Nobunaga the Fool

Nobunaga the Fool
Cover of the first DVD collection released by Sentai Filmworks
ノブナガ・ザ・フール (Nobunaga za Fūru)
Created by	Shōji Kawamori
Anime television series
Directed by	Hidekazu Satō
Produced by	Yoshikazu Beniya Takema Okamura Shō Tanaka Terushige Yoshie Manami Watanabe Kazuo Ōnuki Hiroki Kitayoshi Masako Iwamoto
Written by	Shōji Kawamori
Music by	Masaru Yokoyama
Studio	Satelight
Licensed by	AUS: Madman Entertainment NA: Sentai Filmworks
Original network	TV Tokyo, TVO, TVA, TVh, TSC, TVQ, AT-X
Original run	January 5, 2014 – June 22, 2014
Episodes	24

Nobunaga the Fool (ノブナガ・ザ・フール, Nobunaga za Fūru) is a Japanese stage play and anime series, part of a wider franchise titled The Fool by anime creator Shōji Kawamori. The play is a combination of live actors produced by Avex Live Creative and animation by Satelight, first performed on December 8, 2013. The anime series is also animated by Satelight and began airing on January 5, 2014 and ended on June 22, 2014.

Plot

Once upon a time, there was the Western Planet and the Eastern Planet. The two sides were bound by the "Dragon Pulse" spanning the heavens. The civilization that once had prospered has now turned to a tale of dreams, as the inextinguishable flames of war tear the realm asunder. The two planets remain engulfed in endless battles. The return of the super technology known as "sacred treasures" could revolutionize the world order, but no one knows of them but one person—a "heretical girl." A girl from the Western Planet, Jeanne Kaguya d'Arc, saw heavenly visions of the birth of a "Savior-King" who will save the world. She embarks on a journey to the Eastern Planet with Leonardo da Vinci, "the one who observes the world." They come across the heretic of the Eastern Planet and "the greatest fool of the day," Oda Nobunaga.

Characters

Main characters

Oda Nobunaga (オダ・ノブナガ)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese); Scott Gibbs (English)

The main character and a member of the Oda clan in the Eastern Planet. He is usually taken as a fool for his brash and impulsive behavior, thus both his father and the court claim that his brother Nobukatsu would be a better successor to his father. He obtains a powerful Giant War Armor mech from Leonardo who he names "The Fool", in homage to his fame. He is prophesied by Jeanne to be the Savior-King that will unite both the Western and Eastern Planets.

He chooses to become the Destroyer-King and faces and is killed by his friend Akechi Mitsuhide, but against all prognostic, what he destroys isn't the creation itself, but the power of destruction instead, and becomes the avatar of chaos. Before dying, he declares his love for Jeanne, and vow to encounter each other in their next lives.

Jeanne Kaguya d'Arc (ジャンヌ・カグヤ・ダルク, Janne Kaguya Daruku)

Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa (Japanese); Juliet Simmons (English)

Guided by visions of an ominous future for the Western Planet, she meets Leonardo and joins him in his journey to the Eastern Planet where she meets Nobunaga and disguises herself as a man called Ranmaru to fight by his side. She possesses a regalia, a powerful amulet that can empower a Giant War Armor. She frequently has doubts as to Nobunaga being the Savior-King, claiming she will never understand him. Eventually she receives her own Giant War Armor, named Orléans, from Da Vinci.

She appears to be developing slight feelings for Nobunaga, as evidenced by her jealousy during the betrothal ceremony between Nobunaga and Himiko. She admitted her love for him later on while conversing with Himiko. She's fatally injured during the final fight, and remains with Nobunaga, even after he becomes the Destroyer-King, until both die, while declaring their love for each other and vowing to meet in their next lives.

Akechi Mitsuhide (アケチ・ミツヒデ)

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese); Mike Yager (English)

One of Nobunaga's retainers. Extremely calm and collected, Mitsuhide is Nobunaga's chief political advisor and the master of the Oda Clan's shinobi forces. A kind man despite his quiet demeanor, he reluctantly assassinated Nobukatsu in order to ensure that Nobunaga succeeds the clan. He seems to have feelings for Ichihime, evidenced by the fact that he felt shocked when Caesar proposed to her.

