The short answer
The enemies of Onimusha: Way of the Sword are the Genma, an immortal demon race from the Demon World that serves as the game's antagonist horde, plus the experimental horrors Dokyo breeds in her underground lab. Basic units break down into three counter archetypes: standard grunts teach parry timing and die to Issen on a posture break; shielded variants must be shield-bash-parried, Break Issen'd, or smashed with the Arm Awakening; ranged archers are beaten by deflecting their projectiles back. Elite threats include the fast quadrupedal Genma Hound (dodge its lunges), Possessed Samurai who parry like the player (bait, then punish), and the Greater Nue chimera whose howl pierces guard. Fandom's Way of the Sword Genma list names Hitotsume Gasa, Byakue, Kogashira, Kubi Akari, Togemaru, Chijiko, Greater Nue, Daidara, and Dokyo. For soul farming, chaining parries to hold the Ki-en State buff raises absorption, and Break Issen on dismemberable elites yields the best per-kill returns.
- Antagonist race
- The Genma
- Immortal demons from the Demon World
- Basic archetypes
- 3
- Grunts, shielded, ranged archers
- Signature elites
- Genma Hound, Possessed Samurai
- Plus Greater Nue and lab creations
- Way of the Sword roster
- 9 named Genma
- Hitotsume Gasa through Dokyo (Fandom list)
- Elite soul value
- 50-100 souls
- Bosses pay 500-2,000
- Best farm state
- Ki-en State
- Parry chains raise absorption rates
The enemy race
Who the Genma are
The Genma are the game's foot soldiers — soul-consuming fiends and parasitic creatures that puppet human hosts. Above them stand the bosses: Shuten Doji, the giant who claims to be the legendary demon; Daidara, the colossal hungry Genma; Dokyo, who creates new Genma in an underground laboratory; the Greater Nue; and Rasho-gan, who strikes with silk threads.
Per the Fandom series encyclopedia, the Genma are a race of immortal demons and the primary antagonists of the Onimusha series, born from the chaos of the creator god Fortinbras. Their society is a three-level class system, with High Class Genma rare at roughly a 1-in-100,000 birth rate — the tier that produced figures like Guildenstern and Gogandantess — and some humans, such as Oda Nobunaga, were resurrected into the race.
Every foe runs on the Rikido posture meter: guard and deflect drain it, and when it empties the enemy is vulnerable to Issen. Expect a hierarchy from cannon fodder to multi-phase monstrosities, each with unique posture values, resistances, and execution windows — learning each foe's defensive behavior matters as much as its attack tells.
Rank and file
The three basic Genma and their counters
| Type | Behavior | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Genma Grunt | Rusty sword or club, obvious wind-ups | The parry-training target; on a Rikido break it staggers forward into an instant Issen execution — the primary early farming target |
| Shielded Genma | Large shield blocks everything from the front | Bait the shield bash, parry it to stagger, then heavy-attack the posture break; or smash straight through with the Arm Awakening, at stamina cost |
| Ranged Genma (archer) | Energy bolts and throws that disrupt fights | A well-timed deflect sends the bolt back and staggers it — close the distance and execute while it flinches |
| Genma Hound | Fast quadruped, low profile, hard to parry | Dodge the lunges and punish the recovery; watch positioning when they spawn in packs |
| Possessed Samurai (elite) | Parries your attacks, punishes whiffs, uses Issen on you | Bait its parry, counter the exchange, and build your own Ki-en State before committing to offense |
Above the rank and file
Elites and Dokyo's laboratory creations
- Greater Nue — chimera with a howl that staggers Musashi even through guard (a stamina-piercing property), claw combos, and jump-press shockwaves; the only reliable opening is the recovery frames after the shockwave, and its belly weak point shows during the rear-up howl via the Eye Awakening.
- Laboratory creations — multi-limbed stitched bodies, splitting types, and failed human-Genma DNA fusions. They are highly resistant to standard Issen executions, so use Break Issen to dismember them instead; the Break Issen on these enemies yields significantly more souls.
- Rasho-gan (boss-class elite) — back weak point; you need the Leg Awakening's mobility to punish the recovery window after its lightning attacks.
- Series-lore angle from Fandom's roster for this game: Hitotsume Gasa, Byakue, Kogashira, Kubi Akari, Togemaru, Chijiko, Greater Nue, Daidara, and Dokyo — a mix of returning-series types and new threats.
Farming
The soul economy and how to farm it
Farming efficiency is built on chains: parry chains build the Ki-en State, which increases soul absorption rates — players who chain parries across multiple enemies report significantly higher soul yields per minute than one-kill-at-a-time routes. The best early zones mix grunts and shielded units in dense clusters.
The kill-value ladder is steep: standard elites pay 50-100 souls, while bosses pay 500-2,000. A boss's Break Issen soul option can add +500-1,000 at the tail of a fight, but it extends the battle and raises the risk of a restart. Elite Break Issens double as a material farm, dropping the unique upgrade components that normal kills never produce.
Direct answers
Frequently asked questions
What are the Genma in Onimusha?
The Genma are a race of immortal demons and the primary antagonists of the series, born from the chaos of the creator god Fortinbras, per the Fandom encyclopedia. In Way of the Sword they are the foot-soldier horde plus the bosses above them.
How do I beat shielded Genma?
Bait their shield bash, parry it to stagger them, then land a heavy attack to break posture. Alternatively, smash through with the Arm Awakening — effective but stamina-hungry.
How do I counter ranged Genma archers?
Deflect their bolts back at them — a well-timed deflected bolt staggers the archer and gives you the opening to close the distance and execute.
How do Possessed Samurai elites work?
They fight like the player: parrying your attacks, punishing whiffs with heavy counters, and landing Issen executions on you if your posture breaks. Bait their parry, win the exchange, and build Ki-en State before pressing offense.
What is the fastest way to farm souls?
Chain parries to hold the Ki-en State buff, which raises absorption rates, in dense mixed clusters of grunts and shielded Genma. Break Issen on dismemberable elites adds the best per-kill returns plus unique materials.
Which named Genma appear in Way of the Sword?
Fandom's roster lists Hitotsume Gasa, Byakue, Kogashira, Kubi Akari, Togemaru, Chijiko, Greater Nue, Daidara, and Dokyo — nine named types spanning series regulars and new threats.
Where this comes from
Sources
- Onimusha Way of the Sword Wiki — Enemies List & Genma Types
Enemy classifications, counters, lab creations, soul economy, and farming data
- Onimusha Wiki (Fandom) — Genma
Genma definition, origin, class society, and the nine-name Way of the Sword roster
- timesaver.gg — Onimusha: Way of the Sword Combat Explained
Soul color economy (yellow/red/blue/purple) and the parry-deflect-Issen hierarchy