Rise of the Ronin includes some thrilling missions. Since the game’s release, players have been spending hours immersing themselves in the world of hack-and-slash action. The game has all kinds of missions, from battling bosses to making friends and allies. It’s set in historical Japan, when violence engulfed the country. The story follows the adventures of the Blade Twins at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

At the beginning of the game, players get to choose the gender and appearance of the twins. As the story progresses, players will come across characters they will need to recruit to help them during missions. One such character is Gonzo, a Bandit Leader who seized the estate of a magistrate and terrorized the nearby village.

Gonzo: The Enemy Turned Ally

In Rise of the Ronin, you will encounter Gonzo as an enemy, but you will have the choice to spare his life or kill him. Both choices will have different consequences in the game, but one of the choices will allow you to recruit Gonzo as an ally.

gonzo
Gonzo, a Bandit Leader in Rise of the Ronin.

In the game, the developers have added a twist by making Gonzo a boss and an optional ally. Players will be able to establish a bond with Gonzo during one of the missions. Gonzo is a fearsome bandit leader and is capable of causing great violence. Players will find him quite intimidating due to his nature and appearance. In the game, Gonzo appears with a fearsome, large sword and leads a group of bandits.

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After reaching the Yokohama region, you will find Gonzo and his crew calling the shots at the ruins of a magistrate’s estate. The main mission will require you to defeat Gonzo to earn a checkpoint permit to cross into the city. However, if you want Gonzo to become your ally, then you will need to spare his life at the end of the fight.

How to Recruit Gonzo in Rise of the Ronin

You’ll first meet Gonzo during the first main Ronin Mission, The Bridge to Yokohama. After meeting Ryoma, you can begin the mission Curtain Falls, Curtain Rises to earn a Checkpoint Permit at the old Magistrate’s Estate. Gonzo is a formidable foe, and players must keep away from his Odachi. Ryoma’s assistance will prove very useful in keeping away from Gonzo’s powerful strikes and defeating him. After defeating Gonzo, you will have to choose between killing him or sparing him.

Remember that your main objective is to make Gonzo your ally. So, killing him won’t really help your cause. Therefore, you will have to make sure that Gonzo lives to fight another day. If you are confused about whether you’ll get the Permit to enter Yokohama if you let Gonzo live, the answer is yes since you will be able to get it from the Storehouse, and you get into there no matter what you decide to do with Gonzo.

Before recruiting Gonzo, you will have to find him. Travel a bit further into the story after completing Bridge to Yokohama. After you have progressed a little bit, you’ll be introduced to Taka Murayama and then asked to get a camera. To get the camera, head to the Photographic Studio and find Igashichi; he’ll point you to the west of Yokohama at the ruins of Maita Castle.

After sparing Gonzo, you will be rewarded with the following items:

  • Oban x1
  • Power Remedy x6
  • Red Nuts x2
  • Sulphur x3
  • Storehouse Key

After learning about the location of the castle, head in that direction. Once you are halfway there, you will come across a Bond Mission in the Yoshida-Shinden Province. This Bond Mission called The Bad Bunch will require you to kill Gonzo upon the orders of a thug. But if you have spared Gonzo, then you can choose to team up with the bandit chief to kill the other thugs.

spare gonzo
You will have the option to kill or spare Gonzo.

After executing the thugs, your bond with Gonzo will deepen, thereby allowing you to take him with you on the main Ronin Missions. Gonzo will prove to be a valuable ally on future missions as he is neutral in shogunate conflicts. This makes him available for most of the missions in Rise of the Ronin, which means you’ll be able to take him on almost any mission you encounter since he won’t have reason to abstain like other characters in the game.

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Although your main focus is to save Gonzo, killing him will also unlock some perks for you. You will be rewarded with the Jigen-Ryu stance for Nodachi weapons, one of Rise of the Ronin‘s Combat Styles, as well as another Oban and some equipment and Longhouse gear from your quest giver. By letting him live again, you and Gonzo work together to kill the quest-giver and his cronies, the Suspicious Looking Men. Completing this mission will give you the same rewards as the ones you get after killing him.

Rise of the Ronin is filled with adverse challenges, some of which are very difficult to overcome. Keeping an ally like Gonzo will help you overcome these challenges. Bonding with Gonzo will yield good rewards for you. You will be able to earn the Jigen-Ryu combat style and the Bandit Chief’s Odachi. Gonzo’s fighting skills and expertise with the Odachi will be a massive help in bringing down some of the fiercest enemies in the game.

Check out more of our Rise of the Ronin guides to make the right choices in the rest of your playthrough.

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