Nō

Lady Nō or Nōhime (濃姫) is a character who first appears in Samurai Warriors. She is Nobunaga's wife and the daughter of Dōsan Saitō. Her marriage was made in a political attempt to make a truce between Nobunaga's father and Dōsan. There are various conflicting historical accounts regarding the true purpose behind her marriage.

In the first Samurai Warriors, she's 20 years old. Her height in the series is 165 cm (5'5"). She is symbolized by the kanji for "voluptuous" (艶) and "butterfly" (蝶). Her name was first spelled as Noh but changed to Nō in the sequel.

Role in Games

 * "A fitting wife for the Demon King."
 * ―Nobunaga Oda; Warriors Orochi 2

Samurai Warriors
Nō is a sadistic yet elegant lady who revels in the battlefield's chaos. She is an old acquaintance of Mitsuhide and a mentor figure for Oichi. In Samurai Warriors, her father ordered her to kill Nobunaga. She didn't agree to the request immediately, replying that she would personally need to judge if he is unworthy enough to live. During her stay with Nobunaga, she became enchanted with him and struggles with her judgment. In her lower path story, she remains loyal to her lover and abandons her mission. She was planning to leave his side but Nobunaga invites her to stay with him.

In her upper path story, she eventually turns against her husband at Honnoji. However, Nobunaga anticipated her attack and set her up with a decoy. On the run, Nō becomes obsessed with killing him and will stop anyone else who tries to take the honor away from her. When she finally has him at her mercy, she can't find herself to do the deed and instead becomes more fascinated with her helpless mate.

She acts as Nobunaga's faithful yet vain wife in Samurai Warriors 2. She is willing to give her life for him and follows him unquestioningly. In her dream mode, she challenges her sister-in-law to a beauty contest at Shizugatake, which is really a battle made to irritate Oichi. Eventually, other women in the game catch word of it and are also determined to earn the title of the most beautiful woman in the land.

In Samurai Warriors 3, while Nō lacks a personal story mode, she continues to be seen across various battles with her beloved Nobunaga such as the Inabayama Castle campaign where she fights against her old family. Her final battle is at Honnoji where she meets her end with her husband by the hands of Mitsuhide.

Warriors Orochi
In the first game, Nō's role is limited to the Gaiden stages. Nō is rescued by Taishi Ci and Lu Meng when she escapes from the prison she is being held in and defeats Dong Zhuo, Zhen Ji, and Masamune when they show up. Messengers are sent out to warn the three aforementioned officers of Nō's escape, and if the player manages to slay all of them before they can escape, Nō will join Wu's camp and she will be unlocked for use by the player. She later appears in the final Samurai Gaiden stage as reinforcements for Nobunaga in his raid on Bai Di Castle.

She appears by her husband when he reinforces Sakon at Hu Lao Gate. She shares her dream stage in this title with Zhen Ji and Xiao Qiao as the wives rescue the maidens captured by Dong Zhuo. Her personal contribution in the stage is telling Ranmaru to guard the main camp and enchanting the guards in the western base. She also makes smug comments when Oichi is rescued.

Kessen
Nō appears as a playable unit under her other historical name in Kessen III. Kicho is a graceful and devoted maiden who has excellent martial arts skills. She wields her customized light-weight spear and is frequently symbolized in some way by a butterfly. Like Samurai Warriors, both her and Nobunaga are in love with one another and she doesn't want to be untrue to her love for him. To dissuade Mitsuhide from betraying her husband, she leaves Nobunaga in the middle of the game with hopes to pacify him. Her efforts are in vain and Mitsuhide carries out his assault on Honnoji.

When she arrives at the site, she spots a dead Nobunaga and stabs Mitsuhide with a knife in vengeance. Surprisingly, before she decides to join him in the afterlife, Nobunaga stops her and reveals that the metal hair clip she left behind saved him from Mitsuhide's shot. While the couple escape the burning temple, a wounded Mitsuhide shoots Kicho. She admits afterwards that she didn't want to lose either men as they are both important to her. She survives her wounds and appears by the end of the game to once again help her husband. Before their final battle with Mitsuhide, she tells Nobunaga's closest generals about his dreams of death, uniting the Oda generals with a tighter bond of friendship. In the epilogue, she also accompanies her husband to Spain.

