Yoshikage Asakura

Yoshikage Asakura is the eleventh and last leader of the Asakura clan, who are family allies of the Azai clan. He is famous for leading one of the major powers of the Anti-Nobunaga coalition until his demise at Ichijodani Castle.

The Nobunaga no Yabou 201X poll for 3-star officers puts him in forty-first place.

Samurai Warriors
The Samurai Warriors series has Yoshikage call upon the Azai to help him, which ultimately leads Nagamasa to defect from the Oda.

In the first title, his role in battles is pretty minor as he mainly acts as one of the generals that must be defended. Depending on the scenario, he may live to either suppress Nobunaga or offer his former enemy aid. In the Xtreme Legends expansion, he leads troops to prevent Hideyoshi and Ieyasu's retreat from Kanegasaki.

He acts more composed and confident in Samurai Warriors 2 and is put into the spotlight more. During Nagamasa's version of Anegawa, he declares himself leader of the anti-Nobunaga forces and promises to eradicate his foe for the good of the land. Leading one of the larger armies in the stage, he faces the smaller Tokugawa forces while Nagamasa faces the larger Oda army. Proud of his nobility and unimpressed by the Oda, he will withdraw if the Asakura-Azai army has a larger morale than the enemy. During the siege of Odani Castle, he appears to reinforce Nagamasa at Ichijodani Castle. Nobunaga orders his swift execution to demoralize and isolate the Azai forces. In Nagamasa's version of Kanegasaki, he is shocked when Nagamasa decides to return to the Oda.

Samurai Warriors 3 has Yoshikage call for Nagamasa's assistance as Nobunaga's troops invade Echizen. He is pushed into the background again, acting as a cowardly and pompous leader. Like history, he and his clan fall before the siege of Odani Castle.

In Samurai Warriors 5, Yoshikage acts as the governor of Echizen and is Nagamasa's ally. When his territory is attacked by Hisahide Matsunaga from Wakasa, he encounters a wandering Mitsuhide Akechi and requests for his help in rescuing the peasants. After achieving victory, Yoshikage thanks Mitushide and encourages him to find a proper vision to fight for now that he has the strength to face his regrets. He later assists Nagamasa when Nobunaga makes a show of force to the Azai at Ōmi. He then returns back to Echizen peacefully while Nagamasa agrees to help Nobuanga under the condition that the Asakura remain untouched. When Nobunaga successfully instates Yoshiaki Ashikaga as shogun, he demands that Yoshikage visit the capital to pay tribute.

Believing this to be a gross misuse of the shogun's power and refusing to leave his people, Yoshikage refuses and is subsequently attacked by Nobunaga at Kanegasaki. To his defense, Nagamasa honors his word and breaks his alliance to defend Yoshikage. Nobunaga is forced to retreat, but he returns with his close ally, Ieyasu Tokugawa, and the two sides do battle at Anegawa. The Azai-Asakura army suffers a hard defeat and Yoshikage returns to Echizen to lick his wounds. Before he can recover, Nobunaga, having deposed Yoshiaki for conspiring against him, returns to finish Yoshikage.

Isolated from his ally, Yoshikage flees to Tonezaka after suffering multiple losses and barricades himself within Ichijōdani castle. The Asakura forces only succeed in delaying the inevitable as the Oda army eventually pushes through the castle's defense. Despite Kenshin Uesugi arriving to aid the Asakura, Yoshikage is killed in a final duel against Mitsuhide as the officer's sign of growth.

He shares a scenario with Oichi, Katsuie Shibata, and Nagamasa showing an alternate Odani where the Asakura successfully escaped following their defeat. Together, the group are able to overcome the odds and lift Nobunaga's siege.

Warriors Orochi
In both games of the series, Yoshikage appears to assist Nagamasa in his battles. He doesn't openly ally with either force until Warriors Orochi 2, following Nagamasa into the Wei forces. Unlike his counterpart in other titles, he will also forgo his own safety to support Nagamasa as his ally, doing so during the second title and in Nagamasa's shared dream stage. Yoshikage also takes Yuan Shao's place as commander during the one of the dream stages in Musou OROCHI Z if the latter is already a part of the player's attack team.

Kessen
Yoshikage is an ambitious leader in Kessen III, desiring to take the Kaga domain for himself. Asked by Yoshiaki to stand against Nobunaga, Yoshikage bids Nagamasa to help him. Although he acts as a capable leader, many people note that he is weaker and less skilled in war than his family ally. Therefore, he forces Nagamasa to do much of the grunt work for him in battle. Before Nobunaga proceeds to Odani Castle, he leads a campaign to completely suppress Yoshikage. If he is bypassed, Yoshikage and Tatsuoki will die in an uprising.

Compared to other enemy daimyo in the game, Yoshikage is one of the weakest and poses little threat with his foot archers.

Personality
In both Samurai Warriors 2 and 3, he is extremely arrogant and cares very little about Nagamasa and Oichi.

Voice Actors

 * Shinichi Yamada - Samurai Warriors series (Japanese)
 * Takeshi Mori - Kessen III (Japanese)
 * Yasunao Sakai - Samurai Warriors 5

Live Action Performers

 * Masashi Yanagi - Nobunaga no Yabou -Enbu- (2017 version)
 * Kosei Ono, Yūsuke Inamasu - Nobunaga no Yabou -Enbu- (2020 version)
 * Yoshiya Yukimura - Butai Nobunaga no Yabou Taishi Haru no Jin Tenka Fubu ~Kindei no Kubi Hen~

Quotes

 * "Just as I thought. The Oda are nothing. We've done enough... Let's go home."
 * "Nagamasa is just a baby. I have to take matters in my own hands!"
 * "Fine! I'll show them how fierce I can be on my own!"
 * "I am the toughest obstacle you will ever face... Show me what you have."
 * "That Nobunaga... Always doing as he pleases... The Asakura alone cannot hope to topple him."
 * "Lord Yoshikage! As your friend and ally, I have come to support you. "
 * "Oh, well met, Nagamasa! The two of us can surely do away with Nobunaga. But, are you sure? Isn't Nobunaga your-"
 * "My brother-in-law, yes. But honor dictates that I be here with you."
 * "Forgive me, Nagamasa. Time is of the essence yet that is also important to me. We must protect this era without forgetting what's at stake."
 * Yoshikage and Nagamasa; 100man-nin no Sengoku Musou

Trivia

 * In Sengoku Angelique, Timka acts as the Yoshikage of the cast. His full name is "Asakura Timka Yoshikage".