Motodachi 
The last faction in Humanity’s roster is Mishima. These guys bring a knife to a gunfight and manage to intimidate you enough so you back off. Don’t be fooled, Mishima has, at worst, very good melee fighters across all their ranks. But that doesn’t mean they’re incompetent in ranged combat.
Hatamoto
Art by Anwar Hanano, from the Warzone Eternal Rulebook
The bread and butter of the Mishiman (Mishimese?) army. Elite troopers – both in lore and in-game – they have one of the best stat lines available to humanity. A good MW, beyond excellent CC, high ST and AR plus good LD, their downside is twofold:
- They slow. 4MV isn’t extremely slow but it’s not fast. They can reach CC quite reliably because they have Fearless, so they can react very reliably. Once they make it into melee, their Duelist (-3) can make sure you can’t touch this. Their AR(23) plus Fearless means they can survive to melee, and instead of being like Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai (who was shot down during a charge, spoiler alert), your troopers will just have small arms fire bounce off their armor.
- It’s not worth using Hatamoto to Gang up on a single enemy model, due to Honorbound. They needed a way to be not ideal so they won’t be too OP.
Their Ceremonial Blade’s + ST(6) means they will slap you for 14 DAM with Reach (1) on 18CC, 20 if you’re charging. They literally won’t miss. If you target Razides, the TN is 22 (16 Base CC + 2 from Ceremonial Blades + 2 from Charge + 2 from the Razide’s unfortunate DEF value)! If only we could convert this extra 2 TN(CC) to damage, alas no change is returned in this shop. They do have Executioner, however, so there’s a 10% chance of getting a Critical Hit on any given Strike Test. Not too bad!
I’m focusing on CC because this is their strong suit, but Hatamoto aren’t just melee specialists, they are very good all-around combatants. Their high MW and accurate Shogun Assault Rifle means they can Shoot reliably even at long range. It doesn’t reach the heights of Imperial DAM, but DAM12 is enough to hand enemy models a Pinned Counterm and even wound moderately armored units a decent percentage of the time.
The Hatamoto’s Specialists are Operators, which pairs well with their Fearless keyword for Objective missions. Also, they get access to Smoke and Frag Grenades. Use the smoke to block LOS to your squishier units and make sure you make it into melee.
Leaders – in typical WZE Fashion – are 1 DP more expensive due to their upgraded stat line and Inspire / Command combo, and are equipped with low-range Shotguns.
Leaders allow just enough SP to field the Support variant, armed with the Dragonfire HMG. This gun is as terrifying as you might think based on its name. Your standard 24″ 0/14, Burst (3), Recoil(4) Heavy Machine Gun, perfect for providing covering fire to your advancing models.
Hatamoto can’t gang on you efficiently, due to their Honorbound Special Ability. Opponents should try and keep outside of 5″ of them since they can still Charge at that range with a single Action. I usually make it to 5″, charge, then charge again to end up engaged in melee. You don’t want to be on the receiving end of that! If they really want, their maximum melee range is 4 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 11″. Keep them at range and use Aimed shots to maximize your chances of wounds, or at the least Pinning them. Hatamoto do not want to spend their Actions to removing Pinned Counters. Many Mishima players will be tempted to Counter-Attack instead of Diving for Cover, but if you’re in obstruction (especially with a Camouflaged unit), you are creating favorable conditions to wound the Hatamoto safely. What I am trying to say is, don’t go near to Hatamoto, Hatamoto goes bonk.
Shinobi
Next up are the Shinobi, a unique model, with a unique ability. Shinobi cost 4DP and have good stats to boot. DEF -1, MV5, MW 13 and CC 14, all swinging above average. Their standard AR (21) and Duelist (-1) help with defensive capabilities, but you’re really spending your DP for Shift. Shift allows for a teleport-style movement. You remove the Shinobi from the board, and you put them back within MV” from their original position, in all axis, respecting the Placement rules. Removing your Shinobi does not provoke Reactions, but putting them on the table again does, so use it carefully.
