September 2026
How to Complete the Onimusha: Way of the Sword Demo
“Complete the demo” means two different things this month. The minimum is: finish the path, beat the bosses that are in your build, and quit so the full game can grant Kubi Akari. The thorough version is: update the file, clear the Oni Refuge, beat Daidara, bank ten Issen, and peek at Byakue. This page is the thorough version with the minimum marked.
Minimum complete
- Download and update the demo from your storefront (see the demo page).
- Pick a control type and a difficulty. Leave them alone.
- Play Kiyomizu-dera to the temple stage.
- Beat Sasaki Ganryu.
- If the file continues, play the Oni Refuge and beat Daidara.
- Watch the end card. That is the Kubi Akari flag.
Step 5 only exists on the August 2026 build. A June copy that still credits out after Ganryu is complete for the original file and may still write the charm — Capcom’s wording is “complete the demo,” and the original demo ended on that duel. Update anyway. The Refuge is free practice. Storefront links sit on the demo download page; the route sits on the walkthrough.
Thorough complete
- Land ten Issen in a single run until the left-side tally turns gold.
- Beat Daidara a second time, or rely on the ten Issen, to open the Special Challenge.
- Fight Byakue, The Hundred Defilements, at least once.
- Practise one defensive lane on Ganryu until you can finish him without mixing tools.
None of those four are required for the charm. They are required if you want launch week to feel like a continuation rather than a reset. The Issen page is the farm. The Ganryu and Daidara pages are the bosses. Byakue is documented on the Daidara page because that fight is the gate.
If the Issen tally will not move, you are landing normal kills. Look for the afterimage. If Daidara will not spawn, you are on an old patch or you have not finished Ganryu. If Byakue will not spawn, you have neither a second Daidara kill nor a gold tally. Those three sentences solve ninety percent of “I can’t complete it” posts.
After you quit
Leave the demo installed until you have launched the full game once and seen Kubi Akari in the charm list. Then uninstall if you need the disk. Demo souls and map flags will not come with you. Pre-order charms from your edition unlock on a different schedule, gated by Spirit Mirrors — do not panic if Lion Dog is missing on the first sword swing. The items page explains that gate.
The how to play guide is the thing to read the night before September 4. The demo taught the verbs. That page reminds you not to forget them in a longer Kyoto.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Is beating Byakue required?
No. It is a special challenge. Kubi Akari does not depend on it.
My Issen counter sits at zero.
True Issen needs the impact-frame attack, not a parry and not a normal kill. See the Issen guide.
Does difficulty change the charm?
Capcom has not said the charm is difficulty-gated. Complete the path on Story or Action.
Can I complete the demo on keyboard?
Yes. Several public runs already did. Remap absorb first.