Quick answer (updated November 5, 2026): Onimusha: Way of the Sword has 13 unique bosses that make up 18 fights in the game's Boss Rematch menu once you count the Enhanced, Altered, Fully Armed and duo versions. The hardest is the final boss, Minamoto no Yoshitsune (8.5/10 in PowerPyx's Carnage ratings), followed by Sasaki Ganryu (Altered) at 7/10 and the Ifuu and Burai duo at 6/10. Steam's global achievement rates show 53.0% of players have beaten Yoshitsune, against 90.7% who drove Ganryu off in the first duel. The early wall most new players complain about is Dohatsu-ten, the winged swordsman who keeps coming back. The rule that beats all of them: deflect the weapon, dodge the body, and spend every broken stamina bar.
Two months after the September 4, 2026 launch, the bosses are still what r/Onimusha talks about. This week alone brought two separate threads (one, two) calling Dohatsu-ten "an absurd difficulty spike", a pile of "I've been walled" posts about the Greater Nue, and a run of Yoshitsune victory laps. This guide is the hub: every fight, the real clear rates, the counters for the fights people are stuck on right now, and a link to our dedicated guide wherever one exists.
Spoiler note: this page names every boss, including the final one. Bookmark it and come back when you hit a wall.
How many bosses are in Onimusha: Way of the Sword?
There are 13 unique bosses and 18 boss fights. The Boss Rematch menu at the Practice Ground lists all 18. It unlocks during "The Oni's Apprentice": ring the bell in the corner of Emma's Hall and talk to Takamura. A fight only appears there after you have won it in the story.
The five extra entries are upgraded or paired versions of bosses you already know:
- Byakue (Enhanced) and Dohatsu-ten (Enhanced)
- Sasaki Ganryu (Altered), the rival backed by his Oni, Gioh
- Benkei (Fully Armed), the second Benkei fight at Rendaino
- Ifuu and Burai, the brothers fought together after their solo fights
The blue and red Nue count as one boss and share one fight. Director Satoru Nihei has said the team never meant it to be "a particularly difficult game" like Sekiro or Nioh (PC Gamer interview, relayed by Eurogamer), and most of the roster bears that out. A handful of fights still stop people cold, and the numbers below show which ones.
All 18 boss fights (Boss Rematch list + Steam clear rates)
The order below is the Boss Rematch menu's order. It groups each boss with its upgraded version, so it is not the story order (story order for the major duels is in the next section). Difficulty is PowerPyx's out-of-10 rating for Carnage, the hardest mode, which is still a useful relative gauge on Action. Steam clear rate is the Steam global achievement rate for that boss's achievement (the share of Steam players who have it), from the Steam global achievements page on November 5, 2026.
| # | Boss fight | Difficulty (Carnage) | Steam clear rate | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byakue | 2.5 | 63.6% (Kiyomizu-dera fight) | — |
| 2 | Byakue (Enhanced) | 3 | no achievement | — |
| 3 | Dohatsu-ten | 3.5 | no achievement | below |
| 4 | Dohatsu-ten (Enhanced) | 3.5 | no achievement | below |
| 5 | Nue (Blue) and Nue (Red) | 3 | no achievement | — |
| 6 | Sasaki Ganryu | 3.5 | 90.7% (drive him off) | Ganryu guide |
| 7 | Sasaki Ganryu (Altered) | 7 | 57.8% (Arashiyama) | Ganryu guide |
| 8 | Daidara | 3 | 88.7% | — |
| 9 | Rasho-gan | 4 | 83.1% | — |
| 10 | Greater Nue | 5.5 | 73.7% | Greater Nue guide |
| 11 | Benkei | 3 | 69.8% | Benkei guide |
| 12 | Benkei (Fully Armed) | 5 | 55.4% (Rendaino) | Benkei guide |
| 13 | Ifuu | 4 | 77.6% | below |
| 14 | Burai | 5 | 67.5% | below |
| 15 | Ifuu and Burai | 6 | 60.2% | below |
| 16 | Shuten Doji | 5.5 | 62.3% | Shuten Doji guide |
| 17 | Dokyo | 2.5 | 57.3% | Dokyo guide |
| 18 | Minamoto no Yoshitsune | 8.5 | 53.0% | Yoshitsune guide |
Read the clear rates as how far Steam players have got, not as a pure difficulty score. A late boss always has a lower rate than an early one because some players haven't reached it yet. Even so, the gap is telling: the share who have beaten the final boss (53.0%) is only about 4.8 points below the share who beat Ganryu at Arashiyama (57.8%). Only 12.1% have the Carnage clear ("True Onimusha"), and 11.1% have cleared every rematch on every difficulty ("Glutton for Punishment").
