Pinch Hitter is one of the 40 bronze trophies in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and its description is short enough to be misleading. It asks you to deflect 50 projectiles. The word that matters is “deflect” — holding guard while arrows thud into your blade does nothing for the counter.
Quick answer: Buy the block upgrade that adds projectile deflection, then time your guard input so the incoming arrow or magic shot is knocked back toward the enemy that fired it. Do that 50 times and the trophy pops.
Unlock the block upgrade before anything counts
Musashi cannot deflect projectiles with his starting defensive kit. The ability is gated behind a block upgrade in the skill menu, so any arrows you eat before buying it are wasted attempts. Purchase it as soon as you have the materials, because the counter only starts moving afterward.
Skill upgrades also carry over into New Game+, so if you pick this up late in the first run, you will still have it from the opening minutes of the Carnage playthrough.
Block vs. deflect: What the trophy actually tracks
The guard stance in Onimusha: Way of the Sword covers attacks from every direction, which makes it tempting to simply stand still against ranged enemies. That absorbs the hit but produces nothing the trophy recognizes. A deflect is a timed input that sends the projectile flying back at its source.
| Action | Result | Counts toward Pinch Hitter |
|---|---|---|
| Holding guard as a projectile lands | Damage absorbed, projectile stops | No |
| Timed deflect input | Projectile returns toward the enemy | Yes |
| Dodging out of the way | Projectile misses | No |
Both ordinary arrows and the magic shots thrown by the floating heads are valid targets. That second type is useful to know about, since those enemies fire on a slow, readable rhythm and give you clean repetitions.
How to land a deflect on incoming projectiles
Tip: Missions such as “What Lurks in the Shadows,” which sends you through Nijo-jo Castle and then after the Nue, mix melee Genma with ranged attackers. Those pockets are where the count climbs fastest without any dedicated farming detour.
Why the counter is not moving
There are only a few reasons Pinch Hitter stalls, and none of them are bugs. Working through them in order will explain almost every stuck count.
- The block upgrade has not been purchased yet, so no deflect is possible.
- You are holding guard instead of timing an input, which blocks the shot without returning it.
- You are killing ranged enemies on approach and never giving them a chance to fire.
Nothing here is missable. There is free roam right up to the final mission, “The Clash At Rendaino,” and even after the credits you can select Continue from the main menu to drop back in before that fight and clean up combat trophies. A full New Game+ run on Carnage gives you plenty of additional archers on top of that.
Where Pinch Hitter sits in the trophy list
It is one of a cluster of cumulative combat trophies that all reward doing the same thing 50 times. Treating them as a group during normal play is far less work than grinding each one separately after the story.
| Trophy | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Pinch Hitter | Deflect 50 projectiles |
| Brutalist | Land 50 Issen attacks |
| Untouchable | Perform 50 Grab Reversals |
| Coming Through! | Break an enemy’s guard 50 times |
| Deadeye | Score 100 headshots with your bow |
Getting into the habit of deflecting rather than absorbing ranged attacks pays off well beyond the trophy count. Deflects drain enemy stamina, and a drained enemy is one Break Issen away from being removed from the fight entirely.
