History Fridge / SekiroShadowsDieTwice

** Related to that, [[spoiler:the Guardian Ape having a second phase at all has a couple of clues, especially one outside of the game. First, most bosses have either more than one health bar or have more than one phase, so the Guardian Ape having only one health bar should be your first clue. Second, he's already got a large sword stuck in the middle of his neck, which is later used to decapitate him. You might ignore this at first because it indicates he's resilient, but the sword not bothering him enough to just leave it in his throat is your next clue. Third, you can potentially encounter the Headless before encountering the Guardian Ape, and infested immortal enemies exist, which you can also encounter before facing him. Finally, many FromSoftware games '''do not''' show decapitations and the process of it onscreen; all of the ones that do occur happen offscreen, so while there is a shock factor of having one shown at all, FromSoftware does not do that unless there is something '''very important''' as to why they're showing one now. Hence, decapitating the Guardian Ape as the finishing move should clue you in that he has a second phase as a headless enemy.]]

* WebVideo/NoahCaldwellGervais's [[https://youtu.be/hPRo4arGaSk?t=8480 video essay]] on this game posits a pretty good theory on why Senpou Temple betrayed Buddhist ideals, in part by citing the "[[https://sekiroshadowsdietwice.wiki.fextralife.com/Holy+Chapter:+Infested Holy Chapter: Infested]]" document [[note]]''""For an age, I have been blessed by the worm. To be undying is to walk the eternal path to enlightenment, thus I must become enlightened to understand why I cannot die."''[[/note]]. In essence, the monks were engaging in some incredible amounts of InsaneTrollLogic -- if continual reincarnation is a sign of failing to reach enlightenment, then, by that logic, does immortality mean one no longer reincarnates and is thus the closest to enlightenment one can ever be? Their search for immortality is an attempt to take a religious shortcut and get one over Buddha.

** Also, the monkeys act inversely to their roles in the proverb. Instead of covering its eyes "the seeing monkey" sees far, instead of covering its mouth the "speaking monkey" shouts loudly, instead of covering its ears the "hearing monkey" listens intently, and instead of... doing no evil(?), the "fourth monkey" calls in apparations to hurt you. By killing them, you return the proverb to its original order and are allowed to pass.

** Also, if you let the Ashina and Ministry troops duke it out without getting involved, the Ministry's forces virtually always come out on top; even the miniboss-tier Ashina Generals will usually lose in a 1v1 against Lone Shadows and Red Guard samurai commanders. This backs up the desperation expressed by Ashina troops prior to the Ministry invading, showing why such desperate and blasphemous countermeasures were pursued.

* You can actually track Sekiro's growing skill by how he draws his sword before each fight with Genichiro. In the beginning, Sekiro is still very rusty and unused to Kusabimaru — you can actually see him misjudge the height of the sword's grip on his waist as he feels it out with his pinkie finger before drawing. By the time the second battle atop the Castle Tower Outlook occurs, Sekiro has accrued some experience; this is matched by his slow, methodical draw, showing an awareness of the sword but also a lack of confidence to use it without hesitation. At the very end, Sekiro has become a master ninja; appropriately, he draws Kusabimaru without needing to check or wait, and is able to assume a combat ready stance immediately.
* The Sakura tree in Fountainhead Palace is called the Everblossom. Sakura trees in real life only blossom for a week each year, and are symbols of passing beauty and accepting that things are impermanent. The Everblossom, on the other hand, blooms forever, due to the healing fountain waters. Much like how the land has been affected by the waters, these trees represent a beautiful corruption of the proper nature of things.
* The Tengu of Ashina appears to have a very low opinion of Shinobi, going by his insulting description of how they "die nameless and with no-one to mourn them." This is a little odd, considering that [[spoiler:he is actually Isshin Ashina, and the Ashina Clan employed quite a few Shinobi of their own]]. However, consider that [[spoiler:literally every single named Shinobi in the game wound up flatly betraying, or otherwise turning on, the Ashina Clan, including Wolf himself]]. Small surprise that he doesn't like them!

* We never do see what Wolf's Shura form would look like; it's only hinted at by the appearance of the Demon of Hatred, who was a 'failed' Shura. One would assume, however, that he'd still be reasonably close to the real thing. The Demon of Hatred is the demon form of the Sculptor, who, like many characters in the game, has an AnimalMotif: he is strongly associated with the orangutan. The demon, possibly as a result, resembles a giant great ape with orange fur. If Wolf's Shura form followed along the same lines, you'd presumably get a giant black demonic wolf... AKA, the Beast of Darkness from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', who represents the protagonist's violent instincts and bloodlust, making it a perfect visage for a Shura Wolf. Note that From Software had expies of that monster in both of its previous games (the Watchdog of the Old Lords in ''Bloodborne'' and Sulyvahn's Beasts in ''Dark Souls 3'').

* A bit of physics here: why you can catch Lightning in midair without suffering heavy damage and receiving shock status? The reason why lightning can damage you is not from hitting your body, but by traveling through your body and damaging whatever it passes through; in this case, to the ground when you are on the surface. Staying in the air will prevent the lightning from doing so, as the air is not a very good conductor compared to the ground, Sekiro is essentially catching the lightning into his sword and you expel the lightning before you touch the ground. You will also take damage from lightning in Fountainhead Palace from Okami Leader Shizu even if you dive into the lake, as the tainted water of Fountainhead Palace is also a rather good conductor (unless you could somehow dive deep enough).

