Characters / Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Sekiro / Wolf

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Main Character Index
Main Characters (Sekiro / Wolf) | Secondary Characters | Enemies and Bosses | Manga Characters

Warning: unmarked spoilers ahead.

Sekiro / Wolf

"The Mortal Blade. Without question... I accept its power."

^{Click here to see him as a child Wolf}

"Do what must be done."

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Noshir Dalal (English)

The Player Character and protagonist, Wolf is an older ninja bound to protect The Divine Heir, the last scion of an ancient bloodline. Ambushed while escorting his charge through a war-torn province, Wolf is attacked by a young samurai commander, costing him his left arm, his master's safety, and his honor. Waking up, and having found his arm replaced by a "ninja prosthetic", Wolf is told his master still lives, and that he still has the chance to redeem himself by preventing the samurai from sacrificing his liege to obtain immortality. Sekiro and Wolf are nicknames given to the character.

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A-L

• Ability Mixing: If Wolf fully masters one of the esoteric texts given to him throughout the game, the Tengu of Ashina will be impressed enough to hand over the means to develop Mushin Arts — this skill tree combines various combat arts that Wolf learned before to create new, devastating attacks.
• Anti-Hero: Type III; not only is he hellbent on getting revenge, he has no qualms with murdering defenseless old women to remain undetected, and as expected of a ninja, using pragmatic tactics that would be considered very dishonorable. That being said, he's quite noble and pleasant otherwise, being respectful to everyone he meets and, in turn, being treated nicely by his comrades.
• Animal Motif: He's heavily associated with Wolves.
• An Arm and a Leg: He loses his arm in a fight with Genichiro at the start of the game and wears a special prosthetic as a replacement.
• Artificial Limbs: Has a skeletal-looking prosthetic arm, a Ningishu, that was given to him by the Sculptor after Genichiro severed his arm. It contains a grappling hook mechanism, and can be fitted with a variety of Prosthetic Tools, from spring-loaded shuriken to magical fans to help him go through the many battles ahead of him.
• Armour Piercing Attack: Several sword arts and prosthetic upgrades damage enemies even through guard, such as the Ashina Cross. The spear can also be used to remove armour from some of the larger enemies, allowing you to hurt them normally.
  • In a variation on this theme, the Axe can be used to chop through Shield-Bearing Mook.
• Ax-Crazy: What he becomes at the end of the Shura ending; a crazed demon that slaughters tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike in blood-fueled massacres. He displays this earlier just before his transformation by grinning when he kills Emma.
• Badass and Child Duo: With Kuro, though he never takes Kuro with him on his missions.
• Badass Boast: Tells Kuro "This... will only take a moment" before his second battle with Genichiro.
• Badass Cape: His "Ashina Shinobi" costume gives him a particularly badass one, colored dark blue.
• Badass Longcoat: He always wears an impressive orange haori.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: Despite being the main protagonist, he's the one major character with the least spoken dialogue and prefers keeping his sentences short and concise when conversing. He's also the biggest One-Man Army in the setting; he slaughters countless natural and unnatural enemies in his way, and has defeated many big-named warriors who are The Dreaded in their own right.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: A few minor examples. Among the things he can eat are eel liver and Red Lumps. He even states "I will eat anything." The most normal thing he enjoys the sweet rice he is given by the Divine Child. Only...
  Kuro: Wolf. Rice tastes much better when it is cooked.
  Wolf: ...Cooked?
• Blind Obedience: One of the choices he can make during the game is to wholeheartedly obey his father and mentor, setting him up on the path of becoming a Shura.
• Blood Knight: Wolf isn't just duty-bound; he enjoys what he does, even if he isn't a sadist about it. Both the Sculptor and Isshin are concerned with his bloodlust, to the point where the latter warns him that he's in danger of manifesting Shura. Exaggerated during the Shura ending, as Shura literally means "Demon enthralled by violence". His transformation into a blood-soaked demon completes the cycle of violence. No matter what lies before him — civilian or soldier — Wolf will cut them down all the same with a smile on his face.
  Soldiers and townfolk alike died by the thousands. Very few survived. Ashina became the setting for the most tragic massacre of the Sengoku era. And for a long time after, it was said a demon lurked the land...
• Blood Magic: Two of Wolf's ninjutsu techniques that he can initiate after performing a Backstab Deathblow (Bloodsmoke and Bestowal) draw upon the blood of his victims as well as Spirit Emblems.
• Blood-Splattered Warrior: Just like in the previous SoulsBourne games, the more Wolf kills, the more blood-drenched he will be. Deathblowing some bosses will literally shower his whole body with so much blood.
• Broken Bird: The exact details are never revealed, but it's evident that the war for Ashina's independence traumatized him deeply as a young boy and took everything he had, resulting in a withdrawn individual who doesn't react at all to Owl's imposing presence. This continues on in his adult years, and the game begins with Wolf sulking in despondence with nothing to live for, believing that the people he was sworn to serve are gone.
• Cast From Hitpoints: The Ceremonial Tanto Wolf can obtain later in the game is used by damaging himself for half of his maximum health, in exchange adding five Spirit Emblems to his already-available count. A smart player would balance health and tanto usage to practically double the number of Spirit Emblems the Wolf can expend in combat.
