Honda Tadakatsu

## Image Gallery

**Honda Heihachiro Tadakatsu** (本 (ほん) 多 (だ)  平八郎 (へいはちろう)  忠勝 (ただかつ) , *Honda Heihachirō Tadakatsu*), also known as "**History's Unsurpassed Diamond**" (古 (こ) 今独 (こんどく) 歩 (ほ) の"金剛石 (空宝) ", *Kokondokuho no Kongōseki*?Literal translation: *History's Unsurpassed Diamond (Heavenly Treasure)* ), was the former daimyo of Otaki castle and one of the fighters participating in the Tenkaichi tournament, representing Tokugawa Ieyasu.

## Appearance

When initially introduced, the large-framed Tadakatsu was somewhat out-of-shape man, with a large beer gut but still bulky muscular arms, large thick unkempt hair with an equally thick large volume of full facial hair covering his face and distinctive black eyebrows. After hearing of the announcement of the Tenkaichi tournament, Tadakatsu returned to his prime physique with a well-defined and powerful body musculature, his voluminous pink hair set in a wild mane and his facial hair all shaven into a well-kempt short goatee. For the tournament, he wore a unique purple-coloured skin-tight upper body garment that covered only his shoulders and arms—leaving his chest and torso exposed, purple-coloured hakama with orange-coloured patterning extending downwards, tucked into similarly-coloured battlefield tabi, and waraji over his tabi on his feet. He also wore a set of large Zen Buddhist prayer beads that looped over his right shoulder and under his left arm.

Whenever Honda went all-out in a fight, his body would glitter and shine radiantly, with others likening his appearance to the Nio.

## Personality

Tadakatsu is a conspicuously confident individual who, much like many of the other warriors competing in the Tenkaichi tournament, greatly enjoys the thrill of battle; he earnestly thanked Miyamoto Musashi for helping to awaken his dormant fighting spirit again. The slovenly state he fell into ten years after the unification of Japan showed how aimless he became without the chance to fight, with even those around him noticing his sense of boredom within the era of peace. In his final moments, Honda admitted that he had tried to get by and adapt after the war, but could only really live in a world of war.

He recognised great talent and would see it fostered, but also deeply understood the unwavering drive of someone who was willing to put their life on the line to achieve the title of the strongest.

Tadakatsu's loyalty to Tokugawa Ieyasu was unshakeable. Not only did he willingly renounce his lordship status to fight for Ieyasu in the Tenkaichi tournament, but he also gave the rest of his life to protect his lord from a volley of gunfire.

## History

Thirty years prior to the tournament, at the battle of Anegawa, Honda Tadakatsu would gain his prestige after single-handedly fighting against Asakura's 10,000 troops, including defeating the famed Makara Naotaka. At another point, he also defended Tokugawa's fleeing troops from the strongest cavalry of Takeda, by himself, at the battle of Hitokotozaka.

## Plot

Ten days after Oda Nobunaga's announcement, Honda Tadakatsu was seen drinking lazily in his castle when his attendant came to inform him of an arriving letter. While Tadakatsu initially dismissed his attendant, he caught interest when he heard the letter was from Ieyasu and quickly grabbed it and started reading intently. Acknowledging Nobunaga's craziness for setting up such a tournament with glee, Tadakatsu then proceeded to effortlessly subdue and kill black kabuto, a raging bull, before promptly renouncing his position as daimyo and offering his services to Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Tenkaichi.

92 days later, on the day of the tournament, Tadakatsu cheerfully greeted Ieyasu before going with him to Osaka castle. Inside, he and Ieyasu encountered Yagyu Munenori who excitedly sized him up, eliciting a similar response from Honda towards Yagyu. Just then, a gong sounded and the Tenkaichi brackets were revealed! After the tournament bracket had been announced, a random kid randomly woke up behind Honda, before nonchalantly introducing himself as his opponent.

With the first match getting underway the legendary Honda Tadakatsu was introduced to the audience. His opponent, Miyamoto Musashi, was subsequently introduced but the younger fighter sat cross-legged and snoozing, irritating those watching with his seeming disrespect. Visibly amused by this, Tadakatsu struck at him, eliciting Musashi to evade being skewered by the man's spear. Having been brought Musashi to full attention, Tadakatsu told him he'd come at him for real next time with the young man brandishing his bokken, ready to begin, in response.