** Malnutrition: Remember how the Owl picked Sekiro up amidst the battlefield? He was just a boy back then, and judging from his appearance, one can make assumption that Sekiro was born into poverty, that his real parents died to the bloody wars during Sengoku era, and proper meals would just be luxury for him. [[note]]This era was also very infamous due to the fact that very poor peasant families could not support raising kids and thus had to abandon them to death in the wilderness, and it would not be a surprise to see Sekiro himself that way, and that a stroke of luck barely kept him alive.[[/note]] The Owl himself was not exactly a loving and caring parental figure either, as there are instances that the Owl deliberately left Sekiro to starvation to make him learn how to survive. As he did not have enough nutrients to support his growth, it's not surprising to see Sekiro himself so small in stature after a childhood and adolescence suffering from malnutrition.

* Why did the [[spoiler: Headless Ape vanish from its watering hole when Wolf first vanquished it? Well, as a fellow immortal being, it did what Wolf does when killed for a second time in a row; it ''returns to its safe zone''. After all, the watering hole isn't the Ape's home; it's its Den in the Ashina Depths, as demonstrated by the name itself and the bones of its mate. Sure, it may have smashed through the Clansmen towers to get there, but that's not to say it didn't appear ''somewhat'' close. And heck, it may have just ventured out to get rid of the interlopers.]]

** Well, according to those still alive and notes and descriptions found in game. The local people found the local black sap from the trees to be sacred. However, the aforementioned drugs and poison made everyone afraid of fire and, since the sap burns for a very long time, they grew to hate it. Anyone who held on to the traditions involving the sap may be but a few of the victims in the pond. It couldn't account for all of them, but you realize just how full Ashina is of curses, demons, monsters, madman, undead, and, most of all, corpses, a great many of which were discarded and never given a proper burial. Just trying to count all of the ones displayed that you didn't personally make would take hours or even days. [[spoiler:And in the worst ending, literally everyone in Ashina is murdered by a demon possessed Wolf.]] Ashina can just NOT get a break. At the very least, a thorough player can get a very good ending and kill all of the cursed and undead monsters they find, but Buddha alone knows how many undead and curses the current round of war will create.
* An underwater area of Senpou Temple is full of Buddhist statues. This isn't uncommon as flawed or broken statues are often tossed aside. However, all the statues down there are intact and the hole seems like it was deliberately made, not caused by a sink hole or being part of a flooded inhabited area as there's no exits except for the top. It seems like the monks didn't just [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis become their own antithesis]], but have rejected the Buddha entirely. While some Buddhists do believe in demi-gods and demons, they usually pray to Buddha or some kind of guardian. Given that you can catch some of the monks in prayer and see how far they have fallen, just what sort of creature are they praying to? The white snakes would be a good guess, but there's nothing to suggest this. However, there's plenty of evidence that they love centipedes which have a pretty negative connotation in Buddhist mythology.
* Even if Genichiro had succeeded in stealing the Dragon's Heritage, he would not have been able to save Ashina; such immortality may come in handy against the Interior Ministry, but it would have almost certainly resulted in spreading Dragonrot across Ashina lands at an unprecedented rate, especially if the Dragon's Heritage was somehow given to multiple Ashina warriors, all of them inevitably dying and coming back to life as they fought an entire opposing army.
* The Interior Ministry's invasion of Ashina may seem very conveniently timed, almost suspiciously so at first glance, to Isshin's Death. This seems much more realistic when you consider that the Interior Ministry had already infiltrated Ashina, based on the presence of a Lone Shadow miniboss in the first clear of Ashina Castle. Isshin was their greatest enemy, and even on his deathbed was a nightmare as the tengu. The Ministry was likely just waiting for Isshin to die to launch their attack. Isshin was quite literally the only thing keeping Ashina safe.

** Related to that, in order to develop the Prosthetic Art technique, one has to refine the tools and master them through killing. By the time when the Sculptor developed the Living Force technique, where one imbues their sword with a flame, he has killed too many, and the flames of hatred has begun to corrupt him [[spoiler:until he [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie becomes the Demon of Hatred]]]]. Likewise, when you need experience to level up, you have to [[LevelGrinding go out of your way to slaughter everything on your path]], essentially walking the same path as the Sculptor. By the time when you have obtained the Sparkling Axe, Leaping Axe, Okinaga's Flame Vent and Living Force, [[PlayingWithFire all of which involves the use of flames]], your movesets have become unnervingly similar to the [[spoiler:fiery Demon of Hatred]]. [[spoiler:At this point, what makes you different from the Sculptor? And what stops you from [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie sharing the same fate as him]] when your lust for blood and power is left unchecked?]]

