Rise of the Ronin, the three political factions: from the Sabaku to the Westerners

Via the official PlayStation website page dedicated to Rise of the Roninthe upcoming open-world action game for PS5we have the opportunity to see new information on factions active in the historical period during which the adventure is set.

There are three main factions:

• Sabaku – Pro-shogunate
• Tobaku – Anti-shogunate
• Obei – Western Forces

We remember that the “shogun” is the head of the Japanese army, practically the head of the entire nation as the emperor in the reference period has no real political and military power. Furthermore, it is important to know that in this historical period Japan is opening up to the West after centuries of total closure.

Sabaku, the pro Shogun

We are in the Bakumatsu era at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan for about 250 years. Obviously we will find forces that want to maintain the power of the centralized shogun. Among the characters of the Sabaku faction we will find:

• Naosuke Ii – prime minister of the shogunate and lord of the Hikone clan, collaborates with Western forces and opens Japan to the outside world. A lover of tea and poetry, he is a skilled warrior, known as the Red Demon of II and among martial arts, Iai is his specialty. His weapon is the Hiroyuki Ringa katana.
• Taka Murayama – geisha from Yokohama's Miyozaki pleasure district, with ties to Kyoto. Known for her wit and melancholic good looks.

Tobaku, the anti shoguns

Opposed to the Sabaku faction, we find the faction Tobakualso composed of:

• Ryoma Sakamoto – a ronin (samurai without a master) who belonged to the Tosa clan. He is frank, seeking the right course of action, and a master of the Hokushin-Itto-ryu school of swordsmanship, as well as a skilled marksman with Western guns. His katana is the Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki.



• Kogoro Katsura – feudal lord of the Choshu clan, he is compassionate, cautious, calm and a mentor to the young people of his clan. He loves sake a little too much, unfortunately. His katana is the Bizen Osafune Kiyomitsu.

Obei, the Westerners

As mentioned, in this period the Westerners (USA primarily) forcefully opens the coasts of Japan. The most relevant Western figures will be:

• Matthew Perry – commodore of the United States Navy, he is the one who forces the opening of trade between Japan and the USA. His weapon is the commodore's saber



• Rutherford Alcock – British diplomat, must evaluate Japan's integration into the global economy. He condemns the shogunate's policies, but he loves the Japanese craftsman. He was a surgeon and normally has his own guards but he knows how to defend himself and his weapon is the sophisticated saber.

We remind you that Rise of the Ronin for PS5 is on Amazon pre-order at a discount at the best price.