Miyamoto Musashi

Musashi in Way of the Sword

Miyamoto Musashi arrives in Kyoto looking for stronger opponents. Young and proud, he believes his own swordsmanship should settle every fight. The Genma invasion interrupts that pursuit.

The Genma kill Musashi, but Oni power revives him and binds the Oni Gauntlet to his arm. It gives him strength beyond human limits and absorbs souls released by fallen Genma. Musashi wants it removed because he refuses to credit an unwanted power for his victories.

As the Genma prey on Kyoto, Musashi starts fighting for the people caught in the invasion. He returns to Rokudo-chinnoji Temple between missions, follows Shizuka's guidance to strengthen the gauntlet, and helps Okuni reclaim the sandbar where dances were performed.

SourcesOfficial Steam pageA Strength in RefugeOkuni's Kabuki Dance

Swordsmanship, souls, and the Oni Gauntlet

Musashi mixes katana technique with Oni abilities. He can guard, deflect, parry, dodge at the last instant, and meet an incoming strike with an Issen. Breaking posture opens an enemy to a finisher, and a well-timed follow-up can carry an Issen into another target.

The Oni Gauntlet absorbs red, yellow, and blue souls. Red souls grant experience, yellow souls restore health, and blue souls restore Oni Energy. Although Musashi wants the gauntlet removed, he needs it to recover, improve his skills, and use Oni Armaments.

Capcom used the late actor Toshiro Mifune as Musashi's face model. The design draws on Mifune's samurai films while portraying a younger, more volatile version of the swordsman.

SourcesOfficial Steam pagePlayStation hands-on report

Story spoilers: the temptation of souls

After losing to Ganryu, Musashi admits he briefly considered taking souls for power. He is disturbed by what that would have meant for Shizuka and Hinagiku. His refusal to follow Ganryu's path gives their rivalry a consequence beyond winning the next duel.

Before Okuni's Kabuki Dance, Okuni asks Musashi to accompany her to the Genma-infested sandbar in the Kamo River. He agrees to help her reach it safely. The mission then turns that promise into the practical task of clearing the plants that have overrun the performance site.

SourcesOkuni's Kabuki Dance - story dialogue and objectives

Historical inspiration

The historical Miyamoto Musashi lived across the end of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, the same broad transition into the Edo period that frames Way of the Sword. He became famous as a swordsman, strategist, and founder of the two-sword tradition commonly called Niten Ichi-ryu. His reputation grew from duels, military experience, teaching, and the strategic writing collected near the end of his life in The Book of Five Rings.

Capcom borrows Musashi's name, his association with two blades, his life as a wandering swordsman, and his rivalry with Sasaki Kojiro. The game's biography is fictional; Genma, Malice, resurrection, the talking Oni Gauntlet, and the events at Kiyomizu-dera belong to Onimusha.

This version of Musashi believes his sword should be enough. Revival leaves him dependent on Oni power, which gives him a personal reason to reject the gauntlet.

SourcesJapan Tourism Agency Musashi profile