The onimusha way of the sword main character is Miyamoto Musashi, shown here as a young samurai who travels to Kyoto with the goal of proving his swordsmanship is unmatched. His face is modeled on the late Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. After obtaining an Oni Gauntlet, Musashi can fight Genma, absorb their souls, and turn that power into strength.
Miyamoto Musashi's role and motive
Capcom identifies Miyamoto Musashi as the protagonist rather than a supporting historical reference. He arrives in Kyoto seeking to prove that no one can surpass his skill with a sword. That motive gives the combat-centered premise a clear personal reason for his journey to Kyoto.
Kyoto is the destination attached to Musashi's stated ambition. The Oni Gauntlet later gives him the extraordinary power needed to kill Genma, placing his sword skill inside a supernatural conflict rather than an ordinary duel circuit. His personal goal and the Genma threat therefore meet through the ability Capcom confirms for the gauntlet.
The assigned character material does not provide a complete biography or claim that every event recreates the life of the historical Miyamoto Musashi. The responsible reading is that Capcom uses the famous name and samurai inspiration for its own version of the protagonist. Specific comparisons with undocumented historical events remain To be confirmed rather than being filled in from outside the approved game sources.
Why Musashi looks like Toshiro Mifune
Capcom used the late Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune as the facial model for this version of Musashi. That choice gives the protagonist a deliberate connection to the visual character of classic samurai cinema. It is a face-model decision confirmed by Capcom, not a statement that Mifune performed new acting work for the game.
The distinction is useful because “played by” and “modeled after” are not interchangeable claims. The approved dossier confirms the visual model and does not provide a broader performance credit to repeat here. Describing the likeness precisely preserves what Capcom has announced without inventing production details.
Mifune's image also appears in discussion of the Netflix Onimusha version of Musashi. That shared visual inspiration does not connect the two stories. Way of the Sword's protagonist belongs to a separate narrative even though the versions have the same character name and draw from the same actor's appearance.
The Oni Gauntlet's importance
Musashi gains an Oni Gauntlet that grants power beyond that of an ordinary human. With it, he can kill Genma, absorb the souls they release, and convert those souls into power that strengthens him. The gauntlet is therefore central to his ability, his progression, and the series identity retained by the new game.
Soul absorption links a defeated enemy to what Musashi can do next. It also explains why the gauntlet appears in both character description and combat explanation rather than sitting outside play as a decorative artifact. The approved facts do not assign a final numerical value to every soul or enhancement, so those values remain To be confirmed.
The Oni Gauntlet places Musashi within the game's supernatural combat framework. It gives him the confirmed ability to kill Genma, absorb their souls, and convert those souls into strength. Those powers define what the gauntlet contributes to this protagonist without adding an unsupported continuity conclusion.
Musashi's confirmed companions
The main companions named by Capcom include Oni Lady, Ono no Takamura, and Izumo no Okuni. These are the safe names to use when outlining the people around Musashi. The assigned dossier does not provide a complete relationship history for each one, so this guide does not invent family ties, exact allegiances, or later outcomes.
Calling them companions identifies their broad relationship to the protagonist without assigning unsupported gameplay functions. Nothing in the approved character section establishes that all three are playable, belong to a party system, or appear for the same amount of time. Those implementation and story details are To be confirmed unless Capcom documents them.
Their inclusion still clarifies that Musashi's story is not framed as an encounter with only unnamed enemies. Named figures accompany his role in Kyoto, while a named rival supplies an opposing point in the character record. That is enough to build a useful cast overview without moving beyond the facts available before release.
Sasaki Ganryu as an important rival
Sasaki Ganryu is an important opponent and is also connected with an Oni Gauntlet. That makes him a named rival with a confirmed point of comparison to Musashi. The assigned character record does not establish the full resolution of their relationship, so later-story claims remain outside this guide.
The gauntlet connection makes Ganryu relevant to more than a simple list of enemies. Musashi's own power is defined by an Oni Gauntlet, and the rival's association with one creates a confirmed point of comparison. The approved dossier does not supply exact equivalence between their abilities, so one gauntlet should not be used to invent the other's full move set.
Ganryu should also be kept separate from the companion list. Oni Lady, Ono no Takamura, and Izumo no Okuni are named as Musashi's main companions, while Ganryu is identified as an important rival. Preserving those labels prevents a character overview from reversing a documented relationship.
This Musashi and the Netflix anime
Way of the Sword has no direct narrative connection to the Netflix Onimusha anime. The two works both use Miyamoto Musashi as their protagonist and both draw on Toshiro Mifune's visual image, but those similarities do not put them in one storyline. A viewer does not need to watch the series before beginning the game.
The separation means this character record should use the game's facts rather than events from the Netflix storyline. His stated goal, gauntlet ability, companions, and rival supply that game-specific context. The shared name and Mifune-inspired appearance do not transfer anime events to this version of Musashi.
This is why the most precise answer identifies Capcom's game-specific version of Musashi. It avoids saying that he continues the Netflix character's journey simply because both versions share Musashi and a Mifune-based likeness. His confirmed identity comes from his Kyoto motive, Mifune-based face, Oni Gauntlet powers, named companions, and rivalry with Sasaki Ganryu.
What remains to be confirmed
The dossier confirms Musashi's starting motive, face model, supernatural gauntlet ability, and the principal names around him. It does not provide a complete final biography, every relationship development, or the outcome of his rivalry. Those story details are intentionally left To be confirmed rather than inferred from history or other Onimusha adaptations.
The same rule applies to exact playable status for allies and final numeric effects for soul-based strengthening. A named companion is not automatically a playable character, and a confirmed power does not reveal every launch value. Keeping those boundaries visible makes this character guide useful without turning pre-release gaps into invented facts.