just another silly blog

If it’s Nobunaga-dono, he will brightly illuminate Lady Kichou’s path. I have a feeling like that.

Mitsuhide to Kenshin: When I heard about Nobunaga-dono’s vision to destroy the turbulent times and to attempt to reform the country, I could clearly see the bright light on the path I should walk on.

Kenshin: Hmm… to you, Nobunaga is like a lighting that heralds the spring. Is the shock that flooded you the source of the power that drives you?

why is Mitsuhide like this? also wtf Kenshin?

in any case, I guess Nobunaga symbolizes light to both Mitsuhide and Kichou, and it just adds more fuel to my 

Mitsuhide’s third chapter is called 明星 which refers to the morning star aka Venus aka the second brightest object on the night sky (however it also has a second meaning - a person shining in their field; a preeminent person, a star) - which basically in this context refers to Nobunaga (if we also add some Western symbolism, morning star = Lucifer, it has a nice double meaning)  

Anyway, more about how Nobunaga is Mitsuhide and Kichou’s light and hope. Spoilers for Kichou and Mitsuhide’s deaths, for the IF route, and general spoilers. 

Also it’s all just my interpretation. But also why am I like this?

and like… this game goes and

Hideyoshi: Mitsuhide, I hear Nobunaga-sama praised you again?

because what did Mitsuhide want in sw4 the most? To be recognized by Nobunaga. That was literally it. To show his loyalty, to be recognized, he rebelled. (and then he was like I changed my mind LOL)

And this need to be... needed? by Nobunaga carried to sw5 too

For reasons he chooses Nobunaga, for reasons he chooses to give him his undivided loyalty, and for reasons he devotes his life to Nobunaga 

and then Nobunaga rejects him because Mitsuhide “isn’t enough”

me: this game isn’t that deep

also me: let me be

the three unifiers and their wives; spoilers obviously (death, suicide)

(also this is just my own interpretation of stuff)

I didn’t add it before because it doesn’t fit the theme I was going for but there’s also a death that has an impact on Mitsuhide (that isn’t just his family being killed and his castle being burned down)

and that’s Shikanosuke (but also Nagamasa, and I believe Asakura Yoshikage, but that one was used to severe Mitsuhide from his past self), but Shikanosuke

this game is very depressing ok and if one has a stronger connection to Mitsuhide they end up dead. he’s bad luck

while Kichou, Hanbei, and Sena died in front of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu respectively, Shikanosuke died alone

Shikanosuke’s story is actually really sad because him and Mitsuhide make a promise to become stronger so both of them could achieve their ‘dreams’ - Shikanosuke the restoration of the Amago, and Mitsuhide the “tenka isshin” with Nobunaga. Shikanosuke was the only friend Mitsuhide had - Nobunaga isn’t a friend, he is and always will be his lord despite their weird relationship that tries to be somewhat equal but isn’t*. Toshimitsu also isn’t a friend because he’s Mitsuhide’s subordinate. With Asakura and Nagamasa the relationships also weren’t equal - but they both walked different paths and both of them looked toward a different future.

And Mitsuhide, while following Nobunaga’s orders, ultimately abandons Shikanosuke, and as a result Shikanosuke dies. He manages to kill Motonari (which was a win for him), but he never accomplishes the restoration, and he dies thinking he wasn’t good enough, he thought that Mitsuhide was out of his reach, way before him on their path to become stronger. He saw a Mitsuhide who could talk with Nobunaga like an equal, who understood Nobunaga on a deeper level, and he felt left behind. He saw a Mitsuhide walking the path he had chosen, without hesitation. And he dies, his own dream and the promise with Mitsuhide out of his reach, unaccomplished.

So Shikanosuke dies, and there can be parallels with Nonunaga and Kichou (not romantic ones unless that’s your thing, but I don’t see Mitsuhide and Shikanosuke’s relationship in a romantic light)

but first, Shikanosuke’s death made Mitsuhide feel regret and doubt - Nobunaga abandoning the Amago and Kouzuki castle, their own allies, was the first thing that made Mitsuhide really doubt Nobunaga’s path, but also doubt himself. He had convinced himself that he abandoned his emotions, that remorse and regret and even compassion aren’t emotions he feels anymore, but then Shikanosuke dies, and Mitsuhide hears about it from Mitsuki

and that’s when Nobunaga finds him, and “cuts” him from his side because he sees Mitsuhide is having doubts (even though Mitsuhide protests) - doubts about what they’re doing, about their path to the country’s restoration [everyone will probably have their own interpretation, but in some way, imho, this was Nobunaga’s way to redirect Mitsuhide on the path Nobunaga wanted - the path that will end at Honnoji with Mitsuhide killing him]

And so, while the vengeance for Kichou’s death was Nobunaga’s last expression of emotions, Shikanosuke’s death was Mitsuhide’s very last regret, and the combination of feeling the regret and Nobunaga’s judgement and “I don’t need you” made him rethink stuff** (but he still needed other people to tell him that Nobunaga’s path is wrong - Momochi, Mitsuki - Mitsuhide is honestly pretty blind to Nobunaga’s faults)

And so he committed and decided to defeat the source of the turbulent times - Nobunaga.

And yet, he didn’t do it for vengeance, he didn’t do it to take over Nobunaga, he did what Nobunaga wanted him to do, and he sacrificed himself for the oath he and Nobunaga had made, he followed his “righteousness”. He knew that once he kills Nobunaga, someone will come and kill him, and that person will take over and create the new world.

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so uhm yeah, Shikanosuke’s story is just really sad and tragic (in a way, it’s more satisfying if you focus on his relationship with Motonari) 

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* and that’s why it’s so fascinating in this installment lol (even though I get where people might see problems with it, but Mitsuhide was always Nobunaga-sama *-* and there weren’t really any real reasons for his devotion/attraction/whatever it is in previous installments either)

** and in a lot of ways, or maybe because of my bias idk, he was still more motivated by Nobunaga’s words. Shikanosuke’s death only served to create a temporal gap between Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, but it ultimately didn’t change anything. Because Mitsuhide never betrayed Nobunaga.

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also I realized that Nobunaga slashing Samonji over Mitsuhide’s head to ‘cut him off’ was probably musou’s version of “Nobunaga kicked/hit Mitsuhide”

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