History VideoGame / Onimusha

* DefeatMeansFriendship: In Dawn of Dreams, you have to fight each member of your party before they join up with you. Gotta love that ConflictBall.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Every game's BigBad gets this treatment. The real OdaNobunaga was feared for his brutality (the burning of the temples on Mt. Hiei actually happened, for example), but this series makes him out to be an actual demon. ToyotomiHideyoshi gets treated with even less respect, and Munenori gets the absolute worst of it by being [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] beyond all recognition. We can only imagine what they'll do to TokugawaIeyasu.

** In the second game, despite not appearing, TakedaShingen is revealed to be on the Genma side.

* OdaNobunaga: At his Best/Worst

Two spin-off ''Onimusha'' titles exist: ''Onimusha Tactics'', a spinoff for the GameBoyAdvance - a turn-based strategy game featuring a new oni warrior named Onimaru, with returning characters Ekei, Magoichi and Kotaro from the second game, and ''Onimusha Blade Warriors'', a [[AlternateContinuity non-canonical]] fighting game in the style of ''SuperSmashBros'' for the [[PlaystationTwo Playstation 2]]. It features characters from the first two games (as well as Gargant, who first appears in the third game). The original ''Onimusha'' was also ported to the Xbox under the title of '''''Genma Onimusha'''''.

* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: Gogandantess - well, White And Red Haired Pretty Boy, perhaps, but it is mostly white.

* {{BFS}}: Enryuu and Rekka Ken from the first and second games are large broadswords with fire powers. The third game has Kuga, a nodachi with RazorWind powers, and the final Onimusha Sword and Genma Samonji. In Dawn of Dreams, Soki's entire arsenal is composed of these, some of them being so encumbering that even him can barely lift them. Some enemy monsters wield these as well, for example Marcellus.

* PowerOfFriendship: An actual play mechanic in ''Onimusha 2'' and a major theme of ''Dawn of Dreams''.

* JidaiGeki - Mostly set in the last years of the Sengoku period, except for the third game, where half of the story is set in Paris, year 2002.

* SceneryPorn: Especially so in ''3''. Beautifully rendered recreations of The Arc de Triomphe, Mont-Saint-Michel and the Eiffel Tower adorn the game. And they're incredibly accurate to their real-life counterparts too. [

* ZergRush: A combat tactic Genma forces uses. It worked in the 1500s in Japan against samurai and it worked against French troops and gendarmeries in 2004 in France.

* MismatchedEyes: Jubei in ''Dawn of Dreams'', because one of her eyes possesses the red Demon Eye.

* RecycledSoundtrack: In ''Onimusha 3'', the "Demon Forest" theme (the area after Jacques obtains the Enja whip) sounds similar to the "Infiltration" theme in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', although "Demon Forest" has a more "asian" tone.

'''''Onimusha 3: Demon Siege''''' (2004) returns to having Samanosuke as the protagonist. In 1582 he leads an attack on Nobunaga's stronghold and slay Nobunaga himself, but before he can deal the final blow, the Genma open a portal that, ala SamuraiJack, sends Samanosuke into the future. In France circa 2004, French policeman Jacques Blanc is attempting to aid the French military in holding back the demon hordes. When Samanosuke arrives on the scene, the time portal reopens, and Jaqcues is sent back to about a week before Samanosuke left. The player switches back and forth between the two characters and eras, each attempting to defeat the demons. At the end Samanosuke defeats Nobunaga and absorbs his soul, preventing him from returning again.

* CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys: Averted. Although the citizens of Paris are brutally slaughtered in a surprise attack in the opening cutscene of ''3'', the French Army are quick to respond...even if they aren't well equipped to deal with taking down demons.

* AnyoneCanDie

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking

* BowAndSwordInAccord: The main protagonists can switch to a bow & arrow on the fly.

* ElaborateEqualsEffective: Used with the Oni weapons in the first three games.

* EvilOverlord

* AnIcePerson: The Hyoujin Yari and Hyousai weapons

* JidaiGeki

* KillItWithFire: Enryuu, Rekka Ken and Enja swords allow you to burn enemies to ashes

* MechanicalMonster: The Golden Evil Statue, which acts as the final boss of the second game.

* OneHitKill: The ''Issen'' is a common theme in the games, wherein the player can counterattack an enemy at the last possible second. Said target/s are obliterated instantly, and it is possible to chain multiple ''Issen''s in a row to mow down an entire screenful of enemies.

