Hidemitsu Akechi

Hidemitsu Akechi is related to Mitsuhide Akechi and is one of his most trusted retainers. He joined Mitsuhide in his rebellion against Nobunaga and followed his lord in death after Yamazaki.

Role in Games
Hidemitsu first appeared in Samurai Warriors as one of Mitsuhide’s support officers for Honnōji and Yamazaki. During both battles, Hidemitsu can usually be found near where Mitsuhide is, acting as a last line of defense. He continues this role in both Samurai Warriors 2 and 3. In Samurai Warriors Chronicles, his role is slightly revised, as he joins Gracia in her charge against the Hashiba main camp as enemy officers gro close to the Akechi main camp. In Samurai Warriors 4, he is among the five enemy officers that must be driven off Mt. Tenno to seize the area.

He appears in Kessen III as the target of Guerilla Battle at Sekigahara in chapter ten, right after Mitsuhide attacked Nobunaga at Honnōji. He can summon bodyguards to make his fight far more difficult if enemy messengers manage to reach him. Once defeated, Hidemitsu retreats back to Mitsuhide and fights alongside him the rest of the late game.

Historical Information
Akechi Hidemitsu's origins are a mystery. Three separate men have been theorized to have been his father, Tōyama Kageyuki, Miyake Takasada, and Akechi Mitsuyasu. His relationship to Akechi Mitsuhide is confused as well. It is thought that he is the cousin of Mitsuhide who also married his daughter. However, it is also theorized that he became family only through marriage and took on the name Hidemitsu Akechi to closely align himself with his new lord. Either way, Hidemitsu was best remembered for his loyalty to Mitsuhide and Mitsuhide's trust in him in turn.

Hidemitsu served under Mitsuhide through his campaigns in Tanba and Tango, validating his lord's faith in him. When Mitsuhide decided to rebel against Nobunaga, Hidemitsu was legendarily thought to advise against this course of action, before joining his lord in the fateful deed. After the assassination, Hidemitsu tried to join his lord in battle against Hideyoshi Toyotomi at Yamakazi, but was defeated along the way by Hori Hidemasa. When the battle turned against them, Hidemitsu retreated allow the shallows of Lake Biwa to reach Sakamoto Castle before their enemies. Once he knew Mitsuhide was dead, Hidemitsu led the castle residence in seppuku and burned the castle down around them, joining his lord in death.