Mitsunari Ishida

Mistunari Ishida makes his playable debut in Samurai Warriors 2. He is best known in history for leading the Western Army at Sekigahara.

He is a controversial vassal of Hideyoshi Toyotomi who won favor as an excellent financial manager and master of the tea ceremony. Due to his general lack of experience on the battlefield, his leadership of the Western Army displeased several veteran warriors in the Toyotomi army. Although various historical accounts deem him to be a villain, historians are recently reexamining his deeds and some believe he should be depicted in a better light.

He's symbolized by the words "sharp" (鋭) and "scheme" (策).

Role in Plot

 * "''You can't judge a book by it's cover, can you?"
 * -Cao Cao, praising Mitsunari Ishida in Warriors Orochi 2.

Samurai Warriors
Mitsunari starts as one of Hideyoshi's minor vassals and supports his lord in many of his later campaigns. Although Hideyoshi and Nene are proud of him, he is on relatively bad terms with his lord's other trusted generals, Masanori Fukushima and Kiyomasa Kato. He first believes that battles are won through numbers and logical reason. However, before the Toyotomi army takes Odawara Castle, he befriends Kanetsugu Naoe and Yukimura Sanada who state that battles are won with honor and unity.

As his story progresses, he begins to believe their words after Hideyoshi dies. To defend his lord's realm, he hires Sakon Shima to help him fight Ieyasu. Though he was doubtful of his success, Mitsunari triumphs and gives an inspirational speech to his men to work for the good of the people.

His dream mode continues from his story mode as Mitsunari leads the final charge against Ieyasu at Edo Castle. Additionally, the officers who are prone to defecting in Sekigahara finally turn against him in this battle.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, he is ordered by Da Ji to keep an eye on Cao Pi. He seems to be following her orders until he lies for the prince regarding Sun Ce's escape, saying that an impostor sent by Zhou Yu likely let the Wu forces go. From then on, he is a comrade in arms for Cao Pi and follows him when he defects. At the end of Wei's story, he is one of the many warriors who joins Cao Pi's personal army.

Kessen
Mitsunari acts as the first leader for the Western Army in the first Kessen. He is an older daimyo who loyally serves the Toyotomi's eldest political figure, Lady Yodo. He believes that "right is on his side", thinking that his army respects his wish to defend the Toyotomi family. His fate is up to the player as he can either survive to end Ieyasu or die following Sekigahara.

Saihai no Yukue
In Saihai no Yukue, Mitsunari is the main protagonist. Keeping true to his word, he defends the Toyotomi family after Hideyoshi's death. He is granted with "Heaven's Eye" and can seemingly read people's thoughts or the flow of the battlefield. When he's unconscious, the players are entreated to flashbacks that take place before the battle at Sekigahara.

After he loses his friends, Yoshitsugu and Sakon, the battle goes badly for him. His forces are scattered and the enemy approach his main camp. Before he can do anything, both he and Tamaki are knocked out by a mysterious kunoichi and carried to safety. Even with the main camp down, he won't give up the fight and returns to the battlefield. Banding together with Yoshihiro Shimazu, Hidemoto Mori, and Ekei Ankokuji, he charges Ieyasu's main camp. After a fierce struggle, the Eastern Army is defeated. Thanks to the memories and thoughts from people in both armies, he forgives Ieyasu and spares his enemy's life. After learning Lady Yodo's scheme, he visits her, tells her to stop dwelling in the past, and orders her to live for the future. He leaves Osaka Castle and wanders the land with his own code of justice.

Development
To contrast the stout and patient Ieyasu, designers strove to create a "young and hopeful" image of Mitsunari. The back of his design was decorated to make him look like a top class general. In an interview with Game Watch, the director and producer explain that he was made to be the wise leader for the west with an emphasis on intelligence as his greatest asset. His character persona and weapon were inspired by Sima Yi's Dynasty Warriors appearance. Originally, like Sima Yi, Mitsunari was also going to have a maniacal laugh for his gimmick against Ieyasu but this idea was respectfully discarded. Since there are no records of feathered fans in Japan during the game's setting, Mitsunari's weapon was changed to the more likely folding fan.

His historical slogan (or the one Kanetsugu introduces to him in the game) is "Dai Ichi, Dai Man, Dai Kaichi" (大一大万大吉), which is also written on the back of his coat. It is an abbreviation of the phrase, "One for all and all for one and Heaven bless the land."

