"Heavy cavalry armed with a naginata for killing archers, skirmishers, and artillery."—In-game description
The Naginata Rider is a melee heavy cavalry unit in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties that is unique to the Japanese and can be trained at Stable and Atakabune, and by a Daimyo. It wields a naginata in combat.
Overview 
Edit
A non-traditional cavalry unit, the Naginata Rider functions as an in-between of the Hussar and the Lancer of the European civilizations. It is very effective against archers and Skirmishers, but unlike the Lancer, not particularly effective against its traditional counter heavy infantry (the multipliers cancel each other out). That is compensated by being slightly better against artillery and significantly better against other cavalry, thanks to its higher base attack (like a Hussar).
Naginata Riders have the same weaknesses as most hand cavalry units, being vulnerable against ranged cavalry (such as Dragoons and Howdahs). Howdahs can take them down in a single shot, so Naginatas should stay away from them.
When Naginata Riders are employed against Longbowmen, Arrow Knights, Cetan Bows, and the like, the results are one sided for two reasons:
- The archers will do almost no damage to the Naginatas.
- It will take a maximum of three hits for a Naginata to take down a Longbowman, for instance.
If the player researches Honored Naginata Riders and sends the Bloody Harvest card from the Home City, a Naginata Rider kills a Longbowman in a single blow, with damage to spare.
If this advantage is used well, enemy archers are rendered ineffectual. Use Ashigaru Musketeers or Samurai to attack the enemy melee units head on, while the Naginatas sneak around the back to kill any archers who are firing at the Ashigarus/Samurai. When used this way, the Naginata Rider can be especially cost effective.
Upgrades Edit
| Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Disciplined Naginata Rider
| 200 wood, 100 coin | Upgrades Naginata Riders to Disciplined (+20% hit points and attack) |
 |  Honored Naginata Rider
| 600 wood, 600 coin | Upgrades Naginata Riders to Honored (+30% hit points and attack); requires Disciplined Naginata Rider |
 |  Exalted Naginata Rider
| 1,500 wood, 1,500 coin | Upgrades Naginata Riders to Exalted (+50% hit points and attack); requires Honored Naginata Rider |
Further statistics Edit
As Naginata Riders are unique to the Japanese, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:
| Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Infantry |
| Weak vs. | Cavalry, artillery |
| Improvements | |
| Hit points |  Cavalry Cuirass (+10%) Comanche Horse Breeding (+10%) Cree Tanning (+5%) Navajo Weaving (+5%)
|
| Attack |  Pillage (+25% siege attack) Yoga (+5%)
|
| Sight |  Town Watch (+2)
|
| Speed |  Comanche Mustangs (+10%) Apache Endurance (+5%)
|
| Creation speed |  Mass Cavalry (-50%) Cheyenne Horse Trading (-25%) Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
|
| Train cost |  Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
|
| Other |  Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)
|
Home City Cards Edit
As Naginata Riders are unique to the Japanese, only their cards and other civilizations' TEAM cards are shown in the following tables:
| Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Naginata Rider | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
French
|
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack
| Heavy cavalry and Coyote Runners get +15% attack |  | 10 |
Germans Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Cavalry Attack
| Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and light infantry get +15% attack | | 10 |
Indians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
| All units get +5% hit points and attack | | 25 |
Japanese Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 6 Naginata Riders
| Ships 5 Naginata Riders | | 1 |
 5 Naginata Riders
| Ships 5 Naginata Riders | | 1 |
 8 Naginata Riders
| Ships 8 Naginata Riders | | 10 |
 4 Naginata Riders
| Ships 4 Naginata Riders | | 25 |
 Naginata Rider Hitpoints
| Naginata Riders get +30% hit points | | 10 |
 Bloody Harvest
| Naginata Riders get +1.0x multiplier against infantry | | 25 |
 TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades
| Unit upgrades cost -20% | | 1 |
Russians Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Cavalry Scouts
| Cavalry and light infantry get +10% hit points and +4 LOS |  | 1 |
Spanish Edit
| Card | Description | Age | HC level |
|---|---|---|---|
 TEAM Inquisition
| All units get +10 LOS | | 10 |
History Edit
"The naginata is an ancient Japanese weapon that was used widely during Japan’s feudal period. It is often compared to the European halberd, or pike, and is little more than a 1-2 foot curved sword blade fastened to the end of a long oak handle. The dimensions of the weapon are often dependent on personal preference and battlefield conditions. Despite its simplicity, the naginata is difficult to brandish and even more difficult to master. Naginata-jutsu is the art of wielding the naginata, a practice that is still studied today.
When it first appeared, the naginata was usually used by attendants to samurai and by sohei warrior monks. It was effective at disabling enemy cavalry units from a short distance. However, with the dawn of gunpowder weapons, the naginata rapidly lost its importance and was often left behind when men ventured off to battle. This is how the naginata became a symbolic object for Japanese women, since it was the primary weapon with which they had to defend their homes and families. It was also the weapon of choice for female samurai, including the legendary Hangaku, a beautiful and deadly warrior who was said to wield a naginata in combat.
Today, naginata-jutsu is widely considered a feminine art, the weapon seen as a symbol of a woman’s devotion to her family. More Japanese women than men practice it."
Gallery Edit
