Okatsu

Okatsu is a semi-original character in many KoeiTecmo titles, who is heavily based on, and named after, a concubine of Ieyasu's. While she acts ninja-like in the Kessen series, she is depicted as a female samurai in Saihai no Yukue. In Nioh she acts as an ally to William Adams.

In Saihai no Yukue, her height is 157 cm (almost 5'2") and she is 18 years old. She likes to do anything that Ieyasu favors, be it an activity or a cuisine.

Nioh
As the daughter of Ieyasu she witnessed the murder of Ieyasu's wife and son in order to protect his family honor, and while he had tried marrying Okatsu off to a lord for the sake of a political move she ran away to keep her freedom. She trained as a ninja under the tutorship of Hanzō Hattori. Because of the fact that her family was killed for her fathers Samurai Honor Okatsu gained an intense hatred for the Samurai way of life.

When she first meets William he is at a party hosted by Hanzō where she states she does not wish to speak to a drunk samurai when he tries approaching her. When he claims hes no samurai, she accuses him of being a common drunk, which was much worse. From then on she accompanies William and her teacher on their journey across the land.

After the defeat of a certain Yokai she learns that despite William knowing the ways of the Samurai, he has a kind heart due to him fighting to save someone he cares about. The two share an moment before she claims she is going to go off alone as William and Hanzō head to the capital, not wanting to have to meet with her father.

She is later placed under a mind control spell by Kelly, and challenges William to combat as he attempts to find Kelly within Edo. After her defeat she regains her sanity, though when William is distracted by a double Kelly is able to capture Okatsu and ensnares her, threatening to take her life in exchange for Ieyasu's who appears moments later. Despite being his daughter, he refuses to exchange his life for hers stating she doesn't matter. This throws off Kelly long enough for her to pull her self free of Kellys enchanted hold on her though ends up falling off the balcony of the building they are all in, William jumping to save her, and steering her descent into a nearby riverbed to save them both.

After William saves Saorise from destroying Kelly Okatsu finds her self missing William, who has opted to leave as he does not wish to become involved with Japanese continued wars. She attends a meeting with Hanzō and her father, remaining silent through out their entire conversation regarding how to proceed into the future.

Kessen
In Kessen, Okatsu is a kunoichi who is rumored to be one of Hanzō Hattori's descendants. She loyally attends to Ieyasu and is by his side at all times. Although she never personally takes to the field, she is keen of the war's situation and reports valuable information to her lord. She additionally acts as his personal bodyguard and will defend him when he is faced with immediate danger. If Ieyasu's army falls in battle, Okatsu will kill the soldiers closest to Ieyasu before requesting for him to retreat. Should Ieyasu be forced to commit suicide after his last defeat, she will solemnly pay her respects at his grave.

A younger Okatsu resumes her role in Kessen III. She is introduced when Ieyasu and Nobunaga formerly make an alliance with one another at Gifu Castle. Although Nobunaga was on guard by her presence on the ceiling, she amuses him by saying that the castle's defenses were easy to infiltrate. From then on, she serves as an aide for Ieyasu and eventually leads her own unit in battle. When Nobunaga is presumed dead after Honnoji, she is the one who suggests for Ieyasu to take over their lord's ambition.

Her brief description for the pachinko machine identifies her as Ieyasu's lover and kunoichi. Any mention of her relation to Hanzō has been discarded.

Nobunaga's Ambition
Guruguru Dungeon Nobunyaga highlights her kitty counterpart in its Sekigahara themed event. Okaji-nyan is overtly masculine and aggressive, always up for a fair fight. The protagonist is dumbstruck to learn she is a woman and Ieyasu's consort. She tests the protagonist's strength before trusting him/her into the Tokunyawa ranks at Sekigahara. For once, the protagonist is already aware of the major twist in the battle and urges Okaji-nyan to wait for Kobanyagawa's defection. Okaji-nyan urges the protagonist to be assertive of his/her divination to Ieyasu. Although the commander swears to wait, Okaji-nyan is aware of her lover's stress and decides to confront Kobanyagawa personally to ease it. She brings the protagonist along for her small infiltration unit.

