Jūbei Nankōbō (Akechi Mitsuhide) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
samuraisoul) wrote2017-01-11 08:35 pm
samuraisoul) wrote2017-01-11 08:35 pm
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PLAYER
YOUR NAME: Bellflower
18+?: Yes.
CONTACT:
CHARACTERS IN GAME: N/A
YOUR NAME: Bellflower
18+?: Yes.
CONTACT:
CHARACTERS IN GAME: N/A
CHARACTER: CANON SECTION
NAME: Mitsuhide Akechi
AGE: 38
CANON: Samurai Warriors
NAME: Mitsuhide Akechi
AGE: 38
CANON: Samurai Warriors
CANON HISTORY:
Mitsuhide was born to a clan of minor nobles and members of the samurai class, the Akechi. The game does not detail much about his early life, but it is known that his family was in service to the Saitou; the Saitou were rulers of the area of Japan in which the Akechi lived, known as Minou, and thus when Mitsuhide came of age he became a samurai in their forces. Though it is not explicitly stated, he is one of the top generals in the Saitou forces when faced in-game and thus can be assumed to have climbed the ranks fairly quickly. Mitsuhide is also suggested to have been childhood friends with Lady Nouhime, daughter of his first Lord, Dousan Saitou, who is shown to know him very well and frequently tease and encourage him.
Sometime during his service to the Saitou, we also know that he first met and formed a strong friendship with Motochika Chousokabe, the son of a nobleman from the Japanese island of Shikoku, who later has a big impact on his story.
We first get into detail about his life during the invasion of Minou by Nobunaga Oda.
This particular battle is not shown during his own story-mode, but it is during the stories of several others and we see him as one of the leaders of the defense of Minou's castle. At this time the Saitou clan is led by Dousan's son, who is unfortunately incompetent and a very poor leader indeed. The battle is lost, and Mitsuhide stays loyal to the end, but several lines of dialogue show that at this point the young man knows full well that his Lord is nowhere near capable of uniting the land and is frustrated at this fact, because he wishes to see Japan united under the leadership of a talented and compassionate soul who can end the suffering of its people. Meeting Nobunaga on the battlefield, he recognises the man's talent but makes no further comment on it; however, Nobunaga must have made a considerable impression at this time. After the complete defeat of the Saitou, Mitsuhide spends a short time wandering around as a ronin, a 'masterless samurai,' but it does not take too long before he joins the Oda army.
His first battle under his new Lord is against the Takeda at their castle of Nagashino. Mitsuhide works with another of the Oda vassals during this battle, a man named Ieyasu Tokugawa. The conversations between the two reveal a good deal about Mitsuhide's motivations, aims and belief in his Lord; when Ieyasu asks if peace will ever happen in their lifetime, Mitsuhide replies 'I believe we will; we must have faith, and be prepared to sacrifice everything for that peace.' He also goes on to state that he will do anything to ensure Nobunaga's conquest is completed, that his faith is solid, and says that he considers his Lord's duty to be a 'sacred' one. It's clear at this point that he thinks Nobunaga's goals are the same as Mitsuhide's himself; to create a peaceful land.
The battle goes easily to the Oda; Mitsuhide himself sneaks behind the enemy lines, defeats several generals and takes out the head of the Takeda Army, Katsuyori. The rest of the Oda generals decimate the Takeda forces through the use of their gun units, resulting in a huge loss of life. This moment prompts the only moment of hesitation from Mitsuhide in this battle, where he laments the blood of innocents on his hand but tells himself that it is necessary in order for peace to be gained; afterwards he says that 'the world belongs' to his Lord, but Nobunaga immediately responds by saying that Mitsuhide should strive to overcome him instead, and should carry his own vision. Mitsuhide does not seem to understand this at all.
After conquering the lands of the Takeda, most of the Eastern half of Japan submit to Nobunaga and accept him as their ruler. Mitsuhide's story continues when Nobunaga launches a campaign against the Mouri clan; the Mouri are led by one of the greatest strategists in the land and have a powerful navy to contend with. Without a strong enough navy of their own to compete with this, Mitsuhide makes a suggestion; they can form an alliance with the Chousokabe clan by utilising Mitsuhide's own link to its leader, Motochika, who has at this point had become head of the clan and conquered the entirety of the island of Shikoku with the help of his own powerful navy.
Motochika accepts Mitsuhide's request and comes to the Oda's aid; Mitsuhide greets Motochika personally at the shore when the Chousokabe navy arrives and thanks him for his assistance, but Motochika responds by telling him 'it was nothing' and that he would never turn Mitsuhide down. He jumps into the water afterwards, and the scene that follows establishes the bond between the two men as being a particularly strong one built on a considerable amount of trust and affection (and we also see Oda Nobunaga's bodyguard Ranmaru, who is watching from afar with his Lord, saying that he has a 'bad feeling' about the alliance, which foreshadows what is to come later).
The naval battle of Kizugawa, against the Mouri, follows shortly afterwards, and it is here that we see Mitsuhide's doubts about his Lord truly come to the surface. Shortly after the battle begins, Hideyoshi Hashiba, another of the Oda generals, retreats on the pretense of checking something else out, and Motochika and Mitsuhide have the following conversation:
Mitsuhide: I see Hideyoshi has already left…
Motochika: I’m waiting for you to run away too… or are you man enough to stay?
Mitsuhide: I… I have faith in Lord Nobunaga.
Motochika: Then prove it. Prove how committed to the cause you are.
What follows only serves to dramatically intensify Mitsuhide's doubts in his Lord; after pushing forward and defeating a number of peasant troops, the troops then surrender, which to Mitsuhide is a source of great relief. After escorting them to safety, Mitsuhide leaves them, only for Nobunaga to order every single one of the surrendering men executed, an order which is immediately carried out by another one of his generals. This horrifies and disturbs Mitsuhide deeply, and though he says that 'if he can have no faith in his Lord, he can have faith in nobody' and must therefore do his bidding, it's clear that said faith has been horribly shaken. From then until the Mouri army's defeat, opponents and allies alike take note of this in different ways and point it out to the samurai, who can only reply in a shaken voice.
He takes part in only one more major battle for the Oda, which is not covered in his own story mode but is within Motochika's. The Oda take on the Uesugi, and during this battle Nobunaga deliberately sets fire to Mitsuhide's own base as part of a larger fire attack, a move which Mitsuhide is horrified by and doesn't understand. Motochika tells Mitsuhide that Nobunaga is challenging him and encourages his friend to push forward with the battle, and though it is eventually won, it is clear at this point that Mitsuhide's faith is on the edge of cracking in full. Motochika informs Mitsuhide that the Chousokabe are going to return to Shikoku now, and both Motochika and Mitsuhide himself are soon going to face a battle for their very survival because Nobunaga is certain to break the alliance and attack the Chousokabe forces. Mitsuhide says that there is no way Nobunaga would do such a thing.
Motochika is shortly proved right, however. Nobunaga does indeed break the alliance, and in a state of shock Mitsuhide slips away from the Oda briefly in order to visit Motochika and tell him of what has happened. This meeting is to be a fateful one. Mitsuhide breaks down, having finally realised that his dream and Nobunaga's are not the same at all; Nobunaga is too ruthless and does not aim to create a land of compassion at all. Motochika asks Mitsuhide why he is here, then points out that in coming to Motochika (which essentially already makes him a traitor, having pre-warned his Lord's new target of his intentions) Mitsuhide has clearly already made a decision.
With this realisation made, Mitsuhide steels himself and makes an incredibly painful choice; in order to protect those who might be harmed in the future, to speak for those who have already lost their lives and to protect Motochika, Mitsuhide will betray and defeat Oda Nobunaga.
With Motochika at his side, Mitsuhide marches on Nobunaga's current residence of Honnouji with the intent of slaying Nobunaga. During this battle he has many moments of self-doubt and difficulty at many points but still carries on, even as countless accusations are thrown his way by his former allies, and is supported during the worst of these moments by Motochika. It is shown, however, that Nobunaga knew that the betrayal was coming, as did Nouhime; when encountered she speaks to Mitsuhide in an almost gentle manner and tells him that he should not second-guess his decision, accepting and almost welcoming her death after they fight.
The fight against Nobunaga himself does not last long; with Motochika at his side, Mitsuhide defeats Nobunaga, who actually seems content with this turn of events and comments, as he dies, that his death serves a purpose and now the world can keep moving forward. Mitsuhide, however, has a massive breakdown after the deed is done.
In the aftermath of this betrayal, the Oda forces fragment into many different groups, but every one has marked Mitsuhide for death (with it being said that whomever 'kills the traitor' will be taking up Nobunaga's mantle). Mitsuhide is lost in despair, full of guilt and deeply traumatised, however, and it is again Motochika's support that keeps him afloat. Motochika escorts him to a vital battle for their continued survival against Hideyoshi Hashiba (now Hideyoshi Toyotomi) at Yamazaki.
The battle goes well at first, despite the Akechi forces being much smaller than those of Hideyoshi, and they push forward up Yamazaki's mountain until a sudden influx of enemy reinforcements causes them to lose ground. Under threat, Motochika proposes a plan; he distracts the Toyotomi army while Mitsuhide himself leads a boat across the lake at the mountain's foot, which would take him right to the enemy camp. Mitsuhide has many concerns about this but ultimately agrees to it and offers a slightly fearful farewell to Motochika before carrying out his part of the plan. It works surprisingly well, with Hideyoshi being caught off-guard and the Toyotomi camp getting captured, but not without massive, campaign-ending casualties. Even worse is to come; upon rushing to reunite with Motochika, Mitsuhide discovers that Motochika was fately wounded in an ambush set by Kanbei Kuroda when he assaulted the mountain and is moments away from death. Motochika lives only just long enough to tell Mitsuhide that the living must move on, that it's the only way to truly honour the dead, but after his friend passes on Mitsuhide is left bereft. Outright saying he cannot go on without Motochika, and with his forces almost entirely swallowed up, Mitsuhide quietly slips away from the battlefield. As far as Japan is concerned, the Toyotomi won the Battle of Yamazaki and Mitsuhide was killed afterwards.
What actually happens is that Mitsuhide retreats from public entirely, and believing himself unworthy of his name, settles into a hermitage in the wilds. Many years pass, and we don't know entirely what happens during this time to Mitsuhide himself, but Hideyoshi unites the land during that time and reigns over a brief period of peace before passing away. Sometime during this period Ieyasu Tokugawa must have discovered Mitsuhide was alive and located him, because after Hideyoshi has died we are shown a scene of Ieyasu coming to visit Mitsuhide. The land has broken out in war once more and Ieyasu has decided he must be the one to bring it back to peace again, but it requires destroying the Toyotomi, something he feels bad about. Ieyasu tells this to and Mitsuhide remembers Motochika's words to him, remembers his own battle all those years ago, and takes a momentous step: he offers to fight at Ieyasu's side.
It is under the false name of Tenkai Nankōbō that he takes to the battlefield during the Battle of Sekigahara, fighting for Ieyasu against the Toyotomi forces (under one Mitsunari Ishida). Recognised by only a few others, all on the enemy's side, several quiz about why he is taking the actions he is but Mitsuhide replies only with calm and determined if someone sad words. One who does not recognise him, Yoshihiro Shimazu, asks him his name; Mitsuhide replies that he has no name, that it was lost when his friend dies, but Yoshihiro nonetheless recgonises Mitsuhide's strength and implies there is yet worth in him.
Ultimately, Ieyasu's forces win; ultimately ensuring the Tokugawa under his rule would unite the land. Mitsuhide's story mode ends with a scene of him playing Motochika's shamisen and wondering what Motochika would say to him, if he were here; Ieyasu, upon entering, praises the music he is creating and notes that the shamisen must be pleased to be in his hands. It is on this note that the story ends, and it is assumed that Mitsuhide lives out the rest of his life quietly under his assumed name.
CANON PERSONALITY:
Mitsuhide is noted in the game as a man of emotion by many other characters. This is by far the most important part of his characterisation, and is the core from which many of his personality traits spring.
Being a 'man of emotion,' Mitsuhide feels things deeply and is very sensitive to the pain of others. The plight of those affected by the war in his homeland of Japan therefore troubles him, and it is for their sake that he fights and aims to bring about a land of compassion (he literally states this at one point, and Motochika remarks upon it as well). While this means taking up his sword to try and unite the land under one ruler, Mitsuhide attempts to get through each battle as quickly and painlessly as possible. In his eyes, the fewer who must suffer, the better.
This is a reflection of his kind nature, and again of his empathy. Unfortunately, however, another aspect of Mitsuhide's personality means that this approach causes him many personal problems.
While he picks up on the suffering of others quickly, Mitsuhide is not actually very good at reading people in a more general sense. This is most obvious when one examines his interactions with Nobunaga; Mitsuhide firmly believes, to begin with, that his Lord fully intends to bring about the land of compassion Mitsuhide himself wants. When Nobunaga starts committing brutal acts (such at the killing of the surrendered men during the Battle of Kizugawa), Mitsuhide is astonished and expresses a complete lack of understanding as to why Nobunaga would do such a thing. It takes many more such incidents for him to realise that what he wanted and what Nobunaga wanted was very different indeed, and this realisation causes him a great deal of pain.
(A more mild example of his inability to read others well can be shown in his tendency to take things literally and fail to pick up on sarcasm and the like, as he does in one conversation with Mori Ranmaru in Warriors Orochi 3 where Ranmaru suggests, sarcastically, that he finds Mitsuhide annoying, something Mitsuhide thinks he is being serious about).
Having his faith broken is clearly not something he handles well, but by his very nature Mitsuhide is always going to be at risk of it.
