai Warriors series. She fights with a parasol and is quite sexual in a naive way. During the course of her plot in the first game, she has ongoing romances with Ishikawa Goemon and Maeda Keiji. In Samurai Warriors 2, she is a special character who is unlocked by clearing the Sugoroku game. She is voiced by Wakana Yamazaki; in the English dub she is played by Erin Agostino^[5].
• In the manga and anime Samurai Deeper Kyo, she is initially a foil for the main character, Mibu Kyoshiro, but later becomes a spy for Oda Nobunaga. In the series her voice actor is Yumi Kakazu.
• Okuni is a playable character in the Capcom videogame Onimusha Tactics. She fights with a spear and can use healing magic.
• Okuni is mentioned as a close friend to Jubei Yagyu in the video game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. She is also described as being a great dancer and fighter.
• Okuni also appears as a character in the NHK drama Musashi; however, in this series she remains a performer and does not have any fighting skills.
• Okuni makes a small appearance as a little girl in Okami singing about the Water Dragon.

• Okuni also appears in the video game Warriors Orochi. In it, she and Xiao Qiao join Zhang Jiao's band of Yellow Turbans. They're an independent force, and when they're subjugated by Oda Nobunaga, they join him.

[edit] Katakura Kojūrō

Main article: Katakura Kojūrō

• Katakura has appeared as a character in fiction, appearing in the video game Sengoku Basara 2.

[edit] Komatsuhime

Main article: Komatsuhime

In the video game Samurai Warriors 2, Komatsuhime (known as Ina in the game) is a warrior who is deeply conflicted on her reason for fighting; for peace or enjoyment^{[citation needed]}. She wields a long bladed bow, and can attack in melee combat and also at range. Additionally, in the game, she is charged with one of Hattori Hanzo's accomplishment during Ieyasu's journey in Iga: escorting Anayama Nobukimi, while Hanzo escorts the lord personally. Historically, Hanzō took both tasks at once and succeeded them both.

Ina also appears in the crossover game Warriors Orochi. In it, she befriends Sun Shang Xiang after Orochi blackmails the Tokugawa and the Wu Army into servitude. Although both of them are forced to fight for Orochi against their will, they end up joining the Resistance after Ina convinces Sun Shang Xiang to reunite with her older brother Sun Ce at Sekigahara.

[edit] Maeda Matsu

Main article: Maeda Matsu

Matsu is despicted in Capcom's Sengoku Basara video game series as a woman who wields a naginata as her respective weapon, possessing a significantly close relationship with her husband, Toshiie. She is regarded as "Bramble" in the English Sengoku Basara variant known as Devil Kings.

Matsu had also been featured within a certain TV drama shown by NHK within Japan, depicting her relations with Toshiie, and thus making her a primary figure of romantic fame.

Although not a real playable character, Matsu is also a bodyguard in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2 under the "Lady Samurai" class.

[edit] Maeda Toshiie

Main article: Maeda Toshiie

• Maeda Toshiie appears as a playable character within the video game Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, in which he is depicted as an apprentice to Shibata Katsuie and a man that would sacrifice himself in the name of a warrior, one of the common romanticizations that Koei regularly use to individualize their characters. He wields a serrated sword, accompanying by two spears.
• His Sengoku Basara portrayal is most likely to be serving the Oda clan off screen, but his story mode depicts him as a dysfunctional family man, in which he has a close relationship with his wife Matsu , and their "nephew" Keiji, where the first two story modes tell on their unusual methods to support one another. He wields a trident and is an NPC named "Lark" in Devil Kings.
• The 2002 NHK Taiga drama "Toshiie to Matsu" (利家とまつ～加賀百万石物語～) was based on the story of their lives together. Maeda Toshiie was played by Karasawa Toshiaki, and Matsu by Matsushima Nanako. Karasawa later made a special appearance as the same character in the 2006 NHK Taiga drama "Komyo ga Tsuji" (功名が辻) (eps 39 and 40)

[edit] Maeda Toshimasu

Main article: Maeda Keiji

Toshimasu (often depicted under the name of Keiji or Keijirō) is often portrayed as somewhat of a prankster and is often dubbed crazy, or kabukimono, by others for his wild ways. For example, in one video game, he purposely fills his Uncle (Toshiie)'s bath with cold water.

He is a playable character in the Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 video game Samurai Warriors and Samurai Warriors 2 and is considered one of the stronger characters along with Honda Tadakatsu. His weapon is a two-pronged spear, similar to a sasumata. He also appears in Warriors Orochi on the Orochi Army, later serving the Wu Army as a Gaiden character. Maeda Keiji is a new character in Sengoku Basara 2, which is the sequel of Capcom's Sengoku based hack and slash game, Sengoku Basara. He wields a giant odachi, has a pet monkey, and is voiced by Masakazu Morita.

Keijiro also appears in Onimusha Blade Warriors as well as the first Onimusha game, under the name: Yumemaru (a little boy that Princess Yuki takes care of). Maeda Keiji is also a secret playable character in Kessen III through loading a Samurai Warriors data from the memory card.

A manga series loosely based on Keiji's life illustrated by Tetsuo Hara (of Fist of the North Star fame) was produced titled Hana no Keiji. It inspired a live-action film version and a Super Famicom game.

In the NHK television drama series Toshiie to Matsu, Maeda Keijiro is depicted by the actor Oikawa Mitsuhiro.

[edit] Matsunaga Hisahide

Main article: Matsunaga Hisahide

Matsunaga Hisahide is featured as a character within the video game Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes, in which he is depicted as a man of treachery who enjoys any course of action that would subsequently present to him a greater sum of pleasure. He takes a primary role in Katakura Kojuurou's story; and by the end of such a scenario he sets aflame his initial base with explosives as a showing of defeat.

[edit] Mōri Motonari

Main article: Mōri Motonari

He (along with King Lear) was the basis of Hidetora Ichimonji in the Akira Kurosawa film Ran.

Motonari has also made an appearance in video games such as that of Capcom's Sengoku Basara 2 initially as a playable character who is relatively inconsiderate to his subordinates, abandoning them if they are below his standards and employing other means that can be deemed cruel. Motonari wields a large wheel as his weapon, which possesses an outer-layer of blades.

Motonari is the main protagonist of the NHK 36th drama Motonari.

