Chapters 5–8

5. Careful What You Wish For

A fetch quest with a real boss on the end of it. The objectives run: look for anything strange, gather clues, investigate Hachidai Rikison Shrine, find the stolen Stout Pillars, and head for Hachidai Rikison Shrine. As steps, that is: investigate the shrine, then locate the seventh, first and third Stout Pillars in that order, then Rasho-gan. Two Genma Notes and a Power Stone and an Oni Stone come out of it.

• 1

  Gather clues, and investigate Hachidai Rikison Shrine

  The chapter's opening is investigation rather than combat. It takes in the western Rift area of Eastern Kyoto, Rokudo-chinnoji Temple and the alleys around it, the courtyard north of the temple, Hachidai Rikison Shrine itself, and residential compounds in the north-east and south-west. That last pair is where the pillars turn out to be, so the two objectives are really one sweep.

• 2

  Two Genma Notes on the way

  Two come from Oni Glyph treasures during this chapter. Note #2, Kubi Akari, is in the south-eastern corner, south of the Kamo River — East Spirit Mirror. Note #3, Togemaru, is in an Oni Power chest in a courtyard, but the landmark differs: Vandal says the courtyard north of the temple, PowerPyx says west of Yorimasa's Monument courtyard. Kubi Akari and Togemaru are both enemies you have already fought — the first is the Flare Head, which you shoot while it glows blue, and the second is the rolling, spinning one from chapter 3 that you parry into a wall.

  • Genma Note: Kubi Akari. South-eastern corner, south of the Kamo River — East Spirit Mirror.
  • Genma Note: Togemaru. The courtyard north of the temple (Vandal) / west of Yorimasa's Monument courtyard (PowerPyx).
• 3

  The three Stout Pillars

  Three of a numbered set, and nothing explains why the game asks for the first, the third and the seventh rather than three in a row. Seventh: on scaffolding you reach by climbing a ladder behind a building at a north-eastern location. First: in the remains of a courtyard roof, an attic crawl space; Genma spawn below while you are up there. Third: hidden inside one of the pots near the northern fence, beside a tree in the second courtyard. The third is the one worth reading twice, because it is inside a pot rather than sitting next to one — break the pots.

  • Stout Pillar No. Seven. Up the ladder onto the scaffolding, behind a building to the north-east.
  • Stout Pillar No. One. The roof remains / attic crawl space above the courtyard; enemies spawn below.
  • Stout Pillar No. Three. Inside a pot by the tree near the northern fence.
• 4

  The archers, and the Deflect skill

  The archers in this chapter are the game handing you a practice range for Deflect: the input is the left bumper and A together on Xbox, pressed just before the arrow lands. The bronze Pinch Hitter asks for 50 projectiles deflected, so this is a counter worth starting deliberately rather than by accident.

• 5

  Boss: Rasho-gan, Wish Warper — bronze, Twisted Fates

  Absorb the dark mass blocking the path before the confrontation. The fight is at Hachidai Rikison Shrine after the pillars are returned. He has a blade, blood projectiles, tentacles, and a habit of throwing objects out of the environment at you once he enrages. Lure him away from the flower and sever the chains connecting him to it; attack his lower-right arms to shut down his ranged attacks; stay close and parry or deflect the melee; use Break Issen to cut arms off; expect a backswing after his combos; shoot the tendrils on his back to stop the throwing, and the thread he uses to raise the terrain; when he enters Blazing State, counter his charge attack twice; and in the second phase drain his stamina quickly to strip the extra arms again. The fight can be quite challenging, and the grab attacks are annoying.

  • Trophy: Twisted Fates (bronze). "Defeat Rasho-gan."
• 6

  What the kill gives you: Oni Strength, a Power Stone and an Oni Stone

  Beating Rasho-gan grants Oni Strength, and Oni Strength is what rips apart Malice Barriers: destroying them becomes available following this boss defeat. The chapter also gives two mission rewards: one of the 54 Power Stones and the first of the 55 Oni Stones both come out of "Careful What you Wish For". That is real progress toward the silver Well-Rounded, which wants every basic and special skill learned and upgraded.

