Sengoku Basara/Tadakatsu Honda

Tadakatsu Honda (Iron Ox in Devil Kings) is the strongest general of the army of Ieyasu Tokugawa, and quite possibly the strongest general overall. Additionally, his loyalty to his young lord is unwavering, making him a massive threat to anyone who wishes to challenge Ieyasu for his land. Still, he acts as a sub-boss on Ieyasu's map, and his defeat is optional if the player is able to escape him. Mysteriously, Tadakatsu has the appearance and mannerisms of a robot, and his "speech" consists only of mechanical sounds. How Ieyasu has managed to procure a giant robot during the Sengoku period is unknown, though it certainly gives him a heavy advantage.
 * Max HP: 70100
 * Weapon: Drill spear
 * Attribute: Lightning
 * Unlock: Clear Unification Mode with every other character

Tadakatsu's health and strength is incredibly impressive, as would be expected of a soldier of his size. He also does not possess the usual trade-off of the stronger characters (movement speed), as he is able to glide across the map with ease. Even Tadakatsu's defense is enviable, as shooters, archers, and boulders thrown his way have no effect on his armor (this is hinted at in his opening movie, as bullets bounce off of his armor while Tadakatsu continues his advance). Fittingly, Tadakatsu is the very last character that can be unlocked, and clearing his Unification Mode for the first time unlocks the final difficulty ("Random" mode, which should make collecting rare accessories less difficult if all accessories have not yet been collected by this point).

Speed and defensive capabilities aside, Tadakatsu's reach granted to him by his massive weapon is also incomparable, allowing him to mow down crowds with ease. His Basara attack, which allows him to hit all enemies on screen, is also very useful, though there are a couple of hang-ups when fighting bosses: firstly, the boss must be on camera; if they manage to jump off-camera, the attack will not hit them, as Tadakatsu cannot adjust his position (and the player cannot adjust the camera) mid-Basara. Secondly, while the attack can accumulate a large number of hits, the boss will usually fall within the first few hits, making the rest of the attack ineffective against them. Thus, against bosses, traditional combos should be prioritized, with the Basara attack acting as a desperation move.

As for Tadakatsu's skills, they all take up a portion of his Basara gauge and simply change the way in which he attacks. For example, after his Attack Form skill is used, Tadakatsu can fire at enemies from a newly-equipped cannon, giving him an even wider range of attack. However, while these skills can be helpful in supplementary ways, his primary method of attack remains his normal combos, giving him less versatility than some of the other playable characters.