[edit] Mori Ranmaru

Main article: Mori Ranmaru

• Ranmaru has appeared as a character in fiction & has appeared in several video games (such as Sengoku Basara, Onimusha, Kessen III and the Samurai Warriors series) as he is usually portrayed as having a feminine to androgynous appearance, in which leads to usual confusion of his gender. He is also depicted as truly loyal to Oda Nobunaga, who in return praises Ranmaru for his skills in battle.

• Ranmaru was depicted greatly in Samurai Warriors as Nobunaga's most loyal bodyguard, where he wields a nodachi. Differentiating all the other portrayals was seen in the first Samurai Warriors, where he also has a close friendship with Akechi Mitsuhide, who at the time planned to kill Nobunaga, leaving Ranmaru in the state of confusion on who he will follow. In Samurai Warriors 2, Ranmaru has no storyline, but is a special character unlocked by completing all of Ranmaru's and Mitsuhide's Requests in Survival Mode.

• Also, Ranmaru appears in Warriors Orochi as fighting for the Resistance Army alongside Ma Chao in Mt. Ding Jun. Sun Ce of the Orochi Army later on captures Ranmaru after a duel, yet was set free due to Sun Ce feeling some comfort fighting him. From then on, Ranmaru joins Sun Wu to understand more about the Sun Family's unbreakable bonds.

• Sengoku Basara (Hornet in Devil Kings) portrays a different appearance for Ranmaru as a young, boyish, and eager archer in his early teens who seeks recognition from Nobunaga. He is apparently the most childish in all his portrayals, seeking only candy as a reward from his master in his endings.

[edit] Naoe Kanetsugu

Main article: Naoe Kanetsugu

Naoe Kanetsugu was featured as a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2, wielding an ornate sword and paper charms, portrayed as originally serving Uesugi Kenshin at the Battles of Kawanakajima and Tedorigawa, then serving Hideyoshi and later the Western Army against Tokugawa Ieyasu, though being concerned with justice and honor primarily. He also depicted as having an extremely close friendship with Maeda Keiji, Ishida Mitsunari and Sanada Yukimura.

Kanestugu also appears in Warriors Orochi, a crossover between Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors, usually alongside Kenshin Uesugi.

Kanetsugu will be the protagonist of the 2009 NHK Taiga drama.

[edit] Nene

Main article: Nene (person)

Nene is a featured playable character within the Samurai Warriors series and acts as an ultimate replacement of Kunoichi. Being the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Nene respectively acts as his bodyguard and supporter in the persona of a female ninja, with almost the same moves as her predecessor, Kunoichi. Contrasting this is her special skills and her strange motherly personality, in which she refers to everyone (especially to her husband's retainers) as her "children".

[edit] Nōhime

Main article: Nōhime

She was portrayed by Japanese actress Miki Nakatani in the 1998 film Oda Nobunaga, and by Haruka Ayase in the 2005 sci-fi film Sengoku Jieitai 1549. She also appeared as a playable character in the videogames Samurai Warriors, Samurai Warriors 2, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, Nohime, Kessen III, Sengoku Basara (Devil Kings), and Warriors Orochi.

Emi Wakui played Nōhime in the 2006 NHK drama Kōmyō ga tsuji.

[edit] Oda Nobunaga

Main article: Oda Nobunaga

• Nobunaga is also a featured playable character within the video game series Samurai Warriors, in which he is defined by his ambitious and resolute unscrupulous means of thinking, as primarily depicted in his infamous slaughter of the Ikko rebels. Unlike in actual history, Nobunaga does not disdain Nō for being married to him, treating her with the etiquette of any typical retainer, but still haughtily deeming others such as Hideyoshi, who is continuously called 'monkey'. In manner of his appearance and social persona, Nobunaga is contrasted by others as a demon king or someone of ruthless nature, which is romanticized into the mystical sword that he respectively wields. More than anything else, Nobunaga's most dominant of appearances is within the Honnoji Incident, in which he openly declares before Mitsuhide to prove that he is the better leader among men by attesting whether he can take his life and show to the country that his justice is absolute.
• Nobunaga has appeared as a character in fiction, appearing in video games (such as Onimusha, Sengoku, and Sengoku Basara) along with manga and anime (such as Flame of Recca, InuYasha, Samurai Deeper Kyo, and Yotoden). In most of these roles he is portrayed as a villain commonly dubbed as 'Demon Lord'. In contrast to the other series, Kessen III is notable for a broadly positive depiction of him.
• Nobunaga is a central character in Eiji Yoshikawa's historical novel Taiko ki. Tsuji Kunio's historical fiction The Signore: Shogun of the Warring States depicts Nobunaga's life. In James Clavell's historical fiction novel Shogun, Dictator Goroda takes the place of Nobunaga in history.
• Nobunaga is played by Daisuke Ryu in Akira Kurosawa's movie Kagemusha, and Takashi Sorimachi in Toshiie to Matsu.
• Nobunaga also appeared in the Yoshihiro Takahashi manga Kacchu no Senshi Gamu.
• In the Japanese science fiction film Sengoku Jieitai 1549 Nobunaga is killed by time-stranded Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers in battle while he is still young; his identity is assumed by the leader of the soldiers.

[edit] Oichi

Main article: Oichi

Oichi was depicted by the actress Tanaka Misato in the 2002 NHK Taiga drama "Toshiie to Matsu" (利家とまつ, "Toshiie to Matsu"^?).

She also made an appearance in videogames Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, and Sengoku Basara 2.

[edit] Suzuki Magoichi

Main article: Suzuki Magoichi

In all of most of his fictional portrayals, he is often referred to his more common name, Saiga Magoichi.

In Onimusha 2 Saika Magoichi is a calm musketeer trying to protect Saiga village from Nobunaga's army. He feels indebted to the women of the village because his mother died at a young age, so the women raised him. He raises doubts among Ankokuji Ekei and Yagyu Jubei (actually he was the first Jubei, grandfather of the infamous Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi, Yagyu Muneyoshi) when Tokichiro Kinoshita/Toyotomi Hideyoshi accuses him of serving Nobunaga. This same Magoichi is also in Onimusha: Tactics, as well as Onimusha: Blade Warriors. He also served as a mentor to Ohatsu, Oichi's/Oyu's daughter, from Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, tutoring her in the wielding of firearms.

