Nōhime

Nōhime is a character from the Sengoku BASARA series. She first appeared in Devil Kings (known as "Lady Butterfly" in the US version) as one of the playable characters.

Profile[]

Nōhime is the wife of Nobunaga Oda, who he happens to not care very much for, although she is very devoted to him. She shows no mercy to her enemies.

She wields two handguns and is also able to unleash other types of guns such as a cannon, shotgun or gatling gun. Her element is fire.

The beautiful and elegant Lady Nōhime is a pleasant sight among the devil-like Oda army. She's been brought up as a princess, apparently: her mannerism and way of speaking reflect this. The other defining trait she holds is her undying love for the Demon King, Nobunaga Oda, who doesn't care for Nōhime at all. Nōhime holds dear memories of her father, Dousan Saitou; she invokes him many times when entering the fray, or falling into a pinch. Nevertheless, her loyalty and attachment to Nobunaga (the man who crushed the Saitou clan) are absolute.

In Sengoku BASARA 2, hearing news about Nobunaga's supposed death sent her on a "death marathon" towards the Honnoji temple, a feat almost unbelievable for a woman that hates war so much. There, she meets her own death at the hands of her sister-in-law Oichi.

She has a soft spot for children in general: Ranmaru Mori is like a son to her, and she finds it extremely difficult to defeat Itsuki. In the game, the character she seems to fear (and hate) most is Shingen Takeda, of course because he's a great enemy of the Oda, but also because of the destiny he brought upon Kenshin Uesugi and his kunoichi, Kasuga. She has a very good relationship with the Maeda, who are all very protective and fond of her. In her ending in Sengoku BASARA 2 it is hinted that she is pregnant with Nobunaga's child.

After being murdered by Oichi, Nōhime has since been replaced by Magoichi Saica. However, Nōhime was confirmed alive in Sengoku BASARA 3, having been revived along with Nobunaga and Ranmaru in the Honnoji temple backstory.

Gameplay[]

Weapons[]

Two of her unlockable weapons are Ebony and Ivory, Dante's handguns from Devil May Cry.

Firefly and Heatwave - twin guns with weak attack and defense.
Supremacy and Vigilance - twin guns with long barrels. They have better attack and defense than Firefly and Heatwave.
Monarch and Swallowtail - twin guns with high attack power and mediocre defense. They also add fire damage to every shot.
Fire and Brimstone - these twin guns have mediocre base attack and high defense. They add an extra hit for every attack the player successfully makes on a "primed" enemy.
Illusion and Mirage - has the same properties as Monarch and Swallowtail, but with higher attack power and medium defense.
Hammer and Anvil - these are Nōhime's best weapons by far. They have better attack than any other guns and incredible defense as well.

Skills[]

Sawblade - Nōhime performs a fiery spinning kick that knocks back and damages all enemies immediately around her. (Unlocked at Level 2)
Flying Fish - Nōhime uses the butt of her rifle to knock enemies into the air and pump them full of lead. (Unlocked at Level 5)
Anaconda - Nōhime pulls out a gatling gun and sprays bullets at all enemies in front of her. Keep pressing the special attack button to fire longer. (Unlocked at Level 9)
Shooting Gallery - Use this to keep facing the same direction while moving left and right while firing her guns. (Unlocked at Level 13)
High Noon - Nōhime spins around and sprays a cloud of fire and bullets all around her. Use it when surrounded to damage all enemies and rack up lots of hits. (Unlocked at Level 17)

Historical Information[]

Nōhime (also Nouhime, Kichō or Lady/Princess Noh, 1535 - ?) was the wife of Oda Nobunaga, a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. Her proper name was Kichō, but since she came from Mino Province, she is most commonly referred to as Nōhime (Princess of Mino). She was renowned for her beauty and cleverness.

Nōhime's father was the daimyo Saitō Dōsan and her mother was known as Omi no Kata. Nōhime herself appears very little in any historical record, and there is not a lot of information on the dates of her birth or death; however, proposed dates for her birth fall between 1533–1535.

Nōhime was said to be extremely intelligent and stunningly beautiful. At their wedding, Nobunaga described her as having "the mind of a genius and the appearance of a goddess." She was married to him in 1549, during a truce between his father, Nobuhide, and Saitō Dōsan.

The marriage was a political gesture and many believe there was little love between Nōhime and Nobunaga. Though she was the official wife of Oda Nobunaga, it is often believed that he focused his love on his concubine, Kitsuno, who bore him his first son, Nobutada. Nōhime was never able to conceive a child with Nobunaga and it was believed that she was barren. Three years after the Honnoji Rebellion and Nobunaga's death, one of his sons gave money to Nōhime.

Through lack of historical record there is not much information of what became of Nōhime or even the date of her death. Overall, it can be said that Nōhime's life as it is known now is more of a mixture of legends, folktales, and tentative half-truths. Nōhime's grave can be found at Sōken-in (総見院), a subtemple of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto.

Trivia[]

Nōhime makes a non-playable appearance in Sengoku BASARA 4. She appears in Shibata Katsuie's anime flashback, alongside Nobunaga and Ranmaru.