This leads well into his tendency to doubt himself, and to feel guilt very easily. When he believed in Nobunaga, Mitsuhide used the end goal of a peaceful land as justification for the bloodshed he caused under his Lord's command. This likely hurt him as it was, but upon realising those actions were essentially displays of Nobunaga's ruthlessness rather than anything he previously believed, Mitsuhide immediately placed all blame for the lives lost upon himself. He continues to do this throughout Honnouji, where many of his men die, and then through to the Battle of Yamazaki, expressing that 'more lives have been lost' and that he is the one to blame. While Motochika emphasises to him that their men chose to enter this fight for Mitsuhide's sake, it does not stop Mitsuhide from feeling wholly responsible. In his eyes, every drop of blood lost is on his hands, and even in scenarios where Mitsuhide is ultimately victorious he is shown to have doubts about himself.
It should be clear by this point that Mitsuhide finds it extremely hard to forgive himself for anything. He seems to possess something of a 'black and white' view on morality most of the time and applies it most strictly to himself; killing Nobunaga was a sin in his eyes, no matter why he did it, and that weighs down on him heavily. He considers himself responsible for a lot of bloodshed, and that weighs heavily upon him too. Nobody is harder on Mitsuhide than Mitsuhide himself.
These self-doubting, guilt-prone, depressive traits, coupled with his lack of ability to read people that well, could be considered his main weakness; Motochika certainly refers to Mitsuhide being 'weak' in that context, and reacts to it by offering to be Mitsuhide's 'strength.' It's definitely true that Mitsuhide struggles to cope without the support of another. Canon basically states that he gets from Honnouji to Yamazaki with Motochika guiding him there, his sorrow making it difficult for him to push himself. One might say that Mitsuhide works best when there is another there to reassure and guide him through his personal problems, or even just to offer moral support.
Losing all forms of that support can be utterly devastating; when Motochika dies at Yamazaki, Mitsuhide states that without the other man, he cannot go on. Indeed, he then goes into complete isolation, withdrawing from the world and forsaking his name and titles! Left to his own devices when coping with difficult emotions can result in dramatic responses from him, where guilt, depression or sorrow can utterly overwhelm everything else in his life.
However, it's important to note that while he felt undeserving of anything, even so much as his own name, Mitsuhide stayed alive through this. He did not get tempted by seppuku (though it's not difficult to imagine it crossed his mind at points) and lived on. Over a timespan of many years on his own, Mitsuhide did begin to heal and eventually got to the point where he could pick up his sword and go into battle in order to aid a friend, while offering moral support of his own. This hints at a certain level of strength within him, a willingness to go on no matter how bad things get. He can be hurt, damaged or weak, but something in him keeps him going. Shimazu Yoshihiro, when encountered in battle during Mitsuhide's final stage of Sekigahara (long after Yamazaki), points out that there must be strength in Mitsuhide yet despite Mitsuhide stating he had lost everything.
Yoshihiro: Who dares block the path of the Devil Shimazu?
Mitsuhide: I have no name or rank. I lost everything with the death of my friend.
Yoshihiro: Yet you have the courage to face me. There is strength in you yet.
This suggests that he is not aware of that strength, and hints at a lack of self-awareness on his part (in one of the side games, another character literally says that Mitsuhide is capable of 'more than he knows'), but that does not make it any less real. It also makes it clear that he is capable of moving on, even if doing so can take a very long time.
He is capable of anger, but it usually takes a lot for him to get to that point, and normally it doesn't go beyond what most would call mild irritation. Someone delibrately embarrassing him is one thing that can get him to that stage, for example, or witnessing others being overly rude and ungrateful. Mitsuhide shows his feelings in such moments by speaking in a cool, quiet, sharp manner, but it's usually easy enough to calm him down. On those rare occasions where he shows true anger, however, he speaks a lot more quickly and with greater volume, often losing any sense of rationality in the face of such a strong, overwhelming emotion. Calming him down in these circumstances is much harder.
It is also worth noting that despite caring deeply for others, and finding it easy to be in the company of others in a more casual sense, Mitsuhide does not seem to forge deeper bonds of the personal kind very easily. His connections with most of the other Oda generals remain rather formal/casual, with only a few really being on a friend level with him (Ranmaru and Nouhime are the most notable here), and outside of the Oda only Chousokabe Motochika is a really close friend. It takes a lot of time, and the right kind of connection, for him to get that close to someone. Mitsuhide is also rather reserved when it comes to public displays of affection, even those expressed merely through word. Unexpected hugs would make him feel incredibly awkward and uncertain of himself, and unexpected kisses would downright mortify him.
On a lighter note, Mitsuhide is shown to be a mostly traditional kind of man. He favours classic samurai clothing and almost completely covers his body up in every costume he has been depicted in (which also suggests a certain level of prudishness). In addition to this, he addresses almost everyone in a formal manner; even Motochika, who is his closest friend and doesn't really care about titles and the like, is always addressed with the proper honorific. Mitsuhide is also shown to be incredibly polite, perhaps to extremes sometimes (such as apologising in a certain skit where he is the one who is insulted)!
However, this can be a bit deceptive; there is most definitely a alternative side to Mitsuhide, and he is shown to possess a mostly open-mind. The mere fact that he once served under Nobunaga, a very untraditional general, and shares a close relationship with Motochika, an outright rebellious and stubborn man who dresses and acts in a very provocative manner, backs this up. There is also the major point that he chooses to protect his morals and Motochika over his loyalty to Lord Nobunaga; betraying one's Lord is one of the highest crimes in his culture, but when it comes down to it, when tradition and common perception clashes with Mitsuhide's morals, the morals will win out eventually.
A normally modest sort who often downplays compliments given to him, there are two things in which Mitsuhide is shown to have some level of pride; his technical skill as a warrior (though he sometimes remarks he still has a long way to go before he reaches true mastery), and his head of incredibly long, thick hair. The latter is not something he is outwardly proud about but his reactions to others talking about it make it obvious that the pride is there, and that he is even a touch vain about it at times.
In matters of intellect, his lack of people-reading skills coupled with an overall naïve nature means that he is far from the most 'street smart' kind of person, and is definitely vulnerable to manipulation. On the other hand, he is well-read and possesses a good level of academic intelligence. Referred to as a strategist of the Oda within the game itself, he utilises this by adopting strategies that focus on getting things done as quickly and painlessly as possible (such as sneaking behind the enemy lines during a battle against the Takeda, taking out the head generals to end things a lot more swiftly than they might otherwise have done).
Mitsuhide is also both fond of and talented with the written word, and noted to be an accomplished poet; there are several moments in the side-games of the series where he actually recites some of his own work to others and gains very favourable reactions. It is suggested that he is quite well-read too, and knowledgable about the poetry of others (to the extent that his special item in the Warriors Orochi crossover series is a book of poems). There is a nostalgic and slightly dreamy side to him that only really comes out often through these poems; we only see it rarely otherwise, such as when he wistfully talks about loving being beside and staring out over the ocean and the frustration he felt at being raised amongst mountains.
To summairse, Mitsuhide is a quiet, gentle, soft-spoken man with strong morals and an emotional nature which makes him very compassionate and poetic but also prone to depression and doubt. He is slow to anger, but sharp when he is, and devoted to his morals even if it means causing him a great deal of personal pain.
