Sekiro: Shadows Cry Twice ► Shura 

“one who kills excessively becomes a shura” And here I am spending 5 hours XP farming the same 5 red guard members

I love how the Shura path shortens the game and is relatively the easy way out. The right path is indeed always a perilous journey

Hidden Lore: The Demon Of Hatred’s fireball attack. Look closer. He’s actually throwing wooden Buddha statues.

I love how after you refuse to give Isshin your name, he just immediately starts calling you Wolf. Like, he knew who you were and who you worked for, he was just asking your name as a formality and you were just being a weirdo.

Isshin is kinda one of my favourite videogame characters ever. I appreciate how despite his obsession with war and swordplay, he's utterly disgusted by people who kill without reason, and it seems like his main objective in life at this point is to stop people from going down the path of bloodlust. And the Shura ending is so perfectly twisted, because in that one Isshin is unquestionably the good guy, trying desperately to stop you from going on a murderous rampage across Japan.

"Tell me your name!" Bro you're wearing a ninja mask and carrying a sword I dont wanna tell you my name

Never realized how much of Sekiro’s dialogue is just him repeating things that people say to him.

kuro: :u can't be shura Sekiro: : Observe

Tell me your name TELL ME YOUR NAME My name is GYOUBU MASATAKA ONIWAAAAA

Nalright, you've convinced me, I'll play it again. 🤷‍♂️

Isn't there a description in the Demon of Hatred memory that his manifestation is that of a "failed Shura" meaning, he became a demon but not a Shura? His chance to become a "true" Shura ended the moment he arm was severed. I believe Isshin mentions also how a Shura is something that kills for no reason but for the sake of it, for the pleasure of it. The Sculptor is consumed by hatred and rage but never seems to take any enjoyment from it. That he retains enough lucidity to thank you right after killing him indicates to me likewise. I look at Shura as the ultimate manifestation of evil in the game that can only happen to you. And the fact we get barely a glimpse of what you have/are about to become with only a narrated epilogue over a black screen describing the death toll and the continued rumors of a demon lurking the land tells me that what "Shura" is is something that's left to the imagination. For the Shura ending, everyone, Emma, Isshin, Owl seeing you after being impaled with your blade and Kuro, all call or cry out at you as "Shura!" very specifically. The Sculptor is a "mere" wrathful demon, one that has consumed him, a form which he cannot cease though we see the signs he does not want this (besides his last dying lines there's also stunning him using the Malcontent whistle on him). Shura has no remorse, purpose or feeling besides the desire to kill in cold blood, as many as possible, with the greatest means possible (you kill Owl and take the second Mortal Blade with you making you practically unstoppable). Shura is so terrible we're never meant to see or encounter it in its true incarnation, and the only character who can become one is you, should you choose to abandon your one purpose, the only thing that gave your incessant killings throughout the game any sort of meaning or reason, which is to serve and protect Kuro at all costs. Without that you're just another psychopathic killer and a perfect vessel for Shura.

After a few drinks and folks will spill out their life stories. Huh, relatable.

This ending was spine chilling, Ishin wasn't exaggerating in his warnings

I've literally beaten the Shura ending for the first time a couple of minutes ago, lmao.

I now understand why the whistle item stuns the rage demon, its the sound he used to hear in the valley.

Hope everyone enjoys the footage! It was always a real pleasure to work with this masterpiece :)

Disappointed that Isshin never taught us any water breathing techniques after killing the rats

i love this ending to bits the complete betrayal in kuros voice is heartbreaking, especially for the things you've done for each other. love this game to pieces

I'm surprised you didn't talk about the "classic" ending, where Sekiro loses his bond to the Heir, and so decides to carve Buddha too, to drive away the flames of Hatred, just like the Sculptor before him. Feels like it's a small part missing from the video. Great work though, obviously

Sekiro, Emma and Genichiro are literally protagonists in anime with similar back ground (all “cubs” found in battlefields) they each went on different paths and have their fate intertwined and the ending to each story depended on how you play the game.

"Words have meaning, but names have Power" Well I guess I'm pretty weak then.

Commenting before I can even watch the video. Hesitation is defeat.

