Ieyasu Tokugawa

Ieyasu Tokugawa first appears in Samurai Warriors as a unique generic who has his own in-game cutscenes and quotes. He becomes a playable character in Samurai Warriors 2. He is the leading daimyo of the Tokugawa clan, Hidetada's father, and one of the three unifiers of Japan, preceded by Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

In the first Samurai Warriors, he is 31 years old and he stands at 170 cm (5'7"). His height in the second and third title is 168 cm (a little over 5'6"). He's symbolized by the words "future" (将) and "unite" (統).

Samurai Warriors
Ieyasu is the proud lord of Mikawa and an old friend of Nobunaga. Due to political affairs, he was a former ally of Yoshimoto Imagawa. When Imagawa is ambushed at Okehazama, Ieyasu and his men choose to side with the Oda. In the first game, he plays a relatively supportive role and a secondary villain in other characters' scenarios -such as Yukimura or Goemon's stories. He schemes to take the land for his own by heavily relying on his vassals and resourceful shinobi, Hanzō. His leadership qualities are better demonstrated in Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends though he still relies on Tadakatsu for consolation.

In the second game, Ieyasu is already allied with Nobunaga and aids his ally by attacking the larger Asakura army at Anegawa. He then tries to attack Shingen but falls victim to the elder general's ambush. Escaping with his life, Ieyasu mourns the people lost for his safety. Tadakatsu assures him that they died protecting the world of peace his lord envisions, strengthening Ieyasu's resolve. Shingen and Nobunaga eventually pass away and Ieyasu becomes one of the two powerful men of the land. To settle their differences, he challenges his rival, Hideyoshi, at Komaki-Nagakute. Although he won the battle, Ieyasu thought that killing his rival would only throw the land into confusion once more. Therefore, he keeps his ambitions in check and lets Hideyoshi rule for the time. As he assists the western siege at Odawara Castle, he gains Masamune as an ally.

After Hideyoshi's passing, Ieyasu decides to set his plans into action and clashes with the Toyotomi loyalist, Mitsunari. After winning the battle of Sekigahra, Ieyasu becomes shogun and finally unites the land. Remaining Toyotomi loyalists band together to oppose him at Osaka Castle. Fearing that failure to affirm his grip would throw the land once more into chaos, he leads his army to destroy them. With the land finally at peace, Ieyasu has completed his arduous journey for unity.

His dream stage focuses on a "what if?" scenario prior to the Battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu and Ina are unexpectedly isolated from their allies when Kanetsugu and the Uesugi army heads straight for their location. His enemies also include the Sanada army from Ueda and Yoshinobu Satake.

Ieyasu begins his story in a similar manner as his previous story in Samurai Warriors 3 and his goal for peace is emphasized. Slaying Nagamasa at Anegawa, the Oda army conquers the Takeda and the land has a brief reprieve from war. Ieyasu stations himself near Kyoto to oversee the growing serenity until Nobunaga suddenly dies at Honnoji. Determined to live and see his friend's dream for peace realized, Ieyasu flees. Breaking through Kotarō and Motochika at Iga, he safely arrives in Mikawa. After Hideyoshi slays Mitsuhide, it became a manner of time before the powerful generals would compete their ambitions against one another at Komaki-Nagakute. During the conflict, they both grow to respect one another and realize that they truly shared similar goals. When Ieyasu defeats Hideyoshi, he insists that they work together to achieve the dream that their lord sought.

He gladly supports Hideyoshi's vision until the latter's natural death. Mitsunari, who disagrees with Ieyasu being the land's greatest man, assembles an army to oppose him. For the hopes of his fallen friends and for the future, Ieyasu defeats him at Sekigahara and Yukimura at Osaka Castle. Naming Yukimura as the greatest warrior in the land upon the younger man's death, he is pleased to see everyone's dream fulfilled at last. He desires to treasure the hard-fought peace.

Warriors Orochi
During Orochi's scenario, Ieyasu is attacked at his home, Edo Castle, by the serpent army lead by Sun Ce. Not wanting to submit, he coordinates a brave resistance with his ally, Masamune. He counters many of his enemy's tactics -including their fire attack- but is ultimately outmaneuvered. To ensure his men's safety, he agrees to serve Orochi. He is one of the generals who assists the serpent king's showdown with Nobunaga.

