"I see nothing more foolish than following the code of a dead man"
-Koshi Iwata
Biography
The samurai of the Tatsu clan are not hard to come by these days. Compared to the deceased Seigun clan, they are greedy, abusive, and dishonorable with their unearned privilege to Tatsu's advanced armor and weaponry. But those with the heredity of a true samurai are among the most threatening. Iwata Kisho is a proud and elite samurai in the Tatsu clan in Tekkan, as well as the successor to his deceased Seigun samurai father. Experienced in the sword but a master of the yari; a traditional Tekkanese weapon in the shape of a spear, Iwata combines both the art of the Seigun tradition and Tatsu's dishonorable magic to prove himself a cunning foe.
Born into the ruling class of the Seigun samurai in the Kisho family, Iwata was raised in a strict and disciplined home to follow in his father's footsteps. But after the yokai invasion of Yamamura, the country's faith in the Seigun samurai slowly faded and grew a new trust in the Tatsu clan, a new order of samurai empowered by magic rather than the training, discipline, and honor the Seigun have cultivated for generations. By the time Iwata reached the proper age to earn an official title of samurai, the country had already made its decision to disband the ancient ways of the Seigun. It replaced them completely with the Tatsu samurai, who quickly orchestrated a successful coup on the island. Even with an entire tradition gone, it did not stop Iwata from bringing honor to his country. He joined the Tatsu samurai and quickly became one of the most skilled warriors to use an outdated practice of combat.
Over the years of proudly serving his homeland, he reunited with an old childhood friend, Angylyn Shioh, another descent of Seigun ancestry. They both grew up in the same castle and would often play duel using fake swords made of bamboo pretending to be legendary heroes from Shilon. Their history and common interests quickly brought them together and began to arrange an official marriage.
One day, the corrupted general Lord Kuroda ployed a sudden conquest to expand their empire to Midora with vicious intents. Iwata had no interest in conquering kingdoms overseas, but Iwata's loyalty to his country outgrew his morals and marched forth. As the Tatsu army hiked to the eastern sea-shores in the flat plateaus, another band of samurai stood in their way. The former Seigun samurai have rallied once more to stop the Tatsu clan from dishonoring their homeland even more than they already have. The Seigun were outnumbered, 500 ronin to 10,000 imperial samurai. Lord Kuroda scoffed at their rebellion and ordered his men to kill the disgraced ronin. Iwata hesitated as the army of 10'000 charged, almost completely frozen. He could see his father, and the determination in his eyes, but he seemingly wasn't looking back at his own son.
The battle that followed ended gruesomely for both sides, all of the 500 ronin were slain, but the Tatsu samurai were left in dismay despite outnumbered them heavily, forcing them to continue their conquest no longer. Iwata stood over the corpse of his slain father, who died courageously, motivated not by the morals of his country but by his own, a true samurai. Iwata spat on his remains and disowned his own father's name, declaring him a traitor to the country of Tekkan.
Iwata continues to serve his homeland as a Tatsu samurai, ignoring its treacherous faults and dictatorship. Keeping a keen eye out for those who oppose the authority, as well as hunting the bastard or reason who caused his fiancée's inexplicable disappearance. But perhaps it better stones remained unturned.
"Surely there was something you forgot to bring with you after that fire you roused up. You're telling me you left NOTHING behind?"
-Nioh to Angylyn
Trivia
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Yes, Angylyn is obviously still alive, but Iwata doesn't know that so don't tell him. :)
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Iwata was written as an opposite to Angylyn's character. Where Angylyn abandons the Tatsu samurai to restore the honor of the Seigun, Iwata condemns the Seigun code to fight for the Tatsu clan.
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Iwata was mentioned in Angylyn's biography months before his actual 'release'.
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Iwata was under the name of Hiroto Kisho back then but was changed to divide the similarities to Hiro's name.
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Iwata wields a yari, a type of spear traditionally made in feudal Japan.
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The armor Iwata wears shares a large resemblance to those of the common Tatsu samurai (for obvious reasons).