Mitsunari Ishida

Mitsunari Ishida 1st appeared in Kessen as the leader of the western army. He later appeares as a unique playeble charecter in Samurai Warriors 2

Samurai Warriors
Mitsunari is one of Hideyoshi's chief advisors who excelled at securing supply lines. His tasks allowed his lord to assemble armies quickly and thus earned him a close spot near Hideyoshi. As he assists the siege at Yamazaki, he is acquainted with Sakon. While Oichi stages an uprising against their lord, Mitsunari is forced to prove himself to the distrustful and bitter Kiyomasa and Masanori during Shizugatake. As he fights, Kanetsugu arrives on the field to judge which side has more virtue. If Mitsunari convinces Toshiie to stand down, the Uesugi general will be impressed by Mitsunari's character and later convinces his masters to join sides with Hideyoshi. If he meets Oichi, he states that he could have served Nagamasa if her husband were still alive. To honor his wishes, she gives him permission to inherit her late husband's lands after her death. Soon after, Nobunaga's son, Nobukatsu, declares himself rightful heir and joins forces with Ieyasu to fight Mitsunari's master at Kamaki-Nagakute. As the siege commences, Mitsunari learns of his lord's desire for a land of happiness and meets Ieyasu for the first time. With Ieyasu subdued, Hideyoshi proceeds onwards towards Odawara. Mitsunari formerly introduces himself to Kanetsugu and Yukimura, the trio announcing their friendship to unite for a common goal. Hideyoshi eventually dies after the land's unification and Ieyasu gathers troops to make his claim as ruler. Desperate to keep the Toyotomi family on their pedestal, Mitsunari works with Kanetsugu to attack Ieyasu from both sides. After defeating the Eastern army at Kusegawa, he directs the Western army to surround and overwhelm Ieyasu at Sekigahara. Learning that numbers don't always grant unity or understanding, Mitsunari rallies the army with an inspirational speech regarding friendship and trust after their victory. His dream mode continues from his story mode as Mitsunari leads the final charge against Ieyasu at Edo Castle. Additionally, the officers who are prone to defecting in Sekigahara finally turn against him in this battle. In Samurai Warriors 3, Mitsunari shares a fraternal friendship with Kiyomasa and Masanori as they ride against Katsuie's's army at Shizugatake. Swearing to protect Hideyoshi's dream against any who defy it, he helps win the battle and joins his friends at Komaki-Nagakute. As they prepare for their decisive confrontation against Ieyasu, the young trio meet Sakon and the ronin takes a shine to them. After Hideyoshi has the majority of the land serving him, only the Hojo remain. While the main force attacks Odawara Castle, Mitsunari is ordered to take the nearby Oshi Castle for his master. Sakon, who chose to follow him, remarks that Mitsunari is fighting a losing battle. Although the younger man is aware of his possible defeat, he is determined to only achieve victory for the sake of protecting his home and "family" with the Toyotomi. In the midst of battle, Mitsunari forms a bond of trust with the ronin and hires Sakon to serve him. Hideyoshi eventually dies of natural causes and Ieyasu becomes the greatest man of the land. Thinking that Mitsunari lacks the strength to protect their home and believing that their path is the only way to do so, Kiyomasa and Masanori desert him to join Ieyasu. Devastated by the loss of his friends but determined to stay true to his beliefs, a sadden Mitsunari raises his arms at Kusegawa. Their victory invigorates his drive to march against his friends and Ieyasu at Sekigahara. The spirited Kiyomasa greatly raises the morale of the Eastern army and Sakon and Ginchiyo agree that he must be defeated for victory. Reluctantly, Mitsunari faces and defeats him in combat. Though they slay Ieyasu and achieve their goal for a land of peace under the Toyotomi family, Mitsunari wonders if he made the right choices for his dream. During the quiet morning afterwards, he sees a vision of Kiyomasa's spirit riding towards the horizon. Satisfied, Mitsunari states that he will always stay true to honor his friend.

Kessen
Mitsunari acts as the first leader for the Western Army in the first Kessen. He is an older daimyo who loyally serves the Toyotomi's eldest political figure, Lady Yodo. He believes that "right is on his side", thinking that his army respects his wish to defend the Toyotomi family. His fate is up to the player as he can either survive to end Ieyasu or die following Sekigahara.

Onimusha
In Onimusha dawn of dreams he is alongside Hideyoshi.

Voice Actors

 * Pierre Chaves - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Chuck Haliday - Samurai Warriors 2: Empires + Xtreme Legends (English)
 * Michael Dobson - Kessen (English)
 * Eiji Takemoto - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Katsuji Mori - Kessen (Japanese)
 * Tomokazu Seki - Devil Kings (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "I can't lose now. My friends are depending on me."
 * "I should stop expecting so much."
 * "I cannot take pride in a meager endeavor."
 * "Let's see what's out there."
 * "All is guided by honor."
 * "My plan is to take the glory while you do all the work."
 * "Yukimura, you never cease to amaze me."
 * "Honor may not win power, but it wins respect. And respect earns power."
 * "All that, and I didn't even mess up my hair."
 * "I hate having to do what I've already done... It's so inefficient."

History
Ishida Mitsunari was born in the modern day Shiga Prefecture under the childhood name, Sakichi (佐吉). His father was Ishida Masatsugu, who was a painter and patron of the arts. Their clan were descendants of the Fujiwara family, an ancient aristocratic family that once controlled the land's political party. Unlike their ancestors, the Ishida never possessed mass wealth or power and were regarded as people of poor status. Mitsunari himself is generally regarded as a man of intrigue with rough manners. Though he had many friends, he was on bad terms with some daimyo who were known as good warriors.

