Heishirō Mitsurugi (Earth-19999)

"Jigoku no hide wa, wareware wa futatabi mitasanakereba narimasen (地獄の火では、我々は再び満たさなければなりません) In the fires of Hell, we shall meet again."

- - Mitsurugi

Heishirō Mitsurugi (御剣 平四郎) is one of the main characters in the Mortal Fighter Series. Mitsurugi made his first appearance in Mortal Fighter II and has returned for all sequels and spin-offs. An lone swordsman, he is known in the whole world as He Who Lives for Battle.

Early Life
Heishirō was born the fourth son of a farmer in Bizen, Japan; but after many years of seeing his homeland ravaged by war, he decided to become a samurai. After his parents' death in his 14th year, he took a sword and the last name Mitsurugi. He went to train under the powerful warlord of the Murakami Clan. At this time, Japan was in the middle of the Sengoku Jidai or "the age of the country at war" in which the feudal lords or "daimyos" attempted to claim the title of Shogun.

Mitsurugi was a powerful force on the battlefield, and rumors of him spread like wildfire, heralding him as the warrior that could mow down foes like fields of wheat, and he was noted by Uesugi Kenshin and Oda Nobunaga as a great warrior. He received numerous military commendations and eventually reached the rank of commissioned officer in the Japanese armed forces. But all along, his only true desire was a worthy opponent.

After leaving the Murakami clan, Mitsurugi continued to fight in every war in Japan as a hired mercenary. It was during this time that he had learned of a new weapon that was said to be changing the way wars would be fought: the rifle. He originally dismissed this weapon as a novelty, but he soon learned that it was capable of obliterating the Takeda cavalry at the Battle of Nagashino. He sensed that the arrival of the rifle in common warfare would put him out of business. He decided that the only way to combat with this was to find a stronger weapon: the enchanted sword of legend, Soul Edge.

It was however by Soul Edge that Heishirō was granted the power of advanced longevity, which make him look younger even if he already had many years of life. Unlike what everyone would think was an curse would transform him into an greater pursuer of opponents who could beat him.

Mortal Fighter II
Unfortunately, Mitsurugi was unable to find any trace of the legendary "Hero's Sword" on his quest and began taking tasks that were largely meaningless to him in order to pass the time. One of these involved guarding a base for Shadaloo and others works of assassination by numerous governmental and criminal factions. In his frustration of finding no signs of his destiny, he returned home and was contacted by Earth's greatest god, Lord Raiden who acknowledged Mitsurugi's talent and prowless, wanting him to be an warrior to compete in the King of Iron Fist Tournament. Seeing this as an either way to gain back his honor (and find worthy opponents who would fall to his Katana), Mitsurugi accepted and joined the warriors of Earthrealm in their next battle against evil.