Kunoichi

Kunoichi (くのいち) is a character introduced in Samurai Warriors. She is Yukimura's fictional female ninja bodyguard. Her spot was filled by Nene in the series' second game, but she returned in the third installment. In later installments, it is revealed she is Shingen's adopted daughter. The Samurai Warriors animated TV series and Samurai Warriors 4-II gives her a pet flying squirrel named Tsukimaru (月丸).

Since the characters in the Samurai Warriors series never refer to her by name, it was thought by Japanese fans that she had no real name at all. This was debunked in the Warriors Orochi series, which has various characters distinctly call her "Kunoichi".

Fans voted her to eleventh place in Gamecity's Sengoku Musou 3: Empires character popularity poll. In Koei-Tecmo's Facebook Sengoku Musou Chronicle 2nd poll, she tied for sixth place with three other characters. For the Samurai Warriors 4 poll, she placed fourteenth. She won ninth place in the Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate popularity poll.

Role in Games

 * "Lady Kunoichi, there are no words to describe your beauty."
 * Zhang He; Warriors Orochi 2

Samurai Warriors
As her name suggests, Kunoichi is often seen performing covert activities for her master. She first works for Shingen and is ordered to guard his vassal, Yukimura. When the daimyo experiences a premature end at Mikatagahara, she sees herself out of a job when the Takeda clan falls. With free time on her hands, she decides to turn her employer's murderers against one another by feeding Mitsuhide a sob story about her life being ruined by Nobunaga. With them out of the picture, Kunoichi decides that serving Yukimura is more interesting than being leisurely and returns to Ueda Castle. At the same time, Ieyasu orders Hanzō to assassinate her master. Wanting to prove that she is the better ninja, she infiltrates the castle to rescue him. When she arrives by Yukimura's side, she is given a mission to protect him from Hanzō's doubles. If Yukimura sustains too much damage, he will suffer greatly during the defense of Osaka. To try to assist him, she rushes for a preemptive strike on Ieyasu at Odawara Castle. In reality, the "Ieyasu" at her location was really a ruse set up by Hanzō and the ninja have their final showdown. Though she returns after her rival is slain, Yukimura dies at Ōsaka Castle.

In her upper path ending, Yukimura is in good health and both warriors join the defense at Ōsaka Castle. During the battle, she realizes that she can fight with a purpose alongside Yukimura and takes efforts to care for the castle's defense. Again, she faces and defeats her rival; this time, she does so with more confidence in her master and herself. When the Toyotomi defeat Ieyasu, however, she disappears after the battle.

During Ina's story in the Xtreme Legends expansion, she is a trickster who continuously mocks Ina's bloodlust. Should the archer give into her taunts, Kunoichi will be slain with a morbid sense of satisfaction. An Ina who firmly believes she fights for peace will spare her and the shinobi lives to play with Ina's infant. Aside from these instances above, she also acts as a rival for the first game's edit characters and makes a rare appearance during the Suguroku game in Samurai Warriors 2. She steals the player's gold and takes it for herself.

Kunoichi is solely Yukimura's servant in Samurai Warriors 3. As his shinobi, she struggles to suppress whatever personal feelings she has for her master and swears to loyally protect him from danger. When Yukimura is ordered by Shingen to assist Ujiyasu at Tonegawa, Kunoichi follows him and has a small competition with the frustrated Kai, beating the samurai maiden to every objective first. Although Kunoichi's antics make her throw a tantrum, Kai is impressed with Kunoichi's abilities as the Uesugi troops scatter. Yukimura compliments the efforts of both maidens back at their camp, erupting a trivial argument between them over which one is better. Ujiyasu chides them to think about their duties realistically, as their squabbling over one battle means nothing while the wars still continue.

