Onimusha: Way of the Sword's developers have claimed it took two years to get permission to use the likeness of Japanese acting legend Toshiro Mifune as the main character of the game.
Capcom decided to use The Game Awards 2024 to revive long-dormant franchises with both Onimusha and Okami being announced for revivals. And since then we've seen a good chunk of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, with a trailer in February revealing that its main character Miyamoto Musashi will feature the likeness of Toshiro Mifune; the star of classic Akira Kurosawa films like Rashomon, Yojimbo, and Seven Samurai who died in 1997, aged 77.
Speaking to Game Watch (translated via Automaton and machine translation) the game's producer Akihito Kadowaki revealed that the team decided to work on a new Onimusha game at the beginning of 2020. Meanwhile, the game's director, Satoru Nihei, revealed he came upon the idea of featuring Mifune as the protagonist when trying to visualize "what it is about samurai that makes them actually cool."
Kadowaki revealed that after the decision was made to go for Mifune, discussions with Mifune Productions to negotiate the likeness rights took around two years, with it finally being set in stone in 2022.
And while this won't be the first time Mifune is cast as Musashi – previously playing the role in 1954's Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto – Kadowaki notes that the intent isn't to have Mifune be the "star" of the game, but rather that his appearance and mannerisms fit the character Capcom is trying to create which was "a samurai full of humanity".
Capcom actually hinted at this game years ago, as it released an Onimusha anime series on Netflix in 2023, which featured Miyamoto Musashi with the likeness of Mifune, a whole year and change before the new Onimusha game was even announced.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword looks like an incredible PS2 throwback in all the right ways, but with a modern feel and a swaggering protagonist I already love.