Shinobi Troopers are equipped with the Windrider SMG, a very accurate DAM 11, Burst (2) weapon and the “standard” Mishima Ceremonial Blades.
Shinobi Specialists are – ironically – Medics. They are slightly worse Medics due to their First Aid(10) but they make up in mobility due to their Shift. You really need these guys to protect your Shinobi and Hatamoto.
Shinobi Leaders, leave their SMG at home and bring the Airbrush Shotgun, a necessary evil to have +2 SP to use for…
Shinobi Support. These guys are just bonkers. First of all, you can place them on hard-to-reach areas so they won’t be able to be hit in melee. Their Archer Sniper Rifle really hurts, especially on Aimed shots. They, along with Hatamoto Support, bring a much-needed 24″ range band weapon to cover the advance of their brethren. In theory for 30 DP you can shop 2 Hatamoto Troopers, 2 Leaders and 3 Shinobi Snipers.
Shinobi are weak to ranged attacks, especially since they want to use high elevation (remember they don’t need climb actions), and their thin armor makes them a good target for even regular rifle fire.
Shadow Walkers
Art by Anwar Hanano
The last unit in the Mishimese roster is the Shadow Walker. Reading their stat made me make the Tiger Dragon face:
First off, they cost 5 DP, have no leaders, no specialists or support and come with cheap smoke grenades. They come with a Silenced Punisher Handgun (no Reactions against shots fired from this weapon if the user is Obstructed) and a Poisoned Punisher Short Sword. This thing is great, and it becomes amazing with their First Strike ability. They will slap your dudes with a DAM 13×3, or even x4 on a Critical Hit. That’s absolutely insane! They have MV 6, Fearless, Blur (-2), Camouflage (2) and Def (-2) and paper-thin armor (20). This makes them a slightly different Mortificator, sans Shadowed. They also have Volatile End, a meme ability which I have never been able to use for anything due to its very low DAM, but there is a chance of wounding your enemy. It’s just extremely low.
For opponents, MV6 means they can reach you from up to 15″ away, and they are safe from Reactions due to their Blur ability. Capitalize on opportunities to tag them when they are not in Obstructed, and avoid getting into melee with them at all costs since they will Counter-Attack if they survive. That 13×2 slap is enough to scare even heavy units, and should they Activate first in the following turn, your model will be in a world of crap due to how Vicious scales on wounded targets. The Shadow Walker is the type of model that will pounce to finish off a model with a Wound Counter. I love making them charge Nepharites or Razides, because they make short work of them. Vicious stacks greatly on multiple Wounds, so having 3 Wounds on a Razide will result in a 19×2 (or x3) hit on TN (CC) 24. This can lead to 20×2, TN(CC)25 if there’s a Hatamoto there providing flanking (remember Honorbound states they don’t gain bonuses, not that they don’t provide bonuses for other models). So Shadow Walkers can snowball pretty intensely.
Dealing with Shadow Walkers is fairly difficult, and you need Precise Senses, Flamethrowers or Grenades to deal with them effectively. For Cardinal’s sake, stay away from melee/charge range. If a model recieves a Wound Counter, assume that Shadow Walkers will move towards it like Sharks in the sea.
Assets
Heirloom Blade: Pick a unit with Ceremonial Blades (so, no Shadow Walkers), and that model gets x1 multiplier to all of their attacks with the weapon. So your Hatamoto will become even stronger in melee, or it can be a sneaky trick to play with Shinobi if you are adventurous.
Honored Charge: Once a game, everyone who declares Charge as their first action will get a stronger CC and ST for that action. Good for finishing the job!
Daimyo: This gives one Leader the ability to Command two troopers at the same time. This is very good, albeit a bit limiting because you can only use these commands on Trooper Units. So, no Support or Specialists. Let’s say you have a pair of Hatamoto Troopers – you can use a Hatamoto Leader to give both of them a Move Action (or a Charge Action if you are toxic enough). Shame Shadow Walkers don’t have access to Leaders!
If Imperials are the de facto ranged faction, Mishima is the melee God of WZE!
