Sasuke

Sasuke is the name of a fictional shinobi famed as one of the Sanada Ten Braves. A formidable trickster, he fought for his masters against the Tokugawa until their defeat at Ōsaka Castle.

Before his playable debut in the Samurai Warriors series, Sasuke served as a default name for ninja bodyguard in Samurai Warriors.

Samurai Warriors
Before his playable appearance, he was often seen as a bodyguard within the series. Samurai Warriors 2 had him fully fleshed out as a Sanada ninja including the colour scheme, and his surname, Sarutobi. Hs playable incarnation is Hanzō's disciple, and was the son of one of the ninja captains that were slain at Mikatagahara in Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada. As a debt of friendship, Hanzō takes in the orphaned Sasuke and trains him to be a ninja as well. He aids Kunoichi and the Sanada as they help escort Yukimura, Chacha and Muramatsu away from Azuchi Castle when Akechi troops pour in and begin killing the populus. After accomplishing his mission, he returns to his master's side, as they must help Ieyasu return back to Mikawa and escape the Akechi troops through Iga. He also reports of his rescue of Chacha from Mitsuhide's men.

His apathetic nature and name calling of Ieyasu immediately earns him the ire of the other Tokugawa generals, along with Hanzō. Despite this, Sasuke still insists to only follow the instructions of his master, not Ieyasu. He then reports that he also ended up rescuing some children from the Sanada and volunteers to go into their ranks as a mole if neccessary. Hanzō, however, replies that his student shouldn't allow his emotions to cloud his decisions.

As Yukimura's matures, Sasuke joins the Sanada as an agent for the Tokugawa and he regularly reports to Hanzo. He joins the Sanada after they successfully outwit the Hōjō and the Tokugawa and seize Shinano Province and accompanies Yukimura to the Uesugi's territory. When Yukimura and the rest of his party return back to Ueda to prepare for the upcoming siege by the Tokugawa, Sasuke and Kunoichi are orderd to scout Masatake Muroga, who is believed to be colluding with the Tokugawa. Rather than follow orders, he and Kunoichi opt to instead assassinate him, though such news displeases the more honorable Yukimura. He ends up helping deal with his master's ninjas in the prelude of the battle of Ueda as well as the Tokugawa forces during the main battle. The conflict between the Sanada and the Tokugawa is then put aside when the Toyotomi forces intervene, and Yukimura is sent to Ōsaka as a hostage, with Kunoichi and Sasuke accompanying him.

During his time there, he is sent on seemingly simple errands by Nene to the Iga mountains. Once he actually arrives, however, he finds it infested with enemy spies from the Fūma. Upon confronting Kotarō, Nene arrives and forces him to retreat. Once these tasks are finished, Sasuke and Yukimura return back to Ueda to prepare for the inevitable battle against the Hōjō. At Matsuida Castle, he and Kunoichi end up battling against Fūma ninjas attempting to reach Yukimura. Although Kotarō comes close to killing Sasuke, Yukimura unexpectedly return to chase the enemy shinobi away.

After Hideyoshi's death, war begins breaking out between the Uesugi and the Tokugawa. Because of this, tensions between the anti-Tokugawa factions in the government flare up and many clans begin picking sides between Mitsunari of the West and Ieyasu in the East. The Sanada clan is also split, with Masayuki and Yukimura supporting Mitsunari and Nobuyuki supporting the Tokugawa. After Masayuki's decision to side with Mitsunari, Sasuke privately asks the veteran why he chose such a decision even though he knew he had better chances at winning if he sided with the Tokugawa, only to receive an ambiguous response.

He then privately meets with Hanzō, where he reports that majority of the Sanada has sided with Mitsunari, but Nobuyuki's faction has decided to leave and back the Tokugawa. When he asks what to do since the Sanada and the Tokugawa would be split once again, Hanzō offers to allow him to do as he pleases or to choose a different path in life. In response, Sasuke angrily declares that he will accomplish his task and moves to assassinate Yukimura. His journey only puts him into a fight with Kunoichi. To his surprise, Yukimura intervenes and stops the fight. When asked why, Sasuke only replies that he did it as it is his job. Yukimura tells Sasuke to return as his job is now complete. Sasuke immediately replies that he does not have anywhere else to go as he has failed to complete his task, but Yukimura surprisingly offers to still have Sasuke by his side if he doesn't have anywhere left.