The match between the two began in earnest, with Tadakatsu initially overwhelming Musashi with his masterful spearmanship. However, the young swordsman soon began to adjust to Tadakatsu's spear movements, culminating in finally wounding the legendary general. With Musashi replacing his destroyed bokken with a real katana, and the boy's father loudly thanking Tadakatsu for awakening him, Tadakatsu gave his own thanks for Musashi also awakening him too. The fight resumed with Tadakatsu launching an even faster attack, but Musashi managed to evade it before being slammed under the weight of Tonbokiri. However, Musashi ended up slicing Tonbokiri in two, much to everyone's shock, and was readying for the kill before Tadakatsu stopped the boy's sword and powerfully countered with rapid staff strikes. Despite Musashi being floored, Honda noted he had mitigated the damaged, with Musashi returning to his feet and gaining a wakizashi, ready to fight properly.

Once again resuming the fight, Tadakatsu launched even faster strikes with his now lighter Tonbokiri, but Musashi continued to repel the attacks and successfully slashed Tadakatsu again. With the two locked with strength, the intensity of the fight enabled Tadakatsu's body to reach its peak, with him to once again overpowering Musashi.

His radiant body exerting at full power, Tadakatsu told Musashi that he would give him a proper burial at Otaki castle; in response, Musashi excitedly acknowledged Honda's ability to raise his game. With both appreciating their enjoyment fighting each other, Honda said it was time to end it, before attacking with even *faster* spear thrusts, seriously pressuring Musashi who could barely keep up. Not letting up, Tadakatsu attacked with a ridiculously heavy downward strike but Musashi managed to quickly circumvent the strike, setting him up for the perfect retaliation after Tadakatsu's huge swing! However, Musashi's slash hits nothing due to Tadakatsu bending backwards to avoid the swing, leaving Musashi completely exposed for a counter-attack! Honda attempted to skewer Musashi once again, but the swordsman somehow evaded his thrust at the last moment, though not quick enough to avoid part of his ribs getting blown away. Tadakatsu tried to reason with the boy, telling him that if he surrendered he would survive and soon make a name for himself. However, Musashi gave a confident and convincing response that Tadakatsu conceded and agreed with; at that, Tadakatsu said it was then time to send him to the underworld.
Honda began reciting the Heart Sutra and, upon finishing his prayer to Musashi, he took on his final battle stance. Musashi slowly took on a strange stance in response, with Honda noting the peculiarity of the stance, but reaffirming that he would bring victory to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Musashi moved a moment before Tadakatsu, with his unique movement allowing him to leap over Tadakatsu's spear thrust. However, as Musashi readied to land the killing blow, Tadakatsu instantly drew back his spear, ready to strike again. In the minds of both fighters, they foresaw how the battle would end: Honda losing his left arm and Musashi being pierced through the heart. Tadakatsu mentally noted that sacrificing his arm would not be enough to allow Ieyasu to take over Japan and, realising Musashi has seen the same ending, he launched a surprise attack that wouldn't be reacted to. Despite this, Musashi's extraordinary instinct caused him to react to and shatter Tonbokiri's tip in between his two swords. Now weaponless, Tadakatsu made one final shout before Musashi delivered a deep slash across his chest, lethally defeating the legendary spearman, causing Tadakatsu to slump to his knees.

A disappointed Musashi questioned Tadakatsu "why", saying that if he had sacrificed his left arm he'd have won; he merely replied that the Tenkaichi couldn't be won with only his right arm. As he looked at the tearful Ieyasu, Tadakatsu said that anything other than winning the Tenkaichi was worthless and then said to Musashi that even if he hadn't sacrificed his left arm he still had a good chance of winning; it was just that Musashi was very strong.
As the dying Tadakatsu apologised, an emotional Ieyasu ran over to his side giving his own apologies. Just then, Oda Nobunaga mercilessly chastised Tokugawa, saying anyone who interfered in the death matches would not be forgiven. Oda's gunmen then appeared, but Ieyasu proudly exclaimed that he would not leave Honda's side. With the gunmen aiming at Tokugawa, Oda told them to shoot... but Honda suddenly stood up and protected Ieyasu from the gunfire. As Ieyasu shouted at him to move aside, Tadakatsu explained his inability to adapt to life without war and that he was glad Ieyasu put his faith in him; he had fulfilled his final loyalty. Oda told his gunmen to stop, leaving Honda riddled with holes, but still standing despite it all. As Ieyasu continued apologising, Tadakatsu hoisted Ieyasu on to his right shoulder and said he was happy to fight for him with a smile on his face. Ieyasu tearfully replied that he was more than a warrior to him, just as the upper half of Tadakatsu's body dissected from the rest of his body and fell to the ground. Honda Heihachiro Tadakatsu had died with a smile.

## Powers & Abilities

Honda Tadakatsu was a legendary combatant, renowned for having fought in 57 battles without receiving a single injury. A man of superhuman physical strength, Tadakatsu was said to have the body of the Nio, with it being considered a national treasure; even while not actively keeping himself in shape, he was able to stop and then throw a full grown raging bull. In addition, he had incredible visual capabilities able to accurately gauge the gap between his spear and his enemies. Tadakatsu's sheer physical resilience was so incredible that even after being fatally slashed across the chest and then peppered with gunfire, he was able to remain standing on his feet and could even lift Tokugawa on to his shoulder.

