Date Masamune

Date Masamune was a feudal lord who based his forces in Aoba Castle. Highly skilled and ambitious, he was feared throughout the land as The One—Eyed Dragon due to his missing eye. Although he wore an eyepatch, it was said that he was able to see the unseen, including various types of yokai. Assisted by Katakura Kojuro (Shigenaga's father) and Date Shigezane, he conquered the land of Oshu from his base of Yonezawa Castle in Dewa province in just five years, but was forced to surrender to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had conquered much of the country and set his sights on Odawara as part of a northern expansion. Later on, he opposed Gamo Ujisato and Uesugi Kagekatsu while secretly waiting for his chance to conquer the land, but the Battle of Sekigahara ended sooner than anticipated, bringing with it an end to the longstanding chaos. Afterwards, he demonstrated allegiance to Tokugawa leyasu, if only on the surface.

### Entry 2

*Unlock: To unlock, complete the Mission “The One-Eyed Dragon’s Castle”.*

Having lost his opportunity to seize power, Masamune sought Spain's help to utilize the power of Amrita. With both Kojuro and Shigezane declining in strength and desperate to realize the dream the three of them had shared, Masamune struck an unholy deal with Maria. However, after being defeated by William and learning that Shigezane had been cured by the sacred waters of Mount Ibuki, he determined that it was not his time to rule and withdrew his forces accordingly.

### Entry 3

*Unlock: To unlock, complete the mission “Become Thy Enemy”.*

Masamune was a man of culture, well—versed in the arts of theatre and song, but it is said that he favoured cooking above all other hobbies. In the beginning, his interest came out of developing provisions for his troops, but he is known for creating a wide variety of cuisine, including frozen bean curds and "zunda," a dish featuring boiled and mashed green soybeans. There were many miso (fermented soybean paste) storehouses built throughout the town surrounding Aoba Castle, which is said to be the first location in the country to engage in large—scale miso production. A collection of Masamune's sayings illustrate his thoughts on cooking with the following quote: "A properly served meal is one modestly prepared by the host himself with ingredients appropriate for the season."

### Entry 4

*Unlock: To unlock, "????".*

Masamune agreed to the Tokugawa clan's request and led Katakura Shigenaga and a group of other officers on the march towards Osaka. There, the Tokugawa vanguard found itself up against the fortress known as the Sanada Maru, which had been built by Sanada Yukimura. Masamune resolutely fought his way across the battlefield in an effort to rally his greatly outnumbered troops. Having once experienced the power of the spirit stones himself, Masamune realized the secret behind the Sanada Maru's strength was the spirit stones secretly provided by Maria.

### Entry 5

*Unlock: To unlock, "????".*

Half a year later, Date Masamune once again joined the front lines at Osaka Castle, making his way west from Yamato province together with Katakura Shigenaga. Although the castle had lost its position as a formidable stronghold, the Toyotomi army launched a bold assault, but lost Goto Matabei and many other officers to the cause. Once Masamune's army reached Konda Village in Kawachi province, they encountered Sanada Yukimura's forces and engaged them in battle, which ended in a stalemate. Eventually, the Date forces, which had advanced to southern Osaka, were able to achieve the surrender of the Sanada's main troops at Mount Chausu with the assistance of William. Masamune took on the revenant forces empowered by the spirit stones that were pouring out from Osaka Castle in order to assist William's assault on the castle's main keep. Many believed the undead warriors could only be contained by the Date forces, who had once used the power of the spirit stones themselves. After the battle, Masamune devoted his attention to the management of his fiefdom, building up Sendai as the first economic area of Oshu and ensuring the prosperity of future generations.

## Location

Date Masamune is the final boss of the Main Mission The One-Eyed Dragon’s Castle.

## Weak Spot & Tactics

Masamune attacks very quickly. Therefore, applying the lightning effect, against which he is weak, will make it a lot easier to evade his attacks and counter.

During the first phase, being aggressive will be rewarded. Masamune can often be staggered and most of his attacks can easily be evaded even from close distances.

Once his second phase starts, Masamune will use his first Guardian Spirit, the Blue Dragon, to buff himself. This enhanced state ends once his Ki drops to zero, so a good strategy is to play defensively until then. Using Shuriken and other throwables can significantly speed up this process.

After his first Guardian Spirit is finished, he will immediately call upon his second spirit, Nurarihyon. Here, the same strategy as before is recommended. Simply wait until Masamune depletes all his Ki.

After his Guardian Spirits are dealt with, his attack pattern returns to phase 1. This is also a good opportunity to use your Living Weapon and possibly finish him off right away, before he can call on any of his Guardian Spirits again.