Yari Ashigaru's virtues are:Originally Posted by [b
Cost: you can use them as garrisons or any other place were numbers are more important than quality. Like in a bridge battle, or as flanking force against not-very-strong or wavering enemies.
Speed: they are amongst the fastest infantry and good for pursuing the heavily armored samurai if cavalry isn't available. Their name translates as 'light feet'. You can also use them to lure infantry forces into killing zones, but their low morale makes them less useful for that.
Status: samurai look down upon ashigaru, thinking of them as inferior warriors (as they are). So routing ashigaru will not upset samurai (although they do take notice). This non-elite status makes ashigaru even more useful as cannon fodder: if you use mainly samurai, it doesn't matter much for the morale of your army if they run away.
Spears: yari ashigaru are armed with spears and gain a bonus when fighting cavalry. Combined with their speed they can do good damage against unsuspecting samurai on horseback. Yari cavalry and cavalry archers cannot stand up in a direct fight against yari ashigaru. Naginata cavalry and heavy cavalry can, but will probably lose a significant number of men. And that's good, because you've only lost a few cheap ashigaru.
Their weak points are their morale and their bad combat abilities against anything but cavalry or ashigaru arquebusiers. You can't rely upon ashigaru, so you shouldn't use them as a reserve. If things are going bad their morale won't be up to it.
I hope this answers your question.
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