What order do you fight the bosses in?
The full mission list has no single canonical numbering. Maxroll counts 24 story missions, IGN 25 and Vandal 23, so we anchor the big fights to mission names instead of numbers, following Maxroll's walkthrough:
- Sasaki Ganryu, first duel — The Stage is Set at Kiyomizu, the first major boss (the same duel as the demo). You only have to drive him off.
- Ifuu — Windswept Kennin-ji, his solo fight.
- Dohatsu-ten — The Roots of All Evil, early-to-mid game. Skill tree tiers 4–5 open after this mission, which is part of why it feels like a gear check.
- Benkei — Bloodbath on the Bridge on the Gojo-Ohashi bridge.
- Burai — A Tempest at the Temple, his solo fight.
- Sasaki Ganryu with Gioh — To Live is to Suffer at Yasaka Pagoda, after Burai. This one is scripted to be lost. When Ganryu hits 0 HP the HUD disappears and he keeps going, so don't burn consumables on it.
- Sasaki Ganryu (Altered), the real rematch — In the Light of an Icy Moon at Arashiyama, before Dokyo. You have to win this one.
- Dokyo, then Benkei (Fully Armed) in The Clash at Rendaino. This is the point of no return, so clear your side content first (missables checklist).
- Minamoto no Yoshitsune — the final mission.
The Ifuu and Burai duo (Storm Chaser), the Greater Nue, Shuten Doji (Mount Oe), Daidara, Rasho-gan and Byakue fall in between. Daidara is also in the expanded free demo.
The rules that beat every boss
- Deflect the weapon, dodge the body. Telegraphed weapon swings can be parried, deflected or met with an Issen. Kicks, grabs, shoulder charges and body slams are dodge material. Many grabs can be reversed with a dodge timed just before contact.
- Unavoidable attacks must be parried or deflected. Bosses flag them with a glow and often a shout. Guides disagree on the exact colour (PowerPyx calls it white, Maxroll pink), so read the glow, not the colour name. Getting hit by one usually feeds the boss souls.
- Don't let the boss eat souls. Most bosses become empowered by absorbing souls or after losing about half their health. Absorb souls yourself as often as you can.
- The stamina bar is your damage window. Break it and finish with a Break Issen. Pick a red target for damage or a purple target for extra souls, which you then absorb to build your Oni gauges. Our Issen guide covers the timing.
- Save Oni Awakening for the hard phase. It gives you brief invincibility and a wider Issen window. See the Oni Awakening guide.
Why does Dohatsu-ten feel like a difficulty spike?
Because for most players it is the first fight where button-mashing stops working, and it hides some rules. PowerPyx rates him only 3.5/10 on Carnage, yet two threads this week are titled "Anyone else find Dohatsu-ten an absurd difficulty spike?" and "Dohatsu-ten is a problem". One poster said they had died 28 times. He also keeps coming back: as one player warned, "You will learn him like really well by the end of the campaign lol, this guy shows up a lot." Maxroll lists him as Dohatsu-ten (Heaven's Bane). Once enhanced he starts using charge attacks, which are good openings to deflect or Issen, and in the fights after you unlock Oni Awakening, a good place to chain Awakening Issen strikes (Maxroll's Dohatsu-ten guide).
Here's how the fight works, per IGN's Dohatsu-ten page:
- It's single-phase, but he gets empowered. At about half health, or after eating enough souls, his wings spread and he gains speed and new moves. An unavoidable attack that hits you releases enough souls to empower him, so parry or deflect those every time.
- Break the helmet first. His head armour blocks direct damage, and the head is a Break Issen target. Parry to stun him, then hit the helmet with Oni Strength, and repeat until it shatters.
- Watch the blood on his blade. The more damage you take from his sword, the more of Musashi's blood coats it, and his weapon attacks get stronger. His Flying Blade wipes it clean. When empowered and blood-amplified, the blade glows red and the Flying Blade becomes a triple.
