Onimusha: Warlords (2001)
Capcom's Sengoku Samurai Survival-Action Landmark and the PlayStation 2's First Million-Seller
Onimusha: Warlords is a 2001 Sengoku-era action-adventure produced by Keiji Inafune, directed by Jun Takeuchi, and written by Noboru Sugimura at Capcom for the PlayStation 2. Casting actor Takeshi Kaneshiro's likeness and voice as demon-slaying samurai Samanosuke Akechi against a resurrected Oda Nobunaga, it blended Resident Evil staging with elemental swordplay to become the first PS2 game to sell one million copies.
Sengoku Biohazard, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Demon Nobunaga
Originally pitched in 1997 by producer Keiji Inafune as a feudal ninja spin on Resident Evil for the Nintendo 64DD and original PlayStation before migrating to Sony's new console, Onimusha: Warlords opened at the 1560 Battle of Okehazama. When slain warlord Oda Nobunaga strikes a pact with subterranean Genma demons to rise from the grave, masterless samurai Samanosuke Akechi and kunoichi Kaede infiltrate Inabayama Castle to rescue Princess Yuki. In a landmark bridge between cinema and games, international film star Takeshi Kaneshiro provided full 3D facial scanning, motion capture, and Japanese voice work for Samanosuke alongside a sweeping 200-musician symphonic recording.
The Oni Gauntlet, Issen Counter-Slashes, and Million-Seller Impact
While retaining Resident Evil's atmospheric pre-rendered castle backdrops and puzzle-locked doors, director Jun Takeuchi shifted tension from ammunition scarcity to aggressive blade mastery. Bestowed with the mystical Oni Gauntlet, Samanosuke vacuumed glowing red, yellow, and blue souls mid-combat to forge three elemental weapons—lightning katana Raizan, flame broadsword Enryu, and wind glaive Shippu—while daring players risked instant-kill 'Issen' flashes triggered a fraction of a second before an enemy blow connected. Becoming the very first PlayStation 2 software title to clear one million sales—and accidentally inspiring Devil May Cry via a testing juggle bug—it launched a defining Capcom franchise.