Magoichi is also a playable character in the Samurai Warriors series, wielding in both installments a musket with underbarrel bayonet. Magoichi is laid back, dressed in a trench coat and bears no resemblance to either Suzuki Shigehide nor Suzuki Sadayu (in fact, he cannot be Suzuki Sadayu; Suzuki is a separate character in the sequel). He fights to protect the people he cares about most, and even makes a friendly rival out of Maeda Keiji. He has a slight womanizing obsession, but more along the lines of Vash from Trigun. In his story path, beginning with the Battle of Ise (a fictional representation of the fall of Nagashima), and following a continuing anti-Nobunaga campaign, one ending has him becoming a wanderer after the surrender of the Ishiyama Honganji (having joined their campaign against Nobunaga), whereas a second ending has him years later raiding Azuchi Castle and killing Nobunaga.

In Samurai Warriors 2, his storyline is revised to have him be a mercenary leader originally on friendly terms with Hashiba Hideyoshi, first fighting for Nobunaga at Anegawa and then opposing him in a later stage at Osaka Bay (intended to briefly touch on the Honganji). Angered by a retaliatory attack on his village (though he is able to mitigate the damage) and temporarily breaking his friendship with Hideyoshi, he rushes over to Honnō-ji where, amidst the chaos, he shoots and kills Nobunaga, and repentant Akechi Mitsuhide is the one to take the blame. Ironically enough at the end of the Battle of Yamazaki (his final stage) while standing over Mitsuhide's body he is mortally wounded by a random shot in the back fired from offscreen, and his ending has him surviving long enough to stagger into camp before collapsing and apparently dying in Hideyoshi's arms. However, in Date Masamune's ending he is shown as surviving, though it is set years after Yamazaki.

KOEI, which is behind both games, In the Nobunaga's Ambition series (in particular installments XI and XII) and in Taikou Risshiden (in particular V). He also appears as an enemy general in Kessen III.

He is also a hidden playable character in Visco Games' arcade shoot-em-up Vasara 2, and is the grandfather of the female Saika Magoichi in the prequel game, Vasara. In both games, Magoichi uses a pair of fans in addition to the standard shooting attack, which light on fire and whirl around him/her for a short time; This attack has a far shorter range in Vasara 2 than in Vasara, however (possibly due to Vasara 2's larger change in scale in comparison to the prequel), requiring Magoichi to get almost point-blank with opponents to inflict damage.

[edit] Sanada Yukimura

Main article: Sanada Yukimura

Sanada Yukimura has been portrayed in some form in many anime and etc. such as....

• Koei's Sengoku Musou, known as Samurai Warriors in the US. In the Japanese version, his voice is provided by voice actor Takeshi Kusao. His weapon of choice is the Jumonji-Yari, or Cross Spear. Similar to Zhao Yun of Dynasty Warriors, Yukimura is the poster boy for Samurai Warriors and is therefore usually placed on the Samurai Warriors game manual/cover. Perhaps because of this, in both games so far his lifespan and prominence have been greatly extended. In Samurai Warriors 1, he was portrayed as Takeda Shingen's second-in-command even at the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima - which occurred 6 years before he was born historically. In Samurai Warriors 2, the extension is more modest, but he is still portrayed as a major Takeda officer at the Battle of Nagashino, when he would have been 8. Both games feature the Summer Siege of Osaka Castle as his last and most notable battle. In Samurai Warriors 1, if the player unlocks his 'good' ending, he dies there, but not before taking the life of Hattori Hanzo, whom he has a rivalry with extending back to Hanzo's (fictional) assassination of Takeda Shingen, and reaching Tokugawa Ieyasu himself. Also, once the player has completed Shingen's story mode, the player can prevent Shingen's assassination in Yukimura's, and follow an alternate course of events where Shingen survives. In Samurai Warriors 2, his father-son relationship with Shingen is gone, due to his Story Mode beginning after Shingen's death, as is his rivalry with Hanzo. In this game, he is portrayed as close friends with Ishida Mitsunari, Naoe Kanetsugu and Maeda Keiji. In Warriors Ororchi he was tricked by Orochi into thinking that Zhao Yun and the other resistance were phantoms. After losing to Zhao Yun in a fight, he realized that he was deceived, and appologizing,compensated his error by joining forces with Zhao Yun to help rescue Liu Bei
• Yukimura's English voice actor in the game Warriors Orochi is Johnny Yong Bosch.
• Yoroiden Samurai Troopers or Ronin Warriors. The character, Ryo Sanada, historically based on Sanada Yukimura. He was also voiced by Takeshi Kusao.
• Akimine Kamijyo's popular anime and manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo, in which Yukimura is portrayed by voice actress Ogata Megumi.

• Capcom's videogame Sengoku Basara (Devil Kings in the US where he is portrayed as Scorpio), in which he is a playable character. Hoshi Soichiro provides Yukimura's voice in the game.
• In the popular anime and manga series Prince of Tennis, the captain of the near-unstoppable Rikkai Dai team is named Yukimura, while his vice-captain is named Sanada.
• Sanada Yukimura appears in his own anime called Sanada Juyushi Special, directed by Shimizu Keizo.
• Sanada Yukimura was portrayed by comedian Tomonori Jinnai in the movie Kamen Rider Den-O: I am Born!. His Braves also made a cameo in the movie.
• In the anime series Musashi Gundoh, the voice of Sanada Yukimura is played by Sayaka Kinoshita.
• In the manga series Tenjho Tenge, he appears during a flashback taking place days before the winter siege of Osaka castle.

[edit] Sarutobi Sasuke

Main article: Sarutobi Sasuke

• Sarutobi Sasuke was the main character of a 24 episode anime series Manga Sarutobi Sasuke, where he was portrayed as a young ninja. The anime aired from 1979-10-09 to 1980-04-29 and was dubbed in several languages, best known to English language anime fans as Ninja, The Wonder Boy, a highly edited,highly condensed version of this series. The whole 24 episodes aired in many European and Arabic countries, where it was more successful.^[6]

• Sarutobi Sasuke's legacy is almost omnipresent in the anime and manga Naruto, in which four characters are named after him: Sasuke Uchiha, The Third Hokage himself is also known as Sarutobi, his son, Asuma Sarutobi, and Sarutobi Konohamaru .
• Sarutobi Sasuke is a character in the anime and manga Samurai Deeper Kyo, in which he serves Sanada Yukimura as a part of the Sanada Ten Braves, alongside Kirigakure Saizo.
• Sarutobi Sasuke appears in the Capcom game Sengoku Basara 2, where is portrayed as a laid-back but cunning ninja.
• Sarutobi Sasuke appears in the Koei game Samurai Warriors 2 as a purchasable ninja bodyguard.

