Yoshitsugu Ōtani

Yoshitsugu Ōtani is Mitsunari's loyal friend who agreed to help him at Sekigahara. Though he was stricken by leprosy by the time the battle begins, he carries out his promise until his defeat. Historically, he was too frail to move by his own strength but this isn't true for his game appearances.

Samurai Warriors
Yoshitsugu appears as a generic general during some of the Toyotomi battles and at Sekigahara. During Kojiro's version of Osaka Castle, Yoshitsugu's son Yoshikatsu vows to avenge his father, but is killed by Kojiro.

Kessen
In Kessen, Yoshitsugu is a low-key man who appears for the Western Army. He is dressed in white attire and has a mask to cover the lower part of his face. He calmly asks his comrades to understand his friend's brash nature. In battle, Yoshitsugu leads an archery or firearms unit with a small battalion of footmen to protect his men. He is one of the better support units at Sekigahara. If the Toyotomi army consecutively wins their battles, Yoshitsugu lives to see Ieyasu's end. Losing at any other part in the game will usually result in his death.

He appears as an optional unit for Nobunaga's army in Kessen III. He can join if the Oda army talks to the villagers and avoids killing innocents in their showdown with the Asakura. He is a ronin who has a good rifle proficiency. He has good relations with Sakon Shima and the two will perform better if they form a unit together.

Saihai no Yukue
He is Mitsunari's best friend in Saihai no Yukue. He lost one of his eyes to his illness and is nearly blind. However, Mitsunari gave him the strength to live and he is willing to use the remainder of his life for his friend. He is a blunt and intelligent adviser for Mitsunari, often steering his friend away from brash ideas. Since he says little about his own thoughts on the battle, some of the Western Army generals find it hard to trust Yoshitsugu. Though he will joke about his friend's abilities, he sincerely believes in Mitsunari and earnestly works to see their justice served.

When Kobayakawa betrays the Western Army, Yoshitsugu swears on his life to stop him. During this time, he advises his lord to focus on the defense with Yukinaga Konishi and Hideie Ukita. Though Mitsunari will save his friend from Kobayakawa, Yoshitsugu feels that his life is ending and requests to stay on the field. As his last wish, he asks his friend to not help him in his fight against Kobayakawa's reinforcements, lead by Takatora Todo. Surrounded by eight troops, he dies while lying against a tree. After his death, Tamaki hands Mitsunari a letter he wrote, which tells his friend to stop being depressed and to never lose sight of his goal.

Voice Actors

 * Brooke Burgess - Kessen (English)
 * Kaneto Shiozawa - Kessen (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Your father was proud to have died on that battlefield. You should have died with him."
 * Kojiro speaking to Yoshikatsu about his father; Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends


 * "Lord Otani, what is it that inspires you to have such faith in the man?"
 * "Mitsunari and I have bonds built of time."
 * "Out of obligation?!"
 * Yoshihiro and Otani before Sekigahara; Kessen


 * "Yoshitsugu, do you think we can claim victory somehow?"
 * "Mitsunari, it is not about the possibility of winning. Victory is infallible. As the army's commander, you should be the one believing this the most."
 * Mitsunari and Yoshitsugu; Saihai no Yukue

Historical Information
Ōtani Yoshitsugu was also known by his court title, Gyōbu-shōyū. He was born to a father who was said to be a retainer of either Otomo Sorin or of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's followers. He participated in the Kyushu campaign, and was sent to Korea as one of the Three Bureaucrats with Mashita Nagamori and Ishida Mitsunari.

Ōtani Yoshitsugu is well known in Japan for two main aspects: his leprosy, and his friendship. Supposedly he was one who put friendship before anything (although obviously such a subjective matter is hard to determine), and it may have been in Korea that Ishida and Ōtani, working together, formed their legendary friendship. There is even an anecdote concerning this friendship, which goes something like this: A secret tea party was being held, and all those invited were passing around a cup of tea. As Ōtani Yoshitsugu took a sip, some pus from his face dropped into the cup. Yoshitsugu discovered this, but too late: the cup was already being passed around. The people who took sips after this all had horrified expressions on their faces, but when it came to Mitsunari's turn, he calmly drank all the remaining tea, pus and all. Yoshitsugu was amazed: "This Mitsunari is an extraordinary man!"

Before the Battle of Sekigahara, Yoshitsugu was said to have repeatedly tried to persuade Mitsunari of the futility of his actions. However, at seeing the staunchness of his friend's convictions, Yoshitsugu joined his cause after mulling it over for several days. At the time, Yoshitsugu's health was deteriorating, making him nearly blind. He could not stand up, let alone fight. He was led to the battleground in a palanquin.

Yoshitsugu was at the head of about 600 men, with another 4000 or so under Toda Shigemasa, Hiratsuka Tamehiro, Ōtani Yoshikatsu (his son), and Kinoshita Yoritsugu. As the battle raged on, Kobayakawa Hideaki, who was situated above Yoshitsugu on Mount Matsuo, didn't move, despite repeated calls from Ishida Mitsunari. Yoshitsugu suspected something, and thus called for his troops to position themselves so as to prepare for a possible attack from their flanks. His hunch was right, as following a stimulatory gun volley from Ieyasu's position, Kobayakawa Hideaki and his troops rushed down the mountain towards Yoshitsugu's position. This movement was immediately followed by Akaza Naoyasu, Ogawa Suketada, Kutsuki Mototsuna, and Wakizaka Yasuharu, a total of over 20,000 troops.

Yoshitsugu's troops fought back, at one point even driving back Kobayakawa's troops partway up the mountain, but in the end, sheer numbers took their toll. While this was happening, Yoshitsugu, unable to see, repeatedly asked one of his retainers, Yuasa Gosuke, "Is it lost?" When the latter finally answered in the affirmative, Yoshitsugu asked him to cut his head off. He was then beheaded by his retainer, who also committed suicide.