- Deflect the Flying Blade back. A deflect sends the crescent back at him for health and stamina damage. With the triple version, deflect all three.
- Dodge the kicks. The Spin Kick and the two kicks in the empowered Two-Kick Stab are unarmed, so dodge them, then parry the stab. The players in this week's threads agree: "kick means dodge."
- Leap Slash: he jumps in from range with a fast two-hit and often follows with an unavoidable. Parry as he lands.
- When he blocks, break his guard with Oni Strength instead of hitting the sword.
The reward is 2x Dohatsu-ten's Horn, a rare material for upgrading equipment and Hozuki Pouches. If you're still stuck, the Boss Rematch lets you drill him without the walk back.
Deep dive: Sasaki Ganryu (Altered) — the second-hardest fight
Ganryu's rate falls from 90.7% for the first duel to 57.8% for the Arashiyama rematch, the biggest gap for a single character in the table. In the Altered fight he is backed by his Oni, Gioh, across two phases. On Carnage he can kill you in two hits.
- The blue-glowing blade is a counter stance. Don't swing into it. Break it with Oni Strength; two-handed attacks won't break it.
- The grab comes from Gioh's head. When the mouth flashes blue, dodge.
- Gioh's arms can be severed. In this fight Gioh eats Malice flowers to enter a Blazing State. Shoot Gioh's head or neck with the bow to interrupt.
- The Blazing pink-flash dash can't be dodged. Parry or deflect it. Ganryu has low HP compared with other late bosses, so turn every stamina break into an Awakening burst.
All three Ganryu fights, plus Carnage tips, are in our Sasaki Ganryu guide.
How do you beat Ifuu and Burai?
You fight the brothers alone first: Ifuu (wind), then Burai (lightning). Then you fight them together in Storm Chaser. On Steam, 77.6% of players have the Ifuu achievement, 67.5% Burai and 60.2% the duo. Another thread this week ("Any tips for Ifuu and burai?") came from a player who knew every move and still couldn't close it out. The duo fight is about managing both brothers, per IGN's duo guide:
- Track the hand-off. Ifuu tends to fight up close while Burai hangs back, then rushes in with a stab after his brother's attack. IGN puts it simply: "When Ifuu finishes a move, remember that you should move your focus to Burai."
- Duo Slash (unavoidable): both teleport away, then charge in together. Parry or deflect it. A parry knocks both off balance, and a Break Issen off it damages both brothers, even if only one is out of stamina.
- Phase two starts when one health bar empties. Deplete one brother's first health bar and both become empowered and keep fighting, while the other brother's health drops to about half. Neither is dead yet.
- Tornado Beat: when Ifuu inflates the pouch on his back and Burai fans out lightning orbs, shoot an arrow into Ifuu's pouch. He falls onto his brother, cancelling the attack and damaging both.
- Storm: Ifuu spins in while Burai drops from above. Wait, then parry or deflect as both are about to land.
- Ultimate Storm is an instant kill. Dodge the lightning bolts, wait out the wind gusts, then parry or deflect the final unavoidable charge right before impact. They're left stunned afterwards, which is a good moment for an Oni Armament.
When one brother actually dies later in the fight, the survivor carries on alone without the combined moves. Most players focus one brother down rather than splitting damage.
Mid-to-late roster at a glance
- Byakue (2.5–3): a white-haired brute. Deflect when he swings, dodge when he doesn't, and stay out of the Malice pools in the Enhanced version.
- Nue, Blue and Red (3): twin electric chimeras. Free camera beats lock-on here. Keep both on screen and pressure the closer one.
- Daidara (3): a slow mace troll. Grab the blue souls before he siphons them or he powers up sooner.
- Rasho-gan (4): a multi-armed projectile thrower. Use Oni Vision to find his tether and shoot it with the bow.
- Greater Nue (5.5): the "I've been walled" fight of the week. It opens with a huge tail swipe you must deflect. Full breakdown in the Greater Nue guide.
- Benkei (3) / Fully Armed (5): strip his armour by breaking stamina and choosing red souls. See the Benkei guide.
- Shuten Doji (5.5): his health regenerates, so stay aggressive and interrupt him when he drinks. See the Shuten Doji guide.
