Aya

Aya (綾御前, Aya Gozen) first appears in as a unique non playable character in Samurai Warriors 3. While unplayable, her character model is available for player-created edit characters by clearing Kenshin and Kanetsugu's stories. She becomes playable with a unique moveset, new weapon, and story entry in its expansion. Prior to her unique appearance, she was a bodyguard in the Priestess category and is available for the player to equip before battles in Samurai Warriors 2. She is Kenshin's older sister, Kagekatsu's mother and Masakage Nagao's first wife.

Her height in Samurai Warriors 3 is 160 cm (5'3").

Role in Games
In Samurai Warriors 3, Aya is alongside her brother and son in the Uesugi army as a unique non-playable character and participates in most of the Uesugi campaigns. To uphold the morality of the army, she fights to inspire Kanetsugu and the men. She is the one who is responsible for selecting Kanetsugu to enter the Uesugi ranks, choosing him specifically for his virtuous nature. Aya appears in every Uesugi campaign as a support unit and occasionally appears as a representative of her clan in other characters' scenarios. She and Masanori may be saved by Takamaru early in the Murasamejo Mode.

Her story in the Xtreme Legends expansion has her mainly support her younger brother's campaigns, occasionally choosing to personally deal with his opponents herself to test their integrity. She joins her brother in his campaigns through Kantō, Kawanakajima, and Suruga-Sagami. By the end of the third battle, Kenshin's actions have brought peace to the Kantō region. However, Nobunaga threatens their truce by attempting to invade east. Since he is closest to the conqueror, Kenshin volunteers to face him and usher in the Uesugi's virtue to the west. Prior to their clash at Tedorigawa, Aya decides to enlist the young talent, Kanetsugu, and instructs him to believe in the Uesugi's principles during combat. She makes it her responsibility to keep both Kenshin and Kanetsugu safe in their campaign to destroy the Demon King.

Though successful in driving Nobunaga back, Kenshin dies soon after the conflict. His death sparks internal rebellion between his two adopted sons, Kagekatsu and Kagetora. Although Kagekatsu is Aya's biological son, she supports Kagetora and opposes her son and Kanetsugu. Through her actions, she believes she is testing Kanetsugu's resolve to carry on with Kenshin's will. During the battle, she protects Kagetora while waiting for their Hōjō reinforcements lead by Kai and Kotarō. Surprisingly, the Takeda take note of the battle, seeking to send Yukimura and Kunoichi in Kagekatsu's support. In order to capitalize on the rebellion, Nobunaga and other Oda generals enter the conflict to cut down either heir. Once the secondary enemies fall, Kanetsugu spurs Kagekatsu's men to charge in Kenshin's name. To Aya, however, he declares himself to be insufficient to carry on Kenshin's drive to wage war, but he believes that love will one day realize justice the world needs. Feeling inept for straying from Kenshin's image, Kanetsugu believes he should die as repentance. Aya scolds him, for she is actually impressed by his new motivation to carry on Kenshin's sense of virtue through different means. She agrees to watch over his decisions for the Uesugi's new future.

Personality
Sophisticated, calm, and reserved, Aya places no importance on material gain. Instead, she finds abstract matters to hold utmost priority for her clan. She is aware that constantly waging war without morales will only lead to further conflicts for the world. Therefore, Aya stresses the importance of virtue to correct the world's flaws. Believing that justice, honor, and love should be kept at any cost, she will feel no hesitation for removing any obstacle that deters from these beliefs. If needed, she would accept the deaths of her brother or herself for the sake of restoring world order. Often choosing to act as support for the prominent male figures of her clan, Aya is stern on reminding them and the Uesugi generals to never forget their true purpose for fighting. She frequently uses the Buddhist four character idiom, Haja Kenshou (破邪顕正), in the Japanese script. It summarizes the objectives she finds her family should follow: "tear down depravity so justice can be realized".