After the Takeda clan falls and Nobunaga's death, Ieyasu and Ujiyasu unite their forces to attack Ueda Castle. Kunoichi's job during the conflict is to sneak past her allies' defense and set fire to the enemies lured within the inner keep. When Hanzō threatens to infiltrate the keep, she playfully challenges the other shinobi to a "ninja match", which he refuses. After dealing with the upstart Kai and the protective Ieyasu, the battle is won when Ujiyasu is routed. Following Yukimura to Oshi Castle, she finds respect for Kai's determination to protect someone dear to her. As she faces Ujiyasu, he gives Kunoichi a final request to look after the safety of his maiden vassal after their defeat. After his defeat, the shinobi stays true to her promise and asks Mitsunari for Kai's whereabouts. He reports that Yukimura is already negotiating with Hideyoshi regarding the maiden's safety and thanks her for her efforts. When Mitsunari is attacked in Kyoto, she notices her master being invigorated by his emotions and ties for friendship to save the stranded general. Although she assists him, she begins to feel conflicted with her own emotions. Yukimura warns her after the battle that he will someday face a grueling challenge, but she promises to be by his side for the sake of her profession.

Mitsunari dies after Sekigahara and Kanetsugu and the Uesugi joins with Ieyasu to protect their future. Time passes and a stranded Yukimura leads the small defense of Ōsaka Castle against Ieyasu's overwhelming numbers. Kunoichi, though fully dedicated in their cause to fight without regrets, wants to plead her master to not die in the conflict but can't say the words herself. Kai notices her insecurity and quotes Ujiyasu, saying that her concern would only inhibit her duty in the end. Encouraging Kunoichi to stand, she swears that they'll win. With her resolve strengthened to guard everything dear to her, the shinobi faithfully stays true to her duty and slays Ieyasu in the conflict, ensuring the Toyotomi's rule and her master's safety. During the new peace that follows, she and Kai venture the streets of Ōsaka together. Spotting Yukimura with his friends, Keiji and Kanetsugu, she bashfully joins him. After he expresses his gratitude and looks forward to having her beside him in the future, she confesses to him that she also has the strength to move forward on her own path. Quietly vowing to always watch over him after he walks away, she joins Kai in watching one of Okuni's dances.

Sengoku Musou 3: Empires has Kunoichi serve under Shingen in his story route. Concerned over her lord's strained ties with Nobutora and Yoshinobu, she tries to convey her opinions on family matters to him as much as her profession allows while the former considers her and Yukimura as his precious children. She is saddened by Shingen's command to execute his son, yet is overjoyed when he and his estranged father finally reconcile.

Samurai Warriors 4 Kunoichi protects Yukimura as his shinobi and follows him in his campaigns. She often launches espionage tactics or assassinations attempts to help her lord. After the Sanada brothers part ways, the shinobi intensifies her duties out of concern for the younger brother's state of mind. Kunoichi expresses her anxieties to her Toyotomi comrades prior to Ōsaka Castle and is comforted by them for Yukimura's survival. If she is defeated during Yukimura's final charge in any variation of the final battle, Kunoichi will perish. Her dying breaths are spent pleading for her lord's safety.

The 4-II Blossom Shower Story has her attempt to stop Gracia and company's intrusion at Kakegawa Castle before her recruitment. Kunoichi decides to enjoy herself with the idol group's antics, appreciating their festivity and free spirited wandering. She answers Kotarō's invitation for the third downloadable scenario, personally seeking to free Kai, Nobuyuki, and Yukimura from the spell's influence. At first, she believes Yukimura to be unaffected by the spell but realizes that he has become a full airhead when he openly compliments her beauty. Kunoichi acts like Shingen when she is later placed under the same spell.

She plays a major supporting role during Sprit of the Sanada, where she first appears as an agent for Shingen shortly after he turns on the Imagawa when Yoshimoto dies. With Yoshimoto dead, Shingen marches for the capital at Kyōto but passes away shortly after.

