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coolest[ CHARACTER INFORMATION ]
Character History:
Masamune wants to make an impact. The first rule of Masamune Date is that you don't forget Masamune Date. He's an ambitious warlord with a massive ego. He's a proud dragon, nevermind the fact he only has one eye and not as tall or physically powerful as some of the other warlords around. For Masamune, it's all about flaunting what you have and making others respect you. The way he carries himself usually commands respect (as seen from Sengoku Basara 2 where both Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda are impressed with his ability to just charge in their battle like it was nothing, and in Sengoku Basara 3, where he and Magoichi Saika have a wordless exchange and yet go away with respect for each other.), but at the same time it can come off as cocky and unbelievably irritating. Regardless, he is good at engaging people for better or worse.
This is the source of why he gets angry and upset when Mitsunari Ishida fails to remember him, firstly because he beats Masamune quite severely in battle and secondly because he can't even remember Masamune's name after it all. That is a severe slap in the face to someone with an ego as big as his. It's the first time that Masamune is utterly humiliated, and it's a big eye opener for him. He spends most of his Red Emaki obsessing over Mitsunari's face and only achieves some sort of closure when he is able to beat him at the end of it.
As an aside, this is probably as good a time as any to mention that Masamune can be single minded and unrelenting to the point that it could be considered detrimental or unhealthy. While his rivalry with Yukimura Sanada is somewhat healthy, Masamune's obsession with Mitsunari and especially his face is not so much. Many of his other routes involve him talking about Mitsunari disparagingly even if he defeats him earlier on, and the drama track "Tokubetsu Shinan! The Last BASARA Tokusei Kouza! "Date Masamune-shi no Ima Sugu Yakudatsu Gekijouban Eigo Kouza"" (Special Instruction! The Last BASARA Special Edition Lecture! "Date Masamune's Now Useful Movie Edition English Lecture") has him defining English phrases such as "GOOD SPIRIT" and "CRAZY" as "Something that Mitsunari Ishida does not have in himself" and "Mitsunari Ishida's face. Alternatively, an eccentric, a maniac." respectively. This says a lot about Masamune - he's not one to forget easily. Not to mention that this also highlights his sense of humour; sometimes it's hard to tell whether Masamune's being serious or just having a laugh. He is a bit of a troll. If he can get away with mischief, he will go for it. Masamune is not the type to let opportunities go unused.
He's unpredictable, I think it's safe to say. But despite this, there are parts of him that are as predictable as the seasons. One of these is his motivation for fighting. Why he fights throughout the majority of Sengoku Basara canon is no mystery - it's because he genuinely enjoys it. He lives for the thrill of what a battle brings. This leads into his rivalry with Yukimura Sanada, the only man whose soul ignites him. He loves fighting Yukimura, and I mean he really loves fighting with Yukimura. He sees something in Yukimura which completely grips him, someone with unbounded energy and spirit who he is bound to face again and again. Nothing sates him and rouses his soul more than the idea of being able to face his rival head on. Yet being sated is only temporary for him, and Masamune walks away eagerly awaiting the next battle. He's always hungry for a fight and will respect anybody who can give him one. Masamune believes that in battle, a lot of a person's personality can be revealed. He's also better at communicating through actions than he is through words, often finding it easier to show what he means than explain himself.
Even though he likes fighting, he won't kill or backstab people even if they are in a state of war. He personally finds the idea a bit repugnant, as it seems undignified to do. Yet when he allies with people - he's not entirely in love with the idea of being allies with other warlords. He finds himself fighting on Ieyasu Tokugawa's side of the Eastern Army because the alternative was with Mitsunari Ishida's face on the Western Army. Part of this mentality comes from the fact that there's only so much of Masamune that can go around, and he doesn't want to deal with the responsibility of someone directly not under him. He also believes that other people can interfere with how he does things, and often times usually for. When he fights Hisahide Matsunaga in the first stage of Hisahide's story route in Sengoku Basara 3 Utage, he fights him alongside Yukimura as a matter of convenience rather than anything else even though their goals are the same in defeating Hisahide (Masamune to venge Kojuro, Yukimura for Sasuke's forgiveness). He doesn't necessarily "band" and become unified with him, they're just fighting together but he can respect that they can help each other achieve their respective goals.
