Rise of the Ronin: Sakurada Gate Incident Decision (Kill or…

The main story of Rise of the Ronin will have players making many decisions that will affect the outcome of their playthrough. One such decision presents itself during the Sakurada Gate Incident, the last mission of the first act where players are sent to assassinate the Red Demon, Naosuke Ii.

Whether the Red Demon lives or dies by the end of this mission will have a significant effect on player progression, as the rewards you get from the choice you make will vary. Here are the two possible outcomes to this main Rise of the Ronin quest

This guide will include story spoilers related to Naosuke Ii and both outcomes of the Sakurada Gate Incident.

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Rise of the Ronin: Sakurada Gate Incident Choices

Choices during the Sakurada Gate Incident mission in Rise of the Ronin — Rise of the Ronin Sakurada Gate Incident choices

After a short scuffle with the Red Demon's retainers, players will eventually fight him and the Blue Demon (Akikatsu Manabe) in a joint boss fight. Once you take both of them down, a cutscene will play, giving you the choice to kill or spare Naosuke Ii while Sakamoto and the others hold off the rest of the enemy forces.

Kill the Red Demon

Rise of the Ronin Gikei-ryu style stats — Rise of the Ronin Gikei-ryu description

If you decide to kill Naosuke Ii, your character will behead him on the spot, echoing the outcome of the real Sakuradamon Incident of 1860. The mission will end with the game's narrator citing the historical event, and the camera cuts to a shot of a hairpin lying on bloodsoaked snow.

By killing the Red Demon, players will unlock the Gikei-ryu Shinobi Combat Style, the same one used by the Blue Demon. However, since this route also implies the Blue Demon's death, killing Naosuke Ii will also prevent players from upgrading the Gikei-ryu style in the future.

Spare the Red Demon

Rise of the Ronin Akikatsu Manabe at Sakurada Gate — Rise of the Ronin Blue Demon Sakurada Gate

If you spare Naosuke Ii, your character will swing their sword downward but stop at the last second. This gives the Blue Demon a chance to catch a second wind and escape with the Red Demon. A cutscene will play after the mission, showing that while Ii was stripped of his title and socially ostracized, he still ends up dead at the hands of the player's Blade Twin.

The rest of the game will proceed without any bad blood with Ryoma, though your decision might damper the attitude of the other anti-shogunate faction members towards you. You'll also get the Blue Demon's Mask and the Awagutchi Tadatsuna katana instead of the Gikei-ryu stance.

If you feel like you made the wrong choice, or if you want to get all the rewards, you can replay missions in Rise of the Ronin by going to the Longhouse and selecting the Testament of the Soul option. You can even choose to change or retain your timeline based on the actions you took during your replay runs.

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