I think you got one thing wrong here Vaati: In the Shura ending we do not kill for power like owl. When we kill Emma the short sequence we see of Sekiro shows us that after killing her he is smiling, something we never see him do before. That's when he starts to enjoy killing for the sake of it. It is also the same reason that owl is so surprised that you kill him and then afraid when he realizes you are becoming shura. Killing for power is not necessarily connected to hatred. As a matter of fact we do not know if owl regrets his deeds or if his lust for power outweighs his conscience and if you think about it, Isshin is not much different except for the fact that he kills for the power of his clan as a whole. In the end, by denying Sekiro a name or personality and giving him nothing but the ability to kill and the iron code to follow, owl created the perfect vessel for Shura. When he then revealed the iron code to be nothing but a tool to manipulate Sekiro and tried to use it to make him go against the divine heir (something that in itself contradicts the code) Sekiro takes comfort in the only thing he truly has - an unparalleled ability to kill. In the absence of a name or a sense of self Sekiro starts to construct these around this singular reason for his existence, literally becoming Shura in name and being. Unrelated: Why not do a Shura art competition? Artists would have to send in their versions of Sekiro after his transformation into Shura is complete and explain a bit about what he does and how he fights.

This video sounds so weird after playing through the game 3 times with Japanese voices xD

Tommorw is my wedding i'm supposed to be happy Vati: "uploads" Oh boy here comes the tears

This video won't make me cry Vaati: *You shura bout this?*

Sekiro's Shura has been so inspiring. I'm working on a story set in 1210 which includes poor and deprived veterans from a previous crusade overcome with trauma, desperation or out of simple greed pillage, drink and burn a falling empire. The concept of Shura really puts in perspective how at a time before psychology was understood war induced madness was perceived.

So isshin in his youth was totally a shonen protagonist right? Like he's kinda goku or luffy, loves drink, befriends all his enemies, only truly cares about perfecting his fighting style

We definitely could’ve had dlc, being involved around Sculptor in his prime and his partner, Tomoe, Dogen, and this Shura entity. Prime candidates for being main bosses. As for mini bosses, possibly more apparition types of enemies I’d like for these guys to be expanded upon, and the leader of the interior shinobi that was mentioned in the prayer beads, and mostly more non human type enemies.

In this ending, ironnically, i feel like Sekiro has the most happiness feeling out of all other endings. He is free from all the burdens, a burden to obey his father and his master, a burden to follow a moral code, and a burden to be in need for everyone. They all want to take advantages from him. I felt that while playing the game. The hatred glew inside him for a long time. It would make sense that he had enough. The way he opens his arm with his sword shows that he found his triump. The fire that slowly glows on him symbolizes his beginning of uncontrolable force that would erase everything

Still one of my favorite moments from this game is during the shura ending, after you kill Emma, you can see Wolf start to smile, just a badass villain

I know Vaati mentioned this in his earlier videos, but in the three story pagoda at Senpou Temple , right inside where you find the Senpou skill tree, pay attention to the statue. It’s left half is *missing an arm* , and is badly burnt till it’s midsection , and a creepy smile and glowing red eyes and a flaming background for the statue. It’s a nice case of foreshadowing the bad ending.

You feed my eternal hunger for lore. Yes..the lore..

TELL ME YOUR NAME! My name is... Shura- *Loyal Wolf, take my blood and live again.*

Ironic that Owl using Sekiro and training him to be selfless led to Owl’s downfall...

Vaati, did you read the manga SEKIRO, draw by Shin Yamamoto (Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter) and validated by Fromsoftware ? By now there is 3 chapters out. The manga tells the story of Hanbei the Undying. It shows his meeting with the scultor, talks about the interior minister and Ashina. I recommend it to have a better knowledge of the Lore