Off the battlefield, Masamune is more level-headed and serious. Many of his conversations with Kojuro between stages in Sengoku Basara 3 are reasoned and less jokey. He shows himself to be quick witted and considerate, even having a bit of foresight in considering the consequences of his actions, usually at Kojuro's insistence. He is shown to have genuine care and affection for his troops, as he does not believe that any of them should fall for his sake. When he fights in battle, he fights for them and knowingly will never leave a man down. But at the same time, Masamune believes that he has much to live for and will fight to the bitter end to ensure that he survives. There is no battle that he will emerge from not victorious. More often than not he does go very close to the edge of death with his recklessness (much to the dismay of Kojuro) but he's the one eyed dragon. It's no problem.
Character Weaknesses you would like to expand on further:
What weaknesses will your character lose or gain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
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?
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. (Skip if this doesn’t apply) N/A
[ MEISTER ONLY SECTION ]
Why is your character a Meister and not a Weapon?
The choice in Manly Soul and Soul Leader directly relate to Masamune's position. His descriptive four kanji title translates to "Head of Oshuu". Beloved by his army, many of his men fight willingly alongside Masamune and adore him. He treats his people well, even going so far as to talk with the Toyotomi (and Masamune isn't the most of diplomatic of men) when his lands are in danger. He is capable of the most rousing of war cries which has become one of the most distinguishable lines in the series - ARE YOU READY GUYS? PUT YA GUNS ON. (this video, ultimately shows all). Every time Masamune does this, he is often responded with a chorus of assent and approval.
[ SOUL INFORMATION ]
Describe your character’s soul with six adjectives.
What does your character’s soul look like? Be creative.
[ SAMPLES ]
Yo.
[He raises a hand in a jovial fashion.]
Date Masamune.
[And that was his way of introducing himself. Now that was over, Masamune looks at the camera straight on, arms crossed. Time to make his big address to everyone in this city.]
I heard that we're fighting a war here. You guys must be in trouble if you had to drag me here, the One Eyed Dragon of Oshuu!
[There we go, he's steadily getting back into the stride of things. The whole experience in the Kishin Chamber was a bit of a shock even for him, but now that he's out and he's got this amazing communication device, he might as well make full use of it.]
Hah, what a name though. Death City! I would say that it was cool but the sun has a face that smiles. What kind of place called Death City has a sun with a face like that?
[He looks at the feed expectantly, then realising he isn't going to get a reply immediately, continues talking.]
I'm a meister, whatever that is. I hate the idea of being without a weapon though, especially in a place like this. They may have taken a dragon's claws away, but he can still bite.
[Masamune grins at the camera, trying his best to be jovial at the end of his feed.]
So if any of you transform into swords, let me know. Okeydokey?
[And it finally clicks off.]
---
He sure as hell didn't recognise the room that he was in - he wasn't even sure he was still in Hi-no-Moto. It was just a feeling, but he trusted his gut feeling. The only thing he could think was that this was some sort of ninja trick and - oh.
"Holy shit." was all he said as his eyes slowly got used to the gloom and he looked around the chamber. It was really dark and he couldn't see a damn thing. What kind of location was this anyway? No lights meant that it was meant to be unused or at the very least, required someone coming in from the inside to let light in. So he was stuck here for the time being. Masamune kicked a stray piece of rubble out of the way in frustration.
It came to the point that Masamune sat. He had left Osaka Castle after beating Sanada Yukimura and this was either a really bad joke on the part of his ninja unable to accept his master's defeat or something terrible had happened.
He wasn't even sure why he was calling out for his retainer, when it was clear that his Right Eye wasn't in the chamber with him. Well, let it never be said that he didn't try in the first place.
So if Kojuro wasn't here, what was the best thing to do?
He checks that he's got everything - helmet, swords. Shit. Where are his swords?
"..."
Well this was turning out great. What the hell was going on? Who stole his swords? His mind immediately thought to Matsunaga Hisahide, the bastard. He was the one who wanted his swords and he hired the ninja Fuuma, didn't he? Matsunaga wasn't entirely above dirty tricks either. He was inches from kicking the wall, the doors, anything - in an attempt to exit the chamber but then something caught his attention.
The three large screens had turned on in the room. For someone from the Sengoku period, he was immediately transfixed.
Well Spirit Albarn, you certainly got his attention.
