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artifactIC Information;
Character Name; Hisahide Matsunaga
Canon; Sengoku BASARA
Canon Point; Between the Second and Final Chapters of his Story Mode in Sengoku Basara UTAGE. (so after the events of Sekigahara but before the stage at Honnou-ji.)
Age; Mid to Late Forties.
House; Odin
Power; Fire Magic
Personality; Hisahide Matsunaga is known as "The Villain of The Warring States." A formidable title, considering the other kinds of people who are front runners for it. A man that even Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi tread carefully around for various reasons.
On the offset, Hisahide seems like a detached, eccentric man who uses questionable methods to obtain rare treasures. He is a man who keeps his true motivations and desires hidden to the point that he appears completely unpredictable, even if he his following a plan of his own designs. Hisahide seemingly cares not for money or power - mainly he has both in great masses. He wants to keep himself amused, thus he follows his own whims and seemingly hunting for rare artifacts keeps him satisfied.
He flummoxes people. He knows how to read them and get under their skin - Hisahide is gifted with the ability to quickly and accurately discern the "value" of things, be it people or object. A particular example of his ability to read people is in his Story Route in Sengoku BASARA Utage at the Battle of Sekigahara where he intrudes in the fight between Ieyasu Tokugawa and Mitsunari Ishida. His reason for obliterating Ieyasu is that "he does not want to hear Ieyasu's song resounding through Japan." Unification of Japan under Tokugawa Ieyasu and his talk of bonds would causes him much inconvenience amongst other things, so he goes out and defeats him. Hisahide then goes all out to destroy Mitsunari Ishida as well because the opportunity is there - he defeats Yoshitsugu Otani, the only person left alive who Mitsunari Ishida cares for. He then defeats Ieyasu, who is his sole motivation for existing and leading the Western Army. While canonically not much is given on the particular aftermath of this, Mitsunari Ishida's screech of utter despair at the end is more than enough to reveal how thoroughly Hisahide Matsunaga has crushed his reasons to live. Though it may seem that it was not his intention to do so, Hisahide relished the opportunity to fell both commanders of the Eastern and Western armies to drown Japan in chaos. Not to mention that he completely hates the idea of living to an ideal or to a faith or a mantra - that is hypocrisy, plain and simple. To follow what one desires is the only way to live, and thus Hisahide does so.
However his appraisals are not always completely accurate. Hisahide Matsunaga does have his weaknesses. He does not have complete foresight - there will be things he will naturally miss. A particular example is when he pursues the seven blades of Masamune Date - Masamune's famous six swords, in addition to his retainer Kojuro Katakura (who is known as the seventh blade of the dragon). He kidnaps soldiers from Oshuu and holds them for ransom for the six blades. Kojuro then sets out to defeat him, and what causes him to lose (or disappear into a burst of flames, leaving nothing but ash) is mostly that despite his ability to read people and their motivations, he is unable to take account when people behave altruistically or seemingly in the name of friendship/brotherhood/bonds/bromances. When Masamune appears despite not being completely battle ready from his wounds, Hisahide is forced into a corner and withdraws.
Hisahide openly declares that he has no fear and that he is a man of few emotions. He discards ones that he deems unnecessary. He does not believe in the bonds between people and is thus a solitary figure. Not like that bothers him. In terms of social interactions, Hisahide seemingly has no need for them. Or if anything, engages upon them on his own whims to keep himself amused.
His ruthlessness is coupled with him showing himself to be highly intelligent and a highly competent warrior. He fights with a katana singlehandedly, and uses his left hand with gunpowder thrown from a special glove on his left hand to consummate everything in flames and burn them to ash in what has been christened as his "dark flames". Conversations in Sengoku BASARA 2 Heroes implies that it is of his design. He is collected and cool, marching along battlefields at a steady pace and seemingly unaffected by the carnage that usually follows in his wake. This kind of detached attitude is the reason why he hires the legendary ninja Kotaro Fuuma, Kotaro is a mercenary. As long as the right price is paid, he will do whatever Hisahide wishes. No questions, no qualms, no moral arguments. Hisahide enjoys it this way.
Surely with a man like this in charge of an army, nobody would follow him? Aside from Hisahide being a highly powerful figure, he also has powers of persuasion and charisma. His way of speaking is measured and always at a level volume, in a rich baritone. It's cultured and refined, able to sway most into at least listening to what he says. He can capture attention with his voice alone. Soldiers remark on the battlefield that things that Hisahide desires, they desire as well. He is a smooth talker, a seducer. He knows how to win people's hearts, he knows how to break them. All this with his words and manner of speaking. This is before the body language and gestures come in.
His laughter instills fear alone into his enemies. It's a laugh that will echo in your head during your last moments. You can never guess what Hisahide will say, for the most part when you enter a conversation with him. He is able to keep a facade up with ease - you can never tell if he's telling the truth or lying. He knows what kind of reaction people will give, for the most part. This highly articulate, highly intelligent, highly powerful man is someone you recognize and respect, and to not do so would be at your own peril.
Samples;
Network Sample; Thread here: http://crosswise.dreamwidth.org/1287.html?thread=1031#cmt1031
Log Sample; The fragment of pottery in Hisahide's hand was worthless. But only he was to know that - to others, the way he was holding it might suggest that it was something precious, something of value. But Hisahide had imbued with value, and that was it was to be an example. An example of what would happen if one were foolish enough to attempt to go against him.
He stood in front of Masamune Date and Yukimura Sanada on the battlefield, relishing the emotions of shock on their faces as he revealed that he had defeated their beloved retainers Katakura and Sarutobi with relative ease. The unspoken thought between all three men in the field was that Masamune and Yukimura were next in line to face his blade. With his katana drawn, yet not raised to fight, Hisahide laughs. The laugh is low and reeks of malice. Hisahide answers not their questions on what he has done to their retainers, as they know full well what the answer is.
"One Eyed Dragon. And the Young Tiger of Kai." he sneers, looking at them both in turn. The titles sound belittling coming from his mouth, as if they were nothing more than childish metaphors. He is mocking them, he is mocking their power and competence. He is mocking their attachment to such images they hold themselves to. Both Yukimura and Masamune look visibly anxious, their weapons raised in a combative position and ready to strike. Their bravado masks their fear and uncertainty. Hisahide sees through all of this and it amuses him. This is not a challenge to him. The tiger and dragon are relatively small annoyances that needed to be dealt with.
Hisahide continues to be unperturbed as he raises the shard of pottery to both of them. Unblinkingly, without flinching; the shard of fired clay is ablaze in his hand. It burns brightly after that seemingly spontaneous combustion before crumbling into grey ashes.
His raised left hand was made free. Hisahide gestures for both of them to attack him, inviting them to strike him with their weapons and bring him down.
All this while, he remembers that he should relish this moment of defeating the pair of them rather than have it pass by him quickly. After all, moments of true despair are relatively rare. It would please him to bear witness to it.
