CHARACTERS
Characters: the confirmed starting cast
A spoiler-conscious primer on the people and forces introduced by official material.
01Miyamoto Musashi
The protagonist is a young Miyamoto Musashi who arrives in Kyoto seeking to prove himself unmatched with a sword. His path changes after he gains the Oni Gauntlet.
02Sasaki Ganryu
Official demo material presents Sasaki Ganryu as a major sword rival and challenge opponent. The duel is useful for learning blade-to-blade timing without reading late-story speculation.
03Genma and the gauntlet
Genma are the underworld enemies brought into the living world by the Malice around Kyoto. The gauntlet has an associated voice; let the game reveal that mystery.
04Miyamoto Musashi
A young, rough samurai who comes to Kyoto to prove he has no equal with a blade, then has an Oni Gauntlet fuse to his arm. Director Satoru Nihei told GamesRadar he wanted a single swordsman, not a general of armies, and a Musashi who still believes a samurai should win on discipline rather than on a demon’s gift. The face is Toshiro Mifune’s, licensed through Mifune Productions. English voice: Kenichiro Thomson. Japanese voice: Yoshimasa Hosoya. You play him, you hear him talk through fights, and the personality previewers flagged is cocky, odd, and closer to a blood-soaked comedy than to a silent wanderer. Combat identity: katana, all-angle guard, Issen. The combat system is his language. The how to play page is his first hour. Sasaki Ganryu — kasa, silk, and an Oni Gauntlet of his own.
05Sasaki Ganryu
Musashi’s fated rival, also a gauntlet-bearer, waiting on the Kiyomizu-dera stage in the demo and confirmed as a recurring campaign duel. History’s Sasaki Kojirō dies at Ganryūjima; this version gets more than one night. English voice: Tashinga Bepete. Reach, Tsubame Gaeshi flavouring, Blade Barrage, a delayed red-glow closer, a phase-two grab. The Ganryu boss guide is the mechanical page. This paragraph is the who.
06The Oni Lady
The spirit inside Musashi’s gauntlet. She talks from the metal and will appear in person when she decides it is required. English / Japanese voice: Yuriri Naka, who has also fronted a Capcom video series narrating character and boss lore. Premium Deluxe sells outfits for her (Bird Call, Snow Camellia, Elegance) — see editions — which is a strong hint she is on-screen enough to dress. The kneeling red-haired figure in official shots is the look to remember. The Oni Lady, out of the gauntlet for a conversation Musashi did not schedule.
07Izumo no Okuni
The woman credited in history with inventing kabuki, written into this Kyoto because lead writer Hiroshi Yamashita has wanted her in a game for most of his career. She seeks power to fight the Genma. Musashi’s descent into Dokyo’s lab happens because of her — Yamashita told Game Informer that much and stopped. English-language previews had not yet shown her gameplay section as of mid-August 2026; the lab is the place her name currently points. Premium Deluxe includes three Okuni outfits. The orange-and-bead look in official screenshots is the one to use as a face match. Izumo no Okuni — kabuki’s founder, written into a Genma war.
08Ono no Takamura, Dokyo, Shuten Doji
Ono no Takamura is an older gauntlet-bearer who aids Musashi. Shogo Miyakita voices him in a Capcom lore series that also covers Oni and Genma history. Okuni approaches him for power; Musashi meets him as a peer rather than as a rival. Dokyo runs the underground laboratory, kidnapping people (children included, in the preview description) and fusing them with animals to manufacture Genma. She is a horror antagonist, not a duelist. Shuten Doji claims the folklore name and holds Mount Oe. English voice: Anthony Howell. Colossal. The map page places his mountain; the walkthrough will gain a boss file after launch. Other billed threats from trailers and previews: Byakue, The Hundred Defilements (already a demo special challenge after Daidara); Dohatsu-ten, Heaven’s Bane; the sibling Genma Ifuu and Burai (畏風 and 撫雷) from Trailer 6; Rashōgan at Yasui Konpira. The roster grows on 4 September. This page grows with sourced names, not invented cousins.
FAQFrequently asked questions
Is Musashi the same character as in Vagabond or in older films?
He is Capcom’s young, rough reading, wearing Toshiro Mifune’s face. He is not a 1:1 of any single novel.
Do I need to know Okuni from Onimusha Tactics?
No. Yamashita wrote her in from history. Older games used the name; this campaign does not require them.
Is the Oni Lady a party member?
She is a voice and an occasional on-screen presence. You play Musashi. She is not a second avatar.
Will Ganryu die in the demo?
The demo duel is an introduction. Capcom has said the rivalry recurs in the campaign.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING