Character Blog: Wolf (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice)
Note before the blog
This blog is just a copy and paste from the G1^2 blog Scorpion Vs Wolf. I was granted permission from the owner of said blog The Monster King if I was allowed to do this and they gave me the thumbs up. Also I was the main researcher for Wolf in the blog so I am not stealing anything from anyone. If you are interested in the Scorpion Vs Wolf blog click here. Other than that…
Wolf is very straight forward with his media. I will be looking into all of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice including all its endings as there is no canon ending. I will also be putting Wolf at his maximum in game level so he can be at his peak for the purpose of the debate. I will also be using the Sekiro manga and the official Art book for additional media.
Background
“That’s it…A one-armed Wolf. I like it! Which means Sekiro. This is what I shall name you”
The Sengoku period was a time where everyone in Japan was seeking one thing, Control. Wars were breaking out almost everywhere in Japan and eventually led them to the land of Ashina. A war broke out between the invaders and the people of Ashina, and with a final battle the lord of Ashina Isshin the sword saint gained victory and saved his land. After the battle one of his men, the Shinobi Owl, found something in the battlefield. It was a boy that seemed to have no family so Owl took him in. Owl would train and raise him as his own and gave him the name Wolf.
Wolf through his training gained him respect and honor and it was so great he was granted a task, the task was to protect the divine heir Kuro. Kuro was a boy from an ancient clan and was its only surviving member. Wolf would protect him till he was sent out on a mission only for him to come back in the Hirata District in flames and his father dead. Wolf would search for the Divine Heir and battle many foes responsible for the destruction of the area for Kuro safety, one including his old master Lady Butterfly. Once all was done Wolf was stabbed in the back and left to die. However Kuro would safe him, in an effort to save Wolf from death he made a pack with him giving Wolf the dragon blood.
A period of time would pass with Wolf being taken into prison on account of Lady Butterfly death and Wolf lost his purpose to live. However, from a letter given to him he learned that the grandson of the Sword Saint Genichiro was attempting to capture Kuro. Wolf sprung back into action and attempted to flee the area, but was stopped by Genichiro himself and would defeat Wolf by slicing his arm and taking the Divine Heir. Wolf would be saved by a sculptor and be given a new arm and learn of Kuro's whereabouts and dash to rescue him. Eventually Wolf would find Kuro and defeat Genichiro this time and Genichiro would flee the scene.
After catching his breath Wolf would learn why Genichiro needed the Divine Heir, it was because Kuro is immortal. Kuro being the next person in the lineage of the Divine Dragon he was granted immortality. While there were other immortality types out there the Dragon Blood was the purest and Wolf would figure out he himself has the Dragon Blood because of the pack Kuro made with him that night. The reason why Genichiro wanted immortality was because the land of Ashina was being attacked again and the Ashina army was falling, so to help his family not be defeated Genichiro wanted him and possibly his army to be undying.
Now up to speed Kuro gives Wolf his new plan. Kuro wants to sever the ties of the Dragon Lineage and needs Wolf to help by getting items around the land of Ashina to end the cycle. Wolf would go and gain the items but similar to the night at the Hirata Estate it was attacked. Wolf would rush to save Kuro but would find a surprise. The person he called his father, Owl, was still alive and like everyone else wanted Kuro for his immortality. Wolf is given the choice to help his father following the Shinobi code, or disobey him and protect Kuro. The main choice is to disobey him and defeat Owl in battle. Now in a rush Wolf and Kuro run to try and complete the ritual to end their immortality. The final obstacle in their path is Genichiro again but this time armed with the Black Mortal Blade. Wolf and Genichiro would battle one last time with Genichiro sacrificing himself to revive a now dead Lord Isshin to do battle with Wolf. Wolf would win and would be given three choices. Either kill Kuro ending the dragon lineage for good, sacrifice himself also ending the dragon lineage while also giving Kuro a normal mortal life, or give Kuro to the divine child of rejuvenation and seal Kuro in them to end the lineage.
