Tokugawa Yoshinobu

Tokugawa Yoshinobu (, Tokugawa Yoshinobu) is a character featured in Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!/Like a Dragon: Ishin!.
He is the 15th and final shogun of the Tokugawa Bakufu, Japan's ruling dynasty from 1600 until 1867. He shares his in-game appearance with Daigo Dojima.
==Profile==
===Appearance===
Tokugawa is nearly identical to Daigo Dojima, but appears slightly older, with a chonmage haircut and a more defined mustache.
=== Attire ===
He wears a lavender nagagi, a white haori with gold-colored Tokugawa Bakufu crests embroidered onto it, a tan hakama and a basic geta and tabi.
==Background ==
After the American military coerced the Bakufu to agree to very unequal trade agreements in 1853, Yoshinobu was amongst the members of the Tokugawa Bakufu who advocated for drastically reforming the Japanese government to modernize the country and prevent foreign conquest, as well as internal revolt. 
When the 13th Shogun, Tokugawa Iesada, died in 1860 with no male heirs, Yoshinobu was one of the primary candidates for succession, but more conservative factions within the Tokugawa Bakufu prevented his appointment and instead Yoshinobu's 14 year-old nephew, Tokugawa Iemochi, was declared shogun instead. In the ensuing six years, bad economic management and further social tensions would weaken the Tokugawa government even more and cause the formation of anti-Bakufu rebel groups called the "Kinno-tos"; political organizations that sought to abolish the Bakufu and return direct rule of the country to the Emperor, who'd previously been relegated to a ceremonial and religious role.
In 1866, Iemochi died at age 20 and the conservative faction of the Tokugawa government had been weakened enough that the reformist faction of the Bakufu succeeded in getting Yoshinobu appointed as 15th Shogun. However, by this point the political stability of the Bakufu had decayed to the point that Yoshinobu considered war against rebellious samurai factions to be inevitable, so he started preparing his government for battle.
==Involvement==
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!/Like a Dragon: Ishin!: 1867===
In 1867, the rebellious provinces of Choshu and Satsuma, which had historically been enemies, put aside their ancestral grudge to join forces against the Bakufu. Due to this, Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, the leaders of the Shinsengumi, the Bakufu's political police in Kyoto, feared that the Bakufu would lose if it went to war against the rebels. To prevent this, both men drafted a letter for Shogun Yoshinobu which proposed a political reform program that would return direct rule to the Emperor but which would nonetheless keep the Tokugawa Bakufu in a position of power within the new government. Since no official channels of communication would accept delivery of such a proposal, Commander Kondo tasked two of his best warriors, Okita Soji and Sakamoto Ryoma, with breaking into the Shogun's palace in Edo to deliver the letter to him in person.
Sakamoto and Okita travelled to Edo Castle and, after causing a distraction by commandeering an artillery cannon and firing it at the castle gate, managed to sneak inside. Both men would fight their way past dozens of guards and Sakamoto would eventually make it to the Shogun's throne room by himself while Okita stayed behind to hold back reinforcements. 
Yoshinobu initially believes that Sakamoto is an assassin sent to kill him, but when Sakamoto sheathes his sword and says he has only come to deliver a message to "help save the country", Yoshinobu is impressed and orders his personal guard to stand down and not attack the intruder. Yoshinobu draws his own sword and tells Sakamoto that he'll listen to his message only if he demonstrates that he is strong enough to "make him listen". The two men duel each other and ultimately, Sakamoto is victorious. After yielding, Yoshinobu reads Kondo's letter. Though he finds it shameful to capitulate, he agrees to meet with the rebel leaders to negotiate direct rule to the Emperor, admitting that he is partially motivated by how easy it was for only two men to break into his castle and make it all the way to his throne room.
Ultimately, negotiations between the Bakufu and the rebels would fail due to the machinations of Takechi Hanpeita, and war would break out in Japan, with the Bakufu losing. After the defeat of his forces in the Siege of Edo, Yoshinobu would abdicate and disband the Tokugawa Bakufu, retiring from public life.
== Fighting Style ==
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! ===
Yoshinobu is a skilled swordsman and a practitioner of Hokushin Ittō-ryū, holding his katana in a stance. He mostly attacks with simple and controlled slashes, while sometimes encorporating flying knee kicks and throwing knives into his techniques. His moveset includes: 
* a Rush Combo made up of an upward vertical slash, a horizontal rightward slash, and a downward diagonal left slash;
* a flying knee kick followed by a sped-up version of his Rush Combo,
* a second combo, consisting of a downward vertical slash, a spinning horizontal rightward slash, a flying knee kick, and an upward diagonal left slash;
* a horizontal leftward slash,
* an upward diagonal left slash,
* a downward diagonal right slash, and
* an underarm sword-thrust.
Upon entering Heat Mode, Yoshinobu will start attacking with throwing knives. His extra attacks include: 
* quickstepping five times and throwing a knife after each dash, which can stun Sakamoto; and
* a combo attack he performs after stunning Sakamoto, consisting of a knife-throw, a one-handed underarm thrust, a one-handed underarm horizontal rightward slash, and a downward diagonal left slash.
He emits a neon green aura.
A heavily watered-down version of Yoshinobu's moveset is used by some katana-wielding enemies fought throughout the game.
=== Like a Dragon: Ishin! ===
Yoshinobu's moveset remains mostly unchanged from the original Ishin!, although the speed of his attack animations has been increased, making him faster than he was before. His throwing knife attacks are more clearly telegraphed, as he performs a wind-up before throwing them, and he rarely uses the subsequent combo attack. When he enters Heat Mode, he can use his own version of Sakamoto's Essence of Firestorm ability, where he fires a slimmer laser beam.
Yoshinobu's aura is now a fiery orange.
==Trivia==
* Yoshinobu's boss theme, "La Muerte del Gobierno", translates from Spanish into "The Death of the Government".
* Yoshinobu's ghost can be seen in a picture taken in Yakuza 6.
==Gallery==
===Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!===
RGGI! - Character Render - Tokugawa Yoshinobu.png|Full-body Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! render of Yoshinobu
Yoshinobu_daigo.jpg
Tokugawa.png|The Tokugawa crest
Daigohead.jpg
===Like a Dragon: Ishin!===
LADI! - Character Render - Tokugawa Yoshinobu.png|Full-body Like a Dragon: Ishin! render of Yoshinobu
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Online ===
RGGO - Card - SSR Tokugawa Yoshinobu.png|SSR Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Category:Bakufu
Category:Historical Figures
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! Characters
Category:Like a Dragon: Ishin! Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! Bosses
Category: Like a Dragon: Ishin! Bosses
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Online Characters
Category:Tokugawa Bakufu