Onimusha: Way of the Sword Characters, Cast & Face Model

Updated September 21, 2026 · Facts cross-checked against the sources listed below

Musashi and the Mifune face: the headline story

The reveal that carried this game’s marketing: the young Miyamoto Musashi you play wears the face of Toshiro Mifune — Kurosawa’s leading man, dead since 1997. It is official and deliberate: Capcom announced “the face model is none other than the iconic Toshiro Mifune,” and the backstory has real texture. Development started in early 2020 with Mifune already the archetype in mind — director Satoru Nihei has said that when he asked himself what makes a samurai cool, the answer was Mifune’s image of a young warrior “covered in blood and mud.” Securing the likeness from Mifune Productions took about two years, closing around 2022.

The limits matter as much as the license: it is the visual likeness only. No generative AI is involved, and the team is not recreating Mifune’s movement or speech — the performance is an original creation wearing an iconic face. It also continues a series tradition: the first Onimusha modeled its hero on Takeshi Kaneshiro. Who else is — and, more to the point, is not — modelled on anyone, character by character, is on the face models and voice cast page.

Every named character so far

Character	Role	JP voice	EN voice
Miyamoto Musashi	Protagonist; bearer of the Oni Gauntlet	Yoshimasa Hosoya	Kenichiro Thomson
Sasaki Ganryu	Rival swordsman (the historical Kojiro); has his own gauntlet	Nobuhiko Okamoto	Tashinga Bepete
Oni Lady / Shizuka Gozen	Spirit dwelling in the Oni Gauntlet; narrator. Previews name her Shizuka Gozen (Shacknews, Nintendo Life); Capcom’s own materials still say only “Oni Lady”	Aya Endo	Yuriri Naka ⚠ media-compiled
Shuten Doji	Key antagonist — the great Genma of Mt. Oe	Shinnosuke Ogami	Anthony Howell
Daidara	Genma — now fightable in the expanded demo	Kenta Miyake	Abe Jarman
Yoshitsune — “the man in white”	Main villain, named Yoshitsune by two independent outlets (Shacknews preview, Cultured Vultures review). That he is the white-robed man from the demo’s post-Ganryu scene rests on Shacknews alone ⚠ the equation, not the name — Capcom has never used the name publicly. His voice actor is the cast question every English database still leaves blank — but one qualified Japanese source now fills half of it: the guide site AppMedia credits Shinichiro Miki (三木眞一郎) for the Japanese performance ⚠ single source; Capcom’s own cast list and Miki’s Wikipedia filmography do not yet carry it. No English credit has surfaced (checked September 9)	—	—
Takamura	Musashi’s mentor (press previews) — the official Japanese cast lists him as Ono no Takamura	Akihiko Ishizumi	Shogo Miyakita ⚠ database-compiled
Rasho-gan, “the Wish Warper”	Boss fought in press final previews	Yasuhiro Mamiya	—
Ifuu & Burai	Genma duo conjuring wind and thunder — revealed in Trailer 6 ⚠ trailer reveal, roles TBC	—	—
Dokyo	Antagonist-side figure. Who is Kaguya? (late-game spoiler) “Kaguya” is not a separate character. It is the real name Dokyo reveals on being defeated, claiming she was sent from the heavens before she escapes ⚠ one fan-wiki source; no guide or official text confirms it yet.	Riho Fushida	Clare Corbett — credited on Capcom’s official character page
Izumo no Okuni	Supporting; outfit DLC suggests a major role	Chiharu ⚠ credited as “Chiharu” in Japanese sources, “Chiharu Hokaze” in databases — likely the same person	Leader Looi ⚠ database-compiled

Japanese names come from Capcom’s official cast announcement, cross-checked against the Japanese Wikipedia entry and the Japanese gaming press. The English column has firmed up since launch: Behind The Voice Actors now hosts a full cast page and two outlets have compiled matching lists — call it database-plus-media sourcing, one step short of Capcom-official (the company has still never published an English cast list; Musashi’s Kenichiro Thomson is the one entry Capcom itself confirmed). Remaining single-source rows carry flags above.

Ganryu: the rival who keeps coming back

If you searched for “Kojiro,” this is him — Capcom uses the historical alias Sasaki Ganryu. He mirrors Musashi with his own Oni Gauntlet, fights with the swallow-cutting Tsubame Gaeshi, and Capcom’s dev diary frames him as a recurring duel across the whole game, not a one-off. You can fight him today: he is the boss of the free demo, and his two-phase duel is the best Issen practice available.

Who is NOT in it

Capcom states plainly that no characters from previous Onimusha games return. That rules out searches for Nobunaga (the old saga’s demon king), Jubei from Onimusha 2, and Kaede from the original. The old cast belongs to the timeline this reboot leaves behind; the demonic Genma are the connective tissue, now led by Shuten Doji from his stronghold on Mt. Oe. One caution for launch week: a name like “Sayo” circulating in autocomplete has no basis in any official or press source we can find — treat character lists on content-farm sites skeptically.

The English dub itself has been debated since the TGS trailer — Push Square wasn’t sold on it, and its reader poll leaned 71% toward Japanese audio. Both tracks ship with 14 subtitle languages, so nothing is locked either way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Musashi really Toshiro Mifune?

His face is — officially. Capcom licensed the visual likeness from Mifune Productions after roughly two years of negotiation. It is likeness only: no generative AI, and no attempt to recreate Mifune’s voice or mannerisms. The performance is original.

Is Kojiro in the game?

Yes, under his other historical name: Sasaki Ganryu. He is Musashi’s recurring rival, wields his own Oni Gauntlet, uses the Tsubame Gaeshi, and is the demo’s boss.

Is Oda Nobunaga the villain again?

No. Capcom says no characters from previous games return. The announced key antagonist is Shuten Doji, the great Genma ruling Mt. Oe. Nobunaga belongs to the old timeline this reboot leaves behind.

Should I play in English or Japanese?

Both are full voice tracks, so it’s taste. Community sentiment leans Japanese — a Push Square reader poll ran about 71% for the Japanese track after the English dub’s trailer reception — but there is no official recommendation.

Is there character creation?

No. You play one authored protagonist — the young Miyamoto Musashi with the licensed Mifune face — with no create-a-character option anywhere in Capcom’s materials or the demo. Customization is limited to outfits, sword skins and charms, mostly from editions and pre-order bonuses.