Ieyasu reluctantly continues his servitude in the first game. Though he asks for the young man to calm his impulsive nature for the time, he sympathizes with Sun Ce. During the story, Ieyasu also helps Sun Ce in many battles, such as Anegawa, where he keeps the main camp safe while the rest of the Wu command attacks. When the Little Conqueror defects, Ieyasu follows suite and saves innocent people from Orochi's wrath.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Ieyasu Tokugawa and his vassals join forces with Liu Bei. When Masamune is seen as a possible key to breaking Orochi's newly formed army, Ieyasu leads the force against him, hoping to reason with his old friend at Saika Village. However, he fails to convince his former ally to leave the serpent king's army. He shares his Dream stage with the other Unifiers of Japan and wage a war against the Three Kingdoms rulers. He admires Liu Bei's trait of enduring hardship for his country.

Kessen
Ieyasu is the irreplaceable leader of the Tokugawa forces in Kessen. A bold and wise ruler, he is following the late Nobunaga's wish for peace. He often laughs in a fearless yet cynical manner during rather grim times. If he continues to be victorious through his campaigns, Ieyasu will gain a favorable position in the Imperial Court and eventually work his way up to shogun. Should he experiences losses, however, he may be accused of being an enemy of the state by the Toyotomi family. If he is defeated several times by Mitsunari, he will abandon his smaller territories and gamble his life in a final battle in Edo. Winning this battle gives Ieyasu a second chance to rebound from his defeat and face Yukimura at Sekigahara. If he loses either of these decisive battles, however, he will commit suicide.

During the third Kessen, he is a valuable support character for Nobunaga. When he was a child, Nobunaga granted him a small taste of freedom by running away from Imagawa's household. Though they were quickly captured, Ieyasu took the event to heart and they became fast friends. After the Imagawa family fall, he remains loyal to his friend's cause even after he bitterly stifles his own plans for conquest. When he is first introduced, he is known as Motoyasu Matsudaira (松平 元康). Before Nobunaga learned Ieyasu's formal name, he called him by his childhood name, Takechiyo (竹千代).

In this series, he also has a young concubine named Okatsu, who is believed to be one of Hanzō's descendants.

Saihai no Yukue
Ieyasu appears as Mitsunari's arch nemesis in Saihai no Yukue. He leads the Eastern Army to conquer the land for his own. He beats Mitsunari in every aspect and also possesses the mystical power, "Heaven's Eye", an ability that allows the user to see other people's thoughts and seemingly read the flow of battle. The two rivals met a year prior to Sekigahara as Mitsunari sought refuge in his mansion from an assassination attempt. While debating with his rival, Mitsunari glimpses into his heart and sees that he desires to create his own land for peace. He realizes that Mitsunari also possesses Heaven's Eye and is interested in the younger man's capabilities.

Near the end of Sekigahara, Mitsunari glimpses into his mind once more and realizes that Ieyasu foresaw a different future, in which the Eastern Army was victorious and had Mitsunari facing his execution. Beaten by the younger man's stronger will, he loses the battle. Mitsunari, who doesn't want to see more deaths on the field, spares his life. Ieyasu then reveals that he was sent there by Lady Yodo, who pleaded with him to end Mitsunari's supposed tyranny. After her will is broken, Ieyasu leaves her services and returns to Edo. Three years later, he unites the land and burns down Osaka Castle.

Development
At first, Ieyasu was designed to be a solid yet peculiarly incompetent warlord. He is meant to be seen as a rather lucky leader with good men by his side. His armor was given a turtle motif to reflect his sturdy yet almost cowardly nature. The director and producer stated that this was done since the first game's focus was Nobunaga and Hideyoshi in the following expansion, meaning that Ieyasu's exploits had to be cut back to compensate.

Since the focus of the second game was introducing Sekigahara, Ieyasu's design was altered for a more heroic impact. His physical features were also changed to make him seem like a "friendly uncle" with a more tolerant nature. Ieyasu's overall design surrounded the famed historical explanation for Ieyasu's figure and personality, in that he had a "tanuki body shape". Though they wanted to keep his spear, they rounded it out slightly to keep in touch with the tanuki motif. The helmet he wears in this game is very similar to the actual helmet he historically wore at Sekigahara.

