Go! Hayatemaru!
The final review of the Three Sengoku Rance Yamato Nadeshiko and my personal favorite heroine from the game despite a weird choice for naming. This Beautiful Archer from Sengoku Rance is probably the main reason i went to the extent of getting Kenshin and Senhime instead of only getting Sill which was the original plan.
Sharing the name of World War 2 Imperial Japan Top Commander, Yamamoto Isoroku is a Vassal clan samurai officer serving under Ashikaga Clan. Fighting as Archer Commander in battlefield, Isoroku's marksmanship ability is particularly noted as she is capable of sniping key targets from distance with great accuracy which serves well in assassinating commanders. Isoroku fought for Choushin as Tarou her only brother and the heir of her clan was kept hostage, even so she fought dutifully despite the intense discrimination she experienced.
Isoroku's first encounter with Rance is when she attempted to assassinate him which would have succeeded if it is not for immense luck of the Main Hero. Isoroku's plot in Sengoku Rance revolves around her attempt to restore her clan by bearing a son after she found out her only brother died as Choushin didn't keep his promise. Ultimately Rance managed to convince Isoroku to bear his child as it is the best shot for Isoroku to fulfill her goal of restoring Yamamoto Clan. In Sengoku Rance Isoroku is one of the Heroine that has her own main route and in the IF route she ends up genuinely fall for Rance and her clan restoration didn't matter as long as she is able to stay by Rance's side. But in the end in her route and true history, Isoroku managed to bear Rance's Son who she named Rangi and with his great potentials eventually become the Ruler of JAPAN.
In terms of gameplay, Isoroku primary use is her instant kill skill Whirlwind Shot which makes her able to assassinate units twice in the battlefield which can be used to remove enemy tarpits or support units. However she doesn't have much utility outside this role as Archer Units in Sengoku Rance are lackluster and her level cap is rather lacking for Dungeon fights
In terms of Character, Isoroku appear to think herself rather lowly due to her guilt as the sole survivor of her clan which drives her obsessed to produce a male heir regardless of the father which fortunately happen to be Rance. Isoroku's obsession to continue her clan might be off-putting initially but her character truly shines in her route. In the IF route she is willing to bear Rance's child out of love instead of her obligation which is arguably the best expression of love a man can get from a woman.
Of all Kotobukiya Sengoku Rance lineup, I think Isoroku had the biggest packaging and surprisingly it was only sold for 7800 Yen at its time which is easily a bargain for this figure because the sculpt for this is still quite good.
Out of Kotobukiya's Sengoku Rance figure that i collected, Isoroku's costed me the most and unfortunately it come in the worst condition. While the figure does not have discoloration like Senhime, the figure and the box is riddled with mildew due to poor storage condition by the seller but at least it is still salvageable. If i bought this figure back during my Uni years, it probably would have fared better.
Compared to Senhime or Kenshin, Isoroku stood no chance in combat against them as she is the weakest of Ranceverse Yamato Nadeshiko Trio. However Isoroku no doubt make good use of her feminine charm in Sengoku Rance which wins the heart of the fans and become the 2nd most popular heroine of the game. Senhime could probably compete with Isoroku for the best Yamato Nadeshiko title but she is too busy with her obsession of fighting in Sengoku Rance
From what i know, Isoroku actually had appeared in Kichikuou Rance before finally appearing in Sengoku Rance. Her plot in Kichikou is largely the same with Sengoku Rance but the latter gives an opportunity for Isoroku story to be fleshed out even further. It is such a shame that Isoroku doesn't have her scene
With Isoroku Review being covered, i am mostly done with Sengoku Rance series figure review with Sill remained. To conclude the series review I will put up some group shots for the Yamato Nadeshiko trio later which is the primary reason why i went to an extent to collect of these already rare figures. If you never play Rance series, Sengoku Rance is one of the best gateway and you are missing out some very very good Visual Novel because it is one of the legendary among its peers.
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