______ @ @ /_____/\ __ __ ______ @@_______ ____@@ ______ \_____\/ / /\ / /\ / ___ /\/___ ___/\/ __ /\/ __ /\ / ___ /\ / /_-' / // / // / /\__/ /\__\/ /_/ / / /_/ / / / / // / / / __ < / / / // / / @@/ / / / __ / / __/ / / / // / / / / /\ \/ / /_// / / @@/ / / / / / / / /\ \ \/ / /_// / / /_/ / /_/\/______/ / @@/_/ @ /_/ /_/ /_/ /\_\ \/______/ / \_\/ \_\/\______\/ @ \_\/@@ \_\/\_\/\_\/ \_\/\______\/ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@ @@@ @@@@ @@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@_ @@@@@ @@@@ @@@@@/\_____\ @@@@@@@@ __@___\/__ _/ __________ ____@_ @ /\ ___\/\ \/\ \/\ __ __ \/\ __ \ @ @@ @\ \ \__/\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \_\ \ \ \ \_\ \@@ @@ @@@ @@@@@ \ \ _\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \/_/\ \ \ \ __ \@@@@@ @@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@ \ \ \/ \ \ \_\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ \ \_\ \ \_____\ \_\ \ \_\ \_\ \_\@@@@@@@@@ \/_/ \/_____/\/_/ \/_/\/_/\/_/ _ _/_\_ _/_|_|_\_ ._/_/_|_|_\_\_. _///|||\\\_ _/_/_/_|_\_\_\_ _/_/_/_/_|_\_\_\_\_ ._/_/_/_/_|_|_|_\_\_\_\_. _///////|||\\\\\\\_ _/_/_/_/_|_|_|_\_\_\_\_ _/_/_/_/_|_|_|_|_|_\_\_\_\_ _/_/_/_/_/_|_|_|_|_|_\_\_\_\_\_ ._/_/_/_/_/_/_|_|_|_|_|_\_\_\_\_\_\_. _^_ | | _^_ _/_|_\_ | SAMURAI WARRIORS II | _/_|_\_ _/_/_|_\_\_ | (c) Koei 2006 | _/_/_|_\_\_ ._/_/_|_|_|_\_\_. | Produced by Omega-Force | ._/_/_|_|_|_\_\_. |__ __|__________|_____ _____|__________|__ __| / ----- -----_____----- ----- \ / Kotaro Fuma Guide - Written and Compiled by Noah Sheldon \ / author_trinity (at) yahoo (dot) com \ /___________________________________________________________________________\ | | | T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S | |_________________________________________________________________________| /___________________________________________________________________________\ | | | I. Information................................................(10000) | | A. Introduction..........................................(11000) | | B. Historical Information................................(12000) | | C. How To Unlock.........................................(13000) | | II. Move List.................................................(20000) | | A. Normal Attacks........................................(21000) | | B. Charge Attacks........................................(22000) | | C. Special Attacks.......................................(23000) | | D. Musou Attacks.........................................(24000) | | E. Horse Attacks.........................................(25000) | | F. Other Attacks.........................................(26000) | | III. Weapons..................................................(30000) | | A. Obtaining The Thorns Of Peril.........................(31000) | | IV. Statistics................................................(40000) | | V. Story Mode.................................................(50000) | | A. Melee At Mikatagahara.................................(51000) | | B. Battle Of Osaka Bay...................................(52000) | | C. Siege Of Osaka Castle.................................(53000) | | D. Kotaro's Insurrection.................................(54000) | | E. Conquest For Kyushu...................................(55000) | | F. Kotaro's Dream: Defense Of Odawara Castle.............(56000) | | VI. Conclusion................................................(60000) | | A. Version History.......................................(61000) | | B. Contact Information...................................(62000) | | B. Credits...............................................(63000) | | C. Legal Information.....................................(64000) | |_________________________________________________________________________| @============================================================================@ | I N F O R M A T I O N (10000) | @============================================================================@ | I N T R O D U C T I O N (11000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Kotaro Fuma is an esoteric ninja from the Fuma Clan, an allied clan to the Hojo Clan of Odawara. He considers himself to be the God of Evil and an apostle of chaos and disorder. In his twisted mind, the longer that Japan avoids unification, the more that Kotaro can control the flow of events and sow discord. His primary enemies are Hanzo Hattori and Nene, and through them Ieyasu Tokugawa and Hideyoshi Toyotomi respectively. Ieyasu and Hideyoshi will inevitably become the unifiers of Japan unless Kotaro can prevent their efforts from succeeding. Kotaro, like the other ninja, is an agile, quick character and is often sent out on assassination and sabotage missions from his lords. However, unlike the other ninja, Kotaro only feigns loyalty to the Fuma. His true loyalty is to chaos. For this reason, his story mode is more interesting than most others in that you can't really pin him down to a certain master for long. Also, he seems to contain some sort of prophetic power. He successfully predicts the rise and fall of several prominent daimyos (Hideyoshi's rise and Nobunaga's fall) in some detail. He's a very intriguing character indeed. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | H I S T O R I C A L I N F O R M A T I O N (12000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ I have been corrected by several people (Alex Kuo, Hector David, and Andy Dickinson, among others) that Kotaro Fuma does, in fact, have historical basis in Japanese history. Kotaro Fuma is actually the title of the Hojo ninja leader and is passed down to each new leader. While it performs the function of a proper surname and personal name, it by no means belongs to one individual. However, the fifth leader of the Fuma Clan was the most active and famous of the Kotaro Fumas. This is the one the game used as its model. From the book entitled "Hojo: Five Generation Record," it described Kotaro Fuma as being "over two meters tall (above 6'8"), well-defined and muscular arms and legs, eagle-shaped and penetrating eyes, wide mouth below the mustache, with four sharpened teeth protruding out of the mouth, fair-colored skin, well- defined nose, and very loud voice. His shout can echo for five kilometers, how- ever, when talking quietly, his voice cracks and trembles." Kotaro was talented at gathering information and distracting enemy encampments during battle. He supported the Hojo from the shadows until their downfall. After the Tokugawa unified Japan, the Fuma Clan continued their resistance. In the year 1603, Kotaro was finally caught because of an informant in his own camp. After being brought before the Tokugawa officials, his execution was ordered and he was burnt to death. Upon his death, the Fuma Clan was also dis- banded. Although Kotaro Fuma, like many ninja of the time, was rumored to be a master at illusion and ninjutsu, there are actually no official records at the time of this. Instead, it would be more accurate to call him the Hojo's mercenary band leader. The Fuma Clan were also well-known for their cavalry skills, and most especially their brilliance of cavalry tactics during battle. The fifth Kotaro Fuma became well known for several feats during the Sengoku Period. The first was his masterful subterfuge during the battles between the Takeda and Hojo in 1580. Unfortunately, even the Fuma Clan could not stave off the fall of the Hojo to the Tokugawa, and the now-masterless Fuma were forced to become bandits and mercenaries. Yet Kotaro Fuma still managed to make a name for himself. His greatest accomplishment, although never confirmed, was the assassination of Hanzo Hattori in 1596. Much rumor and speculation surrounded the death of Hanzo, and the popular belief at the time was that Kotaro Fuma was responsible. However, his fame (or infame as it were) was short-lived. With the Hojo gone and his clan forced into petty theivery, it was not long before a ninja under the guidance of the Takeda but posing as a bandit informed the Meiji of the Tokugawa government of his whereabouts. Successfully captured, the master of the dark arts was burned to death. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | H O W T O U N L O C K (13000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Kotaro is initially available upon beginning any game. By completing his story mode, you can, in turn, unlock Hanzo Hattori. @============================================================================@ | M O V E L I S T (20000) | @============================================================================@ This is a list of all moves available to Kotaro. Kotaro's growth is primarily in his charge attacks, which means that you should probably purchase the Ele Charge Skill before the Element Skill simply because you'll find yourself using your charge attacks more often than the short string of normal attacks. For simplicity, the buttons square and triangle will be referred to as S and T. All attack names are my own to serve as a simple description of the actual attack. Some attacks are either forced-elemental attacks or weapon-elemental attacks. In the case of forced-elemental attacks, the attack will always use that element regardless of both the weapon's element (or lack thereof) or any Elemental-based Skills you might (or might not) have learned. However, a weapon-elemental attack simply means that the attack will carry the element of your equipped weapon (if it has an element, of course) and you have learned the skill required to activate the element. Normal Attacks are activated by the Element Skill. Charge Attacks are activated by the Ele Charge Skill. Musou Attacks already carry the element of your weapon, but a Normal Musou Attack's elemental affinity can be augmented by the Musou Power Skill, and True Musou Attacks can be augmented by the True Power Skill. Also, if an attack has a special quality, that will also be noted (ex: [Guard Break] means that the attack is guaranteed to break an enemy's guard stance). +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | NORMAL ATTACKS (21000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ S: Right Swipe: One swipe of his right hand. SS: Left Swipe: Adds a swipe with his left hand. SSS: High Kick: Adds a kick with his right leg. SSSS: Gut Punch: Adds a lower swipe with his right hand. SSSSS: Slide Right: Adds a right-forward slide with a punch. SSSSSS: Slide Left: Adds a left-forward slide with a punch. SSSSSSS: Double Slide: Adds a right and left slide again. SSSSSSSS: Chaos Blade: [Demon Element] Adds a backflip and sends out a blade of dark energy forward. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | CHARGE ATTACKS (22000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ T: Bear Hug: Stretches his arms wide and slashes. TT: Somersault: Adds several somersaults. TTT: Long Somersault: Adds some more somersaults. ST: Ground Pound: [Weapon Element] Launches enemies up. STT: --- Doesn't activate. STTT: --- Doesn't activate. SST: Elbow Jab: Slams forward with his elbow. SSTT: Flip Up: [Weapon Element] Adds an enemy launch. SSTTT: Chaos Orb: [Demon Element] Adds a Brace and sends out a ball of dark energy forward. SSST: Whirling Dervish: [Weapon Element] Spins in a wide circle. SSSTT: Tiger Claws: [Weapon Element] Adds four fist swats. SSSTTT: Lion Claws: [Weapon Element] Adds four more fist swats +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | SPECIAL ATTACKS (23000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ R1 + S: Assassin's Grasp: [Guard Break] Grab and throw an enemy. R1 + T: Four Horsemen: Summons four fireballs to throw at enemies +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MUSOU ATTACKS (24000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ One-Bar Musou: Mad Dash: Runs forward with blades twirling around. Two-Bar Musou: Crazy Dash: [Random Element] Same as Mad Dash but stronger and longer. Three-Bar Musou: Chaotic Dash: Spawns two clones and all three perform the strongest and longest Mad Dash. The clones will remain for moments thereafter. Double Musou: Heavenly Dash: [Lightning Element] Same as Mad/Crazy/ Chaotic Dash but with lightning affinity. True Musou: Infernal Dash: [Fire Element] Same as Mad/Crazy/Chaotic Dash but with fire affinity. +- -------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | HORSE ATTACKS (25000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Horse + T: Foreleg Stomp: Mount stomps with his front legs only. Running Horse + T:High Jump: Mount jumps up before stomping down hard. Horse + S: Arm Swipe: Swipes with his right hand once. Horse + SS: Back Swipe: Adds a backward swipe. Horse + SSS: Second Swipe: Adds another swipe with his right hand. Horse + SSSS: Double Swipe: Adds two more swipes in succession. Horse + SSSSS: Quadruple Swipe: Adds two more swipes in succession. Horse + SSSSSS: Sextuple Swipe: Adds two more swipes in succession. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | OTHER ATTACKS (26000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Running + S: Arm Tackle: Slides forward and pulls in close enemies. Jump + S: Wicked Blade: [Demon Element] Leaps up, spins, and sends out a blade of dark energy forward. Jump + T: Back Flip: A high backflip and a ground punch. Deadlock Victory: Punishment: Launches an enemy and uses a Back Flip. @============================================================================@ | W E A P O N S (30000) | @============================================================================@ All characters are capable of finding four different weapons of their specific type throughout the game. The first three weapons can be found by collecting weapon boxes during any stage and are simply different in their appearance and attack rating. Each of these weapons may have anywhere from zero to eight empty slots for statistical bonuses, although some of them might come pre- filled when you aquire the weapon. Also, weapons can contain an elemental affinity that will activate during certain attacks as long as the elemental skill has been learned for that attack type (Normal, Charge, or Musou). Each element adds a special property to the weapon's attack. Fire Elemental attacks catch the enemy on fire, causing the enemy a small amount of additional damage as long as the fire burns. Lightning Elemental attacks will increase the damage of an attack by a small amount and will also stun any enemies that are firmly on the ground for several moments before they topple over in shock. Ice Elemental attacks will freeze the enemy in place, allowing you to continue to attack the enemy until the ice breaks without a chance of the enemy moving or attacking. Wind Elemental attacks are capable of breaking through an enemy's guard stance to cause damage. It's usually not as useful as it sounds. And finally, the Demon (Death/Vorpal/Chaos/Shura) Element is guaranteed to deliver critical hits to officers and may instantly kill weaker enemies as well. Gauntlet Base Attack: +20 Chaos Guard Base Attack: +29 Demon Claws Base Attack: +37 Thorns of Peril Base Attack: +45 Element: Demon Bonuses: Life +19 Attack +37 Speed +38 Dexterity +17 Musou Charge +33 The Thorns of Peril are the perfect ninja weaponry in that they enhance the attributes that ninja excell in even moreso than usual: speed and dexterity. This weapon is highly recommended not only for the statistical bonuses, but also the fact that it contains the Demon element, which is difficult to collect in the first place. Frankly, unless you really want specific statistic bonuses other than the ones already on this weapon, you should stick with it. If you decide to farm a decent Demon Claws with the Demon Element instead but you want the weapon to be as powerful as the Thorns of Peril, count on using at least three slots of the eight on Attack bonuses because you need to add +49 points to your attack in order to match the +12 base and +37 bonuses to attack that the Thorns of Peril provide. However, if you're really leaning in another direction than speed and musou charging, feel free to try. Personally, I think this weapon works just fine as is. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | OBTAINING THE THORNS OF PERIL (31000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Mode: Story Difficulty: Hard or Chaos/Hell Stage: Defense of Odawara Castle Note: This is one of the most difficult ultimate weapons to get if you are playing a one-player game. However, it can be done. It is recommended that you max out all of the regular skills and at least attempt to learn the six rare skills to level one or higher. A level three Awakening skill can help you immensely, although it is certainly not necessary. Objectives: 1) Complete Mission: Destroy the seige ramp 2) Complete Mission: Protect Yasuhiro Ogasawara 3) Complete Mission: Defend the entrace to Odawara Castle 4) Complete Mission: Rescue Ujiteru Hojo 5) Complete Mission: Rescue Ujimasa Hojo 6) Complete Mission: Prevent the destruction of the main keep 7) Complete Task: Prevent Nene's assassination attempt 8) Collect the weapon on the first floor of Odawara Castle 9) Defeat Hideyoshi Toyotomi to end the stage Please use the Defense of Odawara Castle walkthrough near the end of this guide for a complete walkthrough of each mission/task and the easiest order to complete them in (which is technically listed above). However, I have placed some important notes below for those having trouble keeping officers alive long enough to complete their missions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. I can't seem to get the weapon even when I follow your guide. How come? Well, you need to make sure of three things, really. The first is that you are playing this stage on either Hard or Chaos/Hell difficulty. If not, try again under either of those difficulties (although Hard is plenty difficult, trust me!). The second problem could be that Yasuhiro Ogasawara, the officer in the southwest garrison, is either dead or has not yet arrived at the main gate by the time you have completed all of the other objectives aside from his mission. If that's the case, simply help him over to the main gate and the prompt should appear that a rare item was discovered in the castle. The final problem could be that you either failed one of the other missions or forgot to cue them in the first place before completing them. If you destroy the seige ramp before the mission cues, for instance, you won't get credit for the mission! So be careful of that. Otherwise, you may need to simply try the stage again and switch the order of your missions slightly and see if that works for you. I did this stage five times before I got the weapon, and the main problem I had was that I was doing the missions in an order that would inevitably lead to someone dying by the time I got to Ujimasa. 2. I'm having trouble finishing all of the missions successfully. Any tips? Try playing through the stage at least once on easy mode. I know, it sounds silly. However, on easy mode, you have a little bit of leeway on how you want to complete the stage and timing isn't such an issue. Use it to memorize the route you want to take. You may find that partially completing several missions is more helpful to you than completing one mission and then rushing to the next. For instance, if your speed is high enough, you can help Yasuhiro Ogasawara out in several places without actually dedicating much time to him. Defeat one officer before the seige ramp appears. Then destroy the seige ramp. Then defeat another officer near Yasuhiro. Then protect the main gate and the north gate. Then defeat Sakon Shima once Yasuhiro enters the southern garrison and escort him toward the main gate again. Then hop over the wall and defeat the Tokugawa reinforcements and save Ujimasa. Then defeat Nene and her explosive plans. Finally, help out Yasuhiro again if he still isn't at the main gate. This way, you're not bound to him for several minutes while every- one else suffers. In fact, I highly recommend the above solution if you're having serious trouble with this weapon. The same can be done for the Tokugawa reinforcements. Defeat three, then head into the castle and stop Nene and her plans, and then defeat the other three Tokugawa reinforcements after the castle and Ujimasa are safe. As long as the missions are completed, it doesn't really matter HOW you do them. 3. I can't find the weapon after it appears! Where is it? The weapon is located on the first floor of the actual castle. If you descend from the second floor onto the first floor, there is a doorway just to the right of the stairs that opens into a larger room. There is a doorway to the left of you once you enter the room that exits the castle into the courtyard where Ieyasu and his two officers were. However, directly ahead of you is a yellow item box. If you destroy it, you should find a special weapons box that contains Kotaro's fourth weapon. @============================================================================@ | S T A T I S T I C S (40000) | @============================================================================@ Name | New | Max | Gain Level 0: Title: Ninja of the Hojo -----------+-----+-----+----- Level 3: Normal Attack (SSSSS, SSSSSS) Life: | 108 | 267 | +159 Level 5: Charge Attack (TT, STT) Musou: | 100 | 300 | +200 Level 10: Charge Attack (SSTT, SSSTT) Attack: | 88 | 176 | +88 Level 11: Title: Master Fuma Defense: | 85 | 171 | +86 Level 13: Normal Attack (SSSSSSS, SSSSSSSS) Ride: | 100 | 193 | +93 Level 16: Charge Attack (TTT, STTT) Speed: | 126 | 196 | +70 Level 19: Charge Attack (SSTTT, SSSTTT) Dexterity: | 150 | 200 | +50 Level 21: Title: Fiend of Hakone Luck: | 87 | 183 | +96 Level 31: Title: The Catalyst Level 41: Title: Plague Upon Man Base Skills: Level 50: MAX LEVEL - Chaos Incarnate 1. Sickle 1 Personal Skill: 2. Rage 1 3. Chaos 1 Facility @============================================================================@ | S T O R Y M O D E (50000) | @============================================================================@ _,--@--,_ ==," @@@@@@@ ".==================================================:==:========= / @@@@@ \ _.-"^ "-._ | @@@ | M E L E E A T _.-" '"-._.-"' "-._ | @@@@@@ @@@@@@ | M I K A T A G A H A R A "-._ _.-" "-._ _.-" \ @@@@@ @@@@@ / "-._ _.-" =="@ @@@ @@@ @"=================================================="-"========== "-.,,,.