[edit] Shibata Katsuie

Main article: Shibata Katsuie

Katsuie Shibata is a playable general in Koei entertainment's 'Kessen III' in which he is clad in black 'Oni' armour, and looks the same facially in both Kessen III and Samurai Warriors 2, showing some continuity.

Katsuie appears as a non-playable character in the sequel to Koei's Sengoku Period-based videogame 戦国無双 2 or 'Samurai Warriors 2' as it's known in the US and Europe. It is available for the Xbox 360 and PS2 gaming consoles, as is the second part of the series 'Samurai Warriors 2:Empires', in which Katsuie is a playable character.

He is available as an unlockable bodyguard through Samurai Warriors 2 'Survival' mode. He returns in the Empires expansion as a fully playable character. However, in Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends, uses a pair of hand-axes instead of a spear, making him a fully fledged unique character.

[edit] Shima Sakon

Main article: Shima Sakon

Sakon is a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2, where he is portrayed as a former servant of Takeda Shingen and wields a ludicrously huge falchion. He also makes vague impersonations of Elvis Presley, which are seen on his sideburns and his quotes ("Thank you. Thank you very much.", "Sakon... has left the battlefield."). He must be defeated by the Eastern Army in the Battle of Kusegawa.

He also appears in Warriors Orochi as an enemy and later ally in the Wu storyline. He developed a friendship with Lu Meng.

He also appears in the Kessen series.

Sakon appears in Onimusha Dawn of Dreams, where his mind is twisted and brainwashed by Ophelia, one of the Genma Triumvirate. Tenkai Nankobo uses his purification skills to free Sakon of the evil mind altering.

A manga series loosely based on Sakon's life illustrated by Tetsuo Hara was produced titled Sakon. He survives Sekigahara and is ordered by his lord to disrupt a plot set by Tokugawa Ieyasu's kagemusha.

[edit] Shimazu Yoshihiro

Main article: Shimazu Yoshihiro

Yoshihiro has appeared in several video games. He appears in the Koei game Kessen. He also appears in Capcom's Sengoku Basara. He wields a giant sword. In the modified English version of the game, Devil Kings, he is renamed as "Zaan", but becomes unplayable due to broken gameplay issues.

Yoshihiro is present in Koei's Samurai Warriors 2. While still portrayed as an old man, he wields a giant mallet and has a rivalry with Tachibana Ginchiyo (heiress to the Tachibana of Kyushu), while the surprise attack before Sekigahara is proposed by Toyohisa (and rejected by Mitsunari for honor's sake) at the opening of the Sekigahara stage.

Yoshihiro also appears in the game Sengoku Basara 2. He is determined to duel Honda Tadakatsu to determine who is stronger.

[edit] Tachibana Ginchiyo

Main article: Tachibana Ginchiyo

Ginchiyo appears in Koei's Samurai Warriors series of fighting action video games. She's a popular character despite her debut and only appearance in Samurai Warriors 2, Samurai Warriors 2 Empires and Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (without counting Warriors Orochi). In the game, she has a rivalry with Shimazu Yoshihiro, the daimyo of Satsuma. In Xtreme Legends, she becomes an ally of Chōsokabe Motochika alongside Shimazu Yoshihiro. Her attacks are centered around lightning, one of her special abilities is to summon a lightning storm, or augment her sword with a lightning attribute

Ginchiyo also appears in Koei's Kessen III as a hidden character, voiced by Naomi Shindou

[edit] Takeda Shingen

Main article: Takeda Shingen

The 1988 NHK Taiga drama television series Takeda Shingen was a fictionalized account of his life with Kiichi Nakai in the title role. His life is also dramatized in NHK's 46th Taiga drama Fūrin Kazan. Akira Kurosawa's 1980 film Kagemusha was also inspired by his life; it brought the musket-wound theory to public attention outside Japan.

Takeda Shingen appears in Toshiro Mifune's historical film Samurai Banners (風林火山 Furin Kazan). He also appears in the epic film Heaven and Earth (not to be confused with Oliver Stone's Vietnam war drama), seen from Uesugi Kenshin's point of view. In the science-fiction film Sengoku Jieitai, in English also known as Time Slip and G.I. Samurai (1979), a group of Japanese Defense Force soldiers take on his forces.

Takeda Shingen is the main character in the NES game Shingen the Ruler, and his conquests are also portrayed in the PC game, Takeda. Shingen also appears as a character in the Samurai Warriors and in Nobunaga's Ambition (信長の野望 Nobunaga no Yabo) game series, as well as Sengoku Basara

[edit] Takenaka Shigeharu

Main article: Takenaka Shigeharu

• Shigeharu is often likened to Zhuge Liang of Romance of Three Kingdoms. This is mostly due to a romanticized tale of Hideyoshi needing to visit Shigeharu many times before gaining his services, much similar to Liu Bei's three visits to Zhuge Liang.^[7]
• Shigeharu (as Hanbei) is featured in the game Sengoku Basara 2 by Capcom. Voice actor Akira Ishida voices him.^[8] He wields a whipsword, much like Ivy from the Soul series.

[edit] Tokugawa Ieyasu

Main article: Tokugawa Ieyasu

• Within the video game series Samurai Warriors, Ieyasu is depicted as a man that values patience and the welfare of his subordinates above all else. Equipped with the kabuto that he was historically valued for, Ieyasu also wields a romanticized spear that has the ability to shoot flames and cannonballs from its center.

