Yoshimitsu

Jaxel · Jan 3, 2013

Yoshimitsu I

Character
Debut:	Soulcalibur
Voice (E):	Phil Sheridan (SC2) Mitch Urban (SC3-4, SC6)
Voice (J):	Nobuyuki Hiyama (SC1-3) Norio Wakamoto (SC4, SC6)
Biography
Age:	Unknown
Birthplace:	He does not speak of it (Base of Mt. Fuji, Japan)
Birthday:	Unknown
Blood:	O (SC1) Unknown (SC2-4, SC6)
Height:	5'7" (170cm) (SC1, SC6) Unknown (SC2-4)
Weight:	125 lbs (57kg) (SC1, SC6) Unknown (SC2-4)
Family:	Entire Clan / Massacred by Oda Nobunaga Now belongs to a clan of chivalrous thieves called the Manjitou
Fighting Style
Type:	Katana and Sashimono (SC1-3) Double Katana and Sashimono (SC4, 6)
Weapon:	Yoshimitsu (SC1-3) Yoshimitsu & Fu-Ma Blade (SC4, SC6)
Discipline:	Manji Ninjutsu

Yoshimitsu (吉光, Yoshimitsu, meaning good fortune light) made his first appearance in Tekken, and he has returned for all subsequent sequels to that game since his inception. Additionally, an analogous character bearing the same name, weapon, clan and basic information, was later carried over into Namco's Soul Series of fighting games as a secret character, making his debut in Soulcalibur and returning for Soulcalibur II, Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur IV, and Soulcalibur VI. His successor, Yoshimitsu II, appeared in Soulcalibur V.

Biography

Bio: Soulcalibur

In a time forgotten, there was a village of ninja, called the Manji clan, hidden away in the forests at the base of Mt. Fuji. One day, a lord who sought the power of the Manji clan invited its chief to his castle. Due to his advanced age the clan's chief sent the strongest warrior of the clan on behalf of him. As expected, the lord requested the allegiance of the Manji clan. But the Manji clan preferred to remain hidden in these troubled times and refused to join in the era's petty wars.

After a few days stay at the castle, the fighter politely denied the lord's request and returned to his village. Upon his return he found his beloved village in ruins. The lord had prepared an army in anticipation of the clan's refusal to serve him. The reason the lord had stalled his request and forced Yoshimitsu to stay at the castle was to buy time for his ruthless ambush. "Either they shall serve me or I will strike down every last one of them! They are too powerful to remain uncontrolled.

Destroy the survivor as well, though he may be the clans strongest fighter he is but one alone." The only remaining member of his once proud clan, he tried to devise a plan to avenge the deaths of his beloved clansmen as he fought off attacks from the lord's men. But he knew he could never match the lord's strength alone. His plan for revenge failed and in the lord's brutal counter attack he lost his right hand.

All he could manage with his artificial hand was escape into a secret underground water vein only his clan knew about. Days of drifting in the cold and dark cavern reminded him of a tale of the ultimate weapon said to exist across the seas. "With this weapon of legend I could crush all my enemies! I never believed this tale in the past, but now I feel it may be the only way left for me!" Unable to shake the thoughts from his mind, he left to the west in his quest for the Soul Edge.

During his travels, he heard the rumor of the Azure Knight and saw the remains and tragedies the knight had caused. He felt the despair, hatred, and desires for revenge born from the knight's evil and thought, "I can never give up my quest for revenge, but what is the difference between the lord and I, or the Azure Knight? What will be left after my bloody quest for revenge? Is this what the souls of my clan desire?" Something in the man called Yoshimitsu began to change.

Bio: Soulcalibur II

There once was a ninja clan that was massacred at the hands of a vengeful lord. Yoshimitsu, the sole survivor of that clan, swore to avenge the fallen. He did not give up even after losing his right arm during an encounter. Yoshimitsu traveled across the sea, following a rumor about an ultimate weapon. When he finally reached Europe, he came upon a series of mysterious killings that wreaked havoc and spread terror across Europe. This reminded him of his clan, and thus changed his plan. Yoshimitsu followed the trail of the mass murderer to Ostrheinsburg Castle, but the castle was empty of any signs of life.

After Yoshimitsu had left the castle, he sensed the presence of a sinister force in his katana. Yoshimitsu left on a journey to quell the negative energy within the sword. But unexpectedly, someone stole the sword. Knowing that only misfortune would result if the cursed sword fell into the wrong hands, Yoshimitsu traveled the continent in search of his weapon. During his travels, he devoted himself to serving the weak and underprivileged. Four years passed, and Yoshimitsu devised a scheme to plunder treasures in order to give money to the poor.

The tomb Yoshimitsu infiltrated belonged to a man known as the "Merchant of Death." He was able to reach the treasures, without encountering the rumored guardian of the tomb. And there he found his long-lost sword, along side a metal fragment that emanated the same evil energy as his katana. He left his tomb with his sword and metal shard in hand. If there was other things that possess the same evil energy within, it was up to him to find them and rid them from this world. Without a doubt in his mind, Yoshimitsu left on a journey.

Bio: Soulcalibur III

Those who follow the will of the heavens, follow the will of righteousness. -"Will of Heaven," Mo Zi

Yoshimitsu had set out on his journey to recover his sword and to destroy all of the items that had been tainted by the evil sword. Unfortunately, those items-including the the fragments of the evil sword-had already been scattered to the corners of the earth. Finding and destroying them himself was impossible. Not only that, but while he was concerning himself with the cursed sword fragments, he wouldn't be able to spend time protecting the weak.

