Toyohisa Shimazu

Toyohisa Shimazu is Yoshihiro's young nephew who is often seen alongside his uncle in battle.

Before his playable appearance in the Samurai Warriors series, he was a generic NPC since Samurai Warriors 2. He reached twelfth place in the Samurai Warriors 4 character popularity poll. The first character popularity poll for Sengoku Musou Shoot has him at twentieth place.

His Nobunaga's Ambition counterpart is seventy-sixth place in Gamecity's character popularity ranking for 2015.

In Saihai no Yukue, his height is 190 cm (close to 6'3") and he is 27 years old. He studies war strategies as a hobby and likes to drink shōchū.

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors 2, Toyohisa appears as a secondary character in Yoshihiro's story. Worried for his uncle's safety, he protested Yoshihiro's participation at Sekigahara. Though he was entrusted with the future of the clan, Toyohisa joins his uncle on the battlefield. Early in the battle, he suggested using an ambush but Mitsunari refused to accept it. He is devastated by the bloody aftermath, muttering that it must be hell itself. Yoshihiro uses the metaphor to bolster his troops' morale, stating that devils such as themselves thrive in this environment. Toyohisa, though perplexed by his uncle's restlessness, is pleased to see their clan ruling a peaceful Japan in Yoshihiro's ending. He appears in different character scenarios either as reinforcements for Yoshihiro or as a leader for a Shimazu ambush in the battle of Edo Castle.

Yoshihiro's story route in Sengoku Musou 3: Empires has the inexperienced Toyohisa attempt to join the battle against the Ryūzōji much to his uncle's disapproval. Iehisa, however, persuades Yoshihiro to let his son participate by retying the young man's helmet and cutting both ends of the knot to symbolize their clan's determination to fight to the end.

Samurai Warriors 4 has him participate in his uncle's earliest campaigns in Kyushu, recklessly charging into the fray against their Tachibana adversaries at Mimikawa. Throughout the Kyushu chapter, Toyohisa is mentored by Yoshihiro and learns proper warrior conduct from him. Aspiring to someday become like his uncle and wishing to help his father, Iehisa, he disobeys the elders' wishes to stay home by fighting at Okitanawate. Since the youth obeys commands during battle and performs well, Yoshihiro complements him and permits him to join the clan's conquests of the island.

Moments after they conquer Kyushu by taking Iwaya Castle and Tachibanayama Castle, the Shimazu lose against Hideyoshi's massive army. Toyohisa protests the shame of surrender but abides to his uncle's decision. As a condition of their new alliance, Toyohisa later assists the Toyotomi attack in Oshu and Odawara Castle. Toyohisa is the only one upset by Mitsunari's blunt refusal and disrespect towards Yoshihiro the night before Sekigahara. In every iteration of the Sekigahara stage, the nephew will die fighting in battle to bide time for Yoshihiro's escape. The pre-rendered cinematic version of his final charge has him rescue his uncle from Tadakatsu before volunteering to be left for dead. He and a few Shimazu cavalrymen fire at the pursuing Eastern Army. Toyohisa shoots Naotora at point-blank range before he is slain by Tadakatsu. His final moments moves many to have sympathy for Yoshihiro.

His 4-II centric story echoes most of his actions in the previous title except for his self imposed rivalry with Naomasa. Toyohisa idolizes the general's conduct at Kyushu and seeks to befriend him. His desire to compete with Naomasa inspires Toyohisa to train and mature. He volunteers to be his uncle's rear guard at Sekigahara and proudly duels the pursuing Naomasa when Yoshihiro reaches safety. Toyohisa dies happy to have become a rival worthy of respect.

Warriors Orochi
Toyohisa appears in Warriors Orochi 3 as a generic brave officer. He appears on stages where his uncle would normally appear should the player assume his role.

Saihai no Yukue
Toyohisa returns in Saihai no Yukue as a reluctant and harsh member of the Western Army. He admires his uncle and follows him to Sekigahara. However, he despises Mitsunari since the latter said that his services weren't needed in battle. After investigating the manner behind the false claim, Mitsunari learns that this was actually a scheme conceived by the enemy. Once Toyohisa learns that they were duped by a fake, he relents and will follow any reasonable order. Even so, he continues to act coldly towards Mitsunari and often glares at him.

When Yoshihiro and Mitsunari make the march east to join forces with Mori, Toyohisa volunteers to serve as their rear guard. He stalls Ii and his troops until he knows that his uncle made the trip safely. After saying his last words, he smiles for the first time in the game and orders his men to destroy Ii's forces. The particular tactic he uses is a suicidal rifle attack in the Shimazu clan (surprise the enemy by also firing at ally troops who are distracting the foe) which succeeds in its mission. Though he dies during the assault, Toyohisa's hand clings to Ii's legs and prevents him from proceeding forward.

