Sakon Shima

Sakon Shima (島 左近) is one of the new characters in Samurai Warriors 2. He is best known in history for serving Mitsunari Ishida and was reputed to be Mitsunari's powerful and most tactical general at Sekigahara. In the battle, he is wounded by gunfire from Kuroda Nagamasa's battalion. It is unknown whether he lived long enough to escape Sekigahara or died on the field.

His height in the Samurai Warriors series is 188 cm (6'2"). A character song for his Samurai Warriors counterpart was made and is titled Samurai Damashii ~ KIZUNA featuring Mitsunari with accompanying vocals. He provides supporting lyrics for Mitsunari's image song, Sagiri no Kanata.

In Saihai no Yukue, he stands at approximately four inches shorter (180 cm) and he is 40 years old. He likes to travel and take walks, and his favorite food is dango.

Samurai Warriors
After Nobunaga's death at Honnoji, Mitsuhide requests for the Tsutsui clan to aid him at Yamazaki. Sakon, a former Takeda general who resided with the Tsutsui at the time, convinces his master to instead side with the more capable Hideyoshi. During the conflict, Mitsunari and Sakon keep track of the other's promise of talent. Hideyoshi becomes the land's de facto leader after he defeats other Oda generals. By this time, Sakon was angered by his lord and wandered the land for indulgence. Mitsunari finds him and, once the younger man states that he wants his services as his equal, Sakon agrees to serve him. He aids the land's unification by suppressing Kyushu and by partaking in the western siege at Odawara Castle.

Hideyoshi soon dies and the land is split between factions lead by Mitsunari and Ieyasu. Facing Ieyasu's vast army, Sakon requests permission for an ambush to stunt the enemy march and traps select portions of the Eastern army at Kusegawa. Cutting back some of Ieyasu's drive, Mitsunari moves to Sekigahara. Although Sakon rationalizes that Mitsunari's plan won't succeed, he nevertheless fights by his lord's side. After their victory, Sakon replies that he doesn't care about a reward as he just wanted to serve a virtuous lord. As he speeds off on his steed, Mitsunari considers Sakon to be his friend.

His dream mode entails when he serves Shingen to learn some tips on strategy. He helps capture the fleeing Ieyasu at Mikatagahara.

In Samurai Warriors 3, Sakon begins his story in a manner similar to his previous dream stage. With Ieyasu's escape in the end, Shingen is unable to secure a decisive victory against Ieyasu in his following campaigns and his abrupt death leads to eventual demise of the Takeda family. Seeking a new master, Sakon joins Hideyoshi's side at Komaki-Nagakute and meets Kiyomasa, Masanori and Mitsunari. During the battle, the trio's words has him reflect on Hideyoshi's character and, though he considers joining Hideyoshi, he is more impressed by Mitsunari's will to win. Joining Mitsunari at Oshi Castle, he agrees to help the youth's dream of protecting the Toyotomi's future with his friends. Upon achieving victory, Sakon finally accepts Mitsunari as his real master.

Soon after, Hideyoshi dies due to illness and Mitsunari is abandoned by his friends. At odds with the larger Ieyasu army and devastated by the loss, Mitsunari's army suffers from low morale. To boost the spirits of Mitsunari and the men, Sakon leads an attack at Kusegawa to defeat Tadakatsu. Their victory is enough to cement Mitsunari's resolve to win and they proceed to Sekigahara. Although Kiyomasa's presence in the Eastern army once again weakens his master's nerve, Sakon defeats him to lead the army to a decisive victory and they rout the Eastern army. Kiyomasa's defeat dazes Mitsunari into a witless stupor and he loses the will to pursue Ieyasu's army. To raise his master's spirit, he hauls the young man onto his horse, attracts Masanori's attention to follow them, and speeds towards Kiyomasa. Although the latter looks as though he is dead, he awakens when Mitsunari hurries to his side and a crying Masanori hugs both of them. Seeing the trio reunited is enough for Sakon to smile.

Warriors Orochi
Sakon begins as an unaffiliated strategist in Warriors Orochi. Nobunaga convinced him to help Sun Ce when they met at Kyushu. The Demon King protects his safe passage and he meets up with the Little Conqueror at Chang Ban. He sends Sun Ce a letter saying that he knew the whereabouts of Sun Jian's cell and appears as a third-party general during Wu's siege at Odani Castle. Since Sun Ce desired a quick victory with minimal casualties, the strategist leads a group of engineers to blow apart a wall at Mount Yamada garrison. This opens a path straight to the main ward of the castle, which is fiercely defended by Xing Cai. After their victory, Sakon agrees to be Sun Ce's adviser and continues to serve Wu.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Sakon acts as the protagonist for the Samurai story mode. Walking in a peaceful part of the land, he was on his way to visit Shingen until he notices Dong Zhuo attacking Zhang Jiao. He fights to save the pious Yellow Turban and meets the mysterious Fu Xi during their struggle. Wanting to prevent another bout of warfare, he decides to make Nobunaga, Shingen, and Kenshin rejoin their forces in their previously powerful coalition. Since the three leaders reverted back to their stubborn ways, Sakon has to start from scratch. He impresses Shingen, saves Kanetsugu to forge an alliance with Kenshin, and amuses Nobunaga enough for him to join their party. With these powerful warlords and Fu Xi, he leads a massive army to stop the resurrected Orochi. After they claim victory, Sakon leaves once more to visit his old friend.

