Sengoku Basara/Characters/Takeda Clan

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Takeda Clan

Takeda Shingen

Voiced by: Tessho Genda (Japanese), Mark Gibbon (Devil Kings), Chris Ayres (anime), Michael McConnohie (Samurai Heroes)

"I, Shingen, will become a tiger ruling over heaven and earth!"

Head of the Takeda from Kai Province, a Hot-Blooded old man whose fist sets things on fire. He is also known for his strategic genius too, being the rival of Uesugi "God of War" Kenshin. He has something like a father-son relationship with Yukimura. Wields a huge, mean axe on fire, and is too awesome for one horse so rides two instead.

He is known in Devil Kings as Red Minotaur.

Sanada Yukimura

Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi (Japanese), Andrew Francis (Devil Kings), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

"There is a time when a real man cannot back down, and that moment is now!"

Takeda Shingen's most loyal vassal and Hot-Blooded to a fault, he charges fearlessly into battle with two spears...which he dual wields. He is also the rival of Date Masamune, whose blue colors are a distinct contrast to Yukimura's red.

Goes by the name Scorpio in Devil Kings.

  • Actor Allusion: Nero and Dante's battle in Devil May Cry 4 was merely finishing what was started in Ancient Japan.
  • Badass
  • Bad Dreams: In the third game he repeatedly has a dream in which he is drowning and hearing voices. It becomes important later on.
  • Battle Butler: Yukimura lives to serve Takeda Shingen and has the ambition of a shoe. Shingen tries to educate him otherwise, noting that he will one day grow old and have to learn to take his place.
    • In the anime Yukimura seems to finally learn the lesson, and while his dream of the future still includes Shingen, he exclaims "I'm not going to be a tiger cub forever! One day I'm going to be the Tiger of Kai!"
      • As Shingen amusedly notes, by the end Yukimura pretty much orders him to keep out of the last fight.
  • Bishounen: Over time he's developed much more delicate features than some of the manlier characters.
  • Break the Cutie: Sort of, in the second season of the anime. Starting with losing to Masamune, he's sent on an important mission where his compassion and sense of honor leads him to make some bad decisions resulting in losing soldiers he's responsible for, leading to Heroic BSOD. Lampshaded by none other than Masamune who notes that purity and innocence won't get him too far in this era.
    • Fortunately he seems to overcome it eventually and come out of it stronger and with newfound self-confidence.
  • Brown Eyes: Made to look red in some art. He also gives the best puppy-dog looks. Observe.
  • Catch Phrase: "Burn, my soul!"
  • Chaste Hero: Doesn't know the first thing about sex, romance or relationships, and gets incredibly flustered whenever anyone mentions such things.
    • By the third game he seems to quite like the idea of getting married though.
  • Chewing the Scenery: About 80% of his lines are shouted with scenery-crunching fervency, and it's clear at the live shows that Hoshi is ready to lose his voice or pass out by the end of it.
  • Curtains Match the Window
  • Determinator: Ok, if stopping a freaking mobile castle on wheels with only your spears (and huge Battle Aura) doesn't count...
  • Dual-Wielding: With two spears! [[[Rule of Cool]] TWO SPEARS!]] Or if that's not crazy enough, there's two Sparda Swords, you read that right, TWO SPARDA SWORDS!
  • Fearless Fool: Shingen beats it out of him eventually...
  • Friendly Enemy: Yukimura has great respect for Masamune, and they work very well together as a team. Their developing friendship and rivalry is one of the main focuses of the anime.
  • Heroic BSOD: Happens in the anime after Shingen is supposedly killed. Masamune and Kojuro are forced to knock some sense into him with a manly Rousing Speech. Also occurs in Samurai Heroes for the exact same reason. Ends in relatively the same way.
    • Also in the second season of the anime, after he loses an important retainer (as well as half of his army) due to some bad decisions he had made.
  • Historical Beauty Update: Really?
  • Homoerotic Subtext: With Masamune, Sasuke and sometimes even Shingen. Though like Masamune he's shipped with practically every other male character.
  • Hot-Blooded: Hell yes. One of his in-game lines even has him scream it at the top of his voice to get himself worked up.
  • Hotblooded Sideburns: Much more prominent in the anime.
  • Idiot Hero: Yukimura's not really stupid - on the contrary, he's well spoken and educated - but he's 100% direct, doesn't think before he acts, and seldom seems to learn from his mistakes.
  • Incendiary Exponent: His feet have the ability to catch fire and kick your face in.
  • Japanese Pronouns: 'Sessha' / 'Soregashi', sometimes 'Ore'.
  • Keigo: Yukimura is notable for his very archaic and humble speech patterns (unlike Masamune or Keiji). He addresses everyone with respectful honorifics (such as "-dono") and punctuates his sentences with "de gozaimasuru" and "de gozaru", both very old and self-effacing versions of "desu". The only one he doesn't talk like that with is Sasuke, who is effectively his retainer, and he's been known to drop the keigo when he's supremely pissed.
  • Large Ham

