Kunoichi

Kunoichi (くのいち) is a character introduced in Samurai Warriors. She is Yukimura's fictional female ninja bodyguard. In later installments it is revealed she is the adopted daughter of Shingen Takeda. Her spot was filled with Nene in the series second game, but she returned in the third installment and has continued stay since.

Fans voted her to eleventh place in Gamecity's Sengoku Musou 3: Empires character popularity poll. In Koei-Tecmo's Facebook Sengoku Musou Chronicle 2nd poll, she tied for sixth place with three other characters. For the Samurai Warriors 4 poll, she placed fourteenth.

Since the characters in the Samurai Warriors series never refer to her by name, it was thought by Japanese fans that she had no real name at all. This was debunked in the Warriors Orochi series, which has Xiahou Yuan, Zhang He, and others distinctly call her "Kunoichi". The Samurai Warriors animated TV series and Samurai Warriors 4-II gives her a pet flying squirrel named Tsukimaru (月丸).

Role in Games

 * "Lady Kunoichi, there are no words to describe your beauty."
 * Zhang He; Warriors Orochi 2

Samurai Warriors
As her name suggests, Kunoichi is often seen performing covert activities for her master. She first works for Shingen and is ordered to guard his vassal, Yukimura. When the daimyo experiences a premature end at Mikatagahara, she sees herself out of a job when the Takeda clan falls. With free time on her hands, she decides to turn her employer's murderers against one another by feeding Mitsuhide a sob story about her life being ruined by Nobunaga. With them out of the picture, Kunoichi decides that serving Yukimura is more interesting than being leisurely and returns to Ueda Castle. At the same time, Ieyasu orders Hanzō to assassinate her master. Wanting to prove that she is the better ninja, she infiltrates the castle to rescue him. When she arrives by Yukimura's side, she is given a mission to protect him from Hanzō's doubles. If Yukimura sustains too much damage, he will suffer greatly during the defense of Osaka. To try to assist him, she rushes for a preemptive strike on Ieyasu at Odawara Castle. In reality, the "Ieyasu" at her location was really a ruse set up by Hanzō and the ninja have their final showdown. Though she returns after her rival is slain, Yukimura dies at Osaka.

In her upper path ending, Yukimura is in good health and both warriors join the defense at Osaka Castle. During the battle, she realizes that she can fight with a purpose alongside Yukimura and takes efforts to care for the castle's defense. Again, she faces and defeats her rival; this time, she does so with more confidence in her master and herself. When the Toyotomi defeat Ieyasu, however, she disappears after the battle.

During Ina's story in the Xtreme Legends expansion, she is a trickster who continuously mocks Ina's bloodlust. Should the archer give into her taunts, Kunoichi will be slain with a morbid sense of satisfaction. An Ina who firmly believes she fights for peace will spare her and the shinobi lives to play with Ina's infant. Aside from these instances above, she also acts as a rival for the first game's edit characters and makes a rare appearance during the Suguroku game in Samurai Warriors 2. She steals the player's gold and takes it for herself.

Kunoichi is solely Yukimura's servant in Samurai Warriors 3. As his shinobi, she struggles to suppress whatever personal feelings she has for her master and swears to loyally protect him from danger. When Yukimura is ordered by Shingen to assist Ujiyasu at Tonegawa, Kunoichi follows him and has a small competition with the frustrated Kai, beating the samurai maiden to every objective first. Although Kunoichi's antics make her throw a tantrum, Kai is impressed with Kunoichi's abilities as the Uesugi troops scatter. Yukimura compliments the efforts of both maidens back at their camp, erupting a trivial argument between them over which one is better. Ujiyasu chides them to think about their duties realistically, as their squabbling over one battle means nothing while the wars still continue.

