Waifu Wednesday: Oichi (Sengoku Basara)

It’s time for another Waifu Wednesday, and I find myself feeling nostalgic once again when selecting a waifu for the week. It’s been a while since I gushed about one of my favourite musou games, so to honour my never-ending enthusiasm for it, here’s to my favourite character to play as in Sengoku Basara!

Who is Oichi?

Oichi of Sengoku Basara first appeared as an NPC in 2006’s Sengoku Basara 2, and later joined the playable roster in Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes, an expansion of Sengoku Basara 2. Since then, she has appeared in each instalment in the series, as well as appearing in its anime adaptations since 2009’s Samurai Kings.

She is the younger sister of Oda Nobunaga, who originally sent her to spy on Azai Nagamasa by marrying him, but she ends up actually falling in love with him. She finds herself caught between having to choose duty or love: she’ll have to side with her brother and betray her husband, or vice versa. In Sengoku Basara, certain events transpire that end up with Oichi shouldering all the pain of conflict, warfare and betrayal, leaving her completely and utterly alone in her overbearing sense of guilt and all-consuming depression.

Why we love Oichi

This is an entirely personal and self-satisfying take on Sengoku Basara’s Oichi, but as a teenager, Oichi embodied everything my angsty younger self adored and idealised when it came to the gothic aesthetic. Oichi presented an even edgier take on such a style considering her gracefully demonic powers and playstyle.

The only female character I’ve played nearly as much as Oichi in Sengoku Basara is Mercy from Overwatch, with whom I’ve spent over 600 hours. That should be enough to convince anyone as to how obsessed I am with Oichi’s character, moveset and story!

Firstly, Oichi’s personality can be uncomfortably relatable due to her self-loathing. At the same time she presents such a haunting presence your eyes will stay well and truly fixed on her as you witness how her life unravels. Tragedy on top of tragedy causes her to become increasingly mentally broken with each and every major event.

She’s a character you want to console, and by simply playing as her we can give her the attention and affection that she so desperately deserves and craves — because that’s the most we can do considering our positions as mere onlookers.

Oichi also happens to be a breath of fresh air within the roster, with a brooding character design, amazingly fluid and grotesquely attractive abilities, and a plotline that ensures she remains well-regarded as one of the most tragic characters within the franchise ever. She overshadows every other Oichi depiction from any other game for all these reasons.

Why you will love Oichi

Since Sengoku Basara is another game series that is influenced by the Sengoku period of Japanese history, the Oichi of Sengoku Basara retains the same amount of tragedy and beauty of the historical figure.

Obviously everything else about her is cranked up to unimaginable levels because that’s what Sengoku Basara is all about: a crazy fun time of playing through many notable wars and battles of the Sengoku period, but with comically absurd superpowers to reinforce the musou gameplay. On top of that, the games feature character interactions that are quintessentially anime, providing a sense of comic relief in how over-the-top they are.

Where Oichi fits into all this is just how much of a standout character she is. In Sengoku Basara 3 alone, her dark hands gameplay style allows players to chuck around enemy units, create butterfly shaped wings to propel herself into the air and descend on enemies, and her final locked move is being able to drag enemies down to the Underworld. (I had an ex like that once – Ed.)

There’s no use denying it – it’s a damn good time witnessing how such a dark and terrifying move set complements her tragic storyline. It’s creative, addictive and so very unique.

Her character also has one other noteworthy element: she is the only character in Sengoku Basara 2 to have a unique ending with her very own song, performed by her own voice actress, Mamiko Noto. She’s one of my favourite seiyuus, who can also be heard voice acting and singing in Hell Girl and Witchblade.

So come on! Do you reckon you can give this tragic heroine the happiness she deserves?

^{Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!}