As things stood now, he was at a dead end. Faced with this situation, Yoshimitsu devised a plan. He returned to Japan and recruited ruffians from throughout the land into an organized group of thieves. It was the birth of an organization of chivalrous thieves called the Manjitou. Using his exceptional combat skill, gifted decisiveness, and ability to put unconventional plans into action, Yoshimitsu became the head of the Manjitou and skillfully organized the group of outcasts. While stealing riches from wealthy nobles and merchants and distributing them to the poor, they destroyed the fragments of the evil weapon that lay scattered throughout the land.

It was not an easy task, but with the power of the Manjitou and its carefully-selected, few-but-powerful members, his dream was no longer impossible. One day, Yoshimitsu devised a robbery greater than any which had come before. During an annual festival, the group would infiltrate the mansion of a famously wealthy usurer and take everything he had. There was also information indicating that a fragment of Soul Edge was hidden in the money-lender's mansion. A careful plan was drawn up, and a massive operation involving the entire Manjitou was put into action. Unfortunately, the plan failed. The vanguard force sent in specifically to target the fragment was attacked and wiped out in front of the treasure room.

Yoshimitsu, who was a leading a decoy group to distract the guards, did not learn of this until it was too late. The news that the Manjitou's best men had been eliminated destroyed the chain of command. In the end, half of the clan failed to escape and were either captured or killed. Although many clan members were dispirited after this crushing defeat, they still had to save their captured comrades. Yoshimitsu led his remaining forces in a rescue operation. The jailbreak was a success, but the clan members he saved gave him an unexpected report.

The fragment of the cursed sword had disappeared from the money-lender's treasure trove. This news puzzled Yoshimitsu, because the vanguard force supposedly never made it inside the treasure room. To add insult to injury, information arrived that the body of the man to whom he had entrusted the vanguard force had not been found. "A betrayal..." murmured someone in the group. It was certainly true that one explanation for what had happened would be that the leader of the vanguard force had attacked his men by surprise and had run off with the fragment.

But Yoshimitsu couldn't believe that the man he had entrusted would do something like that. The vanguard leader had been exceptional in both his combat skill and his humanity. As his second-in-command, Yoshimitsu had carried great expectations for him. Yoshimitsu spoke softly to the uneasy men. "Wait. We knowest not for certain it was his work." "But, the wounds on those that were attacked..." The men responded. The wounds on the bodies of the vanguard force were not normal cuts like those dealt by blades. "Yes. We wilt dealest with this matter. Findest the fragment.

When thou findest it, thee wilt surely findest him as well." If the truth was being concealed in darkness, then the only thing to do was to search for it and drag it into the light. "I wilt goest as well. Dismissed." At this short command, the Manjitou went silently into action once more. He could not allow the dark influence of the cursed sword to stay free. He himself had once desired that power for the sake of revenge. Is the one seeking it his subordinate, or was it someone else entirely? In order to discover the truth, Yoshimitsu joined the hunt.

Bio: Soulcalibur IV

A band of chivalrous thieves known as the Manjitou travelled the world on behalf of the less fortunate. At the moment, their leader, Yoshimitsu, was in a valley enclosed by tall mountains that overlooked Europe. He had lost several good men in their last attempt to collect a piece of Soul Edge. Meanwhile, the shard itself had vanished, dashing any hopes of success. At the same time, one of his officers had one missing as well, and the subsequent search had led Yoshimitsu west across the continent, to this valley. He had found his officer severely wounded and saved his life, and then he saw the girl, radiant with evil, and the flock of black birds in her service.

If a monster like that stole the shard, where would it head? Soul Edge crept back into Yoshimitsu's thoughts. He had formed the Manjitou to break the cursed sword's cycle of evil and protect the people from the ravages of war. It seemed he would have to destroy the menace at its source. While tending to his officer's injuries, Yoshimitsu summoned the rest of the Manjitou and continued his reconnaissance. As information flowed in from across the land, Yoshimitsu began to form an elaborate plan. They would smite the evil forces in Ostrheinsburg who wished malice on mankind, and go after Soul Edge.

Yoshimitsu issued orders to each of his men in turn; the Manjitou's greatest campaign ever was about to commence.

Yoshimitsu II

Character
Debut:	Soulcalibur V
Voice (E):	Mitch Urban
Voice (J):	Norio Wakamoto
Biography
Age:	Unknown
Birthplace:	Base of Mt. Fuji, Japan
Birthday:	Unknown
Blood:	Unknown
Height:	5'7" (169cm)
Weight:	132 lbs (60kg)
Family:	Raised by Yoshimitsu I (killed by Yoshimitsu II) Confidants / Ukon and Sakon Leads the Manji Clan
Fighting Style
Type:	Double Katana and Sashimono
Weapon:	Yoshimitsu & Fu-Ma Blade
Discipline:	Manji Ninjutsu

Bio: Soulcalibur V (Yoshimitsu II)

Planted firmly in the earth before the warrior stood a katana; purple flames rippled and danced about it. The sword had a name: Yoshimitsu. It was a demonic blade, steeped in the evil of Soul Edge and ever thirsty for blood. The sword's last owner, too, had been called Yoshimitsu - by bestowing his own name on the blade, he had sealed its evil power. But he had been cut down just moments earlier by his dearest disciple, a young warrior well-versed in the arts of Manji Ninjitsu.

The disciple made a vow: He would see through the mission Yoshimitsu had begun. He reached out and gripped the sword. The flames licked at his hand, but his voice not not waver as he called out: "I am Yoshimitsu the Second! Calm thyself!" The flames subsided. The sword had accepted him as the new Yoshimitsu. Only one man was allowed to carry that name; the title was earned by slaying its previous holder.

And so it was that a new warrior, overcoming sorrow and doubt, would continue the fight against evil. Yoshimitsu, leader of the chivalrous Manji Clan, savior of the weak, enemy of the strong - it was a name that brought hope to the people.