Empatheias app

[devilshibata]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: San
Contact: fanfictionming @ Plurk, mingrps@gmail.com
Age:23
Current Characters:Lu Meng | young_oldman


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Katsuie Shibata (Western order)
Age: 51
Canon: Samurai Warriors 4
Canon Point: Post Odani Castle

Background: Wiki page

Personality:

"Get a good look at it. This is the end of the old era."

Katsuie Shibata cuts across to many as a stern, old-fashioned, short-tempered and abrasive old man. A practical person with very little patience for chatter, he prefers to let his actions speak for him rather than waste time on words. Though he is deeply respected both within and outside the Oda army for his military achievements and a fierce indomitable fighting spirit, he has precious few friends and close relationships with others due to his straight-forward and blunt demeanour. Simple conversations with Katsuie more often than not involves the general lapsing into a moody silence and cutting them short with a brusque and irritated reply when the other party doesn't get the hint, mostly because Katsuie can't stand small talk and/or because he doesn't see a point in carrying on with the conversation. It's not surprising then that Katsuie tends to intimidate others with his domineering and fierce temperament. Combined with his vicious and no holds barred fighting style on the battlefield, he is given the moniker "The Devil Shibata", a fitting title given that his Lord, the infamous and ruthless Nobunaga Oda, is knows as the Demon King.

Despite his rough manner Katsuie is no uncultured brute. He is still a samurai, and is well-versed in all the tasks and ceremonies required of this warrior class like preparing tea or reciting poetry. It is in the latter that most people will find a more philosophical side to the battle-hardened axeman. Whether this is the culmination of years spent fighting on the frontlines, a habit that picked up as he aged (he is aware that he's lived longer than an average person in the Sengoku Jidai period) or if it's a natural aspect of his personality hasn't been revealed in canon yet, but a cutscene in SW4 reveals that Katsuie enjoys reading and discussing poetry with strong philosophical meanings behind them. Elsewhere in Samurai Warriors Chronicles Katsuie spends a lot of time thinking and commenting on his place in the world, on the meaning behind certain battles and the changing times with the player character.

Constant reflection and brooding on his role in the world and in his Lord's army has probably polished Katsuie's outlook on the future and his beliefs. Samurai Warriors Chronicles shows that Katsuie strongly advocates finding a strong reason for fighting, one that will allow a person to throw themselves into battle without a doubt. Otherwise a warrior can never truly reach his or her full potential. For Katsuie, raised a traditional and dutiful samurai, this reason is simple: to serve and help his Lord achieve his ambitions. Katsuie is noted for his fearless charges and his near unbreakable spirit in battle; be it fire or flood attacks, Katsuie never falters and merely continues to attack the enemy relentlessly. One might call him reckless and suicidal but the facts of the matter are simple: his job as a warrior and a retainer to the Oda is merely to cut down the enemy, a duty he takes strongly to heart and follows with absolute conviction. Nobunaga has killed peasants, destroyed villages, roasted castles and all their inhabitants, but Katsuie obeys his lord's orders without batting an eyelid, as he has utter faith that his lord is doing what's required to unite the land. He takes a lot of pride in his identity as the Devil Shibata, Lord Nobunaga's right hand vassal. In fact, one might say his entire identity and being is wrapped in his duty to his lord, a fact that earns him his Lord's amusement and trust.

Which is why when Nobunaga Oda is eventually killed by Mitsuhide Akechi at Honnouji, Katsuie finds himself at a lost on what to do. Katsuie really struggles with adapting to new circumstances. When the one reason he lives, fights and breaths for is taken away and his lord is avenged, he is left with no other duties or desires; he then comes to the rather drastic conclusion that he has nothing else to live for except death. The player character in SW: Chronicles points out that there's still time to look for something new, to change, but Katsuie dismisses any idea of looking for a new way of living or a new reason for fighting. He honestly doesn't see anything wrong with his chosen path and deems it the best path for him to take, although he does acknowledge that his path isn't a suitable one for others. Eventually Katsuie is drawn into an armed confrontation with Hideyoshi Hashiba, a fellow retainer of the Oda. Katsuie understands that the current times favour Hideyoshi but he strongly disagrees with Hideyoshi's choice of successor for the Oda clan, and will take to arms over it. His strong convictions can thus double into an almost unreasonable stubbornness and an allergic aversion to any change to his way of life...even if it leads to his own death, a fact that he also accepts as the inevitable conclusion of the path that he walks.

