Kiyomori Taira

Kiyomori Taira (Onyomi: Taira no Kiyomori, "Kiyomori of the Taira") is the notorious leader of the Ise-Heishi, a clan which is commonly referred to as the Heike in literary works. After he protected the imperial court from the rebelling Kawachi-Genji, Kiyomori entered politics and ruled as a reputed and intellectual nobleman. His decisions were deemed controversial and unfavorable. The Tale of the Heike further exaggerates him to be a cruel tyrant.

Players can unlock his Warriors Orochi counterpart by completing the Samurai story mode during his debut and by viewing the True Ending in Warriors Orochi 3.

His Haruka counterpart is known under two names based on appearance. His default infant appearance is called by his historical name while his spiritual young adult form is nicknamed Phantom (幻影).

Role in Games

 * "He fights like he's possessed."
 * Yoshitsune Minamoto; Warriors Orochi 2

Warriors Orochi
Before the events of Warriors Orochi 2, Kiyomori was Yoshitsune's honorable rival who died during their last confrontation. He was resurrected by Da Ji as a twisted half-demon, half-human entity. With his new found power, he frees Sun Wukong from his seal and acts as the leader for the remaining pro-Orochi forces. He works to find a method to revive Orochi, eventually finding Himiko as the catalyst he needs. To stall for his lord's complete revival, Kiyomori sacrifices himself and dies a second time.

In Musou OROCHI Z, Kiyomori participates in two dream stages. In one of them, he teams up with Benkei and Yoshitsune to prove the might of the Taira and Heike era. His personal contribution is rescuing the allied generals at the center of the battlefield. In the other, Kiyomori joins Da Ji and Orochi X along with the remaining Orochi loyalists at Koshi castle, and they fight the leaders of the four factions in Warriors Orochi 2. Kiyomori's personal contribution to the battle is helping raise the drawbridges to reduce the amount of enemy attack routes.

Though he had perished, it is initially believed that the Hydra's power had revived him. So long as the giant serpent exists, Kiyomori can infinitely revive himself and the fallen serpent army. He remains loyal to Hydra throughout the game's story, and he is one of the few characters to accept it as Orochi. Requiring vassals for the serpent army, he uses his sorcery to control the minds of several characters and have them fight their allies against their will as shown in the DLC midquel stages "The Rise of Kiyomori" parts 1 and 2. Since the spell requires constant maintenance, it is often incomplete and easy to break once the victim is beaten in battle. He also scouted the land constantly in search of other warriors to possess as well as to test is his own.

During the original timeline, Kiyomori brutally uses his mind-controlling magic to turn friends against one another and led his forces to practically wipe out humanity. When the coalition from the future use time travel to prevent his schemes from succeeding because of Kaguya and his failure in the future to notice, Kiyomori's forces lose ground and retreat to Anegawa. His incantation to complete his control over his servants is interrupted by Ryu and company.

When the coalition fight their final battle at Koshi Castle, Kiyomori will appear in both the Good and True Ending's versions. In the Good Ending, he will be guarding the central gate to Orochi X's room. He will also summon demon soldiers to aid him, but Susano'o unexpectedly appears to aid the humans. At the end, he is slain by the heroes to begin their ascent to Orochi X. In the True Ending, he will retain his role of protecting the central gate, but upon his first death, he will revive later at the western altar, and he proceeds to continuously summon demons and power up Orochi X. Even after subsequent deaths, he will revive endlessly thanks to the Hydra's presence. After Orochi X's final defeat, and the subsequent collapse of the world, it is presumed that he also dies permanently.

Upon being unlocked as a playable character, Susano'o confirms that he was the one who revived Kiyomori, in an attempt to keep the world from meeting its destruction.

He stars prominently during two DLC stages which has him and the demon army first attacked by the Wei and Wu armies at Hefei. Utilizing his newly acquired powers, he possesses his attackers instead and makes them his servants. This leads him to later attack Guan Yu's forces at Fan Castle. Thanks to the possession of all the other officers of the war god's army, Kiyomori is finally able to take the general down and bind him into service.

In Ultimate, he gets an additional scenario with Keiji and Masamune where the trio hope to capture officers of the Toyotomi army in order to test Kiyomori's newfound possession spells at Mikatagahara. Though he initially fails in possessing Guo Huai and Ranmaru, he manages to finally succeed, and Wang Yi is possessed.

