History UsefulNotes / OdaNobunaga

In fiction, he is almost always a BigBad, EvilOverlord and ZeroPercentApprovalRating dictator who receives a HistoricalVillainUpgrade. Even when he's not getting the villain upgrade, he's at best an eccentric {{pragmatic|Hero}} AntiHero who sees the old traditions as outdated and wants to sweep them aside to pave the way for the future (which, considering the abundance of traditionalists back then, made him stand out or considered an oddball). Furthermore, expect him to embrace everything that would modernize warfare and the country, complete with having no qualms about utilizing foreign goods/help (a big part of Nobunaga's success was his unprecedented use of muskets, and unlike his successors he was rather open to Jesuit missionaries), and being fully willing to [[ShootTheDog engage in some necessary brutalities]]. Also ''probably'' a reason [[BabyNameTrendKiller why the name "Nobunaga" is rare in Japan these days]].

** The fifth game, which is a SoftReboot, shows a younger version of him, voiced by Creator/NobunagaShimazaki ([[CastingGag apparently as a pun because both of them has the same given name]]). This reboot would focus more on his life starting with his "The Fool of Owari" days until his death in Honnoji.

In fiction, he is almost always a BigBad, EvilOverlord and ZeroPercentApprovalRating dictator who receives a HistoricalVillainUpgrade. Even when he's not getting the villain upgrade, he's at best an eccentric {{pragmatic|Hero}} AntiHero who sees the old traditions as outdated and wants to sweep them aside to pave the way for the future (which, considering the abundance of traditionalists back then, made him stand out or considered an oddball). Furthermore, expect him to embrace everything that would modernize warfare and the country, complete with having no qualms about utilizing foreign goods/help (a big part of Nobunaga's success was his unprecedented use of muskets, and unlike his successors he was rather open to Jesuit missionaries), and being fully willing to [[ShootTheDog engage in some necessary brutalities]]. Also ''probably'' a reason [[JustForFun/OneMarioLimit why the name "Nobunaga" is rare in Japan these days]].

* ''[[TabletopGame/InfiniteWorlds GURPS: Infinite Worlds]]'': In the Shikaku-Mon timeline, [[ForWantOfANail alterations in the dynastic successions in Europe]] result in Portugal being able to focus more of its energy on colonization and conversion. More Jesuit missionaries in Japan result in more Christian converts and more support for Nobunaga, who lives long enough to finish the conquest of Japan himself and avert the ''sakoku'' (closing of the country to outsiders). Japan adopts Western technology with a vengeance, [[SpaceFillingEmpire colonizes its neighbors]], and ends up top dog in a cyberpunk-flavored world.

* BadassFacialHair: Typical for a man of his time, but Nobunaga stands out for having an immaculately groomed mustache and beard that adds to his intimidating aura.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: One of the biggest victims of this in all Japanese history, to the point that [[DemonKingNobunaga he has his own dedicated subtrope]]. Of course, as mentioned repeatedly on this page, there are plenty of reasons why he usually plays the villain.

* MagneticHero: Whether villain or hero, Nobunaga is always presented as a charismatic individual that draws others to him.

* AntiHero: Even at his softest and most moral Nobunaga is almost always presented as someone who isn't above ruthlessness and making an example of others, even with close allies. In this case he's usually a PragmaticHero or UnscrupulousHero, presented as someone forced to into[[IDidWhatIHadToDo ruthlessness and bloodshed due to circumstance]] or has to do so for the[[IveComeTooFar greater good of stopping even more bloodshed.]]

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy holds the honor of being the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga's retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Though it should be noted Yasuke was never made an actual Samurai, for he was not bestowed with a last name, a steady salary measured in koku, given actual land or required to commit seppuku after the Honnō-ji Incident. Yasuke's service with Nobunaga was also relatively short, lasting just a little over a year between 1581 to 1582. Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. It is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke reasoning "black slaves are mere animals, moreover not Japanese" [[note]]黒奴は動物で何も知らず、また日本人でもない故、これを殺さず[[/note]] and either shipped him back to the Jesuits or put him under the care of a "Nanbanji" (Christian Church in Japan). There are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]]. While Yasuke tended to be left out of early media due to SmallReferencePools, he's since then become a [[BreakoutCharacter popular figure]] in modern {{Jidaigeki}} with franchises such as ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''[[note]]Nagoriyuki from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'' is confirmed to be the historical Yasuke, albeit a version of him that [[HistoricalBadassUpgrade became a]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Vampire]] {{Ronin}}.[[/note]] significantly elevating Yasuke's profile in pop culture.

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy holds the honor of being the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga's retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Though it should be noted Yasuke was never made an actual Samurai, for he was not bestowed with a last name, a steady salary measured in koku, given actual land or required to commit seppuku after the Honnō-ji Incident. Yasuke's service with Nobunaga was also relatively short, lasting just a little over a year between 1581 to 1582. Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. It is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke reasoning "black slaves are mere animals, moreover not Japanese" [[note]]黒奴は動物で何も知らず、また日本人でもない故、これを殺さず[[/note]] and either shipped him back to the Jesuits or put him under the care of a 'Nanbanji' (Christian Church in Japan). There are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]]. While Yasuke tended to be left out of early media due to SmallReferencePools, he's since then become a [[BreakoutCharacter popular figure]] in modern {{Jidaigeki}} with franchises such as ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''[[note]]Nagoriyuki from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'' is confirmed to be the historical Yasuke, albeit a version of him that [[HistoricalBadassUpgrade became a]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Vampire]] {{Ronin}}.[[/note]] significantly elevating Yasuke's profile in pop culture.

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy holds the honor of being the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga's retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Though it should be noted Yasuke was never made an actual Samurai, for he was not bestowed with a last name, a steady salary measured in koku, given actual land or required to commit seppuku after the Honnō-ji Incident. Yasuke's service with Nobunaga was also relatively short, lasting just a little over a year between 1581 to 1582. Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. It is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke reasoning "black slaves are mere animals, moreover not Japanese" [[note]]黒奴は動物で何も知らず、また日本人でもない故、これを殺さず[[/note]] and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]]. While Yasuke tended to be left out of early media due to SmallReferencePools, he's since then become a [[BreakoutCharacter popular figure]] in modern {{Jidaigeki}} with franchises such as ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''[[note]]Nagoriyuki from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'' is confirmed to be the historical Yasuke, albeit a version of him that [[HistoricalBadassUpgrade became a]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Vampire]] {{Ronin}}.[[/note]] significantly elevating Yasuke's profile in pop culture.

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy holds the honor of being the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga's retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Though it should be noted Yasuke was never made an actual Samurai, for he was not bestowed with a last name, a steady salary measured in koku, given actual land or required to commit seppuku after the Honnō-ji Incident. Yasuke's service with Nobunaga was relatively short, lasting just a little over a year between 1581 to 1582.
Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. It is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke reasoning "black slaves are mere animals, moreover not Japanese" [[note]]黒奴は動物で何も知らず、また日本人でもない故、これを殺さず[[/note]] and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]].
While Yasuke tended to be left out of early media due to SmallReferencePools, he's since then become a [[BreakoutCharacter popular figure]] in modern {{Jidaigeki}} with franchises such as ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''[[note]]Nagoriyuki from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'' is confirmed to be the historical Yasuke, albeit a version of him that [[HistoricalBadassUpgrade became a]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Vampire]] {{Ronin}}.[[/note]] significantly elevating Yasuke's profile in pop culture.

Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. It is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke reasoning "black slaves are mere animals, moreover not Japanese" [[note]]黒奴は動物で何も知らず、また日本人でもない故、これを殺さず[[//note]] and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]].

Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. It is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke reasoning "black slaves are mere animals, moreover not Japanese" [[note]]黒奴は動物で何も知らず、また日本人でもない故、これを殺さず[[//note]]and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]].

Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. While it is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke reasoning "black slaves are mere animals, moreover not Japanese" [[note]]黒奴は動物で何も知らず、また日本人でもない故、これを殺さず[[//note]]and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]].

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy holds the honor of being the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga's retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Though it should be noted Yasuke was never made an actual Samurai, for he was not bestowed with a last name, a steady salary measured in koku, given actual land or required to commit seppuku after the Honnō-ji Incident. Yasuke's service with Nobunaga was relatively short, lasting just a little over a year between 1581 to 1582. \\ Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. While it is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]]. Moreover, the reason for Yasuke being spared was due to Mitsuhide viewing him as "mere animal" and not Japanese. \\ While Yasuke tended to be left out of early media due to SmallReferencePools, he's since then become a [[BreakoutCharacter popular figure]] in modern {{Jidaigeki}} with franchises such as ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''[[note]]Nagoriyuki from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'' is confirmed to be the historical Yasuke, albeit a version of him that [[HistoricalBadassUpgrade became a]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Vampire]] {{Ronin}}.[[/note]] significantly elevating Yasuke's profile in pop culture.

