The Odachi arrives early in Ghost of Yotei and immediately changes how you handle heavy targets. It’s a two-handed blade built to stagger and finish Brutes, and you earn it while chasing the Saito Brothers lead in chapter one. Here’s how to unlock it, what it excels at, and how its skill line unfolds through Master Yoshida’s tales.

Unlock the Odachi (chapter 1)

Complete The Old Inn in the Yotei Grasslands, then pursue clues tied to the Saito Brothers. When you’ve gathered enough, a Golden Ginkgo Leaf marker appears in the Tokachi Range near Horasaru Falls. Track it, ride north, and you’ll find Master Yoshida on the bridge to his dojo.

Speak to Yoshida and he’ll join your Wolf Pack. Follow him to the yard and pick up the Odachi from the rack to begin training. From this point on, you can swap to the Odachi in combat whenever you need its stagger-oriented kit.

Tip: Use the guiding wind (slide up on the touchpad) to pull the marker to your compass direction while traveling.

Odachi role and controls

The Odachi is designed to delete Brutes. Its swings are slower than your katana, but the stagger and damage against large, club-wielding enemies are the point. In the tutorial, you’ll immediately test it on a Brute during a raid on the dojo.

  • Block: L1
  • Light attack: Square
  • Heavy attack: Triangle

During The Way of the Odachi, Yoshida also teaches a core counter: hold Triangle as an enemy swings to absorb the hit on the blade, then release to shove them back and stun. Follow the stun with fast pressure to secure the kill. It works on more than just Brutes.

The Way of the Odachi (mission beats)

After you recruit Yoshida and take the weapon, Saito Outlaws push across the bridge. Cut down the opening Brute with Odachi heavies, then mop up the rest and follow Yoshida toward a nearby outlaw camp overlooking shallow water and split plateaus.

Climb handholds and branches to the upper ledge, clear the first camp, and loot materials (Young Bamboo, copper, fibers). Boost Yoshida up by the short waterfall; he’ll pull you after.

Bo-hiya gunner strategy

A gunner starts lobbing delayed-explosion rockets as you advance. Don’t trade shots—sprint the route:

  • Dash across the broken bridge segment to the far wall.
  • Climb the ledges and traverse to a position above the gunner.
  • Drop into melee. The gunner fights like a Brute—swap to Odachi and commit.

Grab Blind Bombs from the box near the ledge and open the small chest against the wall. Break the wooden barricade ahead with your grappling hook: hold R2 to set, then hold L2 and pull back to reveal the gap, and squeeze through.

The counter that opens fights

Behind cover, Yoshida drills the Odachi’s hold-and-shove timing. Approach an enemy, hold Triangle through their swing so the impact glances off your blade, then release to send them reeling and stunned. A brief highlight marks the punish window—finish with light or heavy strings. This technique gives the Odachi a reliable answer to faster weapon types, not just heavies.

Watch for musket callouts from backline gunners and dodge with Circle on the audio cue while you advance.

What happens after the dojo raid

Once the camp is clear, Yoshida shares why the Brothers want him dead and points you north to continue the broader hunt. He’ll also set you on an Odachi training arc:

  • The Path of the Odachi (Sensei Tale): Yoshida sends you to clean up Tokachi Range activities such as liberating the Marshland Homestead and Huranui Mill, and closing out the “Junpei the Snatcher” bounty, before reconvening at the dojo.
  • The Odachi’s Redemption (Sensei Tale): Back at the dojo, study the scrolls, then follow Yoshida to the cliffside ring to learn Mountain Breaker, the Odachi’s Spirit attack. Hold Triangle + Circle to spend Spirit on a sweeping, guard-breaking spin that crushes clustered enemies—especially Brutes—then test it immediately against another Saito force that rides in after you light camp.
  • Master Yoshida’s Final Lesson: Locked until you’ve learned the full Odachi kit and visited Altars of Reflection. It’s the capstone to the weapon line.

Odachi techniques and what they do

Technique What it changes
Odachi (weapon alignment) High stagger and damage against Brutes; slower swing cadence than katana.
Unstoppable Strikes Reduced damage taken while attacking; your swings can’t be interrupted.
Bulwark Stance Defensive posture that blocks standard attacks while you hold Triangle to time a shove.
Mountain Breaker (Spirit attack) Triangle + Circle spin that shatters guard and inflicts heavy stagger in an arc.
Improved Bulwark Stance On release, adds a slam into a high-damage double slash and a piercing thrust.
Strength of the Mountain Increases stagger output against all enemies.
Indomitable Counter Perfectly timed Bulwark counters will answer even red-glint attacks.
Resolve of the Mountain Further reduces damage you take while swinging the Odachi.
Unstoppable Force Damage taken while Unstoppable becomes recoverable; restore it by attacking.
Note: The hold-Triangle shove you learn during The Way of the Odachi is your day-one answer to fast weapons. Mountain Breaker layers on a Spirit-finisher that erases shields and posture in crowded fights.

Upgrades and materials (Odachi)

Upgrade tier Materials required
Reinforced Metal ×20
Enhanced Metal ×30, Oni Raider Mask Pieces ×10, Shinobi Steel ×10
Perfected Metal ×60, Gun Parts ×15, Rare Metal ×15

Each tier raises raw damage and makes the slow swings easier to justify in mixed mobs. If your route constantly runs through Brutes and gunners, push these upgrades early.

When to swap off the Odachi

Against Brutes, stick with it—it deletes posture and ends fights quickly. In mixed waves with spear-users or fast katana duelists, open with the Odachi to stun or Mountain Breaker the pack, then swap to a faster weapon for single-target cleanup if you’re getting punished between swings. During Sensei Tales and outlaw camps, enemies will rotate positions and weapons; adapt with them rather than forcing one tool in every exchange.

Quick reference

  • Track Saito intel until the Golden Ginkgo Leaf appears near Horasaru Falls in Tokachi Range.
  • Meet Master Yoshida on the dojo bridge to unlock the Odachi and your first training.
  • Hold Triangle to meet an enemy’s swing on the blade, release to shove and stun, then finish.
  • For bo-hiya gunners, climb to their ledge and engage in melee; treat them like Brutes.
  • Complete The Path of the Odachi, then The Odachi’s Redemption to learn Mountain Breaker.

Once you’ve wrapped Yoshida’s early training and cleared the outlaw camp, keep hunting the Yotei Six for more location clues or return to the dojo to continue the Odachi track. When you’re ready for the final lesson, make sure every Odachi skill is unlocked and visit the Altars of Reflection—Yoshida won’t hold back.