* For those who don't expect [[spoiler:the attack on Ashina Castle]], the results might be kinda horrifying to you since you're the one who murdered his way through a lot of Ashina's men and resources. However, that part isn't really your fault, as Kuro tells Genchiro to not use his blood and warned that his servant would murder everyone in his way to rescue him. In fact, given how good Wolf is and the factor of his immortality, it would have saved Genchiro a lot of problems had he recruited you to go soften up the [[spoiler:Interior Ministry]] instead. Had you killed your way through the [[spoiler:Lone Shadow bosses (who supposedly coordinated the attack)]] first and not gone out and killed everything up to, and including, [[spoiler:the ''gods'' of Ashina]], things may turned out very differently. Given all of that and everyone's pride in Ashina, it's not surprising that Wolf [[spoiler:[[BrainwashedAndCrazy goes]] [[DemonicPossession insane]] and murders literally everyone in Ashina in one ending]].
* Mibu Village. First of all, there's a shadowy noble obscuring the whole valley in front of it in mist that brings back the ghosts of the dead and a Headless who resides there who seems to be unrelated to the curse. There's a ghost of a woman searching for a lost lover. [[note]]That or she's a stalker given that he never returned her notes, but maybe he was dead or otherwise incapable of responding. It should be noted that she's based off a ''Film/KillBill'' character.[[/note]] You find out that the whole village was corrupted by a, well, corrupted monk, there's another monk who is addicted to the mind altering sake they have, and there's poison being flooded into the village's water supply. However, the fridge part comes in with the ghosts, illusions, and corpses that just endlessly pop out of the ground. If you dive under the water, there's literally a hundred (if not hundreds) of corpses down there all buried upside down. Not only is the water poisoned and drugged, it's just straight up ''cursed'' as well. Worst of all, that village couldn't possibly have supported that many people unless there are more houses hidden somewhere. Just where did all those bodies come from?

** Malnutrition: Remember how the Owl picked Sekiro up amidst the battlefield? He was just a boy back then, and judging from his appearance, one can make assumption that Sekiro was born into poverty, that his real parents died to the bloody wars during Sengoku era, and proper meals would just be luxury for him. [[note]]This era was also very infamous due to the fact that very poor peasant families could not support raising kids and thus had to abandon them to death in the wilderness, and it would not be a surprise to see Sekiro himself that way, and that a stroke of luck barely kept him alive.[[/note]] The Owl himself was not exactly a loving and caring parental figure either, as there are instances that the Owl deliberately left Sekiro to starvation to make him learn how to survive. As he did not have enough nutrients to support his growth, it's not surprising to see Sekiro himself so small in stature after a childhood and adolescence suffering from malnutrition.
** Shinobi training: Sekiro's fighting style is very agile and acrobatic, and can perform many very complex Shinobi moves and combat arts, thus having extra fat or dead weight can potentially ruin his shinobi career. Malnutrition is not a good thing, but perhaps it would be better that way for a Shinobi. Most ninjas Sekiro encounters are not that well-built either, like the Lone Shadows (they are taller than Wolf but not more muscular than him) or Nightjar ninja (like Sekiro, they are very agile and swift). Compared to some Samurais that are well-fed due to their family origin, the difference is very clear.
* The Living Force skill applies the effects of either the Flame Vent or Divine Abduction to Kusabimaru for up to 8 seconds. The only exception is the Lazulite Sacred Flame, which lasts for 20. Why the difference? The answer lies in the item and skill descriptions. Living Force states, "The Sculptor retired the Shinobi Prosthetic after developing this technique. He'd gone too far, killed too many. The flames of hatred had begun to manifest..." The Lazulite Sacred Flame's description states, "The sacred lapis lazuli fires are divine. Cleanse the deep-seated hatred with flame." Given that you can only acquire this tool on a non-Shura route (as lapis lazuli is only found in Fountainhead Palace or dropped by the Demon of Hatred), this means that Wolf overcame his hatred and perfected the tool and its technique in a way the Sculptor never could.
* Seems like a bit of a coincidence and a leap in logic for the sword lodged in the Guardian Ape's neck to be large enough for the massive animal to use for itself but then it hit me that we've seen firsthand a massive sword like that one being used; by Owl himself. After all, his sword is as long as Wolf is tall, just like the one in the Ape. And since it's implied the rogue shinobi Kingfisher is the one to have wounded the Ape before being killed by it, it means that swords like that are common to shinobi, at least extra-large ones.
* Why did the [[spoiler: Headless Ape vanish from its watering hole when Wolf first vanquished it? Well, as a fellow immortal being, it did what Wolf does when killed for a second time in a row; it ''returns to its safe zone''. After all, the watering hole isn't the Ape's home; it's its Den in the Ashina Depths, as demonstrated by the name itself and the bones of its mate. Sure, it may have smashed through the Clansmen towers to get there, but that's not to say it didn't appear ''somewhat'' close. And heck, it may have just ventured out to get rid of the interlopers.]]

* In the ''Immortal Severance'' ending, [[spoiler:Sekiro would take up the profession of the Sculptor with Emma, who returns his prosthetic to him, believing that a shinobi will seek strength, just as he once did. However, there is a darker interpretation about taking up the Sculptor's place: Sekiro would be gradually plagued by the very same karmic debt and wrath haunting the Sculptor until he gets consumed by his wrath. You don't just become the Sculptor, you become the next ''[[AndThenJohnWasAZombie Demon of Hatred]]'', and this ViciousCycle would go on forever.]]

* To reach the Shura ending, you have to confirm abandoning Kuro twice. Why is that? Firstly, it is a checkpoint to stop the players from accidentally choosing the route they ''don't wish'' to choose, as an impatient player would probably repeatedly press Enter to skip the dialog and suddenly choose the first option when the dialog pops up (Shura's ending is the first choice). If you accidentally chose the first option and realized you have messed up your route, you have a second chance to choose it again (if you committed to either route, you would not be able to go to another route by dying to either Owl or Emma/Isshin to reload the game). And finally, it takes guts (and not in a good way) [[MoralEventHorizon to do something so inhumane, so immoral]]: to abandon Kuro in compliance with the Iron Code and thus, become the Shura itself.

