Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa

## Description

**Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa** (鬼庭形部雅孝, Oniwa Gyōbu Masataka) is the first mandatory Boss of the game and features two Deathblow Counters.

Defeating him is the only way to access Ashina Castle, where Kuro is waiting for Wolf to rescue him.

## Lore

Oniwa was once the infamous leader of a group of bandits, but he was eventually defeated by Isshin Ashina, who impressed with Masataka's show of strength accepted him in his service as an Ashina Warrior.

He used to fight with his famous horn-spear that was also capable of pulling enemies in and stripping away crude armors, but it was broken during the rebellion and for that Isshin himself awarded Oniwa with the cross-bladed spear of his formal rival, General Shuzen Tamura.

The relic of his weapon will then become a respectfully guarded treasure inside a samurai gatehouse in Ashina Reservoir.

The manga "Sekiro Side Story: Hanbei the Undying" specifies that Masataka was also given the role of "*minister of justice*", reflecting his current title of Gyōbu (形部).

He would later become Genichiro Ashina's most trusted retainer and serve under him as the last line of defense against any trespasser who dares to approach the Ashina Castle Gate.

## Location

* Ashina Castle Gate Fortress: grapple over the wall overlooking the battlefield and approach the gate to initiate the fight with Gyoubu.

## Movesets

### Phase 1

* **Perilous Aerial Spear Swing**: after a moment of concentration, he shoots out his spear in a downwards slash, hanging by a rope.
* **Aerial Swing**: spins the spear above his head before slamming it down at his target.
* **Double-sided Combo**: rides while swinging his spear on both sides.
* **Kick**: if attacked from behind, the horse initiates a strong kick.
* **Spear Swing**: swings his spear around in large circles by a rope. Can be grappled to during this attack.
* **Spin-around Swing**: he turns around in a circle with a wide spear swing.
* **Turn Charge**: rides away then takes a sudden turn supporting himself with his spear, during which he can be grappled to, then charges forward with a raised spear.
* **Uppercut Combo**: swings his spear horizontally down several times.
* **Uppercut Swing**: swings upwards in a circle with his spear, often followed up with a forward charge.

### Phase 2

In addition to his previous attacks:

* **Perilous Drag**: impales his target then drags them around on the ground.
* **Frenzied Stabs**: the horse reels as he thrusts forward his spear several times.
* **Hop and Stab**: the horse begins hopping while Gyoubu executes several stabbing attacks.

## Recommended Equipment

1. Grappling Hook Attack: allows to punish the boss after every grapple opportunity.
2. Shinobi Firecracker: stuns the boss and deals Posture damage.
3. Flame Vent: stuns the boss and deals Vitality damage.
4. Ungo's Sugar: mitigates the damage taken with low Vitality.
5. Pellet: compensates the low charges of the Healing Gourd.

### New Game Plus

1. Sen Throw: deals high Posture and Vitality damage if it connects with Gyoubu directly.
2. Dragon Flash: deals high Posture and Vitality damage if it connects with Gyoubu directly.
3. Loaded Umbrella: spinning variant makes it easier to deflect the *Frenzied Stabs* move.

## Strategies

### Phase 1

As this boss has to be tackled early on with relatively low Vitality and only a few charges of Healing Gourd, it's advisable to use both Ungo's Sugar and Pellets for a higher chance of survival.

It's possible to start off this battle with a lot of free hits, since when Gyoubu is attacked while introducing himself, he won't retaliate, but instead will just run past Wolf. This can be further capitalized on, by stunning him in place with Shinobi Firecracker before he charges away.

It's highly advised to take any opportunity to grapple onto him while he's perfoming his *Turn Charge* move to close up the distance with the boss and this can be further punished by unlocking the Grappling Hook Attack Combat Art. In addition, Gyoubu always follows this move with a *Spin Around Swing*, if Wolf is on his left side.

As mentioned before, it's also recommended to buy Robert's Firecrackers from the Memorial Mob after General Kuranosuke Matsumoto, since the Shinobi Firecracker will not only stun Gyoubu's horse for some time, but it will also damage his Posture significantly. It's important to note that this Prosthetic Tool has a cooldown, so using it in rapid succession will only affect the Posture of the Boss.

Gyoubu has also a low resistance against Burn and as such two blast of the Flame Vent are enough to proc it and stun him.

His attacks don't deal much Posture damage, so blocking an entire combo, just to counter-attack at the end is a valuable strategy.

He almost exclusively uses his *Spear Swing* attack, after performing a *Double-sided Combo*.

Gyoubu usually telegraphs his *Perilous sweep* attack by running away from Wolf and shouting one of his lines first: jump and grapple onto him to avoid the attack completely.

After taking a certain numbers of hits, Gyoubu will automatically become stunned for a short while before running away.

### Phase 2

If he isn't stunned out of his *Turn Charge* attack, he might follow it up with a *Perilous Drag* or *Frenzied Stabs*.

When staggered by the Shinobi Firecracker, he'll now leave the stun earlier and counterattack with an overhead slam.

### New Game Plus

Both Sen Throw and Dragon Flash can deal a lot of Posture and Vitality damage to this boss, if the hit connects to Gyoubu directly and not the horse.

Upgrading to the Purple Fume Spark will also results in Gyoubu taking more Posture and Vitality damage, but the delayed explosion makes the execution window tighter.

Any spinning variant of the Loaded Umbrella can be convenient to deflect the *Frenzied Stabs* attack.

 **During the fight** | **Gyoubu**:
* Onikage, Charge!!
 **Upon resurrection** | **Gyoubu**:
* Oh ho, you're still standing? I'll strike you as many times as it takes!
 **Final Deathblow** | **Wolf**: Forgive me...! **Gyoubu**: Genichiro... forgive... me.

## Trivia

* The name below the healthbar reads 鬼形部 (Gyoubu the Demon) in japanese, with 鬼 (oni) being folkloristic creatures of Japan similar to western demons and ogres.
* The naming convention in japanese suggests that 鬼庭 (Oniwa) is the clan's name, 形部 (Gyōbu) is the title meaning "*minister of justice*" and 雅孝 (Masataka) is the first name.
* Seven Ashina Spears - Shume Masaji Oniwa (鬼庭主馬雅次, Oniwa Shūme Masaji) is probably a relative of Gyoubu from his times as a bandit. He too holds a prestigious rank in the army and public title, as 主馬 (Shūme) means "equerry".
* His horse being named Onikage is most likely an homage to Onikage from the Tenchu series, the spiritual predecessor of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
* Depending who's fought first, defeating either him or Lady Butterfly will unlock Reflection of Strength on a new savefile.

Gallery
Concept ArtConcept ArtConcept Art

Videos
Sekiro™ Shadows Die Twice Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa