Onimusha series

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Onimusha Japanese Icon

Onimusha (Japanese: 鬼武者, literally "Oni Warrior") is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game series by Capcom. Each game features a protagonist, and others who work with him, who wields the power of the oni to fight against the genma forces. The game actually features many of the historic figures who shaped Japan’s history, and has retold their story in a supernatural setting. Usually those figures became influenced with a demon race called Genma and attempted to conquer the world in a way. The game is a combination of third person combat and puzzle solving. The game also has a system of absorbing souls from defeated enemies to restore health, accumulate power for certain stats (similar to leveling up in RPGs), and provide power for the elemental attacks of special weapons. Onimusha is Capcom's 4th biggest franchise, behind the Resident Evil, Mega Man and Street Fighter series respectively(with Devil May Cryas a fifth one). The series has sold 6.9 million copies to date, although these sales may have increased since the US and European releases of [[Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams]].

Contents

1 Gameplay
2 Important notes
3 Games
4 External links

Gameplay

The Onimusha series of video games is notably based off the gameplay mechanics from Resident Evil, along with it sharing the same genre. The player is thrust into the place of a skilled swordsman that varies throughout series, and with the help of a oni gauntlet gained early in the plot of the iteration, the player sets about slaying various demons.

The control scheme of Onimusha is the series most noticeable comparison to the Resident Evil series. The player generally controls their character with the D-Pad (although later games introduced the control stick) and can travel in a fairly linear fashion, being able to rotate slowly with the input of a opposite direction. Characters tend to move slowly, and can only increase speed slightly with the dash maneuver by tapping twice in any direction. Characters cannot perform general actions such as jumping and grabbing most landmarks and formations. Additionally, the landscape takes place in Feudal Japan, so settings may change from a enclosed facility to a forest wilderness.

Unlike the Resident Evil series, Onimusha is very attack oriented, and is thus not placed in the survival horror genre as the player takes on the role of the hunter and uses a various arsenal of destructive weaponry, ranging from regular katana to elemental-based broadswords. The player does, however, possess a limited supply of spiritual energy on which to magical attacks. However, this and other offensive attributes can raised throughout the game by accumulation of souls from defeated prey. By this, the player become stronger and stronger nearing the game's conclusion.

Important notes

It is important to note that when translating words from one language to another, a lot of the meaning in the words is lost. For example in many of the games the word demon was used to describe both the Oni and the Genma. Since the two clans are different this led to some confusion about who was who. Also in the fourth game, [[Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams]], many villagers were calling Soki the Blue Demon; they should in fact have called him the Blue Oni because he has no affiliation with the Genma clan. Another criticism that has been brought forth is the use of the word Ogre to describe the Oni clan. While the Oni are revealed to be very demonic looking, they also have a somewhat angelic side to them; thus Ogre seems like a very inappropriate terminology.

Nature of Souls - When souls are talked about in the series people are often fooled into thinking that by soul it means the entity's spirit. However, this is not the case. If the spirit was removed from the body then obviously it wouldn't be alive. In Onimusha there are ways to get souls without killing the opponent; as some weapons draw them out with each attack. Also other items can control the type of soul that is released; wether it be a blue, red, yellow or purple soul. In this sense souls are actually different forms of energy that the Oni warriors absorb from their victims. Yellow souls nurture their life force, blue souls raise their magical ability, for those who can undergo an oni awakening purple souls allow them to temporarily assume the oni awakening, and finally red souls are what are used to enchant and power up different weapons and armors.

Science - Both the genma and the oni are known to possess a level of science that goes beyond anything that the humans possess. In the first game it is revealed that many human leaders have forged pacts with the genma over the centuries, during which the genma would lend the humans their technology in exchange for being provided with countless humans to feast on. Other technologies include a mechanical ship that Gogandantess was riding on in the second game and a device that allowed Guildenstern to fly during his fight with Samanosuke. They also seem to possess a strong genetic manipulation technology; most notable by their living organic structures, genma creating generators such as the one that created the different Reynaldos who were genma that would split into two if not killed properly, not to mention machine and genma hybrids like the first boss in the third game and other powerful genma created through science such as Marcellus. Not much of the Oni technology was revealed. There was the oni gaunlet that Samanosuke had, but it was created through magic not science. Examples of the Oni science can be mostly seen in the second game where gadgets such a mechanical horse were seen. The most notable Oni Science seems to be their ability influenced time and temporal distortion (such as creating portals, there also was an Oni Battalion Orb which was a mystical orb that housed an entire army of Oni Warriors that were summoned by Samanosuke); a science that Guildenstern quickly caught on.