He's brainwashed by King Arthur, and comes to believe that Nobunaga is the Destroyer-King and tries to kill him in order to save the world. After Arthur is killed, he chooses his own path and kills Nobunaga, while realizing that he is the true Savior-King and vows to Nobunaga and Jeanne that he will create a world of peace.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (トヨトミ・ヒデヨシ)

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (Japanese); Greg Ayres (English)

Another of Nobunaga's retainers. He is hyperactive and vulgar, which earned him the nickname "monkey". He has shown to be proficient with machinery and is capable of great acrobatic feats, implying training in the shinobi arts. He eventually steals his own Giant War Armor from the Western Plant, which he named Goku, and is given the Wind Regalia by Nobunaga. After being nearly killed by Alexander, he's saved by Himiko and her powers, now he is part cyborg. He is the only person that knows that Mitsuhide killed Nobukatsu, after being told by the former.

Leonardo da Vinci (レオナルド・ダ・ヴィンチ, Reonarudo Da Vinchi)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese); David Wald (English)

A genius inventor from the West, he is the one who builds "The Fool" and entrusts it to Nobunaga. He usually provides guidance to others by making divinations with his tarot deck. He came to Jeanne in her village and travels with her to find out the meaning behind her visions and to find the "truth" of the world.

After ending his painting The Last Supper, he dies after finally understanding the truth of the world, while letting all his tarot cards fly away.

Eastern Planet

Oda Clan

Ichihime (イチヒメ)

Voiced by: Minori Chihara (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)

Nobunaga's younger sister. She bears a calm demeanor and beauty that catches the attention of Caesar. She loves her brother dearly and claims that most people cannot see his true greatness. She accepts Caesar proposal of becoming his queen in exchange of ensuring the truce between the armies, but assures him that if he doesn't keeps his promise of protecting the Oda people, she will kill him herself, even at the cost of her own life. She seems to reciprocate the feelings Mitsuhide has for her. She tragically dies at the hands of Nell and Bianchi when they betray Caesar and she holds him as he dies, shortly after she succumbs to her wounds, bringing despair to Nobunaga and Mitsuhide.

Oda Nobuhide (オダ・ノブヒデ)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese); Luis Galindo (English)

Nobunaga's father and leader of the Oda clan. He is later killed by Caesar during the Takeda Clan's assault on the Oda castle.

Oda Nobukatsu (オダ・ノブカツ)

Voiced by: Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese); Gabriel Regojo (English)

Nobunaga's younger brother. The advisers of the court, as well as his father, believe him to be the better choice for succeeding the Oda clan. He believes in his brother and says that he would be a better ruler. He decides to succeed his father and to later step aside for his brother when he is ready. He is later killed by Mitsuhide, who believes that the advisers would never let him step down after he succeeds.

Other characters

Himiko (ヒミコ)

Voiced by: Nao Tōyama (Japanese); Krystal LaPorte (English)

The queen of Yamatai, she holds a longtime crush for Nobunaga and entrusts him her regalia in exchange of becoming his bride. She later stands in harm's way to save Nobunaga from an assassin sent to kill him, although she manages to survive. She would continue to provide Nobunaga with great political support and allowed him to use her flying airship as his personal transport.

Her condition for using her regalia and the power of the Ley Lines weakens her body to the point she becomes terminally ill, with only Da Vinci and Hideyoshi knowing the truth. When her condition reaches its final state, Hideyoshi tells the truth to Nobunaga in an attempt to save her. She uses her airship Azuchi one final time to help Nobunaga and Jeanne reach the palace of King Arthur. She finally succumbs to her illness, but accepts the love between Nobunaga and Jeanne while dying in Nobunaga's arms.

Takeda Shingen (タケダ・シンゲン)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese); Rob Mungle (English)

Leader of the Takeda clan. Shingen is a proud and noble warrior who set his sights on Nobunaga the moment he heard the boy had gained a Saint War Armor. He values honor and despises backhanded means such as assassination. His Giant War Armor, Fuurin Kazan, is enhanced greatly by the two Regalia in his possession, the Regalia of Wind and Fire. Following his loss to Nobunaga and death at Caesar's hands, Shingen passed on his regalia to Nobunaga.