After the Takeda clan falls and Nobunaga's death, Ieyasu and Ujiyasu unite their forces to attack Ueda Castle. Kunoichi's job during the conflict is to sneak past her allies' defense and set fire to the enemies lured within the inner keep. When Hanzō threatens to infiltrate the keep, she playfully challenges the other shinobi to a "ninja match", which he refuses. After dealing with the upstart Kai and the protective Ieyasu, the battle is won when Ujiyasu is routed. Following Yukimura to Oshi Castle, she finds respect for Kai's determination to protect someone dear to her. As she faces Ujiyasu, he gives Kunoichi a final request to look after the safety of his maiden vassal after their defeat. After his defeat, the shinobi stays true to her promise and asks Mitsunari for Kai's whereabouts. He reports that Yukimura is already negotiating with Hideyoshi regarding the maiden's safety and thanks her for her efforts. When Mitsunari is attacked in Kyoto, she notices her master being invigorated by his emotions and ties for friendship to save the stranded general. Although she assists him, she begins to feel conflicted with her own emotions. Yukimura warns her after the battle that he will someday face a grueling challenge, but she promises to be by his side for the sake of her profession.

Mitsunari dies after Sekigahara and Kanetsugu and the Uesugi joins with Ieyasu to protect their future. Time passes and a stranded Yukimura leads the small defense of Osaka Castle against Ieyasu's overwhelming numbers. Kunoichi, though fully dedicated in their cause to fight without regrets, wants to plead her master to not die in the conflict but can't say the words herself. Kai notices her insecurity and quotes Ujiyasu, saying that her concern would only inhibit her duty in the end. Encouraging Kunoichi to stand, she swears that they'll win. With her resolve strengthened to guard everything dear to her, the shinobi faithfully stays true to her duty and slays Ieyasu in the conflict, ensuring the Toyotomi's rule and her master's safety. During the new peace that follows, she and Kai venture the streets of Osaka together. Spotting Yukimura with his friends, Keiji and Kanetsugu, she bashfully joins him. After he expresses his gratitude and looks forward to having her beside him in the future, she confesses to him that she also has the strength to move forward on her own path. Quietly vowing to always watch over him after he walks away, she joins Kai in watching one of Okuni's dances.

Sengoku Musou 3: Empires has Kunoichi serve under Shingen in his story route. Concerned over her lord's strained ties with Nobutora and Yoshinobu, she tries to convey her opinions on family matters to him as much as her profession allows while the former considers her and Yukimura as his precious children. She is saddened by Shingen's command to execute his son, yet is overjoyed when he and his estranged father finally reconcile.

Samurai Warriors 4 Kunoichi protects Yukimura as his shinobi and follows him in his campaigns. She often launches espionage tactics or assassinations attempts to help her lord. After the Sanada brothers part ways, the shinobi intensifies her duties out of concern for the younger brother's state of mind. Kunoichi expresses her anxieties to her Toyotomi comrades prior to Osaka Castle and is comforted by them for Yukimura's survival. If she is defeated during Yukimura's final charge in any variation of the final battle, Kunoichi will perish. Her dying breaths are spent pleading for her lord's safety.

The 4-II Blossom Shower Story has her attempt to stop Gracia and company's intrusion at Kakegawa Castle before her recruitment. Kunoichi decides to enjoy herself with the idol group's antics, appreciating their festivity and free spirited wandering. She answers Kotarō's invitation for the third downloadable scenario, personally seeking to free Kai, Nobuyuki, and Yukimura from the spell's influence. At first, she believes Yukimura to be unaffected by the spell but realizes that he has become a full airhead when he openly compliments her beauty. Kunoichi acts like Shingen when she is later placed under the same spell.

Warriors Orochi
In the first game, Kunoichi appears in one of Wu's side stages at Wan Castle, where she volunteers to help the common folk escape. Should all the townspeople escape, Kunoichi will join Wu. She also appears to help Nene's ninja army in Wei's story.

Kunoichi is a spy for Wei in the sequel. She scouts for the enemy and reports to Cao Cao generally before the battle. At Si Shui Gate, she works with Xiahou Dun to stall the enemy at the center while Xiahou Yuan circles to the enemy's flank for a fire attack. She is important for the first few battles but she appears less as the story progresses. In her dream stage, Kunoichi and Magoichi Saika are hired by Dong Zhuo in protecting the gold he stole from Yuan Shao.

