Onimusha: Way of the Sword Part 1 Walkthrough – Rendaino to the Sasaki Ganryu Boss

Musashi’s path opens in a fog-shrouded Kyoto twisted by Malice, where the young samurai claims the Oni Gauntlet and starts cutting through the Genma that have overrun the city. The first stretch of play moves from the streets of Rendaino to the grounds of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, ending in a duel with the rival swordsman Sasaki Ganryu. Below is a clean run of that opening, including the settings you pick at the start, the tutorials you meet along the way, and how the boss fight is set up.

Quick answer: Start a New Game, pick Action (Combat Focus) and a control layout, then push from Rendaino to Kiyomizu-dera, learning Break Issen, soul absorption, parry, deflect, reflex dodge and Oni Vision as prompted. The opening ends when you beat Sasaki Ganryu.

Starting screen and difficulty setup

From the main menu you get New Game, Settings, and a link to the PlayStation Store. Before Musashi appears on screen, the game asks you to lock in two choices that shape how combat feels.

Select New Game, then choose your difficulty. The options are Action (Combat Focus) for a tougher fight and Story (Storyline Focus) for an easier pass. Action leans into the parry-and-deflect combat the game is built around.

Pick a control layout. You can take the Defensive Layout or the Aggressive Layout. Both cover the same actions; they change which buttons feel most natural for blocking versus attacking, so choose the one that matches your instinct.

A Capcom disclaimer screen set in Kyoto plays next, followed by a cinematic of a foggy forest, a river, and a water wheel. This leads straight into the first playable area.

Rendaino: first steps and disarming a villager

Musashi arrives in Rendaino and runs into a hostile villager carrying a pole. Disarm him to clear the first small encounter, then continue on. A short rice ball scene follows, giving the area a quiet beat before the fighting picks up.

Musashi arriving in Rendaino and facing a hostile villager armed with a pole — Musashi disarms a pole-wielding villager in the opening Rendaino area. Image: Capcom

A Yoshioka Follower confronts Musashi in a cinematic scene as the subtitle reads Musashi — A Yoshioka Follower confronts Musashi in an early cutscene. Image: Capcom

Takamura speaking in subtitles as three characters talk inside a wooden building — A story exchange with Takamura inside a wooden building. Image: Capcom

The Oni Gauntlet and its core powers

The Oni Gauntlet is the artifact that turns Musashi into an Onimusha. It grants strength beyond human limits and lets him pull the souls out of defeated Genma to power himself up. A voice speaks from inside the gauntlet, guiding him and hinting at a larger story about his past.

The gauntlet unlocks three things you rely on throughout the opening: soul absorption for resources, Oni Vision for tracking hidden objects, and unique armaments such as The Two Celestials and the Oni Bow.

Power	What it does
Soul absorption	Draws souls from fallen Genma to restore health, stamina, or special energy
Oni Vision	Reveals hidden objects and traces red threads back to a source
Oni Armament	Special weapons powered by absorbed souls for burst attacks

Kiyomizu-dera Temple: tutorials in order

The temple stretch teaches the combat system one piece at a time. Each tutorial appears right before you need it, tied to a specific enemy or obstacle. Learning these in sequence is the fastest way through the area.

On the wooded approach, a cutscene shows Genma feeding on crows. The Stamina and Break Issen tutorial explains how depleting an enemy’s stamina opens them up, then you slash through the first foes.

The Red Souls tutorial follows. Use the Oni Gauntlet to absorb the red orbs that drop from defeated enemies for enhancements.

At a fortified wooden gate, fight off attacking Genma with blocks and two-handed strikes, and absorb yellow health souls. Clear them all to prompt the gatekeeper to open the entrance, then speak with him inside.

On the temple grounds, talk to a shaken monk and open a wooden chest holding Mild Restorative x2. The Selecting and Using Items tutorial shows how to pick and use a healing item from your wheel.

Selecting and Using Items tutorial highlighting the Mild Restorative healing item — The item tutorial demonstrates selecting and using a Mild Restorative. Image: Capcom

Open a compound door to find a frightened priest who warns of fiends ahead, then push forward. You will view the thick red Malice hanging over the temple and can check the in-game map.

The Parries and Blazing State tutorial teaches timing a parry just before an enemy’s strike to create openings. Practice it on the Genma along the trail.

The Reflex Dodges tutorial follows, showing how to dodge just before impact and answer with a counter combo. Use it while clearing the courtyard enemies and the Genma archers firing flaming arrows from the rocks.

A massive demonic root barrier blocks the main route. Clear the nearby enemies and grab the Lesser Defense Talisman. The Hozuki Pouches pop-up then explains harvesting red Hozuki fruit to restore health.

The Deflect tutorial shows how to turn aside both melee strikes and ranged projectiles to break enemy stamina. Clear the wooden barricade, climb the stairs, defeat the upper-path swordsmen, and loot the Lesser Might Talisman.

Spirit Mirror shrine, gauntlet vision, and Oni Vision tracking

Activate the Spirit Mirror shrine to unlock save progress, storehouse access, and health restoration. This is your checkpoint before the run to the boss.

Right after, the Oni Gauntlet flares violently and Musashi is struck by sharp head pain as dark memories surge in. A flashback shows villagers being abducted and sacrificed on the temple platform. The female voice within the gauntlet explains the dark mass and tells Musashi to find and destroy the source of the vision.

The main gate is sealed by a swirling demonic vortex. The Oni Vision tutorial teaches you to reveal hidden objects and trace the red threads flowing out of the sealed portal. Follow those threads to track down what is holding the seal in place.

Boss fight: Sasaki Ganryu

The opening ends with a one-on-one duel against Sasaki Ganryu, Musashi’s rival. He is fast and, like Musashi, carries a talking gauntlet of his own. The objective screen reads “Defeat Sasaki Ganryu” during the fight.

The safest approach is to stay inside his hitbox and keep pressure on. Backing away invites his long-range thrusts, which are his most dangerous moves. Reduce his yellow stamina bar with clean parries and deflects, then punish the opening. The stage is complete once he goes down.

The Stage is Set at Kiyomizu objective screen showing Musashi attacking Sasaki Ganryu — The Kiyomizu objective screen during the Sasaki Ganryu duel. Image: Capcom

How the combat system rewards you

Every Genma has a red health bar and a yellow stamina bar. Draining the yellow bar leaves them open to a heavy punish or an instant kill, so clean parries, deflects, and reflex dodges matter more than raw blocking. Souls dropped by fallen enemies feed directly back into your health, stamina, and special meter.

Soul color	Restores
Red	Health
Yellow	Stamina
Purple	Special attack energy

Note: Healing has a delay. You cannot use a Mild Restorative or drink from a Hozuki pouch while moving or mid-attack, so create space or stagger an enemy before you commit to a heal.

Clearing Sasaki Ganryu wraps the opening chapter and sets up the wider hunt through a Malice-choked Kyoto. From here, the same loop carries forward, which involves reading enemy attacks, breaking their stamina, absorbing souls, and using Oni Vision to open sealed paths as Musashi presses deeper into the city.