He shares his dream stage with Jiang Wei and Lu Xun and the trio work together to surpass their masters. When Shingen issues a cavalry charge, Sakon quickly counters by bringing out his reserve riflemen. His quick thinking easily earns the older man's praise.

Kessen
Sakon is Mitsunari's right hand man in Kessen. Like Honda, Sakon trumps his lord in every military stat but is given a smaller amount of troops to balance himself with the rest of the army. Before the battle at Sekigahara, he laments not slaying Ieyasu at Kusegawa as his personal assassination attempt was stopped by Okatsu. Depending on the actions of the player, he will disappear after Sekigahara or live to see Ieyasu's end. Like Otani, he may live to avenge Mitsunari's death if their commander suddenly loses the battle at Edo.

He also appears as a recruitable general in Kessen III. He joins Nobunaga after he is defeated in the Battle of Tamoyama. If he forms a unit with Yoshitsugu, they will work well together and their attack will increase.

Saihai no Yukue
In Saihai no Yukue, Sakon resumes his role as Mitsunari's vassal. Although the country admires him for his might and intellect, he is often befuddled by his lord's erratic behavior. Though he is rough with his words, his loyalty to Mitsunari is unquestionable. His insults to his lord are used for comic relief, making him more of an observer than an adviser for Mitsunari. He usually needs to attend to other matters so he lets his daughter, Tamaki, handle his duties.

In a flashback, he guards Mitsunari through the streets of Kyoto by fighting off Fukushima and Kuroda. When they take a short break during their escape, he openly admits his suspicions towards the spy Hatsu. She dispels his doubts by restating her firm loyalty towards Mitsunari. As their lord confronts them, Sakon decides to keep their conversation a secret from him.

On the fields of Sekigahara, Sakon arrives to drive back Hosokawa and Kuroda's first charge with his cavalry troops. He continues to scout the fields after their victory, but he suffers a gunshot wound to his shoulder when a vengeful Kuroda has his troops fire at him from a thicket. To prevent the drop of army morale, he keeps quiet about it and acts normally. As the game progresses, Tamaki scolds him for not tending to his wound. He continues to serve his lord until the end of the third chapter, in which he feels that his injury is beginning to hamper his performance. After he defeats Tadakatsu, he acknowledges Tamaki as his family and charges into the enemy camp to take Ieyasu's head. The prologue for the following chapter implies that he dies sometime during his attack. Though missing-in-action for the remainder of the game, Mitsunari continues to be inspired by Sakon until the end of the game.

Development
According to the game's designers, Sakon fills the spot for the "cool old guy" in the cast. They added the scar on his face to add a visual account with his previous near-death experiences and imply the "evil" side to his character. The producer and director add that he is basically Mitsunari's answer to Ieyasu's Tadakatsu. Since his lord was developed to be "delicate and level-headed", Sakon was made to be physically built and nifty. White and black are the two base colors used for his design. His fighting style is considered to be exceptionally balanced with no real weaknesses to it.

Personality
Considered by many to be a natural prodigy in both martial arts and strategy, Sakon is a sharp-tongued and ripened warrior of capable talent. A realist with a strong sense of justice, he will stand for any side which he deems to be more just, regardless if it actually benefits him. In the English dub, Sakon uses many phrases inspired by Elvis Presley in his debut, such as his defeat quote of "Sakon has left the battlefield" and his gratitude quote of "Thank you. Thank you very much." This is toned down in his following appearances.

Sakon spots Mitsunari as a talented yet rude man. Unaffected by his lord's faults, he is more impressed by his lord's good qualities rather than what others say about him. Even so, he can't help himself from jibing a little at Mitsunari's inexperience and sometimes gullible nature. On the other hand, he considers his previous lord, Shingen, as his respected elder and admires the strategist's cunning. When he's not busy with war, Sakon entertains himself with the ladies. Occasionally, he will hit on maidens during battle but not nearly to the degree of Magoichi's flirtations. In the Warriors Orochi series, he respects and praises level-headed characters such as Yue Ying, Zhou Yu, Lu Meng and Fu Xi.

Character Symbolism
Sakon is symbolized by the character for "compete" (闘), the character for "extreme" (烈), and green maple leaves in the Samurai Warriors series.