**Brilliant Hardened Body** (赫 (かく) 灼 (しゃく) 剛躰 (ごうたい) , *Kakushaku Gōtai*?Literal translation: *Radiant Sturdy Body*): What truly gave Honda Tadakatsu his legendary reputation was when he found himself in extreme situations: his body would become hot enough to start emit steam and would begin to start glittering and shining radiantly; in this state, his physical strength, judgement and reaction speeds were elevated to superhuman levels. A good example of his heightened physical abilities was when he dodged Miyamoto Musashi's slashes by leaning his upper body backwards, after leaving himself exposed, and then being able to strike with a spear thrust powerful enough to blow away part of Musashi's ribs, whilst still in the leant back position. He is also deceptively dextrous, showing extreme hand skill when he managed to pull back his fully extended spear from his forward hand back into his rear hand, allowing him to reverse a disadvantageous situation into an advantageous one.

### Martial Arts

**Honda Style Spearmanship** (本多流戦場槍術, *Honda-ryū Senjō Sōjutsu*?Literal translation: *Honda-style Battlefield Spear Arts*): Armed with his legendary spear **Tonbokiri** (蜻蛉切, "*Dragonfly Cutter*"), in combination with his superhuman physique and acute visual acuity, Honda proved himself to be a master spearman of the highest level. The accuracy of his strikes is incredible and, by his own admission, Tadakatsu could even hit birds in flight with his thrusts. Even after Tonbokiri was sliced in two, it only served to make Tadakatsu's spear faster and ultimately more lethal due to the lighter weight; this was immediately shown when he skilfully stopped Miyamoto Musashi's overhead cleave before the boy could finish the movement, and then launch his own tirade of rapid thrusts in return.

* **Vajra Forbidden Territory** (金剛仁王 “金剛杵 (ヴァジュラ) 禁域”, *Kongō Niō "Vuajura Kin-iki"*): The skill that allowed him to survive countless battlefields without receiving a single injury, Tadakatsu utilised his physique, vision and the long reach of Tonbokiri to maintain a seemingly impassable field around himself that could repel all manner of weapons and enemies; Tokugawa Ieyasu claimed that invading Tadakatu's domain invited certain death and that not even a god could breach his territory. It was finally broken through by the genius swordsman Miyamoto Musashi during their battle in the Tenkaichi tournament.
* **Boulder Strike** (岩断 (いわだち) , *Iwadachi*?Literal translation: *Rock/Stone Severing*): A tremendously heavy downward strike, which is likened in strength to be akin to being struck by a meteor. Used successively after Tempest Strike against Musashi.
* **Hundred Fold Spear, Full Throttle: Lightning Burst** (槍筋 (そうきん) 全開 爆突 (はぜづき) , *Sōkin Zenkai: Haze-dzuki*?Literal translation: *Spear Muscles at Full Force: Exploding Stab*): Honda strikes with a remarkably quick and powerful spear thrust. He used this against Musashi after the latter first injured him.
* **Tempest Strike** (怒 (ど) 涛撃 (とううら) , *Dotō-ura*?Literal translation: *Raging Waves Attack*): Tadakatsu strikes with a series of repeated and extremely rapid spear thrusts. He used the technique against Musashi during the latter stages of their fight.

## Notes & Trivia

* This character was based on the real life Honda Tadakatsu.

## References

1. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (page 33).
2. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (pages 64-65).
3. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 4 (pages 40-41).
4. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 3 (pages 22-24).
5. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (pages 31-35).
6. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (page 36).
7. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 6 (page 32).
8. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 5 (pages 22-24).
9. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (pages 44-45).
10. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 6 (pages 28-34).
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 2 (page 10).
12. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 4 (pages 33-38).
13. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 4 (pages 40-43).
14. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 2 (page 11).
15. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 2 (page 61).
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 2 (page 43).
17. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (pages 42-45).
18. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 6 (page 34-36).
19. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 4 (pages 46-47).
20. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 4 (pages 38-41).
21. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 5 (pages 13-17).
22. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 5 (pages 41-42).
23. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 1 (pages 66-67).
24. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 5 (pages 36-37).
25. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 3 (pages 42-43).
26. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 3 (page 44).
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 2 (pages 50-51).
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 2 (page 49).
29. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 2 (pages 44-45).
30. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 2 (pages 62-64).
31. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 5 (page 10).
32. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 5 (page 11).
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 3 (pages 29-31).
34. ↑ *Tenkaichi* manga: Chapter 5 (page 7), The technique name was removed in the Volume 2 release.