He initially distances himself from the Sanada in the lead-up to the Eastern Army's siege of Ueda but he foils Hanzō's attempt to attack Yukimura and ultimately decides to side with the Sanada, later joining them in exile. After Masayuki's death, he remains loyal to the Sanada and helps to defend at Ōsaka Castle to protect Hideyori. During the final stages of the siege, Sasuke and Hanzō duel to the death, where Hanzō expresses regret training his pupil to be a ninja, but Sasuke insists on still fighting, as it was his master that often lectured him about having loyalty to his lord. Ultimately, he is slain by his master, who tearfully cradles him as he dies.

After his death, he is simply reported to have gone missing by Kunoichi, who is implied to have already been aware of his demise but is unable to tell Yukimura of the true details.

Warriors Orochi
He appears as a generic ninja in Warriors Orochi 3 and it's expansions, often serving under or with Ryu Hayabusa. He acts as Hayabusa's replacement at Wan Castle if the player controls Ryu, and also is under a large coalition at Yan Province during the new timeline.

Kessen
Kessen portrays Sasuke as one of Yukimura's loyal kunoichi. Should Masayuki die due to an assassination attack sent by Hidetada Tokugawa, Sasuke and the other kunoichi will defend Yukimura while he mourns his father. Should Yukimura be victorious at Osaka Castle, they will charge Ieyasu's camp and slay him. Sasuke deduces that they have actually killed a double instead of the real Ieyasu. If Yukimura dies during any of the final battles, she will visit his grave to pay her respects.

Toukiden
Sasuke nonchalantly asks the protagonist in Toukiden Mononofu to set him free. He abstains from explaining how he was devoured by the demons, only interested in helping his savior fight against the Mifuchi in their path.

Personality
Sasuke is emotionally distant from anyone other than Hanzō, whom the youth has come to see as a father figure for raising him and teaching him the ways of the ninja. As such, Sasuke still takes great pride in being a ninja, so much so that he was considering killing Yukimura to earn his place alongside his master, and his refusal to take a different path when fighting at Ueda breaks out. Cynical and foul-mouthed, Sasuke shows no respect to anyone aside from Hanzō, only serving Ieyasu as a favor to his master. As such, he is often put at odds with the other officers. Although this initially remains the same with the Sanada, Yukimura's optimism and continuous familial love despite facing hardships warms Sasuke into finally accepting his place as a part of the man's family. He initially only refers to Kunoichi as his senior to placate her into allowing him to join the Sanada ranks, and the two occasionally compete, with Sasuke only doing so for the sake of not losing, but the other attempting to garner Yukimura's praise for herself. Over time, he finally sees her as a true partner of sorts, though the two still bicker once in a while. Nene's motherly love towards him generally meets his cold shoulder, but he suspects that she is more capable than she openly implies.

Character Symbolism
Sasuke is symbolized by the kanji for "shadow" (影) and "flight" (飛). The namesake of Sasuke's default weapon is his moniker, Sarutobi (translated as "Flying Monkey").

His first rare weapon is named after the fire god Kagutsuchi.

Sasuke's second rare weapon refers to Sarutahiko, ancestral leader of the earthly kami in Japanese mythology. Worshiped as a deity of purification, strength, and guidance, he helped Ninigi-no-Mikoto pacify the Earth under instructions from Amaterasu. Legends describe him as a large man with a long beard and ruddy face. According to the Kojiki, Sarutahiko drowned on the coast of Ise when his hand got caught in a shell while fishing. This provoked his wife Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto into demanding that all sea creatures offer themselves as tribute to their family's lineage. According to Houkouji's legends, a figure that resembled Sarutahiko's appearance once appeared in a dream to a monk staying within it. This same temple would be used centuries later as the negotiation grounds for the worsening Tokugawa and Toyotomi relations in 1611.

Voice Actors

 * Erin Fitzgerald - Kessen (English)
 * Youko Iwasaki - Kessen (Japanese)
 * Yōhei Azakami - Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada
 * Junichi Suwabe - Nioh
 * Kenji Akabane - Ikemen Sengoku◇Toki wo Kakeru Koi

Live Action Performers

 * Kazumi Doi - Kono Nyaka ni Jinbyou ga iru nya ~ Nobunyaga no Yabou Trial Kouen
 * Yuuta Iiyama - Butai Nobunyaga no Yabou Yukimura to Gorin no Ken
 * Shougo Nihira - Kono Nyaka ni Jinbyou ga iru nya ~ Nobunyaga no Yabou Trial Kouen, Butai Nobunyaga no Yabou ~ Neko Gungi
 * Koumei - Butai Nobunyaga no Yabou ~ Neko Gungi, Butai Nobunyaga no Yabou ~ Neko Gungi 2
 * Ayumu Honda - Makai ~Hoshi to Umi no Hangeki~, Makai ~Fukkatsu to Yabou Revival and Vision~

