Kenshin Uesugi

Kenshin Uesugi is one of the starting characters in Samurai Warriors. He is the main warlord of the Uesugi clan. He is most famous for his devout worship of Bishamonten, the Buddhist god of war and his fierce rivalry with Shingen Takeda. Before the start of every battle he participates in, he prays to Bishamonten. As such, he is alternatively known as the Avatar of Bishamonten, Dragon of Echigo, and the God of War. He is a lover of wine (sake) and often is seen sharing a drink with his closest comrades.

In the first game, he is 36 years old. He's usually symbolized by the characters for "Buddha" (仏) and "assist" (毘) and red maple leaves.

Samurai Warriors
In the series, Kenshin leads the Uesugi forces to battle his sacred bouts with his nemesis, Shingen. They often clash strategies with neither truly stumping the other. When he's not fighting Shingen, Kenshin is often seen disrupting Nobunaga's troops. He acts as a mentor for his adoptive son, Kagekatsu, and Kanetsugu Naoe.

In the second game, Kenshin saves his rival from the jaws of defeat at Nagashino and defeats Nobunaga. As with his upper path ending in the previous title, he spares his rival's life and names him a friend. His dream stage has them work together to conquer the rest of Japan. The last piece of their journey is Kyushu, where they face the Shimazu clan.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, Kenshin allies himself with Shingen to serve as a powerful resistance group against Orochi. After testing Nobunaga's worth, they assist him during his assault on Da Ji.

Kessen
Kenshin and his massive army appear as an optional foe in Kessen III. Toshiie and Katsuie were badly defeated in a skirmish and are requesting reinforcements from Nobunaga's main forces. Although none of Kenshin's forces will join Nobunaga's cause, several rare items can be found on this stage. If the players don't choose to fight him, Nobunaga will report that he dies due to illness.

Development
As far as changes from pre-planning goes, Kenshin is similar to his rival Shingen. Both characters took inspiration from historical statues and images around Japan and didn't change much from his initial concepts. His stoic face and pale complexion were designed to make him appear to be always ready for battle. Overall, his character was made to be a muscular and determined individual who possesses "power that surpasses age". His alternate costume was made to emphasize the Bishamonten kanji that often decorated his war banners.

For his revamp in the sequel, designers wanted to make him the "war god". They kept ideas regarding his physical traits but made efforts to make his white coat "simple yet intimidating". The designers comment that the gold and purple accents help make him stick out from his older design. His charm point is that his insignia now decorates his back.

Personality
Kenshin values the tenants of the war god, Bishamonten, as well as the trill of battle above all else. A highly religious man, he prays before and after battle. In the name of his god, he rides into battle to smite divine judgment on his enemies. He is honorable during battle and never resorts to underhanded trickery, believing to keep battles "pure" by only fighting with his sword and tactics. Undaunted and never wavering in his ideals, Kenshin is greatly admired by his army.

He truly enjoys challenging warfare and has a profound respect for his "Nemesis", Shingen. Each general enjoys bombarding the other with a quick medley of military advances, confident that their rival can counter them and continue the cycle. There seems to be no malice behind Kenshin's attacks as he is only interested in facing his rival in their clash of wits. His act of sending salt to the weakened Shingen is mentioned during the series.

Appearance
His alternate outfit in Samurai Warriors dresses him in a sleeveless, white outfit with a nomadic motif. A green cape is clasped around his chest and he wears a black chest plate underneath.

Voice Actors

 * Beau Billingslea - Samurai Warriors, Kessen III (English)
 * George Cook - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Philip Hersh - Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Jôji Nakata - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Akio Ohtsuka - Kessen III (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "A warrior lives for battle."
 * "Battle is ecstasy."
 * "Flames of hell...vanquished the wicked!"
 * "May the gods show you mercy!"
 * "May the heavens guide my sword to slay my nemesis."
 * "Great Bishamonten, god of war, I must fight alongside my nemesis!"
 * "Nobunaga! The great Tedorigawa will wash your ambitions away for good!"
 * "Great Bishamonten, God of War, show me the correct path. Lead us to victory."
 * "Kenshin... the man who calls himself the Dragon of Echigo... When I have drowned you in the river, you will see you are but a worm."
 * "Gutting livestock like you is the job of a peasant, not a warrior. How dull this will be."
 * Katsuie and Kenshin; SW2 Empires


 * "You can't possibly drink wine from that cup all the time, Kenshin. You can tell me. Sometimes that's just water in that cup, right?"
 * "The power of Bishamonten gives me the strength to imbibe however much I desire. That, and I have a clockwork liver."
 * Magoichi and Kenshin; SW2 Empires


 * "Forty nine years of dreaming... Dreams of victory, dreams of death. Nobunaga, the battle is yours..."
 * Kenshin before he dies; Kessen III