The history of his rise to power is fictionalized in James Clavell's novel Shogun under the name "Toranaga," and in the television show (see Shogun (miniseries)) based on it. The Akira Kurosawa film Kagemusha tells a fictionalized account of the events leading up to the Battle of Nagashino. The novel Kagemusha Tokugawa Ieyasu was written by Keichiro Ryu between 1986 and 1988, and tells the fictional story of the Ieyasu's double who changes places into assassination Ieyasu ahead of the Battle of Sekigahara. The novel was adapted to manga by Tetsuo Hara in 1994. Another novel, The Kouga Ninja Scrolls and its adaptations, Shinobi: Heart Under Blade and Basilisk (manga), are fictional stories in which Ieyasu is central to the storylines. Ieyasu appears as the leader of the Japanese people in Sid Meier's turn-based strategy game Civilization IV, and a recurring character in the manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo. He is in the video game series Samurai Warriors.

Tokugawa Ieyasu is depicted as one of the only six survivors of the destruction of the colony ship Mesopotamia in the anime series Saber Marionette J. He and the other five survivors (all male) land on the planet that becomes known as Terra II, and each man founds a new city-state reflective of his respective heritage. Each city-state is populated by clones of the founder; the Ieyasu that appears at the start of the series is the 15th cloned incarnation of the original.

[edit] Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Main article: Toyotomi Hideyoshi

• Hideyoshi appears in the games Samurai Warriors, Samurai Warriors 2, Warriors Orochi,Onimusha,and Sengoku Basara 2. He is also the center of Koei's Taikou Risshiden series of games, which focus primarily on Hideyoshi's rise to prominence.

[edit] Uesugi Kenshin

Main article: Uesugi Kenshin

Kenshin, as Kagetora, is the main character in the Heaven and Earth (1990 movie) (the title being a reference to Takeda Shingen's famous quote, "In heaven and earth, I alone am to be revered").

Kenshin, as Nagao Kagetora is a central character in the Japanese sci-fi film Sengoku Jietai.

Kenshin is featured in Koei's video game Samurai Warriors, and also Koei's Warriors Orochi . His appearance is designed to be rather similar with Dynasty Warriors's depiction of Xu Huang. He wields a seven bladed sword and prays to Bishamonten every time he starts a battle.

He's also featured in Kō Shibusawa's Nobunaga's Ambition series of games, also published by Koei. He makes another appearance in Kessen III.

Kenshin is also featured in Capcom's Sengoku Basara. In there, he is depicted as a much more feminine figure who would sometimes act rather narcissistic. His voice is done by voice actress Pak Romi. He's assisted with Kasuga, a fictional Kunoichi who is apparently in love with him (She may possibly be named after Kasugayama Castle, Kenshin's primary fortress). He wields a katana. In Devil Kings, he is renamed as Frost, whereas Kasuga is renamed as Venus.

There has also been a popular animated series about the son of Kenshin and his 4 retainers. See Mirage of Blaze (2002).

The board game Shogun, designed by Dirk Henn and published by Queen Games, features Uesugi Kenshin as one of the Daimyos to choose.

Kenshin is portrayed by Japanese pop culture icon Gackt in the Japanese taiga drama Fūrinkazan (風林火山).

In the anime Rurouni Kenshin, the main character is a wandering samurai named Kenshin, whose fighting style includes moves related to dragons in a reference to "The Dragon of Echigo." The anime character is also noted for his "god like speed," and eventually comes into conflict with a gun-wielding entrepreneur whose surname is Takeda. Another similarity with between the two Kenshins are their rivals. Uesugi's rival is known as "The Tiger of Kai" and Rurouni's rival's fighting style uses moves associated with tigers.

In the SNES (Super Nintendo) game Inindo, Uesugi Kenshin is Daimyo of the province Echigo.

[edit] Yamamoto Kansuke

Main article: Yamamoto Kansuke

Kansuke was the subject of the 1969 film, Fūrin kazan (called "Samurai Banners" in English), directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, where the role of Kansuke was played by Toshiro Mifune.

The 2007 NHK Taiga drama Fūrinkazan (風林火山) features Yamamoto Kansuke as the main character (played by Uchino Masaaki). It is based on the novel by Yasushi Inoue.

Kansuke also appears in the Yoshihiro Takahashi manga Kacchu no Senshi Gamu.

He is also featured as one of the generals in the strategy game Civilization IV: Warlords.

[edit] Edo period

Main article: Edo period

[edit] Amakusa Shirō

Main article: Amakusa Shirō

Amakusa Shiro is often cast as a villain in Japanese movies and anime, most notably Makai Tensho, a story about the fictional battles of Yagyu Jubei. In this story, Amakusa Shiro rejects the Christian God at the time of his death and becomes a demon, returning to Earth to destroy the Tokugawa who put him to death with some of Japan's greatest heroes and villains of the age, also resurrected as demons. The character Amakusa in the Samurai Shodown series of fighting games is based on the historical figure; he features as both a boss and a selectable character. In the manga Amakusa 1637, the story is about a girl from the present world to the past world and replace the role of Shiro because he was killed.

Another place Amakusa Shiro is mentioned is in Rurouni Kenshin. His self-proclaimed successor Amakusa Shogo is cast as a character in an anime-only arc of the series.

Japanese doll and figure company Volks have released an SD13 sized Super Dollfie based of Amakusa named 'Amakusa Shirou Tokisada'

[edit] Harada Sanosuke

Main article: Harada Sanosuke

Harada Sanosuke appears in Shiba Ryoutarou's novels Moeyo Ken and Shinsengumi Keppuroku.

He is depicted in NHK's Taiga drama series Shinsengumi! (played by Yamamoto Taro.)

In addition, Harada appears in the anime series Peacemaker Kurogane, as well as in the manga it was originally based on, Shinsengumi Imon PEACE MAKER and Peacemaker Kurogane. He is also featured in Kaze Hikaru (manga), Getsumei Seiki (manga) and Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi (video game series.)

Harada is shown in flashback sequences in Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X. (The character designs for him and the character based on him, Sagara Sanosuke, are similar.)

[edit] Hattori Masanari

Main article: Hattori Masanari

Hattori Masanari is portrayed in the anime series Shinshaku Sanada Juyushi as a ninja warrior serving beneath Ieyasu initially during the Sekigahara Campaign. Within this campaign, Masanari attempts to kill the main character Sarutobi Sasuke, not only for the sake of protecting the Tokugawa contingent upon which the former had been spying, but also to avenge his father who had been slain by ninja of Sasuke's Kōga clan, though this wasn't the case in actual history.