** The same also applies when Sekiro is present with the option to give back Kuro's charm. It takes resolve to voluntarily accept further hardships that are long held back by the charm.
* As detailed under GameplayAndStorySegregation, [[spoiler:the Black Mortal Blade should be able to nullify Sekiro's Resurrection ability; however, during the third fight with Genichiro, Sekiro can resurrect himself even if Genichiro slays Wolf with the Mortal Blade. A possible explanation: while both Mortal Blades have similar abilities, they also have some differences. The description of the crimson sword explicitly says that it is "capable of slaying the undying", and that it "will take the life of any who dares draw it"; meanwhile, the Black Scroll explains that the black sword can "open a gate to the underworld", and that "it is through this power that it creates life". In two endings, Sekiro uses the crimson sword to kill an immortal being and turn a second one into a mortal; in the final battle before those endings, Genichiro uses the black sword to resurrect Isshin. The Crimson Mortal Blade is connected to death; the Black Mortal Blade is connected to life. So, it's possible that the Black Mortal Blade, while being capable of wounding immortals like Kuro or Sekiro, cannot permanently kill them, while the Crimson one can]].
** Another explanation: Sekiro and Kuro can only be killed permanently by performing a ritual with special objects: Kuro needs the Dragon's Tear and Sekiro himself needs the Everblossom to sever the immortal ties between them. Without those items, they cannot be killed, even with a Mortal Blade.
* Wolf ends up making himself have a very MeaningfulName over the course of the game. Wolf serves a child with utmost respect and loyalty and shows just as much loyalty to his allies; he's the PapaWolf of a pack and fighting tooth and nail against everything to protect them, and in the game's bad ending, [[spoiler:he forsakes this and goes mad as a result; packless lone wolves have been observed in real life suffering psychological issues]]. Also, notice how he deathblows almost every enemy in the game; he stabs them in the neck. Just like a real wolf, he goes for the throat when he kills. Also compare the last point to Owl, who [[spoiler:deathblows Wolf]] by pinning him down before stabbing him in the torso — like an Owl subduing and finishing off swooped prey; Lady Butterfly uses her unmatched mobility to dance around and pounce her enemy from above, and conjures phantom warriors, just like her Japanese namesake (Phantom Butterfly); The Sculptor (Sekijo) fights like a large ape or monkey, albeit only shown in his demon form; and it seems to establish a running theme that the Shinobi assassinate like the animals they're named after.
* We never do see what Wolf's Shura form would look like; it's only hinted at by the appearance of the Demon of Hatred, who was a 'failed' Shura. One would assume, however, that he'd still be reasonably close to the real thing. The Demon of Hatred is the demon form of the Sculptor, who, like many characters in the game, has an AnimalMotif: he is strongly associated with the orangutan. The demon, possibly as a result, resembles a giant great ape with orange fur. If Wolf's Shura form followed along the same lines, you'd presumably get a giant black demonic wolf... AKA, the Beast of Darkness from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', who represents the protagonist's violent instincts and bloodlust, making it a perfect visage for a Shura Wolf. Note that From Software had expies of that monster in both of its previous games (the Watchdog of the Old Lords in ''Bloodborne'' and Sulyvahn's Beasts in ''Dark Souls 3'').

* A bit of physics here: why you can catch Lightning in midair without suffering heavy damage and receiving shock status? The reason why lightning can damage you is not from hitting your body, but by traveling through your body and damaging whatever it passes through; in this case, to the ground when you are on the surface. Staying in the air will prevent the lightning from doing so, as the air is not a very good conductor compared to the ground, Sekiro is essentially catching the lightning into his sword and you expel the lightning before you touch the ground. You will also take damage from lightning in Fountainhead Palace from Okami Leader Shizu even if you dive into the lake, as the tainted water of Fountainhead Palace is also a rather good conductor (unless you could somehow dive deep enough).

* Of the bosses with multiple health bars, there are two that don't display their second health-bar. Why is this? Well, [[spoiler:Lady Butterfly]] is a MasterOfIllusion, so for the first phase, you were merely FightingAShadow while they observed. And as for [[spoiler:Guardian Ape]], he ''did'' only have one health bar, [[spoiler:and it's the parasite possessing his headless body that has the second]].
** Related to that, [[spoiler:the Guardian Ape having a second phase at all has a couple of clues, especially one outside of the game. First, most bosses have either more than one health bar or have more than one phase, so the Guardian Ape having only one health bar should be your first clue. Second, he's already got a large sword stuck in the middle of his neck, which is later used to decapitate him. You might ignore this at first because it indicates he's resilient, but the sword not bothering him enough to just leave it in his throat is your next clue. Third, you can potentially encounter the Headless before encountering the Guardian Ape, and infested immortal enemies exist, which you can also encounter before facing him. Finally, many FromSoftware games '''do not''' show decapitations and the process of it onscreen; all of the ones that do occur happen offscreen, so while there is a shock factor of having one shown at all, FromSoftware does not do that unless there is something '''very important''' as to why they're showing one now. Hence, decapitating the Guardian Ape as the finishing move should clue you in that he has a second phase as a headless enemy.]]
** Genichiro Ashina's [[spoiler:Way of Tomoe form]] has only one health bar [[spoiler:both times you fight him. This makes sense as the first time you've already dealt him two death blows. He strips down his armor and imbues his sword with lightning to go at you once more, but is obviously battered enough that one more death blow allows Sekiro to finish him. During his potential second encounter, he clearly survives your first death blow and can go on fighting. Genichiro, however, is now convinced that he can't beat Sekiro and fighting on is therefore useless. He decides to sacrifice his life with the Mortal Blade to bring back a far stronger opponent (Sword Saint Isshin) instead.]]

* More on the Guardian Ape: Its second phase's movements are extremely uncanny, but if you pay close attention it bears some similarity to how a ''marionette'' moves, as though it's being suspended and pulled by strings. This makes complete sense when you discover [[spoiler:it's being animated by an immortal centipede. The original ape likely ''is'' dead, and the parasite is puppeteering its body.]]
* When you kill [[spoiler:Owl]], Sekiro says "Death of a shadow...". Then you can kill him again in [[spoiler:the second Hirate Estates memory]]. Shadows Die Twice, indeed.
* When buying a gold purse, you pay an extra 10 percent more than what you normally get. (ie. Light coin purse costs 110 when using it nets you 100.) Why the extra? Someone needed to make a profit making the bag as well as the materials needed to hold the gold so you don't lose it. So technically you're actually purchasing a measly bag for 10 sen, and then filling it with 100 sen yourself after buying it.

** Also, the monkeys act inversely to their roles in the proverb. Instead of covering its eyes "the seeing monkey" sees far, instead of covering its mouth the "speaking monkey" shouts loudly, instead of covering its ears the "hearing monkey" listens intently, and instead of... doing no evil(?), the "fourth monkey" calls in apparations to hurt you. By killing them, you return the proverb to its original order and are allowed to pass.
* While the Interior Ministry's army is often said to be able to over-power the Ashina clan, the speed with which they did might bother you, given the Ashina clan still had a fair amount of military power. Then you realize how many foot soldiers, elite soldiers, secret weapons, and generals Sekiro goes through on his first trip through Ashina alone...
** Also, if you let the Ashina and Ministry troops duke it out without getting involved, the Ministry's forces virtually always come out on top; even the miniboss-tier Ashina Generals will usually lose in a 1v1 against Lone Shadows and Red Guard samurai commanders. This backs up the desperation expressed by Ashina troops prior to the Ministry invading, showing why such desperate and blasphemous countermeasures were pursued.

* You can actually track Sekiro's growing skill by how he draws his sword before each fight with Genichiro. In the beginning, Sekiro is still very rusty and unused to Kusabimaru — you can actually see him misjudge the height of the sword's grip on his waist as he feels it out with his pinkie finger before drawing. By the time the second battle atop the Castle Tower Outlook occurs, Sekiro has accrued some experience; this is matched by his slow, methodical draw, showing an awareness of the sword but also a lack of confidence to use it without hesitation. At the very end, Sekiro has become a master ninja; appropriately, he draws Kusabimaru without needing to check or wait, and is able to assume a combat ready stance immediately.
* The Sakura tree in Fountainhead Palace is called the Everblossom. Sakura trees in real life only blossom for a week each year, and are symbols of passing beauty and accepting that things are impermanent. The Everblossom, on the other hand, blooms forever, due to the healing fountain waters. Much like how the land has been affected by the waters, these trees represent a beautiful corruption of the proper nature of things.
* The Tengu of Ashina appears to have a very low opinion of Shinobi, going by his insulting description of how they "die nameless and with no-one to mourn them." This is a little odd, considering that [[spoiler:he is actually Isshin Ashina, and the Ashina Clan employed quite a few Shinobi of their own]]. However, consider that [[spoiler:literally every single named Shinobi in the game wound up flatly betraying, or otherwise turning on, the Ashina Clan, including Wolf himself]]. Small surprise that he doesn't like them!

** Related to that, in order to develop the Prosthetic Art technique, one has to refine the tools and master them through killing. By the time when the Sculptor developed the Living Force technique, where one imbues their sword with a flame, he has killed too many, and the flames of hatred has begun to corrupt him [[spoiler:until he [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie becomes the Demon of Hatred]]]]. Likewise, when you need experience to level up, you have to [[LevelGrinding go out of your way to slaughter everything on your path]], essentially walking the same path as the Sculptor. By the time when you have obtained the Sparkling Axe, Leaping Axe, Okinaga's Flame Vent and Living Force, [[PlayingWithFire all of which involves the use of flames]], your movesets have become unnervingly similar to the [[spoiler:fiery Demon of Hatred]]. [[spoiler:At this point, [[NotSoDifferent what makes you different from the Sculptor?]] And what stops you from [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie sharing the same fate as him]] when your lust for blood and power is left unchecked?]]

