Tomoe Gozen/Bio & Battles

"Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors."

- The Tale of Heike

Tomoe Gozen was a twelfth-century concubine of samurai general Minamoto no Yoshinaka, as well as a rare female samurai warrior, known for her bravery and strength. She is believed to have fought in the Genpei War between the Minamoto and Taira clans.

After defeating the Taira, Yoshinaka set his sights on becoming the sole leader of the Minamoto clan. When his cousin Yoritomo learned of this, he sent his brothers Yoshitsune and Noriyori to kill him. Yoshinaka encountered Yoritomo's forces at Awazu, where he made a stand. Yoshinaka and his troops fought bravely, but they were outnumbered and eventually overwhelmed.

Yoshinaka instructed Tomoe to flee because he would be ashamed if died with a woman. She complied, but there are numerous different accounts of her actions afterward.

Battle vs. Khutulun (by SPARTAN 119)
Tomoe Gozen:

Khutulun:

Khutulun and four Mongol Warriors rode forward, into an open field, scouting for a Mongol invasion of Japan. In the distance, they heard the sound of horse's hooves. From the other side of field, Tomoe Gozen and four samurai rode in to face them.

Khutulun gave the order, and all five Mongol warriors drew back their bows and loosed their arrows. The arrows flew through the sky, one of them punching through the breast plate of one of Tomoe's samurai, while the other hit a second samurai right between the eyes.

Tomoe did not flee, in spite of losing two of her men. She strung an arrow in her yumi and charged forward, followed by all three of her samurai. Tomoe fired her yumi, sending a meter-long arrow into the chest of a Mongol Warrior, impaling him.

A Mongol and a samurai charged at each other their horses closing in. The samurai evaded the head of the Mongol's Jida lance and made a slice with his tachi at the Mongol's neck. The blade cleaved through the Mongol's neck, sending his head falling to the ground. The headless Mongol stayed on his horse for several feet before his body too hit the ground.

The victorious samurai charged towards Khutulun herself, who spurred her horse on, seeming to flee in terror. But the Mongol was not retreating. Instead, she drew back her bow and pulled the string all the way back to his her before releasing an arrow. The arrow shot through the samurai's breast place, causing him to fall forward off his horse, dead.

A Mongol warrior charged at Tomoe herself with his Mongol saber at the ready. Tomoe held her naginata in both hands, balancing on her horse as she made a diagonal slice, beheading her adversary in one fell swoop. Seconds later however one of Tomoe's samurai fell from behind, killed by a strike from a Mongol warrior's saber.

Tomoe charged furiously the two surviving Mongols, slashing through a Mongol with her naginata, before charging at Khutulun herself. Khutulun raised her bow and loosed an arrow, which went slightly low, missing Tomoe, but striking her horse right between the eyes.

Tomoe fell off her horse, but immediately got back up, just in time to see Khutulun charge at her, saber at the ready. Tomoe raised her naginata, and made a rapid slice, which glanced off Khutulun's armor, but nearly decapitated her horse. Tomoe put down her naginata and drew her tachi, ready to finish off her downed opponent.

Tomoe raised her tachi in both hands, making ready to sever Khutulun's head. As Tomoe was about the strike, however, Khutulun leapt from her standing position and tackled Tomoe, putting her experience challenging her suitors to wrestling matches to good use. Khutulun drew her knife and made a downward thrust at Tomoe's face, but hit... only the dirt- Tomoe turned her head at the last moment, avoiding the fatal blow.

Tomoe then drew her tanto and thrust it into Khutulun's neck, killing her in a spray of blood.

Expert's Opinion
This was a very close match. Tomoe only barely managed to win this battle hands to her slightly better training and better armor and weaponry.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. Cyrus the Great (by Codgod13)
No battle written

WINNER: TOMOE GOZEN

Expert's Opinion
The experts believed that Gozen took this rather easily due to greater training and discipline of the samurai, as opposed to a slower Persian. A chariot would weigh him down and he really relied on fighting alongside Immortals or regulars.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.

Battle vs. El Cid (by BattleGames1)
TBW

Expert's Opinion
In a close match, the voters sided with El Cid due to his superior weaponry/armor and better experience. A lot of Gozen's weaponry lacked the power to really go through El Cid's armor. El Cid however possessed armor that could easily take much of the damage thrown at him. Gozen also acks many detailed accounts of her exploits, compared to El Cid who was a key combatant in the Spanish Reconquista and fought for multiple armies.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.