He was portrayed by Sonny Chiba in Shadow Warriors I^[9]

[edit] Hijikata Toshizō

Main article: Hijikata Toshizō

Hijikata is depicted in the 1999 film Gohatto (played by Takeshi Kitano), the 2004 NHK Taiga drama series Shinsengumi! (including the single-episode sequel Shinsengumi!: Hijikata Toshizo Saigo no Ichinichi), as well as being one of the main characters in Peace Maker Kurogane (anime/manga) and Kaze Hikaru (manga).

Hijikata is the protagonist in Morita Kenji's manga Getsumei Seiki, and in Mibu Robin's Baragaki ("Red Demon").

Hijikata (as well as other members of the Shinsengumi) also appears in the yaoi manga Soshite Haru no Tsuki.

Hijikata appears in the TV series Shinsengumi Keppuroku, and is played by Hiroaki Murakami.

Hijikata is also featured in the anime/manga Shura no Toki and in the short OVA Hijikata Toshizou - Shiro no Kiseki.

He also has a part in the anime Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto.

He is a minor character in anime Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi as well.

Hijikata was also featured prominently in the 2-part anime: Unkai no Meikyuu (Mask of Zeguy)

In the anime and manga Gintama, a character by the name of Toushiro Hijikata is loosely based on the historical Hijikata

[edit] Inoue Genzaburō

Main article: Inoue Genzaburō

Inoue is featured in Kaze Hikaru (manga) and Getsumei Seiki (manga). He is also depicted in the 1999 film Gohatto and NHK's drama series Shinsengumi!.

[edit] Kondō Isami

Main article: Kondō Isami

Kondō was portrayed in the NHK drama series Shinsengumi! by SMAP singer Shingo Katori.

Kondō is also featured in the anime/manga Peacemaker Kurogane, the manga Kaze Hikaru and the Rurouni Kenshin OVA Samurai X. On film, this character has appeared in the 1999 film Gohatto and in the 2003 film Mibu Gishi Den (also known as When The Last Sword is Drawn).

Kondo Isamu from Gintama is loosely based on Kondo Isami

[edit] Miyamoto Musashi

Main article: Miyamoto Musashi

See Miyamoto Musashi in fiction.

[edit] Nagakura Shinpachi

Main article: Nagakura Shinpachi

Accounts of Nagukura's time before and during his Shinsengumi period appear in novels, period dramas and anime/manga series.

For example, Nagakura is featured in Peacemaker Kurogane (anime/manga), Kaze Hikaru (manga), Getsumei Seiki (manga), 2004 NHK Taiga drama series Shinsengumi!, Shinsengumi Gunrou-den (video game series), and Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi (video game series.)

[edit] Nezumi Kozō

Main article: Nezumi Kozō

Nezumi Kozō is an inspiration for the video game character Ebisumaru, who commonly stars in a series from Konami entitled Ganbare Goemon. A descendant also appears in the second Lupin III anime.

He was parodied on Tomica Hero Rescue Force as a present day thief named "Nurenezumi Kozō".

[edit] Okita Sōji

Main article: Okita Sōji

Like the other members of the Shinsengumi, fictionalized accounts of Okita's life and actions appear in novels, period dramas and anime/manga series. Although his given name is sometimes pronounced as "Soushi" in the fictional world, it's actually "Souji."

On the 2004 NHK Taiga drama Shinsengumi!, actor Tatsuya Fujiwara played Okita.

Okita is a main character in the anime/manga Peacemaker Kurogane, which takes more liberties with history.

Okita is mentioned in the anime/manga series Rurouni Kenshin, which takes place during and after the Meiji Revolution in Japan. He makes a major appearance in the OVA and is briefly shown during the Kyoto Arc (before the character based on the Okita Sōji from novel Shinsengumi Keppuroku, Seta Sōjirō, makes his appearance); in the manga, Okita is also shown during the Jinchū Arc.

In the anime series, Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto, Okita is depicted as an old acquaintace of the protagonist, Akizuki Yōjirō.

Okita is also one of the main playable characters in the X Box video game Kengo: The Legend of the 9 Samurai.

In an episode of the anime Ghost Sweeper Mikami, ghost-hunter Mikami Reiko gets inside of a haunted movie about the Bakumatsu and meets Okita, who is depicted as a crazy guy who thinks only of killing people (obvious pun on his usual portrayal, which also is a foil to the show's rendition of Hijikata.) In the anime/manga series Shura no Toki, Okita's (fictional) last battle before succumbing to his sickness is with a warrior from the Mutsu Enmei Ryuu, an unarmed martial art. Their duel was a request from Okita himself from years before. Okita appears during a flashback in Kido Shinsengumi: Moeyo Ken (which features Okita's fictional daughter Kaoru as one of the three main characters of the series.)

Okita is the male protagonist in the manga Kaze Hikaru, a fictional story about the Shinsengumi during the late Tokugawa shogunate, in which Okita trains a young girl to be one of the Shinsengumi in order to avenge her father and older brother. He is also featured in the manga Getsumei Seiki.

He also appears in the H-manga Femme Kabuki after his fault name Soji.

In addition, he is depicted in the 1999 live-action film Gohatto (sometimes known as Taboo), the 2003 Japanese film When the Last Sword Is Drawn, video game series Shinsengumi Gunrou-den (as the protagonist), video game series Fu-un Shinsengumi, and video game series Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi.

The popular Japanese conception of Okita is that his character and his swordsmanship were of the highest purity. In Shiba Ryotaro's novels, he joined the Shinsengumi not because of his political beliefs but rather out of his loyalty for Kondo Isami and his (fictional) friendship with Hijikata Toshizo.

His anime, manga, and TV depictions tend to be as a handsome young man, sometimes a bishōnen. The Latin American dub of Rurouni Kenshin, even mistook Okita for a woman. In fact, in a 1991 movie, Bakumatsu Jūnjōden (幕末純情伝), he is portrayed as a boyish woman. In a 2003 theatrical production of the same name, (s)he's portrayed by actress Ryoko Hirosue.

Okita Sougo, from the anime/manga Gintama, is loosely based on Okita Souji.