Once Katsuyori takes over, he becomes obsessed with upholding his family name and launches a disastrous campaign at Shitaragahara, and Kunoichi and Masayuki help cover his retreat. Though Katsuyori escapes, the Takeda are unable to recover from the devastating losses and begin losing ground against the Oda-Tokugawa army until most of their territory is annexed. Katsuyori, wishing to not have the Sanada get caught in the Takeda's destruction, has Masayuki head for his domain at Ueda before secretly leaving with Nobushige Oyamada, who betrays him.

Kunoichi is able to escape and delivers his final letter to Masayuki, apologizing and urging him to survive the chaos. Left with no other place to go, Kunoichi joins Masayuki. With the Takeda finished, Masayuki opts to submit to the Oda and sends the young Yukimura to the Oda domain at Azuchi. The child's time there is short, however, as Mitsuhide kills Nobunaga at Honnōji and his soldiers begin killing the Oda hostages at Azuchi. Fortunately, Kunoichi, with the help of Sasuke, is able to safely escape with Yukimura and Chacha.

After Yukimura is retrieved, Masayuki begins making plans of establishing himself, making use of the conflict between the Hōjō and the Tokugawa and Tenshō-Jingo to make a name amongst the other daimyō. By constantly switching sides and having both forces exhaust themselves, Masayuki is able to finally construct a castle for his family at Ueda to prepare for the incoming retribution of the Tokugawa.

She does not participate at the main battle of Ueda, instead remaining hidden with Nobuyuki at Kangawa in order to ambush Ieyasu after his defeat. Despite their efforts, Ieyasu barely escapes their grasp. After the battle, Hideyoshi acknowledges the autonomy of the Sanada and Ieyasu ceases hostilities.

Although most of Japan's daimyō have submitted to Hideyoshi, only the Hōjō, under Ujimasa, refuse to lay down their arms, and Hideyoshi orders the other warlords to siege their domain at Odawara. Kunoichi later joins her lord in sieging both Matsuida and Hachioji castles, leading to the deaths of many civilians in the process.

The peace, following the bloody subjugation of the Hōjō, is short-lived as Hideyoshi and his successor, Toshiie Maeda, both pass away shortly after, leaving a large political vacuum. The space in the government soon becomes hotly contested by Mitsunari Ishida of the West and Ieyasu Tokugawa of the East. Despite Nobuyuki leaving to join the Eastern army, Kunoichi, Yukimura and Masayuki all opt to remain with Mitsunari's forces.

While preparing to intercept Hidetada Tokugawa's forces, Kunoichi learns that Sasuke is a spy under Hanzō's command and the two duel each other. Yukimura eventually arrives and stops their fight, allowing Sasuke to leave and decide on his own before returning back to their preparations for the upcoming battle. Hidetada's forces are unable to overcome Masayuki's strategies and the commander flees to Someyadai with the Sanada hot on his trail. Thanks to Nobuyuki, Hidetada successfully evades their grasp and the Sanada forces return home.

Kunoichi and Sasuke scout Sekigahara, reporting the disastrous loss of the Western army and the deaths of Mitsunari, Yoshitsugu and Sakon in the process. Like other Western-aligned lords, the Sanada are punished with Yukimura and Masayuki being exiled to Kudoyama. Like the others, Kunoichi and Sasuke accompany them to the mountains, still making rounds and reports of the local events.

Once Masayuki passes away, Ieyasu begins making moves to finish off the Toyotomi at Osaka, and Yukimura, Kunoichi and Sasuke all escape Kudoyama to join the resistance, led by Chacha. Upon arrival, the Sanada forces construct their personal ward, which is able to easily fend off Masamune's massive division. The Sanada forces eventually lead a charge against Ieyasu, but he escapes and the damage of Osaka Castle forces Chacha and the others to sue for peace through the winter. Amongst these negotiations, most of Osaka Castle's defenses are destroyed, including the Sanada Ward.

When conflicts lead to a second siege at the summer, she and the others are forced to begin making preparations for war. She later works out Sasuke's demise fighting the Tokugawa forces, but does not give this news to her lord, wishing to keep his hope alive. She dutifully accompanies Yukimura to his final battle against Hidetada at Tennojiguchi. Helping the severely wounded Yukimura to a nearby staircase, the two remain together until a shogunate army soldier arrives.

