Favor is the currency that gates most of the heavy upgrades in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and it does not drop from enemies the way Red Souls do. It comes almost entirely from items, and the fastest reliable supply of those items is the civilians scattered around Kyoto who need rescuing.
Quick answer: Look for exclamation mark icons while exploring Kyoto, kill every Genma surrounding the trapped NPC, then talk to them to receive a Favor item. Trade those items in, and repeat as new markers spawn.
Where Favor comes from
Favor is earned by obtaining and then using specific items rather than by racking up kills. That distinction matters, because grinding a dense enemy pack will fill your soul meter without moving your Favor total at all. Every item you pick up in the world is a potential trade, so it is worth looting debris piles, pots, and side rooms as you pass through them instead of running straight to the mission marker.
Rescues are the concentrated version of that loop. Each saved civilian hands you an item on the spot, and those encounters keep appearing as you move through Kyoto, so the supply does not dry up the way a fixed collectible list would.
The rescue loop, step by step
Buying items to top up your Favor
Rescues are not the only tap. Items that can be traded for Favor are also sold at Yorimasa’s Monument, which is useful when you are short by a few thousand and do not want to wander looking for markers. Treat purchased items as a way to close a gap rather than as your main income, since rescues cost nothing.
Note: Favor and Red Souls are separate resources and both are needed for the big upgrades. Stockpiling one while ignoring the other will stall you at the upgrade menu.
How much Favor to bank before you upgrade
The number worth aiming for is 150,000 Favor. That is enough to fully upgrade your Charms, and it is also the point at which a manual save becomes valuable, because you can reload that save to test different upgrade paths without re-farming.
| Resource | Where it comes from | Milestone to target |
|---|---|---|
| Favor | Trading items from rescues, world pickups, and Yorimasa’s Monument | 150,000 for a full Charm upgrade |
| Red Souls | Absorbed from defeated Genma with the Oni Gauntlet | 135,000 to finish the same Charm upgrade |
With that save in place, one common approach is to reload it to spend on Hozuki Pouches instead, then reload again to put everything into three Charms you actually plan to use. Skills and equipment can then take whatever is left over.
When the farm closes
Free roam is available right up until the final mission, “The Clash At Rendaino.” Starting it triggers a point of no return prompt and removes your ability to wander Kyoto, which ends the rescue loop for that playthrough. Do your Favor farming and your upgrade spending before you accept that prompt.
Nothing before that point is missable, so there is no pressure to farm on a schedule. The practical advice is to save civilians whenever a marker appears while you are already heading somewhere, rather than setting aside a dedicated grinding session. Over a full playthrough, that habit alone tends to cover the upgrade costs without ever feeling like a farm.
