Stances in Dokkodo decide which skills your samurai can perform in combat, and they are split across four schools: Yoshioka-Ryu, Hozoin-Ryu, Kobutaiken and Sohei-jutsu. Each stance carries its own named skills, and a handful of the rarer Yoshioka-Ryu stances drop only from specific enemies. The tables below break down every stance by school, its skills, and how it is obtained.
Yoshioka-Ryu Stances
The Yoshioka-Ryu school covers the core Hasso, Jodan, Chudan and Gedan stances. Chudan has no skills listed for this school.
| Image | Stance | Skills |
|---|---|---|
 | Hasso | Migi Joho Tsuki, diagonal strike coming from the right followed by a quick thrust. Hayate Giri, a four-hit combo consisting of two double right-left attacks (you can start the combo by clicking during the run). |
 | Jodan | Shomen Totsugeki, charge at your enemies with an overhead strike. Tenbatsu, wind your sword back and then snap with a quick phasing-through dash to a powerful vertical strike. |
 | Chudan | N/A |
 | Gedan | Uke Kiri, counterattack with a quick downward strike (great for an escapegoat if you miss a deflection). Ushiro Kiri, counter your enemies and spin behind them with a stab to their back. |
Yoshioka-Ryu Drop Stances
Three Yoshioka-Ryu stances are not unlocked through normal progression. Each has a small drop chance when you kill its associated enemy with prodigy while having unlocked the Way of Inheritance.
| Image | Stance | Skills | Obtainment |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Migi-Gedan | Shizukagiri, right dodge to an upward strike. Ryuso, attack with double slashes. Ryuso Skill Upgrade: execute low enemies, slicing their arm off. | Killing Gion Toji with prodigy while having unlocked the Way of Inheritance (small drop chance of the stance). |
 | Katawake | Makaze Sanran, triple spinning slash attack. | Killing Mercenaries with prodigy while having unlocked the Way of Inheritance (small drop chance of the stance). |
 | Katamaki | Karisome no Ichigeki, dash through your enemy(s) with a powerful one-handed left attack. No current stance upgrades. | Killing Aka-Oni with prodigy while having unlocked the Way of Inheritance (small drop chance of the stance). |
Hozoin-Ryu Stances
The Hozoin-Ryu school favours thrusts and spinning slashes. Kaiten Niten appears across its Chudan, Seigan and Jodan stances, but in Jodan it is only available for prodigy.
| Image | Stance | Skills |
|---|---|---|
 | Chudan | Kaiten Niten, jump dodge into a double spinning slash. Totsugeki Tsuki, charging thrust piercing anybody in the way. |
 | Seigan | Kaiten Niten, jump dodge into a double spinning slash. Tsuki Renpatsu, charge at your enemies and snap with a barrage of thrusts. Niten Tsuki, double thrust attack. |
 | Jodan | Kaiten Niten, jump dodge into a double spinning slash (only available for prodigy). Otoshi Tsuki, counterattack with a low sweep that ragdolls and a thrust attack. |
Kobutaiken and Sohei-jutsu Stances
Kobutaiken and Sohei-jutsu are smaller schools. Kobutaiken includes the Sha stance, while Sohei-jutsu lists a Chudan stance whose skills are Nobori Kiri and Enbu Kiri.
| Image | School | Stance | Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Kobutaiken | Sha | Jigoku Ten, pierce your blade into the earth, pinning your enemy to the ground before delivering a finishing strike. |
 | Sohei-jutsu | Chudan | Nobori Kiri, jumping twirling double slash. Enbu Kiri, spin around like a tornado slashing enemies within a radius. |
Passive
Alongside the stance skills, the Yoshioka-Ryu school lists one passive.
| Image | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Iai Kiri | Replaces your critical attack with a quick draw slash. |
Mastering Dokkodo’s stances means knowing which school each belongs to and which skills it grants, then chasing the rare Migi-Gedan, Katawake and Katamaki drops by defeating Gion Toji, Mercenaries and Aka-Oni with prodigy under the Way of Inheritance.
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