Personality
He is an intimidating and sarcastic man who seemingly spares no one from his blunt honesty. He usually represses his emotions but he eventually develops an unexpectedly passionate belief in justice and hope. Impassive towards people who don't interest him, those who patronize him call him the "Fox of Mt. Sawa", a defamatory title at best. Since he sticks closer to politics than warfare, many generals are surprised to witness his combat skills. He reserves his kindness to his closest friends and his lord, Hideyoshi. In Warriors Orochi, his personality shares parallels with Cao Pi's and Da Ji remarks that they are a "match made in heaven".

By contrast, Mitsunari in Saihai no Yukue is a hot-blooded and charming leader who is openly empathetic to his soldiers' plight. He is known as an encyclopedia of artistic and "useless" knowledge, which gains him the affectionate nickname from Sakon, "Idiot". Since he isn't physically fit, he is usually the only one who is winded from his army's hikes through the field. Even so, he has a sharp insight and earnestly desires to win conflicts with minimal bloodshed.

Voice Actors

 * Pierre Chaves - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Chuck Haliday - Samurai Warriors 2: Empires + Xtreme Legends (English)
 * Michael Dobson - Kessen (English)
 * Eiji Takemoto - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Katsuji Mori - Kessen (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "I hate having to do what I've already done... It's so inefficient."
 * "I can't lose now. My friends are depending on me."
 * "I should stop expecting so much."
 * "My plan is to take the glory while you do all the work."
 * "Honor may not win power, but it wins respect. And respect earns power."
 * "You need to learn to respect those around you. Surrounding yourself with enemies will win you nothing good in the end."
 * "Oh, and you're just overflowing with goodwill and friendship, are you? Is that why you should talk?"
 * Ginchiyo and Mitsunari; SW2 Empires


 * "Fuji... Minamoto and Taira fought here."
 * "Sakon... the Taira were destroyed for they did not have right on their side. A just cause cannot fail to triumph. It is the same for Ieyasu. He rebelled against the will of the Taiko, scheming to take the land for his own. We will triumph! Right is on our side. To arms!"
 * Sakon and Mitsunari before charging Ieyasu's forces; Kessen

Ground Attacks

 * undefined(undefined): shoots out a little smoke cloud and then a laser
 * ,undefined(undefined):launches his foe upwards, hops up, and spins his fan to slam them down.
 * ,,(undefined(undefined):a downward swing then opens fan creating an explosion in front of Mitsunari
 * ,,,(undefined(undefined):has his fan orbit him a few times
 * ,,,,,,,:does three swipes and follows with several spinning attacks
 * ,undefined: jumps down making a shockwave
 * ,: throws his fan downward
 * throws his fan in a designated direction. In his True Musou version, he'll finish the attack with a quick C4. In his level 3 version, several mines will explode around him.


 * R1 + : Mitsunari opens his fan and sets a mine on the ground.
 * R1 + undefined: Opening his fan, he explodes any mines set on the field.

Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends
His moves are the same except he gains a new charge attack.
 * ,,,,undefined: he lunges forward with a spinning fan attack and also sets three bombs.

Warriors Orochi
Same attacks excluding his C5 and Level 3 Musou. His R1 attacks have also changed:
 * R1: Using a bit of musou, Mitsunari will utter, "You scum!", and signal for a support volley. A string of arrows will hit his nearby enemies for about 10 seconds.
 * Direction + R1: Using a bit of musou, Mitsunari will open his fan and hurl three energy blasts forward.

Historical Information
Ishida Mitsunari was born in the modern day Shiga Prefecture under the childhood name, Sakichi (佐吉). His father was Ishida Masatsugu, who was a painter and patron of the arts. Their clan were descendants of the Fujiwara family, an ancient aristocratic family that once controlled the land's political party. Unlike their ancestors, the Ishida never possessed mass wealth or power and were regarded as people of poor status. Mitsunari himself is generally regarded as a man of intrigue with rough manners. Though he had many friends, he was on bad terms with some daimyo who were known as good warriors.

Before Sekigahara
In 1574, Mitsunari served as Hashiba Hideyoshi's young page. How exactly they met remains heavily disputed. Most sources state that Hideyoshi spotted Mitsunari's talents for the tea ceremony and added him into his inner circle on the spot. A legend writes that Hideyoshi met his father whilst he was a monk and was asked to care for Mitsunari. Yet another adds that they met after the Azai's downfall. Other theories suggests that he actually became a page in 1577 and was scheming to use Hideyoshi to gain more power for his family. In either case, Mitsunari became inseparable from Hideyoshi and assisted him during battles in the Chūgoku region by overseeing Tottori Castle and Takamatsu Castle.

Once Hideyoshi became ruler of the land, Mitsunari rose in ranks to become his aid. In 1585, he was appointed as inspector general Jibu-shō and was allowed to demonstrate his administrative abilities. He became one of the five commissioners (bugyo) in Hideyoshi's inner circle. When Shima Sakon approached Hideyoshi in 1586, the daimyo offered Sakon loyalty to Mitsunari. Thanks to Mitsunari's administrative command, Hideyoshi's troops had enough supplies to last through the Kyushu and Shikoku invasions. He was once given command in battle at Odawara Castle but fell victim to a water attack. This is Mitsunari's first instance of his reported incompetence in battle.

When the Christian ban took place in 1596, Hideyoshi ordered a manhunt for Christian practitioners and ordered many executions for those captured. Mitsunari defied his lord by decreasing the amount of people captured in his region. When Hideyoshi learned of this, he was angered but was calmed by Mitsunari, who wasn't punished for his actions. Many reports believe that this is due to their friendship. However, others suggests that this is another instance of Mitsunari scheming to rise higher in ranks.

At one point in the Korean campaign, Mitsunari served under Ukita Hideie and earned no particular achievements. A day after the Taiko passed away, Mitsunari ordered an assassination attempt on Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the five regents (tairo) who was entrusted to care for the young Toyotomi Hideyori. Several accounts believe he ordered the deed due to jealousy; the five commissioners' influence in affairs were being fizzled out by the five regents. Regardless of the attempt to take his life, Ieyasu was determined to marry one of his offspring into the Toyotomi family, which defied the limit set in Hideyoshi's will. Since neither one of them wanted to prolong their differences, an oath between the two men was made and they continued to follow the late Taiko's wishes.

After Maeda Toshiie dies, Kuroda Nagamasa, Kato Kiyomasa and others tried to attack Mitsunari in 1599. He fled to Ieyasu's residence at Fushimi Castle before returning to his residence. As a reaction to this, Ieyasu relocated to Osaka Castle later in the same year. Although Mitsunari approved the move, the attribution between him and his antagonizers were beginning to take their toll.

Battle at Sekigahara
In 1600, Mitsunari apparently signed a secret agreement with Uesugi Kagekatsu to end Ieyasu. While the Uesugi gathered troops in Aizu, Mitsunari would raise his own army to surround Ieyasu's flank. Some of Mitsunari's generals for the battle include Sakon, his friend Otani Yoshitsugu and others. He was able to gain followers largely thanks to the wealthy Mori Terumoto. Otani advised Mitsunari to let Terumoto lead the battle and he agreed. He assigned Ukita Hideie as the second-in-command. However, Mitsunari was still named commander and his orders overrided those with more political influence than him. This power friction ultimately lead many officers in the Western Army to doubt Mitsunari's capabilities with some regarding him as a commoner butting into military affairs.

On the night of November 5, 1600 (considered to be October 20, 1600 with the modern calender), the Western Army met at Ogaki Castle and began marching for Sekigahara around seven o' clock. They took their stations in heavy rainfall and waited for Ieyasu's men to arrive. The battle took place the following day after the heavy fog over the field lifted. Only mere miles apart from one another, the armies clashed. Mitsunari watched from the sidelines with 6,000 men at his command though several Tokugawa generals tried to break through his front line. His plan to surround Ieyasu from all sides was thwarted when Kobayakawa Hideaki, Kikkawa Hiroie, and Mori Hidemoto refused to move from their positions. In the end, the Western Army was routed and he fled from battle.

The following day, Mitsunari was captured at Mount Ibuki -presumably by local villagers- and brought to Kyoto. Although he was suffering from dehydration, he didn't believe that he would be killed and refused his last meal. He was executed shortly after. Recent research paints a different scenario of Mitsunari's end, in which he was held captive under Tokugawa Taka for a month until his execution. He was one of the last Western generals to be beheaded and died at age 41. Another theory suggests that he replaced his appearance with an imposter and committed suicide sometime after the battle. Shortly after Sekigahara, his family home was burned and his demoralized father and brother committed suicide. His illegitimate children were banished to the Tokaido region and the whereabouts of his wife remain unknown.

Today, Mitsunari is regarded as a curious figure in history. Many historians are fascinated about his true motives and they still argue over his intentions to this day. His grave is located near his execution site. Several memorials and his artifacts can be found at the Sekigahara museum.