SKILLS/ABILITIES:
Trained in the ways of the samurai from a very young age, Mitsuhide is talented in many areas related to warfare, such as strategy, leadership and basic soldier skills. He has often been the commander of large armies and most certainly a high-level general at the very least, which demonstrates his skill in directing and managing many units with great competence. In strategy he is no genius, but capable of utilising simple, straightforward plots to defeat the enemy quickly.
On a smaller scale, Mitsuhide is an extremely talented swordsman, utilising a mix of basic katana techniques with powerful 'from the draw' strikes; canon notes him as being reknowned for the speed of his draw, which is backed up by his gameplay. This is augmented by a kind of battle magic known as 'musou.' Musou is different depending on the warrior but Mitsuhide's is almost completely focused on increasing the power of his swordplay, adding energy and power to his attacks and allowing him to create small, localised shockwaves to blow the enemy back. If he focuses for long enough, Mitsuhide can also use musou to unleash one of two special, particularly strong attacks for a few seconds whilst becoming invulnerable for that time. It's worth noting that he is also capable of using and drawing from weapons enchanted with elemental power.
He is also known to be an incredibly good shot with a rifle, frequently leading rifle troops within the games and showing his own aim off within cutscenes.
Outside of martial matters, Mitsuhide is very capable with the written word and shown to be an excellent poet. He is also noted to be a scholar, and possesses a good deal of academic intelligence.
Mitsuhide was born to a clan of minor nobles and members of the samurai class, the Akechi. The game does not detail much about his early life, but it is known that his family was in service to the Saitou; the Saitou were rulers of the area of Japan in which the Akechi lived, known as Minou, and thus when Mitsuhide came of age he became a samurai in their forces. Though it is not explicitly stated, he is one of the top generals in the Saitou forces when faced in-game and thus can be assumed to have climbed the ranks fairly quickly. Mitsuhide is also suggested to have been childhood friends with Lady Nouhime, daughter of his first Lord, Dousan Saitou, who is shown to know him very well and frequently tease and encourage him.
Sometime during his service to the Saitou, we also know that he first met and formed a strong friendship with Motochika Chousokabe, the son of a nobleman from the Japanese island of Shikoku, who later has a big impact on his story.
We first get into detail about his life during the invasion of Minou by Nobunaga Oda.
This particular battle is not shown during his own story-mode, but it is during the stories of several others and we see him as one of the leaders of the defense of Minou's castle. At this time the Saitou clan is led by Dousan's son, who is unfortunately incompetent and a very poor leader indeed. The battle is lost, and Mitsuhide stays loyal to the end, but several lines of dialogue show that at this point the young man knows full well that his Lord is nowhere near capable of uniting the land and is frustrated at this fact, because he wishes to see Japan united under the leadership of a talented and compassionate soul who can end the suffering of its people. Meeting Nobunaga on the battlefield, he recognises the man's talent but makes no further comment on it; however, Nobunaga must have made a considerable impression at this time. After the complete defeat of the Saitou, Mitsuhide spends a short time wandering around as a ronin, a 'masterless samurai,' but it does not take too long before he joins the Oda army.
His first battle under his new Lord is against the Takeda at their castle of Nagashino. Mitsuhide works with another of the Oda vassals during this battle, a man named Ieyasu Tokugawa. The conversations between the two reveal a good deal about Mitsuhide's motivations, aims and belief in his Lord; when Ieyasu asks if peace will ever happen in their lifetime, Mitsuhide replies 'I believe we will; we must have faith, and be prepared to sacrifice everything for that peace.' He also goes on to state that he will do anything to ensure Nobunaga's conquest is completed, that his faith is solid, and says that he considers his Lord's duty to be a 'sacred' one. It's clear at this point that he thinks Nobunaga's goals are the same as Mitsuhide's himself; to create a peaceful land.
The battle goes easily to the Oda; Mitsuhide himself sneaks behind the enemy lines, defeats several generals and takes out the head of the Takeda Army, Katsuyori. The rest of the Oda generals decimate the Takeda forces through the use of their gun units, resulting in a huge loss of life. This moment prompts the only moment of hesitation from Mitsuhide in this battle, where he laments the blood of innocents on his hand but tells himself that it is necessary in order for peace to be gained; afterwards he says that 'the world belongs' to his Lord, but Nobunaga immediately responds by saying that Mitsuhide should strive to overcome him instead, and should carry his own vision. Mitsuhide does not seem to understand this at all.
After conquering the lands of the Takeda, most of the Eastern half of Japan submit to Nobunaga and accept him as their ruler. Mitsuhide's story continues when Nobunaga launches a campaign against the Mouri clan; the Mouri are led by one of the greatest strategists in the land and have a powerful navy to contend with. Without a strong enough navy of their own to compete with this, Mitsuhide makes a suggestion; they can form an alliance with the Chousokabe clan by utilising Mitsuhide's own link to its leader, Motochika, who has at this point had become head of the clan and conquered the entirety of the island of Shikoku with the help of his own powerful navy.
Motochika accepts Mitsuhide's request and comes to the Oda's aid; Mitsuhide greets Motochika personally at the shore when the Chousokabe navy arrives and thanks him for his assistance, but Motochika responds by telling him 'it was nothing' and that he would never turn Mitsuhide down. He jumps into the water afterwards, and the scene that follows establishes the bond between the two men as being a particularly strong one built on a considerable amount of trust and affection (and we also see Oda Nobunaga's bodyguard Ranmaru, who is watching from afar with his Lord, saying that he has a 'bad feeling' about the alliance, which foreshadows what is to come later).
The naval battle of Kizugawa, against the Mouri, follows shortly afterwards, and it is here that we see Mitsuhide's doubts about his Lord truly come to the surface. Shortly after the battle begins, Hideyoshi Hashiba, another of the Oda generals, retreats on the pretense of checking something else out, and Motochika and Mitsuhide have the following conversation:
Mitsuhide: I see Hideyoshi has already left…
Motochika: I’m waiting for you to run away too… or are you man enough to stay?
Mitsuhide: I… I have faith in Lord Nobunaga.
Motochika: Then prove it. Prove how committed to the cause you are.
What follows only serves to dramatically intensify Mitsuhide's doubts in his Lord; after pushing forward and defeating a number of peasant troops, the troops then surrender, which to Mitsuhide is a source of great relief. After escorting them to safety, Mitsuhide leaves them, only for Nobunaga to order every single one of the surrendering men executed, an order which is immediately carried out by another one of his generals. This horrifies and disturbs Mitsuhide deeply, and though he says that 'if he can have no faith in his Lord, he can have faith in nobody' and must therefore do his bidding, it's clear that said faith has been horribly shaken. From then until the Mouri army's defeat, opponents and allies alike take note of this in different ways and point it out to the samurai, who can only reply in a shaken voice.