• Casting a Shadow: He can turn briefly into a shadow, moving at a fast speed in a short distance in order to avoid attacks and Flash Step.
• Catchphrase: Responds to most expository dialogue with a contemplative "I see..."
• Character Development: Events throughout the game push him to become more empathetic to others. He is frequently rewarded for helping those in need, which incentivizes the player to form bonds with those around them — indeed, the Dragonrot only affects people who know of the Wolf, so narratively, the player is meant to talk to as many people as possible. Whether or not this development is effective is dependent on what ending the player chooses.
• Charles Atlas Superpower:
  • Wolf's shinobi training has given him strength sufficient to leap twelve feet vertically while carrying armor and weapons, deflect blows from a guy who can collapse an entire guard tower with a single swing,^note the first boss, Gyoubu Oniwa, can do this. fall a hundred feet onto hard rock without taking damage, shove a katana straight through iron lamellar (both the front and back, plus the intervening body), and parry arrows with his sword, among other things.
  • Pay close attention to his grappling hook animation. He doesn't let the hook pull him up like most video game protagonists; he just plants it somewhere and then yanks his left arm really hard, enough that he sends himself flying dozens of feet through the air. When considering the low distance over which he had to exert force, and the fact that he's doing this solely with the muscles in his non-dominant arm instead of his more powerful legs, this would require an insane amount of strength, enough to lift several tons.
  • A particular example is his ability to deflect enemy blows. Logically, you'd to be reasonably close to your enemy's strength to do this by exerting broadly comparable force, but Wolf can just entirely ignore this basic physical principle. Beings thousands of times stronger than him for some reason still can't get past his guard if you hit the deflect button on time. This includes the Divine Dragon, who smashes you with a sword the size of a building and by all logic shouldn't even notice the tiny man and his tinier sword. Wolf seems to be using his skill to "surf" off the blade of the larger bosses rather than stopping them though, as they just push him back and then continue on their prior paths without a loss of velocity.
• Cool Mask: He wears a silvery, jeering Menpo over his face with his "Ashina Shinobi" outfit which was the Sculptor's outfit back when he was a shinobi. In contrast, his "Tengu" costume has the same red-faced ceremonial Tengu mask that Isshin wears while disguised.
• Combat Pragmatist: As a shinobi, Wolf has a strong sense of honor concerning loyalty, but little if any concerning combat. Wolf, and by extension, the player, is expected to use every dirty tactic available, whether it be stealth or ninja tools, in order to rescue his lord. This was in fact a conscious choice FromSoft made and a reason Wolf was made a shinobi rather than a samurai, as a normal samurai wouldn't sully his honor with dirty tricks and pragmatism. A lot of bosses have specific weaknesses that can be used in lieu of fighting them "fairly" (e.g. the Corrupted Monk is stunned and damaged by Snap Seeds, the Chained Ogres panic and are disabled when exposed to fire, the Snake Eyes can be lured into poisoning themselves, and nearly every field boss can have half their health depleted by a single sneak attack), which the game actively encourages.
• The Comically Serious: Wolf's sense of humor is nonexistent, leading to some amusing interactions with more lighthearted characters like Isshin and Emma. See No Social Skills and Bizarre Taste in Food for examples.
• Conflicting Loyalty: Wolf is bound by the Iron Code of the Shinobi of Hirata which was taught to him by his father, but faces a moment of hesitation when Kuro decides to go against the code and seek a way to sever the ties of the Dragon's blood. He faces another choice between obeying his father and killing Kuro, or disobeying his father and staying loyal to Kuro.
• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Downplayed. While the game is not a sequel to the Dark Souls series, Sekiro is completely different from the blank slate protagonist. Not only does he have his own personality and backstory, he also has a much simpler goal.
• Cradling Your Kill: If Wolf chooses to obey Owl and follows through with stabbing Emma in the throat, he will lower her to the ground until she properly expires.
  • He will also extend this courtesy to the old lady-type enemies who roam around Ashina castle and pose no threat to you except for maybe alerting other enemies when they see you.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Wolf is a Stealth Expert and a master duelist, enabling him to kill even very powerful foes with single precision strikes as long as he can land a surprise deathblow, and take on behemoths he should logically have no chance against in a straight fight. However, due to the fact that (unlike previous Soulsborne protagonists) his only weapon is a small sword that can only hit one person at a time, he's ill-suited to taking on several enemies at once. The game encourages you to get around this by picking enemies off one by one.
• Cursed with Awesome: The game goes to great lengths to portray immortality as a curse, either outright, or disguised as a blessing. That being said, Wolf's immortality has allowed him to continue fighting, albeit not without its consequences. His resurrections pose the risk of infecting those near him with a painful disease that he has to help treat with special medicine.
• Dark Is Not Evil: He's a grim-faced Shinobi who employs Blood Magic, dishonorable tactics, and wields an Evil Weapon. But he's also highly loyal to his master and friends, and is actually quite honorable. The "Ashina Shinobi" outfit he can unlock even switches out his orange colored clothing for dark blue ones.