To her sadness, Yukimura passes the three coins he and his brother split, when they made the oath to survive together, to her and urging her to leave him. Unable to confess to him, she tearfully leaves and delivers the coins to the heart-broken Nobuyuki.

Surviving the conflict and evading capture, Kunoichi returns to Ueda a year after the conflict. Despite being an ochimusha, Nobuyuki welcomes her back to the Sanada, and the pair visit Osaka to reminisce with other survivors. She later passes Hidetada's request to meet Nobuyuki at Edō.

Warriors Orochi
In the first game, Kunoichi appears in one of Wu's side stages at Wan Castle, where she volunteers to help the common folk escape. Should all the townspeople escape, Kunoichi will join Wu. She also appears to help Nene's ninja army in Wei's story.

Kunoichi is a spy for Wei in the sequel. She scouts for the enemy and reports to Cao Cao generally before the battle. At Si Shui Gate, she works with Xiahou Dun to stall the enemy at the center while Xiahou Yuan circles to the enemy's flank for a fire attack. She is important for the first few battles but she appears less as the story progresses. In her dream stage, Kunoichi and Magoichi Saika are hired by Dong Zhuo in protecting the gold he stole from Yuan Shao.

During Musou Orochi Z, she appears in an extra Dream Mode with other ninjas, who must rescue Ieyasu from a siege led by Sun Ce and other generals from the Three Kingdoms.

Having followed Yukimura after Orochi's second defeat, she too fell under Kiyomori's sorcery after the Takeda's defeat. When Ma Chao and his allies defeat her at Yiling, they free her from the spell. Feeling that she has failed as a kunoichi for being placed under the spell, she joins them to make up for her attacks against them. She later spots Hideyoshi confronting Sun Wukong at Nagashino and finds her possessed master on the battlefield. Unwilling to kill her lord, Kunoichi nearly accepts death at his hands until Ma Dai saves and encourages her to fight. Ecstatic when the spell is lifted, she later accompanies Yukimura to Yangping Gate.

In the downloadable stage, "Ninjas United", Kunoichi joins Yoshitsune's ninja team and fights the demon army. In "Reclusive Beauty", she accompanies Wang Yi who learns about the relationships between couples. In Hyper, she, Jia Xu and Ryu Hayabusa revisit Wan Castle after suspicious activity is reported. Once they find more mind-controlled soldiers, Momiji arrives to dispel Kiyomori's spell and aid the Coalition.

Returning to her lord during Ultimate, she is among the many heroes that were attacked by Tamamo and sealed within the Divine Mirror. Seeing Shingen's new and ruthless demeanor, she and Yukimura abandon him and join Kenshin, who faced a similar case with Aya and Kanetsugu. Their forces eventually combat trio at Hefei, where Shingen has the Wu army pinned down. During their battle another trio of Shingen, Aya and Kanetsugu arrive alongside, Shennong. Once the battle is over, the mystic reveals that they had encountered the mirror world counterparts of their friends in an effort by Tamamo to create chaos in the Coalition.

She retains her spot as a member of the Takeda in Warriors Orochi 4, being cornered with her lord at Kawanakajima against the Oda. After timely reinforcements from Kenshin and the rest of the Resistance army, she is rescued and joins the resistance.

Like the other Takeda forces, she goes to Xu Province to rescue Aya and Kagekatsu, who were also attacked by the Oda forces. When Bao Sanniang reveals that the Shu forces under Athena only serve her because Liu Shan was taken hostage, she joins the maiden in rescuing him at Odani Castle. She later accompanies Li Dian and Kotarō to Guandu where they must rescue Zhang Jiao from Diamondback's army.

