Onimusha: Blade Warriors FAQ V 2.0
Jia Baoyu - Christopher Schifani

I) Intro. + FAQS
II) Basics
    a) Modes
    b) Controls
    c) Souls
III) Characters: Brief Info
     a) Standard heroes
     b) Standard demons
     c) Unlockable heroes
     d) Unlockable demons (see Gargant's section for info on special moves)
IV) Story Mode Stages (same order as above, no subdivisions)
V) Stage Hazards
VI) Bosses
VII) The Phantom Realm and the Gatekeeper
VIII) Weapons
    a) Abilities
    b) Treasure boxes
    c) Standard heroes
    d) Standard demons
    e) Unlockable heroes
    f) Unlockable demons
    g) Vs. Mode weapons
IX) Items
     a) Special Items
     b) Other Items
     c) In-battle items
X) Credits and contact info.


I) Intro:

This FAQ is written with the aim of explaining, as well as I can, the many
different things one can do and acquire in Capcom's fighting game, Onimusha:
Blade Warriors. All characters mentioned herein are the registered trademarks
of their respective owners.

This FAQ may not be redistributed in any form or hosted on any site other than
GameFAQs or Gameplayworld.com, nor may it be modified in any way, without the
author's expressed, written permission. Ask before you act, and don't violate
copyright.

Finally, I wish to thank Gen2000, Angelo Heartilly, and shin hiei zero for
their very helpful FAQs. Thanks also to the many helpful people on the O:BW
message board.

I am probably mistaken on a few points, so don't hesitate to e-mail me with
corrections if you see any that need to be made!

Now, on with the FAQ!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (READ BEFORE E-MAILING ME):

1) Q: I can't unlock a hidden character! I see his / her face in gray on the
select screen, but can't choose him / her. Why not?
A: As I note under each character in the "Unlockable Characters" section, you
must FIRST WIN A VERSUS MATCH against any character. THEN, the character you
unlocked will challenge you to a match. DEFEAT him / her and you will receive
a message informing you that the hidden character is now selectable.

2) Q: Where do I find the treasure houses?
A: This is probably THE most frequently asked question. There are two
different treasure houses in the game. One is in Imajo Village (the stage
looks like something out of an old western movie and has only wooden
buildings). To access it, move as far left as possible (you may need to slay
some enemies to facilitate this). On the top level of the stage, you should
see a black square or "hatch" on the leftmost building. Plane-shift up to it,
then plane-shift again when standing over it to go down the hatch. Once
inside, simply walk up to the chest to collect the treasure. Note that each
character who can access Imajo Village has different requirements for doing
so. Refer to the "Weapon" and "Stages" sections of the FAQ for more info.

The second treasure house is in the Oni Tortoise stage. To access it, move as
far to the right as possible (again, you may need to slay some enemies to do
so). You should see a pipe in the upper level. Plane-shift up to the metal
bars leading to the pipe, then jump on the pipe to enter the treasure house.
IMPORTANT: THIS TREASURE HOUSE USUALLY HAS TWO (2) TREASURES! To get the
first, do a Leg Chopper (Down + Square). To get the second, simply walk
forward and collect it. Note that some characters can only access the Oni
Tortoise stage if certain conditions are met. Refer to the "Weapons" and
"Stages" sections of the FAQ for more info.

3) Q: I can't get Juju-Ran's / Nobunaga's / another character's weapon in the
Oni Tortoise stage! Why not?
A: See the above paragraph.

4) Q: How do I unlock Bajaid?
A: You don't, really. Unlike Three Eyes / Musaid / Girumusaid, Jaid's
name will not change once he reaches level 3 or above, although his armor will
darken. If you go into "Custom Vs.," however, you will notice that "Bajaid" is
one of the characters available for you to choose. I have no idea why he is
designated as a separate character, since the only difference between him and
normal Jaid seems to be cosmetic.

Updates: Thanks to helpful responses from AvZeroMkA157 and Angelo Heartilly,
I was able to revise most all of the FAQ today (9/24/04). I added them both to
the credits section in thanks for their kind and extremely helpful
suggestions.

07/19/05: I never meant to take so long to update! Thanks to all who sent in
tips, especially Matthias Rupert, whom I have now credited for his
excellent suggestions. Also, as of today, Gameplayworld
(www.gameplayworld.com) has my permission to post this guide on their site.

8/03/05: Cheatcode Central (www.cheatcc.com) has my permission to post this
guide on their site.

II) Basics:

a) Modes: At the title screen, you are given a choice of several modes, viz:

Story: You play through a set number of chapters (usually 10) with your chosen
hero or demon. This is the mode in which you obtain all of the items and
weapons your characters use. You can level-up characters in this mode.

Vs.: The default option when you start the game, this menu will allow you to
engage in battle with any of the basic characters you've unlocked. You
cannot use weapons or styles other than the default, with a few exceptions.
You can unlock many of the unlockable characters by beating any character in
a Vs. match, then defeating the character you can unlock in the succeeding
bout. You can fight human or CPU opponents.

Custom Vs.: Exactly like Vs. mode, Custom Vs. also allows you to use additional
styles and weapons you have unlocked. You cannot unlock characters using this
mode, however.

Tutorial: In this mode, you cover all of the game's basic moves with your
chosen character. Successfully completing all tasks given in a timely fashion
(you can retry as many times as you like) will earn your character a large
bonus of souls he or she can use to level-up in Story mode. Your enemy
is always Zombie in this mode.

Options: Adjust the various options in the game.


b) Controls: There are two types, called 1 and 2, respectively. The only
difference between the two seems to be the functions of the O and X buttons,
which are reversed in Type 2. Controls can be altered by pausing the game in
Story mode, or before versus matches. All manoeuvres listed here assume TYpe 1
control setting.

Movement: Use the control pad to move left or right,

Jumping: Press Up or X to jump. You can jump twice in a row.

Level (plane) shift: Press Up, Up, or Down, Down to move up or down levels
within a stage. It is essential to learn this skill to swiftly evade and
attack enemies, retrieve items, and reach hidden areas.

Attack: Hit Square. You can hit it multiple times in succession for a
multi-hit combo. You can also attack in mid-air.

Charge: Hold Square. You have three "levels" to which you can charge; higher
levels result in greater damage. Simply release Square without pressing a
directional button to perform a charge attack. Some characters, such as Kaede
and Three-Eyes, have unusual charge attacks that cause very short-ranged
energy bursts and temporarily increase their speed.

Hadoken / Body Attack: Charge using Square, then release while pressing toward
the opponent on the directional pad. Most characters send forth a flaming wave
that travels a medium distance and can knock down foes. Two Hadoken can
nullify each other. Some characters have a Body Attack instead of a Hadoken.
It is executed in the same way, but results in a close-range, multi-hit combo
rather than a blast of energy.

Shoryuken: Press Up + Square. All characters will either raise their weapons
or leap into the air when this is executed. It knocks foes off their feet,
and is a good set-up for a finisher.

Finisher: Jump above the opponent, then press Down + Square. All characters
can do this attack, which causes a small amount of damage to downed foes.

Leg Chopper (sweep): Press Down + Square. All characters perform an attack
that knocks the foe down. These can be used to set up finishers. Some leg
choppers (such as Marcellus') can hit multiple planes (thanks to AvZeroMkA157
for this info).

Kick: Press T. Kicks do little damage, but are unblockable and knock the
opponent back a bit. Use them to catch foes off guard and to set up combos.

Ready: Press and hold R1. Your character will hold his weapon at the ready.

Circle: Press --> or <-- when in Ready position to quickly move in front of or
behind your opponent. Note that attacks made from behind can still be blocked.

Stab: Press Square while in Ready position. your character will stab forward.
These can be charged. Megaman, Zero, and Magoichi fire their guns insetad of
stabbing.

Disarm: Press toward the opponent + T while in Ready. A useful move, a disarm
will temporarily deprive an opponent of his weapon. Disarmed players revert
to their default weapons until they retrieve those they have lost. Offensive
and defensive abilities are all lowered when disarmed. To retrieve a weapon
when disarmed, press Square when standing over it. [Matthias Rupert points out
that disarming an opponent also strips him or her of any orbs he or she may
have in his or her possession, a fact I failed to notice before.]