• David Versus Goliath: Wolf is not necessarily a small man himself, but he's positively tiny compared to the many larger-than-life warriors and behemoths blocking his path.
• Defrosting Ice King: To put it lightly, Wolf isn't very sociable, especially not in the early game. Early on, he is focused only on getting Kuro back and killing anyone in his way, and most of his conversations amount to little more than a silent grunt or growling out a few words containing a very thinly veiled threat. If he chooses to forsake the Iron Code and/or brings Sake to the three people who are available for it, he shows a softer side of himself, more willing to ask questions and show his appreciation to them.
• Despair Event Horizon: Starts the game off this way. Losing both his father and his lord, the two people whose lives he was meant to devote himself to, leaves Wolf without a purpose and wallowing in a hole surrounded by enemies. It's only when he hears news that the Divine Heir is still alive that he springs himself to action.
• Determinator: Willing to do and kill everything to rescue his lord per his Iron Code his father taught him. And he is even willing to get ingredients for Kuro and the Divine Child that are stated to be impossible to get, even if it means getting Kuro killed.
• The Dreaded: Eavesdropping on Masanaga the Spear-bearer will reveal that Wolf has attained quite a reputation among the agents of the Interior Ministry, who consider him an unkillable demon. If he becomes Shura, that appraisal becomes very, very accurate, and in short order, the entirety of Japan is so scared shitless of him that no one dares enter into the destroyed province of Ashina, now reduced to a lifeless ghost-land, with whispers of a demon stalking anyone who dares trespass. Those who survived his rampage would go on to write folk songs about the "demon wolf in red" that destroyed their homeland.
• Evil Is Burning Hot: In the Shura ending, flames begin to wreathe his prosthetic arm, demonstrating the end of his humanity and his now unquenchable thirst for blood.
• Expy: Driven by vengeance? A living One-Man Army? Lost an arm and replaced it with a kickass prosthetic? Jerk with a Heart of Gold? Has a patch of hair that's white despite their age? Has a backstory involving being in the service of someone that they care(d) about? Are we sure we aren't talking about a certain Black Swordsman here?
• Empowered Badass Normal: His immortality and prosthetics aside, the only things he uses to fight are his sword and impressive sword skills, which is enough to kill ogres, apparitions, and even a dragon.
• Experienced Protagonist: By the time of the game's start, Wolf has been a shinobi under Owl for almost two decades, and is already a highly skilled fighter.
• Face–Heel Turn: Becomes a mass-murdering demon in the Shura ending.
• Faking the Dead: Can invoke this once he gets an item late in the game. This allows him to get a free deathblow when used correctly.
• Fallen Hero: If the player chooses the Shura route, Wolf will become a Shura, devolving from a loyal shinobi to a mindless demon hellbent on slaughter.
• Fights Like a Normal: He has Resurrective Immortality, a mechanical arm that grants sometimes magical abilities, and can learn some ninjutsu, but his primary means of attack remains a mundane katana.
• Flaming Sword: His arm cannon can also set his sword on fire for extra damage, much like charcoal pine resins.
• Fragile Speedster: In comparison to both the enemies and previous From Software protagonists. Wolf is very fast, and not only because he can deflect bullets with his sword; his run speed is higher than that of Soulsborne protagonists and he has no stamina limit, so literally running circles around bosses to get a hit in is a perfectly valid option. However, his only weapon (besides prosthetics) is a small sword, so he doesn't do much damage and can't handle crowds of enemies, and he wears little armor, so he doesn't have much in way of defense either and must rely on dodging, blocking, and counters. He can make his fragility even more pronounced by using Yashariku's Sugar or the corresponding Spiritfall, which halves his maximum lifebar in exchange for becoming a Glass Cannon. By the end of the game, it doesn't matter how much Wolf has leveled up, bosses will kill him in two to four hits.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: From an angry war orphan to one of the deadliest shinobi in Japan.
  Owl: When I found you on that battlefield, I had no idea what you'd become.
• Gameplay and Story Integration: When Kuro asks him to help find a way to sever his immortality, selecting the "Help Kuro" option will cause Wolf to quote the Iron Code to himself and then refuse. It's impossible to progress until you pick the "Obey the Iron Code" option. It's not until much later in the game that he undergoes some Character Development and is able to follow Kuro's wishes.
• Good Is Not Nice: Quite a bit of a stretch since this is the Sengoku period, but he just wants to protect his lord and nothing will stand on his way. Even if it means fighting his former allies that want to use Kuro for their own plans.
• Goomba Stomp: After jumping, Wolf can kick an enemy to bounce off them for additional height. Normally, this inflicts minor posture damage and interrupts attacks, but doing so while the enemy is performing a sweep attack will dramatically increase the posture damage dealt. The Senpou Leaping Kicks and High Monk Combat Arts will deal even more than that by a not-insignificant amount.
• A Handful for an Eye: Wolf can pocket fistfuls of ash he finds around Ashina and toss them at his enemies, momentarily stunning them.
• Heroic Sacrifice: In one of the endings, Wolf can eliminate the Dragon's Heritage without Kuro having to die — in exchange, however, Wolf must offer his life in Kuro's place.
