Chapters 13–16

13. Bloodbath on the Bridge

Do not be misled by the title: the bridge is the last five minutes. Everything before it is a walk across the Kamo River onto an island, and then through southwestern Kyoto sector by sector, and it is the densest stretch of collectibles in the walkthrough. If you would rather fight than sweep, the short version is at the end of this section — travel to the Gojo Street – West Spirit Mirror and follow the objective marker west. Everything in between is optional, and none of it is lost if you skip it.

• 1

  First, go back for Dohatsu-ten's note

  The chapter opens where the last one ended. Oni Glyph #12 is in the area where you fought Dohatsu-ten, and it gives Genma Note: Dohatsu-ten — #12 of 23, at Gojo Street – East, where he was first fought. Treasure #28 is north of Toribeno near the exit and holds Tamahagane.

  • Oni Glyph #12: Genma Note: Dohatsu-ten. Where you fought him at the end of chapter 12.
  • Treasure #28: Tamahagane. North of Toribeno, near the exit.
• 2

  The Kamo River island, and the well that opens the Second Oni Gate

  Wall-run across the river from the dock — this is the first place chapter 12's Oni Agility becomes a key rather than a shortcut. The island is five pickups and a well. The house in the southwest has a chest with Tempered Iron; you leave it through the window, and Treasure #29 with a Power Stone is waiting outside. A house on the western side has a Whetstone chest. Treasure #30, with Fine Silk Cloth, is in the east-northeastern part, and Treasure #31 with an Oni Stone is in a shop nearby. Then drop into the well at the northern end of the island for Oni Glyph #13, which unlocks the Second Oni Gate.

  • Chest: Tempered Iron. The southwestern house; exit through the window.
  • Treasure #29: Power Stone. Outside, straight after that house.
  • Chest: Whetstone. A house on the western side.
  • Treasure #30: Fine Silk Cloth. The east-northeastern part of the island.
  • Treasure #31: Oni Stone. In a nearby shop.
  • Oni Glyph #13. Down the well at the northern end. Unlocks the Second Oni Gate.
• 3

  What is behind the Second Oni Gate

  There are three Oni Gates in the game, each opened from an Oni Glyph, each taking you to an optional area of the Oni Refuge where a puzzle unlocks new abilities and hands over materials. The second is on the Kamo River island, which matches the well above. Inside, you shoot blocks to build bridges through ruins, and at the end you touch a dark mass to unlock new enhancements, plus several materials as a reward. What the enhancements are is not itemised.

• 4

  Southwestern Kyoto: the first sweep

  Before anything else, break the locked gate east of the wall-run point — it is a shortcut that makes the rest of this easier to get back into. Then five material chests, in order: Iron in a courtyard southeast of the Kamo River; Hempen Cloth in the southwestern corner of a compound; a Whetstone in a field south of that; Cotton Cloth inside a building on the eastern side of the southern street; and a chest with Iron and Cotton Cloth at an intersection defended by several enemies.

  • Chests: Iron (courtyard southeast of the river) · Hempen Cloth (southwestern corner of a compound) · Whetstone (field to the south) · Cotton Cloth (building on the eastern side of the southern street) · Iron and Cotton Cloth (the guarded intersection).
• 5

  Two more Oni Glyphs: the old temple and the watchtower

  Oni Glyph #14 is at an old temple reached from the street west of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple, and reveals Treasure #32 holding Genma Note: Kogai — #4 of 23, north of the Gojo Street – West Spirit Mirror, which is the same quadrant described from a different landmark. Oni Glyph #15 is at a watchtower and reveals Treasure #33 with a Sun-Dried Hozuki. Treasure #34, with Fine Silk Cloth, is in a fenced compound.

