
This is a guide to the best build for Kusarigama in Nioh 3. See the best armor and accessories to use with the Kusarigama, which Guardian Spirit and Soul Cores to equip, as well as which stats to level up.
List of Contents
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| ✔︎ Can create wide arcs that hit multiple enemies.
✔︎ Has good range and speed. ✔︎ Works well with hit-and-run tactics. |
✖︎ Some of its moves have long windups.
✖︎ Positioning and timing are important when using combos. ✖︎ Blocking feels like a punishment. |
The Kusarigama has both long and short-range attacks. Its long-range metal chain does sweeping arcs to hit multiple enemies at once, often from a distance. The sickle functions as your strong attack for close-range combat. Like any Ninja weapon, the Kusarigama's attacks are fast and can do multi-hits.
Because of its rather sluggish attack windups, the Kusarigama requires proper timing and positioning before committing to combos. If you're not yet confident with chaining moves, it's viable to use for hit-and-run tactics with its decent base attack and Ki damage. With the addition of buffs from Onmyo, and offensive utilities from Ninjutsu, the Kusarigama is capable of dealing strong Ki and HP damage.
| Kusarigama Scaling |
|---|
| Character Stats |
The Kusarigama scales with Constitution, Skill, and Magic. As this build will focus on using talismans for elemental damage, prioritize Magic to make get enough Yin slots for Onmyo. Then, put points into Skill so Ninjutsus like Shrapnel Bomb and Fire Shuriken deal more damage. Putting at least a few points in Strength will also increase your Ki damage, and it would make the Kusarigama's combos more effective. Lastly, if you have Amrita to spare, put it into Constitution for HP or Intellect to extend the effects of Onmyo and Ninjutsu.
If you feel that the Kusarigama is not taking out enemies fast enough, you have the option to change its Constitution stat scaling to Strength by using Remodel in the Blacksmith. However, take note that this process requires a lot of materials and Gold, so it's better to do this when you find better equipment once you enter New Game+.
| Jump to Section! | |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Armor |
| Accessories | |
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption)
・Decrease Damage Taken (Amrita Absorption) ・Life Drain (Melee Attack) ・Melee Ki Damage ・Attack Bonus (Skill/Magic) ・Ki Recovery Speed ・Onmyo Ki Damage ・Final Blow/Grapple Damage ・Imbue Water/Wind |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・Martial Arts Damage
Weapons: Crescent Moon Kusarigama ・Life Drain (Quick Attack) Weapons: Jonin's Kusarigama |
|
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
As this build will be making use of the Extraction Talisman, get any equipment with Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) or Decrease Damage Taken (Amrita Absorption) whenever you can. Auto Life Recovery (Evade) is an alternative, but will not always be reliable. If you don't have any of those, you can stick to Life Drain (Quick Attack) to restore a bit of HP as you do combos.
If you have any weapon with Imbue Water or Wind, use this to quickly accumulate status ailments against enemies.
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Toughness
・Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) ・Decrease Damage Taken (Amrita Absorption) ・Ki ・Ki Recovery Speed ・Faster Movement (Onmyo Magic) ・Defense Bonus (Skill/Magic) ・Auto Life Recovery (Evade) ・Yokai Realm Resistance |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・ Dodge Ki Consumption
Armor: Ascetic, Heir's Shinobi |
|
| Armor Sets | |
| ・Kobo Daishi Armor Set (Devout Practitioner)
・Iga Jonin Armor Set (Head of the Iga Ninja) |
|
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
Special effects that are generally good to have for Armor in this build Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) to gain some health during combat using the Extraction Talisman. If you don't have any armor with this effect, opt for those that can increase Ki regenration or increase Toughness and Base Defense.
Consider getting at least 2 to 4 pieces of the Kobo Daishi armor to get the Devout Practitioner set bonus. This armor set will be available mid-game (around level 80 or more). You can also mix in armor pieces from Iga Jonin to get their bonuses as well.
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Living Artifact Duration
・Spirit Force Charge ・Spirit Force Bonus (Water Damage) ・Water Damage ・Ki ・Imbue Water/Wind ・Ki Damage vs. Saturated or Shocked Enemy ・Saturate or Shock Accumulation (Enemy) |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・Ki Recovery Speed
Accessories: Fan |
|
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
For Accessories, special effects that extend the Living Artifact duration will be helpful to stay in that form. Using the Guardian Spirit Skills requires Spirit Force, so consider getting special effects like Spirit Force Charge or Spirit Force Bonus. Lastly, Ki and Ki Recovery special effects are a must for any Ninja Style weapon.