Before they reach Kobanyagawa's headquarters, Okaji-nyan's group accidentally crosses paths with Ōtanii's troops. The Tokunyawa unit beats him back enough to withdraw. When the protagonist inquires if they pursue, Okaji-nyan respects their foe's devotion to Mitsunyari too much to make the call. She makes the excuse that can't afford the resources for a chase. Later, when Ōtanii dies fighting Takadora's troops, Okaji-nyan is sympathetic enough to have a moment of silence for him.

Saihai no Yukue
Okatsu no Kata appears in Saihai no Yukue as Ieyasu's loyal wife. She wears armor decorated with hearts and fights with a sword. Her unbridled confidence helps her gather more men to fight for the Eastern Army. Cheerful and spirited, she bullies Tanaka to fight alongside her. Though she rides into battle with great zeal, her morale will falter if she's hit. Fearing that an injury could somehow lower her appeal to her husband, she usually flees soon after.

Development
For her Nioh incarnation Okatsu was physically based off her voice actress Emi Takei.

Personality
In Nioh Okatsu has a strong loathing for all Samurai for reasons unknown. She begrudgingly works with William on his journey.

Voice Actors

 * Cathy Weseluck - Kessen (English)
 * Toshiko Fujita - Kessen (Japanese)
 * Mami Kingetsu - Kessen III (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "What's this? Kunoichi? Where did she..."
 * "The lady's name is Okatsu."
 * "Your defenses are weak. Lord Nobunaga is quite bold. But... you do stil have some rough spots."
 * "Hahaha, I am glad that you are not my enemy, Ieyasu."
 * Katsuie, Ieyasu, Okatsu, and Nobunaga; Kessen III

Historical Information
O-Katsu no Tsubone was a woman of relatively unknown origin. She was either Ōta Dōkan's adopted daughter, Tōyama Naokage's daughter, or Edo Shigemichi's daughter. There are also tales that say she shared a brother-sister relationship with Dōkan. Various theories state that she could have been Tōyama Tsunakage's daughter or younger sister. Her other names include Oha (於八 or お梶) and Okatsu.

Many people believe that Ieyasu met her around the time he first settled in Edo. Due to her status as his concubine, her age when they met isn't recorded but some historians postulate that she could have been in her early teens. The two met due to her older brother (from either the Ota or Toyama clans) reaching a higher classed status. Tenkai then recognized her intelligence and recommended her to Ieyasu. His lord was pleased with her charming wit and fell in love with her quickly. She was going to be married to his son, Matsudaira Masatsuna, but presumably canceled his plans when she became pregnant.

In 1607, she gave birth to Ieyasu's last child -his sixth daughter- when she was thirty. Ichihime was promptly engaged to Date Masamune's heir, Toragikumaru. Unfortunately, she died at the young age of four. Not wanting to spread misfortune, Ieyasu sent one of his grandchildren, Toramatsu, to be adopted into the Date family and asked Furihime (Ikeda Terumasa's daughter) to be his foster mother. After Ieyasu's death, she chose to live as a nun, changing her name to Eishōin, for the rest of her days. She died under Tokugawa Iemitsu's protection when she was 65 and was buried at Ensho-ji Temple. A few observers state that her ties to the Tokugawa family elongated her family's legacy until the Meiji Restoration took place.

Folktales and Other Stories
Since Ieyasu is believed to have truly loved Oha, there are a few stories surrounding her and her lord.

In one tale, Ieyasu spontaneously asked his vassals what was the most delicious food. While everyone present gave their own unique answers, Ieyasu turned to Oha and asked for her response. She quaintly said salt and, when pressed for why she chose it, responded, "It seasons the taste to any meal." Ieyasu then asked what was the worst tasting food and she gave the same answer. Her explanation was "Because too much salt can simply ruin a meal." Her answers pleased her audience and lightened the mood of their gathering.

She was also said to have dressed as a man and fought during the Battle of Sekigahara and the Osaka Campaign. Known under the name, Okatsu no Kata, she stood as an inspiration for her husband. Since she wasn't technically a noble woman by her status, no direct harm would come to her husband if she were killed or captured. Though she was eventually held hostage within Osaka Castle, she escaped and rode back to Ieyasu from horseback.

A few people speculate that she was a proud supporter of Lady Kasuga. After Ieyasu's death, there were few other remaining noble women yet there were still children who needed to be raised. Since she sworn as a nun, she gladly accepted Lady Kasuga. She was very courteous to her and accepted her quickly as a part of the Tokugawa family.