Onimusha: Way of the Sword Skills
Last verified: Sep 4, 2026 · Release-day edition
Way of the Sword's skills split into Basic Skills and Special Skills, purchased and enhanced with Red Souls, Power Stones and Oni Stones. This guide explains the skill families, the upgrades worth prioritising, and how the system feeds the Well-Rounded trophy.
How Skills Work
Skills are purchased in the menu at any shrine checkpoint. Each skill has a base purchase cost and enhancement levels; enhancements cost Power Stones (for Basic Skills) and Oni Stones (for Special Skills and weapon skills), with 54 of each type scattered across the world as chest pickups and side-content rewards. Red Souls are the general currency.
The trophy targets are explicit: learn and upgrade all basic or special skills for The Winding Way of the Sword, and learn and upgrade all basic and special skills for Well-Rounded (silver). Because every skill must be maxed for the platinum, the question is never "if" — it is "in what order."
Hold off on spending Oni Stones until Oni Vision: Treasures, Oni Vision: Treasures 2 and Oni Vision: Search Range are available. Together these three Special Skills reveal treasure chests and upgrade materials across the map — buying them early pays for themselves many times over by the end of the run.
Basic Skills
Basic Skills expand Musashi's swordplay and core techniques. The major families:
- Issen — enhances the precision counter. Its upgrade lines improve the counter's range and follow-up potential; the Issen skill family is what makes the signature technique viable as a primary tool rather than a parry reward.
- Break Issen Combo — extends the stamina-break follow-up into a combo chain, letting a single Break Issen convert into multiple hits against tougher enemies.
- Deflect — required for the Pinch Hitter trophy (deflect 50 projectiles). The basic Deflect is a prerequisite for the game's stamina-pressure game against bosses.
- Oni Bow skills — charge speed, headshot handling and arrow capacity, all of which make the Ace Archer side missions and the Deadeye trophy (100 headshots) far easier.
- Assassination — unlocks stealth kills from behind (Silent Violence trophy: 20 assassinations). The family includes Petrify, purchasable after the first Oni Portal for 2 Power Stones, which freezes unaware enemies for clean assassinations.
Special Skills
Special Skills cover the supernatural and exploration side of the kit — the Oni powers tied to the gauntlet:
- Oni Vision — the Eye Awakening line. Oni Vision: Destructibles (3,500 Red Souls) highlights breakable objects; Oni Vision: Treasures (2 Oni Stones) and its follow-ups reveal treasure; Oni Vision: Search Range widens the detection radius. This is the collectible-hunter's core kit.
- Oni Strength — the Arm Awakening line, unlocked after defeating Rasho-gan. Destroy breaks demonic barriers; Handle Bigger Objects (3,500 Red Souls) extends environmental throws.
- Oni Agility — the Leg Awakening line, unlocked during the "The Roots of All Evil" mission. Wall Run opens the game's late exploration routes.
- Issen: Range — available after the first Oni Portal for 2 Oni Stones; extends Issen's reach so the counter connects from a safer distance.
Weapon Skills (Oni Armaments)
Each Oni Armament has its own skill node, unlocked when the weapon is discovered and enhanced with Oni Stones:
- Two Celestials: Combo Strength (2 Oni Stones) — extends paired-sword combo routes.
- Wind-Whipper, Earth-Shakers, Firebird Flute, Flashing Void and Still Water each carry their own enhancement, purchased with Oni Stones once the weapon is found. These upgrade the weapon's core performance rather than adding new moves — the movesets themselves are fixed per weapon.
Weapon skill nodes unlock when the relevant Oni Armament is discovered, so the order you collect Armaments (see the Oni Armaments guide) shapes when each node becomes purchasable.
Oni Awakening
Beyond the purchasable tree sits Oni Awakening, the transformation unlocked through the souls economy rather than the skill menu. It is powered by purple souls: when the Awakening gauge is full, Musashi transforms and Issen windows become dramatically easier. The transformation is where the "max all skills" run pays off — every enhanced Basic Skill and Special Skill carries into the awakened state, which is why Well-Rounded and the combat trophies (Oni's Oni, Wielder of Oni Armaments) are usually earned together near the end of a completion run.
Upgrade Materials at a Glance
| Material | Count in World | Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Power Stones | 54 | Basic Skill purchases & enhancements |
| Oni Stones | 54 | Special Skills, weapon skills & enhancements |
| Red Souls | Earned from combat | General currency for skill purchases |
Both stone types are found in chests across Kyoto and as Chance Encounter rewards; the Oni Vision: Treasures line makes them visible from a distance. Our collectibles guide covers where the full 54+54 set is found.
Skills FAQ
What are the best skills to get first in Onimusha: Way of the Sword?
Unlock Oni Vision: Treasures, Oni Vision: Treasures 2 and Oni Vision: Search Range as early as possible — they reveal collectibles across the map and pay for themselves. After that, prioritise the Deflect skill and the Issen line to support boss fights.
How do you unlock skills in Onimusha: Way of the Sword?
Buy them in the menu at shrine checkpoints using Red Souls, Power Stones and Oni Stones. Some skills only become purchasable after story milestones (Oni Strength after Rasho-gan, Oni Agility during "The Roots of All Evil").
What is the Well-Rounded trophy in Onimusha: Way of the Sword?
Well-Rounded (silver) requires learning and upgrading every Basic and Special skill. The Winding Way of the Sword (bronze) is the easier version — all basic or all special skills.
Do skills carry over to New Game+?
Yes — enhanced Basic and Special Skills carry into New Game+, along with Awakened Oni abilities. This makes the Carnage run a matter of execution, not re-grinding the skill tree.