Kiyomasa Katō

Kiyomasa Katō is introduced as a playable character in Samurai Warriors 3. He is a loyal general of the Toyotomi clan and one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake. He is one of the many generals who join the Eastern Army prior to Sekigahara, but he is best known for allegedly staying loyal to Hideyoshi's memory. A popular legend states that while he was under Ieyasu, he concealed a short dagger within his robes wherever he went, at all times. If Ieyasu threatened to end Hideyori on his watch, the story states that Kiyomasa was more than willing to use it to stop Ieyasu.

His height in Samurai Warriors 3 is 186 cm (6'1"). He is symbolized by the characters "incite" (激) and "rend" (裂). He also shares a duet image song with Mitsunari titled Michi ~Wakatsudomo~.

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors 2, Kiyomasa is always seen alongside Masanori Fukushima. They act as Nene's closest "children" and are very loyal to her. They address her as "Lady Nene" at all times. However, he can't stand Mitsunari and often berates him. When Sekigahara takes place, he is one of the generals in the Eastern Army. He apologizes for his rash behavior in Nene's dream stage. During Kojiro's story mode, he is one of the men who leads the anti-Ieyasu Coalition in Kyoto and helps Hideyori escape. He pleads for his lord to observe Ieyasu's vile intentions for the Toyotomi family.

Kiyomasa is friends with both Masanori and Mitsunari in Samurai Warriors 3. He joins the battle front at Shizugatake and Komaki-Nagakute with his two friends, eager to defend his "home" with Hideyoshi. In the latter battle, Sakon jokes that the trio are idiots and hopes that their idiocy can prove to be useful for the wars. Even if they bicker, the trio swear to establish and protect Hideyoshi's dream together. They subjugate the Shimazu family in Kyushu and Hideyoshi's land of happiness is soon a reality.

Unfortunately, Hideyoshi dies not long after its creation and Ieyasu's influence grows significantly. Believing that there is no guarantee of the Toyotomi family's future by resisting the daimyo, Kiyomasa and Masanori leave Mitsunari to join Ieyasu. Determined to uphold his duty to his departed lord no matter what the cost, Kiyomasa supports Kanbei's assault in Kyushu at Ishigakibaru. After the fall of the Western army, Kiyomasa stays at Nijō Castle to keep vigilance over his "home", Osaka Castle. Kanbei bluntly states that Kiyomasa's efforts have only backfired on him, but Kiyomasa's resolve is unchanged. Since Ieyasu wants to end the land's chaos by extinguishing the Toyotomi at Osaka Castle, Kiyomasa stakes his life to defend it and joins the desperate defenders of Osaka. During the battle, they are reinforced by Sakon as part of the late Mitsunari's plan to help his friends, and they claim victory over the Tokugawa. A dying Ieyasu warns that this will not end the chaos, but the youth doesn't care since he is willing to mend and rebuild his home. No matter what mistakes his home is currently marred with, Kiyomasa is pleased to see the Toyotomis still standing.

Kessen
Kiyomasa is a general who appears with Josui in Kessen. He's Masanori's childhood friend and won't fight him if they're on opposing sides. He's usually mute in the game's cutscenes but will talk if he meets Masanori in battle. Depending on the actions of the player, both of them can fight together on the field. He leads a sturdy cavalry and is one of the faster units in the game.

Kiyomasa can be recruited into Nobunaga's army in Kessen III. If Hideyoshi's unit survives the battle at Anegawa, he will appear. He has a high cavalry proficiency and can serve as a good spear unit. If he is put in an unit with Masanori, their morale will rise and they will perform well.

Personality
Kiyomasa is a hot-tempered and rowdy man who greatly admires and is fiercely loyal to Hideyoshi and Nene. Considering Hideyoshi to be his own family, he is very close friends with Masanori and Mitsunari. Out of the trio, Kiyomasa acts as the mature one by looking out for the scatter-brained Masanori and trying to get the hard headed Mitsunari to abandon his cocky attitude. With a relatively sound head on his shoulders, he is adamant about his beliefs and won't bow down to others. Though they share fraternal respect for one another (by respectively calling one another "fool"), he clashes with the equally stubborn Mitsunari prior to Sekigahara. However, he still respects Mitsunari and constantly tells Masanori to stop blaming Mitsunari for the Sekigahara campaign.

He also admires Muneshige's abilities, stating that he is truly the greatest warrior in the west. While he works together with Kanbei after Hideyoshi's passing, he is angered that the strategist carelessly dismisses his former loyalties to the taikō and doesn't see eye-to-eye with him.

Voice Actors

 * Dean Marshall - Kessen (English)
 * Shinichi Yamada - Samurai Warriors 2 (Japanese)
 * Tomokazu Sugita - Samurai Warriors 3 (Japanese)
 * Yasuhiko Tokuyama - Kessen (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "I will not allow anyone to lay a finger on my Lady Nene!"
 * "She is twice the leader Orochi is!"
 * Kiyomasa and Masanori; Warriors Orochi


 * "Kato, my old friend! It has been far too long!"
 * "Ha ha! Fukushima! How have you been, my good friend?"
 * "Splendid! Oh, but so many memories... Shizugatake, fighting side by side!"
 * "I remember... the best of times."
 * Masanori and Kiyomasa; Kessen