Swordplay
Mix swift one-handed cuts with slower two-handed cuts. Parry redirects a blow at the last moment. Deflect spends stamina and can return projectiles. Evade becomes a Reflex Dodge when the timing is perfect.
Combat systems
Oni Gauntlet
The Oni Gauntlet is how Miyamoto Musashi slays Genma and how the Oni Lady speaks. Capcom’s action pages split the system into Swordplay, Issen, Oni Armaments, and souls. Yellow souls restore health. Blue souls fill the Oni Power gauge for Oni Armaments. Red souls enhance equipment and unlock or upgrade abilities, including through Materials Pack: Red Souls I. Parry, Deflect, and Evade / Reflex Dodge are the defensive trio. Issen, Break Issen, and Chain Issen are the high-timing rewards. Official copy names Light Attack and Heavy Attack as one-handed and two-handed cuts, plus Dodge and Parry as the everyday loop.
Issen
Press an attack the instant before a hit lands. Success deals high damage and spills extra souls. Exhausting stamina opens Break Issen; tapping again as an Issen lands starts Chain Issen.
Oni Armaments
The Two Celestials, Earth-Shakers, and Wind-Whipper spend Oni Power built from blue souls. They are not ordinary swords; they are summoned Oni weapons with distinct crowd, guard-break, and area jobs.
Yellow Souls
Restore health
Oni Gauntlet absorption
Blue Souls
Fill Oni Power gauge for Oni Armaments
Absorption and Blazing State attacks
Red Souls
Enhance equipment and learn/upgrade abilities
Absorption and Materials Pack DLC
Parry
Defense
Redirect enemy attacks by blocking at just the right moment
Restore health Oni Gauntlet absorption
Fill Oni Power gauge for Oni Armaments Absorption and Blazing State attacks
Enhance equipment and learn/upgrade abilities Absorption and Materials Pack DLC
Redirect enemy attacks by blocking at just the right moment. The unbalanced opponent will be left open to attack briefly, and they can even be sent crashing into walls or other enemies. Making an enemy collide with something will greatly reduce their stamina, pushing them closer to exhaustion.
Repel an enemy's attack off your blade. The impact will set the enemy off-balance and deplete a large portion of their stamina in the process. This technique can also be used to send ranged attacks flying back at the enemies that launched them.
With adept timing, you can completely avoid taking damage from enemy attacks. Follow-up attacks can also be deployed after avoiding attacks with a perfectly timed evade, known as a Reflex Dodge. The follow-up attack greatly reduces the enemy's stamina. Perfectly evade an enemy grapple to perform a grab reversal.
Performed by pressing an attack button the moment before an enemy attack makes contact with Musashi, it is difficult to pull off. Those who succeed will be rewarded with high damage dealt to the enemy and more souls released.
By whittling down the enemy's stamina it is possible to push them into exhaustion. Doing so will open them up to a potent Break Issen. If planned carefully it is possible to Break Issen multiple enemies in quick succession. Against bosses you will be able to choose which part of them you wish to attack with the technique. Different body parts yield different benefits, so one can choose according to the current state of battle.
It is possible to unleash a series of Issen attacks to quickly dispatch multiple enemies. Pressing an attack button just as an Issen attack lands starts a Chain Issen.
A power that allows one to see that which is usually hidden to human eyes. Particularly useful for revealing hidden Genma obstacles, this is an essential ability for exploration and puzzles.
An Oni power that imbues ones arms with inhuman strength that can turn the tide of battle. Powerful strikes fueled by this power can break through enemy defenses with ease. The power's strength also serves Musashi well during exploration.
An Oni power that imbues ones legs with explosive potential to open up new paths. Grants Musashi the ability to carry out acrobatic feats, such as running along certain walls, that aid in both battle and exploration.
The form Musashi takes upon awakening the full extent of his Oni Powers. Use its greatly enhanced combat abilities and Onimusha Onslaught technique to command the battlefield.