  • Oni Glyph #14 → Treasure #32: Genma Note: Kogai. The old temple, from the street west of Rokudo-chinnoji.
  • Oni Glyph #15 → Treasure #33: Sun-Dried Hozuki. The watchtower.
  • Treasure #34: Fine Silk Cloth. A fenced compound.
• 6

  Around the Gojo Street – West Spirit Mirror

  Four pickups clustered near the mirror you will be fast-travelling to for the boss: Hempen Cloth in the watchtower beside it, Tempered Iron in a shed to the southeast, a Whetstone in a small temple, and Treasure #35 with an Oni Stone beyond that temple's northern gate. There is also a shortcut gate here that opens the way back to Toribeno.

  • Chests: Hempen Cloth (the watchtower beside the mirror) · Tempered Iron (the southeastern shed) · Whetstone (the small temple).
  • Treasure #35: Oni Stone. Beyond the small temple's northern gate.
• 7

  The southern fields

  In order: Treasure #36 with an Oni Stone, beyond a Lion Dog marker; a hut whose enemies trigger as you approach, holding Whetstones and Cotton Cloth; Treasure #37 with Tamahagane, in a compound south of Gojo Street; and a courtyard with more enemies, again holding Whetstones and Cotton Cloth.

  • Treasure #36: Oni Stone. Past a Lion Dog marker.
  • Treasure #37: Tamahagane. The compound south of Gojo Street.
  • Chests: Whetstones and Cotton Cloth in the triggered hut; Whetstones and Cotton Cloth in the guarded courtyard.
• 8

  The building complex southwest of Gojo Street

  Treasure #38 with Tamahagane is in the northwestern corner. The central courtyard has enemies and explosive barrels in it, and a chest with Iron and Cotton Cloth. Treasure #39, with a Power Stone, is reached through a window in the northern building.

  • Treasure #38: Tamahagane. Northwestern corner of the complex.
  • Chest: Iron, Cotton Cloth. The central courtyard, with the explosive barrels.
  • Treasure #39: Power Stone. Through the northern building's window.
• 9

  The southwestern storehouse, two Weavers, and the Oni Cloth this chapter is about

  The biggest single cluster. Five material chests first: Cotton Cloth in an accessible house, Iron x2 at the storehouse entrance, Leather in a crawl space, Cotton Cloth in the courtyard and Tempered Iron beside the watchtower. Two Weavers hold the barriers here — one in the watchtower and one in the storehouse — and behind them are the two that matter: Treasure #40 with a Skeleton Hozuki (#2 of its type) in an alcove of the southeastern courtyard, and Oni Glyph #16, which reveals Treasure #41 holding Oni Cloth (Aggressor).

  • Chests: Cotton Cloth (the accessible house) · Iron x2 (the storehouse entrance) · Leather (the crawl space) · Cotton Cloth (the courtyard) · Tempered Iron (beside the watchtower).
  • Treasure #40: Skeleton Hozuki. The southeastern courtyard, past the barrier.
  • Oni Glyph #16 → Treasure #41: Oni Cloth (Aggressor). The component for the Hozuki Pouch: Aggressor.
• 10

  The riverbank: a farm and a Mirror of Revival

  Two things on the southwestern riverbank. Rift #2 spawns Dohatsu-ten, and it respawns after a while — this is where you farm him for the horns Gauntlet enhancements need, and his moveset is on our chapter 12 section if you want it again. Oni Glyph #17, at the western dock, reveals Treasure #42 holding a Mirror of Revival.

  • Rift #2. Dohatsu-ten, on a respawn timer, for Dohatsu-ten's Horns.
  • Oni Glyph #17 → Treasure #42: Mirror of Revival. The western dock.
• 11

  A checklist before the bridge

  Five things to do before you go west: craft the Hozuki Pouch: Aggressor with Okuni at Rokudo-chinnoji Temple; collect Lion Dogs #7 to #11 (a per-area numbering, not the game-wide Lion Dog count); clear Rift #3; buy equipment enhancements and abilities from the vendors, which is what all those Power Stones, Oni Stones, Tamahagane and Fine Silk Cloths are for; and take a turn at the Practice Ground. That last one is not filler — the Practice Ground is the place for drilling against bosses you will meet again.