Use orbs: Press T when in Ready position without pressing a direction on the
control pad. Only applicable if you have absorbed a Wind, Fire, or Thunder
orb.

Absorb souls / orbs: press O. You can press O rapidly to absorb faster, and to
fight other characters for possession of souls and orbs. Souls come in several
varieties (see next section for details).

Guard: Press L1. This will block all attacks coming from the front, and any
coming from other planes. Kicks and orb attacks are unblockable, with the
exception of the initial strike of the Thunder Orb, which may be blocked.
Guarding consumes the green special meter below your life bar. It will slowly
regenerate over time, but if it becomes empty, you will be unable to guard
temporarily.

Guard attack: Press T while guarding. A short-range burst of energy will
engulf your character, knocking foes away and causing a small amount of
damage. Use this to regain the initiative when hard-pressed. It consumes
special gauge energy.

Pick up item: Press Square when standing over an item.

Drop item: Press R2 when holding an item to drop it.

Lock-on: Press R1 when holding an item to target the nearest foe or the foe
who has been on the battlefield longest. This allows you to target foes in
planes different from your own.

Change Lock-on target: Press L2 when locked-on.

Critical Strike: Press Square just before an attacking opponent's weapon hits
your character's body. This causes a large amount of damage to the foe and
causes him to drop many more Experience and Life Souls than normal. Absorbing
souls (even if none are on the field of battle) can cause opponents to attack
you, making it easier to do critical strikes. Some items can only be unlocked
by performing criticals.

Critical dodge: Press Square immediately after your opponent's weapon strikes
your guard to perform a critical attack. This is slightly safer and easier
to do than a critical strike.

c) Souls: Souls come in several varieties, viz:

Experience: These are red, and dropped by every downed foe. They can be used
to level-up characters after battle.

Life: These are golden, and are dropped by some enemies. Most enemies drop
these if hit with a critical attack. They replenish life.

Victory: Only certain characters, such as Zombies and Captains, drop these.
They are multi-colored, and flash constantly. They can be used to purchase
items from the Gatekeeper at the end of Story Mode or the Phantom Realms. All
bosses drop Victory Souls when defeated.

Power: These are large and red, and feature a sort of gyroscopic design.
They come in Yin and Yang varieties; the former temporarily weaken your
character, while the latter temporarily strengthen him.

Speed: These are large and green, with a gyroscopic design. They also come
in Yin and Yang varieties, and raise or lower your speed, respectively.

Poison: These are blue and have a gyroscopic design. The opposite of Life
Souls, these drain your life when you absorb them.

Invincibility: These are white, and render you temporarily invincible. Grab
them when you can.

III) Characters: For more detailed info, please see Gen2000's excellent guide.

a) Standard Heroes:

Samanosuke Akechi: The hero of Onimusha 1 and Onimusha 3, Samanosuke is a
well-rounded character. He is moderately fast, and his attacks, while by no
means remarkable, can easily get the job done. His Fire Orb attack slashes 3
times and sends 3 fireballs in front of him; it is one of the best in the game.

Kaede: An very fast character with many excellent attacks, Kaede's speed and
finesse are counterbalanced by her lack of range and power. Her Body Attack
ends with a sweep and is one of the best in the game. Her dash attack is a
very quick double kick which can easily catch foes off guard. Her finisher
ends with a nice backward leap. Her shoryuken is preceded by a forward roll.
Her Charge attack increases her speed temporarily.

Keijiro Maeda: A strong character with very long range, Keijiro lacks somewhat
in speed. His Shoryuken doesn't leave the ground. His Hadoken fires two beams,
only one of which can strike any given foe.

Grunt: So called because he is the basic soldier who appeared in the 3
Onimusha games. He is average in almost every way, and doesn't become
really good until you get him a Blue Saber.

Jubei Yagyu: The hero of Onimusha 2, Jubei uses a fighting style similar to
Samanosuke's. His Shoryuken has less forward momentum than Samanosuke's, but
he is otherwise unremarkable.

Ekei Ankouji: A warrior monk and friend of Jubei. He has and 8-hit combo
attack with his spear. Like Keijiro, whose fighting similar is similar to his,
his Shoryuken doesn't leave the ground, and can strike foes behind him.

Oyu of Odani: Nobunaga's sister, and an excellent swordswoman to boot. She
possesses moderate strength and speed.

Kotaro Fuma: A friend of Jubei's, Kotaro uses a style of ninjitsu similar to
Kaede's. Most of what was said of Kaede can be said about him, save that his
dash attack is a quick strike rather than a double kick, and his Body Attack
doesn't end with a sweep. He has the third-best Fire Orb attack in the game: A
homing fireball that snakes around until it strikes all on-screen enemies.

b) Standard Demons:

Three-Eyes: A demon ninja whose fighting style is similar to Kotaro's. His
jumping attack can hit twice. His charge attack temporarily increases his
speed.

Zombie: A standard demon, he uses a fighting style very similar to Grunt's.

Marcellus: A powerful demon. His dash attack causes the foe to fall. His
Shoryuken is a stab, followed by a sword-lift. He does not leave the ground
when performing it. He is one of the three characters who can change styles
(see more about this below).

Jujudormah: A demon matron with a sharp mind and the will to kill, she uses
an umbrella to attack her foes. Her strength is slightly above average; her
speed, slightly below. Her Shoryuken does not leave the ground. She has one of
the best, if not the best, wind attacks in the game. Holding Up while jumping
will cause her to glide. [Matthias Rupert points out that, like Enkei,
Jujudormah has an 8-hit combo attack that can be executed by rapidly pressing
Square.]

c) Unlockable Heroes:

Megaman (EXE): The Blue Bomber we all know and love, Megaman uses both his
Battle Network sword and his trademark plasma cannon. He can change styles.
His dash attack varies with his style. His gun shots will curve slightly when
charged to seek out the opponent's position. He has the best Thunder Orb
attack in the game.

[To unlock Megaman, beat the game with Samanosuke. Then, win a versus mode
match. After you do, Megaman will challenge you. Defeat him to unlock him.]

Styles: Megaman has 3 styles: Normal, Ground, and Bug. To unlock Ground style,
reach level 2, then press right on the weapon select menu. Bug style is
unlocked the same way as Ground, except that you must be at least at
level 3 to use it. Ground Style changes the Charge Attack to a large force
field. Bug style has 5 diferent charges: a large force field, a ground wave,
a wave that has two energy pellets above an below it (these can hit enemies in
multiple planes), 3 short-range homing shots, and a dummy charge that leaves
Megaman stunned for a moment. You can use all 3 styles in both Normal and
Custom Vs.

[I thank Matthias Rupert for telling me how to access Megaman's styles in
Normal Vs. For those of you who, like me, couldn't figure out how to do so,
this is what he writes:

"If you want to play with MergamanEXE's styles is NormalVS, you first have to
select him, then you should should see a small bar in the the upper part of
his Portrait in the lower half of the srceen. With the arrows left and right
of the word normal you can change to bug and ground style."]

Zero (Megaman Zero): A very fast saber- and gun-wielding character. His sweep
is a sliding kick; his charged gun, a triple shot. He, too, has an excellent
lightning attack. Like Megaman, he can change styles when he reaches levels 2
and 3.

[To unlock Zero, collect the 3 Z Plates, then win a versus match. When Zero
challenges you, defeat him to unlock him. To get the Z Plates, clear level 5
of Phantom Realm 1, Level 10 of Phantom Realm 2, and Story mode with Megaman.]

Styles: Zero has 3 styles: Normal, Proto, and Ultimate. His fighting style is
not affected by style changes, but his stats are. Proto Zero has a much
higher attack rating than Normal, while Ultimate boasts, in addition to
increased attack power, a more powerful blaster.

Magoichi Saiga: Yet another gun-wielding character, Magoichi is stronger than
average, with average speed. His Shoryuken does not leave the ground. All
of his weapons consume his special gauge, so be careful when using him.

[To unlock Magoichi, play 200 Vs. Mode Battles. They need not be consecutive,
but they must be done in Normal Vs., NOT Custom Vs. You can use multiple
characters to achieve this total. Once you've done so, win a versus match,
then defeat Magoichi when he challenges you.]