I wrote a little something about the Sculptor after killing him and reading up related lore. Made me feel like Miyazaki in his youth. It assumes a few things, but please humor me, i'm putting it up here for you all to read. Once the Sculptor was a shinobi, who went by the name Shoujou. He had just lost a dear friend to a fierce beast that would not die. To fill the void in his heart and quell the embers of rage, he rescued a starving orphan from the battlefield. With no place to go, she was left in the care of another good friend, Dogen. Raising the child--now named Emma--proved to be a handful for even the Great Doctor. This left his fellow physician, Dosaku, in dire need of assistance, for their clan--the Ashina--was constantly at war, and they sought any means to gain power. Dosaku demanded that Shoujou aid him in his research, and so the shinobi accepted. Little did he know that the procedure would forever change him. The mad physician imparted to him Red Eyes that brought on visions of great flames, covering all the land. At first he felt fear, but from then on, the thrill and fun of killing took root, ever gnawing at the back of his mind. Medicinal agents he had imbibed in the process seethed from his body as an inexhaustible heat sprung forth deep inside. He was consumed, and so ran amok as a pink ogre, well on the path to becoming Shura. This forced the clan leader, Isshin Ashina, into action. With a sword wreathed in fire, he 'killed' Shura, and saved Shoujou, but at the cost of his arm. Upon his victory, Isshin spread his knowledge as a proclamation, and would return to fire, should Shura arise once more. For his crimes, Dosaku was executed and forgotten, but not before leaving his teachings to his last student, Doujun, who went on to pursue further research into the Red Eyes and create more ogres to fight on Ashina's behalf. And for his part in the disaster, the shinobi, now named Sekijou, was confined to the dungeon. Though unlike Dosaku, Sekijou still found a friend in Dogen, who crafted for him a prosthetic arm. But the arm was a fang, which greatly leant itself to the ways of killing. Much to his dismay, Sekijou became a better killer yet even as he languished in confinement. And so did the flames that haunted him swell evermore in his heart. What's more, his good friend, Dogen, fell ill as a result of all his efforts put into the prosthetic contraption and his responsibilities to the clan. And when the good doctor finally passed away, Sekijou left all his shinobi tools to the Ashina and its allies before going on pilgrimage to Mount Kongou. There at Senpou Temple, he learned to carve the Buddha, perhaps to find some enlightenment. But the sculptures he could carve only showed faces of wrath, belying the truth in his heart. Both his lust for killing and the flames of hatred were slowly catching onto him, he could tell. He tried settling at Hirata in secret, as a seeming harmless, cynical old man living in the lower estate. But Owl's betrayal helped set the place ablaze and only fueled his visions of flame. With nowhere to go, Sekijou exiled himself to the Dilapidated Temple at the Ashina Outskirts where he became the Sculptor. But even then, Fate promised him no sanctuary in quiet exile, for the Sculptor yet had much to do. He rescued the rogue shinobi, Sekiro, when his master was taken. He gave him his fang, now well-worn and stained with blood yet still impeccably maintained. He aided him in his mission by installing both old and new shinobi tools. Fate had more in store as well, for it impelled the Interior Ministry to strike when illness took the mighty Isshin, and with them, they brought great swathes of flame. The temptation proved too much to bear, and the Sculptor knew there was no turning back. He could no longer keep the flames in check. On the eve of the Interior Ministry's attack, he tells Sekiro to go all out before leaving for the battlefield. But rather than become Shura, the flames of resentment and rage overcome the thrill and fun of killing. There on the battlefield, he becomes the Demon of Hatred, spreading flame with each swing of his spectral left arm. Though in the end, his aid ultimately proves instrumental in turning Sekiro into a master of shinobi masters. Sekiro even makes use of his dear friend's finger whistle which takes the demon by surprise with its melancholic tune. After a great deal of effort, the shinobi pushes the demon to the brink, giving his last shreds of humanity a chance to plead for the mercy of death. And when Sekiro hesitates before the final moment, he lends the shinobi a hand, lifting him high for the killing blow. Sekiro plunges his blade, Kusabimaru, into the demon's skull for the final time, and with deep gratitude, the Sculptor thanks him. In the end, he finds peace in the ashes of his flames.

Both adopted from battlefield, wolf and Emma have very different life path. While Emma had a happy memory with sculptor, Ishin and others, wolf was like known by no one and knew no one, though his father owl was familiar with ishin and others

Why do I love this story archetype? The “Hulk Complex” The fear of a man losing himself to his own might.

The sculptor's lore really hits me in the feels. A kind, compassionate man trying his best to be a good person while also being conflicted by his dark thoughts and inner demons and trying to keep them in check. I can relate to that so much.

This game was phenomenal. My favorite of 2019.

i got my exams in 5 hours and vaati decided to post a new video. i guess i'll die twice today. thanks, vaati!

Wolf is an incredibly austare character. His clothes are plain. He speaks plainly and rarely, hardly emoting when he does. He shows no particular like for anything in particular. We never see him smile. His entire world is defined by duty until Owl makes him choose between the Iron Code and his loyalty and love for Kuro. The thing is, he breaks the code regardless of our choice. Either way, he can't bear the Iron Code any longer. He either chooses to abandon it for Kuro's sake or in obeying Owl he finally surrenders to bloodlust. The most affecting part of the Shura ending for me isn't Wolf's killing of Ishin or Owl or even the moment he kills Ema. It's the scene right afterword. For the first and to my recollection only time, we see Wolf smile. It's chilling.

one of the aspect I find the most interesting about the Demon of Hatred is its melee head attack. It's almost like it's angry at itself or holds itself responsible for something it regrets

I think Kingfisher was more than just a training partner for Sculptor. I think he actually loved her. The way he talks of her just makes it difficult to not feel, what he felt for her.