He takes part in only one more major battle for the Oda, which is not covered in his own story mode but is within Motochika's. The Oda take on the Uesugi, and during this battle Nobunaga deliberately sets fire to Mitsuhide's own base as part of a larger fire attack, a move which Mitsuhide is horrified by and doesn't understand. Motochika tells Mitsuhide that Nobunaga is challenging him and encourages his friend to push forward with the battle, and though it is eventually won, it is clear at this point that Mitsuhide's faith is on the edge of cracking in full. Motochika informs Mitsuhide that the Chousokabe are going to return to Shikoku now, and both Motochika and Mitsuhide himself are soon going to face a battle for their very survival because Nobunaga is certain to break the alliance and attack the Chousokabe forces. Mitsuhide says that there is no way Nobunaga would do such a thing.
Motochika is shortly proved right, however. Nobunaga does indeed break the alliance, and in a state of shock Mitsuhide slips away from the Oda briefly in order to visit Motochika and tell him of what has happened. This meeting is to be a fateful one. Mitsuhide breaks down, having finally realised that his dream and Nobunaga's are not the same at all; Nobunaga is too ruthless and does not aim to create a land of compassion at all. Motochika asks Mitsuhide why he is here, then points out that in coming to Motochika (which essentially already makes him a traitor, having pre-warned his Lord's new target of his intentions) Mitsuhide has clearly already made a decision.
With this realisation made, Mitsuhide steels himself and makes an incredibly painful choice; in order to protect those who might be harmed in the future, to speak for those who have already lost their lives and to protect Motochika, Mitsuhide will betray and defeat Oda Nobunaga.
With Motochika at his side, Mitsuhide marches on Nobunaga's current residence of Honnouji with the intent of slaying Nobunaga. During this battle he has many moments of self-doubt and difficulty at many points but still carries on, even as countless accusations are thrown his way by his former allies, and is supported during the worst of these moments by Motochika. It is shown, however, that Nobunaga knew that the betrayal was coming, as did Nouhime; when encountered she speaks to Mitsuhide in an almost gentle manner and tells him that he should not second-guess his decision, accepting and almost welcoming her death after they fight.
The fight against Nobunaga himself does not last long; with Motochika at his side, Mitsuhide defeats Nobunaga, who actually seems content with this turn of events and comments, as he dies, that his death serves a purpose and now the world can keep moving forward. Mitsuhide, however, has a massive breakdown after the deed is done.
In the aftermath of this betrayal, the Oda forces fragment into many different groups, but every one has marked Mitsuhide for death (with it being said that whomever 'kills the traitor' will be taking up Nobunaga's mantle). Mitsuhide is lost in despair, full of guilt and deeply traumatised, however, and it is again Motochika's support that keeps him afloat. Motochika escorts him to a vital battle for their continued survival against Hideyoshi Hashiba (now Hideyoshi Toyotomi) at Yamazaki.
The battle goes well at first, despite the Akechi forces being much smaller than those of Hideyoshi, and they push forward up Yamazaki's mountain until a sudden influx of enemy reinforcements causes them to lose ground. Under threat, Motochika proposes a plan; he distracts the Toyotomi army while Mitsuhide himself leads a boat across the lake at the mountain's foot, which would take him right to the enemy camp. Mitsuhide has many concerns about this but ultimately agrees to it and offers a slightly fearful farewell to Motochika before carrying out his part of the plan. It works surprisingly well, with Hideyoshi being caught off-guard and the Toyotomi camp getting captured, but not without massive, campaign-ending casualties. Even worse is to come; upon rushing to reunite with Motochika, Mitsuhide discovers that Motochika was fately wounded in an ambush set by Kanbei Kuroda when he assaulted the mountain and is moments away from death. Motochika lives only just long enough to tell Mitsuhide that the living must move on, that it's the only way to truly honour the dead, but after his friend passes on Mitsuhide is left bereft. Outright saying he cannot go on without Motochika, and with his forces almost entirely swallowed up, Mitsuhide quietly slips away from the battlefield. As far as Japan is concerned, the Toyotomi won the Battle of Yamazaki and Mitsuhide was killed afterwards.
What actually happens is that Mitsuhide retreats from public entirely, and believing himself unworthy of his name, settles into a hermitage in the wilds. Many years pass, and we don't know entirely what happens during this time to Mitsuhide himself, but Hideyoshi unites the land during that time and reigns over a brief period of peace before passing away. Sometime during this period Ieyasu Tokugawa must have discovered Mitsuhide was alive and located him, because after Hideyoshi has died we are shown a scene of Ieyasu coming to visit Mitsuhide. The land has broken out in war once more and Ieyasu has decided he must be the one to bring it back to peace again, but it requires destroying the Toyotomi, something he feels bad about. Ieyasu tells this to and Mitsuhide remembers Motochika's words to him, remembers his own battle all those years ago, and takes a momentous step: he offers to fight at Ieyasu's side.
It is under the false name of Tenkai Nankōbō that he takes to the battlefield during the Battle of Sekigahara, fighting for Ieyasu against the Toyotomi forces (under one Mitsunari Ishida). Recognised by only a few others, all on the enemy's side, several quiz about why he is taking the actions he is but Mitsuhide replies only with calm and determined if someone sad words. One who does not recognise him, Yoshihiro Shimazu, asks him his name; Mitsuhide replies that he has no name, that it was lost when his friend dies, but Yoshihiro nonetheless recgonises Mitsuhide's strength and implies there is yet worth in him.
Ultimately, Ieyasu's forces win; ultimately ensuring the Tokugawa under his rule would unite the land. Mitsuhide's story mode ends with a scene of him playing Motochika's shamisen and wondering what Motochika would say to him, if he were here; Ieyasu, upon entering, praises the music he is creating and notes that the shamisen must be pleased to be in his hands. It is on this note that the story ends, and it is assumed that Mitsuhide lives out the rest of his life quietly under his assumed name.
CANON PERSONALITY:
Mitsuhide is noted in the game as a man of emotion by many other characters. This is by far the most important part of his characterisation, and is the core from which many of his personality traits spring.
Being a 'man of emotion,' Mitsuhide feels things deeply and is very sensitive to the pain of others. The plight of those affected by the war in his homeland of Japan therefore troubles him, and it is for their sake that he fights and aims to bring about a land of compassion (he literally states this at one point, and Motochika remarks upon it as well). While this means taking up his sword to try and unite the land under one ruler, Mitsuhide attempts to get through each battle as quickly and painlessly as possible. In his eyes, the fewer who must suffer, the better.
This is a reflection of his kind nature, and again of his empathy. Unfortunately, however, another aspect of Mitsuhide's personality means that this approach causes him many personal problems.
While he picks up on the suffering of others quickly, Mitsuhide is not actually very good at reading people in a more general sense. This is most obvious when one examines his interactions with Nobunaga; Mitsuhide firmly believes, to begin with, that his Lord fully intends to bring about the land of compassion Mitsuhide himself wants. When Nobunaga starts committing brutal acts (such at the killing of the surrendered men during the Battle of Kizugawa), Mitsuhide is astonished and expresses a complete lack of understanding as to why Nobunaga would do such a thing. It takes many more such incidents for him to realise that what he wanted and what Nobunaga wanted was very different indeed, and this realisation causes him a great deal of pain.
