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"). Her name was first spelled as Noh but changed to Nō in the sequel.

Samurai Warriors
Nō is a sadistic woman who revels the battlefield's chaos. Her father arranges her marriage with Nobunaga so she could assassinate him. She doesn't agree to the request immediately and seeks to judge if he is unworthy enough to live. During her stay with Nobunaga, she becomes enchanted with him and struggles with her judgment even after her father's death. She follows her lover in Okehazama and assists in the siege of her old home, Inabayama Castle. Her decision to abandon her ties with Mino confuses Oichi, but Nō's confidence later inspires the maiden to perform a similar act of loyalty for the Azai at Anegawa. During the final movements of the battle, Nobunaga leaves Oichi's fate in Nō's hands.

Should Nō kill the princess, Nobunaga is sadden to witness his sister's end but accepts his wife's decision to let Oichi die with Nagamasa. Nō remains loyal to her lover and rescues him at Honnōji and Azuchi Castle. Her utter devotion surprises Mitsuhide, who expected her to turn on Nobunaga, but she cuts him down. Feeling her purpose had been fulfilled, Nō intended to leave the Oda until Nobunaga offers for her to stay with him.

Choosing to let Oichi live has Nō instead kill Nagamasa. Nō justifies the maiden could live to wallow in agony by forsaking her chance to join her loved one in the afterlife. Nobunaga finds her reasons to be disagreeable but interesting, declaring that he will continue to watch her. After Nobunaga's influence rises, Nō acts on her sincere desire to slay her husband at Honnōji. However, Nobunaga anticipated her attack and left behind a body double to take the blow. On the run and obsessed with killing her mate, Nō stops anyone who tries to take the honor away from her and chases Nobunaga down in Gifu Castle. When she finally pins him for the fatal blow, Nō instead becomes fascinated by her sheer domination over her helpless mate and lets him live.

She acts as Nobunaga's faithful 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 against Akechi troops.

Her story in the Xtreme Legends expansion starts with the political marriage between the Saitō and Oda families. The real intention of the marriage, however, is to implement Nō as Nobunaga's assassin. This time, Dōsan tells her daughter to only kill Nobunaga if he proves himself to actually be the fool rumors claim. Nō, however, cannot detect any buffoonery from her target and stays her blade. Stuck in a dangerous predicament, she spends her time posing as his faithful wife on the battlefield to search for any of his faults. When Yoshimoto threatens their lands, Nō joins the Oda ranks as "support".

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.

Personality
Her sensuous figure may look unimposing, but Nō's mind is a dangerous one. Seeing war as a game of domination, she relishes bloodshed and enjoys toying with other people's lives. At times, she has been seen as being perceptive of other's thoughts. Either she seeks to torture those who cross her with this knowledge or satirizes the ones on the same side as her. Not a moment of guilt runs through her as she defeats people in her path, scoffing when she ends their encounters too quickly. Hearing her husband reviled as a cold-hearted conqueror makes her pleased with her own title as the Demon King's wife. While her morals teetered on the brink of insanity within the first title, Nō's darker traits were subdued in her following appearances. She has been adjusted to act as a refined and sultry temptress, more than ready to use her allure to sucker fools to their deaths. Confident with her body and strengths, her egotism borderlines vanity. Aside from her blatant fetishes, however, Nō's sordid thoughts are truly an enigma to all but herself. Her husband may catch on to her, but even he can't completely unfurl her every pondering.

Obsessed with Nobunaga, Nō's thoughts for him are tricky to decipher and change depending on the title. Her first appearance has them share an instinctive bond with their devious interests. They both understand she would one day kill him and frequently play with the idea together as though it were foreplay. In most scenarios, her devotion to him peaks with her desire to murder him as a morbid display of love. Within her second appearance, Nō feels she has claimed Nobunaga for herself. Her conviction is to remain beside him through any carnage he causes as his devoted wife. Her third appearance acts as though she enjoys Nobunaga's company. At the same time, there are hints of her acting distant to him compared to previous titles. She is amused if her husband chooses to rescue her, asking if he came just to watch her die in person rather than thanking him.

Oichi idolizes Nō for her confidence within the first title and she is otherwise respectful of her sister-in-law in her following appearances. Within the second title, however, Nō admits to be sickened by Oichi's pristine image in her Dream stage and wants to topple it. The first title identified her and Mitsuhide to be childhood friends, although this relationship has been abandoned in later titles.

