Speedrun Tips and Route Guide - Beat the Game Fast

Run Through the Demon World

Onimusha is a great speedgame with tight combat, interesting skips, and a clear route. Getting a good time requires knowledge, execution, and routing.

This guide covers the basics of speedrunning Onimusha, from route planning to advanced tricks.

Getting Started with Speedrunning

Before you start speedrunning, make sure you:

1. Have beaten the game normally at least once
2. Know the layout of every area
3. Understand all the combat mechanics
4. Have the timing and patience to practice

Do not try to speedrun your first playthrough. You will have a much better time if you learn the game first.

Speedrun Categories

Any%

Beat the game as fast as possible. Any means necessary. Glitches and skips allowed. The main competitive category.

Any% No Major Glitches

Beat the game fast, but without using big sequence breaks. More accessible for new runners.

100%

Collect everything, beat everything, then finish. Much longer run, focuses on routing efficiency.

New Game+

Start with all upgrades. Very fast, very combat-focused. Good for learning combat speedtech.

Route Overview (Any%)

A typical Any% route looks like this:

1. Start: Tutorial skip, grab sword, go
2. Village: Get essential items only, skip most enemies
3. Forest: Run through, skip fights, get the key
4. Temple: Puzzle skips, boss fight fast
5. Dungeon: Use shortcuts, skip optional rooms
6. Castle: Sequence break to skip sections
7. Final Boss: Optimal damage rotation

Exact routes change as new skips are discovered. Check the leaderboards for current routes.

Combat Speedtech

Fighting fast is a big part of speedrunning.

Essential Combat Tricks

• Parry to Oni burst: Parry, activate Oni, full combo. Highest damage in the game.
• I-frame dodging: Dodge through enemies without slowing down.
• Attack canceling: Cancel recovery animations with dodge to move faster.
• Enemy manipulation: Position enemies so you can run past them.

When to Fight, When to Run

• Fight only enemies you have to fight
• Skip everything else by running past
• Use dodge iframes to go through enemies
• Only stop for essential items

Major Skips and Glitches

These are the most important skips for Any% runs:

Door Clip

Clip through certain doors by positioning correctly and dodging at the right angle. Skips entire sections.

Ledge Skips

Jump over or off ledges to skip areas or go out of bounds. Used in many places.

Inventory Manipulation

Use menu tricks to get items early or skip key item requirements.

Boss Skip

Some bosses can be skipped entirely with specific tricks. These save the most time but are often patched or very difficult.

Note: Always check current speedrun documentation for which glitches are allowed in which categories.

How to Practice

Do not try to do full runs right away. Practice in segments.

1. Learn the route. Watch a world record run and follow along.
2. Practice individual sections. Get each area down before stringing them together.
3. Focus on consistency first. A slow but consistent run beats a fast run that dies.
4. Add tricks gradually. Start with basic route, then add skips one at a time.
5. Record your runs. Watch them back to see where you lost time.

Pro Speedrun Tips

• Be patient. Speedrunning takes hundreds of hours. Progress is slow.
• Learn the why. Understand why the route works the way it does, not just what to do.
• Join the community. Other runners can help you with tricks and routes.
• Have fun. If you are not enjoying it, take a break. It is just a game.
• Start with No Major Glitches. Easier to learn, more accessible, still very competitive.