A true masterpiece. I don’t know if anything will ever top Sekiro, but man Eldin Ring is gonna be bonkers

This was a mesmerizing look into the relationships between the main cast. Beautifully fleshes out the world as always.

I'm loving the little details and connections attached to Sekijo. I want a DLC all about him.

Sekiro is my favourite from software game and it definitely deserved the GOTY. It is somewhat underrated by most of the people ,mainly dark souls and Bloodborne fans.

your videos continue to be so much more than simple lore videos, they're cinematic, creative, dramatic, well structured and just straight up beautiful. thank you for being you.

I just recently found your channel, and wanted to point out such great editing job you do with these videos. Really good stuff man!

"you know, you know who that one-armed demon was" me: yes sekiro: no me: :(

i love the way you use the voices + music it really sets the tone right

Sejiro was genuinely my favorite character and boss in Sekiro. I loved the build up to it all.

I like how you use the words like our, us, and we in this. Makes me feel like we are all a part of this amazing story in a way.

I already know all of this, I've played this game countless times and yet I keep watching your videos, they are so well constructed, the music, the writing, the editing, everything. It's simply amazing

Again LADY MARIA PREPARE TO CRYYYY WHEN OR LUDWIG PREPARE TO CRY

The only thing worse than a murderous psychopath, is an immortal murderous psychopath in the possession of the two weapons that can kill him.

Your lore videos are the best around, if it is prepare to cry or seemingly lore you make more points of view and that VaatiVidya is a great way of Story telling

I love Sekiro so much. This did make me cry. Thank you for doing these.

Man finally killing Ishin was one of the best feelings a game had ever given me. Few games make your heart thump like Sekiro did. This reminded me of how much I miss that.

Just as I think I've ran RU-vid dry this juicer pops up which I'll probably watch 667 times

please do more. ive loved the prepare to cry series in the past but sekiro is just such a beautifully told story it needs someone who truly cares to tell it.

I’ve been wondering about Shura for awhile so I’m glad you made this video and cleared things up for me

I have one arm (no left arm) and finishing this game was my proudest gaming achievement. I felt like it was made for me.

This is one of my favorite games ever, beacuse it's so subtle in it's lore and the gameplay as many things that you find in in the souls series. The way you start the game losing and arm to make you know that the character is going to need to get used to his new condition lets you, the player insert as "The Wolf". Picture being a skilled warrior, who was indoctrinated by another skilled warrior, violence and killing it's the stuff that you are good at, loosing an arm means the way you fight it's going to change, that explains the feeling of sucking so much at the start of the game. Here comes the best part, this game was really hard for most people, it can make you feel as warrior that needs to "begin again", you could either give up or ninja your way trough it, you start to get better at it, the challenge it's really fun, then you find an enemy that gives you trouble, you can grind to beat it, find a way to cheese it, or ninja your way trough it again. Grinding implies killing a lot of people inside the game, cheesing implies that you got some special info. Due to some bullshit, to this day I havn't finished this masterpiece, I wasn't strong enough to rid sekijo of his pain...

Geez Vaati. Every video gets even more amazing. And the ParryGod images are incredible as well. Congrats.

I love your series on sekiro. You really did a great job to make us understand and appreciate the lore and work behind sekiro. Kudos!

Thanks for clarifying an aspect of the game i never really understood!

"Would you cut a bloody path through your foes, giving no heed to temperance or mercy??" "Shura."

You make the game story even more beautiful, makes me appreciate the art, story, and concept more.

Your Sekiro content is fantastic. Makes me appreciate sekiro even more. Sekiro was my first from game and now I'm diving into souls and bloodborne and look forward to watching all your videos on those games as well

“ and one day he stuck his crystal halberd in her gaping dragon” -Vaati 2013

10:50 This picture right here is enough to make the Shura ending my favorite, and I've only gotten half the endings. That picture is actually my home screen. My lock screen is from the cutscene between the Emma and Isshin fight, and I just tossed an Instagram filter on it because when I took a picture of it the quality dropped a bit.