His famed historical horse plume helmet was designed to terrorize his foes. With the hairs wildly spread like a yakusha and with tall golden horns shaped like an oni, it was made with an image that could "divide the heavens".

Before Sekigahara
In 1574, Mitsunari served as Hashiba Hideyoshi's young page. How exactly they met remains heavily disputed. Most sources state that Hideyoshi spotted Mitsunari's talents for the tea ceremony and added him into his inner circle on the spot. A legend writes that Hideyoshi met his father whilst he was a monk and was asked to care for Mitsunari. Yet another adds that they met after the Azai's downfall. Other theories suggests that he actually became a page in 1577 and was scheming to use Hideyoshi to gain more power for his family. In either case, Mitsunari became inseparable from Hideyoshi and assisted him during battles in the Chūgoku region by overseeing Tottori Castle and Takamatsu Castle.

Once Hideyoshi became ruler of the land, Mitsunari rose in ranks to become his aid. In 1585, he was appointed as inspector general Jibu-shō and was allowed to demonstrate his administrative abilities. He became one of the five commissioners (bugyo) in Hideyoshi's inner circle. When Shima Sakon approached Hideyoshi in 1586, the daimyo offered Sakon loyalty to Mitsunari. Thanks to Mitsunari's administrative command, Hideyoshi's troops had enough supplies to last through the Kyushu and Shikoku invasions. He was once given command in battle at Odawara Castle but fell victim to a water attack. This is Mitsunari's first instance of his reported incompetence in battle.

When the Christian ban took place in 1596, Hideyoshi ordered a manhunt for Christian practitioners and ordered many executions for those captured. Mitsunari defied his lord by decreasing the amount of people captured in his region. When Hideyoshi learned of this, he was angered but was calmed by Mitsunari, who wasn't punished for his actions. Many reports believe that this is due to their friendship. However, others suggests that this is another instance of Mitsunari scheming to rise higher in ranks.

At one point in the Korean campaign, Mitsunari served under Hidei Ukita and earned no particular achievements. A day after the Taiko passed away, Mitsunari ordered an assassination attempt on Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the five regents (tairo) who was entrusted to care for the young Hideyori Toyotomi. Several accounts believe he ordered the deed due to jealousy; the five commissioners' influence in affairs were being fizzled out by the five regents. Regardless of the attempt to take his life, Ieyasu was determined to marry one of his offspring into the Toyotomi family, which defied the limit set in Hideyoshi's will. Since neither one of them wanted to prolong their differences, an oath between the two men was made and they continued to follow the late Taiko's wishes.

After Toshiie Maeda dies, Nagamasa Kuroda, Kato Kiyomasa and others tried to attack Mitsunari in 1599. He fled to Ieyasu's residence at Fushimi Castle before returning to his residence. As a reaction to this, Ieyasu relocated to Osaka Castle later in the same year. Although Mitsunari approved the move, the attribution between him and his antagonizers were beginning to take their toll.

Battle Of Sekigahara
In 1600, Mitsunari apparently signed a secret agreement with Kagekatsu Uesugi to end Ieyasu. While the Uesugi gathered troops in Aizu, Mitsunari would raise his own army to surround Ieyasu's flank. Some of Mitsunari's generals for the battle include Sakon, his friend Otani Yoshitsugu and others. He was able to gain followers largely thanks to the wealthy Terumoto Mori. Otani advised Mitsunari to let Terumoto lead the battle and he agreed. He assigned Ukita Hideie as the second-in-command. However, Mitsunari was still named commander and his orders overrided those with more political influence than him. This power friction ultimately lead many officers in the Western Army to doubt Mitsunari's capabilities with some regarding him as a commoner butting into military affairs.

On the night of November 5, 1600 (considered to be October 20, 1600 with the modern calender), the Western Army met at Ogaki Castle and began marching for Sekigahara around seven o' clock. They took their stations in heavy rainfall and waited for Ieyasu's men to arrive. The battle took place the following day after the heavy fog over the field lifted. Only mere miles apart from one another, the armies clashed. Mitsunari watched from the sidelines with 6,000 men at his command though several Tokugawa generals tried to break through his front line. His plan to surround Ieyasu from all sides was thwarted when Hideaki Kobayakawa, Hiroei Kikkawa, and Mori Hidemoto refused to move from their positions. In the end, the Western Army was routed and he fled from battle.

The following day, Mitsunari was captured at Mount Ibuki -presumably by local villagers- and brought to Kyoto. Although he was suffering from dehydration, he didn't believe that he would be killed and refused his last meal. He was executed shortly after. Recent research paints a different scenario of Mitsunari's end, in which he was held captive under Tokugawa Taka for a month until his execution. He was one of the last Western generals to be beheaded and died at age 41. Another theory suggests that he replaced his appearance with an imposter and committed suicide sometime after the battle. Shortly after Sekigahara, his family home was burned and his demoralized father and brother committed suicide. His children were banished to the Tokaido region and the whereabouts of his wife remain unknown. One of his daughters, Tatsuhime, was said to be adopted by Nene.

Today, Mitsunari is regarded as a curious figure in history. Many historians are fascinated about his true motives and they still argue over his intentions to this day. His grave is located near his execution site. Several memorials and his artifacts can be found at the Sekigahara museum.