6. The Curse of Kiyomizu-zaka Slope

A chapter built entirely around the power you just earned. Two objectives — rid Kiyomizu-zaka Slope of Malice, then seal the Rifts — across the slope itself, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the Nio-mon Gate and south-eastern Kyoto. As steps, it is built around three plants: destroy the first, fight Genma on a rooftop, cross a bridge and clear the area, destroy the second, destroy the third, and then fight Byakue, who appears once the third is gone. It has the best chest list of these four chapters and one bronze trophy.

• 1

  Oni Strength and the Malice Barriers

  The new ability is the thing that makes this chapter possible: destroying the Malice Barriers becomes available following the previous chapter's boss. The barriers are environmental hazards that drain your health, and Oni Strength tears them apart; the same power has a second use: it smashes Genma shields. That is the input behind the bronze Helm Splitter, which asks for 100 shields or armour pieces broken, and chapter 8 gives you armoured enemies to use it on.

• 2

  Equip the Prayer Beads before you start exploring

  The single most useful line for this chapter: there are Prayer Beads to be found before you enter the mission area, they are equipped at a Spirit Mirror, and they reduce the health the Malice drains out of you. The other survival note for the same problem: climb ladders while fighting to get out of the ticking damage.

• 3

  The three plants, in order

  The sequence: destroy the first plant, deal with the Genma that turn up on a rooftop, cross a bridge and clear what is on the other side, destroy the second plant, then the third; the boss arrives after the third one is destroyed. The general warning for the fights along the way is about the fast combos: time the parries and deflects properly or you take chip damage through the block, and if you are unsure of the deflect timing, simply hold block instead.

• 4

  The chests along the slope

  This is the densest run of upgrade materials in these eight chapters. Whetstone turns up five times: in a house in south-eastern Kyoto, near the north-western side of Kiyomizu-dera, in the north-western chest in the plant area, and twice in a courtyard chest. Iron is in a chest you can only reach after destroying the south-western Malice Barrier. A Power Stone is the treasure in the south-western corner of the northern building at Kiyomizu-dera. Hempen Cloth is beside the stairs in north-western Kiyomizu-dera and in the same north-western chest in the plant area. Cotton Cloth is in a courtyard chest north of the south-eastern Malice Barrier. Note how many of these sit behind a barrier — this is the chapter where the new power pays for itself.

  • Power Stone. South-western corner of the northern building at Kiyomizu-dera.
  • Iron. Behind the south-western Malice Barrier.
  • Whetstone x5, Hempen Cloth x2, Cotton Cloth. Equipment enhancement stock.
• 5

  Boss: Byakue, Hundred Defilements

  A trophy point first: the bronze Serves You Right reads "Defeat the Byakue at Kiyomizu-dera Temple", but that Byakue is the one behind the Oni Wall north of the Nio-mon Gate Spirit Mirror, met during the Chance Encounter "Ace Archer: Kiyomizu-dera Temple": a side-quest trophy. It is not this chapter's fight.

  The tactics: hold a medium distance so he does not spam his charge; after his first attack, block, because that is the safe default; dodge the charge and the shoulder barge, which builds your Reflex Combo; parry, deflect or Issen the final wide swing at the end of his combos; counter the hair grab on the same button as a Grab Reversal; and parry, deflect or Issen the jump attack. He adds more combo attacks as his health drops. He fights with giant axes — slow strikes you should be countering with Issen, quick slashes and combos you need to respect so you are not stunlocked, and grabs and slam attacks that come out once he is enraged. He is fought more than once over the campaign, which chapter 7 confirms from another direction.

