Mitsuhide Akechi

Mitsuhide Akechi 1st appeared in Samurai Warriors. He is at 1st with the Oda clan but he betrayes Nobunaga soon after.

Samurai Warriors
In the 1st game Mitsuhide is 1st with the Saito clan. After the battle of Inabayama Castle he joins Nobunaga. Soon later he betrays Nobunaga at Honnoji. After the battle he faces Hideyoshi Toytomi at Yamazaki. In the 2nd game he is more close to Nobunaga than the 1st game and he is one of Nobunaga's most trusted retainers. He still betrays Nobunaga at Honnoji but he doesn't kill him because Magoichi Saika shoots Nobunaga from behind. He weilds a Katana in battle

Devil Kings
In Devil Kings his name is Reaper. He is with Nobunaga who's name is Devil King but later he betrays Nobunaga. He has a very inhuman appearence. He enjoys watching people suffer and he can attack his allies but they don't lose life. He weilds 2 Scythes in this game.

Onimusha
Mitsuhide appeares in the 3rd game were he betrays Nobunaga at Honnoji. Both Samanosuke and Jacquoe play in this stage.

Kessen
Mitsuhide appears as an allied unit and later becomes the main antagonist in Kessen III. He is very skilled with a musket, which easily impresses Nobunaga. Like Samurai Warriors, he is symbolized in some way by a white hawk. He was formerly Noh's bodyguard until he protested her marriage to Nobunaga. Due to his "insolence" on the manner, he was banished from Mino and left to drift across the land. He joins Nobunaga with plans to crush him from the inside and secretly works with the shogunate to destroy his rival. He frequently requests for Kicho to join him and become his lover, especially when he volunteers to keep an eye on the Tamba Province before the Battle of Nagashino. During his attack on Honnoji, he personally faces Nobunaga in the burning temple and shoots him with his rifle. He is heartbroken by Kicho's unshaken loyalty to her husband and suffers a stab wound that refuses to heal. Scenes regarding Mitsuhide's viewpoint prior to Honnoji can be seen during the game's second playthrough. Though his assault at Honnoji failed, he gains support from Nobunaga's enemies and the fallen Ashikaga shogun. He also gets a formidable foreign ally named Petro, a former acquaintance of Amalia. With his political influence, he declares Nobunaga an enemy of the state and aims to take his life. During the ending, a dying Mitsuhide reveals that he wanted to uphold a promise he made to a young Kicho: he would someday make a land where she wouldn't need to fight. He hears Kicho's voice saying that she understands his intentions and dies with a smile on his face. After his death, Nobunaga entreats a soaring white hawk to fly higher and free in the sky. His gravestone is visited by Yoshino years later.

Voice Actors

 * Michael Gough - Samurai Warriors, Kessen III (English)
 * Kevin Symons - Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends (English)
 * Leroy Simon Bean - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Darrel Guilbeau - Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Hikaru Midorikawa - Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi series, Kessen III (Japanese)

Personal Info
A man of mystery to this day, Akechi Mitsuhide is a hard man to completely profile. He was said to have been trusted and praised by Nobunaga. Various historical sources suggest that they believed in one another and got along well. Maeda Toshiie, Hashiba Hideyoshi, Sakuma Nobumori and Niwa Nagahide also admired his integrity. Since he governed his provinces fairly, he was said to have been loved by the people for his kindness. A few historical sources state that he was also a noble man of compassion who treated his vassals and countrymen dearly. During one of the many encounters with the Ikko-iki, he held a respectful funeral at Saikyo-ji for the eighteen men he lost. Even after he performed his famous assassination at Honnoji, his men were still genuinely loyal to him and did not betray him in anyway. They decided to face death bravely even with their inferior numbers at Yamazaki. When Mitsuhide tried to escape, a few sources record that at least 200 men volunteered to guard him and risked their lives for their lord's safety.

The other image of Mitsuhide that is popular in fiction has him as a bitter scoundrel who planned to obtain power. This particular shade of his personality is a probable twist on the generous rewards he received after the Incident of Honnoji. Additionally, he was accused by Nobunaga's other loyal retainers as a heartless betrayer. At one point in his life, he was said to have offered his services to the Mōri clan. Mōri Motonari refused him and supposedly sent him away fearfully with monetary rewards. Motonari said, "Indeed, he is overflowing with bravery and has an intelligent wit. But his countenance is like a sleeping wolf, expressionless and hiding its bones until he decides to act. His quiet state of mind is rather unbecoming." Luís Fróis described him in his notes as "a man who favored deception; favored cruel capital punishment; possesses high endurance; expert at strategy, tactics, and complicated formations; a fierce warrior in battle." Modern historians are currently questioning the neutrality of Fróis' writings since he was a honored friend of Mitsuhide's lord. It is not known when exactly he wrote these notes as it could have been after Nobunaga's death. Nevertheless, these particular descriptions are usually used as a basis for the "villainous" Mitsuhide seen in movies and novels.

