Yojimbo
Yojimbo is ranged cavalry in Age of Empires III, available from the Industrial Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Saloon (Federal Americans), Monastery (Asians), Palace (Africans), Lombard (Italians).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 400 Coin
- Available
- Industrial Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Saloon (Federal Americans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Palace (Africans) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 50 sec · 4 population · 40 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 540 hit points · 40% hand resistance · 6.8 speed · 20 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 35 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 1.5x vs. Hand shock trooper
- Ranged attack
- 35 damage · 12 range · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.0x vs. Artillery; 2.0x vs. Heavy cavalry; 1.5x vs. Hand shock trooper; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 20 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Saloon (Federal Americans), Monastery (Asians), Palace (Africans), or Lombard (Italians). It has 540 hit points. It moves at 6.8 speed and uses 4 population. Training costs 400 Coin; it takes 50 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 35 damage. Ranged attack deals 35 damage. Siege attack deals 20 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.0× against Heavy cavalry and 1.5× against Hand shock trooper. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.0× against Artillery, 2.0× against Heavy cavalry, 1.5× against Hand shock trooper, and 0.5× against Villager.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (2×), Hand shock trooper (1.5×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Artillery (2×), Heavy cavalry (2×), Hand shock trooper (1.5×). Its reduced multipliers against Villager (0.5×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Artillery, Heavy cavalry, and Hand shock trooper before they can close; hold the melee attack for Heavy cavalry and Hand shock trooper when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Industrial Age hybrid cavalry profile
Yojimbo are Industrial Age Mercenary Light Ranged Cavalry from The Asian Dynasties. They cost 400 Coin, take 50 seconds to train and use four population. Their profile has 540 hit points, 40% hand resistance, speed 6.8 and line of sight 20. Both ranged and hand attacks deal 35 damage and fire every 1.5 seconds. The ranged attack has range 12, deals 2.0× against Artillery and Heavy Cavalry, 1.5× against Hand Shock troops, and only 0.5× against Villagers. Their hand attack gains 2.0× against Heavy Cavalry and 1.5× against Hand Shock troops, with an area radius of one. This combination lets them respond to mounted threats at range and finish close targets in melee.
Shock role and area damage
Yojimbo are closer to a durable shock unit than a conventional Cavalry Archer. Their hand resistance, high health and area damage help them fight Light Ranged Cavalry and Infantry that approach, while their ranged shots can damage Artillery and Heavy Cavalry before contact. Their siege attack is 20 in the current profile. They can attack several weak units through splash damage, making them dangerous to massed low-health Infantry, but their four-population use and 400-Coin price make losses expensive. Use them to exploit an opening or protect the army from a cavalry push, not as a cheap substitute for ordinary ranged Cavalry.
Do not confuse it with Yabusame
Yabusame Archers are a more specialized answer to Artillery, with long range and 50% ranged resistance. Yojimbo instead combine cavalry durability, anti-Cavalry multipliers and close-range area damage. They are more expensive and less cost-efficient for the specific task of removing enemy guns, so a Japanese force may use both units for different jobs: Yabusame focus Artillery while Yojimbo pressure Heavy Cavalry and punish units that close. The Yojimbo's range of 12 is shorter than many ranged units, so protect it from Light Infantry and Heavy Infantry that can focus it before it reaches melee. Its strengths do not make it universally superior to the Japanese roster.
Recruitment and Home City access
European civilizations can find Yojimbo at Taverns, Federal Americans at Saloons, Asian civilizations at Monasteries, Africans at Palaces and Italians at Lombards when the map's mercenary pool includes the unit. Germans can train them from Battleships with Adler von Lübeck if they are available at the Tavern. The United States can receive them through Poker, which draws from a random mercenary pool and may enable them at Saloons. Japanese players have dedicated access: Atonement enables Fortress Age Monastery production, while Hire Japanese Mercenary Army ships five, Hire Yojimbo Cavalry Archers ships four, and Recruit Wokou +7 Yojimbo ships seven. The latter shipments can be sent twice, allowing a Japanese player to plan a larger force than ordinary mercenary access provides.
