Yamato Nobunaga

> *"**GLORY TO THE EMPEROR!**" ~ Yamato's signature line.*
>
>

Nobunaga the Elder.

**Yamato Nobunaga**, also known as the **Son of Earth** was a member of the Visarian Syndicate and one of Donovan Vale's personal bodyguards. He, along with his younger brother, Suchima Nobunaga, formed the duo known as **Brothers of the Earth and Sky**. He eventually died during Protocol KORR, Ray Mygerion's final attempt at eradicating the Iron Talon forces.

## Appearance

Yamato was a Japanese male of above average height. Out of his armor, he was well-built and had sharply defined facial features along with a strong jawline and a short beard. His hair was long, flowing and jet-black in color.

Yamato, along with his brother, was known for his samurai getup resembling traditional samurai armor from the *Sengoku* period, though it was distinctly more stylized. His armor consisted of black and red steel plates with gold trimmings. On his helmet was a golden crest depicting a rising sun, and the *kabuto* itself was wide-brimmed, extending over his face, and had two golden horns roughly a foot in length protruding from either side. His *sōmen* (a type of mask that covered the entire face) resembled the face of a snarling demon or *oni*.

## Personality

Of the two, Yamato was comparatively much more cool-headed than Suchima, and often was there to calm his younger brother down should he get too hotheaded. However, this does not mean that Yamato himself wasn't prone to being brash, especially when it came to saving his brother.

His most defining trait was his loyalty to Japan. A former member of a special ops unit in the Japanese military, his eternal dedication to his nation and it's emperor surpassed that of even his loyalty to Donovan. However, what he perhaps valued even more than that is his own brother. As both of their parents died when they were young, Yamato always saw that it was his duty to take care of Suchima, and the two shared a brotherly bond all the way until their deaths.

## Backstory

### Introduction Aboard the Argos

Yamato was first introduced as one of Donovan Vale's personal bodyguards. After the Orphans had defeated Ventigox and Reese, they stormed the captain's quarters, Yamato standing besides Donovan. At first he was hostile towards the Orphans, ready to strike them down, but Donovan ordered him not to, the samurai stepping back. Donovan offered to instead negotiate with the Orphans, revealing that he planned to use the city as a refuge for those fleeing from the Alliance-Iron Talon conflict. Afterwards, both the Visarian Syndicate and the Iron Talon agree to join forces to defeat Ray Mygerion, and Yamato was happy to call himself an ally of the Orphans.

### Sparring Match

Yamato was next seen having a sparring match with Mugetsu Shinsei in the HARM chamber of the Constable. The match ended in a draw, and Yamato respectfully bowed to Mugetsu, gave thanks and left the room.

### Roethsburg Siege Part I: Battle with Lance Mygerion

Yamato's next appearance is at the Roethsburg Siege, wherein he and his younger brother, Suchima Nobunaga are called in by Donovan during the battle with Lance Mygerion. Using their combined efforts and team-based attacks, they were seemingly able to smite the Mygerion after Yamato catches him with his *Iron Roots* technique, with Suchima firing a bolt of lightning from his yari at Lance, severely burning him and setting the tree alight. Suchima was prepared to end Lance, however Yamato stopped him, believing that Lance was dead and that mutilating an enemy's corpse goes against the brothers' code of honor. However, contrary to Yamato's beliefs, Lance had survived the attack and broke free from the charred tree roots, catching the brothers by surprise and using a gravity blast to send the brothers flying through a wall, incapacitating the two of them. Later on, Yamato and Suchima watched helplessly in their incapacitated states as Lance killed Samuel Gremory.

After Lucille Gremory returned the favor to Lance by killing him, Yamato recovered and took off his helmet, resting it near Sam's body and lamenting over the fact that he wish he could have done more.

### Roethsburg Siege Part II: Loss

Later on, Yamato and Suchima are seen resting in a destroyed street, along with Tyson Mygerion and his sister Ruby Mygerion. However, they are approached by Bjorn, who proceeds to attack the group, leading to a heated confrontation. At first, Bjorn's overwhelming defensive power constantly renders their attacks useless. However, at one point during the fight, Bjorn feigns fatigue and lowers his barriers, prompting Suchima to rush in despite Yamatos protests - unfortunately, Bjorn suddenly ducks underneath Suchima's strike and takes out his leg, summoning several barriers around himself as he began to brutalize Suchima, dismembering him limb by limb with his axe. Ruby, Tyson and Yamato used their powers to smash the barriers down one by one, however by then it was too late, and Bjorn's axe cleaved through Suchima's skull, ending the Son of Sky's life. Bjorn then once again summoned all of his barriers as a sign of mockery and disrespect to the group - however, Tyson countered this with a full-powered gravity blast that would cost him his arm due to his unstable control over gravity.

Using Bjorn's shock to his advantage, Yamato rushes in and stabs his blade through Bjorn's knee, causing the viking to buckle to the ground. Following up, Yamato slices Bjorn's right arm off, with Bjorn screaming in agony and declaring that he will break Yamato. Yamato rebutted, stating that he will break Bjorn in the same way he broke his brother, and lifted his blade, preparing to decapitate Bjorn. However, Noisy Boy intercepts and kicks Yamato into a building, before grabbing Bjorn and running. Yamato limps towards his brother's body, stabbing his blade into the ground. Suddenly, roots burst from the ground and wrap around Suchima's body, pulling him into the ground. Afterwards, a massive tree sprouts from his resting place, growing into a gargantuan cherry blossom tree, a memorial for the Son of Sky.

