Naomasa Li

Naomasa Li 1st appeared in Kessen.

Kessen
In Kessen, Naomasa is one of Ieyasu's starting officers. He leads a skilled cavalry unit and is one of the speedier troops in battle. He reports to his lord that the Western Army were marching the night before Sekigahara and requests permission to be the one to lead the charge against Mitsunari's camp. He's interrupted by an infuriated Fukushima and, after the latter's outburst, is asked to stand down. Should Ieyasu lose at Fuji, Naomasa and another one of Ieyasu's Four Generals, Sakakibara, volunteer to lead the rear guard for the army's escape. They're moved when their lord stays with them for the assault.

Naomasa is eventually replaced by his son, Naotaka. This happens whether or not Ieyasu has been consistently winning his campaigns. One reason, like Tadakatsu, is due to his historical death date. If Ieyasu suffers a string of losses, Naomasa will be killed whilst serving as the rear guard. His son swears to avenge his death by taking Mitsunari's head.

Samurai Warriors
Naomasa is a generic charecter throughout the series. In Samurai Warriors 2 both he and Masanori will carelessly charge for Mitsunari's camp with little regard for their safety. Ieyasu will request for the rest of his army to ensure they don't let their zealousness get the best of them. Should they fall, Mitsunari will state that the Four Generals of Tokugawa are highly overrated and ally morale will suffer.

Sengoku Rence
Naomasa appeares serving Ieyasu leader of the Tokugawa house.

Vioce Actors

 * Trevor White - Kessen (English)
 * Hideo Ishikawa - Kessen (Japanese)
 * Jason Moran - Samurai Warriors 2 (English)
 * Takeshi Kusao - Samurai Warriors 2 (Japanese)

As General
Ii Naomasa is regarded as one of the Four Guardians of the Tokugawa along with Honda Tadakatsu, Sakakibara Yasumasa and Sakai Tadatsugu, under the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu. He initially gained notice at the Battle of Nagakute (1584), commanding around three thousand musketeers with distinction. His finest hour was to come at the Battle of Sekigahara, where his unit outpaced those of other generals such as Fukushima Masanori, drawing the "first blood" of that battle. However, Naomasa was shot and wounded by a stray bullet as the fighting was dying down, a wound from which he would never fully recover. The wound also prevented his personal involvement in quelling the last vestiges of the anti-Tokugawa faction in the coming months.[1]

The units Ii commanded on the battlefield were notable for being outfitted almost completely in blood-red armour for psychological impact, a tactic he adopted from Yamagata Masakage, one of Takeda Shingen's generals.[1] As such, his unit became known as the "Red Devils", a nickname he shared.

Death
Ii Naomasa's premature death in 1602 has been widely blamed on the wound he received at Sekigahara. Naomasa was highly regarded by Tokugawa Ieyasu, so it is no surprise that his sons Naotsugu and Naotaka succeeded him in his service and title. However, Naotsugu managed to anger Tokugawa by refusing to take part in his campaign to reduce the Toyotomi clan stronghold at Osaka. Nonetheless, the Ii remained influential in Japanese politics throughout the Edo period.