Skill and Experience
Saying Wolf is one of the most skilled Shinobi in his world is quite an understatement. Ever since he was young Wolf was trained by master shinobi Owl and the ninja Lady Butterfly, both who were skilled enough to aid in the war for the land of Ashina. Owl also has shown he is more than willing to play dirty, being shown to throw firecrackers, throw poison, etc, and Wolf was still capable of beating Owl and if anything taught him that you should do anything to win as you can do the very same techniques in game.
Probably the most impressive feat of skill was Wolf being able to beat Lord Isshin both in his older and younger “prime” state. The reason this is impressive is because Isshin himself has mastered all the Ashina arts, and was the leader and the man to slay the general of the enemy leader which ended the war of Ashina. Let alone he was skilled enough to gain the title Sword Saint, which means a warrior of legendary skills in swordsmanship. And Wolf was capable of defeating both his older, probably wiser self, while also being able to beat his younger self from the war.
This is also not including the many many different monsters he encounters. The more notable ones being the Great Ape and the Divine Dragon himself. There is also the fact Wolf with his immortality is capable of learning and predicting enemies attacks and anytime the enemy kills Wolf he will just come back with a new plan and will expect anything his opponent will throw at him.
Wolf has also learned and mastered many different skills and fighting styles like…
Shinobi Arts and Skills
Wolf is capable of learning the skills of a Shinobi. These skills are mostly used for stealth tactics and are meant to allow Wolf to stay in the shadows while sneaking behind enemies and finishing them in one blow. The notable skills Wolf can learn includes…
Whirlwind Slash: A attack that has Wolf do a spinning attack to do big damage to multiple enemies.
Breath Of Life: Light: This attack gives Wolf some health back every time he lands a Death Blow on a foe.
Shadowrush: An attack that has Wolf use a long range thrust attack used to impale foes in quick succession.
Mikiri Counter: Allows Wolf to counter those with long range weapons by stepping on those weapons making the enemies open for attack.
Suppress Presence: A skill that allows Wolf to lower his presence making it hard to spot him.
Suppress Sound: A skill that lowers the sound of Wolf in the moment which along with the last skill makes Wolf even harder to spot.
Ashina Arts and Skills
The Ashina arts are skills that are meant to help those in swordplay, meant to help with direct encounters. The skills are meant for warriors to overwhelm the opponent in quick and powerful strikes and are mainly used by Lord Isshin. Wolf is able to learn these skills and along with his already skilled swordsmanship makes him an even deadlier ninja. The notable skills include…
Ichimonji: A simple technique that allows the user to make a single yet very powerful strike while also recovering Wolf posture.
Flowing Water: A skill that helps Wolf deflect opponents and reduce the damage he would gain while blocking.
Ashina Cross: By far the most powerful skill of the Ashina Arts. It's a skill that makes Wolf hold a stance, once ready will deliver a swift strike that stated by Lord Isshin is so fast it could sever the arm of a Shura.
Prosthetic Arts and Skills
These skills make Wolf prosthetic arm an even more useful tool with Wolf integrating in many different attacks and combos. The notable skills include…
Projected Force: A move where Wolf puts the force of the arm into the blade releasing a powerful strike.
Living Force: While unclear Wolf can use the arm with the blade to release a powerful strike that sets the blade on fire which most likely came from the Demon Of Hatred.
Nightjar Slash: A leaping attack that has Wolf closing the distance with his foe and can back out with a backdash if the foe is already doing an attack.
Temples Arts and Skills
During his quest Wolf would wander upon a temple which held power monks which Wolf would fight. He would then be able to learn the skills used by said monks which mixes martial arts with the sword. The notable skills Wolf can learn are…
Praying Strikes: An elbow attack which can be used as a counter attack which is also a way the monks pray. Wolf can use this attack as a combo which at the end has Wolf using his whole body causing a big attack.
High Monk: A move which has Wolf leaping at his foe with kicks and slashes from his blad making for quick combos and little room for counterattacks.