Personality
At first, Ieyasu is generally seen as a panicky and somewhat incompetent leader with very talented generals under his command and mostly luck on his side. He becomes a sturdy, keen, and responsible individual as he appears in more games. Valuing a slow and steady approach to most problems, he believes that he should endure any burden in order to realize a harmonious future for everyone. Knowing that he can't achieve this vision by himself, he is willing to use and accept any who believe in him. Although he is known to sometimes give into frustration and bitterness during his second appearance, he is more compassionate towards his rivals in his newest appearance. His rivals usually deem his slow rise to power as underhanded and wily; the more outspoken individuals occasionally ridicule his appearance and demeanor with the unflattering "tanuki" nickname. In the English script for Samurai Warriors 2, this is usually replaced with various jokes regarding his weight.

Regarding his friendship with Nobunaga, Ieyasu respects and admires him. However, he also acts subservient -more so in his second appearance- to his friend's dark sense of humor. Though they make an unlikely pair, both men know that they share the same dream for peace. He believes in and cares for each of his vassals, even the ones he doesn't necessarily agree with on a personal level, such as Kojirō and Kiyomasa. He acts heroically with the ones closest to him and greatly praises their efforts. If he thinks that he is able, Ieyasu will try to support their duties. On the other hand, Ieyasu holds various levels of appreciation and doubt towards his friend and ally, Masamune.

Voice Actors

 * R. Martin Klein - Samurai Warriors (English)
 * Vladimir Saklikov - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Dave Mallow - Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Paul Dobson - Kessen (English)
 * Dan Woren - Kessen III (English)
 * Jōji Nakata - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Tessho Genda - Kessen (Japanese)
 * Hideo Ishikawa - Kessen III (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Let the journey commence!"
 * "One step at a time!"
 * "I have surpassed another obstacle!"
 * "Behold the strength of the warriors from Mikawa!"
 * "Remember, slow and steady wins the race."
 * "Do not try to force victory - Hold out and it will come."
 * "Patience is the surest way to victory."
 * "Loyal retainers are precious treasures. And that makes me the wealthiest man of all."
 * Ieyasu in Ina's ending; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "Peace and honor are not always the same. Peace is a safe and happy livelihood for all. All people deserve peace, and to rob them of it in the name of honor is a contradiction. Common men must be allowed to live so they may discover honor for themselves. This is what Mitsunari fails to understand. For his short-sightedness, he will dearly pay."
 * After defeating the Sanada and Uesugi army; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "I fight for the people. And a better world! I cannot lose!"
 * "It is a great honor to face you in battle!"
 * Liu Bei and Ieyasu Tokugawa at Fan Castle; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Mitsunari... I applaud your boldness. Your loyalty to the Toyotomis... is admirable. But honor alone will not bring what you seek. I will triumph... and forge a new world of my own design! My world!!"
 * Ieyasu before Sekigahara; Kessen


 * "If Lord Nobunaga was born to be a hunting falcon, I was born to be a sea bird bound to the shore."
 * Ieyasu's comment about taking over Nobunaga's ambition; Kessen III

Ground Attacks

 * undefined: aims his spear downward and fires the ground beneath him. Breaks enemy guard.
 * ,undefined: slashes upward, launching enemy into the air
 * ,,undefined: fires a blast from his spear which dizzies the enemy.
 * ,,,undefined: horizontally slashes the enemies in front of him
 * ,,,,undefined: fires three cannonballs upward which launches the enemy
 * ,,,,,undefined: fires his spear downward, creating a shockwave around him
 * ,,,,,,undefined: fires a blue laser beam in a straight line in front of him
 * ,,,,,,,undefined: his spear sprays fire in an arc in front of him; has the added Fire element
 * ,,,,,,,,undefined: (Xtreme Legends only) after some preparation, he fires three cannonballs
 * ,,,,,,,,,,,:does a series of slashes and follows with five fired cannonballs
 * ,undefined: jumps down making a shockwave
 * ,: fires a cannonball downward
 * while standing still, Ieyasu fires five homing cannonballs. It takes time for him to "reload" between each shot. In his True Musou version, he'll fire quick three rows of cannonballs before finishing. In his level 3 version, he fires many more cannonballs while being supported by an overhead cannonball volley.
 * R1 + : Ieyasu shoots a single cannonball in front of him.
 * R1 + undefined: Ieyasu readies himself and fires five homing cannonballs in front of him.

Mounted Attacks
Moves remain the same except he loses his C9 and his Level 3 Musou. He also gains a different R1 skill.
 * Warriors Orochi
 * R1: readies his spear on his shoulder and fires a long blast of energy. Can be interrupted during the move's execution.

Samurai Warriors 3
Stage to clear for Unique Weapon - Siege of Osaka