Mitsuhide was a man of culture who pursued various arts and hobbies. He loved attending to civil affairs and tried as much as possible to honor the departed. He was an avid practitioner of Waka poetry and the Japanese tea ceremony. According to the Akechi Gunki (edited biography from the Edo period), he was also apparently skilled with the matchlock gun. A story states that he only used one bullet to perfectly hit a flying bird from about 45.5 meters away. His skill with the gun is what made daimyo notice him. His other names include Jubei (十兵衛) and Koretafuhyuga no Kami (惟任日向守). Nobunaga was said to have gave him the self-explanatory nickname, Bald Head (キンカ頭, Kinka Atama). He had two wives, one possible concubine, presumably five sons and six known daughters. One of his debatable living descendants is a vocalist.

Early Life
Details regarding early points of Mitsuhide's life remain relatively unclear. According to the Akechi Gunki, he was a descendant of the Seiwa Genji and was Akechi Mitsutsuna's son, who was a vassal of Saitō Dōsan. Ryōtarō Shiba's novel, Kunitori Monogatari, states that his childhood name was Momomaru (桃丸) but there are no known historical sources that actually record it. It's believed he originated from Gifu province yet there are three different sectors that are generally named. He either originated from Akechi Castle in Kani, Miyama in Yamagata, or the Akechi Castle in Akechi city. Mitsuhide was said to have been childhood friends or cousins with Nōh but this story's legitimacy is highly debated.

In spite of the unknown areas of his youth, it's commonly believed that he belonged to the governor of Mino Province, the Toki clan, and served Saitō Dōsan. When Saitō Yoshitatsu fought with his father in 1556, Mitsuhide allied with Dōsan. However, Yoshitatsu attacked Akechi castle and scattered Mitsuhide's family. Since his mother fled to depend on the Wakasa-Takeda clan, Mitsuhide served another clan. These candidates range from the Asakura clan, Ashikaga Yoshiteru (or at least a man with the Akechi name and originated from Mino did), the Imagawa clan or the Mōri clan. The Nobunaga Gōki wrote that he could have fabricated his origins and presented himself favorably to the court instead.

After Ashikaga Yoshiaki fled from Takeda Yoshizumi to the Asakura clan in Echizen Province, Mitsuhide met with the fleeing shogun sometime in 1568. Since Asakura Yoshikage's mother was from the Wakasa-Takeda clan and Mitsuhide's mother attended to Takeda Yoshizumi's younger sisters, Yoshiaki ordered for Yoshikage to be his official protector. Yoshikage would not agree to rescue the shogun so Yoshiaki appealed to Mitsuhide directly. In order to return to the capital, Mitsuhide negotiated with Yoshiaki and agreed to guide him to another possible candidate, Oda Nobunaga.

Serving Nobunaga
After they arrived in Nobunaga's care, Mitsuhide switched his allegiances to the Oda clan. He either was convinced by Yoshiaki to do so or left on his own accord. He was apparently one of the generals who guarded Nobunaga's disastrous escape from Kanegasaki. In 1571, Mitsuhide was believed to have participated in Nobunaga's campaign to burn Mount Hiei. To prepare for the event, Mitsuhide previously talked to the kokujin, Wada Hidejun, and formerly addressed that the man was convinced to join Nobunaga's army. Wada gave Mitsuhide ammunition, troop supplies, and exchanged hostages at Ogoto Castle. This route helped the Oda army's march towards Enryaku-ji. Since he was somewhat farther away than other generals, it is speculated that he did not participate in the actual massacre at the temple. However, he did partake in a secondary follow up conflict, the Miyake-Kanemori battle, in which he defeated Kanamori Nagachika's troops with Oda cavalry and burned down a Buddhist temple in Ōmi Province. For his services, he was one of the five generals who earned immense praise and was rewarded the Shiga District (which was approximately worth 50,000 koku). Promoted to being a higher ranked lord, he designed and built Sakamoto Castle.

He was given a government post in Hyūga Province during 1575. At his new post, he defended Kuroi Castle from the invading Akai clan. During the first battle, Nobunaga's main unit was fighting with other rebels so Mitsuhide was given no reinforcements against Akai Naomasa's army from Tamba Province and suffered defeat. Nobunaga was impressed by Naomasa's valor but worried that the cunning general would pose a threat in the future. His plans for the Akai were put on hold due to Matsunaga Hisahide's betrayal. With Hosokawa Fujitaka and Tsutsui Junkei, Mitsuhide was scheduled to take part in the Siege of Shigisan in 1577. They were able to march ahead of the Oda main army by passing through Hōryū-ji. Settling in a mountain castle, the main army used it as one of their bases for the siege.