* Ever wonder why the Wolf's/Sekiro's stature is so small compared to his enemy? It could have come to game mechanics to allow you to react to enemy moves better because you can see how they telegraph their attacks, but then there are some enemies that are as small as Sekiro, like Emma or Ashina ashigaru. There are two reasons for this:

** Malnutrition: Remember how the Owl picked Sekiro up amidst the battlefield? He was just a boy back then, and judging from his appearance, one can make assumption that Sekiro was born into poverty, that his real parents died to the bloody wars during Sengoku era, and proper meals would just be luxury for him. [[note]]This era was also very infamous due to the fact that very poor peasant families could not support raising kids and thus had to abandon them to death in the wilderness, and it would not be a surprise to see Sekiro himself that way, and that a stroke of luck barely kept him alive.[[/note]] The Owl himself was not exactly a loving and caring parental figure either, as there are instances that the Owl deliberately left Sekiro to starvation to make him learn how to survive. As he did not have enough nutrients to support his grow, you would not be surprised to see Sekiro himself so small in stature.
** Shinobi training: Sekiro's fighting style is very agile and acrobatic, and can perform many very complex Shinobi moves and combat arts, thus having extra fat or dead weight can potentially ruin his shinobi career. Malnutrition is not a good thing, but perhaps it would be better that way for a Shinobi. Most ninjas Sekiro encountered are not that well-built either, like the Lone Shadows (they are taller than Wolf but not more muscular than him) or Nightjar ninja (like Sekiro, they are very agile and swift). Compared to some Samurais that are well-fed due to their family origin, the difference is very clear.

** Genichiro Ashina's [[spoiler:Way of Tomoe form]] has only one health bar [[spoiler:both times you fight him. This makes sense as the first time you've already dealt him two death blows. He strips down his armor and imbues his sword with lightning to go at you once more, but is obviously battered enough that one more death blow allows Sekiro to finish him. During his potential second encounter, he clearly survives your first death blow and can go on fighting. Genichiro, however, is now convinced he can't beat Sekiro and fighting on is thus useless. He decides to sacrifice his life with the Mortal Blade to bring back a far stronger opponent (Sword Saint Isshin) instead.]]

* You can actually track Sekiro's growing skill by how he draws his sword before each fight with Genichiro. In the beginning, Sekiro is still very rusty and unused to Kusabimaru — you can actually see him misjudge the height of the sword's grip on his waist as he feels it out with his pinkie finger before drawing. By the time the second battle atop the Castle Tower Outlook occurs, Sekiro has accrued some experience; this is matched by his slow, methodical draw, showing an awareness of the sword but also a lack of confidence to use it without hesitation. At the very end, Sekiro has become a master ninja; appropriately he draws Kusabimaru without needing to check or wait, and is able to assume a combat ready stance immediately.

* To reach Shura's ending, you have to confirm abandoning Kuro twice. Why is that? Firstly, it is a checkpoint to stop the players from choosing the wrong route they wish to choose, as they repeatedly press Enter to skip the dialog and suddenly choose the first option when the dialog pops up (Shura's ending is the first choice). If you accidentally chose the first option and realized you have messed up your route, you have a second chance to choose it again (if you committed to either route, you would not be able to go to another route by dying to either Owl or Emma/Isshin to reload the game). And finally, it TAKES guts to do something so inhumane, so immoral: to abandon Kuro in compliance with the Iron Code and thus, become the Shura itself.
** There's also the logic behind WHY Wolf becomes a Shura. Careful attention to the plot shows that Kuro [[MoralityChain is the only thing keeping him from becoming one]]. Choosing to betray Kuro means you're voluntarily choosing to give up the only thing keeping your humanity intact, breaking your {{Morality Chain}}. Kuro doesn't want needless deaths, while Owl is perfectly willing to kill anyone and everyone to get what he wants, so choosing his path means losing your own humanity.

* As detailed under GameplayAndStorySegregation, [[spoiler:the Black Mortal Blade should be able to nullify Sekiro's Resurrection ability; however, during the third fight with Genichiro, Sekiro can resurrect himself even if Genichiro slays Wolf with the Mortal Blade. A possible explanation: while both Mortal Blades have similar abilities, they also have some differences. The description of the crimson sword explicitly says that it is "capable of slaying the undying", and that it "will take the life of any who dares draw it"; meanwhile, the Black Scroll explains that the black sword can "open a gate to the underworld", and that "it is through this power that it creates life". In two endings, Sekiro uses the crimson sword to kill an immortal being and turn a second one into a mortal; in the final battle before those endings, Genichiro uses the black sword to resurrect Isshin. The Crimson Mortal Blade is connected to death; the Black Mortal Blade is connected to life. So, it's possible that the Black Mortal Blade, while being capable of wounding immortals like Kuro or Sekiro, cannot permanently kill them; while the Crimson one can]].

* Wolf ends up making himself have a very MeaningfulName over the course of the game. Wolf serves a child with utmost respect and loyalty and show just as much loyalty to his allies; he's the PapaWolf of a pack and fighting tooth and nail against everything to protect them, and in the game's bad ending [[spoiler:he forsakes this and goes mad as a result; packless lone wolves have been observed in real life suffering psychological issues]]. Also, notice how he deathblows almost every enemy in the game; he stabs them in the neck. Just like a real wolf, he goes for the throat when he kills. Also compare the last point to Owl, who [[spoiler:deathblows Wolf]] by pinning him down before stabbing him in the torso — like an Owl subduing and finishing off swooped prey; Lady Butterfly uses her unmatched mobility to dance around and pounce her enemy from above, and conjures phantom warriors, just like her Japanese namesake (Phantom Butterfly); The Sculptor (Sekijo) fights like a large ape or monkey, albeit only shown in his demon form; and it seems to establish a running theme that the Shinobi assassinate like the animals they're named after.