If your weapon doesn't have Imbue Water or Wind, try to equip an accessory that does so instead. But if your weapon already has an elemental enhancement, use Saturate or Shock Accumulation instead.
| Jump to Section! | |
|---|---|
| Kusarigama Skills | Ninja Style Skill |
Spend your points on the Kusarigama and Ninja Style skill trees to learn new combos for the Kusarigama, while also acquiring useful Ninjutsu and Martial Arts.
| Skills | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Leaping Strike | Unlocked at the start |
| Crimson Flurry | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Whirlwind Kick |
| Deadly Mark | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Whirlwind Kick |
| Reedcutter | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Reaper |
| Foot Sweep | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Serpent Strike |
| Whirlwind | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Serpent Strike |
| Whirlwind (Wind) | 2 Ninja Points
Prerequisite: ・Whirlwind ・Unlock with Martial Arts Guide |
| Pollard | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Leaping Strike |
| Flying Top | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Leaping Strike |
For Kusarigama skills, Deadly Mark is used to start your combo, as this move propels you forward upon hitting an enemy. Then follow it up with Whirlwind and Crimson Flurry, as well as aerial attacks like Leaping Strikes, Pollard, or Flying Top. Use Reedcutter to step away from enemies, or Foot Sweep to parry strikes.
Remember to use your Ninjutsu, Onmyo Magic, and Talismans to gain buffs or elemental advantages during combat. We recommend using Water Familiar Talisman, Uncanny Bubble, or any weapon that deals water-based attacks to build up the Saturation status effect.
| Skills | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Evade | 1 Ninja Point |
| Kunai | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Shuriken |
| Uncanny Breeze | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Uncanny Flame |
| Footstool Jump | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Evade |
| Mid-Air Dodge | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Evade ・Footstool Jump |
| Shrapnel Bomb | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Gunpowder Bomb |
| Pinwheel Shuriken | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Shuriken |
| Tempestuous Calamity | 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite: ・Uncanny Breeze ・Flame Breath ・Complete "The Way of the Ninja: Veteran") |
For Ninjutsu, Evade is always a must for the Ninja Style as this can be combined with the Evil-Dispelling Evade Secret Skill to get effects similar to a Ki Pulse in the early game. Then having Uncanny Bubble or Uncanny Breeze allows the stacking of elemental status effects in tandem with your Onmyo Magic.
Once you get further in the game, replace the Uncanny Ninjutsus with Tempestuous Calamity or Glacial Calamity. For flying enemies, the Pinwheel Shuriken or Fire Shuriken are good against them. Additionally, the Fire Shuriken, as well as the Shrapnel Bomb, are also an efficient way to accumulate the Burn status ailment.
This is a combination of quick attacks and Crimson Flurry's continuous strong attacks. After each combo, perform Mist to safely position yourself and repeat the combo. This move is especially effective against human enemies, as they are easier to stagger than yokai enemies.
A way to easily apply elemental debuffs on enemies is by executing the Deadly Mark skill in-between your combos or by repeatedly performing the move together with a mix of quick attacks. This skill is a fast, multi-hit attack that propels you forward, dealing good Ki damage and building up status ailments like Confusion quickly. Take note that this skill consumes a large amount of Ki, so you might be open to being staggered after doing the move.
| Secret Skill | Effects |
|---|---|
| Evil-Dispelling Evade | Dispels the Yokai Realm from an area where you have successfully Evaded. |
| Armor Piercer | Increases damage dealt by Final Blow and Grapple by 10.0%. |
| Tachi Arts | Increase melee attack by 8.4% against enemies with maximum Life. |
| Awakening | Allows to use Onmyo Magic faster. |
| Panacea Curefast | Increase Life restored by elixirs by 15.0% |
| Lingering Spirit | Recovers 30.0% of the Amrita left at your grave when you die. |
The Evil-Dispelling Evade is one of the most important Secret Skill for the Ninja Style. When combined with the Evade Ninjutsu, it has the same effects as the Samurai Style's Ki Pulse, so it is highly recommended to acquire both skills as soon as possible. Awakening is valuable too, as plenty of Ninja weapons scale with Magic, so using Onmyo and Talismans are often encouraged.