* AxCrazy: Ranmaru - ''especially'' after [[spoiler:being transformed into a Genma]]. Munenori and Ginghamphatts also count.

* {{Ninja}}: Kaede, Samanosuke's female sidekick, and Kotaro from the second game.
** Interestingly, the prologue to ''Onimusha 3'' shows Samonoske wearing ninja garb instead of his usual armor. (He's [[DramaticUnmask masked]], even.)

** You could just throw in the ENTIRETY of Dawn of Dreams. More complex character development system, more emphasis on [[LevelGrinding level grinding]], combined with hordes of strong enemies and marathon boss battles, easily makes it the hardest game in the series.

* PrecisionFStrike: Soki [[spoiler:when Fortinbras asks him to recognize his godhood. Doubles as DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu? and CrowningMomentofAwesome]]

* RecurringBoss: In the second game, both Gogandantess and Ginghamphatts are fought three times each over the course of the story.

* OrbitalKiss / LastKiss: Jubei and Oyu towards the end of ''Samurai's Destiny'' (provided his goodwill with her is high enough).

*** [[WildMassGuessing Or perhaps Ohatsu was just guessing about the blood-tie and her powers were actually a result of being infected by the Genma Insects.]]

** How did Munenori receive his Demon Eye, which is said to be a rare trait among the Yagyu clan, from his mother if the Yagyu clan (excluding old-Jubei) had previously been wiped out in the second game?

* ChekovsSkill: There are two of them, all involving Samanosuke:

* {{Chickification}}: Although Oyu starts off the second game as a capable, take-no-nonsense swordswoman in the face of boorish louts, she quickly degenerates into a fairly weak ShallowLoveInterest who needs to be saved by Jubei [[spoiler:(or, in one case, Gogandantess)]] all the time. Unusual, [[CutsceneIncompetence considering she is very able to hold her own against hoardes of demon soldiers during gameplay]].

* HijackedByGanon: [[spoiler:While the fourth game features (almost) all new characters, the final boss is Fortinbras, the BigBad from Onimusha 1.]]

'''''Onimusha''''' ("demon warrior") is a series of action-adventure games by Capcom [[JidaiGeki set in feudal Japan]] released primarily for the {{PlayStation 2}}. The story begins with infamous real life Japanese warlord OdaNobunaga being felled by an arrow in the midst of his greatest triumph. However, Nobunaga's skill and brutality had already caught the eyes of the demon king Fortinbras who offers a deal to Nobunaga: he can come back to life if he agrees to conquer Japan on behalf of the Genma demon clan and turn it into, in effect, a massive feeding ground. Nobunaga accepts, and events get off and running.

'''''Onimusha''''' (oni warrior) is a series of action-adventure games by Capcom [[JidaiGeki set in feudal Japan]] released primarily for the {{PlayStation 2}}. The story begins with infamous real life Japanese warlord OdaNobunaga being felled by an arrow in the midst of his greatest triumph. However, Nobunaga's skill and brutality had already caught the eyes of the demon king Fortinbras who offers a deal to Nobunaga: he can come back to life if he agrees to conquer Japan on behalf of the Genma demon clan and turn it into, in effect, a massive feeding ground. Nobunaga accepts, and events get off and running.

* PowerOfFriendship: A major theme of ''Dawn of Dreams''.

* RecycledSoundtrack: In ''Onimusha 3'', after Jacques obtains the Enja to cuts down some "Genma weeds" that block a path, the theme music for this area is the same music used for some of the stages of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', though the version in this game has a more "asian" tone. Shinji Mikami confirmed that ''Onimusha 3'' served as a testing ground for ''[=RE4=]'''s game mechanics.

A series of four action-adventure samurai games by Capcom [[JidaiGeki set in feudal Japan]]. The series begins with infamous real life Japanese warlord OdaNobunaga being felled by an arrow in the midst of his greatest triumph. However, Nobunaga's skill and brutality had already caught the eyes of the demon king Fortinbras who offers a deal to Nobunaga: he can come back to life if he agrees to conquer Japan on behalf of the Genma demon clan and turn it into, in effect, a massive feeding ground. Nobunaga accepts, and events get off and running.