A clone of him that was created by Tamamo also appears to aid Da Ji at Ueda Castle.

Still pinning his hopes on reviving Orochi once more, Kiyomori joins Da Ji again in searching out the means to do so during Warriors Orochi 4. Their search results in an alliance with Odin, who promises to eventually revive the Serpent King.

As part of their alliance, Kiyomori continues to attack and defy the Coalition. Eventually, Odin is able to revive Orochi X, whom he intends to use to complete Yggdrasil. Loyally serving the God of Destruction, Kiyomori defies the original Orochi until Orochi X's demise, after which, he sides with the real Orochi in fighting the Coalition. After his lord is put to rest once more, Kiyomori joins the Coalition, hoping to not get destroyed until Orochi's next return.

During one of the DLC stages, his friction with Yoshitsune eventually leads the Minamoto forces to temporarily break away from the demon army at Itsukushima-Chengdu and attack Kiyomori and enlists the aid of Cao Cao and Motonari Mōri in doing so. Amused, Kiyomori eventually accepts the duel and is defeated.

In Ultimate, he retains his role within the demon army in the alternate scenario, and he surrenders with Da Ji at Kanegasaki following the defeats of Orochi and Orochi X. After joining the Coalition, he and the rest of the demon army protect Ōsaka Castle from Odin's assault, and Kiyomori rescues Yoshitsune from an enemy ambush as well as defeating an illusion of Orochi X summoned by the Asgardian God. He also appears at Changshan to protect Kaguya and Gaia during their attempt to restore the former's powers and go back in time.

Toukiden
Kiyomori's soul is freed by the protagonist in Toukiden: The Age of Demons after they defeat Kazekiri. He emerges during his/her dream to reminisce about his previous life. Kiyomori dreamed of making a world for samurai and nearly had the land united under his clan. Before he could savor the fruits of his labor, the demons attacked and obliterated his countrymen. Kiyomori has spent his time within the demon lamenting the ephemeral joys of his clan and time era. He senses that the protagonist still has the will to fight against annihilation and decides to entertain himself by aiding their cause.

Genghis Khan
Since the setting for the Genghis Khan series is too late to include him, he is absent throughout the series. However, the Japan only Sega CD/Mega CD and PlayStation versions of Genghis Khan II include a bonus Genpei War scenario that designates Kiyomori as the starting leader for the Taira clan.

Personality
Kiyomori is a cryptic strategist with a sardonic wit. He prides his new demonic strength and superior intellect, thinking that humanity is inferior to his resurrected self. The drastic changes made to both his character thrive in being recognized by some of the men of Samurai Warriors. Though Kiyomori is loyal and devoted to his lord, Orochi expresses noticeable disdain towards his subject for wrenching him from his "eternal slumber". Surprisingly, Kiyomori has a strong disdain for human sacrifices. His enigmatic nature still remained with him after his resurrection, and he enjoys teasing the other members of Orochi's army, leading Da Ji to believe he may suffer from some masochism since he enjoys being hurt and insulted. Sun Wukong serves him loyally for his debt, but Kiyomori occasionally enjoys poking fun at the monkey himself, asking him to do odd tasks such as using his staff to massage the sorcerer's's back.

He is amused by Yoshitsune's constant curses for him in accepting and reveling in his transformation, which he responds by offering to do the same to his rival. Deep down, however, he seems to also desire his own death, believing his rival to be the only one truly worthy of the task.

The latest Warriors Orochi installment gives him a special conversation with Motonari Mōri, who now rules over Itsukushima in his time. He is intrigued to learn of Motonari's stories at how the sacred land's traditions have been passed and changed long after his own time.

Character Symbolism
All of Kiyomori's weapons for his Warriors appearance are named after his sons in Asian ports.

His first weapon is named after Tomomori, Kiyomori's fourth son and second born from his wife, Tokiko. Since his youth, Tomomori excelled with the martial arts and was a cultured man of intelligence. Modest in his duties, his natural charisma made him popular with Heike followers. Though Kiyomori had Munemori hold power within their family, he wasn't as popular or in Emperor Go-Shirakawa's favor. Therefore, Kiyomori held high expectations for Tomomori to keep peace within the Heike family. Tomomori was described as the son who received the most of Kiyomori's love. When his family's ranks fell at Dan-no-Ura, he committed suicide by throwing himself in the ocean. Various folklore depicted that he tied himself to an anchor or hoisted one over his shoulders and wore two layers of armor to weigh himself down. Before he plunged himself into the ocean, Tomomori allegedly said, "I have seen all there is to be seen. All that it is left is death."