Yukimura: "OYAKATA-SAMA!"
 Shingen: "YUKIMURA!"
OBSERVE!

    • In the dub, replace "OYAKATA-SAMA" with "YOUR LORDSHIP!"
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Yukimura generally does not think that plans more complicated than "charge at the enemy head-on" are very honorable. His very first educative punch by Shingen in the anime is for this sort of thinking.
    • In one Drama CD he accompanies Sasuke on a mission, and is outraged at his plan of sneaking in and doing the job under cover. Sasuke has to remind him that he's a ninja and sneaky attacks are his class's forte. And even then Yukimura gleefully ignores the plan, charges in spears blazing, and has to be dragged away by Sasuke.
  • Made of Iron: He gets punched by Shingen, a man who can cause a tornado to burst forth from his axe, on a daily basis and gets away with minor injuries.
    • At one point in the anime a Megaton Punch by Shingen apparently cures his broken arm.
  • Mr. Fanservice: Girls love his chest revealing jacket... also his anime design and the newest releases of official figures aren't helping him much by exposing his pelvic bones.
  • Jack of All Stats: Edging towards Fragile Speedster/Glass Cannon. He has less attack and defence than Masamune and no ranged attacks, but his attack and movement speeds and his reach are higher and (in the third game) he has the ability to Combo near infinitely due to finishing all his ground attacks with a forward dash.
  • Hachimaki: Flaps dramatically in the wind. Also plays an important part in the anime.
  • No Indoor Voice: Except when he's ruminating.
  • Parental Abandonment: A drama CD reveals that his father is dead, and his mother is never mentioned.
  • Playing with Fire
  • Red Baron: The Young Tiger, Red Riger or The Tiger's Cub, after his master.
  • The Rival/ Worthy Opponent: To Masamune.
  • Say My Name: "OYAKATA-SAMAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"
    • He also has a tendency to bark Sasuke's name whenever he's about to request something ridiculous of him.
    • And then there's the "DAAATEE MAASAAAMUUUNEEEE" "SAANAADAA YUKIIIMUUURRAAAAA" call, when he and Masamune get down to it.
  • Screaming Warrior: Good grief, boy's got some lungs!
    • In a seiyuu event where they had to switch roles for a few scenes, the seiyuu who had to voice Yukimura said they now felt sorry for Hoshi.
  • Shipper on Deck: In the anime, he firmly supports Sasuke's "engagement" with Kasuga. This is strange considering his normal reaction to any mention of love, but then again Sasuke is the closest thing he has to a friend.
  • Short Hair with Tail: An odd combination done with spiky Shounen Hair and a sleek ponytail.
  • Skilled but Naive: Pretty much defines him in terms of competence. The reason Yukimura's not considered one of the strongest opponents around is that while he has lots of potential, he simply hasn't had enough battle experience.
  • Sticks to the Back: His spears, apparently.
  • Sweet Tooth: Extra material gave him a fondness for dango, which the fandom then turned into his Trademark Favourite Food. In the second game, the Maedas bribed him with sweets.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Played in Samurai Heroes.
    • Also happens in the second season of the anime, as a result of him overcoming his Heroic BSOD.
  • Undying Loyalty
  • Unusual Eyebrows: The fiery sort, though they seem to be normal in his manga incarnations. Also, the fork is in a different place in the games (at the root of his eyebrows) and in the anime (at the end of his eyebrows).
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: Can't imagine why...
  • Younger Than They Look: Less extreme a case than Masamune, but it can still come as a surprise that he's only 17. (It explains his Idiot Hero tendencies, though. Somewhat.)

Sarutobi Sasuke

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), David Orth (Devil Kings), Michael Sinterniklaas (English)

"You should be glad having a nice guy like me as your opponent."