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy holds the honor of being the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga's retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Though it should be noted Yasuke was never made an actual Samurai, for he was not bestowed with a last name, a steady salary measured in koku, given actual land or required to commit seppuku after the Honnō-ji Incident. Yasuke's service with Nobunaga was relatively short, lasting just a little over a year between 1581 to 1582.

Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. While it is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]]. Moreover, the reason for Yasuke being spared was due to Mitsuhide viewing him as "mere animal" and not Japanese.

While Yasuke tended to be left out of early media due to SmallReferencePools, he's since then become a [[BreakoutCharacter popular figure]] in modern {{Jidaigeki}} with franchises such as ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''[[note]]Nagoriyuki from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'' is confirmed to be the historical Yasuke, albeit a version of him that [[HistoricalBadassUpgrade became a]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Vampire]] {{Ronin}}.[[/note]] significantly elevating Yasuke's profile in pop culture.

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy holds the honor of being the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga's retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals[[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, [[{{Irony}} the darker Yasuke's skin became]]. After clearing up this confusion, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall[[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5'2"–5'5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a respectable amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. While it is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]]. While Yasuke tended to be left out of early media due to SmallReferencePools, he's since then become a [[BreakoutCharacter popular figure]] in modern {{Jidaigeki}} with franchises such as ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' and ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''[[note]]Nagoriyuki from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive'' is confirmed to be the historical Yasuke, albeit a version of him that [[HistoricalBadassUpgrade became a]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Vampire]] {{Ronin}}.[[/note]] significantly elevating Yasuke's profile in pop culture.

* In an early episode of ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'', Kagome is startled when a handsome, idealistic young samurai gives his name as Nobunaga. She eagerly asks for his autograph, only to see in disappointment that he is ''Amari'' Nobunaga; when she asks about Oda Nobunaga, the other Nobunaga objects to being mistaken for "that idiot." This has been [[YearZero used by fans to put a date]] to the Inuyasha story, since there's a very limited period of time when Oda Nobunaga was known, but considered not to be a big deal.

* Nobunaga is a major antagonist in ''Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo''. Voiced by [[Creator/ShowHayami Shou Hayami]], who even voices Akechi Mitsuhide's ''Basara portrayal'', to top it off.
* In ''Manga/{{Drifters}}'' Nobunaga is one of the titular Drifters, famous personalities from Earth taken from their rightful time to do battles in other worlds. As one of the main characters he is portrayed as a CoolOldGuy and, despite [[CardCarryingVillain very much reveling in his role of "Devil King"]], is one of the Drifters [[AntiHero that are on the side of humanity]].

* Nobunaga is the protagonist of ''Anime/NobunagaTheFool'' and he's riding a SuperRobot named "The Fool" while accompanied by Creator/LeonardoDaVinci and UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc who's a {{gender ben|der}}t {{Reincarnation}} of Ranmaru. [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs Yeah it's as weird as it sounds.]]

* As part of the AlternateHistory of ''Manga/StrikeWitches'', Nobunaga survived Incident at Honnou-ji, after which he joins up with Hideyoshi's forces and unifies all of Japan. A semi-official doujin work covers this bit featuring a HistoricalGenderFlip version of Mori Ranmaru as a Witch who flew Nobunaga out of the Honnou-ji.

* Nobunaga is the final boss of the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo fighting game ''VideoGame/NinjaMastersHaoNinpoCho'', complete with a pair of flaming swords and a posessed demonic cape.

* Nobunaga is a target of the ninjas in ''Shinobi no Mono''.

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy holds the honor of being the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga's retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the locals [[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, the darker Yasuke's skin ironically became. After this incident, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall [[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5’2"–5’5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a modest amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke accompanied Nobunaga into the Battle of Tenmokuzan and was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting skirmishes, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. While it is said that Mitsuhide decided not to kill Yasuke and shipped him back to the Jesuits, there are no records of his remaining life after the battle, [[TheUnsolvedMystery leaving his ultimate fate an enigma]]. Yasuke remained obscure in media portrayal earlier, perhaps because not many people were even aware he existed. But in the latter years, once the general public had more access to proper historical information, Yasuke started surfacing in modern media more.

* TokenBlackFriend: He was very fond of Yasuke, an African slave gifted to him by Portuguese merchants, to the point where he made him a {{Samurai}}.