His second weapon is named after dōtanuki in Asian ports, a type of sword that is believed to have been crafted in Kyushi and was in common usage during the Warring States period. There are many stories told to try to explain the sword's heavily built construction, which include crafting to to cut through a pile of corpses or try to invent a new type of sword build. Historically, the blade type is known to be capable of cutting through a helmet, completely dividing the armor in two perfect halves. Within the dōtanuki blades, there is one thought to have been wielded by Kiyomasa named Dōtanuki Masakuni (Masakuni being the alleged name for the swordsmith). Kiyomasa gained the sword once entered military service under Hideyoshi. Since the sockets for the sword hilt are worn and rough, it's likely he used the sword throughout his campaigns in Korea and Sekigahara. The sword was kept in the Katō clan for generations until it was reclaimed by Masakuni's descendants during the Bakumatsu period.

The original name for Sakon's third and Normal weapons translates to his weapon being capable of completely cutting down a person in one swing. His Power types are named to bisect a person and his Speed types chop up someone with a reverse slash.

Takeminakata-no-Kami, the namesake for Sakon's fourth and Unique weapons, is one of Ōkuninushi's children. Although he isn't identified as such in written myths, many legends state his parents to be Ōkuninushi and Nunakawahime's child. When his parents were leaving Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni in the hands of their heirs, Takeminakata-no-Kami was the one who pridefully declared himself for the position. However, when he grasped Takemikazuchi's hand, his hand turned into a sword -sometimes told as water. Frightened, Takeminakata-no-Kami fled to Shinano-no-Kuni. Takemikazuchi pursued him to Lake Suwa until Takeminakata-no-Kami pleaded for his life to be spared and handed the right of leadership to his pursuer. Forever leaving Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, he isn't said to have been seen again. Depending on who is telling the tale, Takeminakata-no-Kami is either a wind god, a god of transcendence, a god of war, or a water god. Legends state the Fujiwara clan to have once worshiped him as a god who blessed warriors with the will to fight. Takeminakata-no-Kami is technically not considered a god in most cases, but he is also fabled to have a wife named Yasakatome-no-Kami, who granted her husband a sword of might. Together, their marriage made them low-ranked deities.

His fifth weapon is named after an alternate name for Fenghuang. It is said to be a mythological beast that only stays with royalty without malice or malfeasance.

Sakon's personal item in Warriors Orochi is named Kage Mokuroku, a book of strategy and tactics said to form the principles and teachings for the Shinkage-ryū. Approximately in 1565, a young swordsman was granted permission to study the four scrolls and refined the teachings to create a second generation of Shinkage-ryū. While still in his twenties, his teachings attracted Ieyasu's attention and they were taught for the Tokugawa clan. The man who was famed for perfecting his version of Kage Mokuroku was Yagyū Munetoshi.

Voice Actors

 * Tim Mahlin - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Steve Kramer - Warriors Orochi series, Samurai Warriors 3 (English)
 * Howard Siegel - Kessen (English)
 * Shinichi Yamada - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Keiichi Noda - Kessen (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Sharp as always."
 * "Keep lining 'em up and I'll keep knocking 'em down!"
 * "Brains and brawn; I've got it all!"
 * "When am I going to get a real challenge?"
 * "Let us see what happens."
 * "Want to learn something? Just watch me."
 * "This is a battlefield, don't blame me if you get hurt"
 * "Your loyalty is unparalleled. However, your choice of lord is not."
 * "Annoying, isn't it? Like when a beautiful woman has the personality of a stern old man."
 * Ina and Sakon; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "I've heard you have a weak spot for pretty girls, Sakon Shima."
 * "I'm not without my vices, I suppose. But you needn't keep your guard up around me. You've had your heart broken plenty already. I'm not interested in breaking it again."
 * Oichi and Sakon; Samurai Warriors 2 Empires


 * "Are you gonna stay inside and work all day again? What's wrong? Are you sick or something?"
 * "If you're concerned about my health, you should stop that awful racket."
 * "I was just playing a little music for you on the biwa. Didn't you like it?"
 * "I feel sorry for the poor instrument."
 * "There we go. I knew I could make you laugh."
 * Sakon and Mitsunari; Samurai Warriors 2 Empires


 * "Hmph! Ieyasu! When next we meet, I will have your head!"
 * Sakon after his failed assassination attempt; Kessen

Ground Attacks

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 * R1 + : Damage all enemies within a specific range of varied elemental effect.
 * R1 + undefined: Call a rain of supporting cover fire.
 * Personal Skill : (Rebound) Knockback after guarding decreased when timed well.

Mounted Attacks

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Same attacks excluding his C5 and Level 3 Musou. He gains a few new abilities:
 * Warriors Orochi
 * ,: An airdash that makes him temporarily invincible. Sakon leans himself forward to propel himself.
 * R1: Creates a barrage of cannonfire, launching enemies upward with fire elemental damage.
 * Direction + R1: Shoots a lightning bolt out of his hand.