Other Secret Skills of note are Panacea Curefast and Lingering Spirit. As these are Common Secret Skills, they provide effects that apply to both Samurai and Ninja Styles.
For combat, Taichi Arts and Armor Piercer are easily found within the Warring States period, but these Secret Skills can be changed based on your weapon or play style.
| Early Game | |
|---|---|
| Mid Game Late Game |
| Kusanagi | ATK | DEF | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
12 | 7 | Water |
| Quest | |||
| The Fall of Edo Castle | |||
| Special Effects | |||
|
・ Aerial Attack Damage +8.4%
・ Water Damage Reduction +13 ・ Ki Consumption (Jump) -10.8% ・Quick Attack Damage +5.7% ・Spirit Force Charge (Backstab) +11.0% |
|||
| Guardian Spirit Skill | |||
|
・ Turbulent Waters (Spirit Force: 60)
・ Heaven's Drops (Spirit Force: 64) |
|||
For Guardian Spirits, consider using Kusanagi (Ninja), as its attacks inflict water damage to help maintain buildup of Saturation when attacking in Living Weapon form or using Guardian Spirit Skills. Kusanagi also provides Quick Attack Damage and Aerial Attack Damage, both of which could buff your combos to finish fights faster.
Kusanagi's Heaven's Drops skill launches a kick cloaked in water towards an enemy. If the kick lands, it will release a shockwave and move you behind your target. This skill will inflict heavy Water damage while positioning you behind, allowing you to do backstabs or retreat.
| Kurama Tengu | ATK | DEF | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
18 | 11 | Fire |
| Quest | |||
| The Age of Clans Begins | |||
| Special Effects | |||
|
・Martial Arts Ki Damage +6.6%
・Enemy Sensor ・Wind Damage Reduction +18 ・Spirit Force Bonus (Elixir) +12 ・Elemental Damage +7.2% |
|||
| Guardian Spirit Skill | |||
|
・Kurama's Tempest (Spirit Force: 60)
・Kurama's Slicer (Spirit Force: 30) |
|||
Kurama Tengu provides offensive special effects for your Martial Arts and elemental damage, boosting your attacks to easily take out enemies. Kurama also grants a bonus to your Spirit Force whenever you consume an Elixir, allowing you to use her Guardian Spirit Skill often.
For her skill, Kurama's Slicer is an aerial move that unleashes a wind blade to deal damage and accumulate Bluster on your target. This skill releases more wind blades the closer you are to an enemy, and additional input allows you to use it twice. This move has a somewhat long windup that leaves you vulnerable in the air, so make sure you time its usage correctly.
| Yang Position |
|---|
| Yin Position |
| Jakotsu-baba Soul Core | |
|---|---|
![]() |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Water Damage +4.4% ・Auto-Grave Recovery +17.0% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Jakotsu-baba x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Water Familiar Talisman x4 |
Use Jakotsu-baba's Soul Core for its Water Damage special effect as we will be using Water Talismans and weapons with Imbue Water for this build. This combination will be even more effective once you proc Saturation against the target as your HP damage will increase further, allowing you to defeat enemies faster. Her Auto-Recovery Grave special effect can also be useful, as it gives you a small chance to recover your grave after dying.
| Sunakake-baba Soul Core | |
|---|---|
![]() |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Ki Pulse Bonus +50 ・Blindness (Onmyo Magic Hit) Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Sunakake-baba x4 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Devigorate Talisman x3 |
Sunakake-baba's Blindness (Onmyo Magic Hit) has the ability to disorient a target inflicted with any offensive Onmyo Magic. This is especially useful for bosses, as they are left vulnerable when they are Blinded, giving you the opportunity to attack them or do backstabs safely. Once the boss is disoriented, hit them with all the combos and talismans that you can to do the most damage before the Blindness wears off.
