Samurai (Age of Empires III)

The Samurai is a heavy infantry unit unique to the Japanese civilization in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. It is one of the strongest non-mercenary melee infantry units in the game.

Overview
They have a splash attack that can harm multiple enemy units in one sweep of their sword. They can be trained at the Barracks or shipped from the Home City. Unlike most infantry recruited at the Barracks, they take two population units. Samurai are very deadly against cavalry and buildings, being able to kill large groups of cavalry, or high hit point buildings in mere seconds, and are good against heavy infantry if they aren't spread apart too much. Samurai should stay away from ranged infantry and artillery, which are quite deadly to them, but if they can get in close they can easily wipe them out with their high damage area attacks due to the low hit-points of most skirmishers. The same goes for cannon, because of their long reload and the Samurai's fairly high attack. They are very similar to the German Doppelsoldner, although they are less useful against cavalry and Light infantry, have a smaller AoE, and are slightly stronger against all other units and buildings. They also cost more food but less coin, and have a 30% melee resistance versus the Doppelsoldner's 20%.

Single-player campaign
In the single player campaign, the player can use the Samurai in the first act, playing as the Japanese. The Home City shipment cards are limited and there are only a few that the player will be able to send, nevertheless, the Samurai is a very powerful unit. For the campaign, the Samurai will get the job done easily, if the player can afford them. For the most part, the campaign can be completed through gathering food and coin and mass-producing light infantry and cavalry.

Skirmish and multiplayer
For the Japanese in Skirmish and Multiplayer, this is easily the best game-playing option when it comes to the "meat" of one’s military, with some room for cavalry, some artillery, and light infantry. There are more cards in this part of the game, compared to the campaign, allowing the Samurai to be more powerful. In addition, the Japanese have very economic friendly cards which allow them to generate more than enough resources. This is especially helpful because with the 75 Villager cap, the Japanese need the improved rates. This cap also allows for players to set aside 125 population for military purposes, 25 more than the standard amount. Getting the Shogunate wonder also helps in training them, as it reduces their cost from 100 food and 100 gold to 95 food and 95 gold. The player can build the Torii Gate Wonder aging up to the Colonial Age. This gives the player 3 Samurai once the age advancement is complete. The player then sends 3 Samurai as their first Home City Shipment then build a Barracks and 5 Ashigaru Musketeers for ranged support. This gives the player a strong early game rush that can cause lots of structural damage with the Samurai's 67 siege attack and hinder the opponents' economy.

Upgrades
The overall stats for Samurai can be improved by sending improvement-based shipments.

Disciplined Samurai
Disciplined Samurai is the first upgrade for the Samurai. It is available for and  once Fortress Age is reached.
 * Hit Points: +20% (276)
 * Hand Attack: +20% (30)
 * Siege Attack: +20% (80)

Honored Samurai
Honored Samurai is the second upgrade for the Samurai. It is available for and  once Industrial Age is reached.
 * Hit Points: +30% (345)
 * Hand Attack: +30% (37)
 * Siege Attack: +30% (100)

Exalted Samurai
Exalted Samurai is the third upgrade for the Samurai. It is available for and  once Imperial Age is reached.
 * Hit Points: +50% (460)
 * Hand Attack: +50% (55)
 * Siege Attack: +50% (147)

In-game dialogue language (Modern Japanese)

 * Wakarimashita. (I got it.)
 * Hai? (yes?)
 * Ryoukai shimashita. (I understand.)
 * Suguni kakarimasu. (I will get to it immediately.)
 * Youi! (get ready!)
 * Meireiwa? (instructions?)
 * Souda! (it is)
 * Kougeki! (attack!)
 * Tatakae, tatakaunda! (Fight! Fight!)

History
"The samurai were members of the Japanese warrior aristocracy who embodied the bushido code; they rose to power during the rival clan wars of the twelfth century. This bushido belief system - “the way of the warrior” - emphasized an unwavering loyalty to a master, the act of self-sacrifice, and an indifference to pain. From the twelfth century to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603, the samurai were the dominant social class in Japan, and many acted as knights in the service of the warring feudal lords. After Tokugawa Ieyasu was declared shogun and began to consolidate power, the samurai were encouraged to leave their posts as village defenders and take more bureaucratic government posts in castle towns, earning government stipends to abandon their warrior ways. This was done to reduce the threat of masterless samurai, or ronin, who had become a threat to Tokugawa’s dictatorship. However, the drastic culture shift did not sit well with many samurai, and former warriors eventually led the overthrow of the shogunate in 1867."