  • Trophy: none for this fight. Serves You Right (bronze), "Defeat the Byakue at Kiyomizu-dera Temple", is for the Byakue behind the Oni Wall north of the Nio-mon Gate Spirit Mirror.
• 6

  Byakue's Talismans, and the note with his name on it

  You get Byakue's Talismans for the kill. The Genma Note called Byakue is a separate thing: note #11 is on a rooftop north of the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror — this chapter's area — and the slope stays open behind you, so it can wait for the next pass in chapter 7.

7. A Strength in Refuge

Two chapters in one. The story part is three lines — enter the Oni Sanctuary, solve the block puzzle, continue — another short quest, and the cutscene afterwards is a good moment to spend materials. The full objective list starts with optional content exploration and then runs through speaking to Takamura, searching for the hidden Oni power, and continuing onward, with a long sweep of Eastern Kyoto attached. Both halves are below: the story path alone takes ten minutes, the sweep does not.

• 1

  The story thread: Takamura, then the hidden Oni power

  The two story objectives: speak with Takamura, then search for the hidden Oni power. That search is what takes you into the Oni Gate, which is the whole of the story path.

• 2

  The first Oni Gate — the one you cannot walk past

  An Oni Gate takes you into an optional area of the Oni Refuge where you solve a puzzle to unlock new abilities; there are three of them in Eastern Kyoto, and they are normally opened with a matching Oni Glyph — the second uses the glyph on the Kamo River island, the third uses Eastern Kyoto Oni Glyph #23. The first is the exception in two ways: it is inside the well in the compound south of the fields in Eastern Kyoto, and it is the only one that activates automatically as part of the story. It belongs to this mission, and it is required to unlock new abilities. From inside the level: the first Oni Gate is revealed at a well by activating an Oni Glyph, and it grants access to a new part of the Oni Refuge.

• 3

  The block puzzle inside

  The mechanic: shoot the orb on the block to move it, in the cave section. The route: jump down and turn right, then shoot the block; then head straight and go up and around until you reach the block. These puzzles generally involve shootable blocks and wall-running, and at the end of one you reach a dark mass which unlocks new enhancements along with several materials.

• 4

  The other locked door: shoot the gate

  The chapter's second puzzle is a one-liner: shoot the lock on the gate through an opening in the fence. It is the same Oni Bow habit chapter 2 taught — if a path is closed, look for something to put an arrow through.

• 5

  The optional sweep of Eastern Kyoto

  This is the optional half of the chapter, and it is where the materials are. Places rather than counts: Fine Silk Cloth in a nearby alley and as a north-eastern treasure; Cotton Cloth behind houses and in the north-east; Tempered Iron in an alley, in the east, and in several other spots; Tamahagane as a northern treasure; Leather in a courtyard and on rooftops; Oni Stones in a south-eastern courtyard and in an alley treasure; a Power Stone in the western row of houses; Whetstone near the Yasaka Pagoda and in a cart; and Sun-Dried Hozuki at two glyph locations. Two Genma Notes come up here too — Byakue, on a rooftop north of the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror (#11), and Rasho-gan, in a courtyard near the Higashioji Street Spirit Mirror (#16). One of the 55 Oni Stones is also a straight mission reward for "A Strength in Refuge".

  • Genma Note: Byakue. Rooftop north of the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror.
  • Genma Note: Rasho Gan. Courtyard near the Higashioji Street Spirit Mirror.
  • Fine Silk Cloth appears here for the first time — it is one of the two equipment-enhancement materials, 25 of them in the game.
• 6

  Rematch Byakue in the Practice Ground

  Going back to the Practice Ground and fighting Byakue there is good preparation, because it changes its attack patterns when powered up, so the version you beat in chapter 6 is not the last word on it. The rules: rematches are reached from a Spirit Mirror, run at different difficulties, and use the Hozuki Pouches you have unlocked; there are 18 opponents on the list, and beating every one on Story or Action gives the Warlord's Armor Outfit. Boss Rematch bans consumables except for healing from a Hozuki Pouch; a single rematch win gives the bronze Second Helping, and all of them on all difficulties is one of the game's two gold trophies, Glutton for Punishment. A rematch now costs nothing and is one of the only safe places to practise.

