Ashina Reservoir mini-bosses, Gatehouse key, Sabimaru retrieval, Nightjar Ninja rooftop traversal, Jinsuke Saze, and Genichiro Ashina climax.
Act 2 — Ashina Castle Ascent: Following the defeat of Blazing Bull, Wolf enters the heart of Ashina territory. Ashina Castle serves as the central operational hub of the campaign — linking Ashina Reservoir, Senpou Temple, Sunken Valley, and Ashina Depths. The ascent leads through Nightjar ninja rooftops and the interior Dojo to face Genichiro Ashina atop the castle tower.
If you are struggling with Lady Butterfly in Hirata Estate or preparing for Genichiro on the rooftop, do NOT rush straight to either main boss! Instead, skip Lady Butterfly for now and clear Ashina Castle all the way up to mini-boss Ashina Elite - Jinsuke Saze inside the Ashina Dojo.
Clearing the Castle allows you to collect Gourd Seeds #4–5 (5 healing charges!), Prayer Beads #9–13 (up to 3 Prayer Necklaces!), and practice your Deflection and Mikiri Counter timings against Ashina samurai. Once your stats and deflection skills are sharp, you can return and conquer both Lady Butterfly and Genichiro Ashina easily!
| Item / Upgrade | Type | Location & How to Acquire |
|---|---|---|
| Gourd Seed #4 | Key Upgrade | Inside wooden chest in room next to Upper Tower - Antechamber Idol. |
| Gourd Seed #5 | Key Upgrade | Purchased for 2,000 Sen from Fujioka Info Broker after clearing samurai near stairs. |
| Prayer Bead #9 | Health Upgrade | Dropped by General Kuranosuke Matsumoto at main castle stairs. |
| Prayer Bead #10 | Health Upgrade | Dropped by Seven Ashina Spears Yamauchi outside Moon-view Tower. |
| Prayer Bead #11 | Health Upgrade | Dropped by Lone Shadow Longswordsman in starting well cave. |
| Prayer Bead #12 | Health Upgrade | Inside chest in Antechamber revolving Shinobi Wall secret room. |
| Prayer Bead #13 | Health Upgrade | Dropped by Ashina Elite Jinsuke Saze inside Ashina Dojo. |
| Gatehouse Key | Key Item | Dropped by guards eavesdropped on Ashina Castle bridge. |
| Gun Fort Shrine Key | Key Item | Found on library shelf in Kuro's Room after defeating Genichiro. |
| Ashina Esoteric Text | Skill Tree Key | Given by Tengu of Ashina after completing his "Rats" hunting quest. |
| Memory: Genichiro | Attack Power Key | Dropped by main boss Genichiro Ashina on castle rooftop (+1 Attack Power). |
| Tool / Material | Type | Location & Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Loaded Spear (Gyoubu's Broken Horn) | Prosthetic Tool | Inside locked Gatehouse in Ashina Reservoir (unlocked with Gatehouse Key). |
| Sabimaru | Prosthetic Tool | Inside large blue chest on ground floor interior of Ashina Castle. |
| Scrap Iron x5 | Crafting Material | Found near Antechamber, Reservoir gatehouse, and castle moat. |
| Scrap Magnet x2 | Crafting Material | Found in Dojo rafters and blue-robed samurai armor room. |
| Consumable / Item | Type | Effect & Location |
|---|---|---|
| Bulging Coin Purse (1,000 Sen) | Currency Item | Contains 1,000 Sen. Found in hidden attic above Ashina Dojo. |
| Heavy Coin Purse x2 (500 Sen ea.) | Currency Item | Contains 500 Sen each. Found on castle roof and behind Moon-view tower. |
| Eel Liver x3 | Lightning Defense | Reduces Lightning shock damage for 30s. Found in Dojo and rooftop before Genichiro. |
| Ako's Sugar x3 | Buff Consumable | Increases Vitality/Posture damage for 30s. Found near General Matsumoto. |
| Ungyo's Sugar x2 | Buff Consumable | Reduces physical damage taken. Found in Antechamber side room. |
| Gachiin's Sugar x2 | Buff Consumable | Suppresses presence for stealth. Found near Nightjar ninja rooftop path. |
| Divine Confetti x2 | Apparition Buff | Allows damaging Apparition foes. Found in Antechamber samurai chest. |
| Pellet x5 | Consumable Healing | Gradual health recovery over time. Dropped by Nightjar ninjas and samurai. |
Area Clearance Order: Start at the Ashina Reservoir Idol, accessed by dropping down into the moat from the Castle Gate. Grapple across the gap to the building where you first started the game. Defeat the two guards and use the Gatehouse Key (obtained by killing the spear guards on the bridge above) to unlock the gatehouse building near the Moon-view Tower. Inside, open the blue chest to acquire the Gyoubu's Broken Horn (Loaded Spear prosthetic). Grab the Heavy Coin Purse hidden underneath the Moon-view Tower scaffolding.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Stealthily clear the riflemen patrolling the lower levels and stairs leading to the Moon-view Tower. Use the cliffside ledge to bypass the main stairs and enter the tower through the side opening. Sneak up behind Seven Ashina Spears - Shikibu Toshikatsu Yamauchi for a free stealth Deathblow. Focus heavily on Mikiri Counters against his perilous thrusts. Defeat him to claim Prayer Bead #10.