[ NOTES ]
Name: Masamune Date
Age: 20 at his first appearance
Gender: Male
Canon: Sengoku Basara
Timeline: Post-Blue Emaki, Sengoku Basara 3
Character History:
http://sengokubasara.wikia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Character Personality:
Being involved with Masamune is like being caught in a thunderstorm - it's very rarely calm or still, a complete maelstrom of high and low emotion with the thrill of being electrified hanging over your head. From the offset, one thing you will get from Masamune at first glance is how utterly ridiculous he looks. Six swords, imposing crescent moon on his helm and that eyepatch all on one person - it's not an appearance you'd be bound to forget that easily. It's all over the top but that's the point. Masamune's brash and flash. He doesn't want you to forget him, not that easily anyway. This is even more the case when you go into battle with him - it's all a matter of being cool in all circumstances, even in the face of impending danger. English (Engrish, if you want to be precise) streams from his lips even if he knows that nobody really understands him. It's all for effect. All of his attacks have names like DEATH FANG and WAR DANCE, which surprisingly cause as much damage as they sound.
Masamune wants to make an impact. The first rule of Masamune Date is that you don't forget Masamune Date. He's an ambitious warlord with a massive ego. He's a proud dragon, nevermind the fact he only has one eye and not as tall or physically powerful as some of the other warlords around. For Masamune, it's all about flaunting what you have and making others respect you. The way he carries himself usually commands respect (as seen from Sengoku Basara 2 where both Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda are impressed with his ability to just charge in their battle like it was nothing, and in Sengoku Basara 3, where he and Magoichi Saika have a wordless exchange and yet go away with respect for each other.), but at the same time it can come off as cocky and unbelievably irritating. Regardless, he is good at engaging people for better or worse.
This is the source of why he gets angry and upset when Mitsunari Ishida fails to remember him, firstly because he beats Masamune quite severely in battle and secondly because he can't even remember Masamune's name after it all. That is a severe slap in the face to someone with an ego as big as his. It's the first time that Masamune is utterly humiliated, and it's a big eye opener for him. He spends most of his Red Emaki obsessing over Mitsunari's face and only achieves some sort of closure when he is able to beat him at the end of it.
As an aside, this is probably as good a time as any to mention that Masamune can be single minded and unrelenting to the point that it could be considered detrimental or unhealthy. While his rivalry with Yukimura Sanada is somewhat healthy, Masamune's obsession with Mitsunari and especially his face is not so much. Many of his other routes involve him talking about Mitsunari disparagingly even if he defeats him earlier on, and the drama track "Tokubetsu Shinan! The Last BASARA Tokusei Kouza! "Date Masamune-shi no Ima Sugu Yakudatsu Gekijouban Eigo Kouza"" (Special Instruction! The Last BASARA Special Edition Lecture! "Date Masamune's Now Useful Movie Edition English Lecture") has him defining English phrases such as "GOOD SPIRIT" and "CRAZY" as "Something that Mitsunari Ishida does not have in himself" and "Mitsunari Ishida's face. Alternatively, an eccentric, a maniac." respectively. This says a lot about Masamune - he's not one to forget easily. Not to mention that this also highlights his sense of humour; sometimes it's hard to tell whether Masamune's being serious or just having a laugh. He is a bit of a troll. If he can get away with mischief, he will go for it. Masamune is not the type to let opportunities go unused.
He's unpredictable, I think it's safe to say. But despite this, there are parts of him that are as predictable as the seasons. One of these is his motivation for fighting. Why he fights throughout the majority of Sengoku Basara canon is no mystery - it's because he genuinely enjoys it. He lives for the thrill of what a battle brings. This leads into his rivalry with Yukimura Sanada, the only man whose soul ignites him. He loves fighting Yukimura, and I mean he really loves fighting with Yukimura. He sees something in Yukimura which completely grips him, someone with unbounded energy and spirit who he is bound to face again and again. Nothing sates him and rouses his soul more than the idea of being able to face his rival head on. Yet being sated is only temporary for him, and Masamune walks away eagerly awaiting the next battle. He's always hungry for a fight and will respect anybody who can give him one. Masamune believes that in battle, a lot of a person's personality can be revealed. He's also better at communicating through actions than he is through words, often finding it easier to show what he means than explain himself.
Even though he likes fighting, he won't kill or backstab people even if they are in a state of war. He personally finds the idea a bit repugnant, as it seems undignified to do. Yet when he allies with people - he's not entirely in love with the idea of being allies with other warlords. He finds himself fighting on Ieyasu Tokugawa's side of the Eastern Army because the alternative was with Mitsunari Ishida's face on the Western Army. Part of this mentality comes from the fact that there's only so much of Masamune that can go around, and he doesn't want to deal with the responsibility of someone directly not under him. He also believes that other people can interfere with how he does things, and often times usually for. When he fights Hisahide Matsunaga in the first stage of Hisahide's story route in Sengoku Basara 3 Utage, he fights him alongside Yukimura as a matter of convenience rather than anything else even though their goals are the same in defeating Hisahide (Masamune to venge Kojuro, Yukimura for Sasuke's forgiveness). He doesn't necessarily "band" and become unified with him, they're just fighting together but he can respect that they can help each other achieve their respective goals.
