Summary
Onimushais Netflix’s latest attempt to turn video games into anime. Their success rate has been good so far,includingCastlevania: NocturneandCaptain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remixfrom this year, along withArcaneandCyberpunk: Edgerunnersfrom years past. Now, it has been some time since theOnimushafranchise has come into the gaming conversation, unlike the other examples, so here is a refresher.
The series began on PS2 in 2001, and it was like the samurai equivalent ofResident Evil. The last mainline game was in 2006 and other than mobile spinoffs and a remaster of the original in 2019, it has laid dormant in Capcom’s archives. That’s the setup for the game series, but what is the NetflixOnimushaadaptation about? Also, who are the strongest characters in this samurai vs demon anime? Let’s dive in and find out with full spoilers ahead.
7Sahei
The Devious Samurai
Sahei is one of the quietest samurai in the group. He is cool and collected, but he isn’t shy about fighting. He can take down zombies as well as anyone. His true strength lies in his book smarts, which he uses to strategize his way out of sticky situations.
While quiet at first, he shows his true colors in the final episode when he poisons Iemon. Saheiwas a spyin the group, sent to verify no one else found out about the gold mines. While he could have killed Sayo, he decided not to, as he isn’t a bad guy. The anime was just keeping things tense for the sake of drama.
6Sayo
The Guide Cook
Sayo is the youngest character the group meets in the first season. She is an orphaned girl and the sole survivor of her village, which was taken over by demons thanks to Iemon. While Sayo never fights inOnimusha, she shows her strength in other ways.
She’s a competent guide for the group, helping Musashi and the others through valleys and forests. She’s alsoa fine cook, from charring rabbit to making a plant-based meal for Kaizen. She’s also a capable thief as she manages to smuggle out some gold from the mines, seemingly setting herself up for the high life as seen in the final episode.
5Kaizen
The Warrior Monk
Kaizen is a warrior monk who has been instructed to journey alongside Musashi to keep the “package” safe. This item turns out to be the Oni Gauntlet, which fans of theOnimushagames know all about. Players will defeat monsters in the games, collect their souls, and then those souls can be used for leveling up various upgrades like in an RPG.
Back to Kaizen, he may seem like a meek monk, but he shows his prowess in battle multiple timesagainst zombified soldiers. His ultimate strength as a warrior is shown when he sacrifices his body to save Sayo in episode four. His body burns up, but he is able lift the bell off of Sayo in the end and dies an honorable death.
4Gensai
Gensai is the first demon the group encounters in the anime. Like his mentor, Matsuki Kensuke, he was secretly a traitor and loyal to Iemon all along. Unlike Kensuke though, Gensai gave his body over to the Genma demons, which gave him toad-like powers.
His eyes bulged out of his head, seemingly giving him more of a visual advantage. He also has a whip-like tongue to strike his enemies. He lasts longer in battle than Kensuke and gives Musashi a bit of a fight in episode one. However, Musashi eventually cuts him down to size.
3The Yoshiokas
Three Demon Brothers
Most of the warriors that Musashi faces inOnimushaare from his past. The biggest example is The Yoshiokas, comprised of three brothers. There are three sisters later on, but they were added more fora comedic effectthan anything else. Like Gensai, the Yoshiokas gave their bodies over to the demons and were blessed with incredible power.
Now, the three brothers look more like Hulks than humans. They killed one of the heroes directly, Goromaru, along with one of his pet birds. They are also the ones who trap Sayo under the aforementioned bell, which leads to the death of Kaizen. They’re strong, but again, they were no match for Musashi once he unleashed the power of the Oni Gauntlet.
2Sasaki Kojiro
Musashi’s Greatest Rival
Sasaki Kojiro,in Japanese history, was indeed Miyamoto Musashi’s greatest rival. He was not a demon like he is in theOnimushaanime though, which should be obvious to viewers. He has quite the entrance too, as he quickly slays Iemon without a second’s thought.
Iemon brought Kojiro back to life to fight Musashi. He also wanted him in his demon army, but Kojiro’s spirit was too strong, so he noped out of that idea. Kojiro just wants to be the best samurai in Japan and doesn’t care about taking over territories. It’s unknown if he survives the fight in the final episode, but dead or not, Kojiro has a massive amount of power.
1Miyamoto Musashi
Japan’s Greatest Samurai
Miyamoto Musashi is thought of as one of Japan’s greatest samurai. TheOnimushaseries has a habit of using historical figures in wondrous ways. While Musashi doesn’t appear as the protagonist in the games, other figures like Oda Nobunaga do. So, having Musashi appear in the anime seemed fitting. Also, it seems obvious that the main character would be thestrongest in the anime.
His strength is showcased even before he gets the Oni Gauntlet from Kaizen’s temple. He takes on the monks barehanded to get what he wants. He slices and dices through zombies like butter, too. Once the Oni Gauntlet’s powers are unlocked, he becomes even stronger. Like Kojiro, it is unknown if he survives the final fight. Maybe that will be answered in season two (if it happens) on Netflix.