Detailed Spear Strategy & Mikiri Counter Pushback:
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Return towards the starting area and approach the well pit where you first spawned at the beginning of the game. Look down from the hole above to see the Lone Shadow Longswordsman. Lock on, jump down, and perform a plunging stealth Deathblow to remove his first health bar. Defeat him using Mikiri Counters on his kicks to earn Prayer Bead #11. Continue past him into the cavern to find Scrap Magnet x1.
Detailed Well Pit Combat:
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Teleport back to the Ashina Castle Idol. Proceed up the massive central stairs. Grapple to the rooftops on the right side and use your Loaded Shuriken to quickly pick off the four riflemen guarding the boss. Retreat to lose aggro, then drop down onto General Kuranosuke Matsumoto for a free plunging stealth Deathblow. Defeat him to claim Prayer Bead #9.
Riflemen Clear & Stealth Plunge: Grapple to the roofs on the right side of the main stairs. Kill the 4 rifle guards with Shurikens, run back to roof to reset stealth, then drop onto Matsumoto for a free Deathblow!
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Head to the right side of the castle plaza behind the stairs. Defeat the two soldiers harassing a man hiding in the alley. Speak to him—he is Fujioka the Info Broker. He will then relocate to the Dilapidated Temple, where you can purchase Gourd Seed #5 from him for 2,000 Sen.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: From the castle plaza, grapple onto the small building roofs and look for the purple smoke signals on the tall Castle roofs. Grapple up to the main roof edge. You will encounter the Nightjar ninjas—agile enemies who throw shurikens and attack from the sky. You can either stealth past them or deflect their rapid dive bombs. Follow the rooftop path around the right side of the main keep until you reach an open window. Jump inside to find the Upper Tower - Antechamber Idol.
Area Clearance Order: Open the chest immediately next to the Antechamber Idol to obtain Gourd Seed #4. Proceed into the next room filled with blue-robed Ashina Elite samurai. Stealth-kill them, then look for a wall panel situated between two suits of armor. Hug the wall to push it open, revealing a secret Shinobi room! Inside the chests, you will find Prayer Bead #12.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Return to the samurai patrol area and look over the railing into the center of the tower. Grapple onto the wooden beams and drop all the way down to the ground floor lobby. Defeat the blue-robed samurai and the spear guards patrolling this lower area. In a side room off the lobby, open the blue chest to retrieve the Sabimaru (Prosthetic Tool). Pick up the Eel Liver x2 from the nearby tables.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Grapple back up to the upper levels and proceed up the stairs following the path of blue samurai. You will eventually arrive at the Upper Tower - Ashina Dojo Idol. Open the sliding doors to face Ashina Elite - Jinsuke Saze. He utilizes the Ashina Cross technique, which deals massive damage but can be perfectly deflected by double-tapping L1 the exact moment his hilt flashes white. Defeat him to claim Prayer Bead #13, then look up to the ceiling rafters in his room to find a Bulging Coin Purse (1,000 Sen).