• Heroes Prefer Swords: Unlike many other characters and all of From Software's other "Soulslike" protagonists, Wolf can only use a sword as a primary weapon. Any other gear he has serves solely to complement it.
• Highly-Visible Ninja: Oddly enough, he's not immune to this trope. It's even Invoked to an extent, as Wolf, unlike a lot of modern depictions, wears a full set of armor.
• Iaijutsu Practitioner: Wolf's strongest foes have powerful slashes that require sheathing their sword first. These are all moves he can potentially learn and equip as Combat Arts, making him one as well.
• Implausible Fencing Powers: Some of Wolf's opponents can pull off crazy moves using their blades; a few happen to be learnable, meaning he can use them too. That's not going into the fact that even from base level, he can already block bullets.
• Innate Night Vision: He has an ability called "Night Eye" which makes him able to see in the dark, allowing him to navigate dark caves and turning his eyes golden.
• Instant Expert: Downplayed. Wolf is a very quick study when it comes to new techniques. He picks up a few from defeating bosses, two of which are gained from both incarnations of Isshin. It's implied that he learns these techniques just by watching his opponent use them.
• In the Back: Backstab Deathblows are Wolf's bread and butter when it comes to stealth options. It is also the only way to trigger powerful Ninjutsu techniques.
• I Surrender, Suckers: Reviving mid-battle can be used strategically to surprise attack enemies when their back is turned.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While quiet and stoic, Wolf is rather gruff and antisocial. However, he does display concern for the people around him and not just his master.
• Lightning/Fire Juxtaposition: Wolf's Flame Vent, Shinobi Firecrackers, and usage of oil in direct combat differ from Genichiro's Way of Tomoe.
• Locked into Strangeness: Wolf's tie to the Dragon's Heritage has turned a part of his face and hair bone white, a symptom that Emma finds fascinating.

M-Z

• Made of Iron: He's endured quite a lot of beatings for Kuro's sake, with only his immortality the reason he is still alive. Hell, the first part alone has him losing his arm to Genichiro. Emma even comments that he never complained about his injuries, which made it hard for her to treat him correctly.
• Marked Change: Sekiro's right side of his hair and part of his face are ashen-grey, likely the first sign of the Dragon's Blood in him.
• Master of All: Wolf develops into this as you master the various skill trees, each of which represents a different martial arts style and philosophy. By the end, Wolf has defeated each style's grandmaster and has become the deadliest shinobi in Ashina.
  • The Shinobi arts are Owl's primary style and focus on quick kills, stealth, and defense, using an opponent's movements against them.
  • The Prosthetic arts developed by the Sculptor focus on getting the most out of your Shinobi Prosthetic and integrating its tools into combat.
  • The Ashina arts are katana techniques developed by Lord Isshin over a lifetime of combat experience, and are the primary style used by Ashina Samurai.
  • The Temple Arts are used by the monks of Senpou Temple and focus on quick unarmed strikes and kicks designed to break an enemy's posture.
  • The Mushin Arts are Isshin's crowning combat achievements, properly called the Ashina Mushin Compound Style. These are advanced techniques that combine the pinnacle moves of the other arts in powerful ways.
  • In addition to the unlockable skill trees, Wolf masters several enemies' Signature Moves after fighting them, following Isshin's philosophy of learning from experience, such as Floating Passage from Genichiro^note technically, you get this from a purchasable scroll, but Genichiro is the only other enemy that uses it, and One Mind and Dragon Flash from Isshin himself.
• Master Swordsman: Sekiro is capable of incredible skill with Kusabimaru; among what you can do with it in game is parrying a massive katakama-yari while the wielder is on horseback, dueling the supreme commander of the Ashina forces three times and winning two of them (three, if you're really good or on New Game+), defeating one of the greatest shinobi alive, and perhaps most impressively of them all, facing Isshin Ashina himself, either as an old man with far more technique than any other character in the game, or in his physical prime. Gameplay-wise, he is capable of casually deflecting arrows and bullets and is perfectly capable of repelling thrusts by stomping on them.
• Meaningful Name: Besides the "Sekiro" nickname that he gets stuck with by the Tengu, Wolf lives up to acting like the animal he's named after — he's a fiercly loyal Papa Wolf to a cub (Kuro), equally as loyal to his pack (Kuro, Emma, and to a lesser extent the Sculptor and Isshin) and besides bosses that need two deathblows in a row, he usually stabs enemies in the jugular area as his finishing move — going for the throat just like a hunting wolf taking down prey. Sekiro (隻狼) was formed after two words: Sekiwan (隻腕), means a man with one arm; and 狼 (ōkami) just means wolf; thus it befits him as an one-armed shinobi named Wolf. Standalone, the word 隻 also means alone, lone, and 隻狼 literally means lone wolf. In the bad ending where he forsakes his allies, Wolf goes mad and violent — similar psychological detriments that have been observed in real life lone wolves who can't make a new pack.
  • Extends to his katana, Kusabimaru, as well, which is his primary weapon that he carries through the whole game. As per the game's info, "The name Kusabimaru beseeches, 'A shinobi's role is to kill, but even a shinobi must not forget mercy.' A mantra the blade itself may manifest." This actually serves as something of a vague clue as to how he can achieve the more positive endings.