Kiyomori's second weapon is called Munemori, his third son and eldest child born from Tokiko. After the deaths of his two elder brothers, Munemori inherited the right to lead the clan. Munemori doesn't have a favorable reputation within historical records or folklore, often depicted as a disappointment to his father's legacy. Throughout his reign, he flaunted around the status of his family and chose to remain ignorant of its gradual ruin. Assuming his men possessed absolute vigor for their cause, Munemori repeatedly refused to surrender and tried to lead his clan to victory. Simultaneously, he wasn't gracious towards his followers nor did he seem to care for their well being. Indulging in his reputation and status, he was perhaps shocked when his family was at its wits end at Dan-no-Ura. He tried to swim to safety as the rest of his family committed suicide by drowning themselves. Apprehended by the Genji, Munemori was historically described as a pathetic coward who did nothing but weep endlessly during his days of imprisonment. Heike Monogatari often emphasizes that he was a foolish man who was conceited, arrogant, and jealous of his older brother, Shigemori.

Motomori is the original name for Kiyomori's third weapon. He was his father's second eldest son born from Takashina no Motoaki's daughter. A gifted youth who performed admirably in his duties, Motomori obediently took part in his father's suppression of the Genji riots. He was entrusted with guarding the roads of the capital and barred any stragglers who happened to cross his assigned paths. Doubting the rule of Emperor Takakura, he was entrusted a high political ranking with his brothers, Shigemori and Munemori. He died a sudden death at the age of twenty-four through unknown causes. According to Heike Monogatari, Motomori died due to illness.

Shigemori is the name for Kiyomori's fourth weapon and was Kiyomori's eldest son. He was Motomori's eldest biological brother. Known for his calm and gentle temperament, Shigemori was also a fearsome warrior during his services in war. In politics, he was virtuous with his rulings and well liked by the court. Since his mother came from a poor background, Shigemori sought to look after her and Motomori. When his younger brother died, it was Shigemori who kept Motomori's children within the family. He demonstrated considerable self-control and discipline in his conduct, rarely seen to be angered or upset. Within the narrative for Heike Monogatari, Shigemori is depicted as a positive, respectable figure and the model for future generations of his family. After he helped his father quell the Genji rebellions, Shigemori was responsible for dispelling the negative relations between Kiyomori and Emperor Go-Shirakawa. Shigemori met his end after being bedridden for six months due to illness. Upon his death, prosperous relations with the cloistered emperor completely fell apart and it wasn't long before Kiyomori lead troops to further deteriorate the emperor's political influence.

Voice Actors

 * Dave B. Mitchell - Warriors Orochi series (English-uncredited)
 * Ryūzaburō Ōtomo - Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Yuu Asakawa - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3

Quotes

 * See also: Kiyomori Taira/Quotes


 * "I cannot believe this was once the great Lord Kiyomori Taira I see before me."
 * "It matters not who I once was. It matters who I am now."
 * Ieyasu and Kiyomori; Warriors Orochi 2


 * "Tell me what I can do to save your soul?"
 * "Do not concern yourself. I have no interest in salvation."
 * Oichi and Kiyomori; Warriors Orochi 2 PSP


 * "You may be big like an elephant, but it should be worth the trouble swallowing you whole!"
 * "Gahahahaha... You wouldn't want to partake of my flesh, trust me."
 * Meng Huo and Kiyomori; Musou OROCHI Z