Myamoto Musashi: Perhaps the most famous swordsman in all of history. His
classic work, Gorin no Sho ("The Book of Five Rings") is still widely read and
respected today as a masterful exposition of sound competitive strategy.
He is, as Gen2000 has noted, "above average in all areas."

[To unlock Musashi, simply beat the game as Grunt when level 3 or higher
Musashi will then be selectable from the character select screen.]

Kojiro Sasaki: A famous swordsman and the inventor of the so-called "Swift's
Revenge" technique. Unlike Musashi, who uses two swords, Kojiro wields only
one. In real life, he and Musashi dueled on the beach, just as they do in the
game. Musashi apparently used a galley oar and defeated his opponent (thanks
to AvZeroMkA157 for this info).

[To unlock Kojiro, beat Story mode with Musashi. Then, win a versus match.
Defeat Kojiro when he challenges you to unlock him.]

d) Unlockable Demons:

Jaid / Bajaid: Reach level 2 with Zombie. Bajaid is unlocked at level 3. There
is no difference, other than power, between the two Jaids, and only Jaid
appears on the normal character select screen. Jaid is an alligator creature
who uses curved sword slashes to damage his foe. His jump attack can hit
twice. His Fire Orb attack is "dragon breath": a jet of flame from his mouth.
His Shoryuken becomes a jumping flip-slash. He is considerably faster than
Zombie (thanks to AvZeroMkA157 for reminding me about his speed in comparison
with Zombie's).

Musaid / Girumusaid: Reach level 2 with Three-Eyes to obtain Musaid, then
reach level 3 for Girumusaid. Both have slightly different moves, but are
faster and more powerful than Three-Eyes. Musaid's Fire Orb attack consists
of 2 flaming slashes, while Girumusaid's is a forward lunge, like Kaede's.

Power Marcellus: A more powerful style for Marcellus. Reach level 2 to access
it. No moves appear to be different from those used by Normal Marcellus, but
his Attack power is noticeably increased. Certain weapons can only be used by
Power Marcellus. He appears in Story mode and Custom Vs. mode.

Speed Marcellus: All the power of Power Marcellus, with an added dose of speed.
He uses two swords instead of a sword and shield. He is available in Story and
Vs, mode once Marcellus reaches level 3. Certain weapons can only be wielded
by Speed Marcellus.

Juju-Ran: A young version of Jujudormah, unlocked by beating Story mode with
a level 3 Jujudormah or higher. Her Fire Orb attack launches blasts from the
air. She uses swords as her main weapons, many of which are imbued with
magical properties. She is slightly weaker and faster than her older
counterpart. Holding up while jumping will cause her to glide. She has an
excellent, fast dash attack than can swiftly catch foes off guard.

Nobunaga Oda: The Demon Lord himself. His orb attacks are all above average,
especially his Fire Orb, homing in as it does on the foe. His basic sword
steals vitality. He is very strong, but slower than some characters. He does
not have a double or triple life bar when controlled by human players, nor is
he immune to environmental hazards in stages. His Shoryuken is a 2 hit attack.
His charge attack is a powerful punch that can knock foes away.

[To unlock Nobunaga, complete Story mode with all 12 Standard Characters.
Then, win a versus match. Defeat Nobunaga when he challenges you to unlock
him.]

Gogandantes: The self-proclaimed "greatest swordsman of the demon world." He
nurses a wounded ego after losing a match to Jubei and very much wants his
revenge. He is swift, has excellent Orb Attacks, and moves backward after
executing a finisher. An excellent character, all in all.

[To unlock Gogandantes, beat story mode with Samanosuke, Kaede, Keijiro, and
Grunt. Then, win a versus match. Defeat Gogandantes when he challenges you to
unlock him.]

Gargant: Another demon swordsman, Gargant is much more of a brawler than his
friend Gogandantes. A trusted servant of Nobunaga, he is extremely fast and
powerful. His charge and dash attacks are both rolling slashes. His Shoryuken
is fairly standard, but can be improved. His normal combo is two slashes, a
kick (!) and a punch to knock the opponent away. His Hadoken is standard. His
Fire Orb attack, which homes in on 3 to 4 enemies and then explodes, is the
in the game. His lightning attack isn't bad, either.

Gargant has two unlisted moves that are VERY useful. The first is his Demon
Kick combo. To do it, press Square, Square, Square, and then rapidly press T.
Instead of the punch at the end, Gargant should do a rapid series of kicks
that knocks the opponent away. The second move is his Double Uppercut. To do
it, perform his Shoryuken, then press Square at the height of his jump.
Gargant will strike again in the air.

(According to AvZeroMkA157, you can use Gargant's Demon Kick combo by rapidly
pressing T after 1-3 presses of Square, not just after 3 presses of Square. I
haven't been able to confirm this, however, but I believe it to be true.)

[To unlock Gargant, begin the game with an Onimusha 3 save on your Memory
Card. Then, win a versus match. Defeat Gargant when he challenges you to
unlock him.]

IV) Story Mode: See Angelo Heartilly's excellent FAQ for more details. All
I'll provide here are the stage names, missions, and means to get to the
alternate paths. Thanks to Angelo for the basic info used here, and to Gen2000
for the info about the final stage for demons.

Samanosuke Akechi

Stage 1: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 3: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Collect 5 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 4: Mystical Forest
Mission: Defeat Jujudormah

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 6: Ancient Castle:
Mission: Collect 10 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 7: Sea Vessel
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 9: Ice Chamber
Mission: Defeat 40 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Branchpoint: To access this, beat the game with Kaede first, then clear stage
4 without continuing.

Stage 5 (with Kaede): Mist Valley
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 7: Imajo Village
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 8: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 9: (with Kaede) Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 11: (with Jubei) Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Destroy All
[Note: You will not see this battle unless you play on Normal difficulty or
higher.]

Stage 12: (with Jubei) Ice Chamber
Mission: Defeat 40 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 13: (with Jubei) Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Kaede:

Stage 1: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Collect 6 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Upper Tower
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 4: Mystical Forest
Mission: Defeat Jujudormah

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Collect 12 Victory souls in 4 minutes

Stage 6: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 7: Sea Vessel
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 9: Ice Chamber
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Branchpoint: Beat Samanosuke's story mode, then reach and complete stage 4
without having used a continue,

Stage 5: Mist Valley
Mission: Defeat Imposter

Stage 6: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 7: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8 (with Samanosuke): Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 9: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 10: Ice Chamber
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 11: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Keijiro Maeda

Stage 1: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Defeat 10 enemies in 2 minutes

Stage 3: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Collect 5 Victory Souls in 2 minutes

Stage 4: Mystical Forest
Mission: Defeat Jujudormah

Stage 5: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 6: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 7: Sea Vessel
Mission: Collect 10 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 8: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 9: Ice Chamber
Mission: Defeat 40 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Branchpoint: Beat Story mode with Kaede, then reach and complete stage 4
without continuing.

Stage 5: (with Kaede) Mist Valley
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 8: Ice Chamber
Mission: Defeat 40 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 9: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Grunt

Stage 1: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Collect 5 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 4: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Defeat Ozric

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Collect 8 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 7: Pipe Corridor
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 9: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunage

Branchpoint: None

Jubei Yagyu

Stage 1: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Collect 5 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 3: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 2 minutes

Stage 4: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Defeat Ozric

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Collect 10 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 6: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 7: Pipe Corridor
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 8: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 9: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Branchpoint: Beat Story Mode with Kaede. then reach and complete stage 4
without continuing.

Stage 5: Mist Valley
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 6: (with Kaede) Mystical Forest
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 7: Sea Vessel
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 8: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 9: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 10: (with Samanosuke) Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Destroy All
[Note: You won't see this stage unless you play on Normal difficulty or
higher.]

Stage 11: (with Samanosuke) Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 12 (with Samanosuke) Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Ekei Ankouji

Stage 1: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Yagyu Village
Mission: Collect 7 Victory Souls in 2 minutes

Stage 4: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Defeat Ozric

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Mystic Forest
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 7: Pipe Corridor
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 8: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 9: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Branchpoint: Reach and complete chapter 4 on your second playthrough or more
without continuing.

