Kotarō Fūma is generally considered to be a moniker for the leader of the Fūma ninja. One particular Kotarō is noted to have once served the Hōjō clan and fought against the Takeda. Since his sole mention in historical records is a book authored during the early Edo period, Kotarō's true identity and activities remains an enigma with scholars. Before his playable Samurai Warriors persona's debut, he was a generic NPC in Samurai Warriors: State of War. Samurai Warriors fans voted him to twenty-fifth place out of forty characters in Gamecity's Sengoku Musou 3: Empires character popularity poll. He placed forty-second in the Samurai Warriors 4 poll. Although he doesn't appear in the US release, Kotarō appears as a bonus ninja character in Kessen III if the Enjoy disk is inserted.