Samurai Warriors (series)

Overview
Samurai warriors is a spin-off game series of Dynasty Warriors, by Koei set in feudal Japan. The two games series cross over in Warriors Orochi. Lu Bu from Dynasty Warriors is present in the first Samurai Warriors game as a hidden boss.

Samurai Warriors
Yukimura Sanada - Vassal to Takeda Shingen until Shingen's death. Afterwards he joined the Toyotomi side against the Tokugawa forces. His scenario in the first game roughly follows his historical end while the second game deviates from it. He always wears bright red armor, and is the series' equivalent to Zhao Yun in that he is a poster boy for the series. He is hinted to be romantically involved with Kunoichi in the first game, but this romance is omitted in Samurai Warriors 2 where he is instead close friends with Keiji Maeda, Kanetsugu Naoe, and Mitsunari Ishida. He wields a jumonji yari (spear). His dream stage in SW2 has him arriving in time to save Mitsunari at Sekigahara.

Keiji Maeda - A wild man who served under Nobunaga until he became a wanderer. In Samurai Warriors 2, he rescued Yukimura Sanada from Oda riflemen at Nagashino and helps the Uesugi forces escape at Hasedo. He has a close friendship with Yukimura and Kanetsugu Naoe. Akin to his historical counterpart, he is always seen riding his horse, Matsukaze. His personality is very relaxed and laid back, and he views battle as fun. He was the series' equivalent to Lu Bu when he premiered, but this position was taken by Tadakatsu Honda in the following game. He wields a two-pronged spear, similar to a sasumata.

Nobunaga Oda - A powerful warlord who seeks to rule Japan. He is often referred to as the "Demon King". His aim is always to unify and rule Japan, and is one of the three unifiers, along with Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa. He is married to No, a relationship which is close in the first title, but less so in the second. Oichi is his sister, and therefore Nagamasa Azai is his brother-in-law. In the second title, he is also close to Mitsuhide Akechi, who is his apprentice of sorts. He wields a two-edged straight sword imbued with dark energy. He is the series equivalent to Cao Cao

Mitsuhide Akechi - Vassal of Nobunaga and mentor to Ranmaru Mori. He is often shown to be the most loyal and trusted of Nobunaga's retainers. However, later on, he disapproves of Nobunaga's methods and rebels against him at Honnō-ji. The fight he has with Nobunaga in the burning temple is one of the iconic moments of the series. He wields a katana and later incorporates battōjutsu to his fighting style.

Goemon Ishikawa - A professional thief seeking to steal the Plover Urn from Hideyoshi Toyotomi. He often speaks and acts like a kabukimono. He wields a large metal club and carries a powerful cannon upon his back. He was not included in Samurai Warriors 2, but he was in the mini game Sugoroku.He appears to swipe someone's gold and give it to the person with lowest amount of gold. He is playable in the crossover game Warriors Orochi.

Kenshin Uesugi - Avatar of Bishamonten, he lives only for battle and sees Shingen Takeda as his nemesis. Known as the "God of War". A stoic warrior who is a lover of sake. He wields a large seven-bladed sword and can project exploding shikigami.

Oichi - Sister to Nobunaga and wife to Nagamasa Azai. Oichi's appearance in Samurai Warriors 2 differs greatly from her appearance in the original. In Samurai Warriors, she is depicted as being a cheerful, peppy young fifteen year old. In Samurai Warriors 2, her appearance has been adjusted to make her an adult with a more mature personality. She uses a kendama in both appearances as her weapon.

Okuni - A traveling miko seeking funds for her shrine. She usually has a romantic relationship with Keiji Maeda though she has been known to flirt with other characters. She uses an umbrella as her weapon. She is available only in free mode in Samurai Warriors 2.

Kunoichi - A female ninja in service of the Sanada and Takeda clans. A non-historical character who is based on the Sanada Ten Braves that accompanied Yukimura Sanada (Kosuke Anayama). She wields dual kunai. She was not included in Samurai Warriors 2, though she is playable in the crossover game Warriors Orochi.

Magoichi Saika - Leader to his own mercenary group who bears a grudge against Nobunaga. In the second game, he is also a longtime friend to Hideyoshi Toyotomi. He is a cheerful womanizer who flirts with many of the female characters. He is successful in assassinating Nobunaga in both games, though the second game deals with the consequences of his actions in further detail. He wields a musket with an attached bayonet.

Shingen Takeda - Renowned strategist and leader of the Takeda clan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai". He is portrayed as a cheerful old man, who can laugh anytime, anywhere. He decides to make Kenshin Uesugi his rival and nemesis. He wields a dansen uchiwa (strategist's fan) which alludes to the incident where Kenshin reportedly storms Shingen's camp during the Kawanakajima campaign.

