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 also shares a duet image song with Mitsunari titled Michi ~Wakatsudomo~.

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors 2, Kiyomasa is a generic who 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, he is pleased to see the Toyotomi still standing.

Kessen
Called "Kato" in the English ports, he is a general who appears with Josui in Kessen. He leads a sturdy cavalry and is one of the faster units in the game. During cutscenes, Kato acts as a mute bodyguard of sorts for Josui, giving Mitsunari a nasty grimace if they meet in camp. He is together with Josui for the promise of profit and hopes to expand his territories. Kato is Fukushima's childhood friend and, depending on the actions of the player, both generals can fight on the same side. If they are forced to become enemies, they mutually refuse to attack the other and are willing to pull back if the player commands it. After Josui's death, he switches his allegiance to Ieyasu's army until Osaka Castle.

Kiyomasa can be recruited into Nobunaga's army in Kessen III. If Hideyoshi's unit survives the battle at Anegawa, he will appear to offer his services. 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.

Mōri Motonari: Chikai no Sanya
Kiyomasa is an Oda vassal in the game who is a constant aide to Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi fondly thinks of Kiyomasa as his "child" so the retainer calls him "father" (親父殿, Oyaji-dono) in return. Unlike Masanori, he is called a brave and formidable general. When his "father" is on the run from Terumoto's forces, Kiyomasa appears to reinforce the path closest to Hideyoshi. His "father" seems concerned for his vassal's well being, but Hideyoshi may safely continue onwards to Himeji Castle thanks to Kiyomasa's defense. When he is defeated, Kiyomasa states his unexpected amazement for the Mōri army.

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.

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.

Character Symbolism
Within fictional mediums, Kiyomasa is often associated with a tiger. There are several different stories regarding his association with the wild cat. One of the simpler reasons is that the tiger is the namesake of his childhood name, Toranosuke. Another story states he hunted tigers for their skins during the Korean Campaigns. Hearing of Hideyoshi's weakening health, Kiyomasa is said to have captured a tiger alive so his lord could consume the beast to regain his strength. The tiger is said to have been brought to Osaka Castle and threatened to kill Hideyoshi. Before it could reach its target, Kiyomasa killed it in one blow. A variation of the story has Kiyomasa instead house the tiger at Isoshi Village since it was considered too dangerous to have in Osaka. The tiger was unexpectedly tame and was regularly fed meat from sacrificed live oxen. One day, the village ran out of their food supply for the tiger so Kiyomasa made the choice to sacrifice his beloved dog to keep the tiger alive. When the dog met the tiger, it immediately defended itself and bit hard on the tiger's neck. The surprised villagers tried to separate the two animals, but it was too late to save the tiger. With the tiger dead, they rejoiced for they were freed from the burdensome task of feeding it. They changed their village name to Itorashi in honor of the dog slaying the tiger. Today, a shrine stands where the village once was and a display dedicated to the animals can be found nearby.

He is symbolized by the characters "incite" (激) and "rend" (裂) as well as fire for his Samurai Warriors counterpart. His weapon types allude to the tiger motif as they are three fangs. They are a steel fang (Normal), beast fang (Power), and an excruciating fang (Speed). As a side note, the Japanese holly is infamous for its sharp, painful leaves and is commonly identified with the same character (柊) as his Speed weapon.

Kiyomasa's rare weapon is literally translated as "Tiger Fang Hihirokane". Hihirokane is a legendary metal or alloy said to never rust and is able to eternally retain its shape. It is harder than diamond and glimmers like the sun. The Three Sacred Treasures are said to be crafted from the same metal.

Voice Actors

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

Quotes

 * "You will not...break...our house..."
 * "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

Ground Moveset

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 * With every step he takes, he swings his halberd up switching from left to right.
 * (Ultimate/Kaiden): Jumps forward and hits the ground with the tip of his halberd, creating cicular shockwaves that hit enemies with in its radius.
 * (Ultimate/Kaiden): Jumps forward and hits the ground with the tip of his halberd, creating cicular shockwaves that hit enemies with in its radius.


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 * Spirit Cancel:
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Horse Moveset

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Trivia

 * In the Sengoku Angelique skit preformed at Neoromance Starlight ♥ Christmas 2010, Kirya Edō from the Kin'iro no Corda series stood in as the Kiyomasa for the cast. His name was "Katō Kiriya Kiyomasa".