And God help you if you get on his bad side. His infamous stubbornness will be a terrible sticking point and it's difficult to shake a bad impression off. "Honest and straightforward is the way of the Shibata", is what Katsuie declares in SW2: Empires, and he's certainly very honest about his disdain for people he dislikes. Katsuie has never gotten along with Hideyoshi;the two are a stark contrast to each other in terms of personalities and beliefs, and their conflict (which admittedly stems more from Katsuie's aggression than any reaction from Hideyoshi) is further complicated due to both men having affections for the Lady Oichi, Nobunaga's younger sister. Katsuie also has a grudge against Nagamasa Azai, Oichi's chosen husband, for betraying Nobunaga. While Oichi herself agreed to fight against her brother Katsuie is enraged that Nagamasa would even place Oichi in a situation that would a. require her to choose between her brother or her husband, and b. cause her to feel pain regardless of whom she chooses.

Nevertheless Katsuie does accord these two men respect and credit when due. In SW4 whatever pettiness that Katsuie displays in the earlier titles over their feelings for Oichi has been significantly toned down. Katsuie even acknowledges in SW: Chronicles Nagamasa's betrayal was not necessarily wrong given that Nobunaga had attacked an ally of the Azai clan, but that Nagamasa had erred in involving Oichi in the whole mess. In this respect Katsuie shows that he is fair-minded and that he judges people according to their merit. And while difficult, it's not impossible to change his opinion about a person; in SW: Chronicles 2, he admits that he was mistaken about Ranmaru after the youth shows off his clever and considerate side. But Katsuie will probably never accept any offer of frienship from Hideyoshi or Nagamasa. The history between them has already set them apart from each other, Katsuie is just too set in his perceptions sometimes to offer/accept any olive branch.

Even if that olive branch involves Oichi.

We don't know how long Katsuie has been in love with Oichi but his affections for her extends even before her marriage to Nagamasa. She remains the only person able to fluster the usually grim general. Katsuie hotly denies any feelings for the beautiful lady, deeming himself too old, too unworthy and too rough for the gentle young lady. It's quite clear that he's even embarrassed by his feelings, and honestly it's understandable when once considers the age gap between the two. It probably doesn't help that Nagamasa is every inch the gentleman knight in shining armor which again is a stark contrast to Katsuie's gritty, grizzled blood stained warrior image. Katsuie doesn't consider himself inferior to Nagamasa as a man, but he does recognize that he is far from what women consider dashing and desirable. And again his duty to his lord takes precedence over everything; it should be his only raison d'etre, the sole reason why he breathes and lives. Katsuie will not break his pre-conceptions of a dutiful retainer: to be a living killing machine for his Lord and nothing else, not even for Oichi's sake.

Because of the many reasons listed above which are all practical, reasonable assumptions about their situations (at least based on Katsuie's idea of what's socially acceptable), Katsuie initially thinks it impossible for Oichi to ever return his feelings; the very possibility of it actually happening never crosses his mind because it's just, well, absurd. And this highlights another of Katsuie's flaws; he really can't think outside the box. He's got set guidelines, ideas and perceptions of people and morals, and he often pushes people into these ready made templates without really getting to know them.