-" KOTARO FUMA vs. ODA-TOKUGAWA vs. TAKEDA ARMY (51000) ============================================================================== MOVIE: "Headfirst into Chaos" I am Kotaro Fuma. God of Evil. I am the black soul of chaos. INTRODUCTION: A clan of ninjas known as the Fuma served the Hojo in Kanto. Led by the mysterious Kotaro fuma, their past remained shrouded in mystery. The year was 1572... The Hojo clan's ally, Shingen Takeda, set forth to capture the capital. On his way there, he lured Ieyasu Tokugawa's forces out into the open at Mikata- gahara, driving them to the brink of destruction. Ieyasu's men fought back bravely, as they struggled to save their very lives. Kotaro Fuma, a ninja in the sevice of the Hojo, obeyed his master's request to aid the Takeda and set out to join them at Mikatagahara. "Shingen wants to put an end to my fun. I can't have that." "Chaos can never be satiated." +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MELEE AT MIKATAGAHARA | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Conditions for Victory: Defeat Ieyasu Defeat Shingen | | Conditions for Defeat: Kotaro is defeated Kotaro or Ieyasu is defeated | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Kotaro Fuma | Oda-Tokugawa | Takeda Army | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Kotaro Fuma | Hanzo Hattori (IT) | Katsuyori Takeda | | | Yoshinobu Natsume (IT) | Masanobu Kosaka | | | Tadatsugu Matsui (IT) | Masatoyo Naito | | | Kyuzabaro Suzuki (IT) | Nobukimi Anayama | | | Tadakatsu Honda | Masatane Hara | | | Yasumasa Sakakibara | | | | Kazumasa Ishikawa | | | | Toranosuke Aoyama | | | | Nabumori Sakuma | | | | Kazumasu Takigawa | | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Ieyasu Tokugawa | Ieyasu Tokugawa | Shingen Takeda | | | | Nobukado Takeda | | | | Nobutoyo Takeda | | | | Nobufusa Baba | | | | Nobushige Oyamada | | | | Masakage Yamagata | | | | Moritomo Saegusa | | | | Masatsugu Tsuchiya | | | | Sakon Shima | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Find the real Ieyasu Tokugawa ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Start the stage by heading out of your main camp toward any of the enemy officers (all of which are part of the Oda-Tokugawa Army) to cue this misson. Your goal is to discover which one of the four Ieyasu Tokugawa clones is the real thing. As you defeat each one, you will discover that they are really just regular enemy officers disguised as Ieyasu. The generals are actually Yoshinobu Natsume, Tadatsugu Matsui, Kyuzabaro Suzuki, and Hanzo Hattori. If you either defeat Hanzo Hattori, defeat the other three officers, or complete the mission titled "Foil Toranosuke Aoyama's magic," the mission will be successfully completed. The only way to fail is if you decide to go after the Takeda Army instead and allow all four of the disguised officers to survive for a while. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Enter the east garrison from the ninja path ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you go near the ninja path on the eastern side of the map, this mission will cue. It is self-explanatory. If you use the ninja path marked as a green line on the minimap and head north on it, you should drop down right next to the east garrison and successfully complete the mission. The only ways to fail the mission are to enter the garrison using another route or allowing time to pass without attempting the mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Foil Toranosuke Aoyama's magic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you completed the ninja path mission successfully, you should drop down right next to the east garrison. Conveniently, Toranosuke Aoyama is the officer in charge of the east garrison, and he is also the one responsible for the Ieyasu Tokugawa clones. By defeating him, you will succeed at this mission. Doing so will also automatically make any remaining Ieyasu Tokugawa clones disappear (Hanzo Hattori aside) and you will complete that mission as well. The only way to lose this mission is to allow Toranosuke Aoyama to live. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OBJECTIVE: Defeat Ieyasu Tokugawa ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In order to make the stage progress, you need to defeat the final Ieyasu Tokugawa on the western side of the map that remains after Toranosuke Aoyama's magic has failed. Although this is not a formal mission, you still need to complete it in order to draw out the real Ieyasu Tokugawa and, conversely, the rest of the Takeda Army. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVENT: Shingen's Main Unit appears ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After defeating Ieyasu Tokugawa un-officially, he will disappear and Kotaro will proclaim that Hanzo Hattori is behind the charade. The real Ieyasu Toku- gawa will appear to the east and begin heading toward your main camp. At the same time, the Takeda Army will receive their reinforcements: Shingen Takeda, Nobukado Takeda, Nobutoyo Takeda, Nobufusa Baba, Nobushige Oyamada, Masakage Yamagata, Moritomo Saegusa, Masatsugu Tsuchiya, and Sakon Shima! With such a daunting task ahead, Kotaro only makes it worse by placing a wager with Shingen Takeda that he can reach Shingen before the Fuma main camp falls. The chase is on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent Ieyasu Tokugawa from reaching the castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As you get close to Ieyasu Tokugawa, this mission should automatically cue. If Ieyasu has already entered your main camp, however, you will not receive this mission, so make sure to head straight over to Ieyasu to ensure that you lose out on the mission reward here. If you can manage to take down Ieyasu without him setting foot inside your main camp, you will succeed with the mission. To lose the mission you simply need to allow Ieyasu to enter the main camp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent the Takeda Army from entering Hamamatsu Castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upon approaching any of the Takeda Army officers to the southwest, the mission should cue. Your task is to defeat Masakage Yamagata, Moritomo Saegusa, Masat- sugu Tsuchiya, and Sakon Shima before any of them can enter Hamamatsu Castle (also known as your main camp). Essentially, if you head straight over to the generals in this area and dispatch them quickly after defeating Ieyasu, you should have little problem in preventing them from entering the castle. The only exception might be Sakon Shima. Although he is not in hyper mode, his move set does allow him to occasionally catch you off guard between attacks if he successfully blocks the first set. However, if you have been diligently killing officers up to now, you should have a level or two under your belt and a handle on Kotaro's move set. The only way to lose this mission is to allow one of the four officers to enter Hamamatsu Castle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OBJECTIVE: Defeat all remaining Takeda Officers and defeat Shingen Takeda ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The only task left is to complete the conditions for victory, which would be to defeat Shingen Takeda before Ieyasu is defeated (which should be about never now that you've dispatched the southwestern contingent). Cleaning up the last Takeda officers will net you another level or two. Shingen Takeda will be waiting for you in his camp in the northeast. Simply kill him to end the stage. @@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ====@@@_--_@@@=============================================@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@= @@ " @@@@ " @@ @@@@ @@@@ @@ /@@, @@ ,@@\ @@ B A T T L E A T @@@@ @@ |@" , , "@| @@ O S A K A B A Y @@@@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@ ".@" "@." @@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ ==@@@@ " " @@@@===========================================@@@@==========@@@@= @@@ @@@ KOTARO FUMA vs. ODA ARMY vs. HONGANJI-MORI ARMY (52000) ============================================================================== INTRODUCTION: Shingen was slain at Mikatagahara, and without their leader the Takeda fell. Kotaro took charge, forcing the Tokugawa to surrender and claimed vast new territory for the Hojo. Meanwhile, Nobunaga Oda was busy in central Japan as he battled with the temple Honganji and its allies the Mori for control of Osaka Bay. Taking an interest in the man who was widely known as the "Demon King," Kotaro went to Osaka bay to see Nobunaga in person... "The Demon King? Here's one demon who rejects his rule." "Chaos is never satiated." +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | BATTLE OF OSAKA BAY | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Conditions for Victory: Defeat Nobunaga | | Conditions for Defeat: Kotaro is defeated | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Kotaro Fuma | Oda Army | Honganji-Mori Army | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Kotaro Fuma | Mitsuhide Akechi | Rairen Shimozuma | | | No | Shigeyasu Suzuki | | | Sadakatsu Murai | Chuko Shimozuma | | | Toshimitsu Saito | Yorichika Shichiri | | | Hidemitsu Akechi | Rairyu Shimozuma | | | Nobumori Sakuma | Narihide Kodama | | | | Harutada Inoue | | | | Munekatsu Nomi | | | | Motoyoshi Murakami | | | | Yoshimitsu Murakami | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | | Nobunaga Oda | Terumoto Mori | | | Hideyoshi Hashiba | Takeyoshi Murakami | | | Ranmaru Mori | Sukeyasu Innoshima | | | Yoshitaka Kuki | Michiyasu Kurushima | | | Kazumasu Takigawa | Magoichi Saika | | | Nobutada Oda | | | | Toshiie Maeda | | | | Narimasa Sassa | | | | Hidemasa Hori | | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Capture the Mori navy's island stopover ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You begin the stage on a boat in the southwest side of the map. Just to the west is an island containing the treasures of the Ikko monks. You might as well take the time to collect some gold and a weapons box as well as delay the Mori navy from assisting the Honganji. You are, after all, the soul of chaos. Defeat Yoshimitsu Murakami in the heart of the island and the island will be yours. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Destroy the Mori navy before it reaches the shore ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As you approach the middle of the Mori navy's ships, you should receive a message to stop the Mori navy from reaching the shore. The Mori navy is, in fact, no more than an advance force for the real navy. However, you should still take the time to stop them. The navy is made up of three officers: Harutada Inoue, Munekatsu Nomi, and Motoyoshi Murakami. Obviously, to succeed in the mission requires that you defeat all three generals before they can get off the ships. Therefore, the only way to lose the mission is to allow one of them to get off the ships. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Do not let the reconciliation succeed ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You may want to defeat the Oda officers Sadakatsu Murai and Nobumori Sakuma in this area before moving on, as you won't be back this way for a little while. However, once you reach the shore you should cue a mission to prevent the Oda and Honganji from reuniting in the fortress in the northeast. There are two ways to succeed at this mission. You can either defeat Mitsuhide before he enters the fort or defeat Yorichika Shichiri before Mitsuhide arrives. Either way, if one party is missing the mission will succeed for you. The only way to lose the mission is to allow the two officers to meet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVENT: Nobunaga's Main Unit appears ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once the reconcilliation fails (or succeeds if you fail the mission), Nobunaga and his retainers will arrive at the fortress in the northwest and begin to attack the Honganji in earnest. Before you go running off to battle in the south, however, you might want to consider defeating the two remaining enemy officers in this area: Toshimitsu Saito of the Oda and Shigeyasu Suzuki of the Honganji. As soon as possible, head down through the Honganji Castle to find that the Oda have another card up their sleeve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVENT: The Oda navy appears ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two large warships are suddenly parked outside the Honganji Castle and they immediately begin to fire their cannons at the Honganji. You'll notice that Honganji morale will begin to plummet and the Oda will gain a strong advantage at this point, so make sure to get down to the temple before the Oda begin to advance, otherwise you will miss the next mission! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent the Oda Army from entering Honganji Castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The warships not only brought plenty of cannonballs, but also several troops intent on taking over Honganji Castle in Nobunaga's name. Your task now is to defeat all four Oda officers without allowing any of them to enter the castle. While previous "prevent entry" missions have been pretty simple, this one is a bit more difficult because the four officers are split into two groups of two. One group, attacking from the western gate, is made up of Toshiie Maeda and Hidemasa Hori. The other group, attacking from the southern gate, is made up of Kazumasa Takigawa and Ranmaru Mori. As usual, Ranmaru is a special officer and will be more difficult to defeat than the other generic officers. However, he is still pretty easy to get the better of if you take advantage of the close quarters of the ships and shoreline and simple juggle Ranmaru against the invisible barriers in the area. Victory will be yours if you can prevent the castle from being breached. Failure simply requires that you wait patiently for the Oda to advance into the castle from either gate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVENT: The Mori navy appears ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Somewhere around this time, the Mori navy should appear to assist the Honganji in their now-inevitable retreat. At the moment, however, they are too far away to be of any use to the Honganji, so don't worry about them just yet. Instead, focus on defeating any remaining Honganji generals on the shore and in the castle because you won't be coming back this way again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Do not allow Rairen Shimozuma to retreat ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By now you should notice that a lot of missions are appearing at once. If you managed to fight your way onto the warships, you'll also trigger a mission to stop them from firing on the Honganji. However, we'll save that for later. In addition, Magoichi Saika appeared with the Mori navy and is intent on exacting some revenge upon Nobunaga Oda. But the most pressing issue is to stop Rairen Shimozuma from retreating onto the Mori navy boats. With the south somewhat clear of enemies, he will have a straight shot to his escape point, so make sure to be in his way as soon as the mission comes up. Defeat the Honganji officer to succeed in this mission, or allow him to retreat and lose if you like. But that would be silly, wouldn't it? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Stop the Oda navy from firing on the Honganji ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Even though you have effectively taken care of any Honganji resistance by now, Kotaro is determined to undermine both sides of this battle, so it would be in your best interest to also stop the Oda warships from firing on the fleeing Honganji. Each warship is controlled by a single officer. The southeastern ship is controlled by Yoshitaka Kuki while the northwestern ship is controlled by Hideyoshi Hashiba. Defeating both will stop the warships and even out the morale of all armies a little bit more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent Magoichi Saika's assassination attempt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This mission probably appeared for you as soon as Magoichi Saika appeared in the northeast. However, you should have a bit of time to get to Magoichi before he can cross the map to Nobunaga's camp. However, if you're worried about failing this mission, you can always head straight to Magoichi as soon as he shows up and then work your way south through the warships and then kill the fleeing Rairen Shimozuma as he draws near his escape point. To succeed in this mission simply requires that you defeat Magoichi Saika before he can kill Nobunaga Oda. Play it safe and kill him before he enters the Oda camp, because Nobunaga will quickly fall to him otherwise. Obviously, you will not only lose the mission, but also the battle if you allow Magoichi to succeed, so by all means make sure to stop Magoichi here and now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent the Mori Army from entering the Oda main camp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You should, by now, be concentrating exclusively on the final few officers on the western and northern sides of the map. If you've been hustling around so far, you should be in good shape here. However, the Mori Army officers are no slouches, so make sure to head up to Nobunaga's main camp as soon as you can to prevent the Mori officers from slipping into the Oda main camp before you can trigger the mission. If you're in the area, the mission should appear as long as the Oda camp is unharassed. You simply need to defeat officers Teru- moto Mori, Takeyoshi Murakami, Sukeyasu Innoshima, and Michiyasu Kurushima before they enter the Oda main camp. As usual, failure is simply a matter of patience until they enter the camp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OBJECTIVE: Defeat any remaining officers and defeat Nobunaga Oda ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finally, the battle is almost over. If there are any officers in either the Oda or Honganji-Mori armies still alive (No and Nobunaga aside), feel free to dispatch of them about now. Otherwise, if you head into the Oda main camp you will be greeted by the demonic couple. Defeat No if you want for some bonus experience, or simply take on Nobunaga to end this lengthy battle. _,--@--,_ @ ==," @@@@@@@ ".==================================================@==@V@==@==== / @@@@@ \ @V@ @V@ @V@ | @@@ | S E I G E O F @V@_@V@_@V@ | @@@@@@ @@@@@@ | O S A K A C A S T L E (XXXXXXXXXXX) \ @@@@@ @@@@@ / \XXXXXXXXX/ =="@ @@@ @@@ @"====================================================\XXX/====== "-.,,,.-" TOKUGAWA-HOJO vs. TOYOTOMI vs. ASSASSINS (53000) ============================================================================== MOVIE: "Incident at Honnoji" June, 1582 - The temple Honnoji, in Kyoto Nobunaga Oda, betrayed by his retainer, Mitsuhide Akechi, vanished forever in a sea of flame. INTRODUCTION: Having wreaked havoc in Osaka Bay, a satisfied Kotaro left after he saw the shadow of death looming over Nobunaga. Later, Kotaro's intuition proved correct when Nobunaga was assassinated at Honnoji by one of his own retainers. Following this dramatic development, Hideyoshi Toyotomi began a quest to unify the land. Kotaro, however, preferred the chaos. To ensure the continuation of Japan's dark age, he led the allied Hojo-Tokugawa forces to attack Hideyoshi's Osaka Castle. And to make things even more interesting, he challenged Hanzo Hattori, a ninja in service of the Tokugawa, to see who could be the first to slay Hideyoshi... "Let's play a game, conqueror. The loser forfeits his head." "Chaos is never satiated." MOVIE: "Bitter Rivals" +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | SEIGE OF OSAKA CASTLE | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Conditions for Victory: Defeat Hideyoshi | | Conditions for Defeat: Either Ujimasa or Ieyasu is defeated, or Hanzo | | defeats Hideyoshi | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Tokugawa-Hojo | Toyotomi Army | Assassins | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Ieyasu Tokugawa | Hideyoshi Toyotomi | | | Ujimasa Hojo | Masanori Fukushima | | | Hanzo Hattori | Magoichi Saika | | | Ina | Hidemasa Hori | | | Yasumasa Sakakibara | Tadaoki Hosokawa | | | Kotaro Fuma | Hidetsugu Hashiba | | | Ujinao Hojo | Hideie Ukita | | | Ujiteru Hojo | Tsuneoki Ikeda | | | | Kanbei Kuroda | | | | Kiyomasa Kato | | | | Yoshiaki Kato | | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ | | Koroku Hachisuka | Hanzo Hattori | | | Mitsunari Ishida | | | | Yoshitsugu Otani | | | | Yukinaga Konishi | | | | Nene | | +------------------------+------------------------+------------------------+ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Open the west gate ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The stage opens in the Hojo main camp on the west side of the map. As the action gets underway, you'll soon discover that this is a race against time to kill Hideyoshi Toyotomi before Hanzo Hattori. In addition, you will have two main camps to protect and a castle to storm. To start with, you should dis- patch any enemy officers in the area. Hidemasa Hori should be near you, and Hideie Ukita is just to the south. After defeating both officers, head north and use the ninja path at the top of the map to enter Osaka Castle. Defeat Yoshiaki Kato in this area and check the nearby area for signs of an enemy storehouse as well. It is either here or on the opposite side of the castle. If it's here, skip down to the storehouse mission and complete that. Either way, you should head south into the castle until you cue the opening of Osaka Castle's west gate. Kanbei Kuroda will also trap Ina in the eastern wing of the castle around this time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent the enemy from entering the Hojo main camp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You should immediately head back to the Hojo main camp because Tsuneoki Ikeda will charge out of the newly-opened west gate. Once the chatter dies down, you should receive the mission cue as long as Tsuneoki Ikeda is still alive and not inside your main camp. Now, you simply have to defeat him before he can enter the Hojo main camp to succeed. There are two ways to lose the mission. You can either let Tsuneoki Ikeda charge into the main camp or kill him before the mission cues. Around this time, Koroku Hachisuka will appear in a garrison in the south-central area of the map and begin charging the Tokugawa main camp. As you should suspect by now, you'll need to get down there to avoid the Tokugawa main camp's fall. However, there are a few things to accomplish beforehand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Seize control of the Outer Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Head into the castle once Tsuneoki Ikeda is defeated and aim for the blinking red dot that should have cued earlier in the stage. Magoichi Saika is raining down cannonballs on your main camp from the Outer Ward, so your mission is to stop him before your morale plummets. On harder difficulties, Magoichi can be a pain, but if you spam your upper charge attacks you should be fine. Once he is defeated, the mission will succeed. The only way to lose this mission is if you leave him alive for a while and your morale drops sufficiently low. As soon as you defeat Magoichi, head south to find Hidetsugu Hashiba and defeat him as well since he's in the area. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Open all gates to the Main Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now that the Outer Ward is yours, you should aim to rescue the Tokugawa main camp. However, to get out of Osaka castle requires that you open up the main gates to the south. Head east from the Outer Ward to encounter Masanori Fukushima and his troops. Defeat him to open both the main south gate and the south gate to the Main Ward (confusing, I know). The main south gate is the one leading to the Tokugawa main camp (and is south of Masanori Fukushima's original position) while the south gate to the Main Ward is just north of Masanori Fukushima's original position and leads deeper into the castle. Once you leave the castle for the Tokugawa main camp, defeat Tadaoki Hosokawa since he should be loitering just beyond the gate to the south. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent the enemy from entering the Tokugawa main camp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By now, Koroku Hachisuka should be nearing the Tokugawa main camp. Hopefully he hasn't already broken through the troops in front of it, otherwise this mission will not cue. If it does, your job is simply to defeat him before he can enter the main camp. As with other missions of this nature, you can only lose by allowing the officer to enter the main camp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Rescue Ina ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Heading east from the Tokugawa main camp, you should drop down into the moat here and then ascend the eastern stairs to encounter a Defense Captain outside the eastern wing of the castle. Defeat the Defense Captain to open the gate and then rush inside. Ina has long since been trapped by Kanbei Kuroda, so you need to make quick work of him before she starts to lose health. If your pre- vious missions have been going too slow, she may already be dead, so try to get here as quickly as possible. Once Kanbei Kuroda falls, Ina is saved. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Seize the Main Ward ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now that both main camps have been saved and your officers are advancing into Osaka Castle, you should head into the previously-opened Main Ward to cue the arrival of the Toyotomi reinforcements: Mitsunari Ishida, Yoshitsugu Otani, and Yukinaga Konishi. Defeating all three of them will open the south gate of the castle. This task is not essential to victory, however. If you're having trouble with Mitsunari Ishida, feel free to avoid the Main Ward entirely and continue on with the walkthrough because you won't be entering the castle from the south anyway. This task has been included simply for the sake of com- pletion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Seize the storehouse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The storehouse can be indentified on the map by the location of Hidenaga Hashiba. He will either be camped out in the far northwest or the far north- east. Either way, you should make an excursion to either area sometime during the stage and defeat him once the mission cues to lower the enemy morale significantly. As far as I'm aware, you cannot lose this mission unless you decide to finish the stage without completing the mission. Once the storehouse falls, head to the far northeast to do battle with Kiyomasa Kato, who is guarding the east gate of the castle. Once he falls, head into the castle from this direction. You may want to bring Ina in with you if she is nearby since you have a tricky battle ahead. However, be careful not to allow Hanzo Hattori in as well. He will be getting close by now, and if he slips past you he will make quick work of Hideyoshi. If you see him in the distance, just head inside to at least cue the next mission on the second floor to avoid losing the stage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Defeat the assassins ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As soon as you ascend to the second floor of the castle, you will be ambushed by both Nene and Hanzo Hattori, regardless of where the latter was on the map a moment ago. This mission can sometimes save your life if Hideyoshi is about to die at Hanzo's hands because it will pull Hanzo back down to the second floor and give you a bit of time before Hanzo's bodyguards kill Hideyoshi. The task here is to defeat both Nene and Hanzo Hattori to open the stairs to the third floor of the castle. You MUST defeat both of them to finish the stage successfully, so it may be a good idea to use an Interim Save here in case you are eternally juggled by the two agile ninjas (it happens more than you think) or are playing on the harder difficulties. I would recommend defeating Nene first because she seems to be the more aggressive of the two, ironically. She often gets a quick attack in behind you if you focus on Hanzo first, and that can get annoying after a while. Plus, her defense is slightly lower. Once both ninjas have been defeated, the way to the third floor will open. And if you followed my hint to bring Ina into the castle with you, this battle will be much easier if she can distract one of the ninjas for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OBJECTIVE: Defeat Hideyoshi Toyotomi ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ At last, you face Hideyoshi Toyotomi on the third floor. It seems somewhat anti-climatic after the last task, but he can still put up a good fight given his wide range of attack and speed. Take a moment to collect the treasure in the room if you want and then wail on Hideyoshi Toyotomi until he falls. The stage ends once you achieve victory here. _,--@--,_ @@ ==," @@@@@@@ ".====================================================@@@@======= / @@@@@ \ @@@@@@ | @@@ | K O T A R O ' S @@@@@@@@ | @@@@@@ @@@@@@ | I N S U R R E C T I O N @@ @@ \ @@@@@ @@@@@ / @@@@ @@@@ =="@ @@@ @@@ @"==============================================@@@@@@====@@@@@@= "-.,,,.-" FUMA-TOKUGAWA vs. HOJO-DATE @@@@@@@@ (54000)@ ============================================================================== INTRODUCTION: Kotaro assassinated Hideyoshi and the land was thrown into chaos once again. The Hojo clan used this chance to assert its power. Through further campaigns, they became Japan's strongest feudal clan and forced even Masamune Date, lord of Oshu, to serve them. Growing bored as things settled down, Kotaro decided to betray the Hojo and gathered together the remnants of the Tokugawa clan to attack the Hojo castle at Odawara. "The Hojo are so dull, but it might be fun to watch them die." "Chaos is never satiated." +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | KOTARO'S INSURRECTION | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Conditions for Victory: Defeat Ujimasa and Ujinao Defeat Masamune | | Conditions for Defeat: Ieyasu is defeated | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Fuma-Tokugawa | Hojo-Date | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Kotaro Fuma | Ujimasa Hojo | | Ieyasu Tokugawa | Ujinao Hojo | | Tadakatsu Honda | Ujimitsu Hojo | | Hanzo Hattori | Naosada Hojo | | | Ujitada Hojo | | | Ujitaka Hojo | | | Ujifusa Hojo | | | Norihide Matsuda | | | Tanenaga Hara | | | Yoshitake Mibu | | | Ujinaga Narita | | | Masayo Ito | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Ina | Naoshige Chiba | | Naomasa Ii | Ujiteru Hojo | | Yasumasa Sakakibara | Norisada Ueda | | | Ujinori Uesugi | | | Masamune Date | | | Kojuro Katakura | | | Shigezane Date | | | Tsunamoto Oniniwa | | | Kageyori Yashiro | | | Munezane Shiroishi | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Do not allow Ujimasa Hojo to escape the castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It seems that Kotaro has put up with his Hojo masters for long enough. As the lord of chaos, it's his job to stir up trouble, after all. You will begin the stage on the second floor of Odawara Castle while Ujimasa Hojo comments on the fact that they rely on your skills a lot. Head up to the third floor to encounter Ujimasa Hojo, who quickly realizes that he has been trapped. He will begin to flee down the castle floors toward Ujinao Hojo, and you need to prevent word of your defection from reaching him for now. Your task is to stop Ujimasa before he leaves the castle. Frankly, this shouldn't be too hard to accomplish given the fact that he flees the entire time and puts up little fight along the way. If you allow him to escape, prepare for the enemy army to gain a large portion of morale and the fight to get much tougher. I will assume that you haven't let him escape for the sake of an easier time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Escort Hanzo Hattori to the south stronghold ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can only leave the castle from the west door, so you may as well do so. At this time, Ieyasu will announce his intentions for the Tokugawa Army. Ina has been sent to capture the north end of the castle. Tadakatsu Honda has been sent to break through the main gates. And Hanzo Hattori has been sent to steal supplies from the enemy storehouse in the southwest. Essentially, you will need to assist all of these officers in their tasks throughout the stage if you want to keep them alive until the end of the battle. For now, your only option is to assist Hanzo Hattori because the other gate to the north has been sealed by a Defense Captain on the other side. Once you enter the courtyard outside the castle, you should see Ujitada Hojo just standing there. Defeat him quickly and then continue southwest. Hanzo Hattori will be busy in the enemy storehouse raiding supplies, so give him a hand by defeating any enemy soldiers in the area and taking the weapons box and gold if you like. Hanzo will begin his trek to the south-central escape point, and your job now is to escort him there safely. You should start by defeating Yoshitake Mibu along the way. Once Hanzo gets close to the south gate of Odawara Castle, Naoshige Chiba will ambush you near the escape point. Defeat Naoshige Chiba to open the way forward for Hanzo. Once Hanzo escapes (or it seems inevitable that he will) head back into the castle throught he south gate again. You can fail this mission by allowing Hanzo Hattori to die along the way, however doing so will result in the loss of Naomasa Ii as a reinforcement for your army later on in the stage! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Deactivate the bomb corridor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Your next task is to assist Tadakatsu Honda at the main gate. However, his future path of carnage will lead him into the bomb corridor just to the east of the castle you escaped from earlier, so it might be a good idea to de- activate the bomb corridor about now. Start by taking the ninja path in the south marked by the green line on the mini-map north until you get to the other unlocked castle door. Head back into the castle and then go east until you encounter Naosada Hojo on the veranda overlooking the bomb corridor. If you defeat him, the cannons will cease fire. However, this task is not really necessary to completion of the stage. It has been included simply to make life easier once Tadakatsu begins his journey deeper into the castle later. Once you head back out of the castle, head northeast a bit to encounter the now- deactivated bomb corridor full of enemy soldiers. Use a musou to take out most (or all) of them and then defeat the Defense Captain at the gate to open the way forward for Tadakatsu later. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Open the entrance to Odawara Castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once the gate opens, you should see Ujifusa Hojo just ahead. Once you near him a mission to open the main entrance will cue. Your task is to defeat both Ujifusa Hojo and Ujimitsu Hojo before Tadakatsu dies outside the gate. His morale drops pretty quickly, so make sure to complete this mission as quickly as possible. If you allow them to live, the mission will fail once Tadakatsu dies. Either way, the main gate will open. You may want to spend a few seconds clearing out enemy soldiers around Tadakatsu Honda (and defeat the Reserve Captain nearby) to avoid his untimely death if his morale is low. If Ujitaka Hojo is still alive outside the gate, make sure to defeat him as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Rescue Ina ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As usual, Ina is in a bind. Most likely she has been surrounded by enemy officers by now, but if not she will be very soon. As she attempts to use the northwestern path to attack Odawara Castle from behind, she will be ambushed by Ujiteru Hojo, Norisada Ueda, and Ujinori Uesugi. Although she can hold out for a while without trouble, you shouldn't push your luck here. You'll have to rely on her holding out through the rest of the stage after you rescue her now and she can only do that if she hasn't already lost most of her health and morale because you were slow to rescue her. The fastest way to get to Ina is to take the ninja path in the north and head west from it to arrive at a gate sealed by Ujinori Uesugi. After defeating him, the gate will open and a prompt to save Ina will appear. Now, you simply need to defeat Ujiteru Hojo and Norisada Ueda before Ina dies to suceed in this mission. Failure happens if you allow her to die. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Open the south pass ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After Ina is safe, you should immediately head back over the ninja path and take a right hand turn so you are heading south again. After crossing the courtyard near the main gate, you should spot a ramp leading up to Norihide Matsuda. Although he isn't doing much to harm your forces at this point, you should kill him before your reinforcements show up to avoid them taking any unnecessary damage. Once he is defeated, head back down the ramp and then out the main gate before taking the south path toward the southeast corner of the map. As you near this area, you should receive a mission prompt to open the south pass for reinforcements. All you need to do here is defeat Masayo Ito to claim victory. You can only lose this mission by allowing him to live until the Date show up and he will block your reinforcements. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Defend the Tokugawa main camp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Right about now, Ieyasu should be struggling against the Hojo in the north- east. Thankfully, all other tasks are finished for now, so you can focus entirely on helping your commander until he's safe from harm. Heading north from the pass you just opened, you will receive this mission as soon as you near the main camp. To defend the camp, you will need to defeat Tanenaga Hara and Ujinaga Narita before they kill Ieyasu Tokugawa. You can only succeed in this mission because failure means that you also lose the battle. After you defeat the two officers, make sure to clear out any enemy soldiers in the area and escort Ieyasu to the garrison to the west where he will station himself for the rest of the battle. Make sure to take care of the Reserve Captain here so that soldiers don't keep harassing Ieyasu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Escort Tadakatsu Honda to Ina ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once you're sure Ieyasu is safe for the time being, take any route you like to the area where you saved Ina a while ago. If you've been following the direc- tions carefully so far, Tadakatsu will probably be protecting Ina already, but if not, simply clear out all enemy soldiers throughout the bomb corridor and escort Tadakatsu over to Ina's position near the main castle. Use your musou to make quick work of enemies along the way. Together with Tadakatsu and Ina, head into the courtyard to the north of the main castle and get ready to deal justice (or injustice, perhaps) to Ujinao Hojo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVENT: The Date Army has arrived ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just as your goal is in sight, it slips out of your grasp. Upon approaching Ujinao's position at the base of Odawara Castle, the Date Army will show up as reinforcements for the Hojo. Of course, they're a little late to save the Hojo, but as the saying goes, it's better late than never. Your schedule is now a bit tight because Ieyasu is essentially surounded by enemies. Thankfully for you, Naomas Ii and Yasumasa Sakakibara will arrive in the south to assist you as long as you have completed Hanzo's mission and the south pass mission earlier. Of course, they're nowhere near Ieyasu at this point, so you'll need to rely on speed and quick wits to save everyone. To start with, you might as well slay your other master, Ujinao Hojo, while you're here and exact the chaos you've wanted for so long. Although you should be done with the stage now that the Hojo are dead, it seems that Masamune Date has become your new objective officer, even though the stage conditions don't indicate it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Rescue Tadakatsu Honda and Ina ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now, it's a race against time to rescue every officer in your army and then end Masamune's ambition right here. Essentially, you will be traveling in an N-shape by heading north, then southeast, and finally north to your old main camp (which is now Masamune's main camp). Since Tadakatsu Honda and Ina are nearby, you'll be protecting them first by dispatching Kageyori Yashiro near the northern escape point. If you allow him to live, he'll just head straight for those two and it would be a shame if you lost two generals so easily. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Rescue Ieyasu Tokugawa ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Your commander is your next priority, of course. Using the ninja path near the northern escape point, head over the wall and defeat Shigezane Date when he begins to charge Ieyasu Tokugawa's position. As you may have noticed, none of these sections are actually missions, so you'll receive no reward for this or need to wait for any missions to cue. Once you're comfortable with Ieyasu's position and safety, move on to the next task. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Rescue Naomasa Ii ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hopefully you've managed to receive Naomasa Ii as a reinforcement as long as you've been completing missions so far. If so, head south toward his position and defeat Kojuro Katakura and Tsunamoto Oniniwa, who are now guarding the main gate that Tadakatsu had trouble with earlier. Once they are defeated, Naomasa Ii will be able to travel up toward Ieyasu's position and help him if he's in danger. However, if you've already saved Ieyasu, he will head north on the eastern path to begin fighting Masamune. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Rescue Yasumasa Sakakibara ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Continue rescuing officers by heading to the southeastern corner of the map where Yasumasa Sakakibara has hopefully appeared as your other reinforcement as long as you cleared the south pass of enemies earlier. Defeat Munezane Shiroishi, who is harassing Yasumasa, and clear out any other enemies in the area so that Yasumasa will also travel north toward Masamune's position. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OBJECTIVE: Defeat Masamune Date ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finally, with both the Hojo and Date armies in shambles, head north to the main camp to deal with Masamune Date, the lord of dogs. If you've rescued your other allied officers already, most likely Naomasa Ii, Tadakatsu Honda, and Yasumasa Sakakibara will be assisting you in this final battle with Masamune. If Ina has cleared out the west, she will also be of assistance here. With an army like that, you simply can't fail. Use any attacks you like (although I prefer the SSSTTT or SSTTT attacks) to dish out major damage. Once Masamune Date falls, the stage ends in victory. _,--@--,_ @ ==," @@@@@@@ ".==================================================@==@V@==@==== / @@@@@ \ @V@ @V@ @V@ | @@@ | C O N Q U E S T @V@_@V@_@V@ | @@@@@@ @@@@@@ | F O R K Y U S H U (XXXXXXXXXXX) \ @@@@@ @@@@@ / \XXXXXXXXX/ =="@ @@@ @@@ @"====================================================\XXX/====== "-.,,,.-" FUMA-TOKUGAWA vs. TOYOTOMI-KYUSHU (55000) ============================================================================== INTRODUCTION: Odawara Castle fell and the Hojo were destroyed. All that had once belonged to his master now belonged to Kotaro himself. With almost nothing left to accomplish, Kotaro figured he may as well unify the land. He set out for the island of Kyushu, where his only opposition remained. In Kyushu, he found the Shimazu, Tachibana and the last remaining soldiers of the Toyotomi waiting for him. They were led by Hideyoshi's former retainer, Mitsunari Ishida. As Kotaro prepared to fight, he realized that this was the last great battle that he would ever have to enjoy. "Now pain and suffering will overtake the land of the dying sun." "Chaos is never conquered." +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | CONQUEST FOR KYUSHU | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Conditions for Victory: Defeat Mitsunari, Nene, Sakon, Yoshihiro, | | Ginchiyo, and Musashi | | Conditions for Defeat: Any allied officer is defeated | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Fuma-Tokugawa | Toyotomi-Kyushu | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Kotaro Fuma | Mitsunari Ishida | | Ieyasu Tokugawa | Nene | | Hanzo Hattori | Sakon Shima | | Yasumasa Sakakibara | Yoshihiro Shimazu | | Tadatsugu Sakai | Ginchiyo Tachibana | | Naomasa Ii | Musashi Miyamoto | | | Yukinaga Konishi | | | Hideie Ukita | | | Hideaki Kobayakawa | | | Yoshimune Otomo | | | Kanbei Kuroda | | | Morichika Chosokabe | | | Toyohisa Shimazu | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | | Ekei Ankokuji | | | Hiroie Kikkawa | | | Hidemoto Mori | | | Nene | | | Sakon Shima | | | Yoshihiro Shimazu | | | Ginchiyo Tachibana | | | Musashi Miyamoto | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMPORTANT NOTE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As you can tell from the conditions for defeat, if ANY of your officers die in this battle, you will instantly lose. For that reason, any and all missions must be completed, although not necessarily in the order listed, and they must succeed in order to complete this stage. Any failures will result in one of your officers dying and you failing the stage, so I won't bother to mention what happens if you fail for each mission because, frankly, you CAN'T fail. The only exception to this is the mission to prevent Sakon Shima from entering your main camp. You can let this one fail, however doing so will result in an immediate threat to your main camp and a stronger, faster Sakon Shima, so I would highly recommend avoiding this if at all possible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Defend the northeast garrison ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So, you conquered all of Eastern Japan (which apparently only consists of Odawara and Osaka Castles, huh?). Now it's time to dismantle those western armies here at Kyushu island. This stage is somewhat intense in that, all things considered, you'll be fighting over twenty-five unique generals! You get to face off against Sakon Shima, Yoshihiro Shimazu, Ginchiyo Tachibana, Musashi Miyamoto, Mitsunari Ishida, and a host of Nenes, among others. Best of luck to you, because you'll need it if you're playing on harder difficulties. Start this stage right and destroy the Reserve Captain directly ahead of you to protect your camp from annoying troops that will endlessly spawn here. Then head up the path to the northeast until you arrive at the garrison there. About this time you should receive a mission to defend the northeast garrison. If not, try approaching Ginchiyo Tachibana as she charges toward the garrison. Your task here is to defeat Ginchiyo Tachibana before Tadatsugu Sakai falls to her blade. Once Ginchiyo retreats, the mission succeeds. While you're here, it wouldn't be a bad idea to also take care of Yoshimune Otomo since he's nearby and it will help Tadatsugu immensely throughout the rest of the battle. You won't be returning to this area again, so make sure that the garrison is safe by defeating the Reserve Captain to the north as well. Once you're satisfied, you should begin to head toward the center of the map. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Seize control of the central garrison ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Heading south from the open area where you defeated Ginchiyo a moment ago, you should be able to spot a Defense Captain protecting the central garrison. By defeating him, you will gain access to the enemy garrison and cue a new mission to seize the garrison for your army. However, Musashi Miyamoto stands in the way of your progress. Defeat him as quickly as possible because all of your other officers will be struggling soon if you don't. Once Musashi falls to your claws, you should also take a moment to defeat Hideie Ukita as well since he's nearby. Now Yasumasa Sakakibara should be safe for the time being. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent Sakon Shima from entering the Fuma main camp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Still in the same general area as the central garrison, but slightly south of it, you should spot Sakon Shima attempting to charge your main camp at Tsuruga Castle. To succeed in this mission, just do like you do in any other preven- tative mission and defeat Sakon Shima as soon as possible before he nears Tsuruga Castle. While you're at it, defeat Morichika Chosokabe as well since he's nearby. Note that you CAN fail this mission if you want, but there's no logical reason to since you'll only be putting your main camp in danger and allowing Sakon Shima to gain morale and power. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Rescue Naomasa Ii ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now that the west is safe (aside from the two enemy officers holed up in their garrisons to the far west), you should move to protect Naomasa Ii in the east. Use the central path that runs to the east just south of Tsuruga Castle to make it a quick journey. By now, Naomasa Ii will be struggling against an ambush of Shimazu officers. Your job is to defeat Yoshihiro, Toyohisa, and Yoshihisa Shimazu without allow Naomasa Ii to perish. Once the three Shimazu brothers are defeated, Naomasa Ii will be relatively safe for the time being. If you want to be extra-safe, clear out the Reserve Captains both to the far east and in the garrison just south of Tsuruga Castle as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Defeat the real Nene ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Your next priority is to protect Hanzo Hattori (ironically) because you'll need him when you fight Nene in a moment. From Naomasa Ii's position, head south on the curving path until you reach the peak of the volcano. Here, you will need to defeat Yukinaga Konishi at the east gate and Hideaki Kobayakawa at the north gate of the southern garrison to avoid Hanzo Hattori from being distracted when you face Nene. When you're ready, head into the garrison to encounter the kunoichi herself. Using ninja magic, Nene will begin to clone herself ceaselessly. For every clone you destroy, two others will pop up in its place. It's not uncommon to defeat over a dozen Nenes before you get a chance to destroy the real one. Thankfully, she's pretty lame here and not in hyper mode (at least that I've seen), so it shouldn't be too difficult. The first few clones will also drop Sake Casks, which fully refill both your life and musou, so use those if you need help. After a while, Kotaro will tire of Nene's little game and ask Hanzo to assist him. As long as Hanzo is nearby, he will disrupt Nene's magic and banish her clones long enough for you to defeat the real Nene. Once she's finally gone, clear out the Reserve Captain here and consider the south and east yours as well. Thankfully when I played through this stage most recently, I only had to defeat seven Nenes. Phew! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Seize control of the northwest garrison ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After seizing the central garrison for Yasumasa Sakakibara earlier, it was apparently not enough for him, because by now he's charging the enemy garrison in the northwest, and he'll start to struggle against that enemy if you don't get there soon, so make that your next destination. You'll notice that most of the map is blue now, thankfully, so you shouldn't have to worry about any of your officers taking a fatal blow for now. If it's not, consider spending some time clearing out lingering soldiers before clearing out these last two garrisons, because there are some nasty surprises in store for your soon, and you wouldn't want an ally to fall just as victory is within your grasp. Once you arrive at the northwest garrison, defeat Kanbei Kuroda and the Reserve Captain so that Yasumasa Sakakibara can be satisfied. In fact, Naomasa Ii may be around this area by now as well. You've got some greedy officers, huh? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Break through the surrounding enemy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I hope you noticed the sarcasm earlier. Yasumasa Sakakibara is apparently not satisfied with two garrisons either. He (and maybe Naomasa Ii) will now head down to do battle with Mitsunari Ishida to clear out the last of the enemy troops. You might as well tag along for now. However, as soon as you enter the western garrison, get ready for a Mori army ambush. Your mission now is to defeat Ekei Ankokuji, Hiroie Kikkawa, Hidemoto Mori, and Mitsunari Ishida in any order to break through the ambush. But just as you think that this battle is over, the unthinkable (and mostly-expectable) happens! Everybody comes back for round two! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OBJECTIVE: Defeat all enemy officers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In a last ditch effort to overwhelm your army, all of the major officers for the enemy reappear for one last battle. Surrounding your castle are: Nene to the west, Sakon Shima to the northwest, Musashi Miyamoto to the north, Gin- chiyo Tachibana to the northeast, and Yoshihiro Shimazu to the east. Your last task is to defeat all five of these generals in any order to protect Tsuruga Castle from the enemy onslaught. For an extra challenge, see if you can defeat all five of them without allowing any of them into your main camp. It's tough but possible. Either way, victory is yours in the end. MOVIE: "The Unlikely Hero" Ieyasu: Lord Kotaro, I congratulate you on achieving unification of Japan. Kotaro: My skill, my power, is unmatched by any other, in darkness or in light. Ieyasu: You have my unwavering - ugh! Kotaro *kicks Ieyasu back* Kotaro: Spare me your groveling. Kotaro *grabs Hanzo by the neck as he attempts an assassination* Kotaro: Ieyasu, as thanks for joining me in this useless game, I give you Hanzo's life and all of Japan. Go ahead and rule the land. Erase evidence of how you gained power. Make your own history. You can do that, can't you? The darkness, it's yours if you have the strength. Kotaro *vanishes along with his pet wolves* @@ @ =======@@@@======================================================@==@V@==@==== @@@@@@ K O T A R O ' S D R E A M @V@ @V@ @V@ @@@@@@@@ D E F E N S E O F @V@_@V@_@V@ @@ @@ O D A W A R A C A S T L E (XXXXXXXXXXX) @@@@ @@@@ \XXXXXXXXX/ =@@@@@@====@@@@@@==================================================\XXX/====== @@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ HOJO ARMY vs. TOYOTOMI ARMY (56000) ============================================================================== INTRO: A few years after Nobunaga was assassinated at Honnoji, the land was under Hideyoshi's control and only the Hojo remained in his way. Hideyoshi decided to destroy the Hojo. He gathered all of his retainers from around the land and ordered an attack on their castle at Odawara. Kotaro Fuma found this most amusing. His masters, however, were in a panic. They held a council to plan a response to the attack, but no one could agree on the proper measure. Annoyed, Kotaro left the council to deal with the threat himself. "Welcome to my castle. Soon your heads will garnish its gate." "Chaos is never conquered." +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | DEFENSE OF ODAWARA CASTLE | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Conditions for Victory: Defeat Hideyoshi and Mitsunari | | Conditions for Defeat: Ujimasa or Kotaro is defeated | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Hojo Army | Toyotomi Army | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Ujimasa Hojo | Hideyoshi Toyotomi | | Kotaro Fuma | Mitsunari Ishida | | Ujinao Hojo | Hidemasa Hori | | Ujitada Hojo | Tadaoki Hosokawa | | Ujiteru Hojo | Hidetsugu Hashiba | | Ujimitsu Hojo | Hideie Ukita | | Yasuhiro Ogasawara | Terumasa Ikeda | | Naoshige Chiba | Yoshitsugu Otani | | | Kazutoyo Yamanouchi | | | Kanbei Kuroda | | | Yoshitaka Kuki | | | Yasuharu Wakisaka | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Reinforcements: | Reinforcements: | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | | Sakon Shima | | | Ieyasu Tokugawa | | | Hidetada Tokugawa | | | Masanobu Honda | | | Yasumasa Sakakibara | | | Tadatsugu Sakai | | | Naomasa Ii | | | Keiji Maeda | | | Kiyomasa Kato | | | Masanori Fukushima | +-------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Destroy the seige ramp ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In this fictional (as if the other stages aren't fictional already...) stage, Kotaro is attempting to ward off the attacks of his two primary rivals: the Toyotomi and the Tokugawa. This is also the stage in which you can obtain the Fourth Weapon for Kotaro Fuma, so if you feel the need to get this weapon, you will need to play this stage on Hard or Chaos/Hell difficulty and follow along as best you can to these directions. Also check the section about weapons for tips and questions about getting the fourth weapon. Anyway, let's begin. You start out in Odawara Castle just on the allied side of the main wall. Sadly, much of this stage will not allow you to use a mount, so simply hop off your horse if you're mounted and then use the ninja path directly ahead to climb over the wall. While things get under way in the stage, you may want to defeat one of the nearby officers: Hideie Ukita to the west or Yoshitaka Kuki to the north. However, beware that at any moment the enemy seige ramp will begin its trek toward the wall with the ninja path you just took at any moment, so try to stay near it at all costs. As soon as it appears, wail on it with your musou (especially if you have Awakening 3) and your strongest attacks in order to destroy it before it reaches the wall. You will succeed as long as you're nearby at the time it appears. However, if it sets up against the wall, you will lose this mission immediately. If you are playing for the fourth weapon, you cannot lose this mission! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Protect Yasuhiro Ogasawara ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As soon as you destroy the seige ramp, several things will begin to happen at once, none of them good. The southwest garrison will become isolated from all other allies, the main gate will be relentlessly attacked by enemy officers, the north gate will be attacked as well, and Nene will be dispatched to the castle to assassinate Ujimasa Hojo! You will find yourself pressed for time throughout the rest of this stage until the final push against Hideyoshi, so make sure you're ready for a decent challenge (especially on the harder difficulties). To start with, we may as well save the southwest garrison be- cause they are always the first to fall. Immediately after the seige ramp is destroyed, high-tail it west until you reach Yasuhiro Ogasawara. The mission should prompt as you near him. Then, simply defeat Hideie Ukita (if you didn't already) and Terumasa Ikeda to lift some of the threat from him for the time being. Now, if you feel that the main gate is safe for a few more moments, try to lead Yasuhiro as close to the main gate as possible. Once you enter the southern garrison, Sakon Shima will show up as a reinforcement for the Toyo- tomi army, so defeat him as soon as possible to avoid more confrontation for Yasuhiro. At this point, you can either escort Yasuhiro the rest of the way to the gate, or simply race back there and allow him to take his time weeding through any remaining enemy soldiers. He should be safe as long as you keep your army's morale high through the rest of the stage. You will succeed as soon as he reaches the main gate. However, if you leave him behind, this may not be until you are almost done with the stage! Once all other missions are completed aside from the last objective or two, you might want to help him out if he's just lingering near the main gate but not able to defeat that last batch or two of soldiers. You will lose this mission (and the possibility of the fourth weapon) if he dies at any time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Defend the entrance to Odawara Castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once Yasuhiro begin his march east toward the main gate, you should head that way as well. If you want, you can keep pace with Yasuhiro, or you can race to the main gate and complete that mission first before racing back down to help out with Sakon Shima, or simply escort Yasuhiro up to the gate first and then both of you can help out at the main gate. Either way, you will be faced with three challengers (or two if you already defeated Yoshitaka Kuki): Yoshitaka Kuki, Hidemasa Hori, and Tadaoki Hosokawa. Make this a quick fight because, by now, the northern garrison is on its last thread, most likely. As soon as the third officer dies, immediately head north to the garrison above. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Rescue Ujiteru Hojo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another threesome has decided to attack the north garrison. While Nene is "tearing the pretty room to shreds," you should be tearing the ugly enemy officers in this area to shreds. The three officers in this area are: Kanbei Kuroda, Yasuharu Wakisaka, and Kazutoyo Yamanouchi. Once those three are dust, the mission will suceed. As usual, allowing Ujiteru Hojo to die will lead to a failure of this mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Rescue Ujimasa Hojo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ About now, the Tokugawa Army should appear as reinforcements for the Toyotomi Army along the eastern side of the map, three above and three below Odawara! As if you didn't have enough trouble already. Plus, Nene is still in your castle fighting with your commander! It's only a matter of time before every- thing goes to hell. To succeed in this mission, you need to defeat Ieyasu Tokugawa and his five officers before they kill Ujimasa Hojo as well. However, if you've been succeeding in your missions so far, the only way back into the castle now is on the opposite side of the map at the ninja path you originally came in from! So run down to the ninja path and hop over the wall again. Finally, you can get onto your mount if you have one and head toward the three officers harassing your troops in the south and central areas of the castle grounds. The first officer you'll spot is Hidetada Tokugawa. Take him out as quickly as possible and then race north up either side of the storehouse toward the next two officers: Masanobu Honda and Tadatsugu Sakai. Once they have been defeated, you can either move on to the main keep and save it from destruction and then defeat Nene at the top or try to stop the rest of the Tokugawa Army first. Either way, you will eventually be pitted off against Ieyasu Tokugawa, Yasumasa Sakakibara, and Naomasa Ii. Once those three and the other three before have been defeated, the mission will succeed. You can only lose this mission if you also lose the battle by them killing Ujimasa Hojo. Therefore, it's essentially impossible to lose this mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MISSION: Prevent the destruction of the main keep ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once inside the main castle, you'll discover that Kotaro has caught the scent of explosives! Great! Another obstacle on your way to Nene and Ujimasa! The problem is that, if you attempt to bypass this mission and head straight to the third floor, the castle will catch fire and the mission will fail. There- fore, what I recommend doing as soon as you enter the castle is to use an Interim Save and then Continue the stage just in case you fail this mission the first time. The keep has been littered with powder kegs and fire ninjas, and your job is to destroy all of them before ascending to the third floor. From what I have gathered, there seem to be nine total. Usually, there are five powder kegs and four fire ninjas, but it could be different for you. They are, however, always randomly placed throughout the castle, so I cannot give you a specific layout for them. Just search carefully and use your Interim Save reload if you are having trouble. Thankfully, if you load from the save, the layout will always be the same for that specific game! You will know you can ascend to the top floor once the message appears that you have prevented the destruction of the main keep and you receive your 200 gold reward. DO NOT ASCEND UNTIL THEN! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Prevent Nene's assassination attempt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Although this isn't actually an official mission like the others, it is a requirement for the fourth weapon. Since you're already in the castle (and likely on the second floor as well) head to the third floor and defeat Nene before she finishes off Ujimasa. If you're timing has been great so far, his life bar should still be entirely full or close to it. However, as long as he has at least a third of his life left, you should be fine. Once you kill Nene and clear at least the third and second floors of enemies, he should survive the stage. However, it might be wise to clear the entire castle now that you have some spare time (finally) just to be safe. Also, if you're playing on the harder difficulties, you can also collect the fourth weapon at this point on the first floor of the castle as long as all conditions have been met and all missions have succeeded thus far. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TASK: Find a way into the makeshift castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The only thing left to do now is take over the final strong points of the Toyotomi Army. Start by taking the northern path around the makeshift castle that Hideyoshi is stationed at and then descending upon the western garrison. You'll find that it is being guarded by Yoshitsugu Otani. Once he has been defeated, the gates to the garrison will open for you. Inside is Mitsunari Ishida guarding the Toyotomi main camp. Defeating him will result in Hideyoshi being forced to attempt to recapture it, and to do so he must open up the west gate to the makeshift castle. Now's your chance to destroy the monkey once and for all. However, if you want, you can defeat the enemy general heading south from the main camp first: Hidetsugu Hashiba. Once he's down, head into the makeshift castle for one last, painful surprise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OBJECTIVE: Defeat all enemy officers and defeat Hideyoshi Toyotomi ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As you near Hideyoshi, your final challenge will begin. Keiji Maeda, Kiyomasa Kato, and Masanori Fukushima will arrive as reinforcements for Hideyoshi in the main camp. Since you've already dealt with two trios of enemy officers already, this one shouldn't be too horribly difficult. However, technically, this is actually a quartet (since Hideyoshi will be attacking you as well) and two of the enemies are unique officers. However, by now, you should be able to take down anything in your path. Once Hideyoshi and his men fall to your vile claws, the stage ends in your victory! @============================================================================@ | C O N C L U S I O N (60000) | @============================================================================@ | V E R S I O N H I S T O R Y (61000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Version 1.10 - 01/23/07 Historical Information fixed - 01/23/07 Level 31 Title added - 01/23/07 Permissions added Version 1.00 - 10/24/06 Introduction added - 10/24/06 Move List added - 10/25/06 Weapons added - 10/25/06 Statistics added - 10/25/06 Stage One added - 10/26/06 Stage Two added - 10/26/06 Stage Three added - 10/27/06 Stage Four added - 10/27/06 Stage Five added - 10/28/06 Dream Stage added - 10/28/06 ASCII art added and formatting completed - 10/28/06 Historical Information added - Historical Information added 10/28/06 +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N (62000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ This is my very first guide written for a game (at least the first one to be completed), so please let me know if there is anything that should be changed or what you think of it in general. You can contact me at: author_trinity (at) yahoo (dot) com Please make sure to include in your subject "Samurai Warriors" and "Kotaro," otherwise your mail may remain unopened! +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | C R E D I T S (63000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ I would like to thank Koei and Omega Force for creating the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors series. They've kept me occupied for many, many hours. In fact, I have charted over 442 hours already! I would also like to thank EChang for writing the Fourth Weapons guide, even if the order of the tasks made it more difficult. In fact, the challenge of this weapon made it even more intense. Lastly, I'd like to thank gamefaqs.com for hosting so many great guides that, without which, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy many games as fully as I have. Also, thanks to those who have read and enjoyed the guide! Special thanks also goes to these fine folks for pointing out any consistencies, especially the section on Kotaro's historical origins: * Alex Kuo * J. Kephart * Hector David * Andy Dickinson If I have missed someone, I apologize, and I'll be happy to add you in! +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | L E G A L I N F O R M A T I O N (64000) | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Samurai Warriors, Samurai Warriors 2, Dynasty Warriors, and the KOEI logo are registered trademarks of KOEI Co., Ltd. (c) 2006 and are produced by Omega Force. All rights reserved. This walkthrough is written and compiled by Noah Sheldon (c) 2006. This may not be reproduced or rewritten under any circumstance except for private, personal use. Public or commercial use, including and not limited to websites other than those specified below, is strictly prohibited without advance written permission. Websites with permission to use this guide: GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) Neoseeker (www.neoseeker.com)