
Ikko Ikki Matchlock Ashigaru have 25% more men, +1 morale, -1 melee attack, -1 charge bonus, -5 reload skill, and -20 accuracy.


Nevertheless, they can be useful for fighting armored units, as matchlocks ignore armor values. In addition, matchlock units inflict a heavy morale penalty on their targets. While they have more men per regiment than Matchlock Samurai or Matchlock Warrior Monks, their poorer accuracy and reloading skills mean that they have a lower kill rate than their counterparts. Unlike bow units, matchlock units fire in a straight line, meaning that they have to take land inclines and friendly fire into account more carefully. Matchlock Ashigaru are mid-late game infantry. Very vulnerable to cavalry and in melee.The ashigaru gunners were led by a teppo ko gashira, a man chosen for his skill and courage, who ordered when to load, when to fire and signalled his superiors when the enemy had been weakened enough for a charge to be attempted. The archery duel became an exchange of gunfire and, as the guns were largely carried by ashigaru, the first shots were now fired by simple foot soldiers. However, the Sengoku Jidai introduced the European arquebus, guns which required much less skill to use than the bow. The honour traditionally fell to the samurai archers, who opened most battles with an archery duel.

Historically, it was considered a great honour for any samurai to fire the first shot of a battle. They do not have the training to fight in close combat and have no defence against a cavalry charge. When the main fighting starts matchlock gunners should retreat behind melee troops. The smoke and fire they produce can be very disorientating to enemies, particularly when targets are dropping all around. Once fired, the matchlock guns take a long time to reload, but their range, noise, and effect on enemy morale more than compensates for this lack of speed. The role of matchlock ashigaru is to unleash massed gun volleys upon the enemy, keeping them confused and, in the process, weakening them enough for a frontline charge. These ashigaru troops are armed with matchlock arquebuses and pepper the enemy with long range, mass volleys. Matchlock Ashigaru are a type of matchlock infantry in Total War: Shogun 2.
