O=============================================================================O I I I YOSHITSUNE EIYUDEN: SHURA I I THE STORY OF HERO YOSHITSUNE SHURA I I FAQ/WALKTHROUGH I I I I April 25, 2006 I I Version 1.05 I I I I By: Ian Kelley I I Email: masakadokou@yahoo.com I I I O=============================================================================O This Document is Copyright 2006 Ian Kelley. All Rights Reserved. It is protected by US and International Copyright Law. It is for private and personal use only, and cannot be reprinted in or reproduced in part or in entirety without the express written consent of the author. This document is intended to be free and may not be used for any sort of commercial venture, be that selling it, giving it away as a promotion, or making otherwise making available for profit. It may not be used or distributed by any website, organization, or individual, nor may it be used as a refererence or altered by anyone (such as strategy guide authors/publishers or magazine staff) without express permission of the author. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | VERSION HISTORY: | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o 1.05, 4/25/06: Made some important changes (Yeesh, how could I have forgotten to add a table of contents?) and some formatting changes. 1.0 4/22/06: Initial release o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | IMPORTANT NOTES: | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE: ====================== This document is formatted to look right with a fixed-width font, and looks best in around a 9 point font in an 79-column window. It uses Shift-JIS for Japanese character encoding. This guide is divided into three sections--an FAQ, under which all the pertinent info regarding the game's system and so forth is covered, a walkthrough as a step-by-step guide through the actual game itself, and a data section with various game data. (Items, characters, etc.) EMAIL/CONTACT POLICY: ===================== I get a ton of email about the various guides I write, and I don't have the time or the inclination to answer it all. I actually do not answer the majority of the email I get regarding my FAQs, because most of them are not worth responding to. If you are writing me an email and want me to respond, keep the following things in mind: * Please try not to ask any redundant questions. If you need to ask something, make sure the answer isn't already in this FAQ. The "Find" option of your text editor is your best friend. * Really basic translation questions I will generally consider as "stupid questions." If you are playing this game, I am going to assume you can at least read the Hiragana and Katakana; there is far less English in this game than most Japanese games have. I've gone further than I have before in earlier FAQs for other games and even translated menu choices; while questions regarding clarification or further explanation of the FAQ are welcomed and encouraged, requests for language help are not. * Please put the name of the game you're asking the question for in the subject line or at the very least, in the body of the text! I get mail regarding a lot of FAQs and it'll help if I know what game you're talking about. * I'm not going to be anal about it, but try and keep a decent semblance of grammar and punctuation. Also refrain from using AOL-netspeak; use "you" instead of "u" and the like. It's only two keystrokes difference, come on. HOSTING THIS FAQ: ================= If you want to host this FAQ on your site, your site must be either A) GameFAQs.com or B) a Yoshitsune Eiyuden-specific site. If you are B) email me first to ask so I know. If you have just a general-purpose game FAQ repository site that leeches off GameFAQs, do not even bother to email me to ask for permission to host this FAQ as the answer is no. I explicitly deny the use of this FAQ to the FAQ thieves at cheatcc.com, Cheatcc.com may not use this guide in any way, shape or form. If you find this, or any of my other guides, at cheatcc.com, it does not belong there, and the webmaster has stolen it. Email their upstream providers at Yahoo and complain, as they never pay any attention to complaints themselves. o#############################################################################o # # # CONTENTS # # # o#############################################################################o THE BASICS CONTROLS THE MAIN MENU THE MAIN MENU OPTIONS STORY/FREE/SPECIAL MODE UNIT MANAGEMENT TACTICAL TRAINING THE GIKEIKI SETTINGS GAMEPLAY BASIC GAMEPLAY STRATAGEMS AND FORMATIONS FLOW OF A STAGE AFTER THE BATTLE WALKTHROUGHS MINAMOTO NO YOSHITSUNE KURAMA TENGU FIRE AT SHOSHAZAN THE GOJO BRIDGE THE KAGAMI INN HIRAIZUMI, OSHU THE BATTLE AT FUJI RIVER MEETING WITH YORITOMO RAIN DANCE BATTLE AT UJI RIVER HUNTING YOSHINAKA RETURN TO THE CAPITAL TREASURED MEMORIES IN THE MOONLIGHT THE BATTLE OF ICHI-NO-TANI THE BATTLE OF YASHIMA THE BATTLE OF DAN-NO-URA ASSASSINS I LONG FOR HIM KOROMOGAWA ABOVE THE PURPLE CLOUDS KISO NO YOSHINAKA THE GENJI FROM KISO FALLING INTO KURIKARA YOSHINAKA ENTERS THE CAPITAL THE SETTING SUN OF MIZUSHIMA ATTACK ON HOJUJI TEMPLE THE UJI ROAD, DUSTED WITH SNOW THE END OF KISO THE RISING SUN ASCENDS TO HEAVEN THE TAIRA CLAN PRINCE MOCHIHITO'S EDICT CONSUMING THE MORNING SUN SUBJUGATING THE WESTERN PROVINCES CHERRY BLOSSOMS SCATTERING IN SUMA CLOUDED MOON LONG SHOT SINKING BENEATH THE SURF TO THE EAST STEWARTIA FLOWERS SPECIAL STAGES MOCK BATTLE DEFEND YOKOTAGAWARA MOPPING UP THE MINAMOTO ARMY SHEER DROP KILLING A THOUSAND DEFEAT CALLING ALL HEROES SINGLE-PLAYER SECRETS VERSUS MODE VERSUS MODE OPTIONS VERSUS MODE NOTES CHARACTERS YOSHITSUNE GENERALS MINAMOTO NO KURO YOSHITSUNE USHIWAKA-MARU MUSASHIBO BENKEI GOLD MERCHANT KICHIJI RIN SATO SABURO TSUGUNOBU SATO SHIRO TADANOBU SHIZUKA GOZEN NASU NO YOICHI MUNETAKA ISE NO SABURO YOSHIMORI HITACHIBO KAISON YOSHINAKA GENERALS KISO NO JIRO YOSHINAKA IMAI SHIRO KANEHIRA NENOI DAIYATA YUKICHIKA TOMOE GOZEN TATE ROKURO CHIKATADA HIGUCHI JIRO KANEMITSU TAIRA GENERALS TAIRA NO TOMOMORI TAIRA NO NORITSUNE TAIRA NO SHIGEHIRA TAIRA NO ATSUMORI TAIRA NO TOKITADA KIKUO-MARU "SECRET" GENERALS KARASU TENGU (KAMATA MASACHIKA) MINAMOTO NO JURO YUKIIE PRINCE MOCHIHITO GOCHIIN-TAJIMA JOMYO-MEISHU MINAMOTO NO YORITOMO KAJIWARA HEIZO KAGETOKI KAKUHAN SAITO BETTO SANEMORI STRATAGEMS AND FORMATIONS STRATAGEMS FORMATIONS SKILLS WEAPONS SWORDS NAGINATAS (SMALL) NAGINATAS (LARGE) BOWS SHIELDS CLUBS CONCEALED WEAPONS ITEMS SUBORDINATES GENERIC SOLDIERS MONKS FEMALE SOLDIERS ELITE FOOTSOLDIERS SPECIAL SUBORDINATES HISTORY BIBLIOGRAPHY/RECOMMENDED READING THANKS COPYRIGHT NOTICE o#############################################################################o # # # THE BASICS # # # o#############################################################################o WHAT IS YOSHITSUNE EIYUDEN? --------------------------- Yoshitsune Eiyuden: Shura is a "Army Battle Action" game, in a similar vein to the more widely known "Musou" series by Koei; Sengoku Musou/Sangoku Musou, known better in the West as "Dynasty Warriors" and "Samurai Warriors." However, in contrast to those series' "wade-into-a-horde-of-enemies-and-beat-the-tar- out-of-them" feel, YE:S focuses more on careful planning, tactics, and effective command of your army. YE:S is based on the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period in Japan, and on the legends surrounding Minamoto Yoshitsune, one of the most famous figures from that period. While not completely faithful to the source material the game is based on, YE:S is heavily influenced to try and make it as historically accurate as possible while keeping it playable. It's very clear that the designers had history geeks in mind when making this game, which adds a whole lot to its charm, in my opinion. You can literally spend hours perusing the historical information section provided in-game. This is, more than anything, the greatest appeal of the game in my opinion, but then again the main focus of my studies in college was premodern Japanese history, so I am somewhat biased. :) YOSHITSUNE EIYUDEN VS. YOSHITSUNE EIYUDEN: SHURA ------------------------------------------------ I don't actually own the original Yoshitsune Eiyuden, and only played it briefly in a store display in Osaka; most of my information comes from the official site and a few third-party "strategy" sites, but from what I can tell, YE:S is less like a direct sequel to the original YE, and more like the mother of all expansions. YE:S contains all the characters and levels from the original YE, (though the contents have changed for some) but also added two entirely new scenarios, 15+ new characters, a bunch of new gameplay additions, etc. You can directly import your data from YE into YE:S to transfer items and character development (though some items have been renamed) as well. QUICK BACKGROUND: ----------------- The Genpei war took place between 1180 and 1185, at the end of the Heian period of Japan, and was fought between two warrior clans, the Taira and the Minamoto. The winner of the war was the Minamoto, whose leader, Minamoto Yoritomo, became the first Shogun of Japan and founded the Kamakura Bakufu, (warrior government) starting what would be 700 years of warrior rule of Japan. This game focuses on the exploits of three men, who each led their own army: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Minamoto Yoshinaka, and Taira Tomomori--and is divided up into three scenarios, one for each. Minamoto Yoshitsune was the younger half-brother of Minamoto Yoritomo and is generally considered the greatest hero of the war. He was a brilliant tactician and general, and was the commander of the forces that finally put an end to the Taira. He was not as good at politics though, and had a falling out with his brother that ended up in his becoming a fugitive, and eventually led to him being tracked down and killed. Minamoto Yoshinaka was the cousin of Yoshitsune and Yoritomo. He was from the Kiso area of Japan, and is usually known as Kiso Yoshinaka. (exclusively so in this game) He led the early stages of the war against the Taira and met with some great success, but rivalry between him and Yoritomo grew and eventually the Minamoto split into two camps, one under each man. Yoshinaka lost the competition and was killed in battle with Yoritomo's forces. Taira Tomomori was the primary tactical commander of the Taira forces. While not the leader of the Taira clan (that title went to his elder brother, Munemori) he was the best tactician and won the most battles for the Taira. However, after a string of defeats he finally drowned at the battle of Dan-no- Ura. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | CONTROLS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Here's a list of the controls in the game. Here--and elsewhere in the guide--I have abbreviated "Square Button" and "Triangle Button" to "S" and "T" buttons respectively. MENU CONTROLS: -------------- D-Pad: Move cursor O Button: Confirm choice X Button: Cancel choice S Button: Quit Gikeiki/Remove General or Subordinate from lineup T Button: Get Gikeiki info/See Game Stats on main menu L1 Button: Change missions/Go back to previous category in Gikeiki R1 Button: Change mission/See linked topics in Gikeiki IN-GAME CONTROLS: ----------------- Left Stick: Moves commander Right Stick X Axis: Rotates Camera Right Stick Y Axis: Zooms camera in/out D-Pad X axis: Turn Mini-map on/off D-Pad Y axis: Zoom Mini-map in/out O Button: Guard/Get on or off horse X Button: Jump S Button: Fast attack T Button: Strong Attack T + O: Evasion attack S + T: Setsuna-no-Saku L1: Open General 1's Stratagem menu L1 + O: Use General 1's Stratagem mapped to O button L1 + S: Use General 1's Stratagem mapped to S button L1 + T: Use General 1's Stratagem mapped to T button L1 + X: Put General 1 on Standby/Cancel Stratagem R1: Open General 2's Stratagem menu R1 + O: Use General 2's Stratagem mapped to O button R1 + S: Use General 2's Stratagem mapped to S button R1 + T: Use General 2's Stratagem mapped to T button R1 + X: Put General 2 on Standby/Cancel Stratagem L1 + R1: Open Formation Menu L1 + R1 + S: Use Formation mapped to the S button L1 + R1 + T: Use Formation mapped to the T button L1 + R1 + O: Use Special Formation (if any) L1 + R1 + X: Cancel all Stratagems/Formations L2 + Left stick: Walk R2: Move camera angle behind commander Start Button: Pause Select: Turn on/off enemy health display o#############################################################################o # # # THE MAIN MENU # # # o#############################################################################o This is a list of all the options on the main menus in the game. As you'll note from this menu, (and the game in general) YE:S is not a very foreigner-friendly game. Aside from "The Story of Hero Yoshitsune Shura," a few "ON/OFFs" and "EASY/NORMAL/HARD" in the options, there's no English in the game whatsoever. Actually, before getting to the main menu, it's probably best if I go through the title menu options: Start Game (はじめから) Continue Game (つづきから) Versus Mode (対戦) Good enough? OK. Versus Mode will be covered in more detail after the main walkthrough; for the time being I'm assuming you're playing in single-player mode. When first starting a game, you'll be prompted to change your options; they'll be covered in more detail later. DATA CONVERSION: ---------------- When you first start a game you'll be asked if you want to convert your Yoshitsune Eiyuden data into Yoshitsune Eiyuden:Shura data. As I don't own the original Yoshitsune Eiyuden, I've never done this. But the manual makes three notes about this: 1) Items and weapons that don't exist in YE:S won't be transferred (duh) 2) Some Items and Weapons have their names changed from the previous game 3) If any characters being transferred from YE are less developed than the defaults for YE:S, the YE:S defaults will be used. THE MAIN MENU OPTIONS: ====================== PICTURE SCROLL OF RIVAL WARLORDS (AKA Story Mode) 群雄絵巻 ---------------------------------------------------------- This is the main "story mode" of the game, the real meat-and-potatoes of the single-player game. Here you play in chronological order the exploits of the Minamoto Yoshitsune, Kiso Yoshinaka, and Taira armies. You start out only with access to the Yoshitsune scenario, but after you complete a few of his levels, the Yoshinaka and Taira scenarios will open up to you. Story Mode is where you advance through the stages of your scenario to reach the ending(s) for your army. In each stage, your Commander is pre-determined, and sometimes your generals are too. (For information on the difference between Commanders, Generals, etc, look at the gameplay basics section) Even if your generals aren't pre-determined, what generals you can choose to bring with you are sometimes limited. (For example, during the story some of your generals will die, and you can't play with them in later stages because they're dead) The location and types of items present are preset in Story Mode as well. You can re-play Story Mode stages as many times as you want, though the special items in each stage can generally only be gotten once, after which they will be replaced with less valuable items. (usually by Certificates) Each Story Mode Scenario has two different endings. There is a historical ending and a "gaiden" ending. Seeing as all three armies were the losers in actual history, the historical ending chronicles the respective demises of Yoshitsune, Yoshinaka, and Tomomori. However, by turning the tide and winning certain battles during Story Mode that each army historically lost, you can unlock "secret" stages (colored in purple on the stage select screen) that have no historical background, but are "what-if" scenarios describing what might have happened had each individual army survived. BATTLE PRACTICE (AKA Free Mode) 合戦演習 ---------------------------------------- Free Mode is a lot like Story Mode; here you can play any stage you have completed in Story Mode, except that you have a lot more freedom over how you play each stage. To start with, there are fewer restrictions on who you can bring into the stage. Your Commander and Generals aren't pre-set at all, so you can control or order whomever you want. The only restriction is that you can't normally bring characters from other armies into a stage. For example you can't bring a Taira general into a Yoshitsune stage, even in Free Mode. (However, once you start completing the game with multiple armies, even these restrictions start to be lifted...) In Free Mode, it is possible to unlock new playable characters or subordinates and record new completion times or stage rankings, but you cannot unlock any new story content. For example, there are some stages in the game that have branching paths; you MUST unlock those branching paths in Story Mode if you want to either see new endings or unlock new stages. Furthermore, all unlockable cutscenes must be unlocked in Story mode. (you can only see most of the cutscenes in Story mode anyway) Gameplay in Free Mode is essentially identical to that in Story mode, only that certain events either don't occur or occur differently. Also, special items in the stage are not pre-set like in Story Mode, but are generated randomly. There is one major addition, however: Stage Difficulty. When you play a stage in Free Mode, before you start, you're asked to set the Stage Difficulty, which is separate from the standard Difficulty level. A Stage Difficulty of 0 indicates the same difficulty as in Story Mode, but you can increase this number to make enemies tougher. Stage Difficulty can go as high as 100, but you can only play up to ten Difficulty levels higher than you've completed the stage on before. For example, when you first play a stage in Free Mode, you can only play it from level 0-10. If you decided to play at level 8, the next time you played Free Mode you could set the Stage Difficulty as high as 18. You tend to get better random items on high Stage Difficulty levels, so it can be to your advantage to boost it up. SPECIAL PRACTICE 特別演習 ------------------------- "Special Mode" allows you to play special stages with no real story content to them, just an opportunity to play stages with unusual characteristics or conditions. For example there's one Special Stage where you can't control your Commander and have to finish it by giving orders to your generals, and there's another Special Stage where all your enemies run away from you rather than fight, so you have to chase them down. Each Special Stage is unlocked by completing other stages, sometimes with Stage Rank conditions as well. In terms of play style, Special Mode stages are essentially the same as Free Mode stages in that you can pick your characters freely, change the Stage Difficulty, and the items present are random. The army that actually unlocked the stage is the one that gets access to it. (For example "Defending Yokotagawara" is unlocked on a Yoshinaka stage, so only Yoshinaka's army can play it normally) UNIT MANAGEMENT 部隊編成 ------------------------ Unit Management is where you can delve into the nitty-gritty of managing your characters and their armies. While you can jump into Unit Management before going out on a mission, this option on the Main Menu allows you to manage your characters without having to go into Story or Free modes. It's here that you use items, learn Skills and Stratagems, assign Subordinates, and map Stratagems to the S, T, and O buttons for each of your characters. TACTICAL TRAINING (AKA Tutorial Mode) 戦術指南 ---------------------------------------------- Tutorial Mode allows you to learn the basics of the game before you start play in earnest. There are several different tutorials on different aspects of the game such as movement, attacking, using Stratagems, etc. More advanced topics, such as things like Archer Towers, are not available in Tutorial Mode when you start the game; as you proceed through the Story Mode levels new tutorials will be unlocked for you to try. GIKEIKI 義経記 -------------- "Gikeiki" literally means "Record of Yoshitsune" is actually a Muromachi-era work of literature detailing the legends around the exploits of Minamoto Yoshitsune. (And in fact, if this game could be said to based on any one particular source, it would be tied between the _Gikeiki_ and the _Heike Monogatari_) In-game, the Gikeiki is a giant repository of information. Detailed information on the game system can be found here, along with descriptions and stats of all the items and weapons you've found so far, usage of Stratagems, etc. The real charm of the Gikeiki, however, is the wealth of historical and legendary information available in the game. Detailed information on the background and story behind every character in the game can be found here, down to the minor generals and subordinates you only see once. Chronology and terminology of the events of the Genpei War is also available. If anything present in-game differs from the actual historical or legendary record, be it person, place, or whatever, you can be sure to find a note of it here. You can even read about what kind of armor Heian-era soldiers wore and how it was made in the terminology section. It's basically a great resource for history geeks. If you can't read Japanese you'll unfortunately miss out on all the great info here, but if you can, be sure to spend some time browsing it--there's some fascinating information to be had. Plus there are topics on various historical sources with more information, so you can know where to go if you want to learn more. The various Gikeiki topics are linked to one another via the R1 button. For example, were you to look at the links of "Kumagai Naozane", one of them would be "The Battle of Ichi-no-Tani" as he was a major contributor there. Furthermore, the Gikeiki topics are linked via the T button to other in-game options for easy access. For example, if you were selecting Subordinates to go out on a mission with you, you could use the T button to jump to the Gikeiki entry on that particular soldier. Or, if you were browsing through your list of items and wanted to know what the item does, you could use the T button to jump to its Gikeiki entry and get a detailed description of what it's used for. SETTINGS 環境設定 ----------------- This is where you change all the settings for your game. RECORD 記録 ----------- Here is where you either Save (保存) or Load (読込) your game. You'll automatically be prompted to save every time you finish a level, but if you want to save (or load) at other times, this is where you do it. QUIT 終了 --------- Use this option to quit the game and return to the title menu. You'll be asked if you want to save your game first before exiting, and then asked for confirmation once again. BATTLE RECORD 戦績 ------------------ You can get to this screen from the Main Menu by pressing the T button. Here you will be presented with a list, from top to bottom: Play Time: How long you've been playing the game People Killed: How many enemies you've defeated Times Battled: How many battles you've fought (Tutorial counts too) Max Linked Stratagems: The highest number of Stratagems you've linked together Stratagem Ranking: The three Stratagems/Formations you've used the most Stage Ranking: The three stages you've played the most o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | STORY/FREE/SPECIAL MODE | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o STEP 1: STAGE SELECT SCREEN --------------------------- All three of these modes start out pretty much the same. The first thing you need to do is select your stage. Except for Special Mode, stages are organized chronologically and by army--Purple for Yoshitsune, green for Yoshinaka, and red for the Taira. At the bottom of the screen will be the following windows: 1) Stage Description: Here will be a short description of the stage your cursor is highlighting. 2) Stage Ranking: This lists the ranks you've achieved in this stage. If you score the highest rank, Gunjin, the gold "Gunjin" medal replaces the lower medal(s) here. 3) Record Time: The shortest amount of time you've completed the stage in. The default value listed here is the "par" time for the stage. If you complete the stage faster than par, you'll get a stage score bonus. 4) Joined Soldiers: This lists the number of soldiers (generals or subordinates) that you can get to join you upon completion of this stage, and how many you've gotten. I.e if it says 0/2 it means that you can "unlock" two soldiers on the stage, but haven't done so for either yet. 5) Times Won: This is the number of times you've finished the stage. 6) Max Chained Stratagems: This shows the highest number of Chained Stratagems you've linked on the stage. STEP 2: STAGE CONFIRMATION SCREEN --------------------------------- Once you pick your stage you'll get sent to the Stage Info screen. On the right hand side of the screen you'll see a map of the stage, and on the left hand screen will be a list of the Missions for the stage. There are three choices here: 1) Form Ranks 陣立て This option will send you to the General Select screen, where you pick your generals and/or Commander for the stage. 2) Situation 状況 You only get this option in Story Mode. It will give you a recap of the situation surrounding the stage. 3) Check Battle Conditions 戦況確認 This choice allows you to read more detailed information about the tasks you need to complete on the stage, called Missions. (Well technically they're called "Achievement Conditions" but I call them Missions for short) Except for the Special Stages, every Stage has five Missions. Only the first, top Mission is required to complete the stage; the remainder are optional. However, completing as many Missions as possible is the best (usually only) way to get a really high ranking on the stage. Also note that some Missions can be completed in more than one way. By moving the D-pad you can highlight each mission to see a more in-depth description of each Mission with Check Battle Conditions. STAGE 3: GENERAL SELECT SCREEN ------------------------------ After picking "Form Ranks" on the Stage Confirmation Screen, you're sent to the General Select Screen. There are 3-5 choices here: 1) To Battle 出陣 This option is your final confirmation; it sends you to play the stage itself. 2) Unit Management 部隊編成 This option sends you to the Unit Management Screen, identical to the one you access from the Main Menu. 3) Commander 隊長 This option is where you pick your Commander. The Commander is the character that you control when you're playing the level, with the sole exception of one of the Special Levels, where you can't directly control anyone. During Story Mode, the Commander will always be predetermined, and you won't be able to change it. 4) First Unit 一番隊 This option is where you pick your first General, that you can command with the L1 button. Depending on the stage, you may not get this option. Also, in Story Mode, sometimes this choice will be predetermined, and you won't be able to change it. 5) Second Unit 二番隊 This option is the same as the First Unit option, except that you choose the general for the second unit, that you command with the R1 button. Like First Unit, this option may not be present depending on the stage, and sometimes is predetermined in Story Mode. STAGE 4: PLAYING THE STAGE -------------------------- This is where you actually play the stage. Check the Gameplay section for more details. However, I'll note here the options you'll get on the Pause menu you get when pressing the Start Button: 1) Go back 戻る Return to play. 2) Unit List 部隊表 This option will let you take a look at the detailed statistics of your Commander, your Generals, and their Subordinates. Use this if you want to see the numeric stats for their Health levels, or if you want to see just how well your Formations are boosting their stats, etc. 3) Check Battle Conditions 戦況確認 This is identical to the same option on the Stage Confirmation Screen. 4) Quit 終了 Use this option if you want to prematurely end the stage and return to the title menu. STAGE 5: COMBAT REPORT ---------------------- Assuming you don't die or otherwise lose the stage, once the stage is over you'll get the Combat Report screen. Here you get a report on how you did in the battle. 1) Time Elapsed 経過時間 This displays your play time of the level. 2) Casualties 死亡数 This displays the number of soldiers killed in the battle. It's divided into three sections: Enemy army (敵軍) in red, your army (自軍) in blue, and allied army (友軍) in green. 3) Achievements 達成条件 This list displays your achievements in the level--specifically, what Missions you completed, and how you completed them. 4) Stratagem Success Rate 作戦成功率 This is a percentage of how many of the Stratagems you enacted succeeded. Formations are included in this number as well, even though they don't technically succeed or fail; they count as a success if they finish normally and a failure if you cancel them or the level ends before it can finish. 5) Maximum Chained Stratagems 最大連策数 This is the greatest number of Stratagems you chained together at once in the level. 6) Rank 評価 This is an overall rating of your performance in the level. Check the gameplay section for more information on Rank. STAGE 6: CLEANUP TASKS ---------------------- After getting the Combat Report, there are only a few things left to do before you can save your game and go on to the next stage. 1) Character Advancement Based on the amount of experience they gained in the stage, your commander and generals will advance in levels. You decide how your characters level up by distributing advancement points (one per level) to their stats. Each individual stat can reach a maximum of 20 levels. (with 5 stats, this makes your generals' maximum total level 100) 2) Subordinate Advancement Your subordinates advance their levels along with your generals. Since Subordinates don't have a Command statistic, they max out at level 80 rather than level 100. Also, subordinates distribute their advancement points automatically; you can't decide how they spend them. However, if any Subordinate died during the level, they will not make any gains, and in fact will lose a level from one statistic. 4) New Ally Reports In some stages, you'll get new allies, either new controllable characters or Subordinates. If you do, there will be an announcement as such and you can take a quick look at each new character's status. 5) Item Report and Certificate Usage Lastly, you'll get a list of all the items you won in the stage; both items you got in the stage itself and what Rank Rewards you won. (Colored icons will appear by Rank Rewards) If you got any Certificates during the level, you must use them now. Certificates will advance a particular statistic's level by 1. You can use Certificates on any character that participated in the stage, including Subordinates. However, you cannot use the Certificate on a character who's level for that statistic is already at 20. You can choose not to use Certificates you found, but if you do, you will lose them. STAGE 7: SAVE GAME SCREEN ------------------------- Every time you complete a stage, you'll be asked if you want to save your game. This is the same as saving your game on the main menu. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | UNIT MANAGEMENT | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o This all-important screen is where you configure the makeup of your individual character units and the units they lead. It's divided into two main sections; the Unit Selection screen and the Unit Details Screen. THE UNIT SELECTION SCREEN ========================= This is the first, main screen that you see, with all the portraits of the characters you have unlocked. Blank spots are for characters you have neither played nor unlocked, and greyed-out characters are for characters that you've played but not unlocked. (For example, you get to play as Shizuka for a stage in Story mode a few stages before officially unlocking her to use in any stage or in Free Mode) When you move the cursor over a character, you'll be presented with a bunch of different information: (Press the T key to get Gikeiki information about that character) 1) NAME, TYPE, LEVEL, AND SPIRIT INDICATOR This box appears in the upper-left hand of the screen. It indicates your character's name, level, (成長) and type. The character types are as follows: Swordsman (刀兵) Mounted Swordsman (騎馬刀兵) Naginata Soldier (薙刀兵) Mounted Naginata Soldier (騎馬薙刀兵) Archer (弓兵) Mounted Archer (騎馬弓兵) Shieldsfighter (盾兵) Elite Footsoldier (特殊歩兵) Club Soldier (棍棒兵) Engineer (工作兵) 2) CHARACTER DETAILS This box takes up the full right side of the screen. The options listed are as follows: Health (体力): The character's Health value, level, and bonuses Attack (攻撃): The character's Attack value, level, and bonuses Defense (防御): The character's Defense value, level, and bonuses Technique (技量): The character's Technique value, level, and bonuses Command (統率): The character's Command value, level, and bonuses Weapon (武器): The weapon the character is equipping T/S/O icons: The character's stratagems mapped to the Square, Triangle, and O buttons (these are changable) and their levels All T/S (全体TS): The character's Formations mapped to the Triangle and Square buttons (these are not changable) and their levels Square+Triangle: The character's Setsuna-no-Saku (this is also not changable) 3) CHARACTER STRATAGEM/SKILL SLOTS This box takes up the bottom-left side of the screen. It's a list of all the Stratagems and Skills that the character currently knows. Stratagems are in red and Skills are in green. Stratagems also list their levels next to them and what, if any, buttons they are mapped to. 4) AVAILABLE ITEMS The three lines in-between show a list of the items that the character can currently use: Equippable Weapons (装備可能武器) Learnable Stratagems (習得可能作戦) Learnable Skills (習得可能技能) The numbers after each simply list the total number of Weapons/Stratagem Tomes/Skill-granting Items that you have that the character can use. THE UNIT DETAILS SCREEN ======================= This screen is where you make all the changes to your character and his or her unit. If you press the S button on this screen you'll get a list of that character's attacks and how to use them. Also, if you press the Select button you can cycle through information that's printed on the right half of the screen. Also, the following options are available on this screen. WEAPON: 武器 ------------ Use this option to equip weapons. Once you pick it a list of the weapons you've found (and that character can equip) appear; just pick the one you want. Each weapon's stats are listed on the right side, and how many you've got available is listed as a fraction in the middle. (For example if you see 1/2 that means that you have two of that type of weapon, but only one is available--someone else is equipping the other) Use the T button to jump to the Gikeiki entry on whatever weapon you're highlighting. Also, the S button will display a list of characters that are currently equipping that weapon too. SOLDIER MANAGEMENT: 兵編成 -------------------------- This option is where you assign Subordinates to the character you're getting details on. When you first pick this option, there will be three choices: 1) Manage 編成 This takes you to the main Soldier Management screen. 2) Auto-Manage 自動編成 This option assigns the four highest-level Subordinates available to your general. "Available" means that no other general currently is commanding them. 3) Release All 全解除 This option releases all of the Subordinates currently under the character's command so you can reassign them to other generals. The main Soldier Management screen is where you can do individual assigning of Subordinates to your character. Highlight a slot and press S to release the Subordinate currently occupying it, or the O button to assign or change Subordinates to it. (You can use the T button to get Gikeiki info on the whoever is currently occupying the slot) Once you've picked a Subordinate slot and pressed O, you're presented with a list of all the Subordinates you can assign to the slot, along with their individual experience levels. There are four types of Subordinates: Generic Soldiers, Monks, Female Soldiers, and Elite Footsoldiers. Each character can command only one of these categories: Monks: Musashibo Benkei/Hitachibo Kaison/Gochiin-Tajima/Jomyo-Meishu/Kakuhan Female Soldiers: Rin/Shizuka/Tomoe Elite Footsoldiers: Ise Yoshimori/Kikuo-maru/Karasu Tengu Generic Soldiers: Everybody else By highlighting an individual Subordinate, you can see their stats and a picture of them (if you've unlocked the ability to "mix" subordinates, their uniform will also show whether or not they're a Yoshitsune, Yoshinaka, or Taira general) and what their "default" weapon is if they're not currently assigned to another general's unit. Once you've found a Subordinate you like, press O to confirm that choice, or T to get Gikeiki info on them. While looking at the Subordinate list, you can sort them by any one of their stats, by Unit, (部隊順) by Level, (成長順) or by Japanese alphabetical order. (五十音順) If a Subordinate is currently assigned to another character's troop, that character's name will appear by the Subordinate's. For example, if you were browsing the list and saw "義経隊" by Kumagai Naozane, you'd know that Naozane is currently one of Yoshitsune's Subordinates. You can "steal" subordinates from other characters with no problem, should you decide to. If the slot is you are currently seeking to fill is occupied and you "steal" another character's Subordinate, you will actually swap the two. So, expanding the example above, if you were changing Tadanobu's lineup and selected a slot with Sasaki Takatsuna in it, then picked Kumagai Naozane, they would "swap" so that now Tadanobu would have Kumagai Naozane in his troop and Yoshitsune would have Sasaki Takatsuna where he formerly had Naozane. ITEM: 道具 ---------- This option is where you get a list of all the items you currently have access to. Items that are greyed out you either don't have any of, or are unusable by the character you're getting details on. You can use items with the O button, or get Gikeiki info on them with the T button. You can learn Stratagems and Skills this way, but it's generally easier to learn them by putting them directly in your skill slots (see below) STRATEGEM/SKILL SLOTS: ---------------------- The last option of the Unit Details screen is where you can manipulate your character's Stratagem and Skill slots. Each character gets a total of eight slots, which can be filled with any combination of Stratagems and Skills. (that the character can use, of course) By moving your cursor over a spot and pressing the O button, you can get some or all of the following options. 1) LEARN 覚える This will allow you to use one of your Stratagem Tomes or Skill items to teach your character a Stratagem or Skill and put it in that current slot. If the slot you are highlighting is not empty, if you learn something new it will replace whatever was there beforehand and you will lose whatever benefits that Stratagem/Skill gave you. However, when replacing Stratagems, your characters do not lose the Stratagem Experience for it--if you decide to "re-learn" a Stratagem it will be at the same level it was when you "forgot" it. (Of course, it will still cost you an extra Tome to re-learn) Note that there are some Skills--the Mastery Skills--which cannot be replaced once learned. 2) READY ON (O/TRIANGLE/SQUARE) O/T/Sに装備 This option will assign a Stratagem to the corresponding button so that you can use it during play. 3) MOVE 移動 You can use this option to shuffle slots around and swap their positions. It's purely there for organizational purposes. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | TACTICAL TRAINING | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Tactical Training is divided into three sections: Character Control, System, Stratagems, and Structures. Some of the most basic training sessions are available to you at the start of the game; others are unlocked as you progress through the game and get into more "advanced" situations. The following is a basic list of each of the lessons, how they're unlocked, and what you have to do for each of them. CHARACTER CONTROL: ================== Movement (移動) --------------- Initially available To start with, you'll be taught how to run--use the left analog stick. Next, you learn how to walk--walk around using the left stick + L2. Lastly, you learn how to jump--the X button. Jump 5 times. Attack (攻撃) ------------- Initially available First you learn how to use Fast and Strong attacks, with the S and T buttons. Kill the lone enemy (he won't attack you.) Next you learn how to use combos, by chaining the S and T buttons together in succession. Use combos to defeat the three enemies. Lastly, you'll get a note on how character's moves differ and how to view them with the S button on their status screen. Then you will be asked to attack the enemies once more. This time, the enemy will be knocked to their feet and the game will tell you how to do Killing Moves, by attacking right while you're near a crawling enemy. Guard (防御) ------------ Unlocked along with "The Gojo Bridge" First you're taught how to block; hold down O. You can move while guarding too. All you have to do is block 3 enemy arrows to complete the training. Instant Kills (瞬殺) -------------------- Unlocked along with "The Gojo Bridge" Here, Instant Kills are explained. You need to dodge the enemy's attack and then hit them while they're recovering to defeat them instantly; if you succeed, there will be a bluish attack effect. Instant Kill at least one of the enemies facing you. The game will explain that Instant Kills won't work on enemies with High Technique or on Generals, but that instead they will take more damage than usual. Also you're told that before an enemy fires an arrow or when they're jumping, that also counts as an opening. (Of course, I've NEVER seen an enemy jump, outside of Elite soldiers jumping over fences to get away) Evasion Attacks (回避攻撃) -------------------------- Unlocked along with "The Gojo Bridge" This is a quick lesson; it teaches you how to use an Evasion attack with T + O. First you just have to do an Evasion Attack, then you have to hit an enemy with one. After a quick explanation that Evasion Attacks take 1 Spirit, the lesson ends. Setsuna-no-Saku (刹那の策) -------------------------- Unlocked along with "The Gojo Bridge" First the idea of a Setsuna-no-Saku is explained; a special Stratagem usable by the Commander with T + S when you have a full 10 Spirit. First you have to use your Setsuna-no-Saku. Next you have to hit some enemies with it as well. Horses (馬) ----------- Unlocked along with "The Kagami Inn" The first thing you have to do here is get onto the horse. Run up to it and press the O button. Next you have to control the horse; move it around, and use O to get off it. Next you learn how to do attacks on the horse. You're given some enemies to attack; you can do it simply by smashing into them, or using the S/T buttons. Finally, you're taught how to move the horse around slowly so you can target enemies better; make it walk by holding the L2 button. Attack the enemies while walking. Lastly you're told about how you can get knocked off a horse. SYSTEM: ======= Game Screen (ゲーム画面) ------------------------ Initially available First, you learn how to change the mini-map, using up and down on the D-pad to zoom in and out, and left and right to turn it on or off. Use the D-pad to manipulate the map. Next, the game explains the different markers on the map--your commander in yellow, your Generals in blue, allied soldiers in green, and enemies in red. Afterwards, your status itself is explained. The purple gauge is your Health, the four boxes under it are your Subordinates' Health, which change from green to yellow to red as it dwindles; if it's black, there's no Subordinate. The next thing to be explained are your Spirit Spheres, the yellow spheres, which regenerate on your own. Unit types (部隊の種類) ----------------------- Initially available This training explains the different types of soldiers. Soldiers with Spirit Spheres by their Health gauges are Captains; soldiers without them are those Captains' Subordinates. Defeating the Captain will reduce his Subordinate's morale and sometimes Confuse them or cause them to Flee. You must now defeat the Captain first. Once you kill the Captain his Subordinates will become Confused. Next, enemy Generals--characters with names--are explained. Generals lead the surrounding units; defeating them is often a stage requirement, and when you do defeat them, it reduces enemies' Spirit even more than defeating Captains. In addition, Allied Units are explained; they have green life bars and often join you if you keep them alive in a stage. Now you have to defeat the generic "Heike General." Lastly, before the training ends, the different colored units on the minimap are explained; yellow for you, blue for your Generals, green for Allied Units, red for enemy Generals, and pink for all other enemy units. Items (道具) ------------ Initially available First, the game explains that items can be found in boxes. Run and destroy the box in front of you and get the Reimyogan. The game will then explain that there are healing items, weapons, Tomes, etc. Next the game explains that enemies carry items too. Defeat the Captain and steal his Reimyogan. Finally you're told to look in the Gikeiki for item explanations. Incapacitation (戦闘不能) ------------------------- Initially available You don't actually do anything at all in this lesson; it just explains to you what happens if you or your allies run out of Health. If your Commander does, it's game over. If one of your generals or Subordinates run out of Health, they're removed from battle, and if a Subordinate, will lose a level after the battle. STRATAGEMS: =========== Stratagems (通常作戦) --------------------- Initially available This lesson explains Stratagems. You're told to use L1 and O to order Benkei to use Spear Charge. It will automatically succeed, since you can't move and order Benkei to charge the wall. After you succeed, the game tells you that the L1 button commands the first General, the R1 button commands the second general, and that Stratagems are learned from Tomes. Next you're taught how to Chain stratagems. First you're told to hold L1 and press S to make Benkei use Yaribusuma. You're told to note the blue bar that has now appeared over Benkei's Health bar; this shows the time that the Stratagem will remain in effect. Now the game tells you to chain some Stratagems together by having Kichiji Taunt the enemy with R1 + O. As soon as Kichiji's Taunt succeeds, the game makes a note the time counter that appeared in the upper-left corner of the screen; if another Stratagem succeeds before that time expires, it becomes a Chained Stratagem. The enemy will run into Benkei's Yaribusuma to successfully Chain. The game will tell you that during a Chained Stratagem, your Generals' Attack and Defense will increase. Then it goes on to explain how there are three levels for each Stratagem, and chaining them together makes them advance levels more quickly. Finally, you're told that the bars under each Stratagem when you're ordering them show how close each is to gaining a level. Now you're asked to make a Chained Stratagem of your own. You don't have much choice here--it's either Spear Charge/Yaribusuma then Taunt, or vice versa. Formations (全体作戦) --------------------- Unlocked along with "The Kagami Inn" First you're given a primer on Formations (literally "Stratagem Affecting All") and how to use them; by holding down the L1 and R1 buttons. In this case, you want to order "Charge Formation" by holding L1 and R1, and pressing the O button. (I don't know why they mapped it to the O button, considering there's not a single Formation in the game that's not mapped to the S or T buttons) To finish the lesson, you have to defeat the enemies while using Charge Formation. Surprise Attacks (奇襲) ----------------------- Unlocked along with "The Battle at Fuji River" You're given an explanation of Surprise Attacks; using Attack Stratagems while the enemy's not paying attention. Order Benkei with L1 + S to use Assault on the enemies while they're not looking. STRUCTURES (建造物) =================== Gates (門) ---------- Unlocked along with "The Battle at Fuji River" The first thing to do in this lesson is break down the gate with your sword. Next, you're introduced to the Elite Soldier ability to open gates with L1 + X. Order Kikuo-Maru (Why is Ushiwaka commanding a Taira general?) to open the gate with "Open Gate." As a final message, the game will tell you that Elite Footsoldiers can only use this Stratagem when they're near gates. Archer Towers (矢倉) -------------------- Unlocked along with "Subjugating the Western Provinces" First, you're given an explanation of archer towers and why they're a pain; you can't get up there to attack the archers. You're told that "Fire Arrow" is especially effective against them and are told to eliminate the Archer Tower in front of you with it. After torching the tower, you're told that small enemy boats work pretty much the same way. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | THE GIKEIKI | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o The Gikeiki is one of the greatest features of Yoshitsune Eiyuden: Shura, and is loaded with extensive information, both about the gameplay system and the history and legends behind the story. Needless to say, without the Gikeiki, a lot of the information in this guide would not have been possible, or at least much more difficult to discover. Unfortunately, if you can't read Japanese, you'll miss out on the Gikeiki, as it's nothing but text. You can still use it to replay music and/or watch in- game movies again, or maybe get stats on a weapon, but its primary use, that of historical information, you won't be privy to. If you can read Japanese, odds are you won't need to know any of the navigation or functionality of the Gikeiki, but for the sake of completeness, I'll put it here anyway. There are 10 categories in the Gikeiki: 1) PEOPLE: 人物録 This category details all of the people that appear in the game: Generals, Subordinates, enemy Generals, and other characters that don't appear directly in any of the stages but either get passing mention or are otherwise major players in the time period. (such as Taira Kiyomori and Emperor Go-Shirakawa) Information about who these people were, what (if any) of their recorded exploits were, and where they appear in-game is all listed here. Some is really brief (ie. "Person X's daughter") and some is long enough to span multiple entries. Most playable characters get two entries; one detailing who they were, and one detailing their ultimate fate. Also, if the character you are viewing has any recorded "lines" in the game, you can hear some of them by pressing the O button. 2) LEGENDS: 逸話集 This is primarily a list of legends and stories from sources like the Gikeiki; (that is, the actual book "Gikeiki," not the in-game Gikeiki) things that may not have actually happened, but are recorded to posterity in the form of oral legends, Noh or Kabuki plays, etc. Accounts of things like the Burning of Shoshazan, the fight between Benkei and Ushiwaka on the Gojo Bridge, etc. are covered here. 3) CHRONOLOGY: 年代記 As opposed to Legends, which deals with the more narrative accounts of the Genpei war period, Chronology is more of a detailed history of what actually happened. As some of the information is culled from not-entirely-historical accounts like the _Heike Monoagatari_ it's not entirely reliable (but then again, ancient history rarely is) but is more grounded in fact than some of the unlikely legends that have sprung up around the period. 4) TACTICS: 兵法書 Tactics is where you can get details about all of the Stratagems, Formations, and Skills that you find in the game. It will tell you here exactly how they work, what happens when Stratagems level up, etc. To find out which characters can use any particular Stratagem or Skill, press the T button while looking at its information to get a list. 5) ARMAMENTS: 武具 Armaments is a list of all the weapons that you can find in the game. It not only tells you the stats of each weapon, but the history and/or legends surrounding it as well. Pressing the T button while looking at weapon info will give you a list of who can equip that particular weapon. 6) ITEMS: 道具 Items is a list of all the items that you can find in-game. It's mostly a list of healing items and Skill-Granting items. (all the Stratagem Tomes are lumped into one entry, 兵法書) Both the effects and any historical or legendary information about the items are listed here. 7) GLOSSARY: 用語集 Glossary is a basic list of terminology used in the game. The terminology actually goes into great detail, and is sort of a catchall for information not covered in other categories. For example, you can get information about each individual province here, the shoen system of land ownership, the jito/shugo system of land management enacted by the Kamakura Shogunate, how Japanese bows were constructed, etc. As with most of the other Gikeiki entries, the information here is brief but informative. 8) SYSTEM: システム System covers the nitty-gritty of the game system. From what each individual statistic does to how the Stage Rank system works is covered here. It goes into far more detail than the game manual does, so is worth a look. (Then again, most of the information in this particular Gikeiki category is covered in this guide) 9) ILLUSTRATIONS: 画集 This is where you can view the pictures and movies that you've unlocked. Note that not every movie you can see is on file here; usually only beginning- and end-of-stage movies are shown, unless they're of particular importance. 10) MUSIC: 音楽 Music is where you can replay any of the music you've heard in-game. The music you pick will continue to play while you browse the rest of the Gikeiki, until you go back and change it again. GIKEIKI LINKS ------------- One of the greatest things about the Gikeiki is its "linked" topic ability. Every topic in the entire Gikeiki is "linked" to other pertinent topics. (For example, the Minamoto Yoshitsune entry is linked to to the Minamoto Yoshitomo entry, Yoshitomo being his father) To see any linked topics, just press the R1 button, and select one with the O button. Should at any time you wish to go back in the heirarchy of links, just use the L1 button to go back. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | SETTINGS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o On this screen, you can change the various options to the game. 1) SOUND: サウンド Pick from "Stereo" or "Dolby Pro Logic II" here. 2) BGM This bar allows you to set the volume for the background music. 3) Sound Effects 効果音 This bar allows you to set the volume of the sound effects. 4) Voice 音声 This bar allows you to set the volume of the character voices. 5) Brightness Adjust 輝度調整 This bar lets you adjust the brightness of your screen. 6) Difficulty 難易度 This allows you to set the base difficulty of the game, to Easy, Normal, or Hard. This difficulty level is separate from that of Stage Difficulty. On higher difficulty levels, enemies do more damage, are harder to kill, and the quality and number of healing items on each stage are reduced. However, the higher your difficulty level, the more often you'll get rare items. 7) Display Blood 流血表示 Use this option to turn blood on or off. This only affects visual blood effects in the stages. (spurting, streams turning red, etc) The "blood spray" sound effect still stays, and none of the movies that have blood in them are censored, even if blood is turned off. 8) Viewpoint Motion 視点移動 This changes the left-right viewpoint rotation of the right analog stick. You can either select Normal or Reverse. 9) Vibration Function 振動機能 This turns controller vibration on or off. 10) Display Enemy Health 敵体力表示 This turns the enemies Health Bars On or Off in battle. Note that you can use the Select button in the middle of a stage to have the same effect. 11) Mini-Map ミニマップ This allows you to change the settings of your minimap--All (全体) which displays the entire stage in your minimap, Detail (詳細) which displays a close- up around your Commander's position, and OFF, which turns off the mini-map entirely. Note that you can use the D-Pad in the middle of a stage to have the same effect. O#############################################################################O # # # GAMEPLAY # # # O#############################################################################O This section describes the core gameplay system and how it works. Before actually delving into the game proper, I highly suggest that you play the Tutorial missions first; they allow you to test out the system and get a good feel of it before playing a "real" stage. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | BASIC GAMEPLAY | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o In each stage of the game, you control your Commander. The Commander is the head of your army, and the only character in the game that you can directly control, move around, attack with, etc. In Story Mode the Commander is always pre-decided for you; in the other gameplay modes you can choose who you want commanding. STATISTICS: ----------- All characters in the game have the following statistics: HEALTH: (体力) Health is your character's life. Your character's maximum Health indicates how much punishment they can take before dying. If a character's Health reaches 0, they die. If your Commander's Health hits 0, it's Game Over. ATTACK: (攻撃) Your character's attack power. The higher this value, the more damage you deal with direct attacks. DEFENSE: (防御) Your character's defense power. The higher this value, the less damage they take when hit with an enemy attack. It also affects the amount of "tick damage" you receive when you block an enemy attack. TECHNIQUE: (技量) This is kind of a catchall statistic that indicates your character's overall skill. Its primary use is to determine the "window" for Instant Kill attacks (see below) but it also has a lot of other effects, like improving the effectiveness of Stratagems and Skills. COMMAND: (統率) Only controllable characters get this statistic; Subordinates don't have it. Command is a measure of your character's leadership. It grants a bonus to all Subordinates working under your character. Specifically, their stats are increased by 0.1% for every Command point you have. That may not sound like much, but it adds up; with a Command value of 500, a Subordinate with 4000 energy will enter battle with a Health of 6000, which is quite a bonus, and if you manage to get someone's Command up to the maximum of 999, all their Subordinates' stats will be essentially doubled. In many ways this is the most important of your statistics. MOVING: ------- There isn't too much to say about moving, except that it's done with the left analog stick. By holding the L2 button you can walk instead of run. (Walking is very slow and generally not worth it) It's also worth noting that characters' running speeds are not constant. Rin runs a whole lot faster than Yukiie, for example. ATTACKING: ---------- There are two types of attacks; Strong and Fast attacks. Fast attacks are the main type of attacks you'll be using in the game. They generally don't do as much damage as Strong attacks, but they're usually fast and are the only type of attacks that can be chained together. Strong attacks are, for the most part, like "finishing" moves that wrap up a combo. Often they're wide-range attacks that are good for crowd clearing. Most "special" attacks, such as Power Charges, are Strong attacks. Also, most characters have a special "charge" attack they perform when using a Strong attack while running. Also, with a few exceptions, all Strong attacks with archers are bow attacks. Most of these aim automatically. EVASION ATTACKS: ---------------- If you get caught in a crowd of enemies, each character has an "Evasion Attack" which is a wide-range attack designed to give you a little breathing room. An Evasion Attack consumes one Spirit Sphere. (see the section on Stratagems and Formations to learn about Spirit Spheres) Usually Evasion attacks aren't really worth using, in my opinion. KILLING MOVES: -------------- Occasionally enemies will temporarily lose their will to fight and start crawling on the ground in fear. Usually this happens when you deal severe damage to them, or they're hit with some sort of status ailment. If you walk up to a crawling character and hit the S or T buttons, you'll finish them off, regardless of how much life they had left. However, your left analog stick MUST be in a "neutral" position to do this; if you're moving you'll just do a normal attack. (This is actually a good thing--Killing Moves are usually pretty slow and you want to have a way to avoid dishing them out in a pitched battle) INSTANT KILLS: -------------- If an enemy attacks and misses you, they become vulnerable. If you hit them after a missed attack before they have a chance to recover, you can kill them instantly, even if they were at full life. The timing for pulling this off depends on your character's Technique value. The higher your Technique value, the larger the "window" for Instant Killing. Characters with high Technique can instant-kill enemies during any part of their attack animation, whereas those with low Technique are usually restricted to openings after the attack is thrown. Not all enemies can be instant-killed. Generals cannot be Instant-killed, for example. If you attack during a General's "instant-kill window" you will often deal a critical hit to them that does more damage than usual. (again, depending on your Technique) Also, you and your Generals cannot be instant-killed. (though you can take critical hits) I believe your Subordinates CAN be instant- killed, but it is very, VERY rare. (In fact, it's only happened to me once--Ise Yoshimori one-hit-killed a level 80 Subordinate at full health--it's unlikely he would have dealt a critical that damaging, though I suppose it's possible) BLOCKING: --------- The O button allows you to block; any incoming attacks from the front will bounce off your guard (unless your opponent has the Guard-Breaking skill) and you will take little or no damage. Blocking does nothing for attacks from the rear. Blocking is important, especially when facing off against boss-class enemies. Sometimes it's a good idea to prematurely end an attack combo with a block, so that your enemy doesn't hit you in between blows. However, blocking in the middle of a pitched battle is generally not a good idea; when you're surrounded by enemies, your back is always going to be open. It's better to focus on dodging in that case. JUMPING: -------- The X button allows you to jump. Some characters jump higher than others. The Elite Footsoldier-type characters (Ise Yoshimori, Kikuo-Maru, and Karasu Tengu) can jump highest of all, enough to clear some of the low fences. As nifty items or shortcuts are often behind these low fences, it can be worth your while. Otherwise jumping isn't terribly important, (there's not much in the way of climbing to be done in the game, and jumping attacks are almost never effective) though it can be useful in a few situations. For example, if you're faced with mud or shallows, you can jump at the edge into the middle, rather than having to slog the whole way. Also if you order Stratagems or Formations while jumping, your character will forego the "Commanding" animation, which can be helpful. HORSES: ------- Certain characters are "mounted" generals, meaning that they can get on horseback if they want. (Non-mounted generals can never ride horses) To mount or dismount a horse, just press the O button. Horses have several advantages. First and most obvious is that they're a lot faster than foot travel. Second is that while charging a horse, all you have to do is merely touch an enemy/crate/flag to attack/destroy it. Horse charging attacks don't do a lot of damage, but they do send the enemy flying. While riding a horse, you also don't take any damage at all; instead, the horse takes the damage. If you get hit by a particularly strong attack, you'll get knocked off the horse, unless you have the Horsemanship skill. (exception: characters with Horsemanship will still get knocked off of horses by characters with the Anti-Cavalry skill) If the horse runs out of Health, you'll not only get knocked off the horse, but the horse will run away and leave the stage. The disadvantage to being on a horse is that it's a lot harder to effectively attack enemies on horseback. You can't turn a horse around on a dime like you can a soldier on foot, and you have to attack enemies from the side rather than directly ahead, so it's very easy to overshoot the enemy and then have to get back into position. Furthermore, horse attacks are usually slow and clunky. Running in a clockwise circle on horseback around the enemy while whacking furiously at them can be effective, but it's usually faster and more efficient to get off your horse and fight. And of course, if the remainder of your army ISN'T on horseback, you may arrive at your destination and have to wait for them to catch up before you can do anything. MUD AND SHOALS -------------- Two levels in the game have "mud" areas. The mud/water goes up to your waist, hindering your movement rate a lot. You move extremely slowly in mud/shoals, and cannot run or jump. If you use the "Force Formation" (see the Formations and Stratagems section) then you only take a small hit to your speed through the mud. (You still can't jump, though) GATES ----- Many levels have gates in them. Gates remain closed until you knock them down. You can also use your Elite Footsoldier generals to climb over the gates and open them from the other side. (This has little utility though) There are a few levels where you have to protect gates rather than destroy them; if these gates are destroyed you lose the level. Your own attacks won't damage the gates in these cases. ARCHER TOWERS AND BOATS ----------------------- Some levels have Archer Towers and Boats in them, where enemy archers will fire down on you from a somewhat protected position. Occasionally you can kill enemies in Archer Towers with jumping attacks, but the only way to take out enemies on boats is with archers of your own. Both Archer Towers and Boats have one weakness; they are flammable. If you attack an enemy archer on either with a burning attack, the tower/boat will catch flame and start draining the Health of all the archers stationed there. Usually this is enough to turn the enemy archers into crispy critters, but sometimes they're hardy enough to survive until the flames die down. COMMANDERS, GENERALS, AND SUBORDINATES -------------------------------------- All soldiers in your army can be broken down into Commanders, Generals, and Subordinates. Below is a summary of each role; more information is provided in detail in the "Stratagems and Formations" section. 1) COMMANDER: While covered briefly earlier, this is the highest rank of command, and is the character you control. Commanders can use Formations, and order their Generals to use Stratagems. They can't use Stratagems themselves, except for their Setsuna-no-Saku. Enemies don't really have Commanders. Your Commander's information is displayed in the upper-left hand corner of the screen. If your Commander dies, it's Game Over. Note that in one particular stage of the game, you actually get two Commanders. 2) GENERALS: This is the next highest rank of command, under Commander. Only playable characters can be made Generals. Generals cannot use Formations, but they can use Stratagems. Their information is displayed in the bottom-left (for General 1) and bottom-right (for General 2) hand corners of the screen. 3) SUBORDINATES: This is the lowest rung on the totem pole. Your Subordinates are all grunts (albeit important grunts) that directly serve under your Commander or Generals. Their only status is indicated by little colored spheres located under the life bar of the character they're serving. The color of these spheres indicates their life level, slowly changing shade from green (healthy) to yellow (hurt) to orange (hurt badly) to red. (practically dead) If a sphere is black, that means either that Subordinate slot was empty to begin with, or your hapless Subordinate is now kicking daisies. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | STRATAGEMS AND FORMATIONS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Stratagems are the most important gameplay facet of Yoshitsune Eiyuden: Shura. Stratagems and Formations are basically individual tactics that allow you to take special actions in battle to make things easier for you in one way or another. They are the primary (in fact only) way of commanding your soldiers in battle. Your soldiers are of critical importance as well; rarely if ever will you go out and play a stage entirely alone. This is really what separates YE:S from other games in the genre like the Musou series; whereas you can do pretty well in those games by yourself mowing down crowds of enemies, you can't in this game. Just for fun, try it; unless you're LOTS tougher than the enemies you're facing, you'll be slaughtered very quickly. SPIRIT SPHERES: --------------- In order to use a Stratagem, you need Spirit Spheres. Spirit Spheres are sort of a measure of your unit's morale and zeal rolled up into one. You can have up to a maximum of 10 Spirit Spheres at any one time. Every Stratagem or Formation has a Spirit cost, which will deplete your stock. Spirit Spheres regenerate on their own, but very slowly. There are several ways that you can increase Spirit more quickly: 1) Kill enemies 2) Cut down enemy flags 3) Succeed Stratagems 4) Use Spirit-enhancing Skills, Formations, or Stratagems 5) Get Spirit-regenerating items (Versus mode only) On the flip side, there are a few ways that your Spirit can decrease: 1) Use Stratagems 2) Witness your own flags being cut down 3) Get hit with Spirit-Reducing Skills, Formations, or Stratagems These rules work the same for enemies too. Also, if a unit's Spirit level dips into negative territory, it may be afflicted with a Status Ailment (more on that later) STRATAGEMS: AN OVERVIEW ----------------------- Stratagems are individual tactics that are used by your Generals. To order a Stratagem, hold the L1 or R1 button (for the first and second General respectively) and then use the Square, Triangle, or Circle buttons to order whatever Stratagem you have mapped to that button. Their effects and usage vary wildly from Stratagem to Stratagem; check out the Stratagem list at the end of the guide to learn the details of each. However, all of them share a few characteristics. 1) Stratagems either Succeed or Fail Simply using a Stratagem doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work. Each Stratagem has specific conditions that you must meet before it's considered a "success." If a Stratagem succeeds, the unit using it usually will regain a little bit of the Spirit Spheres that they used. If a Stratagem fails, nothing will happen, but just because a Stratagem "failed" doesn't mean it was necessarily a waste. 2) Stratagems have Timers Whenever you use a Stratagem, it only is in effect for a limited time period before the General stops using it. When you first use a Stratagem, the general using it will have their Stratagem Timer Bar (the little blue bar above his or her Health bar) filled, and it will slowly drain. Once the timer hits 0, the Stratagem stops. There are also times where the Timer will stop prematurely; usually (but not always) when the Stratagem succeeds, everyone using it gets hurt, etc. If you manually Cancel a Stratagem, it will stop prematurely as well. And of course, if the General using a Stratagem gets killed, that'll put a quick end to it too. 3) Stratagems Level Up Stratagems gain experience the more you use them. When a General first learns a Stratagem, it always starts at level 1, but with experience, can raise to level 2 or 3. (once it hits level 3, it's maxed out) As a General raises his or her Stratagem levels, it increases in effectiveness. Just how it increases in effectiveness depends on the Stratagem being used. SUCCESS TIMER AND CHAINED STRATAGEMS ------------------------------------ Every Stratagem has a pre-set "Success Timer" value. Once the Stratagem succeeds, you'll hear you general say "Stratagem Succeeded!" or somesuch and its Success Timer value will be added to your Chained Stratagem clock, which rapidly counts down. While the clock is ticking, the succeeded Stratagem's name will be displayed on the left edge of the screen. If another Stratagem succeeds before the Chain Stratagem clock hits zero, then it will be considered a "Chained Stratagem," its Success Timer value will be added to the clock, your Chain Stratagem count increases by one, and the name of the new succeeded Stratagem will be added to the list at the left side of the screen. If you hit 10 or above Chained Stratagems, instead of counting up by numbers you will be deemed a "Shinbo-Renten" (神謀連天) and while the game will keep track of how many you continue to link, it won't be displayed onscreen. There are several reasons to link Stratagems together. First, chaining a certain number of Stratagems is sometimes a Mission. Second, you get a hefty Stage Score boost for chaining Stratagems. (More on Stage Score later) Third, your units get an Attack and Defense boost while in "Chained Stratagem" status. Lastly, you get more Stratagem Experience for Chained Stratagems, so if you want to level up your Stratagems quickly, Chaining them is the way to do it. SURPRISE ATTACKS: ----------------- If you hit an enemy with an offensive melee Stratagem while they're not aware of your presence (usually from behind) you'll score a Surprise Attack. (Actually I have scored Surprise Attacks with ranged attack stratagems, but it appears to be much more difficult. I think the character using the Stratagem has to be practically on top of the enemy for it to work in that case) When a Surprise attack succeeds, the words "Surprise Attack Succeeded" (奇襲成功) will appear in the middle of the screen, and usually the Unit you attacked will be Confused. SETSUNA-NO-SAKU: ---------------- The Setsuna-no-Saku (Literally "Instantaneous Ploy") is a special type of Stratagem that your Commander can use. It's a pre-set Stratagem that for all intents and purposes is the same as any other Stratagem, except that your Commander can use it. There are a few differences though; first, it costs a full 10 Spirit Spheres to use a Setsuna-no-Saku. Second, Setsuna-no-Sakus don't level up with use. Actually, they do and they don't. A character's skill with their Setsuna-no-Saku is the same as their skill with the corresponding Stratagem. For example, Yoichi's Setsuna-no-Saku is Fire Arrow; if he has leveled up Fire Arrow to level 2 as a general, then when he uses his Setsuna- no-Saku as a commander then he will fire Level 2 Fire Arrows. FORMATIONS: ----------- Formations are really a special type of Stratagem that your Commander uses. (Technically they're called "Affect All Stratagems") Unlike Stratagems, Formations are pre-set and are not equippable. They gain experience and cost Spirit Spheres the same way as regular Stratagems, but they don't succeed or fail, nor can they be used in chained combos. To use a Formation, press the T or S buttons while holding down the L1 and R1 buttons. They're generally more passive than a bona-fide Stratagem, doing things like boosting stats for the duration and the like. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | FLOW OF A STAGE | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o This section deals with the individual mechanics of playing a stage of the game, to give you an idea of layout, enemy setup, etc...basically, what to expect when actually playing a stage. CHARACTER TYPES: ================ Each character in the game, be it ally or enemy, is a different type of soldier, (generally) defined by the type of weapon that they use. Each type, and their characteristics, are as follows: SWORDSMEN: ---------- Wielding a standard Tachi, these guys are both the most well-balanced and numerous type of soldiers, both among your own characters and the enemy. Sword fighter attacks usually have average speed, range, and power. Some swordsmen are also mounted, and will attack you from on horseback. In terms of their Stratagems, swordsmen have the ability to throw speedy projectiles at the enemy, either stones or flaming missiles at their enemies, though they cannot do this from horseback. I've never seen a CPU swordsman throw flaming projectiles though. NAGINATA SOLDIERS: ------------------ The Naginata is a Japanese polearm that consists of a sword blade attacked to the end of a long staff. Naginata soldiers tend to have much better range and power in their attacks than swordsmen, but on the flip side, they are slower, have larger openings, and have poor Technique. Like swordsmen, Naginata soldiers can sometimes be on horseback. The primary Naginata Stratagems are Spear Charge (does what it says) and Yaribusuma, a "lie in wait for the enemy" attack. These are the only Stratagems you generally see CPU naginata soldiers using, though there are more. There are two types of Naginata soldiers; small and large. (referring to the size of the weapon) Female characters and Kakuhan use Small Naginatas; everyone else uses Large ones. In addition, there are three Buddhist Staffs which count as being Small Naginatas. ARCHERS: -------- Archers use bows. (However, minor nitpick--the bows that the characters use in- game are NOT Japanese bows; Japanese bows are much longer at the top than at the bottom. Ironically enough, they specifically go over that characteristic of the Japanse bow in the Gikeiki...) While mounted archery was actually the primary form of warfare in Heian Japan, you'll never see an enemy archer on horseback; they're always grounded. Archers tend to be both slow and weak offensively and defensively, but they have a big advantage in their long-range attacks; a steady volley of arrows can seriously hinder enemy progress. In addition, archers have the widest variety of "unique" Stratagems, many of which are very deadly. The most common one you'll see is "Fire Arrow," where enemies light their arrows on fire to do additional damage. SHIELDSFIGHTERS: ---------------- Shieldsfighters wield short spears, but their main characteristic is the oversized shields that they carry, which can also be used as weapons in a pinch. Shieldsfighters are generally pretty slow and weak offensively, with a poor range to boot (not counting the two playable Shieldsfighters) but they have huge amounts of Health and Defense, allowing them to be hardy front-liners. In terms of their Stratagems, Shieldsfighters can create a "wall of shields" to prevent enemy advance, or charge with shields out at the enemy. In addition, they have a Stratagem for scaring horses and unseating their riders. CPU Shieldsfighters tend to restrict themselves to the Shield Wall Stratagem, though CPU Shieldsfighter Generals sometimes use others. ELITE FOOTSOLDIERS: ------------------- Elite footsoldiers are melee warriors that wield paired Kodachis--Japanese shortswords--or similar weapons. (The official term in-game for their weapon type is "暗器," which literally means a "concealed" weapon, aka something that's a weapon but looks like something else) Elite Footsoldiers are weaker than swordsmen both offensively and defensively, and have a very limited range in their attacks. However, their Technique is exceptional, allowing them to make lots of critical hits or instant kills, and their attacks are very fast, with little in the way of delay and usually covering a wide area. Furthermore, Elite Footsoldiers are fleeter of foot than any other soldier type, and they can also jump higher, allowing them egress to shortcuts and areas other characters could never reach. Elite Footsoldiers share the "thrown projectile" Stratagems of Swordsmen, but also have their own unique "trap" Stratagems where they either set traps or fake being dead, then attacking when the enemy comes near. I've never seen a CPU Elite Footsoldier use any unique Stratagems at all though. ENGINEERS: ---------- There's only one Engineer troop in the game, and that belongs to Nenoi Yukichika, one of the playable characters. Engineers are for all intents and purposes regular swordsmen, though they cannot use the projectile Stratagems. Instead, they have their own unique set of Stratagems, involving creating mechanisms from the materials in Yukichika's cart. They can create an Ishiyumi, (a ballista-like weapon of Chinese origin) place barriers, or make healing items, though you'll only see the CPU using the Ishiyumi. THE UNIT ======== The most important concept to know when you're playing a stage is the concept of a unit. Rather than being organized soldier-by-soldier, all characters in a stage are organized into units. A unit is a group of soldiers, led by a single Captain. The number of soldiers in a unit can vary, but can go as high as five soldiers--one Captain and four Subordinates. Your Commander and your Generals are all Captains of their various Subordinates. Usually (but not always) units consist of the same type of character--all Naginata soldiers, all Cavalry, etc. Captains are easy to spot, as they're the only soldiers with Spirit Spheres by their life bars. (Captains without any Spirit still have yellow at the end of their life bars as well) If you kill a Captain, then it also removes all the Spirit of his/her Unit, and any surviving subordinates may become Confused or Fleeing. For this reason, it's often a good idea to kill Captains first, as this weakens the remaining subordinates greatly. Subordinates are basic grunts. They can't do anything by themselves, unless commanded by a Captain. While Subordinates can participate in Stratagems, once their Captain is dead, they won't be able to as there's nobody to order it. Sometimes it's to your advantage to kill Subordinates before you take out their captain. Soldiers without captains frequently go into Fleeing status, and it's usually VERY difficult to chase down fleeing soldiers as they run as fast as you do. (unless you're controlling an Elite Footsoldier) If for whatever reason you need to kill as many enemies as possible, Fleeing soldiers are not what you wnat to deal with. Enemy Generals are like Captains of Captains. You can tell Enemy Generals apart from ordinary Captains because their names appear over their heads. (Usually generals are a historic person, but even if it's not, you'll still get the words "X軍大将" or "X army General" over their heads) When you kill an enemy General, in addition to sapping the Spirit of his or her direct Subordinates, you also lower the Spirit of all the enemy units nearby--usually not enough to put them into negative territory and get them with a status ailment though. Once you kill an enemy Captain or General, any surviving Subordinates will become their own units of just Subordinates. However, those "Subordinate-only" units will not be able to use Stratagems. This applies to both your characters and the enemy. STAGE FEATURES AND THE MINIMAP ============================== Most of the stages are rather large, and thus you get a mini-map in the upper- right corner of the screen. There are two modes for the mini-map, All and Detailed. You can switch between the two at any time with the D-pad. "All" displays the entire level, whereas "Detail" gives you a closer-up representation of the immediate area around you. I almost always find "All" to be the better choice and rarely if ever use Detail view, but your mileage may vary. EXITS: ------ Nearly every (but not all) stage has several Exits. Exits are easy to identify as they go off the screen on the map. If a unit decides to flee, they always head for the nearest exit. Once they get beyond the exit gate, you can no longer follow them. (if they're an enemy) It IS possible to kill enemies with ranged attacks beyond the gate of an exit, but it's not easy. UNIT MARKERS: ------------- You may notice a lot of colored arrows on the map; each colored arrow indicates an individual enemy Unit. (NOT an individual enemy soldier) They are color- coded as follows: Yellow: You (Your Commander) Blue: Your Generals Pink: Grunt enemy units Red: Enemy units led by a General Light Green: Allied units Dark Green: Allied units led by a General POINTS OF INTEREST: ------------------- Sometimes you'll see a big yellow star(s) on your map. This indicates a waypoint, or some sort of point of interest. Most often, the stars indicate your destination or where you have to go to complete the level. EVENTS: ------- Events are little snippets of story that appear mid-way through the stage. Almost all stages have events of one kind or another, and they often indicate new developments in the stage. (enemy or allied reinforcements arriving, important characters joining you, etc) Sometimes you will have to complete Missions before certain events happen; it varies from stage to stage. REINFORCEMENTS: --------------- Sometimes you'll note a unit marker that spontaneously appears in the middle of the map while you're playing. For lack of a better term, I call these "Reinforcements." There are both Allied and Enemy reinforcements, though the latter is much, much more common. Reinforcements usually appear after Events or when you move over certain areas on the map. Certain Reinforcments are "infinite;" after killing them, they will continue to respawn again and again. However, sometimes completing certain tasks or events will "cut off the flow" of Infinite Reinforcements. CRATES, BARRELS AND FLAGS: -------------------------- While not displayed on the map, just about every stage in the game has at least some of these strewn about. They can all be destroyed. The main reason to break open barrels and crates is to look for items. Flags serve a different purpose. Cutting down an army's flag demoralizes them, and drains the Spirit of any member of the army that happens to witness one of their flags getting cut down. In addition, cutting down flags raises the Spirit of the army cutting them down. STATUS AILMENTS: ================ Status ailments affect the AI of characters, and while "under the influence" of one, characters can not do anything else, like enact Stratagems. Being hit with a Status ailment yoursel if extraordinarily rare in single-player (in fact, it's never happened to me) but your enemies will probably suffer them frequently. There are four status ailments in Yoshitsune Eiyuden Shura: BERSERK (逆上) -------------- Berserk is always initiated by either a Stratagem or a Skill. Characters that go Berserk will charge whatever unit inflicted that status ailment on them, ignoring everyone else. Berserk can be cured by the Calming Stratagem. CONFUSED (混乱) --------------- Confusion is probably the deadliest of the status ailments. It can be inflicted on a character by either a Stratagem or a Skill, or if a unit's Spirit levels dip into negative territory. Confused characters will sit still doing nothing, neither attacking nor defending, and thus make pretty easy kills. Sometimes confused characters will fall to the ground so that they are vulnerable to Killing Moves. Confusion can be cured by the Calming Stratagem. BEWILDERED (困惑) ----------------- Bewilderment can only be initiated by a Stratagem or a Skill. Bewildered characters aren't sure what to do and flee for the nearest exit. However, when they reach the exit, they will not leave the battle, but become Berserk and charge whatever character made them Bewildered to start with. Bewilderment can be cured by the Calming Stratagem. FLEEING (壊走) -------------- Your characters can never be hit with this status ailment, though both Allied and Enemy soldiers can. It can usually only happen when a soldier's Spirit level becomes a negative value, though there are a few Skills that can produce it as well. Fleeing characters make a beeline for the nearest exit, and once they reach it, leave the battle. This ailment is incurable and permanent. Usually you can "change" status ailments on characters with the right Stratagem, but not this one. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | AFTER THE BATTLE | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o STAGE RANK ========== Once you finish a stage, you're given a Stage Rank. There are 5 possible ranks you can score in any given stage. From highest to lowest: 1) 軍神 Gunjin (War God) 2) 闘将 Tosho (Battle General) 2) 智将 Chisho (Strategic General) 3) 凡将 Bonsho (Average General) 4) 寓将 Gusho (Foolish General) (Note that Tosho and Chisho are both rank 2. That's not a mistake; I'll explain below) From what I understand, the system works as follows. Every stage has a "target" score to it. (Whether the target score is the same or different for each level, or what they are I couldn't tell you, as the game never shows your score numerically) If you reach or surpass this target score, you will score Gunjin. If you score reasonably close to the target, you will score either Tosho or Chisho; Tosho if you did most of the killing yourself and Chisho if you had your generals and subordinates do most of it. If you did a mediocre job on the level and weren't very close to the target score, you'll score Bonsho. And if you were nowhere near Gunjin level, you'll score Gusho. (Gusho is actually very difficult to score on most stages) One thing that should be noted about Rank is that you will never, ever score Gunjin on Easy. It's not possible, no matter how well you do. You have to play the game on at least Normal level if you want to be able to score Gunjin. The main reason to shoot for a high rank is the rank rewards you get. For each stage, there are separate rewards for scoring Tosho, Chisho, and Bonsho. These rewards are predetermined, but after you get them once, they will be determined at random should you win them again. Should you score Gunjin on a stage, you will get all three rank rewards at once. The primary method of racking up points on a stage is by completing Missions. On most stages, it's virtually impossible to score Gunjin without completing all five Missions, and in some stages even that's not enough. The following are the major ways you gain (and lose points) ACTIONS THAT GAIN YOU POINTS ---------------------------- Killing enemies Making enemies flee Succeeding Stratagems Chaining Stratagems together Destroying enemy objects (like flags) Finishing the stage in less than the "par" time Keeping allied soldiers alive Succeeding Missions ACTIONS THAT LOSE YOU POINTS ---------------------------- Getting your own generals and subordinates killed Finishing the stage in much more than the "par" time Letting allied soldiers die Since you never actually see what your stage score is, let alone the target score for a stage, it's hard to tell exactly the best way to score points is. On some stages, it's pretty clear that the total points you get from all the Missions, when succeeded, still isn't enough to make you to the target score, or at least is exactly the same as the target score. (E.g. in the stage "Yoshinaka Enters the capital" if you finish all 5 missions, you'll get Gunjin. If you finish all 5 missions and a single allied soldier dies, you won't.) So, on particularly frustrating stages, you may have to resort to playing a flawless game in addition to finishing all the required missions. From my experience, killing large numbers of enemies is actually the least effective way to rack up stage points. Succeeding and Chaining stratagems is the best non-mission-oriented way to score points, followed closely by finishing the stage quickly. If you're having particular trouble scoring Gunjin on a particular stage, keep trying to do it more swiftly and bring in Generals with easily-chainable Stratagems. EXPERIENCE ========== Separate from the Stage Score is your characters' Experience levels. Like Stage Score, you'll never actually see how much experience each of your characters has, but from seeing how you level up after playing a stage, you can get the gist of how it works. Experience appears to be unit- rather than army-based; while some actions appear to produce experience for the entire army as a whole, (fleeing soldiers, for example) most rewards, like killing enemies, appear to be given only to the unit that performs them. The net result is that the Units that do the most work also gain the most experience. THINGS THAT GAIN YOU EXPERIENCE: -------------------------------- Killing enemies Making enemies flee Succeeding Stratagems Destroying enemy objects Succeeding Missions does NOT appear to gain you anything, nor does breaking "neutral" objects, (such as the fallen trees in the cliff to the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani) or finishing the stage quickly; experience mainly is given out through battle. The amount of experience you get for each of the above actions scales depending on the strength of the enemies you are facing, but not, apparently, on the strength of the characters fighting--in other words a low-level character will get the same amount of experience for killing a tough enemy as a high-level character would. While the difference between experience gained on different difficulty levels seems to be minor, this is not the case for experience gained on different Stage Difficulty levels. There will be a huge difference in experience gained on the same level at +0 and +100 Stage Difficulty. One thing to note is that killing a few strong enemies will gain you much more experience than killing a horde of weak enemies. Killing 30 bandits on "Kurama Tengu" (the first stage) with +100 difficulty will gain you twice as many levels as killing 1000 weak soldiers on "Killing A Thousand" with +10 difficulty. The most experience can be gained on tougher levels with higher Stage Difficulties. The following are my favorite levels to build experience: #1) I long for him #2) Kurama Tengu #3) Calling all Heroes However, your mileage may vary; find a stage you're comfortable with on high difficulties and play it over and over again until you can raise it to Stage Level 100. From there on out, it becomes a great spot to gain experience for both your Generals and your Subordinates. ITEMS: ====== As mentioned earlier, when you complete a stage, you'll get a breakdown of the items you won. You'll get a report of the items that you found in the stage, along with any items that you win with Rank Rewards. Overall, Free Mode is much better for finding items than in Story Mode. The primary reason for this is that in Free Mode, most of the items you find in each stage are randomized after you get them for the first time. In Story Mode, items are almost never random; after the first time you get an item, it will usually be replaced by a Certificate of some sort. Certificates are not useless, but increasing your stock of weapons, Stratagems, or Skills (as well as getting stat-increasing items) is better. There are some items (such as the Taira and Minamoto Secrets) that can ONLY be gotten randomly. After the first time you get them, Rank Rewards will be randomized even in Story Mode, however. The more difficult the stage, and the higher your Stage Difficulty, the better your chances of scoring rare Random Items. Also, when you set your base Difficulty to Hard, that will improve your chances, too. An endgame stage on Hard with a Stage Difficulty of 100 will be your best shot to get great items, though admittedly surviving with your army intact could be an issue there. The best stage for searching for random items is the Special Stage "Calling all Heroes," hands-down. A skilled army can finish the stage in a matter of minutes, and you can get a grand total of six Random Items if you score Gunjin. o#############################################################################o # # # WALKTHROUGHS # # # o#############################################################################o The categories in the walkthrough for each stage are as follows: INTRODUCTION: This is a translation (sometimes paraphrased) of the intro text to each stage. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: This is just an overview of the history and/or legendary background, if any, behind the stage. Note that my knowledge of Genpei history and legends are not overwhelmingly comprehensive--most of my background info derives from either the _Heike Monogatari,_ the _Gikeiki,_ or, in a few exceptions, the _Genpei Seisuiki_ or more-famous legends and/or plays. (See the bibliography) MISSIONS: This is a list of the missions that you are given at the beginning of the stage, and what you need to do to complete those missions and get a comment at the end stage evaluation. Note that the descriptions of the missions are not always intuitive as to what you have to do. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: This only appears in the "special stages." There are no missions per se in these special stages, but you're "graded" based on how well you performed in the stages at the end with "accomplishments." This is a list of what your accomplishments are. ITEMS: This is a list of the items in the stage. Because healing items like Reimyogan show up in every stage in large numbers, I've separated them from "special items." Sometimes you will see things in an "Item 1/Item 2" format. In these cases, the item you get at that specific location differs. The first time you get the item, it will be Item 1, and for all subsequent playthroughs, it will be Item 2. Note that "special items" are random in Free Mode. RANK REWARDS: This is a list of the rank rewards in the stage you get for scoring Bonsho, Chisho, or Tosho. (For Gunjin, you get all three rewards) You only can get these rewards once; for subsequent playthroughs, any rank rewards are random. UNITS: This is a VERY rough list of the number of allied and enemy units you'll see in the stage. They're divided into the following categories: Allied: "Green" units that consist of "grunt" soldiers. Allied Generals: "Green" units with actual names, that you can Guard. Enemies: "Orange" Enemy units that consist of "grunt soldiers" that appear at the beginning of the stage. Enemy Generals: "Red" Enemy units with actual names. Those with an asterisk indicate generals that are also reinforcements. Reinforcements: Any enemy units that don't appear at the beginning of the stage. Note that this does not only refer to enemies that come out of the stage exits, but also those that spontaneously appear in the middle of the map. Also note that certain reinforcement units continually respawn after getting killed. (Sometimes I note which ones do, other times it's hard to tell so I don't) A side note that this just counts units, and not the number of soldiers within that unit. Some units have three soldiers, some have 5, etc. Basically I just took a tally of unit captains and what kind of weapons they have, as trying to tell which soldier belongs to what unit is next to impossible in a pitched battle. Also note that some stages I didn't even try to count, due to excessive chaos and/or situations like enemies/allies getting killed before you can even get to them. Bottom line: these are ballpark estimates at best. STRATEGY: A general walkthrough of the stage. I've geared the walkthroughs toward scoring Gunjin on each stage, so the strategies listed may not be appropriate for other goals, such as character or Strategem level-building, scoring high kill counts, or item hunting. As getting Gunjin is generally the real challenge (and appeal) of Yoshitsune Eiyuden Shura, that's why I focused on this. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| |############### MINAMOTO NO YOSHITSUNE ###############| |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 1: KURAMA TENGU: (鞍馬天狗) =============================================================================== It is the end of the Heian era. The government's control of the land through the Ritsuryo legal system started to weaken, and to increase their power the many powerful families throughout Japan started to arm themselves. This was the beginning of the Bushi, the warrior class. In order to survive in time of war, these families created clans of Bushi. These warrior clans were organized by the Heishi, who were led by Taira Kiyomori, a descendant of Emperor Kammu, and the Genji, who were led by Minamoto Yoshitomo, a descendant of Emperor Seiwa. These two men both held great power. The rivalry between the Taira and the Minamoto grew, and finally, in 1159, the two clashed in the Heiji Disturbance, and Minamoto Yoshitomo lost his life. As the winners of the war, the Heike exploited their newfound power as much as they could, and their tyrrany brought misfortune to the people, the nobles, and the other warrior clans. "If you're not a Taira, you're nobody" was a saying frequently expressed by the Heike at this time. The Genji, having lost the war, were shunned, and many of them lived under assumed identities as a result. Time passed. Here, in Kyoto's Kurama temple, a young man unaware of his lineage was being raised as a monk. His name is Ushiwaka-Maru. This was the childhood name of the man that would later be known to the world as the unparalleled military genius and hero, Minamoto Yoshitsune. Ushiwaka spends his days at Kurama temple, unaware of his lineage. While being raised as a monk, he could not abandon his dream of becoming a samurai, and secretly learned the martial arts. One day, Ushiwaka hears rumors of bandits that were hiding near Kurama. Thinking this would be a good chance to test the result of his training, Ushiwaka set out to defeat the bandits. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== There actually isn't that much in the way of historical background in this (or any of the Ushiwaka missions, for that matter) as it's primarily based on legends. This particular story of Ushiwaka fighting back thieves doesn't exist anywhere as far as I know either, and is mainly used as an excuse to introduce Kurama Tengu/Kamata Masachika. In the Gikeiki, Ushiwaka spends his formative years as a monk-in-training at Kurama temple. Upset at the Taira's power, Kamata Masachika snuck into Ushiwaka's quarters at night and told him of his true lineage. Also, according to legend, Yoshitsune was instructed in swordsmanship under the Tengu king of Kurama, Sojobo. The game takes a less fantastic approach and says that the Tengu that trained Yoshitsune is really just Kamata Masachika in disguise, rather than being an actual Tengu. Note that Yuri Taro actually DOES exist as a character in the Gikeiki, but he doesn't ever appear at Kurama, but instead, at the Kagami Inn, when Ushiwaka is traveling from Kurama to Oshu. Note: Before you even get to play this mission and first start the game, there will be a cutscene with Shizuka in Kamakura with Yoritomo. She's dancing at Yoritomo's request, and then sings a songs of Yoshitsune--which really pisses him off, as Yoshitsune is "a rebel." She tells him that "only one commands my heart" and Yoritomo is taken aback. This actual cutscene chronologically takes place near the end of the game, so don't worry about it now. (This scene is based on a chapter of the _Gikeiki_ actually) MISSIONS: ========= Defeat Yuri Taro (由利太郎を倒せ) -------------------------------- This is the main goal of the stage. The boss of the bandits is Yuri Taro; once you kill him, the stage is over. He's hanging out by the south edge of the area. Stop the Bandit raiders (野盗の狼藉を止めろ) -------------------------------------------- To beat this mission, you need to kill as many bandits as possible. You don't have to kill them all, but it doesn't hurt. You complete this mission by killing at least 30 bandits. Display your Ability (自らの力を示せ) ------------------------------------- If Ushiwaka-maru deals the killing blow to Yuri Taro, you complete this mission. The Bandit Mob (野盗の群れ) --------------------------- There's a big bandit mob, where most of the enemies are concentrated. You can complete this mission by killing them. There are two ways to finish it; you can rush them head-on, or you can take the long way and hit them from behind. You get more credit for taking them head-on. Valuable Item (貴重な道具) -------------------------- Find the valuable item in the stage to win this mission. The valuable item is being carried by one of the leaders of the bandit mob. The first time through the item is a Koaoe, afterwards it's a Valuable Scroll. ITEMS: ====== Koaoe/Valuable Scroll: Carried by one of the leaders of the bandit mob Reimyogan: 1) In a crate near the north exit to the stage. 2) In a crate on the "long route" around the bandit mob. (Easy/Normal only) Rank Rewards: Fukurokuju Scroll/Ebisu Scroll/Bishamon Scroll UNITS: ====== Allied: Kurama Tengu Enemies: 9 Sword Bandits, (8 Sword/1 Naginata) Enemy Generals: Yuri Taro Reinforcements: 5 Bandits (all with swords) STRATEGY: ========= As the first mission you'll be playing, this stage is pretty easy. None of the bandits are particularly tough, and even by yourself you should be able to do pretty well; scoring War God is not particularly tough either. After you've dealt with the first two or three Bandit units, you'll come to a clearing where you'll find Kurama Tengu. After learning you're out to kill the bandits, he'll join you, and advise you to avoid the mob of bandits that are nearby. If you're going for a high score, ignore Kurama Tengu's advice and charge headlong into the bandits. He'll scold you, but don't give him any heed and take them out. If you go around the long way, you'll have to run into Yuri Taro, and if you want to kill the bandit mob at that point, you'll have to take them AND Yuri Taro's followers on at the same time. Of course, you can avoid the Bandit Mob entirely. (which you might want to do if you're playing a fresh character solo in Free Mode, since they throw stones which can get dicey) Once the mob of bandits are dead, be sure to get sure to get the Valuable Item from them, then double-back and take the long way around so that you can kill the bandits hanging out on that side. When you reach the end of the path, there will be a little exchange between Ushiwaka-maru and Yuri Taro, then you have to fight him. He's not very tough, but be sure to deal the last blow yourself if you want to grab the extra points. If you're worried about one of the other soldiers killing him, you can order Kurama Tengu's troops to stay behind before you approach him. After winning, Kurama Tengu explains to Ushiwaka-maru that he is really the son of the head of the Genji clan Yoshitomo, and about how he got made a monk. Kurama Tengu is Kamata Masachiku, and was Yoshitomo's retainer. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 2: FIRE AT SHOSHAZAN (書写山炎上) =============================================================================== Harima's Shosazan. Many warrior monks train in this temple, and it is almost as famous as the western Mount Hiei. Around this time, a monk from Hiei, Musashibo-Benkei, wandered here. He had been driven from Hiei for being too violent, and could not get along with the Shosazan monks either, so continued his training alone. One day, after returning from his training, he discovered his own Shosazan temple in flames. It was this occurance that would later lead Benkei to meet Ushiwaka at Gojo Bridge. Benkei returns from training to find Shosazan burning. Benkei learned that the temple was attacked while he was gone. There are many monks still trapped in the flames. Benkei charges into the temple to rescue the other monks and beat back those who attacked it... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The back story to this stage isn't historical; it's a legend that comes from the Gikeiki. The legend is pretty much the opposite of what happens in the game. In the game, Benkei defends the monks of Shoshazan temple from marauding bandits who are burning it down; in the Gikeiki, it's Benkei that beats the stuffing out of the monks and burns down the temple. As the story goes, Benkei had stopped there after training, and while he was asleep, the monk Kaien wrote insults on his face. He didn't realize this until after he awoke and everyone started laughing at him. In anger, Benkei started a huge brawl with all the monks. Kaien attacked Benkei with a lit torch, but Benkei tossed him up onto the roof of the main temple hall. Kaien fell off but his torch stayed, burned down the main hall, and the fire spread. Though the fire started as an accident, not wanting to leave the job half-finished, Benkei torched the monk's quarters to burn down the whole complex. MISSIONS: ========= Attack the Bandits (野盗の襲撃) ------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage; to win it, you have to kill or drive off all the bandits on the stage. Save the monks by the hall (木堂の僧) Save the monks at the plaza (広場の僧) Save the monks at the living quarters (僧房の僧) ------------------------------------------------ To complete these missions, you must rescue the monks at the hall (in the center of the map) at the plaza (in the west part of the map) and the monks' living quarters. (in the northwest part of the map) If so much as a single monk in either of these groups dies, you'll fail the respective mission. Act quickly (迅速に行動せよ) ---------------------------- In order to complete this mission, you must complete the stage in under four minutes. ITEMS: ====== Kobizen/Valuable Scroll: In a crate south of the monks' quarters. (It's obscured by long grass, so is easy to miss.) Reimyogan: 1) In a crate right near the entrance to the temple 2) Near the cart in the southeast area of the clearing right after the temple gate 3) Right west of the Plaza monks 4) In the northeast corner of the Hall courtyard 5) North of the building directly west of the Hall 6) In the isolated area to the east of the map with two Bandit units (Easy and Normal only) Rank Rewards: Fukurokuju Scroll/Daikoku Scroll/Benzai Scroll UNITS: ====== Allied: Kaien, 6 Warrior Monks (2 with Naginatas) Enemies: 12 Bandits (all with swords) Reinforcements: 2 Bandits (all with swords) STRATEGY: ========= If you are going for a good score on this stage, you have to work very quickly. The three monk teams will not last very long against the bandits. If you're fast, it doesn't matter too much what order you take them in. I usually save those in the Plaza first, then the Hall, and lastly the Monks' Quarters, as that way I don't have to double-back; the Monk's Quarters are a little off the beaten path. Also, the fewest number of monks are located in the Plaza and those in the Hall face the largest opposition. (In addition to the two Bandit units the Hall monks start out fighting, the three other Bandits by the entrance of the stage will join in the brawl later) Once the three groups of monks have all been saved, it's pretty much smooth sailing. Get the special item near the monks' quarters then head to the far east area of the stage to deal with the last few bandits. At the north end of the stage is an event where Benkei meets up with Kaien. (who refuses to fight and runs away) You get nothing from this event, so you don't have to see it if it's out of your way. After all the bandits are dead, you win the stage. It shouldn't be hard at all to finish the stage in the 4 minute deadline unless you really drag your feet. Benkei is a strong character, and there are plenty of healing items here just in case. Benkei's SSST combo is great for clearing out crowds of enemies, so make good use of it in this stage. After winning, there's a short cutscene where Benkei is upset about not being able to protect the temple, and decides to go to Kyoto to show his strength. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 3: THE GOJO BRIDGE (五条大橋) =============================================================================== After learning his true identity, Ushiwaka-maru spent his days training hard in the martial arts under Kamata Masachiku. One day, Masachiku told Ushiwaka-maru that there was someone in the capital that he wanted him to meet. However, as becoming a monk was a condition for his being spared, Ushiwaka-maru could not freely leave Kurama. Therefore, Ushiwaka-maru went to the meeting place secretly, under cover of night. The Heian capital has been such for 400 years, since the reign of Emperor Kanmu. Here, someone who wants to meet Ushiwaka-maru awaits. Even though it is nighttime, there are still quite a few guards. Ushiwaka headed toward the designated meeting point, while looking out for patrols... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The clandestine meeting with Kichiji is not historical (according to the Gikeiki, Ushiwaka met Kichiji when he came to visit Kurama temple) but the legend of Yoshitsune fighting Benkei on Gojo Bridge is very famous. As the story goes, Benkei was mugging passers-by for their swords, and had collected 999 swords when he met Ushiawaka, who would be his 1000th victim. Ushiwaka trounced Benkei and while initially Benkei didn't give up on taking his sword, after another defeat he capitulated and became Ushiwaka's retainer. The stories of this fight differ from version to version; for example, wheras the traditional spot for their battle is the Gojo bridge, the fights between Benkei and Ushiwaka don't take place there in the Gikeiki. MISSIONS: ========= Fierce Monk at Gojo (五条の怪僧) -------------------------------- Defeat Benkei to complete this mission. As this is a prerequisite for completing the stage, you have to do this one. Great Naginata (大薙刀) ----------------------- To complete this mission, you cannot get hit by Benkei even once when fighting him one-on-one. Blocking his normal attacks is OK, but his Shura attack will break through your guard, making you fail the mission. Defeat the Thieves (盗賊を倒せ) ------------------------------- There are two bands of thieves in this stage, one at the center of the map and one in the northeast corner. You have to defeat them both to complete this mission. Make good use of your Setsuna-no-Saku (刹那の策を活用せよ) ---------------------------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to use your Setsuna-no-Saku (and have it succeed) at least once. Fujiwara Kunitsuna (藤原那綱） ----------------------------- Fujiwara Kunitsuna is off at the northwest end of the map; to complete this mission you have to kill him and take the treasure he leaves behind. ITEMS: ====== Sanjo-Munechiku/Valuable Scroll: Carried by Fujiwara Kunitsuna. Reimyogan: 1) Right behind the wall north of where you start 2) Along the river near the Thief units (Easy/Normal only) 3) Behind the wall north of Kunitsuna (Easy only) 4) Right before the Gojo Bridge (Easy/Normal only) Rank Rewards: Daikoku Scroll/Konjo/Iron-wrought Onaginata UNITS: ====== Enemies: 5 Naginata Guards, 1 Sword Guard, 1 Shield Guard, 4 Sword Thieves Enemy Generals: Fujiwara Kunitsuna, Musashibo Benkei Reinforcements: 10 Naginata Guards STRATEGY: ========= This is probably the first stage you'll play where scoring Gunjin won't be really simple. Part of the problem is that while finishing all the missions isn't terribly hard, there aren't enough enemies to kill that'll put you over the top for Gunjin easily. Since you can't succeed any Strategems other than your Setsuna-no-Saku, use it whenever you can. Start out by heading to the east. A few soldiers will be there, including one unit that will run from you. Don't worry about chasing it down; it will stop at the northern-most street, where you can dispatch it at your leisure. After you see the cutscene (where Kichiji offerst to take Ushiwaka to Oshu, but he's more interested in fighting the mad monk) head north up the alley. Head to the north, picking off enemy units as you go. Try and kill the captains last, so you don't have any underlings flee. At the center of the stage, you'll encounter your first thief contingent. Their backs are all turned to you, making this a great place to use your Setsuna-no- Saku and score a Surprise Attack. Once the thieves are dead, head north to face Fujiwara Kunitsuna. He's got quite a good number of soldiers guarding him, but none are too tough. This will be your first encounter with shield soldiers-- make sure to attack them from behind, as going after them head-on is futile. Once Kunitsuna is down for the count and you've taken his treasure, run all the way to the east end of the map and take out the thieves that are hanging out there. If you're lucky you can score a Surprise Attack here, but it's tougher than the first thief band. Once the thieves are dead, head to the northern-most street. At the northern-most street, there will be several enemy units waiting for you, but at the same time, two guard units will be fleeing in terror from Benkei. You get more credit for killing them than letting them escape, so concentrate on trying to stop them--but don't chase them down if you miss them. Take care of the remaining soldiers, then head to the bridge. Here you'll face Benkei one-on-one. Your subordinates, if you brought any, will stay out of the fight. Benkei is not overwhelmingly difficult, but as the objective here is to defeat him without a scratch, you should be careful. Stand right in front of him with your guard up. Wait for him to throw an attack, then hit him with a combo. If you're playing as Ushiwaka (as will be the case in story mode) you can whack him with impunity as you'll be fast enough that he won't be able to interrupt your combos. If you're playing in Free mode as a slower character (say, Kichiji) then you should be more careful. Should Benkei hunker down with his naginata behind him, run away; this is a sign that he's about to throw his Gokuraku-Ojo attack, and even if you block a Gokuraku-Ojo attack, it'll count as getting hit. Once Benkei is defeated, the stage is over. If you're playing story mode Ushiwaka will give him a little lecture on using his powers for good, etc. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 4: THE KAGAMI INN (鏡の宿) =============================================================================== Under the arrangements of the Oshu merchant Kichiji, Ushiwaka decides to leave Kurama. The meeting place is the Kagami Inn. Here Ushiwaka will meet with Kichiji's caravan. However, the Heike, who feared the descendant of the Genji uniting with the Fujiwara in Oshu, soon had him trapped. Ushiwaka found himself surrounded by bandits after the bounty the Taira put on his head. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== This stage is sort of a fusion of a story from the Gikeiki, and a famous Noh play called "Kumasaka." The play is about Ushiwaka and Kumasaka Chohan, the leader of a band of bandits. While Ushiwaka and Kichiji were resting at an inn at Aohaka on the way to Oshu, a band of bandits, led by Kumasaka Chohan, planned to rob Kichiji. After scouting out the inn they decided the it was worth robbing too, but when they came en force, Ushiwaka came out of the inn and killed dozens of bandits, before using magic arts taught to him by Kurama Tengu to kill Kumasaka Chohan. In the Gikeiki, the inn that gets raided is in Kagami, and the thieves that attack it are Yuri Taro (the boss of the "Kurama Tengu" mission in this game) and the Fujisawa Lay Priest. It turns out in a similar fashion, though in the Gikeiki, Kichiji also participates in fighting off the bandits, after regaining his courage; he had hid from them to start with. Note that in both the play and the Gikeiki, he bandits were not hired by the Taira, nor was Benkei present--that's a new insertion into the game. MISSIONS: ========= Defeat Kumasaka Chohan (熊坂長範を倒せ) --------------------------------------- The main mission of this stage is to defeat Kumasaka Chohan. He is hanging out at the end of the stage with a bunch of Taira soldiers to back him up. Allies (仲間) ------------- To complete this mission, all you have to do is succeed with a Strategem that one of your allies uses. It has to actually succeed though--i.e. with the little Strategem window popping up on the left side of the screen. Evacuate the civilians (民を逃せ) --------------------------------- The Fujisawa Lay Priest and Okitsu Juro are attacking some townspeople near the start of the stage. To finish this mission, don't let them kill anyone. This is a pretty easy mission to do, as the townspeople will flee from the start and you can reach both Fujisawa and Juro within seconds of starting the stage. Defeat many thieves (多くの盗賊を倒せ) -------------------------------------- Kill at least 30 thieves in this stage to complete this mission. You don't have to kill them all with Yoshitsune directly; your kill count just has to be over 30 at the end of the stage. Valuable Items (貴重な道具) --------------------------- There are two Valuable Item located in the stage, and to complete this mission, you just have to get both. One is being carried by the Fujisawa Lay Priest, and the other is in a crate at the far end of the "side path" to the southeast that passes by the restaurant-like building. ITEMS: ====== Yaribusuma Tome/Attack Certificate: Carried by the Fujisawa Lay Priest. Rikuto/Valuable Scroll: In a crate at the end of the side-path heading to the southeast Reimyogan: 1) In a box near the Fujisawa Lay Priest (Easy only) 2) In a pot by the restaurant on the southeast side-path Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll/Drum of Fervor/Assault Tome UNITS: ====== Allied: 2 Civilians Enemies: 1 Naginata Bandit, 1 Sword Bandit Enemy Generals: Okitsu Juro, Fujisawa Lay Priest, Kumasaka Chohan Allied Reinforcements: 1 Civilian Reinforcements: 2 Sword Bandits, 3 Naginata Bandits STRATEGY: ========= This is a pretty easy stage, and you should be able to score Gunjin on it without too much trouble. There's not a whole lot to explain; it's pretty much a one-way path to the end. Start by killing Juro's troop, to save the civilians, then proceed further. Kichiji and Rin will join you as Generals after a quick cutscene. Soon, Fujisawa will come after you with a large contigent of his soldiers, so take him and his underlings. Be careful, as the naginata soldiers will use Yaribusuma against you. A lone Civilian will spawn while you're fighting Fujisawa and run away, but Fujisawa will be too busy with you to bother with him. The only way he'll die is if he gets caught in the crossfire multiple times. At this point, just proceed along the main path, killing thieves as you go. Make sure to make the side detour to the southeast, to destroy the box holding the Valuable Item in it. At the end of the path, you'll have to deal with Kumasaka Chohan and a steady onslaught of reinforcements. They're substantially tougher than any of the other thieves you've dealt with so far, but you should be OK, especially with your Generals to back you up. Just be careful not to get swarmed. Once Kumasaka Chohan is dead, you have about 2 seconds to fight a team of Taira reinforcments, before there's a cutscene where Benkei comes in to beat off the remaining Taira soldiers and pledge allegiance to Ushiwaka. Then the stage ends. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 5: HIRAIZUMI, OSHU (奥州平泉) =============================================================================== The Fujiwaras of Oshu. Long supporters of the Genji, with a huge financial backing, they assembled a strong contingent of warriors and attained independence from the Taira. Even after losing during the Heiji Disturbance, the Genji are a noble house of Imperial lineage. Therefore the Taira cannot ignore their legitimate descendant, Ushiwaka, going to Oshu. After escaping his isolated temple, Ushiwaka was soon surrounded by Taira pursuers. But he managed to break through their net with a great effort. And on the way to Oshu, Ushiwaka undergoes his rite of passage to adulthood, takes on the name Minamoto no Kuro Yoshitsune, and receives the protection of Fujiwara Hidehira in Oshu. Yoshitsune studies the classics and trains in the martial arts under the protection of Fujiwara Hidehira. However, the warriors of Oshu, having never seen Yoshitsune fight in the capital, doubt his abilities. At this time, Yoshitsune hears rumors of a band of highwaymen that are terrorizing the populace. To prove his skill, Yoshitsune embarks to defeat them... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== There's not much in the way of historical background to this stage at all. It's mostly an excuse to introduces the Sato brothers and Ise Yoshimori, though it does amalgamate various snippets from various stories. For example, it is said that Yoshimori first became Yoshitsune's retainer during his trip to Hiraizumi in Oshu, in the Gikeiki. As the story goes, Yoshitsune happened to take refuge at Yoshimori's house at night. Yoshimori's father had been a vassal of Yoshitomo, Yoshitsune's father, so he pledged his service to Yoshitsune. Other stories tell of how Yoshimori's family lost everything when the Minamoto were defeated by the Taira in the Heiji Rebellion and how he turned to thievery before meeting Yoshitsune. (hence the "bandit leader" thing in this stage, plus he is accused of being a former bandit in the Heike Monogatari, though that is a taunt by an enemy) As for the Sato brothers, according to the Azuma Kagami, Tsugunobu and Tadanobu were some of Fujiwara Hidehira's retainers, who he sent as an escort with Yoshitsune when he went to meet with his brother after the Battle at Fuji River. MISSIONS: ========= The Bandit Leader (野盗の首領) ------------------------------ Defeat Ise Yoshimori to complete this mission. This is your main mission, and once you complete it, the stage is over. Defeat him by your own hand (自らの手で倒せ) -------------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to deal the final blow to Yoshimori yourself. That means your commander must deal the final blow; any of the commander's direct underlings don't count. Defeat the Bandits (野盗を倒せ) ------------------------------- If you kill at least 40 bandits, then you complete this mission. You don't have to kill them all yourself; just have your kill count over 40 at the end of the mission. The Brothers Sato, your guards (護衛の佐藤兄弟) ----------------------------------------------- As you're supposed to be showing off to the Sato brothers, the goal of this mission is to kill off all the enemies without their help. If the Sato brothers or one of their retainers kills even a single enemy, you fail this mission. The Mountain Shrine Items (山寺の道具) -------------------------------------- There are two Valuable Items by the Mountain Shrine in this stage. Get both of them to complete this mission. ITEMS: ====== Spear Charge Tome/Valuable Scroll: In a crate by the mountain shrine. Taunt Tome/Valuable Scroll: In a crate on the other side of the mountain shrine Reimyogan: 1) In a box near the mountain shrine (Easy/Normal only) 2) In a box near the enemies at the dead-end that the Sato Brothers approach 3) In a crate by the area that Ise Yoshimori fights you 4) In a crate by the area that Ise Yoshimori fights you (Easy/Normal only) Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll/Stone-Throw Tome/Reppa Tome UNITS: ====== Allied: Sato Tsugunobu, Sato Tadanobu Enemies: 8 Sword Bandits, 4 Bow Bandits Enemy Generals: Ise Yoshimori Reinforcements: 5 Sword Bandits STRATEGY: ========= This stage is pretty easy, and not too hard to score Gunjin on either. You do have to work reasonably quickly though, as you have to kill off large numbers of bandits before the Sato Brothers get a shot at them. You'll note that in the center-east area of the stage there is a large congregation of bandits; this is the eventual destination of the Sato Brothers. Once they get here, they won't continue any further, so you don't have to worry about them interfering during the boss fight. Start the stage by running forward and dealing with the two Bandit units in the middle of the road. At this point the road will branch to the left and the right. The left branch goes up the hill to the Mountain Shrine; the right branch heads to the main force of bandits. If you're worried about time, you should head down the right branch first and return to the Mountain Shrine later; however, you should have enough time to clear out the Shrine first should you so choose. If you decide to do the Shrine first, hurry and kill the two Bandit units that hang out there, and quickly break the two crates that hold the Valuable Items. Once you've retrieved both, double-back the way you came and head northeast to the main force of bandits. The bulk of the bandit forces are hanging out in front of a dead-end blockade in the road; a full 8 units in total. If you've got a weak character, this can be tough, but otherwise you'll probably be OK. (This may be your first stage with Yoshitsune, but all of Ushiwaka's stats transfer over to him, so you won't have to worry about playing a totally fresh character) Kill them all as quickly as possible. The Sato brothers are reasonably slow, so if you make judicious use of area-affect attacks and Strategems, you should be able to clear out the area easily. Once the main force of bandits is dead, it's time to challenge Ise Yoshimori himself. He's only got one escort of bow bandits with him, but will summon large numbers of bandits to protect him when you encounter him. Yoshimori himself is rather tough, with lots of life and speedy, powerful attacks. However, he'll still probably be no match for you. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 6: THE BATTLE AT FUJI RIVER (富士川の合戦) =============================================================================== The year is 1180. At this time, the tyranny of the Taira know no bounds, and they have even put the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa under house arrest. At this outrage, the second son of Go-Shirakawa, Prince Mochihito, finally acts. Joining forces with Minamoto Yukiie and other Genji generals, he issues an edict against the Taira. "To the Genji and other warriors of the country--kill Taira Kiyomori and his retainers." With this edict, many warriors assembled under this Genji to take advantage of the opportunity. In Kiso, there was Kiso no Yoshinaka, the nephew of Yoshitomo. In Kamakura, Yoritomo, the heir to the Genji line, openly declared rebellion. Yoshitsune also did not let this opportunity by. With soldiers given to him by Fujiwara Hidehira, he hurries to his elder brother Yoritomo's side. In response, the Taira assemble a great force to meet the rebels at the foot of Mount Fuji. The great war that would be known to future generations as the Genpei war was about to begin. Travelling day and night from Oshu to reach Yoritomo, Yoshitsune finds himself at the Fuji River, on the opposite bank from the Kamakura forces, and behind the Taira forces. Both armies have set up their camps, and there is no time for Yoshitsune to go around the enemy and join the Kamakura forces before fighting starts. At this, his first battle, Yoshitsune decides to break through the Taira forces directly and rendezvous with his brother. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== This "battle," as it were, was the first clash between the Heike and the Genji. Though, as told in the _Heike Monogatari_ it really wasn't a battle at all. A Heike punitive force, led by Taira Koremori and Fujiwara Tadakiyo, was sent out to put down Yoritomo's rebellion, and it was decided that the ritual "exchange of arrows" that happened before a battle would have at the Fuji River. As the story goes, the night before the battle was to be scheduled, the Heike heard rumors of a massive Genji force before the fight so were getting a little ancy, and when they saw the many cooking fires of the local peasants, thought they belonged to enemy forces. Then when there was a disturbance that sent a whole flock of waterfowl flying, they thought they were being raided and all fled-- and when the Genji army really DID attack at the pre-decided time, they found the battlefield empty. Of course this is more of a literary device--in reality, it was less of a collosal blunder and more of a tactical withdrawal by the Taira; they got hit with a surprise Minamoto attack, and believed an additional enemy force was approaching from the rear so decided to retreat and regroup. Yoshitsune didn't actually participate in this battle, but he first reunited with his brother near the area, shortly after this battle took place--according to the _Azuma Kagami_, a single day after the battle. MISSIONS: ========= Meet up with the main army (本陣に合流せよ) ------------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage, and as soon as you complete it, the mission ends. You just need to reunite with Yoritomo's troop, in the southeast corner of the stage. For this reason, just completing the stage is very easy, as you can just run by all the enemies without attacking a single time. Taira Koremori (平維盛) ----------------------- The "boss" of this stage as it were is the hapless Taira Koremori, who is stationed in the large camp at the center-southeast area of the map. Your retainers will advise against taking him on, but to complete this mission, you have to defeat him. Mud, Gates, and the scouting party (泥地・門と斥候隊) ----------------------------------------------------- Yoritomo's scouting party, led by Takeda Nobuyoshi, is under attack in the northeast area of the stage. To complete this mission, you have to save him, and keep him alive until the end of the stage. This is one of the tougher missions to complete, as Nobuyoshi comes under near-constant attack. Surprise Attack (奇襲) ---------------------- To complete this mission, you just have to succeed with a single Surprise Attack. Sounds simple, but it's actually the toughest mission of the stage to complete. While you start behind the bulk of the enemy forces, they're remarkably alert and difficult to surprise. Cut down Enemy flags (軍旗を倒せ) --------------------------------- There are large numbers of red Taira flags that are posted around the various enemy encampments in this stage. To pass this mission, you have to cut down at least 20 of them. ITEMS: ====== Taunt Tome/Technique Certificate: Carried by Fujiwara Tadakiyo Spear Charge/Attack Certificate: In a crate near Obaka Gechika's camp Guard Tome/Health Certificate: Carried by Taira Koremori. Reimyogan: 1) In a crate by the exit right near where you start. 2) In a crate in the camp where Takeda Nobuyoshi is 3) In a crate the camp west-southwest of Nobuyoshi's camp 4) In a crate at the end of the north-south mud river at the west end of the stage 5) Carried by Obaka Gechika 6) In the clearing east of where Obaka Gechika is 6) In a box in Taira Koremori's camp (Easy Only) Rank Rewards: Assault Tome/Horse-Scare Tome/Sanryaku UNITS: ====== Allied: 5 Minamoto Units (Type unkown, they don't fight) Allied Generals: Takeda Nobuyoshi Enemies: 11 Taira Swordsmen, 2 Taira Archers Enemy Generals: Obaka Gechika, Taira Koremori Reinforcements: 9 Taira Swordsmen, 1 Taira Cavalry, 1 Taira Archer, Infinite 2 swordsman/1 cavalry combo unit from the southernmost gate STRATEGY: ========= This battle is substantially longer than anything in this scenario before. The enemy army is big, and you've got mud in many places that impedes your progress. There are a couple of things you want to keep in mind in this scenario. First, you should cut down enemy flags whenever you see them, as you need at least 20 cut down to reach that Goal. Second, you should be on the lookout for good opportunities to do Surprise Attacks, as they're also a required goal. Considering that you're attacking the enemy from the rear, they're surprisingly alert, so scoring Surprise Attacks is tougher than you might expect. Assault is probably the best Stratagem to use for surprise attacks overall but if you don't have it, Spear Charge on Benkei or Rin is a good Strategem to try, albeit tough to control, so you may want to take the risk of approaching with Yoshitsune himself and hitting the enemy with a Reppa. If you do this, order your other troops to stay behind, as they may draw attention to themselves. The first and most important thing in this battle (if you're going for a good score) is to save Takeda Nobuyoshi. He starts out in the northeast area of the field, surrounded by enemies. If you don't make a beeline for him (and ignore most of the soldiers on the way) he'll be dead by the time you get to him. So run to him as soon as the stage starts. You'll have to cross a river though, with some very annoying archers on the other side taking potshots at you as you slog through the mud. It slows you down a lot, but it's a good idea to guard as you walk through the mud spots. (Through the river itself, a zig-zag formation is best.) Once you get to Nobuyoshi, kill off his attackers, and use him as a "base" to make multiple forays towards the enemies nearby. To be extra safe, have a general Guard him. The reason for this is that there are at least three Taira reinforcements that will spawn practically on top of him; if you wander too far, he'll get killed despite your having "saved" him earlier. Some of the reinforcements are cavalry; after you kill them, steal their horses so you're never too far from him. After Nobuyoshi is relatively safe and you've killed off the reinforcements that may assault him, go and kill Fujiwara Tadakiyo, who is located on the path pretty much directly behind Taira Koremori. If you play your cards right, this is a good place to score a Surprise Attack. Once Fujiwara Tadakiyo is taking a dirt nap, circle all the way back to where you started and take the long muddy path south, killing the enemies that you missed when trying to save Nobuyoshi. This will also put you right behind Obaka Gechika, and if you're lucky you can Surprise Attack him too. At this point, the only thing left to do is beat Taira Koremori. While your subordinates will advise you against taking him on (and he IS tough) you should attack him anyway if you're going for Gunjin. However, don't rush in; let the individual enemy units come out one at a time; if you run into a pitched battle, it's very dangerous; you yourself might not die, there's a very high chance that one of your generals' men will. Once you've defeated Koremori, just head to where Yoritomo is waiting and you'll see a cutscene, (which can be kind of confusing unless you know the _Heike Monogatari_ backstory) and the stage will end. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 7: MEETING WITH YORITOMO (頼朝との対面) =============================================================================== Many warriors were displeased with the tyranny of the Taira, so more soldiers than expected joined with Yoritomo. Yoshitsune lent his forces to the cause, and the Taira forces were helpless against the huge Genji army. For the warriors that joined the Genji, this was a good chance to display their skill before Yoritomo, their leader. The Fuji River battle became an event for them to compete with one another at gaining honors in battle. Yoshitsune broke through the Taira lines, and the Heike army could do nothing to stop him. For the warriors that joined the Genji, this was a good chance to display their skill before Yoritomo, their leader. After only briefly greeting his brother, Yoshitsune joined in the effort to drive back the remaining Taira forces. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== There is no historical background for this stage, as far as I know. There's nothing in the _Gikeiki_ about Yoshitsune ever participating in the Fuji River battle, and since there was nothing about an actual battle in the _Heike Monogatari_ as the Taira fled the scene beforehand, there's nothing in that either. (Besides, Yoshitsune doesn't show up in the _Monogatari_ until much later than this anyway) There may be some Noh or Kabuki play about Yoshitsune competing with fellow soldiers for battle honors at Fuji River, though I'm not aware of such. The meeting with Yoritomo, however, is recorded in several places. The _Azuma Kagami_ tells of Yoshitsune requesting an audience with Yoritomo the day after the battle of Fuji river and getting one, and it was a typically tearful reunion. There's a longer and more flowery account in the _Gikeiki_ of Yoshitsune joining Yoritomo as well. However aside from Yoritomo saying "I haven't seen you since you were a baby" neither account comes anywhere near the cutscene in the game. MISSIONS: ========= Mop up the Taira Army (平軍を掃討せよ) -------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage. To complete it, you have to eliminate (or drive off) all the Taira soldiers on the map. Defeat Saito Sanemori (斉藤実盛を倒せ) -------------------------------------- The Archer general Saito Sanemori is hanging out in the northmost part of the Fuji River. You have to defeat him to complete this mission. Taira Tomonori and Matano Kagehisa (平知度と俣野景久) ----------------------------------------------------- Taira Tomonori is in the extreme northwest area of the stage, and Matano Kagehisa, in the southwest. Defeat them both to complete this mission. Minamoto Generals (源軍大将) ---------------------------- You've got four allied generals fighting with you in this stage: Minamoto Noriyori, Miura Yoshizumi, Kajiwara Kagetoki, and Mongaku. If any of them die or flee, you fail this mission. Compete with your allies for glory (友軍と勲功を争え) ----------------------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to kill a certain amount of kills with Yoshitsune (or your chosen Commander in Free Mode) and his subordinates. Generals and their subordinates don't count. I'd estimate the kills required to be around 50-60. Despite the name of this mission, the number of kills that your allied armies score is irrelevant. (They tend not to kill very many anyway) ITEMS: ====== Fire-Arrow Tome/Attack Certificate: Carried by Matano Kagehisa Stone-Throw Tome/Health Certificate: Carried by Taira Tomonori Bishamon Scroll: Located in a box along the mud river between Matano Kagehisa and Miura Yoshizumi Reimyogan: 1) Located in a box near Miura Yoshizumi's start position 2) In the Taira camp in the east/northeast side of the stage 3) By the exit behind Taira Tomonori 4) Along the long mud river on the west side of the stage Rank Rewards: Bishamon Scroll/Cover Tome/Hizamaru UNITS: ====== Allied: 3 Minamoto Naginata troops Allied Generals: Minamoto Noriyori, Miura Yoshizumi, Kajiwara Kagetoki, Mongaku Enemies: 11 Taira Naginata soldiers, 3 Taira Archers, 2 Taira Swordsmen, 2 Taira Shieldsfighters Enemy Generals: Matano Kagehisa, Saito Sanemori, Taira Tomonori STRATEGY: ========= This stage is incredibly difficult, if you're shooting for Gunjin. The primary problem is that two of the mission goals, "Minamoto Generals" and "Compete with Allies" are at direct odds with one another. If you protect all of your allied generals, they will kill large numbers of enemies, which reduces your kill count so you can't win the "Compete with Allies" mission. If your allied generals retreat, (which they will do if they get beaten up enough) then you can "win" the competition more easily, but won't get the reward for saving them all. Saving all the generals in of itself is pretty darn difficult, even on Easy level. So, here are your four generals you have to protect. First, you've got Minamoto Noriyori. He's facing off with two Taira units right near where you start the game. After the Taira units are dead, he'll either head north, to engage with the units there, or south, to engage with Matano Kagehisa. Usually he heads south. Noriyori is the second-most difficult general to protect, as he has a tendency to die quickly. Miura Yoshizumi is fighting in the middle of the map. He has a contingent of Naginata soldiers fighting alongside him, but they won't last very long. Once the units he's fighting are down, he usually heads south to deal with Matano Kagehisa. Kajiwara Kagetoki hangs out in the south-center of the map. He generally stays put, but after a certain percentage of the Taira warriors are dead, he'll head west to engage Matano Kagehisa. Kagetoki is pretty easy to protect since he doesn't rush headlong into the enemy. In fact, I've never seen him get defeated in this misson. Mongaku is at the north end of the map. Sometimes he hangs out at his starting position fighting low-ranking troops, but more often. he charges Saito Sanemori's troops. He's got some Genji Naginata troops with him, but they die quickly. And so does he, for that matter. Mongaku is by far the most difficult of the four generals to protect; sometimes he's at death's door by the time you reach him. Once Sanemori's troops are gone, he usually goes after Taira Tomonori's troops. From my experience, there's no sure-fire way to protect all four generals; if they're stupid, they'll get killed quickly. Here's the strategy I normally use, but it doesn't always work. First, whatever you do, don't bring any mounted generals like Rin or Sato Tadanobu into your party. You need to move really quickly in this mission, and mounted generals have the tendency to steal your horse while you're on foot fighting enemies. Bring hardy foot soldiers like Benkei into this one, and at least one general with Guard, as this is critical to keeping your allies alive. Second, the prime aim of this mission is to keep your allies occupied, but not outclassed. Rather than killing off the enemies they're facing, you should consider just hurting them, or just killing their captains. A horse should be nearby, so get on it, then rush to Yoshizumi and kill the soldiers facing him. Next, run south to Kagehisa and take him out as quickly as possible. This next part is a real pain, but you next want to head to Mongaku via the muddy river, passing by Miura Yoshizumi. Ride your horse right up to the edge of the mud then jump; this will save you a few seconds of mud-walking. You'll still lose precious time slogging through the mud, but it's the fastest way to get to him. When you reach Yoshizumi, don't bother fighting the soldiers facing him; instead, have one of your generals Guard his troops while you continue north to help Mongaku. This is where the stage is really decided. Stick with Mongaku and focus on fighting whomever he's engaging. If Mongaku has charged Saito Sanemori, there's not a whole lot you can do, and he'll probably get killed. If, however, he decides to head east and take out the Taira soldiers hanging out in the alcove you saved Takeda Nobuyoshi at in the previous stage, you've got a real advantage. Once the east soldiers are dead, all your NPC allies will usually head to the southern-most part of the stage and head for Tomonori via the very long, muddy river. This is exactly what you want; they're relatively safe there, and it will take them a long time to reach Tomonori, giving you ample time to kill Taira soldiers without any "help" that would reduce your kill count. Don't go with them--head for Tomonori via Saito Sanemori, at the north end of the stage. This is one of the toughest parts of the stage, as you're at a severe tactical disadvantage. You're stuck wading through mud while Saito Sanemori shoots arrows at you. For this reason you should advance while guarding, or if you have an archer general with you, distract him with his own bow Strategem. Once you get close to Sanemori, he's a pushover. Once Sanemori is dead, immediately charge ahead and take out Taira Tomonori. Tomonori is easy pickings so this shouldn't be hard. Once he's dead, head south along the long muddy river to kill any straggling Taira soldiers that your NPC allies haven't killed; the greater your kill count, the better. This strategy is by no means foolproof, however. It all depends on what the AI of your allies decide to do. If Mongaku charges Sanemori, or Noriyori takes out his first opposition quickly and heads north rather than south, you probably don't have much of a chance of saving them. The trick here is to work as fast as possible and deal as much damage as you can in a short time. For this reason, use Strategems that boost your power like Charge Formation and the like. If you can get a chain Strategem combo, that's great, but don't waste time trying to do so until you know all four of your generals are safe. You may discover, to your dismay, that you complete all the required tasks and seemly did perfect, but still don't get a Gunjin rating. Don't sweat it; this is an incredibly difficult stage to score Gunjin on when you first get there. Because your allied soldiers will be dying left and right, you'll be penalized heavily score-wise. You might try coming back to this stage later, with a high- level character, or in Free mode. Actually, the only time I've been able to score Gunjin in this stage is in Free Mode with Rin as my general; she's almost tailor-made to lead this stage. Her Force Formation allows her to run through the mud with little slowdown, and she's fast, which allows her to reach Mongaku before he gets killed. Once you complete this mission, there will be a reunion between Yoshitsune and Yoritomo. Yoshitsune vows to become as good a warrior as his elder brother, and swears to help end the current regime and restore order to the country. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 8: RAIN DANCE (雨乞い) =============================================================================== Yoshinaka finally enters the capital after achieving several victories against the Taira. However, there is a great famine in Kyoto, and Yoshinaka's provisions are also low. The rewards bestowed on Yoshinaka's army by Emperor Go-Shirakawa is not enough to feed them, which causes rising discontent among them. Eventually discipline among the troops breaks down and they start pillaging the populace. Before he even had enough time to savor his victory and entering the capital, Yoshinaka was forced to try and enforce public order. At that time, Shizuka, the dancer and musician rumored to be the most skilled in Kyoto, was called to Hojuji, where Goshiraka was staying. The emperor, concerned with the continuing famine, wanted her to perform a rain dance. As Shizuka heads to Hojuji, she finds Hojuji being invaded by Kiso soldiers. Worried about the emperor's safety, she proceeds inside... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== Whether legend or history, the rain dance ceremony that was held in 1182 by the Shin'ensen lake is Shizuka's famous "debut" in the history books. That year, and the two years previous, there was a terrible drought in the area, and as a result there was very little in the way of crops, which led to a famine, people were starving, etc...it was not a happy time in Kyoto. So, Emperor Go-Shirakawa issued an edict to have 100 dancers perform a rain dance at the Shin'ensen lake. (The reason the Shin'ensen lake was picked was that it was said to be the place that Kobo-Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, summoned Zennyo-Ryuo, who had power over the rain) In any case, 99 dancers in succession danced by the lake but nothing happened--Shizuka was the 100th, and halfway through her dance, it started raining, and continued to do so for three days. As for the rampaging Kiso soldiers on this level, that has some basis in history--after liberating the capital from the Taira, Yoshinaka's huge army moved into the city, but with the famine, there was not enough to reward or feed them, so many of his soldiers turned to mugging the populace for food. (It probably goes without saying that there's no historical record of Shizuka running around beating up Kiso soldiers in Kyoto--that's an addition to this level) MISSIONS: ========= Repel the Kiso Soldiers (木曽兵を退けよ) ---------------------------------------- Drive back all of the Kiso soldiers in the stage to win this mission, either by killing them or causing them to flee. Assist Minamoto Yukiie (源行家に加勢せよ) ----------------------------------------- Minamoto Yukiie is being attacked in Hojuji by a bunch of Kiso soldiers. If his health gets low enough, he'll flee. If he flees, you fail this mission, so you have to protect him. Stop the violence (狼藉を許すな) -------------------------------- Stop the violence with violence of your own! Kill at least 50 Kiso soldiers to complete this mission. Rescue the courtiers (貴族を助けよ) ----------------------------------- There are two groups of three defenseless courtiers in this stage. If they all die, you'll fail this mission. Don't let your retainers die (配下に犠牲を出すな) ------------------------------------------------- If any of your retainers die, you fail this mission. This isn't too tough, as the enemies in this stage are geared toward a fresh-out-of-the-box character; even weak retainers should be able to survive. ITEMS: ====== Drum of Fervor/Health Certificate: In a crate in the extreme northwest corner of the stage. Daikoku Scroll: In a crate in the northwest corner of the southern compound Reimyogan: 1) In a box right to the west of your starting position, right by the lake (Normal Only) 2) In the northeast corner of the outer courtyard of Hojuji (Easy/Normal only) 3) In the southwest corner of the inner courtyard of Hojuji (Easy only) 4) Along the north wall on the west side of the southern compound 5) At the blocked-off alley between Hojuji and the northwest compound. Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In the place of Reimyogan 1 on Easy Difficulty Rank Rewards: Daikoku Scroll/Rikuto/Yaribusuma Tome UNITS: ====== Allied: 2 Archer Monks, 1 Naginata Monk, 2 Courtiers Allied Generals: Minamoto Yukiie Enemies: 9 Kiso Swordsmen, 10 Kiso Naginata soldiers. Enemy Generals: Takada Shigeiie, Toki Mitsunaga STRATEGY: ========= This stage in of itself is not hard, but it's hard to get Gunjin in Story Mode; Shizuka is just too slow. You're better off with a faster character like Rin, or, when you get him, Ise Yoshimori. But the main strategy is no different regardless of the character you're using. The toughest thing in this mission is protecting your allies, especially the defenseless courtiers. As there are six of them, it's not too hard to keep at least one alive to finish the "Rescue the courtiers" mission, but if any die, the score penalty will be enough to keep you from Gunjin. Protecting all of them AND Yukimori is really difficult, even with a fast character. You have to work very fast at the start of the stage to accomplish it. When you start the stage, head south, and kill the captain of the first two Yoshinaka units you come up against; hopefully the underlings will be confused, or, better yet, flee. If they don't do either, you'll have to stick around and kill the remaining soldiers, as they'll start killing the courters immediately behind you. Either way, once you're done at the start, RUN to the southeast corner of the stage. At the start of the stage, a Yoshinaka team goes there to maul the three courtiers there; if you don't hurry, at least one will be dead. Kill the full enemy team--the captain first, and then the underlings, if they don't run immediately. Then charge back to where you started the stage. The courtiers you protected at the beginning of the stage may be under attack again; kill any Yoshinaka men that are harassing them. Now RUN to the central palace where Yukiie is and defend him. Yukiie is a pathetic fighter so he won't last long against the opposition, but he'll survive longer than the courtiers will undefended, which is why you need to save them first. If Yukiie even starts to run, you've lost that mission--you'll have to chalk it up to bad luck and hope for Gunjin the next time you play the stage. If he hasn't run, great; finish off the soldiers attacking him. If you've gotten this far without Yukiie or any courtiers dying, you can breathe a sigh of relief; you've got a very good chance of scoring Gunjin, and the rest of the stage is much easier. Return back to where you started the stage, and continue through the stage in a counterclockwise fashion, cleaning up Yoshinaka soldiers as you go. The bottom-left and upper-left compounds hold some potentially furious battles with large forces led by Takada Shigeie and Toki Mitsunaga respectively, but they shouldn't be too tough; the enemies in this stage are geared toward a rank-beginner character, so you should be fine. (If you're playing this stage in Free mode with an experienced character, you should slaughter them) Just keep tabs on your subordinates' life levels, and if they start to turn yellow or orange, pick up one of the many Reimyogans that you can find on the stage. Once you've cleaned out all the Yoshitsune soldiers, the stage is done. You'll see a cutscene where Go-shirakawa asks Shizuka directly to perform a rain dance, and she does--and it actually works, to her great surprise. If you score Gunjin on this stage, you'll unlock Yukiie as a usable commander and general. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 9: BATTLE AT UJI RIVER (宇治川の合戦) =============================================================================== Minamoto Yoritomo won a decisive victory at Fuji River, but the only warriors he had assembled under his command were only those that didn't like the Taira. Yoritomo did not waste any time basking in the glory of his victory, but started to politically solidify his base of support in Kamakura. But the winds of change were blowing in the meantime, and the leader of the Taira, Kiyomori, died of illness. His heir, Munemori, did not have nearly the same amount of ability as his father. The Taira army subsequently suffered a series of defeats at the hands of the hero of Shinano, Yoshinaka. Taira Tomomori, who was said to be the world's most brilliant general, came to the Taira's rescue. Tomomori convinced his brother to abandon the capital, and take up position in the west. Yoshinaka chased him, but the western provinces were a natural fortress, surrounded by water. Without a proper navy, Yoshinaka could not even attack effectively. The battle drew out, and Yoshinaka retreated to the capital to levy rations from the populace. The "rising sun Shogun," the hero that rescued Kyoto, started to lose the favor of the people. With the situation as it stood, Emperor Go-Shirakawa sent out an edict to hunt down and kill Yoshinaka. Yoritomo, who had been gathering his strength in Kamakura responded, and sent his brother Yoshitsune out to defeat him. Yoshitsune advances from Kamakura, and Yoshinaka sets up his forces by the Uji River to intercept him. Whether the irony of fate or a devious plot of Tomomori, the Genji were about to start fighting amongst each other... Kiso's army set up camp by the Uji River. In order to protect the Rising Sun General, Kiso Yoshinaka, his right-hand men and Tomoe prepared to fight. Despite its misfortunes, the Kiso army is still world-famous for its prowess. The head of a single one of their generals would gain anyone great fame. Several young generals competed amongst themselves to be the first across the river, and the battle was joined. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The _Heike Monogatari_ actually says very little about the results of this particular battle; in fact, it's primarily concerned about the argument between Kajiwara Kagesue and Sasaki Takatsuna. Both of them wanted one of Yoritomo's horses, and when Yoritomo gave it to Takatsune (After Kagesue had asked for it and been declined) Kagesue was ready to kill him over it until Takatsune lied and told him that in fact he had stolen the horse rather than been given it. Kagesue let the matter drop, figuring that it wasn't favoritism then. Afterwards, at the battle itself, Yoshinaka's forces tore down the bridge ove the Uji river, and Kagesue and Takatsuna fought over who would cross the river first and lead the attack. (Takatsuna won) The actual battle itself is barely touched upon, save to say that Yoshitsune's forces won. MISSIONS: ========= Defeat Tomoe (巴を倒せ) ----------------------- The main goal of this stage is to defeat Tomoe, who waits for you at the northeast end of the map. When you do, this mission is completed and the stage is finished. Defeat the father & son generals (父子武将) ------------------------------------------- Nenoi Yukichika and Tate Chikatada both are stationed on this stage. To complete this mission, you have to defeat them both. Save the Minamoto Generals (源軍大将を助けよ) --------------------------------------------- Meet Kajiwara Kagesue and Sasaki Takatsuna, the world's two stupidest generals. Your mission is to protect their sorry asses and keep them from getting themselves killed. Cut down the enemy's flags (軍旗を倒せ) --------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you need to cut down at least 20 enemy flags. Spoils of War (軍装品) ---------------------- In the far southwest corner of the stage, away from the fighting, there is a crate with a valuable item in it. To complete this mission, you need to get it. ITEMS: ====== Kyoma Bell/Valuable Scroll: In a crate in the extreme southeast corner of the stage. Shogeki Tome/Health Certificate: Carried by Nenoi Yukichika Shield Charge Tome/Defense Certificate: Carried by Tate Chikatada Ebisu Scroll: In a crate by Tate Chikatada's starting position Reimyogan: 1) In the clearing at the south bank of the Uji River 2) In a crate in the central enemy camp (Easy/Normal only) 3) At the dead-end that stops at the north bank of the Uji River (Hard only) 4) In a crate near Tate Chikatada's camp (easy only) 5) On the north road between Chikatada's camp and Tomoe's position 6) In a crate in the clearing guarded by Tezuka Mitsumori 7) In a crate in Tomoe's camp (Easy/Normal only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In the place of Reimyogan 3 on Easy/Normal Rank Rewards: Assault Tome/Horse-Scare Tome/Sanryaku UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Kajiwara Kagesue, Sasaki Takatsuna Enemies: 1 Kiso Archer/Cavalry combo unit, 2 Kiso Swordsmen, 5 Kiso Archers, 4 Kiso Naginata Troops Enemy Generals: Nenoi Yukichika, Tate Chikatada, Tezuka Mitsumori, Tomoe Gozen Reinforcements: 2 Kiso Swordsmen, 2 Kiso Archers, 2 Kiso Naginata Troops, 1 Kiso Shieldsman STRATEGY: ========= By far, the toughest mission in this stage is protecting the two idiots Kagesue and Takatsuna. In the _Heike Monogatari_ these two loons were ready to kill each other over a horse, and they're not much smarter here. Each has a grand total of two retainers, and will willingly charge into the toughest battles. What's worse, even if you save them, often they will move in completely different directions, making it nearly impossible to protect them both. If one of them is dumb enough to charge Tomoe, you can pretty much guarantee that you're not going to score Gunjin, unless they do so after you've completed all the other missions. If that wasn't bad enough, if a single one of their retainers gets killed, it's often enough to prevent you from getting Gunjin. To protect these morons, you'll definitely want a General with the Guard Strategem; even better, two. You'll also want to bring in Kichiji, or Benkei if he has Hoten, to kill the archers in the archer towers. (Kagesue and Takatsuna have no compunction about standing helpless in front of a tower and getting shot to death) The first thing you should do when the stage begins is ignore the cavalry, swordsmen, and archers that charge you at the beginning of the stage; instead, head straight for Kagesue and Takatsuna. Kagesue is only facing one Naginata unit, so you can kill that pretty quckly, but Takatsuna really gets into the fray, fighting the main bulk of the Kiso forces. You should have one of your Generals Guard Kagesue (in case he runs off to fight something else) and stick close to Takatsuna, killing anyone that comes close to him. If you're really lucky, Kagesue and Takatsuna will stay put once you've killed off their initial opposition. If you're unlucky, they will charge the enemies at your start position, Yukichika, Chikatada, or even worse, Tomoe. If you're REALLY unlucky, they'll both charge enemies at opposite ends of the stage, in which case there's really not much you can do. If they do charge other enemies, follow them and kill off whoever they're fighting. Don't actively pursue finishing other missions until you know they're safe. Always keep an eye on your radar and if you see either general moving, drop everything to go protect them. Yukichika and Chikatada are both pretty tough customers, and take a lot of punishment to take down. If you've got a well-developed Commander they shouldn't be tough at all though. I generally go for Yukichika first, and then Chikatada. Before leaving the main camp, however, make sure to get rid of the two archer towers. If Kagesue and Takatsuna are staying put, you can also run around the camp cutting down flags and running to the southwest corner of the stage to get the special item. There are two gates into Tomoe's camp, both of which must be knocked down. The west gate is unguarded, and the south gate is guarded by Tezuka Mitsumori. Mitsumori is not hard at all, so I suggest going through the south gate for the extra score. Tomoe herself is pretty tough. While no match for a well-developed character, she can take out your subordinates pretty easily, given the chance, and make incredibly quick work of Kagesue or Takatsuna. When you defeat her, the stage ends. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 10: HUNTING YOSHINAKA (義仲追討) =============================================================================== Minamoto Yoshitsune defeated the Kiso army. The only one remaining was the Rising Sun General, Kiso Yoshinaka himself. Even though he was defeated at Uji river, Yoshinaka's home base at Kiso was still strong. Yoshitsune hurried to chase Yoshinaka; he could not let him escape to regroup. Yoshitsune won the battle at the Uji river and advances his forces to chase Yoshinaka. Yoshitsune has apparently slipped through the ranks of the soldiers beyond Uji River, and is heading to Kiso. If he escapes, he would be able to regroup at home. Yoshitsune hurries to chase him. HISTORICAL BACKROUND: ===================== MISSIONS: ========= Chase Kiso Yoshinaka: (木曽義仲を追え) -------------------------------------- The main mission of this stage is to chase down and kill Yoshinaka. Once you do this, you complete the stage. Only a few minutes into the stage, he'll try to escape, and if he does, you'll not only fail this mission but the stage as well. You'll get an extra bonus if you can kill him within three minutes of the stage starting. (Not hard, seeing as he tries to run BEFORE that time) Defeat Imai Kanehira: (今井兼平を倒せ) -------------------------------------- Imai Kanehira starts out at the extreme north end of the stage, clearing a path through your soldiers for Yoshinaka. To complete this mission, you have to kill him. Defeat Takanashi Tadanao: (高梨忠直を倒せ) ------------------------------------------ Takanashi Tadanao is in the main clearing of the stage, guarding the eastern gate blocking your way forward. To complete this misison, defeat him. Minamoto Generals: (源軍大将) ----------------------------- Two allied generals accompany you in this stage: Ichijo Tadayori and Ishida Tamehisa. To complete this mission, you have to keep them both alive throughout the entire stage. Valuable Items: (貴重な道具) ---------------------------- There is one Valuable Item in this stage, stored in a crate on the north side of the western gate at the main "clearing" of the stage. Pick it up to complete this mission. ITEMS: ====== Aoe-Tsunetsugu/Health Certificate: Carried by Imai Kanehira Iron-Plated Greatshield/Valuable Scroll: In the crate right on the north side of the western gate Bishamon Scroll: Along the north wall of the main clearing of the stage Reimyogan: 1) Right on the path into the main clearing (Easy only) 2) In the southwest corner of the main clearing 3) In the northwest corner of the main clearing 4) Right on the north side of the eastern gate 5) In the extreme north clearing where Kanehira starts (Normal, Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In the place of Reimyogan 5 on Easy Rank Rewards: Bishamon Scroll/Lure-Astray Tome/Sansahoko UNITS: ====== Allies: Impossible to tell (There are 9 in total, but the ones at the extreme north end of the stage get killed too quickly for you to see what kinds they are. Besides, There's too much raw chaos in this stage to sort one unit out from another anyway) Allied Generals: Ichijo Tadayori, Ishida Tamehisa Enemies: 14 starting units. Most of them are Elites, but there are enemies of all types here. Enemy Generals: Takanashi Tadanao, Imai Kanehira, Kiso Yoshinaka Reinforcements: Too chaotic to gauge STRATEGY: ========= There are few, if any, stages in the game where you have to work as fast as you have to do in this one. When the clock hits 2:30, Yoshinaka will run for the exit, and if he makes it, you lose. It takes him a few seconds to get there, but the bottom line is that you have under three minutes to complete this stage. The real difficulty is that you have a large number of tasks to undertake before you can do so. The first thing you should do is ride right up to Ichijo Tadayori and have one of your generals Guard him. But that's really not enough as he'll still die very quickly as he's just an archer facing Elite troops; you'll have to clear out a large number of enemies yourself--but you don't have enough time to kill them all. Once Tadayori is relatively out of the fray, run right up to Takanashi Tadanao, who is guarding the east gate, and kill him quickly. Once Tadanao is dead, run back to the west gate and break it down. Go through, break open the crate, and get the Valuable Item. Then run up north to protect Ishida Tamehisa, who will be under attack by Yoshinaka directly. He's actually tougher than he looks, so he will be able to survive for at least a few seconds. By this time, Imai Kanehira will be done killing the three friendly units he starts out fighting and will run down to Tamehisa's position. All the better for you; if you had to run to Kanehira's starting position it would make it all the more difficult for you to complete all the tasks. Finish off Kanehira quickly, and then turn around and kill Yoshinaka. Hopefully, you'll be able to do all of this while both Tamehisa and Tadayori are still alive. Doing all of this will not take very long; probably about two minutes at most. You may need to practice this stage a couple of times before you can score Gunjin on it, simply because you're so pressed for time. The main key to beating this mission is to realize while you've got a very pressing deadline to chase down and kill Yoshinaka and keep two allied units alive, you actually can afford to spend a minute or so beating up enemy soldiers to protect Tadayori. After Yoshinaka dies, there's a cutscene where he thanks Yoshitsune for letting him die like a warrior. Yoshitsune then is informed that Higuchi Kanemitsu is planning something... If they survive, both Ichijo Tadayori and Ishida Tamehisa will join you as subordinates. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 11: RETURN TO THE CAPITAL (帰京) =============================================================================== Yoshitsune managed to defeat Yoshinaka, and soon after receives word that Yoshinaka's retainer, Higuchi Kanemitsu is planning something. Higuchi Kanemitsu is one of Yoshinaka's most trusted generals. So long as he remains in the capital, the cleaning up of the Kiso army is not complete. Yoshitsune quickly returned to the capital to defeat Kanemitsu. Yoshitsune's destination is Kyoto. He arrives here after the sun has set. Higuchi Kanemitsu has already set his forces in motion and is skirmishing with the guards of the city. Their main force is set up by Go-Shirakawa's mansion in the northeast. Worried about the safety of the Emperor, Yoshitsune heads to the mansion, without taking even a moment to rest. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== This level is a large deviation from what happened in the actual Genpei war and the account in the _Heike Monogatari_. After Yoshinaka and Kanehira were killed, Higuchi Kanemitsu was understandably distraught and decided to gather his men for one last suicide attack on the capital to go out in a blaze of glory. However, before he actually went through with the attack, he was successfully persuaded to abandon any ideas of causing trouble and surrendered without incident. Yoshitsune and his older brother Noriyori actually fought quite hard to save Kanemitsu and get him clemency, but the nobles in Kyoto would hear nothing of it, and Kanemitsu was beheaded. So there was no fending off an attack on Kyoto or Go-shirakawa's mansion by Higuchi partisans since said was only planned and never executed. MISSIONS: ========= Clean up the Kiso Army (木曽軍を掃討せよ) ----------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage; you have to kill all the Kiso soldiers that are roaming about the stage. Once all the enemies are either dead or have fled, you finish this mission, and the stage. Defeat the Kiso Soldiers (木曽兵を倒せ) --------------------------------------- In order to complete this mission, you have to kill over 100 enemy soldiers with your own army. Enemies that run away or are killed by friendly forces don't count. Surprise Attacks (奇襲) ----------------------- To complete this mission, you must make at least five successful Surprise Attacks on the enemy. Save the Commoners (民を助けよ) ------------------------------- There are two units of six commoners each in this stage. Eventually the enemy will find and attack them. You have to save both units. It's OK if a few commoners die, but if an entire commoner unit (or both) gets wiped out, you fail this mission. Chain Stratagems together (連策を使いこなせ) -------------------------------------------- You need to chain at least seven Stratagems together to complete this mission. More than that is OK too, of course. ITEMS: ====== Aohagane-Yototo/Attack Certificate: Carried by Taifubo Kakumei 4 Random Items: In the 4 crates walled in by fences at the very north end of the stage on the west side. Can only be gotten in Free Mode (see below) Reimyogan: 1) Near Shida Yoshihiro's starting position 2) In a crate near the east-west bridge over the river 3) Along the east bank of the river, toward the south 4) Right near the southeast Commoner unit 5) Along the extreme east wall of the stage, south of the river (Hard only) 6) Carried by Nenoi Yukitada 7) At the short dead-end off the northernmost road of the stage Reimyo-Senzu: In the place of Reimyogan 5 on Easy/Normal Reimyo-Shinsui: Carried by Higuchi Kanemitsu Rank Rewards: Stone-Throw/Return-Fire Tome/Shura Tome UNITS: ====== Allies: 2 Commoners, 4 Genji Naginata troops Enemies: 18 Kiso Elite Footsoldiers Enemy Generals: Higuchi Kanemitsu, Chino Mitsuhiro, Shida Yoshihiro, Taiboin Kakumei, Nenoi Yukitada STRATEGY: ========= This stage is a real pain in the butt to finish perfectly. The two most difficult missions to complete are "Save the Commoners" and "Surprise Attacks." The Commoner unit that needs special attention is the one to the southeast; soon after the stage starts it will be attacked and wiped out quickly. What's worse, if you "save" them, they'll run straight into more enemies that will want to kill them. Plus, to get to them in time, you have to run through enemy soldiers and alert them to your presence, reducing the chance of getting Surprise Attacks. Chaining Stratagems together is actually not that difficult in this stage if you do it right. The key to this to bring in two Generals that have the Assault Stratagem. To start with, run to the north until you get to the gate with an enemy General, Chino Mitsuhiro, behind it. (Don't worry about your allied forces to the far north scrapping it out with Shida Yoshihiro; you actually WANT them to get killed, as they'll reduce your kill count if they survive) Break down the gate and have both your Generals Assault Mitsuhiro and his troops. Since they're facing the other way, this should be an easy Surprise Attack. Attack and kill Mitsuhiro's Unit and both your Generals will succeed their Assault, bringing your chained up to two. Now, face the closed gate in front of you and have both Generals use Assault again. When the gate gets broken down, their Assaults will Succeed, bringing your total number of chained Strategems to 4. You'll now have ~15 seconds with which to score three chained Strategems. If you've timed it right, a huge force of enemy soldiers led by Taifubo Kakumei will just be walking away from the gate you've just opened, giving you your perfect opportunity to get those three last chained Stratagems, and if you're lucky, a Surprise Attack or two as well. Once you've scored 7 chained Stratagems in a row, abandon the melee and run straight to the commoner unit in the southeast corner of the stage and kill off all the enemies attacking it. Stick to these commoners like glue and kill any enemy that even looks at them funny. Note that while you're protecting this commoner unit, the other unit by the riverbed may get attacked; if this happens make sure to run and protect that unit as well. Once the two commoner units are safe and have stopped moving, you're pretty much open to mop up the rest of the Kiso forces at your leisure. This is the time to spend focusing on getting as many Surprise Attacks as you can. The best Stratagem to use is Assault, as that has much less of a chance of "missing" than, say, a skill like Spear Charge. If you feel up to it, you can try ambushing enemies with your Setsuna-no-Saku, though this is very difficult as the enemies in this stage are really on their toes. Note that if you're playing in Story Mode, you may hear Shizuka calling for help; if you move to the large intersection where the river turns to the east, there's a cutscene where Yoshitsune "saves" her. She'll stop calling for help after that. A couple of places you might try to ambush enemies: 1) Nenoi Yukitada's troop patrols a road at the northeast end of town, near Higuchi Kanemitsu's troop. They turn around as soon as they reach the intersection, so sending your troops after them as soon as they turn their backs is a good idea. 2) There's an enemy troop that walks along the northernmost road, almost the entire distance of the stage. Sending your Generals after them as they're walking directly away from you is effective. 3) The enemy troop at the south end of the stage, directly south of where Mitsuhiro was, rarely changes direction; they're a good candidate as well. Note that if you're having trouble scoring Surprise Attacks, there's actually a technique you can use that's effective, if cheap. So long as the captain of a unit is still alive, you can Surprise Attack it as many times as you like. If you try to Surprise Attack, whether or not you suceed or fail, have your General cancel their Strategem after they make contact with the enemy and run for it. Wait for the enemy to return to their patrol and try again--you can repeat this as many times as you like. Also, (and this may just be my imagination) it seems that Surprise Attacks tend to succeed more when your Generals launch their attack on enemies either offscreen or out of view. Once you've got your Surprise Attack quota filled, you can continue through the stage and kill off the remaining enemies. Higuchi Kanemitsu is the toughest enemy waiting for you on this stage, but is nowhere near as tough as Yoshinaka was in the last one, so you shouldn't have any problem with him. A final note about this stage--in the "Items" notes above, you can see that there are four "Random" items at the north end of the stage that you can't get in Story Mode. To explain a little more clearly; these items are in crates sandwiched between two tall fences. The only way you can get them is if you jump over the fence with a high-jumping character like Kurama Tengu. Yoshitsune himself cannot jump high enough to clear the fence, which is why you can't get these items in Story Mode. (They're probably not random in Story Mode either, but since you can't get them, that's academic) In any case, these four items make this stage one of the best in the game for item-hunting in Free Mode. Once all the enemies are dead, there's a cutscene where Shizuka offers her services to Yoshitsune in thanks for his help. Instead of doing a dance for him like he requests, she joins your party instead. From this point you can use Shizuka as a General. (or as a Commander in Free Mode) You'll also get a whopping seven new Subordinates: (this is in addition to the four that come with Shizuka) Kumano Tanzo, Funadokoro Masatoshi, Minazuru, Minbukyo Raizen, Wa, Warabi, and Ano Zenjo. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 12: TREASURED MEMORIES IN THE MOONLIGHT(月下抱懐) =============================================================================== And thus, the Kiso army was defeated. After taking care of the leftover Kiso forces, Yoshitsune not only gained the confidence of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, but also gained many new retainers and became a famous and influential general. However, while the Genji were fighting amongst themselves, the Heishi subjugated the western provinces. Setting up their army of over 10,000 men in Ichi-no-Tani, they await a chance to take back the capital. Ichi-no-Tani is a natural fortress, surrounded by the ocean and steep cliffs. Furthermore, without a proper navy, the Genji were forced to attack it via land. Left to their own devices, the Heishi would only stand to gain strength. Faced with such a difficult situation, Yoritomo sends orders from Kamakura to his brothers Yoshitsune and Noriyori, commanding them to attack Ichi-no-Tani. Yoshitsune huries to leave the capital and rendezvous with Kajiwara Kagetoki, the closest vassal of his elder brother and supervisor of the operation. Yoshitsune leaves the capital and arrives at night at to the base camp behind the enemy, where he is to rendezvous with Kajiwara Kagetoki. However, Ichi-no- Tani is a natural fortress surrounded by cliffs and ocean; attacking it without knowledge of the terrain would be foolish. In order to examine the surrounding geography more closely, Yoshinaka sets out for a scouting mission in the moonlight... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The fight with Heike soldiers in this mission is not historical or legendary at all; they're only in there because a stage without an enemy to fight is pretty pointless. As the story goes in the _Heike Monogatari_, Yoshitsune divided his force up to attack Ichi-no-Tani, leaving the western approach to Doi Sanehira while he went mucking around the Hiyodorigoe track in the mountains north of Ichi-no-Tani, looking for a way down to the enemy. They seemed stuck though as the path seemed too steep. Benkei, in one of the few times he appears in the _Heike Monogatari_, brought an old hunter from the area to Yoshitsune, as he knew the terrain. The hunter insisted that there was no way for someone on foot to get down the gorge, and it would be outright impossible on horseback. However, he did say that there was a deer track into the gorge, and Yoshitsune decided to use that track. The old hunter gave his son--Washio Yoshihisa--to Yoshitsune's troop as a guide, and that's how they found a way into the rear of the Ichi-no-Tani camp. MISSIONS: ========= Ichi-no-tani (一ノ谷) --------------------- This is the main mission of the stage, to devise a plan to attack Ichi-no-Tani. To devise such a plan, you need to kill all the enemy soldiers on the stage. (Yeah, this isn't exactly logical) New volunteers (志願兵) ----------------------- Ise Yoshimoro, Hitachibo Kaison, and Nasu Yoichi all want to join you. To finish this mission, all you need to do is talk to each of them. Search carefully (慎重な捜索) ----------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to keep all of your generals and subordinates alive. (Not difficult considering the paucity of opposition you get on this stage) If even one dies, you fail. Kajiwara's army (梶原軍) ------------------------ If any enemy gets killed by a member of Kajiwara's army (that is to say, any "green" unit) you fail this mission. You have to kill all the enemies yourself, or with your generals and subordinates. Excellent Sword (名刀) ---------------------- There's a famous swordsmith that lives in the area. He's got a nice sword for the taking (or a Valuable Scroll once you've already gotten it) so grab it to finish this mission. ITEMS: ====== Stone-Throw Tome/Technique Certificate: In a crate in Kajiwara's camp. Miike-Mitsuyo/Valuable Scroll: In a crate by the swordsmith's house. Reimyogan: 1) By the northwest exit (Easy/Normal Only) 2) In the side-path to the east off the main path to the southwest 3) In the side-path to the west off the main path to the southwest (Easy Only) Rank Rewards: Rally Tome/Koryo Ginseng/Konmeisai UNITS: ====== Allied: 6 Kamakura Naginata Soldiers Allied Generals: Kajiwara Kagetoki, Ise Yoshimori, Hitachibo-Kaison, Nasu Yoichi Enemy Generals (Reinforcements): Taira Sukemori Reinforcements: 5 Taira Swordsmen, 1 Taira Archer, 1 Taira Naginata troop STRATEGY: ========= Few stages in this game are as easy to score Gunjin on than this one. In fact this is pretty much a freebie. None of the missions are difficult at all; the only real way you can mess up getting Gunjin is if you forget to do one for some reason. To start with, walk around the Genji camp and talk to everyone: Kagetoki, Yoichi, Kaison, and Yoshimori. Once that's done, head to the building in the southeast area. There's a crate there--destroy it and take the Miike-Mitsuyo inside. Now, head toward the southwest area of the stage. You'll find Washio Yoshihisa being attacked by Taira soldiers, led by Sukemori. Kill them all, and the stage ends. They should never get anywhere near one of Kagetoki's soldiers unless you're really sloppy or are playing this stage on a very high stage difficulty so you don't have to worry about having your kills stolen. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 13: THE BATTLE OF ICHI-NO-TANI (一ノ谷の合戦) =============================================================================== The Taira army camped at Ichi-No-Tani numbers at slightly over 10,000; the Minamoto army numbers at 70,000. The Heishi had the advantage of terrain; Ichi- no-Tani is far from Kamakura, and without a navy, the Genji must attack via land. The general defending Ichi-No-Tani is Taira Tomomori, the supreme commander of the Taira army. While the Kamakura Genji were wasting time fighting with Yoshinaka, Tomomori was working hard at strengthening and building his base. It is the morning of the seventh day of the second month, at the hour of the Hare. The Genji general Noriyori advances his army from the east, and the Taira army move toward him in response. Yoshitsune awaited a chance to attack from the enemy's rear, at Hiyodorigoe. The battle that would make the name Yoshitsune go down in history, never to be forgotten, was beginning... The Taira army fanned out in response to Noriyori's attack. At the base camp, Taira Tomomori and other great Taira generals await. Only a few dozen cavalry are with Yoshitsune from his position at Hiyodorigoe. Yoshitsune's reckless surprise attack, via a charge down a sheer cliff at Hiyodorigoe was about to be launched... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The battle of Ichi-no-Tani is probably the single most important in Yoshitsune's military career, and certainly is the most famous of his exploits. Ichi-no-Tani was a very difficult area to attack; while not completely surrounded, the coastline was narrow enough to prevent any sizable enemy force from advancing, and the rugged mountains to the north prevented any enemy incursions from that direction. (Or so the Taira thought!) The main Genji force, led by Noriyori, attacked from the east in the early morning, and when the Heishi engaged them, Yoshitsune, with a handful of men, galloped down the mountain to the north to the Heishi's rear and set fire to their camp. The resulting confusion drove the Taira into a major rout, and they fled via sea. Shigehira was captured as well. As to be expected, of course, the battle itself was exaggerated in terms of its size in the _Heike Monogatari_; in reality there were probably fewer than 10,000 soldiers in the battle on both sides combined, while given the _Monogatari_ numbers there were 70,000 soldiers on the Minamoto side alone. (Plus, in real life, the Taira probably outnumbered the Minamoto) Also, the difficulty of the terrain that Yoshitsune attacked from is exaggerated--it was difficult to be sure, but nowhere near the sheer cliff that is usually described. MISSIONS: ========= Attack Ichi-no-Tani (一ノ谷攻略) -------------------------------- To successfully attack Ichi-no-Tani, you need to defeat all of the enemy generals that are guarding it: Taira Tadanori, Taira Shigehira, Taira Tomomori, Taira Tsunemasa, Gotonai Sadatsune, Taira Noritsune, and Taira Atsumori. Once all of them are defeated, this mission--and the stage--is complete. Enact Strategems well (的確な作戦指示) -------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to succeed at least 15 Strategems. (not just enact, actually get a success message that pops up at the left hand of the screen) They don't have to be linked together at all, however. Help the Minamoto generals (源軍大将を助けよ) --------------------------------------------- Four Minamoto generals--Minamoto Noriyori, Kumagai Naozane, Kamata Morimasa, and Miura Yoshitsura--are fighting the Taira when you first enter the stage. To complete this mission, at least one of them has to be alive and active (ie, if they fled, that doesn't count) when the stage is complete. Cavalry (騎馬隊) ---------------- To complete this mission, you have to knock enemies off their horses at least 15 times. Considering you have to unseat cavalry in order to kill them, it's hard not to succeed in this mission, unless you deliberately avoid fighting cavalry units. Don't exhaust your strength (兵力の温存) ---------------------------------------- Not exhausting your strength in this stage means not killing all the enemies. Or more specifically, it means forcing some enemies to retreat. In this case, 20 at least. Enemies must actually escape as well; if they start running and get killed by an ally, that dosn't count. ITEMS: ====== (NOTE: This list does not include items that can be picked up on the cliff) Jumonji/Attack Certificate: Carried by Taira Tsunemasa Cover Tome/Defense Certificate: In a crate behind Gotonai Sadatsune's position Tsumuji Tome/Technique Certificate: In a crate in the northeast corner of the northwest fortress Ebisu Scroll: In a crate by the northeast exit Reimyogan: 1) In the southwest corner of the north fortress (Easy/Hard only) 2) In a crate by the northeast exit 3) Near Taira Tsunemasa's position (Easy only) 4) In a crate outside Taira Tadanori's "tent" (Easy/Normal only) 5) In a crate behind the tree near the south-southwest exit (Easy only) 6) In a crate behind a tree near Taira Noritsune's position 7) In the outer courtyard of the western fortress (Easy/Normal only) 7) In a crate inside the courtyard where Atsumori is Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In place of Reimyogan 1 on Easy 2) In a crate near Taira Noritsune's position (Easy only) 3) In a crate outside the gate of the western fortress Rank Rewards: Calming Tome/Cavalry Gauntlet/Nanatsusaya-no-Tachi UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Minamoto Noriyori, Kumagai Naozane, Kamata Morimasa, Miura Yoshitsura Enemies: 5 Taira Naginata troops, 1 Taira Swordsman, 6 Taira Archers, 5 Taira Cavalry Enemy Generals: Taira Tadanori, Taira Shigehira, Taira Tomomori, Taira Tsunemasa, Gotonai Sadatsune, Taira Noritsune, Taira Atsumori Reinforcements: 5 Taira Naginata troops, 1 Taira Swordsman, 1 Taira Archer, 3 Taira Shieldsfighters STRATEGY: ========= This stage starts out very strangely. (In fact it's really two stages combined into one) You can only bring mounted generals into this battle, limiting your choices to Tadanobu, Yoichi, or Rin. (Yoichi is a good choice here) The first half of the battle has you descending down the cliff into Ichi-no-Tani on horseback, followed by your troops. The horses don't stop running (you can only steer their direction) and you can't get off. Plus, the camera angle is set so that you can't see very far ahead. The rules here are simple. First, don't stray off the path; you will get hurt if you do. Second, there are lots of fallen trees in the path. You can run into them and destroy them (or destroy them with your weapon) with no problem, but if any of your generals or subordinates touch a fallen tree, they'll get hurt. Don't underestimate the effects of the trees; they can really take a chunk of life out your subordinates, even killing them if their levels are low enough. You'll note that there are items on the run down; while their positions aren't random, which ones appear and which ones don't are. None of them are that rare (Scrolls are the best you can get) and most are Reimyogans, so don't worry too much about them. Once you get into the valley and start the battle proper, the first thing you should do is run straight for your allies who are battling it out with some Heike cavalry. While you only have to save one to complete the "defense" mission, three of them will join you as subordinates if they survive, so it's best to keep them alive. An added bonus to not sticking around is that your mere presence at the enemy formation will cause a lot of enemies to flee in panic; if you stayed around your subordinates might kill a few, reducing your quota for fleeing enemies. Before you get to your allies, there will be a cutscene where you hear a Taira general playing a flute, but you can just ignore it as it doesn't actually trigger any sort of event. Once your general(s) are safe, you're pretty much free to complete this stage however you please. There are no time limits nor missions that require you to do anything specific in any one place, so you can finish it at your leisure. Taira Tadanori will most likely be dead (since he's so close to your allies, they probably won't be "safe" until you've defeated his troop) so you'll have six more generals to deal with. Taira Shigehira you already saw; he's stationed right at the beginning of the stage. He's one of the tougher generals, but doesn't have much in the way of backup since most of them fled when they first saw you. There's a healing item right near him in the southwest corner of his camp, so if your allies are hurting (and they very well might, after having to deal with the cliff and then a large brawl) this is a good place to heal them. Taira Tsunemasa is at the eastern gate to the stage. He by himself isn't too tough, but the archers he's got protecting him can be a pain. If you brought Yoichi and he has Return-Fire, this is a good place to use it. Taira Tomomori is located to the west of where your allies start the stage. He's probably the single toughest general of the bunch, due to his high power and great range. A well-developed character helps a lot when facing him. However, he doesn't come with much in the way of backup; he's got two sword units guarding them, but they usually get caught in the brawl with your allies, so they'll often be dead by the time you get to him. Gotonai Sadatsune is in the little "side path" that goes north of the camp that Tadanori was. He's an Elite Footsoldier, and his subordinates are fast and hit hard, but he has little in the way of lasting power so he's not too tough. He also doesn't have much in the way of backup; one archer and one Shieldsfighter unit. Taira Noritsune is guarding the Heike camp to the west. While Tomomori is the toughest general by himself, Noritsune and his troop are the hardest to defeat, as they come all on horseback and can be tough to unseat. As your allies will most likely still be on horseback, this particular battle can get really chaotic, with large numbers of horses all congregating on one spot. Noritsune also hits very hard, so if your characters are low on life, it might be a good idea to seek out a healing item. Taira Atsumori is the last and weakest general. He's behind the gate in the western Heike camp, with only a few archers and one Naginata troop to guard him. He's the easiest of the Taira generals to kill, as he's an archer; get close and you can really beat him up badly. There are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind in general when cleaning out this stage. First, make good use of Strategems. You have to succeed at least 15 Strategems--not just use them. So, try to make good use of Strategems that are easy to succeed--for example, those that only require that you hit the enemy once rather than defeat an entire unit, or "miscellaneous" Strategems like Taunt that rarely fail. Second, try not to go nuts and kill everyone, as you have to have at least 20 enemies flee. For this reason, you should focus on killing unit captains first. Also, your allies can be problematic, as they won't always let the enemy escape. If you don't bring any in at all that wouldn't be a problem, but there are so many enemies in this stage that doing so might not be such a good idea. Instead, you might try having your generals Standby while you go after unit captains yourself. While on Standby, generals will not attack enemies, so that gives fleeing soldiers a better chance. Once you finish the stage there will be a cutscene where Yoshitsune laments having to kill a refined man like Atsumori. Also, if they survive, Kumagai Naozane, Kamata Morimasa, and Miura Yoshitsura will all join you as subordinates. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 14: THE BATTLE OF YASHIMA(屋島の合戦) =============================================================================== How long has it been since Yoshitsune vowed at Fuji River to try to live up to his brother as a warrior? With his overwhelming victory at Ichi-no-Tani, Yoshitsune's fame was only magnified; while there may have been days without talk of Yoritomo in the capital, never a day passed without talk of Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune had already become the greatest hero in the country. Emperor Go- Shirakawa bestowed the title of Junior Lieutenant of the Outer Palace Guards of the Left on him at this time. Yoshitsune's true master was Yoritomo, but it is said that he accepted this position without letting him know first. It is not recorded what Yoritomo thought of this. However, he relieved Yoshitsune of the duty of defeating the Heishi. Meanwhile, the Taira army had regrouped at Yashima after their great loss at Ichi-no-Tani. Under the direction of Taira Tomomori, they built a strong base of operations. Kajiwara Kagetoki attacked them, but after half a year had not produced any results. With no progress, Yoritomo used Yoshitsune once again. In contrast to Kagetoki's careful approach to warfare, Yoshitsune took a more daring route, gathering just a handful of elite warriors with him and in just four hours, in the pouring rain, traversed over the ocean to Shikoku. It is the day after the storm, the Nineteenth day of the Second Month. The Taira army, receiving word that the main Minamoto army led by Kajiwara Kagetoki's was advancing, rushed forward to defend the coast. They did not yet realize that their enemy had already taken their rear... The Taira army was thrown into a great confusion at Yoshitsune's surprise attack from the rear. However, Yoshitsune's force is very small; should the Taira recover from the confusion, he doesn't stand a chance. Can Yoshitsune keep the Taira army disoriented until Kajiwara Kagetoki's force arrives? HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The account of the battle of Yashima is the longest and most detailed of all the battles described in the _Monogatari._ Separating from Kajiwara Kagetoki's force, Yoshitsune forced several boats to take him and his men over to Shikoku in a storm. From there, he made a surprise attack on Yashima, making his army look larger than it really was; by burning down all the commoners' houses near the Taira army, it made it look like a huge enemy army was razing the city, and the Taira troops were confused, again stuck in a pincer attack like at Ichi-no- Tani. The Yoichi-shooting-down-the-fan and Tsugunobu-getting-shot-and-killed cutscenes in this level reflect two of the most famous scenes from this battle. The Yoichi cutscene is pretty much the same as that described in the _Monogatari,_ except that Tokitada wasn't the one that issued the challenge, nor were the Taira particularly angry at Yoichi's success. (In fact they were pretty amazed and applauded, cheered, and started a congratulatory dance--but then Yoichi shot down the dancer and things turned a little sour) The Tsugunobu cutscene is different in that he didn't "take an arrow" for Yoshitsune, the firer was Noritsune, not Kikuo, and Kikuo was shot down by Tadanobu, not Yoichi. There's also a very famous scene not touched on in this level; the argument between Kagetoki and Yoshitsune. Before heading to Yashima, Kagetoki wanted to put "reverse oars" on the boats so that if things went bad they could beat a hasty retreat. Yoshitsune berated Kagetoki for contemplating flight before even fighting, implying that he was a coward before all his men, who summarily had to hold their breaths not to laugh. As the story goes, it was this event which was the source of Kagetoki's hatred of Yoshitsune, and what caused him to badmouth Yoshitsune to Yoritomo. MISSIONS: ========= Attacking Yashima and the arrival of reinforcements (屋島攻略と援軍の到着) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage, and to complete it, you have to take over the island of Yashima. There are two ways to do this. First, you can kill off all the enemy generals in the stage. Second, if you wait a few minutes after Taira Tokitada arrives, Minamoto reinforcements will come, and the Heike will abandon the island, regardless of how many Taira generals are still alive. Taira Noritsune, fierce general of the Heike army (平軍一の猛将・平教経) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Taira Noritsune is guarding the coast of the mainland with a large contingent of enemy soldiers. To complete this mission, you have to defeat him. Don't let Sakuraba Yoshito escape (桜庭良遠を逃すな) ---------------------------------------------------- Sakuraba Yoshito is hanging out at the extreme northeast area of the stage, right where you start. As soon as the stage begins he will flee toward Yashima. You have to kill him before he arrives at Yashima to complete this mission. Burn down the enemy ships (敵船を炎上させよ) -------------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to burn down at least three enemy ships. This doesn't mean killing all the soldiers on the ships; you have to actually burn them down with a Strategem like Fire Arrow. Defeat the enemy soldiers (敵兵を倒せ) -------------------------------------- Kill over 100 enemy soldiers before the stage ends to complete this mission. ITEMS: ====== Kamakiri/Technique Certificate: Carried by Kikuo-Maru Rally Tome/Health Certificate: At a dead-end in the center of Yashima Taunt Tome/Technique Certificate: In a crate at the north shore of Yashima Daikoku Scroll: In a crate on the beach west of where you start Reimyogan: 1) In a box on the long eastern "side loop" path (Normal/Hard only) 2) In a crate in the first "tented" area (Easy only) 3) Carried by Taira Kagekiyo 4) In a box on the west coast of Yashima, between Kagekiyo and Tadamitsu 5) On the southwest area of Yashima (Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In place of Reimyogan 1 on Easy 2) In a crate near Noritsune (Hard only) 3) Carried by Fujiwara Tadamitsu 4) In place of Reimyogan 5 on Easy and Normal Reimyo-Shinsui: In place of Reimyo-Senzu 2 on Hard Rank Rewards: Assault Tome/Firetrap Tome/Mogura Tome UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Kamata Mitsumasa, Kondo Chikaie Enemies: 2 Taira Archers, 3 Taira Naginata Troops, 2 Taira Shieldsfighters, 2 Taira Cavalry Enemy Generals: Sakuraba Yoshito, Taira Noritsune, Kikuo-Maru, Taira Kagekiyo*, Fujiwara Tadamitsu* Reinforcements: 6 Taira Archers, 9 Taira Naginata troops (2 respawners) 1 Taira Shieldsfighter STRATEGY: ========= One thing that should be immediately of note is that you'll need an archer for this stage. Kichiji is sufficient, but Yoichi is a lot better. (and more historically appropriate) Make sure they have Fire Arrow, as it's a necessity to complete the "Burn down the Enemy ships" mission. The first thing you should concentrate on when starting this stage is defeating Sakuraba Yoshito. As soon as he sees you, he'll run for the Yashima, and if he reaches it, you'll fail the "Don't let Sakuraba Yoshito escape" mission. You've got a horse so it's not terribly hard to catch up with him if he gets away from you, but the sooner you kill him the better. Your allies in this stage, Kamata Mitsumasa and Kondo Chikaie may get in the way, however, letting him slip by. (On the other hand, they may also wall him off, which is a good thing) Once Yoshito is pushing up daisies, some of the Taira soldiers will retreat the way you came. Don't let them escape; kill them! You need your kill count as high as possible for this stage, and every enemy counts. Once that's done with, turn your attention to the two ships that are off the coast of where you start. Have your archer burn both of them down with Fire Arrow. Note that because of the high health of the archers on these ships, it may take more than one use of Fire Arrow to burn it down. This way, you only have to burn one more ship. Proceed further south, killing all the soldiers you can as you go, and you'll find yourself in a very pitched battle with Taira Noritsune and Kikuo-maru. It's very easy to get swarmed, so try and stay at the outskirts of the battle and/or use "area affect" attacks to clean up large bands of enemies at once. If your generals are Tsugunobu and Yoichi, you'll see a special cutscene; Tsugunobu will get killed by Kikuo, and Yoichi will turn around and kill Kikuo. You won't have to fight Kikuo-maru, but Tsugunobu will be removed from your troop. (And you won't be able to use him in any more Story Mode missions, but even if you don't bring him in, that'll still be the case) Once Kikuo-maru is dead and Noritsune has run, you may find yourself a little bit beaten up, so before you proceed to Yashima proper, it might be a good idea to partake of the healing items scattered about on the coast. When you're ready, head to Yashima, and enemy reinforcements arrive. There will be a long movie at this point illustrating one of the most famous scenes of the _Heike Monogatari_; Taira Tokitada challenges Yoshitsune's army to hit a fan mounted on his ship. Yoshitsune orders Yoichi to do it, and while Yoichi doesn't want to, Yoshitsune insists. After a short prayer to the Bodhisattva Hachiman, Yoichi looses his arrow and hits the fan. After the movie, you'll note that Yashima is now teeming with enemies. There are two generals there, Taira Kagekiyo and Fujiwara Tadamitsu. If you kill them both, the stage ends. Since one of the goals is to kill over 100 enemy soldiers, you don't want to do this, so make sure you leave one alive. Proceed through the island, killing as many soldiers as possible; new reinforcements will always spawn. Make sure to burn down at least one Heike ship as well. Kill the enemy as fast as you can, as you're on a time limit; a few minutes after the Heike reinforcements arive, Kajiwara Kagetoki's reinforcements will come as well, and the stage will end. The few minutes you get is usually just barely enough. If Kamata Mitsumasa and Kondo Chikaie are alive when the stage ends, they'll join you as subordinates. However, it's important to note that it's pretty much impossible to both score Gunjin AND keep them alive. Protecting them is a full- time job, especially Kondo Chikaie, who dies pretty quickly. Once the enemy reinforcements arrive, Mitsumasa and Chikaie will charge Kagekiyo and Tadamitsu. As you have to leave at least one enemy general alive whil you try and get 100 kills, that means you have to leave your allies to their fate at the hands of the Kagekiyo and Tadamitsu--and neither of them can survive without your help until the Minamoto reinforcements arrive. Bottom line--if you want Mitsumasa and Chikaie, you'll have to play this stage through twice, once with the goal of getting Gunjin, and once with the goal of keeping them alive. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 15: THE BATTLE OF DAN-NO-URA (壇ノ浦の合戦) =============================================================================== This is how Yoshitsune took Yashima. However, the price of victory was high, and he lost one of his best generals, Sato Tsugunobu. What grief he must have felt at the loss! Many paintings of the tragic event from various sources remain, and his sorrow is communicated even to those alive today. Meanwhile, Yoshitsune's elder brother Noriyori continued to fight back the Taira along the Chugokudo road to the west, driving them back to their final base at Hikojima. Taira Tomomori led the forces at Hikojima, and held back Noriyori with his powerful navy. Here Yoshitsune joined forces with his brother after conquering Yashima, to defeat the Heishi once and for all. In response to the Minamoto army's attack, Tomomori launched his fleet and soon had Yoshitsune's ship surrounded. Perhaps Tomomori's only wish was to defeat Yoshitsune. However, Tomomori's plan did not work, as Yoshitsune's boat was just a decoy; he was really aboard another ship. With the flags of the Taira and Minamoto mixed together on the waves, Yoshitsune advances to Tomomori's ship. The largest naval battle in Japanese history, the battle of Dan-no-Ura was beginning... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The battle of Dan-no-Ura was the battle that the Taira were finally defeated in. Both Noritsune and Tomomori were killed here, and Munemori (the head Taira) and Tokitada were captured. This should have been a Taira win--the Heishi were much more experienced sailors and had better boats, but a few things conspired against them. At the beginning of the battle, the flow of the tide was in the favor of the Heike, and Tomomori tried to use this to surround the Genji, but it took longer than expected to do this, and the tide changed, thus putting the advantage squarely in the hands of the Minamoto. More importantly, however, this battle was won by the deciding factor of nearly every major samurai battle in history--a general changing sides mid-battle. (Contrary to popular belief and mythology, the samurai were NOT honorable; they were about as conniving, backstabbing, and duplicitous as you could possibly imagine) Awa Shigeyoshi (whose son had earlier been captured by the Genji) turned on his Taira masters in the middle of the battle and all of a sudden the Heishi found themselves fighting enemies on two fronts--again. They couldn't hold them both back and so lost. Not only were the Taira eliminated, but Emperor Antoku, who was on board their ships, drowned. Plus, one of the Three Sacred Treasures, the Ama-no- Murakumo sword, also sank to the bottom of the ocean. MISSIONS: ========= Advancing enemy fleet (迫り来る敵船) ------------------------------------ The main mission of this stage is to stop the advancing enemy fleet by killing their head honcho, Taira Tomomori. Once you do so, the stage ends. Turncoat (寝返り) ----------------- It wouldn't be a true samurai battle without someone turning traitor and switching sides mid-battle; your mission here is to prove your strength to Awa Shigeyoshi and do just that. To get Shigeyoshi to backstab his boss, kill off the archer teams on the easternmost ship. Shield Units (盾隊) ------------------- Your secondary captain will be facing a large contingent of shieldsfighters when s/he starts the stage. Kill them all to complete this mission. Don't give any frivolous orders (無用な指示を出すな) ---------------------------------------------------- "Don't give any frivolous orders" means "Don't enact any Strategems that don't succeed." To finish this mission, you need your Stratagem success rate at the end of the stage to be 100%. Valuable Items, Sacred Treasures (貴重な道具・神器) --------------------------------------------------- Two of the Three Sacred Treasures, the Mirror (Yata-no-Kagami) and the Jewel, (Yasakani-no-Magatama) can be found on this stage. (However, you can't get both in a single playthrough) To complete this mission, you need to find the Sacred Treasure on the stage. If you've already gotten both the Sacred Treasures in previous playthroughs, you need to get BOTH of Valuable Scrolls that appear in their places. ITEMS: ====== Kobizen-Tomonari/Attack Certificate: Carried by Taira Noritsune Yasakani-no-Magatama/Valuable Scroll: On the ship to the east of Commander #2 Yata-no-Kagami/Valuable Scroll: On the ship north of Kajiwara Kagetoki Benzai Scroll: On the ship to the northeast of Commander #1's starting position Daikoku Scroll: On the ship to the east of Commander #2 Bishamon Scroll: On the ship west of the one with the Hasshikyo. Fukurokuju Scroll: On the ship west of Taira Tomomori Reimyogan: 1) On Commander #1's starting ship 2) On the ship to the northeast of Commander #1's starting position 3) On Taira Noritsune's ship 4) On the ship Commander #2 starts on (Hard only) 5) On the ship to the east of Commander #2 6) Carried by Taira Tokitada (Hard only) 7) On Taira Tomomori's ship Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In place of Reimyogan #4 on Easy and Normal 2) In place of Reimyogan #6 on Easy and Normal Reimyo-Shinsui: On the ship west of the one with the Hasshikyo. Rank Rewards: Fukurokuju Scroll/Gekkosai/Shuso Greatbow UNITS: ====== Allied: 1 Kamakura Archer Allied Generals: Asari Yoshinari, Kajiwara Kagetoki Enemies: 1 Taira Naginata Troop, 9 Taira Archers, 2 Taira Swordsmen, 3 Taira Shieldsfighters Enemy Generals: Taira Noritsune, Awa Shigeyoshi, Taira Tokitada*, Taira Tomomori* Reinforcements: 9 Taira Swordsmen, 5 Taira Naginata Troops, 2 Taira Shieldsfighters, 4 Taira Archers STRATEGY: ========= This is a very unusual (and fun) stage. The stage is divided into two parts, an east and a west side, and instead of controlling one commander, you get two. Yoshitsune will be your first commander, and gets two generals like normal. The second commander you get to pick yourself, but doesn't get any generals. For your second general, pick someone you're good with. You can switch commanders whenever you want; your commander gets a new Strategem assigned to the O button, "Switch Generals" that will swap control from one commander to the other. One thing that should be noted is that the commander you're not controlling will stay put doing nothing. For this reason, you shouldn't swap commanders in the middle of a pitched battle or you could be in real trouble. To start with, use Yoshitsune and kill off all the archers on the boat to the east. Your allied archers led by Asari Yoshinari will kill off the archers in small boats if necessary, but it's faster to use your own archers. Of course, make sure you use Strategems you're guaranteed to succeed if you go this route. Once you kill all the archers, Awa Shigeyoshi will turn coat, and all the units he was in charge of will become allied units. At this point, you should proceed west and kill Taira Noritsune. Noritsune is very tough, so you'll want well- developed characters to face him. Once Noritsune is dead, a new boat will arrive and connect with a boat on the west side of the stage. You should switch characters, who will be able to get access to this new boat. Odds are they're OK, though they may have taken some damage from the archers before they switched sides. Proceed forward and attack the shield team that's in front of you. There are a lot of shieldsmen--3 units in total--so you've got to be careful not to get swamped, especially since you have no generals to back you up. However, so long as you don't get killed, you should be OK; you can double back to the boat you started on and get the healing item there. (While you're at it, you should go to the boat to the east and get the Jewel) After you've dealt with the shieldsmen, head to the north boat, where Taira Tokitada is waiting for you. Tokitada isn't nearly as tough as Noritsune, but has a tight guard so can give you trouble if your character isn't well- developed enough. When Tokitada dies, another boat will arrive and connect with the boats on the east half of the stage. Now that the new boat has arrived, you're clear to finish the stage with Yoshitsune's team. Kajiwara Kagetoki will scold you for being a frontline soldier when you should be a general, but ignore him and continue. You've got a fair number of enemies to deal with before you reach Taira Tomomori, but nothing that's too terribly tough. If this is your second (or later) time through this stage, don't forget to break open the crate that has the Mirror in it. At the northernmost part of the stage is the boat with Taira Tomomori on it. After a brief cutscene where Tomomori and Yoshitsune challenge each other, the fight begins. Tomomori is very tough, and has a great range with his naginata, so should not be underestimated. However, you're pretty much guaranteed of entering this fight with full life if you take the Reimyo-Shinsui on this stage first. If you're worried about taking losses, you might want to have one or both of your generals stay behind (though having more people to distract Tomomori will help) Once Tomomori is dead, the stage is over. If he survives, Asari Yoshinari will join you as a subordinate. Also, if he turned coat, Awa Shigeyoshi will also join you. Finally, for beating the Heike, you'll get a present of a whole slew of allied subordinates in addition: Awa, Ogata Koreyoshi, Kakunichi Risshi, Kawazura Hogen, Tokobo Rennin, Kesa Taro, and Nakai. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 16: ASSASSINS (刺客) =============================================================================== After destroying the Heishi at Dan-no-Ura, Yoshitsune and his men returned to the capital. It was a glorious return for the heroes who had defeated the Heishi entirely in only one year. The people were beyond excited, and many started suggesting that Yoshitsune would be the most appropriate to lead the Genji. Around this time, a letter to Yoritomo was delivered to Kamakura. It was a battle report from the overseer of the Genji army, Kajiwara Kagetoki. It is not hard to imagine how Kagetoki must have hated Yoshitsune, and the report was filled with lies and defamations about him. It said that Yoshitsune took the major generals of Kamakura lightly, preferring to perform raids with a private select group of generals, that the people in the capital wanted him to be the new leader of the Genji, and that he had enough power to be a threat to Yoritomo. Yoshitsune headed to Kamakura to make a war report himself, after this letter was delivered. He had brought with him a letter he had written expressing his concerns over the wishes of some of those in the capital and that he had no intention of undermining his brother's authority, but he was denied entry to the city and returned dejected to Kyoto. There are many records of Yoritomo's jealousy toward his younger brother at this time. However, even if there had been no jealousy, the result probably would have been the same. Yoshitsune had become too famous. There could only be one head of the Genji. Yoshitsune and his men returned to the capital after being denied entry to Kamakura. And thereafter, assassins were sent from Kamakura after him. After having his home attacked, Yoshitsune regrouped with his men scattered throughout Kyoto and fled the city... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The account of Tosabo Shoshun going after Yoshitsune figures in both the _Heike Monogatari_ and the _Gikeiki,_ though much more prominently in the latter. According to both, Tosabo Shoshun was ostensibly going on a pilgrimage to Kumano shrine, but Yoshitsune correctly suspected him of being an assassin. (In the _Gikeiki,_ he gets advance warning of his intentions) To prove that he was not out to kill Yoshitsune, Tosabo made several oaths on Kumano talismans. However, Shizuka got word of the large military force that Tosabo had with him and sent out someone to check it out. (A servant girl in the _Gikeiki_ and two boys in the _Monogatari_) Her scout(s) got their heads cut off by Tosabo's men. In the _Monogatari,_ realizing the jig is up, Tosabo high-tailed it to the Kurama Temple to hide, which as you can imagine was the World's Worst Hiding Place; being where Yoshitsune grew up, all the monks there promptly captured him and handed him over. In the _Gikeiki,_ Tosabo actually launches a nighttime attack on Yoshitsune's Horikawa manor and is beaten back with the help of Benkei. (There's even a version of this story where Shizuka comes out with a naginata and starts cutting down the enemy) However, all of this took place before, not during, Yoshitsune's flight from Kyoto. MISSIONS: ========= Protect Shizuka (静を守れ) -------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage. You have to bring Shizuka safely to the exit point without being killed; if she dies, you fail the mission and the stage. You get more credit for bringing her unharmed to the exit than heavily wounded. Assassin leader (刺客の長) -------------------------- Tosabo Shoshun is leading the assassin troop out to get you. Kill him to complete this mission. Make use of instant kills (瞬殺を使いこなせ) -------------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you need to instant-kill at least 5 enemies. Break through the middle (中央突破) ----------------------------------- Rather than avoid the enemy assassins, teach them a lesson and take them head- on, killing them all. To complete this mission, you have to kill at least 100 enemies. Useful item (役立つ道具) ------------------------ There's a useful item, an Execution Mask, in this stage. Get it (or the Valuable Scroll that replaces it after the first time) to complete this mission. ITEMS: ====== Execution Mask/Valuable Scroll: By the market on the east bank of the river, on the far east side of the buildings. Mikazuki-Munechika/Attack Certificate: Behind the fence to the west of Tosabo (see below) Nio Tome/Defense Certificate: Carried by Tosabo Shoshun Daikoku Scroll: In the alleyway to the south and east of your start point Reimyogan: 1) In the dead-end to the east and south of your start point 2) Along the west bank of the river, near the bridge 3) On the east bank of the river, a little south from Reimyogan #2 4) At the dead-end at the extreme southeast corner of the stage 5) In the market on the east bank of the river (Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: In place of Reimyogan #5 on Easy and Normal Reimyo-Shinsui: Behind the fence to the west of Tosabo (see below) Rank Rewards: Benzai Scroll/Tengen Gauntlet/Iwatoshi-Semimaru UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Shizuka Enemies: 2 Kamakura Swordsmen, 22 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 3 Kamakura Archers, 1 Kamakura Shieldsfighter Enemy Generals: Tosabo Shoshun Reinforcements: 3 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 2 Naginata Archers, 1 Kamakura Shieldsfighter STRATEGY: ========= Scoring Gunjin in this stage isn't hard; surviving, on the other hand, is. You're by yourself in this stage, up against a huge enemy force, many of whom are closely grouped together. It's very difficult to avoid pitched battles, and even a well-developed Yoshitsune can get cut to ribbons when surrounded by enough enemies. Your main mission in this stage is to escort Shizuka to the exit. You get a new Strategem mapped to the O button, "Call Shizuka." When you select this Strategem, Shizuka will be in "Follow" mode and will stick close to you. While Shizuka is in Follow mode, "Call Shizuka" switches to "Shizuka Standby." When you use "Shizuka Standby," Shizuka will come close to where you are standing and switch to "Standby Mode" whereby she will sit and wait until you call her again. If Shizuka dies, you lose the stage, but this should not happen unless you do something very stupid. Unless you immediately abandon her at the start of the stage, no enemy will attack Shizuka at her starting position at all. Therefore, the flow of this stage is simple: Kill all the enemies, then go to the exit and call Shizuka. Of course, killing all the enemies isn't easy. There are a whole lot. By going through the back streets with Shizuka close on your heels, you can avoid fighting them, but you'll never score Gunjin, as to make your quota of 100 enemies necessary for the "Break through the middle" mission, you really have to kill them all. (There are only like 110 enemies on the entire stage) A side note: don't worry about dodging enemies' blows so that you can make the 5 instant-kill quota in this stage. Just through normal play, you'll probably make double that quota without even trying to, and even higher if you've got a high Technique. So, the simplest strategy on this stage if you find yourself getting killed too often is to just build Yoshitsune up a little more, give him a better weapon, etc, before trying. Even a moderately-developed Yoshitsune can still do well with good tactics; try luring enemies toward you one unit at a time rather than wading into a mass of enemies at once. Try and use Yoshitsune's Setsuna-no-Saku to score Surprise Attacks and kill the confused enemies without getting scratched. If you're careful, you can even surprise the "boss" of the stage, Tosabo Shoshun. There's a good number of healing items on this stage, so you can always run and pick them up if you're in trouble. A final note is that when you're right at the exit, a bunch of enemy units spawn. Make sure you've killed them all off before you call Shizuka, or you could be in for a nasty surprise. One thing to note here are the boxes on the other side of the fence to the north and west of Tosabo Shoshun are inaccessible in Story Mode as Yoshitsune lacks the ability to jump over the fence; only Elite soldiers in Free Mode can clear the fence to get them. However, I've played the stage through several times in Free Mode (and resetting afterwards) and always came up with a Mikazuchi-Munechika so that may not be completely random. Also in second-time through games I've seen Attack Certificates here. Certificates NEVER come up in Free Mode games normally so I'm guessing that's preset too. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 17: I LONG FOR HIM (あとぞ恋しき) =============================================================================== The report on the actions of the assassins sparked rumors of a conflict between the two brothers. Emperor Go-Shirakawa, angred by Yoritomo's conduct, issued an edict to Yoshitsune to hunt him down. Yoshitsune's base in Kyoto was also strong, and many citizens wanted him to kill his older brother as well. However, Yoshitsune himself wanted to avoid a conflict and so left the capital. No coming to blows between the two ever happened, and the age of Yoritomo as uncontested commander of the Genji had begun. Yoritomo continued to build his base of operations in the east and build a foundation to expand the powers of the warrior class. Of course, he did not forget to apply pressure to the capital as well. Without Yoshitsune in the capital, there was nobody to resist Yoritomo. Finaly the Emperor cracked under his pressure, retracted his edict to hunt down Yoritomo, and issued an edict to hunt down Yoshitsune instead. Thus, the hero Yoshitsune was labeled a rebel and became a wanted man. Yoshitsune and his men headed toward Hiraizumi, but at no leisure, with pursuers after his head attacking... Yoshitsune and his men attempt to cross over the snowy mountain of Yoshino, but are surrounded by men of the priest from the area after his head, Kakuhan. Thinking that it would be difficult for her to continue along in continual fear, Yoshitsune decides to part with Shizuka. He attempts to break through Kakuhan's ranks and escort her to a safe place. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The departure of Shizuka is recorded in the _Azuma Kagami,_ so may have some actual historicity to it. There, it is said that she was found alone in the Yoshino mountains; Yoshitsune had left her behind with some guards to send her back to the capital, but they had robbed her and then left. A more detailed account is present in the _Gikeiki_ where Yoshitsune gives her a special mirror and drum specifically, and Shizuka manages to find her way to a shrine where she sings a song, is promptly recognized, and captured. As for Kakuhan, Yoshitsune never fought him, though Tadanobu did. This particular story is from the _Gikeiki._ While Yoshitsune was fleeing the Yoshino mountains, Tadanobu stayed behind to delay his pursuers. Pretending to be Yoshitsune, Tadanobu fought back a lot of them until one particularly strong one--Kakuhan--came out and fought. Tadanobu and Kakuhan fought a long and drawn-out battle, culminating with Tadanobu jumping off a cliff; Kakuhan jumped off the cliff as well to go after him, but didn't land so nicely. He got caught on a branch on the way down and took a spill right down to Tadanobu's feet, whereby Tadanobu quickly dispatched him. (While he had intended to die fighting, Tadanobu managed to survive, and made it back to Kyoto in one piece) (Note: the title of this stage, "Ato Zo Koishiki," is the last line of the poem that Shizuka says when asked to sing for Yoritomo during her captivity. It's the same poem she says at the cutscene at the beginning of the game) MISSIONS: ========= Guarding Shizuka (静かの護衛) ----------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage, and is pretty much exactly the same as the previous stage. Escort Shizuka safely to the exit point without getting her killed; if she dies, you fail the mission and the stage. Keep her relatively unhurt for more credit. Defeat Kakuhan (覚範を倒せ) --------------------------- The "Boss" of this stage, Kakuhan, waits for you in front of the exit. To finish this mission, you have to defeat him. Defeat Myokakubo (妙覚坊を倒せ) ------------------------------- Kakuhan's subordinate, Myokakubo is hanging out on a side-path of the level, near a small shrine. Defeat him to complete this mission. Cavalry (騎馬隊) ---------------- This Cavalry mission is much like other missions of the same sort; you have to knock 15 riders off their horses. This is a very easy mission to accomplish, unless you outright ignore all cavalry units. Valuable Weapon (貴重な武具) ---------------------------- There's a "Valuable Weapon," an Iron-Studded Club, on this stage; get it to complete this mission. (After you get it the first time, it will be replaced with a Valuable Scroll, which will also count for completion) ITEMS: ====== Yarigake Tome/Attack Certificate: By the shrine behind Myokakubo Iron-Studded Club/Valuable Scroll: Behind the only closed gate on the stage, on the east side of the stage about halfway through. High Priest's Staff/Defense Certificate: Carried by Kakuhan Reimyogan: 1) In the mini-peninsula southwest of the first clearing 2) By the second exit to the northeast (Easy only) 3) At the dead-end that's a side path off the area with the shrine (Hard only) 4) By the southwest exit to the level (Easy only) 5) By where you fight Kakuhan (Easy/Normal only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) Behind the small building in the southwest area of the stage 2) In place of Reimyogan 3 on Easy and Normal Rank Rewards: Fukurokuju Scroll/Defense Gauntlet/Mitama UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Shizuka Enemies: 9 Naginata Monks, 2 Archer Monks Enemy Generals: Myokakubo, Kakuhan Reinforcements: 1 Naginata Monk, 6 Cavalry STRATEGY: ========= This stage is very much like the previous one, "Assassins," in that you have to safely guide Shizuka to the end without her getting hurt. However, you have it slightly easier in this mission, as you're allowed to bring generals into the battle, and opposition is much lighter. On the other hand, it's slightly harder in that you can't leave Shizuka at the beginning of the stage, because later enemy reinforcements will kill her if you do. You have to bring her with you, and the best way to do this is a bit at a time; advance a bit, kill all the enemies, call Shizuka to you, have her wait, advance, kill more enemies, call her again, etc. There's one point in the early on in stage you can leave her safely. I like to bring Ise Yoshimori into this stage and have him plant Makibishi or Fire Traps near Shizuka, so if anyone tries to attack her they'll be in for a nasty surprise. Enemy opposition at the beginning of the stage is fairly light. After you've cleared the first clearing with the two naginata monk units call Shizuka and advance a little bit. Some enemy reinforcements will appear behind you, so immediately turn around and kill them, as if they get close to Shizuka, they'll hurt her. Advance into the second clearing in the middle of the stage with the three naginata monk units, and kill them all. Call Shizuka and have her wait in this large clearing for a while. Myokakubo is waiting for you in front of a small shrine on a side path to the northwest. Advance up this path and kill everyone that's there. Don't let a single enemy soldier escape, or you'll fail the mission requiring you to kill off all of Myokakubo's team. Once all the enemies are dead, walk directly into the courtyard of the shrine and call Shizuka. When she arrives, have her wait in this courtyard, as close to the shrine as possible. This is where you're going to have her wait for the duration of the stage. The reason that you need her close to the shrine is that later in the stage, some reinforcements will spawn right outside the shrine courtyard, facing away from Shizuka. If they don't see her, they'll ignore her, so she'll be safe. Now that Shizuka is in a safe place, you can clean out the stage at your leisure. Enemy reinforcements will appear behind you several more times during the stage, but so long as you don't let them gang up on you, you should have no trouble whatsoever. At the end of the stage, the monk Kakuhan waits for you with a contingent of archers and naginata monks. Kakuhan himself is pretty slow, so you shoudln't have too much problem with him, especially since you can use your allies to back you up. Once all the enemies are dead, head to the exit and call Shizuka. When she arrives, you finish the stage and will see a cutscene where Yoshitsune leaves her behind for her own safety, giving her a mirror as a gift/memento. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, STAGE 18: KOROMOGAWA (衣川) =============================================================================== Yoshitsune and his men managed to elude their pursuers and finally arrived safely in Hiraizumi. The hero of Oshu, Fujiwara Hidehira, welcomed them openly, and they finally were at peace again. However, Hidehira's actions had damaged his relations with Kamakura beyond repair. Oshu Hiraizumi's military power was not to be underestimated, and with the addition of Yoshitsune, it would be very possible for Hidehira to attack Kamakura. In October of 1187, Fujiwara Hidehira died of illness. With the death of Hidehira, long a supporter of Yoshitsune, Yoritomo decided to take this opportunity to plan an attack on Hiraizumi. He demanded that Hidehira's heir, Yasuhira, hand over Yoshitsune; if he did not comply then Yoritomo would attack Hiraizumi. In order to preserve his clan, Yasuhira finally caved to the pressure. In April of 1189, the manor in Koromogawa where Yoshitsune and his men were living was surrounded by Fujiwara soldiers... Bending to Yoritomo's pressure, Fujiwara Hidehira's heir Yasuhira, betrays Yoshitsune. In addition, reinforcements from Kamakura, led by Kajiwara Kagetoki, are on their way to Hiraizumi. Despite their string of great victories, when faced with a such a nonstop onslaught of enemy soldiers, the end of Yoshitsune and his men was fast approaching... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== There's nothing in the _Heike Monogatari_ about this, nor the _Azuma Kagami_ (well, at least the translated parts of the Azuma Kagami I have access to; I can't read the "pidgin Kanbun" it was originally written in) but there's a great deal of detail about it in the _Gikeiki._ More or less, according to the _Gikeiki_ the battle at Koromogawa was a massacre, with only 10 soldiers against 30,000. Ise Yoshimori, Benkei, and the Suzuki brothers (the two friendly units you get in this stage) all participated, and all of them except Benkei killed themselves after claiming their share of trophies. Benkei particularly held the fort for Yoshitsune while he went to go kill himself. While Yoshitsune was inside the Koromogawa manor disemboweling himself, Benkei fought back the hordes of Yasuhira's men, scaring the crap out of them, then standing still and laughing at them. Yasuhira's men were afraid to go near him, thinking he was ready to lunge at them with some incredible attack, but in reality Benkei was already dead; he had died standing to scare them off. By the time that Yasuhira's men made it to the manor, Yoshitsune, his wife, and his daughter were already dead, and the the house was ablaze. Note that in this account, neither Yasuhira himself or Kagetoki actually came to the battle. And, shortly after Yoshitsune's death, Yoritomo had Oshu invaded--Yasuhira's folding under Yoritomo's pressure was for nothing, and he wasn't even able to preserve his clan. MISSIONS: ========= Hold out and defend the manor (館を守り、戦い抜け) -------------------------------------------------- This the main mission of the stage. You start out in front of a small manor where Yoshitsune's family is hiding out. A horde of enemies after your blood will come at you in waves, and some will attempt to break down the manor's door. It's relatively sturdy, but if they manage to break it down, you lose this mission and the stage. To complete this mission, you must survive the enemy onslaught without letting the manor get broken into. Reinforcement: Fujiwara Yasuhira (援軍・藤原泰衡) ------------------------------------------------- Fujiwara Yasuhira is the guy who sold out Yoshitsune to Yoritomo. He'll appear near the manor, leading the second wave of enemy reinforcements. Kill him to complete this mission. Reinforcement: Kajiwara Kagetoki (援軍・梶原景時) ------------------------------------------------- Kajiwara Kagetoki oversees the third wave of reinforcements, but doesn't actively approach the manor. To complete this mission, you have to go out to where he's waiting and kill him, leaving the manor undefended in the meantime. Defeat the enemy soldiers (敵兵を倒せ) -------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you need to kill at least 100 enemy soldiers. Given the size of the opposition you're facing in this stage, that's not particularly difficult. Valuable Book (貴重な書物) -------------------------- There is a valuable book, a Hi-no-Mai Tome, located in a crate at the point on the map furthest away from the manor. To complete this mission, you have to go get it, leaving the manor in the meantime. ITEMS: ====== Hi-no-Mai Tome/Valuable Scroll: At the extreme northernmost point of the stage, on the north side of the broken-down bridge Hakuho Greatbow/Technique Certificate: Near where Kajiwara Kagetoki appears, somewhat to the northwest Stone-Throw Tome/Technique Certificate: On the path to the broken-down bridge, about halfway between the bridge and the stage "hub" Fukurokuju Scroll: Carried by Fujiwara Yasuhira Reimyogan: 1) At the west side of the clearing in front of the manor 2) At the east side of the clearing in front of the manor 3) In a box right south of Reimyogan 2 (Hard only) 4) By the northeast exit to the level 5) By the southern rock-pile 6) Right on the bank of the southwestern mud-slog Reimyo-Senzu: In place of Reimyogan 3 (Easy/Normal only) Reimyo-Shinsui: At the northeast side of the clearing in front of the manor Rank Rewards: Daikoku Scroll/Sword Knowlege/Gekirin UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Kamei Shigekiyo, Suzuki Shigeie Enemies: 4 Kamakura Swordsmen, 4 Kamakura Archers, 3 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 1 Kamakura Shieldsfighter Enemy Generals: Fujiwara Yasuhira*, Kajiwara Kagetoki* Reinforcements: A ton of them--Impossible to count STRATEGY: ========= This is the final stage of the "historical" Yoshitsune scenario, though if you play this stage well enough, you can unlock the secret Yoshitsune stage. This stage is just plain evil. In my opinion it's the hardest in the game to score Gunjin on, even if Yoshitsune and his generals are all at level 100. Even meeting the conditions to unlock the secret Yoshitsune stage is a real challenge. The main problem is that you have to be in two places at the same time. Your first priority in this stage is to protect the Koromogawa manor. If the enemies break down the door, you lose the stage. For this reason, it's pretty easy to complete the stage just by sitting in front of the manor and beating back anyone that gets near, but to complete some of the missions, you have to leave the vicinity of the manor--quite a distance from it actually, during which time it will be completely unguarded. You'll want the characters you bring into this stage to be as powerful as possible, with strong weapons and high levels. Another thing that will help in this level are the two rock piles. These rock piles are held up by rickety old boards, which will collapse with a single attack, dumping the rocks over the pathways and blocking them. Blocking these pathways will make enemies have to take a significant detour through shallows, which slows them considerably. Making use of these rock piles will make your job much easier. However, there's a downside; the paths that the boulders block are the fastest route to the Hi-no-Mai tome and Kajiwara Kagetoki respectively. For this reason, you probably won't want to make use of them until after you've dealt with each corresponding mission. Whatever you do, don't attack the rocks from the east side (for the northern rock pile) or the south side. (for the southern rock pile) Doing so will force YOU to take a long slog through the shallows to get back to the manor--a death sentence on this stage. At the start of this stage, stay close to the Koromogawa manor and fend off the first wave of enemies, until you hear Yoshitsune comment that he shouldn't leave the grounds. At this point, enemy resistance will die down a little, and this is your chance to get the Valuable Item. The Valuable item is located by the northwest exit to the stage, and the only way to get there is to circle all the way around the east edge of the stage, as the bridge over the river is out. Have both of your generals Assault two different enemy teams near the central "hub" that all the paths converge to, and run like mad to the box with the Valuable Item. If you run into any non-archers on the way, (archers don't try to bash down the manor doors, or at least do very little damage to them) kill their captains; if you're lucky they may make a run for it--you don't want to let them get all the way to the manor. When you get to the crate with the Valuable Item, break it and take the item, and run like hell back to the manor. As soon as you get to the west side of the rock-trap, slash it to dump the boulders over the path; you now no longer need to get to the east side of the stage, and this will force the enemies to make a long and muddy detour. A lot of this depends on luck; if you're really really lucky, your generals will have been able to fend off the enemies and keep them from making it to the manor. More likely, an enemy unit or two from the first wave of reinforcements will have made it to the manor and will be hammering away at the door. Kill them all as fast as possible, and hope the door didn't take too much damage, as you'll have to make another foray away from it later. Around this time, the second wave of reinforcements will arrive, led by Fujiwara Yasuhira. Kill him and all the enemies that he brings with him, and start moving toward the central "hub." Soon, the third wave of enemy reinforcements will arrive, led by Kajiwara Kagetoki. You need to kill Kajiwara Kagetoki to unlock the secret stage, but he won't move from his starting position at the south end of the stage. You have to make a direct foray out and kill him. Have your Generals Assault any enemies approaching from the west or east, while you approach Kagetoki. There will be a cutscene where Kagetoki taunts Yoshitsune and tells him that Shizuka is being held prisoner in Kamakura, before attacking. After the cutscene, kill Kagetoki as fast as humanly possible (a large contingent of bodyguards will spontaneously spawn as soon as you get near) and run as fast as you can back to the manor. Slash the second rock-trap when you get past it, to force any more soldiers coming from the south to take the long way through the mud. If you make it back to the manor before the enemies manage to break the door down, you're set. All you have to do now is stick close to the manor and kill all the remaining enemies that get near. However, this is not an easy thing to do, as almost always a few enemies make it to the manor during both forays you make during the stage. If you're unlucky, they'll break down the door while you're occupied elsewhere and you'll lose the stage; just chalk it up to bad luck and try again. After a while, (like after the 4th or 5th wave of reinforcements arrive) the stage will spontaneously end. What will happen depends on whether or not you killed Kajiwara Kagetoki. If you didn't, you'll get the "historically accurate" ending where you see a rather graphic movie of Benkei's death, as he fends off the enemies while Yoshitsune commits suicide in the manor. If you did kill Kagetoki, you unlock the secret Yoshitsune stage, and see a movie of Yoshitsune, Benkei and Rin breaking through the enemy lines. If they survived, Suzuki Shigeie and Kamei Shigekiyo will join you as subordinates. If no matter how hard you try, you can't score Gunjin on this stage, you can try to do so in Free Mode, with Rin or Ise Yoshimori as your commander. They both run very fast, and can use "Force Formation" should you need to go through the shallows in this stage. Note, however, that if you want to unlock the secret stage, you have to do it in Story Mode. =============================================================================== YOSHITSUNE SCENARIO, SECRET STAGE: ABOVE THE PURPLE CLOUDS (紫雲の上) =============================================================================== After defeating the Kamakura general Kajiwara Kagetoki, Yoshitsune and his men managed to escape the trap laid for them. They had lived in peace in Hiraizumi for a long time, but now left it behind them. As long as Yoritomo still lived, there would be no place that Yoshitsune could hide. To fulfill his retainers' wishes, to keep his subordinates alive, and to see Shizuka once more, Yoshitsune took up his sword once again. The master strategist who had conquered at Ichi-no-tani, at Yashima, striking cold fear into the hearts of his enemies, returned at the main base of the Genji! Worried about Shizuka's safety, Yoshitsune finally arrives at the main base of the Genji. Kamakura is well-defended and Yoritomo's closest generals never falter for a moment. Cutting his way through a virtual wall of enemies, Yoshitsune makes his way to the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman Palace... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== Seeing as how Yoshitsune never made it out of Koromogawa alive, this mission decidedly has no historical background to it. Nothing like it ever happened. About the closest thing you can say is that there is a record in the _Gikeiki_ of Shizuka being held in Kamakura. (That's when she said her seditious poem in front of Yoritomo) MISSIONS: ========= Defeat Minamoto Yoritomo (源頼朝を倒せ) -------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage. Minamoto Yoritomo awaits you in the middle of the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman palace plaza. To complete this mission, the stage, and the Yoshitsune scenario, you must defeat him. Attack the fortresses (砦を攻略せよ) ------------------------------------ There are only two ways to get to the road the Hachiman Palace lies on, and both are guarded by fortresses with archer platforms. To complete this mission, you have to kill all the archers at either of these fortresses. (Of course you can kill all the archers on both, too--that's up to you) Yoritomo's inner circle of generals (頼朝直属の大将) ---------------------------------------------------- Five generals make up Yoritomo's inner circle: Hatakeyama Shigetada, Wada Yoshimori, Chiba Tsunetane, Oyama Tomomasa, and Doi Sanehira. Kill them all to complete this mission. Hojo Yoshitoki (北条義時) ------------------------- Hojo Yoshitoki is the last line of defense before you reach Yoritomo himself; he is stationed in the gardens of the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman palace. To complete this mission, you must defeat him. Cavalry (騎馬隊) ---------------- This cavalry mission is no different from all the other "Cavalry" missions in the game; you must knock a lot of riders off their horses to complete it. 20 riders, to be exact. As with all the other Cavalry missions, this one is so easy you won't need to think twice about it. ITEMS: ====== Koryo Ginseng/Health Certificate: In the dead-end about halfway down the east end of town, right by the wall to the Hachiman palace Reppa Tome/Attack Certificate: At the south end of the north-south road all the way on the west side of the stage Daikoku Scroll: Hidden in the bushes on the west side of the Hachiman Palace gardens Fukurokuju Scroll: Carried by Oyama Tomomasa Benzai Scroll: Carried by Doi Sanehira Reimyogan: 1) In the middle of the street to the north of Kamakura 2) At the end of the north-south road on east side of the stage (Hard only) 3) In the southwest corner of the Hachiman Palace (Hard only) 4) On the island in the lake in the Hachiman Palace (Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In the northwest corner of Kamakura 2) In place of Reimyogan 2 on Easy and Normal 3) In place of Reimyogan 3 on Easy and Normal 4) In place of Reimyogan 4 on Easy and Normal 5) In the southwest corner of the Hachiman Palace plaza Reimyo-Shinsui: At the northwest exit to the level Rank Rewards: Drum of Fervor/Strongly-Fragrant Branch/Higekiri UNITS: ====== Enemies: 4 Kamakura Archers, 2 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 8 Kamakura Cavalry Enemy Generals: Hatakeyama Shigetada, Wada Yoshimori, Chiba Tsunetane, Oyama Tomomasa, Doi Sanehira, Hojo Yoshitoki, Minamoto Yoshitomo Reinforcements: 2 Kamakura Archers, 13 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 3 Kamakura Cavalry, 1 Kamakura Shieldsfighter STRATEGY: ========= The final, secret stage of Yoshitsune's scenario is not nearly as hard as the final stage of the his historical path. All three forces have a secret stage at Kamakura, and Yoshitsune's is the easiest. This stage is basically one big, long battle against scores of enemies, but after 16 previous stages that you had to play as Yoshitsune, you'll probably be pretty well-developed by now. Your job here is to enter Kamakura, fight your way to the center of the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman palace, and face Yoritomo. There are a ton of enemies waiting for you on the way, many of whom are pretty tough, but you should be used to the game enough by now that they should be little problem. There are plenty of healing items too, just in case. You start on the north side of Kamakura. Hatakeyama Shigetada is near your start position, waiting for you. There are some cavalry nearby, so be sure to unseat them so they don't knock you around while you try to finish him off. Once Shigetada is dead, Wada Yoshimori is next, also by the main entrance to Kamakura. When you get inside Kamakura proper, you need to get to the south side of the stage to get inside the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman palace. You can do this by either traversing the east or the west side of the city. If you're only going to take on one side and not kill off everyone in the stage, you should do the east side; there are more cavalry there to unseat. Also Chiba Tsunetane is there, and you need to kill him off to complete one of the missions. (He's just got archers so he's easy to defeat) At the very south end of the east/west areas of the city, there are two gates, each guarded by a general--Oyama Tomomasa on the east, and Doi Sanehira on the west. The east side is guarded by two archer units and two cavalry; on the west, the cavalry are replaced by Naginata footsoldiers. Make sure to kill the archers, as that's a prerequisite for one of the missions. Once you've gotten your way to the main east-west road on the south side of the stage, you can go straight into Tsurugaoka-Hachiman Palace and complete the stage if you want, but if you want to score Gunjin, you should kill the general guarding the gate you haven't been to yet. If you want to be thorough, you can also clean up the grunt soldiers on the opposite side of town as well. Inside the palace proper, Hojo Yoshitoki waits with a considerable force of archers as backup, but he's a wimp and dies easily. However, the enemies with him are pretty tough and numerous, and it's worth noting that the four Naginata reinforcements outside the south gate of the palace will continually respawn if you walk in the wrong spots of the palace courtyard. Don't waste too much time taking them on over and over again. Climb up the stairs and you'll face Minamoto Yoritomo. While Yoshitsune tries to talk some sense into Yoritomo, his elder brother will have nothing of it and attacks. In all three scenarioes, Yoritomo is the "hidden last boss" and while he's very tough, he's easiest in the Yoshitsune scenario simply because the odds are Yoshitsune will be very well-developed by the time you reach him. He shouldn't be too much trouble, but if you find yourself having problems with him, try running back down the steps and luring him out toward you so you can face him on better terms. Once you've defeated Yoritomo, he FINALLY realizes that Yoshitsune isn't really trying to usurp him as the head of the Minamoto. He'll tell Yoshitsune where he's got Shizuka and say he never wants to see him again. Yoshitsune proceeds into the palace, where he is reunited with her...and you've finished the "good ending" of the Yoshitsune scenario! There's a "secret subordinate" on this stage--Minamoto Yoritomo's wife, Hojo Masako. If you beat this stage with Shizuka as your commander, you'll unlock her. She starts at level 40, which is nothing sneeze at. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| |############### KISO NO YOSHINAKA ###############| |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o =============================================================================== YOSHINAKA SCENARIO, STAGE 1: THE GENJI FROM KISO 木曽の源氏 =============================================================================== The Taira killed Prince Mochihito, but didn't realize how much opposition there was to the Heike. Minamoto Yukiie escaped from the Taira and spread Mochihito's order, even after his death. "To the Genji and other warriors of the country-- kill Taira Kiyomori and his retainers." Kiso Okaja no Yoshinaka was one of these people who responded this order. A month after Yoritomo responded to Mochihito's order in Kamakura, Yoshinaka decided to assemble an army in Kiso. In an effort to suppress Yoshinaka the great Taira hero, Jo Nagamochi, advanced into north Shinano and set up his army at Yokotawagara. It looked hopless for Yoshinaka, with 3000 warriors against Nagamochi's 40,000. Nobody could have imagined that this battle would be the beginning of the end for the Taira. Jo Nagamochi set up a strong defense at Yokotagawara. Yoshinaka left the flanking attack Higuchi Kanemitsu and Tate Chikatada while attacking from the front himself. If the front gate fell, the attack from the side would destroy the karamete Yoshinaka took Imai Kanehiro and Nenoi Yukichika with him and advanced toward the Yokotagawa fortress. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== This battle was the first clash between the Heike and Yoshinaka's army. The year after Kiyomori's death, Jo Nagamochi was appointed governor of Echigo, and mustered soldiers from the area to march against Yoshinaka, setting up his main formation in Yokotagawara. Yoshinaka was greatly outnumbered, but used a tricky ploy and won the day. What he did was divide up his army outfit them with red flags (Taira colors) and approach Yokotagawara, fooling them into thinking that they were small bands of local Taira supporters. However, once they got close, the divided army pooled itself together, discarded the red flags and raising the white ones (Minamoto colors) they had in hiding, both pulling a surprise attack on the Taira and making themselves look like much larger a force than they really were at the same tim. Nagamochi ran, and most of his soldiers were killed. MISSIONS: ========= Defeat Jo Nagamochi(城長茂を倒せ) ---------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage, and if you complete it, you win. It's pretty self-explanatory; defeat Jo Nagamochi. The Gate Guards (門防衛隊) -------------------------- This one mission is actually broken down into two separate missions in the final score tally. The first mission is to defeat the gate guards, being Kasahara Yoshinao and Tobe Ietoshi. The second mission is to defeat Kinebuchi Shigemitsu, who isn't really a gate guard, but stands between the gate and Nagamochi. Allied Forces (別働隊) ---------------------- To complete this mission, you need to keep all allied soldiers alive; if a single one dies, you fail the mission. This is the toughest of the missions to successfully pull off, as your allies aren't particularly strong. The Archers on the Towers (矢倉の弓隊) -------------------------------------- There are two archer units on the lookout towers at the front gate to the fortress. To complete this mission, you have climb the towers and to kill them both. ITEMS: ====== Ebisu Scroll: In a crate on the west end of the south bank of the river. Sanryaku/Technique Certificate: In a crate behind the cart to the west of Jo Nagamochi. To get it, you have to jump up on top of the flat part of the cart and walk across it first. Reimyogan: 1) On the far west end of the north bank of the river. (Easy/Normal) 2) On the far west end of the north bank of the river. (Easy/Normal only) 3) Carried by the Naginata Unit Captain right behind the fortress gate 4) Carried by the Archer Captain on the east lookout tower behind the fortress gate 5) In a box at the far south end of the north/south path to the west of the main enemy camp. (Normal Only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In the place of Reimyogan 5 on Easy Difficulty 2) Carried by Kinebutchi Shigemitsu Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll/False Alarm Tome/Volley Tome UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Sai Hirosuke, Higuchi Kanemitsu, Tate Chikatada, Inoue Mitsumori Enemies: 2 Taira Swordsmen, 3 Taira Shieldsmen, 2 Taira Archers Enemy Generals: Enemy Reinforcements: 3 Taira Shieldsmen, 1 Taira Sword Cavalry, 1 Taira Archer, 1 Taira Swordsman Unlimited Taira swordsmen from behind Nagamochi and from the western pass STRATEGY: ========= The only really tough mission in this stage is to keep your allied soldiers from dying. Yoshinaka's pep talk must have had a real effect on Sai Hirosuke, as he and his troops will go charging right into the enemy, which is hazardous to your health. Fortunately your sub-commanders have Strategems that are useful in keeping him alive. Have Imai Kanehira use Guard constantly so that he'll stick close to Hirosuke. Nenoi Yukichika can use his Taunt to draw enemy attention to himself. You should have Yoshinaka charge ahead and take out tougher enemies ahead, especially the archers. There are several ways to open the gate to the main base. First, you can break it down directly, but as a strong gate, this takes forever. (You can use Yukichika's Ishiyumi to break it down, but this is overkill) Second, if you get Kasahara Yoshinao to taunt you, then run away back over the river, the gates will open as Tobe Ietoshi charges out to get you. Lastly, you can wipe out all the soldiers outside the gate, and then again, Ietoshi will come out to take care of you himself. The safest way to do this I find is simply to wipe out all the soldiers. If you try any of the other methods, there's a greater chance that Hirosuke's troops will take casualties. Once you're inside the fortress proper, go straight up to the left tower and take out the archers there. You don't have to worry about the right tower as much, as once you're inside, the east gate will open and Higuchi Kanemitsu, Tate Chikatada, and Inoue Mitsumori will charge in; Inoue's troops will make a beeline for the right tower to take out the archers there. Once the archers are taken out, it becomes a grand melee inside. You can put Yoshinaka's SST combo here to good use, as it makes great crowd control. Make sure that Kanehira is Guarding as it becomes too chaotic to protect allied soldiers yourself. Have Yukichika Taunt or stay put, as his mammmoth cart really gets in the way during pitched battles. Take out Tobe Ietoshi and Kinebuchi Shigemitsu then go straight to Jo Nagamochi and kill him. Once Nagamochi is dead, you've won the stage. =============================================================================== YOSHINAKA SCENARIO, STAGE 2: FALLING INTO KURIKARA 倶利伽羅落し =============================================================================== After his surprising victory at Yokotagawa, many great warriors came to join Yoshinaka. This is the time when his uncle Yukiie joined him. However, the Taira would not let this stand. Bringing a huge army to put down the rebellion, Yoshinaka's forces were driven slowly back. To turn the tide of the battle, Yoshinaka plans to try a sneak attack against the Taira. Leaving a separate force to Yukiie, Yoshinaka retreated while skirmishing with the Taira forces. Through Kiso's diversion, the Taira forces were drawn to the Kurikara gorge. Yoshinaka moved at night, to encircle them. The battle that would go down in history as the famous Kurikara Raid was beginning... Yoshinaka's goal was to launch a sneak attack against the Taira forces and drive them into the deep Kurikara gorge. Yoshinaka would use oxen with torches tied to their horns, and drive them into the enemy camp to cause chaos and confusion. Yoshinaka carefully approached the enemy forces, as if they learned of his plan, it would fail... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The battle at Kurikara started with the defection of the priest Saimei. Yoshinaka had set up a base at Hiuchi, and blocked it with a large lake created by a river dam. Saimei told the Taira that the lake could be forded should the dam be destroyed, and Yoshinaka's forces were driven backwards. He split his force up into several different groups, waiting at Tonamiyama, while placing other soldiers in strategic ambushes. After crossing the Kurikara path through Tonamiyama, there was a plain nearby that the Taira were planning to use as a battleground, but Yoshinaka planted a bunch of fake banners on the hills nearby; making it look like the plain was surrounded and that his army was bigger than it really was, he managed to keep the Taira holed up in the mountains for the time being. Skirmishing lightly with the Taira, Yoshinaka's forces kept them occupied until nighttime, which was part of his plan, as it both kept them on the mountain and distracted them from the ambush contingents that were getting into place. Late in the evening, Yoshinaka unleashed his ambush; suddenly the Taira found Genji soldiers at their rear. In addition, the Genji forces released a herd of stampeding oxen down the actual Kurikara path. Confused and trapped between the enemy and rampaging bovines, the Taira fled-- right into the Kurikara gorge, as there was no sunlight to guide them. Saimei was captured and beheaded. MISSIONS: ========= Take out the enemy general (敵大将を狙い打て) --------------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the game; kill Taira Yukimori, the head of the Taira troops, and you complete the mission and the stage. Burning Oxen Plan (火牛の計) ---------------------------- There are two parts to succeeding this mission. First, you can't let a single enemy flee to the main force, or the plan won't succeed at all. Second, once you activate the plan by approaching the main enemy camp, you have to let the rampaging bulls kill a decent number of enemies. If you immediately rush in and kill Yukimori without letting them do their damage, you may not complete the mission, even if the oxen get released. Saimei (斉明) ------------- To complete this mission, you have to kill the traitor Saimei by your own hand. If one of your generals, subordinates, or allied soldiers deal the killing blow, you fail the mission. Preparing the Burning Oxen (火牛の準備) --------------------------------------- This mission is simple to complete; just walk up to where Nenoi Yukichika is waiting and hear him say "The oxen are ready." The Kiso Army Generals (木曽軍大将) ----------------------------------- You have two allied generals with you on this stage; Aoi Gozen and Kuramitsu Narizumi. If either of them die during the course of this stage, you fail this mission. ITEMS: ====== Stone-Throw Tome(1st time)/Technique Certificate: In the crate along the west-east path that goes by Nenoi Yukichika, a little further east and south of where he's waiting. Sansahoko(1st time)/Attack Certificate: Carried by Kawachi Hidekuni Stone-Throw Tome(1st time)/Technique Certificate: Carried by Sennoo Kaneyasu Reimyogan: 1) In a crate behind where you start 2) Carried by Saimei (Easy only) 3) In a crate near Saimei 4) In a crate nearby Senoo Kaneyasu 5) In a crate on the west side of the main Taira camp. Rank Rewards: Bishamon Scroll/Cavalry Gauntlet/Fire-Arrow Tome UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Aoi Gozen, Kuramitsu Narizumi, Nenoi Yukichika Enemies: 7 Taira Swordsmen, 2 Taira Archers, 6 Taira Naginata units, 1 Taira Shieldsfighter Enemy Generals: Saiemei, Kawachi Hidekuni, Senoo Kaneyasu, Taira Yukimori STRATEGY: ========= This isn't that hard a stage, and is actually easier to score Gunjin than on the first Yoshinaka stage. The only thing you really have to watch out for is fleeing soldiers. If any enemy soldier ends up running, they'll make a beeline for the main Taira force. If they reach the Taira force, your surprise attack is blown; they'll come out to meet you and you won't be able to pull off the Burning Oxen plan. Since Yoshinaka is not particularly fleet of foot, that means if an enemy gets any sort of lead, you don't have a chance. Therefore, you have to be really careful not to kill any unit captains until all of their underlings have been dispatched first. The other potential pitfall is to let either Aoi Gozen or Kuramitsu Narizumi die. Neither of them is particularly frail, but if you leave them by themselves, they can get into trouble. This primarily comes into play when you're trying to complete the "Burning Oxen Preparation" as Nenoi Yukichika is at an area kind of displaced from the main enemy force. The best way to tackle this stage is to immediately charge for Nenoi Yukichika at the beginning and as soon as he tells you "The oxen are ready," immediately turn around and catch up with Aoi's troops. You'll probably reach them just as they're engaging the first enemy unit; so long as you're acting as escort, Aoi should be fine. Note that when you reach Yukichika, there will be a cutscene; the contents differ depending on who your generals are. Continue along the path until you get to the crossroads. At this point, you and Narizumi will most likely be intercepting Saimei's troops right at the same time. This particular battle can get kind of frenetic, so be careful not to let any enemy soldiers escape in the chaos. Concentrate on killing all the underlings first, then go after Saimei himself. If you can, try and get him by himself to ensure that you deal the killing blow. After Saimei and his troops are dead, head up north. You'll be faced by two small contingents led by Kawachi Hidekuni and then Senoo Kaneyasu. Neither of them are much more difficult than a standard unit captain, so they shouldn't give you much trouble. (Note that Hidekuni drops some nice goodies when he dies) If you've gotten this far without an enemy soldier escaping to the main camp, the rest is simple. As soon as you reach the enemy camp, just watch as the herd of oxen tear up the enemy camp, killing soldiers left and right. Once the action has died down a bit (the oxen can damage you too, and they have to kill a certain number of soldiers for the plan to count as succeeding) go in and finish off Taira Yukimori. He should be easy pickings by now. If they survive, Aoi and Kuramitsu will join you as retainers. Whether you use them or not is up to you, as all of the Yoshinaka characters start out with four retainers. Completing this stage will unlock the Special Stage, "Defend Yokotagawara" =============================================================================== YOSHINAKA SCENARIO, STAGE 3: YOSHINAKA ENTERS THE CAPITAL　義仲入京 =============================================================================== And thus, the bulk of the Taira forces vanished into Kurikara Gorge. In contrast to the force of the Kiso army, the Taira forces were not as strong as they once were. Shortly after securing the area, Yoshinaka advanced his forces forward. At this time, relations between Yoshinaka and Yoritomo started to turn sour. Yoritomo might have thought Yoshinaka's joining forces with his uncle Yukiie and driving back the Taira army was a threat. There can be only one supreme commander of the Minomoto forces, and to Yoritomo, he would allow none other than himself. Regardless, Yoshinaka brought his forces together and advanced toward Shinohara. His aim was to break the strong defenses at Shinohara and enter the capital. To stop Yoshinaka from entering the capital, the Taira army sets up their formation in Shinohara. They build up several fortresses in Shinohara, and the Taira generals await Yoshinaka's army there. Attacking the fortresses from the front is very difficult. Yoshinaka had to figure out a way to go around them and attack from behind... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== After defeating the Taira at Kurikara pass, Yoshinaka had them on the run and thus had an advantage to press toward the capital. The battle at Shinohara was the Taira's last major attempt to keep him at bay. Needless to say, for the weakened and demoralized Taira, this was a futile gesture. However, there were several duels between famous generals in this battle, the most prominent being that between Tezuka Mitsumori and Saito Sanemori. Sanemori was quite an old man by this time, and so that the enemy would fight him as an equal, he dyed his hair and beard black so that he appeared to be younger. He and Mitsumori had a "horse-wrestling" match; (whereby two horsemen tried to grab the other, wrestle them off their horse and onto the ground, and cut off their head) while Sanemori won the first round, killing Mitsumori's retainer, he lost when fighting Mitsumori himself. When Mitsumori brought Sanemori's head to Yoshinaka, Yoshinaka washed it to prove that it was, indeed, Sanemori. As Sanemori was Yoshinaka's old benefactor, it's said he wept deeply in sorrow to see him killed. MISSIONS: ========= Enemy Generals (敵大将) ----------------------- This is the main mission you need to complete in order to finish the stage. There are 5 generals in total on this mission: Ito Sukekiyo, Taira Moritoshi, Musashi Arikuni, Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi, and Takahashi Nagatsuna. All of them command troops of archers, and you have to kill all of them. Saito Sanemori (斉藤実盛) ------------------------- Saito Sanemori guards the bridge across the river in the middle of the stage, with a large contingent of bodyguards. To complete this mission, you have to defeat him yourself; if any of your generals, subordinates, or allied soldiers deals the killing blow, it doesn't count. Fortress Walls (砦壁) --------------------- There are four fortresses in this stage, each manned by an archer team that fires flaming arrows at you. To complete this mission, you have to disable the fortresses by killing these archer teams. Note that the archer teams in the first and last fortress are also enemy generals you need to kill to complete the main stage. Keep your losses to a minimum (犠牲を最小限に抑えろ) ---------------------------------------------------- This is a really easy mission to complete unless you're horribly underpowered; you just have to keep your subordinates alive. If you're going with a full party (3 generals with 4 subordinates each) you can even let up to 2 of them die and still complete the mission. If you try to cheat your way around this mission by bringing no subordinates at all, you'll automatically fail this mission. Archers and Archer Towers (矢倉と弓兵) -------------------------------------- This is the toughest of the missions in this stage to complete. To complete it, you need to do the following three things: first, you have to disable or burn down all the enemy archer towers. Second, you have to use a large number of Strategems using an archer general. Third, you have to kill a huge number of enemies with bows. ITEMS: ====== Bishamon Scroll: In a crate at the far end of the path that goes along the north end of the first fortress. Shigeto Bow/Technique Certificate: Carried by Saito Sanemori Sanjo/Attack Certificate: Carried by Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi Silver-wrought Konaginata/Defense Certificate: Carried by Takahashi Nagatsuna Reimyogan: 1) In a crate next to the Bishamon Scroll above (Easy/Normal only) 2) In a crate by the first Archer Tower 3) Carried by Taira Moritoshi (Easy/Normal only) 4) In a box behind Taira Moritoshi (Easy only) 5) In a box at the dead-end near Saito Sanemori (Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: Location of Reimyogan 5 (Easy/Normal) 6) In a box near Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi Rank Rewards: Assault Tome/Shield Barrier Tome/Tsumuji Tome UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Minamoto Yukiie, Yamabuki Gozen Enemies: 14 Taira Archers, 4 Taira Swordsmen, 4 Taira Shieldsfighters, 2 Taira Naginata soldiers Enemy Generals: Ito Sukekiyo, Taira Moritoshi, Saito Sanemori, Musashi Arikuni, Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi, Takahashi Nagatsuna Reinforcements: Unlimited Taira Swordsmen STRATEGY: ========= This is an extremely tough stage to score Gunjin on, and in fact is one of the toughest stages in the game. It's one of those evil stages where succeeding all 5 sub-missions is no guarantee of actually scoring Gunjin. Plus, the last requirement, "Archers and Archer Towers" requires you to kill a ridiculous number of enemies with bows--like, 50 at least. Bows generally take a long time to kill enemies, so you'll have to do a lot of standing still and ordering Bow Strategems over and over to complete this mission. The problem is that you don't have a lot of time--Yamabuki Gozen will proceed through the stage with or without you, and without your help, she and her subordinates will get killed. Protecting Yamabuki isn't a requirement to complete a mission, but the score hit you take from having her team die will most likely be enough to drop you to Tosho at least, probably to Chisho even. It may be possible to score Gunjin and let her die off, but I'm going to assume you're going to try and protect her. What's worse, you have to kill more enemies yourself than your generals do, so that means that if you rely too much on arrow strategems from your generals you'll be guaranteed Chisho, even if you protect everyone. The first thing you really want for this mission is an EXTREMELY buff Higura Kanemitsu. You'll want to pump his Attack and Technique as high as possible, and have all of his subordinates with really high Attack and Technique as well, as this increases the chance of their instant-killing. He should also be equipping a top-class bow. (Needless to say, to get to this point, you'll have to return to the stage later) Having him with Shunsatsu-Jutsu is gravy, as is a Level-3 Poison Arrow. Basically, have your archers be able to kill enemies as quickly as possible. I know what you may be thinking--"Hey, why don't I play this stage in Free mode and use Kanemitsu as my Commander?" Nice idea, but that by itself it won't work--I've tried it. Even though Kanemitsu is an archer, it only counts as a bow kill if you actually kill enemies with an arrow-- Kanemitsu's sword doesn't count. With a sufficiently buff Kanemitsu, you can kill most enemies quickly enough by using nothing but arrows, but you also have to succeed a fair number of Bow Strategems. The only bow strategem you can use with Kanemitsu is his Setsuna-no-Saku, and as that takes a full 10 Spirit Spheres, there aren't enough opportunities to use it sufficiently. So, bottom line, the best way to score Gunjin on this stage without driving yourself mad is to use a team of three archers. (Kanemitsu should lead, as he can fire more arrows in succession than any other general except a maxed-out Yoichi) This means, however, that you must completely both Yoshinaka's scenario AND either the Taira or Yoshitsune scenarios before you can try this, as Kanemitsu is the sole archer among Yoshinaka's generals. Speaking of archers, there are a ton of them in this stage. In fact, there are only nine units that AREN'T archers here. That makes the primary challenge of this stage getting close to the enemy; once you're close, you can tear them to pieces with little problem. However, the archers here are tough, and deal nasty damage, as most of them use flaming arrows. And as most are hiding behind the fortifications, you can't always get to them when they can get at you. Start by following the path that branches to the north and south. Take the north fork and you'll be able to get behind the first fortification, where Ito Sukekiyo's troop is. Take him and his soldiers out, then run back to the fork in the road and take the south fork to help Yamabuki, who will probably be getting peppered with arrows at this point. You can ignore the unit at the far end of the top fork, though there's a box with some goodies in it there. On the south fork, there will be two Archer Towers. Burn them both down with flaming arrows (You DID take Kanemitsu with you and taught him Fire Arrow, right?) and proceed to the south. This part is one of the trickiest parts of the stage, as you're sandwiched between Taira Moritoshi's archers on the ground, an archer team on a raised platform, and another archer team behind a fortification. I usually take out the archers on the fortification first, then the platform before taking on Moritoshi. Once you've broken past Moritoshi, you're up for a short and very chaotic fight. Saito Sanemori will challenge you to a duel and a LARGE contingent of archers and shieldsmen will spawn on the bridge in front of him while he snipes at you with arrows. Order your sub-commanders to deal with the shieldsfighters while you have your character jump over the shieldsmen and rush Sanemori himself. Take him out as quickly as possible, so that none of your underlings take the kill for themselves. The next part depends on how you want to play the stage. For the time being, ignore the units way to the south of Sanemori's position; you can come back to them later if you want. Your next job is to deal with Musashi Arikuni, who is surrounded on two sides by protected archers, one behind a fortification and one on a raised platform. Taking them on head-on deals lots of damage, but there's another option; if you proceed directly to the north of where Sanemori was, you'll reach a dead-end. From this dead-end you will have a clear shot at Arikuni's soldiers, who will be easy pickings for your archers, provided you don't get too close. The downside is that killing them off takes a while, and Yamabuki will walk blithely right up to them directly, sticking herself in the crossfire of the three archer teams. Next, head south. You'll pass by another fortification to the northwest; rush behind it and take out the archers that are there. From there head south, where you'll face two Archer Towers and Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi's underlings. This place is kind of tough; it's the final destination for Yamabuki, and she and her troops will sit here for the duration of the stage. This puts her directly in the line of fire for the two Archer towers, so you have to burn them down both quickly with Flame Arrows--if you don't take them out, there's nothing you can do to save Yamabuki. The problem is that even if you commmand your archers to shoot flaming arrows, they won't target the Archer towers until the ground soldiers are dead--so you have to kill them off first. If you're trying to make the bulk of your kills with bows, you may just have to suck it up and kill this particular team with melee weapons. Once Shigeyoshi and his team are dead, head north where you'll face Takahashi Nagatsuna, your final enemy in this stage. Whether you take him head on (from the east fork) or from the flank (the west fork) doesn't matter, though his speech differs accordingly. (He's amazed at your tenacity for taking the head- on approach, and pissed at the rest of the army for letting you by at the indirect path) Either way, he and his subordinates are easy pickings by this point. After you win the battle, there's a cutscene of Yoshinaka mourning over Sanemori's body, and an arrogant courtier who insists on not giving Yoshinaka his moment of silence. Yoshinaka is invited to the Imperial court. =============================================================================== YOSHINAKA SCENARIO, STAGE 4: THE SETTING SUN OF MIZUSHIMA 水島の落日 =============================================================================== After losing the battle at Shinohara, the Taira no longer had the power to fight Yoshinaka. The supreme commander of the Taira forces, Tomomori, assembled what remained of his army and left the capital. Yoshinaka chases after him and enters the capital. At last, Kyoto is free from the Taira. However, at this time, Kyoto was experiencing a great famine, and Yoshinaka's rations are low as well. The rewards bestowed on Yoshinaka's army by Emperor Go-Shirakawa are not enough to feed them, which causes rising discontent among the men. Eventually discipline among the troops breaks down and they start pillaging the populace. Before he even had enough time to savor his victory and entering the capital, Yoshinaka was forced to try and enforce public order. At that time, Emperor Go- shirakawa issued an edict to Yoshinaka to seek out and destroy the remainig Taira. While Yoshinaka was dealing with many problems already, he could not refuse an order from the Emperor. Yoshinaka gathered his forces out and set out to Mizushima, where the Taira army had set up. The island Mizushima, in the Seto Inland Sea, is well-known as a Taira base. Even though they fled from the capital, the west is strong Heike territory, and their army is not to be underestimated. Even with little in the way of naval forces, Yoshinaka obeyed the Emperor's order and attacked this island... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== Yoshinaka never really had much of a chance in this battle; not only did his army have no naval experience and few boats, but he also had the element of surprise against him. The Taira forces had set up a major base at Yashima in Shikoku. (and would eventually be defeated there in the later, more famous Battle of Yashima) Yoshinaka arranged his small fleet at Mizushima bay in Bitchu province, and prepared to cross over to Shikoku there. However, he was caught by a much larger Taira force on the way there. The battle started with arrow exchanges, and as Yoshinaka's forces were driven back to the shore, the Taira came out of their boats and charged ashore on horseback to clean up the remaining soldiers. Yoshinaka's forces soon fled. The "eclipse" part of this level (e.g. hick northern soldiers being afraid of the loss of the sun) comes from the _Genpei Seisuiki_ and as far as I know, there's nothing about it in any of the historical narratives. MISSIONS: ========= Heike Generals (平家大軍) ------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage, and can be completed in two ways. The most obvious way it can be finished is by killing the three big Taira generals: Tomomori, Noritsune, and Shigehira. Or, once the eclipse occurs, you can flee the stage. Advance Units (先行部隊) ------------------------ Unno Yukihiro is leading the Advance Units, three units of Elite Footsoldiers. To complete this mission, you need to keep him alive for the duration of the stage. (All of his footsoldiers can die, so long as he survives) Rear Guard (後衛部隊) --------------------- Yada Yoshikiyo is leading the Rear Guard, a unit of swordsmen and a unit of Naginata troops. You need to keep Yoshikiyo alive for the whole stage to complete this mission. Warships and Archer Towers (軍船と矢倉) --------------------------------------- There are a lot of enemy warships and archer towers in this stage, filled with archers that will rain arrows on you continuously. To complete this mission, you have to destroy at least 7 of them. (Not 7 each, 7 in total) Ships and towers only count as being destroyed if all the enemies on them die. Naginata Units (薙刀部隊) ------------------------- There are three units of Naginata soldiers on the north beach of Mizushima. To complete this mission, you have to kill them all. ITEMS: ====== Iron-Plated Greatshield/Defense Certificate: In a crate near the Taira Naginata troops that you need to kill Fireball Tome/Health Certificate: In a crate at the northwest most beach of the island Reppa Tome/Technique Certificate: Carried by Taira Shigehira Aohagane-Yototo/Technique Certificate: Carried by Taira Noritsune Reimyogan: 1) In a crate by the rear-guard units (Easy Only) 2) In a crate in the "dead-end" on the west side of the island (Hard Only) 3) In a crate near Taira Noritsune 4) In a crate close to the northwest beach of the island (Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In a crate near the the Taira Naginata troops you need to kill 2) In place of Reimyogan 2 (Easy/Normal) 3) Carried by Taira Tomomori 4) In a crate on the southwest beach of the island 5) In place of Reimyogan 4 (Easy/Normal) Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll, Yarigake Tome, Nio Statue UNITS: ====== Allied: 3 Kiso Elite Footsoldiers, 2 Kiso Swordsmen, 1 Kiso Naginata troop Allied Generals: Yada Yoshikiyo, Unno Yukihiro Enemies: 1 Taira Swordsman, 1 Taira Shieldsfighter, 9 Taira Naginata troops, 9 Taira Archers, 1 Taira Cavalry Enemy Generals: Taira Tomomori, Taira Noritsune, Taira Shigehira Reinforcements: 3 Taira Cavalry, 1 Taira Shieldsfighter, 5 Taira Archers 4 Taira Naginata troops STRATEGY: ========= This is a unique stage as there are two ways to finish it. I'm going to give a strategy assuming you do it the hard way. First, before you even start the stage, Higuchi Kanemitsu is an absolute must, and he'll need Fire Arrow as one of his equipped Strategems; you'll need him to burn down ships and archer towers. You'll also need an ally with the Guard Strategem, unless you're VERY quick. To start out the stage, run west and when you reach the Advance units, have your general Guard them, then run south to protect the Rear Guard units. Once you've killed all the enemies attacking the Rear Guard units, return to the Advance units and finish off any enemies attacking them. As they're situated near the Naginata units, you should kill them off while you're at it. Now, have Kanemitsu torch the boats off the shore and the nearby Archer towers before proceeding south. When you get to the pass, there will be an event where Tomomori informs Yoshinaka that he's essentially trapped, as Goshirakawa has ordered Yoritomo to kill him. There's an eclipse as well. At this point you have a choice; you can finish the stage by retreating back to the start point and returning to your boats. This is the easier (and more historically accurate) way to finish this stage. Or, you can kill the remaining Taira generals; Tomomori, Noritsune, and Shigehira. This path is much harder, as these three generals and their underlings are very powerful characters, but if you succeed and complete the other missions, it's tough NOT to score Gunjin. (The first time I tried to fight them, one of my GENERALS got killed and I still scored Gunjin) If your characters aren't well developed (in the mid-late 20s at least) you're probably better off not facing them, and even when they are developed they can give you a run for your money. Assuming you want to take on the Taira generals, I suggest you head south first, to where Tomomori and Noritsune are. They're the toughest of the generals (though Shigehira is no pushover by any means) and you want to face them when you're as healthy as possible; plus, there are several healing items in that area. What's more, there are more boats and archer towers at the south end of the island. While this will make fighting Tomomori and Noritsune more hectic, once they're dead you can torch them at your leisure. If you faced Shigehira first, in order to make the quota of burned ships/towers for the respective mission, you'd have to burn them down while fighting Tomomori and Noritsune, which would be very dangerous. If you can, see if you can get Tomomori alone. He often proceeds to the the north, so you can hit him at the intersection between the south and north sides of the west end of the island. If you manage this, you won't have to face him and Noritsune simultaneously. Whatever you do, don't rush in to the fray as the Taira generals and their underlings will cut you to pieces. Use defensive or long-distance Strategems like Shield Wall or Fire Arrow. Once Tomomori and Noritsune are dead, collect the healing items on the south side of the island, burn down the ships and arrow towers, and head north and face Shigehira. Shigehira is tough, but at least you can face him alone. Whatever you do, don't try and burn down the ships and archer tower on the north side of the island unless Shigehira is sufficiently distracted, because he'll make mincemeat of Kanemitsu if you do. Once all three Taira generals are dead, or you flee to the start point, you finish the stage. If they survived, Yada Yoshikiyo and Unno Yukihiro will join you as subordinates. =============================================================================== YOSHINAKA SCENARIO, STAGE 5: ATTACK ON HOJUJI TEMPLE (法住寺攻め) =============================================================================== After leaving Mizushima, Yoshinaka rushed back to the capital in fury and indignation. His purpose was to attack Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who had joined forces with Minamoto Yoritomo in a plot kill him. In this era, attacking the Imperial Court directly was unthinkable. But Yoritomo had already launched a huge army marching to the capital; Yoshinaka had little other choice. This was the attack on Hojuji, which would be later regarded as historians as an atrocity. Yoshinaka was furious with indigantion at Go-Shirakawa, who had plotted together with Yoritomo to kill him. He went to attack the Emperor's home at Hojuji temple. However, this attack came to the Emperor as no great surprise. Hojuji was heavily guarded. Yoshinaka pressed on to the compound, fueled by his anger... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== The game deviates significantly from historical record as Yoshinaka attacked Hojuji before, not after, Go-Shirakawa issued his edict to hunt him down. According the the _Heike Monogatari_ this event was sparked by the provocation of one an Imperial Police officer, Tomoyasu; after being ridiculed by Yoshinaka, he told the Emperor that the latter was plotting against him, and the Emperor started to make moves to assemble soldiers and get rid of Yoshinaka. Refusing to turn his back on an enemy, Emperor or no, Yoshinaka attacked Hojuji. Historically, this event was the result of escalating tensions between Yoshinaka and the retired Emperor; Go-Shirakawa kept ordering Yoshinaka to proceed west and defeat the Taira, but he was reluctant to leave the capital, should Yoritomo occupy it in his absence. In fact, with the impending threat from Yoritomo in the east, Yoshinaka asked for an edict to hunt him down, but was flatly refused several times. In event of an incursion by either the Taira or Yoritomo forces, Yoshinaka had planned to abandon the capital and take Go- Shirakawa with him back to Kiso; Yukiie clued in the Emperor on this, and thus he gathered a large assembly of warriors at Hojuji. Afraid that they would attack him, Yoshinaka struck first and burned down the manor. This is probably the event that besmirched Yoshinaka's reputation the most in future generations. MISSIONS: ========= Capture the Emperor (法皇を捕らえよ) ------------------------------------ This is the main mission of this stage. To capture the emperor, you have to kill Meiun, the abbot guarding him. Once you do, the stage ends. Head for the main temple (本殿を目指せ) --------------------------------------- There are two ways to complete this mission. First, you can either enter the main temple from the front door by knocking it down. Second, you can go through the back way, via the open gate on the west side. Don't let Taira Tomoyasu escape (平知康を逃すな) ------------------------------------------------ Taira Tomoyasu is located near the bridge over the lake in the southern compound. As soon as he sees any opposition, he'll run for an exit. To complete this mission, you have to kill him before he gets away. Cavalry Unit Minamoto Nakakane (騎馬隊　源仲兼) ----------------------------------------------- Minamoto Nakakane is hanging out with his horsemen in the northwest compound. To complete this mission, kill him. Keep your allied general alive (友軍大将を生かせ) ------------------------------------------------- There's only one allied unit in this stage to protect--Shida Yoshihiro. To complete this mission, you have to keep him alive throughout the whole stage. ITEMS: ====== Tengen Gauntlet/Defense Certificate: In a crate at the northeast corner of the outer courtyard of Hojuji Temple Hiodoshi-Adorned Konaginata/Attack Certificate: Carried by Taira Tomoyasu Reimyogan: 1) In a box in the extreme northwest corner of the right half of the southern compound (Easy/Normal only) 2) In a crate on the east bank of the pond in the southern compound 3) In a crate at the dead-end between the northwest compound and Hojuji 4) In a crate in the southwest corner of Hojuji's inner courtyard Rank Rewards: Bishamon Scroll/False Alarm Tome/Kongoketsu UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Shida Yoshihiro Enemies: 12 Naginata Monks, 5 Archer Monks Enemy Generals: Taira Tomoyasu, Minamoto Nakakane, Meiun Reinforcements: 8 Naginata Monks STRATEGY: ========= This is not a very hard stage, and is pretty easy to finish perfectly. The one thing you have to worry about is letting the Emperor escape, but that will only happen under certain circumstances. Also, stopping Taira Tomoyasu can be tricky if you're not careful. For maximum kills, bring Higuchi Kanemitsu, as there are some archer towers that only he can reach. To start with, run north and protect Shida Yoshihiro, who is under attack by some Naginata monks. You can Guard him if you want, but it will take very little time to kill off the enemies facing him. He heads off to the south after all the enemies are gone, so it's best to keep with him, but sometimes he stays put. Once Yoshihiro is safe, you should kill both Taira Tomoyasu and then Minamoto Nakakane, but it doesn't really matter what order you do it in. It's probably safer to kill Tomoyasu first, as Yoshihiro may get the idea to attack him. Neither is particularly hard, but you need to be careful with Tomoyasu, as he'll bolt for the exit as soon as he sees you. Come at him from the south and he'll run towards rather than away from you, making him much easier to kill. The cavalry that Nakakane has can be annoying, but if you use Tate Chikatada and he has Horse-Scare, you can dismount them easily. Even without it, they're not too tough. Once everyone outside of Hojuji itself is taken care of, you've got a choice; you can either take on Hojuji from the front or the back door. I think you get more credit at the end of the stage for breaking down the front door and going in that way, but once you do, the alarm will be sounded, and about three minutes later, the Emperor will flee and you'll lose the stage. Also while you're attacking the door, you'll be open to the archer towers (unless you have Kanemitsu burn them down) Of course, three minutes is plenty of time to kill all the remaining soldiers. If you go through the back door, you don't have to break anything down and the Emperor will not flee at all. I've scored Gunjin going both directions so I know you don't need to pick one way or the other if you want to get the highest ranking. You'll have to break down the inner door to the temple, where you'll face Meiun. There's a cutscene where Yoshinaka demands to be taken to the Emperor, but Meiun refuses, so you'll have to kill him. He's not terribly difficult so he should go down reasonably quickly. Once Meiun is dead, there's a cutscene where Yoshinaka confronts the Emperor, angry at being betrayed. Go-Shirakawa demands that he leave the capital, which only angers Yoshinaka more; he orders Tomoe to imprison the Emperor. =============================================================================== YOSHINAKA SCENARIO, STAGE 6: THE UJI ROAD, DUSTED WITH SNOW (雪残る宇治路) =============================================================================== It has been four years since Prince Mochihito's rebellion. Back then Yoritomo and Yoshinaka joined together as allies, but things have changed greatly since then. Yoshinaka started in Kiso and swept the nation to retake Kyoto. Afterwards, he put Emperor Go-Shirakawa under house arrest and claimed the title of Barbarian-Subduing General. But after a famine and a string of battles one after another, Yoshinaka's army is not in peak condition. After defeating the Heishi at the Fuji River, Yoritomo spent four years strengthening his base in Kamakura. He hadn't claimed any more territory, but his troops are fresh, and Yoshinaka's army could no longer compare to his military might. After receiving an edict from Emperor Go-Shirakawa to kill Yoshinaka, Yoritomo finally acts. He put his army under the command of his younger brother Yoshitsune, who advances toward Kyoto. In response, Yoshinaka sets up his base camp at the Uji river and awaits the Kamakura forces. January 18, 1184. On this date, a fierce battle pitting Genji against Genji was beginning.... The army from Kamakura attacking the Uji river vastly outnumbers the Kiso forces, and their morale is also good. But if Yoshinaka loses this battle, he is finished. Yoshinaka gathers all his forces together to try to claim the head of the Kamakura General, Yoshitsune... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== There's not a whole lot of information about the contents of this battle in any of the Genpei romances, save to say that Yoshinaka's forces got defeated, and very badly. This is not surprising at all, considering that the historical records suggest Yoshinaka was outnumbered by about 80 to 1. (Though in all honesty, it's unlikely that number is very accurate, as troop numbers in old Japanese military records have a tendency to be grossly inflated to give a greater sense of grandeur to the battles) Yoshinaka's forces were led by Tate Chikatada and Nenoi Yukichika. Nenoi Yukichika is recorded as being killed by an arrow in this battle, as was Tezuka Mitsumori, the man who bested Saito Sanemori. It's not clear what happened to Tate Chikatada, though it's frequently assumed that he was killed in action here as well. As to why Yoshinaka's force was so small, this isn't covered in any of the Genpei romances (as far as I know) one of the main reasons in actual history is that this was about the time that Yukiie deserted him. Yoshinaka was understandably royally pissed off at this, especially since he was in a very precarious position--the Taira approaching ever closer from the east and Yoritomo's forces approaching from the west--and sent a portion of his army after Yukiie. Thus his army, already weakened from its earlier losses against the Taira at Mizushima and Harima (the latter is not mentioned in the game or the _Heike Monogatari_) was essentially split into three; one chasing after Yukiie, one guarding Seta, and one guarding the Uji river. MISSIONS: ========= The Minamoto Army (源軍) ------------------------ The main mission of this stage, you have to drive back the Minamoto army. The only way to drive back the Minamoto army is to kill their commander, Yoshitsune. Minamoto Yoshitsune (源義経) ---------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to kill Minamoto Yoshitsune yourself. If one of your generals or subordinates deal the killing blow, you fail the mission. Bodyguard Unit (護衛部隊) ------------------------- Two elite Minamoto army generals, Sato Tadanobu and Musashibo Benkei, act as Yoshitsune's bodyguards. To complete this mission, you have to kill them both. Guerilla Units (遊撃隊) ----------------------- To complete this mission, you have to kill every single enemy general that's not Yoshitsune or one of his bodguards. That would be Sato Tadanobu, Inage Shigenari, Itaga Kanenobu, Kajiwara Kagesue, Sasaki Takatsuna. Allied General (友軍大将) ------------------------- Nagase Shigetsuna starts at this stage reasonably close to your position. To complete this mission, you need to keep him alive throughout the whole stage. ITEMS: ====== Daikoku Scroll: In a box on the south bank of the river beyond the western ford Sutemi Tome/Health Certificate: Carried by Sato Tadanobu Habo Goko/Attack Certificate: Carried by Sato Tsugunobu Onitake/Health Certificate: Carried by Musashibo Benkei Reimyogan: 1) In a crate in the camp in the northwest clearing 2) In a crate the north-northeast area of the center clearing (Hard only) 3) In a crate at the west edge of the center clearing (Easy/Normal only) 4) In a crate the southeast corner of the center clearing (Easy/Normal only) 5) In a crate at the dead-end that ends at the river (Easy only) 6) In a crate near the crate with the Daikoku scroll 7) Carried by one of the swordsmen guarding Yoshitsune 8) In a crate behind Yoshitsune Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In Reimyogan #2's position (Easy/Normal only) Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll/Volley Tome/Doji-giri Yasutsuna UNITS: ====== Allied: 3 Kiso Naginata troops, 4 Kiso Archers Allied Generals: Nagase Shigetsuna Enemies: 4 Kamakura Naginata troops, 6 Kamakura Archers, 1 Kamakura Shieldsfighter Enemy Generals: Sato Tadanobu, Inage Shigenari, Itaga Kanenobu, Kajiwara Kagesue, Sasaki Takatsuna, Sato Tsugunobu, Musashibo Benkei, Minamoto Yoshitsune Reinforcements: 4 Kamakura Swordsmen STRATEGY: ========= I've found this stage not nearly as difficult as it first appears to be. Aside from dealing with irritating subordinates stealing my kill and delivering the final blow to Yoshitsune, I've had very little trouble with it. The only thing that you really need for this stage is to have Yoshinaka reasonably well-developed; there are several powerful generals to fight, and an undeveloped Yoshinaka could be problematic. But, seeing as you have to fight as Yoshinaka in all of the previous 5 stages, unless you've never played each more than once, you should have no problem whatsoever. To start with, you'll be near Nagase Shigetsuna, the general that needs protecting. In comparison to allied generals in other stages, Shigetsuna is much easier to protect, because he doesn't actively seek out enemies, and few enemies will attack him. However, that doesn't mean you can be complacent; right at the start, he and the Kiso soldiers around him will get swarmed. The attack is not terribly difficult to repel, but Sato Tadanobu is leading the offensive, with Inage Shigenari along for the ride. Despite challenging you dirctly, Tadanobu will go straight for Shigetsuna's troop, while Shigenari focuses on trying to kill you; it's easy to get caught up in the melee and lose track of Tadanobu, so kill him as quickly as possible to keep Shigetsuna alive. Once Shigetsuna is safe, you're pretty much at your leisure to decide how to finish the stage. There are Kiso soldiers up in the northwestern corner and by the center throng of soldiers, but you don't need to worry about protecting either of them; even if they all die, you should still be able to score Gunjin pretty easily. The general attacking the northwest corner of the stage is Itaga Kanenobu, and he doesn't have much in the way of an escort so is pretty easy to deal with. The center area of the stage has a ton of enemies and two enemy generals waiting for you; Kajiwara Kagesue and Sasaki Takatsuna. If you've played the "Battle at Uji River" scenario already, you're probably itching to get your revenge on them, (in that stage, you have to protect them, and they're VERY stupid) so now's your chance; savor it. Once the enemies in the main battlefield are gone, you've got two more challenges ahead of you before you can take on Yoshitsune himself; Sato Tsugunobu and Musashibo Benkei, Yoshitsune's bodyguards. They hang out at the north bank of and in the middle of the Uji river respectively, both waiting for you. They're both pretty tough, especially Tsugunobu, who is very good at interrupting your attacks. A developed Yoshinaka will have little trouble dealing with either, but your subordinates might get killed if you're not careful. On the south side of the Uji River you'll find Yoshitsune, with a large contingent of swordsmen reinforcements. They all start with their backs turned toward you, so this is a good chance at a Surprise Attack if you feel like going for one. Either way, there will be a cutscene where Yoshitsune lectures Yoshinaka on how he's a bad leader then attacks. Yoshitsune is one tough customer, and has both excellent offense and defense. Since he's faster than Yoshinaka, he can interrupt your moves pretty well, too. The fact he comes in a mob of bodyguards doesn't make things any easier. However, Yoshinaka's superior range gives him a real edge, so if you're careful not to get too close, you shouldn't have too much trouble, even if your character is underdeveloped. However, be careful not to let any of your subordinates steal your kill; since Yoshinaka has large delays between combos, this is a very real possibility. Now, here's the fun part: Once Yoshitsune is defeated, what happens next depends on how you've played this stage and the one before it. If you did really well on both, you unlock and proceed to the secret Yoshinaka stage. The prerequisites for unlocking the secret stage is as follows: first, you have to have killed all the Taira generals on Yoshinaka stage 4; you cannot have run away. Second, you have to defeat all the "major" generals on this stage--in other words, Tadanobu, Tsugunobu, and Benkei. If even one is still alive when you defeat Yoshitsune, you won't unlock the secret stage. You can judge whether or not you unlocked the secret stage by the cutscene; if Yoshitsune actually dies, you've cleared all the requirements and unlocked the secret stage, "The Rising Sun Ascends to Heaven." If in the cutscene Yoshitsune surives and Yukichika and Chikatada hold off the enemy while Yoshinaka retreats, you've unlocked the "normal" last Yoshinaka stage, "The end of Kiso." Also, if Nagase Shigetsuna survived this level, he'll join you as a subordinate. =============================================================================== YOSHINAKA SCENARIO, FINAL STAGE: THE END OF KISO (木曽最期) =============================================================================== With the help of Nenoi and Tate, Yoshinaka was able to escape from the Kamakura army at the Uji river. How must Yoshinaka have felt in this situation, four years after first raising an army? The army he had lead, once hailed as being undefeated, was no more. However, when we look at the literature of the time, the account of those few generals who still stood by him to the end are even more vivid than that of his initial rise to power. Now, we must touch upon what Kiso Yoshinaka's last few moments were like. After his loss at Uji River, the only thing left for Yoshinaka was to flee to his homeland. There was no end to his pursuers, and hardly any of his allies remained. Yoshinaka advanced as best as he could to his home at Kiso... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== After getting thoroughly trounced at Uji and Seta, Yoshinaka tried to flee to the northwest, but was caught by Yoritomo's soldiers and killed. While no real historical record on the details of his death exist, (at least as far as I know) the _Heike Monogatari_ has a fairly detailed account, whereby Yoshinaka reunites with Kanehira and a contingent of a few hundred soldiers, and fights down to the last man, whereby he tells Tomoe to flee. Kanehira tries to hold off the enemy while Yoshinaka goes to kill himself in the woods; he did not want any of the enemies to get the glory of having been the one to kill him. Unfortunately this was not to be; Yoshinaka accidentally drove his horse into a frozen-over rice paddy, and the ice broke, so that horse and rider sunk into the paddy. While struggling to break free, Yoshinaka was shot in the head and killed by Ishida Tamehisa. Note that this story has no real historical background, and is said to have been patterned upon the death of Xiang Yu, from a Chinese legend. (Kind of OT for this FAQ, but the cutscenes at the end of this stage are among my favorite in the game. They mirror almost exactly the death of Yoshinaka in the _Heike Monogatari_, down to Yoshinaka talking about how his armor is heavy and Tomoe wishing for a foe that is worthy of her. Though Yoshinaka's line about "My heart is with you" to Tomoe was not present.) MISSIONS: ========= Escape to Kiso (木曽へ落ち延びよ) --------------------------------- The main mission of this stage is to escape. As soon as you reach the point marked by a star on your mini-map (the north end of the stage) you complete this mission and the stage ends. Defeat Rin (凛を倒せ) --------------------- The Minamoto general Rin waits for you in the main open area of the stage. Kill her to complete this mission. Defeat Kichiji (吉次を倒せ) --------------------------- Kichiji is stationed shortly beyond the gates blocking your way further north. To complete this mission, kill him. Kiso General (木曽軍大将) ------------------------- Takanashi Tadanao is helping assist your escape. To complete this mission, you have to keep him from dying. Heroism (勇名) -------------- As this is Yoshinaka's "last battle," the object here is to go out fighting; kill as many enemies as humanly possible. You have to score over 100 kills to complete this mission. ITEMS: ====== Ebisu Scroll: Carried by Kichiji Guard Tome/Defense Certificate: Carried by Rin Reimyogan: 1) In the southwest corner of the main clearing 2) In a crate near Kichiji 3) Carried by Ichijo Tadayori Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In a crate behind the eastern gate Rank Rewards: Daikoku Scroll/O-Naginata Knowledge/Transitory Prayer Beads UNITS: ====== Allied: Impossible to tell (There's too much chaos, and some get killed before you can even see them) Allied Generals: Takanashi Tadanao Enemies: A truckload of enemies, all swordsmen (Impossible to tell how many, as there's too much chaos) Enemy Generals: Rin, Kichiji, Ichijo Tadayori Reinforcements: Unlimited Swordsmen STRATEGY: ========= This is last mission of Yoshinaka's "historical" scenario. The intro to this stage pulls no punches in letting you know you're not getting out of this one alive; the best you can do is go out in a blaze of glory. Overall this stage can be tough to score Gunjin in. The one major obstacle to a perfect score and thus Gunjin is keeping Takanashi Tadanao alive. There are a LOT of enemy soldiers in this stage, and they never stop coming; there are unlimited reinforcements. Ideally, both Tomoe and Kanehira should have Guard; you'll pretty much need at least one to have it. The way this stage works is as follows. No enemy reinforcements will come until A) you break through one of the gates to the north side of the stage or B) you double-back to the south side of the stage. Once you do either one of these things, enemy reinforcements will spawn from the south and the east for the rest of the stage, over and over again. While you can beat them up and keep Tadanao alive as long as you want, as soon as you leave the area, he'll stay behind and get swarmed. You may not be able to reach the exit before he dies, let alone kill Kichiji on the way. So, the best thing to do is as follows: First, kill off all the enemies in the south side of the stage, sticking to Tadanao like glue. Rin will be among them, and so will Ishida Tamehisa. Once everyone in the south area is dead, double back to the south side of the stage so that the reinforcements start coming. Keep killing them until you think you've gone over 100 kills. At that point, you can get ready for your mad dash to the exit. Basically, what you'll do is rush for the exit quickly and hope you get there before Tadanao gets killed. To best facilitate this, first weaken (but don't kill) the most recent reinforcements so that Tadanao is fighting, and break down the gate. Then set one or both of your Generals to Guard him. They'll probably kill off the reinforcements fairly quickly because of their lower health, but that will buy you a few seconds until the next batch of reinforcements arrive. Once everything's set up, run to the north. Kichiji will be waiting at the intersection. Kill him as quickly as you can, and run for the exit. Ichijo Tadayori will be waiting for you, but you don't have to kill him as doing so isn't part of one of the missions. If you think you have time though, you can for the extra points. Once you reach the exit, the stage is finished, as is the Yoshinaka scenario. You'll see the "historically accurate" ending, whereby Yoshinaka tells Tomoe to flee and heads into the fray with Kanehira to face his end. Of course, the historically accurate resolution was not very favorable to Yoshinaka. (he got shot with an arrow and had his head cut off) To see an "alternate history" where Yoshinaka fares better, you'll have to play the secret stage. If Takanashi Tadanao survives this stage, he'll join you as a retainer. =============================================================================== YOSHINAKA SCENARIO, SECRET STAGE: THE RISING SUN ASCENDS TO HEAVEN (旭日昇天) =============================================================================== And thus, Yoshinaka won the fierce battle at Uji River. Yoshinaka had defeated the Heike had been defeated at Mizushima, so the only enemy that remained was Kamakura. Left to his own devices, Yoritomo would surely try again and send another army after Yoshinaka. With this as his reasoning, Yoshinaka decided to strike first and set out for Kamakura. His dream was finally within reach... Even though Yoshinaka managed to win at Uji River, Yoritomo is still thought of as the head of the Genji by many and thus has plenty of support. There is no doubting that some of Kanto's most powerful warriors are assembled at the main base of Kamakura. Yoshinaka's destination is the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman palace where Yoritomo awaits. Fearlessly, Yoshinaka advances his soldiers deep into Kamakura... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== As this is one of the "what-if" levels, there's no historical background here. Yoshinaka never survived the battle at Uji River to move against Yoritomo. (And if he did, he probably wouldn't have had nearly the forces necessary to attempt it.) MISSIONS: ========= Minamoto Yoritomo (源頼朝) -------------------------- The main mission of this stage is to defeat Minamoto Yoritomo, head of the Minamoto forces. Once you do this, the stage--and the Yoshinaka scenario--ends. Kajiwara Kagetoki (梶原景時) ---------------------------- Kajiwara Kagetoki is acting as Yoritomo's bodyguard in the main plaza by Hachiman Temple. Defeat him to complete this misison. Tsurugaoka-Hachiman Palace Guards (鶴岡八幡宮の防衛部隊) -------------------------------------------------------- Hojo Yoshitoki is guarding the gates to the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman palace. Defeat him to complete this mission. Cavalry (騎馬隊) ---------------- There are several cavalry units on the east side of town, led by Oyama Tomomasa. Defeat him, and you complete this mission. Burst Through (突き進め) ------------------------ You have to score "Shinbo-Renten" to complete this mission. You get the title of "Shinbo-Renten" if you chain at least 10 Stratagems together. ITEMS: ====== Bishamon Scroll: Hatakeyama Shigetada Shogeki Tome/Attack Certificate: In a crate at the dead-end alley behind where Oyama Tomomasa's starting position is. Red-Steel-Plated Greatshield/Defense Certificate: In a crate at the dead-end alley on the west side of town, between a building and the Hachiman palace Benzai Scroll: Carried by Hojo Yoshitoki. Ebisu Scroll: Carried by Kajiwara Kagetoki Reimyogan: 1) In the extreme northwest corner of Kamakura 2) At the end of the north-south road furthest to the east 3) At the end of the north-south road furthest to the west (Easy/Normal only) 4) In the southwest corner of the Hachiman Palace (Easy/Normal only) 5) In a crate right near Yoritomi himself Remyo-Senzu: 1) In a crate in the road north of the entrance to Kamakura (Easy/Normal only) 2) In a crate at the dead-end alley behind where Oyama Tomomasa starts at 3) At the extreme southwest corner of Kamakura Reimyo-Shinsui: 1) At the western road north out of Kamakura (Easy/Normal only) 2) At the east end of the island in the Hachiman Palace (Easy/Normal only) Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll/Item Tome/Shishio-Maru UNITS: ====== Enemies: 2 Kamakura Cavalry, 6 Kamakura Archers, 3 Kamakura Shieldsfighters, 4 Kamakura Naginata troops Enemy Generals: Hatakeyama Shigetada, Wada Yoshimori, Oyama Tomomasa, Doi Sanehira, Chiba Tsunetane, Hojo Yoshitoki, Kajiwara Kagetoki, Minamoto Yoritomo Reinforcements: 6 Kamakura Swordsmen, 7 Kamakura Cavalry, 2 Kamakura Archers, 4 Kamakura Shieldsfighters, 2 Kamakura Naginata Troops STRATEGY: ========= As you'll probably notice, you're up against some pretty serious opposition here. A whopping eight enemy generals and more soldiers than you can shake a stick at means there's going to be some heavy fighting before this stage is done. You'll have things a lot easier if your generals are well-developed; if they're not, you might want to consider replaying some missions in Free Mode to beef them up a bit. The hardest of the missions on this stage is definitely "Burst Through;" you need to chain 10 Strategems in a row in order to complete it. The best way to do this is to bring in characters that have fast-acting, easy-to-succeed Strategems like Reppa or Tsumuji, and equip them with the weakest weapons possible. If they equip strong weapons, they'll kill your enemies too quickly, and you'll run out of targets to use your Strategems on. Obviously you're best off trying this when your generals' Spirit levels are high, and when there are large numbers of enemies. The Tsurugaoka-Hachiman Palace gate is the best place to try this. If you want a cheap and easy way to do this, bring in Kanemitsu with Return Fire, and your other general with Rally. Park yourself in front of one of the two southern fortresses and all the archers, and have Kanemitsu use Return Fire. The minute it succeeds, cancel his Stratagem and have him use Return Fire again. Meanwhile, have your other general using Rally over and over again to keep Kanemitsu's Spirit levels up. When you start out, you'll be faced with Hatakeyama Shigetada and his troops. Kill them and proceed through the north gate to Kamakura. Wada Yoshimori will be waiting either at or behind the gate. Once you deal with him and his troops, you've got a choice. To get into the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman Palace, you have to go by either the east or west sides of the city. If you want to complete all the missions, this is a no-brainer, as the cavalry you have to kill is on the east side of the city. However, there's some good stuff as well as good score- building opportunities on the west side as well, so it doesn't hurt to clear out both. The east side of Kamakura is filled with cavalry. It's good to get them out of the way first before clearing out the west side (if you do that) as you tend to soak up a lot of damage by horses whacking into you. Oyama Tomomasa is leading the cavalry troop; you need to kill him to complete the "Cavalry" mission. Doi Sanehira is also waiting for you at the south side with large numbers of archers. The west side of Kamakura has mainly standard ground troops like Swordsmen and Naginata troops. There aren't any generals here except the archer general at the south end, Chiba Tsunetane. The entrance to Hachiman Palace proper is guarded by a huge contingent of troops, led by Hojo Yoshitoki. With over 35 soldiers waiting for you, this is the perfect place to try and chain 10 Strategems together. If your Generals' Spirit levels dip too low, use your Commander's Setsuna-no-Saku to try and buy some time, as it also counts as a Strategem. There are a fair number of troops stationed inside the Palace; on the ground Kajiwara Kagetoki leads a team of 13 bow and naginata soldiers. He's pretty tough, so keep an eye on your generals' and subordinates' health. Once he and his troops are dead, run around the stage and collect all the healing items you can before climbing the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Yoshinaka will confront Yoritomo. Yoritomo then will attack himself with a contingent of archers. Being the "last boss" of the game, Yoritomo is a real juggernaut. He can give even level 40+ characters a run for their money, to say nothing of weaker subordinates. Make judicious use of blocking, and try to circle around behind him. When Yoritomo dies, there's a cutscene where he asks Yoshinaka to build a country led by warriors, as he would. Yoshinaka asks his retainers for their continued help, as he wants to undo some of the damage his fighting and rebuild the country. You've now won the Yoshinaka scenario with the "good" ending. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| |############### THE TAIRA CLAN ###############| |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, STAGE 1: PRINCE MOCHIHITO'S EDICT (以仁王の令旨) =============================================================================== The year is 1180. At this time, the tyranny of the Taira know no bounds, and they have even put the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa under house arrest. In response to the Taira's despotism, the downtrodden Genji stand up and resist. Minamoto Yukiie and other generals joined forces with Go-Shirakawa's second son, Prince Mochihito, and start a rebellion. Many powerful temples joined in the rebellion, and anti-Taira sentiment rapidly spread, creating a crisis in the capital. In response, Taira Kiyomori sends out Taira Tomomori to deal with the threat. Taira Tomomori moved out a huge army and started to drive the anti- Taira forces back. Prince Mochihito gathered his remaining forces together and prepared to make a last stand at Uji Temple. Tomomori has driven back the anti-Taira forces. However, Uji Temple sports many famous warrior monks like Gochiin-Tajima and Jomyo-Meishu. In addition, the Minamoto general Yukiie holds Prince Mochihito's edict and is prepared to escape with it. Tomomori set out to defeat these generals to protect the Taira empire... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== This is really the battle that opened the Genpei war, and the first major battle described in the _Heike Monogatari._ Prince Mochihito, second son of Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa, was for some reason passed over for the throne (His older brother and then younger brother were crowned Emperor) but still held some clout, and was a favorite among the Genji, who hoped he would take the throne. As a response to the Taira's unprecedented power grab, Mochihito issued an edict to the Minamoto warriors to drive the Taira out of the capital. He aligned with the monks of Miidera and was planning a night raid on Kyoto, but the monks stayed up arguing about logistics and arrived too late to do any good. The Taira sent out forces to chase down Prince Mochihito and Minamoto Yorimasa, who was helping him escape. They clashed with Miidera warrior-monks at the bridge over the Uji River, and the monks tore up the planks of the bridge and fought on the remaining framework. (Gochiin-Tajima and Jomyo-Meishu in particular are mentioned in the _Monogatari_ of achieving especially great feats) However, the Taira moved south and forded the river, eventually catching up with Mochihito. He was killed and beheaded, and had his head paraded through the capital. Needless to say, that the Taira were able to kill a member of the Imperial family and get away with it is a testament to the breadth of their political clout in those days. MISSIONS: ========= Defeat Prince Mochihito (以仁王を倒せ) -------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage. To complete it, you have to kill Prince Mochihito. Prince Mochihito is no pushover, especially for starting generals, so this can be tough. Gochiin-Tajima and Jomyo-Meishu (五賀院但馬と浄妙明秀) ------------------------------------------------------ Gochiin-Tajima and Jomyo-Meishu guard the bridge over the Uji river and start the stage scrapping with your allied forces. To complete this mission, you have to kill them both. Search for Minamoto Yukiie (源行家の捜索) ----------------------------------------- Minamoto Yukiie is positioned on the side of the bridge over the Uji river opposite from when you start. As soon as you cross the bridge, he will run for the exit and try to escape. To complete this mission, you have to defeat him before he gets away. Assist your allied Generals (友軍の大将と協力せよ) -------------------------------------------------- There are three allied Generals that you have to protect in this mission; Ashikaga Tadatsuna, Fujiwara Tadakiyo, and Fujiwara Tadamitsu. If any one of them dies, you fail this mission. Valuable Weapons (貴重な武具) ----------------------------- There's a Miike-Mitsuyo in a crate near Mochihito's camp. You have to get it to complete this mission. (After you get the Miike-Mitsuyo the first time, a Valuable Scroll will appear in its place; if you play the stage through a second time, you have to get it to complete this mission) ITEMS: ====== Miike-Mitsuyo/Valuable Scroll: In the crate to the east of Mochihito's camp Guard Tome/Health Certificate: Carried by Gochiin-Tajima Keaki Strongbow/Technique Certificate: Carried by Jomyo-Meishu Ebisu Scroll: In the crate a little further south of the river ford Reimyogan: 1) Right north of the Uji Bridge (Easy Only) 2) In a crate between where Yukiie starts and the exit behind him 3) By the northeast corner of Mochihito's camp 4) To the north of Mochihito's camp, by the river outlet 5) By the exit north of Mochihito's camp 6) Carried by Minamoto Nakakie 7) In a crate right by Mochihito himself (Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In a crate by the exit to the northeast of the Uji Bridge 2) In place of Reimyogan 7 on Easy and Normal Rank Rewards: Bishamon Scroll/Volley Tome/Spear Charge Tome UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Ashikaga Tadatsuna, Fujiwara Tadakiyo, Fujiwara Tadamitsu Enemies: 1 Minamoto Swordsman, 3 Minamoto Archers, 3 Minamoto Naginata troops, 1 Minamoto Shieldsfighter Enemy Generals: Gochiin-Tajima, Jomyo-Meishu, Minamoto Yukiie, Minamoto Nakatsuna, Minamoto Yorimasa, Minamoto Nakaie, Prince Mochihito Reinforcements: 5 Minamoto Swordsmen, 4 Minamoto Naginata troops STRATEGY: ========= This is the first stage for the Taira, and it's a real tough one. Not tough to complete, but tough to complete perfectly and/or get a ranking of Gunjin. In fact, it's one of those stages you might want to come back later and tackle to try and get a better score. There are two missions here that are epecially difficult; the toughest is "Search for Yukiie." Yukiie is located on the other side of the Uji bridge from where you start. As soon as you cross the bridge and get close to him, he turns around immediately and runs for the exit. If he escapes, you fail this mission. The second most difficult mission is "Cooperate with Allied generals." You've got three generals to protect; Ashikaga Tadatsuna, Fujiwara Tadakiyo, and Fujiwara Tadamitsu. The Fujiwaras scrap it out with the monks on the Uji bridge; Tadatsuna goes through the ford in the river and goes after Minamoto Nakatsuna. If you leave any of them alone for long enough, they'll get killed. To start with, clear out the bridge. However, before you reach the bridge, have one of your generals Guard Tadatsuna, otherwise his unit will be torn to pieces by the time you can get to him. Once all the enemies in the bridge area are dead, the Fujiwaras are basically safe, whereas you pretty much have to clear the stage to keep Tadatsuna safe. When you reach the bridge you'll have to deal with Gochiin-Tajima and Jomyo-Meishu. Unlike he was in the _Heike Monogatari_, Jomyo-Meishu isn't that tough to deal with, but Gochiin-Tajima is a juggernaut and can deal really nasty damage to you, especially when you're a low level. Take both out as soon as you can. It's a good idea to use Tokitada's Taunt to lure them toward you, as it's easy to get caught up in a melee on the bridge and get too close to the other side, prompting Yukiie to beat a hasty retreat. If, during this battle at any time do you see Yukiie's unit start to move away, drop everything and go after him, as you only have about 20 seconds to stop him once he starts running. If you manage to kill all the monks on the bridge without spooking Yukiie, you're in luck. Move about 3/4 of the way down the bridge and have Tokitada taunt the soldiers on the other side. If you're lucky, it will work on Yukiie and he will charge right toward you. Once he's on the bridge he'll think better of it and try to flee, but will go for the exit on the other side of the map--straight through your troops. If he does this, it's MUCH easier to kill him. It's possible to kill him if he runs away from you, (he's slower on his feet than most other characters) but much harder. If you've managed to kill Yukiie and the monks, don't stick around. Troops will endlessly come at you from the northwest exit until you head south. Soften up the remaining enemies so that the Fujiwaras can deal with them, then rush south to come to Tadatsuna's aid. If you're lucky, he'll still have a decent chunk of life left; if you're not lucky he'll be on death's doorstep, and you'll have to focus all your energies for the duration of the stage into protecting him. Defeat Minamoto Nakatsuna and any other soldiers hanging around, then head into Mochihito's compound through the west entrance. (being sure to pick up the special item in the box near that door) Once inside the compound, you'll have to face off against Minamoto Yorimasa and then Minamoto Nakaie before you can take on Prince Mochihito. At this point reinforcements will start pouring into the compound so things can get pretty hectic. Keep tabs on Tadatsuna's life, and kill all the soldiers you can before going after Mochihito himself. Mochihito himself is slow, but his sword packs a very hefty punch, and will usually knock you to the ground in a single attack. For characters with low life, he can be a real challenge, and he's a death sentence to Tadatsuna if he gets close, so kill him as quickly as possible. Once you do, the stage is over. This is a very difficult stage to score Gunjin on, and even if you complete all the missions, as most of the Tadatsuna and Fujiwara troops will probably be killed, reducing your score. To compensate, kill as many enemies as possible, and chain as many Strategems as possible. I find that trying to win this stage in Story Mode is a lot harder than in Free Mode. If you play in Free Mode, I suggest you make your main character Kikuo-Maru; he's very fast, so can both easily catch up with Yukiie before he escapes, and also come to the your allies' defense quickly, as speed is of the essence in this mission. When you complete this mission, if either of the Fujiwaras or Tadatsuna survived, they will join you as retainers. =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, STAGE 2: CONSUMING THE MORNING SUN (残月日を食す) =============================================================================== The Taira killed Prince Mochihito, but didn't realize how much opposition there was to the Heike. This is because Minamoto Yukiie escaped from the Taira and spread Mochihito's edict. In response to the edict, many warriors joined together with the Genji to oppose the Taira. In Kiso, Minamoto Yoshitomo's nephew, Kiso Yoshinaka, and in Kamakura, the heir to the Minamoto clan, Minamoto Yoritomo declare war. The misfortune of the Taira didn't stop there. The powerful and overwhelmingly influential head of the clan, Dajo Daijin Taira Kiyomori, dies of illness. His heir, Munemori, did not have nearly the same amount of ability as his father. The Taira army lost again and again to Yoshinaka's forces. Tomomori persudes Munemori to abandon the difficult-to- defend Kyoto, and flee to the western provinces. Yoshinaka enters the capital, but the battle exhaustion his forces suffered started to take their toll. Without enough food, Yoshinaka's forces start robbing the populace. The "rising sun Shogun," hero that rescued Kyoto, started to lose the favor of the people. With things standing like this, Emperor Go-Shirakawa orders Yoshinaka to defeat the Taira forces. Obeying this order, Yoshinaka heads toward Mizushima, where Tomomori's army was. As soon as Yoshinaka leaves the capital, Go-Shirakawa turns around and orders Yoritomo to kill Yoshinaka. It was all part of his plan to get rid of the Taira, and then the Kiso army, which was becoming too dificult to handle. Not aware of the Emperor's plan, Yoshinaka heads to Mizushima. It was the first day of the 10th month of the leap year, in 1183. On the day of a solar eclipse, Tomomori heads out with a fresh and ready army to drive back Yoshinaka... The island Mizushima, in the Seto Inland Sea, is well-known as a Taira base. Even with little in the way of naval forces, Yoshinaka obeyed the Emperor's order and attacked this island. Today is the day of a solar eclipse. Tomomori heads out with a fresh and ready army to drive back Yoshinaka... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== One thing that's worth noting in this level is that contrary to what the intro to this level says, Tomomori did NOT in fact persuade Munemori to abandon the capital. Just the opposite, in fact--Tomomori had all been for putting up a fierce last stand in Kyoto against the incoming Kiso soldiers. Speaking of the Kiso soldiers, they never really had a chance in this battle. They had no sort of navy whatsoever (whereas the Taira were experienced sailors) and their army was demoralized from the lack of food, due to the famine and drought in Kyoto. Not to mention the fact that the Taira had a pretty good base of operations in the west too. Once the Taira caught Yoshinaka's forces by surprise at Mizushima, their loss was pretty much a done deal. While not mentioned in the game, after this battle they also defeated Yoshinaka again in the province of Harima. MISSIONS: ========= Kiso Soldiers (木曽兵) ---------------------- This is the main mission of the stage; you have to completely eliminate all the Kiso forces, either by killing them or making them flee. Rising Sun Shogun, Kiso Yoshinaka (旭将軍・木曽義仲) ---------------------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to defeat Yoshinaka himself. This one is also required, as I'm pretty sure Yoshinaka himself will not retreat. Minimize your losses (自軍の犠牲を抑えろ) ----------------------------------------- This mission is pretty easy; you have to make sure that fewer than 10 of your subordinates get killed. Advance Units (先行部隊) ------------------------ Yoshinaka will send three teams of Elite Footsoldiers ahead as Advance Units. They'll jump over the northern jetty and attack your northwestern forces. Kill them all to complete this mission. Leave enemies alive; make them retreat (力を残し撤退させよ) ----------------------------------------------------------- This is the toughest mission of the stage; you have to make at least 20 enemies retreat. They have to escape, too, not just run away; if you or an ally kills a fleeing Kiso soldier, that doesn't count. ITEMS: ====== Assault Tome/Attack Certificate: Carried by Yada Yoshikiyo Hoten Tome/Defense Certificate: In a box near Yada Yoshikiyo Return Fire Tome/Techinque Certificate: On the eastern coast of the island Reimyogan: 1) On the northwest beach of the island (Easy/Normal only) 2) A the dead-end on the west side of the island (Hard only) 3) On the north shore, behind where Yoshinaka is (Hard only) 4) At the extreme northeast corner of the stage (Easy only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In place of Reimyogan 2 on Easy and Normal 2) In place of Reimyogan 3 on Easy and Normal Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll/False Alarm Tome/Volley Tome UNITS: ====== Allied: 8 Taira Archers, 8 Taira Naginata troops Allied Reinforcements: 5 Taira Archers, 1 Taira Naginata Troop Allied Generals: Taira Michimori Enemies: 10 Kiso Swordsmen, 3 Kiso Naginata troops, 3 Kiso Elite Footsoldiers Enemy Generals: Kiso Yoshinaka, Yada Yoshikio, Unno Yukihiro STRATEGY: ========= In contrast to the previous Taira stage, this one is easy to score Gunjin on, providing you do it right. The trick to this stage is not to bring any generals with you. True, you won't be able to score any chain Stratagems, but to get a high score in this stage, you have to let at least 20 enemies escape. This is tough to do when you've got AI soldiers who have a tendency to go in for the kill. If you want to be REALLY careful, you can not bring any subordinates at all. At the beginning of the stage, there's a cutscene where Shigehira and Tomomori talk about their plan to rout the Yoshinaka forces using the oncoming eclipse. (Yoshinaka's soldiers are superstitious hicks that don't understand these sorts of things) When you start the stage, run to the northwest corner of the map as fast as you can. Right at the beginning, Yoshinaka's Elites will rush your allies and make mincemeat of them. If you run to where they're heading to start with, you can kill them without them taking out a single soldier. These are really the only soldiers in the stage that pose a significant danger to your own, so by killing them quick, you complete two missions at once. After the Elites are dead, go and fight Yoshinaka. There will be a cutscene where Tomomori respectfully suggests Yoshinaka leave and informs him that Go- Shirakawa has send a Yoritomo force after him. (Of course Yoshinaka doesn't believe this) At this point the eclipse kicks in, scaring the Kiso forces. Yoshinaka is very powerful. If your character isn't sufficiently experienced (ie you only played the first stage a few times) he can really beat the stuffing out of you. Make judicious use of blocking and look out for his subordinates, getting blows in when he's recovering. Once Yoshinaka is out of energy he'll order his forces to retreat. At this point, clearing the remainder of the stage is easy. Two enemy generals, Yada Yoshikiyo, and Unno Yukihiro will stick around to fight you, but they're not too terribly difficult. Focus entirely on killing unit captains, and if the enemy retreats, let them escape. Once all the enemies are either dead or have escaped, you win the stage. Keep your army in continuous Itsukushima Formation as by draining the enemy's Spirit, you can frequently cause them to run just by being in their presence. If he survives (and he should, unless you're doing something wrong he should never even get close to an enemy) Taira Michimori will join you as a subordinate after you complete this stage. =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, STAGE 3: SUBJUGATING THE WESTERN PROVINCES (西国の平定) =============================================================================== The Taira army defeated Yoshinaka at Mizushima, but there was still quite a lot of anti-Heishi sentiment in the western provinces. At Yoritomo's instigation, many of the powerful families in the west openly rebelled against the Heishi. The western countries are originally the main base of the Heishi; they could not afford to ignore a rebellion in the land that was their lifeline. Tomomori ordered Taira Noritsune to subjugate them. Taira Noritsune, who had been known as the most skilled archer in the palace while in Kyoto, organized an army and set out to quell the revolts in the western provinces. The numbers of those from powerful families that are rebelling against the Heishi in the western countries are not small. Ama Tadakage from the provice of Awaji is one of them. In order to end the revolts, Noritsune heads to Ama Tadakage's base of operations... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== This stage is basically a mass lumping-together of several battles chronicled in Chapter 9, part 6 of the _Heike Monogatari._ Basically, in the western provinces, which were the traditional Taira base of support, there were a fair number of officials that started to defect to the Genji. Noritsune launched attacks on those defectors to bring them "back into the fold," and this chapter describes six particular revolts that Noritsune put down--In particular, this stage focuses on the second, fourth, and fifth ones. The main enemy of Noritsune in this chapter is Kawano Michinobu, from Iyo province in Shikoku, who figures in revolts #2, 3, and 6. First Michinobu (revolt #2) flees to Aki province (in western Honshu) to get help from his uncle, Numata Jiro. Numata Jiro eventually surrendered, but Michinobu escaped. Ama Tadakage (revolt #4) was from Awaji (that little island between Shikoku and Honshu) and he defected to the Genji too, but was quickly trounced by Noritsune, and he fled to Izumi province. Sonobe Tadayasu joined forces with Ama Tadakage there (revolt #5) but was powerless against Noritsune's overwhelming force. Both men managed to escape to Kyoto, but they left all their men behind, who got slaughtered by Noritsune's army. MISSIONS: ========= General Ama Tadakage (大将・安摩忠景) ------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage. You have to defeat Ama Tadakage. It's actually divided into two parts. The first part is to defeat Ama Tadakage. The second part is to do it quickly--within 10 minutes of the stage starting. Sonobe Tadayasu (園部忠康) -------------------------- To finish this mission, you must defeat Sonobe Tadayasu before he flees the stage. This is easier said than done, as Sonobe will always run rather than fight. Numata Jiro (沼田次郎) ---------------------- The enemy general Numata Jiro is hanging out in the southwest part of the stage. Kill him to complete this mission. Logs (丸太) ----------- There are two large log piles in this stage. If you attack them enough, you will dump the logs into the pathway, blocking enemies from escaping. However, this is not a mission that you get any credit for, so you can ignore it. (See "General Ama Tadakage" above for the fifth mission) Archer Tower Burning Arrow Units (矢倉の火矢隊) ----------------------------------------------- There are several Archer Towers in this stage, manned by archers that shoot flaming arrows. To complete this mission, you have to kill them all. ITEMS: ====== Bishamon Scroll: In the tiny hut near the west log pile Shogeki Scroll/Health Certificate: Carried by Sonobe Tadayasu Drum of Fervor/Health Certificate: Behind the command post on the ship Reimyogan: 1) Carried by Numata Jiro 2) At the dead-end by the west logpile (Easy/Normal only) 3) In the center enemy camp (Easy/Normal only) 4) Behind the center enemy camp (Easy/Normal only) 5) In the enclosed area by the beach 6) At the east edge of the beach (Easy/Normal only) Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll/Onshin Tome/Shigeto Bow UNITS: ====== Enemies: 4 Swordsmen, 9 Naginata Troops, 7 Archers, 1 Shieldsman Enemy Generals: Numata Jiro, Sonobe Tadayasu, Ama Tadakage Reinforcements: 2 Archers, 2 Naginata Troops, 2 Swordsmen STRATEGY: ========= In this stage, Noritsune is your main commander, and you can't bring in Tomomori. This is another place where you have to act quickly. You have 10 minutes to complete the stage; you won't lose if you go over, but you won't get a perfect score either. You will also need an archer general to get a perfect score. The trickiest (and most annoying) part of this stage is dealing with Sonobe Tadayasu. Tadayasu is an abject coward, who will run at the first sight of you. After about three minutes, he'll also run for the nearest exit. Your first priority should be catching Tadayasu and killing him. Catching Tadayasu is a pain in the butt, but if you're lucky, you can use the logs in this stage to trap him. The locations with stars on the map are log piles; attack them until they run out of energy and the logs will roll into the path and block it. If you block both paths, you can sometimes chase Tadayasu onto path where you cut down the northeastern log pile, which will now be a dead-end that leads to the ship. At the start of the stage, run southwest and kill off Numata Jiro as fast as you can. Don't bother with his subordinates; instead, run to the western log pile and release the logs onto the path. Now, Tadayasu will probably be standing still somewhere either on the far east side of the stage, or where you first started out the stage. Run at him, and try and chase him up the path with the northeastern log pile. Because the way he runs is random, you can't always do this. If you can get him to run up that road, you're set, but until then, you should get him to run, then try and turn around, cut him off at the pass, and kill him. If you can get him to run past the northeastern log pile, release those logs down onto the path near the exit; Tadayasu is now trapped. Even if you've already managed to kill Tadayasu by the time you get to the northeast log pile, you should still cut it down. If you don't, then when you reach Ama Tadakage he'll run instead of making a last stand on the ship. He won't leave the stage, but it can be a pain in the rear to try and catch him. Once Tadayasu is dead, head into the main enemy camp. Have your archers target the archer towers. Unless you lucked out and got it as a random item, you probably won't have Fire Arrow yet, which will make this a little more difficult, but if you DO have Fire Arrow, you're set. Don't worry about killing off all the enemies in the camp; just clear the archer towers and move on. Once the archer towers have been cleared, head to the ship. Here you'll have to fight Ama Tadakage. He's not particularly difficult, but there will probably be a LOT of soldiers accompanying him, so this can become a pretty pitched and frenetic battle. That is, if you cut down the log piles--if you didn't, then Tadakage will make a break for it and you'll have to chase him down. Assuming that you managed to trap him, keep an eye on your soldiers' health, and if anyone's seems to dip too low, run off the ship and pick up one of the Reimyogans that are in the boxes by the bay. Once Ama Tadakage is dead, you finish the stage. Also, by completing this stage you unlock the Special Battle "Mopping Up the Minamoto Army." =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, STAGE 4: CHERRY BLOSSOMS SCATTERING IN SUMA (須磨に散る桜) =============================================================================== Around this time, Kiso Yoshinaka, who had fought the Heishi at Mizushima, was defeated by the Kamakura army. The one that defeated him was Minamoto Yoshitsune, who was said to be Yoritomo's younger brother. However, while the Genji were fighting amongst themselves, the Heishi subjugated the western provinces. Positioning over 10,000 soldiers at Ichi-no-Tani, they had regained enough strength to start planning to retake the capital. Ichi-no-Tani is a natural fortress, surrounded by the ocean and steep cliffs. Furthermore, without a proper navy, the Genji were forced to attack via land. Yoritomo ordered the brothers Noriyori and Yoshitsune to attack Ichi-no-Tani. In comparison to the battle at Mizushima, the Heishi had a strong army, all ready and primed for battle with a rock-solid foundation, yet Noriyori and Yoshitsune attacked with only a handful of soldiers. No matter how one looked at the situation, victory for the Taira seemed assured... In response to the Minamoto's advance from the east, the Taira army have set up a solid formation. With such a huge advantage, their allies' morale is also high. Like catching fish in a net, the Taira army drives the Minamoto into a corner... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== This is the battle of Ichi-no-Tani, only from the Taira side. Ichi-no-Tani was actually a very good choice of bases for the Taira; had it not been for superb military tactics on the part of the Genji they might have been able to retake the capital from there. By solidifying their positions in the western provinces while the Yoritomo and Yoshinaka fought each other, the Heishi had a real opportunity. Both the Kamakura and Kiso soldiers would be weakened--whoever won--and with the drought/famine in Kyoto and the Genji soldiers so far from their home bases in the eastern provinces, they really have a chance. Plus the Heishi had more soldiers; some accounts talk of how people in Kyoto were deathly afraid of an imminent Taira attack on the city. However, even without Yoshitsune's daring ploy, they might not have been able to prevail; there were few capable warriors amongst the Heike (and their head, Munemori, was a total incompetent) and they really were more bred to be courtiers than true military tactitians anyway. MISSIONS: ========= Minamoto Yoshitsune Attacks (源義経の来襲) ------------------------------------------ There are two ways to finish this mission. First, you can kill Yoshitsune. Second, you can escape from him in the northeast corner of the stage. Either way, once you complete this mission, the stage is over. Yoshitsune's older brother, Minamoto Noriyori (義経の兄・源範頼) ---------------------------------------------------------------- While he doesn't appear at the beginning of the stage, Minamoto Noriyori will come as an enemy reinforcement. Defeat him to finish this mission. Destroy the remaining Minamoto Army (残る源軍を討て) ---------------------------------------------------- To finish this mission, you have to kill 50 Minamoto soldiers. However, you have to complete this mission BEFORE Yoshitsune launches his surprise attack. Any enemies killed after the surprise attack don't count toward this mission. Chain Stratagems together (連策を決めろ) ---------------------------------------- Chain at least three Strategems together in order to finish this mission. Valuable Items (貴重な道具) --------------------------- Kamata Morimasa is carrying something valuable. Kill and loot him to finish this mission. ITEMS: ====== Guard Tome/Defense Certificate: In the crate right by the northeast exit Calming Tome/Health Certificate: Carried by Kumagai Naozane Konmeisai/Valuabe Scroll: Carried by Kamata Morimasa Daikoku Scroll: In a box in the dead-end behind the central camp. Reimyogan: 1) In the southwest corner of the northern camp (Easy/Normal only) 2) In a box at the dead-end behind the central tented area (Hard only) 3) In a box in the inner courtyard of the western fortress (Easy/Normal only) 4) Carried by Minamoto Noriyori (Easy/Normal only) 5) Carried by Miura Yoshitsura (Easy/Normal only) Reimyo-Senzu: In place of Reimyogan 2 on Easy and Normal Rank Rewards: Daikoku Scroll/Poison Arrow Tome/Kamakiri UNITS: ====== Allied: 5 Taira Archers, 3 Taira Swordsmen, 7 Taira Naginata Troops, 1 Taira Cavalry Allied Generals: Taira Shigehira, Gotonai Sadatsune, Taira Tadanori, Taira Tsunemasa Enemies: 7 Kamakura Swordsmen, 4 Kamakura Archers, 3 Kamakura Naginata troops, 1 Kamakura Cavalry Enemy Generals: Kumagai Naozane, Minamoto Noriyori*, Kamata Morimasa*, Minamoto Yoshitsune*, Miura Yoshitsura* Reinforcements: Too many (and too chaotic) to effectively gauge STRATEGY: ========= This is an unusual stage as it has branching paths; a "historically accurate" path and a secret, "Taira victorious" path--though actually, the "secret" path is easier to do, in my opinion. If you do the secret path, you'll unlock the first secret Taira stage. To start with, you have an overwhelming advantage over the Minamoto. If you go immediately to talk with Shigehira, he'll mention as much. However, later in the stage, Yoshitsune will attack, and all of a sudden you'll be surrounded by a near-wall of enemies. Yoshitsune will attack when you enter the western Taira fortress, but until then, you're free to do whatever you want. This is also the best time to complete the "Destroy the remaining Minamoto Army" and "Chain Stratagems together" missions. The other three missions you won't be able to do until Yoshitsune attacks. Before Yoshitsune attacks, you've only got one general to deal with--Kumagai Naozane. He's got a better defense than most other units to start with, but they're mostly just archers, so you shouldn't have that much trouble. All the other soldiers that you end up fighting are grunts, but you should take care of them reasonably quickly. Reason being, you don't want any of your allied generals to die. Protecting them is not a prerequisite for finishing the stage, and you can probably even score Gunjin without saving them, but if you keep them alive, they'll join you as subordinates after the stage. Also, you want to kill ALL the soldiers in the entire stage before going to the western fortress. You need to kill at least 50 enemies before Yoshitsune attacks--if you don't, you'll fail the "Destroy the remaining Minamoto Army" mission. Once you enter the western fortress, things get a little hairy. A soldier will inform you that Yoshitsune attacked your formation from the rear by coming down the sheer cliff behind you, shot Atsumori to death, and captured Shigehira. Ouch, that's two of your playable characters. (As a side note, you'll never be able to use Atsumori in any later Taira missions in Story Mode after this point, because he'll be dead--and the same goes for Shigehira, if you don't rescue him from Genji prison in the first Secret Stage) Now the stage is suddenly teeming with enemy soldiers. As you start to move south to intercept Yoshitsune's men, Minamoto Noriyori will come charging at you with his cavalry troop, ignoring you to invade the fortress to the north and kill Taira Tsunemasa. If you can dismount him from his horse before he gets there, great--otherwise, double-back and kill him before proceeding onwards. At the bend in the road, you'll be greeted by Kamata Morimasa, who will happily try to kill you. You need to kill him, as the item he drops is the "Valuable Item" you need in your quest. Polish off all the remaining soldiers nearby before proceeding. When you get to the central "tented" area, Yoshitsune will come up and smack talk you, telling you that you're defeated, etc. At this point, Tomomori will muse about whether or not it's better to try and fight Yoshitsune with what remains left of his army, or to cut his losses and run--and a new "win condition" will be added: you can finish the stage by escaping through the northeast exit. Whether you run or fight, you'll never get rid of Yoshitsune for the duration of the stage. He'll stick to you like glue, chasing on your heels wherever you go. For this reason, you pretty much can't go for a "kill all the enemy soldiers in the stage" type of win, because it's next to impossible to travel all over the stage, clearing out that many enemies without hitting Yoshitsune enough to kill him. (which immediately ends the stage) If you decide to fight Yoshitsune, you might as well do so as soon as you see him. (Plus, the longer you drag your feet, the better the chance your allied soldiers will get killed) If you just like killing generals for the sake of completion, the only new general that's still alive will be Miura Yoshitsura--you might want to go up to him and kill him, then Yoshitsune. Running is actually in many ways the more difficult option, as you've got a near-wall of enemies blocking your way to the exit point in the northeast corner. You have to run right past them--if you fight the soldiers that stand in your way, odds are Yoshitsune won't survive before you can escape. So, if running is what you want to do, just make a break for it as soon as you see Yoshitsune. Once you clear the stage, what happens next depends on how you finished the it. If you did things the historically accurate way and ran, your next stage will be "Long Shot" where you have to face off against Yoshitsune again in the Battle of Yajima. If you went and killed Yoshitsune, you'll unlock the first "Secret Taira" stage, "Clouded Moon." In addition, if any of them survived the battle, Gotonai Sadatsune, Taira Tadanori, and Taira Tsunemasa will join you as subordinates. =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, SECRET STAGE 1: CLOUDED MOON (雲井の月) =============================================================================== After winning the ferocious battle at Ichi-no-Tani, the Taira army took their leftover army and headed to Kyoto. The time to retake the capital had finally come. However, using the capital as a battleground would be the height of foolishness. Tomomori set up his forces at the Uji river, but the guardian of Kyoto, Minamoto Yukiie, showed no signs of leaving the capital to meet him. With no other choice, Tomomori advanced his cavalry to Kyoto under cover of night. In response to the Taira force sneaking into the city under cover of darkness, Yukiie quickly assembles a fighting force. Kyoto is already full of Genji soldiers. In addition, a separate detachment is heading to free Shigehira, who was captured at Ichi-no-Tani. Not only must the Taira retake the capital, but also take care to secure the safety of the separate detachment as well. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== Obviously there's no historical background to this stage, as it's purely a "what-if" type of scenario. Being defeated at Ichi-no-Tani, the Heike never got a chance to retake the capital in the first place. MISSIONS: ========= Defeat Minamoto Yukiie (源行家を倒せ) ------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage. You have to kill Minamoto Yukiie, and when you do, you'll finish the stage. Rescue Taira Shigehira (平重衛を救出せよ) ----------------------------------------- Taira Shigehira is imprisoned in the southeast area of the stage. When you get close, he'll make a break for it and try to escape, only to be pursued by a large force of soldiers. To complete this mission, you have to kill off his pursuers and keep him from dying. Kill Minamoto Noriyori (源範頼を討て) ------------------------------------- Minamoto Noriyori is hanging out at the northwest area of the stage. Kill him within a minute of the stage starting to complete this mission. Guard Unit (護衛隊) ------------------- Miura Yoshizumi leads the guard unit near where Shigehira is imprisoned. Kill him to complete this mission. Assist your allies (友軍に加勢せよ) ----------------------------------- Hattori Ienaga and Taira Morikuni are in this stage as allies. Contrary to what the intro says, you don't have to keep them alive to complete this mission, (though it's a good idea) only assist them. Of course, when you reach each, they'll tell you they don't need help, so to finish this mission, you really just have to move near both. ITEMS: ====== Assault Tome/Attack Certificate: Carried by Minamoto Noriyori Rally Tome/Health Certificate: In a box by where Noriyori is, near the shrine at the end of the road Koryo Ginseng/??: In a box between the fences near Yukiie. You can't get this in Story mode (Tomomori doesn't jump high enough) but the first time in Free Mode it always seems to be the Ginseng, and not random. Benzai Scroll: In a box on the west bank of the river Reimyogan: 1) At the southeast corner of the market (Easy/Normal only) 2) Right by the northern east-west bridge over the river 3) In the area that Shigehira gets attacked (Easy only) 4) At the dead-end off the northernmost street of the stage (Easy/Normal only) Rank Rewards: Benzai Scroll, Defense Gauntlet, Nukemaru UNITS: ====== Allied Generals: Hattori Ienaga, Taira Morikuni, Taira Shigehira Enemies: 5 Kamakura Swordsmen, 3 Kamakura Archers, 10 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 4 Kamakura Shieldsfighters, 1 Kamakura Elite Footsoldier troop Enemy Generals: Minamoto Noriyori, Miura Yoshizumi, Minamoto Yukiie Reinforcements: 5-6ish Kamakura Naginata Troops STRATEGY: ========= The first thing you should do in this stage is kill Minamoto Noriyori as fast as you can. If you bother with the soldiers between your starting position and him, you'll never make it in time; ignore everyone and run straight to him. Once he's dead, then you can deal with the grunt soldiers around. This would also be a good time to say hi to Hattori Ienaga and Taira Morikuni and complete that mission. Once you've talked to both your soldiers and taken care of Noriyori and any nearby soldiers, your next goal should be to rescue Shigehira. This is the trickiest of the missions to complete. When you get close to where Shigehira is being held, he'll escape on his own and get pursued by a huge force of Minamoto soldiers. Since he's by himself, he won't last long, so you have to get to him as soon as possible to help him. The main problem is that the layout of the stage makes getting to him difficult. There are large numbers of barriers in just the wrong positions. The ony way to Shigehira is over the bridge where Miura Yoshizumi is stationed. If you approach the river further south than this, Shigehira will escape early and you won't have as much time to reach him. Cross the bridge where Yoshizumi is, then proceed through the buildings south to where Shigehira is fighting his pursuers. Kill them all off before he dies, and there will be a cutscene where he thanks you and re-commits himself to the Taira cause. At this point, you've done all the time-sensitive missions, and can complete the stage at your leisure. Minamoto Yukiie is an absolute pushover so you should have little trouble with him. Once he's dead, you've won the stage, and will unlock the second Taira Secret Stage, "To the East." If they survive, Hattori Ienaga and Taira Morikuni will join you as subordinates. =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, STAGE 5: LONG SHOT (遠矢) =============================================================================== The Taira army suffered a great defeat at the hands of a totally unexpected surprise attack, but still holds many bases in the western provinces. Tomomori assembled his army at Yashima and put the Noto governor Taira no Noritsune in charge of them. Yoritomo put Kajiwara Kagetoki in charge of his forces to attack Yashima, but Noritsune defended against them well, and after half a year, the Genji forces had gained no ground. The date was the twenty-ninth day of the second month, the day after a fierce rain. After receiving word of a major thrust from Kajiwara Kagetoki, the navy advanced to defend the coastline. However, while the bulk of his allied navy was away from the main base to intercept Kagetoki, Noritsune was hit with a surprise attack. The enemy general Minamoto Yoshitsune, who had been responsible for the Taira army's great loss at Ichi-no-Tani, had snuck onto Shikoku the day before under cover of the rain, and attacked from the rear. The Taira Army fell into confusion after being hit with a surprise attack via land by Yoshitsune and his men. Given enough time, the allied navy will be returning to help, but so will the enemy reinforcements. Noritsune set out to defeat Yoshitsune before those enemy reincorcements could arrive... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== Contrary to the vivid detail and embellishment given in the _Heike Monogatari,_ with regards to this battle, Yashima was really not much of a battle at all. Yashima by itself was a prime position for Taira troops. The main Taira base was at Hikojima, at the western end of Honshu, and Yashima, their second major base, was at Shikoku. For this reason, Noriyori's expeditionary force to the west couldn't really do anything. The Minamoto had nothing in the way of a navy so could not attack Yashima effectively. However, should they try to go west and attack Hikojima, the Taira based at Yashima could cross from Shikoku to Honshu behind them, trapping Noriyori and cutting off his supply lines. However, the Taira were not at all prepared for an attack by land or from the rear. When Yoshitsune torched all the commoners' houses to give the illusion of a huge army attacking via land, the Taira simply fled. MISSIONS: ========= Defend Yashima (屋島を防衛せよ) ------------------------------- Technically you can't finish this mission, as even if you do, Noritsune will abandon Yashima to Yoshitsune's forces. But from a gameplay perspective, to finish this mission (the main mission of the stage) you have to defeat Minamoto Yoshitsune Crack Archer Nasu Yoichi (弓名手・那須与一) ------------------------------------------- Nasu Yoichi hangs out near Yoshitsune to defend him. To complete this mission, you have to defeat him. Kamata Mitsumasa (鎌田光政) --------------------------- Kamata Mitsumasa is the first of the enemy generals that will attack Yashima. Defeat him to complete this mission. Unseat enemy cavalry (騎馬隊を落とせ) ------------------------------------- This is a pretty simple mission to complete; you just have to knock at least 10 riders off their horses. Just regularly fighting the cavalry you come across will be sufficient. Assist your allies (友軍に加勢せよ) ----------------------------------- Sakuraba Yoshito, Taira Kagekiyo, and Taira Tokitada are all pulling up the rear in this stage. To complete this mission, you have to keep all of them alive until the stage ends. ITEMS: ====== Shuso Greatbow/Technique Certificate: In a box in the southeast corner of the tented area you fight Yoshitsune and Yoichi in False-Alarm Tome/Defense Certificate: Midway along the narrow north-south path on the extreme east side of the level Fukurokuju Scroll: In a pot by a house in the extreme northeast area of the level Reimyogan: 1) In the dead-center of Yashima (Easy/Normal only) 2) On the southwest beach of Yashima 3) On the shore linking Yashima with the mainland (Easy/Normal only) 4) Carried by Kamata Mitsumasa (Easy only) 5) Carried by Kondo Chikaie (Hard only) 6) In a box at the extreme northeast area of the level (Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In place of Reimyogan 5 on Easy and Normal 2) In place of Reimyogan 6 on Normal Reimyo-Shinsui: In place of Reimyogan 6 and Reimyo-Senzu 2 on Easy Rank Rewards: Fukurokuju Scroll/Rangeki Tome/Gobo-Honebami UNITS: ====== Allied: 2 Taira Naginata Troops, 1 Taira Swordsman, 1 Taira Cavalry Allied Generals: Sakuraba Yoshito, Taira Kagekiyo, Taira Tokitada* Allied Reinforcements: 8 Taira Archers, 2 Taira Shieldsfighters Enemies: 5 Kamakura Swordsmen, 6 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 3 Kamakura Archers, 2 Kamakura Shieldsfighters, 3 Kamakura Cavalry Enemy Generals: Kondo Chikaie, Kamata Mitsumasa*, Nasu Yoichi*, Minamoto Yoshitsune* Reinforcements: 3 Kamakura Swordsmen, 2 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 1 Kamakura Archer, 3 Kamakura Cavalry STRATEGY: ========= Even though you have to play this stage with only Noritsune and Kikuo (and Kikuo will get killed mid-stage) it's actually pretty easy to score Gunjin here. The toughest part is at the beginning, where you have to protect Sakuraba Yoshito, Taira Tokitada, and Taira Kagekiyo. Tokitada you don't really have to help at all as he can take care of himself quite well, and when he arrives, the area he hangs out will probably already be cleared of enemies. Yoshito and Kagekiyo, while not as tough as Tokitada, are also both pretty hardy. The one difficulty is that Yoshito and Kagekiyo will both move in opposite directions at the start of the stage, making it difficult to protect them both. If Kikuo- Maru has Guard, that will help, but if Noritsune is developed enough and you move quickly, you don't really need it; run back and forth supporting both Yoshito and Kagekiyo alternately until Yashima is clear of enemies. After a few minutes, Kamata Mitsumasa will appear at the south coast near the island, and less than a minute afterwards, Minamoto Yoshitsune, Nasu Yoichi, and Tokitada will arrive. There will be a long movie at this point where you can see one of the most famous scenes of the _Heike Monogatari_ enacted; Taira Tokitada challenges Yoshitsune's army to hit a fan mounted on his ship. Yoichi ends up doing it after being goaded by Yoshitsune; after saying a short prayer to the Bodhisattva Hachiman, Yoichi shoots his arrow and successfully hits the fan. At this point, you can now leave Yashima and chase down Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune will immediately retreat. Fight your way to him--you'll have to fight and kill Kondo Chikaie on the way--and when you get close, there will be a cutscene where a flying Kunai from Kikuo kills Sato Tadanobu. Unfortunately for you, Yoichi returns the favor, and shoots an arrow, killing Kikuo. You now have to fight the rest of the stage alone. First things first; avenge Kikuo-maru and skewer Yoichi on your naginata. Once Yoichi is taken care of, you can turn your attentions to Yoshitsune. Defeat Yoshitsune and the Minamoto reinforcements will arrive. Noritsune gives the order to retreat, and the stage ends. If they survived, Taira Kagekiyo and Sakuraba Yoshito will join you as subordinates. =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, STAGE 6: SINKING BENEATH THE SURF (白波に沈む) =============================================================================== While Yoshitsune was attacking Yashima, another Genji general, Noriyori, was traveling west along the Chugokuro on Honshu. He attacked the last Taira outpost at Hikojima. Taira Tomomori was guarding Hikojima, and successfully held off Noriyori with his navy. After conquering Yashima, Yoshitsune traveled to rendezvous with Noriyori. They joined together to finally put an end to the Heishi army. What must have been going through Tomomori's mind after having set up his forces in Ichi-no-Tani and Yashima yet failing? Resting on his shoulders was not only the lives of his retainers, but the fate of his whole clan... In response to the Minamoto army's attack, Tomomori launched his powerful and skilled navy. The battle was being fought on an even level for a while, but slowly the tide was turning in the favor of the Genji. Tomomori moved his own boat closer to that of Yoshitsune, to settle things once and for all with his arch-enemy that brought the Taira army to its end... HISTORICAL INFO: ================ Fighting at Dan-no-Ura was a risky move on Tomomori's part to begin with. Dan- no-Ura lies in the Straits of Shimonoseki, where Kyushu and Honshu are closest together. Because of the tight location, the tides there are VERY rough making for treacherous "ground" for fighting. As it so happened, the tide turned against Tomomori quite literally. While earlier in the day, the Taira were in a much better position for giving battle, once the directions of the tides changed, the Minamoto now had the "geographical" advantage, and they were finished, especially since Awa Shigeyoshi had turned traitor and started attacking the Taira. Plus, Yoshitsune had specifically ordered his troops to shoot at the people steering the ships, so many Taira boats soon went veering out of control without helmsmen. Combined with the strong currents, this caused most of the Taira ships to be driven against the rocky coast. MISSIONS: ========= Advancing enemy fleet (迫り来る敵船) ------------------------------------ This is the main mission of the stage. As you proceed through the stage, new Minamoto ships carrying new Minamoto generals will arrive. To take care of the fleet entirely, you must defeat its leader, Minamoto Yoshitsune. Rendezvous with your generals (分隊長と合流せよ) ------------------------------------------------ At the beginning of this level, your commander is separated from your generals. To complete this mission you must rendezvous with both of them, and they have to kill over 20 enemies. (If you come into this level on Free Mode without any generals, you automatically fail this mission) Use Strategems (作戦を使え) --------------------------- To complete this mission, you must use--and succeed--at least 10 Stratagems. Formations don't count. Lead your allies well (友軍を統率せよ) -------------------------------------- If either of your generals gets killed, or your commander's life dips to a very low level, Awa Shigeyoshi will turn coat and all his soldiers will suddenly become your enemies. If that happens, you've failed this mission. Reinforcement Fleet (援軍船) ---------------------------- One of the ships that arrive as a reinforcement is carrying one of the Three Sacred Treasures, the Ama-no-Murakumo. To complete this mission, you need to get it. (Or, after you've gotten it the first time, the Valuable Scroll that takes its place) ITEMS: ====== Drum of Fervor/Health Certificate: On the port side of the boat Ise Yoshimori arrives on. Ama-no-Murakumo(??)/Valuable Scroll: On the boat to the east of the one that Yoichi rides on Gekkosai/Defense Certificate: In a box on Yoshitsune's ship Sanryaku/Technique Certificate: Carried by Nasu Yoichi Daikoku Scroll: On the boat right behind you when you start the stage Reimyogan: 1) On the boat west of Yoichi's boat (Normal/Hard only) 2) Carried by the archer captain on the raised platform (Easy/Normal only) 3) On the starboard side of the boat Reimyogan 2 is on (Easy only) 4) Carried by Ise Yoshimori (Normal/Hard only) 5) In a box on the boat that Ise Yoshimori rides (Easy only) 6) On the boat with the Ama-no-Murakumo (Hard only) 7) On the boat right before the one Benkei rides (Normal/Hard only) 8) Carried by Benkei (Normal/Hard only) 9) On the boat Benkei Rides (Easy/Normal only) 10) On the boat beyond the one Yoshitsune rides (Easy only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In place of Reimyogan 1 on Easy 2) In place of Reimyogan 4 on Easy 3) In place of Reimyogan 6 on Easy or Normal 4) In place of Reimyogan 7 on Easy 5) In place of Reimyogan 8 on Easy Rank Rewards: Daikoku Scroll/Bow Knowledge/Kogarasu-maru UNITS: ====== Allied: 3 Taira Archers Allied Generals: Awa Shigeyoshi Allied Reinforcements: 3 Taira Archers Enemies: 1 Kamakura Swordsman, 2 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 2 Kamakura Archers Enemy Generals: Nasu Yoichi, Ise Yoshimori*, Musashibo Benkei*, Minamoto Yoshitsune* Reinforcements: 4 Kamakura Swordsmen, 10 Kamakura Naginata troops, 12 Kamakura Archers, 1 Kamakura Shieldsfighter STRATEGY: ========= This is the battle of Dan-no-Ura, fought from the Taira side. It's the last stage in the "historically accurate" story path for the Heike. It's not a terribly difficult stage; the main challenge is going up against four very buff Minamoto generals, so well-developed characters will help a lot. Even still, there are more healing items on this stage than you could possibly ever want, so even with undeveloped characters, this isn't too much of a challenge. Unless you're playing in Free Mode, your party makeup is predetermined; (besides, there are only three Taira generals that are still alive) Tomomori is your Commander, Tokitada is your first general, and Noritsune is your second general. However, at the beginning of the stage, you're separated from both of your generals. So, you start out by yourself. There aren't that many enemies to start with, but more are coming. Proceed south, killing enemies as you go, until you get to Nasu Yoichi. Yoichi is not particularly tough once you get close to him (though his arrows pack a punch) so he's really just a warm-up for the later enemies you're going to face. Once Yoichi is dead, the boat carrying Ise Yoshimori will arrive and connect with your current boats. Tokitada will also rejoin you at this point. Make good use of him to kill the 20 enemies with him (and Noritsune) necessary. Since there are so many archers on this stage that only Tokitada can attack, this shouldn't be too tough. Make your way to the southwest boat, where Yoshimori is waiting for you. Yoshimori is very tough, but his range is nowhere near as good as Tomomori's, so if you stick and move you should be able to beat him without even getting touched. Once Yoshimori is dead, the final boats with Musashibo Benkei and Minamoto Yoshitsune arrive. However, don't head to those boats yet; instead, head to the boat to the east of the one that Yoichi was on, and get the Ama-no- Murakumo sword there. Head to the boat with Benkei on it. Benkei is really strong and does really nasty damage, but has openings a mile wide when he attacks; use this window to deal critical hits to him. Once Benkei dies, the final bridge will descend and Noritsune will join you. Now, head to face Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune is the strongest of the enemy generals that you face, but if you polish off his guards first, he shouldn't be tough if you're careful. Once you defeat him, the stage is over and you've finished the Taira "historically accurate" path. Yoshitsune dies (well, that's not historically accurate) but the Taira are still defeated. Noritsune charges the Genji soldiers, and dies in the melee. Tomomori decides to follow his lead. =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, SECRET STAGE 2: TO THE EAST (東へ) =============================================================================== And thus, the Heishi retook the capital. Forseeing the rise of the Bushi class, Tomomori tried to direct the future flow of events and sent an emissary to Yoritomo, proposing an end to hostilities. However, Yoritomo refused. The antagonism between the Taira and the Minamoto was too strong for any resolution to be gained outside of battle. Reluctantly, Tomomori sent his army to Kamakura. He then faced Kajiwara Kagetoki at the Fuji River, the site of the Taira's first great loss in the war. The Fuji River has nearly as much tactical importance as Kamakura itself. The Taira army set up their formation here, but the Minamoto, who have the advantage of the terrain, show no letup in their offense. If the Taira did not first solidify their position and wait for a good chance to attack, defeat would be certain... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== This is another "what if" scenario, so there's nothing in the way of historical background to this level. If the Taira HAD been able to retake the capital though, it probably would have been pretty tough for them to push all the way back here to the Fuji river. They'd have to have spent a lot of time building up their forces first, I imagine. MISSIONS: ========= Kagetoki's camp deep behind enemy lines (奥部に布陣する景時) ------------------------------------------------------------ The main mission of this stage is to defeat Kajiwara Kagetoki. He doesn't appear on the map to start with, but under the right conditions, will. Once you defeat him, the stage ends. Protect your allies (友軍を守れ) -------------------------------- This is another mission you need to complete in order to finish the level. Taira Tsunemori and Taira Norimori are here with you as allies, and if either of them dies, you lose the stage. Kill off all the enemies attacking them to complete this mission. Destroy the advancing Genji (迫る源氏を討て) -------------------------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to kill 80 Genji soldiers before Kajiwara Kagetoki arrives on the scene. Minimize your losses (犠牲を抑えよ) ----------------------------------- Not only do you have to keep Tsunemori and Norimori from dying, you have to keep them from getting hurt badly, as well. If either one of them has their Health dip to a critical value, you fail this mission. Nasu Yoichi (那須与一) ---------------------- Yoichi is hanging out in the northeast area of the stage, ready to avenge his master Yoshitsune. Kill him to complete this mission. ITEMS: ====== Bishamon Scroll: In a crate near the center-northwestern tented area Gekirin/Technique Certificate: In a crate behind where Taira Tsunemori's camp Onitake/Attack Certificate: In a crate in Kajiwara Kagetoki's main camp Drum of Fervor/Attack Certificate: Carried by Nasu Yoichi Reimyogan: 1) In a crate in Taira Norimori's camp (Easy/Normal only) 2) In a crate right by the camp with the Bishamon scroll 3) By the exit to the west of Taira Tsunemori's camp (Normal/Hard only) 4) In the tented area right before Kagetoki's camp (Easy/Normal only) Reimyo-Senzu: In place of Reimyogan 3 on Easy Rank Rewards: Ebisu Scroll/Cover Tome/Habo Goko UNITS: ====== Allied: 3 Taira Swordsmen Allied Generals: Taira Tsunemori, Taira Norimori Enemies: 12 Kamakura Swordsmen, 6 Kamakura Naginata troops, 3 Kamakura Archers, 3 Taira Shieldsfighters Enemy Generals: Nasu Yoichi, Kajiwara Kagetoki* Reinforcements: 6 Kamakura Swordsmen, 4 Kamakura Naginata troops, 4 Kamakura Archers, 2 Kamakura Cavalry STRATEGY: ========= This is one of the tougher Taira missions to score Gunjin on. Like many other missions, the main focus is on protecting your allies, in this case Taira Tsunemori and Taira Norimori. However, there's twist--if either of them dies, you lose the stage. Furthermore, you can't let either general get hurt badly either--if you hear either of them complain about their wounds, you've failed a sub-mission. This is coupled by yet another difficulty. There are two ways to get Kajiwara Kagetoki to appear: by killing off all the enemies that are attaking Norimori and Tsunemori, or by killing 80 soldiers, whichever comes first. In order to score Gunjin, you must do the latter. That means you have to leave at least one allied general at the enemy's mercy while you try to fill that quota. Needless to say, that's a tough task. You'll want an ally with Guard for this mission. Start the stage by going to support Tsunemori, who starts relatively close to your position. Kill off all the enemies that face him until he says he's OK. Now, work your way up to the northwest corner of the stage where Norimori is being attacked. Kill some--but not all--of the enemies facing him, and leave one of your generals to Guard him. This is where things get tough; you need to continue around the stage beating up enemies while making sure that there are some enemies remaining to fight Norimori. If your Guarding general kills Norimori's attackers too quickly, you lose. If the attackers deliver severe damage to Norimori, you also lose. You pretty much have to strike a careful balance to keep Norimori alive, healthy, and guarded, but not too well guarded. If you see the cutscene where Kajiwara Kagetoki comes to the battlefield himself before Norimori thanks you, you know you're safe and have gone over the 80 soldier quota; immediately double-back and kill off all the enemies that are harassing Norimori. Doing all this is very tough, and requires well-developed generals AND subordinates, and a little bit of luck too. If you manage to pull off the above without any problems, you're pretty much set--the rest of the stage is not too tough. The first thing you should do is kill off Yoichi, in the northeast area of the stage. He's not terribly tough if you can get close, but his arrows can be a pain, so approach him while guarding. Once Yoichi is dead, clear out all the remaining enemies from the stage, collect items, etc. before going to challenge Kagetoki. Kagetoki is heavily guarded, and is no pushover, so if your party isn't well developed, you might want to either soften them up from a distance with arrows, or have a general Taunt the enemy one unit at a time to your position so you can deal with them individually. If your entire force can gang up on Kagetoki simultaneously, he shouldn't be all that difficult to defeat. Once Kajiwara Kagetoki is dead, you finish the stage, and Tomomori announces that all that is left in the way of the Taira is Yoritomo himself in Kamakura. Taira Tsunemori and Taira Norimori will also join you as subordinates. =============================================================================== TAIRA SCENARIO, SECRET STAGE 3: STEWARTIA FLOWERS (沙羅の花) =============================================================================== The Taira Army defeated the Genji at the Fuji River and advanced to Kamakura. Aside from the soldiers remaining in Kamakura itself, the Minamoto have no military forces at all. The long Genpei war was coming to a close... Kamakura is Yoritomo's home base, which he painstakingly built up and strengthened over many years. Even though the Minamoto are in dire straits, Yoritomo's inner circle of generals still has high morale, and cannot be underestimated. Tomomori set up his formation and advances toward the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman palace, where Yoritomo awaits... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: ====================== Again, no historical background for this level as the Taira were all kicking daisies long before they could get to Kamakura. Though, if they really did manage to make it all the way to Kamakura, I doubt Yoritomo's generals would have been in that high spirits. Yoritomo was actually a pretty mediocre general, (though a very smooth politician) given his "advice" to Noriyori when he was stuck trying to attack Yashima, he clearly had little tactical idea of what to do, and having Kamakura sieged would have been a lot worse than that! MISSIONS: ========= Kill Minamoto Yoritomo (源頼朝を討て) ------------------------------------- This is the main mission of the stage. Minamoto Yoritomo waits for you in the central plaza of the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman Palace. Defeat him to complete this mission, stage, and the Taira scenario. Shizuka (静) ------------ Shizuka guards the entrance to Kamakura, itching to avenge Yoshitsune's death. Kill her to complete this mission. Break through the east fortress (東の砦を突破せよ) -------------------------------------------------- There are two fortresses blocking the road to the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman Palace. Each is guarded by two generals. Chiba Tsunetane and Wada Yoshimori guard the eastern gate; kill them both to complete this mission. Break through the west fortress (西の砦を突破せよ) -------------------------------------------------- This mission is just like "Break through the east fortress," except you have to kill Hatakeyama Shigetada and Doi Sanehira. Test your ability (力を試せ) ---------------------------- To complete this mission, you have to finish the entire stage without using a single healing item. Pick up so much as a single Reimyogan, and you'll fail this mission. ITEMS: ====== Koryo Ginseng/Health Certificate: In the dead-end about halfway down the east side of town, between a building and the Hachiman Palace Reppusai/Defense Certificate: In the dead-end on the west side of town, between a building and the Hachiman Palace, a little north of the fortress. Otenta-Mitsuyo/Attack Certificate: In the southwest corner of the upper plaza of the Hachiman palace Bishamon Scroll: Carried by Shizuka Fukurokuju Scroll: Carried by Hojo Yoshitoki Reimyogan: 1) At the western exit of town 2) In the extreme northwest corner of town (Easy/Normal only) 3) At the dead-end at the easternmost north-south road (Normal/Hard only) 4) At the dead-end at the westernmost north-south road (Hard only) 5) At the extreme southwest corner of town (Easy/Normal only) 6) On the east end of the island in the Palace pond (Normal only) Reimyo-Senzu: 1) In place of Reimyogan 3 on Easy 2) In place of Reimyogan 4 on Easy or Normal 3) In place of Reimyogan 6 on Easy Rank Rewards: Fukurokuju Scroll/Rikuto/Yorimitsu UNITS: ====== Enemies: 2 Kamakura Swordsmen, 9 Kamakura Naginata Troops, 3 Kamakura Archers, 6 Kamakura Cavalry, 2 Kamakura Shieldsfighters Enemy Generals: Shizuka, Chiba Tsunetane, Wada Yoshimori, Hatakeyama Shigetada, Doi Sanehira, Oyama Tomomasa, Hojo Yoshitoki, Minamoto Yoritomo Reinforcements: 1 Kamakura Swordsman, 11 Kamakura Naginata troops, 5 Kamakura Archers, 5 Kamakura Cavalry, 2 Kamakura Shieldsfighters STRATEGY: ========= This is another one of those evil stages where even if you complete all the missions successfully, it still isn't enough to put your score over the top to Gunjin level. So, in order to score Gunjin, you have to do all the missions, plus finish the stage in a short period of time, and link a whole lot of Strategems together, etc. etc...Needless to say, it's not an easy stage to get Gunjin on. The nastiest mission on this stage by far is the "no healing items" mission. There are a whole lot of very tough enemies here, and to survive without healing (which you'll have to do if you want to score Gunjin) you're going to need very well-developed characters. The same goes for subordinates; you can't afford to lose a single soldier in this stage. Make good use of Surprise Attacks whenever you can, to reduce the number of enemies you'll have to fight straight-up. Stone-Throw and Fireball are also two Strategems that work wonders here. A little secret, though: the taboo is picking up healing items, not being healed; if you use a Strategem to heal yourself, that doesn't count. Of course, the only generals that can use that sort of Strategem are Yoshitsune generals, so you'll have to unlock this stage to them and play it in Free Mode to take advantage of this "loophole." Near the start of the stage, you'll be faced with Shizuka, who is itching to avenge Yoshitsune. Kill her quickly, and if any of your party has a noticable chunk of health missing after the fight (say, 10% or more) you're probably not ready for this stage yet; come back after building your characters up somewhat. When you enter the city of Kamakura proper, you can either head by the east or the west. The west side of the city is filled mostly with Naginata troops, shieldsfighters, and several cavalry units; the west gate is guarded by Hatakeyama Shigetada and Doi Sanehira. The east side of the city is manned mostly by Naginata troops, archers, and two cavalry units; the east gate is guarded by Chiba Tsunetane and Wada Yoshimori. I recommend going by the west side; while the eastern archers are easier to kill than the western shieldsfighters, they can hit you from a distance and do nasty damage. Whereas you might be smart enough to approach them while guarding, your subordinates aren't. By taking on the west side first, you can hit the eastern archers from the rear, reducing their ability to shoot you. Regardless of the way you travel, advance with cauting, and try to set yourself up so you're linking Strategems the whole way down. When you reach the entrance to the Tsurugaoka-Hachiman palace, you'll have to fight off Oyama Tomomasa and his cavalry troop. He has little in the way of soldiers with him, so he should be relatively easy to defeat. Once he's down for the count, go finish off the generals guarding the gate you haven't been through yet before going into the palace proper. (If you want to be really thorough, kill all the enemies on the entire side you haven't been at yet, though I've found that the extra time it takes is not worth it score-wise) The palace itself is not heavily guarded; Hojo Yoshitoki will probably be cowering in one corner or the other when you go in. Finish him off before proceeding up the stairs, to face Minamoto Yoritomo and the substantial escort he's got. After the cutscene where Tomomori faces Yoritomo, you've got yourself quite a fight on your hands. Yoritomo is very powerful and very well guarded, and the fact that your army will almost undoubtably not be at full health doesn't make things easier. There are two ways to take on this fight; go for the quick kill, swarming Yoritomo and trying to kill him as fast as possible, or to make a quick retreat and try to lure the individual enemy units out one-by-one, so you can fight Yoritomo with a great numerical advantage. The former is probably the better option for a very strong party; the latter for a less well-developed one. If you defeat Yoritomo, you've finished the game and gotten the "secret" Taira ending. Noritsune tries to finish Yoritomo off, but he has already lost the war, so Tomomori spares him and tells him to go wherever he wants. Then Tomomori looks out over the beautiful scenery of Kamakura and reflects on the transitory nature of the world before the credits roll. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| |############### SPECIAL STAGES ###############| |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o =============================================================================== SPECIAL STAGE 1: MOCK BATTLE (模擬戦) ============================================================================== UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: ==================== Complete the stage "The Kagami Inn." DESCRIPTION: ============ This stage is basically a "practice stage." You're up against Kurama Tengu and four sword bandit units. Even the weakest of characters can finish this with no problem; it's mainly here to give you a chance to try out your character's moves and Strategems. If you play this stage with Minamoto Yoritomo as your character, Kajiwara Kagetoki will replace Kurama Tengu as your opponent. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ================ 1) Defeated the enemy general in 60 seconds 2) Defeated the enemy general in 120 seconds 3) Defeated the enemy general in 240 seconds 4) Defeat the enemy general ITEMS: ====== Rank Rewards: Bishamon Scroll, Longbow, Toyo-Konaginata UNITS: ====== Kurama Tengu (or Kajiwara Kagetoki) and 4 Sword Bandits STRATEGY: ========= Even for a beginning character, this stage is no sweat at all. However, scoring Gunjin on this stage is a trick, as even if you finish it in under a minute, that's still not enough to make your score high enough. To score Gunjin, you need to kill all the enemies link a bunch of Stratagems together as well--5 at least. Have both of your generals use Assault or Gyakugeki on each of the Thief units, and you should be able to score an easy 8 linked Stratagems. When you complete this stage, you'll unlock Kurama Tengu (or Kajiwara Kagetoki) as a playable character. =============================================================================== SPECIAL STAGE 2: DEFEND YOKOTAGAWARA (横田河原防衛) =============================================================================== UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: ==================== Complete the stage "Yoshinaka Enters the Capital." DESCRIPTION: ============ In this stage, your Commander doesn't actually participate in the battle; he or she stands on top of the Yokotagawara fortress and gives orders to your two generals, who do all the fighting. The generals will face a continuous stream of enemies that will try to break down the Yokotagawara gate. If they manage to break down the gate, you lose the stage. If you manage to fend off the enemies for four minutes and keep the gate up, you win. Moving the control stick around will allow you to select enemy units you want your generals to attack, and Stratagems work as normal. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ================ 1) Defeated at least two generals and 50 enemies 2) Defeated at least one general and 40 enemies 3) Defeated at least 20 enemies 4) Defended the gate ITEMS: ====== Rank Rewards: Calming Tome, Blessing Tome, Gold-Plated Greatshield UNITS: ====== Taira Atsumori, Taira Tokitada, unlimited Taira troops of all varieties STRATEGY: ========= Obviously, the more well-developed your generals and subordinates, the easier this stage is. Smart general and Stratagem choice is also important--for example, archers are not cut out very well for this mission. Melee fighters are best, and if they have "combo" type Stratagems like Tsumuji, Shura, or Reppa, that's even better, as those are excellent for clearing out large areas of troops. Stratagems like Shogeki are also useful, as if you can inflict status ailments on the enemy, they won't waste time attacking your gate. A good rule of thumb is to have one of your generals stick near the gate, while having the other run out and actively fight approaching enemies. When Atsumori and Tokitada come on the scene, get rid of them quickly, as they're tough and will pepper you and your forces with arrows. Scoring Gunjin on this stage is tough, and scoring Tosho is literally impossible. This is one of those evil stages where completing the missions isn't enough to score enough points to make Gunjin. The only way to make up for this deficit is to link Stratagems together--a LOT of Stratagems. As in low-to- mid 20s at least. I know 18 Stratagems isn't enough to put you over the top, and 28 linked Stratagems was the number that finally got me Gunjin. (On the other hand, once I got 32 linked Stratagems on this stage and still didn't get Gunjin, so I'm not sure what the requirements are) Stratagems like Shogeki, Gyakugeki, and Assault are good candidates for linking these many together, as they have long link times, and don't take many Spirit Spheres to use. It may take some practice before you can succeed--don't give up! =============================================================================== SPECIAL STAGE 3: MOPPING UP THE MINAMOTO ARMY (源軍掃討) =============================================================================== UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: ==================== Complete the stage "Subjugating the Western Countries." DESCRIPTION: ============ This stage is sort of like a much larger version of the "Chase down Sonobe Tadayasu" part of the "Subjugating the Western Countries" missions. You've got 11 Minamoto generals to kill, and all of them flee like cowards the minute they get wind of you. To score well on this stage, you have to kill them as fast as possible. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ================ Mopped up the Minamoto Army in less than 10 minutes Mopped up the Minamoto Army in less than 12 minutes Mopped up the Minamoto Army in less than 15 minutes Mopped up the Minamoto Army ITEMS: ====== Random Item: In the "shack" by the western log pile. Random Item: Behind the platform on the ship Reimyogan: 1) In the center camp in the middle of the stage 2) In a box on the southeastern corner of the stage 3) In a crate inside the tented area near the ship UNITS: ====== Kamei Shigekiyo, Ishida Tamehisa, Ichijo Tadayori, Suzuki Shigeie, Miura Yoshizumi, Takeda Nobuyoshi, Kamata Morimasa, Kondo Chikaie, Asari Yoshinari, Sasaki Takatsuna, Minamoto Noriyori STRATEGY: ========= Chasing down all the enemies in this stage in under 10 minutes is a royal pain in the butt, even if you're controlling a fast character. There is, however, a secret to this stage that makes it very easy--Taunt. Most of the generals in the stage won't run until you get very close. Get them in range and have one of your generals Taunt them, and then rather than running away from you, they'll run towards you until their Berserk status wears off. This is usually more than enough time to dispatch the general leading them. In addition, you should cut down both logpiles, as this will trap at least three generals so that they can only run to a dead-end. One thing that's good about this stage is it can usually be done with half-baked characters, as very few enemies attack. For this reason, it can be a good place to build up experience for low-level characters. If you play this stage with Yoshitsune as your general, when you win, you'll unlock Noriyori as a subordinate. He's one of the better subordinates in the game, so it can really be worth it. =============================================================================== SPECIAL STAGE 4: SHEER DROP (逆落とし) =============================================================================== UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: ==================== Complete the stage "The Battle of Ichi-no-Tani." DESCRIPTION: ============ This stage is just a replay of the "charge down the mountain" part of the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani stage. You control one mounted commander and gallop down the ridge on horseback. The goal of this stage is to get as many items as possible. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ================ Got 6 items on the way down the ridge Got 4 items on the way down the ridge Got an item on the way down the ridge Elegantly galloped down the ridge, dodging the fallen trees Boldy galloped down the ridge, ignoring the fallen trees ITEMS: ====== Special: What positions items appear here are totally random, and most items that do appear are either healing items or random. However, there are a few spots that appear to be constant whenever an item appears there: a Rally Tome, a little less than halfway down the ridge, a Silver-wrought Konaginata, about 2/3 of the way down the ridge, a Nanatsusaya-no-Tachi, a little bit after the Konaginata above, and a Rangeki Tome, at the very end of the ridge. Rank Rewards: Assault Tome, Cavalry Gauntlet, Ninsatsu Tome UNITS: ====== None. STRATEGY: ========= There's only one way to score Gunjin on this stage; get 6 items. Whether or not you destroy or dodge the trees seems to have no impact on getting Gunjin whatsoever. There are at least 20 different places on the ridge that items can appear, but usually only 7 or 8 spots actually have items each playthrough. Unfortunately, even memorizing the spots that items can appear in will do you no good, as you can't actually gallop through them all. For example, the first two potential spots for items are roughly in the middle of the ridge, and the third and fourth are toward the right and left edges of the ridge respectively, but close enough so that it's impossible to traverse through both. Once you pass those first two item spots, you just have to guess whether or not an item will appear on the left or on the right, and by the time you know if you're wrong, it'll be too late to try to get to the opposite side. So, when you get down to it, a lot of this stage is just left to luck. The best way to increase your chances is to get a feel for the various places items can be, so you can anticipate when and where items might appear and move your horse accordingly. Once you get a feel for this, it's not hard to get 2-4 items per playthrough, but getting the full 6 necessary is tough as you can miss one or two items at most, and so much of this stage is left to chance. On the bright side, a single playthrough only takes about 45 seconds, so if you make a mistake, you can start over again without having to wait very long. =============================================================================== SPECIAL STAGE 5: KILLING A THOUSAND (千人斬り) =============================================================================== UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: ==================== Complete the game with all three scenarios DESCRIPTION: ============ This stage will be unlocked once you complete the game with all three armies. The goal here is to kill a full 1000 enemy soldiers in as little time as possible. A kill counter is placed in the middle of the screen, and there are five maps in total; every 200 enemies you kill, you change maps. The first map takes place on a Kyoto street, where you fight soldiers led by Yoshitsune's generals. The second map takes place in the northern Ichi-no-Tani camp, where you fight soldiers led by Yoshinaka's generals. The third map takes place in the Hojuji temple, where you fight soldiers led by monk generals. The fourth map takes place in front of the Koromogawa manor, where you fight soldiers led by Taira generals. The fifth and final map takes place in the Tsurugaoka- Hachiman palace, where you fight enemies led by the "lead generals" in the game. (e.g. Ushiwaka, Yoshitsune, etc) ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ================ Killed 1000 in less than 50 minutes Killed 1000 in less than 60 minutes Killed 1000 in less than 70 minutes Killed 1000 ITEMS: ====== Reimyogan: 1) In the southeast corner of Map #2 2) Against the south wall in the center of Map #3 3) In a box under a cherry tree in Map #4 (Easy/Normal only) 4) Next to the hut on the island in the lake in Map #5 (Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: In place of Reimyogan 4 on Easy and Normal Rank Rewards: Concealed Weapon Knowledge/Yumi-Harizuki/Kongo-Karin-no-Sanzen UNITS: ====== Unlimited numbers of all types of enemy units STRATEGY: ========= While you may be wondering how you could even possibly survive fighting 1000 enemies, that's actually not as big a concern in this stage as you might think. While it's true you'll have a big advantage bringing well-developed characters into this stage, most of the enemies here are exceptionally weak and will die quickly and with little resistance. The only real fighters here are the generals. The big challenge is actually finishing the stage in under 50 minutes. While in the first map this may seem easy as you cut through swathes of enemies quickly and effortlessly, it gets much tougher; in the later maps enemies not only have more life, but they tend to spawn at reasonably distant from one another, so a lot of time is actually spent running from one enemy unit to the next. For this reason, fast characters are a real asset here. In terms of taking damage, unless your characters are really underdeveloped, that's not a huge issue here. Each general you fight will drop a Reimyogan, so you have a relatively steady source of healing. If that still isn't enough, your characters probably aren't ready for this stage yet. Unless, of course, you're primarily playing this stage for experience and not a high score, in which case using Shizuka or Kichiji as your commander can help, as they can heal their allies with their Rest Formation Stratagem. In addition, this is one of the few places where Nenoi Yukichika can shine, as he can produce healing items at will with his Item Stratagem. If Shizuka is one of your generals, her Blessing Stratagem also works pretty well. When you finish this stage, you'll unlock the special stage "Calling all Heroes." =============================================================================== SPECIAL STAGE 6: DEFEAT (撃破) =============================================================================== UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: ==================== Complete the stage "Killing a Thousand" DESCRIPTION: ============ In this stage you're pitted against five random generals from amongst the playable characters in the game. Your goal is to kill them all, as fast as possible. They come with a substantial escort as well, who will get in your way, given the chance. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ================ Defeated all the enemy generals in less than 5 minutes Defeated all the enemy generals in less than 8 minutes Defeated all the enemy generals in less than 10 minutes Defeated all the enemy generals ITEMS: ====== Random Item: Behind the eastern gate north of the main clearing of the stage Random Item: In the corner of the small clearing at the north end of the stage Reimyogan: 1) Near the Secret Character General (Easy only) 2) Carried by the Taira General (Easy/Normal only) 3) Carried by the Yoshinaka General (Easy/Normal only) 4) In the southwest corner of the main clearing 5) Near the Yoshitsune General (Normal/Hard only) Reimyo-Senzu: In place of Reimyogan 5 Rank Rewards: Habo Goko/Kagero/Juzumaru-Tsunetsugu UNITS: ====== Enemies: 1 Elite Footsoldier, 9 Swordsmen Generals: 1 random Secret Character General, 1 random Taira General, 1 random Yoshinaka General, 1 random Yoshitsune General, 1 random Army Leader* Reinforcements: Unlimited swordsmen from the southwest exit STRATEGY: ========= With sufficiently skilled characters, killing off all the enemy generals in less than 5 minutes is not terribly difficult. However, scoring Gunjin is not so easy, as you need to do more than just defeat the enemy quickly. You'll also need to kill most of the enemies around you, and link a good number of Stratagems together as well. Stratagems like Assault, Gyakugeki, and Shogeki work best here. To start with, continue up road the you start on, and take the right path when it forks. There you'll find one of the Secret generals picked randomly, and you'll have to fight him. Defeat him and the enemy soldiers around him quickly. Start using your generals' Stratagems now; if you're lucky you can chain them throughout most of the stage. Once the Secret general is dead, continue up the path, killing soldiers as you go, and jump off the cliff. Right near you will be a random Taira general, attended by two units of swordsmen. Kill them all and proceed to the west side of the clearing, where there will be a random Yoshinaka general, again with two swordsmen. Kill all them too. Next, proceed through one of the gates, either the east or the west (remember, you can get a "free" Stratagem success by using Stratagems like Assault on gates) and proceed north, where you'll be confronted by a random Yoshitsune general, yet again, with two swordsmen units as escort. Once all four of the beginning generals are dead, a fifth, final general-- either Minamoto Yoshitsune, Kiso Yoshinaka, or Taira Tomomori--will spawn in the north clearing of the stage, attended by three swordsmen units. Proceed up there and kill them all, and the stage is over. If your characters are sufficiently strong enough, you should be able to do this with at least a minute or two to spare. With weaker characters, this will be a much greater challenge. In order to have a good chance to score Gunjin on this stage, you should be able to kill each of the enemy generals in 30 seconds or less. If it's taking longer, you're probably not ready yet. Beef up your characters a bit, give them powerful weapons, and try again later. =============================================================================== SPECIAL STAGE 7: CALLING ALL HEROES (英傑結集) =============================================================================== UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: ==================== Complete the stage "Killing a Thousand" with a score of Tosho or Gunjin DESCRIPTION: ============ This last stage of the Special Stages is like a beefed-up version of the previous stage, "Defeat." Again, the goal is to defeat all the enemy generals as quickly as possible. However, in this stage, instead of facing a random general from each of the "factions" in the game, you face each of the faction leaders--Minamoto Yoshitsune, Kiso Yoshinaka, Taira Tomomori, and Minamoto Yoritomo. If and when you manage to defeat all of them, you win the stage. ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ================ Defeated all the enemy generals in less than 5 minutes Defeated all the enemy generals in less than 10 minutes Defeated all the enemy generals in less than 15 minutes Defeated all the enemy generals ITEMS: ====== Random: Carried by Minamoto Yoshitsune Random: Carried by Kiso Yoshinaka Random: Carried by Taira Tomomori Onimaru-Kunitsuna/Valuable Scroll: Carried by Minamoto Yoritomo Reimyogan: 1) East-Northeast of Minamoto Yoshitsune, on the coast 2) Between Yoshinaka and Yoritomo on the coast (Easy/Normal only) 3) On the southwest quadrant of the island by the grass 4) In the "dead-end" in the center of the island Rank Rewards: Konaginata Knowledge, Ame-no-Iware-no-Tate, Totsuka-no-Tsurugi UNITS: ====== Enemies: 8 Swordsmen Generals: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Kiso Yoshinaka, Taira Tomomori, Minamoto Yoritomo Reinforcements: 4 Archers, 4 Naginata Troops STRATEGY: ========= This stage really is a lot like the previous Special stage, in that you have to kill several enemy generals as soon as you can. However, it's not quite as malicious, in that if you defeat all the generals in less than 5 minutes, it's a good bet that you'll score Gunjin. On the other hand, the enemies you face in this stage are substantially tougher than they are in "Defeat." If your characters are a low level when you start this stage, you need to be careful not to wade too deep into enemy lines. There are two reasons for this; one, because if you're surrounded, you're liable to get killed, and two, because the enemy generals are reasonably close together, so it's not hard to go a little bit too far and attract a second general's attention. A high-level character can probably take on powerful generals like Yoshitsune and Yoshinaka simultaneously (and that may be a good strategy for reducing time spent on the stage) but it's a death sentence for weaker characters. Probably the best way to take on this stage is to rotate around the island counterclockwise. Run north from where you start and you'll face Minamoto Yoshitsune and his swordsmen bodyguards. (though reinforcements will arrive very soon) Kill him and his soldiers as quickly as you can, and proceed to the north, where you'll face Kiso Yoshinaka. Once you kill him and his guards, you can proceed to the west where you'll fight Minamoto Yoritomo. Yoritomo is the toughest general here, so if your characters are weak he may give you a run for your money, but if you manage to defeat him, the one remaining general, Taira Tomomori, shouldn't be too much trouble. Proceed to the south and kill him, and you've won. One thing that's worth mentioning here is that this is an excellent stage for both item collection and level-building. All the generals here but Yoritomo drop random items, and they very frequently drop quite high-quality items, especially on harder difficulty levels. Since you can finish this level pretty quickly, it's a fast and efficient method of item-gathering. In addition, the enemies here also give you good experience; however, it's not suited for low- level characters as they're too tough. (Wait till the 40s or 50s at least) If you score Gunjin on this level, Minamoto Yoritomo will be unlocked as a playable character. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| |############### SINGLE-PLAYER SECRETS ###############| |#############################################################################| |#############################################################################| o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o CHANGING COSTUMES: ================== Finish an army's scenario and get its "Good" (ie, non-historical) ending, and you'll be able to unlock their "second" costumes. (Mostly just pallete-swaps though) To change costumes for a character, hit the Select button when equipping them. SHARING SUBORDINATES/ITEMS/EQUIPMENT: ===================================== Normally characters are restricted to their own scenarios in Free Mode. No Tairas playing Yoshitsune stages, for example, and you can't mix-and-match characters from different armies either. Furthermore, as you'll notice, subordinates, weapons, and items are not transferrable between armies. For example, if your Yoshinaka army finds a Blessing Tome, only Yoshinaka's army can use it. (Which is kind of a waste since only Shizuka can use that particular item...) However, there's a way around this. Once you finish a scenario, that army starts "sharing" its stages, items and subordinates with other armies that have finished the game. So, for example, say you finished the game with the Taira and Yoshinaka armies. The Taira and Yoshinaka inventories and subordinate rosters would be "pooled" together so that you could mix and match characters, have Taira characters play Yoshinaka levels and vice versa. However, the Taira and Yoshinaka armies would not be able to play Yoshitsune levels or use Yoshitsune items, because Yoshitsune's army hasn't finished the game yet. (And likewise, Yoshitsune characters wouldn't have access to Taira and Yoshinaka scenarioes) Once you finish the game with all three armies, the inventories and Subordinate Rosters become totally open, and any character can play any stage. Of course, this applies to Free mode and Special Stages only. Once the armies' resources become open, it allows for a lot of playstyle options you couldn't do earlier. (unlocking five playable characters and one subordinate requires it) RABBITS, RABBITS EVERYWHERE: ============================ You've finished the game, you've scored Gunjin on all the levels, and you think you've done everything, but there are two pictures in the image gallery that are still listed as "???" The secret to unlocking these pictures are in the rabbits. In the stages "Oshu Hiraizumi" and "I long for him" (both in the Yoshitsune scenario) you may have noticed some adorable fluffy bunnies hopping about the stage happily. So what do you have to do? That's right, KILL AND CHOP THEM INTO LITTLE BUNNY BITS!! There are three rabbits in each of these stages. If you kill all three of them in a single playthrough, it will unlock one of the two rabbit-related pictures in the image gallery. Here are the locations of the rabbits: OSHU HIRAIZUMI: Rabbit #1: On the path behind where you start the level Rabbit #2: At the dead-end blocked by a large pile of boulders Rabbit #3: In the middle of the southwest-northeast road leading to Yoshimori I LONG FOR HIM: Rabbit #1: In the first mini-clearing area at the beginning of the stage Rabbit #2: Near or on the side path that leads to to Myokakubo's unit Rabbit #3: In front of the extreme southwest exit of the level. So kill those rabbits and unlock those pictures! THE DEATH OF TSUGUNOBU: ======================= "The Death of Tsugunobu" is probably the most difficult movie to unlock, as the conditions for doing so are less than obvious. You unlock this movie on the Yoshitsune stage "The Battle of Yashima" but it will only show if you're playing in Story Mode and have both Yoichi and Tsugunobu as your generals. Finish the stage with these generals (the movie will show no matter what) and it will be unlocked. o#############################################################################o # # # VERSUS MODE # # # o#############################################################################o Versus Mode is separate from the main single-player mode (ie, you can't play single-player missions with a friend) though you can load your character data from the single-player game to user your developed generals. When you first start Versus Mode from the title screen, you'll get two options: Versus As-Is (そのまま対戦) and Bring (持ち寄り対戦) mode. (Bring, as in, I bring my memory card) The former uses a "default" number of stages and general strength. For the latter, you can load your character and item data from a memory card. When loading character data from a memory card, it'll first ask you to select the data you want player 1's army to use. Then, you pick the data that you want player 2's army to use. If you don't pick any data here, then both sides will use player 1's data. Next, you pick where you're going to fight. Three stages are open to start with: Field, Highway, and Capital--and you can unlock three others from the single-player game. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | VERSUS MODE OPTIONS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o VERSUS RULES: (対戦ルール) ========================== This option is where you set the basic rules for the match. There are four options in total. NORMAL (通常): Your basic one-on-one battle, with 1P and 2P fighting each other. THREE FORCES (三つ巴): This is the same as Normal, except that there's a third computer-controlled force that will fight both 1P and 2P. COOPERATION (協力): This is the only VS mode where the two players can't hurt one another. There are three forces, and 1P and 2P work together to kill the third. COMPETITION (競争): Game mechanics-wise, this is exactly the same as Three Forces, except that 1P and 2P compete to get the most kills. Whichever player kills the Commander of the computer-controlled army first wins. TIME LIMIT (制限時間) ===================== This is where you set the time limit (if any) on the match. Once time runs out, the Commander with the most Health remaining wins. HANDICAPS: (1P/2P強化) ====================== Here you can set a handicap on either or both players. The further you set the handicap bar to the right, the more damage you'll deal to the enemy. STRATAGEM SPIRIT CONSUMPTION: (作戦消費気勢) ============================================ Turn this off, and you'll be able to use Stratagems for "free." Your Spirit can still be lowered by enemy Stratagems and the like, but you can use Stratagems and Formations without losing any Spirit if this setting is off. WARRIOR ADVANCEMENT: (武将の成長) ================================= When loading data from a memory card, this will ask whether or not you want to keep your warriors' levels the same as they are in the single-player game. When this setting is off, all characters' stats will be set to their default levels. If you want the match to be even remotely fair, I suggest you turn this setting off. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | VERSUS MODE NOTES | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o One thing to keep in mind when playing in Versus mode is that none of the changes you make to your characters is permanent. Therefore, you can use items you'd normally want to save, and not lose them when you go back to playing single-player. Another thing to note about Versus mode is that your strategy will be very different when facing a human opponent. For example, you never have to worry about status ailments in the single-player mode; in versus mode, getting hit with status ailments is a real threat. Normally useless skills like False Alarm or Lure Astray can be instrumental in thinning your opponent's ranks quickly so you can go in for the kill. However, Yoshitsune: Eiyuden was not really made with versus mode in mind. It's entertaining, but really was tacked on as an afterthought I think. The characters are unbalanced enough that you really should think seriously of handicapping yourself when going into the game for better variety. If you do nothing but play as Benkei or Yoritomo, then everyone you play will also have to play as Benkei or Yoritomo to hope to keep the playing field level. Mix your party members up to keep things interesting. o#############################################################################o # # # CHARACTERS # # # o#############################################################################o Here's a quick key to the categories listed here: STATISTICS: A list of each of the character's statistics. They are given a rating from 1-5 (as listed in the character info for each person in the Gikeiki) and a numerical value. The numerical value listed is the "natural" maximum for that stat; in other words, what the stat will be when it reaches level 20, without the use of any Scrolls to boost it. SOLDIER TYPE: This is the character's basic soldier type; Swordsman, Naginata Soldier, Archer, Club Soldier, Shieldsfighter, Engineer, or Elite Footsoldier. It also tells you whether the character is Mounted (ie if s/he can ride a horse) or not. "Female" and "Monk" after parentheses indicate that character uses female soldiers or monks as Subordinates. (All Elite Footsoldiers use Elite Footsoldier Subordinates, so I didn't include any parentheses for those) WEAPON: This is the weapon the character equips when you first get him/her. T/S FORM: These are the Formations mapped to the T and S buttons for that character when they are acting as Commander. SETSUNA: This is the Stratagem that the character uses as his/her Setsuna-no-Saku. SLOTS: The Stratagems and Skills listed here are those that come "pre-equipped" in the character's 8 Stratagem/Skill slots when you first get him/her. Obviously they can be changed later (with the exception of Yukichika's Wagon Mastery) HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A brief (and sometimes not-so-brief) summary of the character's historical and/or legendary background. Most of this is translations from the in-game Gikeiki, but I've added additional stuff here and there. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: What you must do to unlock the character. Note that playing a character and unlocking them are two different things; you can play Karasu Tengu on "Kurama Tengu," but won't unlock him for use on any stage until you complete "Mock Battle." MOVESET: A list of the character's moves and the combos needed to perform them. Because I was lazy I went fast and loose on how to pronounce the names. Figuring out Kanji pronunciation can be rough, even if you already know the Kun- and On-yomi already. :) RATING: My personal opinions of the character as a Commander and General (from A+ to F) and an explanation thereof. This is very subjective and your mileage may vary; while I find him useless, you may find Yukiie to be the ultimate character used correctly, for example. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | YOSHITSUNE GENERALS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o MINAMOTO NO KURO YOSHITSUNE 源九郎義経 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED SWORDSMAN | |Health: 4 (6340) | Weapon : Whatever Ushiwaka was equipping | |Attack: 4 (620) | T Form : Command Formation | |Defense: 4 (620) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 4 (610) | Setsuna : Reppu | |Command: 5 (624) | Slots : Rally, Assault, Horsemanship | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: The ninth sone of Minamoto Yoshitomo. His mother's name was Tokiwa. He is the great hero of the Genji who drove the Heike to destruction as a vassal of Yoritomo. While in Oshu, he heard of his brother's call to arms, and went to meet him, offering his services as a retainer. His first battle was the Battle at Uji river, where he defeated Kiso Yoshinaka, who was also a Genji. Afterwards, at Ichi-no-tani he broke through the Heike's ranks, and at Yashima and then Dan-no-Ura, destroyed the Heike entirely. Afterwards, Yoshitsune became a hero, but after receiving the general Kajiwara Kagetoki's report on his behavior, Yoritomo treated him couldly. The two began to oppose one another, and the rivalry culminated in retired emperor Go-Shirakawa issuing an edict to hunt down Yoshitsune, who promptly fled the capital. Yoshitsune took his loyal retainers with him to Oshu, but his benefactor there, Fujiwara Hidehira, died soon afterwards, and his heir, Yasuhira, soon folded under pressure from Kamakura. Surrounded by Yasuhira's soldiers in his Koromogawa mansion, Yoshitsune committed suicide with his young wife and child. Yoshitsune is a very idealized character in Japanese history and legend, conforming to the "tragic hero" standard; rising to greatness but then meeting misfortune and coming to an early demise. Historically, Yoshitsune was indeed a brilliant tactician but a lukewarm-at-best politician which is really what led to his death. The rift between him and Yoritomo, while exploited by Go-Shirakawa, was primarily created not by Kagetoki's slanders (though that probably had some part in it) but Yoshitsune's accepting of a court title from the Emperor without his brother's consent. While Yoshitsune is generally portrayed as a doggedly loyal and flawless character, I myself have serious doubts that he wasn't thinking--even just a little bit--about becoming the heir to the Genji. Everything we know about him was that he was rash, cocky, and impetuous, and after his repeated victories, I'm sure that went to his head just a little. If he didn't think at all that he was worthy of taking on the mantle of Genji leadership, he was a real rarity among warriors. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: After you complete the Yoshitsune Stage, "The Kagami Inn" Ushiwaka will become Yoshitsune--all his stats and levels will be transferred to Yoshitsune. (Though you can still continue to play as Ushiwaka in Free Mode) MOVESET: Furi S Kesa-Giri SS Nagigiri SSS Makiuchi SSSS Senkai-Giri T Shippu-Zuki ST Shikkyaku SST Power Charge SSST Tsubame-Mai Release T Quickly during Power Charge 1 Kiri-Giri Release T after holding a while during Power Charge 2 Ten-Dachi T After Kiri-Giri 3 Teni T After Ten-Dachi Furi Jumping S Kabutowari Jumping T Shippu T while running RATING: Commander A, General A+ Yoshitsune is one of the best and most well-rounded characters in the game. He doesn't have fantastic range in his attacks, but has a good combination of wide-range and single-opponent attacks. His Nagigiri and Shikkyaku are his best crowd-control techniques, and Shippu-Zuki is good aainst bosses. His Shippu/Senkai-Giri is not only a good wide-range attack but is fantastic for getting out of sticky situations, (as you'll easily attest to when fighting Yoshitsune) and in fact is better than his own Evasion Attack for breaking free of crowds. Yoshitsune also has a Power Charge suite of moves--much more expansive than most characters, too--but it's hard to use, because he can only use it as the fourth blow in a combo. Usually by the time you're at the fourth blow in a combo, either all the enemies are dead, or crowded all around you. In the former case there's no real use for a Power Charge; in the latter case you don't want to be sitting still gathering your strength as you become a very easy target. As a General Yoshitsune is superb, and his Stratagems will be a lot more effective than all of the other Sword characters except Yoritomo. Plus he can use Lure-Astray, which few other characters are able to use. USHIWAKA-MARU 牛若丸 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED SWORDSMAN | |Health: 4 (6340) | Weapon : Sanjo | |Attack: 4 (620) | T Form : Defense Formation | |Defense: 4 (620) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 4 (610) | Setsuna : Reppu | |Command: 5 (624) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Minamaoto Kuro Yoshitsune in his youth. His father was Minamoto Yoshitomo, the head of the Genji, but while Ushiwaka was still an infant, he died in battle. Afterwards, his mother, Tokiwa, turned herself in to Taira Kiyomori and begged for his life to be spared. Kiyomori agreed to her plea, but in return for sparing him, he was to be cast out of the house of Minamoto, and at age seven, was sent to Kurama Temple to be raised as a monk. As a monk, Ushiwaka learned of his lineage. Vowing to restore the Genji and defeat the Heike, he left Kurama Temple at the age of sixteen. Ushiwaka travelled to Oshu along with the gold merchant Kichiji, undergoing his coming-of-age ceremony at the Kagami Inn, and from thenceforth was known as Minamoto Kuro Yoshitsune. Many legends regarding Yoshitsune during his years as Ushiwaka remain extant, but as many of them are oral legends and fanciful tales, it is unknown just how much truth there is to them. In fact, very little of the tales about Ushiwaka are likely to be true. It is true that he managed to find his way from Kurama to Oshu at a young age, and then made his way to Yoritomo to join him--no small feat, given the horrendous state of roads and travel between provinces in Japan in those days. But the stories of him hitching a ride with Kichiji, defeating Benkei at the Gojo bridge--and certainly learning the martial arts from the king of the Tengu--are unlikely to be true. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Unlocked automatically as soon as you start the Yoshitsune scenario MOVESET: Furi S Kesa-Giri SS Nagigiri SSS Senkai-Giri SSSS Senkai-Giri T Upward Slash ST Tsubame-Mai SST Tengu Killer SSST Furi Jumping S Kabutowari Jumping T Kake-Tsubame T while Running RATING: Commander A, General A+ In many ways Ushiwaka-Maru eclipses his older self as a fighter, as he's got a much better range of crowd-control techniques. Both Tsubame-Mai and Tengu- killer are great crowd-clearers as they both can knock back groups of enemies. But Ushiwaka's best technique is by far his Kake-Tsubame, one of (if not the best) charging attacks in the game. Using it, you can charge straight into a Unit of enemies and send them all flying like bowling pins. The only thing keeping Ushiwaka below Yoshitsune in terms of usefulness is his slightly smaller range, but more importantly, having Defense Formation instead of Command Formation. As Yoshitsune/Ushiwaka already has one of the best Commands in the game, using this formation to boost his whole army's stats makes Yoshitsune slightly better overall--but not much. Bottom line--if you want to command, go with Yoshitsune; if you want to take out the enemy yourself, go with Ushiwaka. As a General, Ushiwaka is pretty much the same as Yoshitsune. MUSASHIBO BENKEI 武蔵坊弁慶 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | NAGINATA SOLDIER (MONK) | |Health: 5 (6880) | Weapon : Onaginata | |Attack: 5 (711) | T Form : Fierce Formation | |Defense: 5 (685) | S Form : Zeal Formation | |Technique: 2 (403) | Setsuna : Shura | |Command: 2 (450) | Slots : Guard-Breaking | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A hero who drifts between historical and legendary status. His origins are not really known, but he stars in many tales where he plays almost as critical a role as Yoshitsune himself. Many varied stories regarding his birth exist, and according to the _Gikeiki_ he was the son of the head of the Kumano Navy, Tanzo. Due to his odd appearance he was shunned by most and joined the monks at Mount Hiei but was thrown out for being too violent. Afterwards, he wandered the countryside and trained for a bit at Shoshazan, but due to his conflicts with the monks there, did not remain at that temple for long. After leaving Shoshazan, Benkei was said to have been robbing people for their swords at night in the capital. But when he had one more sword to steal, he met with Ushiwaka and was defeated. Afterwards, he worked for Yoshitsune. Benkei stayed by Yoshitsune's side, even until the latter's death in Oshu, when he was hunted down by his elder brother. It is said that he died standing in the way of a hail of arrows to protect Yoshitsune and give him enough time to commit suicide. How much, if any, truth there is about Benkei is debatable. While idealized as the "model retainer," being doggedly loyal (albeit uncouth and rough) almost everything we know about Benkei comes from fanciful tales rather than historical record. Benkei does make an appearance a few times in the _Heike Monogatari_ as one of Yoshitsune's men, but outside of introducing Washio Tamehisa to Yoshitsune, is little more than a footnote in that book. However, his presence there does lead credence to the idea that he may in fact be a historical character, seeing as how the _Monogatari_ was written before most of the fanciful tales regarding Yoshitsune began to appear. The vast majority of Benkei's exploits can be read in the _Gikeiki_ where he's almost as big a player as Yoshitsune himself. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "The Kagami Inn" MOVESET: O-Barai S O-Barai SS O-Zuki SSS Senkai-Nagi SSSS Power Charge Hold down T Rapid Stab Release T quickly during Power Charge Gokuraku-Ojo Release T after holding a while during Power Charge Onagi-Barai ST Tsurigane-Wari SST O-Sharin SSST O-Barai Jumping S O-Furiotoshi Jumping T O-Barai T while running RATING: Commander A+, General B Only Yoritomo can match up to Benkei in terms of sheer killing power, and even that's debatable. In short, Benkei goes beyond the range of "ridiculously powerful" and into the "cheap" zone. First, Benkei does enormous damage with his Naginata. Second, unlike a lot of Naginata characters, Benkei has very little in the way of recovery time between his moves. Third, most of his moves have knockback power and good crowd-control. Fourth, he's got Fierce Formation, which makes him even more deadly. In terms of what moves to use, Senkai-Nagi and O-Sharin are his best crowd-clearers. Tsurigane-Wari is good to use against bosses too. The only real downside to Benkei is that his Technique, and more importantly, his Command, stink, so when you're playing as him, you won't deal much in the way of critical hits, nor will your Subordinates be particularly powerful. Still, Benkei is powerful enough to take up most of the slack himself. Benkei is not as effective as a General. While still quite good (especially when you have him using Shura) he won't be as aggressive as you can be when you're controlling him directly. GOLD MERCHANT KICHIJI 金売り吉次 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ARCHER | |Health: 2 (5490) | Weapon : Shortbow | |Attack: 2 (540) | T Form : Rest Formation | |Defense: 2 (490) | S Form : Sniper Formation | |Technique: 3 (520) | Setsuna : Volley | |Command: 4 (570) | Slots : Volley | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A gold merchant whose caravan traveled between Kyoto and Oshu. He is said to be the one who brought Yoshitsune to Oshu, but little is truly known about him. Regarding his origins, there are various accounts, none of which agrees with the others. He is only referred to as a "Gold Merchant" in the _Heike Monogatari_ and the _Genpei Seisuiki_ but his name is first mentioned in the _Heiji Monogatari._ His association with Yoshitsune also varies greatly between sources, which contradict each other in this case as well. In the _Gikeiki,_ Kichiji invites Ushiwaka to come with him to Oshu upon learning his lineage, whereas in the _Azuma Kagami_, Yoshitsune himself requests passage with Kichiji's caravan. Some people say that "Kichiji is Yoshitsune's retainer, Horimi Taro," judging from his sudden disappearance from the records after his arrival at Oshu. My guess, however, is that if Kichiji was an actual person, he and Yoshitsune probably parted ways at Oshu. However romantic it would be to have Yoshitsune commanding undying loyalty from everyone who ever met him, it's highly unlikely a merchant with a profitable gold trade would drop everything to risk his life in a (at the time, seemingly unwinnable) war. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "The Kagami Inn" MOVESET: Upward Swing S Stab SS Uraken SSS Shika-Otoshi SSSS Draw Bowstring Hold down T Tsurube-Uchi Rapidly tap T Shanichi Release T after holding down awhile Fire Bow ST Fire Bow SST Fire Bow SSST Furiorishi Jumping S Fire Bow Jumping T Fire Bow T while running RATING: Commander C-, General B Poor Kichiji, age is catching up with him. He's a little bit senile, getting Sanemori and Masachika mixed up, and telling his troops to "start defending" whenever he orders a Sniper Formation. And more importantly, his reflexes are starting to go. His attacks have openings a mile wide and do very little damage, and his Tsurube-Uchi is slow too. His Uraken is so-so for crowd control and good at hitting enemies sneaking up on him, but his other sword moves are not useful at all. Plus his range of equippable bows is very limited. However, Kichiji has two things going for him. First, he can use Rest Formation as a Commander, which is a great Formation. Second, and more importantly, he has excellent Command; in fact, better than any other archer except Saito Sanemori. This lets him really give a hefty boost to his Subordinate's stats, making them extra effective. However, Kichiji's own lack of strength cuts out a lot of that advantage. Bottom line is that he's substantially below average as a Commander, and decent as a General. RIN 凛 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED NAGINATA SOLDIER (FEMALE) | |Health: 2 (5880) | Weapon : Konaginata | |Attack: 3 (575) | T Form : Close Formation | |Defense: 2 (534) | S Form : Force Formation | |Technique: 4 (558) | Setsuna : Spear Charge | |Command: 3 (478) | Slots : Assault | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: None. Rin is, as the game puts it, an "Original Character." In this game she's a war orphan who was taken in and raised by Kichiji, but is completely a fabrication of the game designers. Side trivia, but Rin's first appearance was in another From Software game, Tenchu: Kurenai. There she shared the lead role, but aside from appearance and voice, was a totally different character than in the Yoshitsune games. She also appeared in the first Yoshitsune Eiyuden in the same capacity as this one. (Since Yoshitsune Eiyuden: Shura is really just a big expansion) UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "The Kagami Inn" MOVESET: Nagibarai S Tenbashi-Zuki SS Kaiten-Nagi SSS Renbukyaku SSSS rapidly keep hitting S O-Nagibarai T Tenchu ST Rintenzan SST Getsurin SSST Zanku T after/during Renbukyaku Nagibarai Jumping S Yasha Koroshi Jumping T Zanshin T while running RATING: Commander B+, General C+ Rin is a very unusual character. She's sort of like a combination between a Naginata soldier and an Elite Footsoldier. Her stats are quite well-balanced; while not the class of a Yoshitsune or a Tadanobu, she can hold her own quite well. Her added speed makes her an excellent Commander for stages where you have to act quickly too. Her Kaiten-nagi and Getsurin are great crowd clearers, and Rintenzan is good for confusing the enemy. However, Rin's major downside as a commander is that she's somewhat slow in her attacks, with reasonably wide openings after most of them. As a general, Rin isn't so great. Her primary problem is that her Strategems are not very good. As a "tradeoff" for getting Onshin and Ninsatsu, Rin doesn't get Tsumuji or Yaribusuma, which the other small-naginata soldiers get. (except Kakuhan, who doesn't get Tsumuji) The problem is that neither of these Stratagems is anywhere near as useful as the ones she sacrifices. Still, she does an acceptable job in either role. SATO SABURO TSUGUNOBU 佐藤三郎継信 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | SHIELDSFIGHTER | |Health: 4 (6450) | Weapon : Wooden Greatshield | |Attack: 2 (538) | T Form : Anti-Bow Formation | |Defense: 5 (749) | S Form : Anti-Cavalry Formation | |Technique: 2 (440) | Setsuna : Shield Charge | |Command: 3 (500) | Slots : Shield Wall, Anti-Cavalry | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A warrior from Mutsu. Tadanobu's older brother. Son of Heiji, of the Sato family of Mutsu nobles. After Yoshitsune left Oshu, Tsugunobu accompanied him on Fujiwara Hidehira's orders. As Yoshitsune's retainer, he participated in many battles. After gaining great military accomplishments, he was nicknamed one of Yoshitsune's "Four Great Generals." He died at the Battle of Yashima, blocking Yoshitsune with his body and taking an arrow from Taira Noritsune. Of course, that's the romanticized version. In the _Heike Monogatari_ he's just one of many generals that charge the Taira forces at Yashima, and is one of the unfortunate ones to get shot down. While his exploits tend to be downplayed (except for his death) in history and legend, Tsugunobu and his brother were probably more historically important commanders in Yoshitsune's employ than even Benkei, as they took more of an active command role. The Fujiwara of Oshu were extremely powerful and the Sato were of no small consequence. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "Hiraizumi, Oshu." MOVESET: Furi S Small Stab SS Tsuki SSS Furiorishi SSSS Great Stab T Tate-Nagi ST Rapid Stab SST O-Kaiten SSST Furi Jumping S Yama-Otoshi Jumping T Tatetotsu T while Running RATING: Commander B+, General A- As one of the only two Shieldsfighters in the game, Tsugunobu's got a bag of tricks quite different from most of the other generals in the game, both as a commander and a general. First, when used as a weapon, that shield is very wide, so it gives him a very broad range to hit the enemy with. While he's not going to win any marathons, Tsugunobu's attacks are a different story and are quite quick, with little recovery time. His stats are also substantially higher than those of Tate Chikatada, the other shieldsman, so he's the most effective Shieldsfighter in the game in that aspect. His O-Kaiten is also very good for crowd clearing, as is his Tatetotsu. As a General, Tsugunobu is even better. While best used in a defensive role, Shieldsfighters get a mix of very useful Stratagems that he can put to good use, especially against cavalry with Horse Scare. With his high Health and Defense, Tsugunobu makes a great frontline defense against the enemy. SATO SHIRO TADANOBU 佐藤四郎忠信 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED SWORDSMAN | |Health: 4 (6530) | Weapon : Miike | |Attack: 4 (620) | T Form : Defense Formation | |Defense: 3 (568) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 3 (475) | Setsuna : Reppa | |Command: 3 (500) | Slots : Assault | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A warrior from Mutsu. Tsugunobu's younger brother. Son of Heiji, of the Sato family of Mutsu nobles. After Yoshitsune left Oshu, Tadanobu accompanied him on Fujiwara Hidehira's orders along with his elder brother Tsugunobu. And, like his elder brother, Tadanobu soon became known as one of Yoshitsune's "Four Great Generals." At Yoshino Mountain, he pretended to be Yoshitsune and stalled the real Yoshitsune's pursuers so that he could get away. After defeating the leader of the pursuers, Yokogawa Kakuhan, he managed to break through the soldiers surrounding him, but was not able to meet up with Yoshitsune again. He lay low in Kyoto for a while, but when found by Yoritomo's men, he committed suicide. Historically, Tadanobu was also an important-though-less-focused-on general like his older brother. The story of the fight with Kakuhan, while very exciting and entertaining, is probably a complete fabrication. It is true though that Tadanobu was caught and killed in Kyoto. Whether he really did act as a decoy on Yoshino, or whether he remained behind as a spy (or both) is not really known. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "Hiraizumi, Oshu." MOVESET: Ryote-Furi S Tsuki SS Kaiten-Barai SSS Tsumuji-Yaiba SSSS Kaiten-Giri T O-Kesa-Giri ST Tsumuji-Geki SST Ren-Kaiten SSST Furi Jumping S Do-Giri Jumping T Hayate-Otoshi Running T RATING: Commander A, General B As a Commander, Tadanobu is great. He's got some of the best moves a Swordsman gets, and is even better at taking out the enemy quickly than Yoshitsune in my opinion. This is primarily because of his fantastic weapon range and wide range of crowd-clearing moves. While not in the same league as a Naginata soldier, Tadanobu has a better range in his attacks than just about any other Swordsman. He's got a great crowd-clearer at the touch of a button, Kaiten-Giri, and Ren- Kaiten is better than almost any other move in the game in a pitched battle. The sole strike against Tadanobu is that he's a little on the slow side. He's got quite a delay between lots of his moves, so this makes him at a disadvantage against Elite Footsoldiers and other fast enemies. As a General, he's good, but not spectacular. This is mostly due to his ho-hum Command; he's got the lowest Command of all the Swordsmen in the game. However, being the only Mounted Swordsman that's not Yoshitsune/Ushiwaka or a secret character, that makes up for this deficit somewhat. Overall, Tadanobu is a solid character. SHIZUKA GOZEN O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | NAGINATA SOLDIER (FEMALE) | |Health: 2 (5480) | Weapon : Karayo-Konaginata | |Attack: 2 (528) | T Form : Rest Formation | |Defense: 2 (530) | S Form : Silent Formation | |Technique: 4 (568) | Setsuna : Tsumuji | |Command: 4 (550) | Slots : Calming | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: The top "Shirabyoshi" dancer of Kyoto, the daughter of Iso no Zenshi. Her mother was also a famous dancer. Many historical and legendary works record her tragic love affair with Yoshitsune. And while being most famous for being Yoshitsune's lover, there are many different accounts of how the two met. Some say Yoshitsune met her during her rain dance (see the "Rain Dance" stage history) whereas others have Yoshitsune meeting her while on orders from Yoritomo to guard the capital. She separated from Yoshitsune at Yoshino Mountain, after he fled the capital. At that time, she was pregnant with Yoshitsune's child. She was unable to escape and was eventually captured and sent to Kamakura. She gave birth to a baby boy there, but he was drowned in Yuigahama lake on Yoritomo's orders. Afterwards, she left Kamakura with her mother, but her whereabouts afterwards are unknown, and many differing legends regarding her eventual demise remain to this day. Most of them involve her becoming a nun and praying for Yoshitsune's rebirth in the Pure Land. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "Return to the Capital" MOVESET: Ukizakura S Fuga SS Yanagi-Zubame SSS Kusanagi SSSS Sata T Cho-no-Mai ST Kagura SST Maizakura SSST Nami-Shibuki Jumping S Hana-Osae Jumping T Koten Running T RATING: Commander C+, General B+ As a Commander, Shizuka is the worst of the three female characters in my opinion. She does have a few things going for her; first, nearly all of her attacks have a 360 degree arc, so she's a great crowd clearer in that sense. Second, she's got Rest Formation, which is great for keeping your army's life up. Third, she's the only small Naginata user in the game with Tsumuji mapped to her Setsuna-no-Saku. However, there are a few major strikes against her. First and foremost, her stats are pitiful. Her Health, Attack, and Defense are all low, making her very ineffective for aggressive play, particularly on higher difficulty levels. Her Technique is quite good, but Technique primarily comes into play when using a fast character, which brings us to detriment #2-- Shizuka is very slow. All of her moves have nasty lag time, during which she's wide open. Also for a Naginata soldier, her range leaves something to be desired. All in all, she's passable as a Commander, but not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. However, as a General, Shizuka's pretty good. She can still heal you with her Blessing, has great Command, and can use Stratagems like Yaribusuma and Tsumuji to great effect. NASU NO YOICHI MUNETAKA 那須与一宗隆 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED ARCHER | |Health: 2 (5820) | Weapon : Shigeto Bow | |Attack: 3 (564) | T Form : Technique Formation | |Defense: 3 (556) | S Form : Sniper Formation | |Technique: 4 (601) | Setsuna : Fire Arrow | |Command: 3 (480) | Slots : Volley, Fire Arrow, Talent | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A crack archer from the province of Shimozuke. The eleventh son of the Nasu family. He is most famous for his skill with the bow, and was said to be able to shoot down two out of three birds in flight. His most famous exploit, of course, is his participation in the battle of Yashima on the Genji side. Under Yoshitsune's orders, he shot down a small fan on a Heishi boat, causing an excited uproar from both sides. Based on this feat, Yoichi was said to have inherited the line of Nasu. Aside from this anecdote, however, there's not a whole lot known about Yoichi. Said anecdote scored him the position of being one of the most famous archers in Japanese history, (along with his famous "Shigeto" bow) but otherwise little else is known of either his origins or accomplishments after the war. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "Treasured Memories in the Moonlight" MOVESET: Furiage S Furi SS Tonbo-Gaeri SSS Kaiten-Giri SSSS Draw Bowstring Hold down T Tsurube-Uchi Rapidly tap T Zhen Killer Release T after holding down awhile Fire Bow ST Fire Bow SST Fire Bow SSST Furiorishi Jumping S Fire Bow Jumping T Fire Bow T while running RATING: Commander B, General A+ Yoichi is not the best archer commander in the game (Kanemitsu takes that title in my opinion) but he comes awfully close. His Tsurube-Uchi is the fastest of all the archers (and can shoot up to a maximum of 6 arrows at later levels) and combined with his Setsuna-no-Saku of Fire Arrow, can be used to shoot a machinegun barrage of Fire Arrows. Plus his sword attacks have little in the way of recovery time, and Kaiten-Giri is decent crowd control. However, archers in general are really not meant to be Commanders; their asset is their wide variety of Stratagems, none of which are usable by a Commander. As a General, like all Archers, Yoichi is excellent. Like most Archers Yoichi's Command is nothing to write home about, but his well-rounded other stats make up for that, especially his Defense, which is better than any other archer. Plus, he's the only mounted archer in the game. If you're running around on horses, he's the only archer general that will be able to keep up with you easily. ISE NO SABURO YOSHIMORI 伊勢三郎義盛 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ELITE FOOTSOLDIER | |Health: 2 (5980) | Weapon : Kodachi | |Attack: 3 (565) | T Form : Defense Formation | |Defense: 2 (525) | S Form : Force Formation | |Technique: 5 (730) | Setsuna : Hi-no-Mai | |Command: 2 (360) | Slots : Taunt, Makibishi, Shunsatsu-Jutsu | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A warrior with a past shrouded in mystery. It is said that he was initially a bandit, though the most famous story comes from the _Gikeiki_ where he was a rough-and-tumble minor lord whose house Yoshitsune stayed in (to the distress of the servants, who said their master, ie Yoshimori, had a terrible temper) on the way to Oshu. Once learning of Yoshitsune's identity, however, Yoshimori immediately offered his services, as his family had strong ties with the Minamotos, especially Yoshitomo. As one of the major leaders of Yoshitsune's forces, Yoshimori participated in many famous battles. At the battle of Shido he strode headlong into the three thousand warriors of Awa Noriyoshi's army and through fast talking, got Noriyoshi and all of his soldiers to surrender. Furthermore, at the battle of Dan-no-Ura, he arranged for Awa Shigeyoshi to defect to the Genji. After Yoshitsune fled the capial, Yoshimori's boat got caught in a storm and the two were separated. (Though in the _Gikeiki_ Yoshimori stays on till the end, killing himself at Koromogawa after taking quite a few enemy heads) Afterwards, he returned to Ise and attacked the governor there but was soundly defeated. He fled to Suzuka Mountain, where he is said to have killed himself. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "Treasured Memories in the Moonlight" MOVESET: Zan S Zan SS Renshikkyaku SSS Renshikkyaku SSSS rapidly keep hitting S Zangeki T Nikikyaku ST Tenshuku SST Tenshokyaku SSST Naraku-Otoshi Jumping S Kunai Jumping T Resshokyaku Running T RATING: Commander A-, General A Yoshimori's got a lot going for him. His primary asset is his Technique; Yoshimori has the highest Technique level of all the characters in the game. This means he instant-kills better than anyone, which is a real help. He can also equip all of the Concealed Weapons in the game. As a Commander, he makes great crowd control, as nearly all of his normal attacks have a 360 degree arc to them, or close to it. He's fast and has little in the way of openings between attacks as well. His downside is that he has a bad Defense--not good for a melee character--and his range is pathetic, even for an Elite Footsoldier. As a General Yoshimori fares slightly better. His Command is nothing to write home about, but his high Technique combined with Stratagems like Fireball and Hi-no-Mai make him really useful. HITACHIBO KAISON 常陸坊海尊 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | CLUB SOLDIER (MONK) | |Health: 5 (6900) | Weapon : Donkonbo | |Attack: 4 (665) | T Form : Spread Formation | |Defense: 3 (566) | S Form : Zeal Formation | |Technique: 2 (373) | Setsuna : Mogura | |Command: 2 (437) | Slots : Guard | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A monk whose background and exploits are almost entirely unknown. He is said to have been a monk at Miidera (the temple that Prince Mochihito colluded with and got subsequently destroyed by the Taira after the prince's failed revolt) but whether or not this is true is unknown. Records have Kaison as one of the few of Yoshitsune's retainers that survived the assault on Koromogawa. He accompanied Yoshitsune during his flight from the capital, and fought off pursuers with Benkei at Daimotsu Bay. Afterwards he traveled to Oshu with Yoshitsune, but had gone to a nearby temple to pray the morning of the day that Koromogawa was attacked and was never heard from again. Legend has it that Kaison never died, but lived on as an ancient sage, never dying of old age, so that he could recount the events that he lived through. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshitsune Stage "Treasured Memories in the Moonlight" MOVESET: Uchitsuke S Uchitsubushi SS Uchiage SSS Kyoku SSSS Power Charge Hold down T O-Nagibarai Release T quickly during Power Charge Aibetsunanku Release T after holding a while during Power Charge O-Nagibarai ST Gekishin SST Kaiten-Seppo SSST Furioroshi Jumping S Jinari Jumping T Nagibarai Running T RATING: Commander B-, General B- As the only Club Soldier in the game, Kaison is pretty unique. He's VERY hardy, and sports the highest Health of all the characters in the game. He also packs quite a wallop with his club, and has very good range with his weapon too. He has a wide array of crowd clearers, especially Kaiten-Seppo, and his Gekishin is the only true area-affect attack in the game. Kaison's only problem--and it's a big one that you'll notice the very first time that you use him--is that he's so.....very....slooooow. As the slowest character in the game, not only is Kaison sluggish on his feet, but he's got openings a mile wide between attacks; there's practically a full second in between most of them. This means that Kaison is going to take a LOT of hits, no matter how carefully you play him, and even with his Health level, he won't survive for long in a really furious pitched battle. His moveset and stats make up for this severe weakness to some extent, (unlike, say, Yukiie, who's slow and has crappy moves) so he's not completely unusable, but he can be frustrating to play in certain situations. This sloth also puts a real dent in his use as a General. Not only his he slow, but he's not as aggressive as he could be as a General, and it's sad to say, he really doesn't have much in the way of good Stratagems. Mogura is quite nice (and speedy, considering the user) and you can use him quite defensively with a maxed-out Rangeki, but other than that, he really doesn't have much utility as a General. Your mileage may vary, though. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | YOSHINAKA GENERALS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o KISO NO JIRO YOSHINAKA 木曽次郎義仲 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED NAGINATA SOLDIER | |Health: 4 (6460) | Weapon : Onaginata | |Attack: 5 (690) | T Form : Command Formation | |Defense: 3 (564) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 3 (534) | Setsuna : Shura | |Command: 4 (545) | Slots : Guard-Breaking | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Known as "Komao-maru" in his youth, Kiso Yoshinaka was Yoritomo and Yoshitsune's cousin. While actually a Minamoto (and he surely referred to himself as "Minamoto Yoshinaka") he's normally known as Kiso Yoshinaka because Kiso is the are he hailed from. Those without surnames usually used the towns or countries they were from to identify themselves (e.g. Ise Yoshimori comes from the province of Ise) and as a kind of slander, historians call Yoshinaka "Kiso Yoshinaka" to sort of rob him of any legitimacy to the Genji line, putting him on the level of a mere provincial warrior. After Yoshinaka's father, Minamoto Yoshikata, was killed, Saito Sanemori rescued him, and sent him to Kaneto in Kiso, where he was raised along with Imai Kanehira and Tomoe, who were childhood friends. (Kanehira was said to have shared the same wetnurse with Yoshinaka) In 1180, he received word of Mochihito's edict and raised an army. Like Yoritomo, Yoshinaka started by building his forces, but was forced into actual fighting when the Taira actively attacked him, fearing the buildup of Minamoto forces. Yoshinaka managed to not only beat back the Taira but turn their attack into an opportunity to move into Kyoto. The Taira fled before he even got to the city, and he was hailed as the "Rising Sun General" while in the capital. However, he was in a precarious position. While officially one of Yoritomo's vassals, Yoritomo did not trust Yoshinaka one bit, and Yoshinaka was continually afraid of being attacked by his cousin. For this reason, he was reluctant to leave the capital to defeat the Taira, fearing that Yoritomo would occupy it in his absence and strip him of power (or kill him) on his return. This caused him to fall out of favor with Go-Shirakawa, and meanwhile his troops, starving because of the famine in the area, were looting the populace to try and survive, and Yoshinaka couldn't control them, so the people started to hate him as well. Yoshinaka was really stuck between a rock and a hard place, between the Taira and Yoritomo. After learning that Go-Shirakawa and put out a price on his head, Yoshinaka attacked Hojuji, the Emperor's mansion. He imprisoned the Emperor and took the coveted title of "Seii-Taishogun." In desperation, he tried to join with the Taira to defeat Yoritomo (who he knew was going to attack) but they refused and he had to face Yoritomo on his own. With his starved and thinned forces, Yoshinaka had no chance. He put up as much of a fight as he could at the Uji river, but was defeated and killed. While history does not smile on Yoshinaka (he's always portrayed as a stupid hick with no refinement) you can't help but feel a little sorry for him; while a brilliant general he wasn't much of a politician, and was more a victim of circumstance than stupidity. Without his effort, Yoritomo would never have been able to defeat the Taira, but he ended up going down in history as something of a villain. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Unlocked automatically as soon as you start the Yoshinaka scenario MOVESET: Left Uchioroshi S Right Uchiorishi SS Kaeshiuchi SSS Senkai SSSS Nagibarai T Asahi-Kototsu ST Sonichi SST Nichirinzan SSST Uchioroshi Jumping S Ryodan Jumping T Ichiyo Running T RATING: Commander A+, General A+ In my opinion, Yoshinaka is one of the most fun characters in the game to play as. While not as carefully balanced as Yoshitsune, nor as deadly an engine of death as Benkei or Yoritomo, Yoshinaka is one of the most well-rounded characters in the game. He's got a top-notch Attack, a high Health level, good Command, and decent Defense and Technique. His attacks have great range, he's got a wide variety of crowd-clearers, and his Formations are excellent too. The only downside to Yoshinaka is that there's a little bit of a delay in between his attacks; but then, that's the case with most Naginata fighters. As a general, Yoshinaka is also top-notch, and the overall best Naginata general in the game, in my opinion. He can use all the Naginata Stratagems in the game but Hoten, (which is of limited use anyway) and is one of the only two characters that can use the potentially deadly Yarigake. All in all, while Yoshinaka isn't the best at any one role, he's the best jack-of-all-trades in the game, (well, outside of Yoritomo, who's an ubercharacter) and that makes him a solid player. IMAI SHIRO KANEHIRA 今井四郎兼平 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | SWORDSMAN | |Health: 4 (6420) | Weapon : Koaoe | |Attack: 4 (638) | T Form : Technique Formation | |Defense: 4 (580) | S Form : Anti-Cavalry Formation | |Technique: 3 (530) | Setsuna : Reppa | |Command: 3 (510) | Slots : Assault, Guard | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Yoshinaka's closest friend, and one of his "Four Great Generals," Imai Kanehira was also Higuchi Kanemitsu's younger brother, and Tomoe Gozen's older brother. It's said that he and Yoshinaka both shared the same wetnurse, and he acted as his second-in-command, participating in many battles alongside him. Kanehira and Yoshinaka were separated at the battle of Uji, but were reunited and attempted to flee together. After realizing escape was hopeless, Kanehira is said to have fought off Yoshinaka's pursuers single-handedly to buy time for him to commit suicide. (Much like Benkei is said to have done for Yoshitsune) However, upon hearing that Yoshinaka was killed, Kanehira stuck his sword in his mouth, leapt from his horse, running his head through and (obviously) killing him. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Unlocked automatically as soon as you start the Yoshinaka scenario MOVESET: Furi S Furi SS Tsuki SSS Kesa-giri SSSS Yozan T Matsuba-Otoshi ST Kuruma-giri SST Aranami-Haki SSST Furioroshi Jumping S Karatake-Wari Jumping T Taiate Running T RATING: Commander B, General B "Generic" is the best word I can think of to apply to Kanehira. He's a decent character overall, but really nothing special. His stats are actually quite well-rounded and almost on par with Yoshitsune in terms of Commander stats, but his moveset is thoroughly average and his Formations aren't anything special, Kuranami-giri and Aranami-Haki are OK as crowd-clearers, but most of his other moves are focused on one-on-one fights. He makes an average General too, as his Command is good, but not spectacular. All in all, he's a thoroughly average character. Useful, but not overwhelmingly so. NENOI DAIYATA YUKICHIKA 根井大弥太行親 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ENGINEER | |Health: 4 (6360) | Weapon : Miike | |Attack: 3 (558) | T Form : Command Formation | |Defense: 4 (595) | S Form : Zeal Formation | |Technique: 2 (380) | Setsuna : Reppa | |Command: 4 (600) | Slots : Taunt, Ishiyumi, Wagon Mastery | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Yukichika was from one of the noble families hailing from Saku in Shinano province, the same province Kiso is in. Along with his son Tate Chikatada, he was known as one of Yoshinaka's "Four Great Generals." He was one of the few Genji-aligned warriors to join forces with Minamoto Yoshitomo during the Hogen Disturbance. When Yoshinaka raised his flag and assembled an army, he immediately joined, and served as a supporting general in many battles. He died at the Uji river, trying to hold back Minamoto Yoritomo and Yoshitsune. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Unlocked automatically as soon as you start the Yoshinaka scenario MOVESET: Kiribarai S Kiribarai SS Kiribarai SSS Kiribarai SSSS Uchitsuke T Sanren-zuki ST Shippu-zuki SST Oni-zuki SSST RATING: Commander F, General B As a Commander, Yukichika flat out blows chunks. There is no character less- suited to being a Commander in the game, not even Yukiie. The final and only massive nail in Yukichika's coffin? That big honking cart he's carrying around. Yukichika can never get off his horse. Ever. His stats are pretty good, but controlling him and that freaking cart is so incredibly clunky and difficult that you'll be hard-pressed to do well in the easiest mission with him as the commander. As a General, he's only marginally better. Being the only Engineer in the game, he's got access to a lot of unusual and unique Stratagems, but only one of them is really useful, and that massive cart gets in your way constantly while you're trying to kill the enemy. So why do I give him a "B" as a General? Because that one useful Stratagem he's got--Item--is one of the most powerful in the game, and only Yukichika can use it. With Item, you can create healing items at will, and once it's reached level 2 and 3, you can start creating powerful healing items with high frequency as well. (Ab)used well, this Stratagem can make you essentially invincible. For this reason, Yukichika makes the #1 "babysitter" of the game; if you want to build up weak characters on a hard stage, bring Yukichika in to keep them healthy. While not very useful in any other capacity (you'll essentially have one commander, one general, and a walking healing item factory that does little else) that one skill gives Yukichika some real utility. TOMOE GOZEN 巴御前 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED NAGINATA SOLDIER (FEMALE) | |Health: 2 (5830) | Weapon : Konaginata | |Attack: 3 (587) | T Form : Anti-Archer Formation | |Defense: 2 (533) | S Form : Zeal Formation | |Technique: 3 (515) | Setsuna : Spear Charge | |Command: 3 (515) | Slots : Spear Charge | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: One of the few (really only) famous female warriors in Japanese history, Tomoe Gozen was a childhood friend and later lover of Yoshinaka, who was supposed to be both beautiful and deadly. She is also the younger sister of Kanehira and Kanemitsu. Most of what's known about her comes from the _Heike Monogatari_ where she fought along Yoshinaka at the Uji River. She wanted to die with him, but he refused and made her escape. What happened afterwards to her is unknown. Most stories have her becoming a nun and praying for Yoshinaka's rebirth in the Pure Land but others have her becoming the wife of Wada Yoshimori, one of Yoritomo's retainers. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshinaka Stage "The Genji from Kiso" MOVESET: Right Nagi S Left Nagi SS Haraiage SSS Ryodan SSSS Kurumagaeshi T Koma-otoshi ST Seiko SST Kazeguruma SSST Uchioroshi Jumping S Kiribarai Jumping T Tsuki Running S RATING: Commander A, General A- Tomoe is an excellent character, especially as a Commander, and is far and away the best female character in the game. Her moveset is top-class and one of the best in the game; while a little on the slow side, she's got great range and nearly all her moves are excellent crowd-clearers, plus her Kurumagaeshi is easy to dish out and has a 360 degree attacking arc. The only thing that keeps her from getting an A+ as a Commander is the fact that her stats are a little low (especially her Health), her Formations are nothing special, and she has a crappy Setsuna-no-Saku. As a General, Tomoe is quite good though her average Command keeps her from being exceptional. She can't use Yaribusuma which is too bad, but she can use Hoten (great against cavalry) and is one of the only two characters in the game that can use Yarigake, the best (IMO) Naginata Stratagem. Bottom line is that Tomoe is an excellent, solid character who's not only well- rounded but a lot of fun to play. TATE ROKURO CHIKATADA 楯六郎親忠 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | SHIELDSFIGHTER | |Health: 5 (6760) | Weapon : Wooden Greatshield | |Attack: 2 (525) | T Form : Defense Formation | |Defense: 5 (715) | S Form : Anti-Archer Formation | |Technique: 2 (425) | Setsuna : Shield Charge | |Command: 2 (445) | Slots : Shield Wall, Shield Assault | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: The son of Nenoi Yukichika, Tate Chikatada also joined Yoshinaka's army. Along with his father, he was also one of Yoshinaka's "Four Great Generals." He also participated in many battles for Yoshinaka. He was one of the scouts at the battle of Yokotagawara, one of Yoshinaka's most surprising victories. It's said that Chikatada was killed at the Uji river along with his father, but while we have fairly good proof that Yukichika died there, Chikatada's death is only mere speculation; we don't know for sure whether or not he survived. Given that Yoshinaka's army was utterly crushed in that battle, he probably didn't, but the details are unknown. Side note: The Kanji for Chikatada's name, "Tate," means "Shield." Get it? Ha ha. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshinaka Stage "The Genji from Kiso" MOVESET: Haraitsuki S Kirigaeshi SS Kirigaeshi SSS Yama-kuzushi SSSS Yama-kuzushi T Furimawashi ST Furimawashi SST Furimawashi SSST Furioroshi Jumping S Furioroshi Jumping T Yama-Kuzushi Running T RATING: Commander A-, General A- At first glance, Chikatada looks vastly inferior to his Shieldsfighter counterpart in the Yoshitsune army, Sato Tsugunobu. All his stats are lower, especially Command, and he's much slower; his moves in battle have large delays between them. However, Chikatada has two things going for him that actually makes him more a more versatile fighter than Tsugunobu. First is the fact that he has better Formations. Second, and more importantly, is his Furimawashi attack. It's by far his best attack; quick, with a very wide range, and excellent at crowd-clearing. Plus, he doesn't have to wait long into his "fast" combo to use it; he can dish it out at any time. This makes for a smaller repertoire of moves, but a more effective one too. As a general, Chikatada is basically the same as Tsugunobu. He's best used as a defensive or reactive fighter, making good use of his Shieldsfighter Stratagems. As Shieldsfighter Stratagems are generally quite useful, this makes him a good addition to any lineup. HIGUCHI JIRO KANEMITSU 樋口次郎兼光 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ARCHER | |Health: 2 (5750) | Weapon : Longbow | |Attack: 4 (604) | T Form : Technique Formation | |Defense: 2 (508) | S Form : Silent Formation | |Technique: 4 (560) | Setsuna : Volley | |Command: 2 (460) | Slots : Volley, Return-Fire, Cover, Self-Control | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Along with his younger brother Kanehira, Higuchi Kanemitsu served under Kiso Yoshinaka, and fought many battles with him. If Kanehira was said to be the "Right hand of Yoshinaka," then Kanemitsu was his "left hand" and he also was one of Yoshinaka's "Four Great Generals." Kanemitsu was often the lead general of Yoshinaka's backup troop; he was left to guard the capital when Yoshinaka made his (futile) forays to the west to defeat the Taira, and when Yoshinaka attacked Hojuji, he led the "other side" of the pincer formation that Yoshinaka used to attack the temple. When Yukiie betrayed Yoshinaka, Kanemitsu pursued him to Kawauchi Province. However, while Kanemitsu was off chasing Yukiie, Yoshitsune's army attacked Yoshinaka. Learning his master was in danger, Kanemitsu rushed back to Kyoto but didn't make it in time. While the _Heike Monogatari_ has Kanemitsu initially planning a last suicide assault on Kyoto, he was talked out of it, and surrendered to Yoshitsune and Noriyori. The two brothers fought hard to gain Kanemitsu clemency, but the nobles would hear nothing of it. Kanemitsu was beheaded for his attack on Hojuji. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Yoshinaka Stage "The Genji from Kiso" MOVESET: Nukiuchi S Ashibarai SS Gyakute-zuki SSS Nidan-Geri SSSS Draw Bowstring Hold down T Tsurube-Uchi Rapidly tap T Taka-Otoshi Release T after holding down awhile Fire Bow ST Fire Bow SST Fire Bow SSST Furi Jumping S Furi Jumping T Nidan-Geri T while running RATING: Commander B+, General A- If you want an Archer as your Commander, Kanemitsu is the best one to choose. Granted, archers aren't really cut out to be Commanders, but Kanemitsu actually does quite a good job of it. His moveset is fast and has excellent crowd- clearing capabilities, plus he's the only archer in the game who's running T is a melee attack. Not only that, but his Attack is better than some character specifically geared for melee fighting. Of course, there are still many better choices for Commanders; like other archers, Kanemitsu's Defense is quite low. Like other archers, Kanemitsu is better suited as a General. His Command is on the low end, but his high Attack and Technique makes up for that somewhat. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | TAIRA GENERALS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o TAIRA NO TOMOMORI 平知盛 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED NAGINATA SOLDIER | |Health: 3 (6050) | Weapon : Onaginata | |Attack: 4 (611) | T Form : Command Formation | |Defense: 5 (664) | S Form : Itsukushima Formation | |Technique: 4 (565) | Setsuna : Shura | |Command: 5 (610) | Slots : Yaribusuma, Sp.Charge, Clarity, Self-C. | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Kiyomori's fourth son. After his father's death, he supported his elder brother Munemori in leading the Heike army. He's famous for his keen military sense and mind for strategy. Munemori was somewhat (OK, very) incompetent, so Tomomori took on the mantle of leading the army proper. When Prince Mochihito rebelled against the Taira and sent out an edict calling for their destruction, it was Tomomori that led the army that led the army that defeated his forces at the Uji river. Furthermore, Tomomori was the commander of the Heike forces that crushed Yukiie's army at Sunomata, in Mino Province. Afterwards, he fled the capital when Yoshinaka got close (despite wanting to fight it out Kyoto, Munemori overruled him) and was a key player in leading the Taira forces that subjugated the western provinces and put down minor revolts. After successfully gaining control of the western provinces, Tomomori set up camp at Ichi-no-Tani and awaited an opportunity to retake the capital--an excellent position to pick--but was unprepared for Yoshitsune's surprise assault and was forced to retreat across the ocean to Shikoku. In that battle, he lost his eldest son, Taira Tomoakira. Tomomori was defeated again at Yashima, and then finally at Dan-no-Ura, where he threw himself into the waters and drowned. His final words were a poem: "I have seen all that I should have seen. Now I take my own life." (meaning "I've done all that I can, now it is time for me to die") Tomomori's military prowess is probably a little exaggerated--he was a good general to be sure, but not exceptional. He came up with some good strategies--Ichi-no-Tani and Yashima were both excellent choices of places to set up camp, as they both allowed the Taira to exploit their naval advantage to the best. Fighting in the straits of Shimonoseki at Dan-no-Ura was an incredibly risky move that backfired on Tomomori, but was fairly sound, as the Minamoto had little in the way of naval experience wheras the Taira were experienced mariners. If anything, Tomomori was held back by his inept and ineffectual older brother, Munemori. With the death of Kiyomori, the Taira were pretty much doomed as they were bereft of good leadership. Tomomori was decent, but not the equivalent of his father or late elder brother Shigemori, so the odds were stacked against him to start with; he never had much of a chance. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Unlocked automatically as soon as you start the Taira scenario MOVESET: Nagi S Tsuki SS Nagibarai SSS Senkai-Nagi SSSS Yumei no Tsuki T Funyoki ST Kazegiri SST Kocho SSST Tsuki Jumping S Saebana-Nagashi Jumping T Tsuki Running T RATING: Commander A+ General A+ Tomomori is, in my opinion, the second-most powerful character in the game after Yoritomo. He doesn't have the sheer destructive power of Benkei or Yoshinaka, nor the Command of Yoshitsune and is lacking on the Health side, but his unbelievable Defense, Command, and moveset more than make up for that deficiency. Tomomori's greatest strength is his fantastic defense, which manifests itself in several ways. First and most obvious is his high Defense rating. Second is his range. Tomomori's attacks hit the widest arc with the greatest reach of all the characters in the game, plus are often knockbacks. Used effectively, moves like Senkai-Nagi and Kocho will keep enemies from even getting near Tomomori. Lastly is his Itsukushima Formation, one of the best Formations in the game. Give him Taira Secrets (when you find it) and he's unstoppable. As a General, Tomomori is slightly less effective since you don't get his Itsukushima Formation, but still top-notch. He's more geared for defensive area support with Stratagems like Rangeki, and his high Command works wonders for his Subordinates. He's an excellent character, no matter how you look at it. TAIRA NO NORITSUNE 平教経 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED NAGINATA SOLDIER | |Health: 5 (6860) | Weapon : Sasumata | |Attack: 5 (724) | T Form : Guerilla Formation | |Defense: 4 (635) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 2 (410) | Setsuna : Shura | |Command: 2 (380) | Slots : Rally, Assault, Shura, Coercion | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Taira Noritsune was the son of Taira Norimori, Kiyomori's younger brother, and was made the governor of Noto Province after Kiyomori's coup in 1179. Called "the best archer in the palace" (even though he's a Naginata soldier in this game) during his time in the capital, Noritsune fought several battles in the Genpei war along with his older brother Michimori, and his the younger brother Narimori. However both of his brothers were killed at the battle of Ichi-no- Tani, and according to the _Azuma Kagami,_ so was Noritsune. As the _Azuma Kagami_ is the most "historical" document of the time this presents a real puzzle, as there are many legends and stories of Noritsune's exploits after that time, enough so it's generally accepted that he probably survived until the battle of Dan-no-Ura. Noritsune's first role in the Genpei war was to try and hold back Yoshinaka's forces and keep him from reaching Kyoto, but as we know, this failed. His next major task was to subjugate the western provinces after the Taira fled Kyoto, as many of them started to rally under the Genji banner, and in this he was successful. He also successfully repelled Yoshinaka's attack on Mizushima. At Ichi-no-Tani he managed to escape, (if you don't take the _Azuma Kagami's_ account of his death there at face value) but only after both his brothers were killed. He is said to have led the Taira forces at Yashima, and delivered the killing shot to Sato Tsugunobu himself. His final battle was said to have been at Dan-no-Ura, where he attempted to track down and kill Yoshitsune, but failed to find him, as Yoshitsune had changed ships. Realizing that the Taira were doomed, Noritsune traditionally fought to the bitter end, taking as many Genji soldiers with him as he could, eventually leaping into the ocean and drowning himself, with one Minamoto soldier under each arm. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Taira Stage "Prince Mochihito's Edict" MOVESET: Right Uchioroshi S Left Uchioroshi SS Nagibarai SSS Senkai-Nagi SSSS Power Charge Hold down T Tsukikuzushi Release T quickly during Power Charge Rasetsu Release T after holding a while during Power Charge Oni-Korashime ST Isso SST Hazeguruma SSST Kiribarai Jumping S Ryodan Jumping T Nagi Running T RATING: Commander A, General B In terms of sheer damage-dealing ability, nobody beats Noritsune; he's got the highest Attack of all the characters in the game, even higher than Benkei. Plus he can equip the most damaging weapon in the game, which Benkei can't. Not bad for starters. However, he's not as deadly as Benkei because of his base moveset; he's much slower with plenty of openings, and takes much longer to dish out his best crowd-clearers. He can wipe out the enemy quite well, but just feels a little more sluggish to control overall, which can make a big difference, though he still is an excellent choice as a Commander. As a General Noritsune is merely OK. Because he's something of a juggernaut that alone makes him useful to bring as a General, and his ability to use Rangeki makes him a good "area sentry" but his Command is just pitiful. Only one character-- Kakuhan--has a lower Command than Noritsune. This really more than anything is what keeps him from being a great General. Still, he's a solid character. TAIRA NO SHIGEHIRA 平重衛 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | SWORDSMAN | |Health: 3 (6140) | Weapon : Kobizen | |Attack: 4 (600) | T Form : Defense Formation | |Defense: 4 (600) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 3 (535) | Setsuna : Shura | |Command: 4 (575) | Slots : Calming, Assault | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Shigehira was Kiyomori's fifth son, and one of the most beloved of his parents (except maybe after Shigemori, Kiyomori's eldest) When Prince Mochihito issued his edict, Shigehira was tasked by his father to punish those monks that participated in the plot, and he torched the Todaiji and Kofukuji as a result, gaining him the ire of many a monk. (And this act would come back later to haunt him) While he fought well against the advancing Genji forces, he went with the rest of the Taira when they fled the capital. He was captured at the battle of Ichi-no-Tani though, and then taken back to the capital and then to Kamakura to meet Yoritomo. While Yoritomo wanted to spare Shigemori--and was especially moved by his calm acceptance of his fate and acknowledgement of his misdeeds--he could not, and Shigemori was executed for his burning of the temples after Mochihito's revolt. Shigehira is really the "definitive Taira," a statesman-warrior that just oozes "bunbu ryodo" (mastery of both culture and war) and is portrayed as one of the most sympathetic characters in the _Heike Monogatari._ There he is described as cultured, refined, devout, and intelligent, and while the Minamoto are really the "heroes" of that book, Shigehira's fate in particular is one of the elements that make the reader feel sorry for the Taira and their downfall. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Unlocked automatically as soon as you start the Taira scenario MOVESET: Harai S Tsuki SS Kaeshiuchi SSS Jumonji SSSS Shishi-Ranjin T Dairin-Botan ST Myofuken SST Myofuken SSST Kiriotoshi Jumping S Ryodan Jumping T Dairin-Botan Running T RATING: Commander B, General B+ I like Shighira a lot, but that's mostly because I found him a sympathetic character in _Tale of the Heike_ and like the way the game potrays him as well. I can't really say he's that great of a character though, because he really isn't. He's not terrible though, and is kind of like the Taira version of Kanehira; useful, but average. His stats are all quite solid and he's very well-rounded, but his moveset is nothing to write home about. Only his Jumonji and Dairin-Botan could even be thought of as being useful in a crowd, and even they're not that good; mostly he's geared toward one-on-one fights, but he's awfully slow between attacks so he doesn't excel there. Shigehira does have a tendency to use "feint" type attacks, so he does score a fair number of instant kills once you've boosted his Technique levels up. As a General, he's actually the best swordsman after Yoshitsune/Ushiwaka due to his high Command, but again, his mediocre moveset detracts a bit from his utility. Get him Fireball and he can be quite an asset though. TAIRA NO ATSUMORI 平敦盛 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ARCHER | |Health: 2 (5730) | Weapon : Shortbow | |Attack: 3 (565) | T Form : Technique Formation | |Defense: 2 (505) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 4 (520) | Setsuna : Volley | |Command: 3 (470) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Atsumori was the son of Taira Tsunemori, Kiyomori's younger brother. As he never gained any rank, he is sometimes known as the "rankless official." He is most famous for two things--first, his skill with the flute; his flute was named Koeda, and was a very valuable artifact given to him by his father. The second and more important thing he is famous for is the way he died. At the young age of sixteen, he was killed at Ichi-no-Tani by Kumagai Naozane. While this is probably more story than history, the way it went is that Atsumori was driving his horse into the sea in a desperate attempt to escape. Seeing Atsumori and judging from his appearance that he must be a great warrior, Naozane called him back to fight, and Atsumori did. However, upon seeing just how young Atsumori was, Naozane was reminded of his own son and wanted to spare him. He was going to let Atsumori escape, but just at that moment several other Genji warriors came up, and Naozane realized that if he didn't kill Atsumori, these warriors would. He explained to Atsumori that he had to kill him and Atsumori calmly accepted his fate; Naozane cut of his head, his eyes full of tears. It's said that after this event, Naozane never returned to battle again. This particular story is one of the classic "Giri vs. Ninjo" (duty vs. human emotion) moments so common in Japanese literature. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Taira Stage "Prince Mochihito's Edict" MOVESET: Harai S Furioroshi SS Harai SSS Koten-Otoshi SSSS Draw Bowstring Hold down T Tsurube-Uchi Rapidly tap T Shoja-Hitsumetsu Release T after holding down awhile Fire Bow ST Fire Bow SST Fire Bow SSST Furi Jumping S Furi Jumping T Fire Bow T while running RATING: Commander B, General A+ Atsumori is kind of a dark horse in this game. None of his stats seem that great, and heck, he's most famous for the way he got killed. Little would you expect that he turns out to be the most well-rounded archer General in the game. To start with, he's nothing special as a Commander, but then, he's an archer, and archers weren't meant to be Commanders. I'd say he ranks second to Kanemitsu, because of his excellent Formations. As a General, Atsumori really shines. He's got a decent Attack, and his Command, while nothing special, is better than most of the other (non-decrepit) archers. What really makes him the most well-rounded Archer though is that he's the only archer in the game that can use one of the uberskills, Taira Secrets. His only real problem is that his range of bows is limited; he can neither equip the Yorimitsu nor the Kinshika Greatbow. However, he can equip the Yumi-Harizuki (the best bow in the game) and I'd say he's probably the best candidate for it too. TAIRA NO TOKITADA 平時忠 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ARCHER | |Health: 2 (5860) | Weapon : Longbow | |Attack: 2 (485) | T Form : Close Formation | |Defense: 2 (518) | S Form : Sniper Formation | |Technique: 3 (495) | Setsuna : Volley | |Command: 3 (490) | Slots : Taunt, Gyakugeki | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Tokitada was one of the few hereditary Taira that actually managed to survive the Genpei war. His daughter was Kiyomori's wife, and thus as the father-in-law to the head of the Taira, he had a great deal of power, and was known and feared as the "Taira Regent." After Kiyomori's death, he continued to wield great power, though the head of the Taira line went to Munemori. He didn't actually participate in that many battles; the only really famous one that he was in was the battle of Dan-no-Ura, where he was captured. He was going to be executed but claimed that he was responsible for saving the Sacred Mirror when it was tossed into the sea, so managed to escape punishment for the time being. He eventually escaped execution via "marriage politics;" he arranged for Yoshitsune to marry his daughter and thus, as his father-in-law, managed to escape death. It's said that he was plotting for the Taira to rise again, but failed, as the Minamoto executed every other member of Taira lineage, infant or adult, and banished Tokitada himself to Noto province. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Unlocked automatically as soon as you start the Taira scenario MOVESET: Nuki-do S Kaeshi-Do SS Kaiten-Giri SSS Tsuki SSSS Draw Bowstring Hold down T Tsurube-Uchi Rapidly tap T Shiranami Release T after holding down awhile Fire Bow ST Fire Bow SST Fire Bow SSST Furi Jumping S Furi Jumping T Fire Bow T while running RATING: Commander D, General C Someone's got to have the unfortunate title of "worst archer in the game" and in this case, that goes to Tokitada. Some of his moves as a Commander are OK (Kaiten-Giri is actually a 360 degree arc attack) but he's got a little bit of that Yukiie "I-don't-really-know-how-to-use-my-sword" thing going with big delays in between attacks, which really leave him open. His Tsurube-Uchi is the slowest of the archers, and his stats overall are the lowest too. While move- wise he's better than, say, Kichiji, his Formations stink which overall make him a less effective Commander. As a General, Tokitada is nothing special either. He's not worthless, simply by virtue of so many of the Archer Stratagems being really useful, but he's not nearly as good in the role of General as any of the other archers out there, with sub-par Technique and Command. While not totally useless, if you're playing as the Taira and want an archer, go with Atsumori instead. KIKUO-MARU 菊王丸 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ELITE FOOTSOLDIER | |Health: 3 (6130) | Weapon : Kodachi | |Attack: 3 (595) | T Form : Charge Formation | |Defense: 2 (480) | S Form : Zeal Formation | |Technique: 5 (670) | Setsuna : Hi-no-Mai | |Command: 2 (370) | Slots : Makibishi | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: It's kind of funny that they chose Kikuo-maru to be a playable character in this game, as there's almost nothing about him in the historical or legendary record. I can think of at least half a dozen more important Taira characters that could have been used. (Koremori, Munemori, etc) He gets about a paragraph of mention in the _Heike Monogatari_ and that's about it. Specifically, he was one of Noritsune's attendants. At the battle of Yashima, when Noritsune shot and killed Sato Tsugunobu, Kikuo ran forward to claim his head, but Tadanobu, not wanting his elder brother's corpse to be beheaded, shot him down. At this point Noritsune leapt out of his boat to keep Kikuo from being similarly beheaded, and Kikuo died in his arms. You can actually visit Kikuo's grave to this day, near Yashima. Other than that, there's not much known about him, except that he was supposed to have served Michimori, governor of Echizen before transferring to Noritsune's service. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Taira Stage "Prince Mochihito's Edict" MOVESET: Tsuki S Tenzan SS Mawashigeri SSS Renkankyaku SSSS rapidly keep hitting S Soga Hold down T Tenzan ST Kakato-Otoshi SST Tenzan SSST Kiri Jumping S Kagegiri Jumping T Hanaguruma T while running RATING: Commander A-, General A Kikuo is a very technical character, and requires a little practice using him before you can get really good with him; when you first play with him he can actually be a little frustrating. This is mainly because of his unusual moveset; whereas most characters move only a little when they're attacking, Kikuo moves a whole step or two ahead for every attack. This can be disconcerting at first, as suddenly you've moved beyond the enemies you meant to be attacking. With practice, however, you can guide his movements and use this to your advantage as feint tactics. Kikuo's attacks are the slowest of the Elite Footsoldiers, but they're also the most powerful and have the best range. He's got little in the way of 360 degree attacks, but used effectively can be good at clearing crowds. On the downside, Kikuo's defense is paltry. Just to compare Elite Footsoldiers, while Yoshimori arguably has the better moveset and definitely has better Technique, I slightly prefer Kikuo as a Commander because of his higher Health and Attack, and his better range and Formations. As a General, Kikuo is virtually identical to Yoshimori. His Stratagems are no different, and his Command is only slightly higher. His Command is still pretty pathetic, but the Elite Footsoldier set of Stratagems more than make up for that. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | "SECRET" GENERALS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o KARASU TENGU (KAMATA MASACHIKA) 烏天狗(鎌田正親) O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ELITE FOOTSOLDIER | |Health: 2 (5870) | Weapon : Kodachi | |Attack: 3 (572) | T Form : Command Formation | |Defense: 2 (530) | S Form : Technique Formation | |Technique: 5 (664) | Setsuna : Hi-no-Mai | |Command: 4 (560) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: A legendary monster that taught Ushiwaka sowrdsmanship. A Tengu is a mythical mountain goblin, but many different tales of the true identity of the Tengu that taught Yoshitsune exist. While not reflected in any of the real legends, in this game, the Tengu that taught Yoshitsune is Kamata Masachika, the man in the _Gikeiki_ that taught Yoshitsune of his true lineage. As the story goes, Kamata Masachika was the son of Kamata Masakiyo, one of Minamoto Yoshitomo's closest retainers. After his father and master were killed in the plot of one Nagata Tadamasa, Masachika managed to survive. Afterwards, Masachika became a monk, known as Shomon-bo or Shijo-sei, and hid in the Kinai area of Japan. As this monk, Masachika snuck into Ushiwaka's quarters in the Kurama temple to tell him of his true lineage. Some more obscure sources have him teaching Ushiwaka the martial arts, though he disappeared from the scene after Ushiwaka met with Kichiji. However, the Kamata brothers that would be known as two of Yoshitsune's Four Great Generals, Morimasa and Mitsumasa, are Masachika's younger brothers. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Complete the Special Stage "Mock Battle" with any character but Yoritomo MOVESET: Yokogiri S Yuten SS Saten SSS Tobigiri SSSS Tenchi-gaeshi T Mawashigeri ST Shippukyaku SST Tenbukyaku SSST Shokyaku Jumping S Shokyaku Jumping T Senpu T while running RATING: Commander A, General A Masachika (aka Karasu Tengu) is the best of the Elite Footsoldiers in the game. While Yoshimori has better Defense and Technique, and Kikuo-maru has better Health and Attack, none of Masachika's stats are particularly low, and he is the only one of the Elite Footsoldiers to have a good Command. Furthermore, his moveset is the best of the Elites, with decent range and lots of 360 degree crowd-clearers. (And you gotta love his Finishing move--he just steps on the poor sod on the ground) As a General, Tengu/Masachika is great, particularly because he's got such a good Command; under anyone else's command, Elite Footsoldier Subordinates can't really reach their full potential. He's a solid addition to any party makeup. MINAMOTO NO JURO YUKIIE 源十郎行家 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | SWORDSMAN | |Health: 3 (6000) | Weapon : Sanjo-Munechika | |Attack: 2 (480) | T Form : Defense Formation | |Defense: 2 (510) | S Form : Close Formation | |Technique: 2 (394) | Setsuna : Reppa | |Command: 4 (550) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Yoritomo, Yoshitsune, and Yoshinaka's uncle. After being defeated in the Heiji Disturbance, he fled to Kumano, where he hid for nearly 20 years. Afterwards, he was contated by Minamoto Yorimasa, and ran around the country delivering Prince Mochihito's edict. Afterwards, he raised his own army and fought the Heike at Owari Sunomata river, where he was defeated thoroughly. He fled and joined Kiso Yoshinaka, but after a while split from him. He then proceeded to fight against his former master along with Yoritomo's forces. Later he came to odds with Yoritomo, and after the end of the Heike, joined forces with Yoshitsune, but failed to gather enough troops and fled the capital. He lay low in Izumi Province for a while, but was found and beheaded. Yukiie was a real schemer, and pretty much a living example of the duplicitious samurai, changing masters more than his underwear. (well, if underwear had existed back then at least) Eventually his side-changing caught up with him and he got killed. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Score Gunjin on the Yoshitsune stage "Rain Dance" MOVESET: Furi S Tsuki SS Kiriotoshi SSS Issen SSSS Midaregiri T Kaiten-giri ST Kaiten-giri SST Kaiten-giri SSST Furi S Furi T Do-giri Running T RATING: Commander F, General D+ There's no denying it--Yukiie is the worst character in the game. You'd think that being a secret character he'd be half decent, but that's not the case. Except for his Command, his stats are all pitiful. He runs so slowly you'd think he was climbing up a snowy mountain with a piano tied to his back. But the clincher is that he has absolutely no clue how to use that sword he's holding. He flails it wildly and lethargically, literally falling over himself every time he swings it, leaving openings a mile wide with every attack. While watching him trip and fall at the end of every combo is humorous the first time you see it, that novelty dies quickly as he soon gets his ass kicked to kingdom come by the weakest of enemies. As a General, Yukiie is marginally better--he's got a good Command so he gives good bonuses to those in his Unit. But his ridiculously slow speed, combined with the fact that he tends to die even more quickly than his Subordinates more than makes up for this tiny advantage, and then some. Having Yukiie's team act as a "faux archer" troop by having them continually use Stone-Throw and Fireball, you can get some use out of him, but the fact of the matter is any other swordsman--for that matter, any other character in the game (well, except maybe Kakuhan) can do a better job than he can. PRINCE MOCHIHITO 以仁王 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | SWORDSMAN | |Health: 3 (6260) | Weapon : Sanjo-Mitsuyo | |Attack: 3 (580) | T Form : Charge Formation | |Defense: 3 (560) | S Form : Zeal Formation | |Technique: 2 (430) | Setsuna : Reppa | |Command: 4 (530) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: More detail on Mochihito himself is covered in the "History" section of this guide, but the basics is that he was the second son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, and in many ways, created the pretense (however dubious) for the entire Genpei war. He had hoped to become Emperor at some point, but after being passed over several times, this wish was squashed when Kiyomori's grandson, Antoku, was crowned. The same year he also lost all his land in Kiyomori's coup. Having completely lost all of his power, Mochihito sent out his famous edict to defeat the Taira. This plot was uncovered by the Heike though, and they surrounded the Uji-Byodoin where he was staying. Mochihito tried to flee to Nara but was killed on the way. While he died before he could reach his goal, his ultimate aim to get rid of the Taira eventually succeeded as his edict provided the spark that ignited the war proper. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Get all three of the Sacred Treasures (Ama-no-Murakumo, Yata-no-Kagami, and Yasakani-no-Magatama) MOVESET: Men S Do SS Shihozan SSS Yaegaki SSSS Men T Inazuma ST Inazuma SST Inazuma SSST Uchioroshi Jumping S Kyo-Uchioroshi Jumping T Hashiri Sendo Running T RATING: Commander B-, General B Prince Mochihito is about as nondescript a character as you can get. There's really no sort of defining feature about him at all. All of his stats are average, his moveset isn't particularly good or bad, and his Stratagem set is completely ordinary. About the only thing you can say about Mochihito is that a lot of his attacks either knock the enemy to the ground or knock them back. Otherwise, that's about it. He's slightly better as a General than a Commander because of his high Command, but that's about the only thing I can say. He's not terrible, but not great either. GOCHIIN-TAJIMA 五智院但馬 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | NAGINATA SOLDIER (MONK) | |Health: 5 (6720) | Weapon : Onaginata | |Attack: 4 (640) | T Form : Anti-Bow Formation | |Defense: 3 (570) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 2 (370) | Setsuna : Shura | |Command: 2 (390) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Gochiin-Tajima was one of the monks at Miidera temple. Whether or not he existed historically is debatable. He appears as one of the primary monks that fought the Taira at the Uji river in the _Heike Monogatari._ His greatest feat was to come up to the bridge and challenged the Heike; when they fired arrows at him he deflected them all with his weapon, and was known as "Arrow- cutter Tajima" from then on. Aside from that not much is known about him. Note that he has "Anti-Bow Formation" as one of his Formations--quite appropriate! UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Play the Taira Stage "Prince Mochihito's Edict" with a Yoshitsune scenario general as Commander, defeat Gochiin-Tajima, and finish the stage. MOVESET: Uchoroshi S Nagibarai SS Ippondachi SSS O-nagibarai SSSS Yagiri T Tsuikonzan ST Datsumyozan SST Datsumyozan SSST Uchioroshi Jumping S Uchioroshi Jumping T Yokonagi Running T RATING: Commander B+, General B- Tajima is a good character, but as Naginata generals go, he's a little on the generic side. He's got good range as a Commander, and has very good Health and Attack, but his moves are a little slow (especially Ippondachi) and he's more focused on single-attacks than area attacks, which is really what Naginata soldiers are best at. As a General, Tajima is merely OK. He's got one of the lowest Command levels in the game, which really counts as a strike against him, though his power makes up for it somewhat. He can't really use any "special" Stratagems except for Nenbutsu (which isn't that useful) so that's a problem too. Still, he can use both the mainstays of Naginata generals (Spear charge and Yaribusuma) so he can be an asset to your team. Overall, he's somewhat average, but still a decent contender. JOMYO-MEISHU 浄妙明秀 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ARCHER (MONK) | |Health: 3 (6160) | Weapon : Shortbow | |Attack: 3 (550) | T Form : Anti-Cavalry Formation | |Defense: 2 (530) | S Form : Defense Formation | |Technique: 3 (495) | Setsuna : Volley | |Command: 2 (430) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Like Gochiin-Tajima, Joymo-Meishu was one of the monks at Miidera who participated in the battle at Uji River with the Taira. However, Meishu's feats outshined those of Tajima's; he leapt straight into the a mass of soldiers, cutting them down left and right, abandoning each of his weapons in favor of another as they broke, eventually fighting with a mere dagger, his armor peppered with arrows, as he stood on top of a mound of corpses that he had created. One thing of interesting note is that the _Heike Monogatari_ names some of the various techniques that he used against the Taira that he fought, and those names are actually the same as the ones used for his "fast" moves in-game. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Play the Taira Stage "Prince Mochihito's Edict" with a Yoshitsune scenario general as Commander, defeat Jomyo-Meishu, and finish the stage. MOVESET: Jumonji S Kakunawa SS Kumo-no-te SSS Mizuguruma SSSS Draw Bowstring Hold down T Tsurube-Uchi Rapidly tap T Esha-Jori Release T after holding down awhile Fire Bow ST Fire Bow SST Fire Bow SSST Furi Jumping S Furi Jumping T Nukiuchi T while running RATING: Commander B-, General B- After reading the _Heike Monogatari,_ where Jomyo-Meishu runs into a massive crowd of soldiers and singlehandedly slaughtered them, I was expecting him to be a lot tougher than he is in this game. If Mochihito is the game's "generic swordsman" and Gochiin-Tajima is the game's "generic Naginata soldier" then Jomyo-Meishu is the game's "generic archer." There's simply nothing special about him at all. As a Commander, he can do fairly well for an archer; his moves are a bit slow but his Mizuguruma is good crowd control and his running T is actually a melee move. However he's nowhere near as good as a true melee character. As a General he's pretty much average too; none of his stats are fantastic, and his Command is actually pretty bad, though the great Archer Stratagems make up for that somewhat. Actually, Jomyo-Meishu can use more Stratagems than any other archer (since he can use Nenbutsu) but other than that, there's nothing special about him. He's not a bad character, but he's not that good a character either. He's just...nondescript. MINAMOTO NO YORITOMO 源頼朝 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | MOUNTED SWORDSMAN | |Health: 5 (6700) | Weapon : Kobizen-Tomonari | |Attack: 5 (690) | T Form : Command Formation | |Defense: 5 (670) | S Form : Hachiman Formation | |Technique: 5 (670) | Setsuna : Reppa | |Command: 5 (651) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Yoritomo was the leader of the Genji and Yoshitsune's older brother, and the first Shogun of the Kamakura Bakufu in Japan. It is said that his name as a child was "Onimu-maru" or "Onimu-sha." (Demon warrior) His first battle was in the Heiji disturbance when he was a mere youth of 12, but at the request of Lady Ike, Kiyomori's stepmother, he was spared and exiled to Hirugakojima in Izu province. 20 years later he received Mochihito's edict and rose against the Taira. In fact, he did this somewhat reluctantly and only because he was forced to; as the edict specifically called on the Genji to rise up, and he was the official "heir" of the Genji, he feared that Kiyomori would change his mind and have him killed; only by raising an army did he really have a chance to survive. And, in fact, the initial stages of raising an army proved very difficult for Yoritomo. The Genji had, for the most part, made peace with the Taira and were not willing to fight. But eventually he got enough soldiers to fight a battle at Ishibashiyama--where he was absolutely crushed. However, several Heike generals--including Kajiwara Kagetoki--joined him and thus he was able to regroup with a mixture of both Taira and Minamoto soldiers under him. He was able to defeat the Taira at Fuji River, but made no moves to attack, instead concentrating on building a solid base of operations. As both sides had implicitly decided to use Chubu (the area between Kanto and Kinai/ Kyoto) as the main battleground, so long as he didn't move his troops there, he was reasonably safe. So for several years he built up his strength there with Noriyori and Yoshitsune, his younger brothers. Eventually he attacked Yoshinaka to assert his dominance over the Genji, and sent Yoshitsune to crush the Taira. However, after the defeat of the Taira, a rift formed between the two brothers (and exacerbated by Go-Shirakawa) and Yoritomo branded Yoshitsune as a rebel. Putting pressure on the Oshu Fujiwara, he got Yasuhira to kill and hand over Yoshitsune's head, and then destroyed the Oshu Fujiwara to unite Japan under his banner. Go-Shirakawa resisted making Yoritomo Seii-Taishogun, but after his death, there was nothing to stop Yoritomo, and he assumed the mantle, creating the Kamakura Bakufu. Several years later he was thrown from his horse on the Sagami River bridge when attending a ceremony, and died from his wounds. Legend has it that Yoshitsune's ghost came back to spook the horse and get revenge... UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Score Gunjin on the Special Stage "Calling all Heroes." MOVESET: Kiribarai S Furi SS Furiage SSS Hasso-Happa SSSS Nagibarai T Tsubame-Otoshi ST Yoroi-doshi SST Ifu-Seii SSST Furi Jumping S Kabutowari Jumping T Mizuwari Running T RATING: Commander A+, General A+ Yoritomo is an ubercharacter. He's the overall best character in the game by a long shot--being the "last boss" of the game, what do you expect? Whatever Yoritomo's level is, he essentially plays like a character 15 levels higher. So, let's look at what Yoritomo's got going for him. First, his stats. He doesn't get the "best character in the game" award for any of his stats except Command, but scores in like the top 3 characters for all of them, #2 in the case of Technique. Second, he's got his fantastic moveset, which is extremely fast with very little in the way of openings, and has excellent crowd control and range. Third, he's got his unfairly powerful Hachiman Formation which, while in effect, will make enemies Confused. He's even got an uberweapon that only he can use. Yoritomo isn't as effective as a General than as a Commander, but he's still the best sword general there is. He's got access to all the Stratagems you'd want on a Swordsman, and a few more. Yoritomo is a very capable character. Don't use him as your Commander in multiplay, or your friends will hate you. KAJIWARA HEIZO KAGETOKI 梶原平三景時 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | NAGINATA SOLDIER | |Health: 3 (6020) | Weapon : Onitake | |Attack: 3 (588) | T Form : Defense Formation | |Defense: 3 (568) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 3 (475) | Setsuna : Spear Charge | |Command: 4 (590) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Kajiwara Kagetoki actually started out as a Taira general, and is sometimes even known as "Taira Kagetoki." However, he joined Yoritomo's rebellion and became one of his--if not his closest--adviser. He actually was part of the Taira punitive force that crushed Yoritomo at Ishibashiyama, but let him escape and soon after joined him. Later on, Kagetoki was one of the main field commanders of the force against the Taira, where he clashed with Yoshitsune again and again. Kagetoki preferred the slow, safe approach, whereas Yoshitsune was brash and preferred sudden, decisive action. Even if the legends exaggerate their animosity, it's very clear that the two hated each other with a passion. It's said in fact that the primary reason that Yoritomo and Yoshitsune had a falling-out was because of Kagetoki's slanders, warning Yoritomo that Yoshitsune was after his position. (And there may have been a grain of truth in that) While this was probably not the deciding factor, it probably helped widen the rift between the two. After Yoritomo's death, Kagetoki continued to serve the Bakufu, attending Yoritomo's son Yoriie. However, one of Yoriie's rivals, Yuuki Yorimitsu, wrote up a censure of Kagetoki over his (presumably inappropriate) behavior and he ended up becoming enemies with the Miura and Wada, two influential families that worked for the Bakufu. He was thrown out of Kamakura, and was planning a revolt, but a year later came to blows with Bakufu forces in Suruga province's Kitsune-zaki, and was killed. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Finish the Special Stage "Mock Battle" with Yoritomo as your Commander. MOVESET: Kirikomi S Renzuki SS Reunzuki SSS Kazebarai SSSS Tatsumaki T Tatsumaki ST Tatsumaki SST Tatsumaki SSST Uchioroshi Jumping S Uchioroshi Jumping T Kazebarai Running T RATING: Commander D+, General C- Kagetoki is the worst of the large Naginata users by a long shot. His moveset is laughable; almost all of his attacks are geared for one-on-one combat instead of wide-range, which is what Naginata soldiers are best at. What's worse, his range is horrible; Kagetoki holds his Naginata so high up on the shaft that there are some swordsmen that have better range than he does. Plus he's got a lousy Setsuna-no-Saku. None of his stats are particularly high, and about the only thing you can say for him is that his Formations are pretty good. As a General, Kagetoki is also pretty bad. He can't use Shura, and the only "special" Stratagem he has access to is Hoten, which is useful but not exceptional. His Command is OK at least, so I guess that makes up for it somewhat. There are plenty of characters better than Kagetoki; pick one of them instead. KAKUHAN 覚範 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | NAGINATA SOLDIER (MONK) | |Health: 4 (6380) | Weapon : High Priest's Staff | |Attack: 3 (564) | T Form : Anti-Cavalry Formation | |Defense: 2 (540) | S Form : Charge Formation | |Technique: 2 (380) | Setsuna : Spear Charge | |Command: 2 (370) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Whether or not Kakuhan was actually a historical person is debatable, though a Kubizuka (a grave for a head) for him does exist in the present-day Yoshino mountains. His primary claim to fame is a long story about him and Sato Tadanobu fighting in the Yoshino mountains in the _Gikeiki._ As the story goes, after fleeing the capital, Yoshitsune and his loyalists were travelling through the Yoshino mountains in an attempt to escape all the bounty hunters. However, the mountains were monk territory, and the Heian monks were pretty tough characters. In order to let his master escape, Tadanobu and a handful of his retainres pretended to be Yoshitsune to hold off his pursuers. After skirmishing with the monks, all of Tadanobu's men had been killed, but none of the monks could touch him. UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Finish the Yoshitsune Stage "I long for him" with Yoritomo as your Commander. MOVESET: Furi S Tsuki SS Kaiten-Nagi SSS Tozuki SSSS Tenzuki T Tenzuki ST Tenzuki SST Tenzuki SSST Furi Jumping S Furi Jumping T Tozuki Running T RATING: Commander D, General D This is the monk that practically killed Sato Tadanobu in single combat? You gotta be kidding me. Kakuhan stinks. First off, his moveset is terrible. He's got nothing decent in the way of crowd-clearers, and the only one of his moves that can be put to really good use is his Tozuki. His Tenzuki--which is the ONLY T move he's got--is not that strong and has bad range. Plus his Setsuna- no-Saku stinks. Second, his weapon selection is the worst in the game. He can only use Buddhist staffs, all of which are lousy weapons; to get him to equip something decent you have to permanently waste one of his slots to Ko-Naginata Mastery. As a General, Kakuhan is equally bad; he can't use Tsumuji, and his Command is the worst in the game. He's not completely unusuable, but just about any character will be a better choice than Kakuhan. SAITO BETTO SANEMORI 斉藤別当実盛 O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O |STATISTICS | ARCHER | |Health: 2 (5530) | Weapon : Shigeto Bow | |Attack: 2 (500) | T Form : Spread Formation | |Defense: 2 (472) | S Form : Sniper Formation | |Technique: 4 (560) | Setsuna : Volley | |Command: 4 (600) | Slots : | O--------------------O--------------------------------------------------------O HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: UNLOCK REQUIREMENTS: Play the Yoshinaka Stage "Yoshinaka Enters the Capital" with a Taira scenario general as Commander, defeat Saito Sanemori, and finish the stage. MOVESET: Nukiuchi S Ashigiri SS Kiribarai SSS Senkai-Zuki SSSS Draw Bowstring Hold down T Tsurube-Uchi Rapidly tap T Shinkyu-Ichiya Release T after holding down awhile Fire Bow ST Fire Bow SST Fire Bow SSST Furi Jumping S Furi Jumping T Fire Bow T while running RATING: Commander F, General A- Yes, you heard me right, he gets an F in one role and an A- in the other. As a Commander, Saito Sanemori is pitiful. His stats suck, he's SO damn slow with that sword, and his moves frequently out-and-out miss because of the funny range they have--he's just too old to be duking it out in melee. Plus, his Formations are horrible; neither of them is any good at all. His Tsurube-Uchi is one of the fastest, but that's about all you can say for him. However, Sanemori is very solid as a General. Yes, his Health, Attack, and Defense are horrible, but his Technique, and more importantly, his Command, are excellent. His Command is higher than all the other Archers in the game, so he beefs up his Subordinates quite well. Sanemori himself won't be dealing much damage, but his Subordinates will be kicking butt. He's kind of like being in the same boat as Kichiji, except that Sanemori's Technique and Command are better, and his rate of fire is markedly faster, making him a substantially better General. O#############################################################################O # # # STRATAGEMS AND FORMATIONS # # # O#############################################################################O The following is a list of all the Stratagems, Formations, and Skills in the game. Here's a quick guide to what each category in the list means: COST: The initial cost in Spirit Spheres of the Stratagem. Note that this value may vary depending on the type and level of the Stratagem. USABLE BY: Which characters can use the Stratagem. EFFECT: What the Stratagem actually does. SUCCESS: What you need to do to actually make the Stratagem succeed. Success means that the general using the Stratagem says "The Stratagem worked," and (in most cases) the little Stratagem bar appears on the left side of the screen. As Formations (and a handful of Stratagems) don't succeed or fail per se, I've omitted this category in those conditions. STRATAGEM ENDS: Under what conditions the unit will stop using the Stratagem. In many cases this is just the Stratagem timer expiring, but there are also often situations where the Stratagem will end prematurely. (such as all soldiers in the unit taking damage) I didn't include this category for Formations and a few basic Stratagems (like Standby) as they all only end when the timer expires or when canceled by the player. LEVEL-UP EFFECTS: What sort of changes or improvements the Stratagem takes when you increase its level to 2 or 3. Changes are on a per-level basis, and unless otherwise noted, are cumulative--i.e if a Stratagem gains a bonus of "Increased Damage" on level 2 and gains a bonus of "Inflicts Status ailments" on level 3, then the level 3 stratagem both has increased damage AND inflicts status ailments. SUCCESS TIMER: How many seconds are added to your Chain Timer when the Stratagem succeeds. Note that some Stratagems have a Success Timer value of 0 seconds; in this case they can be Chained in a combo, but won't actually add any time to the Chain Timer. (which means that they can't be used to start Chained Stratagems unless they succeed at the exact same instant as another Stratagem) I've omitted this category for Formations and a few special Strategems that can't be used in Chain combos. RATING: My own personal ratings on the effectiveness of the Stratagem, plus a comment. I gave each Stratagem a rating of 1 star, (rarely or never useful) 2 stars (occasionally useful) 3 stars, (useful but not exceptional) 4 stars, (very useful) and 5 stars. (almost indispensible) Take these ratings with a grain of salt, as they're very subjective. :) o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | STRATAGEMS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Cancel (解除) ------------- Effect: When a unit is currently enacting a Stratagem, This command will be mapped to the X button automatically. Activate it and they will prematurely end their Stratagem. (Of course, if it's a stratagem that hasn't succeeded yet, it will count as a failure, unless they're on Standby) Standby (待機) -------------- Effect: This Stratagem will be mapped to the X button automatically whenever a unit is not currently using a Stratagem. Activate it, and the unit in question will stand still in its current position until the Stratagem timer runs out or you Cancel the order. Units on Standby will not attack any enemies or defend themselves; they will simply stand put doing nothing. Taunt (挑発) ------------ Cost: 1 Usable by: Anyone Effect: The general Taunting calls out to the enemies, goading them into attacking. Enemies that are successfully taunted become Enraged and charge the unit doing the Taunting Success: Enemies become Enraged Stratagem Ends: On success or after time expires Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The chance for an enemy to become Enraged rises Success Timer: 7 seconds Rating: *** Taunt is a versatile Stratagem that can be used in many different ways. You can use it to protect allies by deliberately drawing enemy attention to a strong general. Also, it's great for setting up chained Stratagems, by luring enemies into range of other generals using Stratagems like Yaribusuma or Onshin. Calming (収拾) -------------- Cost: 1 Usable by: Anyone Effect: When your allies get inflicted with status ailments, you can use Calming to return them to normal. Calming always works if the afflicted units are within range of the general using it. Success: Allies have their status ailments removed Stratagem Ends: On success or after time expires Success Timer: 10 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Calming raises all allies with negative Spirit levels to 0 Level 3: Calming raises all allies with negative Spirit levels to 1 Rating: * This Stratagem is pretty much useless. I've never ever had one of my own subordinates get hit with a status ailment in single-player, not even once. The only time that this Stratagem is ever useful is in Versus mode, as your (human) opponent can use Stratagems like Taunt or False Alarm against you. But even then, it's of limited use, because if your generals are afflicted with a status ailment, they can't use any Stratagems; unless your general with Calming has a skill to prevent status ailments, they won't be able to use Calming as a countermeasure, as they'll be afflicted too. Lure Astray (迷走) ------------------ Cost: 1 Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwaka-Maru, Sato Tadanobu, Kiso Yoshinaka Effect: This Stratagem is essentially identical to Taunt, except that once the enemy gets Enraged, the General Luring Astray runs toward the nearest exit so that the target follows him. Once the Stratagem ends, the general using it will return to your position. Success: Enemies become Enraged Stratagem Ends: After time expires or when the general using it reaches the exit Success Timer: 8 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The chance for an enemy to become Enraged rises Rating: *** This is a great Stratagem to use when you're facing an overwhelming force, as if it succeeds, it thins the enemy lines out somewhat, buying you some time. It can also be used to lure enemies into traps, like Taunt does. I also like this Stratagem for its sheer amusement factor, watching all the enemies charge after your General. Note that it doesn't always work very well against archers, who will often start firing instead of giving chase. False Alarm (虚報) ------------------ Cost: 3 Usable by: Anyone Effect: The general using this Stratagem feeds false information to the enemies in front of him or her, (usually something like "All your allies have fled!") causing them to become Bewildered. Bewildered enemies will run for the exit for a predetermined time, then (as they realize that they were had) become Enraged and return to attack. Generals (ie named enemies and not just captains) generally cannot be Bewildered. Success: Enemies become Bewildered Stratagem Ends: On success or after time expires Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The chance for an enemy to become Bewildered rises Rating: ** In my opinion, this Stratagem really isn't worth the cost to use. It is useful for getting enemies temporarily out of your hair, but they usually will return so soon that it's not worth it. Still, it does have some practical use in some situations. Rally (鼓舞) ------------ Cost: 3 Usable by: Anyone Effect: Rally allows the general using it to raise the Spirit levels of all the other generals on your team. So long as the other generals are within range, it never fails. By default, Rally restores 2 Spirit spheres. Success: Allies' Spirit levels raise. Success does not occur until after the Stratagem time has expired. Stratagem Ends: After time expires Success Timer: 0 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Restores 3 Spirit Spheres instead of 2 Level 3: Restores 4 Spirit Spheres instead of 2 Rating: **** This is a really good Strategem, as you can use it to refill your army's Spirit Spheres at just about any time. Since if it succeeds, the General using it will get a Spirit boost, it doesn't cost much for the Encouraging person either. Blessing (加護) --------------- Cost: 2 Usable by: Shizuka Effect: Shizuka and her team stands and makes a prayer to the Buddhas with this Stratagem. Sometimes they'll answer her prayer and sometimes they won't, but if they do, then all nearby units will be healed a little bit. Success: The prayer is answered. Success does not occur until after the Stratagem time has expired. Stratagem Ends: After time expires Success Timer: 0 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: The blessing cures status ailments, in addition to the healing Level 3: The blessing heals more damage as well Rating: ***** Free healing, what can you say? This is a great Stratagem. The only real problems with it is that it's kind of a crap shoot as to whether the Buddhas answer your prayer or not. You may have to use it a couple of times before you actually get healed. But the Spirit cost is low, so that's not too much of a problem. Assault (強襲) -------------- Cost: 1 Usable by: Anyone Effect: The unit using Assault will charge at the enemy unit they are directed to and start attacking them. Also while this Stratagem is in effect, they will automatically attack any enemy that gets within range. This Stratagem can also be used to direct your generals to break down closed doors. Success: The unit Assaulting either wipes out an entire enemy unit, causes an enemy unit to flee, (usually by killing the captain) or breaks down the door. Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, or if all enemies in the area are killed off before an attack is landed Success Timer: 7 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem time increases Level 3: Unit's Attack Power increases for the duration Rating: ***** This is one of the best all-around Stratagems in the game. It doesn't really do anything special, but is the best way to direct your generals to attack a specific opponent aggressively. It's also a great Stratagem to use for Surprise Attacks, and one of the best in the game for Chaining due to its versatility and low Cost. Furthermore, if for whatever reason you need your generals operating in one area while your commander is in another, Assault is ideal for getting them in position. One note, however, is that for archers this Stratagem is not as valuable, as they have several Stratagems that do Assault's job better. Shogeki (将撃) -------------- Cost: 1 Usable by: Anyone Effect: Shogeki is very similar to Assault and Gyakugeki, but the unit using it will specifically target enemy generals and captains. This Stratagem can also be used to order your generals to break down doors. Success: The unit using Shogeki either kills an enemy unit captain or General, or breaks down a door. Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, or if all enemy captains in the area are killed off before an attack is landed Success Timer: 7 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem time increases Level 3: Unit's Attack Power increases for the duration Rating: **** Shogeki has a lot of great uses. It's not quite as good as Gyakugeki or Assault for launching Surprise Attacks (often by the time your characters reach an enemy unit captain, his or her subordinates will have seen them) but is extremely effective at reducing enemy opposition quickly. By having an entire Unit gang up on a single hapless captain or general you can kill them very quickly, garnering experience for your unit and inflicting enemy soldiers with status ailments. This is also a good Stratagem for chain combos since it tends to succeed fairly quickly. Gyakugeki (虐撃) ---------------- Cost: 1 Usable by: Anyone Effect: Gyakugeki is a lot like Assault, except that the unit using it will specifically target enemies with lower life levels, rather than standing guard in an area and attacking anyone that comes near. Like Assault, it also can be used to break down doors. Success: The unit using Gyakugeki either kills an entire enemy unit, causes an enemy unit to flee, (usually by killing the captain) or breaks down a door. Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, or if all enemies in the area are killed off before an attack is landed Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem time increases Level 3: Assaulting unit's Attack Power increases for the duration Success Timer: 7 seconds Rating: **** Gyakugeki is another simple but versatile skill like Assault. It has a low Cost, and is great for chaining in Stratagem combos. It's not quite as useful as Assault as it doesn't have the "attack anyone that gets close" component. This is also a good Stratagem to use when you want to build up a specific general's levels, as they tend to rack up a lot of kills when targeting low-life enemies. Guard (護衛) ------------ Cost: 2 Usable by: Anyone Effect: When used near an Allied general, the unit using this Stratagem will stick close to him or her and guard them, attacking any enemies that get close or start firing arrows at the protected unit. Success: The general being protected is still alive after the Stratagem timer expires Stratagem Ends: After time expires, or if the general being protected gets killed Success Timer: 12 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: The Defense of the unit being defended increases for the duration Level 3: The Attack of the unit being defended increases for the duration Rating: ***** As simple as it may seem, I can't stress enough how critical this Stratagem is. In fact, it's probably the single most important Stratagem in the game. It's virtually impossible to score Gunjin on many levels without it, as you frequently need to keep allied generals alive while accomplishing some other task, and setting one or both of your generals to guard them is the only way you can be in two places at once. Even if you're not required to keep your allied generals alive, this is a great Stratagem to use to keep your score high, as you lose points if any of your allies die. Sutemi (捨身) ------------- Cost: 2 Usable by: Anyone Effect: The general using this Stratagem and all his/her subordinates lose 1/4 of their maximum Health, but for the duration of the Stratagem being activated, their attacks do double damage and they take half damage from enemy attacks. Success: The unit using Sutemi successfully lands a blow on the enemy Stratagem Ends: After time expires Success Timer: 5 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The Sutemi-ing unit gets knocked back less from enemy blows Rating: * The power and defense boost you get from this Stratagem is indeed nice, but the price of using it is just way too high, especially when you're playing on the harder difficulty levels. Trying to raise Sutemi's levels is also extraordinarily difficult, as without healing the fourth time you use it will kill the entire unit. (If you want to raise it for the sake of raising it, bring in generals with some sort of healing Stratagem, and someone with Rally too) Rangeki (乱撃) ------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Hitachibo-Kaison, Kiso Yoshinaka, Imai Kanehira, Taira Tomomori, Taira Noritsune, Minamoto Yoritomo Effect: The general using Rangeki stands in a circular formation with his subordinates, and any time an enemy gets close, hits them with a strong knockback attack. If a soldier in a Rangeki stance takes damage, they will return to normal combat. Success: The unit using Rangeki successfully lands an attack Stratagem Ends: After time expires, or all soldiers using Rangeki take damage Success Timer: 8 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Attack power increases Level 3: Attacks are Reppa/Shura/Mogura combos (but not increased power) Rating: ** Rangeki is very nice when maxed out, but otherwise it's not terribly useful. Its primary function is to be used as a defensive formation when your commander is underpowered, or to guard a specific area, though its use is limited in the latter case, as the unit using Rangeki won't chase after enemies. Stone-Throw (投石) ------------------ Cost: 2 Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwaka-Maru, Sato Tadanobu, Ise Yoshimori, Karasu Tengu, Imai Kanehira, Taira Shigehira, Kikuo-Maru, Minamoto Yukiie, Prince Mochihito Effect: The unit using Stone-Throw will stand in place and throw a barrage of stones at the enemy. Note that if a mounted unit uses this Stratagem, they'll get off their horses first. If a stone-thrower takes any damage, they'll return to normal combat. Success: An entire enemy unit that got hit by stones gets wiped out Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, if all enemies in the area are killed off before an attack is landed, or if all stone-throwers take damage Success Timer: 10 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stones do more damage Level 3: Stratagem only takes 1 Spirit Sphere to use Rating: **** As humble as it may sound, never underestimate the destructive power of large chunks of minerals traveling at high velocity through the air. At a bare minimum, Stone-Throw can stop an enemy in its tracks as the speed and rate at which the rocks are thrown makes it very difficult to advance. (When you're on the receiving end of this Stratagem you'll curse it, too) On low- to mid-stages of the game, it's also very effective at killing enemies outright, too. Fireball (火玉) --------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwaka-Maru, Sato Tadanobu, Ise Yoshimori, Karasu Tengu, Imai Kanehira, Taira Shigehira, Kikuo-Maru, Minamoto Yukiie, Prince Mochihito Effect: The unit using Fireball will stand in place and throw a barrage of burning projectiles at the enemy. Like Stone-Throw, if a mounted unit uses this Stratagem, they'll get off their horses first. If a fireball-thrower takes any damage, they'll return to normal combat. Success: An entire enemy unit that got hit by fireballs gets wiped out, or gets afflicted with Confusion Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, if all enemies in the area are killed off before an attack is landed, or if all fireball-throwers take damage Success Timer: 8 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Fireballs sometimes cause Confusion on contact Level 3: Fireballs do more damage Rating: ***** Fireball is just like Stone Throw, only a lot more potent. It takes more Spirit Spheres to use, but it does a lot more damage, and can be used to burn down boats or Archer towers. (Though it's much harder to successfully do as the fireballs aren't thrown in any sort of arc) It can be used to wipe out enemy units that are too hardy to be taken down by Stone-Throw, and is one of the best all-purpose Stratagems in the game. Reppa (烈破) ------------ Cost: 3 Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwaka-Maru, Sato Tadanobu, Imai Kanehira, Nenoi Yukichika, Taira Shigehira, Minamoto Yukiie, Prince Mochihito Minamoto Yoritomo Effect: Reppa is a "combo" attack; the all the members of the unit using it will launch a fast barrage of uninterruptable attacks. Success: The unit using Reppa successfully lands an attack Stratagem Ends: After the combo finishes Success Timer: 3 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The number of hits in the combo increase Rating: ***** One of the things unique about Reppa (and all the "combo" Stratagems for that matter) is that its effectiveness varies slightly depending on what General is using it; while the combo being used by the general's subordinates doesn't change depending on who uses it, the general's combo itself does. Kanehira, for example, launches a much more effective combo than Yukiie. Regardless, Reppa is a fantastic Stratagem to use for chaining, and is ideal for use in pitched battles where you get surrounded by a mass of enemies. Volley (斉射) ------------- Cost: 2 Usable by: Kichiji, Nasu Yoichi, Higuchi Kanemitsu, Taira Atsumori, Taira Tokitada, Jomyo-Meishu, Saito Sanemori Effect: The unit using Volley will line up and fire a continuous volley of arrows at the unit the Commander directs them at. If an archer participating in a Volley takes damage, they will return to normal combat. Success: An entire enemy unit that got hit by arrows gets wiped out Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, if all enemies in the area are killed off before an attack is landed, or if all archers participating take damage Success Timer: 10 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Every time an archer fires, they launch 2 arrows at a time Level 3: Every time an archer fires, they launch 3 arrows at a time Rating: *** This is a simple but effective Stratagem that is sort of like a special version of Assault for archers. The primary difference between Volley and Assault on an Archer is that Volley fires arrows at a greater rate of fire, so in that sense you're better off using Volley over Assault on an archer unit. The only real problem with Volley is that there are Archer stratagems that are more effective. However, a nothing beats a high-level Volley for sheer volume of arrows! It's a good Stratagem to use in combos too, because of its high Success Timer value. Fire Arrow (火矢) ----------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Kichiji, Nasu Yoichi, Higuchi Kanemitsu, Taira Atsumori, Taira Tokitada, Jomyo-Meishu, Saito Sanemori Effect: Fire Arrow is just like Volley, except that the archers using it set fire to their arrows before shooting, for greater damage. Fire Arrows will also set fire to enemy archer towers and ships on contact; while burning, all enemy soldiers on the tower/ship will lose life rapidly, usually killing them outright with a single arrow unless their Heath is exceptionally high. Success: An entire enemy unit that got hit by arrows gets wiped out or gets afflicted with Confusion Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, if all enemies in the area are killed off before an attack is landed, or if all archers participating take damage Success Timer: 8 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Flaming arrows sometimes afflict enemies with Confusion Level 3: Flaming arrows do more damage Rating: ***** This is one Stratagem every archer should have. It's just fantastic. Not only does the additional damage of the flaming arrows make a big difference, but the ability to burn down ships and archer towers is invaluable; rather than having to have your archers engage in extensive shooting matches you can just "fire and forget," roasting the enemies alive. If that wasn't enough, the Confusion is just icing on the cake. Poison Arrow (毒矢) ------------------- Cost: 4 Usable by: Kichiji, Nasu Yoichi, Higuchi Kanemitsu, Taira Atsumori, Taira Tokitada, Jomyo-Meishu, Saito Sanemori Effect: Poison Arrow is just like Volley, except that the archers using it poison to their arrows before shooting. By themselves, poisoned arrows don't do that much more damage than regular arrows, but occasionally they'll deal critical hits for huge damage. Success: An entire enemy unit that got hit by arrows gets wiped out Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, if all enemies in the area are killed off before an attack is landed, or if all archers participating take damage Success Timer: 8 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Poisoned Arrows do double damage Level 3: Poisoned Arrows occasionally instantly kill enemies Rating: ***** This is not only the deadliest Stratagem that archers can use, it's also the deadliest Stratagem in the game. A team of archers with poison arrows can wipe out a whole team of enemies at full health in seconds. Even the toughest enemy General will have his or her life drop like water through a sieve with a couple of critical hits from Poisoned arrows. The only real downside to Poison arrow is that it's random whether or not the arrows will deal critical hits, and the "window" for use of the Stratagem is very short. For maximum effectiveness, make sure the soldiers in the unit using Poison Arrow have high Technique. Cover (掩護) ------------ Cost: 1 Usable by: Kichiji, Nasu Yoichi, Higuchi Kanemitsu, Taira Atsumori, Taira Tokitada, Jomyo-Meishu, Saito Sanemori Effect: The archer team using Cover will provide cover fire for the Commander, firing arrows at whomever he or she is currently fighting. Success: An enemy the unit Covering successfully attacks gets killed Stratagem Ends: After time expires or if all enemies in the area are killed off Success Timer: 5 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: Stratagem time increases Rating: ** Cover is effective in that it's reasonably easy to succeed and good at harassing your opponent when you're facing a boss-class enemy. If your commander is very underdeveloped, the extra cover fire doesn't hurt either. But overall, it's not overwhelmingly useful, as sometimes the archers have trouble deciding who to attack and/or your commander kills his/her opponents so quickly they don't have a chance to act. In some situations it can be useful, but other Stratagems are usually better. Return Fire (応射) ------------------ Cost: 3 Usable by: Kichiji, Nasu Yoichi, Higuchi Kanemitsu, Taira Atsumori, Taira Tokitada, Jomyo-Meishu, Saito Sanemori Effect: When an enemy archer fires at a soldier using Return Fire, he avoids it of the way and all archers in his unit target that single archer simultaneously and return fire. Note that enemy swordsmen throwing stones or fireballs also count as "archers." Success: A successful counterattack is launched (whether it hits or not) Stratagem Ends: After time expires, or if all archers participating take damage Success Timer: 8 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem time increases Level 3: Archers returning fire shoot two arrows at a time Rating: *** This Stratagem certainly ranks as one of the most amusing, as the hapless enemy archer who shot at you gets peppered with arrows from 5 archers simultaneously. Overall, it's extremely effective at taking out enemy archers very quickly, but it's not really good for much else. Still, enemy archers are a real pain in the rear, so you can put this Stratagem to good use. Makibishi (微菱) ---------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Ise Yoshimori, Karasu Tengu, Kikuo-Maru Effect: The unit using this Stratagem throws a bunch of makibishi, pointed caltrops, on the ground. The makibishi won't hurt any of your allies, but if an enemy steps on them, they'll take damage. Success: An enemy steps on the trap Stratagem Ends: After a preset time, (a minute or so) when the Makibishi vanish. Note that even if the Stratagem timer expires, it doesn't count as a failed Stratagem unless the Makibishi themselves disappear. Also, if all of the soldiers in the unit get hit before they can drop their caltrops, the Stratagem ends (and fails) Success Timer: 5 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: The Makibishi do more damage Level 3: The Makibishi sometimes instantly kill enemies Rating: **** The most basic of the Elite Footsoldier "trap" type Stratagem, Makibishi can be pretty useful, especially when it's maxed out, as it insta-kills enemies with great frequency. It's good for setting up combos, especially when used in conjunction with Stratagems like Taunt. (Fire Trap is better though because of its increased timer) Fire Trap (火罠) ---------------- Cost: 4 Usable by: Ise Yoshimori, Karasu Tengu, Kikuo-Maru Effect: This Stratagem is a lot like Makibishi, except that instead of dropping caltrops on the ground, the unit using it buries small landmines that won't hurt you, but will explode on contact with the enemy. Success: An enemy steps on the trap Stratagem Ends: After a preset time, (a minute or so) when the Fire Traps vanish. Note that even if the Stratagem timer expires, it doesn't count as a failed Stratagem unless the Fire Traps themselves disappear. Also, if all of the soldiers in the unit get hit before they can plant their traps, the Stratagem ends (as a failure) Success Timer: 10 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Fire Traps produce sometimes Confuse enemies when they go off Level 3: Stratagem only takes 3 Spirit Spheres to use Rating: **** Fire Trap is more useful than Makibishi in that it does more damage and also has the potential to Confuse your enemies, though it doesn't ever insta-kill enemies. It is also useful in setting up combos, and even in pitched battles as well; if planted successfully, the Traps will explode almost immediately and frequently cause Confusion, giving you a little breather space. Onshin (隠身) ------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Rin, Ise Yoshimori, Karasu Tengu, Kikuo-Maru Effect: The unit using this Stratagem falls to the ground and plays dead. When an enemy comes close, they stand up and launch a surprise attack. If any enemy is currently watching, you won't be able to use Onshin; the general will tell you s/he can't hide while being observed. Success: When a surprise attack is launched Stratagem Ends: When time expires, or if all participating soldiers take damage before lying down or launch their surprise attacks. Success Timer: 10 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Surprise attacks sometimes cause Confusion Level 3: Surprise attacks sometimes instantly kill enemies Rating: *** The main thing keeping Onshin from being a more useful Stratagem is that it's a huge pain in the butt to actually use, (let alone build up) since enemies almost always seem to be looking at you. It seems to be very inconsistent though, as oddly enough, sometimes you can actually use Onshin in the middle of a pitched battle. If you can pull it off, the confusion and insta-killing it provides is very nice. Hi-no-Mai (火舞) ----------------- Cost: 4 Usable by: Ise Yoshimori, Karasu Tengu, Kikuo-Maru Effect: Hi-no-Mai is a "combo" attack; the all the members of the unit using it will light their weapons on fire and launch a fast barrage of uninterruptable attacks. Success: The unit using Hi-no-Mai successfully lands an attack Stratagem Ends: After the combo finishes Success Timer: 3 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The number of hits in the combo increase Rating: ***** Hi-no-Mai is basically the Elite Footsoldier equivalent of Reppa or Shura. It's very effective in the hands of all the characters that can use it, and deals a little more damage proportionally than Reppa or Shura as well. (hence the increased Spirit cost) The 4-Sphere price is steep, but nonetheless, Hi-no-Mai is a great Stratagem for use in pitched battles or in chain combos. Ninsatsu (忍殺) --------------- Cost: 4 Usable by: Rin Effect: Rin runs up to the rear of an enemy, climbs up on their shoulders, and breaks their neck with her legs, killing them instantly. Note that only Rin participates in this Stratagem; her subordinates do not. Also, Ninsatsu can't be used against certain enemies. (Mostly Generals) Success: An enemy gets their neck broken Stratagem Ends: After time expires or the area is cleared of enemies Success Timer: 10 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem only takes 3 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Rin auto-guards while trying to grab an enemy Rating: ** Umm....well, this Stratagem looks cool at least. Its practical use is not so hot, as most times by the time Rin finally manages to climb onto an enemy, she probably could have killed them with normal attacks. However, because of the hefty Success Timer you get for this Stratagem, and the fact that it's reasonably easy to succeed, Ninsatsu is pretty useful for setting up or drawing out Chain Combos, plus it's effective on high difficulty levels when enemies have tons of life. Spear Charge (槍突) ------------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Musashibo Benkei, Rin, Shizuka, Kiso Yoshinaka, Tomoe, Taira Tomomori, Taira Noritsune, Gochiin-Tajima, Kajiwara Kagetoki, Kakuhan Effect: The unit using this Stratagem will line up in formation and charge forward in a straight line with their Naginatas out in an attempt to hit the enemy. Note that the unit using Spear Charge will NOT get in formation if they're currently using Yaribusuma and waiting; in this case they'll just start the charge immediately. Success: An enemy gets hit in the charge, or the charge destroys a closed door Stratagem Ends: When time expires, or when all the chargers either take damage or run into a wall. Success Timer: 6 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Unit will keep charging after hitting the enemy instead of stopping Level 3: Attack does more damage Rating: *** This Stratagem is fairly useful, especially for getting Surprise Attacks. However, its use is limited because it takes so incredibly long for your stupid soldiers to get in position; sometimes it will take them so long that the Stratagem timer will expire before they even start to charge. However, it's fantastic for chaining combos after a successful Yaribusuma because of the lack of setup time in that case. Yarigake (槍駆) --------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Kiso Yoshinaka, Tomoe Effect: Yarigake is just like Spear Charge in that the unit using it gets in formation and charges with Naginatas forward at the enemy. The difference is that instead of just charging in a straight line, the unit using Yarigake will actually chase down enemies. Success: An enemy gets hit in the charge, or the charge destroys a closed door Stratagem Ends: When time expires, or when all the chargers either take damage Success Timer: 6 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Unit will keep charging after hitting the enemy instead of stopping Level 3: Attack does more damage Rating: **** It's a shame that more characters can't use Yarigake, as it's just SO much more effective than Spear Charge! With Spear Charge frequently half your troop or more will either flat out miss or run into a wall; with your soldiers specifically targeting enemies, the increased precision--and by extent, the damage done--makes this Stratagem much more deadly. Yaribusuma (槍衾) ----------------- Cost: 2 Usable by: Musashibo Benkei, Shizuka, Taira Tomomori, Gochiin-Tajima, Kajiwara Kagetoki, Kakuhan Effect: The unit using Yaribusuma will stand in position with Naginatas out and ready. If an enemy unit approaches from the front, the unit using Yaribusuma will stab out with their weapons for a (usually) uninterruptable attack. Success: The unit using Yaribusuma successfully lands an attack Stratagem Ends: When time expires, or all participating soldiers take damage Success Timer: 5 Seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem only takes 1 Spirit Sphere to use Level 3: After initially attacking, each soldier gets in an extra blow Rating: **** Yaribusuma is one of the best defensive Stratagems in the game. Not only is it effective when repelling oncoming soldiers, but you can use it in pitched battles with great results too. (In fact, you can use it again and again in pitched battles for easy Chained Stratagems too) Yaribusuma is also great for setting up Chained Stratagems; for example, you can use Yaribusuma, have your other general Taunt the enemy so they fall into the trap, then have your unit using Yaribusuma follow up with a Spear Charge for a quick-and-easy triple Stratagem combo. Hoten (崩天) ------------ Cost: 2 Usable by: Musashibo Benkei, Tomoe, Taira Tomomori, Kajiwara Kagetoki Effect: The unit using Hoten will take advantage of the length of their weapon to either attack (and dismount) enemy cavalry, or attack archers on top of archer towers. Success: The unit using Hoten successfully lands an attack Stratagem Ends: When time expires or the area is cleared of enemies Success Timer: 8 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 1: The unit using Hoten gets knocked back less from enemy blows Level 2: The upward stabs do more damage Rating: ** Hoten does its stated job, and does it well. It's excellent for taking out archer towers or dismounting cavalry. The main problem is that other types of units do the job much better. Shieldsfighters do better at dismounting cavalry with Horse Scare, and archers are better at dealing with archer towers just in general. (and especially with Fire Arrow) Still, if you're going to bring a Naginata general into a level with Archer Towers or cavalry, this Stratagem will serve you well. It's also an excellent Stratagem for setting up combos due to the fact you can use it over and over and gives you a decent timer bonus. Tsumuji (旋) ------------ Cost: 3 Usable by: Shizuka, Tomoe Effect: Tsumuji is a "combo" attack; the all the members of the unit using it will spin their Naginatas around in a wide range for a series of fast, uninterruptable attacks. Success: The unit using Tsumuji successfully lands an attack Stratagem Ends: After the combo finishes Success Timer: 3 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The number of hits in the combo increase Rating: ***** Tsumuji is the small-naginata equivalent of Reppa, Shura, and Hi-no-Mai. Like those Stratagems, it is excellent for use in chained combos or when stuck in the middle of a pitched battle. Tsumuji most effective with Tomoe; it's a shame that neither Rin nor Kakuhan can use it though. Shura (修羅) ------------ Cost: Usable by: Musashibo Benkei, Kiso Yoshinaka, Taira Tomomori, Taira Noritsune, Gochiin-Tajima Effect: Shura is a Large Naginata "combo" attack; the all the members of the unit using it will spin around with their Naginatas for a barrage of fast and uninterruptable attacks. Success: The unit using Shura successfully lands an attack Stratagem Ends: After the combo finishes Success Timer: 3 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The number of hits in the combo increase Rating: ***** Shura is another one of those "fast attack combo" attacks in the vein of Reppa. Overall, however, Shura is probably the most effective of all of those types of Stratagems, because of its very wide range, and the simple fact that all the generals that use it are very powerful. When stuck in the middle of a fast and furious pitched battle, Shura can clean up the opposition very quickly. Nio (仁王) ---------- Cost: 1 Usable by: Musashibo Benkei, Taira Noritsune Effect: The general using this Stratagem stands still and makes himself a target for enemy attacks. During this period, he takes a quarter of the damage he normally does. His subordinates continue to attack normally for the duration. Success: After time expires, the general using Nio has taken damage Stratagem Ends: Success Timer: 10 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Instead of taking a quarter damage, the general takes 1/8 damage Level 3: Every time an enemy hits the general using Nio, they lose 5 Spirit. Rating: * Er...I hate to say it, but this Stratagem is just stupid. All it does is make your general sit still and hope someone attacks him. When using Nio, it does seem to attract enemies' attention more to the general using it than to your other units, but not enough to make it really effective. Still, it has its uses; if your other generals are vastly underpowered it can take some of the pressure off of them, and it's highly amusing when Nio is maxed to see an enemy whack your general once and then run away in fear. It's not nearly as worthless as, say, Calming, but in most cases, equipping Nio is just wasting a Stratagem slot. Shield Wall (盾壁) ------------------ Cost: Usable by: Sato Tsugunobu, Tate Chikatada Effect: The unit using Shield Wall lines up with their shields out, blocking all attacks from the front. Should a soldier in a Shield Wall get damaged, he will return to normal combat. Success: Once the Stratagem ends, at least one attack has been blocked by the unit using Shield Wall Stratagem Ends: After time expires or all soldiers using the Stratagem get hurt Success Timer: 5 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem time increases Level 3: When a soldier gets hurt, he counters with a Shield Charge Rating: *** Shield Wall seems like a pretty pointless Stratagem at first, but it actually has its uses. Primarily it's useful when you're dealing with large numbers of archers. You can use a Shield Wall to block all their incoming arrows, then stand behind it while you have an archer general target them. You can survive most long-range battles without a scratch this way, which is very useful. Of course, this takes time, so it's of less use in stages where you're in a hurry. Shield Charge (盾突) -------------------- Cost: 2 Usable by: Sato Tsugunobu, Tate Chikatada Effect: The unit using this Stratagem will line up in formation and charge forward in a straight line with their shields out in an attempt to hit the enemy. Success: An enemy gets hit in the charge, or the charge destroys a closed door Stratagem Ends: When time expires, or when all the chargers either take damage or run into a wall. Success Timer: 6 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem only takes 1 Spirit Sphere to use Level 3: Attack power of the charge increases Rating: *** This is essentially the same as Spear Charge except with Shields. However, I find it to be more useful than that Stratagem because of the wide range of the shields and because they're essentially guarding as they charge. Also the shieldsmen don't seem to be as picky about being in exact formation before charging. It's OK for launching Surprise Attacks and chain combos, too. Shield Assault (盾襲) --------------------- Cost: 2 Usable by: Sato Tsugunobu, Tate Chikatada Effect: When using Shield Assault, a Shieldsfighter unit approaches the enemy it's directed to while guarding, attacking when they get close. They continue to guard whenever they're not in the process of attacking. Success The unit Shield Assaulting either wipes out an entire enemy unit, causes an enemy unit to flee, or breaks down a door. Stratagem Ends: On success, after time expires, if all the soldiers participating get hit, or if all enemies in the area are killed off before an attack is landed Success Timer: 5 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Stratagem time increases Level 3: Unit's Attack Power increases for the duration Rating: **** Shield Assault is just like the Assault Stratagem except that the Shieldsman troop keeps their guard tight while executing the Stratagem. While this is a big bonus in keeping the unit alive, it's inferior to a standard Assault in that it's slow (as the soldiers move more slowly while guarding) and that it gets canceled if the soldiers participating get hit. Still, it's a very nice Stratagem to have. It works best in pitched battles. Horse Scare (馬脅) ------------------ Cost: 2 Usable by: Sato Tsugunobu, Tate Chikatada Effect: The shieldsfighter unit using Horse Scare swings their shields around wildly in an attempt to frighten nearby horses, causing them to throw off their riders. Success: An enemy gets dumped from their horse Stratagem Ends: After time expires Success Timer: 8 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: The "scare radius" doubles Level 3: Horse Scare never fails to scare any horse in range Rating: **** As uninteresting as this Stratagem may sound, it's invaluable in terms of reducing irritation on the player's part. Knocking riders off their horses is a pain in the rear as touching a running horse will knock you silly, and getting stuck in a huge crowd of equines is disorienting to say the least. Rather than bother with trying to knock enemies off their horses one at a time, use this Stratagem to dismount them all simultaneously. It rarely fails and is very quick to succeed (plus you can chain it over and over again should the enemy remount) so can swiftly level the playing field, quite literally! Nenbutsu (念仏) --------------- Cost: 2 Usable by: Hitachibo Kaison, Gochiin-Tajima, Jomyo-Meishu, Kakuhan Effect: A Nenbutsu is a Buddhist prayer, and that's what the monk unit using this Stratagem does; they stand still and rapidly chant sutras. All nearby units, struck with the profundity of their words, have their Spirit Spheres drained so long as they're in earshot. Success: After the Stratagem ends, an enemy's Spirit level has been reduced Stratagem Ends: After time expires or all chanting monks get hurt Success Timer: 5 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 & 3: Stratagem time increases Rating: * Nenbutsu is fun to use simply to hear your monkish allies go chant-crazy, (Jomyo-Meishu's chant is the best) and it does have some practical use in that once nearby enemies lose all their Spirit they can get Confused or Flee, but all in all it's not too useful. The primary problem is that when your monks chant, they do it FOREVER; they're taken out of the battle for too long so you have to sit around doing nothing waiting for them to finish. (You could cancel the Stratagem, but then you get no experience for it and it counts as a failure) It also takes a very long time to deplete the enemy's Spirit, unless it's really low to start with. Your monks are better off fighting directly. "Hands that help are better than lips that pray" and all that. Mogura (土竜) ------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Hitachibo Kaison Effect: Mogura (literally "Mole", don't ask me why) is a Kaison's "combo" attack; he and his monks, when using it, will swing their clubs around wildly in a series of uninterruptable attacks like Shura or Reppa. Success: Kaison's unit successfully lands an attack using Mogura Stratagem Ends: After the combo finishes Success Timer: 3 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2 and 3: The number of hits in the combo increase Rating: ***** This is Kaison's version of Shura, and is really his most effective attack in that it's the only one he uses that isn't ridiculously slow. Because he's so strong, it really packs a punch too. Good for using in chained combos or in pitched battles. Ishiyumi (石弓) --------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Nenoi Yukichika Effect: Yukichika's troop sets up an Ishiyumi, a large ballista-like weapon that launches heavy stones. They continue to fire large rocks using the Ishiyumi at the enemy while the Stratagem is in effect. Note that when you command this Stratagem, there has to actually be a place to set up the Ishiyumi; if you order him to set it up in too tight an area, he'll try and fail. Also note that Yukichika needs subordinates to use this Stratagem; you won't be able to use it if he's by himself. Success: A rock launched by the Ishiyumi damages something (either human or door) Stratagem Ends: Time expires, a soldier controlling the Ishiyumi takes damage, or you try to command the Ishiyumi into a space it won't fit. Success Timer: 12 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: The Ishiyumi fires burning projectiles Level 3: Damage from the projectiles increases Rating: ** This is the most damaging weapon Yukichika has at his disposal. It's very amusing to watch giant boulders send enemy soldiers flying like bowling pins, and once Ishiyumi reaches level 2 you can use it to burn down boats, or, in rare cases, archer towers. However, the primary problem with it is that it's ridiculously slow and not too accurate either. It's best used as a kind of cover fire/artillery while you're getting in close and dirty with the enemy. Item (道具) ----------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Nenoi Yukichika Effect: Yukichika's men start rifling through the supplies on his cart to find a healing item. Once they find one, they'll drop it on the ground for you to pick up. Yukichika needs subordinates to use Item; he can't do it by himself. His subordinates are also very sensitive while the Stratagem is being used; if the cart is disturbed in any way the subordinates will stand in position doing nothing instead of searching for an item. Success: A healing item gets produced Stratagem Ends: On success, when time expires, or when one of Yukichika's subordinates takes any damage. Success Timer: 0 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: The chances of a better healing item being produced increases Level 3: The Stratagem only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Rating: ***** This is it, the one Stratagem that keeps Yukichika from being a completely worthless character. Item is a VERY powerful Stratagem as it allows you to produce healing items on demand. Once it hits Level 2, Item will start creating Reimyo-Senzus more often than not, and once in a while will even generate a Reimyo-Shinsui! Especially on Hard when healing items are at a premium, this skill is a lifesafer--it's much more reliable and effective than the other healing Stratagems. The down side, of course, is that to use it you have to bring in Yukichika, who's pretty much useless for anything else. Shield Barrier (盾柵) --------------------- Cost: 4 Usable by: Nenoi Yukichika Effect: Each of Yukichika's men takes materials out of his cart and uses them to set up a stationary shield as a blockade in front of him. Yukichika must have subordinates to use this Stratagem and you must also use it in a space that's big enough for his men to work in; if you command him to set shields up in too tight an area, he'll try and fail. Success: A shield gets set up successfully Stratagem Ends: On success, when time expires, or when all units participating take damage Success Timer: 5 seconds Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Shields can take more damage before breaking Level 3: Stratagem only takes 3 Spirit Spheres to use Rating: * While I hate to say it, Shield Barrier is a neat idea but is almost never useful. The shields are usually too small to pose a serious detriment to enemy advancement, and take too little damage before they're destroyed. If you use this skill over and over again in a tight path so that you can have a wall-to-wall line of shields, then you can use it to pick off enemies with archers, but in all honesty if you really need to do this, Shield Wall is better and more effective at slowing the enemy. On the other hand, the pathfinding AI in this game is pitiful when it comes to destructable objects (how often have you had one of your Generals stuck on a box and had to go back and retrieve them?) so I imagine used effectively this skill might be helpful. Open Door (開門) ---------------- Cost: 2 Usable by: Ise Yoshimori, Karasu Tengu, Kikuo-Maru Effect: When faced with a closed door, Elite Footsoldier Generals will have this Stratagem mapped to the X button instead of Standby. By using it, the Elite unit will attempt to leap over the walls near the closed door and open it from the rear. If the nearby walls are too high, using this Stratagem won't be an option. Success: When a door gets successfully opened Stratagem Ends: On success, when time expires, or if the general using the Stratagem takes damage. Success Timer: 0 seconds Rating: * This Stratagem is so pointless I often forget that it's even there. If it was a free stratagem and could be chained easily, then yeah, it might be worth it. But the fact of the matter it usually takes longer to open a door than it does to just bash it down. Plus, breaking down doors is an easy opportunity to score Chained Stratagems. Plus the cost? Not worth it. Just kick in the door and be done with it. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | FORMATIONS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o Cancel All (全解除) ------------------- This is the default Formation that is always mapped to the X button. This is like using the Cancel Stratagem on your entire army. By using it, you will cancel all Stratagems and/or Formations currently being used will end prematurely. Charge Formation (突撃陣) ------------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwaka-Maru, Sato Tadanobu, Kiso Yoshinaka, Taira Yoritsune, Taira Shigehira, Taira Atsumori, Kikuo-Maru, Prince Mochihito, Gochiin-Tajima, Kajiwara Kagetoki, Kakuhan Effect: Charge Formation gives a 50% bonus to your army's Attack Power Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: ***** In YE:S, your best defense is generally a good offense, and this formation doesn't disappoint in that category. The increased punch your army will deal in all its attacks will help a lot, especially if you're in a hurry. Defense Formation (防護陣) -------------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Ushiwaka-Maru, Sato Tadanobu, Ise Yoshimori, Tate Chikatada, Taira Shigehira, Minamoto Yukiie, Jomyo-Meishu, Kajiwara Kagetoki Effect: Charge Formation gives a 50% bonus to your army's Defense Power Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: ***** While probably not quite as effective as Charge Formation, Defense Formation is great for keeping undeveloped generals or subordinates alive, especially when up against heavy hitter boss-class enemies. Technique Formation (技巧陣) ---------------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Nasu Yoichi, Karasu Tengu, Imai Kanehira, Higuchi Kanemitsu, Taira Atsumori Effect: Technique Formation gives a 50% bonus to your army's Technique Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: **** While not as useful as some of the other stat-boosting Formations, Technique Formation is great when you're on harder difficulty levels and are dealing with enemies with crazy amounts of Health; it increases your chance to deal instant kills quite a bit. Command Formation (統率陣) -------------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Karasu Tengu, Minamoto Yoshinaka, Nenoi Yukichika, Taira Tomomori, Minamoto Yoritomo Effect: Command Formation gives a 50% bonus to your army's Command Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: ***** The Command bonus you get with this Formation boosts all your generals' and subordinates' Attack, Defense, and Technique, (No Max Health bonus, as that's decided when you start the stage) so it's an excellent all-around Formation to use. It won't boost individual stats as high as the one-stat- boosting Formations (unless your generals' commands are VERY high) but the overall increase in performance more than makes up for that. Close Formation (密集陣) ------------------------ Cost: 3 Usable by: Rin, Taira Tokitada, Minamoto Yukiie Effect: When you use Close Formation, all your generals and subordinates will stick closer to your Commander for the duration of the Formation. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 2 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: * Why this Formation even exists is kind of a mystery to me. I can't possibly see any merit in keeping your units bunched together; it makes them more vulnerable to wide-area attacks, and doesn't change their behavior in the least. The only possible use I can see for it is if for some reason you don't want an enemy getting past your ranks in a tight area, just to try and use it to get your troops to block them. (Though just standing in said tight area would probably be enough...) Spread Formation (散陣) ----------------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Hitachibo Kaison, Saito Sanemori Effect: When you use Spread Formation, all your generals and subordinates will spread out evenly over a wide area for the duration of the Formation. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 2 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating:* Like Close Formation, I can't see much use in this Formation; at least not enough use to be wasting your Spirit Spheres on it. With this formation, your allies do have a wider "scanning" rage (whereby they seek out and attack enemies) simply by virtue of being more spread out, but other than that I can't think of much practical use here. Zeal Formation (血気陣) ----------------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Musashibo Benkei, Hitachibo Kaison, Nenoi Yukichika, Tomoe, Kikuo-Maru, Prince Mochihito Effect: While Zeal Formation is in effect, your allies' natural Spirit recovery speeds up. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 2 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: *** This is a nice formation to use if you're using a lot of Stratagems, as it speeds up Spirit recovery significantly. However, it doesn't speed it up fast to the extent that it's as useful as, say, Rally. Still, it's not bad. Rest Formation (休陣) --------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Kichiji, Shizuka Effect: While Rest Formation is in effect, your entire army regenerates its lost Health. Health regenerates faster while you're standing still than if you're walking or fighting. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: ***** Healing at the touch of a button! (or three buttons, whatever) This Formation is great. The healing is slow, so it's not necessarily going to save anyone's life in a fast or furious battle, and it's not as effective as, say, Item, but is great nonetheless, especially when you've got weak Subordinates or are playing on hard difficulty levels where enemies do lots of damage. Silent Formation (静粛陣) ------------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Shizuka, Higuchi Kanemitsu Effect: While Silent Formation is in effect, your army is immune to all status ailments. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: * Since you never ever get status ailments in single-player, this Stratagem is useless there. The ony time it could ever be useful is in multiplayer, where status ailments can potentially be a real problem. Anti-Bow Formation (対弓陣) --------------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Sato Tsugunobu, Tomoe, Tate Chikatada, Gochiin-Tajima Effect: Anti-Bow Formation increases your army's resistance to arrows. When you get hit by an arrow while this formation is in effect, you won't get knocked back at all, and will only take half damage. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: *** In certain situations, (like when trying to slog through mud while archers are shooting at you) this Formation can be a real lifesaver. Trying to get to archers to hack them to pieces can be really difficult if there are enough of them, but they won't be able to keep you away with this formation in effect! Anti-Cavalry Formation (対馬陣) ------------------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Sato Tsugunobu, Imai Kanehira, Jomyo-Meishu, Kakuhan Effect: While Anti-Cavalry Formation is in effect, your army will be immune to getting knocked around by enemy horses; if a horse hits one of your soldiers, they will automatically guard. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: *** Nothing is more irritating in this game than large numbers of cavalry troops charging at you and knocking you silly around the battlefield while you try vainly to knock them off their horses. With this formation, dealing with cavalry is much less of a headache. Of course, the Horse-Scare skill is a better solution than this, but when that's not an option, Anti-Cavalry Formation will work in a pinch. Hachiman Formation (八幡陣) --------------------------- Cost: 5 Usable by: Minamoto Yoritomo Effect: While Hachiman Formation is in effect, you will get a 50% bonus to your Attack Power and your natural Spirit regeneration will be doubled. In addition, the mere sight of your army will sometimes Confuse enemies. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: ***** Wow, talk about one unbalanced Formation. (Then again, Yoritomo is one unbalanced character) The Attack and Spirit boosts would be enough to make this formation indispensible, but the fact that your presence alone will drive enemies to stand still and do nothing while you hack them to bits makes Hachiman Formation border on being downright unfair. It's very, VERY useful. Itsukushima Formation (厳島陣) ------------------------------ Cost: 5 Usable by: Taira Tomomori Effect: While Itsukushima Formation is in effect, you will get a 50% bonus to your Defense Power and your natural Spirit regeneration will be doubled. Also, by approaching enemies, you will drain their Spirit Spheres, frequently driving them to Confusion or Retreat. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: ***** Only Hachiman Formation outstrips Itsukushima Formation in terms of its usefulness. Itsukushima Formation is excellent when your army is weak (or even strong for that matter) for its defense bonus; plus the Spirit Sphere draining is just gravy. Force Formation (強行陣) ------------------------ Cost: 5 Usable by: Rin, Ise Yoshimori Effect: While Force Formation is in effect, your army will take less of a speed hit from running through shallows or mud. (You still won't be able to jump while running through them though) Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: ** Out of the forty stages in the game, only four of them have mud/shallows in them, so right there this formation has only limited use. However, all four of those stages require you to act quickly in one aspect or another. Basically, Force Formation rarely has any utility, but when it does, it's VERY useful. Sniper Formation (狙撃陣) ------------------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Kichiji, Nasu Yoichi, Taira Tokitada, Saito Sanemori Effect: While Sniper Formation is in effect, your archers' accuracy will improve and bows will be more effective in general. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: * Honestly, I can't tell exactly how this Formation improves your archers. Maybe your archers aim at where enemies are moving to rather than their current position, or maybe it increases your arrows' damage. Bottom line is that if the difference using this Formation is so slight as to make it hard to notice, it can't be that useful. Fierce Formation (猛攻陣) ------------------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Musashibo Benkei Effect: While Fierce Formation is in effect, your army's Attack Power is doubled and you won't get knocked back as much by enemy blows. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: ***** Charge Formation on steroids! This formation is great. As if Benkei wasn't powerful enough, with this Formation in effect he'll be cutting through the enemy as if they weren't even there. A very, VERY useful skill. Guerilla Formation (遊撃陣) --------------------------- Cost: 3 Usable by: Taira Noritsune Effect: This unusual formation boosts Noritsune's Attack, Defense, and Skill levels. As he defeats more enemies while Guerilla Formation is in effect, his generals' Spirit levels raise. Level-Up Effects: Level 2: Formation only takes 4 Spirit Spheres to use Level 3: Formation lasts longer Rating: **** This is the weirdest Formation of the bunch, but it's quite handy! Not only does it give a boost to you, the player, but also rewards you for fighting well by restoring your generals' Spirit at the same time. Since the character you control is generally going to be the most active in battle, Guerilla Formation is a pretty effective tactic overall. Commander Change (将切替) ------------------------- Effect: This is a special command that is only used in the level "The Battle of Dan-no- Ura." In that level you have two commanders; this command can be used to change them at well. Call Shizuka (静呼寄) --------------------- Effect: This is a special command that is only used in the levels "Assassins" and "I long for him," and is used to call Shizuka and put her in "follow mode," whereby she follows your commander. This command switches to "Shizuka Standby" as soon as you use it. Shizuka Standby (静待機) ------------------------ Effect: This is a special command that is only used in the levels "Assassins" and "I long for him," and is used to put Shizuka in "standby mode," whereby she remains stationary at your commander's current position. This command switches to "Call Shizuka" as soon as you use it. O#############################################################################O # # # SKILLS # # # O#############################################################################O Fervor (勢威術) --------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Drum of Fervor Effect: Fervor speeds up the natural Spirit restoration of the general using the skill, doubling the rate of regeneration. Rating: *** Fervor is merely OK. The regeneration speed is nice but nothing to write home about, as most of your Spirit regeneration will be done via killing enemies and the like. Still, it can be quite useful on characters who have Stratagems with high Spirit cost. Fortitude (不屈術) ------------------ Usable by: Anyone Item: Koryo Ginseng Effect: Fortitude is like a "get out of being killed free" card. The first time a general with Fortitude gets whacked with an attack that would normally kill him or her, they won't die, and instead will retain a single Health point. However, this only works once per stage. Rating: * Surviving one deadly blow is not going to help you very much. Given the sparsity of healing items, most times Fortitude kicks in you'll be dead before you have time to get your Health back up--especially when you're dealing with multiple enemies at once. Shunsatsu-Jutsu (瞬殺術) ------------------------ Usable by: Anyone Item: Execution Mask Effect: Normally the only time you can one-hit-kill enemies is when they're not on guard--in other words, when they're in the middle of their attack motion. However, a character with Shunsatsu-Jutsu has a chance to one-hit-kill enemies even when they're on guard. The higher your Technique level, the better your chances are to one-hit-kill on-guard enemies. Rating: ***** This skill is simply fantastic, especially in the hands of Elite Footsoldier characters. When you're playing on high difficulty levels, enemies have so much health that one-hit-killing becomes critical for survival. With Shunsatsu-jutsu, a character with sufficient Technique will be dropping foes left and right, to really equalize things. Anti-Cavalry (対馬術) --------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Kyoma Bell Effect: All attacks performed by characters with the Anti-Cavalry skill count as dismounting attacks. Rating: ** Normally only the strongest attacks in a characters arsenal can dismount enemy cavalry, and cavalry units tend to be really annoying, so the extra chance to dismount is nice. However, Anti-Cavalry really has limited use so is not really exceptional. This is best used for archers or characters with wide ranges. Guard-Breaking (破防術) ----------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Habo Goko Effect: If a character with Guard-Breaking lands an attack on an enemy who is currently blocking, their defense is ignored and the attack deals damage to them as normal. Rating: ***** This is a great skill to have, especially when fighting bosses, who have a tendency to have very effective defense. Not only does Guard-Breaking cut through their blocking, but it also leaves them open for subordinates to hit the formerly-guarding enemy as well. Defense (防御術) ---------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Defense Gauntlet Effect: Characters with Defense have very tight guards and sometimes block incoming attacks automatically. The chance of blocking scales based on the user's Technique stat. Rating: **** Auto-guarding is very nice, though you can't rely exclusively on this skill to save you as even with a very high Technique you'll only block about 6 out of 10 attacks, plus it won't do anything for attacks from the rear, etc. Still, it's a very useful skill. Horsemanship (騎乗術) --------------------- Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwaka-Maru, Rin, Sato Tadanobu, Nasu Yoichi, Kiso Yoshinaka, Tomoe, Taira Tomomori, Taira Noritsune, Minamoto Yoritomo Item: Cavalry Gauntlet Effect: Chararacters with Horsemanship can't be knocked off their horse by any kind of direct attack at all. The only way they can be dismounted is if their horse runs out of health or the person targeting them has the Anti-Cavalry skill. Rating: ** If you're trying to get from point A to point B quickly and don't want to be knocked off your horse, this skill can help, but otherwise it's not too terribly useful, as you generally won't be fighting on horseback. Self-Control (自制術) --------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Tengen Gauntlet Effect: Characters with Self-Control have a lower chance of being afflicted with status ailments. Rating: * If getting hit with a status ailment was actually common, this skill might have some use. However, unless you're playing versus mode, it's nothing but a waste of a slot. Agitation (扇動術) ------------------ Usable by: Anyone Item: Gekkosai Effect: When a character with Agitation approaches an enemy unit, they will sometimes be spontaneously sent Berserk. The chance of enemies going Berserk scales based on the agitator's Technique level. Rating: ** There are some instances where automatically Berserking enemies is really helpful. (for example, the Koromogawa stage) Most of the time, however, it's not. However, Agitation can be useful on a strong character when building levels on weaker ones, as it diverts attention from them. Enthrallment (驚嘆術) --------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Konmeisai Effect: When a character with Enthrallment approaches an enemy unit, they will sometimes be spontaneously Confused. The chance of enemies getting Confused scales based on the Enthralling character's Technique level. Rating: ***** Now here's a powerful skill. With a high Technique, you can essentially walk through a stage while the enemies obediently stand still waiting for you to kill them. You can't ask for a better advantage than that! Coercion (威圧術) ----------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Reppusai Effect: When a character with Coercion approaches an enemy unit, they will sometimes be spontaneously Bewildered. The chance of enemies getting Bewildered scales based on the Coercing character's Technique level. Rating: ** Coercion is like Agitation and Enthrallment, but in my opinion it's actually more annoying than helpful. While mildly amusing to see enemies run at the first sight of you, they'll just come back, and frequently you want to be killing enemies, not avoiding them. There are some stages where you're on a time limit where it can be helpful though. Kizan-jutsu (気斬術) -------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Transitory Prayer Beads Effect: Characters with Kizan-jutsu will sometimes drain a full 10 Spirit Spheres from an enemy upon connecting with an attack. Those with fewer than 10 Spirit Spheres will often become Confused or Flee. The chance of draining increases as the user of Kizan-Jutsu's Technique increases. Rating: **** This skill is all-around useful as it's very effective in inflicting status ailments and reducing enemy aggression. It's most effective, however, in Versus mode, as by whacking the enemy player even once, you can effectively prevent him or her from using any Stratagems or Formations at all. Muso-jutsu (無双術) ------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Nio Statue Effect: The attack power of a character with Muso-jutsu increases by 5% of their base Attack value each time they successfully land an attack. However, once the they get hit by an enemy (blocking an enemy blow counts as being hit) or take damage, their attack power goes back to normal. Rating: *** If you're really good (and not dealing with pesky archers) you can get your Attack Power insanely high with this skill and start mowing enemies down left and right. However, no matter how good you are, it's very hard to get out of a pitched battle without taking a single hit, so unless you're dealing with very small bands of enemies, it's hard to maximize Muso-jutsu's potential. Still, it's a nice skill to have. Clarity (明晰術) ---------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Rikuto Effect: Characters with Clarity get more Stratagem Experience with each use, thus leveling their Stratagems faster in general. Rating: ***** The increase in Stratagem Experience you get with this skill is somewhat modest--a mere 20%--but it adds up. This skill is great on Elite Soldiers, as some of their Stratagems take forever to raise. (i.e. Onshin) Talent (天稟術) --------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Sanryaku Effect: Characters with Talent get more Experience at the end of every stage, thus increasing the speed at which they gain levels. Rating: ***** I'm not sure just how much of an Experience bonus you get from this skill (seeing as how there's no way to see how much experience a character actually has or has gained) but it's definitely noticable. As (I believe) experience is Unit-based, this skill is also great for leveling Subordinates as well. A very nice skill. Kyozan-Jutsu (狂斬術) --------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Kongoketsu Effect: When a character with Kyozan-Jutsu successfully lands an attack on an enemy Unit Captain or General, his or her unit will randomly become Confused or Berserk. Rating: **** The in-game Gikeiki says that Kyozan-Jutsu only causes Confusion or Berserk status, but I'm pretty sure it can cause enemies to Flee too. (Once I had a character with Kyozan-Jutsu whack Myokakubo and have him run for the exit, and Generals NEVER normally run unless it's scripted) Either way, it's an effective way to cause Status ailments. Obviously Confusion is more useful than Berserking your enemies, though. Restoration (回復術) -------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Strongly-Fragrant Branch Effect: Characters with Restoration will constatly regenerate lost Health. Rating: ***** With Restoration, you pretty much never have to worry about dying. Just sit still long enough without any enemies nearby and you can refill yourself to max health as much as you want. A very useful skill to put on your more fragile or prone-to-injury characters. (like Yukiie) Minamoto Secrets (原伝術) ------------------------- Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwaka-Maru, Kiso Yoshinaka, Minamoto Yukiie, Minamoto Yoritomo Item: Rindosen Effect: Minamoto Secrets is one of three combination skills; it packs the effects of Shunsatsu-Jutsu, Guard-Breaking, Muso-Jutsu, and Restoration all into one. Rating: ***** A combination of one good and three exceptional skills, all in one--could you ask for anything more? This is the best skill in the game, bar none. Taira Secrets (平伝術) ---------------------- Usable by: Taira Tomomori, Taira Noritsune, Taira Shigehira, Taira Atsumori, Taira Tokitada, Kajiwara Kagetoki Item: Agehasen Effect: Minamoto Secrets is one of three combination skills; it packs the effects of Fortitude, Defense, Self-Control, and Restoration all into one. Rating: ***** Taira Secrets is not as good as Minamoto Secrets because Self-Control is mostly worthless. Fortitude normally is too, but with Restoration added to the mix, it actually gains some utility. Still, this is a top-notch Skill. Self-Purity (水鏡術) -------------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Yata-no-Kagami Effect: Characters with Self-Purity will never be afflicted with status ailments. Rating: * You only get to give this Skill to one person as the Item that grants it is unique. But since you never ever get status ailments in single-player, why bother? Terror (恐怖術) --------------- Usable by: Anyone Item: Yasakani-no-Magatama Effect: Terror is one of three combination skills; it packs the effects of Agitation, Enthrallment, and Coercion all into one. Rating: *** You only get to give this Skill to one person as the Item that grants it is unique. Also, this is one case where less is more. Terror inflicts a status ailment at random when it works, and inflicting Confusion is so much more useful than inflicting Berserk or Bewilderment--why not just skip the random element of Terror and go with Enthrallment instead? Still, not a bad skill. Sword Mastery (刀器術) ---------------------- Usable by: Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwaka-maru, Sato Tadanobu, Imai Kanehira, Nenoi Yukichika, Taira Shigehira, Minamoto Yukiie, Prince Mochihito, Minamoto Yoritomo Item: Sword Knowledge Effect: Characters with Sword Mastery can equip any sword in the game. Once you give this Skill to a character, they can never un-learn it or replace it with another Skill or Stratagem. Rating: * The fact that you can never replace this skill makes it not worth it. Also, there's such a wide variety of swords in the game that you can easily give every swordsman a good weapon without this skill. Ko-naginata Mastery (小薙術) ---------------------------- Usable by: Rin, Shizuka, Tomoe, Kakuhan Item: Ko-naginata Knowledge Effect: Characters with Ko-naginata Mastery can equip any small Naginata or Buddhist Staff in the game. Once you give this Skill to a character, they can never un-learn it or replace it with another Skill or Stratagem. Rating: ** This is the only one of the Weaponmastery skills that you will really want; it's a good skill for Kakuhan, who can only equip Buddhist Staffs, all of which are mediocre at best. Giving this skill to Rin or Tomoe is a waste as it only gives them access to the Buddhist Staffs (none of which are that good) and giving it to Shizuka is downright stupid as she can already equip all the small Naginatas and Buddhist staffs in the game without it. O-naginata Mastery (大薙術) --------------------------- Usable by: Musashibo Benkei, Kiso Yoshinaka, Taira Tomomori, Taira Noritsune, Gochiin-Tajima, Kajiwara Kagetoki Item: O-naginata Knowledge Effect: Characters with O-naginata Mastery can equip any large Naginata in the game. Once you give this Skill to a character, they can never un-learn it or replace it with another Skill or Stratagem. Rating: * This skill is kind of a waste, as there are only two Large Naginatas in the game that not everyone can use: The Iwatoshi-Semimaru, which only Benkei can equip, and the Kongo-Karin-no-Sansen, which only Yoshinaka, Tomomori and Noritsune can use. Granted, the Kongo-Karin-no-Sansen is the most powerful Large Naginata in the game, and the next most powerful one is quite a step down in power, but not enough to warrant wasting a skill permanently on it, in my opinion. Bow Mastery (弓器術) -------------------- Usable by: Kichiji, Nasu Yoichi, Higuchi Kanemitsu, Taira Atsumori, Taira Tokitada, Jomyo-Meishu, Saito Sanemori Item: Bow Knowledge Effect: Characters with Bow Mastery can equip any bow in the game. Once you give this Skill to a character, they can never un-learn it or replace it with another Skill or Stratagem. Rating: ** Now this is one of those Weaponmastery skills that can be useful. There are seven archers in the game, but only three really good bows, two of which are unique and one of which only Tokitada and Yoichi can equip. That means that no matter how you divide your weapons up, three characters are going to be stuck with crappy bows unless you put up with constant bow swapping every time you change characters. However, with Bow Mastery, you can get theoretically get everyone with a Kinshika Greatbow, which is nice. Concealed Weapon Mastery (暗器術) --------------------------------- Usable by: Ise Yoshimori, Kikuo-Maru, Karasu Tengu Item: Concealed Weapon Knowledge Effect: Characters with Concealed Weapon Mastery can equip any dagger/kodachi in the game. Once you give this Skill to a character, they can never un-learn it or replace it with another Skill or Stratagem. Rating: * What a waste of a skill! (Especially on Yoshimori, who can already equip all the daggers/kodachis in the game) All three of the Elite Footsoldiers can equip the Awataguchi-Kuniie, the most damaging Concealed Weapon in the game--why bother? Yes, the Kagero and Gekirin have other nice bonuses, but do less damage so are nowhere near worth the waste of a skill slot. Wagon Mastery (荷車術) ---------------------- Usable by: Nenoi Yukichika Item: None Effect: This skill allows the user (i.e. Yukichika) to pull his cart o' junk behind him. It also prevents him from getting off his horse. Yukichika has Wagon Mastery equipped from the start, and can never get rid of it. Rating: * I hate this skill. It's what makes Nenoi Yukichika such a worthless character. Yeah, I realize the cart is what allows him to haul around items, shields, and an Ishiyumi, but never being able to get off that damn horse makes it almost impossible for him to hit enemies effectively, plus that stupid cart ALWAYS gets in your way. O#############################################################################O # # # WEAPONS # # # O#############################################################################O The following is a list of all the weapons in the game. I've written them in the following format: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |NAME (KANJI) | |STATS YOSHITSUNE | YOSHINAKA | TAIRA | HIDDEN GENERALS | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME: The name of the weapon. Weapons with an asterisk by their names are unique; you can only get one of them. (Unless you imported a "copy" from the original Yoshitsune Eiyuden) KANJI: The name of the weapon as it appears in-game STATS: The stats that the weapon increases: HEA=Health, ATK=Attack Power, DEF=Defense power, TEC=Technique, COM=Command YOSHITSUNE/YOSHINAKA/TAIRA/HIDDEN GENERALS: The generals from each of the armies in the game that can equip the weapon. This only applies obviously to generals without the "Knowledge" suite of skills; generals with those skills can equip any weapon of their class that they want. The generals are abbreviated as follows: YOSHITSUNE GENERALS: -------------------- YOS=Minamoto Yoshitsune USH=Ushiwaka-Maru BEN=Musashibo Benkei KIC=Kaneuri Kichiji RIN=Rin TSU=Sato Tsugunobu TAD=Sato Tadanobu SHZ=Shizuka YOI=Nasu Yoichi ISE=Ise Yoshimori KAI=Hitachibo Kaison YOSHINAKA GENERALS: ------------------- YNK=Kiso Yoshinaka KNH=Imai Kanehira YKC=Nenoi Yukichika TOM=Tomoe Gozen CHI=Tate Chikatada TAIRA GENERALS: --------------- TMM=Taira Tomomori NOR=Taira Noritsune SHG=Taira Shigehira ATS=Taira Atsumori TOK=Taira Tokitada KIK=Kikuo-Maru HIDDEN GENERALS: ---------------- TEN=Karasu Tengu YUK=Minamoto Yukiie MOC=Prince Mochihito TAJ=Gochiin-Tajima MEI=Jomyo-Meishu YOR=Minamoto Yoritomo KAG=Kajiwara Kagetoki KAK=Kakuhan SAN=Saito Sanemori o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | SWORDS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o SANJO 三条 ATK+20 TEC+10 COM+5 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK YOR SANJO-MUNECHIKA 三条宗近 ATK+50 TEC+15 COM+15 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR *MIKAZUKI-MUNECHIKA 三日月宗近 ATK+165 TEC+35 COM+30 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR KOAOE 古青江 ATK+25 TEC+10 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK YOR AOE-TSUNETSUGU 青江恒次 ATK+55 DEF+5 TEC+15 COM+5 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR *JUZUMARU-TSUNETSUGU 数珠丸恒次 ATK+175 DEF+15 TEC+30 COM+10 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR MIIKE 三池 ATK+30 DEF+5 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK YOR MIIKE-MITSUYO 三池光世 ATK+60 DEF+15 COM+5 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR *OTENTA-MITSUYO 大典太光世 ATK+190 DEF+20 COM+20 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR KOBIZEN 古備前 ATK+35 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK YOR KOBIZEN-TOMONARI 古備前友成 ATK+143 TEC+10 COM+10 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR KOBIZEN-KANEHIRA 古備前包平 ATK+192 TEC+10 COM+15 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR *ONIMARU-KUNITSUNA 鬼丸国綱 ATK+170 DEF+10 TEC+25 COM+25 *** | *** | *** | YOR *DOJIGIRI-YASUTSUNA 童子切安綱 ATK+183 DEF+15 TEC+15 COM+40 YOS USH TAD | KNH | *** | YUK YOR *SHISHIO-MARU 獅子王丸 ATK+183 COM+12 YOS USH TAD | KNH | *** | YUK YOR *HIGEKIRI 髭切 ATK+115 TEC+19 COM+70 YOS USH | *** | *** | YUK MOC YOR *HIZAMARU 膝丸 ATK+95 TEC+28 COM+70 YOS USH | *** | *** | YUK MOC YOR *KOGARASU-MARU 小烏丸 ATK+122 TEC+80 *** | *** | SGH | MOC *NUKEMARU 抜丸 ATK+88 DEF+40 COM+70 *** | *** | SGH | MOC NANATSUSAYA-NO-TACHI 七支刀 ATK+10 COM+50 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR GOLD-ENGRAVED NANATSUSAYA-NO-TACHI 金象嵌七支刀 ATK+20 COM+100 YOS USH TAD | KNH YKC | SGH | YUK MOC YOR *AMA-NO-MURAKUMO 天叢雲 ATK+60 DEF+80 COM+150 YOS USH | *** | SGH | YUK MOC YOR o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | NAGINATAS (SMALL) | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o KONAGINATA 小薙刀 ATK +18 RIN SHZ | TOM | *** | *** KARAYO-KONAGINATA　唐様小薙刀 ATK +39 DEF+10 RIN SHZ | TOM | *** | *** SILVER-WROUGHT KONAGINATA 白金造小薙刀 ATK +55 DEF+10 RIN SHZ | TOM | *** | *** HIODOSHI-ADORNED KONAGINATA 緋縅荘小薙刀 ATK+65 RIN SHZ | TOM | *** | *** JUMONJI 十文字 ATK+130 DEF+20 RIN SHZ | TOM | *** | *** MITAMA 御魂 ATK+118 DEF+30 RIN SHZ | TOM | *** | *** SENBON-SAKURA 千本桜 ATK+160 DEF+20 TEC+30 COM+32 RIN SHZ | TOM | *** | *** KONJO 根杖 ATK+8 DEF+25 COM+10 SHZ | *** | *** | KAK HIGH PRIEST'S STAFF 僧正の錫杖 ATK+45 DEF+20 COM+50 SHZ | *** | *** | KAK NINE-RINGED STAFF 九環の錫杖 ATK+75 DEF+20 COM+90 SHZ | *** | *** | KAK o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | NAGINATAS (LARGE) | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o ONAGINATA 大薙刀 ATK+32 BNK | YNK | TMM NOR | TAJ KAG IRON-WROUGHT ONAGINATA　黒金造大薙刀 ATK+58 BNK | YNK | TMM NOR | TAJ KAG AOHAGANE-YOTOTO 青鋼鷹頭刀 ATK+70 BNK | YNK | TMM NOR | TAJ KAG ONITAKE 鬼武 ATK+126 COM+5 BNK | YNK | TMM NOR | TAJ KAG *IWATOSHI-SEMIMARU 岩融せみ丸 ATK+165 BNK | *** | *** | *** NAGAFUNE-OSAMITSU 長船長光 ATK+152 TEC+10 BNK | YNK | TMM NOR | TAJ KAG SASUMATA 刺股 ATK+42 TEC+10 BNK | YNK | TMM NOR | TAJ KAG SANSAHOKO 三叉矛 ATK+56 DEF+10 BNK | YNK | TMM NOR | TAJ KAG GOBO-HONEBAMI 剛矛骨喰 HEA+200 ATK+105 BNK | YNK | TMM NOR | TAJ KAG KONGO-KARIN-NO-SANSEN 金剛火輪三尖 ATK+200 *** | YNK | TMM NOR | *** o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | BOWS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o SHORTBOW 短弓 ATK+13 KIC YOI | KNM | ATS TOK | MEI SAN LONGBOW 長弓 ATK+20 KIC YOI | KNM | ATS TOK | MEI SAN KEAKI STRONGBOW 槻造強弓 ATK+38 KIC YOI | KNM | ATS TOK | MEI SAN SHIGETO BOW 滋藤弓 ATK+50 KIC YOI | KNM | ATS TOK | MEI SAN SHUSO GREATBOW 鷲爪荘大弓 ATK+75 TEC+10 COM+5 KIC YOI | KNM | ATS TOK | MEI SAN HAKUHO GREATBOW 白鳳荘大弓 ATK+98 TEC+10 COM+35 KIC YOI | KNM | ATS TOK | MEI SAN *YORIMITSU 頼光 ATK+107 TEC+30 COM+10 KIC YOI | KNM | *** | MEI SAN KINSHIKA GREATBOW 金鳶壮大弓 ATK+130 DEF+10 TEC+10 COM+70 YOI | *** | TOK | *** *YUMI-HARIZUKI 弓張月 ATK+158 TEC+30 COM+65 YOI | KNM | ATS | SAN o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | SHIELDS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o WOODEN GREATSHIELD 木大盾 ATK+20 DEF+30 TSU | CHI | *** | *** IRON-PLATED GREATSHIELD 黒金荘大盾 ATK+45 DEF+55 TSU | CHI | *** | *** GOLD-PLATED GREATSHIELD 黄金荘大盾 ATK+72 DEF+80 COM+25 TSU | CHI | *** | *** *RED-STEEL-PLATED GREATSHIELD　紅鋼荘大盾 ATK+152 DEF+120 TSU | CHI | *** | *** *AME-NO-IWARE-NO-TATE 天盤盾 ATK+130 DEF+150 COM+60 TSU | CHI | *** | *** o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | CLUBS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o DONKONBO 鈍棍棒 ATK+57 KAI | *** | *** | *** IRON-STUDDED CLUB 鉄鋲棍 ATK+116 KAI | *** | *** | *** KONGOKON 金剛棍 ATK+162 COM+25 KAI | *** | *** | *** *TOTSUKA-NO-TSURUGI 十握剣 ATK+195 COM+50 KAI | *** | *** | *** o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | CONCEALED WEAPONS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o KODACHI 小太刀 ATK+27 ISE | *** | KIK | TEN KAMAKIRI 蟷螂 ATK+67 ISE | *** | KIK | TEN GEKIRIN 逆鱗 ATK+103 DEF+20 TEC+45 ISE | *** | *** | TEN AWATAGUCHI-KUNIIE 粟田口国家 ATK+167 ISE | *** | KIK | TEN *KAGERO 影炎 ATK+105 TEC+124 ISE | *** | *** | *** O#############################################################################O # # # ITEMS # # # O#############################################################################O The following is a list of all the items in the game. The way items are handled is pretty simple, so there's not a lot to go over. The one thing about items that needs mention are the Certificates. While touched on in the main gameplay section of this guide, you MUST use Certificates immediately after the stage you found them in, or you will lose them. Also, as Certificates are like a free experience level, characters that are maxed out on a specific stat cannot use them. If you want to raise a character's stats beyond what they get at their maximum levels, you'll have to use Scrolls. (And Scrolls can't be used on Subordinates, so they're just out of luck) NAME KANJI EFFECT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reimyogan 霊命丸 Heals your army a little Reimyo-Senzu 霊命仙豆 Heals your army a lot Reimyo-Shinsui 霊命神水 Heals your army to max Bishamon Scroll 毘沙門の巻 Increases Attack by 5 Daikoku Scroll 大黒の巻 Increases Defense by 5 Ebisu Scroll 恵比寿の巻 Increases Command by 5 Benzai Scroll 弁財の巻 Increases Technique by 5 Fukurokuju Scroll 福禄寿の巻 Increases Max Health by 50 Valuable Scroll 貴重な巻物 Increases all stats (H+50, A/D/T/C+5) Health Certificate 体の免状 Raises Health level by 1 Attack Certificate 攻の免状 Raises Attack level by 1 Defense Certificate 守の免状 Raises Defense level by 1 Technique Certificate 技の免状 Raises Technique level by 1 Drum of Fervor 勢威の太鼓 Teaches Fervor Koryo Ginseng 高麗人参 Teaches Fortitude Execution Mask 誅殺の面 Teaches Shunsatsu-Jutsu Kyoma Bell 驚馬の鈴 Teaches Anti-Cavalry Habo Goko 破防の五鈷 Teaches Guard-Breaking Defense Gauntlet 守篭手 Teaches Defense Cavalry Gauntlet 騎馬篭手 Teaches Horsemanship Tengen Gauntlet 天験篭手 Teaches Self-Control Gekkosai 激昂采 Teaches Agitation Konmeisai 昏迷采 Teaches Enthrallment Reppusai 烈風采 Teaches Coercion Transitory Prayer Beads 無常の念珠 Teaches Kizan-Jutsu Nio Statue 仁王像 Teaches Muso-Jutsu Rikuto 六韜 Teaches Clarity Sanryaku 三略 Teaches Talent Kongoketsu 金剛蕨 Teaches Kyozan-jutsu Strongly-Fragrant Branch 強壮の香木 Teaches Restoration Rindosen 竜胆扇 Teaches Minamoto Secrets Agehasen 揚羽扇 Teaches Taira Secrets Yata-no-Kagami 八咫鏡 Teaches Self-Purity Yasakani-no-Magatama 八尺瓊勾玉 Teaches Terror Sword Knowledge 刀器心得 Teaches Sword Mastery Ko-Naginata Knowledge 小薙刀心得 Teaches Ko-Naginata Mastery O-Naginata Knowledge 大薙刀心得 Teaches O-Naginata Mastery Bow Knowledge 弓器心得 Teaches Bow Mastery Concealed Weapon Knowledge 暗記心得 Teaches Concealed Weapon Mastery Taunt Tome 挑発の書 Teaches Taunt Calming Tome 収拾の書 Teaches Calming Lure-Astray Tome 迷走の書 Teaches Lure-Astray False-Alarm Tome 虚報の書 Teaches False Alarm Rally Tome 鼓舞の書 Teaches Rally Blessing Tome 加護の書 Teaches Blessing Assault Tome 強襲の書 Teaches Assault Shogeki Tome 将撃の書 Teaches Shogeki Gyakugeki Tome 虐撃の書 Teaches Gyakugeki Guard Tome 護衛の書 Teaches Guard Sutemi Tome 捨身の書 Teaches Sutemi Rangeki Tome 乱撃の書 Teaches Rangeki Stone-Throw Tome 投石の書 Teaches Stone-Throw Fireball Tome 火玉の書 Teaches Fireball Reppa Tome 裂破の書 Teaches Reppa Volley Tome 斉射の書 Teaches Volley Fire Arrow Tome 火矢の書 Teaches Fire Arrow Poison Arrow Tome 毒矢の書 Teaches Poison Arrow Cover Tome 掩護の書 Teaches Cover Return-Fire Tome 応射の書 Teaches Return-Fire Makibishi Tome 撒菱の書 Teaches Makibishi Fire Trap Tome 火罠の書 Teaches Fire Trap Onshin Tome 隠身の書 Teaches Onshin Hi-no-Mai Tome 火舞の書 Teaches Hi-no-Mai Ninsatsu Tome 忍殺の書 Teaches Ninsatsu Spear Charge Tome 槍突の書 Teaches Spear Charge Yarigake Tome 槍駆の書 Teaches Yarigake Yaribusuma Tome 槍衾の書 Teaches Yaribusuma Hoten Tome 崩天の書 Teaches Hoten Tsumuji Tome 旋の書 Teaches Tsumuji Shura Tome 修羅の書 Teaches Shura Nio Tome 仁王の書 Teaches Nio Shield Wall Tome 盾壁の書 Teaches Shield Wall Shield Charge Tome 盾突の書 Teaches Shield Charge Shield Assault Tome 盾襲の書 Teaches Shield Assault Horse Scare Tome 馬脅の書 Teaches Horse Scare Nenbutsu Tome 念仏の書 Teaches Nenbutsu Mogura Tome 土竜の書 Teaches Mogura Ishiyumi Tome 石弓の書 Teaches Ishiyumi Item Tome 道具の書 Teaches Item Shield Barrier Tome 盾柵の書 Teaches Shield Barrier Military Manual* 兵法書 Teaches/replaces a random Stratagem Spirit Recovery Book* 気力回復の本 Restores Spirit Levels *These items only appear in Versus Mode O#############################################################################O # # # SUBORDINATES # # # O#############################################################################O The following is a list of all the Subordinates in the game. They are organized by type (Generic Soldiers/Monks/Female Soldiers/Elite Footsoldiers) and then by army. This is a key as to what each column in the list means. There's also included a short section detailing the Special Subordinates. NAME: ----- The Subordinate's name. KANJI: ------ The Subordinate's name as it appears in-game. TYPE: ----- The type of soldier. The abbreviations I've used are as follows: SWO=Swordsman BOW=Archer SHI=Shieldsfighter NAG=Naginata Soldier/Monk CLU=Club Monk RIN=Rin Subordinate SHZ=Shizuka Subordinate TOM=Tomoe Subordinate ELI=Elite Footsoldier Types are generally irrelevent (you can match an Swordsman to a Shieldsfighter general to turn them into a Shieldsfighter for example) but their types are usually somewhat indicitive of their stats. For example Archer subordinates tend to have higher Technique and lower Attack Power than Naginata subordinates. HEA: ---- The Max Health that subordinate will have with a maxed out (Level 20) Health. ATT: ---- The Attack Power that subordinate will have with a maxed out (Level 20) Attack. DEF: ---- The Defense Power that subordinate will have with a maxed out (Level 20) Defense. TEC: ---- The Technique that subordinate will have with a maxed out (Level 20) Technique. UNLOCK: ------- Where you can unlock the Subordinate so that you can use him/her. If a character's name appears here, then that Subordinate will be unlocked when you unlock the corresponding character. (For example, if you see "Jomyo-Meishu" it means that Subordinate starts out in Jomyo-Meishu's unit and joins along with him) If you see a level number, then that Subordinate is unlocked on that corresponding level. Some will join you automatically after you complete that level, and others are unlocked if they survive that level. Look at the walkthroughs for more details. There are four Special Subordinates as well, that require unusual methods to unlock. Check the "Special Subordinates" section for details. o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | GENERIC SOLDIERS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o YOSHITSUNE: =========== NAME KANJI Type HEA ATT DEF TEC UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kataoka Hirotsune 片岡弘経 | SWO | 4850 440 440 440 | Ushiwaka-Maru Kumai Taro 熊井太郎 | SWO | 4850 460 400 460 | Ushiwaka-Maru Bizen Yukisada 備前行貞 | BOW | 4400 395 372 520 | Kichiji Hiraga Kagemune 平賀景宗 | BOW | 4300 365 342 490 | Kichiji Kawagoe Shigeyori 河越重頼 | BOW | 4250 365 350 460 | Kichiji Hirayama Sueshige 平山季重 | BOW | 4600 400 358 490 | Kichiji Eda Hiromoto 江田弘基 | SHI | 4650 393 448 430 | Sato Tsugunobu Nagano Shigekiyo 長野重清 | SHI | 5000 393 495 415 | Sato Tsugunobu Yamana Yoshinori 山名義範 | SHI | 4300 390 460 440 | Sato Tsugunobu Aki Sanemitsu 安芸実光 | SHI | 4550 420 455 435 | Sato Tsugunobu Kataoka Tsuneharu 片岡経春 | SWO | 5050 440 440 460 | Sato Tadanobu Akita Morizumi 秋田盛純 | SWO | 4750 440 410 360 | Sato Tadanobu Takeda Nobumitsu 武田信光 | SWO | 4500 458 425 410 | Sato Tadanobu Beppu Kiyoshige 別府清重 | SWO | 4650 430 400 450 | Sato Tadanobu Nasu Tametaka 那須為隆 | BOW | 4640 415 382 545 | Nasu Yoichi Yasuda Yoshisada 安田義貞 | BOW | 4640 410 342 450 | Nasu Yoichi Okabe Tadazumi 岡部忠澄 | BOW | 4300 365 342 490 | Nasu Yoichi Mioya Kunitoshi 三尾谷国俊 | BOW | 4410 400 362 440 | Nasu Yoichi Takeda Nobuyoshi 武田信義 | SHI | 4500 440 480 420 | Yoshitsune Stage 6 Miura Yoshizumi 三浦義澄 | SWO | 4650 479 455 460 | Yoshitsune Stage 7 Sasaki Takatsuna 佐々木高綱 | SWO | 4700 440 420 476 | Yoshitsune Stage 9 Kajiwara Kagesue 梶原景季 | SWO | 4800 470 400 417 | Yoshitsune Stage 9 Ichijo Tadayori 一条忠頼 | BOW | 4670 451 362 550 | Yoshitsune Stage 10 Ishida Tamehisa 石田為久 | BOW | 4500 440 410 550 | Yoshitsune Stage 10 Funadokoro Masatoshi 船所正利 | BOW | 4300 365 342 490 | Yoshitsune Stage 11 Washio Yoshihisa 鷲尾義久 | SWO | 4600 470 450 440 | Yoshitsune Stage 12 Kumagai Naozane 熊谷直実 | SHI | 5100 417 500 330 | Yoshitsune Stage 13 Kamata Morimasa 鎌田盛政 | SWO | 4440 450 410 480 | Yoshitsune Stage 13 Miura Yoshitsura 三浦義連 | SWO | 4900 475 440 460 | Yoshitsune Stage 13 Kondo Chikaie 近藤近家 | SWO | 4540 438 410 434 | Yoshitsune Stage 14 Kamata Mitsumasa 鎌田光政 | SHI | 4300 410 500 370 | Yoshitsune Stage 14 Asari Yoshinari 浅利義成 | BOW | 4460 385 382 555 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Okata Koreyoshi 緒方惟栄 | SWO | 4710 435 430 434 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Awa Shigeyoshi 阿波重能 | SWO | 5020 485 464 500 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Kamei Shigekiyo 亀井重清 | SWO | 5150 465 460 450 | Yoshitsune Stage 18 Suzuki Shigeie 鈴木重家 | SWO | 4760 530 340 420 | Yoshitsune Stage 18 Minamoto Noriyori 源載頼 | SWO | 5250 550 532 480 | Special YOSHINAKA: ========== NAME KANJI Type HEA ATT DEF TEC UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nakahara Kaneto 中原兼遠 | NAG | 3960 338 316 330 | Kiso Yoshinaka Ochiai Kaneyuki 落合兼行 | NAG | 4750 480 440 420 | Kiso Yoshinaka Komuro Tadakane 小室忠兼 | NAG | 4247 440 380 370 | Kiso Yoshinaka Sakurai Taro 桜井太郎 | NAG | 4620 470 330 340 | Kiso Yoshinaka Kanasashi Morizumi 金刺盛澄 | SWO | 4340 425 352 494 | Imai Kanehira Nawa Hirozumi 那波広澄 | SWO | 4450 420 400 420 | Imai Kanehira Takadate Mitsunobu 高楯光延 | SWO | 3940 490 330 450 | Imai Kanehira Nishina Morihiro 仁科守弘 | SWO | 4320 420 430 370 | Imai Kanehira Yoshida Sanenobu 依田実信 | BOW | 4340 390 342 485 | Higuchi Kanemitsu Nakamura Tadanao 中村忠直 | BOW | 4700 388 355 515 | Higuchi Kanemitsu Nyuzen Yukishige 入善行重 | BOW | 4500 405 382 540 | Higuchi Kanemitsu Murakami Nobukuni 村上信国 | BOW | 4460 375 372 490 | Higuchi Kanemitsu Yamamoto Yoshitsune 山本義経 | SWO | 4980 462 424 464 | Nenoi Yukichika Nezu Sadayuki 根津貞行 | SWO | 4630 420 392 400 | Nenoi Yukichika Ota Kanesada 大田兼定 | SWO | 3810 340 340 495 | Nenoi Yukichika Irie Chikasada 入江親定 | SWO | 4400 445 405 430 | Nenoi Yukichika Yajima Yukitsuna 矢島行綱 | SHI | 4470 403 543 430 | Tate Chikatada Tsubata Saburo 津波田三郎 | SHI | 4180 380 483 425 | Tate Chikatada Echigo Yoshikage 越後能景 | SHI | 4300 420 455 420 | Tate Chikatada Yamamoto Yoshihiro 山本義弘 | SHI | 4450 393 460 410 | Tate Chikatada Inoue Mitsumori 井上光盛 | SHI | 4850 403 460 420 | Yoshinaka Stage 1 Sai Hirosuke 佐井弘資 | SWO | 4310 440 400 395 | Yoshinaka Stage 1 Kuramitsu Narizumi 倉光成澄 | SWO | 4550 445 420 280 | Yoshinaka Stage 2 Toda Kanesuke 藤太兼助 | SHI | 4550 413 450 430 | Yoshinaka Stage 3 Tako Iekane 多胡家包 | NAG | 4650 464 422 410 | Yoshinaka Stage 3 Minamoto Yoshitaka 源義高 | NAG | 4700 470 450 480 | Yoshinaka Stage 3 Unno Yukihiro 海野幸広 | BOW | 4440 375 372 510 | Yoshinaka Stage 4 Yada Yoshikiyo 矢田義清 | BOW | 4300 385 350 485 | Yoshinaka Stage 4 Shida Yoshihiro 志太義広 | SWO | 5080 496 480 480 | Yoshinaka Stage 5 Nagase Shigetsuna 長瀬重綱 | SWO | 4350 440 410 395 | Yoshinaka Stage 6 Takanashi Tadanao 高梨忠直 | SWO | 4650 440 405 260 | Yoshinaka Stage 7 TAIRA: ====== NAME KANJI Type HEA ATT DEF TEC UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Taira Tomoakira 平知章 | NAG | 4430 442 440 452 | Taira Tomomori Taira Yoshimune 平能宗 | NAG | 4300 460 400 400 | Taira Tomomori Kii Michisuke 紀伊通資 | NAG | 4490 450 385 420 | Taira Tomomori Kenmotsu Yorikata 監物頼賢 | NAG | 4750 380 400 314 | Taira Tomomori Heihachi Tamekazu 平八為員 | NAG | 4450 440 378 422 | Taira Noritsune Sanuki Yoshinori 讃岐義範 | NAG | 4320 444 374 414 | Taira Noritsune Etchu Moritsugi 越中盛嗣 | NAG | 4460 414 396 460 | Taira Noritsune Taira Kiyosada 平清定 | NAG | 4050 490 300 455 | Taira Noritsune Goto Morinaga 後藤盛長 | SWO | 4450 420 427 420 | Taira Shigehira Edo Shigetsugu 江戸重継 | SWO | 4880 400 424 449 | Taira Shigehira Taira Moromori 平師盛 | SWO | 4230 420 380 414 | Taira Shigehira Taira Sadayoshi 平貞能 | SWO | 3700 405 332 450 | Taira Shigehira Taira Arimori 平有盛 | BOW | 4700 365 394 492 | Taira Tokitada Yuasa Muneshige 湯浅宗重 | BOW | 4320 345 342 450 | Taira Tokitada Nii Chikakiyo 仁井親清 | BOW | 4200 405 322 485 | Taira Tokitada Yamaga Hideto 山鹿秀遠 | BOW | 4550 385 382 508 | Taira Tokitada Yoso Shigekage 与三重景 | BOW | 4360 365 342 490 | Taira Atsumori Taira Narimori 平業盛 | BOW | 4600 415 392 490 | Taira Atsumori Saito Munesada 斉藤宗貞 | BOW | 4460 425 394 490 | Taira Atsumori Saito Munemitsu 斉藤宗光 | BOW | 4820 465 382 550 | Taira Atsumori Ashikaga Tadatsuna 足利忠綱 | SWO | 4350 480 410 354 | Taira Stage 1 Fujiwara Tadakiyo 藤原忠清 | NAG | 4140 400 390 358 | Taira Stage 1 Fujiwara Tadamitsu 藤原忠光 | BOW | 4400 390 367 531 | Taira Stage 1 Taira Michimori 平通盛 | BOW | 4440 385 322 495 | Taira Stage 2 Saeki Kagehiro 佐伯景弘 | SWO | 4870 400 440 300 | Taira Stage 3 Kikuchi Takanao 菊池隆直 | SWO | 4790 424 420 370 | Taira Stage 3 Taira Tsunetoshi 平経俊 | BOW | 4600 425 382 490 | Taira Stage 3 Taira Tadanori 平忠度 | BOW | 4600 410 346 480 | Taira Stage 4 Taira Tsunemasa 平経正 | NAG | 4580 427 405 390 | Taira Stage 4 Sakuraba Yoshito 桜庭良遠 | NAG | 4450 440 380 420 | Taira Stage 5 Taira Kagekiyo 平景清 | SWO | 4950 510 450 410 | Taira Stage 5 Taira Morikuni 平盛国 | NAG | 3650 370 320 320 | Taira Secret 1 Taira Tsunemori 平経盛 | BOW | 4270 347 360 514 | Taira Secret 2 Taira Norimori 平教盛 | NAG | 4555 447 427 464 | Taira Secret 2 o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | MONKS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o YOSHITSUNE: =========== NAME KANJI Type HEA ATT DEF TEC UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shunsho 俊章 | CLU | 4750 460 380 300 | Musashibo Benkei Chukyo 仲教 | CLU | 4650 450 420 395 | Musashibo Benkei Bunyobo Kakuen 文陽房覚淵 | CLU | 4610 420 442 420 | Hitachibo Kaison Taifu Genkaku 大輔源覚 | CLU | 4450 420 400 420 | Hitachibo Kaison Gaya Chikuzen 賀屋筑前 | CLU | 4700 430 438 450 | Hitachibo Kaison Ippinbo Shokan 一品房昌寛 | CLU | 4350 465 440 410 | Hitachibo Kaison Iwau 医王 | NAG | 4800 470 380 420 | Kakuhan Hidachi 常陸 | NAG | 4450 400 380 460 | Kakuhan Chibu 治部 | NAG | 4400 440 410 435 | Kakuhan Yamashina 山科 | NAG | 4800 520 285 430 | Kakuhan Ichirai 一来 | NAG | 4630 480 380 420 | Gochiin-Tajima Kaga Kojo 加賀光乗 | NAG | 5200 445 350 360 | Gochiin-Tajima Gyobu Shunsho 刑部春秀 | NAG | 4450 442 380 410 | Gochiin-Tajima Ogura Songatsu 小藏尊月 | NAG | 4000 420 402 474 | Gochiin-Tajima Sonei 尊永 | NAG | 4300 365 342 490 | Jomyo-Meishu Jikei 慈慶 | NAG | 4420 360 342 480 | Jomyo-Meishu Rakujo 楽住 | NAG | 4300 365 370 478 | Jomyo-Meishu Genrai 玄永 | NAG | 4260 395 350 495 | Jomyo-Meishu Mongaku 文覚 | CLU | 4850 470 440 380 | Yoshitsune Stage 7 Minbukyo Raizen 民部郷来然 | CLU | 4680 400 400 430 | Yoshitsune Stage 11 Kumano Tanzo 熊野湛増 | CLU | 5400 500 470 260 | Yoshitsune Stage 11 Ano Zenjo 阿野全成 | CLU | 4790 465 380 390 | Yoshitsune Stage 11 Tokobo Rennin 東光坊蓮忍 | NAG | 4600 450 400 420 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Kawazura 川連 | NAG | 4450 420 430 430 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Kakunichi 覚日 | NAG | 4700 480 320 420 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Hozen 法然 | CLU | 6350 440 570 400 | Special o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | FEMALE SOLDIERS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o YOSHITSUNE: =========== NAME KANJI Type HEA ATT DEF TEC UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wakazakura 若桜 | RIN | 4500 415 455 440 | Rin Kaede 楓 | RIN | 4500 445 395 480 | Rin Joruri 浄瑠璃 | RIN | 4060 409 435 460 | Rin Senju 千手 | RIN | 4250 429 380 438 | Rin Gio 祇王 | SHZ | 4300 415 405 465 | Shizuka Sato 郷 | SHZ | 4500 445 425 475 | Shizuka Hotoke 仏 | SHZ | 4500 420 420 440 | Shizuka Komori 小森 | SHZ | 4300 433 395 480 | Shizuka Wa 和 | RIN | 4450 435 405 475 | Yoshitsune Stage 11 Minazuru 皆鶴 | RIN | 4500 455 435 560 | Yoshitsune Stage 11 Warabi 蕨 | RIN | 4180 430 410 480 | Yoshitsune Stage 11 Awa 阿波 | RIN | 4750 420 395 488 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Hojo Masako 北条政子 | SHZ | 5700 535 505 550 | Special YOSHINAKA: ========== NAME KANJI Type HEA ATT DEF TEC UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chizuru 千鶴 | TOM | 4300 415 395 480 | Tomoe Koeda 小枝 | TOM | 4000 365 335 370 | Tomoe Miyagiku 宮菊 | TOM | 4300 420 400 480 | Tomoe Ito 糸 | TOM | 4200 435 415 480 | Tomoe Aoi 葵 | TOM | 4500 495 415 470 | Yoshinaka Stage 2 Yamabuki 山吹 | TOM | 4900 440 465 500 | Yoshinaka Stage 3 Fuyu 冬 | TOM | 4300 415 395 480 | Yoshinaka Stage 3 Tae 妙 | TOM | 4500 420 405 460 | Yoshinaka Stage 3 Karaito 唐糸 | TOM | 4350 432 395 504 | Yoshinaka Stage 3 o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | ELITE FOOTSOLDIERS | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o YOSHITSUNE: =========== NAME KANJI Type HEA ATT DEF TEC UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kizanta 喜三太 | ELI | 4830 465 322 490 | Ise Yoshimori Toyooka Genpachi 豊岡源八 | ELI | 4330 490 345 530 | Ise Yoshimori Kaba Yoichi 蒲与一 | ELI | 4130 520 300 500 | Ise Yoshimori Suruga Kiyoshige 駿河清重 | ELI | 4300 470 360 565 | Ise Yoshimori Hokibo 伯耆坊 | ELI | 3830 430 420 480 | Karasu Tengu Tarobo 太郎坊 | ELI | 3830 430 320 560 | Karasu Tengu Saburobo 三郎坊 | ELI | 4630 430 320 480 | Karasu Tengu Sagamibo 相模坊 | ELI | 3830 510 320 480 | Karasu Tengu Kesa Taro 袈裟太郎 | ELI | 4230 430 430 520 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Nakai 中井 | ELI | 5000 470 320 530 | Yoshitsune Stage 15 Kiichi 鬼一 | ELI | 5830 550 450 710 | Special TAIRA: ====== NAME KANJI Type HEA ATT DEF TEC UNLOCK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mikuni Kuro 三国九郎 | ELI | 4230 450 340 540 | Kikuo Mibu Kozaru 壬生小猿 | ELI | 4230 490 320 540 | Kikuo Kawachi Kakusho 河内覚紹 | ELI | 4430 490 320 540 | Kikuo Aso Matsuwaka 浅生松若 | ELI | 4230 490 320 560 | Kikuo Kose Nyudo 九十瀬入道 | ELI | 4570 470 320 560 | Taira Stage 3 Hirata Ietsugu 平田家継 | ELI | 4710 470 352 470 | Taira Stage 3 Mimi Shiro 耳四郎 | ELI | 3820 440 400 520 | Taira Stage 3 Gotonai Sadatsune 後藤内定経 | ELI | 4300 486 362 420 | Taira Stage 4 Hattori Ienaga 服部家長 | ELI | 4430 506 310 600 | Taira Secret 1 o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o | SPECIAL SUBORDINATES | o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o There are four Special Subordinates, one for each type of Subordinate: Minamoto Noriyori--Generic Soldier Hozen--Monk Hojo Masako--Female Soldier Kiichi--Elite Footsoldier All four of these soldiers have very high stats that far outstrip most other Subordinates, especially their Health levels. Unlocking each is a little more involved than other Subordinates as well. Here's how to unlock each of them. MINAMOTO NORIYORI ----------------- To unlock Minamoto Noriyori, you have to finish the Special Stage "Mopping up the Minamoto Army" with Minamoto Yoshitsune as your Commander. To do this, you'll have to complete the game with both the Taira and Yoshitsune armies, "Mopping up the Minamoto Army" is a Taira special stage and the Yoshitsune army won't have access to it by default. HOZEN ----- To unlock Hozen, you must find all three Buddhist Staffs--the Konjo, the High Priest's Staff, and the Nine-Ringed Staff. The Nine-Ringed Staff can only gotten as a random item, so part of this has to be left to chance in Free Mode. HOJO MASAKO ----------- To unlock Hojo Masako, you have to complete the Yoshitsune Secret Stage, "Above the Purple Clouds" with Shizuka as your Commander. Obviously, you'll need to do this in Free Mode. KIICHI ------ To unlock Kiichi, you have to find all the Tomes that Ise Yoshimori, Karasu Tengu, and Kikuo-Maru can use: 1) Taunt Tome, 2) Calming Tome, 3) False-Alarm Tome, 4) Rally Tome, 5) Assault Tome, 6) Shogeki Tome, 7) Gyakugeki Tome, 8) Guard Tome, 9) Sutemi Tome, 10) Stone-Throw Tome, 11) Fireball Tome, 12) Makibishi Tome, 13) Fire Trap Tome, 14) Onshin Tome, and 15) Hi-no-Mai Tome The Gyakugeki, Makibishi, and Fire Trap Tomes have to be found as random items; Gyakugeki is pretty common but Fire Trap and Makibishi are reasonably rare, so this may take some time. O#############################################################################O # # # HISTORY # # # O#############################################################################O The whole scenario of the game may be a little cryptic to those not familiar with Japanese history. (talking about the breaking down of Ritsuryo system, loss of central control, etc) This section is basically pure historical background to the game and the events it chronicles. It's useless in terms of gameplay, but for those interested in the history behind it, hopefully it should shed some light on the situation. Do not take this to be 100% accurate history as my memory is a little bit hazy, but it should give you at least a partial picture of how things panned out in late Heian Japan. ORIGINS OF THE WARRIOR CLASS IN JAPAN: -------------------------------------- The roots of the warrior class can actually be traced back to when the Japanese first arrived at the archipelago. While there is still some dispute as to where ethnic Japanese originally came from, most agree that they originate from the Korean peninsula, most likely from the country of Paekche. (Back when Korea was split into Paekche, Koguryo, and Silla) At the time, the Chinese were immensely powerful and expansionist. They conquered and kicked out the northern Koreans, who--now homeless--moved south and kicked out the southern Koreans. The southern Koreans couldn't go further south so they crossed over to what is now Kyushu, in Japan. Of course, there was the problem that Japan wasn't devoid of people either; the southern-Koreans-turned-Japanese now had to push those native people, who they called the Emishi, (蝦夷) out as well. While at first the Japanese government used levies and conscription to form armies, this was a collosal failure as morale was very low and the Emishi had the upper hand, being already entrenched on the land. Therefore the Japanese government turned to mercenaries to drive out the Emishi, who were on the whole very successful, managing to expand Japanese lands much further to the east. During certain expansion campaigns, individual warriors would temporarily be given the title of Seii-Taishogun (征夷大将軍) or "Barbarian Subduing General" to drive out the "barbarian" Emishi and run all military affairs. The habit of using mercenaries rather than a centralized army would eventually come around to bite the government in the butt--this coveted title would come into play later, as the start of the military government involved making this title a permanent post-- known better to the rest of the world as "Shogun" (which is really just Seii- Taishogun for short) ORIGINS OF THE TAIRA AND THE MINAMOTO: -------------------------------------- The Minamoto and Taira warrior families both originated as mercenaries as described above; the Minamoto were in charge of pushing towards the east and fighting the Emishi, while the Taira were sent to the west of the capital to battle pirates. (this is something of an overgeneralization though, as at first the Taira were tasked with taking out the Emishi too; it wasn't until later that they battled pirates in the west) Later in the Genpei war, the Minamoto would still find their main base in the east, and the Taira in the west. But, originally, the Minamoto and Taira families (not just the military branch) were members of the Imperial line once you go far back enough. There were no real rules for Imperial succession; nothing like "first son gets the throne" or anything like that. Because of this, to combat rivalry and keep the imperial family from becoming too large, what would happen is that individual emperors would "detach" their children from "official" lineage, give them family names, and send them off to the provinces to rule there and keep them away from the court. The Taira and Minamoto clans were both such families, and hence the thing at the beginning of the game about the Taira and Minamoto being descended from Emperors Kammu and Seiwa respectively. One important thing to note is that there were multiple cases of people being sent off to the provinces and being named "Taira" or "Minamoto" or whatever; there were other groups of people descended from other emperors with those names, unassociated to the two clans that mixed it up in the Genpei war. THE TAIKA REFORMATION: ---------------------- The groundwork for the Genpei war basically was laid starting with a "loosening" of restrictions that were enacted when the Heian period was first founded at the Taika reformation. In the Taika Reformation of the seventh century, there was a huge influx of Chinese traditions and culture into Japan, and Japan formally created its Imperial system, based on the court of the Tang Empire in China; using the "Ritsuryo" legal code, land was broken down into provinces, districts, and counties, each with its own administrators answering to those above, and all of these appointments coming centrally from the Heian- Kyo (Kyoto) court. The main gist of the movement was to reform politics in Japan and unite it under a single system (formerly the country had been held by rival factions of warlords) led by the Imperial court, with a Chinese-style bureaucracy running things. However, in some ways this was doomed from the start; one of the main tenets of the Chinese system was that government office would be given on the basis of merit rather than heredity, but from the start positions in the Japanese government were doled out with a very strong element of nepotism. (It's worth noting that the system never functioned as it was supposed to on paper in China either, though it fared better in that country) RISE OF THE FUJIWARAS: ---------------------- While the Emperor ostensibly held supreme executive authority in Heian Japan, in reality all the power soon was held in the hands of one family, the Fujiwaras. The Fujiwaras were masterful politicians and through the use of "marriage politics" always made sure that one of their daughters ended up marrying the Emperor--the net result that the maternal grandfather of almost all the emperors was a Fujiwara, and most emperors had a Fujiwara for a father- in-law too. This, combined with the policy of early abdication (whereby the Emperor would bequeath the throne to his son after only a decade or so of rule) made the Fujiwaras the most powerful family in Japan; as many "new" emperors were too young to effectively rule, the post of regent (always filled by a Fujiwara, of course) acted as a "guiding hand" behind the scenes. Plus, since the emperors retired so early, they never got a chance to start to exert any independence. HEIAN POLITICS AND THE SHOEN SYSTEM: ------------------------------------ The Fujiwara's real clout was not their direct control of government affairs, but their massive tax-free estates, land holdings called shoen. (荘園) The process of doling out and assigning Shoen was immensely complex (it's so bureaucratic that unless you live and breathe Heian history, you probably won't understand the details--I sure don't) but here's a quick summary. Shoen were normally given to religious institutions, but there weren't a lot of them. However, this soon changed, and by the end of the Heian nearly all the land in Japan was part of a Shoen. At the start, nobles would "donate" their land to religious institutions (thus removing tax liability) who would immediately return the land as a "gift" in exchange for donations to the temple. Furthermore individual small landowners would "donate" their land to powerful shoen holders; they would stay on the land even though the shoen holder would technically "own" it, but instead of having to pay taxes to the central government, they would just pay a much smaller amount of "rent" to the shoen holder. In this case both the shoen holder and the small landowners benefitted, while royally screwing the central government, which had no control whatsoever over the shoen land. Being privately-held land without government support, individual Shoen holders controlled all aspects of life within their estates, and hired armed help to help police their lands. (They were probably better off that way, as the official Imperial Police were one of the most impotent "armies" in history) For example, the Minamoto were often called the "claws and teeth" of the Fujiwaras, enforcing order in their numerous Shoen holdings. The development of Shoen was in some ways not surprising, as ever since the beginning there were hints of a decentralizing of land ownership and governance in Heian Japan. Every courtier wanted to stay in the capital, and being appointed governor of a distant province was essentially banishment. While Kyoto was well-developed, the provinces were far less so, really being in the sticks, with poor roads and nowhere near the culture and pomp that was present in the capital. As a result, a system of "absentee landlordism" started to develop, whereby courtiers who didn't want to live in the provinces they were governors of stayed in Kyoto while appointing provincial officials to run in their absence. This, of course, extended to the Shoen, whereas there was a post of "owner" and one of "local guy that runs things directly." As can be imagined, this trend soon started to loosen central control on the land as provincial officials--and warriors--started to really wield the main power in their individual provinces. BACKGROUND OF THE TAIRA ----------------------- As mentioned above, the Taira started out when one of the sons of Emperor Kammu was given the name and sent off to the provinces, near the area of modern-day Chiba to fight the Emishi. The family eventually spread and gained great local power in the eastern provinces--in fact, so much so that one upstart Taira, Taira Masakado, was able to revolt and declare himself Emperor, though this was soon put down. In fact the Taira remained the major power in the Kanto region until eventually eclipsed by the Minamoto after they put down several rebels in the area. However, while the Minamoto were gaining in power in the east, the Taira were gaining power in and around Ise and the provinces to its west. And, in fact, it was Taira Tadamori, Taira Kiyomori's father, whose military exploits against the pirates in the west gained himself (and then his son) courtier rank. BACKGROUND OF THE MINAMOTO -------------------------- The Minamoto, like the Taira, started out when one of the grandsons of Emperor Seiwa, was given the name and sent off to the provinces to fight Emishi, just like the Taira. Unlike the Taira, however, this particular Minamoto, Minamoto Tsunemoto, wielded a lot more clout than the Taira in the outset, and was actually an official in provinces all throughout Japan, on Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. All of his sons were courtiers in Kyoto too, so the Minamoto were somewhat above the rank of "provincial official" level from the start. Tsunemoto's son was quick to form ties with the Fujiwara elite, and the Minamoto soon became the "enforcers" of Fujiwara power. As such, the Minamoto soon exploded in their power in the provinces, especially when one Minamoto Yoshiie put down several rebels in the east. (In fact, Yoshiie gained so much power there was an imperial edict banning him from getting any more shoen at one point) Being the local authorities of the most powerful family in Japan, the Minamoto were a force to be reckoned with. SHAKEDOWN IN THE COURT: RETIRED EMPERORS ---------------------------------------- Even though there was a steady decline in power in the central Japanese government, the Heian system might have been able to continue on its present course for a lot longer than it did. Just about all parties involved (except for the peasants, who everyone considered sub-human anyway) benefitted in some manner--the Emperor, while being devoid of any real power, still was ostensibly the ruler of Japan and commanded great respect, the Fujiwaras had complete political hegemony and executive authority, the courtiers could have their fun in the capital and not have to live in the "uncivilized" provinces, and the provincial officials and warriors held all the local power for all practical purposes. However, one maverick Emperor was born, Go-Sanjo, who changed all that. Go-Sanjo was one of the few Emperors whose mothers was not of Fujiwara lineage, and while the Fujiwara regent consequently paid him little heed, Go- Sanjo was determined to restore power to the Imperial line, and enacted several reforms that weakened the Fujiwara. First, he established an office in 1069 to certify and study Shoen records, so that Shoen being expanded and acquired "under the table" (as a heck of a lot of them were) could be both audited, and, if necessary, seized by the government. While this office was shut down soon after Go-Sanjo's death, it was a step toward a reclaiming of power by the throne. Second, and more importantly, he started the tradition of the Insei (院 政) whereby Emperors would retire to a monastery upon abdication, but continue to exert influence from behind the scenes, so that they, not the Fujiwara regent, would wield real power. Remember how Shoen were given to religious institutions? By becoming monks, these retired emperors were able to set up temples that would be eligible to become Shoen, and the Imperial House would then own Shoen along with all the landed nobles. This more than anything changed the political landscape to an environment that would be conducive to the establishment of warrior rule of Japan 125 years later. FROM WARRIOR TO STATESMAN ------------------------- Go-Sanjo may have laid the framework for an Imperial restoration of power, but it was his successor, Emperor Shirakawa, that really first exploited it to the fullest. To combat the Fujiwara stranglehold on land ownership, the Imperial house formed very close ties with provincial warriors, especially the Taira. The existing gentry were not as juicy a partner in crime, as they were either well-off under the old system or under the thumb of the Fujiwaras or both. The Taira, (and to a lesser extent, the Minamoto) on the other hand, while technically courtiers, were also really warrior chieftains, and the warrior class had steadily been gaining power over the provinces but held little "official" sway. So, the Taira started "donating" their land to the Insei shoen in droves, but doing all the actual ruling. In fact, even at the apex of their power, most of the land the Taira "owned" actually belonged to the Insei. As the relationship between the Insei and the Taira became closer, the Taira were advanced in the palace ranks further and further, to posts unheard of for a non-Fujiwara, let alone a warrior. The Taira were getting governor posts and the Insei was recovering lots of power and by the mid-12th century, the Imperial line was once again the most powerful family in Japan. THE HOGEN REBELLION ------------------- With the Emperor once again the most powerful man in Japan, all of a sudden who inherited the throne became a big issue. Plus when there were multiple retired emperors, they had a tendency to jockey with one another for power. One particular retired emperor, Emperor Toba, was being a little over-reaching in his choice of successors once he retired, and sparked the the Hogen rebellion. Emperor Toba abdicated the throne in 1123 to his eldest son, Sutoku. However, in 1141, after 18 years as emperor, Sutoku was forced to abdicate the throne by Toba to Konoe, Toba's two-year old son by his favorite consort, Bifukumon'in. Meanwhile, there was a similar clash in the ranks of the Fujiwara, with one clan leader, Tadazane, screwing over his kids the same way that Toba was. Tadazane's eldest son, Tadamichi, was currently regent, but then his younger brother Yorinaga managed to get his daughter married to the emperor, and Tadazane decided Yorinaga would be a better head of the clan and stripped Tadamichi of his powers. However, soon afterwards, the 16-year-old Konoe died suddenly of illness. Bifukumon'in accused Sutoku and Yorinaga of putting a curse on Konoe, and as a result, Toba chose Sutoku's younger brother Go- Shirakawa as next emperor instead of Sutoku's son, stripped Yorinaga of power, and put Tadamichi back as head of Fujiwara. This really pissed off both Sutoku and Yorinaga, and the next year, 1156, when Toba died, the two planned to overthrow Go-Shirakawa, so that Sutoku would have his son be emperor and Yorinaga would return to regent status. Being allied strongly with the Fujiwara, most of the Minamoto (and a few Taira) provided the military might for this attempted coup. However, Go-Shirakawa was quite crafty, and rallied the support of Minamoto Yoshitomo and Taira Kiyomori to his side. Yoshitomo and Kiyomori were victorious, Yorinaga was killed, and Sutoku was exiled. Now there was no retired Emperor, so two years later, Go-Shirakawa--who was to be the most influential retired Emperor in history--abdicated in favor of his son, Emperor Nijo. THE HEIJI REBELLION ------------------- The Heiji disturbance was a real setback for most of the Minamoto, as they had primarily sided with Sutoku; while he had secured the leadership of his clan by supporting Go-Shirakawa Yoshitomo, had gone against the will of most of the other Minamoto, and as a result the clan he led was not nearly as prominent as it had been before. The Taira, however, were the new darlings of the retired Emperor; not only had they thrown their support behind him during the Hogen Rebellion, but they were relatively untained by the Fujiwara so were great allies to have to increase imperial power. As a result, the Taira were showered with rewards, shoen, and governorships, especially Kiyomori. The Fujiwara, on the other hand, were left in the cold, and started--successfully--to try and drive a wedge between Yoshitomo and Kiyomori by making sure that Kiyomori got lots of power while Yoshitomo got little. Frustrated, eventually Yoshitomo allied with Fujiwara Nobuyori, a rival of Kiyomori's most trusted advisor, counsellor Shinzei. In 1660, while Kiyomori was away from the capital on a pilgrimage to the Kumano temple, Yoshitomo and Nobuyori attacked Shinzei, burned down his house, and killed him, then put Nijo and Go-Shirakawa under house arrest in a revolt. However, their revolt was nothing short of a disaster--Kiyomori mobilized the Taira and wiped out Yoshitomo and his supporters. However, he decided to spare Yoshitomo's sons, instead sending them into exile, including the 12-year old Yoritomo and the infant Yoshitsune. THE RISE OF THE TAIRA --------------------- The Taira were ruthless in their suppression of the Minamoto after the Heiji rebellion, driving them out of Kyoto and seizing the provinces they had control off. Now, the Taira had no competition within the warrior-Insei alliance, and truly started to flex their muscles. As Taira Kiyomori had supported retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa in both the Hogen and Heiji rebellions, he was given all sorts of special priviledges and shot up through the ranks of the courtiers even faster than he had after the Hogen Rebellion, eventually being given the position of Dajo-Daijin, (太政大臣) a post in the government so revered that it was left vacant unless someone "worthy enough" appeared to take it. He was also elevated to the lower ranks of the "first tier" of courtiers, an unheard of precedent for any member of the warrior class. Kiyomori made certain to expand his family's power, by appointing his closest relatives to important governor posts and sending inspectors periodically to make sure they stayed loyal. Kiyomori also was an adroit politician, and started to make use of marriage politics the same way that the Fujiwara had; he married one of his daughters to the heir to the Fujiwara family, (and when he died, Kiyomori made sure that his daughter got his land rights) and another one of his daughters to Takakura, Go- Shirakawa's third son and future emperor. The future Emperor Antoku was born of this union, and Kiyomori was now both grandfather and father-in law of an Emperor, much the way that was common amongst the Fujiwara. Plus, the Taira made great pains to strengthen ties with the Enryakuji warrior-monks to the northeast of Kyoto, which increased their military might. The Taira were essentially becoming the Fujiwara with teeth; while the Fujiwara primarily confined themselves to the political arena, the Taira weren't adverse to using a little force now and then. In addition, the Taira made great pains to emulate the courtiers and "culture themselves" to lose their image of uncouth warriors amongst the pre-existing establishment. This is in stark contrast to the Minamoto, who, when they eventually gained power, were less "refined" in their approach to government. KIYOMORI VS GO-SHIRAKAWA ------------------------ As they were "dirty warriors" in the eyes of the old courtier families this great increase in the power of the Taira was none too popular amongst the landed elite in Kyoto, but during most of most of his rise to power, Kiyomori was strongly allied and in friendly relations with Go-Shirakawa. It was advantageous for both parties; Go-Shirakawa was feuding with Nijo over who got to wield what power, and could use the Taira as a little muscle to back him up. In return, the Taira got to see unprecendented power and land stewardship for their family. However, much like the way shoen were, the Taira were really the representatives of the Insei and not true wielders of power, and it was this that would eventually cause a rift between Kiyomori and Go-Shirakawa. First, he never really actually HELD any real land--the Insei did, and he just managed it, so was limited in his quest for power. Furthermore, his attempts to mold the Taira family in the model of courtiers was largely unsuccessful; he was still seen as a "dirty warrior" to the gentry, and in addition, his attempt to turn the Taira into courtiers weakened his grip on power in the provinces. As the Taira were no longer seen as "tough warriors" there they didn't command the same level of respect. It wasn't until the late 1170s that things started getting really rough for Kiyomori. First, Go-Shirakawa seized the Enryakuji's lands, which was really damaging for Kiyomori's relations with them. Second, Kiyomori uncovered a conspiracy to overthrow him, and though Kiyomori executed or exiled most of the conspirators, it weakened his position. Then, Kiyomori's daughter (who had inherited the Fujiwara lands) died and Go-Shirakawa seized those lands too. Lastly, and most importantly, when Kiyomori's eldest son Shigemori died, Go-Shirakawa seized his province, Echizen, one of the few Shoens that the Taira actually owned rather than just administered. This was the last straw; Kiyomori enacted a coup, put Go-Shirakawa under house arrest, and forced Emperor Takakura to abdicate the throne in favor of Antoku, his son and Kiyomori's grandson. Now Kiyomori was essentially the most powerful man in Japan. THE GENPEI WAR BEGINS --------------------- Mochihito was Go-Shirakawa's second son, Emperor Takakura's elder brother, and a Minamoto favorite to take the throne. However, when Takakura abdicated the throne to Antoku, Mochihito's aspirations to become Emperor were crushed, and this was essentially the third time he was passed over for the chance at Emperor. First, Emperor Nijo abdicated in favor of Rokujo (his son) and then when Rokujo died his younger brother Takakura became emperor instead; Takakura's mother was Kiyomori's sister, (thus Kiyomori was both his uncle and his father-in-law; incestual marriages were not uncommon back then) hence pressure was put on Go-Shirakawa to name him instead of Mochihito Emperor. Thirdly, Antoku was named Emperor instead of Mochihito, because he was Kiyomori's grandson. To add insult to injury, all his land was confiscated when Kiyomori enacted his coup. As could be expected, Mochihito became VERY angry and sent out his famous edict to crush the Taira. He was shortly killed by the Taira as a rebel, but the Minamoto (who had mostly been in hiding) used this as a pretense to rise up, and Minamoto Yoritomo declared war against the Taira, followed by his cousin Yoshinaka a month later. It took quite some time for either to raise enough troops to actually fight, but it eventually happened, and thus the Genpei war began. SAMURAI MYTHS ------------- Since this guide deals a lot with the military class and its origins, I thought this might be a good place to talk about some of the famous myths about the samurai and dispel them. There are a lot of them--the "popular image" of the samurai is pretty much all wrong. If you have an emotional attachment to the image of the honorable, disciplined warrior with a spiritual attachment to his martial art that he trains to perfection, you might not want to read onward as that perception may be somewhat spoiled for you. :) Myth #1: Samurai were honorable Samurai were about as far from being honorable as you can imagine. They were scheming, conniving, and traitorous. Nearly every major "turning-point" battle in Japanese military history is characterized by a general turning coat mid- battle and attacking his former master. During the Sengoku period there was even a specific term, "Gekokujo" which referred to military retainers killing or overthrowing their masters and taking control. Even as far back as the Genpei war, you can see that warriors took a very self-interested approach to military service. Yukiie changed loyalties almost as much as he changed his clothing, allies turned against each other constantly, former enemies colluded together at the drop of a hat, etc. The primary reason that later military treatises on "how a warrior should act" made such a big deal out of honor and loyalty was because they were such rare traits amongst the warrior class! In an era where if you had the ambition, you could kill all enemies to rise to the top, many--if not most--were willing to do a little backstabbing to get ahead. It made for rough times to live in, but interesting political drama! Myth #2: Samurai lived and fought by a strict code of ethics "Bushido" is a load of BS. The term was initially popularized by Nitobe Inazo, author of _Bushido: The Soul of Japan_ and while many martial artists (especially in the West) gush about this book, he really had no clue what he was talking about, and the book, while historically important because of its impact, is considered something of a standing joke amongst serious scholars. A very westernized Japanese with little in the way of background in warrior history, Nitobe patterned his "treatise" on Bushido from popular perceptions rather than actual history. (Kind of like if the average American were to describe the Old West, it would probably based on cowboys, saloons, and sherrifs rather than an accurate picture of what the Old West really was like) The whole idea of a "warrior code of ethics" was talked about in some Edo works like _Hagakure,_ but was primarily a phenomenon confined to the Edo period, being mostly developed long after the samurai had been stopped being real warriors, and turned into full-fledged statesmen. (The Edo period was a long protacted era of peace in Japan, where the samurai ruled the country, but never actually fought in wars) When the samurai were actual warriors, anything went. The samurai were very pragmatic when it came to war; Widescale looting and destruction, terrorizing the populace, slaughtering women and children--if it gave you a military advantage, it was OK and even expected. Take, for example, Yoshitsune's nonchalant torching of commoners' houses as a military tactic at the battle of Yashima, or his edict to drown or bury alive all Taira infants and toddlers (older children being beheaded) after winning the war. Like the myth of the "chivalrous knights" of Europe that were little more than brutish thugs, the samurai were very similar--they did what it took to get the job done. The act of ritual suicide, for example, is thought to have arisen as a way to prevent capture; the torture you would undergo as a prisoner would be worse than death! Myth #3: Samurai trained and excelled in individual martial arts Like the samurai "code of ethics," individual "schools" of martial arts are pretty much a phenomenon of the Edo period and were extremely rare beforehand. Most of the martial arts claiming to date back to Heian, Kamakura, or Muromachi times are full of it. During the late Muromachi and Sengoku periods, there were a few different "ryuha" of swordsmanship and archery, but they were not very numerous and pursued by few. The image of the "Zen warrior" with a pseudo- spiritual or mystical attachment to his martial art is outright fiction. Samurai were soldiers, plain and simple, and they received a general overall military training in many areas (using sword, bow, horse, spear, etc) with an emphasis on the best way to kill your enemy, rather than immersing themselves in the theory of battle. A modern-day soldier recruit is a better comparison to what a samurai would have been like than a martial artist is. Strategy and tactics were the true martial skill of the day, not what kind of "kata" or "waza" you used when wielding your weapon. The strict, formalized schools of martial arts didn't develop until the peace of the Edo period. Without actual wars to fight or enemies to kill, fighting became much more ritualized and esoteric, with individual "schools" popping up here and there. These schools were influential in the eventual downfall of the warrior class in the Bakumatsu period (as that's where disgruntled samurai could gather to plot against the Tokugawa bakufu) but the master-to-student "inheritance" of martial knowledge used by the Edo samurai would be largely alien to a Sengoku, Muromachi, Kamakura, and Heian samurai. (And the Sengoku/Muromachi/Kamakura/Heian samurai would probably be able to kick the stuffing out of the Edo samurai, being much more experienced in actual battle) Myth #4: Samurai were primarily swordsmen The Samurai _were_ swordsmen in the Edo period, and to a lesser extent, in the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period, but for the majority of their history, (and definitely in the time of the Genpei war) the primary weapon of the samurai was the bow--mounted archery was more or less the primary method of fighting until the arrival of firearms in the 15th century. Swords were primarily used as hacking tools when you got too close and had little technique or finesse. "The sword as the soul of the samurai" was (like the samurai "code of ethics" and the "samurai as martial artist") primarily a product of the Edo era, where the right to wear swords was a priviledge allowed only to those of the warrior class. Marksmanship was one of the most prized skills back then and ritualized arrow duels were the "accepted" method to start a full-scale battle. One thing that's of interest is that the Japanese bow is unlike the bow from any other culture. Whereas most longbows have the arrow drawn and fired in the middle of the the bow making it roughly "symmetrical," Japanese bows were very different; the arrow was drawn and shot on the lower half of the bow, making it look kind of lopsided with a much longer "high half" than a "lower half." Why Japanese bows were developed like this is in dispute, but one idea is that this kind of bow was most ideal for mounted archery; while a longbow provides great power, if the "lower half" dips very low, it becomes more difficult to quickly "switch sides" and move the bow while on horseback, because the horse gets in the way. On a similar note, there is a theory that the Japanese sword is curved rather than straight because it is more easily drawn on horseback. (In the early days, Japanese swords were straight, double-bladed types like those used in China) There are more myths about the samurai and Japanese military history (don't even get me started on the ninja) but these are just a few of the more prevalent and wide-spread ones. As you'll probably detect a theme throughout all of these descriptions, the major source of "samurai myths" is due to the wholescale transformation of the way that the warrior class lived during the protacted peace of the Edo period, and all of the myths have little reflection of what it was like to be a samurai when they were actual soldiers that fought in real wars. o#############################################################################o # # # BIBLIOGRAPHY/RECOMMENDED READING # # # o#############################################################################o Since there's a wealth of historical material about the Genpei war out there, if you want to learn more, there are lots of good sources about it. Admittedly, the best and most numerous information is only available in Japanese, but here I'm going to cover some of the important works mentioned throughout the guide, and books that have good information about the period. This isn't a full list of all the sources I've used (a lot of the information I talked about either came from memory or my old notes from college when I was studying Japanese history, which were culled from a whole number of sources both English and Japanese) but is a good starting point for English speakers looking to learn more about the end of the Heian and the Genpei war. I'm not going to include any Japanese sources, as if you can read Japanese at that level, you can probably find them on your own. :) HEIKE MONOGATARI ================ Usually known in English as the _Tale of the Heike_, the _Heike Monogatari_ is one of the most famous ancient works of Japanese literature; probably only the _Genji Monogatari_ (_The Tale of Genji_) outranks it in terms of famous prestige. It's one of several of the classic "military romances" along with works like the _Taiheiki_ and the _Genpei Seisuiki_ but is far and away the best. First compiled from a series of legends in the Kamakura era, the _Heike Monogatari_ describes the rise and fall of the Taira, starting after the Heiji Rebellion and ending with Yoritomo's death. While embellished and exaggerated for dramatic effect in places, it's a largely historical work, and most of the events depicted therein are reasonably accurate. There are several translations available in English; I've read two, one by Helen Craig McCullough and one by Hiroshi Kitagawa and Bruce Tsuchida. (Unless your Japanese is VERY good, avoid the Japanese original or find a more modern update, as the original has little in the way of Kanji and uses very archaic Japanese compared with the modern day) I believe McCullough's translation is generally accepted as being the better of the two, though in some places I prefer the flow of text in the Kitagawa/Tsuchida edition, plus its addition of a table of contents is nice. Either is a great read though, and if you read only one Genpei-war related book, this will be the one you want. Note that the romanizations of the names differ from translation to translation. (Japanese names are notoriously hard to translate) It's a great book to read not only to learn the events of the era, but to learn about the culture of the Japanese in those days as well. GIKEIKI ======= Literally "Record of Yoshitsune," this is a less historical work, covering the life of Yoshitsune, especially the sections we don't know much about, like his childhood as Ushiwaka, or his exploits between his flight from Kyoto and his death. Written in the 15th-century Muromachi era, it's mostly culled from various oral traditions and legends. The _Gikeiki_ is a much more involving read than the _Heike Monogatari_ (which tends to be a little dry in places) and the Japanese original is in more accessible language to those schooled in modern Japanese. There's an English translation called _Yoshitsune: A 15th Century Japanese Chronicle_ also done by Helen Craig McCullough, and is excellent not only in the translation but in the detailed commentary as well. The down side is that it was originally translated in the 60s, and while there was a reprint in the 80s, it's hard to find. You may have to go to a library to find it. Definitely worth the read though. AZUMA KAGAMI ============ The _Azuma Kagami_ is the definitive source for history of the Genpei war. Compiled in the latter half of the 13th century, it's essentially a "diary" of the actions of the Kamakura Bakufu from the onset of the Genpei war until the middle of the 13th century. It's not entirely factual (in fact parts of it were probably borrowed from the _Heike Monogatari_ but is the closest thing to a true historical record that we've got. The bad news? There's no English translation, and the original is written in "pidgin" Kanbun (Japanese using only Chinese characters) so unless you're a medieval Japanese expert, you'll probably never read it. (However, read below to learn where you can get some snippets in English) THE FOUNDING OF THE KAMAKURA SHOGUNATE ====================================== Written by Minoru Shinoda, this book is just FANTASTIC! This book is an in- depth, detailed look at how the Kamakura Bakufu was founded, starting with a look all the way back at the Heian system of government, the origins of the Taira and Minamoto families, going through the Genpei war phase-by-phase, then talking about the process of setting up the Kamakura Bakufu proper. The real gem is that about half the book is selected translations from the Azuma Kagami, in English! This is the only major English translation of any of the Azuma Kagami to date and it's just fascinating. It's scholarly and academic, and while a background in Japanese history will help, it's still accessible if you just have a passing interest. The downside is that it's old (published in 1960) and hard to find. You definitely won't regret picking it up, though. A HISTORY OF JAPAN TO 1334 ========================== George Sansom's three-volume set of history books on Japan (To 1334, 1334-1615, and 1615-1867) while a little dated, especially in the "western-tinted sunglasses" department, is still one of the best series on Japanese history in general, and as the Genpei war happened before 1334, this is the place to read about it. THE WORLD OF THE SHINING PRINCE: COURT LIFE IN ANCIENT JAPAN ============================================================ While not covering the Genpei war per se (actually it chronicles Heian life about a century before that war started) this book by Ivan Morris has great information on what Japanese society was like at the time, so you can sort of see how the groundwork for the war was laid. However--it's a common complaint about this book, but it needs to be said--there's a severe dose of Western chauvinism here. You kind of get the sense that the author is looking down his nose at the "primitive" Japanese which is annoying and gets kind of grating after a while. o#############################################################################o # # # THANKS # # # o#############################################################################o Thanks go out to: FROM Software, for producing a game especially for Heian/Genpei history geeks! "Nanashi" (an anonymous poster on a web board) who clued me in to the "kill the rabbits" info. Dr. Hurst, my professor in college who taught me everything I know about the Japanese warrior class. My notes taken in his "Age of the Samurai" class were indispensible for covering the historical background in this guide. The maintainer of the "Yoshitsune Densetsu" website: http://www.st.rim.or.jp/~success/yositune.htm Not only is there more information on Yoshitsune than you can shake a stick at, but he's got the full text of the _Gikeiki,_ and the _Heike Monogatari_ in his "Yoshitsune Digital Library!" That site saved me a lot of time that would have otherwise been spent in the library. :) o#############################################################################o # # # COPYRIGHT NOTICE # # # o#############################################################################o (Cause you can't be too safe. More FAQ writers have been ripped off by people trying to make a quick buck than I like to think about) This Document is Copyright 2006 by Ian Kelley. All Rights Reserved. It is protected by US and International Copyright Law. It is for private and personal use only, and cannot be reprinted in or reproduced in part or in entirety without the express written consent of the author. This document is intended to be free and may not be used for any sort of commercial venture, be that selling it, giving it away as a promotion, or making otherwise making available for profit. It may not be used or distributed by any website, organization, or individual, nor may it be used as a reference or altered by anyone (such as strategy guide authors/publishers or magazine staff) without express permission of the author.