Off the battlefield, Masamune is more level-headed and serious. Many of his conversations with Kojuro between stages in Sengoku Basara 3 are reasoned and less jokey. He shows himself to be quick witted and considerate, even having a bit of foresight in considering the consequences of his actions, usually at Kojuro's insistence. He is shown to have genuine care and affection for his troops, as he does not believe that any of them should fall for his sake. When he fights in battle, he fights for them and knowingly will never leave a man down. But at the same time, Masamune believes that he has much to live for and will fight to the bitter end to ensure that he survives. There is no battle that he will emerge from not victorious. More often than not he does go very close to the edge of death with his recklessness (much to the dismay of Kojuro) but he's the one eyed dragon. It's no problem.
Character Abilities you would like to expand on further:
Masamune is a skilled warlord, having quite a number of battles under his belt. As the Sengoku Basara series poster boy, he spends a lot of time fighting everyone, though mostly Sanada Yukimura. Though he's not so good on the tactics side, his prowess on the battlefield is unmatched. He can wield six swords with relative ease and switches between using one or six depending on how serious he finds the battle to be.
He's also quite good on riding a horse. His cavalry unit is the best in the entirety of Hi-no-Moto, something that his main stage at Oshuu and his Azure-Crimson Overflowing Battle stage reinforce. His main stage at Oshuu has the player character racing Masamune Date and Kojuro Katakura on horseback. Most of Masamune's units in the Azure-Crimson Overflowing Battle stage are mounted cavalry. In the anime, he has a motorhorse. Yes, that is a horse with a motorbike exhaust and handles put on it.
Character Weaknesses you would like to expand on further:
Perhaps one of Masamune's biggest weaknesses is that he is utterly reliant on his Right Eye, Kojuro Katakura. He's never seen without him and he relies on Kojuro to calm him down and basically keep an eye on him. Masamune considers Kojuro his seventh blade, and the times in canon in which he is separated from Kojuro (which is very rarely, mostly during Kojuro's story mode in Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes and during the second season of the anime), he seems shaken to his core.
[ SOUL CAMPAIGN SECTION ]
What abilities will your character retain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
- He can still wield his swords and generally remain a competent fighter
- He'll still be able to ride horses
- His ability to Engrish (yes this is ability) will still be retained
What weaknesses will your character lose or gain in Soul Campaign? Bullet-form is fine.
- Masamune will not be as ridiculously strong as he is in canon
- He will lose his ability to do lightning based attacks, so no JUMPING JACK BREAKER over Death City
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?
Masamune's a born leader. He's a good fighter, and he's got his heart in the right place a lot of the time. If he can see the reasoning behind fighting for something, he'll usually fight alongside it while still doing his own thing, and doing things in his own way. To be honest, that's probably the reason why BREW wanted Masamune in the first place. He's got initiative. He's got that spark of bravado and recklessness to charge when nobody else will. Because he's relatively young for a warlord, he's also not as jaded as more experience warriors (such as his Right Eye, Kojuro for example) and will be a lot more dynamic in getting involved with things such as missions without much concern for his own safety.
Plus every place needs a badass dragon collecting souls while screaming gratuitous English like a boss.
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. (Skip if this doesn’t apply) N/A
[ MEISTER ONLY SECTION ]
Why is your character a Meister and not a Weapon?
Masamune is a meister because he is a man that choses his own way. He won't leave his fate in the hands of others, where it's something beyond his control. Even if he loses, at least nobody could fault him for not taking things into his own hands. That streak of independence plus that devil may care attitude he has means that he doesn't have the temperament to be wielded by anyone. He's ultimately more comfortable using a Weapon rather than being used as a Weapon himself.
What is your character’s Meister Ability? Why?
- Electrifying Soul (When they're wielding a Weapon and they achieve resonance, that Weapon is able to inflict lightning based damage.)
- Manly Soul (Their soul has the power to inspire confidence and morale in comrades and allies.)
- Soul Leader (The meister is stronger, faster, and has more stamina when leading others.)
