In Rise of the Ronin, combat is the primary means to survive. It not only provides players with a long list of bosses to deal with but also gives them an equally long list of weapons to use to fight. Interestingly, all these weapons come with default combat styles, but they aren’t limited to them. Players can master new combat styles for their weapons as they progress.

Rise of the Ronin has three main types of combat styles: Chi, Ten, and Jin, but apart from them, there’s another combat style named Shinobi. Almost all the combat styles you can master in the game fall into these categories. However, unlocking new combat styles requires players to be careful of their journey. In this guide, we’ll tell you the ways to unlock combat styles in Rise of the Ronin.

How to Obtain Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

If you have been playing the game for quite a few days already, it can’t go unnoticed that combat styles are primarily unlocked through completing Bond missions. Of course, main story missions also reward players with a few combat styles, but they come as rewards for making the right decisions. Additionally, defeating fugitives also rewards combat styles. 

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Therefore, you can easily guess that these combat styles are easily missable. If you skip a bond mission or make a different decision at any point, you may lose your combat style. Even so, you must watch out for the octagonal markers on the map to unlock combat styles. So we recommend not skipping any activity in the game. 

The game has 22 combat styles to unlock for different weapons, and below we are going to discuss them based on the weapon they will be unlocked for.

Katana Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

Katanas are one of the best melee weapons in the game, and players can unlock different combat styles for their katanas to deal with different types of enemies. Check out the below list to learn the combat styles you can get for your katana and how to get them.

• The first one on the list is the Hokushin Itto-ryu combat style, which is a Chi-type combat style players can learn from Ryoma Sakamoto.
• The next combat style for katana is Tatsumi-ryu. This is another Chi-type combat style that players can learn from Yukichi Fukuzawa.
• Shinto Munen-ryu is a Ten-type katana combat style, and players can learn it from Kogoto Katsura.
• The next one is the Yagyu Shingake-ryu combat style from Shinsaku Takasugi. This is again a Chi-type combat style.
• Tennen Rishin-ryu is the next combat style players can unlock for their katana from Soji Okita. This is a Ten-type combat style.
• Hayabusa-ryu is the final katana combat style to be acquired from Yasusuke Sawamura. This is a Shinobi-type combat style.

Odachi Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

Odachi is another powerful weapon in the game, with multiple combat styles to unlock for it. So, without wasting time, let’s check out the process to unlock them:

• Nodachi Jigen-ryu is the first Odachi combat style that players can acquire from Gonzo in The Bad Bunch mission. However, this Chi-type combat style will be unlocked if you spare him after the fight.
• The next combat style for Odachi is Jigen-ryu. Another Chi-type combat style that players can learn from Toshimichi Okubo.
• Yagyu Shingake-ryu is the next combat style to unlock, and again, this is a Chi-type combat style to learn from Yoshinobu Tokugawa.
• The fourth one is a Ten-type combat style named Tennen Rishin-ryu, and players can obtain it from Isami Kondo.
• The final one that you can unlock for Odachi is the Shinto Munen-ryu. This is a ten-type combat style that can be unlocked either from Shinpachi Nagakur or by killing Punch-Drunk Kanta. 

Paired Sword Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

The next powerful weapon in Rise of the Ronin is undoubtedly the paired sword. Apart from the default combat style, players can unlock three more combat styles for this weapon. Below, we have listed their unlocking process:

• Ninten Ichi-ryu is the first combat style to unlock for the paired sword, and players can learn it from Genzui Kusaka. This is a Ten-type combat style.
• The next one to unlock is the Kyoshin Meichi-ryu, which is a Chi-type combat style, and players can acquire it by killing Juzo Inayama.
• Tennen Rishin-ryu is the final one to learn for the paired sword, and this is a Ten-type combat style. Players will get the style from Toshizo Hijikata.

Polearm Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

Polearm is a great weapon to use in the game, and players can unlock three more combat styles to make it more powerful. Below, we have discussed the polearm combat abilities and how to unlock them:

• Shinto Munen-ryu is a Ten-type combat style that players can unlock from Shinsaku Takasugi.
• Hokushin Itto-ryu is a Chi-type combat style to learn from Sana Chiba. There’s an alternative way to unlock this ability, and that’s to kill Wild Tiger Mio.
• Hayabusa-ryu is one of the Shinobi combat styles to unlock, and players will learn it from Yasusuke Sawamura.

Greatsword Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

Greatsword is indeed a powerful weapon in the game, but players can make it more powerful with two additional combat styles. Let’s check out the process to unlock them:

• Hoshin-ryu is a Chi-type combat style to unlock for the greatsword, and players can learn it from Koto Nakazawa. Additionally, they can also get this same combat style by killing Temple-Crasher Yosuke.
• The next one is a Ten-type combat style named Tennen Rishin-ryu. Again, players can learn it in two ways. They can either kill Gennai Inoko to learn this combat style or learn it directly from Isami Kondo.

Bayonet Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

In Rise of the Ronin, Bayonet has only one combat style to unlock, and that’s Kiheitai Style. This is a Ten-type combat style, and players can get it in two ways: either they have to kill Shirodayu Shirame or they have to learn it from Hirobumi Ito.

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Players can choose whatever method they prefer to unlock the combat style. None of them are too tough to acquire this combat style.

Sabre Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

Another powerful weapon in the game has only one combat style to unlock besides the default one. This Chi-type combat style is named US Training and can be acquired from Matthew Perry. That’s probably the easy one, but it’s not the only method to unlock this combat style. Apart from this, players can also kill Grigori the Immortal to acquire the combat style.

Oxtail Blade Combat Styles in Rise of the Ronin

This is going to be a not-so-used weapon in the game, with an additional Chi-type combat style to learn from Shinsaku Takasugi or Green-Eyed Sanzaemon. Players can choose any of these two methods to learn the combat style.

These are the combat styles players can unlock in Rise of the Ronin. These require you not to avoid any side activities. Otherwise, players may miss the chance to unlock one combat style. Additionally, if you are facing any difficulties in choosing the best-ranged weapon in the game, check out our list to get some help.

Additionally, for any help regarding Rise of the Ronin, we suggest you go through our guides for the required information.