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| “ | I will restore Ashina to glory! | „ |
| ~ Genichiro to Sekiro. |
Genichiro Ashina is the main antagonist of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. He is the leading member of the Ashina Clan and grandson of Isshin Ashina, a legendary swordsman and northern hero who founded the clan. He is anxious about an incoming attack of the Interior Ministers' army and seeks to kidnap the Young Lord to "make use of his immortal bloodline" .
He was voiced by Ray Chase in English and Kenjiro Tsuda in Japanese.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
After Isshin's coup, Genichiro was adopted into the Ashina family after his mother died and was raised as Isshin's grandson and eventual successor. At some point, Genichiro began training under Lady Tomoe, a descendant of the Okami warrior women of the Fountainhead Palace. He also became acquainted with Emma and Lord Takeru at some point, the doctor that will help Wolf later on and the previous Divine Heir. He and Emma would often go near the Everblossom and watch how Takeru played music and Tomoe danced to it.
Three years prior to the game's events, Genichiro fought against the Interior Ministry and although he managed to drive their army back, Ashina still suffered a fatal blow at Hirate Estate. Genichiro began to seek immortality and encouraged Doujun to research the Rejuvenating Waters of the Fountainhead Palace. It seems at some point he also allied himself with Senpou Temple and the Gunfort.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice[]
Prologue[]
After the attack on Hirata Estate, Genichiro has taken the current Divine Heir- Lord Kuro into custody. He locks him up into the Moon Tower and orders his men to guard it. Genichiro somehow learns of Emma's treachery and awaits the fleeting Divine Heir and his outhbound at the silverglass field, where he and Wolf engage in a battle. Genichiro is able to easily overpower the rusty and long inexperienced Wolf, severing his left arm and leaving him to die.
However, should Wolf be able to emerge victorious against Genichiro, he will to his knees in defeat. As Genichiro curses Wolf as a "bastard" and Wolf points his sword to deliever the final blow, a nightjar (hidden nearby) throws a shrunken at Wolf. Wolf is able deflect it, but by the time he has turned his attention back to Genichiro, he has gotten up and used the distraction to sever his arm anyway. Afterwards, Genichiro comments that "A shinobi would know the difference between honor and victory", before walking away with the nightjar, who is carrying an unconscious Kuro.
Main Game[]
The NPC eavesdrop dialogues suggest that Genichiro is preparing his defenses for a huge attack and is willing to put all manners of creatures on the frontlines. When Wolf finally arrives at the top of the Ashina Castle, Genichiro is seen together with Emma and Kuro, looking towards his grandfather's living quarters and asking Emma of his condition. After being informed of Isshin's dire condition, Genichiro approaches Kuro and asks him to accept him into his immortal oath again. Kuro refuses and states he cannot do so. After Wolf reveals himself and promises to take Kuro back, Genichiro realizes that the only way to get the Dragon's blood from Kuro is to kill Wolf.
With his experience and skill now refreshed, Wolf is handily able to overpower Genichiro. On his knees, Genichiro muses that Wolf would be better off serving someone else, though Wolf declares his suggestion to be heresy. In response, Genichiro sheds his armor and reveals his lightning of Tomoe, telling Wolf that he will embrace any manner of heretistical strength if it means preserving Ashina. Despite this, Wolf still defeats Genichiro and stabs him through the chest; Genichiro mutters "Ashina" and falls over, dead. However, it's revealed afterwards that he too is immortal. He has drunk from the Rejuvenating Waters, thus allowing him to resurrect from a mortal wound but without being healed. Genichiro runs off in search of more power.
After Wolf obtains the Crimson Mortal Blade, it could be speculated through one of Isshin's secret dialogues that Genichiro has also obtained a Mortal Blade of his own during that time.
During the first invasion, Isshin hints at Genichiro coming back soon to put the Black Mortal Blade to use.
After defeating the Divine Dragon and coming back to Ashina Castle, Wolf finds Kuro confronting Genichiro at the silverglass field, where all began. Prior to Wolf coming, Genichiro has wounded Kuro with his Mortal Blade. As Kuro collapses onto the ground, Genichiro and Wolf engage in one last battle, but even with the Mortal Blade, Genichiro is still unable to overcome Wolf. Genichiro realizes he is no match for him and concedes that he was powerless, but that grandfather was not. Genichiro then used the Mortal Blade to sacrifice his life and revive his grandfather in his prime, so that he may restore Ashina. Even this was not enough to overcome Wolf, who slew Isshin, thus ending Ashina's final hope for salvation.
Shura Ending[]
If Wolf chooses to side with his father, Great Shinobi Owl will fight and kill Genichiro (off-screen) while Wolf fights Emma and Isshin. In the Shura ending, Owl can be seen carrying the Black Mortal Blade and Genichiro's decapitated head.
Personality[]
In many ways, Genichiro is a foil to the main character - Wolf. Both are highly trained warriors who had been adopted and raised after the Ashina coup twenty years ago, and thus are unflinchingly loyal to their masters. The two even go as far as to eventually wield their own Mortal Blade by the end of the game. However, Genichiro seeks immortality no matter how cursed it will leave him. Wolf had it entrusted to him, and even then he's shown remorse for its consequences. Genichiro goes against his own grandfather's wishes out of dogged loyalty to his country; Wolf disobeys his father figure's mandates out of morality. In the end, Genichiro was a man who could never move on from his duties and dream of being more than just the successor to the Ashina clan.
Genichiro also believes that, unlike his grandfather Isshin, he doesn't have what it takes to save Ashina from the fires of war. So he turns the black Mortal Blade on himself, sacrifices his life, and resurrects the old man in his prime to fight for Ashina one last time.
Genichiro isn't cruel by nature as one can see from his quotes, but in his quest to find the needed power to protect Ashina, Genichiro is absolutely ruthless and unwavering. He is willing to commit many atrocities such as abandoning his humanity, hurting innocents, kidnapping a child, using animals as weapons, employing abominations and encouraging horrid experiments.
Genichiro seems to desire to live up to the Ashina clan's expectations as their next Lord in line. He also seems to have some form of obsession with the land of Ashina, presumably because in his eyes - the land serves as a replacement to his dead mother, thus he feels a sort of misplaced affection for it, even referring to it as 'her'.
Gameplay[]
Genichiro is fought four times throughout the game. The first battle is against him at the end of tutorial; it is not an optional boss, but is meant to be a fight that the player loses. The second battle is at the top of Ashina Castle at the end of the first third of the game; this is not optional and must be defeated to advance the story. The third battle is him in his Way of Tomoe form at the end of the main storyline, as the door boss to the Isshin, the Sword Saint boss; this is not optional in 3 and of the 4 endings. The fourth battle is an optional, harder version of his second encounter, Inner Genichiro, which is unlocked by progressing the Divine Heir Gauntlet.
Quotes[]
| “ | A shinobi should know the difference between honor and victory. / Is this all a shinobi has to offer? | „ |
| ~ Genichiro after defeating Wolf. |
| “ | Heresy, you say? If it is for the sake of preserving Ashina, I will seize any manner of heretical strength, I will endure any burden. Behold - the Lightning of Tomoe. | „ |
| ~ Genichiro to Wolf during their second battle. |
| “ | In the end, I was powerless, but... grandfather was not. Ashina will rise once more... The Dragon's blood running through her veins. With this, Ashina's long night finally comes to an end. | „ |
| ~ Genichiro Ashina's last words. |
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
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 Villains
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Ashina Clan Others | ||