Having followed Yukimura after Orochi's second defeat, she too fell under Kiyomori's sorcery after the Takeda's defeat. When Ma Chao and his allies defeat her at Yiling, they free her from the spell. Feeling that she has failed as a kunoichi for being placed under the spell, she joins them to make up for her attacks against them. She later spots Hideyoshi confronting Sun Wukong at Nagashino and finds her possessed master on the battlefield. Unwilling to kill her lord, Kunoichi nearly accepts death at his hands until Ma Dai saves and encourages her to fight. Ecstatic when the spell is lifted, she later accompanies Yukimura to Yangping Gate.

In the downloadable stage, "Ninjas United", Kunoichi joins Yoshitsune's ninja team and fights the demon army. In "Reclusive Beauty", she accompanies Wang Yi who learns about the relationships between couples.

Development
Kunoichi was developed to be the quickest character for Samurai Warriors. Her outfit, snide speech patterns, and fighting style were made to reflect this concept. Her fighting style was made to deliberately contrast Hanzō's. She is roughly based on the popular rumor of Yukimura employing Takeda ninja for his troops. These maidens allegedly disguised themselves as shrine priestess and were noticed by Shingen for their deceptive nature. They roughly imply that she is one of the kunoichi trained by Chiyome. The general goal for her visual design was to create a ninja-like design that has never been seen before. While her first outfit represents her cute and playful nature, her second costume was designed to be "more ninja-like".

Her design in the fourth title was conceptualized to have "top-and-bottom unbalance". Since her trousers were loose in the first title, designers wanted to reverse the balance by giving her a loose poncho for this one. It was a challenge to keep the poncho charming and free-flowing for the final 3D model. Her two garter belts are meant to accentuate her cuteness. Katsuki Onda drew her concepts in this title.

Personality
A playful free thinker, Kunoichi does what she wants and does it how she pleases. In spite of her profession, she doesn't care much for traditions or duty and is rather mischievous. She ignores most of the "mysterious" ninja catchphrases in fiction and talks in a modern and more frank manner. Kunoichi also chronically taunts her enemies and is referred to as "Vixen" by Masamune, Noh, Hanzo, Okuni and several other characters for her flirtatious attitude. In the Japanese dub, she adds nonsensical words, such as "Nyaha~" or "Ururu", at the end or beginning of her sentences. She is very prideful of her ninja training and doesn't want to lose to anyone in speed or fighting. In the third game, she has matured to accept others for her duty and is confident in her abilities as a shinobi. She also cares more about her status, which sometimes stops her from being true with her emotions.

Her relationship with Yukimura can be interpreted as either a one-sided infatuation or a normal work relationship. The official character relation chart has Kunoichi share a one-sided link to him as "Loyal to?" (Yukimura does not link back to Kunoichi). There are enough insinuations in the game to suggest either one is possible. Shingen jokes about their relationship at Kawanakajima. Her possible feelings for him and admiration for him are emphasized in her newest incarnation. He also cares for her safety more than the first title, but his concern for her is usually displayed on a professional level. She wonders if she isn't needed when she sees her master being more lively with his allies than with her.

Regarding Kai, Kunoichi doesn't take the upstart seriously and takes several jibes and insults at the former's attempts to become a star. Although they talk similarly and share similar interests, Kunoichi is genuinely insulted to be compared with her and thinks herself to be the better of the duo in every way. Prone to mocking and belittling her rival's words at any given opportunity, Kunoichi gradually accepts her as a friend as the former matures.

When Hanzō outwits her at Mikatagahara, she holds a grudge against him. The Japanese script in Warriors Orochi, however, has her genuinely touched to have him recognize her as a true shinobi. Contrarily, she is annoyed with Goemon. Her rivalry with Hanzō is downplayed in her newest appearance.

Chronicles 3 reveals that her family died as a result of the Takeda's war with the Uesugi. A remorseful Shingen took the orphaned girl in and raised her with affection, which explains why she is so devoted to his cause. But because of their strong bond, many of Shingen's problems tend to affect Kunoichi on a personal level, causing her to worry for the former's sake.

Character Symbolism
She's symbolized by the characters "kill" (殺) and "bury" (葬) and by red and green leaves for her debut in the Samurai Warriors series. For her subsequent appearances, she is instead symbolized by the characters "intimate" (密) and "blink" (瞬).