Katsuie also doesn't hope or dream much; he's quite a contented guy, in that he doesn't have much ambitions or wants other than to serve his Lord and later on Lady Oichi. It's a function of his pride in being a vassal of the Oda and on a more negative side, because he's overly realistic to the point that he gives up on his more personal dreams, the ones that he dreamed for his benefit alone. The honest truth is that Katsuie is a very lonely person who deeply longs for a family of his own, or to form a deeper connection with people that he'd like to be friends with. Unfortunately though he's not the easiest of people to get along with. If you're a man, conversations will be difficult to hold if the topic doesn't interest him, and will probably end on an awkward note with him simply scolding the other party for wasting his time. He also has a tendency to offer advice to aspiring young samurais...but this is done in his usual forceful and cross manner, which makes it all sound less like helpful pointers and more like a snappy old man finding fault in every single thing you do. Praise is rare, friendly and gentle gestures non-existent. Katsuie expects men to be rough and tough just like him, so he really doesn't believe in softening his words or layering them in niceties. His advice will keep them alive in battle and that should be kindness enough. So it's not any surprise that guys tend to back away from having any interactions with him outside of what's necessary. And he's no better with the ladies either. Katsuie isn't really shown conversing with any female officers in canon except for Oichi, but a huge part of that could just be his reluctance on approaching the opposite sex at all. Katsuie knows he's the rough sort. He's also got a traditional view on women; that they're the softer, weaker and gentler counterparts to men folk. The last thing he wants to do is scare them off or cause them to cry. So he does his best to avoid them, and when he does have to engage in conversation to them it's at arm's length, guarded, and very, very careful. His reputation as a blood-thirsty and frightening devil on the battlefield also acts as a barrier to forming relationships, both platonic and romantic. So really he's not surprised that he's still single after all this time. And at his age, which woman would want to marry him? That's why he thinks its too late for him to try and attain this special kind of happiness, and that's partly why he's so pessimistic about his feelings for Oichi.

But despite how hopeless he view his love for Oichi to be, Katsuie pushes aside his own feelings in favour of Oichi's happiness and health. Just as he exposes himself to danger for his lord with little expectation of any reward, so does he store away any notion of pursuing a romance with Oichi, which showcases one of his best traits: his willingness to sacrifice his own personal happiness for others. He makes no protest when she is married to Nagamasa and he makes no move even when she is widowed and vulnerable afterwards. In fact, the only time he marginally disobeys Nobunaga is when Nobunaga orders him to kill Oichi for betraying her brother; Katsuie actually speaks up against it. The fact that Oichi is still alive in the next stage could point to Hideyoshi and Katsuie pleading for her life.

Following Nagamasa's death at Odani Castle, he keeps a close eye on Oichi and makes the astute observation that she's pushing herself hard in battle because she has a deathwish due to her despair at losing the man she loved so deeply. He then implores her to value her life, reminding her that Nagamasa would want her to live on. He confesses that he doesn't know how to stop her pain but that he knows how to protect those that he cares about and that he pledges to do the same for her. Katsuie remains satisfied by being able to keep her safe and maintains a respectful distance from Oichi at all times, believing her heart to always be with Nagamasa...but he will never begrudge her, his situation, or even Nagamasa for the fact that Katsuie has basically locked himself up in the friendzone for life. Or would have, if not for Hideyoshi later arranging for Oichi to marry him in an attempt to suss things out between them. With Oichi he shows a kindness that most people would never know he had.

Because at his core Katsuie is someone who deeply cares about those dear to him and will go to great lengths for their wellbeing. They're few and far but those who win Katsuie over win his eternal loyalty, kindness and care. Other than Oichi the only other person who gets to see this side of Katsuie is his protege Toshiie Maeda, albeit Katsuie being far less gentle about it. Although most of their conversations go along the lines of Toshiie saying something earnest before Katsuie thunders about Toshiie being an idiot for losing his focus in the battle, they both know that they share a close relationship that goes beyond just mentor and student. Katsuie never turns his back on the young officer even when Toshiie is banished by Nobunaga for killing an attendant in Nobunaga's presence. And it is because he cares for Toshiie that he doesn't hold any grudge towards Toshiie when the younger man chooses Hideyoshi's dream over Katsuie. But make no mistake that if Toshiie challenges Katsuie to fair combat in a battle, which does happen in certain iterations of Shizugatake, Katsuie will uphold the young man to the standards expected of a samurai. Meaning that it will most likely be a duel to the death. Toshiie expects no mercy from the old man either, and accepts that if he should die by Katsuie's hands it will be with no malice between them. The same applies from Katsuie's side.

