Kessen

Kessen, which literally means "decisive battle" in Japanese, is a series of real-time strategy games for the PlayStation 2 produced by Koei and published by Electronic Arts. The first and third games take place in feudal Japan, similar to Samurai Warriors, while the second one takes place during a highly romanticized Three Kingdoms era, more similar to Dynasty Warriors.

The main composer for all three games was Reijiro Rokuro, who is known for his orchestral work in Japanese TV dramas and select NHK taiga dramas.

Kessen

 * Sasuke, Saizo, and Kosuke
 * Okatsu

Kessen II

 * Mei Mei, Li Li, and Luo Luo
 * Mei Sanniang
 * Dong Xuanfeng and Xi Xuanfeng
 * Cai Wengi

Kessen III

 * Yoshino
 * Amalia
 * Petro

Allusions

 * The monochrome painting of two samurai armies clashing for the first game's promotional art can later be seen during the opening sequence for Samurai Warriors.
 * In the Japanese version of Kessen, Akashi Morishige performs an upbeat dance with his men before fighting the enemy. This was cut in the American port but is parodied by Meng Huo in the following title. Unlike Akashi, the king congratulates his men for the workout and leisurely moves to quit the field. In response, his wife beats him with a harisen.
 * In Kessen II, Puma from Koei's Gitaroo-Man makes a cameo as one of Zhuge Liang's gadgets. Zhang Fei picks him up and marvels at how the toy can move by itself.
 * In Kessen III, super-deformed dolls of Da Qiao and Yukimura Sanada appear as two objects from Tokichiro's goods. Nobunaga says he'll take everything the merchant has and two soldiers run off with the dolls.
 * Ieyasu's theme in Kessen III is a reprise of his music from the first Kessen.

Image Song

 * Ao no Tsuzuki
 * Performed by Mariko Ide
 * For Kessen II credits only