- Dokyo (2.5): a gimmick chase, not a duel. Weave through the projectiles and close the gap. See the Dokyo guide.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune — the final boss (8.5/10)
PowerPyx calls him "by a wide margin the hardest and longest fight in the game", with three phases. Only 53.0% of Steam players have the kill. This week one player admitted on the subreddit that they dropped to Story difficulty for the last fight because his grab kept catching them. That's a legitimate choice on Story or Action, where you can switch at any Spirit Mirror. It isn't an option on a Carnage run, and the "True Onimusha" achievement needs a Carnage clear.
Bring a full loadout. You can carry two of each consumable, except Sun-Dried Hozuki (one):
- Amulet of Introspection, which widens your Issen and parry window for a while
- Stimulant, which refills the Awakening gauge over time
- Sun-Dried Hozuki, which refills your Hozuki Pouch
- Greater Defense / Greater Might Talismans, plus Heavy Restoratives as backup
In phase 3, his health only drops while you are in Oni Awakening; normal hits just drain stamina. Bank souls the whole fight. The phase-by-phase moveset is in our Yoshitsune final boss guide. For the build, put the healing and defence charms on for the first playthrough. For Carnage, swap to Awakening and Oni Power charms (best charms tier list).
Boss Rematch, Carnage and the trophies
- Rematch rules: only Hozuki Pouches work, with no item-wheel consumables, so practise healing on a budget. Beating every rematch on Story or Action unlocks the cosmetic Warlord's Armor. Beating them all on Carnage unlocks Warlord's Armor 2. Full details are in the Boss Rematch guide.
- Carnage unlocks after you finish the game once. Clearing it earns True Onimusha (12.1% on Steam). Survival tips are in the Carnage mode guide.
- How long until the final boss? HowLongToBeat's main-story average is about 22.4 hours as of November 2, 2026. See how long to beat.
FAQ
How many bosses are in Onimusha: Way of the Sword? There are 13 unique bosses and 18 boss fights. The Boss Rematch menu lists 18 because it counts the Enhanced, Altered and Fully Armed versions and the Ifuu and Burai duo as separate entries.
Who is the hardest boss in Onimusha: Way of the Sword? The final boss, Minamoto no Yoshitsune (8.5/10 on Carnage per PowerPyx, beaten by 53.0% of Steam players). Second is Sasaki Ganryu (Altered) at Arashiyama (7/10, 57.8%), then Ifuu and Burai together (6/10, 60.2%).
Is Dohatsu-ten a boss or a regular enemy? He's the boss of The Roots of All Evil, with his own Boss Rematch entries, normal and Enhanced. He also turns up repeatedly later in the campaign, which is why some players call him an elite enemy. Break his helmet with Oni Strength, dodge the kicks and deflect his Flying Blade back at him.
Can you lose the second Sasaki Ganryu fight? Yes, and you're meant to. The Yasaka Pagoda fight in To Live is to Suffer is a scripted loss: his HUD disappears at 0 HP and he keeps fighting. The Arashiyama rematch is the one you have to win.
Can you change difficulty if a boss is too hard? Yes. Story and Action can be swapped at any Spirit Mirror with "Change Difficulty Level". Carnage is the exception: it is a separate post-game run, and you can't drop out of it mid-run. Details are in our difficulty settings guide.
Can you refight bosses? Yes. The Practice Ground's Boss Rematch, unlocked in "The Oni's Apprentice", lets you refight any boss you've beaten. It's the fastest way to learn Dohatsu-ten, Ganryu (Altered) and Yoshitsune.
The bottom line
The roster ramps from Byakue to a three-phase final boss, and the numbers back up what the subreddit says. Dohatsu-ten is the early skill check, Ganryu at Arashiyama is the real wall, and Yoshitsune is the finale only about half of Steam players have beaten. Learn the rules once: deflect the weapon, dodge the body, keep souls away from the boss, and save Awakening for the hard phase. They carry you through every fight on this list. Browse the rest of our Onimusha: Way of the Sword guides for difficulty, builds and collectibles.
Updated November 5, 2026. Steam clear rates are from the Steam global achievements page for app 2638890 that day. Boss ratings are from PowerPyx's Carnage boss guide. Move lists are from IGN's Dohatsu-ten and Ifuu & Burai pages and Maxroll. Story order is anchored to mission names because guides number the missions differently. First published September 11, 2026.