Stage 5: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Defeat Imposter

Stage 6: (with Jubei) Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 7: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 8: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 9: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Oyu of Odani

Stage 1: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Mystical Forest
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Collect 6 Victory Souls in 2 minutes

Stage 4: Silver Grass Plains
Mission: Defeat Ozric

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 7: Pipe Corridor
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 8: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 9: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Branchpoint: Beat Jubei's story mode. Then, as Oyu, reach and complete stage 4
without continuing.

Stage 5: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Imposter

Stage 6: (with Jubei) Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 7: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 8: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 9: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Kotaro Fuma

Stage 1: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Sea Vessel
Mission: Defeat 10 enemies in 2 minutes

Stage 3: Ice Chamber
Mission: Collect 6 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 4: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Defeat Ozric

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 6: Mystical Forest
Mission" Destroy All

Stage 7: Pipe Corridor
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 8: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 9: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Branchpoint: Beat Kaede's story mode. Then, reach and complete stage 4
without continuing.

Stage 5: Mist Valley
Mission: Defeat Imposter

Stage 6: (with Kaede) Bamboo Forest
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 7: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 8: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 9: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Three-Eyes / Musaid / Girumusaid

Stage 1: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Mist Valley
Mission: Collect 5 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Imajo Village
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 4: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat Ekei Ankou-ji

Stage 5: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Collect 8 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Oyu of Odani

Stage 9: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Silver Grass Plains
Mission: Defeat Samanosuke A. (4 or more continues), Jubei Yagyu
(1-3 continues), or Onimusha (Jubei and Samanosuke combined; no continues}.

Branchpoint: None

Zombie / Jaid / Bajaid

Stage 1: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Mist Valley
Mission: Collect 5 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Imajo Village
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 4: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat Ekei Ankouji

Stage 5: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Collect 8 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Oyu of Odani

Stage 9: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Silver Grass Plains
Mission: Defeat Samanosuke A. (4 or more continues), Jubei Yagyu
(1-3 continues), or Onimusha (Jubei and Samanosuke combined; no continues}.

Branchpoint: None

Marcellus

Stage 1: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Mist Valley
Mission: Collect 7 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 3: Imajo Village
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 4: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat Ekei Ankouji

Stage 5: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Oyu of Odani

Stage 9: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 10: Silver Grass Plains
Mission: Defeat Samanosuke A. (4 or more continues), Jubei Yagyu
(1-3 continues), or Onimusha (Jubei and Samanosuke combined; no continues}.

Branchpoint: On Normal difficulty or higher and without continuing, complete
stages 1-4 in fewer than 10 minutes.

Stage 5: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Three Story Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Keijiro Maeda

Stage 7: Ice Chamber
Mission: Defeat Magoichi Saiga

Stage 8: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Samanosuke A.

Stage 9: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Oyu of Odani

Stage 10: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 11: Yagyu Village
Mission: Defeat Jubei Yagyu

Jujudormah / Juju-Ran

Stage 1: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Mist Valley
Mission: Collect 5 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Imajo Village
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 4: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat Ekei Ankouji

Stage 5: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Absorb 10 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Oyu of Odani

Stage 9: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Silver Grass Plains
Mission: Defeat Samanosuke A. (4 or more continues), Jubei Yagyu
(1-3 continues), or Onimusha (Jubei and Samanosuke combined; no continues}.

Branchpoint: None

Megaman

Stage 1: EXE
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Collect 6 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 4: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Defeat Ozric

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Collect 10 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 7: Pipe Corridor
Mission: Defeat 40 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 8: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 9: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Zero

Stage 1: Zero
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 2 minutes

Stage 3: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Collect 10 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 4: Mystic Forest
Mission: Defeat Jujudormah

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat 40 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 7: Sea Vessel
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 9: Ice Cavern
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Magoichi Saiga

Stage 1: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Mystic Forest
Mission: Defeat Jujudormah

Stage 4: Mist Valley
Mission: Collect 8 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 5: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Sea Vessel
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 8: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 9: Upper Tower
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Branchpoint: None

Myamoto Musashi

Stage 1: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Collect 6 Victory Souls in 2 minutes

Stage 3: Yagyu Village
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 4: Silver Grass Plain
Mission: Defeat Ozric

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Ancient Castle
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 7: Sea Vessel
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Gogandantes

Stage 9: Ice Chamber
Mission: Defeat 40 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Stage 11: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Kojiro Sasaki

Branchpoint: None

Kojiro Sasaki

Stage 1: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Bamboo Forest
Mission: Defeat 20 enemies in 2 minutes

Stage 3: Yagyu Village
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 4: Mystic Forest
Mission: Defeat Jujudormah

Stage 5: Imajo Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat 40 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 7: Sea Vessel
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Hecuba

Stage 9: Ice Chamber
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 4 minutes

Stage 10: Demon's World
Mission: Defeat Lord Nobunaga

Stage 11: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Musashi Myamoto

Branchpoint: None

Nobunaga Oda

Stage 1: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat Ekei Ankouji

Stage 3: Imajo Village
Mission: Collect 8 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 4: Sea Vessel
Mission: Defeat Magoichi Saiga

Stage 5: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 3 minutes

Stage 6: Three-Storey Pagoda
Mission: Defeat Keijiro Maeda

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Collect 12 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 8: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Oyu of Odani

Stage 9: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Silver Grass Plains
Mission: Defeat Samanosuke A. (4 or more continues), Jubei Yagyu
(1-3 continues), or Onimusha (Jubei and Samanosuke combined; no continues}.

Branchpoint: None

Gogandantes

Stage 1: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Mist Valley
Mission: Collect 5 Victory Souls in 3 minutes

Stage 3: Imajo Village
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 5 minutes

Stage 4: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat Ekei Ankouji

Stage 5: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Collect 8 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Oyu of Odani

Stage 9: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Silver Grass Plains
Mission: Defeat Samanosuke A. (4 or more continues), Jubei Yagyu
(1-3 continues), or Onimusha (Jubei and Samanosuke combined; no continues}.

Branchpoint: None, really. You will play through Gogandantes' alternate path
on your first playthrough. You may also return to it the next time you play
if you have to continue while playing his normal path.

Stage 1: Ice Chamber
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Oni Island
Mission: Defeat Magoichi Saiga

Stage 3: Pipe Corridor
Mission: Defeat Jubei Yagyu

Gargant

Stage 1: Ancient Castle
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 2: Mist Valley
Mission: Collect 10 Victory Souls in 2 minutes

Stage 3: Imajo Village
Mission: Defeat 30 enemies in 4 minutes

Stage 4: Ankou-ji Temple
Mission: Defeat Ekei Ankou-ji

Stage 5: Yagyu Village
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 6: Waterfall behind Gifu Castle
Mission: Collect 8 Victory Souls in 5 minutes

Stage 7: Oni Island
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 8: Ancient Castle
Mission: Defeat Oyu of Odani

Stage 9: Oni Tortoise
Mission: Destroy All

Stage 10: Silver Grass Plains
Mission: Defeat Samanosuke A. (4 or more continues), Jubei Yagyu
(1-3 continues), or Onimusha (Jubei and Samanosuke combined; no continues}.

V) Stage Hazards:

Most Stages are completely innocuous, but a few can adversely affect your
characters. Here is a list of things to watch for.

Ice Chamber: While the ice on the floor won't hurt you, it will cause you to
slide across the floor and maintain your momentum while running, so be wary.

Pipe Corridor: The flames and steam will cause a small amount of damage to
all characters, whether friend or foe, who touch them.

Mist Valley. The area below the large rock on the stage bottom has no floor,
and falling down it will result in a character's losing a small portion of
life before being thrown back onto the rock.

EXE: In some portions of the floor an electric current appears to run
underneath the characters' feet, causing damage when touched. AvZeroMkA157
points out that this damage only occurs on the stage's bottom level.

Zero: There is a pit in the stage into which a character can temporarily fall.
The damage received is similar to that dealt by a fall in Mist Valley.
Somebody on the Message Board mentioned this in passing, but I can't recall
who it was.

Demon's World: The flaming dragons at the top right, left, and center will
harm player characters, as will the pool of acid in the center of the stage's
bottom level. These traps do not harm Lord Nobunaga when he is the stage boss.

VI) Bosses:

Most characters in the game put in at least one boss appearance. The majority
of them can be defeated by utilizing a very aggresive strategy and never
letting uo, but a few can be a bit trickier to handle. The following is a
list of things to watch for.

