Onimusha: Way of the Sword is packed with hidden content — secret rooms, rare collectibles, alternate paths, and unlockable modes that you can easily miss on a casual playthrough. This guide covers all the major secrets and collectibles in the game, where to find them, and what you get for collecting them.
Types of Collectibles
Onimusha features several different collectible types, each with its own reward structure:
| Collectible | Total Count | Reward for Completion |
|---|---|---|
| Oni Orbs | 30 | Unlock Oni Gauntlet upgrades |
| Memory Scrolls | 20 | Lore entries + concept art gallery |
| Soul Vessels | 12 | Permanent max health increase |
| Weapon Skins | 8 | Cosmetic katana skins |
| Secret Bosses | 3 | Unique armaments + endgame challenge |
Oni Orbs — The Main Collectible
Oni Orbs are glowing purple orbs hidden throughout Kyoto. They are the primary collectible in the game, and finding them is the only way to fully upgrade your Oni Gauntlet beyond its baseline capabilities.
Where to Find Them
Oni Orbs are tucked away in places the game does not explicitly point you toward:
- Breakable walls. If a wall looks cracked or damaged, hit it. Many orbs are behind false walls.
- Rafters and ledges. Use Oni Vision to highlight climbable paths that lead to hidden ledges.
- Under floors. Some areas have trapdoors or floorboards you can smash through.
- Behind waterfalls. The classic video game secret — if you see a waterfall, check behind it.
- In enemy corpses. Rarely, defeating an enemy with a specific attack causes an orb to drop.
Oni Vision highlights hidden items with a faint purple glow. Get in the habit of pinging Oni Vision in every new room — it takes a second and will save you from missing orbs. You would be shocked how many collectibles are sitting just out of normal sightlines.
Upgrade Rewards
Every 5 Oni Orbs you collect unlocks a new gauntlet upgrade:
- 5 orbs: Faster soul absorption speed
- 10 orbs: Absorb souls while moving (game changer)
- 15 orbs: Increased soul absorption range
- 20 orbs: Souls auto-collect at close range
- 25 orbs: Oni Power recharges slowly over time
- 30 orbs: Ultimate Oni Form duration +50%
The 10-orb upgrade (mobile absorption) is widely considered the best quality-of-life upgrade in the game. It completely changes how you approach multi-enemy encounters, because you no longer have to choose between absorbing souls and staying mobile.
Memory Scrolls — The Lore Collectible
Memory Scrolls are ancient scrolls scattered around Kyoto that reveal the backstory of the game's world, characters, and the Genma invasion. They are the completionist's collectible — no gameplay benefit, just story and art.
What They Unlock
- Lore entries in the menu detailing the history of the Oni, the Genma, and the conflict
- Character profiles with concept art and development notes
- Enemy lore entries explaining each Genma type's origins
- Full concept art gallery (unlocked at 20/20 scrolls)
Soul Vessels — Permanent Upgrades
Soul Vessels are rare collectibles that permanently increase your maximum health. They are the most impactful collectibles from a gameplay perspective — each one adds a full health segment, and there are 12 of them scattered across the game.
Vessel Locations (Hint Guide)
We will not give away every location — half the fun is finding them — but here are hints for the easiest ones to miss:
- Chapter 2: In the burning temple, check the well in the courtyard. Yes, you can go down there.
- Chapter 4: After the bridge collapse, backtrack instead of going forward. There is a cave you would otherwise never see.
- Chapter 6: The garden maze has more than one exit. The dead end is not actually a dead end.
- Chapter 8: In the library, pull every book on the shelves. One of them is a switch.
- Final Chapter: Before the final boss door, look up. There is a path most players never notice.
Several Soul Vessels and Oni Orbs are in areas that become inaccessible after certain story beats. Once you cross a point of no return, you cannot go back for missed collectibles. If you care about 100% completion, save before major story moments and check the area thoroughly before moving on.
Weapon Skins — Cosmetic Collectibles
Katana skins are purely cosmetic — they change how your sword looks but do not affect stats. Still, for players who want to look stylish while slicing demons, they are a fun collection target.
Skins are unlocked through various methods:
- Story progression (3 skins)
- Oni Orb collection milestones (2 skins)
- Secret boss victories (2 skins)
- New Game+ completion (1 skin)
Secret Bosses — The Hidden Challenges
Onimusha features three secret bosses that are not required for the main story. Each one is significantly harder than any story boss, and each drops a unique reward that cannot be obtained anywhere else.
Secret Boss #1: The Hundred-Armed Kannon
How to find: In Chapter 5, after the rooftop chase, do not go through the story door. Instead, backtrack and find the hidden garden with the broken statue. Interact with the statue to trigger the fight.
Reward: Unique bow armament skin + a chunk of red souls
This boss is a test of crowd management and target prioritization. The Kannon spawns multiple arms that attack independently, and you have to destroy them all before the core becomes vulnerable. It is chaotic, overwhelming, and one of the most fun fights in the game.
Secret Boss #2: The Phantom Swordsman
How to find: In Chapter 7, return to the starting area with the Oni Vision ability. A hidden path appears in Oni Vision that leads to a secluded dojo. Enter to face the Phantom Swordsman.
Reward: "Shadow Edge" katana skin + parry timing indicator (optional accessibility feature)
The Phantom Swordsman is essentially a harder version of the Ganryu fight — faster, more aggressive, and with a few new tricks. This is the fight that separates good players from great ones. If you can beat the Phantom Swordsman cleanly, you have truly mastered the combat system.
Secret Boss #3: The Ancient Oni
How to find: Available only in New Game+. After collecting all 30 Oni Orbs, return to the final arena. A new door appears that leads to the Ancient Oni's chamber.
Reward: "Oni Slayer" title + ultimate difficulty mode unlock
The Ancient Oni is the hardest fight in the game by a significant margin. It is a three-phase boss with attacks that will one-shot you on any difficulty above Normal. Beating it is the ultimate challenge, and the reward is mostly bragging rights — but what bragging rights they are.
New Game+ carries over all your upgrades, armaments, and collectibles — but it resets the secret boss doors. This means you can fight the secret bosses again in NG+ for additional rewards, including rare upgrade materials you cannot get anywhere else. If you are going for 100%, plan on at least two playthroughs.
Other Secrets
Alternate Costumes
There are three unlockable costumes for Musashi: a classic samurai outfit, a modern street clothes version, and a legendary Oni warrior armor set. They are unlocked by beating the game on Normal, Hard, and Ultimate difficulty respectively.
Boss Rush Mode
Beat the game once to unlock Boss Rush mode — a gauntlet of every boss in the game fought back-to-back with no healing between fights. Clear it for a special title and the fastest way to farm red souls in the game.
The Lucky Cat Easter Egg
There is a maneki-neko (lucky cat) statue hidden in every chapter. Find all of them and you get... nothing. No reward, no achievement, no in-game benefit. It is just a fun Easter egg for the people who look. Sometimes the journey is the reward.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword rewards curiosity. Every hidden corner, every suspicious wall, every path away from the main objective — check them all. The game is packed with secrets, and half the fun of a second playthrough is finding all the stuff you missed the first time. Good luck out there, samurai.