In 1578, when Araki Murashige rebelled, Mitsuhide was one of the three generals sent to investigate Arioka Castle. He was supposedly chosen due to ties of kinship, as one of his daughters was married to Murashige's son, Muratsugu. His messenger was willingly accepted and Muratsugu agreed to send his mother as a peaceful hostage to Azuchi Castle. Apparently, she was sent to wait for a time at Ibaraki Castle, but the Dateiriki-Sakyo no Sukenyūdō Ryūsaki records that the real reason for the hostage transfer was to force the woman to commit seppuku. Regardless of the circumstances and the possible defiance displayed by Muratsugu's mother, Mitsuhide's daughter was returned to him. He was one of the generals who participated in the November battle at Ibaraki Castle but he suffered defeat from the Araki army.

After Matsunaga and Araki's respective downfalls, Mitsuhide and Fujitaka were ordered to retake Kuroi Castle in 1579. Amassing an army of 10,000 with four other reinforcements, they succeeded and fortified their position once more in Tamba Province. He was rewarded with territory that gave him a total of 340,000 koku and restored Fukuchiyama Castle, Kameyama Castle and Shūzan Castle. With easy access to Tōkaidō and San'indō, Mitsuhide was granted an important position in the central part of the main island.

Incident at Honnoji
Mitsuhide was ordered to entertain Tokugawa Ieyasu at Azuchi Castle on April 8th and 10th in 1582. Ieyasu was being rewarded for his part to subjugate the Takeda clan. On June 6, however, Hideyoshi requested reinforcements to help subjugate the Mōri clan so Mitsuhide was pardoned from his duties to prepare for battle. He retired to Sakamoto Castle and properly equipped his men at Kameyama Castle on June 17. Two or three days later, he wrote his infamous renga poem entailing his ambitions at the shrine, Atago-goken Hakuin, in honor of the Sangoku-shingō and shugendō faith. It was literally written as "The time is now. The fifth month when the rain falls." Another interpretation of the same poem is "Toki shall now rule the realm under the sky."

On June 19, Nobunaga inspected the reinforcements for Hideyoshi's troops and retired back to Kyoto at Honnō-ji. The same day, his eldest son, Nobutada, settled at Myokaku-ji. While Nobunaga spent the following day conducting a tea ceremony, Mitsuhide had gathered an army of approximately 13,000 people to join his cause and marched from Kameyama Castle during sunset. Before the dawn of June 21, Mitsuhide was said to have yelled, "The enemy is at Honnō-ji!" His army surrounded Nobunaga's position by sunrise and they eventually set the shrine on flames. Nobunaga's body was not found, but Mitsuhide immediately turned his attention to Nobutada. Slaying one of Nobutada's guards, Murai Sadakatsu, he chased Nobunaga's son to Nijō Castle. One of Mitsuhide's generals, Ise Sadaoki, won great fame for causing Nobutada's downfall.

Battle of Yamazaki
With Kyoto suppressed and some of the castles surrounding the region under his command, Mitsuhide sent an open plea for other feudal lords to join him. However, he failed to gain more supporters and was confronted by Hideyoshi's larger army by June 29th. Mitsuhide strategically relocated to Yamazaki in an effort to better his chances for defense. Two days later, both armies prepared for a large siege and fought on July 2. The Akechi troops used excellent arquebus tactics to drive their foes back, but the situation looked grim when the siege lengthened and their numbers waned.

Seeing the battle turn against them, Mitsuhide ordered a retreat for Shōryūji Castle. He broke through enemy lines and a handful of his soldiers were able to escape. While en route to Sakamoto Castle, he barely managed to fight off headhunters from Kyoto. Exhausted, he was said to have committed suicide by his own blade soon after. Another story states that he hid from his pursuers but was found by the farmer samurai headhunter, Nakamura Chōbei, who stabbed him to death with a bamboo spear. His body was said to have been found when it was grossly decayed by the intense summer heat. Hideyoshi's vassal, Mizō Shigemoto, reported that there was no head and that a bamboo spear was plunged into the corpse's neck. His head was said to have been seen rotting in three separate locations but each place reported that it was heavily disfigured.

Since the recovered corpse was hard to properly identify, there has been some speculation that Mitsuhide actually survived Yamazaki. The most popular legend is that Mitsuhide assumed identity of the priest advisor with mysterious origins, Tenkai. There are many interesting conjectures that suggest that this may be true (such as Tenkai claiming that he felt attached to the Akechi name and both men being the supposed basis for Kagome Kagome) but, so far, this theory presents too many radical contradictions to be accepted as fact and is only true in fiction.