Kyoto Imperial Palace Walkthrough — Great Nue, the Undodgeable Attack and Hina's Fate
Published 2026-09-09Updated 2026-09-187 min read
Complete Kyoto Imperial Palace walkthrough: unlock the parry-only boss mechanic against the Great Nue, mercy-kill Hina, and finish the Vengeance light side quest.
The Imperial Palace chapter is short on geography and heavy on story. One new combat mechanic, one gut-punch, and a side quest to close out.
Reaching the Palace Grounds
From the elevator, follow the road and activate the Palace Entrance save mirror almost immediately. Push through the corridor, clearing the small mobs, until you reach a wide open area. Kill everything there, cross the rooftop, and unlock the Oikeno Garden save mirror.
Rest, then walk forward — cutscene, and the boss gate drops.
Boss: Great Nue
The Great Nue is essentially a supersized Nue Beast with extra moves, so the base pattern is familiar. What's new is the fight's headline mechanic: undodgeable attacks. Certain swings cannot be dodged — perfect dodge and Issen are both off the table for them. Your only answers are the parry or deflect, so this fight is a forced crash course in defensive timing.
Difficulty remains moderate. One delightful detail: when you trigger the execution, choose the tail — it severs and drops beside you, and you can throw the tail at the beast's face afterward for bonus damage. A genuinely fun surprise buried in an execution prompt.
Hina
The victory cutscene delivers the chapter's blow: Minamoto no Yoshitsune has remade Hina into a monster, and neither Musashi nor Okuni can undo it. At Okuni's pleading, Musashi ends Hina's suffering. Another cutscene follows, granting Musashi a new Onimusha ability.
The Vengeance Light
The story auto-transports you to Murasaki Shikibu, unlocking the Komainu and Kyoto Tales collectibles. Progression now requires finishing the vengeance side quest first:
- Warp to Rakuto's Kiyomizu-zaka save mirror and speak to the boy in the street — his father vanished inside Kiyomizu-dera.
- Warp to Kiyomizu-dera's Sandō mirror and follow the guidance from the starting point to the temple. Entering triggers a cutscene.
- Continue to the second location for the reveal: the boy's uncle was murdered — by Sasaki Ganryu. Musashi promises revenge in his name.
That closes the side quest and the Murasaki Shikibu record. Return to Rokudochinno-ji to plan the next move with Ono no Takamura — and back into the field: Return to Rakuto.