Onimusha: Way of the Sword Walkthrough — Prologue

The Prologue is the first mission of Onimusha: Way of the Sword. It is a short, heavily scripted story mission: it introduces Miyamoto Musashi, teaches the combat basics one prompt at a time, kills him, and revives him with the Oni Gauntlet. This page walks the whole sequence in order. For the campaign map and how this mission sits alongside the 22-chapter structure, see the walkthrough hub.

What happens in the Prologue?

The opening cutscene introduces the wandering swordsman Miyamoto Musashi napping by a river strewn with corpses. After giving away his rice ball to a group of starving children — and a puppy — he walks to a ruined village to challenge Yoshioka Seijuro, master of the local dojo. They fight in a clearing near a destroyed shrine atop a long stair. Every gameplay system the rest of the game depends on is taught across this duel and the two ambushes that follow.

Every tutorial in order

The Prologue teaches the following, strictly in this sequence. Where the wiki covers a mechanic in depth, the guide below names its page.

The deep-dive on windows, follow-ups, and when to prefer each defensive option is the Issen and Break Issen guide.

The duel with Yoshioka Seijuro

Seijuro is a scripted teacher, not a real test. Damage him with alternating one- and two-handed attacks; when he draws his weapon back, that is the cue to block. Once his Stamina bar is emptied, the game walks you through the Break Issen finisher, and the duel ends with Musashi victorious. The follow-up is pure comedy: Seijuro’s students swarm out, and Musashi runs — trapped in a house, he fights through the Parry, Dodge, and grab tutorials, then the target-switching and environmental-object lessons against the mob.

Musashi dies: the ambush and the Man in White

The last cutscene ambushes Musashi with Sasaki Ganryu — but before the two can fight, a Genma demon kills Ganryu outright, then overwhelms and kills Musashi. Floating down a red river, Musashi meets the Man in White, who says it is not his time yet and forces the Oni Gauntlet onto his right hand.

Back among the living, Musashi can now hurt the Genma that killed him. The final tutorials are the Issen — an attack timed just before an enemy strike — and soul absorption: hold absorb and pull in the souls that kills release, with Yellow Souls healing. Clear the remaining enemies and the mission rolls straight into The Ruckus at Rendaino.

Prologue walkthrough tips

• Practice Issen here, not later. IGN’s walkthrough calls Issen challenging to master and suggests using the safe post-revival enemies as a practice dummy — the payoff carries through every boss fight in the game.
• Lean on the free healing loop early. Yellow Souls heal; the soul farming guide explains how to lean on that economy once the game opens up.
• Environmental objects are not set dressing. Boards block arrows, and thrown objects deal significant damage — a habit the later city chapters reward.

What comes next

The Prologue ends with no collectibles and no meaningful loot — everything you keep is knowledge and the Gauntlet. Continue with The Ruckus at Rendaino, return to the walkthrough hub, or read how the whole campaign fits together in the game length and chapter list guide.