Uesugi Kenshin (ウエスギ・ケンシン)

Voiced by: Hiroki Nanami (Japanese); Clint Bickham (English)

Leader of the Uesugi Clan and ruler of the country of Echigo. He was Shingen's greatest rival before his death and Kenshin greatly respected him. He is shown to be an extremely cordial and polite individual even when speaking to her enemies. However, underneath his calm mask lurks a man who greatly enjoys conflict and he secretly does what he can to prevent peace from settling on the Eastern Planet. His Giant War Armor, Visra is capable of defeating other Giant War Armors with ease, even those using a regalia, despite not using his own. After being defeated by Alexander, he desires to become stronger and accompanies Nobunaga in his quest to face the Star Dragons, going missing in the process. He returns to help Hideyoshi battle Alexander, after losing one eye, finally accepting his own weaknesses.

ChaCha, Hatsu and Gou (チャチャ、ハツ、ゴウ)

Voiced by: Karin Nanami (ChaCha), Yui Umemura (Hatsu) and Saki Takahashi (Gou) (Japanese); Katelyn Barr (ChaCha), Sara Ornelas (Hatsu), Brittany Djie (Gou) (English)

Three sisters who serve as kunoichi in the Oda Clan's shinobi forces under the supervision of Akechi Mitsuhide. They were assigned mainly to protect and serve Ichihime until her death.

They are based on Oda Nobunaga's nieces.

Western Planet

King Arthur (アーサー王, Aasaa Ou)

Voiced by: Keisuke Oda (Japanese); Leraldo Anzaldua (English)

The ruler of the Western Planet who has just united all of it under his rule. Despite being wrapped in mystery, with an unknown origin and intentions, he has proven to be a charismatic leader as his commanders are extremely loyal to him. Some, such as Caesar, consider him the True Savior-King. He seems to be capable of changing his face to appear whatever that person wants, in order to make them blindly loyal to him.

He reveals his true face to Nobunaga, and when he tries to summon the Holy Grail, he's finally killed during the fight between Nobunaga and Alexander while being crushed by the avatars of the Star Dragons.

Round Table

Gaius Julius Caesar (ガイウス・ユリウス・カエサル, Gaiusu Yuriusu Kaeseru)

Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese); Houston Hayes (English)

A masked man charged with dealing with the escaped Leonardo da Vinci. He pilots a Giant War Armor named Quo Vadis. He decides that he wants to have Ichihime for himself when he sees her while scouting out the Oda castle.

During the Takeda Clan's assault on the Oda Clan's castle, he appears and kills Nobuhide. He later kills Shingen with a surprise attack from behind before he can pass his wind regalia on to Nobunaga (which his subordinates Nell and Bianchi then steal), then proceeds to incite the Takeda Clan by claiming that Nobunaga was the one to stab Shingen from behind.

When he accepted a truce from the Oda Clan and a temporary alliance, he put the condition that Ichihime will become his queen in return for the peace between the factions. He seems to have a rivalry with Alexander. While he doesn't consider dishonorable to attack someone from behind, he claims to dislike killing women.

He's brainwashed by King Arthur and tries to fulfill his wishes, until he is freed of his influence by Nobunaga. He is betrayed by Nell and Bianchi and is pierced by a spear that kills him, Ichihime and Nell, although he kills Bianchi in retaliation before succumbing to his wounds, and dies in the arms of Ichihime claiming his happiest moments were with her.

Alexander (アレクサンダー, Arekusandā)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese); Josh Morrison (English)

The strongest member of the Round Table, and Arthur's apparent second in command. His comrades hold his skills in high regard and greatly value his opinion. His Giant War Armor, Gaia, is by far the most powerful seen so far, easily defeating Kenshin, Nobunaga and nearly killing Hideyoshi. Da Vinci assures that if it wasn't for King Arthur, he would have become the emperor of the Star of the West himself.

Cesare Borgia (チェーザレ・ボルジア, Cheezare Borujia)

Voiced by: Takayuki Kondo (Japanese); David Matranga (English)

Although he accompanies Charlemagne and Hannibal in their mission to the Eastern Planet, Borgia chooses to remain in the ship while they fight. He stabs Hannibal in the back when she planned torturing the captive Jeanne. A sadistic person who has a loathing towards Machiavelli. He betrays Caesar and helps Nell and Bianchi in killing him. He later shoots Jeanne once he believes she has fulfilled her purpose and is shot and killed by Mitsuhide in return.

