Ashigaru

Well-armed and plentiful, these troops are effective at tearing down enemy buildings. These unique Japanese soldiers deal more damage.

Ashigaru
Statistics
Health	390 (468)
Damage per Second	240 (288)
DPS vs Infantry	60 (72)
Damage Multiplier	25%
Range	1
Range Type	Ranged
Training Cost	370
Training Time	35 seconds
Troop Space	1
General Information
Nation	Japanese
Troop Type	Heavy Infantry
Strength	Buildings and Cavalry
Weakness	Enemy Infantry
Upgrade Information
Age Unlocked	Enlightenment Age
Upgrade Cost	4,000,000 (3,600,000 with Notre Dame)
Upgrade Time	4 days
Experience Gain	1,115
Upgrade Navigation
Previous	Nodachi Samurai
Next	Shizoku

The Ashigaru is a level 8 Japanese unique Heavy Infantry unit unlocked in the Enlightenment Age. Its predecessor is the Nodachi Samurai and it can be upgraded to the Shizoku. It is researched in a level 7 blacksmith. It replaces the fusilier.

General Information

• Ashigaru can damage buildings very easy and quickly. They are also good against cavalry.
• Ashigaru would attack the closest building on front of them but when attacked by an enemy troop; will fight back.
• Ashigaru can get destroyed easily by Splash Damage Structures such as mortars.
• Ashigaru are weak against other infantry.

• As a Japanese unique unit, Ashigaru has 20% more damage than the standard fusiliers they replace.

Historical Description

"Ashigaru' are Japanese infantry. Originally armed with polearms or spears and swords, by the 16th century they were equipped with matchlocks, known as 'tanegashima.' While the Japanese 'yumi' (bows) of the era were superior in virtually every way to these early firearms, a soldier could be trained to use a matchlock in a fraction of the time it took to learn how to fire a bow, and this would prove to be a decisive advantage."

Attacking Strategies

• If used in large groups; Ashigaru can be devastating and can destroy a base easily; if not in heavy fire.

• Mortars are devastating against Ashigaru and can kill a group of them in a few hits if in the range of the impact. Spread your Ashigaru around so the mortar would have to hit each Ashigaru to kill it and that its impact would not affect other Ashigaru as well or deploy a few heavy cavalry to destroy it.
• Use ranged infantry such as musketeers to support Ashigaru.
• Ashigaru can be used as a distraction for many defenses and can help protect ranged infantry such as musketeers from heavy fire from defenses.

Trivia

• The word "Ashigaru" means "light feet" in Japanese.
• Historically, they were conscripted peasants mass-trained in simple weapons such as the yari (Japanese spear) and the arquebus.
• They became important during the Sengoku Jidai period, when changes in military technology (specially the introduction of firearms and gunpowder by the Portuguese) transformed Japanese warfare from small scale conflicts (or even duels) between samurai to large scale conflicts between armies.
• The evolution pattern of the unique Japanese soldier carries the player from the bushi to the samurai (warrior nobility), then to the ashigaru (mostly peasants and militia; professional soldiers, at best). In other words, the unique infantry unit in the game devolves from a warrior elite class, to a conscripted mass model.