Capcom released Onimusha: Way of the Sword on September 4 — the first mainline entry in the series since 2006. Eighteen years is a long time to wait for a sequel, and with the game still fresh in players’ hands, Capcom is wasting no time in building out its world. An official prequel webtoon has already launched, and it is free to read right now.
The comic, subtitled “Fated Rivalry”, was released in partnership with Laurel Pursuit — a US-based studio known for distributing the Dungeon Crawler Carl graphic novel and producing original webcomics including Defiance of the Fall. It picks up directly before the events of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, setting up the central conflict that drives the game’s story.
What “Fated Rivalry” Is About
The webtoon centres on Sasaki Ganryu — a swordsman obsessed with becoming the strongest in the world. His defining moment arrives in a duel against the wandering samurai Miyamoto Musashi, which ends in humiliating defeat. That loss consumes him, sending him on a bloody quest to reclaim his honour through obsession and increasingly extreme means.
“On his journey, he receives a mysterious artifact known as ‘The Oni Gauntlet’, that gives him a power no mortal blade could ever match. Hunting down ever-stronger foes has set him on a collision course to face off again against the only man who has ever bested him in battle.” — Official Webtoon synopsis
The artwork comes from webtoon creators jjolee, hilluhri, and BAEKSSE. The first chapter launched on Saturday 6 September and accumulated over 20,000 clicks within days of release. It carries a Mature 18+ content rating, in keeping with the action and themes of Onimusha: Way of the Sword itself.
Free to Read, New Chapter Every Saturday
The webtoon is available free of charge on Webtoon’s platform — a Webtoon account is required, but no payment is necessary. New chapters will continue to drop every Saturday, though Capcom and Laurel Pursuit have not confirmed how many chapters the full Fated Rivalry storyline will run.
For players who have already worked through the game, the comic offers a chance to revisit the Ganryu and Musashi rivalry from the beginning, filling in character background that the game’s opening only hints at. The Saturday release schedule keeps a steady drip of new content arriving throughout Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s early launch window — a smart way to sustain interest in a series making its return after a nearly two-decade absence.
The Long Road Back for Onimusha
The context makes the webtoon launch all the more interesting. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is the series’ first mainline game since Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams in 2006 — a gap of nearly twenty years. Capcom has successfully revived several dormant franchises in recent years, and Way of the Sword arrives with strong momentum: the game launched to positive reviews and quickly reached a significant player milestone in its opening days.
How to read it: Head to Webtoon, search for “Onimusha: Way of the Sword”, and create a free account if you do not already have one. Chapter 1 is live now, with new chapters every Saturday.
A companion webtoon expanding the Onimusha universe — arriving the same week as the game’s launch — suggests Capcom is serious about the series’ long-term future, not just a one-off revival. Whether Fated Rivalry eventually leads to a sequel discussion remains to be seen, but the infrastructure being built around Onimusha: Way of the Sword looks like more than a short-term campaign.