Your talent for telling the many stories within Sekiro is unmatched. And appreciated.

You make these stories so beautiful with these cinematics, love your videos

tell me your name, *TELL* *ME* *YOUR* *NAME* ! Overall I think they did a pretty good job with the English dub, but I prefer the Japanese one...for authenticity sake.

I’d like to know more about the “true sculpture” the one who carved the kind Buddha. I feel that the sculpture sacrificed himself as an offering to hold on to the hatred of war. Not becoming shura fully, but taking on the consequences of the sins he committed, containing the demon within.

I am really glad that you finally released a Sekiro video again! I believe there is still a lot more to explore!

Wow you way of explaining and and your scene and music choices are just amazing. I really enjoyed watching the video more then playing the game

Another great video Vaati! I wish you would have talked about how Isshin used the Flames of Hatred to his advantage to defeat Shura though. That's one of my favorite details from the game.

11:01 i freaking love that pose that he makes it's so cool

i tried the audiobook about ikigai, and i have to thank you. it genuinely changed my life. enjoying the small things in life for the sake of doing them is such an enjoyable way of living. your recommendations never cease to amaze!

I’ve been waiting for this video for SOOO LONG. Thank you vaati ❤️

That was your best video yet! I already really enjoyed Sekiro's story, but I missed much of the backstory of the Sculptor and the prosthetic arm, and it was a very effective tale, especially given the parallels drawn between the Wolf and Emma. It is a shame such dialogue is missable with the whole sake mechanic - I really wish From weren't so obscure in their storytelling, because the stories and characters are usually very compelling, but having to put them together like a mosaic is frustrating. I think that whole approach really hamstrings their storytelling, because whilst such archaeology is fine for smaller attentuating details or 'lore' if you will, for main character beats it doesn't work well at all. We can't all be expected to play through the game multiple times just to hear a few extra lines of nonetheless telling dialogue, and though I certainly appreciate all the work Vaati does to do the heavy-lifting for us, we shouldn't be learning this stuff on RU-vid but in the game itself in an organic way! When you put all these details together, Sekiro had one of the best stories in games last year, but very few people (beyond this channel) are talking about it on a narrative level because of how disparate its storytelling is. That being said, Sekiro was definitely a step in the right direction, with a much more discernible main plot and characters, but I really do hope Elden Ring (especially with all the GRRM detail) is even less obtuse; Miyazaki's work deserves better.

I can't shake the thought that Mako would've been amazing as Ishin Ashina. Rest in Peace Mako.

What a construction! This video is a masterpiece, the music, camera angles, everything

Thank you for the video. I was hoping that you would make a video about shura, so this makes me very happy

Shura is also the buddhist hell that awaits warriors, even though in many noh dramas the ghost that is supposed to be in shura actually wanders the earth and sometimes has visions of the battle he died in, as if hell was in his mind

I know one of the major complaints about the story is Sekiro's "lack of emotion" in his voice acting but that final "yes" when he tells the old maiden that he knew the demon of hatred is just too powerful. You can hear in his voice how hurt he is to have lost essentially a father figure. Twice now that I think about it since he learns owl betrayed him and now his new more caring father figure had to be put down. His simple "yes" response has just the slightest undertone of pain which is big considering shinobi rarely if ever are supposed to show emotion

11:00 so that looks amazing! You out did yourself with this one Vaati!

These documentary depictions are really awesome, deepens the understandings of the story expanded.

*Sees that this video was uploaded 19 minutes ago* *Knows that I've already been defeated* Hesitation is defeat

I absolutely love fromsoftware and their ability to tell such detailed story. Without the likes of you Vaati, these stories would be lost to 99% of the players and for that i thank you 🙌

I've beaten every ending on the same character, and I've never heard that bit of dialogue between the Sculptor and Emma about his flames. One of the main reasons I love your videos, I almost always learn something new. Thank you and keep up the great work, it's much appreciated.

Enjoyed your video, as always. Being informed is one thing, being provided with your wisdom is priceless. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Finally finished Sekiro and watched all these videos. GG. I don't think it needs DLC.

Ever since I beat the Demon of Hatred, I've been desperately waiting for this video to be released. Thank you!

Here is is the VaatiVidya video I've been waiting for and amazing as usual :)

that ad at the end had such good shots that i was still watching it and not filled with shura