On a separate occasion, she and Hanzo investigate suspicious activity from their allies, finding that many had been hypnotized by the demons. After beating their allies back to normal, the culprit is revealed to be Sun Wukong, who immediately attempts to escape. With the help of their reverted allies they are able to catch and defeat him.

Development
Kunoichi was developed to be the quickest character for Samurai Warriors. Her outfit, snide speech patterns, and fighting style were made to reflect this concept. Her fighting style was made to deliberately contrast Hanzō's. She is roughly based on the popular rumor of Yukimura employing Takeda ninja for his troops. These maidens allegedly disguised themselves as shrine priestess and were noticed by Shingen for their deceptive nature. They roughly imply that she is one of the kunoichi trained by Chiyome. The general goal for her visual design was to create a ninja-like design that has never been seen before. While her first outfit represents her cute and playful nature, her second costume was designed to be "more ninja-like".

Her design in the fourth title was conceptualized to have "top-and-bottom unbalance". Since her trousers were loose in the first title, designers wanted to reverse the balance by giving her a loose poncho for this one. It was a challenge to keep the poncho charming and free-flowing for the final 3D model. Her two garter belts are meant to accentuate her cuteness. Katsuki Onda drew her concepts in this title.

Personality
A playful free thinker, Kunoichi does what she wants and does it how she pleases. In spite of her profession, she doesn't care much for traditions or duty and is rather mischievous. She ignores most of the "mysterious" ninja catchphrases in fiction and talks in a modern and more frank manner. Kunoichi also chronically taunts her enemies and is referred to as "Vixen" by Masamune, Noh, Hanzō, Okuni and several other characters for her flirtatious attitude. In the Japanese dub, she adds nonsensical words, such as "Nyaha~" or "Ururu", at the end or beginning of her sentences. She is very prideful of her ninja training and doesn't want to lose to anyone in speed or fighting. In the third game, she has matured to accept others for her duty and is confident in her abilities as a shinobi. She also cares more about her status, which sometimes stops her from being true with her emotions.

Her relationship with Yukimura can be interpreted as either a one-sided infatuation or a normal work relationship. The official character relation chart has Kunoichi share a one-sided link to him as "Loyal to?" (Yukimura does not link back to Kunoichi). There are enough insinuations in the game to suggest either one is possible. Shingen jokes about their relationship at Kawanakajima. Her possible feelings for him and admiration for him are emphasized in later incarnations, and the former becomes more apparent even to the other characters. He also cares for her safety more than the first title, but his concern for her is usually displayed on a professional level. She wonders if she isn't needed when she sees her master being more lively with his allies than with her.

Regarding Kai, Kunoichi doesn't take the upstart seriously and takes several jibes and insults at the former's attempts to become a star. Although they talk similarly and share similar interests, Kunoichi is genuinely insulted to be compared with her and thinks herself to be the better of the duo in every way. Prone to mocking and belittling her rival's words at any given opportunity, Kunoichi gradually accepts her as a friend as the former matures.

When Hanzō outwits her at Mikatagahara, she holds a grudge against him. The Japanese script in Warriors Orochi, however, has her genuinely touched to have him recognize her as a true shinobi. Contrarily, she is annoyed with Goemon. Her rivalry with Hanzō is downplayed in her newest appearance.

Chronicles 3 reveals that her family died as a result of the Takeda's war with the Uesugi. A remorseful Shingen took the orphaned girl in and raised her with affection, which explains why she is so devoted to his cause. But because of their strong bond, many of Shingen's problems tend to affect Kunoichi on a personal level, causing her to worry for the former's sake. Another nod to this is that her usual habit of saying "just kidding" during most of her dialogue tends to be quite akin to Shingen's way of teasing people.

The third title in the Warriors Orochi series gives her a close relationship with Ma Dai, who respects her professionalism and commitment to duty in spite of her jovial nature. She also develops a quick interest in both Ayane and Kasumi, understanding the code of hunting down deserters and traitors, but sympathizing with the latter's concern for her sister's welfare. The fourth installment has her become friends with Bao Sanniang, and the two maidens offer help to one another to further their romantic pursuits. Kunoichi also attempts to poke and prod around Xingcai's stringent nature, though at times confounded by her.