Imposters: Be very aggresive when fighting them, and they'll go down in no
time.

Ozric: A very powerful demon, he has a long range. His charge attack will
send a powerful wave rolling along the ground, while his dash attack will send
Ozric himself rolling after you. A standard punch is really his only other
attack. Attack him when he moves to your level, then switch planes. Be very
aggressive. If you get the chance to hit him from behind, do so.

Hecuba: Another powerful character, she is slightly trickier than Ozric. She
will never move out of the uppermost plane, but her charge attack--two homing
fireballs--will seek you no matter where you are. Her multi-hit stab combo
and her dash attack are both quick and powerful. While many players recommend
a defensive strategy, I find that using an offensive strategy based on the
frequent use of combos and Shoryukens can easily make short work of Hecuba.

Jujudormah: Be aggressive when fighting her, and do your best to beat her to
any orbs that appear, and you shouldn't have a problem.

Gogandantes: Play aggressively, but be ready to use your guard if he blocks
your attacks. Try to beat him to orbs and items, and hit him with critical
dodges when you can.

Marcellus: He appears in both phantom realms. Play aggressively, but be
ready to switch planes if he fires a Hadoken or a fireball at you.

Nobunaga Oda: This guy is quite difficult if your character isn't strong and
you aren't that careful. I myself, when I fought him for the first time (I
used Jubei), had the ignominious distinction of losing to him 102 times in a
row. On Normal and Hard difficulties, his life bar is a double bar; on Expert,
he has a triple life bar. Try to beat him to the orbs that appear, and
aggressively fight him. Never fight him anywhere but on the bottom level,
and be wary of staying too long in the acid pool. Vary your combos with
Shoryukens, don't forget to bring a bevy of Talismans with you, and should be
able to overcome him.

Ekei Ankouji: Just keep striking him, and he'll go down in no time flat.

Keijiro Maeda: What was said of Ekei applies equally to him. The harder you
fight, the faster he'll fall.

Oyu of Odani: Charge up a Hadoken as soon as the fight begins and hit her
with it when she reaches your level. Then, just keep the pressure on her
and beat her to any orbs you can. She should fall in no time.

Magoichi Saiga: Whatever you do, do not allow much distance between your
character and Magoichi, or he'll pulverize you with his gunshots. When up
close to him, be wary of Shoryukens, but not so wary that you don't fight
aggressively. Keep hitting him to seize victory.

Kojiro Sasaki: Use critical dodges and an aggressive playing style to easily
down Kojiro.

Myamoto Musashi: What was said of Kojiro applies equally to Musashi.

Samanosuke Akechi: Beat him to items and orbs, and play aggressively. If
he attacks you, try to hit him with a critical strike.

Jubei Yagyu: What was said of Samanosuke applies equally to Jubei.

Onimusha: A combined force of Jubei and Samanosuke. They have double life bars
on Normal and Hard, and (most likely) triple life bars on Expert.
Generally, only one of them will move into your plane to attack you; the
other will spend his time collecting items, orbs, and souls. Don't fight
them for posession or souls or orbs unless you have already defeated one of
them, or you'll leave yourself open to attack. Be wary of Hadokens and use
critical strikes and dodges to seize the initiative. Try to fight them one at
a time, if possible.

VII) The Phantom Realms and the Gatekeeper:

Only HEROES can enter the Phantom Realms, multi-tiered, multi-leveled stages
populated by hordes of demons. The fifth level of Phantom Realm 1 is guarded
by Jujudormah; the 10th, final level, by Marcellus. Marcellus appears as a
boss in levels 5, 10, 15, 18, and 20 of Phantom Realm 2. In the 20th, final
level you will face three of him at once. Jujudormah appears as a boss in
the 5th and 10th levels of Phantom Realm 2, and Gogandantes appears in levels
15 and 18. Both realms are tests of strength, but will enable those who
complete them to obtain rewards they could not otherwise get. Moreover,
those who complete the Phantom Realms will earn large numbers of Experience
and Victory Souls. High level characters or those with several Talismans are
recommended, since you can only enter the Phantom Realms once every time
you play through the game. You have the option to leave the Phantom Realms
after completing each floor; simply step on the teleporters on any floor but
the ground floor to go back. If you do, you'll keep any souls, items, and
weapons you've earned. If you die in the Phantom Realms, you will retain
your Experience Souls, but lose any items, weapons, or Victory Souls you
might have gained. After you leave the realm, the Gatekeeper will offer you
the chance to buy things. Play aggressively, switch planes often, and
make good use of your lock-on feature to survive.

To enter the Phantom Realm with any hero, reach and complete stage 4 without
continuing. To enter the Phantom Realm 2, reach and complete stage 8 without
continuing. In both cases, the Gatekeeper will appear and offer you the
chance to enter the Phantom Realm. Say yes, and there you'll go. YOU MUST
BE ON NORMAL DIFFICULTY OR HIGHER FOR THE PHANTOM REALMS TO APPEAR!

The Gatekeeper will appear at the end of each character's story, each time
you play through the game. He will offer you the chance to buy items for
Vuctory Souls if you play on Normal Difficulty or higher. If you play on
Easy or Very Easy Difficulty, he will still appear, but will give you a
free medicine and not offer you the chance to buy any items.

VIII) Weapons:

Here I'll list all of the weapons each character can obtain, what their stats
are, and how to obtain them. Before I do so, to spare myself the labor of
repeated explanation I'll try to set out, to the best of my knowledge, what
the various special powers of the weapons actually do. These are my own
conjectures; I don't own the Bradygames guide. If anyone notices a mistake
in these descriptions, I ask him to let me know so that I can correct it
and give him credit. As a final note, all weapon stats are measured against
a character's default weapon, which is assumed not to affect a character's
stats.

a) Abilities:

Reverse Control: Attacks randomly cause the opponent to become confused.
Question marks appear over his head, and either his AI is lowered (CPU)
or his controls are temporarily reversed (human).

Silence Attack: Attacks randomly prevent the opponent from attacking for
a limited time. The opponent is surrounded by a red "X" and can still move,
but cannot attack or absorb souls and orbs.

Weakens Guard: Rather than draining the Special Gauge, this power causes
weapons to actually cut through the guard and damage the opponent after the
second or third hit.

Increases One-hit Kill Rate: Randomly causes opponents to die after one hit.
It doesn't seem to work very often. It doesn't seem to work against bosses,
although it may cause additional damage to them.

Critical strike: Randomly causes the oppoent to receive the damage of a
critical hit when struck (?). It does not seem to be affected by scrolls.
AvZeroMkA157 writes of Critical Strike: "From my tests: Critical Strike-
allows you to randomly deal more damage during regular attacks."
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Single Strike: Single strikes do much more damage than normal(?) AvZeroMkA157
notes that when he uses a Suzaku Scroll (critical timing tripled) with a
weapon that has Single Strike, enemies seem to die very quickly, so I'm
willing to bet that "Single Strike" applies to Critical Strikes and, possibly,
to Stabs, Finishers, and Leg Choppers.

Steals Vitality: Causes a red glow to appear when the life meter is not full
and an enemy is struck, returning life to the player.

Slow: Randomly causes the opponent to be temporarily slowed down when struck.
The opponent's legs temporarily flash purple.

Stun power: Randomly causes the opponent to become stunned. In this state,
the opponent cannot move or guard, and coins appear above his head.

Uses Vitality: The wielder of the weapon slowly loses vitality over the course
of time.

Special Gauge Damage: Striking the opponent lowers his special gauge, making
it harder for him to block and use certain attacks.

Consumes Special Gauge: Non-charged attacks cause the wielder's Special
Gauge to decrease.

Flame Damage Reduced by 50%: This applies to damage you receive, not to damage
you deal.

Execute Special Moves: Randomly causes Charge Attacks, combos, Hadokens, and
Shoryukens to do 3 to 4 times their normal damage (?).

Boost for Wind / Fire / Thunder / All Orbs: The stated orb types do more
damage when you use them.

All Status Changes Null: Your character will be unaffected by items or weapons
that cause either positive or negative status changes.

