Carnage is Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s New Game Plus and its highest difficulty, unlocked after one completion. It locks for the whole run, removes Action Prompts entirely, and rewards you with the True Onimusha trophy for clearing it. The platinum road is at least two runs and about 60 to 70 hours: Action first for cleanup, Carnage second, then Boss Rematch for Glutton for Punishment. There are no missable trophies, because Continue returns you to before the final mission.
Quick answer
Carnage unlocks after one completion, in New Game Plus. Story and Action are the only starting choices.
Carnage locks for the whole run. You cannot switch back to Story or Action, and Action Prompts are unavailable.
True Onimusha is the gold trophy for clearing Carnage. It is not a story ending.
Glutton for Punishment requires beating all Boss Rematch opponents on all difficulties. PowerPyx notes that beating a boss on the highest available difficulty also clears its lower difficulties.
Platinum needs no DLC, has no missable trophies, and is estimated at 6.5 out of 10 difficulty and 60 to 70 hours.
At a glance
Trophies: 52 total (1 platinum, 2 gold, 9 silver, 40 bronze); 0 online, 0 missable, 0 glitched (PowerPyx)
Runs needed: Minimum 2
Platinum estimate: 60 to 70 hours, difficulty 6.5/10 (PowerPyx)
Hardest trophies: Glutton for Punishment, True Onimusha (PowerPyx)
Boss Rematch: 18 main bosses, in the Practice Ground, unlocked during The Oni’s Apprentice
Final mission: The Clash At Rendaino (point of no return before it)
1. Unlocking Carnage
Finish the game once. Carnage then appears as the New Game Plus choice; it is not selectable at the start. Once you pick it, it locks for the whole run: no switching back to Story or Action, and Action Prompts are fully unavailable. PowerPyx’s practical advice is to play the first run on Action with prompts turned off, so you are not dependent on prompts when Carnage removes them. Carnage intensity is described by guides, not by official numbers: bosses are stronger, faster, and gain new moves, ordinary enemies block and counter more, and damage is clearly higher, with some bosses able to kill in one or two hits. No official damage multiplier exists, so none appears here.
2. What carries over, and what does not
The table below follows PowerPyx’s roadmap wording. One point of disagreement between guides needs stating plainly: PowerPyx’s roadmap lists costumes as not inherited, while other guides list unlocked costumes and appearances as inherited. This guide follows PowerPyx and flags the costume line as disputed rather than silently picking one side. The Oni Bow is a special case in either account: it must be re-obtained in the New Game Plus story.
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
| Carries over (PowerPyx) | Does not carry over (PowerPyx) |
|---|---|
Awakened Oni Abilities; enhanced Basic and Special Skills. | Red Souls. |
Hozuki Pouches and their enhancements. | Sword, clothing, and gauntlet enhancement levels; enhancement materials. |
Items; Charms and their enhancements. | Mysteries of Kyoto; Chance Encounters. |
Genma Notes; rescued Lion Dogs. | Spirit Mirror fast-travel points; main and side quest progress. |
Drills and Boss Rematch unlocks. | Costumes: disputed; PowerPyx lists them as not inherited, other guides as inherited. |
3. The platinum route, step by step
Play run one on Action, up to just before the final mission The Clash At Rendaino. The game warns you before that mission, after which there is no free exploration.
Before the final mission, finish collections and upgrades: Mysteries, Chance Encounters, Lion Dogs, Genma Notes, and equipment enhancements.
Clear the game to unlock Carnage, then play run two on Carnage in New Game Plus.
After Carnage, finish Boss Rematch for Glutton for Punishment. True Onimusha unlocks when Carnage is cleared; Peerless unlocks when every other trophy is earned.
Boss Rematch lives in the Practice Ground, unlocked during The Oni’s Apprentice: go to Emma’s Hall, ring the bell in the corner, enter, and choose Boss Rematch with Takamura. PowerPyx counts 18 main bosses in the Practice Ground menu order. Second Helping, a bronze trophy for winning any single Boss Rematch, is the stepping stone to Glutton, not the whole task. One Carnage-clear reward is described by PowerPyx as a weapon that makes Boss Rematch easier, but the page does not name the weapon in its roadmap section, so this guide does not name it either.
4. The hardest trophies, and the Issen connection
PowerPyx names Glutton for Punishment and True Onimusha as the hardest trophies. Three more trophies tie directly to the Issen system covered in our deep guide: Brutalist for 50 Issen attacks, Flow State for defeating 50 enemies with Chain Issen, and Berserker for defeating 3 enemies with consecutive Break Issen. Practice those systems in run one, where Action Prompts still exist, because Carnage removes them. Bosses are single targets with no second enemy to chain to, so they are poor places to farm Flow State; practice Chain Issen on ordinary Genma groups instead.
FAQ
Can I switch out of Carnage mid-run?
No. Carnage locks for the whole run and cannot be switched back to Story or Action.
Do I need to beat every Boss Rematch on every difficulty separately?
The trophy text says all difficulties, but PowerPyx notes that beating a boss on the highest available difficulty also clears its lower difficulties. State both: the text and the practice.
Are there missable trophies?
No. PowerPyx lists zero missable trophies, because Continue after the credits returns you to before the final mission for cleanup.
Does True Onimusha mean a true ending?
No. True Onimusha is the gold trophy for clearing Carnage difficulty. The story ending is covered in our ending guide.