Takanobu Ryūzōji

Takanobu Ryūzōji is one of the three great daimyo who ruled a region in Kyushu. He is the nineteenth head of the Ryūzōji clan and is famously known as "The Bear of Hizen". Historically, his cruelty and ruthlessness was compared to Yoshimoto. Their infamous reputation and the nature of their deaths being caused by two eccentrics had later generations dub Takanobu as "the Yoshimoto" for Yoshihiro.

Role in Games
Takanobu is already dead within the main narrative of the Samurai Warriors series. He only appears as a general during the series's Empires titles. The second Empires entry highlights portions of his regime and his fall during Yoshihiro's story route. He is portrayed as a cruel and arrogant leader who abuses his cohorts and retainers; his death after his defeat at Okinawate is given a lengthy cutscene within this title.

Nobunaga's Ambition often has Takanobu be the middle man of the three powers in Kyushu. His military might is not as strong as the Shimazu, and his intellectual traits are behind the Ōtomo. Recent titles in the series tend to emphasize the strengths of his powerful retainers as his crowning trait over his major rivals, particularly his "renowned four devas". Players can utilize their potentially game-breaking abilities to conquer the land with minimal difficulty. Takanobu's personal stats are often above-average in the series, but his Political traits tend to be the weakest of the lords within Kyushu.

The online adaptation of the series portrays him as a heavily muscled thug who truly has a heart of gold. Similar to the stereotypical image for a yakuza family, his four kings are dressed in brightly colored garb and have intricate tattoos on their bodies. He has a wife named Akira who wields two swords, talks rudely and loves her husband dearly.