Nullifies All Negative Effects: Your character will be unaffected by negative
effects of any kind.

b) Treasure boxes: There are two stages in Story Mode where characters can
find treasure boxes. Often these contain weapons and items. The stages are
Imajo Village and Oni Tortoise.

In Imajo Village (it looks like something out of a bad western), go to the top
level of the building on the left side of the stage. You will see a small
hatch down which you can jump by pressing Up twice to switch planes. Walk to
the treasure chest to get the item.

In Oni Tortoise (it looks like a large tortoise), move up from the middle
section of the stage to the group of pipes on the right. Go as far right as
you can on them, then press Up, Up, to get on the large pipe.
This will take you to the treasure house, which has 2 treasures. To get the
first, do a sweep attack. To get the second, upper treasure, simply walk
toward the boxes. Note that you may have to slay the gunners on this stage
in order to get the screen to scroll far enough for you to reach the pipes.

Weapons (Thanks to Gen2000 for the info I used to obtain the weapons):

c) Standard heroes:

Samanosuke:

1) Normal Sword
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Samanosuke's default weapon

2) Raizan
   Attack: +1
   Def: + 0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Thunder Orbs
   Notes: Obtained in the Treasure House of stage 5 (Imajo Village).

3) Enryuu
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Fire Orbs
   Notes: Obtained upon completion of Phantom Realm 1 with Samanosuke.

4) Bishamon Sword
   Attack: +2
   Def: +1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Large boost for all orbs
   Notes: Obtained upon completion of Phantom Realm 2 with Samanosuke.

5) Muramasa
   Attack: +2
   Def: +2
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Uses Vitality
   Notes: This weapon seems to cause enemies to drop Life Souls when defeated.
   To obtain it, beat the game with Kaede, then play through the game as
Samanosuke for the second time. If you reach and complete stage 4 without
continuing, stage 7 will take place in Imajo Village. The Muramasa is in the
treasure box there.

6) Excalibur
   Attack: +1
   Def: +2
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Nullifies all negative effects
   Notes: You buy this from the Gatekeeper for 180 Victory Souls with
Samanosuke or for 90 Victory Souls with Gargant.

7) True Shipuu
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Wind Orbs
   Notes: On your second time through Kaede's Story mode, reach and complete
stage 4 without continuing. You must have beaten Story mode at least once
with Samanosuke. If you do this, Stage 7 of Kaede's Story will take place in
Silver Grass Plain. Perform 3 or more Critical Hits there to get the weapon.

8) Blue Saber
   Attack: +2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by completing Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt

9) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.


Kaede:

1) Knife
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Kaede's default weapon.

2) Jambiya
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Complete stage 6 (Ancient Castle) to obtain it. You either need to
do this before you beat the game with Samanosuke, or you need to die anytime
before or during stage 4 to get stage 6 to be the Ancient Castle.

3) Hocho Masamune
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: -1
   Ability: Critical Strike
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Kaede.

4) Sacred Knife
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +1
   Ability: Steals Vitality (S)
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Kaede

Keijiro:

1) Nagamaki
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic+0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Keijiro's default weapon.

2) Long Nagamaki
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Beat stage 5 (Ankou-ji Temple) in fewer than 2:30. You must do this
before you beat Story with Kaede, or you must die anytime before or during
stage 4 to get stage 5 to be the Temple. The Long Nagamaki increases Keijiro's
reach.

3) Ichimonji
   Attack: +2
   Def: +0
   Magic: -1
   Ability; Increases 1-hit Kill Rate
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Musashi.

4) Blue Dragon
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +1
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Keijiro. This was Guan Yu's
weapon.

Grunt:

1) Katana
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Grunt's default weapon.

2) Nodachi
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained in the treasure house of stage 5 (Imajo Village).

3) Dotanuki
   Attack: +0
   Def: +2
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (S)
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Grunt.

4) Blue Saber
   Attack: +2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.

5) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.

Jubei:

1) Yagyu Sword
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Jubei's default sword.

2) Buraitou
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Thunder Orbs
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Jubei.

3) Rekka-ken
   Attack: +2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Large boost for Fire Orbs
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Jubei

4) Dojikiri
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +1
   Ability: Boost for all orbs
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Oyu.

5) Soshu Masamune
   Attack: +2
   Def: -1
   Magic: -2
   Ability: Single Strike
   Notes: Obtained in the treasure house of stage 8 (Imajo Village). Beat
Story mode with Kaede, then play Jubei's Story and reach and complete stage 7
without continuing to have stage 8 take place in Imajo Village.

6) True Senpumaru
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Wind Orbs
   Notes: Obtained in the treasure house of stage 5 (Imajo Village). Either
play Jubei's Story before beating Kaede's, or die before completing stage 4
to have Imajo Village be stage 5.

7) Red Saber
   Attack: +2
   Def: +2
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by clearing Nobunaga's Story.

8) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.

9) Bishamon Sword
   Attack: +2
   Def: +1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Large boost for all orbs
   Notes: Obtained upon completion of Phantom Realm 2 with Samanosuke.

Ekei:

1) Normal Spear
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Ekei's default weapon.

2) Houtengeki
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained in treasure house of Chapter 5 (Imajo Village). You'll have
to die before completing Chapter 4 if this isn't your first playthrough. This
was Lu Bu's halberd.

3) Halberd
   Attack: +2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Ekei.

4) Snake Spear
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Critical Strike
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Ekei. This was Zhang Fei's
weapon.


Oyu:

1) Broad Sword
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Oyu's default weapon

2) Phirangi
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained by beating Stage 6. You must do this before beating Story
with Jubei, or you will have to die before completing stage 4 to get stage 6
to be on Oni Island.

3) Gladius
   Attack: +0
   Def: +1
   Magic: -1
   Ability: Silence
   Notes: Obtained by beating level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Jubei.

4) Lion's Heart
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: -2
   Ability: Steals Vitality (S)
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Oyu.

5) Chinese Combo
   Attack: -1
   Def: +3
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Flame damage reduced by 50%
   Notes: Obtained by beating level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Magoichi.

6) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.

Kotaro:

1) Kunai
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Kotaro's default weapon.

2) Gabishi
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Clear stage 6 in fewer than 3 minutes. You must do this before
beating Kaede's Story, or you will have to die before clearing stage 4 to get
stage 6 to be the Mystic Forest.

3) Roga-Kunai
   Attack: +0
   Def: -1
   Magic: +1
   Ability: Stun
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Kotaro.

4) Swordbreaker
   Attack: +0
   Def: +1
   Magic: -1
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Kotaro.

5) Dinner Special
   Attack: +0
   Def: -1
   Magic: -1
   Ability: Critical Strike
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Magoichi.

6) Hungry Wolf
   Attack: +0
   Def: -1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Steals Vitality (S)
   Notes: Obtained by acquiring the Roga-Kunai and Kaede's Sacred Knife. It
does not appear to have the Roga-Kunai's Stun ability.

7) Swordeater
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: -1
   Ability: Steals Vitality (S)
   Notes: Obtained by acquiring the Swordbreaker and Kaede's Sacred Knife. It
   does not appear to cause Special Gauge damage.

d) Standard demons:

Three Eyes / Musaid / Girumusaid:

1) Arm Blade
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Three-Eyes' default weapon.

2) Yin Yang Claws (sic)
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +1
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained by clearing stage 4 in less than 1 minute's time.

3) Adam Eve Claws (sic)
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Increase 1-hit Kill Rate
   Notes: Found in the treasure house in stage 9 (Oni Tortoise).

4) Life and Death
   Attack: +2
   Def: -2
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Weakens Guard (S)
   Notes: Obtained by clearing Zombie's Story.

Zombie / Jaid / Bajaid:

1) Broken Nodachi
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Zombie's default weapon.

2) Nobunaga Sword
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +1
   Ability: None
   Notes: Beat stage 5 in fewer than 3 minutes.

3) Blood Sword
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Steals Vitality (S)
   Notes: Obtained in stage 9's treasure house.

4) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.

Marcellus: [Note: Certain weapons can only be used by certain types of
Marcellus. An [N] denotes Normal, a [P] denotes Power, and an [S] denotes
Speed.

1) Mankiller [N]
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Normal Marcellus' default weapon.

2) Oni's Bane [P]
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Power Marcellus' default weapon.