Electrifying Soul is linked to Masamune's canon powers of the ability to wield lightning. When equipped as a bodyguard in Sengoku Basara 3, the added ability he gives are known as "Electrification" and "God of Lightning." Many of his attacks involve copious amounts of lightning as well. This is the ability I'd prefer to him to have.
The choice in Manly Soul and Soul Leader directly relate to Masamune's position. His descriptive four kanji title translates to "Head of Oshuu". Beloved by his army, many of his men fight willingly alongside Masamune and adore him. He treats his people well, even going so far as to talk with the Toyotomi (and Masamune isn't the most of diplomatic of men) when his lands are in danger. He is capable of the most rousing of war cries which has become one of the most distinguishable lines in the series - ARE YOU READY GUYS? PUT YA GUNS ON. (this video, ultimately shows all). Every time Masamune does this, he is often responded with a chorus of assent and approval.
[ SOUL INFORMATION ]
Describe your character’s soul with six adjectives.
Wild, reckless, cool, spirited, badass, unpredictable
What does your character’s soul look like? Be creative.
Masamune's soul is a coloured a deep blue with the crescent moon that normally adorns his helmet in yellow resting on the top of the sphere. A black eyepatch covers the location roughly where the right eye is.
[ SAMPLES ]
Provide a First Person style sample in the form of a post to the DEMISE network.
Yo.
[He raises a hand in a jovial fashion.]
Date Masamune.
[And that was his way of introducing himself. Now that was over, Masamune looks at the camera straight on, arms crossed. Time to make his big address to everyone in this city.]
I heard that we're fighting a war here. You guys must be in trouble if you had to drag me here, the One Eyed Dragon of Oshuu!
[There we go, he's steadily getting back into the stride of things. The whole experience in the Kishin Chamber was a bit of a shock even for him, but now that he's out and he's got this amazing communication device, he might as well make full use of it.]
Hah, what a name though. Death City! I would say that it was cool but the sun has a face that smiles. What kind of place called Death City has a sun with a face like that?
[He looks at the feed expectantly, then realising he isn't going to get a reply immediately, continues talking.]
I'm a meister, whatever that is. I hate the idea of being without a weapon though, especially in a place like this. They may have taken a dragon's claws away, but he can still bite.
[Masamune grins at the camera, trying his best to be jovial at the end of his feed.]
So if any of you transform into swords, let me know. Okeydokey?
[And it finally clicks off.]
---
He sure as hell didn't recognise the room that he was in - he wasn't even sure he was still in Hi-no-Moto. It was just a feeling, but he trusted his gut feeling. The only thing he could think was that this was some sort of ninja trick and - oh.
"Holy shit." was all he said as his eyes slowly got used to the gloom and he looked around the chamber. It was really dark and he couldn't see a damn thing. What kind of location was this anyway? No lights meant that it was meant to be unused or at the very least, required someone coming in from the inside to let light in. So he was stuck here for the time being. Masamune kicked a stray piece of rubble out of the way in frustration.
It came to the point that Masamune sat. He had left Osaka Castle after beating Sanada Yukimura and this was either a really bad joke on the part of his ninja unable to accept his master's defeat or something terrible had happened.
"Kojuro!"
He wasn't even sure why he was calling out for his retainer, when it was clear that his Right Eye wasn't in the chamber with him. Well, let it never be said that he didn't try in the first place.
So if Kojuro wasn't here, what was the best thing to do?
He checks that he's got everything - helmet, swords. Shit. Where are his swords?
"..."
Well this was turning out great. What the hell was going on? Who stole his swords? His mind immediately thought to Matsunaga Hisahide, the bastard. He was the one who wanted his swords and he hired the ninja Fuuma, didn't he? Matsunaga wasn't entirely above dirty tricks either. He was inches from kicking the wall, the doors, anything - in an attempt to exit the chamber but then something caught his attention.
The three large screens had turned on in the room. For someone from the Sengoku period, he was immediately transfixed.
Well Spirit Albarn, you certainly got his attention.
[ NOTES ]
Because I have only played Sengoku Basara in Japanese, some of the things referred to from in the game are my translations from the Japanese. While I have made the effort to find the English name for as many of the things as I could, I can't guarantee that it's the same as what it's been translated to in the English version. Also though I make mention to events that happen in the anime, they are mostly to showcase parts of Masamune personality that I feel are not as elaborated upon in the games or are better exemplified in the anime and that he will be from the game canon.
