Masamune Date

Masamune Date is a character who debuts in Samurai Warriors. He is the young and ambitious ruler of the Date clan. He earned the nickname "One-Eyed Dragon" (独眼竜, Dokuganryu) due to losing sight in one eye when he was a child.

In Samurai Warriors, he is 14 years old and his height is 140 cm (4'7"), making him the youngest and shortest character in the game. His height in Samurai Warriors 2 and the newest title is 174 cm (5'9"). He's symbolized by the kanji for "revolt" (乱) and "dragon" (竜).

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors, Masamune is a young boy in charge of an army who recklessly charges and interrupts many important battles (ie: Kawanakajima, Honnoji, etc.) by aiming to defeat both armies at once. The closest he has to a friendship with the characters is him helping Keiji in his last stage. In Masamune's upper path ending, he conquers Japan and then sets his sights on other countries.

Like Oichi, Masumune's image matures in Samurai Warriors 2 but his personalty is kept intact. In his story, he begins as a submissive unit in the Toyotomi and later the Tokugawa forces. His force was principle in stopping Kanetsugu's army at Hasedo. After he defeats Yukimura at Osaka Castle, Masamune revives his pride and charges against Ieyasu in a coup d'état. For this battle, he fights with his new ally, Magoichi, and they defeat Ieyasu at Mikatagahara. Once he becomes lord of the land, he expresses his wish to someday travel the world and expand his horizons.

His dream mode explores his possible participation at Sekigahara for the Eastern Army. His allies are shocked when Hideyori takes to the field and many of the former Toyotomi generals defect. Staying loyal to the east, Masamune defends Ieyasu and the remaining eastern generals.

In Samurai Warriors 3, his image and personality matures like Oichi. He is first seen in a flashback, ordering his troops to kill his father and his assailant. He is awaken by Magoichi and participates in the defense of Ueda Castle along with Keiji Maeda, Yukimura and Kanetsugu. He submits to Hideyoshi at the siege of Odawara, and later shows up carrying a golden cross through Kyoto. After Hideyoshi's death, he sides with Ieyasu, clashing with Kanetsugu at Hasedo. The Date are victorious and after a duel with Kanetsugu, Masamune holds Kanetsugu at gunpoint. Masamune spares Kanetsugu however, and vows to make Japan a more prosperous country by traveling overseas and learning new ideas.

Warriors Orochi
Masamune is at first called forth by Ieyasu to defend Edo castle under attack by Orochi's army led by Sun Ce. Launching many strategies such as an ambush attacks, Masamune continues to defy Orochi, but was overpowered, infuriating him. He finally faced Orochi personally in battle and was struck with the immense darkness within the Serpent King. Completely defeated, he doubts that he could rule the land and decided to become Orochi's follower, rising up in ranks to eventually be Orochi's secondary right-hand man other than Da Ji. After the defeat of Nobunaga, Masamune was shocked at Orochi's empty view on battle. On the revelation by Keiji Maeda that Orochi was merely seeking an opponent to finally defeat him in combat, Masamune swore to get stronger so he will be the one personally killing Orochi.

During Shu's gaiden stages in the first Warriors Orochi, Masamune continues to serve Orochi until he is confronted by his old friend Magoichi Saika. Defeated, he ends up joining the Shu army to defeat Orochi.

In the second game, however, Masamune became disgusted at how after the battle with Orochi, the other lords (such as Kenshin and Shingen) ends up fighting against each other, increasing the chaos instead of bringing peace to the already chaotic land. When Da Ji and Kiyomori informs him the plan to revive Orochi, Masamune was quick enough to re-enlist to the ranks of Orochi, thinking that they could prove to be useful to his plans. His Dream Stage is shared with Sima Yi and Mitsunari. Together they ward off the Coalition Army with their strategies.

Kessen
Masamune makes an appearance in the first Kessen as the shaky ally for Ieyasu. He is famed for his prized cavalry unit and his army of adept riflemen. In spite of their alliance, Masamune boldly declares that he will betray Ieyasu in the ally camp. If the Eastern forces performs poorly, he will live up to this promise. Otherwise, he makes a very solid yet reluctant unit.

He also appears as a powerful yet minor enemy general in Kessen III. He can become a NPC ally for Nobunaga if he thinks the odds are in his favor. He leads a massive cavalry unit and appears alongside Kojuro Katakura.

Development
Masamune shares many of his design elements with Oichi; they both change at the same rate and are closely tied to one another. For the first title, he was designed to counter the cuteness of the Japanese girl (Oichi) with the "gutsy boy" and "spoiled brat" motif. They strove to make Masamune ambitious but not too deadly. His choice of weaponry was jokingly chosen for originality and to avoid the ethical issue of a child killing/being killed.

He is considered to be a completely different entity in the sequel and is one of the two most changed characters from the original. His newer design aimed to recreate his historical nickname as a man of the Date or "dandy" (伊達者, Datemono), giving a stronger impact for his ambition and craftiness. His charm point is the golden dragon that now decorates the back of his mantle. Since his guns required a new rigging technique, the producer and director are particularly proud of his new fighting style.

Masamune is best associated with the staff by particular sound effects made by his weaponry. The sound of his wooden swords hitting someone ("bon bon") became a sort of inside joke with the development team. In the second title, it was his sword slashing ("baza baza") and his revolvers firing ("pari pari").

Personality
Masamune is an impulsive leader who is boldly arrogant of his abilities, believing himself to be superior to everyone around him. He deems others to be incompetent and often flings the line "Idiots!" or "Imbeciles!" to friend and foe alike. An independent thinker, he rarely listens to his vassals' advice and marches to his own rhythm. Though labeled as an upstart by his enemies, he is actually quite clever and is capable of turning the tides of the battle with his plots. He desires to explore the world and make a new society where numbers can rule. He values his wits, personal material wealth, and power, easily crushed when someone else surpasses him in these aspects. Though in the first game his lust for power and respect blinds him to all else, in the second game he sincerely cares for the future of Japan and has matured a lot. He is willing to bow down to others if it means keeping his ambitions alive.

Though he puts up a tough front, Masamune appreciates it when people praise him. His way of showing it, however, isn't exactly conventional as he may respond by yelling an insult to his listener or treating them coldly. He is good friends with Magoichi in his newer appearances, as both men value guns; both believe that their firearms are the weapons of the future and money. In the Warriors Orochi series, he has a strong loyalty to Orochi though it's likely due to Orochi's mystical powers that contorts his view of the serpent king.

Due to their contrasting beliefs, he shares mutually antagonizing ties with Kanetsugu. Masamune bluntly deems him to be a hypocrite who uses morals as an excuse to lead men into war. He isn't a fan of Kanetsugu's self-righteous nature and can't stand his preachings for very long. In Samurai Warriors 3, the two become more friendly towards each other, with Kanetsugu talking Hideyoshi and Kanbei into sparing Masamune and in return Masamune spares Kanetsugu after defeating him at Hasedo. Despite this, Kanetsugu doesn't hesitate to insult Masamune upon first meeting the latter, causing Masamune to call the former an imbecile.

Voice Actors

 * Skip Stellrecht - Samurai Warriors (English)
 * Clinton Lee Pontes - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Darrel Guilbeau - Warriors Orochi (English)
 * John Murphy - Kessen (English)
 * Nobuyuki Hiyama - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Ryōtarō Okiayu - Kessen (Japanese)
 * Kota Nemoto - Kessen III (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Allies!? Imbeciles! We crush them both! Onward! The real battle shall begin now!"
 * "That's right, stand in my way if you want to get sliced in half!"
 * "Imbeciles!! Know your place!"
 * "I have conquered Japan! Wooo!"
 * "You never had a chance!"
 * "Victory!"
 * "You think you're brave, huh? I think you're dumb!"
 * "Outta my way! Imbeciles!"
 * "This fight is all mine."
 * "I'll show the way!"
 * "Even the heavens are awed by the power of the Date!"
 * "Ah, an ill-tempered boy; here to help me carry all this gold home!"
 * "Hey, I am an ill-tempered man! Wait, I mean...Argh!"
 * Okuni and Masamune; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "Argh!! Won't you ever shut up about honor, Kanetsugu?! I can hear you even when you're not around. It's like you're in my head!"
 * "This is indeed a good sign. If the principles of honor have penetrated even your thick skull... Then a world in which honor is revered above all cannot be far behind!"
 * "Great. A whole country of Kanetsugus. Just kill me now..."
 * Masamune and Kanetsugu; Samurai Warriors 2 Empires


 * "Masamune, I have served you for a long time. And I have found that you are a man of ambition and cunning deviousness. However, I see now that this was your way of staying true to your dream... A noble dream of joining our land in true unity."
 * "Hey...! Don't you try to sweet-talk me! You're just saying that 'cause you know I've always... wanted... to be appreciated by you..."
 * Yukimura and a sobbing Masamune; Samurai Warriors 2: Empires


 * "Your pathetic parlor tricks won't work against me!"
 * "Ah, did I hear right? Is there a human that thinks he can stand against our might?"
 * Masamune and Taigong Wang; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "I...kill...you!"
 * "Disappear."
 * "Is that really the extent of your vocabulary?"
 * Wei Yan, Hanzō Hattori, and Masamune; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "There is no doubt my cavalry will ultimately determine the victor here! Katakura! After we finish this battle with Mitsunari, we should take hold of the land and perhaps ally ourselves with Spain!"
 * Masamune before the war council; Kessen

Ground Moveset

 * Masamune performs a rapid fire shot of his 'dragon lasers' in varying directions ending with a few quick swings.

Ground Moveset

 * Masamune stands still and fires a barrage of bullets in every direction. His level 3 musou includes diagonal laser beams.
 * R1 + : Masamune continuously shoots both of his pistols.
 * R1 + undefined: Masamune taunts the enemy and lowers their defense while increasing their attack.

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors, Masamune fights with two wooden training swords (boken) and can shoot dragon shaped laser beams from his eye patch. His attacks are fairly fast and broad with certain swings covering his blind spots. His combos are easy to execute and he attacks fairly well from horseback. Drawbacks in this version include; poor reach (fixable to an extent with the right skills) and weak damage potential, both on and off a horse. His musou is useful for crowd clearing but not as effective one-on-one.

He is armed with a Spanish-style saber and two pistols in Samurai Warriors 2. In this game, he can deftly switch between his two weapons. His stats emphasize his abilities on horseback. Drawbacks for him now are; minor setup lag on some key charge moves, slightly lower damage output, and a very narrow hit box on his pistol fire. These issues however, are mostly resolved by his final weapon which fixes his range and quickens his musou recovery - to allow him maximum potential when using his best asset: his musou attack.

Masamune's strongest element is ice. In both games, his musou in greatly improved with the use of this element on his weapon, in particular, Samurai Warriors 2 takes this to almost ridiculous efficiency.

Warriors Orochi
Similar to all of the characters inducted into the Warriors Orochi series, his attack speed is accelerated.

Samurai Warriors 3
Stage to clear for Unique Weapon - Battle of Hasedou

Trivia

 * While it's not known if he will revert to his younger self in other titles, Masamune does become a child once more in the first drama CD for the Samurai Warriors series.