Naotora Ii

Unreleased

Naotora Ii (Katakana: 井伊 直虎, Rōmaji: Ii Naotora) is a character from KoeiTecmo's Samurai Warriors series. A fictional interpretation of the historical figure of the same name from the Warring States Era of Japan, Naotora Ii fights using powerful kicking attacks enhanced by the blades attached to the ankles of her metal combat boots.

Appearance
The producer of the Samurai Warriors series, Hisashi Koinuma wanted to answer fans' requests for new characters while appealing to the team's desire to include characters who could fit the multiple scenario options in the main story mode. He comments that these characters feel as though they would not normally fit in a typical Samurai Warriors title. In Naotora's case, she was designed to be a contrast to previously established female characters in the series. The ladies in the cast more or less choose to fight, yet Naotora was conceptualized to be the woman forced against her will to battle. Koinuma remarks that this is derived from her historical inheritance as clan head, which seems as though it was imposed on her merely because she was the only surviving applicant. The developers are fond of her and call her "Naotora-chan".

Personality
Naotora is kind and optimistic but shy. She is habitually apologetic for any mishap she believes to have caused others, which even extends into battle against her enemies. She often remembers the words of her best friend, Tazu, or her great-grandfather, Naohira, for guidance. Her friend's words instill her with the bravery to fight; her ancestor is the all-knowing sage of their family creed to her. She is unfortunately unaware that Naohira has become a loon in his elderly years and is often misguided to do several violent and/or unnecessary deeds on his behalf. Her lack of tact has made the elders of the Ii clan shake their heads in shame. Their condemnation and her bashfulness doesn't cloud her selfless desire to persevere for Naomasa's sake.

Although she half-dreads her duties, Naotora feels very insecure of her giant proportions. She towers over other women and men, and awkwardly sticks out in crowds. Her showy battle attire embarrasses her, but she keeps it because Naohira told her to wear it for their family honor. She mistakingly believes herself to be ugly, clumsy, and brutish. When she isn't worried about the future of her clan, she fears the possibility of forever forsaking her chance to live a normal life of femininity.

Ieyasu can sympathize with her plight as clan leader and encourages her positive attitude. Naotora is grateful to have someone understand her and feels safe with his reassurance. She often gains the courage to decide her clan's future through their private chats together. Naotora dotes on Naomasa and happily smothers him with affection. She frets when the daredevil antics from his playable counterpart offends others, often apologizing for him and voicing her faith in his honorable traits. Even when he reaches adulthood, she hasn't dropped her preference for calling him by his childhood name, Toramatsu, and struggles to correct herself. Naotora rejoices when Naomasa kindly permits her to keep using it.

Etymology
Her Samurai Warriors counterpart is symbolized by the kanji symbols for "consideration" (想) and "ephemeral" (儚).

Naotora's basic weapons are named after flowers. Her Normal weapon is named after a wisteria vine. A tree peony is named in her Power weapon. Rabbit-ear iris is named in her Speed weapon, a flower which is famed to grow in Mikawa (modern day Aichi Prefecture). The flower is often tied to a tale within the Manyoushu as a flower of expectations. Two lovers were torn apart from one another, but one of the lovers waited anxiously for their loved one's return. As the anonymous writer created a poem in their period of waiting, they used the flower as a synonym for their longing. A similar poem is found in the Ise Monogatari with Ariwara no Narihira yearning for the vivid dreams of his distant wife to be made a reality. Today the flower often means waiting for good fortune to occur or eloquence in the flower language. In this case, the flower is symbolic encouragement for anticipated reunions between lovers or friends.

Yamatohimenomikoto forms the namesake of Naotora's first unique weapon. The quasi-historical figure was known as the first princess of royalty to worship Amaterasu. She was known as Amatersu's oracle who wished to construct a proper place of worship for Amaterasu. She searched for years through five different prefectures before she finally settled on Ise. Yamatohimenomikoto later granted Yamatotakeru with the sacred sword, Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. Once Amaterasu left her, the princess lived a chaste and secluded life away from society to remain forever spiritually pure for the deity. The weapons' name are a reference from her first game appearance's Weekly Sengoku Communication to Naotora living a chaste life and raising Naomasa.

Her second unique weapon is named after Seoritsuhime, a goddess who appears in ritual Shinto chants. She is commonly known as the goddess who cleanses a person's karma in divine purifying river, often appearing with three other gods for the ritual. As a result, she is often known as a deity of water or purification. Alternatively she is celebrated as a waterfall or river goddess during festivals.

Dead or Alive Series

 * Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (Playable DLC, 2016)

Samurai Warriors
Naotora first appeared in 2012's Japanese-only Samurai Warriors Chronicles 2nd, as one of the three new characters to appear.

Naotora fears war and any sort of conflict. She is first encouraged to fight by her close friend, Otatsu (nicknamed Tazu), who is Tsuratatsu Iio's wife. Hoping to protect Tazu from danger, Naotora builds enough confidence to fight at Okehazama. Due to the actions of her relatives, however, the Iio clan turn on the Ii clan. The Ii clan vanquish the Iio clan, Tazu dying as a result. Soon after, her clan loses its castle with the Imagawa's fall. Although despondent to have lost her home and friend, Naotora swears to persevere for the sake of Toramatsu (later renamed Naomasa Ii).