Development
Both of Nō's designs are based on the concept of a beautifully clothed high class beauty. The visual draw for both outfits are the butterfly shaped motif for her sleeves and later obi. While the first game decorates her with butterfly accessories, her revamp accents her outfit with gold prints and a lavish gradient. In both games, she is meant to be a strong and gorgeous woman.

Voice Actors

 * Mary Elizabeth McGlynn - Samurai Warriors (English)
 * Alicia Ruiss - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Cindy Robinson - Warriors Orochi (English)
 * Lara Cody - Kessen III (English)
 * Mariko Suzuki - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Aya Hisakawa - Kessen III (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "I am the Demon's Wife, not the Viper's Daughter..."
 * "Such a tempting invitation."
 * "Aw, over so soon?"
 * "To hell and back, if necessary."
 * "As usual...I take whatever I want."
 * "The world is no match for my charms."
 * "Mitsuhide has revealed his claws. I can't wait to show him mine."
 * "The epitome of beauty. That is what it means to be the Demon King's wife."
 * "Mmmnn... I love you when you're covered in blood."
 * "Shall we wreak suffering together, my love?"
 * "I've already tamed Nobunaga. Everyone else is just... simple."
 * "Mitsuhide, you will not have my husband's life. His life belongs to me!"
 * "I don't mind getting rough every once and a while."
 * "I think its time to get down and get dirty."
 * "Go ahead, tie me up nice and tight."
 * "Heh... This should be interesting to watch. Fight, fight!"
 * "With my beloved watching over me, I cannot lose!"
 * "I'm glad you find this so amusing, Brother."
 * Nobunaga, No, and Oichi during the Beauty Competition; Samurai Warriors 2


 * "So Beautiful. I'll do you a favor and cut you down before you grow into an old hag."
 * "Didn't you know? Feeding on the blood of my enemies keeps me eternally young."
 * Kojirō and Noh; Samurai Warriors 2: Empires


 * "Your dream of flames. It appears to be both your past and future."
 * Kicho's thoughts about Nobunaga's dream; Kessen III

Ground Moveset

 * undefined,(undefined),(undefined): Nō plants a bomb on the ground if undefined is pressed once and it explodes after a few seconds, if pressed twice Nō throws one bomb, and if pressed thrice she throws an addition bomb with a random effect, it either explodes like firework, goes as a normal bomb, becomes a smoke bomb, or is a dud that the actual bomb itself does damage.
 * ,undefined,(undefined),(undefined),(undefined): Nō bicycle kicks the enemy in the air and when the fall back she impales them with both claws and then she taunts them creating a damaging white area that restores musou
 * ,,undefined,(undefined),(undefined),(undefined): Nō kicks the enemy with a roundhouse like kick, then she hits then with a falling claw, and quickly spins on the floor catching them with her other claw. She additionally throws a bomb when she stands upright.
 * ,,,undefined,(undefined),(undefined),(undefined)...: Nō spins around juggling the enemies with her rotating claws outstretched, 3 spins per charge, then she does a final spin knocking them away
 * ,,,,,,,: three low spinning kicks followed by a series of somersault kicks. Ends the chain with a flip that brings out her claws.
 * ,undefined: jumps down making a shockwave with her foot
 * ,: flips and attacks with both her claws
 * Nō throws bombs in front of her one at a time, and slowly steps back with each throw, true musou ends with her throwing out 3 bombs 3 times in a row

Samurai Warriors 2
Her moves remain the same except she loses the final charge attacks in her moves (such as her posing in her C2 and throwing a bomb during her C3). Like the rest of the cast, her horse musou changes to a damaging stampede by her horse. She also gains a Level 3 Musou, R1 skills, and a new charge attack in the Xtreme Legends expansion.
 * ,,,,undefined:(Xtreme Legends only) Nō grabs her enemy with a single claw, holds them in front of her before dispensing them on the ground behind her.
 * Her musou actions remain the same but the bombs' range is bigger than before. As long as her enemies stay within range, it can also be used to juggle her enemies. During her level 3 version, various fireworks will burst around her. They heavily damage her opponent but will not kill them, leaving their health at one point.
 * R1 + ,,: Nō sets bomb on the ground every special
 * R1 + undefined,(undefined),(undefined): Nō detonates a bomb if its been placed, then if pressed again she does a claw swipe that damages and detonates two additional bombs

Nō's moveset remains the same except she loses many of her Samurai Warriors 2 additions. She gains a few new abilities.
 * Warriors Orochi
 * ,: An airdash that makes her temporarily invincible. Nō performs an aerial roll forward.
 * R1: Nō briefly bends back before she sends numerous needles around her.
 * Direction + R1: Nō quickly drops a bomb behind her. Up to six bombs can be laid at once.

