Afro Samurai Sword Masters Story

This is part 3 of our complete Afro Samurai game guide, featuring Sword Master's Story.

Sword Master's Story

YouTube: Afro Samurai Walkthrough - Sword Master Boss Fight HD (Time: 4:20)

This level consists only of a battle between Afro and the Sword Master. There are no Mementos to collect.
After getting a lecture from the Sword Master, he will begin attacking. Hold RT to block.
On the first attack, Afro will be knocked back. When the Sword Master follows with weaker attacks, block again, then immediately follow with a combo attack.
Limit your combos to a couple of X attacks, followed by a couple Y attacks, then block again. Repeat this cycle until Afro and the Sword Master lock blades.
When combat resumes, the Sword Master will start using strong attacks that knock Afro back when he's blocking. However, you can Parry these attacks by pressing RT just before the Sword Master lands his strikes. The blade sparks will curl in the air, indicating you've done this successfully. Follow with a combo.
HINT: There are two Teddy Bears in the battle arena. Use them when Afro is outlined in red.
After a few more successful hits, the two characters will lock swords again. Now, the Sword Master will perform a variety of weak and strong attacks. You'll have to try and recognize when he is about to perform each -- it's pretty obvious when he's winding up for a big slice, so be ready to parry when that happens.
Keep attacking the Sword Master until he falls. You'll earn the "The Price for Vengeance" Achievement for completing the mission.

Okiku's Story

YouTube: Afro Samurai Walkthrough - Okiku's Story Part 1 HD (Time: 10:19)

The level begins in Okiku's home, with Ninja Ninja telling Afro to wake up. Go through the home and outside.
When you get outside, follow the house along to your left, so you head towards the back of it. You'll reach a small clearing with the house on your left. Just before the forest, there's a set of three wooden planks on the ground, with the first Memento on top of it.
Cross the bridge and head through the small cave.
When you get through this area, you'll hear Okiku talking to you again. Jump down the two platforms here, and she'll talk to you once more.
Look slightly to your left for a brown rock wall. You can leap to this, then climb up the next wall to your right. Now, look to your right for a path that leads upwards.
Follow this path until you reach a clearing, and you'll hear Okiku again. A group of enemies will appear as well.
Use combos to charge your In Focus against these guys, then finish them off with Horizontal Perfect Slices.
Afro can't swim, so you'll have to find another way across the water. Go to the edge of the waterfall and jump across the two rocky platforms sticking out of the water. Climb up the rocks here and you'll reach a miniboss named Takamure.
Fight this enemy is not much different than fighting the Sword Master. You can block his bigger attacks by parrying at just the right moment, or you can block the weaker attacks by holding RT. In either case, follow up with Y attacks. Just a few successful hit strings should take him down.
A group of enemies will follow, including one with a gun. Ignore the other enemies and take care of the gunman first. You'll find him up the path in front of you. There's a ledge to your left when you reach the next platform that you can use to reach him. One well-timed Perfect Slice should take him down.
Perfect Slices also work well on the remaining enemies, but you may have to use regular combos to charge up your focus. Be sure not to attempt an In Focus slice until you have an enemy in close range.
After you've defeated these foes, look for the small wooden bridge that heads into a narrow enclosure. Follow this path and you'll see Okiku again.
Keep moving downward until you reach a small group of enemies. Again, you'll want to position yourself to execute a Horizontal Perfect Slice on them. In the meantime, start your combos with B to kick them off their guard.
Continue down this path. Cross the waterfall via the rock, and jump onto the next platform. You'll get another glimpse of Okiku.
Take the path opposite the waterfall. Go up the ramp and jump to the platform to the left, which is bathed in orange light. Don't take this left path. Instead, jump back to the right and continue up this ramp. Jump up the rock wall on your right when you can go no further.
Here, you'll hear from Okiku again. Instead of following the platform you're on to the left, jump down to the rocks below. Turn left after you pass the group of trees, and follow the path that leads through a doorway. A Memento lies just in front of the hut ahead.
Now, exit this area and take a left at the fork in the path. Cross the bridge and you'll see Okiku walking across a different bridge.
Turn back and look for the path that goes to the right of the bridge you just crossed. Follow this up and around to the next bridge. After seeing Okiku again, continue over the next bridge and you'll see a cutscene.
YouTube: Afro Samurai Walkthrough - Okiku's Story Part 2 HD (Time: 10:19)

Follow the creature across the bridge. When you get to the next waterfall, jump from the broken bridge to the platform on the right. Then, leap to the platform ahead, and again to the one across the water. Jump up to the next platform and move through the narrow pathway here into the village.
Before crossing the next bridge, grab the Teddy Bear to your right. Ninja Ninja Body Part Poker lies just ahead.
You'll need to tag Ninja Ninja to begin the minigame. You'll find him beyond the first wave of enemies, to the left. First, you'll want to go further along the path to kill the gunman.
Now, go back and tag Ninja Ninja to start playing Body Part Poker.
Achievement: With your current set of moves, landing the precision attacks needed for "Made Hand Ronin" requires a bit of luck. Try weakening your enemies first with regular combos, then using Vertical Perfect Slices to cut off a leg and hand, and a Horizontal Perfect Slice to cut off a head. Remember, you can aim while In Focus with the left thumbstick.
After taking out all the enemies here, continue through the town. Ninja Ninja's talk of Deja Vu should become familiar now, as this is the area from the Prelude.
Move through the town, turning left at the end of the path. When you get to the clearing, take down the soldier on the ground as quickly as possible to avoid getting shot by the men on the roof. Use perfect slices to do this, and you'll see a cutscene.
The level resumes back at Okiku's home. Follow the path as you did at the start of the level. You'll see Okiku by the water, and another cutscene will be shown.

