Samurai Warriors 5 has just been unveiled by Koei Tecmo and this got me thinking. With the success of Koei Tecmo’s Nioh and its telling of Japanese Samurai Lore while blending it with fantasy, it would not unreasonable to believe Samurai Warriors 5 could take a little inspiration from those games and include Yasuke as a character in its roster.
For those who do not know who Yasuke was, he was one of the first famous foreign Samurai and was one of Oda Nobunaga’s loyal retainers. Yasuke was of African descent, and historians believe he was from Mozambique , although this is not confirmed. The first African people to come to Japan were from Mozambique however, and came with the Jesuits from Portugal and Italy, or as slaves of the Portugese, especially of the Portugese sailors. Yasuke came to Japan as a servant of the Italian Jesuit named Alessandro Valignano, and Oda Nobunaga took an interest in him. Yasuke’s appearance caused a lot of interest among the Japanese and Nobunaga initially believed Yasuke’s skin to have been stained with Ink. Sometime after meeting Nobunaga, Yasuke received his Japanese name and entered the general’s service becoming a retainer and samurai. Yasuke was the only non Japanese retainer of Nobunaga ( Chinese and Korean Samurai having existed also), and was considered to be a close confidant. Nobunaga often spoke with him and gave him the official title of weapons bearer.
Yasuke would go into battle with Nobunaga, including the Battle of Tenmokuzan and acted as a bodyguard, and was by his side till Nobunaga’s death, and he disappeared from historical shortly after which. His fate is unknown though some have speculated on his fate. Yasuke has recently seen more portrayals in pop culture, including in the aforementioned Nioh games and in planned movies and anime about his life. He was an interesting figure and would be a great addition to the Samurai Warriors roster.
Yasuke could take after his depiction in Nioh, and of course be an addition to Nobunaga’s faction. He could function as a bodyguard role like the historical Yasuke did and have a very different play style from Ranmaru. This is not just a case of wanting diversity in gaming either, as it is a case of a historical figure deserving attention. Furthermore, there are several scenarios the game can portray in alternate history modes, a such as having Yasuke attempt to unite the remaining Oda Nobunaga loyalists against the forces that defeated Nobunaga’s forces initially. There is so much Koei Tecmo can do with Yasuke and given how popular Nioh was and how well that depiction was received, it would be a smart move to bring him to Samurai Warriors 5.
Disclaimer: The above is the opinion of the author and the author alone.