** Related to that, in order to develop the Prosthetic Art technique, one has to refine the tools and master them through killing. By the time when the Sculptor developed the Living Force technique, where one imbues their sword with a flame, he has killed too many, and the flames of hatred has begun to corrupt him [[spoiler:until he [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie becomes the Demon of Hatred]]]]. Likewise, when you need experience to level up, you have to [[LevelGrinding go out of your way to slaughter everything on your path]], essentially walking the same path as the Sculptor. By the time when you have obtained the Sparkling Axe, Leaping Axe, Okinaga's Flame Vent and Living Force, [[PlayingWithFire all of which involves the use of flames]], your movesets have become unnervingly similar to the [[spoiler:fiery Demon of Hatred]]. [[spoiler:At this point, [[NotSoDifferent what makes you different to the Sculptor?]] And what stops you from [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie sharing the same fate as him]] when your lust for blood and power is left unchecked?]]

* For those who don't expect [[spoiler:the attack on Ashina Castle]], the results might be kinda horrifying to you since you're the one who murdered his way through a lot of Ashina's men and resources. However, that part isn't really your fault as Kuro tells Genchiro to not use his blood and warned that his servant would murder everyone in his way to rescue him. In fact, given how good Wolf is and the factor of his immortality. It would have saved Genchiro a lot of problems had he recruited you to go soften up the [[spoiler:Interior Ministry]] instead. Had you killed your way through the [[spoiler:Lone Shadow bosses (who supposedly coordinated the attack)]] first and not go out and killed everything up to, and including, [[spoiler:the ''gods'' of Ashina]], things may turned out very differently. Given all of that and everyone's pride in Ashina. It's not surprising that Wolf [[spoiler:[[BrainwashedAndCrazy goes]] [[DemonicPossession insane]] and murders literally everyone in Ashina in one ending]].
* Mibu Village. First of all, there's a shadowy noble obscuring the whole valley in front of it in mist that brings back the ghosts of the dead and a Headless who resides there who seems to be unrelated to the curse. There's a ghost of a woman searching for a lost lover [[note]]That or she's a stalker given that he never returned her notes, but maybe he was dead or otherwise incapable of responding. It should be noted that she's based off a ''Film/KillBill'' character.[[/note]] You find out that the whole village was corrupted by a, well, corrupted monk, there's another monk who is addicted to the mind altering sake they have, and there's poison being flooded into the village's water supply. However, the fridge part comes in with the ghosts, illusions, and corpses that just endlessly pop out of the ground. If you dive under the water, there's literally a hundred (if not hundreds) of corpses down there all buried upside down. Not only is the water poisoned and drugged, it's just straight up ''cursed'' as well. Worst of all, that village couldn't possibly have supported that many people unless there are more houses hidden somewhere. Just where did all those bodies come from?
** Well, according to those still alive and notes and descriptions found in game. The local people found the local black sap from the trees to be sacred. However, the aforementioned drugs and poison made everyone afraid of fire and, since the sap burns for a very long time, they grew to hate it. Anyone who held on to the traditions involving the sap may be but a few of the victims in the pond. It couldn't account for all of them, but you realize just how full Ashina is of curses, demons, monsters, madman, undead, and, most of all, corpses, a great many of which were discarded and never given a proper burial. Just trying to count all of the ones displayed that you didn't personally make would take hours or even days. [[spoiler:and in the worst ending, literally everyone in Ashina is murdered by a demon possessed Wolf.]] Ashina can just NOT get a break. At the very least, a thorough player can get a very good ending and kill all of the cursed and undead monsters they find, but Buddha alone knows how many undead and curses the current round of war will create.

* As you progress through the game the cost to buy Spirit Emblems rises. Spirit Emblems are described as being manifestations of regret. Sekiro starts the game as a broken man and a failed Shinobi, as he progresses his character develops and he begins to gain a sense of purpose, meaning that manifestations of regret don't come to him as easily anymore.
* Of the bosses with multiple health bars, there are two that don't display their second health-bar. Why is this? Well, [[spoiler:Lady Butterfly]] is a MasterOfIllusion, so for the first phase you were merely FightingAShadow while they observed. And as for [[spoiler:Guardian Ape]], he ''did'' only have one health bar, [[spoiler:and it's the parasite possessing his headless body that has the second]].

* As you progress through the game the cost to buy Spirit Emblems rises. Spirit Emblems are described as being manifestations of regret. Sekiro starts the game as a broken man and a failed Shinobi, as he progresses his character develops and he begins to gain a sense of purpose, meaning that manisfestions of regret don't come to him as easily anymore.
* Of the bosses with multiple health bars, there are two that don't display their second health-bar. Why is this? Well, [[spoiler: Lady Butterfly]] is a MasterOfIllusion, so for the first phase you were merely FightingAShadow while they observed. And as for [[spoiler:Guardian Ape]], he ''did'' only have one health bar, [[spoiler:and it's the parasite possessing his headless body that has the second.]]

** Genichiro Ashina's [[spoiler: Way of Tomoe form]] has only one health bar [[spoiler: both times you fight him. This makes sense as the first time you've already dealt him two death blows. He strips down his armor and imbues his sword with lightning to go at you once more, but is obviously battered enough that one more death blow allows Sekiro to finish him. During his potential second encounter, he clearly survives your first death blow and can go on fighting. Genichiro, however, is now convinced he can't beat Sekiro and fighting on is thus useless. He decides to sacrifice his life with the Mortal Blade to bring back a far stronger opponent (Sword Saint Isshin) instead.]]

