Onimusha: Way of the Sword Complete Guide
Twenty-three chapters through a Kyoto the Malice has taken.
Twenty-three chapters of Edo-era Kyoto, all 275 collectibles where the guides put them — the upgrade materials included — 52 trophies tracked, and Issen explained.
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Walkthrough
Chapters 1–4
The Ruckus at Rendaino, The Stage is Set at Kiyomizu, Kyoto, Corrupted, The Oni’s Apprentice
Chapters 5–8
Careful What You Wish For, The Curse of Kiyomizu-zaka Slope, A Strength in Refuge, Patching up the Pouch
Chapters 9–12
Windswept Kennin-ji, An Immortal Talent, What Lurks in the Shadows, The Roots of All Evil
Chapters 13–16
Bloodbath on the Bridge, Shadows Fall, A Tempest at the Temple, To Live is to Suffer
Chapters 17–20
Okuni’s Kabuki Dance, The Demon on the Mount, A Haunted Distraction, Storm Chaser
Chapters 21–23
In the Light of an Icy Moon, The Clash at Rendaino, The Way of the Sword
Post-Game
The Point of No Return, the 275-collectible cleanup, New Game+, Carnage, Boss Rematch
Collectibles & Trackers
Mysteries of Kyoto
Eight, numbered in the order of the most complete list we found, so a location can be checked against it. Mysteries of Kyoto do not unlock until you have completed chapter 11, What Lurks in the Shadows — so chapters 1 to 10 hold none of them at all, and a tracker sitting at zero through the first third of the game is correct rather than a missed pickup. Three sit at Kiyomizu-dera Temple and five in Eastern Kyoto, and most stay locked until a later chapter clears them. All eight is the Demystified silver, and the first one alone is the Mystery Solved bronze. Six of the eight pay a Charm, and each note below names the Charm and what it does. Nothing here is missable: you free-roam until the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and after the credits "Continue" in the main menu puts you back before that mission. One caution for a second run: Mysteries of Kyoto are among the things that do NOT carry over into New Game+, so a Carnage playthrough starts them from zero.
18 · TrackerChance Encounters
Eighteen side missions, numbered in the order of the most complete list we found. You start each one by speaking to someone at the mission marker that shows where it is. All eighteen is the No Job Too Small silver; the first one is the Life-Saver bronze. Each one has its own availability point, and those are what the notes below carry. The first two open with chapter 7, A Strength in Refuge; the other sixteen are dated from chapter 13, Bloodbath on the Bridge, onward — so an empty tracker through the first six chapters is correct rather than a missed pickup. Eight of the eighteen pay a Charm, and Hidden Treasure No. 5 is where the ninth and last Hozuki Pouch lives, which makes it the one Chance Encounter another trophy depends on. Nothing is missable — free roam runs until the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and "Continue" after the credits returns you there. Like the Mysteries, Chance Encounters do NOT carry over into New Game+.
36 · TrackerLion Dogs
Thirty-six, numbered in the order of the most complete list we found, with a landmark for each. They are spread all over Kyoto and a couple of other maps, and they are for this: they unlock the ability to change the appearance of your sword. All thirty-six is the For the Love of Dog silver; the first is the No Dog Left Behind bronze. Lion Dogs, like the Mysteries of Kyoto, do not unlock until chapter 11, What Lurks in the Shadows — so none of the thirty-six can be rescued during chapters 1 to 10, and a zero here through the first third of the game is correct rather than a missed pickup. Almost every direction is given relative to a Spirit Mirror, which is the game's save and fast-travel point, so the fastest way to use this list is to travel to the named mirror first. Two notes on the list, both worth knowing before you chase a number: dogs 5 and 6 are filed under Nijo-jo Castle while their directions name the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nue Pond, and twenty-one of the thirty-six are filed under Eastern Kyoto, which is a large area rather than a chapter. Nothing is missable, and unlike the Mysteries and Chance Encounters, Lion Dogs DO carry over into New Game+.
7 · TrackerOni Armaments
Seven. These are the special weapons the Oni Gauntlet feeds on — the gauntlet absorbs three soul colours, blue among them, for special weapons. Two of the seven are handed to you rather than hidden: the Oni Bow sits on the main path at the Oni Refuge and is required for story progression, and the Wind-Whipper arrives automatically during chapter 4, The Oni's Apprentice, after the Skills practice-grounds demonstration. The other five are in chests or behind a fight, spread across Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the Underground Laboratory, Gojo Street, Mount Oe and Arashiyama. All seven is the Oni Armory silver, and the set also carries a bronze of its own: Wielder of Oni Armaments, for 100 kills using them. The Oni Strength Charm — the reward from the Hanging Monkeys Mystery — raises Oni Armament power by 6%, which makes that Mystery worth doing before you start counting kills. Nothing is missable.