(A more mild example of his inability to read others well can be shown in his tendency to take things literally and fail to pick up on sarcasm and the like, as he does in one conversation with Mori Ranmaru in Warriors Orochi 3 where Ranmaru suggests, sarcastically, that he finds Mitsuhide annoying, something Mitsuhide thinks he is being serious about).
Having his faith broken is clearly not something he handles well, but by his very nature Mitsuhide is always going to be at risk of it.
This leads well into his tendency to doubt himself, and to feel guilt very easily. When he believed in Nobunaga, Mitsuhide used the end goal of a peaceful land as justification for the bloodshed he caused under his Lord's command. This likely hurt him as it was, but upon realising those actions were essentially displays of Nobunaga's ruthlessness rather than anything he previously believed, Mitsuhide immediately placed all blame for the lives lost upon himself. He continues to do this throughout Honnouji, where many of his men die, and then through to the Battle of Yamazaki, expressing that 'more lives have been lost' and that he is the one to blame. While Motochika emphasises to him that their men chose to enter this fight for Mitsuhide's sake, it does not stop Mitsuhide from feeling wholly responsible. In his eyes, every drop of blood lost is on his hands, and even in scenarios where Mitsuhide is ultimately victorious he is shown to have doubts about himself.
It should be clear by this point that Mitsuhide finds it extremely hard to forgive himself for anything. He seems to possess something of a 'black and white' view on morality most of the time and applies it most strictly to himself; killing Nobunaga was a sin in his eyes, no matter why he did it, and that weighs down on him heavily. He considers himself responsible for a lot of bloodshed, and that weighs heavily upon him too. Nobody is harder on Mitsuhide than Mitsuhide himself.
These self-doubting, guilt-prone, depressive traits, coupled with his lack of ability to read people that well, could be considered his main weakness; Motochika certainly refers to Mitsuhide being 'weak' in that context, and reacts to it by offering to be Mitsuhide's 'strength.' It's definitely true that Mitsuhide struggles to cope without the support of another. Canon basically states that he gets from Honnouji to Yamazaki with Motochika guiding him there, his sorrow making it difficult for him to push himself. One might say that Mitsuhide works best when there is another there to reassure and guide him through his personal problems, or even just to offer moral support.
Losing all forms of that support can be utterly devastating; when Motochika dies at Yamazaki, Mitsuhide states that without the other man, he cannot go on. Indeed, he then goes into complete isolation, withdrawing from the world and forsaking his name and titles! Left to his own devices when coping with difficult emotions can result in dramatic responses from him, where guilt, depression or sorrow can utterly overwhelm everything else in his life.
However, it's important to note that while he felt undeserving of anything, even so much as his own name, Mitsuhide stayed alive through this. He did not get tempted by seppuku (though it's not difficult to imagine it crossed his mind at points) and lived on. Over a timespan of many years on his own, Mitsuhide did begin to heal and eventually got to the point where he could pick up his sword and go into battle in order to aid a friend, while offering moral support of his own. This hints at a certain level of strength within him, a willingness to go on no matter how bad things get. He can be hurt, damaged or weak, but something in him keeps him going. Shimazu Yoshihiro, when encountered in battle during Mitsuhide's final stage of Sekigahara (long after Yamazaki), points out that there must be strength in Mitsuhide yet despite Mitsuhide stating he had lost everything.
Yoshihiro: Who dares block the path of the Devil Shimazu?
Mitsuhide: I have no name or rank. I lost everything with the death of my friend.
Yoshihiro: Yet you have the courage to face me. There is strength in you yet.
This suggests that he is not aware of that strength, and hints at a lack of self-awareness on his part (in one of the side games, another character literally says that Mitsuhide is capable of 'more than he knows'), but that does not make it any less real. It also makes it clear that he is capable of moving on, even if doing so can take a very long time.
He is capable of anger, but it usually takes a lot for him to get to that point, and normally it doesn't go beyond what most would call mild irritation. Someone delibrately embarrassing him is one thing that can get him to that stage, for example, or witnessing others being overly rude and ungrateful. Mitsuhide shows his feelings in such moments by speaking in a cool, quiet, sharp manner, but it's usually easy enough to calm him down. On those rare occasions where he shows true anger, however, he speaks a lot more quickly and with greater volume, often losing any sense of rationality in the face of such a strong, overwhelming emotion. Calming him down in these circumstances is much harder.
It is also worth noting that despite caring deeply for others, and finding it easy to be in the company of others in a more casual sense, Mitsuhide does not seem to forge deeper bonds of the personal kind very easily. His connections with most of the other Oda generals remain rather formal/casual, with only a few really being on a friend level with him (Ranmaru and Nouhime are the most notable here), and outside of the Oda only Chousokabe Motochika is a really close friend. It takes a lot of time, and the right kind of connection, for him to get that close to someone. Mitsuhide is also rather reserved when it comes to public displays of affection, even those expressed merely through word. Unexpected hugs would make him feel incredibly awkward and uncertain of himself, and unexpected kisses would downright mortify him.
On a lighter note, Mitsuhide is shown to be a mostly traditional kind of man. He favours classic samurai clothing and almost completely covers his body up in every costume he has been depicted in (which also suggests a certain level of prudishness). In addition to this, he addresses almost everyone in a formal manner; even Motochika, who is his closest friend and doesn't really care about titles and the like, is always addressed with the proper honorific. Mitsuhide is also shown to be incredibly polite, perhaps to extremes sometimes (such as apologising in a certain skit where he is the one who is insulted)!
However, this can be a bit deceptive; there is most definitely a alternative side to Mitsuhide, and he is shown to possess a mostly open-mind. The mere fact that he once served under Nobunaga, a very untraditional general, and shares a close relationship with Motochika, an outright rebellious and stubborn man who dresses and acts in a very provocative manner, backs this up. There is also the major point that he chooses to protect his morals and Motochika over his loyalty to Lord Nobunaga; betraying one's Lord is one of the highest crimes in his culture, but when it comes down to it, when tradition and common perception clashes with Mitsuhide's morals, the morals will win out eventually.
A normally modest sort who often downplays compliments given to him, there are two things in which Mitsuhide is shown to have some level of pride; his technical skill as a warrior (though he sometimes remarks he still has a long way to go before he reaches true mastery), and his head of incredibly long, thick hair. The latter is not something he is outwardly proud about but his reactions to others talking about it make it obvious that the pride is there, and that he is even a touch vain about it at times.
In matters of intellect, his lack of people-reading skills coupled with an overall naïve nature means that he is far from the most 'street smart' kind of person, and is definitely vulnerable to manipulation. On the other hand, he is well-read and possesses a good level of academic intelligence. Referred to as a strategist of the Oda within the game itself, he utilises this by adopting strategies that focus on getting things done as quickly and painlessly as possible (such as sneaking behind the enemy lines during a battle against the Takeda, taking out the head generals to end things a lot more swiftly than they might otherwise have done).
Mitsuhide is also both fond of and talented with the written word, and noted to be an accomplished poet; there are several moments in the side-games of the series where he actually recites some of his own work to others and gains very favourable reactions. It is suggested that he is quite well-read too, and knowledgable about the poetry of others (to the extent that his special item in the Warriors Orochi crossover series is a book of poems). There is a nostalgic and slightly dreamy side to him that only really comes out often through these poems; we only see it rarely otherwise, such as when he wistfully talks about loving being beside and staring out over the ocean and the frustration he felt at being raised amongst mountains.
