Levy Infantry vs Loan Sword Ashigaru

Total War: SHOGUN 2 1vs1: Loan Sword Ashigaru vs Levy Infantry Clan: Ikko Ikki vs Satsuma (FOTS) Battle Difficulty: normal Along with Mori Wako Raiders, Loan Sword Ashigaru are some of the only katana ashigaru in Total War: Shogun 2. Available from the very beginning of the campaign, they are very cheap troops, and are highly effective against the Yari Ashigaru fielded by most armies in the beginning of the campaign. Loan Sword Ashigaru even fare well against Yari Samurai, winning in head on fights. However, Loan Sword Ashigaru have the weaknesses of other katana units, and are highly vulnerable to cavalry and ranged attacks. Despite being katana armed infantry with a good attack stat, they can still be overpowered by more expensive melee infantry, such as katana or naginata samurai. Later in the campaign, the Ikko Ikki gain access to Katana Ronin, who are more skilled and better armored than Loan Sword Ashigaru. However, Loan Sword Ashigaru are still cheaper to train and maintain, and are often more cost effective. Loan Sword Ashigaru have an extremely low upkeep costs, being 33% lower than that of Yari Ashigaru, but they are much more expensive to recruit. In the long run, Loan Sword Ashigaru are the most cost efficient garrison troops. While they are normally exclusive to the Ikko Ikki, Loan Sword Ashigaru can be bribed by Metsuke to serve under any faction. They are valuable targets for bribing due to their cost efficiency, though by the time bribing becomes a viable option (due to its high cost, it's generally not feasible in the early game) better troops are likely to be available. Normally unique to the Ikko Ikki among playable factions, Katana Ronin are similar to Katana Samurai. Like other katana-armed units, Katana Ronin are excellent against infantry. Katana Ronin have superior statistics compared to their samurai counterpart, but have 25% less men per regiment. In a 1 v 1 situation, Katana Ronin lose badly to Katana Samurai. However, they remain the best katana-armed infantry available to the Ikko-Ikki, though they may be less cost-effective than the cheaper and more numerous Loan Sword Ashigaru. Other clans can obtain Katana Ronin through a mission that grants a unit of them in exchange for some koku. Refusing their offer of service, on the other hand, causes an increased likelihood for them to rebel.