• Multi-Melee Master: If players desire it, Wolf can be a master swordsman, shinobi, and martial artist, with all the associated tools: katana, shuriken, kunai, axe, spear, reinforced umbrella, short knife, bare-handed techniques, as well as several occultic ninjutsu and weapons.
• Mundane Luxury: Seems to react this way towards cooking food. He didn't even know you could cook rice until Kuro expressed surprise that he would eat it raw.
• Mysterious Past: The most we know about him is that Owl adopted him after finding him on a battlefield during Isshin's rebellion and trained him to be a shinobi with the help of Lady Butterfly. Who he was and where he came from before Owl found him is never stated.
• Mystical White Hair: Partially. His pact of immortality with Kuro has turned much of his hair and part of his face an ashen white.
• Mythology Gag: A swordsman with a wolf motif whose left arm was taken out of commission? Artorias, is that you?
• No Name Given: As a shinobi, he never had one for most of his life and is called "the wolf" by all. However, Tengu of Ashina who turns out to be Isshin Ashina dubs him Sekiro. Ironically, this name still means "wolf" — "One-Armed Wolf" in this case.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He pretty much singlehandedly crippled Ashina's forces as he killed General GYOUBU MASATAKA ONIWA! and several other elite troops with his rampage to save Kuro. By the time the Interior Ministry attacked, only the regular mooks are left to deal with them. To be fair, none of this would have happened if Genichiro didn't kidnap Kuro.
• Nominal Hero: For most of the game, Wolf is just blindly killing whoever his lord wants him to because it's all he has known. Most of his enemies aren't really bad people, yet he can subject them to some quite horrific demises (fire, poison, psychic-assisted suicide...) and he'll even kill unarmed civilians if it helps him accomplish his goals. His lack of unnecessary slaughter, his Pet the Dog moments in side quests where he helps random civilians, his genuine loyalty to Kuro, his respect for his less-vile opponents, and a lot of his enemies deserving his wrath (notably the Senpou Temple monks and the bandits at Hirata Estate) keep him from being a Villain Protagonist, at least outside of the Shura ending. His status as this is the main reason Isshin is so suspicious of him at first — he sees the makings of a Shura in Wolf.
• No Social Skills: Growing up as a shinobi has left Wolf with basically no social graces. This is best shown when sharing sake with people — he basically just stands there watching them drink without partaking himself. Emma coyly pokes fun at this when she tells him about a shinobi who spoke so little that he was difficult to treat; Wolf completely misses her meaning and thinks she's talking about someone else.
• Off with His Head!: In one of the endings, Wolf does this to himself as part of his Heroic Sacrifice to end the Dragon's Heritage without sacrificing his lord's life.
• One-Man Army: While only the absolute best of players will be able to handle a literal horde of foes at once without running into trouble, pretty much every normal playthrough will still end with Wolf carving through what's left of Ashina's military and likely killing most of their remaining high-ranking commanders. In fact, many fans have argued that Genichiro's single biggest strategic mistake was just pissing him off. In the Shura ending, he becomes a demon that slaughters thousands of people.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Characters and even text description only refer to his as "The Wolf", much like how his mentor is called "The Owl."
• Papa Wolf: His Undying Loyalty to Kuro can be interpreted this way.
• Parrot Exposition: The man repeats important phrases almost as much as Solid Snake.
  "Dragonrot?"
  "The Mortal Blade?"
  "Cooked... rice?"
• Perma-Stubble: He's a scruffy-looking dude. After the Immortal Severance ending, where he becomes a wood-crafting hermit like the Sculptor before him, his lack of grooming becomes even more pronounced.
• Perpetual Frowner: Sculptor and Emma comments that his brows are always furrowed and the only time we see him smile is when he is turning into Shura. Funnily enough, the description to the sen pouches implies he grins when his pockets are full.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Downplayed. While Wolf is smaller than average, he looks even shorter than he actually is because a significant portion of both his allies and enemies are unusually tall.
• Playing with Fire: The Flame Vent prosthetic sets enemies ablaze, with a later upgrade skill temporarily buffing his sword.
• Protectorate: Is sworn to defend Kuro with his life. Which he does. Many times.
• Psychotic Smirk: The corners of Wolf's mouth lifts ever so slightly right after he kills Emma, persisting even as Isshin Ashina prepares to cut him down. The first time in the entire game that Wolf smiles, and it is when he has already become a Shura.
• The Quiet One: He's not very talkative. Emma lampshades this by telling him of a shinobi she treated who spoke so little it was hard to actually help him; while the meaning flies completely over Wolf's head, it's clear she's talking about him.
• Rapid Aging: Zigzagged. Wolf is described as an "elder ninja", and his face shows very visible signs of age, appearing like he's a bit past his prime. However, he appeared to have be in his teens when the Owl found him during Isshin's coup twenty years before the start of the game, meaning he is likely in his mid to late thirties, early forties at most; the grey and white portions on his face and hair are actually a side effect of the Dragon's Heritage rather than age. Whether or not the Dragon's Heritage actually invokes this trope or is purely cosmetic is never stated. He is still a master shinobi, with all that entails.