To summairse, Mitsuhide is a quiet, gentle, soft-spoken man with strong morals and an emotional nature which makes him very compassionate and poetic but also prone to depression and doubt. He is slow to anger, but sharp when he is, and devoted to his morals even if it means causing him a great deal of personal pain.
SKILLS/ABILITIES:
Trained in the ways of the samurai from a very young age, Mitsuhide is talented in many areas related to warfare, such as strategy, leadership and basic soldier skills. He has often been the commander of large armies and most certainly a high-level general at the very least, which demonstrates his skill in directing and managing many units with great competence. In strategy he is no genius, but capable of utilising simple, straightforward plots to defeat the enemy quickly.
On a smaller scale, Mitsuhide is an extremely talented swordsman, utilising a mix of basic katana techniques with powerful 'from the draw' strikes; canon notes him as being reknowned for the speed of his draw, which is backed up by his gameplay. This is augmented by a kind of battle magic known as 'musou.' Musou is different depending on the warrior but Mitsuhide's is almost completely focused on increasing the power of his swordplay, adding energy and power to his attacks and allowing him to create small, localised shockwaves to blow the enemy back. If he focuses for long enough, Mitsuhide can also use musou to unleash one of two special, particularly strong attacks for a few seconds whilst becoming invulnerable for that time. It's worth noting that he is also capable of using and drawing from weapons enchanted with elemental power.
He is also known to be an incredibly good shot with a rifle, frequently leading rifle troops within the games and showing his own aim off within cutscenes.
Outside of martial matters, Mitsuhide is very capable with the written word and shown to be an excellent poet. He is also noted to be a scholar, and possesses a good deal of academic intelligence.
CHARACTER: AU SECTION
AU NAME: Jūbei Nankōbō
AU AGE: 24
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: Mitsuhide in the game did not grown up in a wartorn country and never went down a military path, so because of this he has far less scars than in canon. He also has a little less muscle mass for the same reason; keeping himself fit and healthy is one thing but he never underwent the same intense training from a young age.
AU NAME: Jūbei Nankōbō
AU AGE: 24
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: Mitsuhide in the game did not grown up in a wartorn country and never went down a military path, so because of this he has far less scars than in canon. He also has a little less muscle mass for the same reason; keeping himself fit and healthy is one thing but he never underwent the same intense training from a young age.
AU HISTORY:
* Jūbei was born in the Gifu prefecture of Japan as the second child to rather traditional parents. He had a rather uneventful childhood, working hard in school and being a dutiful, quiet child. It was obvious even young that he had a very compassionate and gentle nature.
* As a teenager he discovered an interest in many of the arts and a particular talent for poetry. While he would have liked to do more with this talent, he never considered a career in that unreliable and difficult to access field and concentrated on the subjects that would help him into a stable business job instead; a flair for management and leadership skills ensured that his parents would encourage this.
* Passing his tests to enter Kyoto University with a high grade, Jūbei worked hard to earn a degree. During this time he made a conscious decision to seek out employers that would 'make a difference' to the world, that did things in a way he considered moral and right, and used much of his small amount of free time to do either charitable work or further research.
* Upon graduation, Jūbei did not take up the first position offered to headhunters who often absorbed those from his program. This lead to many questions and concern from his friends and family, and he got accused of being 'picky,' but Jūbei insisted he was just trying to find the right place for himself where he could do some good for others.
* To the surprise of everyone, this paid off when Jūbei found and became enamoured with the head of a certain tech company; an ambitious man who had grown his business quickly and was making surprising successes. Jūbei approached this man directly with an earnest plea to 'work for his vision,' and despite a lack of previous experience the man took the eager young man under his wing as a kind of consultant.
* For quite some time, Jūbei was very happy with his decision. The company grew and grew and his boss continued to impress him on a regular basis; Jūbei himself must have done enough to impress the man because he quickly made leaps up the ranking and gained a prestigious position working directly with the man he idolised. Becoming familiar with his boss's family and close aides, Jūbei almost felt like he had found himself a second family in this business. Convincing himself that this family could never do less than any good in their field, he poured everything he had into it and earned a reputation for being a hard-working but 'kindly' member of the business. If this was not always a compliment, Jūbei was never aware of that fact. It felt like he'd found his role in the world.
* Unfortunately this sense of peace did not last. His increasing power in the company meant that Jūbei eventually came across things that did not make any sense to him; reports of things that seemed shady, discrepencies in certain reports. For a while Jūbei dismissed these things as small but necessary underhanded moves in order to do good, but eventually it became too much. As more and more things like this were revealed and uncovered by him he came to realise that the boss he idolised, and the vision the man had, were far from what Jūbei had thought.
* Struggling with himself, Jūbei eventually knew it could not live with himself if he allowed this to continue on, even if the act of 'betrayal' would both feel awful and cost him much. First whistleblowing on the company, the following investigation and uncovering of many illegal practices resulted in Jūbei testifying in court. This led to his boss, and many other members of the second family he'd thought he'd found, being sentenced to prison time and the breakdown of the company he'd once treasured. Many people lost their jobs, a fact that Jūbei is deeply pained and guilt-ridden by.
* In the aftermath Jūbei has no illusions of finding a job within the industry again; despite testifying in court against the disgraced company he was viewed with suspicion and some suspected he'd been directly involved in many of the illegal practices directly himself. Sinking into depression, Jūbei withdrew and, isolating himself from his family, was unable to get himself away from those feelings for quite some time.
* Eventually Jūbei came to a decision; there was no place for him in Japan anymore. Everything he had worked for since starting school had 'gone up in flames,' and getting work with his qualifications in his place of birth almost impossible. So he would move, start over anew somewhere completely different, as both self-inflicted exile and in an effort to find a new path in life. Which is how he ends up in Recollé.
* Settling into a quiet job far simpler than anything he'd ever known, within Recollé Animal Shelter, Jūbei is currently still finding his feet and has only a few connections within the city. He works on his poetry more, however, finding catharsis in putting more time into it.
AU PERSONALITY:
In this far more modern setting, without the code of the samurai being something he was raised on and shaped by, Jūbei's traditional side is a less prominent and his alternative, open-minded one more obvious. His sense of fashion is still rather modest and he is very, almost excessively, polite, but his day-to-day life less governed by strict rules that exist simply because 'it's the code' or 'it's a samurai's duty.' Leading on from this, the main source of any guilt Jūbei feels about 'betraying' the person he previously worked for is related more to the loss of jobs he caused (and thus the impact he's had on countless innocent lives). For good reason; again, the lack of the code of the samurai in his life means that Jūbei does not have any fixations on the concept of honour or the concept of being loyal to one's 'Lord' above all things. He can be a little more relaxed, be a little more true to himself, and has an easier time putting his morals firmly before the rules.
