Date Masamune

is a fictional videogame character from Capcom's popular action game franchise, Sengoku Basara, first introduced in the 2005 video game Devil Kings. In the North American and European versions, he is known as a warrior named Azure Dragon, but retained his original name in the series' third title. As with most Sengoku Basara characters, Masamune was loosely based on Japanese historical figure Date Masamune. Capcom created this fictional version of him in order to show an appeal based on the character's dragon motifs inherited from the real Date Masamune. Additionally, Masamune's design was intended show a major contrast with the one of the other protagonists from the series, Sanada Yukimura. Despite initial mixed reactions to Masamune's designs based on him wielding six swords at once, critics praised the characterization of Masamune in both the games and anime series based on multiple traits. Creation and development In the making of Sengoku Basara, Capcom researched important figures from Japan's Warring States (Sengoku) period, and after noticing that Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura were highly popular within them, decided to use the two as protagonists. Sengoku Basara 3 composer Masahiro Aoki associated Masamune with the electric guitar, and wrote a hard rock tune for Masamune's horse-racing game stage. Aoki also stated that Masamune's theme, "Dead Heat", was one of his favorite songs from the game.