YouTube: Afro Samurai Walkthrough - Okiku's Story Part 3 HD (Time: 11:18)

Once again, you're back at the house. Go outside to face a new enemy, the robot.
You'll learn a new move here, the Pounce. To execute this, press A after parrying. Recall that you parry by pressing RT at the moment of an enemy attack.
If you press X while on top of the enemy, you'll cut off its head. Keep this in mind for later.
Enemies will continue to respawn until you throw one at the well that they come from. Line yourself up so you're facing the wall, then perform a pounce. When on top of the enemy, hold forward on the left thumbstick and press A again to throw. This will destroy the well.
Head out of this area as you did at the start of the level. Jump down to the platforms in the open area, and head forward. You can press down on the D-Pad to have Ninja Ninja point you in the right direction if you're confused.
You'll reach a path that goes down, from where you can see a trail of white moving along the wall ahead. Don't go there yet. Look around the ground near the first lantern you see on your right, casting this area in an orange glow. There's a Memento to be had here.
Now, follow the white trail. When you get down to the lower platform, start fighting the robots with combos, and use Horizontal Perfect Slices when you're close.
After killing four of these enemies, a robot dressed in orange will appear. This is the explosive one that you can throw at their spawn point, so line yourself up, Pounce by pressing A after a parry, and throw by holding forward on the left thumbstick and pressing A again.
Press down on your D-Pad to locate the bridge. Head across and turn right to cross the next bridge. Follow this path and you'll reach the same water area you had to jump across to reach the town. Go along this route until you see the white moving trails.
Follow the trails towards the town. Instead of continuing into the gulch, go across the bridge to the town. Take a right at the fork and follow the path to the end. Then, look left and you'll find another Memento in the alley.
A couple enemies will probably catch up to you here. Take them down with combos followed by Horizontal Perfect Slices.
Go back to where you originally went right at the fork. Turn right when you get past the big building here, so you're heading towards the clearing where you last faced the two gunmen on the roof.
Use the same strategy of combos and Perfect Slices to fell the enemies here. If you see an attack coming during a combo, hold RT to block before continuing.
After a couple waves, the orange robot will appear, so you can throw it at the spawn point to destroy it.
YouTube: Afro Samurai Walkthrough - Okiku's Story Part 4 HD (Time: 11:12)

Go out the way you came, returning all the way to the water. Jump from the broken bridge to the rocky platform below, then go around the other end of the bridge to where you can cross the water again on a lower rocky platform.
Follow the white trail, but continue up the ramp instead of trying to go straight up the wall as the trail does. Continue along this path and you'll rejoin the trail again at the top.
At the next clearing, you'll have to fight a few enemies. Use the same strategy as before, but don't fight the next batch that respawns. Instead, head towards the spawn point and jump up the rocks on your left before you reach it. This is where you fought a gunman just after killing Takamure earlier in the level.
Achievement: On this top platform, just above where the spawn point is located, you'll find the fifth and final Memento, giving you "The Demon of Vengeance." The skill earned here is "Easy Make Combo," which allows you to create your own combos.
Finish off the remaining enemies and throw the orange robot at the spawn point. You may want to lead your combos with kicks here to throw the enemies off balance.
After the last spawn point is destroyed, return to the water. Jump to the rocky platform which now holds a raised structure.
You're now inside the robot factory. Destroying it is simple: Just throw three robots into the middle of the room.
Position yourself so you're not surrounded by more than one robot at a time, and don't bother attacking them with conventional sword slices. Just focus on blocking at the right time with RT, parrying with A, then throwing them by pressing the left thumbstick towards the middle of the room and pressing A again.
After destroying the machine, you're back in Okiku's home, with a throng of robot attackers outside. Now's another opportunity for Body Part Poker.
When you're outside facing the house, Ninja Ninja is standing at the corner on the left side. You can also press up on the D-Pad to find him. Touch him to activate the game. However, you may want to weaken the enemies before starting.
Getting the head of one of these robots is easy. Just pounce and press X to cut it off.
Cutting off a leg and a hand is trickier. You'll have to use a Vertical Perfect Slice at the right time to find success.
Continue to fight the remaining enemies. Follow your combos with kicks to keep them off guard, then finish with Perfect Slices to take them out.
After killing all the robots, Brother Six of The Empty Seven will begin torching Okiku's home.

YouTube: Afro Samurai Walkthrough - Okiku's Story Boss Fight HD (Time: 4:06)

Approach him to trigger a cutscene.
This boss will use his flamethrower to surround himself with fire. Avoid the flames by keeping your distance, and hold LS to dash when the fire gets close.
Quickly dash in between the rounds of flamethrowing to attack. Strictly use Y attacks here, and keep slashing until he shakes you off. If you get hit, you can also sneak in an attack while Brother Six is laughing at you.
Take note of the two Teddy Bears here. They are both located just before the forest, on either corner of the battle arena.
After a few successful attacks, Brother Six will reel a bit, then gain a new skill. He can place his flamethrower on the ground and create a shockwave of flames. You can, however, jump over these flames and rush in for another attack.
He'll also start shooting fireballs at Afro on occasion. Just keep your distance and dash out of the way when necessary.
Keep attacking Brother Six with the countermoves described above and he reel once more. He can now create several shock waves in a row, so watch out for that before moving in for more attacks.
A few more successful Y combos, and Number Six will flee. You'll see a cutscene that ends the level, giving you the "Love Lost" Achievement.