  • Deliberately invoked when facing the Nobles of The Fountainhead Palace, who can cast a spell with their flutes to inflict an effect referred to as,"enfeebled," on Wolf, briefly turning him into an old man and weakening him to the point where he can no longer run or use his grapple and is forced to use his sword to hold himself up. Though the spell wears off on its own after a few moments and Wolf can even undo it on his own terms by attacking the Noble who cast the spell in the first place.
• Razor Wind: Learning the Dragon Flash Combat Art after defeating Sword Saint Isshin allows Wolf to create slashing shockwaves from afar, giving him incredible range.
• Red Baron: The player character is known as Wolf, and after losing his arm, The One-Armed Wolf (which is the near-literal translation of "Sekiro").
• Recruited from the Gutter: Wolf was apparently a war orphan who was taken, raised, and taught the shinobi arts by Owl. Wolf considers Owl his master and father and expresses some reluctance at fighting him should he choose to.
• Recurring Element: Another gratuitous Guts clone in a modern FromSoftware game? Only this time, we play as him.
• Red Is Heroic: He wears a reddish orange haori and is the hero of the story.
• Resurrective Immortality: Thanks to the power of the Dragon's Heritage, he can always bounce back from fatal blows to fight once more.
• Samurai Shinobi: The Wolf is openly called a shinobi, utilizing stealth techniques when facing hordes of enemies and many of the game's antagonists being Samurai lords, a lot of his characteristics makes him more like a samurai. While stealth-based combat is an option, the game encourages more aggressive styles of gameplay that real life shinobi tended to avoid. His mode of dress (bright orange and yellow) clashes with the environment, which is counter-intuitive to traditional shinobi attire, and his philosophy in life is based around protecting and serving a master (though this is more due to the machinations of his adopted father Owl).
• Scarf of Asskicking: Wolf wears a yellow scarf, befitting his shinobi nature.
• Scars Are Forever: The sword slice that Owl gave him when he was a child is slightly noticeable on his face.
• Shock and Awe: Once the scroll demonstrating the Lightning Reversal technique is found, Wolf can temporarily absorb discharges of electricity (natural or from an enemy's attack) in midair and throw it out as a Sword Beam.
• Silver Fox: Only half his hair is grey, but it still gives Wolf this effect, looking like a man who's aged but still ruggedly handsome.
• Simple, yet Awesome:
  • His swordplay in comparison to many of his opponents, excluding his sword arts. Almost every boss and mini-boss has long, intricate combos, while Wolf is left with a three-swipe combo, a thrust, and deflection. This is more than enough to kill everything in the game.
  • The Ichimonji sword art is also this. No flashy Sword Lines or glowing energy, no absurd flamboyant combos, just a slow, powerful overhead hit... that does significant damage, interrupts most enemy attacks, and restores Posture on-hit! This applies to the Double Ichimonji, the upgraded version of this technique — which is simply the normal technique done twice in a row.
  • Mikiri Counter. One of the first moves Wolf can learn, it requires him to dodge into thrust attacks, and basically consists of him stomping onto an enemy's weapon. It practically carries the game on its shoulders because it turns an otherwise dangerous Perilous Attack into an easy opportunity for free Posture and Vitality damage.
  • The Mid-Air Combat Arts and Mid-Air Prosthetic Tool skills. They just let you use their respective subject matter while jumping, but trying it out in battle reveals that performing them cuts down on long windup animations that otherwise could have been interrupted. For example, using the Flame Vent in mid-air is an almost instantaneous pop compared to Wolf's rearing animation on the ground.
  • The utility of the Vault Over skill will not immediately be apparent to players upon first glance. It requires a Posture break, and adds an unnecessary step for killing the enemy compared to just using the Deathblow. Then Wolf begins to add Ninjutsu techniques to his repertoire, and suddenly Vault Over opens the way for using these powerful, borderline game-breaking abilities in the middle of combat.
• Situational Sword: He only makes use of the Mortal Blade when finishing off apparition-type enemies or in a certain few special attacks, preferring to rely on Kusabimaru for the majority of battles.
• Spell Blade: Wolf has a number of methods he can use to boost Kusabimaru on top of making it look really stylish:
  • Divine Confetti — A single-use item that envelops Kusabimaru in holy fire, increasing its effectiveness against all enemies and especially apparitions.
  • The Bestowal Ninjutsu — After performing a Backstab Deathblow, Wolf temporarily imbues the Kusabimaru with the victim's blood, giving it range that would make Lady Maria proud, in addition to various secondary effects depending on enemy type.
  • Living Force — A Shinobi Prosthetic technique performed by attacking immediately after using either the Flame Vent or the Divine Abduction, concentrating their special effects into Wolf's sword slashes.
• Stealth Expert: One of the first things the tutorial teaches you is how to sneak around undetected. Wolf can even perform sneak attacks on some bosses. He becomes even more of an expert after unlocking the Suppress Presence and Suppress Sound skills, which reduce his visibility and noise even further.