Masamune Date - Young and ambitious ruler of the Date clan who seeks control of the land. Known as the "One-Eyed Dragon". He wields a pair of bokken or suburitou (wooden swords). In Samurai Warriors 2 however, he wields a western-style saber and a pair of pistols.Friend of Magoichi Saika.

Nouhime - Wife of Nobunaga, she is torn between the love of her husband and her promise to her father, Dosan Saito, to kill Nobunaga. To the contradiction of history, she and Nobunaga are close. In Samurai Warriors 2, they appear to be more distant and she is completely loyal to Nobunaga. She wields a pair of claws or daggers hidden in her sleeves.

Hanzō Hattori - Shinobi in service of Ieyasu. Known as "Hanzo the Devil". He shared a rivalry with Yukimura in the first game; became the rival of Kotaro Fuma in the second. He wields a kusari-gama (chain & scythe). Historically, he wields a yari (spear/lance).

Ranmaru Mori - Servant of Nobunaga, who has a close relationship with Mitsuhide Akechi. Though male, his appearance and voice are extremely feminine. He wields a nodachi. He is only available in free mode in Samurai Warriors 2, though has unique stages in Free Mode such as the Siege if Odani Castle and Honnoji.

Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends
Hideyoshi Toyotomi - One of Nobunaga's best generals and eventual unifier of Japan. Known as "Monkey" amongst Nobunaga's retainers. He wields a bo staff that can disconnect into a sansetsukon. Friend of Magoichi Saika and husband of Nene.

Yoshimoto Imagawa - Eccentric ruler who wishes to play kemari in Kyoto. He wields a katana and a kemari ball; he was not included in Samurai Warriors 2, though he is playable in Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends and the crossover game, Warriors Orochi.

Tadakatsu Honda - General in service of Ieyasu Tokugawa and father to Ina. He holds a reputation of being a mighty, intelligent warrior and said to have returned from all of his battles unscathed. He wields an exceptionally large spear. Historically he wields the Tonbogiri, which is his 4th weapon in Samurai Warriors 2. One of the the strongest characters in the Samurai Warriors saga. His helmet is unique.

Inahime - Daughter of Tadakatsu, wife to Nobuyuki Sanada and sister in-law to Yukimura Sanada. She fights with wishes to impress her father as a warrior. She wields a bladed yumi.

Samurai Warriors 2
Ieyasu Tokugawa - A loyal ally to Nobunaga and the third of "The Three Unifiers". Originally appeared as a unique NPC in the first Samurai Warriors. He wields a spear with a cannon hidden inside. A patient and enduring man.

Ishida Mitsunari - Vassal of Hideyoshi Toyotomi who leads the Western army at Sekigahara. Friend to Yukimura Sanada and Kangetsugu Naoe. He is shown as a cold yet determined individual who believes that battles are won through reason. He wields an iron fan.

Nagamasa Azai - Daimyo of northern Ōmi Province and husband of Oichi. Originally appeared as a unique NPC in the first Samurai Warriors. A man of noble morality, he becomes torn between his love for Oichi and his loyalty to both his Asakura allies and his brother-in-law, Nobunaga. He wields a jousting lance.

Sakon Shima - Elite general in the service of Mitsunari and a former servant of Shingen Takeda. He had remarkable skills in coordination of military deployment that often rivaled Tadakatsu. He wields a two-handed falchion.

Yoshihiro Shimazu - Daimyo of Satsuma and lord of the Shimazu clan. Long time rival with the Tachibana clan. Known as the "Devil Shimazu". He fights for personal satisfaction and enjoys battles with overwhelming odds against him. He wields a large hammer.

Ginchiyo Tachibana - Daughter of Dosetsu Tachibana and wife of Muneshige Tachibana. Bears a grudge against the Shimazu clan for causing the death of her kinsmen. She acts as the head of the clan after her father's death. Often portrayed as a traditional male samurai with her femininity intact. She wields a serrated sword and has the ability to command lightning to her will.

Kanetsugu Naoe - Vassal of Kenshin Uesugi who later joins the Toyotomi side after his lord's death. Friend of Mitsunari Ishida, Yukimura Sanada, and Keiji Maeda. He fights in the name of honor and righteousness. He wields a Taoist sword and o-fuda (paper charms) and fights in a similar matter as Dynasty Warriors Zuo Ci and is often seen as the SW version of Ma Chao.

Nene - Wife and kunoichi of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. She seems to take the place of the character Kunoichi, who was taken out of this version, using the same ninjutsu style with a few different moves such as shape-shifting. She has a maternal persona throughout the game, often punishing "naughty children". She wields a pair of daggers.