Mushin Arts and Skills
The Mushin Arts is a mix of all previous arts, the Mushin arts is supposed to be a better version of all skills previously learned granting him great effect. The notable skills include…
Shadowfall: A upgraded version of Shadowrush, it allows Wolf to leap in the air after a shadowrush and use a spinning attack as they fall.
Spiral Cloud Passage: A sword skill that allows Wolf to make shockwaves which damage his foes.
Empowered Mortal Draw: By far the most powerful skill, Wolf focuses his mind and releases a long range slash with the Mortal Blade which can quickly kill his foes while also destroying their poster.
Equipment
The Kusabimaru
The main weapon Wolf uses throughout his adventure. The blade is an heirloom of the Hintaro Family and was given to Wolf by the Divine Air. Its blade in general doesn’t have any special properties however Wolf still shows he is a master with the blade taking down all his foes with it.
Prosthetic Arm
After Wolf first fought with Geneichiro either by losing or Genechiro being a sore loser Wolf lost one of his arms. The Sculptor who helped Wolf gave him a new arm. With the new arm Wolf was able to find upgrades during his quest and the Sculptor adds them to his arm and said items have upgrades for them. Wolf attachments for the arm include…
Grappling Hook: The universal feature the arm has is a Grappling Hook which Wolf can use to get to higher places. Wolf also has shown that if given the chance can use it on enemies to close the distance
Loading Shuriken: The first tool the arm has is allowing Wolf to use some items to damage foes from a distance. Upgrades for the item include…
Phantom Kunai: This is the weapon Wolf's old teacher, Lady Butterfly, uses to wield. When thrown the Kunai will summon up to 6 butterflies that will all home and target the enemy doing damage to them.
Lazulite Shuriken: What seems to be a normal Shuriken is much better because it allows Wolf to attack multiple enemies with it making for good crowd control
Loaded Axe: An attachment that puts an axe on Wolf arm which he can use to break enemies defenses and shatter enemy shields leaving them open for attack. The upgrades for this tool include…
Spring-Loaded Axe: This simple upgrade works similar to the normal one however has the added benefit of allowing Wolf to spin with it allowing multiple attacks and landing one final overhead attack when finished.
Sparkling Axe: This axe basically makes the Axe go on fire. It can be used to break enemies posters by setting them on fire and when landing an overhead attack causes a mini explosion that further damages enemies.
Lazulite Axe: This axe normally acts as the normal axe however its special feature is that it destroys any illusion in Wolf area making fights easier.
Flame Vent: The attachment that allows Wolf to throw out a wave of fire which has the added effect to make enemies have the burn effect. The upgraded attachments for this attachment includes…
Spring-Loaded Flame Vent: This one works similar to the normal Vent however this one has a bigger flame and does more damage with its flame.
Okinaga’s Flame Vent: This upgrade allows Wolf to make a continuous flame attack that keeps going as long as Wolf wants.
Lazulite Sacred Flame Vent: This one works similar to the Okinaga’s Flame Vent however it uses blue flames which allows more damage to be dealt.
Shinobi Firecracker: A more simple tool that allows Wolf to throw firecrackers that a flash distracting enemies. The Upgrades for this tool include…
Spring-Loaded Firecrackers: A simple upgrade that allows Wolf to throw firecrackers in a 360% angle which can stun more enemies around him.
Long Spark: A upgrade that allows the firecrackers effect to stay longer.
Purple Fume: The upgrade that allows Wolf to throw a purple powder that shortly after thrown will flash like firecrackers catching enemies off guard.
Loaded Spear: A tool that gives Wolf a long ranged weapon with a spear that has the added bonus of being able to drag enemies near him. The upgrades for this tool include…
Spear Thrust: A upgrade that allows Wolf to charge at the enemy which can make them lose their poster
Spear Cleave: An upgrade that allows Wolf to make a spin attack with the spear attacking many enemies around him.
Leaping Flame: Works similar to Spear Cleave but makes the spear go on fire making a fiery spinning attack.