Charlemagne (シャルルマーニュ, Sharurumaanu)

Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese); Jay Hickman (English)

A blonde man who acts as Hannibal's partner. He wields a regalia of wind that, in combination with Hannibal's water regalia, creates powerful ice attacks. He uses this skill to freeze the people of Owari so that they may serve as hostages, only to kill them all when Hannibal commanded him to "release" them. He is fatally injured by Uesugi Kenshin; however, before dying, he uses his remaining strength to send the defeated Hannibal and captured Jeanne towards the Western fleet.

Hannibal Barca (ハンニバル・バルカ, Hannibaru Baruka)

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese); Allison Sumrall (English)

A tall woman who wears a rather flamboyant dress. She appears to be the cruelest member of the Round Table as she would make repeated requests to have Caesar punished for his failures on the Eastern Planet. She is quite arrogant, often boasting that she could do a better job. It is possible that there might be some bad blood between them. She wields the regalia of water. After a failed attempt to acquire Nobunaga's regalia, she returns with the unconscious Jeanne Kaguya d'Arc and the deceased Charlemagne's wind regalia. As she plots to torture her captive, she is stabbed and killed by Cesare Borgia.

Niccolo Machiavelli (ニッコロ・マキャベリ, Niccoro Makiaberi)

Voiced by: Aya Endō (Japanese); Carli Mosier (English)

A woman with purple hair that hides her right eye because its mechanical. She seems to dislike Borgia and unlike him, she prefers using a more psychological type of torture. She claims her biggest desire is being recognized by King Arthur, and wants Jeanne's powers to achieve it. She was later killed by Borgia.

Chandragupta (チャンドラグプタ, Chandoraguputa)

Voiced by: Takahiro Fujiwara (Japanese); Robert Meek (English)

He accompanies Alexander in their quest to conquer the Star of the East, showing his ruthlessness by destroying the Takeda lands. Unlike most characters, his Giant War Armor is shaped similar to that of an elephant. He was killed by Uesugi Kenshin.

Other characters

Magellan (マゼラン, Mazeran)

Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese); Mark Laskowski (English)

An admiral from the Western Planet who escorts Leonardo da Vinci and Jeanne d'Arc to the Eastern Planet until they escape his ship. He would later escort Caesar on his own voyage to the Eastern Planet as well.

Brutus (ブルータス, Buruutasu)

Voiced by: Hiro Shimono (Japanese); Jonathan Gonzalez (English)

Caesar's lieutenant. He is shown to be extremely loyal to his commander and follows his orders without question. Originally left behind on the Western Planet, he personally escorted a shipment of Giant War Armors to the Eastern Planet. One of these machines was stolen by Hideyoshi, who defeated Brutus with the power of the Wind Regalia.

Bianchi Țepeş (ビアンキ・ツェペシュ, Bianki Tsepeshu)

Voiced by: Haruka Ishida (Japanese); Kalin Coates (English)

A mysterious and blood thirsty little boy who accompanied Caesar to the Western Planet. He is shown to take joy out of others discomfort and apparently spies on Caesar for King Arthur. When Arthur orders him and Nell to kill Caesar, he attacks him and before he can react, he's pierced by the spear thrown by his sister, dying alongside Caesar and Ichihime.

Nell Țepeş (ネル・ツェペシュ, Neru Tsepeshu)

Voiced by: Ibuki Kido (Japanese); Margaret McDonald (English)

Bianchi's apparent twin sister. Her personality is exactly like that of her brother and she also spies on Caesar for King Arthur. When Arthur orders her and Bianchi to kill Caesar, she throws the spear that kills Bianchi, Caesar and Ichihime, before being killed in retaliation by Caesar. She and her brother seem to show relief as they die despite the pain, as the sinister red glow of their eyes fades presumably along with whatever spell they were under.

Media

Anime

An anime television series by Satelight aired from January 5, 2014 to June 22, 2014. For episodes 1-13, the opening theme for is "Fool the World" by Minori Chihara, and the ending theme is "Axis" by Stereo Dive Foundation. For episode 14 onwards, the opening theme is "Breakthrough" by JAM Project while the ending theme is "Orchid" (蘭（RAN）, Ran) by Asuka. Anime streaming site Crunchyroll acquired the streaming rights for North America and other territories. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series for digital and home video release in North America.

