Yukimura Sanada

Yukimura Sanada 1st appeared in Samurai Warriors 1. He is normaly seen alongside the Takeda clan in both Samurai Warriors and Devil Kings.

Samurai Warriors
In the 1st game he is alongside the Takeda clan. he has a friendly relasionship with Kunoichi who helps Yukimura throughout his battles. In the 2nd gameYukimura is still alongside the Takeda clan in his 1st stage in Nagashino. Later he joins the Toyotomi clan. He has a fiendly relationship with Keiji, Kanetsugu and Mitsunari. In the 3rd game he is alongside the Takeda army at Mikatagahara against the Tokugawa clan. In all games he dies at Osaka Castle fighting for the Toyotomi clan. In all games he weilds a spear.

Devil Kings
In Devil Kings Yukimura's name is Scorpio. Yukimura is one of the poster boys for this series, along with Masamune Date. His hot-blooded and "battle-crazy" character contrasts strongly with the Oushuu's head cool demeanor. In Yukimura's life battle is everything: His master and revered idol, Shingen Takeda, is the commander of one of the strongest armies of the Sengoku, and his method to educate Yukimura consists in punching him and giving him life lessons. Probably because of this, Yukimura is incredibly naive and completely ignorant of anything related to the opposite sex, leading him to be made fun of by Keiji Maeda, cringe in horror at the Maedas' lovey-dovey antics, and have humorous conversations with his ninja subordinate, the lazy and aloof captain of the Sanada Ten Braves, Sasuke Sarutobi.

Kessen
Yukimura appears as a hero mid to late game in the first Kessen. Early on, he is best known for leading a deadly army of kunoichi. The trio of kunoichi are named Saizo, Kosuke, Sasuke serve him at all times. After the death of his father, he is revered as a shining star of hope for the Western army by Lady Yodo and others. If Josui Kuroda or Mitsunari lose their lives fighting for the Toyotomi side, Yukimura becomes the leading commander to replace them. His prime battle is the defense of Osaka Castle. If he wins the battle, he will charge Ieyasu's camp and slay him. Sasuke quickly deduces the corpse to be a double so he declares Ieyasu an enemy of the state. They meet for one more decisive battle at Sekigahara. Should he fall at Osaka, his kunoichi will pay respects to his grave.

Nobunaga's Ambition
If Masayuki is recruited before the year 1567 a massenger reports that Yukimura is born. In Nobunaga's Ambition Iron Triangle Yukimura is a retainer under the Sanada clan in the like a dream scenero.

Voice actors

 * David Berón - Samurai Warriors (English)
 * Leroy Simon Bean - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Johnny Yong Bosch - Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Dion Luther - Kessen (English)
 * Takeshi Kusao - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Hideyuki Hori - Kessen (Japanese)
 * Sōichirō Hoshi - Devil Kings (Japanese)
 * Andrew Francis - Devil Kings (English)

Samurai Warriors

 * "No enemy shall ever surpass me!"
 * "Yukimura Sanada returns to battle!"
 * "Witness the might of the Sanada!"
 * "Yukimura Sanada will not let you pass."
 * "Here I come!"
 * "For your soul!"
 * "My warriors spirit burns with the flame of justice!"
 * "My will shall prevail!"
 * "Determination breeds victory!"
 * "Come back and try again later! I shall be waiting for you!"
 * "Spirit of the Sanada! Imbue my spear with power so I can cut open the belly of the beast!"

Devil Kings

 * "My lord! My Lord"
 * "Finally, I have been ichy for some action!"
 * "I did it....I did it, Noble House Looooorrrdd!"

History
Nobushige was the second son of Sanada Masayuki, the head of the Sanada clan. His mother was Yamanote-dono, Masayuki's wife. His childhood name was Benzōmaru. When he was nine, the Battle of Nagashino claimed the lives of Masayuki's two elder brothers. His father was named as the clan's successor. By 1582, the Oda-Tokugawa forces had destroyed the Takeda clan. The Sanada initially surrendered to Oda Nobunaga, but, after the Incident at Honnōji, it became independent again, drifting between stronger daimyo such as the Uesugi clan, the Late Hōjō clan, and the Tokugawa clan. Eventually, the Sanada clan became a vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During this period, Hideyoshi treated Yukimura with extreme care and hospitality. Hideyoshi's fondness is shown by the fact that Yukimura was given the right to use the surname of Toyotomi Clan, which was the clan of the Kanpaku during that period. Thus, he is sometimes referred to (even by Yukimura himself) as Toyotomi Nobushige.

In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu rallied various daimyo to attack Uesugi Kagekatsu. The Sanada clan complied as well, but when Ishida Mitsunari decided to challenge Ieyasu, Masayuki and Yukimura joined the western forces, parting ways with Masayuki's eldest son and Yukimura's brother, Nobuyuki, who joined the eastern forces. The true motive of Masayuki and Yukimura's decision is disputed with many theories, but there are two main schools of thought: In one, Masayuki made the decision (and Yukimura agreed); he expressed the willingness to take a gamble, so that if he were to join the weak side and win the battle, the Sanada would gain much more power. The other theory is the opposite where they planned a safety net; Masayuki, Yukimura, and Nobuyuki discussed the situation when Ieyasu asked them to state their allegiance clearly, and they decided to join both sides separately, so that, regardless of the outcome of the battle, the Sanada clan would survive. It is also believed that the clan's participation for the western army was partially due to Yamanote-dono being held hostage by Ishida Mitsunari. The Sanada fortified Ueda Castle. When Tokugawa Hidetada marched a sizable army on the Nakasendō, the Sanada resisted and were able to fight back Hidetada's 40,000 men with only 2,000. However, as it took much longer to take the castle than was expected, Hidetada lost focus and never showed up on the battlefield during the Battle of Sekigahara where the main force was awaiting the arrival of his crucial army, a mistake that put the Tokugawa clan in jeopardy. After the Western Army lost the battle at Sekigahara, Masayuki and Yukimura were captured and sent into exile.

During the Winter Siege of Osaka, Sanada Yukimura built fortifications south of Osaka Castle and called it Sanadamaru (known as the Sanada Ward in the games). It was surrounded by a five foot deep trench and fences, meaning that invaders would need to climb their way past the garrison. From there, he defeated the Tokugawa forces (approximately 30,000 men) with groups of 6000 arquebusiers. Two other minor gates were copied to fortify the castle's defense. When Sanadamaru fell, Yukimura retreated with his remaining troops to a nearby mountain and separated his army into three battalions. Near the end of the battle, his army made a miraculous charge for Ieyasu's camp, boldly ignoring several enemy armies along the way. Though they reached their destination, Yukimura's men were pushed back and he was forced to retreat. Despite his efforts, the Toyotomi forces were greatly outnumbered and were eventually defeated. According to The Life of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu by A.L. Sadler, in his intense fight against the wavering Echizen troops, Yukimura was badly wounded, leaving him exhausted. Soldiers from the Echizen army quickly went to Sanada. Now too tired to fight back, Yukimura allowed the men to kill him, reportedly saying, "Go on, take my head as your trophy". Sanada died honorably at age 49, leaving behind a legend. Though they were enemies, Ieyasu was impressed by Yukimura's bravery and posthumously called him "the greatest warrior in Japan". Yukimasa is believed to have committed suicide with Toyotomi Hideyori. His grave is now located in Osaka.