Terumoto Mōri

Terumoto Mōri is the son of Takamoto and Motonari's grandson. Was known as the founder of his own branch of the Mōri clan. He became a trusted general of Hideyoshi and was one of his Five Elders. He is also Hidemoto's adoptive father.

Prior to his playable debut, Terumoto was a generic NPC since Samurai Warriors 2.

He placed forty-third in the Nobunaga no Yabou Taishi poll for most favorite father.

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors 2, Terumoto supports the Honganji rebellion at Ōsaka Bay as a part of Magoichi's army and reinforces the rebels with supplies during the battle. In Masamune's dream mode at Sekigahara, he is a general for the Western army. The game's Xtreme Legends expansion has him act as one of the generals Toshiie can recruit in his dream mode stage.

Terumoto's lack of confidence and inexperience is one of the main reasons why Motonari is forced out of retirement in the third title. Though made head of the clan, he feels the expectations placed on his shoulders is too much for him and pleads Motonari to continue leading. He has a brief highlight during Okuni's story in the Moushouden expansion, frantically ordering the Mōri army to kill the priestess and prevent her from taking his grandfather away. When Motonari agrees to depart on his own will, Terumoto humorously cripples to the ground in disbelief.

Sengoku Musou 3: Empires emphasizes his flawed preference for short-term goals in Motonari's story route. After gaining some experience in his first battle against the Amago, he blithely suggests attacking the Oda's domain as revenge for their assaults on the Mōri only to be sternly criticized by his grandfather. In spite of his mistakes, Terumoto is made clan head while Motonari works in the shadows to eliminate the remaining hostile clans.

In Samurai Warriors 4, Terumoto's headship to the clan is not made official until the aftermath of Takamatsu Castle. He strives to live up to the examples set by his father and grandfather respectively. At Takakage Kobayakawa's behest, he surrenders to the Toyotomi to assist them in the Shikoku campaign.

In Samurai Warriors 5, Terumoto becomes a supporting character for the Mori. He is youthful and looks to his elders for guidance and seeks to make them proud. His inexperience shows in the battles against the Amago at Gassantoda where his eagerness gets the best of him and he ends up defeated, forcing Motonari to rethink his plans. He slowly learns from each experience though and wisens up or delegates and lets Takakage or Motoharu make decisions for him when he takes over as clan leader; this comes key when the Mori and Hideyoshi make peace at Takakage's behest. He is conspicuously absent from Kōzuki Castle not being playable with the rest of his family, the in game reason has him readying the Mori navy at Kizugawa, though he is upset at the news of his father's demise.

Warriors Orochi

In Warriors Orochi, Terumoto is one of the few Western army officers conscripted into Orochi's forces. He sometimes serves as Mitsunari's replacement officer when players assume the latter's role. Warriors Orochi 3 has him act as Motonari's stand-in.

Kessen
Terumoto serves as a large and loyal unit for the Western army in Kessen. Despite his army's size, he has a below average battle and intelligence rating and may lose to a more skilled general. Kessen III has him serving the shogunate in the final two chapters of the game.

Geten no Hana
He doesn't make an on-screen appearance, but Terumoto is mentioned by name during one of Hideyoshi's personal events in Geten no Hana Yumeakari. The Oda general describes him as a calm and dignified young lord and a master of tea. It is implied that his wise judgment is the main reason why the Mōri did not assist Nobuyuki's insurrection at Honnōji in the previous title. Terumoto's swift acquiescence to Hideyoshi's bloodless tactics in Chugoku led to the peace treaty's success. Hideyoshi has faith in Terumoto's integrity for the treaty and knows the young lord will pacify his protesting retainers without his help.

Mōri Motonari: Chikai no Sanshi
Terumoto is Takamoto's son in Mouri Motonari: Chikai no Sanshi, who is Motonari's eldest son and designated heir to the Mōri name. Sharing the righteousness and talents of his grandfather, Terumoto is also gentle and seeks mercy whenever possible. Kind to his countrymen and placing absolute trust in his uncles and retainers, he feels obligated to protect them in return. Terumoto usually considers choosing the wise and passive paths of action, but he can become reckless if something actually angers him. He takes betrayal and cruelty very badly and passionately swears to make criminals pay. Terumoto's love interest in adulthood is the army's young kunoichi named Hotaru. Appreciating her company yet weary about the dangers she faces, he ultimately believes her gentle heart isn't suited for her profession. Terumoto repeatedly asks her to live a normal and happy life so he can properly protect her.