Quotes

 * "Too easy."
 * "Notch another one up to me."
 * "This is nothing."
 * "Since when did I get this strong? It's almost comical."
 * "Don't mention it. i was just doing my job."
 * "That's taken care of them. Now no one will disturb us... Master!"
 * "Hey, it's Kunoichi. Have you been keeping up with your training?"
 * "I'm busy with the real thing, so I'm not going to waste time doing that. I'm fine without it, but I can't say the same about you."
 * "You sure? Look, aren't you getting a bit fat? Y'see, around here?"
 * "No, no, no. You're seeing things, and you've got too much time on your hands. Ah, there's Yukimura! Later, Sasuke!"
 * Sasuke and Kunoichi; 100man-nin no Sengoku Musou

Ground Moveset

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 * ,, undefined, (undefined): Sasuke dashes forward piercing his right arm blade, then roll jumps detonating a bomb on the ground, then comes down swinging his blades in a diagonal X.
 * ,, , undefined, (undefined): Sasuke dashes right swinging his arm blades across the ground, makes a trail of fire then sends it forward in a wave.
 * ,, , , undefined: Sasuke roll jumps slashing his arm blades, then kicks a blast of energy forward.
 * Sasuke moves swiftly forward whilst diagonally slashing his arm blades. For the finisher, he blades a large red energy wave, then spins in midair slashing his arm blades, then sends a large shockwave forward.
 * (Ultimate/Kaidan): Sasuke warps around in midair, slashing enemies rapidly.
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 * Deadlock Attack & Mighty Strike: Sasuke swings his arm blades at the front of the enemy, then warps behind and cuts his/her back, knocking him/her away.

Hyper Moveset

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 * undefined, undefined, : Sasuke sends an energy circle forward.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, : Sasuke roll jumps and slashes his arms blades diagonally on landing.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, : Sasuke handstands and kicks while making a tornado.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, : Sasuke dashes forward slashing his arm blades two times.
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Horse Moveset

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Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: Ōsaka Summer Campaign - Battle of Dōmyōji

Creation
Sarutobi Sasuke is the creation of multiple fictional Japanese novels. The earliest known published inspiration for him comes from the late Edo period novel, Sanada Sandaiki, a romanticized narrative of Masayuki, Nobushige (Yukimura), and Nobushige's eldest son, Daisuke (Yukimasa), defying the Tokugawa shogunate. At the time of its publication, anti-shogunate sentiments were steadily becoming commonplace in the face of the shogunate's controversial rulings. Celebrations of a time before the Tokugawa shogunate began to gain popularity, especially those from the Warring States period.

Within the Sanada Sandaiki, there was the earliest known concept of the "Sanada Ten Braves", ten heroic named figures who served the three key figures. Sasuke was deemed one of them, and one who fought to the bitter end for Nobushige during the final Osaka Castle campaign. Kanda Hakuryū, the author of Nanba Senkimono, would repeat the tales of the Sanada Ten Braves in his narrative and added the "Sarutobi" (translated literally as "Flying Monkey") nickname to Sasuke, along with his purported rivalry and friendship with Kirigakure Saizō. His full name as a samurai in this story was "Sarutobi Sasuke Yukiyoshi" (猿飛佐助幸吉), his given name signifying his loyalty to Nobushige (Yukimura) and Hideyoshi. Enshoku Taihei Raki, a historical narrative published in 1731, lists Sasuke by name as one of Nobushige's retainers who joined his lord into exile.

The shinobi Sasuke was supposedly an addition done during the late Edo and early Meiji period, when the validity of the Sanada Ten Braves was being questioned. Regardless of its authenticity, one of Sasuke's alleged inspirations for this change is Kōzuki Sasuke (Shimotsuge no Kizaru), a shinobi famed for using magic to manipulate monkeys to do his biding. This shinobi was said to have valiantly defied Hattori Hanzō's task force with ninja techniques after the Summer Osaka Campaign. Alternatively, the shinobi version is argued to have no clear link to history besides being a reflection of what was popular in fiction at the time of its inclusion. He was retroactively associated with Kōga ninja to contrast the Iga ninja for the Tokugawa. Proponents for this interpretation prefer to state that Sasuke is a Japanese Sun Wukong, as he is a crafty and reliable guardian to his Sanzang-Fashi (Nobushige).