9 · TrackerHozuki Pouches
Nine. The Hozuki Pouch is the healing item — Hozuki Pouches restore health — and these nine are the pouch upgrades, which is why the silver is worded the way it is: Medical Marvel asks you to enhance all nine to maximum, not merely to find them. ⚠️ NONE of these nine is a pouch the story hands you: the pouch Okuni gives in chapter 1 and the Hozuki Pouch: Default from chapter 8 are separate items that are not listed, so a full tracker reads nine and is not short by two. One pouch at maximum is the Health Is Wealth bronze. The upgrading starts the first time you speak with Okuni during the mission Patching up the Pouch — chapter 8. Eight of the nine come in pairs at four spots in Kyoto, one of each pair inside an Oni Gate or at the same landmark, so a sweep of four places collects eight; the ninth is the exception and is the reason a Chance Encounter sits on this tracker's critical path. Nothing is missable, and pouches with their upgrades DO carry over into New Game+.
15 · TrackerCharms
Fifteen, with what each one does. Charms are passive modifiers — they stack, and they upgrade to level 3 at Emma's Hall in the Rokudo-chinnoji Temple, paid for with Red Souls and Favor. That upgrading is what the trophy wants: Charmed Life asks for all fifteen enhanced to maximum, not merely collected, and one at maximum is the A Real Charmer bronze. Only one Charm comes from the main story — the Charm of the Healer, from chapter 2 — and the other fourteen are the rewards for six Mysteries of Kyoto and eight Chance Encounters, which makes this tracker a mirror of those two: finish them and the Charms arrive on their own. Each note below names the side mission that gives the Charm and what it does. Nothing is missable, and Charms with their enhancements DO carry over into New Game+.
23 · TrackerGenma Notes
Twenty-three. Each note is named after the Genma it describes, which makes this the game's bestiary rather than a set of pickups, and it divides cleanly in two: notes 1 to 10 cover the ordinary Genma, and notes 11 to 23 are exactly the thirteen distinct opponents of the boss fights — Byakue, Dohatsu-ten, Nue, Daidara, Greater Nue, Rasho Gan, Sasaki Ganryu, Benkei, Shuten Doji, Dokyo, Ifuu, Burai and Yoshitsune. All twenty-three is Genma-ologist, and it is worth flagging that it is a BRONZE while every other collect-them-all trophy on this guide is silver. The last note is the only one with a timing condition: Yoshitsune's is behind Rokudo-chinnoji Temple and post-game. Nothing is missable, and Genma Notes DO carry over into New Game+.
54 · TrackerPower Stones
Fifty-four, numbered in the order of the most complete list we found, so every entry can be checked against it; where two numbers share one spot, each has its own box, and the stated total and the list agree at 54. They are skill upgrade material for the Well-Rounded silver, and the skill prices show where they go: every Power Stone price is a Basic Skill, from Reflex Combo and Chain Issen to the Oni Bow, Petrify and Charm Capacity. Added up, those prices come to exactly 54, so none is spare, which fits one playthrough finding enough to upgrade everything. Thirty-one of the 54 arrive as rewards: sixteen for story chapters, thirteen for Chance Encounters, Mysteries of Kyoto and two Oni Portals, and two for something called The Silent Gauntlet, which is not one of the twenty-three chapter titles. The other twenty-three are in chests, four of them Hidden Oni Treasure chests — the fifth Hidden Oni Treasure chest is inside the Hidden Treasure No. 5 Chance Encounter, and the notes pair each chest with the Chance Encounter of the same number. The region headings of the list repeat in story order (five Eastern Kyoto sections among eleven) and file each reward under whichever heading is current, so each card gives its own landmark, and says so where the heading and the directions disagree. Nothing is missable: free roam lasts until the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and "Continue" after the credits puts you back there. Skills carry into New Game+, and the stones can be collected again there for anything you missed.
55 · TrackerOni Stones
Fifty-five, numbered in the order of the most complete list we found, one box per number; the stated total and the list agree at 55, though allthings.how counts 54. They are the other half of Well-Rounded: every Oni Stone price is a Special Skill — Oni Vision, Oni Strength, Oni Agility, Oni Awakening and six of the seven Oni Armaments. This is the one material where the figures do not close: PowerPyx's Special Skill prices add up to 56, one more than the 55 it locates, with no promise that one run finds enough — only that skills carry into New Game+ and the stones can be collected again if you fall short; Vandal says the two in the Keep of Shanaoh Castle complete your ability unlocks. This guide cannot settle it and records both. One standing tip: hold off spending Oni Stones until you can buy Oni Vision: Treasures, Oni Vision: Treasures 2 and Oni Vision: Search Range, which make every collectible far easier to track down (the first two cost two Oni Stones each). Thirty of the 55 arrive as rewards: eleven for story chapters and nineteen for Chance Encounters, Mysteries of Kyoto and two Oni Portals. The other twenty-five are pickups: six in Hidden Oni Treasure chests (the fifth Hidden Oni Treasure chest is inside the Hidden Treasure No. 5 Chance Encounter, and the notes pair each chest with the Chance Encounter of the same number), eighteen in other chests, and the last at the end of a path at the Oni Refuge. Several entries filed under Arashiyama give Kyoto landmarks in their own directions, and the notes say which. Nothing is missable: free roam lasts until the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and "Continue" after the credits puts you back there.
