Yari Ashigaru (STW unit)
| Category: Infantry |
| Class: Melee |
| Soldiers: 60 |
| Weapon Type: Spear |
| Main Stats | ||
| Honour / Morale | 1 | |
| Melee Attack | 7 | |
| Melee Defence | 5 | |
| Charge Bonus | 6 | |
| Armour | 0 | |
| Extra Stats | ||
| Marching Speed | 5 | |
| Running Speed | 10 | |
| Charging Speed | 12 |
Requires: Nothing
The standard Ashigaru is equipped with light
armour and a Yari - a long spear. They are
conscripted peasants and poorly trained, but
often form the mainstay of Samurai armies.
When their fear of the enemy exceeds their
fear of their masters, they often waver.
They operate best when kept in tight
formation, where their long spears give them
an advantage, particularly against Cavalry.
Extra info:
At the start of play in Shogun: Total War, most
clans will receive a yari ashigaru unit “free of charge”
as the start of their army.
The yari, or long spear, was popular as a weapon
among the daimyo for their ashigaru because it
was relatively easy to train large numbers of
peasants to use it. Learning to hold a spear
(and point it in the right direction) doesn’t take
anything like as much time as learning to use a
sword properly!
Yari Ashigaru should not be
compared directly to samurai warriors armed in a
similar fashion. Ashigaru fighting ability, morale and general levels of equipment are markedly inferior to those of true samurai. On the other hand, the ashigaru are relatively cheap soldiers and can be trained in great numbers quite quickly. Ashigaru soldiers of this type are usually present in clan armies in considerable numbers for just these reasons.