Mist Raven: The tool that gives Wolf more mobility allowing him to teleport a small distance of his choosing to catch enemies off guard. The upgrade for this tool includes…
Great Father Mist Raven: Works the same way of the normal mist raven but when Wolf teleports he leaves a gist of fire which does burn damage to those hit by it.
Loaded Umbrella: A defensive item that allows Wolf to pull out a nearly indestructible Umbrella. The upgrades for this tool include…
Magnet: Works like the normal tool but when the enemy attacks the umbrella their attacks will be reversed making them throw their attack the other direction.
Phoenix Lilac: Allows Wolf to block attacks with the terror effect allowing him to avoid those attacks.
Suzaku’s Lotus: Works the same as the Phoenix Lilac but instead blocks all fire attacks.
Sabimaru: A tool that holds a second blade in the arm which gives Wolf some quick attacks. It also has the added effect of giving the Poison effect if landed. The Upgrades for this tool include
Piercing Sabimaru: Works the same as the normal one but it has more piercing damage allowing more damage even if someone is blocking.
Lazulite Sabimaru: Also works like the normal version however every time Wolf swings the weapon a poison mist will be spread allowing him to affect the enemy without the need to hit him.
Divine Abduction: A fan attachment that allows Wolf to make the enemies hit by it turn around allowing Wolf to stab them in the back. There aren't any notable upgrades for this tool however.
Gourds
Wolf has on him Gourds which hold medicine that helps Wolf in different ways. He has four on hand which include..
Healing Gourd: A simple Gourd that heals Wolf from any damage he has taken
Withered Red Gourd: This Gourd allows Wolf to gain some resistance to burn status however can not be effective if Wolf already has said status
Green Mossy Gourd: This Gourd gives Wolf some resistance to any poison effects someone might throw at him
Mottled Purple Gourd: The last Gourd Wolf has given Wolf resistance over terror status effects.
Homeword Idol
This buddha statue has one simple use: it allows Wolf to teleport to the nearest Sculptor idol which works similarly to Wolf respawns. With this idol as well he is able to teleport out of any dangerous areas, for example Wolf can use this item to leave the Halls Of Illusions which is impressive because the hall of Illusions is stated to be an area between life and death.
Note: It's debatable if this item can also work through time. This item can be used in the Hirata Estate area of the game which is set in the past before the main game events. With the Idol you can teleport to a Sculptor idol in the present. The reason it is debatable is because the area in the game is very unclear if it's time travel or just Wolf seeing a memory.
Status resistance items
Wolf has found items throughout the game that help reduce or take away any status effects Wolf may have. The items for this include..
Contact Medicine: A medicine Wolf can gain that inflicts himself with a small ounce of Poison to ward off other poisons. (Its very counterintuitive but whatever it works)
Ministry Dowsing Powder: Heals Wolf of any Burn effects he has gained while also giving him some resistance to them and reducing any damage he will gain from Burn attacks.
Eel Liver: Gives Wolf a resistance to shock damage by reducing the damage he would take.
Pacifying Agent: Reduces buildup to Terror attacks while giving Wolf a resistance to it over time.
Divine Grass: While also healing Wolf to full health it also removes all status effects Wolf may be inflicted by.
Misc. Healing Items
Even though Wolf gourds can heal him he can run out. So to avoid this Wolf has other items on him that heal him during battle. They all do generally the same thing and that is heal Wolf overtime though the duration and amount depends on the item used.
Misc. Items
Wolf has also found items that have aided him in battle, however they just don’t really fit into a certain section. The other items include…
Bite Down: A medicine that is located in the mouth of Wolf, which allows Wolf to kill himself when he bites it. (Trust me this is way more useful in gameplay)
Nightjar Monocular: A tube that Wolf uses to see distant objects
Oil: It is just regular oil however paired with other items Wolf can set enemies to flames.
Snap Seed: An item that when used can shut down illusion techniques.
Divine Confetti: This item sets Wolf blade in purple and will do more damage to spirit, apparitions and demon type enemies.