He also tends to engage with more alternative circles outside of work as Jūbei thanks to this, perhaps not getting heavily involved in the thick of things but watching on from the sidelines with some feeling of comfort. Getting pulled into the thick of things makes him a little more uncomfortable in any situation. He was never someone who thrived being the centre of attention even as Mitsuhide (being very modest), but as Jūbei he has never led a household or commanded troops and thus a lot less used to the feeling of having many eyes on him. A consultant is leagues beneath a commander in terms of leadership skills and lifestyle, after all.
With less heavy responsibility on his head as Jūbei, and no daily chance of losing someone to war, it's easier for him to form personal connections with other people. That is not to say he is now an extrovert, for he mostly certainly is not, but friendships can form more quickly and Jūbei has more time to dedicate to them than he did as Mitsuhide. He is upon game start still reeling from his troubles back home, and thus feeling his way around this new life, but the potential is there.
Speaking of those troubles, perhaps the most important difference rests in Jūbei's guilt. He feels it, no doubt, but in this life what he did lost innocents their jobs, not their lives. There is no blood on his hands. He is depressed, yes, and dealing with guilt, but has not and will not isolate himself and punish himself to the severe levels that Mitsuhide did. Healing will take less time, and he will still engage with other people. Jūbei has not given up entirely on himself, and is looking to build a new future rather than be permanently drowned in his past.
* Jūbei was born in the Gifu prefecture of Japan as the second child to rather traditional parents. He had a rather uneventful childhood, working hard in school and being a dutiful, quiet child. It was obvious even young that he had a very compassionate and gentle nature.
* As a teenager he discovered an interest in many of the arts and a particular talent for poetry. While he would have liked to do more with this talent, he never considered a career in that unreliable and difficult to access field and concentrated on the subjects that would help him into a stable business job instead; a flair for management and leadership skills ensured that his parents would encourage this.
* Passing his tests to enter Kyoto University with a high grade, Jūbei worked hard to earn a degree. During this time he made a conscious decision to seek out employers that would 'make a difference' to the world, that did things in a way he considered moral and right, and used much of his small amount of free time to do either charitable work or further research.
* Upon graduation, Jūbei did not take up the first position offered to headhunters who often absorbed those from his program. This lead to many questions and concern from his friends and family, and he got accused of being 'picky,' but Jūbei insisted he was just trying to find the right place for himself where he could do some good for others.
* To the surprise of everyone, this paid off when Jūbei found and became enamoured with the head of a certain tech company; an ambitious man who had grown his business quickly and was making surprising successes. Jūbei approached this man directly with an earnest plea to 'work for his vision,' and despite a lack of previous experience the man took the eager young man under his wing as a kind of consultant.
* For quite some time, Jūbei was very happy with his decision. The company grew and grew and his boss continued to impress him on a regular basis; Jūbei himself must have done enough to impress the man because he quickly made leaps up the ranking and gained a prestigious position working directly with the man he idolised. Becoming familiar with his boss's family and close aides, Jūbei almost felt like he had found himself a second family in this business. Convincing himself that this family could never do less than any good in their field, he poured everything he had into it and earned a reputation for being a hard-working but 'kindly' member of the business. If this was not always a compliment, Jūbei was never aware of that fact. It felt like he'd found his role in the world.
* Unfortunately this sense of peace did not last. His increasing power in the company meant that Jūbei eventually came across things that did not make any sense to him; reports of things that seemed shady, discrepencies in certain reports. For a while Jūbei dismissed these things as small but necessary underhanded moves in order to do good, but eventually it became too much. As more and more things like this were revealed and uncovered by him he came to realise that the boss he idolised, and the vision the man had, were far from what Jūbei had thought.
* Struggling with himself, Jūbei eventually knew it could not live with himself if he allowed this to continue on, even if the act of 'betrayal' would both feel awful and cost him much. First whistleblowing on the company, the following investigation and uncovering of many illegal practices resulted in Jūbei testifying in court. This led to his boss, and many other members of the second family he'd thought he'd found, being sentenced to prison time and the breakdown of the company he'd once treasured. Many people lost their jobs, a fact that Jūbei is deeply pained and guilt-ridden by.
* In the aftermath Jūbei has no illusions of finding a job within the industry again; despite testifying in court against the disgraced company he was viewed with suspicion and some suspected he'd been directly involved in many of the illegal practices directly himself. Sinking into depression, Jūbei withdrew and, isolating himself from his family, was unable to get himself away from those feelings for quite some time.
* Eventually Jūbei came to a decision; there was no place for him in Japan anymore. Everything he had worked for since starting school had 'gone up in flames,' and getting work with his qualifications in his place of birth almost impossible. So he would move, start over anew somewhere completely different, as both self-inflicted exile and in an effort to find a new path in life. Which is how he ends up in Recollé.
* Settling into a quiet job far simpler than anything he'd ever known, within Recollé Animal Shelter, Jūbei is currently still finding his feet and has only a few connections within the city. He works on his poetry more, however, finding catharsis in putting more time into it.
AU PERSONALITY:
In this far more modern setting, without the code of the samurai being something he was raised on and shaped by, Jūbei's traditional side is a less prominent and his alternative, open-minded one more obvious. His sense of fashion is still rather modest and he is very, almost excessively, polite, but his day-to-day life less governed by strict rules that exist simply because 'it's the code' or 'it's a samurai's duty.' Leading on from this, the main source of any guilt Jūbei feels about 'betraying' the person he previously worked for is related more to the loss of jobs he caused (and thus the impact he's had on countless innocent lives). For good reason; again, the lack of the code of the samurai in his life means that Jūbei does not have any fixations on the concept of honour or the concept of being loyal to one's 'Lord' above all things. He can be a little more relaxed, be a little more true to himself, and has an easier time putting his morals firmly before the rules.
He also tends to engage with more alternative circles outside of work as Jūbei thanks to this, perhaps not getting heavily involved in the thick of things but watching on from the sidelines with some feeling of comfort. Getting pulled into the thick of things makes him a little more uncomfortable in any situation. He was never someone who thrived being the centre of attention even as Mitsuhide (being very modest), but as Jūbei he has never led a household or commanded troops and thus a lot less used to the feeling of having many eyes on him. A consultant is leagues beneath a commander in terms of leadership skills and lifestyle, after all.
With less heavy responsibility on his head as Jūbei, and no daily chance of losing someone to war, it's easier for him to form personal connections with other people. That is not to say he is now an extrovert, for he mostly certainly is not, but friendships can form more quickly and Jūbei has more time to dedicate to them than he did as Mitsuhide. He is upon game start still reeling from his troubles back home, and thus feeling his way around this new life, but the potential is there.
Speaking of those troubles, perhaps the most important difference rests in Jūbei's guilt. He feels it, no doubt, but in this life what he did lost innocents their jobs, not their lives. There is no blood on his hands. He is depressed, yes, and dealing with guilt, but has not and will not isolate himself and punish himself to the severe levels that Mitsuhide did. Healing will take less time, and he will still engage with other people. Jūbei has not given up entirely on himself, and is looking to build a new future rather than be permanently drowned in his past.
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