Any talisman that's thrown towards an enemy can proc Blindess as long as this Soul Core is equipped in the Yang position.
| Kamaitachi Soul Core | |
|---|---|
![]() |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Wind Damage +4.4% ・Dodge Ki Consumption +8.0% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Kamaitachi x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Wind Familiar Talisman x4 |
Kamaitachi will be providing the Wind Familiar Talisman in the Yin position. This Onmyo is capable of swiftly accumulating the Blustered status while doing decent Wind Damage. It's advised to stay close to enemies to maintain the status ailment. If you can accumulate two or more negative statuses against a target, you'll be able to inflict Confusion which makes them more vulnerable to damage.
If you have the Sunakake-baba Soul Core equipped in the Yang position, the elemental orbs that float around your character can also be thrown to proc Blindness against an enemy. To throw an orb, do a strong attack.
| Maelstrom Oni-bi Soul Core Soul Core | |
|---|---|
![]() |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Saturation Accumulation (Enemy) +3.5% ・Water Damage +4.4% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Kamaitachi x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Water Familiar Talisman x4 |
To be able to inflict another elemental status ailment, use the Water Talisman to imbue your Kusarigama with Water damage and allow you to accumulate Saturation with every attack. Saturation increases the damage you deal on an enemy. Combining this with Bluster accumulation from the Wind Familiar Talisman can give you the opportunity to inflict Confusion on a target, making them weaker and more vulnerable to damage.
| Gaki Chief Soul Core | |
|---|---|
![]() |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Amrita Guage Charge +7.5% ・Strong Attack Ki Damage +3.5% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Gaki Chief x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Extraction Talisman x5 |
For defensive talismans, we'll be using the Extraction Talisman from the Gaki Chief Soul Core. Using this Onmyo will make enemies release Amrita that you can absorb, which will then trigger all your equipment with Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) to restore your health. The more equipment that you have with Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption), the more HP you'll restore. Another special effect that is activated when using the Extraction Talisman is Decrease Damage Taken (Amrita Absorption).
| Mermaid Soul Core | |
|---|---|
![]() |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Life Drain (Water Damage) B- ・Faster Movement (Ailing) Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Mermaid x5 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Life Leech Talisman x3 |
Another way to restore health during combat is by using the Life Leech Talisman. As the name suggests, this will make the enemies you attack release Life Force that you can absorb to restore some health. Activating this together with the Extraction Talisman and the Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) will keep you at full health while you dish out combos in close range.
Do note that this is an offensive Onmyo and it can be dodged by faster targets, especially human enemies. Conversely, this can also be used to inflict Blindness if you have the Sunakake-baba Soul Core equipped in the Yang position.
| Bloodedge Demon Soul Core | |
|---|---|
![]() |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Elemental Damage +5.5% ・Damage vs. Revenants +7.5% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Bloodedge Demon x1 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Carnage Talisman x5 |
The Bloodedege Demon gives the Carnage Talisman, a defensive Onmyo that buffs your melee attacks in exchange for your Defense. This talisman will make your damage output stronger but will make you more vulnerable and weaker. The best way to use this talisman is to use a Steel Talisman after the Carnage talisman to cancel out the latter's Defense debuff.
Another way is using healing talismans like Life Leech Talisman or Extraction Talisman (with Life Recovery special effect) to ensure that you'll have a way to restore your health even if you get hit.
How to beat the Bloodedge Demon
Prestige Points can be used to obtain permanent bonuses (known as Prestige) to enhance a variety of stats from 9 different categories. For the Ninja Style, we suggest using your points on some of the following Prestige:
Take note that the Prestige Points you've spent can be reset and redistributed to another bonus within the same category.
To get more Prestige Points for a category, fulfill a milestone or complete challenges to earn Titles. To see the available Titles you can unlock, open the Main Menu then go to Titles > Title List.
To get the best bonuses, always use equipment that suits your current level. Using underleved items will give you less attack bonuses for weapons, and less defense bonuses for armor.
Items with Purple (Exotic) rarities provide better and rarer special effects. Additionally, you'll sometimes find better combinations of special effects from Exotic weapons.
Constantly using weapons will increase its Familiarity. Weapons with full Familiarity gets a damage bonus, and some of its special effect can be inherited through Soul Match.

| Samurai Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
Swords |
Dual Swords |
Spears |
Axes |
Odachi |
Switchglaives |
Cestesus |
||
| Ninja Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
Ninja Swords |
Dual Ninja Swords |
Kusarigama |
Tonfa |
Hatchets |
Splitstaff |
Talons |
||
Best Kusarigama Build



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