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11 The Oni Bow is Musashi Miyamoto's ranged weapon in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. It sits alongside the katana and the Oni Armaments as one of the three things Musashi actually attacks with, and it is the only one that operates at distance.
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33 Where It Comes From
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55 Musashi does not start with the bow. He recovers it from the wreckage of the Oni Refuge, the otherworldly realm he is pulled into after the duel with Sasaki Ganryu at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Picking it up is the moment the game stops being a purely melee experience.
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7+Pre-launch hands-on coverage places the pickup more precisely. The bow is acquired after a Genma fight inside the refuge rather than simply found lying in the ruins, which makes it a reward for clearing an encounter rather than an item on a shelf.
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79 What It Is For
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911 Capcom has described four distinct jobs for the bow, and they span combat, exploration, and boss design.
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1113 UseDetailAnswering archersGenma archers can finally be returned fire on. Before the bow, ranged Genma could only be closed down or defended against.Environmental puzzlesSome puzzles require reach rather than reflexes. The bow is the tool for anything that has to be struck from a distance the player cannot cross.Triggering trapsArrows can set off traps in the environment, turning the level itself into a source of damage against groups.Boss applicationsIn at least one duel back in Kyoto, an arrow is used to sever a boss from its power source rather than to deal direct damage.
1214 The archer point connects the bow to Musashi's defensive kit. Arrow Deflection covers the other half of that exchange: a held block stops an incoming arrow, a timed parry slices it midair, and a deflect returns it to the shooter. With the Oni Bow, the player finally has an option that does not depend on an enemy shooting first.
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16+Unlimited Use
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18+The bow has unlimited use. There is no arrow count to manage and no ammunition resource to farm, so the only cost of a shot is the time Musashi spends drawing it and the opening that creates. That removes the usual reason to hoard a ranged option in an action game. The bow is a permanent part of the kit rather than a scarce emergency tool, which is consistent with the number of jobs Capcom has given it across combat, traversal and puzzle-solving.
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20+Enemies in the Retail Build
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22+Coverage of the retail build lists two enemy types alongside the bow's introduction. Shield-bearers carry guards that bounce plain sword strikes, so an approach that works on ordinary Genma simply rebounds off them. Archers attack from a distance the katana cannot cross. Both appear in the stretch of campaign that follows the bow's acquisition, which is the point where the game begins assuming the player has an answer at range as well as in front of them. See the combat system for how ranged threats fold into the wider defensive toolkit.
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1424 In Boss Fights
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1626 The bow's boss role is a puzzle role rather than a damage role. Against Rasho-gan, who lifts boulders and entire buildings into the air on tethers, cutting a tether with an arrow drops whatever he is holding back onto him. That pattern of using the bow to break the thing keeping a boss dangerous, instead of chipping at a health bar, is what Capcom means when it describes an arrow severing a boss from its power source.
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1828 Motion Aiming on Nintendo Switch 2
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2030 The Nintendo Switch 2 version adds an optional motion-control scheme built on Joy-Con 2, and the bow has its own gesture. Holding ZR and moving the right Joy-Con 2 aims the shot physically instead of with a stick. Capcom has confirmed the same actions remain available on standard button input, so the motion layer is a preference rather than a requirement.
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2232 ActionJoy-Con 2 GestureOne-handed attackShake the right Joy-Con 2 horizontallyTwo-handed attackShake the right Joy-Con 2 verticallyOni BowHold ZR, then move the right Joy-Con 2 to aimOni Strength: DestroyShake both Joy-Con 2 controllers at the same time
2333 Status
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25-The Oni Bow is confirmed by Capcom in pre-launch material covering the stretch of campaign that follows the demo. Arrow types, whether ammunition is limited, and how the bow upgrades through the Souls economy have not been detailed.
35+The Oni Bow is confirmed by Capcom in pre-launch material covering the stretch of campaign that follows the demo. Arrow types, and how the bow upgrades through the Souls economy have not been detailed.