Hanbei Takenaka

Hanbei Takenaka 1st appeared in Devil Kings 2.

Samurai Warriors
In the 1st and 2nd game he is a generic charecter under the Oda army. In the 3rd game,Hanbei starts as a vassal under Tatsuoki Saito. Seeing his lord become greedy with indulgence, however, Hanbei captures Inabayama Castle by himself to have Tatsuoki finally listen to him. By this time, the Oda army is invading their lands and the incompetent Tatsuoki wails for Hanbei to save him. Realizing that the Saitō are at the end of their rope, the young strategist decides to test the "fools" worth. Asking the generals about their lord, Hanbei more becomes fascinated by Hideyoshi's wit and abandons his half-cocked interest in Nobunaga. After the Saitō family falls, the strategist accepts Hideyoshi's invitation and aids his new lord at Anegawa. With Hideyoshi, he meets Kanbei and the two geniuses unite their intellect for victory. When news of Shingen's death spreads, Nobunaga uses this grand opportunity to eliminate the Takeda at Nagashino. As Kanbei and Hanbei's tactics begin to corner Katsuyori, the supposedly dead Shingen returns to defend his family. Hanbei directs the Oda army to ensure that Shingen dies a real death and the Takeda fall. When Motonori joins with the resistance against Nobunaga, Hanbei looks forward to testing Motonori's strategist. While Nobunaga stays behind to deal with the central part of the land, he sends Hideyoshi west to take care of the Mōri in Chūgoku. Motonari joins forces with Motochika and resist Kanbei and Hanbei. The younger strategist believes that the serene world he desires is beginning to take its shape and looks forward to carrying out his plan once the battle ends. Although the Mōri leader calls upon his Kyushu allies for assistance, he is defeated by Hanbei. Kanbei expects Hanbei to slay their adversary to end the conflict, but the younger strategist instead chooses to negotiate with Motonari. Believing in Motonari to honor his word with a peace treaty, he declares the three strategists to get along henceforth. Swearing with his two friends to create a world where everyone can laugh and sleep, Hanbei is confident that no one can defeat the new trinity of geniuses. He weilds a bladed sundial.

Kessen
In Kessen 3, there is a chance that he might join Nobunaga's army after the Inabayama Castle conflict. He leads an army of archers and has excellent intelligent statistics. However, since he has naturally low defense and war ratings, he is probably best used as a support unit.

Devil Kings
Hanbei 1st appeares in Devil Kings 2. His appearence is similar that to Kenshin. He weilds a sword in battle.

Vioce Actors
Hiroshi Okamoto - Samurai Warriors 2 (Japanese)

History
Shigeharu was the second eldest son of Takenaka Shigemoto, a vassal of Saitō Dōsan and later Tatsuoki. His mother was Myōkai Taishi, one of Sugiyama Kyuzaemon's daughters. After his father's death in either 1560 or 1562, Shigeharu inherited the clan and served Saitō Yoshitatsu. He served Tatsuoki after his master's passing.

Around this time, Nobunaga was making plans to invade Mino province. Yoshitatsu had prevented his previous offensives, but Tatsuoki's new leadership had convinced Nobunaga to attack. An invasion became more likely when younger soldiers within Mino became disillusioned with Tatsuoki and defected to the Oda clan. As the Oda army marched within Mino, Shigeharu lead an ambush on the Oda troops to try to drive them back. He lead the Saitō army a second time with his tactics two years later in 1563. However, since his master drowned himself in liquor and ignored the state's affairs, Shigeharu and the Mino Trio began to distance themselves from the land's politics and Tatsuoki.

Shigeharu, his younger brother Shigenori, and Andō Morinari accompanied Tatsuoki to Inabayama Castle in February the following year. Armed with 16 other subordinates (17 in the Takenaka Heiki), Shigeharu was able to capture the castle in only one day. While written to have happened in five separate records, modern historians question the feat's validity as there are few details written about the incident. The Nobunaga Gōki and Saitō family records do not record the siege happening, so it's also possible that this entire event is fictional. In any case, Nobunaga soon wanted the position and ordered for a surrender. Shigeharu refused yet Tatsuoki gave in during August the same year. There is also a story that Shigeharu, who disliked his master by this time, staged a coup d'état to cause confusion in the Mino ranks, thus leading to Tatsuoki's surrender.

After he left the Saitō family, he went to serve Azai Nagamasa and was granted a striped of 3,000 coins. He barely served the Azai for a year before he returned his possessions and went back to his old homeland in Iwate Province.

When the Saitō family fell in 1567, it is said that Nobunaga remembered Shigeharu and offered him service. The popular account of Shigeharu's actions was that he refused but eventually served Hideyoshi. In reality, it is more than likely that Nobunaga wanted his younger brother, who created a great reputation for himself at Mino, as his vassal and not Shigeharu. He presumably joined his brother in the Oda service. Due to his previous servitude to the Azai, Shigeharu was not allowed to serve in political affairs after Nagamasa's betrayal.

He served in Andō Morinari's ranks during the Battle of Anegawa. After the conflict, Nobunaga ordered him to join Hideyoshi at Yokoyama Castle. He then became Hideyoshi's yoriki and followed Hideyoshi to the Chugoku region. During Araki Murashige's defection, Kuroda Yoshitaka was arrested and held prisoner in Orioka Castle. As a notion for surrender, Nobunaga was said to have ordered Hideyoshi to kill Yoshitaka's son, Matsujumaru. Shigeharu convinced Hideyoshi to spare the boy and wait for Yoshitaka's return. Matsujumaru's life was saved and, as thanks, there are a few stories that state Yoshitaka shared with his family crest with Shigeharu.

In 1579, Shigeharu fell due to illness while they were surrounding Miki Castle. Hideyoshi ordered his dismissal to Kyoto, but Shigeharu wanted to live his end as a warrior and stayed. He died at age 36. His death was said to have been caused by pneumonia or tuberculosis.