Kenshin refers to her as a goddess and respectfully addresses her as "Elder sister". He remains faithful to her wishes and frets over her well being at all times. Aya dotes on her younger brother's eccentric traits, as well as his desire to wage "pure war", calling him "cute" or "adorable". She watches over him affectionately, occasionally known to lightly tease her younger brother. Even so, she prioritizes her strong belief for universal love before family ties, hiring Kanetsugu to spread her resolute beliefs when she isn't capable of doing it herself. She is content to watch over both men as a calm, endearing presence for them. If the latter fails her expectations, however, Aya can become the stringent teacher to lecture him back in order. When Kanetsugu brashly jumps to conclusions that stray from the Uesugi's integrity, she chides him for foolishly lacking dignity (うるたえ者).

Character Symbolism
She is symbolized by the characters "virtuous" (淑) and "holy" (聖) for her Samurai Warriors appearance.

All of Aya's weapon types are known for being a cultural icon for their white feathers. Her Normal weapon is named after a white swan. Her Power weapon embodies a Japanese ibis while her Speed types embody a grey heron. In the case of the first two birds, they represent a removal from worldly desires and purity. The ibis is especially known for its rarity, handful captured having been raised to escape the clutches of extinction. A grey heron is known as a bird of winter in Japan, known to bravely face the frigid temperatures by puffing up its feathers. The bird is likely meant to tie in with Echigo, known for having freezing winters throughout Japan's history.

Her first Unique weapon is an alternate name for Tenrin Jyooh, a term used in Indian religions for an idealistic ruler. According to ancient Indian beliefs, the term means to bring order to the world by using military force. Within Buddhist texts, Tenrin Jyooh is usually called a saintly king who is destined to one day usher in a new age of prosperity for humanity. He is said to appear once humanity regains their lost virtue and is destined to rule for the 8,000 years of regained peace. When he is gone, the world is destined to once again plunge itself back to darkness. The ring mentioned within the term can either refer to the sun, a wheel-like weapon known as the chakram, or a mandara. It symbolizes Tenrin Jyooh's laws and his right to create and dictate them without question.

Kariteimo appears in the name for Aya's secondary Unique weapon. She is known as Hariti in Sanskrit and is known as a Yaksha goddess. Kariteimo is known to be one of Bishamonten's wives who gave birth to 500 -sometimes said as 1,000 or 10,000- people. She loved all of her children, but she killed several other children in order to properly feed hers. Shaka one day took away her youngest child, Purinyanka, causing her to forlornly leave to search for her boy. Realizing the suffering her actions had caused for other mothers, she converted to Buddhism. She is known as a goddess who blesses the safe deliveries of children, granting them prosperity and good fortune.

Voice Actors

 * Umeka Shōji - Samurai Warriors 3 (Japanese)

Ground Moveset

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Mounted Attacks

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Historical Information
Sento-In was Nagao Tamekage's second eldest daughter. She was said to either come from the same mother as Kenshin or was his older half-sister. Though better known under her Buddhist name, it was said that her given name was Ayahime or Okame no Kata.

She was engaged to Nagao Masakage sometime during 1537, and they had two sons and two daughters together. Their eldest son died at the young age of 10 so their second eldest son, Kagekatsu, was adopted into the Uesugi family under Kenshin. Their daughters are also said to have been adopted into the Uesugi and supposedly became the wives of their loyal vassals. Sento-In moved to Kasugayama Castle with her son in 1564. She was fabled to have recognized Naoe Kanetsugu's talents and recommended him to serve Kagekatsu. It was rumored that Kanetsugu tried his best to care for her in gratitude.

When the civil dispute between Kagekatsu and Kagetora took place after Kenshin's death, Sento-In tried to protect Kagetora's heir after the death of her older sister (Kagetora's wife). Although she was with Kagetora, she returned to Kikuhime and Osen no Kata's care. She died at Yonezawa Castle and was enshrined at Risen-ji. She was given the Buddhist name, Sento-In. As for why she was named as such, the reasons are still debated to this day.