Katsuyori Takeda

Katsuyori Takeda is the twentieth head of the Takeda clan and Shingen's fifth known son. He is an experienced general, possibly one of the Takeda Twenty-Four Generals, and Shingen's successor. In spite of his early accomplishments, he is popularly known for being the loser at Nagashino and bringing ruin to his clan.

Before his playable Samurai Warriors appearance, he was a generic NPC since Samurai Warriors.

His Nobunaga's Ambition counterpart is forty-eighth place in Gamecity's character popularity ranking for 2015. The Nobunaga no Yabou 201X poll for 4-star officers puts him in sixty-fourth place.

Samurai Warriors
Katsuyori appears in both games at Nagashino. In the first game, he orders his men to quickly claim Nagashino Castle and fortify their army's escape route. Yukimura begs him to reconsider their offensive tactic but Katsuyori is confident in their victory. He orders his men to charge in between the reloading rifles and is surprised to see the cavalry continue to suffer casualties. After losing many key officers, Katsuyori orders a full-scale retreat. Yukimura offers to claim victory by taking Nobunaga's head. If he takes too long doing this task, Katusyori will tell him to abandon the assault and pull back.

In Samurai Warriors 2, he is one of the units who tries to capture the fleeing Ieyasu. Impetuous and aggressive, he rides into battle to prove his family's heritage. At Nagashino, his orders remain the same as the first title. When his army loses ground, he tries to retreat from the field. He needs to be defeated in order to claim victory. In Yukimura's story, he needs to be defended during his escape.

Though he doesn't die at Nagashino, the games often say that the Takeda clan ends following this battle. Katsuyori is also seen in the stage "Fall of the Takeda" alongside Masayuki Sanada.

The fourth title's narrative describes him as someone who is desperately trying to protect the Takeda name. Wishing to fulfill his dead father's dream of reaching the capital, he attacks Ieyasu and pins his foe at Nagashino. He is forced by different circumstances to flee for his life. The Oda version is due to the Takeda's crumbling formations; the Takeda version has them fall for Ieyasu's ruse and his forced to flee due to Hanzō's infiltration of the main camp. Katsuyori pulls the Takeda forces back to Kai.

Kagetora calls for his assistance for the siege of Katsugayama Castle due to their family alliance. Katsuyori abides to it until Kagekatsu's strength impresses him. He and the Sanada siblings then return to the field to assist the older Uesugi brother.

In the last days of the Takeda, Katsuyori tries to get help from Iwadono Castle, but finds out it had surrendered to the Oda. With no other choice, he flees to Mt. Tenmoku with his remaining followers. At the summit of the mountain, he encounters riflemen, and makes one last stand before being shot to death.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, Katsuyori serves as Shingen's replacement officer during the final battle at Koshi Castle in the Samurai storyline. He is also one of Sakon's substitutes in the sequel.

Kessen
Katusyori is first seen serving by his father's side in Kessen III. Following his father's death, he becomes the clan's hot-headed leader. The Takeda vassals secretly belittle him behind his back. Disregarding his father's wish to build a defense, he focuses on harassing Ieyasu and Nobunaga. After he loses Nagashino, Katsuyori continues to defy Nobunaga until he loses most of his clan. He commits ritual suicide to apologize to his father in the afterlife. Finishing Katsuyori is optional for Nobunaga as his death will happen whether or not he chooses to fight him.

Nobunaga's Ambition
During the ''Dokii! Himedarake no Neko Senki scenario in Nobunyaga no Yabou'' it is emphasized that his mother, Suwa-nyan, married Harunobu and gave birth to Katsuyori for her lone ambition to someday revive the eradicated Suwa clan. Katsuyori is treated coldly by her and never sees his mother smiling. The grown heir later witnesses his father passing away to illness. He decides to inherit Mikeda leadership in honor of his father's last wishes.

While he tries to lead with integrity, his intimacy with his wife from the Oda family and his outsourcing aid for Kagedora severely limits his attempts to expand. Once his end is near, Katsuyori requests for his Hōjō wife, Nyagami-no-Kata (Sagami-no-Kata), to return to her family. He is moved when she prepares the final rites for herself by cutting off her hair and reciting her death poem. The Mikeda's fall happens off screen in this story and the aftereffects ripple throughout the east.

Guruguru Dungeon Nobunyaga has Katsuyori appear in the Uesugi legacy event. He assists Kagedora to honor their pact. His sister, Kikuhime-nyan (Kikuhime), suddenly presents the protagonist to him before the Mikeda reach Echigo. He learns the protagonist is an envoy for Kagekyatsu and orders for his/her swift demise. Kikuhime-nyan hushes the order and asks him to consider an alliance with Kagekyatsu. Katsuyori protests but is strong-armed by his sister to authorize a marriage alliance between her and Kagekyatsu. Conceding to Kikuhime-nyan, he places the Mikeda's involvement in her hands and grants them safe passage back to Kagekyatsu's base.

Geten no Hana
Though he is already dead by the time Geten no Hana takes place, he is mentioned by name in select events. Nagashino remains a crowning achievement for Nobunaga in this continuity. Kanbei voices his interest in the Oda's strategy in Yumeakari and wishes to study it for his interests.

Character Symbolism
Katsuyori is symbolized by the kanji for "straightforward" (直) and "penetrate" (貫).

Voice Actors

 * Kirk Thornton - Samurai Warriors, Kessen III (English)
 * Jason Moran - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Takeshi Kusao - Samurai Warriors 2~3 (Japanese)
 * Hiroshi Okamoto - Samurai Warriors: Sanada Maru (Japanese)
 * Hisao Egawa - Kessen III (Japanese)
 * Hisayoshi Suganuma - Nobunaga's Ambition Online (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Why? Why can we not defeat them?! The cavalry should be able to reach the enemy while they reload!"
 * "If one musket can fire while another reloads, then continuous fire could be achieved."
 * Katsuyori and Nobunaga; Samurai Warriors


 * "Father! Katsuyori is proud to be at your service! I will serve your banner at any cost!"
 * "Ah, Katsuyori, I am looking forward to witnessing your prowess. Just don't let that hot blood of yours get the better of you."
 * Katsuyori and Shingen; Samurai Warriors 2: Empires


 * "But, my lord! Lord Shingen said that we mustn't face the Oda forces yet!"
 * "The enemy is cowering in fear of our strength! That is why they are building defenses. And look at this rain! Their guns are useless to them. Ha! Lord Shingen, Lord Shingen, I'm sick of hearing it! If you are so scared, you can rest your old bones while the rest of us win glory!"
 * Refusing to listen to Baba at Nagashino; Kessen III

Historical Information
Katsuyori succeeded to his mother's Suwa clan and gained Takatō Castle as the seat of his domain. After his elder brother Takeda Yoshinobu died, Katsuyori's son Nobukatsu became heir to the Takeda clan, and he took charge of the family after his father's death. He fought Ieyasu Tokugawa at Takatenjin in 1574 and captured it, earning him the support of the Takeda clan. In 1575, he suffered a terrible loss at Nagashino, in which he lost a large part of his forces as well as a number of his generals. Katsuyori incurred the wrath of the Hōjō clan by helping Uesugi Kagekatsu against Uesugi Kagetora. He lost Takatenjin in 1581 and this led clans like Kiso and Anayama to withdraw their support. His forces were destroyed by the combined armies of Oda Nobunaga and Ieyasu at Temmokuzan in 1582, after which Katsuyori and his son committed suicide.