'''''Onimusha: Warlords''''' sees protagonist Samanosuke racing to attempt to rescue a princess of the Saito clan, who has written to him of strange disappearances and events around their castle, and how she suspects demonic involvement. When he arrives, the castle is already under mass attack from demons and the princess has been kidnapped to be sacrificed as part of the ritual for resurrecting Nobunaga. Initially at a severe disadvantage against the demons, Samanosuke receives a power up from a demon clan that rivals the one backing Nobunaga, and one which has been virtually destroyed. This allows him the use of a supernatural gauntlet which sucks the souls out of defeated demons and uses their power to aid him. He eventually confronts and kills the Genma king, Fortinbras; The epilogue, however, reveals that [[SequelHook Nobunaga managed to come back to life anyway]], and conquers the Saito clan territory while Samanosuke vanishes and is presumed dead.

'''''Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny''''' has fewer survival horror elements and more pure action-adventure. Nobunaga is solidifying his hold on Japan at the head of a demon army, making rapid and cruel conquests. One of these conquests is [[DoomedHometown Yagyu village]], which causes YagyuJubei, (not the historical Jubei but his grandfather; In the game, the name Jubei is a title given to the head of the Yagyu clan) the half-demon head of the Yagyu clan and a renowned swordsman, to swear vengeance on Nobunaga. This game also features a supporting cast of four characters, each an outstanding warrior in his or her own way (or at least important to the plot) who, depending on the relationships Jubei forges with them, may be important in aiding him in his quest, or have the potential to be an enemy. Despite seemingly being bested by Jubei, Nobunaga swears to return and continue to wreak havoc.

'''''Onimusha 3: Demon Siege''''' returns to having Samanosuke as the protagonist. In 1582 he leads an attack on Nobunaga's stronghold and slay Nobunaga himself, but before he can deal the final blow, the Genma open a portal that, ala SamuraiJack, sends Samanosuke into the future. In France circa 2004, French policeman Jacques Blanc is attempting to aid the French military in holding back the demon hordes. When Samanosuke arrives on the scene, the time portal reopens, and Jaqcues is sent back to about a week before Samanosuke left. The player switches back and forth between the two characters and eras, each attempting to defeat the demons. At the end Samanosuke defeats Nobunaga and absorbs his soul, preventing him from returning again.

In the fourth installment, '''''Shin Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams''''', Nobunaga's chief general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, takes his place. He unifies Japan and spreads demons everywhere. However, his illegitimate son, known as Soki, takes up arms to defeat him with his friends. Dawn of Dreams expanded the RPG elements and gameplay depth, moving away from the "tank controls" the previous games had used to something more manageable, while removing many of the annoying puzzles to make a more satisfying experience.

Two spin-off ''Onimusha'' titles exist: ''Onimusha Tactics'', a strategy for the GameboyAdvance - a side story featuring a new oni warrior named Onimaru, with returning characters Ekei, Magoichi and Kotaro from the second game, and ''Onimusha Blade Warriors'', a [[AlternateContinuity non-canonical]] fighting game in the style of ''SuperSmashBros'' for the [[PlaystationTwo Playstation 2]]. It features characters from the first two games (as well as Gargant, who first appears in the third game).

In the fourth installment, ''Dawn of Dreams'', Nobunaga's chief general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, takes his place. He unifies Japan and spreads demons everywhere. However, his illegitimate son, known as Soki, takes up arms to defeat him with his friends. Dawn of Dreams expanded the RPG elements and gameplay depth, moving away from the "Tank-style" control methods the previous games had used to something more manageable, while removing many of the annoying puzzles to make a more satisfying experience.

* SequelDifficultySpike: Issen appears to have been {{Nerf}}ed in ''3'' to make it harder to spam. This in itself is not a big deal, except that acquiring the Ako's Black Vest means completing the Critical tutorial: enemies can '''only''' be killed via Critical hits. Deflect criticals are much easier, since your character is at least protected from the blow. However, this tutorial requires that you leave yourself wide open to attack. Not for nothing is this considered the trickiest level of any ''Onimusha'' game.

* RecycledSoundtrack: In ''Onimusha 3'', after Jacques obtains the Enja to cuts down some "Genma weeds" that block a path, the theme music for this area is the same music used for some of the stages of ''ResidentEvil4'', though the version in this game has a more "asian" tone. Shinji Mikami confirmed that ''Onimusha 3'' served as a testing ground for ''[=RE4=]'''s game mechanics.