Dark/Phantom Realm - In most games this is called the Dark Realm and in others it is known as the Phantom Realm. The portal to this world is controlled by a race known as the Mino Clan. In most games only one person of this race: Minogoro, a midget aged-man hanging upsidedown by a rope, is shown. In the fourh game another of this race, named Minokichi, the son of Minogoro, is revealed. The Mino clan have the power to teleport themselves and others to places they're already visited. They also hold dominion over the portal of the dark realm. In theory this place was created by the Oni and many Genma were sealed in it. Those who come here have to pass trials where countless of the imprisoned Genma come to attack them. By surviving through these many trials, Oni warriors are able to gain access to many of the different items and weapons that the Oni of the past have wielded and left in this place in order to safeguard them against those who would abuse their power.

Physical appearances - The genma seem to be a very diverse race. There are many different types of monsters who are classified with the name genma. It is likely then to not consider the genma as one species but a collection of different species, most slightly include fallen human race that rendered themselves in the clutch of the Genma, linked in the case of Nobunaga and his loyal underling: Mori Ranmaru. All of whom share a common origin under the rule of the genma lord . The Oni, on the other hand, don't seem to be as diverse. They seem to be somewhat angelic as when Takajou, made an appearance in Onimusha 2, she was seen flying in the air with a strange white glow around her. She was dressed in a very Chinese fashion with the body of a woman and a serpentine tail ejecting from below her waist. However, there are theories out there that state that she wasn't an Oni at all but from a different mystical race assimilate with the Oni. Her main purpose seems to have been to bare a son who would eventually become the next onimusha and battle the genma. While no male Oni have been revealed, there were 12 oni gods all of whom were male that gave Samanosuke the oni gauntlet. One of them was also seen giving Jacques a new gauntlet, and he didn't look anything like Takajou. He was mainly composed of a humanoid body with a ghastly appearance.

Weapons - Throughout the different games the protagonists have a habit of finding weapons in the most unlikely of places; be it inside a church or below a road in a futuristic France. This is because the Oni are masters of dimensional technology and thus have made it so that their warriors can access different mystical weapons from locations that surpass the limits of place or time. Each warrior has a certain set of weapons made available for them, not to mentions that each of them have a particular ultimate weapon that can be accessed by the Dark Realm. Even though the realm and its challenges remain the same, each weapon that is received depends on the warrior who undergoes the trials. Samanosuke's ultimate weapon was the Bishamon sword in both the games he appeared in, Jacques' ultimate weapon was the Ultimate Whip and Soki's ultimate weapon was the Gokumonji (which is similar only in appearance to Genma Samonji). All the ultimate weapons radiate a purple glow similar to the Oni gods, however, the ones in the fourth game didn't as characters who weren't blessed directly by the Oni gods made their way through the Dark realm. The same factor holds true to the original Jubei in the second game, as his ultimate weapon was the Rekka-ken, a powerful red broadsword that used the power of fire.

Onimusha Weapon - Each Onimusha seems to have a particular special weapon. While certain warriors blessed with the power of the Oni such Jacques have different weapons accessible to them, it is only the Onimusha who get a particular special weapon handed to them when they assume their true Onimusha form which is different and obviously more powerful then when they undergo an oni awakening. Jubei Yagyu from the second game had an arm cannon in his left hand that released lasers, Samanosuke had the Onimusha Sword which glowed a rainbowish color when it was powered up to attack Nobunaga, and Soki had and red sword on his back which he was able to control psychokinetically and use to purify his opponents but he only wielded it physically when unleashed his Onimusha form during which he would attack the opponent with a combination of his red Purification sword (Requiem) and another weapon that was up to the player to choose. Soki's True Onimusha transformation also had a move called ultimate critical; where Soki would swing both swords in massive speed and attack his enemy with his energy channelled through the blades.

Oni Awakening vs Onimusha Mode - These two are considered the same but really are very different things. Many people blessed with the powers of the Oni are able to undergo an oni awakening; a temporary state during which they able to access Oni powers. During Jubei Yagyu's oni awakening, he was able to shoot lasers from his left hand, which was the exact spot from where he absorbed genma souls. In the third game, whenever Jacques or Samanosuke underwent an oni awakening they stabbed their weapons in the ground and released a shockwave of purple energy. This difference in technique is most likely a result of the fact that Jubei has oni blood in him, since he was the son of Takajou, while Samanosuke and Jacques are humans who have been granted powers by the Oni Clan. In the fourth game, Soki surprisingly doesn't have any special techniques that he can use in his oni awakening since even though he is a reincarnation of the Oni God of Darkness he doesn't have the ability to properly access that power. However, the Onimusha mode is something that is rarely seen. All the different Onimusha undergo radical changes in armor and physical appearance and all have long silver hair flowing in the wind, in both their Onimusha and Oni Awakening modes. Since the Onimusha is the one channeling the power of the Oni God of Darkness, there can only be one Onimusha existent at one time.