[edit] Saitō Hajime

Main article: Saitō Hajime

Saitō has become a better-known figure among young anime fans in the West since several anime and manga series used him as a character. The popular Rurouni Kenshin series portrays him as somewhat of a rival character, Saitō Hajime, once a mortal enemy of protagonist Himura Kenshin, and eventually an uneasy ally. As portrayed in Rurouni Kenshin, Saitō is very tall and plain-looking compared to the other characters and has a cold and quiet disposition, following some of the very few descriptions of his personality in real life. In Rurouni Kenshin, Saito is granted special permission to carry a katana. The Gatotsu sword technique that he uses in the series is similar to the description of his original sword technique, but is purely fictional, and not entirely accurate to real swordfighting. The real left-handed thrust is used, in most sword styles, as a surprise maneuver. It is executed as a tsuki or thrust while stepping through, releasing the right hand at the last moment, leaving the left holding the end of the hilt. The grip-change and the step grant an extra foot or more of reach, completely changing the spacing of the fight, but it must be done suddenly to be most effective. The "Aku Soku Zan" motto he lives by (悪即斬, most literally, "Kill those who are evil immediately," but more poetically translated as "Swift death to evil," or "Slay Evil Immediately.") is similarly unverified beyond its use in Rurouni Kenshin, but fits with Saitō's reputation for killing corrupt Shinsengumi members.

In Peacemaker Kurogane, another historical manga and anime that tells the story of Ichimura Tetsunosuke who joins the Shinsengumi to avenge the deaths of his parents, he appears as the captain of the third troop and is rather laidback and mystical (like a shaman), with a perpetually sleepy expression.

He also appears in Kaze Hikaru, in which he is portrayed as a quiet and serious character, who was friends with (and bears a striking resemblance to) the main character's older brother.

Saito is the protagonist in the manga Burai, a fictional story about the Shinsengumi during the late Tokugawa shogunate.

In the 2003 Japanese film When the Last Sword Is Drawn (Mibu gishi den), Saitō is played by Koichi Sato. At first, Sato portrays Saitō as a cold, dark, uncaring captain of the Shinsengumi. However, Saitō changes as a man through his interactions with Kanichiro Yoshimura (played by Kiichi Nakai) during the last years of the Shinsengumi.

In the 2004 jdorama Shinsengumi!, actor Joe Odagiri played the role of Saitou.

A Kenshin series look-alike named Keiichiro Washizuka was featured in The Last Blade series of games. Again, he was characterized by a cold and quiet persona, along with a fierce loyalty to the Shinsengumi. His appearance was consistent with the Saito featured in the Rurouni Kenshin's Trust and Betrayal OVA, and fights with a series of "sliding charge" attacks resembling the Gatotsu.

Saito is also featured in Getsumei Seiki (manga), Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi (video game series} and in Code of the Samurai (Video game series)

Saitou Hajime is also shown in later episodes of the anime "Shura no Toki: Age of Chaos."

[edit] Sasaki Kojirō

Main article: Sasaki Kojirō

• The epic historical adventure fiction novel Musashi, by famed Japanese author Eiji Yoshikawa, features a separate parallel plotline and various sub-plots highlighting the exploits of Sasaki Kojirō Ganryũ. Eventually the Musashi and Kojirō plotlines intertwine, with the pair's famous duel the climax and final chapter of the novel.
• In the game Brave Fencer Musashi, the title character's sworn rival was named after Kojirō. And in Musashi: Samurai Legend, the main villain was named Gandrake, named after 'Ganryũ'.

• The birth and growth of Sasaki Kojirō is also featured in Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue, a manga dedicated to the life of Miyamoto Musashi, though in it, Sasaki Kojirō is portrayed as being deaf.
• In the Manga by Masami Kurumada, Fuma no Kojiro (1982-1984), Sasaki Kojiro and Miyamoto Musashi are main characters. An Anime version of Fuma no Kojiro was released in 1992.
• Kojirō appears as the main spirit in the manga Kensei Tsubame (剣聖ツバメ lit. Sword Saint Tsubame), a story about kendo practitioners who become possessed by the spirits of many famous Japanese swordsmen. The protagonist, who is possessed by Kojirō, is named Tsubame Kamoshita. His name is probably a reference to Kojirō's technique.
• In Pokémon, the Japanese names for Jesse and James (Team Rocket) are Musashi and Kojiro.
• In the visual novel and anime series Fate/stay night, the Servant Assassin introduces himself as Sasaki Kojirō and wields the Noble Phantasm "Monohoshizao," with which he performs the Tsubame-Gaeshi technique. However, it is debated whether his true identity is actually Sasaki, as he claims that he only took Kojiro's name. In Episode 18 of the anime, Saber recognizes Assassin as Kojiro. Assassin then claims Kojiro is but a fake name and that the person called Sasaki Kojirou does not exist; he is but a character with a fabricated past that has been made into a master swordsman inside people's memories.
• In the video game Samurai Warriors 2 by Koei, Kojiro appears as an enemy officer and an unlockable bodyguard, but not a playable character except through Nene's special ability (taking on the appearance and moveset of an officer nearby) and in the Samurai Warriors 2: Empires game. He was announced as an addition to the playable character roster for Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends, the game's expansion, utilizing both the long sword and an "extradimensional" sword which materializes during certain attacks. His skin color is bone white, and he is depicted as an evil minded fiend. He appears in the sequel to Warriors Orochi, Warriors Orochi: Rebirth of the Demon Lord though it is unknown which faction, if any, he is siding with.
• Tachibana Ukyo from Samurai Showdown is based on Kojiro just as Haohmaru is based on Musashi.
• In an 80's comedy shonen anime and manga titled "Yaiba" Sasaki Kojirou was revived from his death after the final battle with Miyamoto Musashi, Yaiba's teacher. He was brought to life by Yaiba's nemesis Onimaru in an attempt to defeat Yaiba. However, after a twisted turn of event he then join Yaiba and the gang. His reputation as cool, handsome, and know his way around girls as often portrayed in many fiction about him was parodied in this series as he is shown as a complete womanizer, playboy, and even has a radar for beautiful woman. His appearance in this series was almost entirely comedic although the same would also apply to almost all of the character. The author of the manga is Aoyama Gosho the same author of Meitantei Conan or Case Closed in the U.S.A.
• In Dr. Slump, Arale, Gatchan, and Taro used the "Time Slipper" to travel to the day of Musashi's duel with Kojiro. It states that Musashi was late for the duel over a two-day game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Kojiro is shown waiting impatiently for Musashi, and is left waiting after Musashi goes with Arale to the future.
• Kojiro's Tsubame Gaeshi is a technique used by Shusuke Fuji in Prince of Tennis, and by Sanada Kazuki in Fighting Spirit.
• Monohoshizao is an alternate weapon for Yoshimitsu in the video game Soul Calibur II and it is described to be used by a renowned Japanese swordsman named Kojiroh Sasaki. It also appears as an alternate weapon for the bonus character Arthur, a counterpart to Mitsurugi who himself is based on Miyamoto Musashi.
• Kojiro is an unlockable charackter in the Ubisoft / genki game "Sword of the Samuraï". Which also has Ganryu Island a selectable arena. Also the game features Miyamoto with an actual oar instead of a self modified oar-Suburito.