While his male relatives are in the midst of conquering the Ouchi family in the west, he is born into the world. Players don't get to see his childhood name since he is already given his name for adulthood when they meet him again. When Takamoto dies, a young Terumoto leaves his mother to inform his grandfather. Although Motonari is shocked by his son's death, he is pleased to see his grandson staying true to his father's image. In his father's place, a young Terumoto assists his grandfather in battle. Motonari struggles to overcome his illness years later but knows he needs to retire. Therefore, before they conquer the Amago, he hands the right of clan head to his fifteen year old grandson. Terumoto hesitates to accept the huge responsibility and asks for time to think about his position.

Three years after Motonari's death, Terumoto has kept his grandfather's legacy stable and reigns peacefully in the Chūgoku region. Comforted by Hotaru, he eventually gains the confidence he needs to take the plunge into the world. Yoshiaki arrives the following day and orders the young lord to escort his return to the capital. When faced with the idea of opposing Nobunaga, Terumoto takes his uncles' advise into deliberation and tries to refuse the shogun. He has no intention of fighting the Oda until a severely weakened messenger of the Ishigami-Honganji rebels appears before him. Aghast by the sight of a commoner being forced to fight, Terumoto changes his mind and orders the army to march. In this manner, he has unintentionally agreed to restore Yoshiaki's position in Kyoto.

Beating the Oda army at Kizugawaguchi, Terumoto fortifies the defenses for Hideyoshi's following invasion. After retaking Kōzuki Castle and in the midst of trying to reinforce Takamatsu Castle, news of Nobunaga's sudden death reaches the armies. With Hideyoshi on the run, Terumoto decides to take the enemy commander down to speed their way to Kyoto. Taking Himeji Castle as their new point, he then descends into Kyoto to deal with Mitsuhide and other Oda remnants. Granting Yoshiaki his own residence in the capital, Terumoto and vassals take Azuchi Castle as their new base against their biggest oppressor at large, Ieyasu. Desiring to end the wars for good, he and his army confront Ieyasu and other Oda sympathizers in a final battle at Sekigahara and Gifu Castle.

Ieyasu flees from Terumoto's capture but stranded Tokugawa soldiers report his adversary's grievous wounds. The news is enough to ease the pursuit as Terumoto returns to Kyoto. Mōri messengers have been sent to the Hōjō, Uesugi, Chōsokabe, and Shimazu for their mutual consent to serve as retainer families for the Mōri. Since Terumoto has no desire to usurp the royal court, it's possible for him to ask for their permission to become Seii Taishogun. Their main concern is Sōrin Ōtomo who is still lurking and growing within Kyushu. Although Motoyoshi Kodama is content to leave them to the Shimazu, Terumoto wants to relive the thoughts of his father and grandfather by confronting the Ōtomo in battle. Ordering a handful of capable vassals to perform various deeds, Terumoto returns to Koriyama to prepare for their western campaign. To his joy, Hotaru approaches him beautifully dressed for a life of nobility. She worries about her lowly status but Terumoto assures her that he will settle for no other. Upon their return home, Terumoto introduces his new bride to his countrymen whom cry tears of jubilation. The ending narrative implies there are more adventures left in store for Terumoto, but they are withheld for another time.

Voice Actors

 * Yūgo Takahashi - Kessen III (Japanese)
 * Atsushi Kisaichi - Mōri Motonari: Chikai no Sanshi
 * Masamu Ono - Samurai Warriors 5
 * Hayato Inomata - Nobunaga no Yabou Hadou

Live Action Performers

 * Wakana - Nobunaga no Yabou -Enbu- (2017 version)
 * Yoshihiro Ninomiya, Daisuke Sambongi - Nobunaga no Yabou -Enbu- (2020 version)
 * Noriaki Tabuchi - Butai Nobunaga no Yabou Taishi Mugen ~Honnoji no Hen~

Quotes

 * "Nobunaga! Today's breath shall be your last!"
 * "Now that I am here, there is no way we can lose!"
 * "Fall back! The Mouri line must continue!"

Etymology

 * The name Terumoto means "brightness, radiance, shine, sparkle, gleam, twinkle" (輝) (teru) and "beginning, former time, origin" (元) (moto).
 * Terumoto's surname Mōri means "hair, fur" (毛) (mō) and "benefit, advantage" (利) (ri).