Thank you so much! Would you be able to do a character analysis for slbp's Hideyoshi? I just can't get a grip of him for some reason >.<
Sure thing!
I’m always down to talk about Hide. You’re not alone, anon. I’ve heard a lot of people say that Hideyoshi is a bit tough to understand, or they don’t truly grasp his character and route. I’ll admit, I was a die-hard Inuchihoe early on and I had a bit of a sour taste in my mouth from Inuchiyo’s route when I went into Hideyoshi the first time, and therefore I didn’t give him the chance he deserved. The second time I played him, my eyes were really opened to his character!
If you understand Hideyoshi and how he operates, you can start to see that his event stories (and even his route story) are some of the best writing in the game.
I’m doing this while sick, so hopefully, my ramblings will make sense. I’m putting this under a cut because of length. (this is…..pretty damn long lol)
And at the risk of going all ‘heart-eyes Mitsunari rant’ about Hide, here we go~
So, Hideyoshi’s past is a bit of a mystery. I don’t know if we will ever get answers for some stuff (kind of like Kenshin). However, we do know that he was born a commoner. In several event stories, we’ve seen him and his connection with kids in the area. Whether just playing with them or helping to educate them, he’s an incredibly kind person with a big heart at the root of everything he does.
Hideyoshi is great because of his humble beginnings. As a character that has seen poverty, he is not only better equipped to be comfortable among a wider variety of people but he has a better understanding of how the ‘everyman’ operates. This makes him a much better general and negotiator. Because of this, often times we see Hideyoshi sent out to settle uproars in villages, offering insight into how villages will react to things and solutions to handle it. This is one of the qualities I think Nobu recognizes and prizes in him.
And that’s not all. His background allows him to see people for their talents and heart instead of their rank in life, unlike some other samurai who put their trust based on birthright, wealth, and rank. Hideyoshi’s trust and faith are not bought, it’s earned. Because of this, when he believes in you, he believes with everything he has. This, in turn, brings intense loyalty back towards him, because his retainers feel special and chosen. It creates a very intense bond and you can see why Mitsunari and the rest treasure him so much.
I also think this is a reason Nobunaga enjoys Hideyoshi so much. Hide may be more of a “blind follower” compared to Mitsuhide, (who operates on a moral compass and actively speaks against Nobu), this is another example of how far Hideyoshi is willing to push himself for those he truly believes in, and how much he trusts that even if he has to do some unsavory things, it’s for the greater good and Nobu knows what he is doing.
This extends to MC as well. When Hide comes to bat for you, it’s because of you, and nothing will change his mind, no matter where or what you come from.
He’s a very complex character.
While he is a kind person, a good majority of his outward appearance is a persona. A mask of what he thinks he should act like. He doesn’t show his heart or his true intentions to anybody. It’s clear he’s been hurt and betrayed before, and he believes that the majority of people pretend to be kind and good while hiding their true evil intents. That people are willing to turn on you at a moments notice.
He’s gotten to where he is in life by understanding what people want to see in him and transforming himself into that image. But he is only able to do that because he possesses a very intelligent understanding of exactly how people work. Hideyoshi’s understanding of people is among the best in the game, up there with ninja like Saizo.
He’s extremely perceptive at all times, and his ability to see through a persons mask into their true intentions and desires has made it very easy for him to manipulate them and also climb the ranks.
However, I say he is complex because I don’t think he is always manipulative. It’s true that less than a handful of people have actually seen Hideyoshi being himself. But. His quest to be where he is at the side of Nobunaga, I think, is very much honorable and about making life, in general, better for the place he lives and the people in it. He knows better than most the hardships that life in a tumultuous world can bring, he’s lived it first hand. And he truly cares about making it better. We even see that one of his favorite places, a place he’s never taken or spoken about to anyone but MC, is a place he can look out over the town.
This is another Hideyoshi trait Nobunaga understands and appreciates, and a reason he cherishes Hideyoshi so much.
What is a bit comical to me is the fact that people often dismiss Hideyoshi as a simple flirt/funny character/goofball, and forget how seriously intelligent he actually is. And that’s honestly a huge theme in his MS and a lot of ES, lol!
He’s a character with a TON of internal struggle. We see it hard in his MS, and although it may not have been the most romantic MS out there (a part of why I think a lot of people dislike it), it was packed with a lot of character development.
We often see him grapple with the fact that he’s moved up in the ranks from nothing while being looked down on by many for not being born in the Samurai class. People around him write him off as Nobunaga’s “stupid monkey,” the guy who dances and acts like a silly fool to entertain the lord of fools, and chalk up his closeness to Nobu as nothing more than that. They don’t see how calculated and perceptive he actually is. Sometimes, it works to his benefit. He can outfox opponents, and he’s even been known to get the jump on “genji” a few times.
But on the flip side, we see that this has Hideyoshi doubting himself, a LOT. He struggles with the idea that perhaps that IS the only reason he is kept around, and therefore pushes himself over and over again to be worthy of where he is. He holds a lot inside of him, and takes on tasks alone instead of asking for help when he truly needs it. We see my favorite example of this in the ES where he tries to move those logs in the rain all by himself. And when MC finds him and helps, he breaks down and admits that he has a very hard time showing and admitting that he needs help and is struggling. He is so afraid of looking like he is worth nothing that he would take the weight of the world on his shoulders alone to hide even the tiniest shred of weakness in himself.
He is an intensely jealous character, as much as he tries not to be. Not just in love but in what he sees in those around him. I think that aside from believing in them, he keeps those around him close because they have traits he envies.
He’s a nice middle ground between Mitsunari and Inuchiyo. He’s intelligent and loyal like Mitsun, willing to follow orders, but he takes more direct approaches at times although he’s not as hot-headed as Inuchiyo.
I think he wishes he could take more risks without care like Inuchiyo does. Inuchiyo has a well-off family and can afford to screw up. I think that’s a big part of his friendship-rivalry with Inuchiyo. Hideyoshi feels like he has everything to lose, and because of that, he is constantly trying to sell himself to everyone, including himself!
He truly feels that he is unworthy of his life and position and that no one accepts him because he was born poor. He has to work his ass off for every bit of credit and acknowledgment he is given. His wins are a result of that hard work, and he acts on a principle that if he fucks up it could be the end for him. He has nowhere else to go. So he takes things very seriously and of course gets upset when people like Inuchiyo act rashly or when someone takes their high birth for granted because he’s had to work at least twice as hard to even be on equal footing.
So, long story short. He is a kind-hearted character, an insanely intelligent man who acts goofy and puts on the thick charm because he’s not only trying to convince you but everyone around him that he is worthy of your time and trust, and that he is worthy to be alive and standing where he is. And nothing puts him at ease more than feeling like he can let his guard down because he’s been accepted as he is.