[edit] Serizawa Kamo

Main article: Serizawa Kamo

Serizawa is featured in Shiba Ryotaro's Moeyo Ken (Burn O Sword) and Shinsengumi Keppuroku (Shinsengumi Bloody Record).

He is also featured in the manga Kaze Hikaru as Commander Serizawa and is pictured as a jolly man, often red nosed from drunkedness but below his comic and often perverted nature is also a fierce opponent that should not be judged upon. He is often seen on drinking fests with the rest of the Mibu or always trying to get a kiss from Kamiya Seizaburo (Tominaga Sei). He falls in love in with a woman named Oume. His fight with the Sumos and meeting Oume are historical facts based from the real life story of Serizawa.

Serizawa's assassination was portrayed in the anime version of Peacemaker Kurogane

[edit] Yamanami Keisuke

Main article: Yamanami Keisuke

Yamanami is featured in Peacemaker Kurogane (anime/manga), Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker (manga), Kaze Hikaru (manga), Getsumei Seiki (manga), Hijikata Toshizou - Shiro no Kiseki (OVA), and Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi (video game series.)

In addition, he is portrayed in Shinsengumi! (2004 NHK Taiga drama series, played by Sakai Masato), Shinsengumi!: Hijikata Toshizo Saigo no Ichinichi (2006 NHK New Year special, again played by Sakai Masato), and Shinsengumi Keppuroku.

[edit] Yagyū Jūbei

Main article: Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi

Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi might likely have been relegated to obscurity in Japanese history were it not for the mythos his name developed from the authors, artists and filmmakers who attempted to fill in the gaps of Yagyū Jūbei's many missing years.

One of the earliest examples of developing the story around Yagyū Jūbei was from Japanese author Fūtarō Yamada's 1967 book, Makai Tenshou (Resurrection from Hell), which featured Yagyū Jūbei involved in the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637 and 1638. This story was eventually adapted into a live-action picture called Samurai Reincarnation in 1981, directed by Kinji Fukasaku.

Jubei was the main character of a Japanese television series entitled the Yagyu conspiracy starring Sonny Chiba in the 80's. Jubei was a defender of the Shogun and leader of a covert ninja group. Sonny Chiba later reprised this role in the tv series sequel to Yagyu Conspiracy called Yagyu Jubei Abaretabi.

The story of Makai Tenshou was also turned into a manga by mangaka Shouko Toba as Makai Tenshou: Yume no Ato (Resurrection from Hell: Sign of Dreams). This was then adapted into two anime OVAs (although originally planned for four) as Makai Tenshou Jigokuhen, later released in the U.S. under the name Ninja Resurrection.

Director/writer Yoshiaki Kawajiri in his enormously popular animated film Ninja Scroll, created the lead character Jubei Kibagami as a homage to Yagyū Jūbei. He's voiced by the famous seiyū Kōichi Yamadera. The movie also had a sequel - Ninja Scroll: The Series - that features a recurring character named Yagyu Renya, a one-eyed master swordsman from the Yagyū Clan.

Yagyū Jūbei is also featured in other manga, anime and video games, ranging from the epic work, Lone Wolf and Cub, Gosho Aoyama's shōnen manga series Yaiba and the modern parody Jubei-chan (where a young girl from modern times becomes the successor to the 300-year-old Yagyū clan) and Gintama as Yagyū Kūbei.

Several other movies were also created about him, including Darkside Reborn and Shogun's Samurai, which both featured Sonny Chiba as the part of Jūbei.

In the fighting game series Samurai Shodown (1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and RPG), Jūbei Yagyū (in western order) is a playable character, and the only actual samurai in the series. His voice is provided by either Takayuki Sakai, or Kiyoshi Kobayashi, depending on the installment he appears in.

The second installment of the Onimusha video game series as well features a swordsman by the name of Yagyū Jūbei, but this is in fact his grandfather, Yagyū Muneyoshi. In the fourth game a female Yagyu by the name of Akane took the name of Jūbei as the strongest of her clan and is on a mission to go after Munenori.

A secret trailer at the end of the first game, however, saw a lead character with an eyepatch, suggesting that Yagyū Jūbei was originally intended as the sequel's protagonist. Samurai Legend features a fictionalized account based on the little known history of Jūbei Yagyū, and the main character in Onimusha 2 is named "Jūbei" but is in fact heavily based upon Jūbei's grandfather Yagyū Muneyoshi.

An interesting facet of Jūbei's perception among people is that Jūbei is almost always depicted as being a hero of the common people, so much so that nearly every work about him contains at least one scene where he saves innocent peasants from the wrath of overly proud samurai. In Jūbei's time, samurai had the right to cut down peasants for any reason with little or no consequence, especially if the peasant disrespected them in some way. While certainly heroic, considering the strict caste system of the time, this would be considered inappropriate for someone of the samurai caste like Jūbei, which in turn provokes speculation about how this perception began, and if there was something about the real Jūbei that inspired it, or if it is a case of film makers and writers making Jūbei yet more heroic.

[edit] References

1. ^ 戦国BASARA
2. ^ Video Research (Japanese).
3. ^ http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a177/LittleDragonZhaoYun/graciaSW2XL.jpg(Japanese)
4. ^ Mishima, Yukio (1959), The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, New York: Alfred A. Knopf 
5. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0896567/fullcredits#cast
6. ^ Anime Network's profile of Manga Sarutobi Sasuke
7. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuge_Liang
8. ^ Akira ISHIDA - Anime News Network
9. ^ 配役宝典　第六版　は　その２