• Stock Ninja Weaponry: He checks off many of the items listed on the main article, including katana, shuriken, kunai (as an upgrade for the shuriken), a short sword (although unlike the types listed on the main article, Sabimaru is a kodachi), a Poisoned Weapon (the aforementioned short sword), and a spear. All of the above except the katana are also Hidden Weapons partially concealed inside his prosthetic arm until activated. He can also technically use "smoke bombs" through his Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu.
• The Stoic: Sekiro isn’t a man of much emotion, maintaining a cool, calm demeanor with everyone around him.
• Surpassed the Teacher: Can end up defeating both Lady Butterfly and Owl, his two shinobi mentors, as well as Isshin Ashina, who teaches him numerous sword techniques during the game.
• Sword and Fist: Primarily uses a sword, but some of Wolf's Deathblows involve grappling, he can perform a Goomba Stomp to interrupt enemy attacks, and the Senpou Combat Arts involve elbow strikes, shoulder charges, and flying kicks (the last of which combos kicks into sword slashes).
• Sword Lines: Many of Wolf's high-tier combat arts will give off this effect. Mortal Draw and Empowered Mortal Draw literally stain the air with inky strokes of immortality-ending energy.
• Sweet Tooth: When giving rice to Kuro, he accidentally hints he might like sweet things. Kuro seems to find this cute and even offers to cook Wolf sticky riceballs. Those, and a good number of consumables he can eat to gain a buff, tend to be dessert items.
• Supernatural Martial Arts: A plethora of combat arts the Wolf learns are fantastic in nature, though he'll need Spirit Emblems to use them at their full potential. They can still be performed otherwise, but have less power and look comparatively mundane.
• Super Not-Drowning Skills: Not only is Wolf practically a dolphin on the water, obtaining the Mibu Breathing Technique allows him to stay submerged at whatever depth level he chooses, and however long as he pleases.
• Tragic Keepsake: He still wears the same scarf that he wore when he was recently orphaned and found in a battlefield by Owl. Though the game never elaborates on this, the way he clings onto it certainly indicates something.
• Take Up My Sword: In the Immortal Severance ending after the Divine Heir's death, Wolf has taken up the same occupation as the Sculptor, though Emma returns the prosthetic arm to him, mentioning that another will seek strength just as he once did, and like the Sculptor, it will be his duty to guide them.
• Trauma-Induced Amnesia: He was supposed to be slain in the aftermath of the Hirata Estate's incident, and only Kuro's power brought him back to life. This caused him to initially have no memories of what happened three years ago, when the incident happened, and even pointed to some wrong recollections of the truth, as shown when he received Owl's bell later on when he killed the man.
• Undying Loyalty: He is completely devoted to the well-being of his young master, enough that he's willing to cut a bloody swathe through an entire enemy army to rescue him. It is up to the player to decide if Wolf's sense of loyalty remains solely out of obligation, or becomes a choice of his own volition.
• The Un-Smile: Implied in the item description of the Bulging Coin Purse

A purse almost overflowing with sen. It can be used to acquire the sen inside. Hefty enough to bring something resembling a grin to a Wolf's face.

• Villain Protagonist: Steps into this role if he chooses to forsake Kuro. By the time he kills Emma soon afterwards, his transformation into a Shura is all but complete, and he goes on to become a mass murderer.
• Walking Armory: Thanks to the Shinobi Prosthetic granted by the Sculptor, Wolf can equip a vast variety of weapons and utilities that will be of great help in his journey across Ashina. There are ten prosthetic tools he can attach to his arm, which is not even going into the available sidegrades or the weapons he already has at his disposal:
  • The Kusabimaru, a family heirloom granted to Wolf in service to Kuro. It's his go-to option for basic offense and defense, and what all the combat of the game centers around.
  • The Mortal Blade, its true epithet being the "Gracious Gift of Tears". A cursed katana glowing with crimson energy, it is the only weapon that can kill immortal beings, including the Infested and those possessing the Dragon Heritage. Wolf can also use it in combat to create wide Sword Beams that pierce through defenses.
  • The Loaded Shuriken. While not very damaging, it is useful for sniping enemies from afar, dealing chip damage to Vitality and Posture, interrupting combos, and applying pressure in a prolonged fight. It can be upgraded to let you hit multiple times after charging, toss sen coins for additional Posture damage at the cost of range and Sekiro's wallet, or send out glowing butterflies that will always damage targets.
  • The Flame Vent. A small cannon that produces a gout of flame with every use, setting its targets alight. Animals and red-eyed enemies are easily paralyzed at the sight of fire, opening up an opportunity to go on the offensive. When paired with the skill Living Force, Kusabimaru can be set on fire to deal bonus damage. Subsequent upgrades allow Wolf to charge it up for a blast so powerful it flings him backward, and even hold down the trigger for continuous output like a proper flamethrower; the final upgrade variation instead produces divine flames that do not burn, but harm apparitions.
  • The Loaded Axe. A hefty weapon meant to simply smash things apart in an overhead strike, it deals generous amounts of Vitality and Posture damage with every blow. It has a slow wind-up time, but that is offset by high poise that tanks through most attacks. Upgrading it gives an additional swing as a charge attack, and even create explosions at the point of impact. The final variant instead casts shockwaves that wipes away illusions.
