- "A sword is only as deadly as the man who wields it."
- —Tokugawa Iemitsu to Ray Palmer[src]
Tokugawa Iemitsu was a shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who had come to rule Feudal Japan by the year 1641. A tyrannical ruler, he abused his authority to establish a centralized monarchy that crushed all who thought of rebellion, and used his power to force women like Masako Yamashiro into become his brides; Tokugawa would kill each woman he married after they failed to live up to his expectations. Due to the Legends mistakenly time traveling to the era in which he lived, Tokugawa obtained the A.T.O.M. Exosuit, which he modified to resemble traditional Samurai armor. During an ensuing battle against Ray Palmer and Nate Heywood, the suit was destroyed, killing Tokugawa in the resulting explosion.[1]
Biography
Tokugawa Iemitsu, clad in the modified A.T.O.M. Exosuit, rides along with his warriors.
Tokugawa Iemitsu was a tyrannical Shogun of Japan in the mid-17th century, who was greatly feared by his subjects. He married numerous women, each of whom he murdered after they failed to live up to his expectations. In 1641, he was set to marry Masako Yamashiro, the sister of the late Oda Yamashiro, a Samurai whom Iemitsu had killed after he became too popular with Iemitsu's men. Shortly before Iemitsu and Masako were set to be married, the Shogun's Samurai warriors discovered the time-stranded 'gaijin' Ray Palmer, whom they captured and brought to their master's castle.
The warriors presented Palmer's armor, the A.T.O.M. Exosuit, to Iemitsu, and locked the prisoner away inside a cell. After Palmer was tortured by a Samurai who attempted to gain the information required to operate the armor, Iemitsu approached his prisoner and stated that Palmer's armor now belonged to him. Not believing Palmer's words about the armor being deadly for other people to use, the Shogun decided to test the exosuit himself. When the Legends broke into his castle in an attempt to rescue Palmer, Iemitsu donned the armor and faced off against the intruders; though the Legends managed to free Palmer, the power of the exosuit proved to be too great for them, and they were forced to retreat. To personalize the armor, Iemitsu had the exosuit adorned with a Kabuto Helmet.[1]
Set on forcing Masako to become his bride, Iemitsu gathered his loyal troops and rode to the Yamashiros' village, which was being protected by the Legends. Demanding his bride to be, Iemitsu met Nate Heywood, who challenged the Shogun's claim on Masako; however, Heywood was unable to activate his meta-human powers, and he was easily incapacitated by a blast from the A.T.O.M. suit's weapons. Iemitsu proceeded to engage Palmer in a swordfight; though the latter managed to destroy some of the exosuit's systems, he eventually was knocked down by the Shogun's superior swordsmanship. Masako interrupted the duel and challenged Iemitsu, only to fall just like Palmer. Before he could kill her, Iemitsu was stopped by Heywood, who had finally managed to utilize his powers and introduced himself as Steel. Together, Steel and Palmer managed to distract the Shogun long enough to open his back for a sword-strike, allowing Steel to pierce the alpha-stabilizer underneath the left thruster in the exosuit. The damage from Steel's sword caused the photons that streamed from the armor's weapons systems to overheat, initiating a somatic overload. The resulting explosion ended up destroying the exosuit and took the life of Iemitsu along with it.[1]
Personality
Known to the historians of Earth-1 as a brutal and controlling warlord, Tokugawa greatly centralized the Shogunate's power at the expense of its citizens' freedoms. Abusing his power as a suzerain, Tokugawa ordered Oda Yamashiro to commit seppuku out of resentment for the Samurai popular among the army men. His cruelty was projected over many settlements, including that of the Yamashiro family, as a forced betrothal with the Shogun was treated by Masako Yamashiro akin to a death sentence. Tokugawa had no love for his supposed bride, preparing to kill her and wipe her family's name from history. His arrogance and pride was his downfall, as, in his disgust and underestimating of gaijin time travelers, he was ultimately bested in combat and met his demise.[1]
Powers and abilities
Abilities
- Expert leader/Charisma: As a Shogun of the Tokugawa Dynasty, Tokugawa demanded obedience and projected power. Although feared by the common folk, he had unquestioned loyalty from the Samurai under his command.[1]
- Keen intellect: Arrogant as he was, Tokugawa was shown to be a very insightful and quick-learning individual, able to determine how to use Ray's A.T.O.M. suit despite it being advanced technology from centuries in the future.
- Peak of human physical condition: As a warlord of Feudal Japan Tokugawa was in top physical condition. As a warrior, he engaged in frequent, strenuous exercise.[1]
- Master swordsman: Relying on heavy armor, Tokugawa has perfected his own technique of swordsmanship, allowing him to defeat Ray Palmer and Masako Yamashiro, only for the meta-human Steel to come to their rescue. He was also an effective teacher, having trained his men personally in the art[1]
Equipment
Former equipment
- A.T.O.M. Exosuit: Tokugawa's warriors took the A.T.O.M. armor from the time traveler Ray Palmer, the Atom, who ended up stranded in Medieval Japan after falling out of the Waverider. The armor is made out of dwarf star alloy, making it strong enough to withstand damage from bullets, arrows and explosions. It's offensive capabilities include electricity projection, compressed hard light blasts, and photon blasts. Unlike the suit's original creator, Tokugawa did not figure out its flight capabilities, or the ability to change the user's size. The exosuit ended up destroyed by Nate Heywood, along with the Shogun himself.[1]
Appearances
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Season 2
- "Shogun"
- "Outlaw Country" (mentioned)
Trivia
- Tokugawa Iemitsu is the only Japanese character introduced in the shared multiverse so far whose name was credited according to the Japanese naming conventions: surname first, given name last. Compare to Masako Yamashiro and other members of Yamashiro family, who were credited in accordance to Western naming conventions.
Behind the scenes
- Tokugawa Iemitsu was a historical member of the Tokugawa dynasty, a grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who ruled Feudal Japan with an iron fist, centralizing the Shogunate's power, destroying rebels and expelling all Europeans with his anti-Western policies, including the crucification of Christians.
- Historical Iemitsu died peacefully in 1651, so it is unknown just how much the Legends changed history by killing him 10 years earlier in 1641.