Use in the Japanese campaign
Yojimbo appear in the first Japanese campaign scenario as woodcutters who were to be executed for rebelling. After the player frees them, they rejoin the force and explain that they have regained their honor. In that scenario their role is part of the mission's liberation sequence, distinct from standard multiplayer recruitment. This campaign appearance also links the unit to the story's broader conflict around the villages and the siege of Osaka.
Counterplay and version changes
Heavy Infantry, Light Infantry and MercType2 units are listed weaknesses. Heavy Infantry can pressure Yojimbo at range or in melee, and Light Infantry can exploit their limited ranged reach. The four-population investment means a player should withdraw the unit before it becomes trapped by several counters. Update 14.43676 reduced its hand-attack area radius from two to one and changed its siege damage from 40 to 20. Definitive Edition also added the Archer classification. Older guides can therefore overstate its splash radius or siege strength and omit current card and technology interactions.
Choose the right targets
The Yojimbo's two attack modes let it respond to changing threats. At range, its 35-damage shots target Artillery and Heavy Cavalry; in melee, it can punish Heavy Cavalry and Hand Shock troops while area damage affects nearby units. Its 0.5× Villager multiplier makes it a poor worker raider despite its mounted speed. Keep the group focused on military targets and do not let the opponent draw it into a long chase. Against Heavy Infantry or Light Infantry, withdraw and bring a more suitable unit rather than trading the Yojimbo's expensive health pool into its listed counters.
A costly alternative to standard ranged Cavalry
Four population and 400 Coin per Yojimbo are much higher commitments than standard Cavalry Archers. The unit repays that cost with 540 hit points, 40% hand resistance and a strong hand attack, but it is not a cheaper way to field the same role. Compare its cost to the expected fight: if the opponent has Heavy Cavalry, Hand Shock troops or Artillery, the bonus multipliers can justify the mercenary. If the enemy is massing Light Ranged Cavalry or Infantry, dedicated Yabusame and ordinary ranged units may use the population cap more efficiently. The unit's long training time also means a lost group cannot be replaced immediately.
Attack area and patch-aware use
The current hand attack has area radius one, which lets Yojimbo damage nearby targets without the larger splash described in older guides. Before update 14.43676, the radius was two and the siege attack was 40 rather than 20. This change reduced its ability to sweep a packed group and made it less useful for attacking buildings. Definitive Edition also added the Archer tag, which can affect bonuses and card interactions. Use the current 35-damage hand attack and the smaller radius when judging the unit's value; don't base a current force composition on the broader splash from pre-patch profiles.
Formation and retreat
Yojimbo have enough health to hold briefly in melee, but their four-population cost and long training time argue for withdrawing a damaged group. Keep them near the main army rather than using them as a lone scout. Their speed 6.8 can move them between flanks, and line of sight 20 helps reveal targets, but heavy ranged units can still attack from outside their 12 range. Use the cavalry to punish an exposed flank, then regroup before the opponent's Infantry and Artillery establish a firing line.
Preserve the mercenary investment
A damaged group is still expensive to replace. Pull Yojimbo away from Heavy Infantry and Light Infantry before they surround it, then let it recover with the main army instead of trading its health for a low-value target.
Japanese mercenary Cavalry Archer
Yojimbo are Japanese mercenaries that function like a highly improved Cavalry Archer. They combine ranged cavalry mobility with a strong attack and can pressure targets while remaining out of reach of slower infantry. Their role differs from the Yabusame Archer, which is more specialized against artillery and has stronger ranged resistance. Use Yojimbo as mobile support rather than assuming they can replace every light cavalry role.
Mercenary cost and counterplay
The mercenary investment makes Yojimbo valuable enough to protect. Keep them moving, focus on suitable targets and avoid light infantry or artillery that can punish their approach. Their exact access depends on the Japanese mercenary options and card state; check the available limit before planning a large force. Pair them with infantry that can hold the center and siege that can finish buildings, so the Yojimbo can use mobility to control flanks and respond to enemy Cavalry.