3) Extinction [S]
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Speed Marcellus' default weapon.

4) Horse Killer [N]
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Clear stage 5 (Imajo Village) in fewer than 2:30. You must do this
before clearing Keijiro and Samanosuke's Story modes. or you will have to die
before completing stage 4 to get stage 5 to take place in Imajo Village. The
Horse Killer has a longer range than the Mankiller.

5) Claymore [P]
   Attack: +1
   Def: -1
   Magic: +1
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained by beating Jujudormah's Story.

6) Despair [S]
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +1
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by acquiring 10,000 human souls with any demon character.

7) Oni Eater [N]
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (S)
   Notes: Obtained by beating Marcellus' Story.

8) Morning Star [P]
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Weakens Guard (S)
   Notes: Obtained by clearing Three-Eyes' Story.

9) Metal Club [N, P]
   Attack: +1
   Def: -2
   Magic: +1
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by acquiring 10,000 demon souls with any hero character.
Both Normal and Power Marcellus can use this weapon.

10) Rhadompir [P]
    Attack: +1
    Def: +0
    Magic: +2
    Ability: Weakens Guard (L)
    Notes: Obtained in stage 9's treasure house.

Jujudormah:

1) Spring Tide
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Jujudormah's default weapon.

2) Grace
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Silence
   Notes: Obtained in stage 9's treasure house.

e) Unlockable heroes:

Megaman:

1) Long Sword
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Megaman's default weapon.

2) Muramasa Blade
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Steals Vitality (S)
   Notes: Obtained in stage 5's treasure house (Imajo Village treasure house).

3) Paladin Sword
   Attack: +2
   Def: +2
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Nullifies all negative effects
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Megaman.

Zero:

1) Z-Weapon 1
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Zero's default weapon.

2) Z-Weapon 2
   Attack: +2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +1
   Ability: Execute Special Moves
   Notes: Obatined by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Zero.


Magoichi:

1) Tri-Barrel Gun
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Consumes Special Gauge
   Notes: This is Magoichi's default weapon.

2) Machine Gun
   Attack: +1
   Def: -1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Consumes Special Gauge
   Notes: Obtained by performing 1 or more Critical Hits in stage 7. It fires
faster than the Tri-Barrel Gun.

3) Beam Rifle
   Attack: +2
   Def: -2
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Consumes Special Gauge
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Magoichi. It fires homing
shots.

Musashi:

1) Musashi Blade
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Musashi's default weapon.

2) Onikiri
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained by performing 1 or more Critical Hits in stage 6.

3) Kansho and Bakuya
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +1
   Ability: None
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Musashi.

4) Scallion and Ladle
   Attack: -1
   Def: -1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Stun
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Musashi.

5) Raiden
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Thunder Orbs
   Notes: obtained by acquiring the Raizan with Samanosuke and the Buraitou
with Jubei.

6) Bakuken
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Fire Orbs
   Notes: Obtained by acquiring the Enryuu with Samanosuke and the Rekka-ken
with Jubei.

7) Suzukaze
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Wind Orbs
   Notes: Obtained by Acquiring the True Shipuu with Samanosuke and the True
Senpumaru with Jubei.

8) Basara
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for all Orbs
   Notes: Obtained by acquiring Excalibur with Samanosuke and the Bishamon
Sword with Jubei.

9) W Saber
   Attack: +2
   Def: +1
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by acquiring the blue Saber with Grunt and the Red Saber
with Nobunaga.


Kojiro:

1) Nagamitsu
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Kojiro's default weapon.

2) Kogitsunemaru
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Found in stage 5's treasure house.

3) Death Bringer
   Attack: +2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Weakens Guard (L)
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Kojiro.

4) Raizan
   Attack: +1
   Def: + 0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Thunder Orbs
   Notes: Found in Samanosuke's Story, stage 5's treasure house.

5) Enryuu
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Fire Orbs
   Notes: Obtained upon completion of Phantom Realm 1 with Samanosuke.

6) True Shipuu
   Attack: +1
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Boost for Wind Orbs
   Notes: On your second time through Kaede's Story mode, reach and complete
stage 4 without continuing. You must have beaten Story mode at least once
with Samanosuke. If you do this, Stage 7 of Kaede's Story will take place in
Silver Grass Plain. Perform 3 or more Critical Hits there to get the weapon.

7) Bishamon Sword
   Attack: +2
   Def: +1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Large boost for all orbs
   Notes: Obtained upon completion of Phantom Realm 2 with Samanosuke.

8) Blue Saber
   Attack: +2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.

9) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.

f) Unlockable demons:

Juju-Ran:

1) Beauty
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Reverse Control
   Notes: This is Juju-Ran's default weapon.

2) Patriarch
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: +1
   Ability: Slow
   Notes: Obtained in stage 9's treasure house.

3) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.


Nobunaga Oda:

1) Heshikiri
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Steals Vitality (S)
   Notes: This is Nobunaga's default weapon.

2) Provider
   Attack: +1
   Def: -1
   Magic: +0
   Ability: Steals Vitality (L)
   Notes: Obtained in stage 5's treasure house.

3) Red Saber
   Attack: +2
   Def: +2
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by clearing Nobunaga's Story.

4) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.


Gogandantes:

1) Oni Slayer
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: This is Gogandantes' default weapon.

2) Oni Eater
   Attack: +1
   Def: +1
   Magic: -1
   Ability: Critical Strike
   Notes: Obtained by performing 3 or more Critical Hits in stage 7 (Oni
Island). This must be at least your second playthrough of Gogandantes' Story.

3) Red Saber
   Attack: +2
   Def: +2
   Magic: +2
   Ability: Special Gauge Damage (L)
   Notes: Obtained by clearing Nobunaga's Story.

4) Bamboo Sword
   Attack: -2
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: All status changes null
   Notes: Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Grunt.

Gargant:

1) Garblade
   Attack: +0
   Def: +0
   Magic: +0
   Ability: None
   Notes: Gargant's default weapon, and the only one he has.


g) Vs. Mode Weapons: These only appear in Vs. Mode amd Custom Vs. Mode. They
don't boost stats, as far as I can tell. All abilities listed are my own
conjectures.

Metal Staff: No abilities

Black-headed hammer: No abilities

Pink-headed Mallet: Stun (works every time)

Star Rod: Critical Strike (Works every time)

Metal Fan: Reverse Control (works every time)

Giant Spiked Club: Single Strike (works every time)

Beam pistol: fires homing shots

Plasma bazooka: fires one powerful shot. It can be charged.


IX) Items: The following is a list of the 36 items you can obtain in Story.
I'll number them and list what stats they affect and what they do. I'll
sometimes use acronyms to save time. Thanks to Gen2000 for his excellent FAQ,
which I used to obtain and keep track of all of the items while writing this
FAQ.

a) Special Items:

1) Anti-Shell 1: Prevents the character from dropping orbs when knocked
down (S). Obtained in Kaede's Story, stage 5's treasure house. If you've
already cleared Samanosuke's Story, you'll have to die before clearing stage 4
in order to get stage 5 to be Imajo Village

2) AS 2: Prevents Orb-drop when knocked down (M). In Kojiro's Story, perform 3
or more critical hits in stage 6 to obtain it.

3) AS 3: Prevents orb-drop when knocked down (L). Buy it from the Gaatekeeper
for 100 Victory Souls as Nobunaga or Megaman; or for 50 Victory Souls as
Gargant.

4) Purity Charm 1: Life souls restore more life (S). Obtained in stage 6's
treasure house as Keijiro, provided you've beaten Story as Kaede and Keijiro
at least once, and provided you use no continues before clearing stage 4 with
Keijiro the second time.

5) PC 2: Life souls restore more life (M). Obtained by beating Gogandantes'
Story.

6) PC 3: Life Souls restore more life (L). Buy it from the Gatekeeper for 100
souls as Oyu, Kotaro, or Nobunaga; or for 50 souls with Gargant.

7) Green Rosary: Causes a small decrease in soul absorption. Attack: +0
Def: +1  Magic: +0. Obtained by beating level 10 of Phantom Reakm 2 with Oyu.

8) Red Rosary: Increases soul absorb (L) (i.e., you absorb a lot faster).
Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Kaede.

