Yoshitora Tokugawa

Yoshitora Tokugawa is a character in the Samurai Shodown series. He first appeared in Samurai Shodown V as the main protagonist of the game.

Development
As the new protagonist, the creators wanted him to be different than Haohmaru. Instead of a "samurai who travels as freely as the wind" they wanted him to be an "elite military genius" with a sword. Art director, Dorio Takaya, came up with Yoshitora's array of katana when he saw a similar image on a DVD cover to a sengoku (samurai era) based film. Based on the year the game occurs (1786), his character origin is loosely based on historical figure, Tokugawa Ienari, the eleventh Tokugawa shogun who ruled a decadent era akin to the Roaring Twenties. He was designed by Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Personality
Yoshitora is a cock-sure and rebellious member of the Tokugawa clan. Though he presents himself as a bit of a slacker, he is actually quite aware of his surroundings and won't hesitate to take the wisest choice in a conflict. Analogous to his historical inspiration, he is also a playboy. In one of his winning poses, he is followed by a crowd of young ladies.

Powers

 * Quick Draw: Yoshitora can draw and sheath multiple swords at a near instantaneous rate.
 * Multiple Attacks: Yoshitora can deliver several slashes at once.
 * Energy Slash: Yoshitora can infuse his swords with energy and project flowers. The images of flowers they project depend on the sword he chose to use.

Fighting Style
He has seven swords; six are named after women except for the one named after himself. Each sword has its own unique ability, which he can use to confuse and corner his opponents.

If he uses all of his special techniques, pulled off and connected in sequence, he unlocks an extremely strong attack that can decimate his foes. This characteristic carries over in his appearance in the reboot game.

Music

 * Shogun - Samurai Shodown V
 * Iki - Samurai Shodown (2019)

Voice Actors

 * Hiro Yūki - Samurai Shodown V
 * Naoki Yanagi - Samurai Shodown VI
 * Makoto Furukawa - Samurai Shodown (2019)

Games

 * Samurai Shodown V
 * Samurai Shodown V Special
 * Samurai Shodown V Perfect
 * Samurai Shodown VI
 * Samurai Shodown (2019)

Mobile

 * SNK Fighting Age
 * Puzzle & Dragons

Etymology

 * The name Yoshitora means "congratulate, celebrate" (慶) (yoshi) and "tiger" (寅) (tora).
 * Yoshitora's surname Tokugawa means "virtue, ethics" (徳) (toku) and "river, stream" (川) (kawa/gawa).