Mortal Blade
The Mortal Blade is most likely the most powerful weapon in Wolf assenal. As for anyone who draws the Mortal Blade is able to slay those who are undying such as Hanabi the Undying who before getting the Mortal Blade could not fully kill him because of his immortality, but with it Wolf was able to end his suffering. Though it is important to note that not everyone can wield the blade as for any mortal man who seeked the blade did not survive, reason being it seems to suck the life out of you in some way. However because Wolf is immortal with the dragon heritage he was able to wield the weapon and use its full power.
The Mortal Blade effect is very notable. To start it was the only weapon to kill Hanbei the Undying, who before has shown could not be put down by Wolf no matter how many times Wolf tried. It's also noted that Hanbei could come back from having half his body being sliced and could just come back. Though with the Mortal Blade it killed Hanbei without issue.
The best effect with it was shown that it was able to draw blood from the Dragon Bloodline. We see this in a few instances such as Kuro able to make a cut on himself to draw blood with the blade, Wolf with the Mortal Blade can cut the Divine Dragon allowing him to gain its tiers and finally in one of the endings Wolf can fully kill Kuro. So it lives up to its as a blade to end the undying’s life.
Black Mortal Blade
Surprise! There is actually a second Mortal Blade however its effect is vastly different from the normal Red Mortal Blade. While the Red normal Mortal Blade effect is to kill those that are unable to die, the Black Mortal Blade makes it so it brings back those dead. This is done by opening a gate to the underworld, this is done by a sacrifice and will bring back a once dead person. This is mainly shown with Genichiro slicing his own neck and bringing back a then dead Lord Isshin at a younger state. Now while Wolf normally never used the blade in combat, he does obtain the blade in the Shura Ending and as we said we will be using all endings of Sekiro.
Abilities
Dragon Heritage
The Dragon Heritage is one of different ways of gaining immortal life. The other ways of this include drinking from the Rejuving Water/sediment and or being infected by a centipede that has drank from it. However the problem with both are their effects. The Rejuvenating Waters while giving immortal life they can still die by a fatal blow, though from the sediment they do gain the ability to survive blows that would normally become fatal to others, but the catch is a person's mind can be infected by it making them a new person. With the centipede it only works with a dead body as it will enter their body and make the body its host mainly shown with the Great Ape. With the Dragon Heritage however there is no catch of any kind and is meant to be the purest form of immortality.
Wolf gained it by Kuro through accepting a pack between them. Because of this Wolf doesn’t seem to age and if he “dies” he will be brought back to life. In game Wolf can come back basically instantly up to 3 times, however if Wolf dies more then he will “Fully Die” and resurrect to the nearest Buddha Statue. There seems to be no limit to how many times Wolf can “Fully Die” meaning he can most likely come back as many times as he wants.
However this doesn’t come with a catch as while Wolf can come back as many times as he wants it comes at the price with others life. The reason being is Wolf has a limited pool of energy with the resurrection, if Wolf loses his energy, his blood will spread a sickness known as Dragonrot. Those who are infected will have the life force taken away from them in order for Wolf to come back. The only way to cure this sickness is with the Dragon’s Blood Droplet, an item that gives those infected by dragonrot their life force back.
Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu
This is one of three specific Ninjutsu skills Wolf can learn that don't fit into any other previous skill trees as they act as abilities more than moves Wolf can use. With Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu Wolf can sneak up on an unsuspecting foe and stab them, killing them, Wolf then uses their blood to make a smoke bomb which can allow Wolf to sneak away without being caught.
Betsewole Ninjutsu
The second Ninjutsu Wolf can learn is the Betsewole Ninjutsu. This Ninjutsu allows Wolf to cover his blade with the blood of his defeated foe and grants Wolf extended range of all his attacks.
Puppeteer Ninjutsu
The last and most likely the most impressive Ninjutsu Wolf can learn. With this when Wolf kills his foe he can make the corpse of the previous killed for his puppet for a little while. With this Wolf can make them do certain actions and can bring them into other fights to help Wolf or do all the dirty work themselves while Wolf watches at a distance.