Issues a flurry of attacks with a pair of deadly blades. Enemies hit by this ability will release yellow souls, which Musashi can absorb to recover health, making this a great means of dealing damage and increasing survivability.
Hammers with the power to rend the very fabric of space. They can tear through enemy stamina, shields and armor alike. Charging up the attack makes them hit even harder.
Twirl a double-bladed naginata overhead that stirs up a whirlwind that can hit enemies over a wide area. Enemies within range will be sent flying, and any incoming ranged attacks that enter the vortex will be negated. If the whirlwind comes into contact with a flame it will transform into a scorching cyclone.
Launches an arrow forwards into the distance. Holding down the button will charge your shots, causing them to deal more damage.
Parrying successfully enough times will trigger this state, which increases the power of Musashi's blade and generates more blue souls when landing attacks.
Absorb on purpose, then spend the right color
Soul Absorption is not a background magnet. Musashi can move while the gauntlet drinks, but he is otherwise defenseless. Capcom’s action copy tells you to watch the fight and pick a window. Yellow souls are the emergency heal. Blue souls are the Oni Armament budget. Red souls are the long-term spend on equipment and skills. Materials Pack: Red Souls I adds 2500 red souls through the Spirit Mirror if you buy that DLC; it does not change the yellow or blue rules.
Blazing State is the parry payoff. Land enough parries and Musashi’s blade hits harder and throws more blue souls on contact. That loop is why Parry is listed next to the three soul colors on this page: it is both a defense and a blue-soul engine. Deflect is the other stamina tax, built to return arrows and similar shots. Reflex Dodge is the evade jackpot, with grab reversals if you perfectly evade a grapple.
Do not treat the colors as a fake HUD. The official effects are one line each, with no published soul balances or upgrade levels. Spend yellow when you are cut, bank blue for an armament, and park red for the Spirit Mirror and skill menus once those unlock.
Issen, Break Issen, and Chain Issen
Issen is the series signature. Capcom’s wording is strict: press an attack button the moment before an enemy attack makes contact with Musashi. It is difficult. Success deals high damage and releases more souls. That extra soul spill is why Issen is also an economy tool, not only a highlight reel.
Break Issen is the stamina finish. Whittle an enemy into exhaustion and a potent Break Issen opens. Planned well, you can Break Issen several enemies in a row. Against bosses you choose a body part; different parts yield different benefits. Official pages do not publish the part table, so this guide stops at that rule.
Chain Issen is the crowd string. Press an attack just as an Issen lands to start a Chain Issen and cut down several foes quickly. Steam achievements already track these verbs: Brutalist asks for 50 Issen attacks, Berserker for three continuous Break Issen defeats, Flow State for 50 Chain Issen defeats. Use those records as practice goals, not as hidden numbers.
Oni Armaments and Oni Powers
Oni Armaments are summoned with Oni Power from blue souls. The Two Celestials is a pair of blades whose hits spill yellow souls, so it is a damage-and-heal tool. Earth-Shakers are hammers that tear stamina, shields, and armor; charging hits harder. Wind-Whipper twirls a double-bladed naginata into a whirlwind that launches foes, eats incoming ranged shots, and becomes a scorching cyclone if it touches flame.
Oni Vision reveals hidden Genma obstacles and is essential for exploration and puzzles. Oni Strength imbues the arms so strikes break defenses and some traversal objects give way. Oni Agility imbues the legs for wall runs and other acrobatics. Oni Awakening is the full-power form, with greatly enhanced combat and the Onimusha Onslaught technique. Steam’s Wide Awake and Oni’s Oni records sit on that form.
The Oni Bow is the named ranged option: tap for a shot, hold to charge. Blade Barrage is the clash minigame when two blades collide; you must answer a one-handed clash with a two-handed cut and vice versa. Blade Lock can follow a parry or deflect and asks for rapid inputs to take both benefits. Reflex Combo chains Reflex Dodges into a heavy finish. Environmental objects such as tatami mats and carts are legal tools, and Winning Is What Matters tracks 50 of those hits.
Sources