### End of Roethsburg Siege and Death

Later on near the end of the arc, Yamato is seen gathered around the government building where Ray was hiding. However, upon seeing Bjorn, he tells the group that he is going to his brother's resting place and staying there. Maxwell Gremory inquires if he is leaving to escape KORR, but Yamato states that there is limited room on the ships and that his spot is best reserved for another, and that he'd prefer to die with his brother. Max did not protests this, letting Yamato walk off. As KORR is activated after the Orphans enter the building, Yamato silently looks on as he witnesses those who stayed behind melting away due to the acid gas. Wanting to avoid being killed by the enemy, Yamato stabs his blade into his gut and suddenly ignites it with his powers, burning him to ash in an instant.

## Equipment

**Ōdachi:** Yamato's main weapon was his prized Ōdachi, a Japanese longsword commonly used by the samurai. He used this as a medium for his elemental powers, and it was extremely sturdy considering it survived clashing with the Trident of Eve.

## Powers and Abilities

**Son of Earth:** Yamato had the ability to control the 5 natural elements of the Earth - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. He could seemingly change elements at will, represented by his blade changing to the current element.

* **Iron Roots:** Spiraling roots begin to climb up Yamato's blade before he stabs it into the ground. Shortly thereafter, massive roots burst from beneath his targets and ensnare them in a crushing grip. As the name of this technique implies, the roots are actually far stronger than regular roots and feel as if they are made of metal. They are so strong that it took Mugetsu Shinsei a significant amount of strain and effort to break free from them.
* **Crimson Lotus:** Yamato's blade begins to burn red-hot, like an iron rod being suspended over flames. Afterwards, flames erupt around the blade, hot enough to easily melt flesh, rocks and metal upon contact. Yamato has two variants of this move - either he can condense the flames and use the immense heat to increase his cutting power, or he can release it all in one enormous torrent of flames capable of melting a street.
* **Quaking Grounds:** A jagged stone coating surrounds Yamato's blade before he stabs it into the ground, in a similar fashion to his *Iron Roots* technique. After doing this, Yamato can cause localized but extremely powerful earthquakes within a radius of 30 meters. These quakes can easily throw an enemy off balance, allowing him to close in with his extreme speed.
* **Steel Mirror:** A purple energy briefly flashes across Yamato's blade, and it gains a reflective sheen. Any attack that hits Yamato's blade whilst this move is active is redirected straight towards the producer of the attack. Lasts for 20 seconds.
* **Glacial Sunder:** Yamato's blade is covered in a layer of ice that constantly produces mist. Afterwards, Yamato raises the blade into the air, before swinging in a downwards arc, sending a pressurized crescent of water towards his enemies. This crescent possesses immense cutting power, effortlessly able to slice through multiple concrete walls and vehicles and still have enough power to bifurcate a human.

### Innate Abilities and Significant Traits

**Enhanced Strength:** Yamato was shown to have a great amount of strength, though not to the extent of his much more robust younger brother. He was able to directly clash with Lance Mygerion, who comes from a bloodline known for their immense strength.

**Enhanced Speed:** Yamato's greatest strength other than his powers was his incredible speed. He was extremely fast and agile as a fighter, able to close the gap between him and an enemy in the blink of an eye, and could even parry and dodge multiple attacks from Mugetsu Shinsei and, later on, Lance Mygerion, both of whom are incredibly fast and powerful opponents.

**Enhanced Durability:** Yamato was incredibly resilient, as seen when he took several attacks from Lance with only minor damage. It was only when Lance unleashed a full-power gravity blast that he was severely injured.

**Expert Swordsman:** Yamato was shown to use his blade with an incredible degree of speed and precision, even earning praise from Mugetsu, who himself is an expert swordfighter. He was proficient in *iaido* and *kendo*, able to draw his blade and slice an enemy to ribbons in the blink of an eye.

**Brothers in Arms:** Despite being a powerful individual fighter, Yamato was at his strongest when fighting alongside his brother, Suchima Nobunaga. The two brothers often utilized team attacks and strategies, combining Suchima's overwhelming ranged power with Yamato's speed and CQC abilities. Through their combined strategies and coordinated attacks, they were able to fight with and at some points overwhelm an empowered Lance Mygerion.

## Trivia

* Both Yamato and Suchima were considered Wildcards, though their levels were unknown.
* Yamato's elements are based off the concept of *Wu Xing*, a Chinese concept that states matter goes through 5 stages - *Wood (Growth)*, *Fire (Prosperity)*, *Earth (Change)*, *Metal (Decline)* and *Water (Death)*.
* Yamato's Elementalism embodies the Earth, whereas Suchima's embodies the elements of the Sky (Lightning, Rain, Ice, Steam and Wind), hence their respective epithets, *Son of Earth* and *Son of Sky*.
* *Yamato* is an ancient name for Japan, as well as a ship in the Japanese navy during World War 2. Yamato's last name, Nobunaga, is derived from the Japanese daimyō Oda Nobunaga, who was a powerful and influential figure who helped unify Japan during the Sengoku period.