Development
Mieda commented that the new characters for the fourth title were added to help bridge the chapters together. He implied that Toyohisa fits this need for the Kyushu chapter. Designers strove to make him look like a "young warrior from Kyushu" within the series. It was a challenge for them to decide how much of his skin they should reveal to emphasize his youthful charm and energy.

Personality
Impetuous Toyohisa is a living wrecking ball of trouble. Once he starts fighting, he rarely quits nor does he ever admit defeat. Childish and idealistic, he is incredibly proud of his family; in his eyes, the Shimazu are the strongest heroes in the world. He believes he must work hard to live up to his elders' legacy as a true warrior of his clan. At first, Toyohisa rushes to achieve greatness. When he is taught otherwise, he becomes strictly obedient to commands. Toyohisa may pout if his weaknesses are exposed to him, yet his earnest enthusiasm never fails to shine in his actions. Simple words or gestures of gratitude are all he needs to keep him in high spirits.

Although he makes several mistakes in his recklessness, he admires Yoshihiro and would gladly lay down his life to save his "Dear Uncle" (叔父上, ojiue). His life brightens with his uncle's praise and wisdom, and his visage instantly pales when he is scolded. Due to his uncle's patronizing, Toyohisa innocuously prides his helmet and seeks to defend it like a true champion. The Kyushu warriors admire his tenacity yet playfully tease him for his inexperience. Yoshihiro affectionately calls him "Brat" (餓鬼, gaki) or "Son" (せがれ, segare) and the Tachibana refer to him as "Pup" (子犬, koinu). Toyohisa takes offense to the last name because he is a cat lover like the rest of his family. Toyohisa considers Naomasa a kindred spirit who shares many parallels with him. He either ignores or fails to comprehend Naomasa's annoyance in his attempts to know him better, persistent to gain recognition as a friendly rival.

Character Symbolism
In the Samurai Warriors series, he is symbolized by the kanji for "challenge" (挑) and "falcon" (隼).

Ninigi appears in the name of his rare weapon. Depending on which source is asked, he was resented by Amaterasu, his grandmother, since his father was created during one of her spiteful contests with her brother. In the instances of her neglect, Ninigi's father begrudgingly raised Ninigi. Despite his troubled childhood, he matured with a good head on his shoulders. Yamato Bumi instead describes that he was despised by his grandfather, Takamusubinomikoto, and implies he met hardships from his family whilst being raised. Kyushu has been heralded as the home of Takachiho, a place mentioned in legends as the first place where the heavens granted the land water. Ninigi has a rich history in the area and continues to act as the hero for many plays and tourist attractions near Takachiho.

Futsumeshinokami is named in his DLC weapon. He either was born from the severing cut of Kagutsuchi's decapitation or he was Iwatsutsunoo and Iwatsutsunome's child. He is later involved with the pacification of Toyoashihara once he is recommended by the gods to fight. Armed with a divine pronged sword Futsumeshinokami descended to Izumo. He is one of the gods who accepted Ninigi's proposal for peace, guiding Ningi through several wild deities and specters for a safe meeting place. Due to spellings for his name, Futsumeshinokami can be regarded as a deity who never loses. He was once worshiped as a god of good luck or transportation.

His heirloom refers to a story of his final act at Sekigahara. During the Shimazu's escape, their army was a miserable 200 at the time and the Honda troops were closing in on their position. To bide time for his uncle's escape, Toyohisa donned Yoshihiro's red coat and declared himself under his uncle's name. Their pursuers fell for the ruse and fought the nephew. Toyohisa was said to have killed at least ten soldiers before he fell in battle.

Voice Actors

 * Clinton Lee Pontes - Samurai Warriors 2 (English, shared with other Wild officers)
 * Hiroshi Kamiya - Samurai Warriors 2 (Japanese)
 * Shunzō Miyasaka - Samurai Warriors 3~4 (Japanese)

Quotes

 * See also: Toyohisa Shimazu/Quotes


 * "Uncle! I will be more careful!"
 * "Stay sharp, Toyohisa! I don't want you getting hurt out there!"
 * Toyohisa and Yoshihiro, Samurai Warriors 2


 * "Uncle... From this day forth, I am in our service. You may consider me as your own arms and legs."
 * "You have many years ahead of you Toyohisa. Your first priority is to live long enough to see them."
 * Toyohisa and Toshihiro; Samurai Warriors 2: Empires

Charge Moveset

 * , undefined, (undefined), (undefined): Toyohisa slashes an enemy into the air, then jumps after and uses his axe to smack the enemy down, before shaking the ground with the axe.
 * ,, undefined, (undefined), (undefined): Toyohisa vault kicks using his axe, then does two slashes to the left, then ignites a fire pillar.
 * ,, , undefined, (undefined), (undefined): Toyohisa jumps into the air and swings his axe to the left, then throws it outward before catching it, then takes his axe and does a twirling fiery slash.
 * ,, , , undefined, (undefined), (undefined): Roars with a purple explosion, slashes two purple horizontal waves of energy forward, then finishes with a vertical wave of energy.

