Ieyasu Tokugawa

Ieyasu Tokugawa (徳川 家康) first appears in Samurai Warriors as a unique generic who has his own in-game cutscenes and quotes. He becomes a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2. He is the leading daimyo of the Tokugawa clan and one of the three unifers of Japan, preceded by Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi. In the first game, he is 31 years old.

Samurai Warriors
Ieyasu is the proud lord of Mikawa and an old friend of Nobunaga. Due to political affairs, he was a former ally of Yoshimoto Imagawa. When Imagawa is ambushed at Okehazama, Ieyasu and his men chose to serve Nobunaga. At first, he is generally seen as a panicky and somewhat incompetent leader with very talented generals under his command. His leadership qualities are better demonstrated in Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends.

In the second game, he is already a part of Nobunaga's forces. He tried to lead an attack against Shingen but suffers a humiliating defeat. During his dangerous retreat to Mikawa, many of his men lost their lives for his safety. Although he felt anguish for their loss, he swore to honor their wishes for a land of peace. He then endures any hardship that comes his way and adopts an air of patience. After Hideyoshi's death, he sees his chance to take the land and rebels as the leader of the Eastern Army. He puts an end to the Toyotomi clan at their castle in Osaka. In his ending, he becomes the shogun and watches over the populace in a peaceful land.

His dream stage is an extension of his story mode where Ieyasu needs to deal with the last bits of resistance against him. In Empires, he is also nicknamed "tanuki".

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, Ieyasu has many of his comrades held captive by Orochi. Like Sun Ce, he is forced to act as a loyal member of the snake lord's forces to ensure the safety of his men. When the Little Conqueror defects, Ieyasu follows suite and saves innocent people from Orochi's wrath. During the story, Ieyasu also helps Sun Ce in many battles, such as Anegawa, where he keeps the main camp safe, while Wu attacks.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Ieyasu Tokugawa, and his followers, are beginning characters with the Shu army. When Shu decides that Masamune Date could be the key to breaking Orochi's newly formed army, Ieyasu leads the force against him, hoping to reason with his old friend at Saika Village. However, Masamune will not listen and instead continues his loyalty to Orochi.

Kessen
In Kessen, Ieyasu is the irreplaceable leader of the Tokugawa forces. He is a bold and wise ruler who is following the late Nobunaga's wish for peace. In this series, he also has a young concubine named Okatsu, who is believed to be a descendant of Hanzō Hattori. He's contemptuous of his son, Hidetada, as his incompetence nearly cost them the battle at Sekigahara.

In the third Kessen, he is a valuable support character for Nobunaga. When he was a child, Nobunaga granted him a small taste of freedom by running away from Imagawa's household. Though they were quickly captured, Ieyasu took the event to heart and they became fast friends. When he is first introduced, he is known as Motoyasu Matsudaira (松平 元康). Before Nobunaga learned Ieyasu's formal name, he called him by his childhood name, Takechiyo (竹千代). After the Imagawa family fell, he changes his name to Ieyasu. He remains loyal to his friend's cause even after he bitterly stifles his own plans for conquest.

Quotes

 * "One step at a time!"
 * "Remember, slow and steady wins the race."
 * "Loyal retainers are precious treasures. And that makes me the wealthiest man of all."
 * Ieyasu in Ina's ending; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "We have been through much together. Many times have we stared death in the face and I will not leave you now."
 * "Never has a commander personally lead the rear guard! Never in history!"
 * Ieyasu and his general, Naomasa Ii; Kessen


 * "If Lord Nobunaga was born to be a hunting falcon, I was born to be a sea bird bound to the shore."
 * Ieyasu's comment about taking over Nobunaga's ambition; Kessen III

Development
At first, Ieyasu was designed to be a solid yet peculiarly incompetent warlord. He is meant to be seen as a rather lucky leader with good men by his side. His armor was given a turtle motif to reflect his sturdy yet almost cowardly nature. Since the focus of the second game was introducing Sekigahara, Ieyasu's design was altered for a more heroic impact. His physical features were also changed to make him seem like a "friendly uncle" with a more tolerant nature.