Personal Info
Nōhime was Saitō Dōsan's daughter; her mother was Omi no Kata, the daughter of Akechi Mitsutsugu. Her other names include Kicho and Sakiyama-dono. The former is said to be a common name with Mino's noblewomen and the latter is a deviation of one of the castles she stayed in. Legends state that Akechi Mitsuhide and her acted like siblings during her childhood. Like many stories regarding her life, however, it is unclear if they were actually close.

Any real historical records of Nōhime are very scarce and she is a great mystery in the eyes of historians. Since little is written about her, her life and personality is an open subject for art, literature, and film. Generally, descriptions regarding her behavior is mixed between two accounts. The contemporary image of her, which started during the 1960's, paints her in an intelligent and prosperous image, the ideal match for Nobunaga. Otherwise, she is depicted as a bitter wife who scolds her husband for being apart from one another.

Legends and Speculations
Since historical records regarding her life are sparse, this section will also include some of the conflicting theories regarding her life.

On March 23, 1549, Nōhime was married to Oda Nobunaga. Many people believe that their marriage wasn't a happy one since Nōhime was apparently barren. However, many of Nobunaga's children were born from an unknown mother, making the theory that she could bare children feasible. Within their family tree, there is a daughter that is connected to the couple but it isn't used as a primary source of information -mainly because there are no other accepted sources to support it.

Her life has many conflicting accounts when Nobunaga invaded Mino in 1569. In the Tokisugu Kyoki, written by an aristocrat alive during the time, Nōhime continues to be mentioned as Nobunaga's only wife. This is supported by the Oumi-kuni Yochitsushi, which also states that she visited a temple with him during the previous year. The Seishuu Gunki remarks that Nobunaga made Nouhime his son's foster mother since he wanted to respect her father's wish to make her heiress. It is also guessed that she became his foster parent to strengthen the Mino and Owari ties with Nobunaga's new allies. In an edited version of Mitsuhide's biography, Akechi Gunki, Nouhime kept a calm composure during the time but was torn by the Oda vassals' distrust. After Nobunaga conquered Owari, the book states that he divorced her.

Rumors state that Nōhime, after having an argument with her husband, left the Oda clan to reestablish Mino's reputation. As the rightful heir of the Saitō clan, she banded together with her brother, Saitō Yoshitatsu, to defend her home. Their allies were apparently the Akechi and Toki clans. Before her force could claim any territory, however, it is said that Nouhime died to illness. For this theory to be true, Yoshitatsu would have to be proven Dōsan's son and her allies would need to report the instance. Neither have happened yet.

The Oda Nobunaga Bugencho describes a woman named Azuchi-dono, who is sometimes postulated to be Nōhime. She was known as a patient woman who blessed Tokuhime's marriage and highly respected Nobunaga's mother. She continued to live in Azuchi Castle and stayed in Nobukatsu's care after his father's death. Again, the possibility of Azuchi-dono being Nouhime is disputed since there is little mention of her interacting with these people in other sources. The Myoujishi in particular discredits this account since it states that Azuchi-dono died whilst in Hideyoshi's care at age 78 (July 26, 1612).

Both the Ujisato Iki and the Sonken Iten Oizen Iki state that on the day after the Incident at Honnoji, the "midaidokoro" and the "kita no kata" were seen in Azuchi Castle. If the reader assumes that the midaidokoro is referring to Nōhime, many analysts state that it would be physically impossible for Nōhime to have been at Honnoji. The subject of her dying along side her husband at Honnoji is prevalent in many historical novels.

Trivia

 * Dosan ordering Nō to assassinate her husband is also mentioned sporadically in the Nobunaga's Ambition series. During the Playstation version of Tenshoki, she is portrayed by a live actress who accepts an ebony tantō from her father and swears to "kill the fool".