9) Yellow Rosary: Causes a large decrease in soul absorption. Attack: +0
Def: +2  Magic: +0. Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with
Keijiro.

10) Yin Soul 1: Positive Soul effects decrease over time (S). Attack: +1
Def: -1   Magic: +0. obtained in the treasure house of Marcellus' 3rd stage.

11) Yin Soul 2: Positive Soul effects decrease over time (L). Attack: +2
Def: -1   Magic: +0. Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with
Kojiro.

12) Yang Soul 1: Positive Soul effects increase over time (S). Attack: +0
Def: +1   Magic: +0. Obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with
Ekei.

13) Yang Soul 2: Positive Soul effects increase over time: (L). Attack: +0
Def: +2   Magic: +0. Obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Kojiro.

14) Blue Necklace: Speed Soul Yin null. Attack: +0  Def: +0  Magic: -1.
Obtained by getting 3 or more Critical Hits in stage 7 of Samanosuke's Story.
You must do this before beating Kaede's Story or die before clearing stage 4
to get stage 7 to be the Sea Vessel.

15) Green Necklace: Special Soul Yin null. Attack: +0  Def: +0   Magic: -1.
Obtained in stage 5's treasure house, Oyu's Story. You must do this before
beating Jubei's Story or you must die before clearing stage 4 to get stage 5
to be Imajo Village.

16) Orange Necklace: All Yin Souls null. Attack: +0  Def: +0  Magic: -1.
Buy it from the Gatekeeper with Kaede, Keijiro, Grunt, or Nobunaga for 150
souls; or for 75 souls with Gargant.

17) Purple Necklace: Poison Soul null. Attack: +0  Def: +0  Magic: -1. Obtain
it by absorbing 10,000 souls with any character.

18) Red Necklace: Power Soul Yin null. Attack: +0  Def: +0  Magic: -1. Obtain
it in stage 6 of Ekei's Story. You must beat Jubei's Story first, then clear
stage 4 of Ekei's story to get stage 6 to be Imajo Village.

19) Black Necklace 1: Special Guage Recovery (S). Obtained in the treasure
house in stage 3 of Gogandantes' Story, Must be at least your second
playthrough.

20) Black Neclace 2: Special Gauge Recovery (L). Buy it for 120 souls from the
Gatekeeper with Musashi, Kojiro, or Magoichi; or for 60 souls with Gargant.

21) White Necklace 1: Automatic Life Gauge Recovery (S). Attack: +0  Def: -1
Magic: -1. obtained by beating Phantom Realm 1 with Keijiro.

22) White Necklace 2: Automatic Life Gauge Recovery (L). Attack: -1  Def: -1
Magic: -1. Buy it from the Gatekeeper for 150 souls with Zombie or Three-Eyes;
or for 75 souls with Gargant.

23) Bell of Warding: Flash Bomb null. Attack: +0  Def: -1  Magic: +0. Obtain
it in the treasure house of Zero's 5th stage.

24) Exorcism Flute: Silence Attacks have no effect on your character.
Attack: +0  Def: -1  Magic: +0. Obtain it by clearing level 10 of Phantom
Realm 2 with Samanosuke.

25) Gold Chicken: Stun Bombs have no effect on your character. Obtain it in
stage 9's treasure house of Gogandantes' Story.

26) Sacred Gem 1: Prevents your character from being disarmed (S). Obtain it
in the treasure house of Three-Eyes' Story, 3rd stage.

27) SG 2: Prevents your character from being disarmed (M). Obtain it by
beating Magoichi's stage 4 in fewer than 1:30.

28) SG 3: Prevents your character from being disarmed (L). Buy it from the
Gatekeepr with Juju-Ran, Jujudormah, or Nobunaga for 100 souls; or for 50
souls with Gargant.

29) Oni Incense 1: Boost to Magic (S). Attack: +0  Def: +0  Magic: +1. Obtain
it in the treasure house of Zombie's 3rd stage.

30) OI 2: Boost for Magic (M). Attack: +0  Def: +0  Magic: +2. Obtain it by
beating Phantom Realm 1 with Zero.

31) OI 3: Boost for Magic (L). Attack: +0  Def: -1  Magic: +3. Buy it from the
Gatekeeper with Gogandantes or Nobunaga or Gogandantes for 100 souls; or for
50 souls with Gargant.

32) Blue Rosary: Causes a small increase in soul absorbing power. According
to AvZeroMkA157, this is obtained by clearing level 10 of Phantom Realm 2
with Kotaro.

33) Genbu Scroll: Prevents Criticals. This applies to both you and your foes.
Obtain it by getting 20,000 souls with any combination of characters.

34) Byakko Scroll: Critical Hit damage increased by 50%; Critical timing
doubled. Obtained by beating Onimusha (Jubei and Samanosuke) on Hard
difficulty or higher with any demon character.

35) Suzaku Scroll: Critical timing is tripled. Buy it from the Gatekeeper as
Jubei for 200 souls, as Nobunaga for 150 souls, or as Gargant for 100 souls.

36) Seiryu Scroll: Critical Hits kill opponents instantly. Obtained by beating
Story on Expert (Very Hard) difficulty with a human character. Nobunaga has a
triple lifebar and loves to disarm you, so be careful. Talismans are highly
recommended.

b) Other Items:

Power Jewel: Raises max HP. Can be used four times per character. They are
returned if you reset characters. They can be won in the Phantom Realm and
found in the treasure houses, but are most commonly bought from the Gatekeeper
for 30 souls.

Talisman: Restores defeated character to full HP. They work in the Phantom
Realm, and are great for keeping your character from dying an untimely death.
You can have several, provided you buy them from the Gatekeeper at the cost of
15 souls each.

Herb: Restores 40 HP. Bought from the Gatekeeper for 3 souls.

Medicine: Restores 80 HP. Given to you for beating Story on Easy or Very Easy,
they are also bought from the Gatekeeper for 6 souls.

Secret Medicine: Completely restores HP. Bought from the Gatekeeper for 10
souls.

Z Panel: Red: Clear level 5 of Phantom Realm 1 with Megaman.

Z Panel: Blue: Clear level 10 of Phantom Realm 2 with Megaman

Z Panel: Green. Clear Story with Megaman. All 3 are needed to unlock Zero.


c) In-battle Items: These appear in Story and both Vs. modes.

Kunai: A weak throwing knife. It is blue, and lasts 1 use.

Flash bomb: Causes weak damage and Reverse Control (confuse). It has a white
"star" on it.

Stun bomb; Has a yellow symbol on it. Causes weak damage and stuns enemies
caught in the blast.

Time Bomb: Has a clock face on it. It will begin counting from 9 after a short
time, and explode when it reaches zero. Picking it up and throwing it
decreases the timer. it can hurt players and foes alike.

Normal Bomb: Explodes on impact, causing considerable damage.

Green Diamond: Restores Special Gauge. Can be small or large.

Orange Diamand: Restores lifebar. Can be small or large.

Blue Shuriken: Throws 3, causing weak damage.

Red Shuriken: Throws 1 that homes in on its target and causes weak damage.

Wind Disk: Green, when thrown at a foe, it strikes all enemies on screen with
a wind attack, provided it hits at least 1 enemy before flying off the screen.

Thunder Disk: Same as above, but with Thunder.

Fire Disk: Similar to the above, the Fire Disk causes a rain of damaging
fireballs to descend on the screen, damaging all it hits.


X) Credits: That's it! Thanks go to Angelo Heartilly and Gen2000 for their
excellent and helpful FAQs; to Jeff Veasey of GameFaqs for hosting this FAQ;
and to Capcom for making this game. Thanks to Angelo Heartilly for reading my
FAQ and making some corrections, and to AvZeroMkA157 for reading the FAQ and
suggesting corrections for almost every area of the guide; I could not have
improved it without them. Thanks also to Matthias Rupert (yadis_@gmx.de) for
his helpful comments and suggestions.

Contact Info: If you have questions, you can e-mail me at magisteragricola (at)
hotmail (dot) com. I will be glad to answer any questions, but please check 
this FAQ first, as they may well be answered here. DO NOT send me spam, and do
not write abusive statements. Constructive criticism is fine and appreciated,
but have the grace to be polite. E-mails containing words or references to
excrement, fornication, or perdition will be deleted and in no circumstances
replied to.