People of The Sengoku Period in Popular Culture - Mori Ranmaru

Mori Ranmaru

Ranmaru has appeared as a character in fiction & has appeared in several video games (such as Sengoku Basara, Onimusha, Kessen III and the Samurai Warriors series) in which he is usually portrayed as having a feminine to an androgynous appearance, in which leads to usual confusion of his gender by some of the other characters. He is also depicted as truly loyal to Oda Nobunaga, who in return praises Ranmaru for his skills (and possibly his beauty) in battle.

• Ranmaru is depicted greatly in Samurai Warriors as Nobunaga's most loyal bodyguard, where he wields a nodachi. Differentiating all the other portrayals was seen in the first Samurai Warriors, where he also has a close friendship with Akechi Mitsuhide, who at the time planned to assassinate Nobunaga, leaving Ranmaru in a state of confusion on which path he will follow. In Samurai Warriors 2, Ranmaru has no storyline, but is seen in some cutscenes and cinema cameos and is a special character unlocked by completing the first two Ranmaru's and Mitsuhide's requests in Survival Mode. He is also in the spinoff Samurai Warriors Katana, where he helps the player to find and rescue Oda Nobunaga at Honnouji, temporary replacing Hideyoshi as the player's guide in this stage. He also appears in Warriors Orochi as fighting for the Resistance Army alongside Ma Chao in Mt. Ding Jun. Sun Ce of the Orochi Army later on captures Ranmaru after a duel, yet was set free due to Sun Ce feeling some comfort fighting him. From then on, Ranmaru joins Sun Wu to understand more about the Sun Family's unbreakable bonds and is still serving them in the game's sequel. Though from his Dream Mode in Warriors Orochi 2 along with Zhou Tai and Dian Wei, it can be stated that Ranmaru is still on full alert to protect Nobunaga.
• Sengoku Basara portrays a different appearance for Ranmaru as a young, boyish, and eager archer in his early teens who seeks recognition from Nobunaga. He is apparently the most childish in all his portrayals, seeking only Kompeitō as a reward from his master in his endings.
• The eroge Sengoku Rance portrays him as a girl, Ranmaru. She is one of the loyal retainers of Oda Nobunaga. She is in love with Shibata Katsuie, also Oda's retainer.
• The character Ranmaru Morii's name in Perfect Girl Evolution is a nod to the historical Ranmaru.
• Mori Ranmaru is one of the main characters in a manga oneshot by Inui Miku, Akatsuki no Fumi, where he is portrayed with slightly feminine features.
• Akihiro Hino has stated that the character Kirino Ranmaru in Inazuma Eleven GO was based on Mori Ranmaru.