Ashina Cross Quick-Draw Counter: Jinsuke Saze inflicts extreme posture damage with his rapid Iaido double-slash.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Climb out the open window in the Dojo room. Grapple up to the snowy rooftop of the main keep tower. Avoid the Nightjar ninjas outside and activate the Castle Tower Lookout Idol before proceeding through the fog gate.
If you find yourself struggling heavily against Genichiro, don't bang your head against a wall! Leave the castle roof and explore Hirata Estate or the early parts of Senpou Temple. Defeating mini-bosses in those areas will let you collect more Prayer Beads to increase your Vitality and Posture, making this fight significantly easier when you return.
Area Clearance Order: Step onto the snowy rooftop to finally face your nemesis, Genichiro Ashina. This 3-phase fight tests everything you have learned. Deflect his combos and use Mikiri on his Phase 1 thrusts. In Phase 2, jump his sweeps. In Phase 3, jump into the air to catch and throw his lightning back at him. Defeating him rewards you with the Memory: Genichiro and the Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu.
Phase 1 (Leap Slam & Thrust):
Phase 2 (Leap Slam & Sweep):
Phase 3 (Way of Tomoe Lightning Reversal):
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Activate the Castle Tower Lookout Idol if you haven't, then head downstairs into Kuro's Room. Activate the Kuro's Room Idol. Talk to Lord Kuro until his dialogue options are fully exhausted. You will learn about the Immortal Severance ritual and the three required reagents: the Mortal Blade, the Lotus of the Palace, and the Shelter Stone. Be sure to pick up the Gun Fort Shrine Key resting on the library shelf next to Kuro.
Area Clearance Order: Exit Kuro's room and find Emma standing nearby in the corridor. Speak to her and exhaust all of her dialogue. She provides essential story context about each ritual ingredient and the dangers ahead. Skipping her dialogue now may cause you to miss important NPC-specific interactions for unlocking certain endings later on.
Area Clearance Order: Fast-travel to the Dilapidated Temple Idol. Speak to the Sculptor (Busshi of Aretera) to unlock new dialogue options now that you've defeated Genichiro. Emma may also appear here, offering more conversation. Exhaust all NPC dialogue at the temple before moving on with your journey.
Area Clearance Order: Rest at the Idol, access the Enhancement menu, and use Memory: Genichiro to permanently increase your Attack Power by +1. Doing this immediately ensures you don't forget the power boost before facing the next set of challenges.
Area Clearance Order: Part 4 is now officially complete. The world branches open into three massive accessible areas: Senpou Temple (Mt. Kongo), Sunken Valley & Gun Fort, and the Ashina Depths. You may tackle these regions in any order. Our walkthrough will continue with Senpou Temple first to acquire the Mortal Blade. Rest at the Idol to save your game.
Jinsuke Saze Double-Parry: Double-tap deflect the instant his hilt gleams white. Two successful double-parries break his Posture bar instantly.
Genichiro Phase 1 & 2: Maintain relentless close pressure to prevent bow attacks. Mikiri Counter his thrust attacks after downward slams.
Genichiro Phase 3 — Lightning Reversal: Jump into the air the instant red kanji appears for his lightning attack, absorb the bolt mid-air, and press R1/RB before landing to redirect the bolt back and stun him.
Reunite with Kuro in his room. Learn about the Immortal Severance ritual, which requires three key ingredients: Mortal Blade, Lotus of the Palace, and Shelter Stone.
Kuro's Request (Right Now): Simply agreeing to help Kuro find the ritual ingredients does not lock any ending — this is mandatory story progress.
The Real Choice Comes Later (Part 8): The ending-defining decision happens during the Great Shinobi Owl boss fight setup. You will be asked to either "Obey the Iron Code" or "Break the Iron Code." Choosing "Obey" sends you to the Shura ending (short, dark, miss 2 bosses). Choosing "Break" continues the main story toward Immortal Severance, Purification, or Return endings depending on additional optional steps.
Emma conversation now: Fully talking to Emma here does not affect endings but does unlock extra Ashina Esoteric Text context and primes her as a vendor for Pellets later.
With Genichiro defeated and Kuro's dialogue exhausted, the world opens up! You must now seek the three ritual items. You can choose to explore Senpou Temple, the Sunken Valley, or the Ashina Depths in any order.