Magoichi Saika

Magoichi Saika (雑賀 孫市) is a character who first appears in Samurai Warriors. He is the leader of the Saika renegades, an organized mercenary rifle unit. He has a grudge against the "Demon King", Nobunaga. In the first game, he's 23 years old. He's symbolized by the kanji for "hit" (撃) and "charging forward" (衝).

Samurai Warriors
Magoichi is a rebel who loves his freedom. He is rough with the guys but sweet to the ladies. He starts out employed by the Ikko sect to help their rebellion against Nobunaga. When their army faces defeat, he naively thinks they can peacefully beg for surrender and is shocked to see Nobunaga order a slaughter of the rebels. Since then, he swore to snipe the villain in order to save the land. In his shorter ending, he is bummed by Kennyo Honganji's choice to serve Nobunaga and apologizes for not winning for them.

In his complete story, Magoichi becomes a vigilante after the Ikko surrender and aims to end Nobunaga's life. He infiltrates Gifu Castle and finally corners the Demon King for the final shot. Before he shoots, Nobunaga tries to pound doubts into him, quickly asking what he will achieve by killing him and reasons that nothing will change. Magoichi's gun goes off and he leaves the scene, saying that Nobunaga's burden is no greater than anyone else.

In Samurai Warriors 2, Magoichi is an old friend of Hideyoshi and is hired by various employers to make a living. When his home is destroyed by Nobunaga, he estranges himself from Hideyoshi and swears to avenge his lost comrades. He sneaks into Honnoji and assassinates Nobunaga during his duel with Mitsuhide. While fleeing from the scene, Magoichi realizes that his act actually caused more chaos as bandits are free to terrorize innocent people. This pleases Kotaro who thanks Magoichi for making his job easier. Lost and confused, he collapses.

He later awakens in dry shelter with Hideyoshi, who requests his help to take down Mitsuhide. Filled with self-pity and regret, Magoichi calls him a hypocrite for not wanting to kill him. Hideyoshi knocks some sense into him as he doesn't want to lose his other friend. Reconciled, Magoichi agrees to help his buddy out and participates in the Yamazaki battle to defeat Mitsuhide. In the aftermath, he is shot by an off-screen rifleman and dies in Hideyoshi's arms.

In his dream mode, the narrative says that he survived his gunshot wound at Yamazaki and befriends Masamune. He joins Masamune's charge against Ieyasu to keep Hideyoshi's dream alive.

Kessen
Magoichi appears as a powerful yet minor enemy in the third Kessen. He leads a solid rifle unit and can easily pummel armies with his triple row volley. He is usually supported by one or two other armies.

Development
Designers wanted Magoichi to take the place as the freedom loving wanderer who isn't afraid to take radical actions. His first outfit was made to reflect a possible historical interpretation while his alternate "Rambo-like" outfit was a modern version. His revamp for the second game expands on this concept by making him bolder and prouder of the Saika crest. They also wonder if he has a sexier image.

Voice Actors

 * Lex Lang - Samurai Warriors (English)
 * Steve Szczepowski - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Hiroshi Isobe - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Get ready to swoon."
 * "Magoichi Saika is here. Does that sound heroic or what?"
 * "No dame can resist this charming face. Not even your goddess Oichi there."
 * "Care to put a handful of gold coins where your mouth is, Magoichi?"
 * "No problem. It'll be the easiest cash I've ever made."
 * Magoichi and Hideyoshi; SW2 Empires