application for soul campaign.
[ CHARACTER INFORMATION ]
Name: Sanada Yukimura (surname, given name)
Age: Roughly 17.
Gender: Male.
Canon: Sengoku BASARA 3 (game)
Timeline: Just prior to Sekigahara, in Yukimura's red path.
Character History:
A couple of... short links... are here. http://sengokubasara.wikia.com/wiki/Sanada_Yukimura & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengoku_Basara:_Samurai_Heroes The problem with SB3 is that much remains unexplained pre-game, save for a few things they let slip in passing during the game and in the intro sequences. SB3 and the Sengoku BASARA anime aren't sequential, and as such, I will do my best to keep both canons separate for the purposes of this section.
Yukimura was born into the Sanada clan. According to the Shukumei Kawanakajima no Tatakai Drama CD, it was when his father died that he met Takeda Shingen and was picked up and placed in his tutelage. This is a man he respects enough to call by his title, Oyakata-sama, which roughly translates to Noble House Lord. Yukimura being Shingen's student places him in a role that is not entirely unique. He shares this mentorship with Tokugawa Ieyasu, though there is the indication that while Ieyasu's lessons were mostly learned in battle against Takeda Shingen, Ieyasu sees himself as being quite close to the man despite that.
At some point during his life, he becomes acquainted with his Lord's rival, Uesugi Kenshin, who is a man he respects almost as much as Shingen himself, because of that rivalry, as well as Date Masamune, the One Eyed Dragon of Oushuu, who is someone he also fosters a rivalry with. Again, he sees Masamune as someone important to him, even if they are continually locked in battle that neither of them ever wins.
Time passes until Toyotomi Hideyoshi rises to power and is subsequently defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and later, when Takeda Shingen falls ill during a battle with the Tokugawa army. Yukimura is devastated, and ends up as the de facto leader of the Takeda Army during his illness. He decides that he has to do what Shingen would do, and that involves overthrowing Ieyasu. He decides that the course of action is to join the Western Army, and the Dark King, Ishida Mitsunari, to accomplish that goal.
But Yukimura's real journey is trying to find a way to overcome the trials that Shingen's illness presents him. The feeling of not being good enough, not being enough like Ieyasu and not being capable of filling the footsteps of the man he so admires. In his journey to join Ishida Mitsunari, Yukimura has three major encounters that help him begin to sort out his thoughts and emotions about his Lord, and about Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Yukimura has to return to Ueda to protect the castle from Masamune's invasion from the rear. They talk while fighting, and Masamune disparages him for not having a will of his own, something that Yukimura doesn't really understand. It's after that battle that Sasuke explains to him that he has his own way of doing things, and needs to accept that. That Yukimura can have his own methods and reasons for doing anything - and he doesn't have to follow in anyone's footsteps, whether they be Shingen's or Masamune's.
He decides to go to Kenshin, because he believes that as Shingen's rival, he'll have to know what Yukimura can to to overcome this. Kenshin has words to this effect, but he also explains to Yukimura that he has to experience this pain to grow, and have confidence in the fact that Shingen chose him to lead the Takeda in his place.
Finally, Yukimura travels to the south of the country, to see Shimazu Yoshihiro, in order to gain more strength in his battle versus Ieyasu. But he refuses to join Yukimura. He doesn't need to, and with his explanation, Yukimura realizes that he has inspired the loyalty of his men, that the Takeda are really his to command. They've followed him this long and will continue to do so, because they have faith in his decisions and actions, in the same way they did Lord Shingen, but they recognize that Yukimura is not that man.
It's through this journey that he truly begins to understand what being Takeda Shingen's student really meant in the first place. Shortly after he allies with the Western Army, he sets himself on the path toward Sekigahara to face Ieyasu and the truth of his Lord's teachings himself. That Yukimura is more than simply a student to Takeda Shingen, and that he is more than those teachings.
Character Personality:
Yukimura Sanada was historically called the Crimson Demon, and the number one warrior in Japan. This is something that is echoed within Sengoku BASARA 3 itself, as Yoshihiro Shimazu calls him the same thing. To put it very simply, in this version, Yukimura is the very definition of hot blood. Once he gets started, you'll rarely stop him. He charges in, thinking little of the consequences of his actions, fervently acting out the orders of Takeda Shingen, whom he serves with blind loyalty. He is the foremost of Shingen's students, and will do anything to further his cause.