She decides to follow Tazu's past advice to rely on Ieyasu Tokugawa should anything disastrous happen to her family. Ieyasu regrets being unable to save the Iio family and gladly accepts Naotora. With his support, Naotora willingly becomes the Ii clan head under his service. Shouldering the wishes of her departed friend, Naotora wants to realize an era of peace beside Ieyasu.

Samurai Warriors 4 identifies her as the Ii clan head at the start of the Tokugawa story. Her friend from the Iio family, Tazu, tells her to trust in Ieyasu's potential as leader, so Naotora fights at Okehazama. After Yoshimoto Imagawa dies, Naotora worries about her clan's future due to its internal conflicts. She suffers a stomach ache from the stress; so does Ieyasu as he shares the same dilemma.

In the Kantō scenario, she is still hesitating to decide her family's future but decides to ride for Ujizane Imagawa's defense at Suruga. After listening to Ujiyasu Hōjō and Lady Hayakawa's advice during their brief alliance, Naotora becomes resolved to side with Ieyasu. During the Tokugawa chapter, she reaches her decision when the Iio family is wiped out by internal warfare. Naotora decides to keep supporting the Tokugawa to respect her friend's wisdom and the kindness she sees in Ieyasu. She continues to appear as Tokugawa reinforcements throughout the other scenarios.

During the Oda's version of Okehazama, Naotora fights with the hopes of protecting her father, Naomori. Suspicious of an ambush, she stations herself at the northern base and must be defeated for the ambush's success. While Naotora wishes the best for her father as she flees, he perishes in battle. She inherits the Ii clan afterward. Before the conflict at Sekigahara, she gives Masanori Fukushima, who is reluctant to fight his old friend, a pep talk that sometimes in war friends have to face each other, reminding herself of Tazu.

The Shimazu's version of Sekigahara has her and Tadakatsu Honda defend their lord from the attacks of Yoshihiro Shimazu and Toyohisa Shimazu. She pursues the fleeing men and pins Toyohisa to the ground only to be shot when the latter pulls out a rifle, presumed dead. But in the Eastern Army's version, she is shown having survived the battle. She is last seen helping Takatora Tōdō tend to the grave of his Yoshitsugu Ōtani (his late friend), thinking of paying her friend's grave a visit as well.

Samurai Warriors 4-II has her fight in the Clash of Wills story until Komaki-Nagakute. She gladly passes on Ii clan leadership to Naomasa and retires peacefully from the wars thereafter. In the Blossom Shower Story, she happens to encounter Gracia and Koshōshō while she is bathing and considers the young girl's offer to realize her feminine charms. Soon after Yamazaki, Naotora decides to go for it; she entrusts Naomasa with the clan while she travels with Gracia. Naotora feels particularly guilty when Ina falls under Gracia's spell while attempting to patronize them. She fights to defend Ina and to respect Gracia's concern for her. Despite her many hesitations for her coordinators' plans, Naotora does gain her long sought after confidence when she joyfully dances with the other idols on stage.

The Ii downloadable scenario has Naotora and her son undergo a trial in order to pass Ii leadership. Naohira, their great-grandfather, wants the duo to fetch a family technique scroll in the snowy mountains. They accidentally trespass into a Uesugi and Date battle and have to defend themselves. Although the scroll they had toiled over is a bust, Naotora believes the trial remains a beneficial experience because it exposed them to many opponents beyond Mikawa. She still seems unwilling to pass on the mantle of leadership to Naomasa.

Toukiden
The Quiz Battle Toukiden collaboration event has Naotora and her son sucked inside a dimensional portal while heading towards the Tokugawa camp at Nagashino. They are soon surrounded by demons and saved by the protagonist. Thankful to their saviors for their aid, she introduces themselves to him/her. The protagonist's Tenko companion helps her overcome her initial shock and shyness. She apologizes for Naomasa's behavior to him/her and is happy when they get along with one another.

Nobunaga's Ambition
She is one of secret characters included in Nobunaga's Ambition Path of Heaven with Power Up Kit]]; Naotora can be unlocked after the player completes the Hotogisu no Yukue scenario. Since her war and troop attributes are average, her stats are ideal for domestic affairs. If the player wishes to use her in battle, Naotora is best used as a supportive unit rather than leading her own army.

In the social game adaptations of the series, she is instead an above average warrior with high intelligence ratings. She is one of the stronger female warriors in these games. Nobunaga's Ambition of 100man-nin includes a special combination combo with the other members of the Ii clan and features her as a stern warrior and mother during the first Fostering Event.

Nobunyaga's Ambition highlights her kitty counterpart during the ''Dokii! Himedarake no Neko Senki'' scenario. After Yoshimoto's death, Tazu-nyan (Otatsu-no-Kata) decides to purge the Ii clan by killing Naotora's great-grandfather and her fiancé. A young Naotora tearfully avenges them by personally leading an army to lay waste to Hikuma Castle. The narration describes that she has been raised to be like a man in order to become leader.

Nobunaga's Ambition 201X has Naotora team up with Tazuhime and Lady Hayakawa to vanquish the UMA horde in Tōtōmi. Naotora is friends with Tazuhime and an earnest fighter. She is new to fighting in the field. Hatsuna loses her patience watching them and coordinates their formations twice to ease her frustrations. Naotora decides to stay with her companions to protect their home.

Also Known As

 * Female LandLord

Trivia

 * She is the first guest character to be originally from the first party company itself, and the first guest character in the 5th game not to be a guest character from third party Sega's Virtua Fighter.