Two Japanese book publishers are responsible for Sasuke's continued popularity into modern times: Tatsukawa Bunko and Matsumoto Kinkado. Both companies compiled Sasuke's legends into a series of historical narratives marketed towards children of the Taishō period. These well-known heroic legends were often presented to be real, leading to the popularization of many myths which still survive in modern fiction and folklore today. Sasuke was one of three figures of the Sanada Ten Braves who received special treatment and was coined as one of the "Sanada Three Heroes". The shinobi Sasuke of today often finds his origins from these compilations.

Scholars and literary critics agree that Sasuke is not real, but to what degree has been a subject of debate. Shiba Ryōtarō remarked that similar myths were said to have existed around Osaka before these key novels' publication. He ventured the possibility of the legends being "half-truths" due to the Tokugawa shogunate's notorious reputation of censoring any historical records against them. Various historical models for Sasuke have been claimed by authors throughout the ages, but historians have yet to universally concur with their sentiments.

Life and Death
Sasuke's popularized origins is that his father was Washio Sadayū, a retainer of Mori Nagayoshi. After Komaki-Nagakute led to his lord's demise, Sadayū decided to settle in Shinano. He fathered two children: an elder daughter named Sayo and a younger son named Sasuke. As soon as he could walk, Sasuke liked to play with the monkeys at Mount Togakushi. He learned from his animal friends to move with unsurpassed agility, a talent which attracted the attention of a Kōga shinobi known as Tozawa Hakūnsai. Hakūnsai took the young boy under his wing and taught him Kōga techniques at a village along Torii Pass for three years, a place which has been a fabled training ground for Sanada ninja. During his intensive training, Sasuke had a chance encounter with Nobushige. Impressed by the young lord's character, he swore loyalty to Nobushige henceforth.

Another proposed origin for Sasuke is that there was two of them. Washio Sasuke was actually the first Sasuke who died fighting at Mount Temoku against the Oda. His successor was a young man named Ibe Busuke, another Kōga shinobi who formerly served the Echizen Saitō clan. When his masters perished, he wandered the land and served several lords before siding with the Toyotomi forces. He had the power to control animals, especially shiba inu, which mirrored the first Sasuke's abilities enough to inherit the moniker. The second Sasuke served under Ōtani Yoshitsugu before Sekigahara, helping his lord swiftly communicate with allies by sending messenger birds across the land. Surviving Sekigahara but without a lord, he wandered again until he sided with Nobushige's forces for the Osaka Campaign.

Shinkun Kiyomasa Jikki, a war narrative based on Katō Kiyomasa's writings, presents another version of Sasuke. A Sarutobi Nisuke was entrusted with 3,000 rogues to assist Kinoshita Tokichirō's defense at Kanegasaki. Sarutobi was a bandit and a fond acquaintance of Hibino Rokudayū, one of Hachisuka Koroku's vassals. Through Rokudayū, Sarutobi decided to live a life of service under Hideyoshi. Sasuke was Sarutobi's grandson who inherited the Sarutobi moniker from Nisuke. Alternatively, it has been argued that Nisuke is Sasuke who served Nobushige at an old age.

Sanada Sandaiki has Sasuke as a skilled if flamboyant actor. He could conceal his appearance in the battlefield and attack without ever having to show himself. In many stories, Sasuke is a clever shape-shifter who excels in disguises and trickery. He is often unmatched in speed and strength, which leads to him clashing with the similarly skilled Saizō.

His servitude to Nobushige is inevitable in fiction. Regardless of when he serves the Sanada, Sasuke is soon ordered by his master to gather intelligence for him. Traveling to every corner of the land, he successfully infiltrated Sunpu Castle and Edo Castle (Ieyasu and Hidetada's main keeps) without raising suspicion; his reports were invaluable to Nobushige's strategies during his exile and at Osaka Castle. Before he faithfully returned to his lord, Sasuke saved many fair maidens and innocent children by crushing various bandit hideouts during his journey.

His fate at Osaka appears to vary by the narrative. Sanada Sandaiki has him be one of the survivors, escorting the real Nobushige and Daisuke away from the conflict and living with them in Satsuma. Modern day stories may prefer to have him die with his lord in the fighting around Osaka Castle like other members of the Sanada Ten Braves.

Gallery
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