Kotaro Fuma - Shinobi in service of the Hōjō clan and the bitter-rival of Hanzō Hattori. He is shown as a proprietor of chaos, often ambushing and causing other manner of trickery for players. He wields a pair of claws and has the ability to stretch his arms to abnormal lengths.

Musashi Miyamoto - A master of kenjutsu and a rival of Kojiro Sasaki. He fights to improve his swordsmanship and reputation, hoping to see his sword save and protect people. Friend of Yukimura Sanada He joins the Western forces at Sekigahara and continues to fight for the Toyotomi family at Osaka. Like his historical counterpart, he wields a katana and an offhand wakizashi.

Samurai Warriors 2: Empires
Katsuie Shibata - A general who serves Nobunaga Oda. He was a non-generic NPC and a unique bodyguard in Samurai Warriors 2. In Samurai Warriors 2: Empires he became playable where he wields a large spear which was a mix of Yukimura, Keiji, Tadakatsu, and Yoshihiro's movesets. In Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends, his weapon changes to two poleaxes. In this appearance, he has a close relationship with Toshiie Maeda. Portrayed as a solemn warrior who fights to see the end of his era.

Kojiro Sasaki - A skilled swordsman and Musashi's most famous rival. He was a non-generic NPC and a unique bodyguard in Samurai Warriors 2. In Samurai Warriors 2: Empires he became playable. He wields a nodachi in the Empires game who's moveset is a mix of Kenshin, Mitsuhide, Nagamasa, Ranmaru, and Keiji. Loves to kill and fight strong opponents A summoned 'ex-dimensional' dagger is added to his arsenal in the Xtreme Legends edition.

Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends
Toshiie Maeda - A young general who serves and greatly respects Katsuie Shibata. He eventually goes on to serve Hideyoshi Toyotomi in hopes of making a name for himself. He wields two spears and a large sword.

Motochika Chosokabe - Daimyo of the Chōsokabe clan. He is a rebel who claims to hear the voices "who can't be heard", choosing to fight for the Toyotomi forces to ride the "tides of history". He wields a shamisen as his weapon.

Gracia Akechi Hosokawa - The Christian daughter of Mitsuhide Akechi and wife of Tadaoki Hosokawa. She runs away from home and befriends her unlikely mentor, Magoichi Saika. She wields her bracelets as weapons and fights with various magical powers.

Differences
While the basic hack and slash combat stays the same, there are several distinct differences in the two series the most significant being the mission system. The player objectives that can be accomplished to further the battle and gain experience and or gold, which can in turn is used in a more RPG like leveling system which is simpler than the individual stat system in the Dynasty Warriors games. After activating a musou, you can either use your musou attack or use freeform combos in a sort of bullet mode. The first Samurai Warriors was the first Warriors game to have capturable gates, a feature that was implemented into Dynasty Warriors 5.

In the Second game, the ranged attack is replaced with a character specific "technique" that can vary from a powerful attack to a stat boost depending on character. You can also fill up 3 musou bars, allowing the use of more powerful musous. Movesets differ with some characters being able to charge only up to 3 attacks, but can charge them 3 times. Others are able to charge up to 7 attacks once or like the first moveset charge twice in exchange have a more powerful technique. Less notable differences include music fusing techno and traditional Japanese instruments, the ability to jump on horses as well as horse stamina gauges, and deflectable arrows. In the second game, a combo counter was added the showed the total number of hits as opposed to per character. Several of these features were introduced into Dynasty Warriors 6.

Character similarities
Many characters in the Samurai Warriors series are very similar to those in Dynasty Warriors Some examples are:
 * Lu Bu • Tadakatsu Honda and Keiji Maeda - All three are portrayed as the best warriors of their time.
 * Zhao Yun • Yukimura Sanada - "Poster boys" for their respective series. Both are portrayed as loyal, skilled, and spear users.
 * Huang Zhong • Yoshihiro Shimazu - Old veterans who both make fun of their age and often use their weapon of the subject of dialog.
 * Cao Cao • Nobunaga Oda - brilliant and ruthless leaders. Both have a similar manner of speaking and ruling
 * Zhuge Liang • Mitsunari Ishida - Geniuses of their times but are apathetic to accomplish their means
 * Zhang He   Kojiro Sasaki - The two are deadly generals, but also are bonded with beauty and art.
 * Wei Yan and Zhou Tai • Hanzo Hattori - Silent warriors

Games
So far the Samurai Warriors series includes:


 * Samurai Warriors
 * Samurai Warriors: State of War
 * Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends
 * Samurai Warriors 2
 * Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends
 * Samurai Warriors 2: Empires
 * Samurai Warriors: Katana