• 12

  Boss: Benkei at Gojo-ohashi Bridge — and the trophy Benkei: Out, but Not Down

  Travel to the Gojo Street – West Spirit Mirror and follow the objective marker west. He is the warrior you have been looking for, and the bridge setting matches the historical Benkei's own legend; he is also the figure who inspired Gilgamesh. He is deceptively easy with a fairly simple pattern, and one tactical instruction runs through the whole fight: use the Earth-Shakers, charged as far as you can. That breaks his armour almost immediately, which you need before you can do meaningful damage, it interrupts some of his attack animations mid-sequence, and the charge itself gives you invincibility frames. The catch: he can interrupt you while you charge.

  Phase one, with the plain naginata. At long range he points the weapon straight at you and charges in with a thrust — it is extremely fast, and the cue is to parry the instant he stomps the ground, because the hit lands almost immediately after. He also spins the naginata through a series of diagonal slashes tracing an X as he advances, ending in a final strike; that one is relatively easy to parry. And he leaps straight at you for an area-of-effect slam, one of the best counterattack windows in the fight, because if he misses he is stuck in place for a second or two. Up close, the move to respect is a wide circular swing with a very obvious wind-up: whether it hits you or you parry it, he follows it immediately with an Unavoidable Attack, so plan the follow-up before the swing lands.

  Phase two, with the flaming naginata. It starts when enough health is gone, and it hits much harder. The circular swing into Unavoidable Attack now has a second half: parry that Unavoidable Attack successfully and he answers with another one, leaping into the air wielding two naginatas. He can also throw that jumping dual-naginata attack out of nowhere at essentially any point, so it is not only a punish for parrying well.

  • Trophy: Benkei: Out, but Not Down (bronze). "Defeat Benkei." Tied to this mission. It is the first of two Benkei trophies — the other, Baited by Benkei, is for a second fight at Rendaino much later.
• 13

  What finishing this chapter opens up

  Finishing Bloodbath on the Bridge unlocks three pieces of side content, which is why the next chapter suddenly has a to-do list: the Chance Encounters Ace Archer: Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Ace Archer: Nijo-jo Castle, and the Mystery of Kyoto A Wife's Prayer at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. All three count towards silver trophies — No Job Too Small for all 18 Chance Encounters, Demystified for all 8 Mysteries.

14. Shadows Fall

Two Rifts, one in the southwestern corner of Eastern Kyoto and one in the southeastern, and that is the chapter. Musashi accepts a formal challenge after a declaration of war. No boss and no named trophy — but the first Rift introduces a mechanic that changes how every later Rift fight goes, so it is worth reading before you walk into it.

• 1

  Benkei's note, at the far end of his own bridge

  Go to the far end of the bridge where you fought him for Oni Glyph #18, which reveals Treasure #43 holding Genma Note: Benkei (#18 of 23, filed at "Kyoto Bridge").

  • Oni Glyph #18 → Treasure #43: Genma Note: Benkei. The far end of Gojo-ohashi Bridge.
• 2

  The beach, the alleys and the rooftop run

  The western end of Gojo Street is reachable now that the Malice is gone. Head north from the bridge through the narrow streets towards the beach: Treasure #44, with an Oni Stone, is on the beach, and there is Leather in the alley to the east and more Leather in the alley north of Gojo Street's western end. Take the ladder up to the rooftop wall-run section and cross eastward, then go south for another chest before you break a lock to open a shortcut. Carry on north for a last chest — Cotton Cloth — before the Rift.

  • Treasure #44: Oni Stone. The beach north of the bridge.
  • Chests: Leather (the alley east of the beach) · Leather (the alley north of Gojo Street's western end) · Cotton Cloth (near the Rift).
• 3

  The first Rift: shoot the Rift, not just the Genma

  This is the new rule, and it arrives without warning in the fight itself: from here on, a Rift empowers the Genma around it unless you shoot the Rift. Several waves of ordinary enemies come before you can seal it, so a fight that starts manageable gets worse if you ignore the thing in the middle of the arena. No enemy list is given beyond "regular Genma", so none is given here.