Katsuie is just someone who has extreme difficulty expressing his Emotions and Feelings. He's an incredibly private person who prefers to keep all this mushy stuff bottled up inside of him. It's very possible that he thinks of such matters as weak and unmanly given traditional samurai values of stoicism, which then offers a very plausible explanation why he goes about these feelings in a roundabout way in a sharp contrast to his usual curt manner. He actually never tells Oichi he loves her nor does he tell Toshiie that he cares for him like a son. Instead he promises to protect Oichi on the battlefield as a guardian of sorts. For Toshiie, he imparts all he's learned over the many years he's been on the battlefield, and he deliberately refuses to let Toshiie die with him at Shizugatake. SW4 has Keiji, Toshiie's nephew, remind Toshiie that Katsuie had left him behind in the hopes that Toshiie would be able to finish what Katsuie had not been able to do. And in Chronicles Mode, Katsuie turns apprehensive and even reluctant to ask the Player Character if he may adopt the Player Character. Instead, he references the Player Character's presence in his life as such: "An old man like me...I never thought I'd have the chance to have a child." It's possible that Katsuie is afraid of pushing away those he cares about given how lonely he already is, but at the same time years of hiding away his emotions have resulted in him being severely unsure on how to display them to the world without being a disgrace to his proud name.

Personally I believe that Katsuie is sad that he can't form closer relationships with people. His tone turns melancholic when he speaks to Oichi and when he's speaking to his Lord about Toshiie and their diverging paths. He also gets very defensive around the player character in Chronicles Mode if they ask why he likes a poem describing the passing of the mantle from grandfather to father to son when he doesn't have a family of his own. I do think that Katsuie is aware that his pride in who he is, while a great source of strength for a warrior, severely damage his ability to form bonds with others. I don't think he regrets the person he is but he's still sorrowful all the same at slowly being left behind by everyone else. As a man of strong principles he refuses to adjust his views but that doesn't mean he can't lament the growing distance between him and those dear to him.

For how much Katsuie refuses to change himself, he is actually cognizant that change in the land is inevitable and that those who stand against it will perish. He sees himself as a member of the old guard and that eventually he must make way for the new. How that happens doesn't matter to him, so if the next generation has to take his head as the next step forward then he's perfectly fine with that. Katsuie doesn't long for a return to the old days either, having accepted that the land and its people are tired of sword-waving samurais and war-mongering daimyos. In that sense he can be both sentimental yet realistic, observant of what's going on about him...and which again highlights how stubbornly this proud, old samurai clings to his core beliefs. Nevertheless he understands the importance of having ideals and of sticking to them, and knows that with his set of principles comes a high pricetag. Therefore when he takes to the battle for one last chance at defending his way of life he accepts his defeat at Hideyoshi's hands. SW2:XL includes a conversation with his Lord where he admits that all he wants for Toshiie, now that the man has matured into a fine warrior in his own right, is to witness how a true warrior should die. And amidst a blazing castle he commits seppuku. Katsuie sticks to his beliefs right to the very end; a true samurai abiding by a code of honour, and a man who cares so little for himself because he cared too much about others.



Abilities: They don't call him the Devil Shibata for nothing. Katsuie is one of the heavy hitters of the Oda army, a powerful warrior who fights with all the ferocity and fearlessness of a, well, a devil. He can rip through an entire army of normal soldiers as if they're made of soggy wet paper.

In addition, SW4 grants him the ability to create explosions with every strike he makes. And like all other Warriors franchise characters, Katsuie is able to utilize his spirit energy to trigger a special Musou attack where he basically smashes the ground in front of him to create huge explosive shockwaves. For a sample of everything I've described above, feel free to check out this movie here.

Because the premise of the Warriors series is "One against a Thousand", Katsuie also has ridiculously thick skin...literally. He can take lots of hits and still have the breath to stand and keep on fighting. Call it the spirit of the samurai, or maybe he just doesn't know what it means to quit, but it's safe to say that he's built like a brick.

Other: Because he's been single all his life, Katsuie has had to learn how to take care of himself. So yes, he's a damn good cook and a talented tailor. He'd make a great house husband.

⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
First Person Sample:
[So Katsuie has been in Empatheias for a year...and he marks his first anniversary by making his first ever crystalnet post!

Yes, it took him a year. He doesn't like the idea of thinking out his thoughts and transmitting them into people's heads, it just feels like a terrible intrusion of privacy ok. There's nothing wrong with writing letters either! Or talking to people face to face. In fact, the only reason why he reluctantly agreed to try today was because a friend had convinced him that this was the best way to get more bites for his request.

ANYWAY. Onto his message. There's a slightly awkward pause at the start before his deep voice rumbles out over the network.]

I don't hold anything against this peace, but this old devil was never meant for this dreary life. Today marks a year where I have not rode into battle; my twin axes are hungry for some action. Are there any brave warriors out there who wish to test their blades against the Devil Shibata?

[Somewhere behind him a person makes a snide remark. Unaware that he's still transmitting, Katsuie snaps right back.]

And why don't you mind your own business! A true warrior never stops his training. Though we live in a time of peace, we must always maintain our abilities and keep them sharp!

[Uh oh, he sounds pretty upset. In fact, Katsuie's abruptly left the message to go chew out the poor person. He'll reply to any challengers though; he needs something to work his frustrations out.]

Third Person Sample:

If Katsuie had been struggling to handle the societal and technological changes in Japan, then the city of Verens is completely beyond him. He had taken to exploring the city after settling his accommodations and found the entire afternoon to be just a continuous chain of new sights and sounds. It irritated him, that so little was similar to what's familiar. Magitech in particularly both left him in awe...and embarrassed that he was amazed by what the locals deemed as part of their daily, ordinary lives. He felt increasingly like a rustic village idiot who was taking his first trip to the capital. Most of the people were kind, sympathetic, and those that sniggered quickly put a hand to their mouth and apologized. But it didn't make him feel any less inept.

And speaking of how he feels, well...this would make the third time he's bowing his head to apologize to a casual and confused passer-by for causing the ground to rumble underneath his feet. It's just a slight tremor, nothing serious, but it's enough to stumble any unsuspecting person walking nearby Katsuie. It's a vicious cycle; he's frustrated at his situation, that frustration causes the ground to shake...and then Katsuie gets even more frustrated that he can't seem to stop feeling frustrated.
After he helps the poor peddler to his feet and sees the other man off, Katsuie decides that perhaps he should retire for the day, less he accidentally causes an even bigger accident. Some rest would be good, (he had technically just finished one battle when he was spirited away to Verens) and he could take his time to think carefully about what he's to do.


Deciding that that's the best course of action for the time being, Katsuie turns around to head back to his new home-...

...and that's when he sees that flash of blonde hair.

He doesn't even need to look twice; sure there were more people here who had fair-coloured locks than back in Japan, but Katsuie doesn't think he'll ever forget that particular shade. After all, they had fought together as allies, and then they fought against each other as enemies...and the last sight he sees before he shut his eyes and vanished from home was Lady Oichi crying her eyes out, bent over a dead, prone body on the ground with a hole through his chest, the straw strands on his head almost gleaming gold in the firelight.

And that man is alive here, and he's laughing.

A blast of hot air streams through the street, knocking hats off and causing those nearby to cover their eyes from the sudden heat. And then one, two, three windows crack before shattering completely into a million pieces, prompting a startled scream from a woman. The rumbling into ground returned with a vengeance, and this time with a further twist. As Katsuie's pace slowly picked up, from cautious and controlled steps to a full-on raging charge when he realised that his target had yet to notice him, his footsteps not only left small cracks and holes in the road; those holes are now shooting boiling hot water up into the air. But Katsuie doesn't even notice; he doesn't even hear the people shouting and yelling about him, doesn't feel the sting of the hot steam that's screaming out of the cracks in the ground and spraying the surroundings in droplets of boiling water. His single-minded focus keeps his eyes on one person as he draws his twin axes out and bellows out a name.

"Nagamasa, how dare you!! I'll put you back into the ground where you belong!"


Questions: NA