  • The Shinobi Firecracker. Wolf tosses out lit fuses like confetti, creating a din of sound and bursts of light that stun anything within its area of effect, leaving them exposed for a counterattack. Animals in particular are incredibly sensitive to this tool. Upgraded versions can be charged to spread in a circle around him; more significantly, they let the Wolf choose different timings for explosions to best suit the situation.
  • The Loaded Spear. It looks like a small Blade Below the Shoulder, but when drawn, it offers the largest melee range available in a fight where spacing is key. Great for attacking from a distance, but can also drag enemies and poorly-equipped armor pieces towards Wolf during a follow-up attack. Upgrade variations fall into two categories — the thrust-type provides a charging attack where Wolf runs his foes through with armor-piercing precision; the cleave-type instead is swung in a wide circle when charged, and can even be set ablaze for bonus fire damage.
  • The Mist Raven. Wolf assumes a stance when this tool is used. If any form of damage comes his way, he vanishes into a puff of shadows and feathers and moves in whatever direction he pleases, including behind his foes back. It does not work against grab attacks, however. The upgraded versions allow him to also use this technique as a recovery after taking a hit, and even leave a blazing trail in his wake.
  • The Loaded Umbrella. A large metal fan that collapses into an extremely durable shield. Boasting guaranteed defense against even Perilous Attacks as long as they aren't ground sweeps, the shield can also absorb a certain amount of damage and release it as a powerful projectile when paired with the Projected Force skill. Upgraded versions of the umbrella can be rotated in place to make use of their generous parry windows. In addition, the alternate forms prevent buildup for certain status effects. With the Fang and Blade skill, Wolf retracts the umbrella and swipes at his foe with Kusabimaru and the razor-edged fan into a cross-cut.
  • The Sabimaru. A tanto with a distinctive blue rust on its blade, making it very poisonous. The prosthetic tool can be chained into long attack combos in conjunction with Wolf's own sword, keeping his target on the defensive while stacking poison buildup. The Okami clan and their human descendants have historically been deathly allergic to this blade (going as far as to stop whatever they're doing to violently puke once affected), making it an excellent choice against them. Upgrades further improve upon Sabimaru's ability to pierce enemy defenses, while the final variation emits noxious mist that lingers in the air.
  • The Divine Abduction. A fan made of leaves, and thus is not suited for direct combat. Instead, the Wolf uses it to gather wind for a short duration, with a second usage releasing it in an area around him. All enemies caught in the vortex are spun around and disoriented. In many cases, this exposes them for an easy Backstab Deathblow. Interestingly, monks from the Senpou Temple straight up disappear with the gusts, as if they were spirited away. Upgrades improve the fan's function by increasing the number of possible casts to two, with the final variation allowing one to shake enemies down for additional sen and item drops. When paired with the Living Force skill, Wolf's sword is imbued with golden wind that provides the same effects.
  • The Finger Whistle. A skeletal finger with two holes bored through it. Blowing into the finger creates a loud sound that draws the attention of all within Wolf's vicinity. Animals that hear its tune are instead driven into a frenzy and proceed to attack everything in sight. This tool also has some bizarre acoustic properties; focusing onto a single target will cause the tune to only be audible to that one target, drawing them away from the rest of a group. Upgraded versions can even be charged to delay the noise for a few seconds, allowing a shinobi to reposition as one needs. The final variation, which requires a ring to tune the whistle, can torment apparitions by bringing forth memories of a past life.
• Walking Wasteland: A small-scale and unusual variant. The Dragonrot will slowly kill anyone who comes in contact with Wolf, as his Resurrection power draws from their life force to support his own. This means that any who comes into contact with him risks death just by knowing he exists.
• Weak, but Skilled: Contrary to the usual fighting style of the Guts clone, Wolf measures poorly in raw strength compared to most of his opponents and is ill-equipped to handle multiple attackers at once. Forcing him to rely on stealth, wits, and many of the tools in his prosthetic arm to cut down numerous, much larger enemies.
• The Worf Effect: Played With. Most first-time players will get curb-stomped by Genichiro when dueling him in the prologue (right after Wolf had just easily dispatched a dozen ashigaru and a samurai leader), which results in the cutscene of Wolf getting his arm lopped off. However, it's quite possible for experienced or skilled players to defeat Genichiro here, though the only resulting difference is that Genichiro ends up having to rely on outside aid to defeat Wolf.
• Would Hit a Girl: He can certainly kill old decrepit women without remorse. Even if he spares them, Wolf will be forced to slay many females throughout the game due to a large number of the supernatural enemies being female, such as the Okami warriors, the Corrupted Monk, and Snake Eyes. And he certainly didn't hold back with his boss fight against Emma.
• Younger Than They Look: He's actually much younger and not that old at all; mid or late-30's-to-early-40's at the absolute most. But a combination of his rough life as a Shinobi and the patches of silver in his hair, caused by partaking of Kuro's blood, can make it easy for one to mistake him for being much older, even loosely resembling Lady Butterfly or even Isshin in years. See Rapid Aging above for more on this.