• 4

  The second Rift, in Toribeno

  Southeastern Kyoto, back in the Toribeno area. The route is straightforward — regular Genma and a wall-run section to get there. There is a chest with Iron x2 in the ravine beneath that wall-running section. Sealing this one ends the chapter.

  • Chest: Iron x2. In the ravine beneath the wall-run leading to the second Rift.
• 5

  The Firebird Flute: which chapter it belongs to depends on who you ask

  Sealing the southeastern Rift removes a Malice Barrier, and behind it is a chest with the Firebird Flute, one of the seven Oni Armaments: one chest at one location, the former Rift location south of Gojo Street at the East Spirit Shrine, Kyoto Treasure #45 in southeastern Kyoto. PowerPyx files it under Shadows Fall; Vandal makes it the first thing you do in the next chapter, A Tempest at the Temple. This page lists it in chapter 15, because that is where the route puts you — but if you are at the sealed Rift now, take it now.

• 6

  The side content worth doing here — with one caveat

  Four things are suggested before moving on: the Chance Encounters An Ugly Business, Ace Archer: Nijo-jo Castle and Ace Archer: Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and the Mystery of Kyoto A Wife's Prayer. Both Ace Archers and A Wife's Prayer unlock after Bloodbath on the Bridge, so all three are available now.

  An Ugly Business is the one in dispute. Vandal recommends it here; PowerPyx's Chance Encounters list (#9 of 18) unlocks it only after chapter 16, To Live is to Suffer — two chapters later. If you go looking and the notebook icon is not on your map, that is why, and it is not lost. Its reward is the Reaper's Charm.

15. A Tempest at the Temple

A short chapter with a three-phase boss at the end of it. One collectible, one conversation, one Rift in a courtyard, and then Burai, Lightning Keeper at Kennin-ji — the temple you cleared back in chapter 9, which is now someone else's.

• 1

  Kyoto Treasure #45: the Firebird Flute

  You start in southeastern Kyoto, where sealing the last chapter's Rift has taken down a Malice Barrier. Behind it is Treasure #45, holding the Firebird Flute — a newly available Oni Armament, and #5 of the 7 behind the silver Oni Armory trophy. One walkthrough files the same chest under the previous chapter; see the note in chapter 14.

  • Treasure #45: Firebird Flute. Behind the Malice Barrier that the southeastern Rift was holding up.
• 2

  Practice with it before you go

  There is no new optional content in this chapter beyond taking the Firebird Flute to the Practice Ground. Worth doing on its own terms: the bronze Wielder of Oni Armaments wants 100 enemies defeated with Oni Armaments, and it is not tied to any chapter, so it accumulates from whenever you start using them.

• 3

  Takamura, then Kennin-ji

  Go to Rokudo-chinnoji Temple and talk to Takamura, then follow the objective marker to Kennin-ji Temple. There is a Rift in the courtyard to seal first — this one is, technically, a Rift from another world. Then go inside.

• 4

  Boss: Burai, Lightning Keeper — and the trophy Crashing Lightning

  Burai is Ifuu's brother, waiting at Kennin-ji for revenge and hiding a major weakness. He is extremely straightforward, and the reason is the shape of the fight: he tends to attack from range with floating orbs that fire lightning, so you do not need to crowd him. Close the gap at the right moment and you have time to land a fully charged Earth-Shakers for heavy damage. In one line: keep your distance and concentrate on parrying his approach attacks.

  Phase one. At range: the floating orbs, plus a naginata thrust much like Benkei's, which you parry at the moment he starts to move rather than when you see the point coming, and a move where he pulls to one side before a rushing slash you have to block. Up close: rapid successive slashes in a combo, a backwards strike to push you away, and a stomping kick with delayed hit timing that catches people out.

  Phase two adds two. He vanishes and crashes down on Musashi a moment later — this is much easier to parry than it looks, and avoiding it cleanly gives you a charged Earth-Shakers window. And he takes a balancing stance, on one leg with a hand extended: attack into that and he counters with a stab from behind his back. Wait the stance out rather than try to parry the counter.

