Ginchiyo Tachibana

Ginchiyo Tachibana first appears as a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2. She is the lord and lady of the Tachibana clan. Since her father, Dosetsu, had no other immediate heirs after his death, Ginchiyo was chosen to lead. She works with Muneshige in battle. She's symbolized by the words "quick" (迅) and "lightning" (雷).

Samurai Warriors
Ginchiyo is a proud and determined woman who lives with a samurai's code of honor. She often berates cowardly tactics and believes that all battles should be won with integrity. Ginchiyo's family is the rival of the Shimazu clan. She especially dislikes Yoshihiro, as he was the one responsible for her father's death. She wields Dosetsu's sword in combat and hopes to someday reap her vengeance. As she fights with her nemesis, Ginchiyo begins to feel some respect for him.

She continues to fight for Hideyoshi's dream and opposes Ieyasu at Sekigahara. After the battle, Ieyasu flees back to his home. However, Yoshihiro defects and marches towards Osaka. Seeing this as her chance, Ginchiyo challenges her rival to one last contest. After she wins, a dying Yoshihiro pleads her to spare his men the punishment of his selfish gamble. Though she first seems reproachful, she agrees to honorably watch over the Shimazu clan for him.

In her dream stage, she joins the Western Army's assault on Ieyasu's home, Edo Castle.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, Ginchiyo is being attacked by Cao Ren's forces. She is saved by the fleeing Yoshihiro, Zhao Yun, and Xing Cai. Tied by honor, she agrees to help their cause.

Okuni drags her into Wu in the sequel. It is here where she follows through with her debt and helps Wu with their cause. In one of the game's dream modes, she forms an unlikely alliance with Xing Cai and Yoshimoto. With Yue Ying and Hideyoshi's help, they go to rescue Yuan Shao's struggling army at Chen Cang. Ginchiyo elaborates on Yoshimoto's history with the young maiden and they heroically encourage the isolated generals to fight -including Dong Zhuo.

Kessen
Ginchiyo can be recruited in Kessen III if Kicho rides out in battle to meet her. She is actually a fan of Kicho and acts as a rather sweet maiden. In some ways, she mirrors her idol's abilities.

Development
Quite simply, Ginchiyo was created to be the first woman in the cast to wield a sword. Originally, she was going to resemble a Valkyrie with wings, but this was discarded to better fit with the setting of the Warring States. To reflect her strength and to reference her father surviving a lightning strike during a snowstorm, she was given a lightening bolt motif. The director states that the idea to include her in the game initially puzzled the development team.

Voice Actors

 * Freya Ravensbergen - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Naomi Shindô - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "For glory!"
 * "I think you'll find that I'm as tough as they come."
 * "Principles, material goods... All are as petals in the winds of time. Choose life... give in to your desires."
 * "Your words, Demon King, are very close to my own beliefs. The things men embrace in this world are heavy chains. They bind our souls, and keep us from being truly free."
 * Nobunaga and Ginchiyo; Samurai Warriors 2 Empires

Historical Information
Tachibana Ginchiyo was "Lightning God" Tachibana Dosetsu's daughter, a strong and respected warrior. Ginchiyo was personally named by her father with her name roughly meaning, "one who would not listen idly to others". This proved true to some extent as she grew up refusing to believe in her mother's "ladylike" teachings. She practiced many common teachings for boys and is said to have been a stern and strict figure with noteworthy communication skills.

When Dosetsu was ailing and had lost his other children to illness, he was pleased to see Ginchiyo well and healthy. Despite their suggestion to pass his leadership onto one of his distant relatives, he told his retainers to make Ginchiyo his heir following his death. He died battling the Shimazu clan at Neko'o Castle on November 2, 1585. His wishes were respected and Ginchiyo became the unconventional lord of the Tachibana clan. A woman ruling a clan during the Warring States period was rarely seen or fathomed before then. Feeling under threat of possible invaders, Ginchiyo trained her maids to wield swords at all times, which intimidated many possible suitors. Five years after her rule, she was married to Tachibana Muneshige and he continued to lead the clan. Two years after the Battle of Sekigahara, Ginchiyo passed away at the age of 34.

Three tales surround Ginchiyo's life as a samurai. One states that she summoned Toyotomi Hideyoshi to her home and scared him witless by the sight of her heavily armed maids. A second tale states that she was equipped to defend her home with her maids whilst her husband was away. The third takes place after Sekigahara and the Eastern Army reportedly began to march towards her doorstep. She faced them whilst dressed in armor and many of her enemies were said to have felt threatened by the sight. However, there is little historical evidence to validate any of these events and some historians believe that these stories are romanticized fables from the Edo period.

Trivia

 * An event centering on Ginchiyo's beloved white cat was released for Nobunaga's Ambition Online in September 2009. Muneshige asks the players to help him find it for her.