The original name for her third weapon or her Normal type of kunai invokes the image of strong, destructive winds. Her Power types have the power to smash through mountains and her Speed variation leaves behind no shadow.

Her fourth or unique weapon in the third title is named after Shiranui, a mysterious fire specter found in legends around the shorelines of Kyushu. It appears on the night of a new moon when the winds are weak and poor for sailing. The burst of fire is argued to either be a type of fire dragon, spirit, or a type of enchanted ghoul. While it can be spotted within what seems to be a reasonable distance for sailing, Shiranui always remain faraway and are hard to identify by the human eye. Sailing closer to it will only have it hop or teleport back to the horizon like a mirage. When the fire specter travels close to the shore of a particular fishing area, all of the fish will abandon it. Sailors were said to have put a special charm at the front of their boats if they spotted it, hoping to drive it away from the shore.

Kunoichi's fifth set of kunai are named after Kushinadahime. The woman is well known in Japanese mythology as the eighth and last maiden offered as a sacrifice to Yamata-no-Orochi. Susanoo happened to come across her and her parents before they sent her away, and he became enamored by her appearance at first sight. He offered to slay the beast if her parents agreed to give them their daughter's hand in marriage. Succeeding in his task, Kushinadahime married the hero and is said to have gave birth to his children. Although her appearances in Japanese mythology are few, she is argued to be a water goddess or priestess and mother to several different deities.

Kokuanten, a supernatural being mentioned in her sixth weapon, is a deva found within in Buddhism. She is Kichijoten's younger sister and is one of the three sovereigns who serve under Enma. Opposite of her sister in every respect, Kokuanten is known as a hideously formed woman who seeks to reap unhappiness and disasters to the world. Both sisters combine their traits to grant either fortune or bad luck to humanity. When her name is broken down to literal terms, it may mean "blackest of nights" or "darkest finale of the world".

The golden incense mentioned as her personal item in Warriors Orochi is Ōjyukukō. It is famed as an extravagant, old fragrance favored by royalty and shoguns since the twelfth century. The wood is said to have been a type of agarwood imported since the eighth century and has reached a legendary status amongst incenses. A far-fetched yet interesting tale regarding this particular incense is that it was favored by Nobunaga. He frequently asked for ōjyukukō to permeate the rooms he stayed within and was hardly seen traveling without it. When Mitsuhide protested the Takeda massacre, Nobunaga became infuriated and repeatedly beat him with the unburnt agarwood during his tantrum. Later, when Mitsuhide betrayed his lord at Honnōji, the retainer frantically searched for his lord's head during the fire. He tried to search for Nobunaga by hunting down the scent of the burning ōjyukukō.

Voice Actors

 * G.K. Bowes - Samurai Warriors; first and third games only, Warriors Orochi series; first and second games only (English-uncredited)
 * Tanja Schmitz - Samurai Warriors (German-uncredited)
 * Yoon Yeo-jin - Samurai Warriors (Korean-uncredited)
 * Yūko Nagashima - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Patricia Strasburger - Sengoku Musou TV series (German)

Quotes

 * See also: Kunoichi/Quotes


 * "Play of the day!! I do love this game!"
 * "I seek a more worthy foe! Or... something like that."
 * "Silence, dog of Nobunaga! He'll pay for what he did to my family!"
 * "Konichi wa. How do you do? My my, you sure do have a lot of gold. You don't mind if I take it do you?"
 * "Enter Kunoichi - savior of the innocent, butt-kicker of the bad guys!"


 * "Only you can help Yukimura, if you know what I mean."
 * "I don't think I want to know..."
 * "Come on, let an old man have his fun!"
 * Shingen and Kunoichi; Samurai Warriors


 * "I wish there were no wars, then we could play Kemari all the time."
 * "Yeah, and I could sleep all day-- wait, what am I saying!?"
 * Yoshimoto and Kunoichi; Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends


 * "It's no good. I can't fight against a woman with such love in her eyes."
 * "Save the justifications for later."
 * Magoichi and Kunoichi; Samurai Warriors 3


 * "Fighting beside you truly makes me happy."
 * "Oh, oh! Does, does that mean...!?"
 * "You can serve as valuable intelligence, and your skill with the blade is true. There is no other person within the Sanada ninja who can perform these tasks as well as you. I expect to have your reliable support when I fight in battle."
 * "Huh, well, that does sound more like something you would say... Yes, my lord! I'll keep doing my best!"
 * Yukimura and Kunoichi; Sengoku Musou 3: Empires


 * "Say, you there! You like that man in red, don't ya? But I'll tell you now, give up when you can. A high class man and a mediocre ninja... Even if you got together, you'll just be toyed with; a mere slave of love. You'll be run ragged and cast aside, wondering -- “Why?”"
 * "Your imagination's so dry it makes me laugh! Not too hard to see you're just some repressed, dirty old man."
 * Hisahide and Kunoichi; Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3


 * "Hey if it isn't Mr. Miserable! How ya been, Hanzō?"
 * "Assist me."
 * "Okay, but only if you admit that I'm the better ninja! Heh heh heh!"
 * Kunoichi and Hanzō; Warriors Orochi


 * "Wh-whoa! Heads up! Watch out for the rocks!"
 * "Stupid girl! You're crushing our own troops too!"
 * "Yeah, but those were the ones I heard badmouthing you."
 * "Don't try and fool me, useless girl!"
 * Hua Xiong, Dong Zhuo, and Kunoichi; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Will you stand still, you accursed ninjas?!"
 * "Don't be so uptight. Just relax and have some fun."
 * Meng Huo and Kunoichi; Warriors Orochi 2 PSP


 * "You're braver than I expected, although you don't seem to get much recognition for it."
 * "Hahaha... Maybe because nobody expects me to be. But, that's the secret to being a good ninja."
 * "Hiding your true feelings behind a smile... That must be a tough life you lead..."
 * Ma Dai and Kunoichi; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "Forgive me for being so blunt, but did you flee your clan?"
 * "Yes, I turned my back on my village. And Ayane was sent to track me down."
 * "So they put down traitors in your world too. The ninja's code is strict no matter where you come from."
 * Kunoichi and Kasumi; Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate

Gameplay

 * See also: Kunoichi/Movesets‎‎



Samurai Warriors 4
Mighty strike is the same as Deadlock Attack. Moveset type is altered to Hyper type. Majority of her attacks return but they are altered.

Charge Moveset

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Hyper Moveset

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 * Running + :
 * , : Like all nimble, ninja type characters, she can double jump.
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 * (Ultimate):
 * Rage Attack/Musou Gokui effect: Activates Ultimate/Kaidan Musou if is used. Performs ending pose for previous  if the effect ends without activating Ultimate/Kaidan Musou.
 * Awakened Skill effect (4-II only):
 * Rage Attack/Musou Gokui effect: Activates Ultimate/Kaidan Musou if is used. Performs ending pose for previous  if the effect ends without activating Ultimate/Kaidan Musou.
 * Awakened Skill effect (4-II only):


 * Spirit Cancel:
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Mounted Moveset

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Fighting Style
Kunoichi is an extremely fast but light-hitting character. She can easily run around the maps and take routes others cannot thanks to her double jumps. In a crowd, however, she can easily become subdued. Her Musou attack can clear a crowd and push back officers in its startup, though it also moves them out of range for the more powerful follow up. Her C3 attack is best for damage and crowd clearance while her C2 stun attack's timing can surprise enemies. She is less user friendly than Nene due to her trickier arsenal of moves.

Weapons

 * See also: Kunoichi/Weapons

Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: Siege of Ueda - Ueda Covert Warfare

Trivia

 * In the Japanese script, Kunoichi playfully punctuates the line "お.や.ま.だ～！"　(Oyamada~!). For Japanese fans, this is considered to be an inside reference to Zhang Liao's nickname with fans.
 * Initial announcements for her re-appearance in Samurai Warriors 3 was listed on G.K. Bowes' online resume, but was doubted due to its source and eventual removal.
 * Episode 9 of the TV anime Genshiken Nidaime has one of the characters cosplay as the Samurai Warriors 3 version of Kunoichi.

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