Masanori Fukushima

Masanori Fukushima first appears as an unique general in Samurai Warriors 3. Though unplayable during this title, his character model is available for player-created edit characters by completing Mitsunari and Kiyomasa's stories. He becomes a playable character with a new weapon and unique moveset in Samurai Warriors Chronicles and obtains a story in Samurai Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends. Prior to his unique appearance, he was a notable generic character in Samurai Warriors 2. 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.

His height in Samurai Warriors 3 is 190 cm (close to 6'3"). His Samurai Warriors counterpart also has a character image song titled, Otoko ~Ichiban Yari~.

In Saihai no Yukue, his height is 180 cm (close to 5'11") and he is 43 years old. His trains as a hobby and he likes to eat sweet foods.

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors 2, Masanori is usually seen alongside Kiyomasa. 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 closest units to the Western camp on the battlefield. After his defeat, Mitsunari scornfully calls him a traitor. During Nene's dream stage, he apologizes for his rash behavior. Masanori is also one of the generals to switch his allegiance back to the Toyotomi family in Masamune's dream stage and joins forces with Yoshihiro during Ginchiyo's story.

Samurai Warriors 3 presents Masanori as a tough-talking punk whose relationships remain the same as before, except that he is closer to Mitsunari. After Hideyoshi's death, he chooses to follow Kiyomasa's decisions and joins the Tokugawa family. His fate depends on the story, as he lives in Kiyomasa and Sakon's endings but dies in others. He and Aya may be saved by Takamaru early in the Murasamejo Mode.

For his story in Samurai Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends, Masanori is described as a man who has been indebted to Hideyoshi since he was a child. Wanting to repay Hideyoshi's kindness for raising him, he joins the front lines at Shizugatake. He also has a rivalry with the two other men close to Hideyoshi, Kiyomasa and Mitsunari, and he competes against them during the battle. Together with his "brothers", he helps Nene covertly open the enemy gates at Komaki-Nagakute and challenges Ieyasu to a fight for Hideyoshi's vision. Amused by Masanori's eagerness, the loser agrees to support his lord. During the campaign for Odawara Castle, Ieyasu's plan to assault the Hōjō is humorously favored over Kiyomasa's strategy due to Masanori's intervention at the war council. While Ieyasu and Masanori organize the strategic measures of the battle, Masanori is ordered to be the distraction by attacking the enemy's front. With Ujiyasu's death, the land belongs to Hideyoshi.

After Hideyoshi dies of illness and Ieyasu rises in power, however, both he and Kiyomasa agree to join Ieyasu in order to protect the Toyotomi family. Mitsunari, who doesn't trust or like Ieyasu, opposes their decision and stays with the Toyotomi. Not understanding Mitsunari's stubbornness in the slightest, Masanori participates in Sekigahara to compel his childhood friend to fight him. By fighting his friend, Masanori hopes to understand him and find a sense of reconciliation with him. After Masanori says his piece to him, he thinks the trio can be properly reunited. Relentlessly tearing through the Western army -even defeating the one his side wants to defect, Masanori scours the battlefield looking for the hidden Mitsunari. Although Mitsunari loses, he says his thanks for having Masanori defeat him and leaves.

Of course, Mitsunari's defeat didn't restore the friendship Masanori wanted and results in his death. Afterwards, Kiyomasa tries to negotiate with Ieyasu to restore the nearly diminished Toyotomi, but their talks come to a standstill. Realizing that Ieyasu wants to target the Toyotomi for a unified peace, Kiyomasa and Masanori hurry to defend Osaka Castle. Masanori feels they have learned Mitsunari's true will to protect the Toyotomi from their last brawl and seeks to continue fighting on in his friend's memory. Since Hideyori still lives and Ieyasu's numbers are still high, Masanori and Kiyomasa continue their fight against the odds in his ending.

Kessen
Masanori, often called "Fukushima", is a general who serves Ieyasu in Kessen. Naga Kuroda convinces him that joining Ieyasu's army will be rewarding. Although he is a Toyotomi loyalist, he passionately despises Mitsunari. He will boldly charge for his camp at Sekigahara. Should Ieyasu try to order him to do otherwise, Masanori will refuse to comply. He's Kiyomasa's childhood friend and won't fight him if they're on opposing sides. He leads a very speedy cavalry and is one of the faster units in the game. He can defect back to the Toyotomi side if Mitsunari is dead.

Masanori can be recruited into Nobunaga's army in Kessen III. If Hideyoshi survives as the rear guard at Echizen, Masanori will appear after the battle. He has a high cavalry proficiency and can serve as a good spear unit. If he is put in an unit with Kiyomasa, their morale will rise and they will perform well. He also gets along with Saizo Kani.

Saihai no Yukue
He also appears as a general for the Eastern Army in Saihai no Yukue. When Lord Maeda is on the verge of passing away, both he and Kuroda gather men to kill the fleeing Mitsunari. Though he misses his chance, he volunteers to join Ieyasu's troops to put an end to the object of his hatred. He is a strong braggart who is prideful of his capabilities. His nicknamed "pig-headed" by some of the Western officers.