Spirit Falls
While exploring, Wolf could find various unique enemies of which he can battle. Once victorious Wolf gains a spirit fall which works similarly to items called Sugars, though unlike Sugars Wolf can use these infinitely. The Spirit Falls Wolf can use include…
Gachiin: The spirit fall that allows Wolf to become almost invisible, silencing his footsteps and presence for a minute.
Gokahn: The spirit fall that allows Wolf to regain posture during his fights for a short period of time making it harder for his enemies to overwhelm him.
Ungo: The spirit fall that allows Wolf to reduce the damage he would gain in a fight for a short period of time.
Yaskariku: The spirit fall that makes Wolf a glass cannon by reducing Wolf health by half but gives Wolf an extra boost in power.
Non-physical interaction
Wolf has shown the ability to interact with spirits and ghosts. This is shown in the Mist forest where he can interact with spirits. Another instance is when he fought and defeated the spirit of a samurai which he won.
Resistances
Fire Manipulation: Items can boost Wolf’s resistance to fire.
Poisons: Items can boost Wolf’s resistance to poison.
Electrocution: Items can boost Wolf’s resistance to being shocked by Lightning.
Fear Manipulation: Has items that can boost Wolf’s resistance to terror effect and the umbrella negates Terror attacks all together.
BFR: Has items that can teleport through different dimensions and can kill himself to spawn back to the nearest Buddha statue.
Death Manipulation: Wolf could come back to life after holding the Mortal Blade which takes the life of any who wield it.
Forms
Shura
A shura is when someone kills with no purpose. By this it means when you don’t kill for honor, revenge or for your home, you kill for nothing. And Wolf in the Shura ending (convent) becomes one. While being a Shura Wolf can gain the form of a demon of hatred which makes Wolf turn into a giant monster that causes destruction in its path. The demon can also manipulate fire around it and can make giant waves of it for devastating attacks. There is little reason to doubt that all of Wolf's previous abilities would not be brought over with this form making Wolf an almost unkillable monster.
Feats
Overall
Become a strong shinobi
Was able to protect Kuro for a long period of time
Was able to go to the Divine Realm and Hall Of Illusion
Ended the cycle of the immortality by severing the Dragon Bloodline
Became the first person to wield the Mortal Blade
Defeated Legendary Shinobi Owl, Lady Butterfly, Genichiro, The Corrupted Monk, and the legendary sword saint lord Isshin.
Strength
Could overpower a raging bore
Should be comparable to random soldiers who could break swords
Scales to Genichiro who was able to make a giant storm (52 tons of TNT)
Speed
Parried arrow shot by Genichiro
Could dodge wing gusts attacks from the Divine Dragon
Is capable of scaling to Lord Isshin, who was fast enough to set flames
Could catch lightning and throw it back at the Divine Dragon
Durability
Could survive a attack from a raging bore
Survive decently lengthy falls
Could survive being thrown around from the Great Ape
Weaknesses
Wolf while a skilled Shibui still has his downsides. Firstly all of his items have a limit to how many Wolf can use meaning he can be left with nothing in a fight if it goes on for too long. The other more dangerous weakness is that if Wolf dies too many times he can become weaker or lose Sen meaning while Wolf can come back as many times as he needs, he still loses something in the process.
Summary
City-Block level in AP and Durability due to Genichiro storm
MHS in speed due to multiple lighting feats from Wolf and other characters like Genichiro and Lord Isshin
Has beaten skilled foes that are a master in fighting arts
Number of items that can help against status effects
A number of different ways to heal from attacks
Has different ways of movement via graphing hook and other skills learned
Resurrection is very useful as it can keep bringing back Wolf with little to no consequence
Resurrection and Homeward idol can help Wolf if he gets hit with BFR attacks via spawning him back at a buddha statue
While very rare, Wolf can infect individuals with Dragon Rot slowly killing them via life drain
Thanks for reading!
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