One of the Sanada Ten Braves, he is a ninja in the service of Takeda and often assists Yukimura. Sasuke is a jovial and laid back ninja, which puts him at odds with Kasuga, with whom he shares a friendly rivalry (though she doesn't look at it that way). However when the time calls, he can be deadly serious.

He is called Talon in Devil Kings.

  • Badass
  • Beleaguered Assistant: Being forced to look after a hyperactive teenager who refuses to listen to his advice seems to have affected Sasuke's ability to care.
  • Berserk Button: The one time so far he's issued an outright death-threat is if you defeat him during the Osaka Summer Siege, because he knows that Yukimura's up next.
  • Big Brother Mentor: He occasionally has moments like this with Yukimura.
  • Black Eyes: Make him slightly mysterious.
  • Bridal Carry: Does it multiple times in the anime. Rescuing people basically becomes his trademark.
  • Character Tics: Has a peculiar habit of assuming a half sitting, half standing position where he balances on one leg and rests the other on his opposite knee. Just how he manages to hold this position for long periods of time is a mystery.
  • Collared by Fashion
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Implied. All we know is that a lot of people died.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: One of the few examples in the series.
  • Demoted to Extra: Like Kojuro he is NPC in Sengoku Basara 3. And back to PC in Utage, just like Kojuro.
  • Dogged Nice Guy: Despite the fact that Kasuga tries to kill him a couple of times, he still attempts to win her heart.
  • Doppleganger Attack: Both his Basara attack and his Shadow Clone technique.
  • Dual-Wielding
  • Face Palm: Whenever Yukimura does something really stupid. Which is quite often...
  • Facial Markings: Camouflage paint on his nose and cheeks.
  • Fuuma Shuriken: Uses them for both short and long range combat.
  • Gentleman Snarker: A light-hearted example, though virtually everything he says is brimming with sarcasm. The only person exempt is Shingen, being his master and all.
  • Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: He hauls off and slaps Kasuga when she declares her intention to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Oda in the anime.
    • He slaps Yukimura in Utage when he's being too indecisive and jeopardising the clan.
  • Highly-Visible Ninja: Averted. He wears forest camouflage and is a master of stealth tactics, in contrast to the less careful Kasuga.
  • Hypercompetent Sidekick: Sasuke sure does a lot more than would generally be expected of a ninja to keep his master from running off and getting himself and/or everyone else killed.
  • I Have the High Ground: In the anime, notably, at one point he stands balanced on the very tip-top of a tall pine tree.
    • In the games he's seen a couple of times perched one-legged on one of Yukimura's spears.
  • Japanese Pronouns: 'Ore' / 'Ore-sama'
  • Just Whistle: In the anime, Sasuke gives Kasuga a flute and tells her to blow on it should she need help. When the time does come to use it, rather than making him appear as she had hoped, it turns into a rocket-powered glider that carries her off. Turns out he was using Kasuga as a guinea-pig to test the latest ninja gear.
  • Let's Get Dangerous: You don't wan't him to get serious, you really don't.
  • Living Emotional Crutch: Becomes this to Yukimura in SB3, who he has to give encouragement to do anything.
  • Ninja
  • Me's a Crowd: Tends to employ shadow clones in fights. He also interacts with them.
  • Master of Disguise: He has disguised himself as various people, including Yukimura, during Shingen's special "training". Of course, Yukimura doesn't suspect a thing...
  • Now That's Using Your Teeth: In the anime, Kasuga throws a kunai at his face, which he catches in his mouth.
  • Older Sidekick
  • Only Sane Man: Forced to put up with Shingen and Yukimura's crazy antics. Poor guy.
    • And for the setting as well. In a World of Ham filled with some pretty crazy personalities, he's pretty grounded compared to most.
  • Ravens and Crows: Has a crow familiar he uses to glide on.
  • The Rival: It varies between Kasuga, Kotaro and, in recent games, Kojuro.
  • Sir Swearsalot: One of the only people in the English dub of Samurai Heroes to swear.
  • Stepford Smiler: As much as he attempts to remain upbeat and comical, by Utage it's clear that Sasuke's finding it hard to cope with the pressure. Yoshitsugu in particular says he possesses much despair.
  • Super Senses: He's able to see things an incredibly long distance away clearly, as well as apparently having a heightened sense of hearing and smell.
  • The Tease: Predominately towards Kasuga, but virtually no one is safe from his snark.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: In Utage he reveals that he sees dispensable people as nothing more than "monkeys".
  • Wild Hair: Especially [dead link] in the third game. He looks like some sort of rock star.
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