Kihetai (FOTS Unit)

Kihetai (FOTS Unit)
File:Kihetai FOTS.png
Class	Elite Infantry
Recruitment Cost	1030
Upkeep Cost	130
Requires	Buildings: Barracks Clan: Choshu
Melee Attack	10
Charge Bonus	15
Bonus vs Cavalry	7
Range	125
Accuracy	55
Reloading Skill	40
Ammunition	10
Melee Defence	5
Armour	2
Morale	10
Speed	4

Description

The Kihetai are line infantry, and deadly with their modern rifles.

These men have been trained to deliver disciplined volleys of gunfire into enemy formations. They are well drilled, and can maintain a good rate of fire and be fairly accurate too. Their weapons are capable of inflicting horrible wounds, like most modern large-bore rifles. The Kihetai have a robust sense of morale, but their resilience is not bottomless. They are not particularly competent in close combat, and will suffer if they are overrun by a cavalry attack.

The Meiji Restoration saw the foundation of a modern army and navy for Japan. Many of the senior officers in the Imperial Japanese Army were natives of Choshu, and this lead to tensions with the Imperial Japanese Navy, where men from Satsuma occupied the top jobs. The two domains had a long traditional enmity, and this continued as a not-so-covert struggle for dominance in Japanese affairs between the Army and the Navy. Favouritism in both services made sure that men of Choshu and Satsuma were usually favoured for promotion in the services, further entrenching the rivalry. This was to have profound consequences for Japanese politics, diplomacy, and even the course of the Second World War. Well before then, however, the situation became so bad that Army officers from regions other than Choshu actually formed a secret society, the Double Leaf Society, to root out "corrupt" officers. Their fanaticism, and the fanaticism of other secret groups, also spilled out into wider politics.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Good accuracy and reload rate.
• Average in melee.
• Weak against cavalry.
• Presence encourages nearby friendly units.
• Very good morale.
• Choshu-Exclusive Unit.

Special Abilities

• Kneel Fire - The first rank of this unit will kneel to allow the first two ranks to fire simultaneously.
• Suppression Fire - This ability increases reload rate but lowers accuracy. Enemy units hit by suppression fire are slowed and suffer a morale penalty.

Other Information

	Kihetai	Imperial Guard Infantry	Shogunate Guard Infantry	Republican Guard Infantry	United States Marines	Royal Marines	Infanterie de Marine
Recruitment Cost	1030	1300	1300	1300	1340	1370	1430
Upkeep Cost	130	170	170	170	170	180	180
Melee Attack	10	11	11	11	13	12	11
Charge Bonus	15	20	20	20	20	20	20
Bonus vs Cavalry	7	7	7	7	7	7	7
Range	125	125	125	125	125	125	125
Accuracy	55	65	65	65	65	70	75
Reloading Skill	40	60	60	60	60	65	70
Ammunition	10	15	15	15	15	15	15
Melee Defence	5	6	6	6	8	7	6
Armour	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Morale	10	12	12	12	12	12	12

Summary

• The Kihetai enjoy the advantage of being the cheapest and easiest to recruit Elite Infantry unit in the game which allows them to be deployed very early in the campaign. However, this comes at the cost of their stats which are slightly lower than their late-game and foreign counterparts, meaning that they will lose in a one-on-one fight if they're pitted against them instead of Line Infantry units.