Tadakatsu Honda

Tadakatsu Honda debuted as one of the new characters in Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends. He acts as the Samurai Warriors equivalent to Lu Bu, replacing Keiji Maeda for the honor. Like Lu Bu he is very difficult to defeat alone. He is a loyal general of Ieyasu Tokugawa and Ina's father. He holds a reputation as a mighty and intelligent warrior, said to have returned from all of his battles unscathed. His spear is named "Tonbo-giri" (蜻蛉切, roughly translated as "dragonfly cutter"), which relates to a popular folklore regarding the sharpness of his weapon.

His height in the Samurai Warriors series is 210 cm (6'11"). He's symbolized by the character for "explosion" (轟), the character for "roar" (哮), and blue and yellow electric streaks.

Role in Games

 * "Ieyasu owns two things that exceed his own worth: that ridiculous helmet and that warrior Tadakatsu."
 * -Shingen Takeda, Samurai Warriors

Samurai Warriors
Tadakatsu's story in Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends mainly focuses on his loyalty to Ieyasu. He is one of Ieyasu's most trusted generals and a menace on the field. Parallel to the message he gave to Ina, he strives to serve his lord without losing sight of his code of honor. His suggestion to declare independence from Yoshimoto at Okehazama propels his lord into Nobunaga's favor. While covering Ieyasu and Hideyoshi's escape route at Kanegasaki, he meets Keiji, who tempts him with an offer to duel someday. Tadakatsu contemplates the idea while he covers his lord's escape at Mikatagahara. In his lower path ending, he gives into his bloodlust and helps his lord defeat Shingen, Kenshin, and Nobunaga. He faces Keiji in a final showdown to see which one of them is mightier.

In his upper path route, the Tokugawa army is defeated but saved when Shingen dies from illness. Once Nobunaga is killed at Honnoji, Tadakatsu helps his lord's flight through Iga. He accompanies his lord at Komaki-Nagakute to fight for his lord's bid to power. Though he nears the enemy's camp, Hideyoshi escapes, leaving their scuffle unresolved. As the Tokugawa army marches through the blackened ruins, Tadakatsu reaffirms his loyalty for his lord's desire for peace.

His story mode in Samurai Warriors 2 is similar to his upper scenario but features different battles during Ieyasu's campaigns. After Mikatagahara, while his lord mourns for the lives sacrificed for his safety, Tadakatsu reasons that their deaths were not in vain and essential for Ieyasu's vision. Tadakatsu's last battle is the battle of Sekigahara and he puts his spear to rest following the battle's conclusion. In his dream mode, he participates in a tournament for champions. There, he faces Keiji, Musashi, Kotaro, Hideyoshi, Ieyasu, and Masamune.

In Samurai Warriors 3, his story mode is very similar to his SW2 scenario. At Mikatagahara, the Tokugawa army is routed, and several Tokugawa samurai are making a last stand against Takeda cavalry led by Sakon Shima and Yukimura Sanada. Although the samurai intend to hold their ground, Tadakatsu tells them to retreat, and protect their lord. Along with his daughter, they deal heavy damage to the Takeda, and retreat. Tadakatsu follows his lord through their conquest, eventually leading to the battle of Sekigahara. The Tokugawa are victorious, and the whole army cheers as Tadakatsu returns unscathed from battle.

Warriors Orochi
During Orochi's story, Ieyasu laments sending Tadakatsu away to survey the terrain when his castle is invaded by the serpent king's forces. While he was away from his lord, Tadakatsu and his sons save innocents from Orochi's tyranny. On some occasions, he encounters his rival, Lu Bu.

By the time Warriors Orochi 2 takes place, Tadakatsu returns to his lord and joins the Shu army. At the Battle of Nagashino, he joins Zhang Fei in his mission to plow through Lu Bu's army, remarking that he is fighting with the true greats now. The two men also personally wish for their daughters' safety when the girls leave for a reconnaissance mission.

Tadakatsu appears in two dream stages in this title. He teams up with Zhang Fei and Musashi to demonstrate their expertise with their weapons. Tadakatsu personally volunteers to rescue his lord from danger and open a path for the main camp. In his second dream stage, he teams up with Lu Bu and Keiji to test their might against Orochi. When they near the main camp's gates, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Pang De, and others challenge them to prove their worth in battle. Tadakatsu agrees to their request.

Kessen
In Kessen, Tadakatsu acts as one of Ieyasu's advisers and his most prized general on the field. His martial skills surpass his lord in the first title but he is given a smaller amount of troops to balance himself with the rest of the army. He continues to act as Ieyasu's aid until his son takes over his position. He resumes this role to a lesser degree in Kessen III.

Saihai no Yukue
In Saihai no Yukue, Tadakatsu resumes his role as Ieyasu's vassal. He admires his lord greatly and is sincerely trusted by his lord in turn. He bravely declares that he has never been injured in any battle. He is often seen as an obstacle for Mitsunari to overcome. He has a minor rivalry with Yoshihiro as the two veterans are eager to test their skills against one another. Humorously, he drags his beaten body to his lord after their defeat at Sekigahara and promptly loses consciousness afterward.

Voice Actors

 * Kirk Thornton - Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends (English)
 * Nigel Stern - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Grant George - Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Eli Gabe - Kessen (English)
 * Akio Ohtsuka - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Yukimasa Kishino - Kessen (Japanese)
 * Takeshi Mori - Kessen III (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "My might will crush the enemy."
 * "I am a man of peerless might!"
 * "My might will be your last sight on this earth..."
 * "Tadakatsu Honda shall make orphans of your souls!"
 * "This battle will decide the greatest warrior of the land! I will not retreat!"
 * "Have no fear! I will turn the tide of this battle!"
 * "Your strength is what threw off my calculation."
 * "War is fought by men not by some strategy in a book."
 * Masayuki and Tadakatsu; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "Your loyalty is unquestionable. Unfortunately, it is also misguided."
 * "So... I guess that means I'm not going to get a date with that sweet daughter of yours?"
 * Tadakatsu and Sakon; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "Kiyomori's a little busy right now. Can I take a message for him?"
 * "Yes, tell him that death is coming for him."
 * Sun Wukong and Tadakatsu; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Let my Tonbo-giri be a passage to hell!"
 * Honda before he fights; Kessen

Samurai Warriors 3
Stage to clear for Unique Weapon - Battle of Sekigahara

Historical Information
Tadakatsu Honda is generally regarded as one of Tokugawa Iyeasu's finest generals, and he fought in almost all of his master's major battles. He gained distinction at the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, helping in the defeat of the armies under the Azai and Asakura clans along with Tokugawa's ally, Nobunaga Oda. Tadakatsu also served at Tokugawa's greatest defeat, the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1572, where he commanded the left wing of his master's army, facing off against troops under one of the Takeda clan's more notable generals, Masatoyo Naito. Although that battle ended in defeat, Tadakatsu was one of those Tokugawa generals present to exact vengeance upon the Takeda at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575. Tadakatsu commanded a rank of musketeers as the combined Oda-Tokugawa forces annihilated Katsuyori Takeda's army, partly thanks to the skillful use of ranked muskets, as they fired in cycling volleys. One would fire while another was reloading and another was cleaning the barrel of the musket. This enabled the muskets to fire without stopping, destroying the Takeda army. This was the first example of this highly effective tactic that the world had seen. Tadakatsu was present at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, where Tokugawa Iyeasu's forces defeated the western alliance of daimyo under Mitsunari Ishida, allowing Tokugawa to assume control of the country, bringing the Sengoku era to a close.