Hyper Moveset

 * undefined:
 * undefined, : Toyohisa does a hopping kick to the right.
 * undefined, undefined, : Toyohisa hops and rams his head.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, :
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, :
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, : Toyohisa swings his axe to the right, sending a wave of energy forward.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined:


 * Dashing :
 * , undefined:
 * First, Toyohisa slashes his axe left, and slams it like a hammer. Then spins the axe in front of himself and slams it giving a shockwave.
 * (Ultimate/Kaiden): Creates a fiery spiral with his axe.
 * Rage Attack/Musou Gokui effect:
 * Rage Attack/Musou Gokui effect:


 * Spirit Cancel:
 * Deadlock Attack & Mighty Strike:
 * R1:
 * Awakened Skill effect (4-II only):

Mounted Moveset

 * , undefined:
 * ,, undefined:
 * ,, , undefined: Swings his axe from his right side, to his left, then right again.

Weapons

 * See also Toyohisa Shimazu/Weapons

Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: Second Siege of Ueda - Battle of Sekigahara

Historical Information
Shimazu Toyohisa was Shimazu Iehisa's son and was one of the speculated future candidates to lead the Shimazu family. His mother was Kabayama Yoshihisa's daughter, whose father was an educated teacher and a family vassal with a great deal of experience and honors of war under his belt. He was married to Shimazu Tadanaga's daughter, one of his uncle's cousins.

Toyohisa was a bold and steadfast general. He is believed to have experienced his first battle when he was fourteen during the Battle of Okitanawate. Once his father realized that the battle would be more intense than he originally thought, he ordered his son to retreat. Toyohisa supposedly refused and, after expressing patriotism for his family's homeland, charged into battle. He came out of the ordeal as an honored man since he personally killed a few men with great skill. Eventually, he agreed to quit the field due to his father's insistence for his safety. After his father's passing, Toyohisa was looked after by his uncles, Yoshihisa and Yoshihiro. He participated in the Odawara Campaign and sent troops for the Korean Campaign.

He is best known for his actions during the Sekigahara Campaign, particularly surrounding the events before and during the climatic battle. The night before the battle took place, the Eastern army held a war council. Yoshihiro suggested a night raid to surprise their foes, but Mitsunari and his closest advisors would not have it, saying that his army did not need to rely on "cowardly methods" to win. Toyohisa was outraged and more upset than his uncle about the remark. During the day of the battle, the Shimazu family defiantly did not move from their location. Mitsunari's vassal and envoy, Yasojima Sukesaemon, brought a request from his lord to enter the fray and demonstrate the true power of the Shimazu family. Toyohisa, who was still angry about the night before, answered by knocking Sukesaemon off his horse and strangling the man. Reproachfully releasing the messenger with scathing words, Sukesaemon was utterly fearful for his safety and fled without looking back.

When the battle worsened, it was Toyohisa who reportedly said, "Without you, dear uncle, the Shimazu family cannot survive". During his uncle's charge through the field, he led a rear guard unit and fought with the Eastern Army. He withstood the assault valiantly with his few gunmen, facing generals such as Ii Naomasa, Fukushima Masanori, and Honda Tadakatsu. It is said that during this scuffle, his men were able to cause the gunshot wound that would eventually claim Naomasa's life. However, the numbers soon got the best of him and he perished in the field with the Shimazu vassal, Chojuin Moriatsu. A particularly famous tale states that Toyohisa was punctured with multiple arrows and died before his body hit the ground. His body was then minced apart by the Eastern Army. Since he had no heirs Yoshihiro's son, Shimazu Tadatsune, became the clan's next leader.

Toyohisa's gravestone is placed in Kamiishizu, Gifu and was created by Shimazu Tadashige. Although the location is said to mark the general location where Toyohisa died, the locals have their own theories regarding his demise. Many argue that he did not safely escape the conflict to reach the place where his grave marker is located.

Trivia

 * One of Toyohisa's events in Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 references Drifters.