The Onimusha Way of the Sword walkthrough below is a mostly linear sequence of 23 named main missions with side content layered onto it, plus one semi-open hub area, Eastern Kyoto, that expands as Kyoto is cleansed. Accepting "The Clash at Rendaino" from Ono no Takamura at Rokudou Chinno-ji is the point of no return — finish everything optional before you take it.
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Onimusha Way of the Sword walkthrough: main mission order
The Ruckus at Rendaino
The Stage is Set at Kiyomizu
Kyoto, Corrupted
The Oni's Apprentice
Careful What You Wish For
The Curse of Kiyomizu-zaka Slope
A Strength in Refuge
Patching Up the Pouch
Windswept Kennin-ji
An Immortal Talent
What Lurks in the Shadows
The Roots of All Evil
Bloodbath on the Bridge
Shadows Fall
A Tempest at the Temple
To Live is to Suffer
Okuni's Kabuki Dance
The Demon on the Mount
A Haunted Distraction
Storm Chaser
In the Light of an Icy Moon
The Clash at Rendaino
The Way of the Sword
"The Clash at Rendaino" is the commitment mission and "The Way of the Sword" is the separate final stage at Shanaoh Castle.
What the early missions do
- Mission 1 teaches attack, guard, dodge and Issen. Musashi meets the Man in White, receives the Oni Gauntlet, defeats Genma at Rokudo-Chinnoji Temple, seals a Rift, and Okuni gives him a Hozuki Pouch.
- Mission 2 is Kiyomizu-dera Temple: destroy two Spiders blocking the route, pick up the Two Celestials Oni Armament, learn Grab Reversal, then fight Sasaki Ganryu and Daidara.
- Mission 3 sends Musashi through Eastern Kyoto with a Johari Shard for navigation, introduces flying and spinning Genma, and ends after two Rifts are sealed.
- Mission 4 unlocks the Skill and Oni Skill systems and Deflect, opens the Training Grounds drills, and awards the Wind-Whipper.
- Mission 5 is a shrine where strange flowers lead to three missing Stout Pillars. The boss is Rasho-gan, whose chained and back arms must be cut off, and defeating him unlocks Oni Strength.
- Mission 6, Kiyomizu-zaka Slope, uses Oni Strength to destroy Corruption Flowers, climbs rooftops and ladders, and fights Byakue.
- Mission 7 opens new paths to another Oni Sanctuary and a movable-block puzzle.
- Mission 8 has Okuni repairing the Hozuki Pouch; Musashi explores the Old Temple for armoured Genma and Oni Cloth, finds a Skeleton Hozuki, and enables pouch enhancement.
Where the bosses happen
| Boss | Location |
|---|---|
Sasaki Ganryu | Kiyomizu-dera Temple, then near Yasaka Pagoda in "To Live is to Suffer", and again in the finale |
Daidara | Oni Sanctuary route after Kiyomizu-dera |
Rasho-gan | The shrine tied to the missing Stout Pillars |
Byakue | Kiyomizu-zaka Slope |
Ifuu | Kennin-ji Temple — a wind-projectile, lunge and grab fight whose second phase can be interrupted by shooting his lungs |
Nue, Double Nue and Greater Nue | Nijo-jo Castle grounds, its underground laboratory and the Imperial Palace section |
Dohatsu-ten | Toribeno — feints, sword strings, kicks and unavoidable pink attacks |
Benkei | Gojo-ohashi Bridge — his armour must be stripped before damage lands. A fully armed Benkei returns in the finale |
Burai | Kennin-ji Temple — lightning, floating eyes, teleporting charges and a Countering Stance that punishes direct sword attacks |
Shuten Doji | The Mount Oe fortress — his second phase splits into separate head and body attacks |
Dokyo | "In the Light of an Icy Moon" |
Minamoto no Yoshitsune | The summit of Shanaoh Castle in the finale |
Several earlier bosses return in the castle finale, and the final chain layers repeated fights onto Yoshitsune. Every fight's mechanics are on the boss list.
Optional story threads
Mysteries of Kyoto
are eight optional investigations given by Lady Murasaki, tracked as Observations in the Curious Cases menu and marked with butterfly icons on the map. The category opens after "What Lurks in the Shadows", and individual mysteries become available at story milestones. Six of the eight award a named charm.
Chance Encounters
are 18 citizen-focused side missions marked with notebook icons on the Kyoto map. They begin appearing around "The Curse of Kiyomizu-zaka Slope" as areas are cleansed, with further encounters unlocking after later missions. Alongside them are the five Hidden Treasure missions, which use an approximate on-map marker: activate the encounter, then use Oni Vision at the right spot to reveal the treasure. There are also 36 hidden Lion Dogs scattered across the game.
All of these are listed on the secrets guide.
The point of no return
Accepting "The Clash at Rendaino" is the commitment point. It starts the last mission and temporarily suspends free roam, including Rakuto exploration, so make the save and finish optional work first.
The lock is not permanent: after Yoshitsune and the post-credits scene, choosing Continue from the main menu returns you to the pre-finale state with unfinished Lion Dogs, Genma Notes, collectibles and armaments still open. Nothing is permanently missable.
The ending
There is no secret or true ending. The campaign has one ending with no branches or ending variants, followed by one post-credits scene. No difficulty, collectible count, side content or New Game+ state changes the outcome — clearing every Mystery of Kyoto and Chance Encounter, collecting all seven Oni Armaments, or finishing on the hardest difficulty does not unlock a second ending. There is no ending-choice prompt and no completion percentage gate.
What happens at the end: the final boss is Minamoto no Yoshitsune, fought at Shanaoh Castle in three phases. Musashi wins, and Yoshitsune dissolves after removing himself from the cycle of rebirth. Dokyo escapes as Shanaoh Castle falls, with Sasaki Ganryu revived. Shizuka returns to Hell and Okuni takes up the gauntlet. In the post-credits scene, Okuni is cutting through Genma at a temple when Musashi arrives still wearing the Oni Gauntlet, and the two fight together.
The real completion rewards after the ending are New Game+, the Carnage difficulty, Boss Rematch, Rift encounters and cosmetic outfits — not a different ending.
How long it takes
Main story is about 20 hours. A typical playthrough is about 25 hours, a completion-focused single run about 33 hours, and full completion takes 60 to 70 hours because it needs a second New Game+ run.