During one of their encounters, the clueless Mitsunari gets a glimpse of Fukushima's memories. In these fragmented images, Fukushima pleads Hideyoshi to get of rid of his young aid as he cannot see why Mitsunari is a valuable asset. Seeing the aloof Mitsunari get more respect, he dwells in envy and refuses to follow Hideyoshi's request to understand him. He shouts a string of curses when he's defeated. In the final battle, Hidemoto tells him to stop relying on his false bravado and learn to overcome his weaknesses.

Mōri Motonari: Chikai no Sanya
Masanori is an Oda retainer in Mouri Motonari: Chikai no Sanya who is a constant aide to Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi fondly thinks of Masanori as his "child" so the retainer calls him "father" (親父殿, Oyaji-dono) in return. When his "father" is on the run from Terumoto's forces, Masanori appears in the south in an attempt to guard the rear. He curses when he is defeated and can't believe the Mōri are fated as the new leading power of the land.

Personality
Easily moved by emotions, Masanori is known to cry his eyes out or throw a tantrum at the drop of a hat. Compared to his friends, Masanori is the immature scattered-brain and the comic relief of the trio. Masanori is the loudest of the trio, easily voicing his every honest thought to everything addressed to him. In his mind, Masanori is awesome and popular, beaming with pride of his self-image. He is especially proud for being "stupidly strong". He can't be bothered to sweat over complicated matters and would rather settle all disagreements through brute, unyielding strength. Whoever wins a fight, he believes, has the right to get their way. Though not one for etiquette or subtlety, Masanori's loyalty to Hideyoshi is just as strong as Mitsunari or Kiyomasa. He fondly calls Hideyoshi "Old Man" (叔父貴, Ojiki) and proudly boasts any praise his lord gives him. Masanori extends to the same respect to Nene, although he becomes sheepishly timid in front of her, afraid to incur one of her lectures. Both Hideyoshi and Nene believe his light-hearted nature can dispel Mitsunari and Kiyomasa from fighting all of the time.

He treats Kiyomasa with fraternal respect yet regularly seems to be annoyed with Mitsunari, referring to him as "big-headed" (頭デツカチ atama dekkachi) for his helmet and for his arrogance. Masanori openly berates Mitsunari, but he will stop to a careening halt if Nene happens to overhear him. Since he isn't as concerned about status as his other "brothers", their flat reactions to his oafish antics is sometimes the only thing Mitsunari and Kiyomasa can agree upon. Even so, Masanori believes he can still solve all of their arguments like they did when they children by engaging in a friendly brawl with one another. They bicker and fight all the time, but Masanori doesn't hold a heavy grudge against either one of them. Sakon fondly addresses him, Kiyomasa and Mitsunari as the "three idiots", jokingly naming Masanori the dumbest of the group.

Character Symbolism
He's symbolized by the characters "lively" (喧) and "man" (漢) in the Samurai Warriors series. All of his weapon types notes that they can smash through various objects. His weapons can smash through gold (Normal), cliffs (Power), and karma (Speed). His Unique weapon is named as a type of vajra, but the wording can also imply that he is named after Vajrapani. Known as Shukongoshin in Japan, he is a weapon wielding dharmapala known to protect Buddha in Japan. He symbolizes Buddha's knowledge, or the truth of all things, by dispelling evil thoughts and desires. In Japan, he's thought to have originated from Heracles within Greek mythology, as he wears a lion's skin and carries a club in one hand.

Masanori's secondary Unique weapon is named after Amenotajikarao, a god of strength in Japanese mythology. He lifted the boulder blocking Amaterasu from the world, eventually leading to the return of light. His name means he is a male god with powerful hands, thus leading to his worship for powerful arms and legs. His muscles are said to have the strength to eternally carry the weight of the world as he sleeps.

Voice Actors

 * Jason Moran - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Dan Woren - Samurai Warriors 3 (English)
 * Jim Crescenzo - Kessen (English)
 * Takeshi Kusao - Samurai Warriors 2 (Japanese)
 * Takahiro Fujimoto - Samurai Warriors 3 (Japanese)
 * Yuusaku Yara - Kessen (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Hmph. What gives you the right to tell us what to do? You act like you've-Waah!"
 * "Good luck, Mitsunari!"
 * "Mitsunari! He's here!"
 * "By the gods I shall drag him before you, even if it is with my dying breath."
 * "Lord Fukushima, we must act with care. It is my understanding Devil Shimazu is with them today."
 * "Hmph! Devil indeed! Today's battle will find him nameless. To victory!"
 * Ieyasu, Fukushima, Honda at Minakuchi; Kessen


 * "Agh! My loyalties are torn! Argh! I'm sick of thinking! I shall follow my heart, as I once did for Lord Toyotomi! I shall unleash my fiery wrath!"
 * "Fukushima! You repay me with deception!"
 * Fukushima defecting and Ieyasu's reaction; Kessen

Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Trivia

 * In the Sengoku Angelique skit preformed at Neoromance Starlight ♥ Christmas 2010, Sazaki from the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series stood in as the Masanori for the cast. His name was "Fukushima Sazaki Masanori".