Diamondback

Diamondback (蛟, onyomi: Mizuchi) is a prominent Orochi officer who often commands his lord's other generals despite showing no martial prowess or strategic accomplishment whatsoever. Initially nothing more than a generic officer like Dodomeki and Gyūki, the fourth installment makes him a playable character and gives him Orochi's scythe, as well as the slower version of Orochi's moveset.

Role in Games
Throughout the Warriors Orochi  series, Diamondback is a regular front line general fighting for Orochi. Warriors Orochi 2 sees him executed by Orochi X during the final battle of the Shu kingdom story mode at Wu Zhang Plains due to his cowardice and reluctance to fight. This rallies and spurs Orochi's forces to throw themselves to their demise.

In Orochi's mock battle with Da Ji at Bai Di Castle in Warriors Orochi Z, Diamondback's unit will attack Orochi in front of the Stone Sentinel Maze, only for his forces to be defeated instantaneously.

It is in Warriors Orochi 3 where he is most prominent, first appearing at Shouchun positioning himself away from danger and telling Shuten Dōji to do his dirty work for him, with the redheaded demon easily beating back the resistance forces. Once the resistance breaks through, he sets fire to his castle and begins to flee. Diamondback is also seen at Hasedō where he stays in the castle and tries to withdraw to the southeast telling Shuten Dōji to demolish a central bridge and take out Taigong Wang. He then appears at Xuchang allied with Dong Zhuo's forces and stays back from the battle, once again retreating when Dong Zhuo is defeated and telling Shuten Dōji to accompany him. When Shuten Dōji is captured however, Diamondback decides to head back to Luoyang. He also acts as the commander for some of the demon army remnants during the side stages as well, especially if there are no other characters around to command them.

A DLC stage set at Koshi Castle from the first two games has Diamondback as a ringleader of a rebellion against Orochi, to which the Oda and Yoshihiro Shimazu assist him with, only to find him often retreating or backing out when pressured by Kiyomori Taira. Whether he commits himself fully or betrays the group depends on the player's actions throughout the stage. When Keiji searches for his theme at Chibi, Diamondback tries having the Hydra's theme to himself only to be defeated and called out for stealing music by Keiji.

In Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, he is reduced to a mere front line officer under Da Ji when she allies herself with Tamamo. However, a new stage details his first meeting with Shuten Doji at Shouchun where they, along with Dodomeki and Gyūki defeat a Coalition squad guarding the castle including the likes of Cao Ren.

Warriors Orochi 4 marks the character's first playable appearance, where, instead of the generic spear moveset, he uses Orochi's attacks instead, albeit much slower with weaker projectiles. A part of the demon army, Diamondback resists the humans under Da Ji's orders as part of her alliance with Odin. When the real Orochi and, the God of Destruction, Orochi X are revived, Diamondback and the rest of the demon army side the latter until his demise at the hands of the real Orochi and the Coalition.

After the demise of both Orochis, Diamondback and the other demons join the Coalition, hoping to prevent their demise by the time their lord returns again.

Character Symbolism
Mizuchi, the Japanese name rendering of the Chinese jiāo/jiāolóng, is a type of Asian mythical serpent found in watery habitats. Diamondback, likely a reference to the western diamondback rattlesnake, is a venomous rattlesnake species commonly found in southwestern United States and Mexico.

Personality
Smug, condescending, and cowardly, Diamondback is someone who thinks he is far greater than he actually is. He tends to act as if he's a step or two above his fellow associates and berates those who help him like Shuten Dōji. He gets along well with Dodomeki, the two often chiding each other for their generic blandness.

Voice Actors

 * Kohei Fukuhara - Japanese voice

Quotes

 * See also Diamondback/Quotes


 * "Oh, Dodomeki! I'm so glad you're here. It's so uncomfortable in this world..."
 * "You think so...?"
 * "Haven't you noticed the way everyone looks at us?"
 * "You're reading too much into it... Or maybe I've been blind..."
 * "If only we had someone like Shuten Dōji with us again... If we had someone as strong as him in our ranks, we could hold our heads up higher..."
 * "Are you dissatisfied with our troops?"
 * "It's not a matter of that! Don 't you get it, Dodomeki? You and I are just bit-part demons! No matter how many of us there are, we'll never be the stars! Everyone knows we'll be swept aside as soon as a god or a hero shows up."
 * "We're worthless..."
 * "But I'm sick of being looked down on. You and I need to work hard and change everyone's opinion of us."
 * Diamondback and Dodomeki; Warriors Orochi 4

Gameplay

 * undefined, (undefined), (undefined): smashes the upper part of his spear/scythe, which generates a small shockwave around him. He raises his weapon free hand to fire a small energy in front of him. He follows with his other hand to shoot five small energy balls forward.
 * , undefined, (undefined), (undefined): crouches to smash his spear/scythe on the ground. As he does this, he is surrounded by a red aura that damages foes and launches them. He follows with two decisive horizontal swings.
 * ,, undefined, (undefined), (undefined): waves his weapon free hand forward to hurl three energy balls forward. Rotates his body to send red energy on the ground next to him with the same hand. He then becomes airborne and spins, his spear/scythe cutting foes around him.
 * ,, , undefined, (undefined), (undefined): hops forward for two slashes. He then levitates in the air whilst in a fetal position. He emits a red aura whilst aerial.
 * ,, , , , , , , : Diamondback slashs forward with his spear/scythe, then turns his spear/scythe upside down to smash the head into the ground, emitting a red-and-black aura on the ground. He turns for a horizontal swing and follows with swing that cuts upwards. After four more horizontal swings, Diamondback rotates his spear/scythe to point forward. As he thrusts it, he fires a red-and-black horizontal tornado forward thrusting his foes upwards.


 * Dashing : downwards swing that slashes foes in front of him.
 * , undefined: spins rapidly in the air before smashing his spear/scythe on the ground, emitting a shockwave on impact.
 * , : shoots a downwards energy ball.
 * Diamondback raises his spear/scythe above his head while taunting his opponents, then realizes something is behind him. As he slowly turns his head around, he finds out Orochi is about to hit him with his scythe. As Diamondback panics in fear, he is then hit by Orochi and gets send flying forward, knocking his enemies away in the process. Grants attack, defense and attack speed buffs at the end of the musou.

Fighting Style
While his moves and projectiles are slower and weaker compared to Orochi, he can still deal significant damage with the buffs granted by his Musou. His Unique Magic is one of the most damaging ones in the game and has good coverage, so it is recommended to apply Divinity to his weapons. Also, due to his attack speed being purposely altered, his C3 will not work if the player presses the charge attack button too late, so one must press the button earlier than usual to be able to use the attack.

Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: Parent Versus Child

Trivia

 * Although He debuted in Warriors Orochi 4 as playable, He is labeled as WO3 (Orochi 2 in the Japanese ver) category in Warriors Orochi 4.