Diamondback

Diamondback (Japanese: Mizuchi) is a prominent Orochi officer who often commands his lord's other generals despite showing no martial prowess or strategic accomplishment whatsoever. Initially nothing more than a generic officer like Dodomeki and Gyūki, the fourth installment makes him a playable character and gives him Orochi's scythe.

Role in Games
Throughout the Warriors Orochi series, Diamondback is a regular front line general fighting for Orochi. Warriors Orochi 2 often sees him executed by Orochi during the final battles of the kingdom story modes due to his cowardice and reluctance to fight. This rallies and spurs Orochi's forces to throw themselves to their demise. In Orochi's mock battle with Da Ji at Baidi Castle in Warriors Orochi Z, Diamondback's unit will attack Orochi in front of the Stone Sentinel Maze, only for his forces to be defeated instantaneously.

It is in Warriors Orochi 3 where he is most prominent, first appearing at Shouchun positioning himself away from danger and telling Shuten Dōji to do his dirty work for him, with the redheaded demon easily beating back the resistance forces. Once the resistance breaks through, he sets fire to his castle and begins to flee. Diamondback is also seen at Hasedō where he stays in the castle and tries to withdraw to the southeast telling Shuten Dōji to demolish a central bridge and take out Taigong Wang. He then appears at Xuchang allied with Dong Zhuo's forces and stays back from the battle, once again retreating when Dong Zhuo is defeated and telling Shuten Dōji to accompany him. When Shuten Dōji is captured however, Diamondback decides to head back to Luoyang. He also acts as the commander for some of the demon army remnants during the side stages as well, especially if there are no other characters around to command them.

In Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, he is reduced to a mere front line officer under Da Ji when she allies herself with Tamamo. However, a new stage details his first meeting with Shuten Doji at Shouchun where they, along with Dodomeki and Gyūki defeat a Coalition squad guarding the castle including the likes of Cao Ren. A DLC stage set at Koshi Castle from the first two games has Diamondback as a ringleader of a rebellion against Orochi, to which the Oda and Yoshihiro Shimazu assist him with, only to find him often retreating or backing out when pressured by Kiyomori Taira. Whether he commits himself fully or betrays the group depends on the player's actions throughout the stage. When Keiji searches for his theme at Chibi, Diamondback tries having the Hydra's theme to himself only to be defeated and called out for stealing music by Keiji.

Warriors Orochi 4 marks the character's first playable appearence, where, instead of the generic spear moveset, he uses Orochi's scythe. A part of the demon army, Diamondback resists the humans under Da Ji's orders as part of her alliance with Odin. When the real Orochi and, the god of destruction, Orochi X are revived, Diamondback and the rest of the demon army side the latter until his demise at the hands of the real Orochi and the Coalition.

After the demise of both Orochis, Diamondback and the other demons join the Coalition, hoping to prevent their demise by the time their lord returns again.

Character Symbolism
Mizuchi, the Japanese name rendering of the Chinese jiāo/jiāolóng, is a type of Asian mythical serpent found in watery habitats. Diamondback, likely a reference to the western diamondback rattlesnake, is a venomous rattlesnake species commonly found in southwestern United States and Mexico.

Personality
Smug, condescending, and cowardly, Diamondback is someone who thinks he is far greater than he actually is. He tends to act as if he's a step or two above his fellow associates and berates those who help him like Shuten Dōji. He gets along well with Dodomeki, the two often chiding each other for their generic blandness.

Voice Actors

 * Kohei Fukuhara - Japanese voice

Quotes

 * "Oh, Dodomeki! I'm so glad you're here. It's so uncomfortable in this world..."
 * "You think so...?"
 * "Haven't you noticed the way everyone looks at us?"
 * "You're reading too much into it... Or maybe I've been blind..."
 * "If only we had someone like Shuten Dōji with us again... If we had someone as strong as him in our ranks, we could hold our heads up higher..."
 * "Are you dissatisfied with our troops?"
 * "It's not a matter of that! Don 't you get it, Dodomeki? You and I are just bit-part demons! No matter how many of us there are, we'll never be the stars! Everyone knows we'll be swept aside as soon as a god or a hero shows up."
 * "We're worthless..."
 * "But I'm sick of being looked down on. You and I need to work hard and change everyone's opinion of us."
 * Diamondback and Dodomeki; Warriors Orochi 4