Episode list

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"The Star" "Hoshi" (星)	January 5, 2014 (2014-01-05)
Jeanne Kaguya d'Arc and Nobunaga make recurring dreams of each other. Skipping Nobukatsu's coming of age ceremony, Nobunaga along with Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi spot an invasion force of the Takeda. He warns the nearby castle but is not believed and can only watch as his side gets wiped out. Jeanne hears voices and is outcast by her own village. She joins Da Vinci who is heading for the East star. When her voices exhort her, Jeanne commandeers a ship with Da Vinci and escape from Magellan's board.
2	"The Lovers" "Koibito" (恋人)	January 12, 2014 (2014-01-12)
Magellan sends two armors after Da Vinci. Using Da Vinci's armor, Nobunaga defeats the pursuers but the effort is taxing. He will hide Jeanne from Ichi by pretending she is a man named Ranmaru. Using a barge they reach Owari, Caesar volunteers to go after Da Vinci. The counsel of the Round Table assents.
3	"The Chariot" "Sensha" (戦車)	January 19, 2014 (2014-01-19)
Lord Nobuhide refuses to modernize his army. Nobukatsu asks Ranmaru to take care of his brother. Takeda troops are sighted: Nobunaga leads the vanguard against them. Takeda himself engages the battle with his armor Fuurinkazan that uses fire shinki (regalia). Nobunaga is overwhelmed, but Himeko of Yamatai arrives and offers him a thunder shinki in exchange of his marital vow.
4	"The Magician" "Majutsushi" (魔術師)	January 26, 2014 (2014-01-26)
Using Himeko's ship, the party reaches Oda castle. Himeko finds out about Jeanne's gender. The alliance with Yamatai strengthens the Oda clan. Instead of a wedding, a betrothal ceremony will be held in pomp. Da Vinci plans the ceremony and Hideyoshi charges the entrance, raising money to build new armors.
5	"The Tower" "Tō" (塔)	February 2, 2014 (2014-02-02)
Nobunaga learns from Himeko how to control the shinki. He gets poisoned just before a new attack of the Takeda. Lord Nobuhide sorties with his armor to defend the castle. The poisoning was a ploy by Mitsuhide so Nobunaga could save the day. While Nobunaga is fighting Takeda, Caesar in his giant armor Quo Vadis kills Lord Nobuhide.
6	"Strength" "Chikara" (力)	February 9, 2014 (2014-02-09)
Out of pain, Nobunaga acts like a fool during his father's funeral. The advisors of the clan have enough and decide to assassinate him so Nobukatsu can become the new clan leader. For what he considers to be the greater good, Nobukatsu is willing to step up. Mitsuhide decides to kill him. Nobuhide deposited his inheritance to Ichi. Jeanne has enough of Nobunaga too and leaves the castle. She witnesses the attempt on Nobunaga's life and how is he saved by the sacrifice of Himeko.
7	"The Hierophant" "Higi Ō" (秘儀王)	February 23, 2014 (2014-02-23)
Himeko is alive, Nobukatsu is not. As the Takedas are the prime suspects, Nobunaga decides to go interrogate Takeda himself and alone. Takeda declares he has not sent any assassins and Nobunaga believes him. They duel, Nobunaga wins. Dying Takeda hands Nobu the fire shinki, then Caesar shows up and finishes Takeda, appropriating a wind shinki Takeda also had. Out of energy, Nobu retreats. Caesar returns to Takeda's and initiates a feud by saying Nobu stabbed Takeda in the back.
8	"Ace of Wands" "Bō" (棒)	March 2, 2014 (2014-03-02)
Jeanne has a premonition of Cesar stabbing Nobu. Nobu wants to take back the wind shinki so he must attack the Takeda forces that are now led by Caesar. Using the one-night castle ruse, Takeda troops walk into a trap and are destroyed. Nobu fights Caesar and has the underhand until Jeanne steps in and her shinki activates and protects Nobu. Caesar is defeated and Nobu reclaims the wind shinki.
9	"The Moon" "Tsuki" (月)	March 9, 2014 (2014-03-09)
Beyond the conquest of the East star, the goal of the Round table is to obtain the Grail. / Jeanne gets her own armor. Following Takeda's will, Uesugi forms an alliance with Caesar. People of Oda start fleeing, advisers want to submit to Caesar. But Nobu convinces them to fight. Having united the clan, Ichi can finally hand Nobuhide's inheritance to Nobunaga: the Bowl of Emptiness. Jeanne masters her defense shinki.
