Naginata Rider

Naginata Rider
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties
Type	Cavalry Heavy cavalry Melee cavalry
Civilization	Japanese
Age	Commerce Age
Training
Trained at	Stable Daimyo Atakabune
Food	100
Coin	100
Training time	40 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	300
Resists	30% vs. Ranged
Speed	6.75
Line of Sight	15
Population	2
XP train bounty	20
XP bounty	20
Melee attack
Damage	28
Multipliers	x1.5 vs. Infantry x0.67 vs. Heavy infantry
Rate of Fire	1.5
Siege attack
Damage	22
Range	6
Rate of Fire	3.0

“	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 Stables and Atakabunes, and by Daimyos. It wields a naginata in combat.

Overview

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, which it counters well, 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:

1. The archers will do almost no damage to the Naginatas.
2. It will take a maximum of three hits for a Naginata to take down a Longbowman, for instance.

If the player researches Honored Naginata Rider and sends the Bloody Harvest card from the Home City, a Naginata Rider kills an unupgraded Longbowman in a single blow.

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

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

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.	Rifle Infantry, foot archers, artillery
Weak vs.	Heavy infantry, light cavalry
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%) Quechuan Diet (-25%)
Train cost	Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
Other	Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost)

Home City Cards

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

Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team Red: Shipment that can be sent TWICE (Japanese only) Purple: Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times French Card Description Age HC level TEAM Hand Cavalry Attack Heavy cavalry and Coyote Runners get +15% attack 10 Germans Card Description Age HC level TEAM Cavalry Attack Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and Shock Infantry get +15% attack 10 Indians Card Description Age HC level TEAM Shivaji's Tactics All units get +5% hit points and attack 25 Japanese 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 +25% hit points 10 Bloody Harvest Naginata Riders get +1.0x multiplier against infantry, but -0.27x vs heavy infantry 25 TEAM Cheaper Unit Upgrades Unit upgrades cost -20% 1 Russians Card Description Age HC level TEAM Cavalry Scouts Cavalry and Shock Infantry get +10% hit points and +4 LOS 1 Spanish Card Description Age HC level TEAM Inquisition All units get +10 LOS 10

History

“

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

An in-game Naginata Rider

An in-game Disciplined Naginata Rider

An in-game Honored/Exalted Naginata Rider

The Naginata Rider's history portrait