Rise of the Ronin takes players to mid-19th-century Japan, during an anarchy period where personal and political life get integrally connected. Like most other action RPGs, this game features tons of missions to unfold the story completely. Each mission is required to explore a new part of the main story.

However, side missions, denoted as Bond missions, can be ignored if one doesn’t feel like doing them, but they will miss character progressions. Bond missions are the perfect way to understand the game’s characters better.

Rise of the Ronin has 58 Bond missions to complete. Each of your allies has separate Bond missions, ranging from one to five. The Way of the Warrior is one of the four Genzui Kusaka Bond missions. If you are curious about this mission, you need to know how to unlock it first and then the process to complete it. Don’t worry; we’ll explain everything.

Rise of the Ronin: How to Get The Way of the Warrior Bond Mission?

If you have been playing Rise of the Ronin, one thing you must have realized already is that Bond missions are easily missable as they depend on certain in-game activities or decisions. Your choices during main story missions often determine whether you receive a certain Bond mission or not. The Way of the Warrior is a Bond mission that is no different. This mission will be accessed after players reach Sakura Inn (Yokohama) during the Act 1 main story mission, Follow Your Blade Twin. 

During this main story mission, players will be introduced to an anti-shogunate group by Ryoma and meet Kogoro, Genzui, and Shinsaku. Once you meet them, you will unlock their Bond missions to get them as allies. In the case of Genzui Kusaka, the recruiting process goes through intense battles, which take place during The Way of the Warrior Bond mission.

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Go to the Bashamichi region of Yokohama City and find the nearest Dojo. There, you will find the NPC terrorizing everyone else in the Dojo. Challenging him in a fight will initiate The Way of the Warrior mission. 

How to Defeat Genzui Kusaka in The Way of the Warrior Bond Mission?

This Bond mission is relatively straightforward, without much complexity in the objective. From the very beginning, the goal is clear: defeating Genzui and recruiting him as an ally. So, the moment you reach the Dojo and locate the NPC who has already defeated every other challenger, it is your time to accept the challenge. Approach him and start interacting. Players will get two orange-colored options to choose from: “Show me your skill with the sword” and “I’ve come to make sure everything’s alright.”

No matter what you choose, the fight is inevitable. But if you go with the first option, “Show me your skill with the sword,” your bond with him will deepen instantly. So, before you accept the mission, make sure you are prepared for a tough fight. Anyway, there’s no way to bring any strong weapon for this fight, because irrespective of what you bring for this fight, the game will provide you with a wooden sword to deal with Genzui. 

Genzui is going to be a tough competitor with multiple attacks in possession. Most importantly, he is a fast attacker, with some of his attacks lasting for a longer time. So, the primary strategy for this fight is to keep your distance from the enemy and watch his moves to understand them before you start counterattacks. If he finds you off guard, elimination is not far away.

Let’s check out his attacks first. The boss has an Extended Gale attack, where he pulls in his swords to cross his body on both sides and then jumps forward with lightning-fast strikes that hit multiple times, if not countered. Next is his Twin Dragons attack, where the boss jumps in the air and slashes downward as he comes down.

The next one is an unblockable attack where the boss slides toward players and performs an upward kick to send you airborne. Then he lands on you with his swords. The fourth attack is going to be his Overhanded combo. In this attack, the boss places the twin swords back behind his head and then keeps a good distance before striking quickly four times. This attack ends with a quick dual-hit combo. 

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Coming to the next deadly combo, the boss launches a long, sustained combo with six attacks before it ends with an uppercut attack and a dual cut. The final attack the boss uses is one where he evades your attack and launches a follow-up slash while you are busy with your attack.

The boss uses the twin swords throughout the game, along with the Niten Ichi-Ryu stance. So, make sure to choose a combat style that can make things easier for you. Be prepared to counterspark most of his attacks. Countersparking a few of his attacks in a row will make the boss vulnerable for a few seconds. This is your turn to land as many critical hits as possible. The more you can deplete his Ki, the more your critical hits will drain Genzui’s health. 

During this fight, one thing players need to remember is that Genzui Kusaka launches quick and overwhelming attacks that deal tons of damage when hit. So, it is better not to try defeating him using power, but playing smart against him will make the fight a lot more smooth. Once the enemy is defeated, the head of the Dojo will thank the player for their help. Select “Not yet” to end the Bond mission. Later, you can go to the Dojo at any time for training. 

That’s more or less everything one should know if they are trying to complete The Way of the Warrior Bond mission in the Rise of the Ronin. Once you are done with the mission, you will receive 1100 coins, 20XP, Wooden Paired swords, Training Wear, a Power Remedy, and 5 woods as rewards.