25 · TrackerFine Silk Cloths
Twenty-five, numbered in the order of the most complete list we found; the stated total and the list agree at 25. They are equipment upgrade material for the Dressed to Kill silver, and the price lists show where each one goes. In the equipment prices Fine Silk Cloth appears only in the clothing's — the sword takes Tamahagane and the gauntlet neither — and those prices add up to 23. The Hozuki Pouches spend two more, one at each of the Default pouch's second and third levels, so these feed Medical Marvel as well. That is 25, exactly the number located: none is spare. Enhancing is done at a Spirit Mirror and unlocks automatically during chapter 4, The Oni's Apprentice. Nine of the 25 arrive as rewards — seven for story missions, the first of them unnamed, plus a Mystery of Kyoto and a Chance Encounter; five sit in the five Hidden Oni Treasure chests, one in each (the fifth Hidden Oni Treasure chest is inside the Hidden Treasure No. 5 Chance Encounter, and the notes pair each chest with the Chance Encounter of the same number); and the other eleven are chests in the world, the last in Shanaoh Castle, in the final chapter, The Way of the Sword. Spend them on the first playthrough: clothing and sword and gauntlet enhancements are among what New Game+ does not keep, and items carry over, though not enhancement materials. Nothing is missable: free roam lasts until the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and "Continue" after the credits puts you back there.
25 · TrackerTamahagane
Twenty-five, numbered in the order of the most complete list we found; the stated total and the list agree at 25. They are the sword's half of Dressed to Kill: in the equipment prices Tamahagane appears only in the sword's, never the clothing's or the gauntlet's, and those prices add up to 23. The Hozuki Pouches spend two more, one at each of the Resistance pouch's second and third levels, so Tamahagane feeds Medical Marvel too. That is 25, the number located, so none is spare. Eight arrive as rewards — four for story missions, again with the first one unnamed, one for The Light of Vengeance, the first Mystery of Kyoto, and three for Ace Archer Chance Encounters. One is in a Hidden Oni Treasure chest, and the other sixteen are chests in the world, the last in the room after a Byakue fight in Shanaoh Castle, in the final chapter. Twenty-two of the 25 are filed under Eastern Kyoto, the Ace Archer: Arashiyama reward among them. As with Fine Silk Cloth, spend these before the credits: New Game+ does not keep sword enhancements, and items carry over, though not enhancement materials. Nothing is missable: free roam lasts until the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and "Continue" after the credits puts you back there.
52 · TrackerTrophies
One platinum, two gold, nine silver and forty bronze; the stated breakdown and the list agree at 52. There are ZERO missable trophies — you free-roam until the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and after the credits "Continue" in the main menu puts you back before that mission for cleanup — but it does require TWO playthroughs, because Carnage difficulty only unlocks once the game has been beaten and True Onimusha asks you to finish on it. PowerPyx rates the platinum 6.5/10 and puts it at 60–70 hours. Thirteen of the forty bronzes are individual boss wins, a fourteenth is the Byakue at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and the two golds are the hardest things here: True Onimusha for the Carnage run, and Glutton for Punishment for beating every Boss Rematch opponent on every difficulty at Emma's Hall — where you cannot use consumables from the item wheel. The one standing tip for the first run is to hoard consumables rather than spend them, because Carnage is where they are needed.
Guides & Reference
Getting Started
What to set before you start, which chapters open which systems, and the one fact that shapes the whole run: there are zero missable trophies — but two playthroughs, because the hard difficulty is locked behind the first one.
GuideCombat
The defensive layer in Capcom's own words from the official primer, the three kinds of Issen, the two meters, and what the six vaguest combat trophies actually ask for.
GuideUpgrades
What each of the four upgrade materials buys, each with its own tracker; why three of the four are spent to the last one; and the New Game+ trap that makes one silver trophy worth finishing before the credits.
GuideBosses
Why three different numbers are all correct, what to know about each fight, and which three are the ones that will actually stop you.
GuideCollectibles
What each of the eleven types is for, which chapter opens it, the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and the "Continue" option that reopens the world after the credits.
GuideTrophy Roadmap
Five steps, the free-roam window before The Clash at Rendaino, why Carnage is the reason to hoard consumables, and the Boss Rematch gold nobody can rush.
GuideFAQ
Platforms, length, missables, New Game+, difficulty and what carries over — each answered with the source that states it, and an honest list of what nobody we read answers.
GuideStory & Setting
The premise, where the twenty-three chapters take you, what Malice appears to be, and a deliberate stopping point: nothing beyond the setup is described here.
About this guide
Onimusha: Way of the Sword launched on 4 September 2026 — Capcom moved it up three weeks from the 25th — on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and PC, and sold a million copies on its first day. It is the first new Onimusha in over twenty years: Miyamoto Musashi in an Edo-era Kyoto twisted by Malice. This guide covers the twenty-three story chapters, the 275 collectibles across eleven types, the fifty-two trophies, and the systems the game never quite explains — Issen and Reflex Combos, the Oni Awakened state, equipment enhancement and the four upgrade materials. Nothing is missable: you free-roam until the point of no return before The Clash at Rendaino, and the story hands that checkpoint back afterwards. Every page names its sources at the bottom. Nobody here has played it; where the sources stop, the pages stop.