10	"Temperance" "Sessei" (節制)	March 16, 2014 (2014-03-16)
The Oda clan forges alliances with other clans to counter the Caesar-Uesugi front. This is noticed by Caesar, who asks Arthur for more giant armors. Nobu decides to steal one. They will be delivered in the ley line nexus Takamagahara. The Odas divert the cargo but one armor is manned. Hideyoshi gets into one but is defeated, until Nobu arrives and entrusts him with the wind shinki. Having powered-up, Hideyoshi and his now flying armor Goku can easily defeat the guard.
11	"Death" "Shinigami" (死神)	March 23, 2014 (2014-03-23)
Leaving Brutus in charge of Kai, Caesar mounts a total assault against Owari. The castle is evacuated, but the sheer number of enemy troops make Oda's three giant armors overheat. Knowing the confrontation with Cesar cannot be lengthy, the Odas devise a stratagem that almost defeats Caesar. But Caesar's will is too strong, and he harvests the ley lines to awaken his armor which releases a devastating beam. Jeanne partly blocks it, but the fallout makes a great deal of casualties.
12	"The Fool" "Orokamono" (愚者)	March 30, 2014 (2014-03-30)
Nobu invites Caesar to a tea ceremony. Caesar accepts: lacking support in the Round Table, he needs to get rid of his rival Alexander. He could do so if Nobu becomes his ally. Caesar also had his eyes on Ichi ever since he touched land. He tries to waver Nobu into surrender by telling him Arthur is the Savior King of both Stars. Jeanne counters with her visions. A temporary truce is decided until Nobu can meet Arthur, at a cost: Ichi is to marry Caesar.
13	"Ace of Swords" "Ken" (剣)	April 6, 2014 (2014-04-06)
The West Star's ley lines are collapsing: an invasion will happen soon. Nobu wants to strike first. He is upheld by Caesar who says their shinki match the Table's. Da Vinci uses four shinki to boost Himeko's ship so it can space travel. The ship is renamed Azuchi. Mitsuhide and Ichi, who love each other, have a parting conversation. Mitsuhide sends his ninjas to watch over her. / The Table doesn't know what to think of Caesar's alliance with Nobu and sends investigators.
14	"The Empress" "Jotei" (女帝)	April 13, 2014 (2014-04-13)
Caesar bakes a choco cake for Ichi. Charlemagne and Hannibal drop down from Magellan's ship. They use adiabatic expansion to make the snow fall, isolating Owari. They trap hostages in ice. Nobu does not care but Jeanne surrenders her shinki. Charles kills the hostages anyway. Nobu attacks but stops when Hannibal threatens Jeanne's life. Charles wrecks the Fool. He is about to finish Nobu when Caesar comes and blasts away the clouds that powered the invaders. Uesugi arrives too and fatally wounds Charles. With his last strength he sends Hannibal still holding Jeanne and his ice shinki into orbit. But once aboard Magellan's ship Cesare Borgia stabs Hannibal in the back.
15	"The Hanged Man" "Tsurusareta Otoko" (吊るされた男)	April 20, 2014 (2014-04-20)
The Grail will not be summoned if the dead members of the Table are not replaced. Jeanne is tortured by Cesare. Machiavelli takes over and brings Jeanne to her hometown Domrémy. She decides to burn her and pretend to be the new seer. On the stake, Jeanne has a vision of the town being destroyed. Nobu arrives with Jeanne's shinki and frees her. She tries to save the townsfolk and reaches sainthood while doing so. But the ley lines still destroy the town and Jeanne has to escape.
16	"Ace of Cups" "Seihai" (聖杯)	April 27, 2014 (2014-04-27)
To outwit their pursuers, Nobu and Jeanne double back. With Domrémy gone, an ancient underground temple can be seen: the Ladder to the Heavens, a nexus that connects the two Stars. The Azuchi arrives: Hideyoshi and Caesar will distract Cesare's contingent. Caesar defeats Cesare who plants a time bomb on Quo Vadis. Mitsuhide rescues Nobu and Jeanne by stalling Machiavelli but can't make it back to the departing Azuchi. Caesar fetches him, but the bomb explodes and they're both left stranded.