Character Symbolism
She's symbolized by the characters "kill" (殺) and "bury" (葬) and by red and green leaves for her debut in the Samurai Warriors series. For her subsequent appearances, she is instead symbolized by the characters "intimate" (密) and "blink" (瞬).

The original name for her third weapon or her Normal type of kunai invokes the image of strong, destructive winds. Her Power types have the power to smash through mountains and her Speed variation leaves behind no shadow.

Her fourth or unique weapon in the third title is named after Shiranui, a mysterious fire specter found in legends around the shorelines of Kyushu. It appears on the night of a new moon when the winds are weak and poor for sailing. The burst of fire is argued to either be a type of fire dragon, spirit, or a type of enchanted ghoul. While it can be spotted within what seems to be a reasonable distance for sailing, Shiranui always remain faraway and are hard to identify by the human eye. Sailing closer to it will only have it hop or teleport back to the horizon like a mirage. When the fire specter travels close to the shore of a particular fishing area, all of the fish will abandon it. Sailors were said to have put a special charm at the front of their boats if they spotted it, hoping to drive it away from the shore.

Kunoichi's fifth set of kunai are named after Kushinadahime. The woman is well known in Japanese mythology as the eighth and last maiden offered as a sacrifice to Yamata-no-Orochi. Susanoo happened to come across her and her parents before they sent her away, and he became enamored by her appearance at first sight. He offered to slay the beast if her parents agreed to give them their daughter's hand in marriage. Succeeding in his task, Kushinadahime married the hero and is said to have gave birth to his children. Although her appearances in Japanese mythology are few, she is argued to be a water goddess or priestess and mother to several different deities.

Kokuanten, a supernatural being mentioned in her sixth weapon, is a deva found within in Buddhism. She is Kichijoten's younger sister and is one of the three sovereigns who serve under Enma. Opposite of her sister in every respect, Kokuanten is known as a hideously formed woman who seeks to reap unhappiness and disasters to the world. Both sisters combine their traits to grant either fortune or bad luck to humanity. When her name is broken down to literal terms, it may mean "blackest of nights" or "darkest finale of the world".

The golden incense mentioned as her personal item in Warriors Orochi is Ōjukukō. It is famed as an extravagant, old fragrance favored by royalty and shoguns since the twelfth century. The wood is said to have been a type of agarwood imported since the eighth century and has reached a legendary status amongst incenses. A far-fetched yet interesting tale regarding this particular incense is that it was favored by Nobunaga. He frequently asked for ōjukukō to permeate the rooms he stayed within and was hardly seen traveling without it. When Mitsuhide protested the Takeda massacre, Nobunaga became infuriated and repeatedly beat him with the unburnt agarwood during his tantrum. Later, when Mitsuhide betrayed his lord at Honnōji, the retainer frantically searched for his lord's head during the fire. He tried to search for Nobunaga by hunting down the scent of the burning ōjukukō.

One of the gifts that will please Kunoichi in Spirit of Sanada is an apple. Modern Ueda City harvests and sells apples as a local crop. One of the city's specialties are snow apples that have a sweeter flavor and crispier bite when left in the cold. Apples can represent temptation or preference within the flower language.

Voice Actors

 * G.K. Bowes - Samurai Warriors; first and third games only, Warriors Orochi series; first and second games only (English-uncredited)
 * Skyler Davenport - Samurai Warriors TV series (English)
 * Ulrike Jenni - Samurai Warriors (German-uncredited)
 * Patricia Strasburger - Samurai Warriors TV series (German)
 * Yoon Yeo-jin - Samurai Warriors (Korean)
 * Yūko Nagashima - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)

Quotes

 * See also: Kunoichi/Quotes


 * "Play of the day!! I do love this game!"
 * "I seek a more worthy foe! Or... something like that."
 * "Silence, dog of Nobunaga! He'll pay for what he did to my family!"
 * "Konichi wa. How do you do? My my, you sure do have a lot of gold. You don't mind if I take it do you?"
 * "Enter Kunoichi - savior of the innocent, butt-kicker of the bad guys!"
 * "Only you can help Yukimura, if you know what I mean."
 * "I don't think I want to know..."
 * "Come on, let an old man have his fun!"
 * Shingen and Kunoichi; Samurai Warriors


 * "I wish there were no wars, then we could play Kemari all the time."
 * "Yeah, and I could sleep all day-- wait, what am I saying!?"
 * Yoshimoto and Kunoichi; Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends


 * "I surrender, I surrender. So anyway, how are things between you and Yukimura? You still haven't told him how you feel, have you?"
 * "Quiet. I won the duel, I ask the questions. Now, will you please leave?"
 * Kai and Kunoichi; Samurai Warriors 3


 * "Fighting beside you truly makes me happy."
 * "Oh, oh! Does, does that mean...!?"
 * "You can serve as valuable intelligence, and your skill with the blade is true. There is no other person within the Sanada ninja who can perform these tasks as well as you. I expect to have your reliable support when I fight in battle."
 * "Huh, well, that does sound more like something you would say... Yes, my lord! I'll keep doing my best!"
 * Yukimura and Kunoichi; Sengoku Musou 3: Empires


 * "Open your heart to me, Ina-chin! Tell me what you think about fashion, or about the man whose heart you hope to capture."
 * "You mean who I wish to slay in battle with my arrows?"
 * "Oh, you sweet fool! I'm talking about girls stuff!"
 * "L-Look, the fighting will start soon. I don't have time to chat with you."
 * "I see. You'll be attacking soon, then. Thanks for the info! Bye-bye now!"
 * "Ah! I can't believe I fell for that!"
 * Kunoichi and Ina; Samurai Warriors 4


 * "Now everything's back to normal! Let's throw a party to celebrate!"
 * "Hold on a moment, my dear. Something seems different about you?"
 * "Is it? I do feel a little... sexier than normal."
 * Kunoichi and Nene; Samurai Warriors 4-II


 * "Say, you there! You like that man in red, don't ya? But I'll tell you now, give up when you can. A high class man and a mediocre ninja... Even if you got together, you'll just be toyed with; a mere slave of love. You'll be run ragged and cast aside, wondering -- “Why?”
 * "Your imagination's so dry it makes me laugh! Not too hard to see you're just some repressed, dirty old man."
 * Hisahide and Kunoichi; Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3


 * "Hey if it isn't Mr. Miserable! How ya been, Hanzō?"
 * "Assist me."
 * "Okay, but only if you admit that I'm the better ninja! Heh heh heh!"
 * Kunoichi and Hanzō; Warriors Orochi


 * "Wh-whoa! Heads up! Watch out for the rocks!"
 * "Stupid girl! You're crushing our own troops too!"
 * "Yeah, but those were the ones I heard badmouthing you."
 * "Don't try and fool me, useless girl!"
 * Hua Xiong, Dong Zhuo, and Kunoichi; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Will you stand still, you accursed ninjas?!"
 * "Don't be so uptight. Just relax and have some fun."
 * Meng Huo and Kunoichi; Warriors Orochi 2 PSP


 * "You're braver than I expected, although you don't seem to get much recognition for it."
 * "Hahaha... Maybe because nobody expects me to be. But, that's the secret to being a good ninja."
 * "Hiding your true feelings behind a smile... That must be a tough life you lead..."
 * Ma Dai and Kunoichi; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "Hey, whatever happened to your promise to tell Guan Suo how I feel? Did he tell you what he thinks of me...?"
 * "Um, well, the thing is... I did my best, but he's always so surrounded by girls, that even a ninja like me can hardly ever get close to him... And when I did finally get to speak to him, he innocently asked me if I was there to give him flowers too. I was so flustered, I gave him my dagger and left. Sorry..."
 * "I see... But I'm happy to hear you tried so hard for me. Thank you."
 * "Well, I want you to find happiness. I'm just a ninja, with no real life of my own, so I want you to enjoy your youth in my place."
 * "Huh? That's no good. You're one of the few people I can talk to about this sort of thing. I need you to find happiness as well! That's right. Next time, I'll find some way to help you. You must have someone you like, right? That Yukimura? You want me to talk to him for you?"
 * "No, Lord Yukimura is my master... I couldn't ask you to do that..."
 * "Then who? You mustn't keep secrets from your best friend! I won't let you go until you tell me."
 * "I don't know... This sort of thing would normally annoy me to no end, but it kind of makes me happy. I guess it's this parallel universe that's doing it."
 * Bao Sanniang and Kunoichi; Warriors Orochi 4

Gameplay

 * See also: Kunoichi/Movesets‎‎

Samurai Warriors 4
Mighty strike is the same as Deadlock Attack. Moveset type is altered to Hyper type. Majority of her attacks return but they are altered.

Charge Moveset

 * , undefined, (undefined): Kunoichi slashes opponent in air and jumps up after them spinning with blades in hand, and as they fall she throws an explosive at them
 * ,, undefined, (undefined): Kunoichi does a forward kick, then spins at an angle with knives and jumps behind opponent and causes an explosion.
 * ,, , undefined, (undefined): Kunoichi dashes forward slashing about 3 times then throws weapons like a boomerang.
 * ,, , , undefined: Flips before performing a series of stamping kicks on the opponent.

Hyper Moveset

 * undefined:
 * undefined, : Kunoichi does a turning slash and a hopping kick.
 * undefined, undefined, : She scissors her blades.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, : She throws her three kunais into the ground.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, : Dashes forward slashing two times.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, : Flies along the air kicking enemies, then does a flip kick
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, : She throws her kunai six times.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, : Same as her Hyper C6.
 * undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined:


 * Running + :
 * , : Like all nimble, ninja type characters, she can double jump.
 * , undefined:
 * (Ultimate):
 * Rage Attack/Musou Gokui effect: Activates Ultimate/Kaidan Musou if is used. Performs ending pose for previous  if the effect ends without activating Ultimate/Kaidan Musou.
 * Awakened Skill effect (4-II only):
 * Rage Attack/Musou Gokui effect: Activates Ultimate/Kaidan Musou if is used. Performs ending pose for previous  if the effect ends without activating Ultimate/Kaidan Musou.
 * Awakened Skill effect (4-II only):


 * Spirit Cancel:
 * R1:

Mounted Moveset

 * , undefined:
 * ,, undefined:
 * ,, , undefined:

Fighting Style
Kunoichi is an extremely fast but light-hitting character. She can easily run around the maps and take routes others cannot thanks to her double jumps. In a crowd, however, she can easily become subdued. Her Musou attack can clear a crowd and push back officers in its startup, though it also moves them out of range for the more powerful follow up. Her C3 attack is best for damage and crowd clearance while her C2 stun attack's timing can surprise enemies. She is less user friendly than Nene due to her trickier arsenal of moves.

Weapons

 * See also: Kunoichi/Weapons

Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: Siege of Ueda - Ueda Covert Warfare

Gallery
Images=

Trivia

 * In the Japanese script, Kunoichi playfully punctuates the line "お.や.ま.だ～！"　(Oyamada~!). For Japanese fans, this is considered to be an inside reference to Zhang Liao's nickname with fans.
 * Initial announcements for her re-appearance in Samurai Warriors 3 was listed on G.K. Bowes' online resume, but was doubted due to its source and eventual removal.
 * Episode 9 of the TV anime Genshiken Nidaime has one of the characters cosplay as the Samurai Warriors 3 version of Kunoichi.
 * Her pet, Tsukimaru, is a Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel, also known as the Momonga squirrel.