Yukimura is a man of extremes, and can go from happy to sad to angry quite easily. One misstep and he'll be shouting again - or perhaps more - than he was moments ago. This is shown in his opening video, for example - his grief at Shingen's illness is shattered by the need for battle, and he throws himself into battle with barely a second thought, full of anger. A lot of his happiness, anger, and other emotions are tempered in SB3 because he is still quite devastated over the loss of his Lord. A lot of his between battle conversations are quite subdued in comparison to his battle conversations, for example.
His nature is simply that he doesn't bother to restrain his emotions or his thoughts in most circumstances. He doesn't really know how to hold back, and tends to act long before thinking about whether it's a good idea to. And it's for that reason that he ends up wearing his heart on his sleeve on most occasions, and why things affect him so strongly. He's incredibly open, and trusting, as a result. Good examples of this is his willingness to completely dump his heart out to Uesugi Kenshin, who is his Lord's rival. He sees no harm in it, and it's that honest nature that makes Kenshin join him on his quest, in order to support him and show him that he does have the capability to lead the Takeda.
It's because of this that when Shingen falls ill, Yukimura is lost. He is almost unable to function, sending himself into a blind rage to finish the battle at hand. It's not until after the battle that he's even able to begin to absorb what happened, but it leaves him in no less of a mess, though it's one of feeling complete and utter incompetence. He has very little skill or confidence in his leadership and leadership style, so Yukimura ends up floundering, causing the Takeda to suffer heavy losses quite early on. It's really through this event though that Yukimura starts to grow, taking on initiative to learn what being Shingen's student really meant, and trying to move beyond it. He also realizes that he can't necessarily do this alone, and he seeks out new people who might be able to help him, in the form of Uesugi Kenshin, Shimazu Yoshihiro and even Date Masamune! Half of this is in hopes that they will give him the purpose he seeks. That they'll give him the easy answer, but none of them do, instead trying to instill some confidence in him and showing him the progress he's already made through the journey.
His entire world has been shaped by Takeda Shingen. This includes his behaviour, in and out of battle. In normal situations, Yukimura is filled with ferocity, exuberance and life - and as such, he is a man who is unable to be anything but dedicated and fervent with all of his talk and emotions. This is something that Shingen has fostered in him. However, Shingen has obviously taught him how to be formal and respectful, if not always polite - but that is something that tends to fall off of his speech when he gets ahead of himself. He tends to insult Sasuke without thinking, for example, by being brusque or just assuming Sasuke knows what is going on without ever saying as much.. But he treats Masamune and Kenshin with a lot of respect, and all of his enemies on the battle get a full introduction before he challenges them with his spears. On that note, Yukimura's formality carries over to the battlefield in more ways than that. All battles ought to be fair and just. All attacks should come from the front and be clearly stated.
In the same vein, Yukimura is someone who is full of faith and truth. The idea of being deceptive isn't something that was taught to him, nor is it anything he puts any stock in. He always makes his intentions clear, even if they are not the best. So long as he believes they are the right path to take, he sees no need to hide them.
Until his Lord fell ill, Yukimura lived under the impression that his skills and his faith in his Lord would protect him through all things. Yukimura does have the capability to think and think rationally. He's someone who is dumb but not stupid - he doesn't always think of the obvious and needs someone to point out that first opening to him. This is usually Sasuke - he is the one who brings focus to Yukimura, reminding him of his role, what his responsibilities are.
Yukimura is, fundamentally, someone who is still learning. There is so much that Shingen didn't teach him, and so much that he didn't take the chance to learn for himself. He can see that when Masamune comes to attack Ueda on his way to meet up with Ieyasu. The skill and experience that Masamune has gained as Lord of Oushuu is evident even to him. In fact, Yukimura remarks that he has a lot to learn from Masamune. (It's Sasuke who says that he doesn't want Yukimura picking up Masamune's bad habits.) As sad as it is to say, it's Yukimura's journey without Shingen that finally allows him to see beyond and try to grow as a man, because Yukimura has always been content simply staring at Shingen's back.
Ieyasu changes a lot of this for Yukimura. He's almost jealous of the leadership and skill that Ieyasu shows, and it's something that plagues Yukimura and weighs him down. There are times when Yukimura himself wonders how they ended up so different despite both being mentored by the same man. It's this complication that gives Yukimura even more hesitation and doubt about these things - causing him even to be affected by a recurring dream that is a manifestation of that doubt. After his journey and finally talking to Ieyasu at the end of his red path, the meaning of the dream and Yukimura's path is made clear, but as much as he dislikes Ieyasu, he needs him to make everything come clear in the end.
Character Abilities you would like to expand on further:
Yukimura's only real ability is that of fighting. He's capable of using two spears at the same time, as well as limited hand to hand combat (or we can assume, given that he throws himself into close quarters combat, and that his favoured method of training is receiving and doling out punches to his lord.) He also has limited fire-related abilities, as his attacks can be imbued with that element.
Also, the aforementioned "training" with his lord has made it so his pain tolerance is almost insanely high.
Character Weaknesses you would like to expand on further:
It's less a weakness but something of note - as of Shingen's illness, Yukimura has been plagued with a recurring dream about being submerged in water. It symbolizes his confusion and struggle to understand the situation he's been placed in. Every time he has it, he gets a bit closer and closer to the "surface" and to the "sun". It's something that weighs him down for the duration of his story path.
[ SOUL CAMPAIGN SECTION ]
What abilities will your character retain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
Yukimura is more or less a normal person in Sengoku BASARA context... He'll retain:
- His skills with the spear
- His skills with his fists
- High pain tolerance (not as high as in canon, of course)
- High strength (same as above)
What weaknesses will your character lose or gain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
- He won't be as pain tolerant. This will cause some issues as Yukimura has always been one to act without thinking, and this includes throwing himself into battle with very few cares. (He also wears virtually no armor right now)
- His strength will be lessened, causing a similar issue as described in the first point.
- He will no longer be able to summon that fire-elemental attack attribute to any weapons he holds.
- He has no technical aptitude, nor is he from a time that has electronics of any sort. The time period and the equipment associated with the future are going to confuse him more than he already is.
The wish Death the Kid made to the BREW in 2009 was to “rescue Death City and stop the waves of Madness from overtaking the world.” By whatever means necessary. Pretend you are the BREW. Why would you choose to bring this character to Death City?
Yukimura, in his canon (and even historically) was considered a respected general and a warrior that may only appear rarely. He's got strength and skill, and he's also one of those people who just does not ever give up even if he's lost countless times before. He is the kind of person to send at waves of enemies, because if he's decided he's fighting for something, he'll go at it until he literally cannot anymore.
If your character has difficulty verbally communicating or can’t verbally communicate at all (mute or non-humanoid), elaborate on how this will be treated in the game. N/A
[ MEISTER ONLY SECTION ]
Why is your character a Meister and not a Weapon?
N/A
What is your character’s Meister Ability? Why?
N/A
[ WEAPON ONLY SECTION ]
Why is your character a Weapon and not a Meister?
Yukimura is still a student, and in the learning phase of his life. He, even if he can lead, is still a follower in so many ways, and all he wants to do is follow his Lord until his Lord conquers Japan in the name of the Takeda. Because of that Yukimura has more or less made himself into a weapon for Takeda Shingen's sake already. It's the role he feels most comfortable in, and I think he's more suited to it than being a Meister. Especially in terms of Sengoku BASARA 3 canon - Yukimura is still searching for a purpose, and even at the end of the path he's being taken from, he decides he is fighting for his own sake, and he can do that best as a weapon.
What is your character’s Weapon Form? Why?
Yukimura's weapon form is an extra long cross-spear. The spear itself is a weapon that he is historically and canonically associated with, not to mention one of the traditional weapons of samurai during the time period when Sengoku BASARA is supposed to take place. One of his titles is the "Spear of Heavenly Might" so it seems an obvious choice.
What is your character’s Weapon Ability?
Yukimura's general weapon ability is to imbue itself and their Meister with the element of fire, or perhaps a better description is to impart a fiery spirit to its bearer. Again, this is due to Yukimura's close ties with fire in canon, as well as his burning spirit!
Basic resonance and use of Yukimura as a weapon, after some practice, will allow the Meister to do things like set the tip of the spear aflame. As resonance increases, so will the use and power of the fire element, as well as the ability to extend the elemental attribute to the fist and the feet to reflect Yukimura's extra attacks in canon. Obviously these will only apply as long as the Meister is holding onto the weapon. With perfect resonance, the Meister will be able to charge the power so that they are surrounded by that burning spirit (and may be prone to shouting out "Oyakata-sama" randomly and uncontrollably, perhaps.) That spirit will focus their strength and attack power.
Spear proficiency would go up as resonance increases, as well. Given the extra length, initially it will be unwieldy for even someone familiar with the spear to use.
[ SOUL INFORMATION ]
Describe your character’s soul with six adjectives.
Passionate, excitable, fiery, reactionary, traditional, unrestrained.
What does your character’s soul look like? Be creative.
Yukimura's soul appears in a dark red colour, accented by what might appear to be a bright red bandana with long tails that are constantly fluttering in wind that may or may not actually be present. On the back of his soul, there are faint golden coins with square holes in the center, in two rows of three, an imitation of what is on his coat..