17	"The Hermit" "Inja" (隠者)	May 4, 2014 (2014-05-04)
18	"The Emperor" "Koutei" (皇帝)	May 11, 2014 (2014-05-11)
The Western Star begins their invasion of the Eastern Star. After defeating Chandragupta, Kenshin is incapacitated by Alexander. Mitsuhide — who intercepted a Western war machine to reach the Eastern star — rescues Ichihime. Nobunaga battles Alexander despite his comrade's protest. Due to Alexander's overwhelming power, Nobunaga overexerts himself by utilizing four Regalias simultaneously and is defeated. Hideyoshi and Jeanne arrive to rescue Nobunaga but Alexander easily breaks Hideyoshi and his war armor as Alexander lay destruction upon the land.
19	"Wheel of Fortune" "Unmei no Wa" (運命の輪)	May 18, 2014 (2014-05-18)
20	"The Sun" "Taiyou" (太陽)	May 25, 2014 (2014-05-25)
21	"Justice" "Seigi" (正義)	June 1, 2014 (2014-06-01)
22	"The Devil" "Akuma" (悪魔)	June 8, 2014 (2014-06-08)
Mitsuhide continues to have nightmares of him betraying Nobunaga. As Mitsuhide begins to question his loyalty to Nobunaga and his goal, he advertently reveals to Hideyoshi that he was the assassin that killed Nobukatsu, which Hideyoshi fathoms as an act he would have taken if Mitsuhide had not done it but warns to kill him if ever he disavows his trust to Nobunaga, who continues to grieve over his sister's death. Elsewhere, Mitsuhide seeks out to question King Arthur of his true intentions. In exchange after seeing King Arthur's "face", Mitsuhide vows to eliminate Nobunaga.
23	"The World" "Sekai" (世界)	June 15, 2014 (2014-06-15)
With the Eastern star at the brink of destruction, Nobunaga, Jeanne and Hideyoshi charge to the Palais Natura to exterminate King Arthur. Even with aid from the reborn Kenshin, Nobunaga is overwhelmed by Alexander and the Perfecta, reanimations of fallen Round Table members. Himiko, however, rescues Nobunaga, allowing him and Jeanne to enter the Palais Natura. Having used the last of her life force, before dying Himiko accepts the love between Nobunaga and Jeanne and that he never had feelings for her. Inside the Palais Natura, the duo is confronted by Mitsuhide, who turned his loyalty over to King Arthur. At gunpoint, Jeanne proclaims that King Arthur is the Savior King to spare Nobunaga's life. After her declaration she is shot by Borgia.
24	"Judgement" "Shimpan" (審判)	June 22, 2014 (2014-06-22)
As Jeanne lay critically injured, Mitsuhide kills Borgia. Desperate, Nobunaga summons a rampaging The Fool. King Arthur declares that he can willingly turn everyone's desires to reality through the power of the Holy Grail, but Nobunaga chooses to follow his own destiny to bring forth destruction. Elsewhere, da Vinci proceeds with painting the Last Supper. With the power of all the Regalia entrusted to him, Nobunaga faces Alexander - both in dragon form. King Arthur summons the Holy Grail, but it disappears when Arthur is collaterally crushed by the dragons' fight. After being saved by Hideyoshi, Mitsuhide is determined to kill Nobunaga, who has begun devouring all of creation. Nobunaga and Mitsuhide duel; albeit overpowered, Mitsuhide disables Nobunaga's Regalias — as he was fated to — and delivers a killing blow. The dragon disappears, revealing Nobunaga protected his people — devouring destruction unto himself instead. Nobunaga entrusts the future to Mitsuhide. With a kiss, the moribund couple, Nobunaga and Jeanne, promise to meet in another life and vanish from this world. Realizing the truth behind the universe, da Vinci releases his tarot cards and falls into a burning chasm. Mitsuhide vows to create a world of peace. Centuries later, a student resembling Jeanne meets another student resembling Nobunaga. The two students get married after they finish school.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Official anime website (in Japanese)
• Official TV Tokyo anime website (in Japanese)
• Nobunaga the Fool (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia