Katsuyori Takeda

Katsuyori Takeda is the twentieth head of the Takeda clan and Shingen's fifth known son. He is an experienced general, possibly one of the Takeda Twenty-Four Generals, and Shingen's successor. In spite of his early accomplishments, he is popularly known for being the loser at Nagashino and bringing ruin to his clan.

Samurai Warriors
Katsuyori appears in both games at Nagashino. In the first game, he orders his men to quickly claim Nagashino Castle and fortify their army's escape route. Yukimura begs him to reconsider their offensive tactic but Katsuyori is confident in their victory. He orders his men to charge in between the reloading rifles and is surprised to see the cavalry continue to suffer casualties. After losing many key officers, Katsuyori orders a full-scale retreat. Yukimura offers to claim victory by taking Nobunaga's head. If he takes too long doing this task, Katusyori will tell him to abandon the assault and pull back.

In Samurai Warriors 2, he is one of the units who tries to capture the fleeing Ieyasu. Impetuous and aggressive, he rides into battle to prove his family's heritage. At Nagashino, his orders remain the same as the first title. When his army loses ground, he tries to retreat from the field. He needs to be defeated in order to claim victory. In Yukimura's story, he needs to be defended during his escape.

Though he doesn't die at Nagashino, the games often say that the Takeda clan ends following this battle.

Kessen
Katusyori is first seen serving by his father's side in Kessen III. Following his father's death, he becomes the clan's hot-headed leader. The Takeda vassals secretly belittle him behind his back. Disregarding his father's wish to build a defense, he focuses on harassing Ieyasu and Nobunaga. After he loses Nagashino, Katsuyori continues to defy Nobunaga until he loses most of his clan. He commits ritual suicide to apologize to his father in the afterlife. Finishing Katsuyori is optional for Nobunaga as his death will happen whether or not he chooses to fight him.

Voice Actors

 * Kirk Thornton - Samurai Warriors (English)
 * Jason Moran - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Takeshi Kusao - Samurai Warriors 2 (Japanese)
 * Hisao Egawa - Kessen III (Japanese)
 * Hisayoshi Suganuma - Nobunaga's Ambition Online (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "But, my lord! Lord Shingen said that we musn't face the Oda forces yet!"
 * "The enemy is cowering in fear of our strength! That is why they are building defenses. And look at this rain! Their guns are useless to them. Ha! Lord Shingen, Lord Shingen, I'm sick of hearing it! If you are so scared, you can rest your old bones while the rest of us win glory!"
 * Refusing to listen to Baba at Nagashino; Kessen III

Historical Information
Katsuyori was famed as the head of the Takeda clan after Shingen’s death. Katsuyori succeeded to his mother's Suwa clan and gained Takatō Castle as the seat of his domain. After his elder brother Yoshinobu Takeda died, Katsuyori's son Nobukatsu became heir to the Takeda clan, making Katsuyori the true ruler of the Takeda clan. He took charge of the family after the death of Shingen and fought Iyeasu Tokugawa at Takatenjin in 1574 and at Nagashino in 1575. He captured Takatenjin, which even his father could not; this gained him the support of the Takeda clan, but he suffered a terrible loss at Nagashino, in which he lost a large part of his forces as well as a number of his generals. Katsuyori incurred the wrath of the Hojo Clan by helping Kagekatsu Uesugi against Kagetora Uesugi who was Ujiyasu seventh son, adopted by and heir to Kenshin Uesugi. He lost Takatenjin in 1581 and this led clans like Kiso and Anayama to withdraw their support. His forces were destroyed by the combined armies of Nobunaga Oda and Iyeasu Tokugawa at Temmokuzan in 1582, after which Katsuyori and his son Nobukatsu committed suicide. There have been rumors that Nobunaga Oda had great pleasure in seeing Katsuyori's decapitated head, since the Takeda clan had always been his biggest rival.