* The folding screen monkeys are based on the Buddhist proverb of the [[MonkeyMoralityPose Three Wise Monkeys]], See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil. Why is the fourth one invisible? There's actually a fourth monkey in the proveb, Do No Evil, who is almost always left out.
** Also the monkeys act inversely to their roles in the proverb. Instead of covering its eyes "the seeing monkey" sees far, instead of covering its mouth the "speaking monkey" shouts loudly, instead of covering its ears the "hearing monkey" listens intently, and instead of... doing no evil(?), the "fourth monkey" calls in apparations to hurt you. By killing them you return the proverb to its original order and are allowed to pass.

* You can actually track Sekiro's growing skill by how he draws his sword before each fight with Genichiro. In the beginning, Sekiro is still very rusty and unused to Kusabimaru -- you can actually see him misjudge the height of the sword's grip on his waist as he feels it out with his pinkie finger before drawing. By the time the second battle atop the Castle Tower Outlook occurs, Sekiro has accrued some experience; this is matched by his slow, methodical draw, showing an awareness of the sword but also a lack of confidence to use it without hesitation. At the very end, Sekiro has become a master ninja; appropriately he draws Kusabimaru without needing to check or wait, and is able to assume a combat ready stance immediately.

* The Tengu of Ashina appears to have a very low opinion of Shinobi, going by his insulting description of how they "die nameless and with no-one to mourn them." This is a little odd, considering that [[spoiler:he is actually Isshin Ashina, and the Ashina Clan employed quite a few Shinobi of their own.]] However, consider that [[spoiler:literally every single named Shinobi in the game wound up flatly betraying, or otherwise turning on, the Ashina Clan, including Wolf himself.]] Small surprise that he doesn't like them!

* As detailed under GameplayAndStorySegregation, [[spoiler: the Black Mortal Blade should be able to nullify Sekiro's Resurrection ability; however, during the third fight with Genichiro, Sekiro can resurrect himself even if Genichiro slays Wolf with the Mortal Blade. A possible explanation: while both Mortal Blades have similar abilities, they also have some differences. The description of the crimson sword explicitly says that it is "capable of slaying the undying", and that it "will take the life of any who dares draw it"; meanwhile, the Black Scroll explains that the black sword can "open a gate to the underworld", and that "it is through this power that it creates life". In two endings, Sekiro uses the crimson sword to kill an immortal being and turn a second one into a mortal; in the final battle before those endings, Genichiro uses the black sword to resurrect Isshin. The Crimson Mortal Blade is connected to death; the Black Mortal Blade is connected to life. So, it's possible that the Black Mortal Blade, while being capable of wounding immortals like Kuro or Sekiro, cannot permanently kill them; while the Crimson one can]].

* Wolf ends up making himself have a very MeaningfulName over the course of the game. Wolf serves a child with utmost respect and loyalty and show just as much loyalty to his allies; he's the PapaWolf of a pack and fighting tooth and nail against everything to protect them, and in the game's bad ending [[spoiler: he forsakes this and goes mad as such; packless lone wolves have been observed in real life suffering psychological issues]]. Also, notice how he deathblows almost every enemy in the game; he stabs them in the neck. Just like a real wolf, he goes for the throat when he kills. Also compare the last point to Owl, who [[spoiler: deathblows Wolf]] by pinning him down before stabbing him in the torso - like an Owl subduing and finishing off swooped prey; Lady Butterfly uses her unmatched mobility to dance around and pounce her enemy from above, and conjures phantom warriors, just like her Japanese namesake (Phantom Butterfly); The Sculptor (Sekijo) fights like a large ape or monkey, albeit only shown in his demon form; and it seems to establish a running theme that the Shinobi assassinate like the animals they're named after.

* A bit of physics here: why you can catch Lightning in the mid air without suffering heavy damage and receiving shock status? The reason why lightning can damage you is not from hitting your body, but by traveling through your body and damaging whatever it passes through; in this case, to the ground when you are on the surface. Staying in the air will prevent the lightning from doing so, as the air is not a very good conductor compared to the ground, Sekiro is essentially catching the lightning into his sword and you expel the lightning before you touch the ground. You will also take damage from lightning in Fountainhead Palace from Okami Leader Shizu even if you dive into the lake, as the tainted water of Fountainhead Palace is also a rather good conductor (unless you could somehow dive deep enough).

* A bit of physics here: why you can catch Lightning in the mid air without suffering any damage from being shocked? The reason why lightning can damage you is not from hitting your body, but by traveling through your body and damaging whatever it passes through; in this case, to the ground when you are on the surface. Staying in the air will prevent the lightning from doing so, as the air is not a very good conductor compared to the ground, Sekiro is essentially catching the lightning into his sword and you expel the lightning before you touch the ground. You will also take damage from lightning in Fountainhead Palace from Okami Leader Shizu even if you dive into the lake, as the tainted water of Fountainhead Palace is also a rather good conductor (unless you could somehow dive deep enough).

* A bit physics here: why you can catch Lightning in the mid air without suffering shock? The reason why lightning can damage you is not by hitting you, but by traveling through you body, in this case, to the ground when you are on the surface. Staying in air will prevent the lightning from doing so, as the air is not a very good conductor compared to the ground, and you can expel the lightning before you touch the ground. You will also take damage from lightning in Fountainhead Palace from Okami Leader Shizu even if you dive into the lake, as the tainted water of Fountainhead Palace is also a rather good conductor (unless you could somehow dive deep enough).