Motonari is depicted as a young, genius daimyo who only cares about winning. He will use any strategies that can lead him to victory, including those that sacrifice his soldiers, without any hesitation. To reflect this personality, his attacks in Devil Kings can also hit his own allies, though no actual damage is dealt. Motonari also has a belief in the Sun (which he calls 日輪 Nichirin), and he tends to refer to himself as 日輪の申し子 "Child of the Sun". He has a fierce rivalry with Motochika Chōsokabe of Shikoku, whose personality is the opposite of him.