Onimusha vs Genma Lord - The genma lord and the onimusha are polar opposites of each other and represent the unending struggle between the genma and the oni clan. In the fourth game it was revealed that the God of Light was the one who created the Genma and the God of Darkness was the one who created the Oni. The God of Light, Fortinbras, was the genma lord. His essence was passed after his death to Nobunaga as he became the new genma lord. After Nobunaga's defeat, Hideyoshi was used as a vassal to reincarnate Fortinbras. The God of Darkness was the first Onimusha and each subsequent Onimusha is a being who channels his power. In the second game Yagyu Jubei was able to use five special orbs created by the oni to transform himself into the next Onimusha. When Jubei underwent an oni awakening he was able to shoot lasers. These abilities were transferred to his Onimusha form as he used the arm cannon formed on his left hand to release laser sourcing for souls at his enemies. In the third game it was revealed that two gauntlets were needed for Samanosuke to become the next Onimusha. This is why a second gauntlet was given to Jacques. However, Jacque's gauntlet was consumed as it was used to resurrect Jacques' son, Henri. However, Samanosuke was transported by the Oni right after his alternated self was killed by Nobunaga. Thus by combining the gauntlet of his alternated self he was able to become the next Onimusha. This version of the Onimusha had a gauntlet on each of his hands and absorbed souls through an orb on his chest. In the fourth game, it is revealed that Soki, unlike the other Onimusha, was a reincarnation of the God of Darkness, which is why he was called the Black Oni. In order for him to achieve his Ultimate Onimusha Mode, he awakened the sealed power of Nobunaga, the deceased Genma Lord’s power which was seal within Samanosuke's Oni gauntlet to harness the power of the God of Darkness within him, as the result, Soki sports the dark-shining armour in his ultimate form, resembling the ones of Nobunaga's mortal armour, but with more bright scale on it.

Oni Gauntlet - This gauntlet was given to Samanosuke and was created by the power of the council of the twelve Oni gods. It absorbs souls (see Nature of Souls), gives power to Samanosuke's weapons and changes the color of the orb in its center to match with that of the corresponding weapon, allows him to achieve an Oni Awakening, and is capable of functioning with other Oni items such as the Oni army orb. While Jubei, that unlike Samanosuke and Jacques, whom just a mere mortal that chosen to harness the mystic power of the Oni Clan via the gauntlet, a mixed parentage of Oni-Mortal Jubei was, Oni Gauntlet is an unneccessity to him, since he were able harness and unleashed mystic energy of the Oni via his bare hands after his hidden power was awakened by his mother-Takajou. In the other hand, Samanosuke, was also given the power to become the Ultimate Onimusha which Jacques wasn't even though he too had an Oni Gauntlet. Thus it is likely that Samanosuke's potential to become the Onimusha doesn't come from his gauntlet, but by the fact that he was chosen directly by the twelve Oni gods while Jacques was granted power by only one of them. Originally his (Jacques) gauntlet was of a blueish transparent color but as it gained power from absorbing more and more souls it slowly started taking on a golden color until the entire gaunlet became gold at which it had reached it's full potential. In the third game Samanosuke had been shift to the future and thus his gauntlet had reverted back to its original blueish transparent color and all of his previous gained weapons (Raizan, Enryuu and Shippu) was lost permanently, since he was in a different timeline, however, he was able to restore his gauntlet to its true potential by reabsorbing more souls and gained the whole-new weapons, namely Tensou, Kuuga and Chigou. Later he was able to fused the power of his gauntlet with the gauntlet of his past deceased self when he went back in time. In this moment he had two gauntlets in each hand, thus allowing him to achieve his Ultimate Onimusha form. After he defeated Nobunaga he absorbed the Genma Lord's souls. Unlike the souls of other Genma his souls came out in a dark-hollow green color that transformed the gauntlet into a dark red color, with the central orb being dark as well. This symbolized that the gauntlet had sealed the remnant essence of the Genma Lord, however, this was also the reason he had to seal the gauntlet away. Years later as the God of Darkness was reincarnated as Soki, Samanosuke lost most of his power as the Onimusha and thus the Oni Gauntlet lost all its potential, thus turning his hair grey within short period of time after losing part of the Oni Mystic Power. The only power that remained in the Oni Gauntlet, which previously known to its golden color, since it had lost its ties with an Onimusha, was the sole power of the Genma Lord retained from Nobunaga. In the fourth game, Tenkai/Samanosuke utilized this power in the gauntlet against the Genma Army and even achieved an Oni Awakening with it, before it was transfer to Soki and unleashed to it's ultimate power in the final duel against the resurrected Fortinbras, The Genma God Of Light. Although this Oni Awakening was a result of the Genma Lord's power since that was the only power left in the gauntlet. That's why he wasn't able to use the same moves or the same weapons that he did in the previous games.

Games

[[Onimusha: Warlords]]
[[Onimusha: Samurai's Destiny]]
Onimusha Blade Warriors
Onimusha Tactics
[[Onimusha 3: Demon Siege]]
[[Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams]]

External links

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