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy is worth noting as the first black African seen in central Japan who rose to become a weapon-bearer in Oda Nobunaga retinue, making him History's earliest example of a [[WesternSamurai foreign-born Samurai]]. Yasuke first arrived in Japan alongside the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, where the novelty of an African man within the capital caused such a sensation amongst the local populous [[note]]According to a series of written reports between the Jesuit missionaries, there was a riot in Kyoto where a horde of peasants broke down the door of the Jesuit Church and nearly trampled each other to death in a mad dash just to catch a ''glimpse'' of Yasuke.[[/note]] that Nobunaga caught wind of it and requested that the "cafre" be brought to him. At first, Nobunaga refused to believe that Yasuke's black skin was natural and ordered that he be stripped and washed to make sure he wasn't just painted by the priests with ink. But the more his servants scrubbed, the darker Yasuke's skin ironically became. After this incident, Nobunaga became greatly impressed by Yasuke; who was exceptionally tall [[note]]Matsudaira Ietada's Diary specifically noted that Yasuke was around 6'2" in height, making him much taller than the Japanese men of the era, who were typically around 5’2"–5’5" on average.[[/note]], spoke a modest amount of Japanese, knew some [[SleightOfHandiness party tricks]], and was described having TheStrengthOfTenMen. This lasting impression led Nobunaga to ask Valignano to transfer the African man over to him and the rest is history. Yasuke was present during the Honnō-ji Incident and the resulting fights, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. Mitsuhide decided not to kill him and instead sent him to the nearest Jesuit community, and there are no records of his remaining life. Yasuke remained obscure in media portrayal earlier, perhaps because not many people were even aware he existed. But in the latter years, once the general public had more access to proper historical information, Yasuke started surfacing in modern media more.

* '''Yasuke''': While not exactly a household name compared to others, this guy is worth noting as a black African in Japan - by no means the first or a special one, however, as many merchants, missionaries and even Japanese lords had black slaves at the time. Nobunaga first encountered Yasuke when the Jesuit missions inspector Alessandro Valignano visited Japan. Yasuke drew the intrigue of many people and caused such a big fuss that Nobunaga caught wind of it. Nobunaga was intrigued by Yasuke, who was said to have the strength of ten men [[note]]The one that was noted to be impressively tall was Valignano, the priest, while Yasuke drew people's interest because he was darker than anyone else around, to the point that people thought his black skin was ink-paint. Someone, somewhere had gotten this confused and there's stories floating around saying that Yasuke is the giant, when that is not the case.[[/note]], and employed him as a member of his retinue. He was present during the Honnouji incident and the resulting fights, but in the end he was captured by Mitsuhide's army. Mitsuhide decided not to kill him and instead sent him to the nearest Jesuit community, and there are no records of his remaining life. Yasuke remained obscure in media portrayal earlier, perhaps because not many people were even aware he existed. In the latter years, once the general public had more access to proper historical information, Yasuke started surfacing in modern media more.

* TokenBlackFriend: He was very found of Yasuke, an African slave gifted to him by Portuguese merchants, to the point where he made him a {{Samurai}}.

** As another gag of the series, Nobunaga wasn't the only Oda figure that got included as a Servant in ''Koha-Ace''. Who's the next one? One might think it would be Mori Ranmaru, but it was actually Mori ''Nagayoshi'', his short-lived brother that died at Komaki-Nagakute known for his reckless spirit. Perhaps that was why he got the Berserker class. The fourth GUDAGUDA event also featured Shibata Katsuie as an unplayable Berserker, being a hulking [[TheJuggernaut juggernaut]] of [[OldRetainer an old man.]] Also hilariously, the 4th GUDAGUDA event also featured 'Real Deal Nobunaga', as in, the actual non-genderflipped, less bombastic Oda Nobunaga with his common portrait ([[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/odacollage3.png The left one over here]]) and [[CensoredForComedy his head blackened out]], giving the Nasuverse version a temporary existential crisis. Ranmaru would end up being included in the sixth GUDAGUDA event under the title 'Mysterious Ranmaru X', as a parody of 'Mysterious Heroine X' parodying the SeriesMascot Altria Pendragon, and Ranmaru gets a case of AmbiguousGender due to the usual popular media not being able to settle on GenderFlip or DudeLooksLikeALady on Ranmaru in general: Mysterious Ranmaru X is referred as female, but other Servants recognize the Proper Human History version of Ranmaru to be male.