Character Symbolism
Within Koei's titles, Nō is symbolized by a butterfly, which stems from her alternate historical name, Kichō. Unlike Zhang He, this "chō" is the actual character for butterfly and Kichō can be translated as "returning butterfly". The winged insect's "dreamlike" meanings alludes to her elusive nature in history. In Kessen III, Kichō paraphrases Zhuangzi's famous quote regarding the insect and dreams.

She is symbolized by the kanji for "voluptuous" (艶) and "butterfly" (蝶) in the Samurai Warriors series.

Most of the names for Nō's weapons in the Samurai Warriors series may be interpreted to follow her insubstantial or deceitful nature. Her first weapon in Samurai Warriors is literally named lizard, an animal best known for its removable tails. Cut it off and it can still escape to grow another tail for itself. Nō's second set of claws are dedicated to the praying mantis, known for sexual cannibalism with the female devouring the male's head.

Her third set of claws -first in the sequel- are literally named after a spider. Within Japanese mythology, there is a supernatural being called Jorōgumo, or a female spider. Posing as a young, beautiful woman, it lures unlucky men into their clutches and devours them. Another type of spider-like creatures are tsuchigumo, which look like giant spiders. They possess an ogre's face, a tiger's body, and a spiders long legs. Dwelling in mountains, they ambush travelers for food.

Nō's fourth set of claws -second in the second title- are named after a centipede. Fujiwara no Hidesato (Tawara no Tōda), a general in the Heian period, is fabled to have suppressed a hundred legged beast. When Tawara no Tōda was in Ōmi Province, the townsfolk informed him of a giant serpent that terrorized the mountains. Volunteering to slay the beast, he camped into the wilderness and waited for the predator to show himself. A daughter of the dragon god clan visited him and informed him that the beast was hidden in Mikamiyama and was out of sight of the common eye. If not for the maiden's guidance, the beast would still be in the area.

Her third weapon in the second title and Normal type in the third is named Kochō, a dancing style invented during the Heian period. It may be translated to "butterfly dance". To mimic the flutter of the insect's wings, the dance steps are meant to look graceful yet unpredictable. The dancers dress with butterfly wings attached to their backs as they step and pivot to the stringed musical accompaniment. Her Power types are named to perform a dance of pity while her Speed types are themed to be sexy dances.

Hiruko is Izanami and Izanagi's first child in Japanese mythology. The child forms the namesake for Nō's fifth weapon in the first game, her fourth in the second title, and her Unique in the third. Born from Izanami's voice, Hiruko is a physically disabled child who cannot use his/her legs. Izanami made a reed boat for the child and he/she drifted to Onogoroshima. Joined by Ahashima, who was born moments after, they landed on the island. Hiruko's mention in mythological texts ends here with no other hints or descriptions for the child. The child's sex isn't mentioned and the child is barely noted to exist except when paired with Ahashima. There are several different interpretations of the child's role in mythology, ranging from a god of good luck, a god of fishermen, or a god of departure.

Dōsan's nickname, "Viper of Mino", forms the namesake for Nō's fifth weapon in the second title and sixth in the first. Viper (蝮) is pronounced as "mamushi", which is the same found in Nō's weapon. Her version of "mamushi" is spelled differently, however, and is literally translated as "venomous snake" (蝮蛇).

The original name for her personal item in Warriors Orochi is "Dōsan's Dagger", which is a reference of him asking his daughter to kill Nobunaga with it within several of her appearances in Koei's titles.

Voice Actors

 * Mary Elizabeth McGlynn - Samurai Warriors (English)
 * Alicia Ruiss - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Cindy Robinson - Warriors Orochi, Samurai Warriors 3 (English)
 * Lara Cody - Kessen III (English)
 * Mariko Suzuki - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Aya Hisakawa - Kessen III (Japanese)
 * Saeko Shimazu - Game Nihon Rekishi Kakumeiji ~Oda Nobunaga~

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."
 * "Don't worry... - This won't hurt for very long"
 * "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."
 * "Ooh, this is exciting."
 * "Oh, wonderful. This must be what hell feels like."
 * "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, Nō, 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 Nō; Samurai Warriors 2: Empires


 * "Do you have the courage and commitment to kill my husband?"
 * "Mitsuhide does. I'm just here to support him."
 * Nō and Motochika; Samurai Warriors 3


 * "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 sweep kicking twice, then ends with a flipkick going backwards.

Samurai Warriors 2
Her moves remain the same except her True Musou and 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, except with the True Musou which ends with three bombs being thrown together. 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
 * Personal Skill : (Absorb) Blocking enemy attacks will refill your musou gauge.

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".