8. Patching up the Pouch

Short and straightforward. The objectives: speak with Okuni, head for the old temple, look for Hozuki Pouch materials, hand the materials over to Okuni — in practice, enter the Old Temple, beat two waves of Genma, get the Oni Cloth (Healing), move on. No boss. What makes it worth reading before you play it is the enemies — this is where the Genma stop being the pushovers chapter 1 called cannon fodder — and the ambush in the courtyard, which you solve with explosives rather than a sword.

• 1

  Speak with Okuni, then the old temple

  The old temple is south-west of where you start, and Okuni gives you an Old Temple Key before you leave. New basic and special abilities become available for purchase with red souls at Spirit Mirrors around now, so this is a reasonable moment to spend what chapters 5 to 7 have handed you.

• 2

  The Genma get serious

  The new type: they wear armour and take more punishment, they can absorb souls to enter a Blazing state, and they have a special grab attack. One is Kogai, the Dread Host, and the answer is Oni Strength, the power from chapter 5, to shatter their armour; do not leave souls lying on the ground, because they will absorb them. Hitotsume Gasa, the Cyclops Soldier from chapter 3, is in the mix too, and armoured foes resist plain sword damage. Both traits have a trophy behind them: Untouchable wants 50 Grab Reversals, and Helm Splitter wants 100 shields or armour pieces broken.

• 3

  The courtyard ambush — two waves, and a plan for each

  There is a large group in the courtyard and explosive barrels on one of the ledges, and shooting the barrels takes several of them out at once. It comes in two waves. For the first, archers are on the roof and the barrels are how you deal with them. For the second, break the brazier and use the Wind-Whipper Oni Armament for crowd control — so save the Armament rather than spending it on the first wave — and several of the second wave carry bows too. The brazier is the same trick chapter 3 used on the Hitotsume Gasa; the bronze Genma Griller, which wants three enemies alight at once, is a separate matter — that one needs the skill Firebird Flute: Charged Shot.

• 4

  The chests in the temple

  A short list: a Lesser Soul Crystal in the south-eastern building; Hempen Cloth in the shed on the northern side of the courtyard and again in a north-eastern corner chest; a Whetstone in that same north-eastern chest; and Iron in a chest near the temple exit. The Oni Glyph that matters is in the far building.

• 5

  Oni Cloth (Healing), and the pouch the chapter is named for

  After the courtyard battle, activating the Oni Glyph in the far building reveals the Oni Cloth (Healing) with Oni Vision, and handing it to Okuni gives you the Hozuki Pouch: Default and unlocks Hozuki Pouch enhancement.

  What else is here is disputed. Maxroll lists an Oni Cloth (Regeneration) and a Skeleton Hozuki at "the marked Hozuki Pouch material location" on the map during this mission, without saying where that marker is, and says the Skeleton Hozuki is what takes the pouch to level 3; PowerPyx puts both in south-east Kyoto as free-roam finds — Oni Cloth Regeneration (#1) needs rooftop access, with Skeleton Hozuki 1 (#2) beside it. Vandal and Sportskeeda settle the timing and the spot: both turn up at the start of chapter 9, in the south-eastern compound you reach over the rooftops, the Skeleton Hozuki in a chest right next to the glyph. All nine tracked Hozuki Pouches are free-roam finds, one of them a Chance Encounter reward much later. Note also what is not on the list of nine: the Healing cloth this chapter hands you. So the tracked count can sit at zero when the chapter ends without anything having gone wrong.

  • Oni Cloth (Healing). The Oni Glyph in the far building; hand it to Okuni.
  • Trophies it feeds: the silver Medical Marvel (every Hozuki Pouch enhanced to maximum) and the bronze Health Is Wealth (one enhanced to maximum). No source says you can max one yet.

Chapters 5–8 Completion

✅ Before Moving On to Chapters 9–12...