 * "Good timing, Wukong. Could you use your staff to get rid of these kinks in my shoulders?"
 * "Geez, you want me to use my staff for a massage? You sure know how to dream big, old man."
 * "Are you kidding? I'd much rather... Ooh... Aah... That's the stuff..."
 * Kiyomori and Sun Wukong; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "Lord Kiyomori! I have so much I wish to ask you! Ah, I never dreamed I would get to meet the great Kiyomori Taira! The Genpei Wars are history's finest..."
 * "Genpei Wars?"
 * "It is what those of us from the future call the conflict between the Taira and the Minamoto. Lord Kiyomori, you and I actually have a lot in common. For example, we both have great respect for Itsukushima Shrine, and repaired damage to it..."
 * "You mention the name of Itsukushima, but I can sense blood in your words... I sincerely hope that you did not spill blood on that sacred ground."
 * "Well, we did fight a battle there..."
 * "This is the ultimate insult! You would defile the sacred ground of the Taira, where our gods repose, with blood...?! ...But I am not a vengeful man. I forgive you. Hahaha! Besides, if the gods were angry, they would have punished you themselves. Whenever I come across one who has made a terrible mistake, I prefer to think of it as a joke. Motonari, your joke was truly hilarious, hahaha!"
 * "I see that you are every bit as enigmatic as the books say... This is another valuable lesson. I should be able to write a tremendous new work..."
 * Motonari and Kiyomori; Warriors Orochi 4

Gameplay

 * Note: Moveset is formatted as a Charge Attack-type moveset.

Ground Moveset

 * undefined, (undefined), (undefined): Taira's beads form a circle in front of him, and make a portal in the gap. On the first undefined, the circle launches a small molten boulder. If the player presses the second undefined, the gap shoots one giant fireball. On the third undefined, Kiyomori shoots five ice balls out of the gap.
 * , undefined, (undefined), (undefined): Kiyomori brings his prayer ring upwards to the right, then to the left. On the last hit,he swings his beads all the way back, sprouting a giant red-and-black shockwave.
 * ,, undefined, (undefined), (undefined): Kiyomori rushes his shoulder to the enemy, followed by a bead swing. He then throws his prayer beads into the air, lifting an enemy if in range, and brings it back down. If an enemy is caught, the beads are magnetized down, starting a red-and-black shockwave. If an enemy is not caught within the attack, the bead only starts a small earthquake.
 * ,, , undefined, (undefined), (undefined): Crouches, bringing the beads close then flings his back, shooting a purple laser out of the beads' gap, then does it a second time. Kiyomori then pulls his beads out, breaking the ring. Each bead explodes, making Kiyomori grow a green aura for a small period of time.
 * ,, , , , , : Three spins bringing his beads with him, followed by a red-and-black shockwave.
 * Walks with arms crossed, with separated beads flying around. In his True Musou version, he reassembles his beads briefly to perform two more hits before floating in the air. He disperses his beads to hit foes around him.


 * Dashing : lunges forward, skidding his chest along the ground and rolling back to his feet.
 * , : Jump, followed by a right-to-left swing.
 * , undefined: Kiyomori flips over and dives, head first, but catches himself with his hands, creating a small red-and-black shockwave.


 * R1: Kiyomori rushes forward with his arms reaching to grab someone. If he connects, he will crush his foe in a bear-hug that restores his health.


 * Triple Attack 1: Launches a gigantic meteor within a considerable distance.
 * Triple Attack 2: Hurls giant beads that explode upon impact.
 * Triple Attack 3: Causes the user to emanate negative energy while floating in mid-air.


 * Warriors Orochi 3
 * R1: Causes prayer beads to float in all directions and release waves of darkness that stun nearby foes.
 * , R1 (Ultimate only): Swings upward while in the air, causing prayer beads to separate and spin around Kiyomori momentarily. The beads then scatter on the ground and form small explosions.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: The horse stomps the ground making a small shockwave, if dashing the horse jumps a fairly long distance doing the same on landing.
 * , undefined: Aims his hand towards the ground, creating a small red-and-black shockwave at his right side.
 * ,, undefined: Three purple lightning bolts strike Kiyomori's right side.
 * ,, , undefined: The ring of beads levitates on the right side of Kiyomori, before a molten boulder drops out of the gap.
 * ,, , , , , : Leans to the right and does a series of swings.
 * His horse stampedes forward while surrounded by a destructive energy.

Weapons

 * See also: Kiyomori Taira/Weapons

Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: Nobody Wins a Quarrel

Trivia

 * In Koei-Tecmo's Tokyo Game Show 2011 Cosplay Contest the cosplayer Arumajiki Josui cosplayed as Warriors Orochi Kiyomori and won the grand prize. He was complemented by the judges for his surprisingly cheap yet genuine costume.