Sato Tadanobu (Berserker)

Kitsune Roppo (Fox’s Six Step)(B) – A fighting style unique to kitsune, at least according to Genkuro. The six forms resemble a fluid dance as Genkuro effortlessly cuts down his opponent in extravegent swordplay.

Shapeshift (Illusion) (B) – A staple skill of kitsune and other Japanese monsters. Allows Genkuro to assume the shape of another, or turn invisible./p>

Madness Enhancement (B+) – All parameters are Ranked Up, but most of reason is robbed away. Communication is possible and Genkuro’s mind is sharp enough to consider various strategies, but as a beast his morals are undoubtedly inhumane.

Hatsune Taiko: [Drum Which Ushers the Sun] (Anti-Sky) A mythical drum from Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura made from the skin of Genkuro’s parents. The drum was made to be played to usher in the sun during New Year’s, but an emperor also used it to call for rain. Playing one side of the drum banishes clouds, while the other summons rain. A weak Noble Phantasm that does not do much (if any damage), but has some uses as a counter against enemies that power up in the sun or rain.

Gobanmemono: [The Final Act’s Improvised Rampage] (Anti-Unit) A continuous active Noble Phantasm that allows Genkuro to wield improvised weapons, and Rank Up said weapons to (B). Incidentally, if he gets his hand on a go board, the go board becomes (A+). The Noble Phantasm is a reference to the final battle to clear up loose ends in typical kabuki plays, but also an anecdote about Sato Tadanobu using a go board to beat to death assassins.

Mantle of the Minamoto: [The Armor of My Liege] (Anti-Unit (Self)) A legendary story captured in the the Gikeiki and the Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura. To allow his fleeing master to retreat, Tadanobu volunteers to hold back their pursuers and asks to borrow Yoshitsune’s armor. With the armor, Tadanobu is able to convince the pursuing forces he is Yoshitsune and is able to cut them down. While donning the armor, Genkuro gains a massive boost to his luck stat and is able to use imitations of Yoshitsune’s skills and Noble Phantasms until his true identity is discerned. However, the armor will still give the boost in luck and offer extra protection.

Sato Tadanobu is one of Minamoto Yoshitsune’s Four Heavenly Kings from the Heian period and he appears in most works with Yoshitsune. In Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura, Yoshitsune and his retainers flee from Yoritomo’s forces along with Yoshitsune’s mistress Shizuka Gozen. Shizuka refuses to go back to the capital and ties herself to a tree near the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Yoritomo’s forces arrive, but Sato Tadanobu suddenly appears and deftly defeats the forces. Impressed, Yoshitsune gives this Tadanobu the name Genkuro and along with Yoshitsune’s own armor.

This Tadanobu is revealed to be a white kitsune, seeking the Hatsune Drum Shizuka carries, while the real Tadanobu has been in his home province since the end of the Genpei War. Genkuro confesses the Hatsune Drum entrusted to Yoshitsune and Shizuka were made from the pelts of his parents. Yoshitsune offers the drum to Genkuro who takes the instrument and flees. Genkuro returns in the final act, shapeshifting into Tadanobu once again, and helps defeat Yoshitsune’s remaining enemies.

Servant Sato Tadanobu is a blending of the samurai and kitsune. An impostor who is identical to the real thing. Genkuro seems unconcerned about his origins, and relishes the freedom of his new incarnation after so many centuries seeking the Hatsune Drum. And yet, despite claiming his past obligations ended with his previous life, he can’t help himself from calling out to Ushiwakamaru or Tamamo-no-mae.