  Phase three is one attack: a lightning bolt followed by a heavy vertical slash that spans the arena. It can be blocked, but dodging is considerably easier, though the timing is deceptive.

  • Trophy: Crashing Lightning (bronze). "Defeat Burai." Tied to this mission. Burai returns later — the bronze The Perfect Storm is for beating Ifuu and Burai together in chapter 20, Storm Chaser.
• 5

  No Oni Glyph for Burai either

  The same gap as Ifuu: no Oni Glyph appears for Burai after this fight. Genma Note: Burai does exist (#22 of 23), filed only as "Kyoto" with no landmark, exactly as for Ifuu. Both notes turn up later, together: the Oni Glyphs at Kennin-ji reveal them once the brothers have been beaten as a pair, at the start of chapter 21.

16. To Live is to Suffer

There are no new areas to explore in this chapter: it is a to-do list and a boss. The to-do list is worth doing, though, because one item on it is a charm that is extremely useful for everything that comes after.

• 1

  Four side missions, and the Inner Strength Charm

  Finishing A Tempest at the Temple unlocked a batch of side content, worth doing now: the Chance Encounters Hidden Treasure No. 1, Ace Archer: Kyoto Imperial Palace and The Growling Ghost, and the Mystery of Kyoto Something in the Water. All four are gated on A Tempest at the Temple.

  The one to prioritise is Something in the Water. It is what gives you the Inner Strength Charm, extremely useful from this point on: it helps against enemies that survive a normal Issen, and it raises your damage against bosses. From the same batch, The Growling Ghost gives the Charm of Stamina — and the encounter ends with a Nue as its final enemy, so bring what worked at Nue Pond.

• 2

  Spend before you fight

  Make a pass over your enhancements and abilities before the boss. This is the natural place for it: chapter 13 handed you a very large pile of Power Stones, Oni Stones, Tamahagane and Fine Silk Cloths, and there is a silver trophy for maxing every piece of equipment (Dressed to Kill) and another for learning and upgrading every skill (Well-Rounded), so none of it is wasted. One standing caution for the whole first playthrough: hold on to consumable items rather than spending them, because you will want them on Carnage in New Game+.

• 3

  The boss at Yasaka Pagoda

  Follow the objective marker to Yasaka Pagoda. Waiting there is Sasaki Ganryu, for the second time.

  What he keeps. Most of the moveset from the first fight, including the combos with feints. Named specifically: a long-range thrust where he crouches and points the sword at you and then strikes almost instantly, which you can guard, deflect or dodge; a jumping slash, landing with a vertical cut, probably his easiest attack to block; and an unusual left-handed stab that is awkward to parry because of where the camera sits.

  What is new. The creature on his back attacks on its own — slashes from either side, a mid-range downward strike and a grab from the side. And there is a countering stance: mid-combo the action slows down and he takes a defensive posture with a blue glow. Attacking into it normally is what he wants; use Oni Strength before your next attack instead and you break through the stance and trigger a powerful follow-up. The overall plan is to keep your distance, work on his Stamina Gauge, and bait either the thrust or the jumping slash so you can punish with the Earth-Shakers.

  And the thing worth saying plainly: no trophy pops here. There are two Sasaki Ganryu trophies — Onimusha Showdown for driving him off at Kiyomizu-dera in the tutorial, We Done Here? for defeating him at Arashiyama much later, and nothing in between. Sasaki Ganryu (II) and Sasaki Ganryu (III) are separate fights, so there are three encounters and only two of them carry trophies. If your count does not move after this fight, it is not a glitch.

• 4

  Straight into chapter 17

  The cutscene after the fight rolls directly into Okuni's Kabuki Dance. The next batch of side content is gated on that chapter rather than this one, so there is nothing to double back for first.

Chapters 13–16 Completion

✅ Before Moving On to Chapter 17...