Magoichi Saika

Magoichi Saika (雑賀 孫市) is a character who first appears in Samurai Warriors. He is the leader of the Saika renegades, an organized mercenary rifle unit. He has a grudge against the "Demon King", Nobunaga. In the first game, he's 23 years old. He's symbolized by the kanji for "hit" (撃) and "charging forward" (衝).

Role in Games

 * "Your weapon interests me..."
 * ―Guan Yu; Warriors Orochi.

Samurai Warriors
Magoichi is a rebel who loves his freedom. He is rough with the guys but sweet to the ladies. He starts out employed by the Ikko sect to help their rebellion against Nobunaga. When their army faces defeat, he naively thinks they can peacefully beg for surrender and is shocked to see Nobunaga order a slaughter of the rebels. Since then, he swore to snipe the villain in order to save the land. In his shorter ending, he is bummed by Kennyo Honganji's choice to serve Nobunaga and apologizes for not winning for them.

In his complete story, Magoichi becomes a vigilante after the Ikko surrender and aims to end Nobunaga's life. He infiltrates Gifu Castle and finally corners the Demon King for the final shot. Before he shoots, Nobunaga tries to pound doubts into him, quickly asking what he will achieve by killing him and reasons that nothing will change. Magoichi's gun goes off and he leaves the scene, saying that Nobunaga's burden is no greater than anyone else.

In Samurai Warriors 2, Magoichi is an old friend of Hideyoshi and is hired by various employers to make a living. When his home is destroyed by Nobunaga, he estranges himself from Hideyoshi and swears to avenge his lost comrades. He sneaks into Honnoji and assassinates Nobunaga during his duel with Mitsuhide. While fleeing from the scene, Magoichi realizes that his act actually caused more chaos as bandits are free to terrorize innocent people. This pleases Kotaro who thanks Magoichi for making his job easier. Lost and confused, he collapses.

He later awakens in dry shelter with Hideyoshi, who requests his help to take down Mitsuhide. Filled with self-pity and regret, Magoichi calls him a hypocrite for not wanting to kill him. Hideyoshi knocks some sense into him as he doesn't want to lose his other friend. Reconciled, Magoichi agrees to help his buddy out and participates in the Yamazaki battle to defeat Mitsuhide. In the aftermath, he is shot by an off-screen rifleman and dies in Hideyoshi's arms.

In his dream mode, the narrative says that he survived his gunshot wound at Yamazaki and befriends Masamune. He joins Masamune's charge against Ieyasu to keep Hideyoshi's dream alive.

Warriors Orochi
Magoichi first appears to try to save Yue Ying in Warriors Orochi. After Shu's men escape, he offers to assist their search for Liu Bei with rumors and information. He continues to try to impress the ladies in the army, namely Yue Ying, Zhu Rong, and Xing Cai. In one of the gaiden stages, he catches Masamune in a pincer attack and convinces him to join Shu.

Kessen
Magoichi appears as a powerful yet minor enemy in Kessen III. He leads a solid rifle unit and can easily pummel armies with his triple row volley. He is usually supported by one or two other armies. While he is an active member during Kennyo's rebellions, he also joins the shogunate army late in the game.

Development
Designers wanted Magoichi to take the place as the freedom loving wanderer who isn't afraid to take radical actions. Keywords for his design process were "rebellious and dandy", which originally inspired various mafia-like images for his character. His first outfit was made to reflect a possible historical interpretation while his alternate "Rambo-like" outfit was a modern version. His revamp for the second game expands on this concept by making him bolder and prouder of the Saika crest. They also wonder if he has a sexier image.

Voice Actors

 * Lex Lang - Samurai Warriors (English)
 * Steve Szczepowski - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Hiroshi Isobe - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Get ready to swoon."
 * "Magoichi Saika is here. Does that sound heroic or what?"
 * "Hey, pretty lady! You have already captured my heart. Now, you can hold the rest of me, huh?"
 * "There's more to me than just the good looks, ya know?"
 * "Why can no one else see that the day of swords and spears is gone?"
 * "Tall, strong, and handsome! What more could you ask for, huh?"
 * "My, there sure are some beautiful girls on the battlefield today!"
 * "Thanks, beautiful. How 'bout I repay you with a kiss, huh?"
 * "No dame can resist this charming face. Not even your goddess Oichi there."
 * "Care to put a handful of gold coins where your mouth is, Magoichi?"
 * "No problem. It'll be the easiest cash I've ever made."
 * Magoichi and Hideyoshi; Samurai Warriors 2 Empires


 * "Mago, let's go. I've been in a lot of battles but none as terrifying as this."
 * "Come on now, that's not like you. You can handle any of these beautiful, beautiful... Sorry, where was I? That's right, I was telling you to get in there and show me what you got!"
 * Gracia and Magoichi during the beauty competition; Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends

Historical Information
Suzuki Magoichi, popularly known as Saiga Magoichi, is believed to be a moniker used by the leaders of the Saiga group (雑賀衆, Saiga-shu). A couple variations of his name include Saika Magoichi and Hirai Magoichi (平井孫一). The leaders of these warrior monks are famous for their expert gunsmiths and arquebuses. "Magoichi" was considered a family rite in the Suzuki family and was passed down within their family's generations. Users of the name have been spotted during the Ishigami Honngan-ji riots and the Battle of Sekigahara. Historians also believe that copycat users have also been seen in scattered parts of Japan. Magoichi's accomplishments have escalated him to a legendary status in folktales and myths.

The Saiga group were rebels stationed near Saikazaki. Since they are named after this piece of land, they are sometimes known as the Saika Ikki. Their ranks varied from former samurai vassals, Buddhist monks, mercenaries, and former bandits. They built their own castle (Saika Castle) at the modern day Wakayama, Wakayama and were an independent power from the shogunate. Their economy depended on their fishing, mountain agriculture, and rifle-crafting. Their lands were either abandoned or integrated as a part of Hideyoshi's property. By 1585, their group dissolved and the people separated to other parts of the country.

The Magoichi in Samurai Warriors is actually a combined history of three men who used this name: Suzuki Shigeoki, Suzuki Shigehide, and Suzuki Shigetomo. Shigehide is speculated by fans to be the playable Magoichi in the games since Shigeoki and Shigetomo appear as separate non-playable characters.

Suzuki Shigeoki
Shigeoki (1511-1585), also known as Suzuki Sadayū, was Shigehide and Shigetomo's father. Since little records regarding the first half of his life are found, it is speculated that he traveled as a mercenary. He was employed by the Hatakeyama clan and was a major contributor for repelling the Miyoshi clan. His reputation as a fearsome warrior began to spread and he became a kokujin in the area. When the Miyoshi clan were being attacked by Oda Nobunaga in 1570, the Ishiyama Hongan-ji mob assisted the resistance against the conqueror. Shigeoki came to their aid and led 600 riflemen into battle. His efforts won him fame when he injured one of Nobunaga's valued generals, Sassa Narimasa. Kennyo continued to count on Shigeoki's reinforcements. During this time, Nobunaga was said to have called him "Kennyo's left and right-hand man".

During the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute, Shigeoki aided Tokugawa Ieyasu and surrendered to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's vast army after the battle's conclusion. Though he swore to serve Hideyoshi, Todo Takatora suspected that keeping a formidable enemy within their ranks was too risky to trust. Therefore, Shigeoki was sentenced to commit suicide. He died when he was 75.

Suzuki Shigehide
Shigehide (1546(?)-1586(?)) was one of Shigeoki's sons. He is said to be his second eldest son but the truth behind the matter remains unknown. Though said to be a warrior of distinguished prowess, details regarding his services remain scant. Aside from his distinct hatred for Nobunaga, the rest of his history is filled with half-truths, rumors, or theories. According to the Sengoku Engi, he was said to have been a great warrior.

It is said that he participated during the Hongan-ji riots as well and led 3,000 gunmen into battle. He is accredited for causing Ban Naomasa's death on the field. Despite being allied with the Miyoshi clan, legends state that Shigehide emphasized with the Ikko sect and was only loyal to them. When the Saika group surrendered to Hideyoshi years later, Shigehide was said to have tried to save his family from destruction. However, he couldn't convince Hideyoshi to spare them and his family's property fell into ruin.

From here, the tales surrounding his fate differ from one another. One story says that he served Hideyoshi briefly before he also decided to commit suicide. Another states that he faithfully continued to serve Hideyoshi until Sekigahara and joined the Eastern army. There, he was employed by Date Masamune to be his secondary rifle troop. A few tales said that he became a wanderer and died as a hermit late in his life.

Suzuki Shigetomo
Shigetomo (1561-1623) was one of Shigeoki's sons. Like Shigehide, he fought with his father during the Ikko sect's riots. After his family fell into ruin, Shigetomo became one of Hideyoshi's generals. He participated in the Korean campaign by sending men from his station, Nagoya Castle. He continued to serve the Toyotomi family and was in the Western army's ranks during the Sekigahara Campaign. He participated in the Siege of Fushimi and caused Torii Mototada's death. Following the Battle of Sekigahara, he was spotted by Date Masamune and joined his clan. Under his orders, he was sent to act as one of Tokugawa Yorifusa's high-ranked bodyguards. He died due to natural causes at age 63.

It is unclear whether he or his descendants were known under the "Magoichi" name when he became a part of the samurai class.