* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Nioh 3
仁王3
An action RPG developed by Koei Tecmo's Team NINJA, released on 6 February 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Windows. The third mainline entry following Nioh and Nioh 2, it introduces a time-spanning adventure and a new dual combat system — the traditional Samurai style and a new Ninja style.
Description
Overview
Nioh 3 is a dark-fantasy action RPG developed by Koei Tecmo's Team NINJA. As the third mainline entry following Nioh (2017) and Nioh 2 (2020), it was released on 6 February 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Windows. It adopts large, non-linear "open field" exploration spaces in place of the stage-based structure of the previous two titles, making it the series' greatest structural overhaul.
Story and Setting
The protagonist is Takechiyo, grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the future third Edo shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu. Amid a feud with his younger brother Kunimatsu, who is at odds with him over the position of shogun (a character evoking the historical Suruga Dainagon, Tokugawa Tadanaga), he is caught in a yokai attack that sends him across time. Players fight while moving between multiple eras, including the Sengoku, Heian, Yayoi and Bakumatsu periods, and real historical figures such as retainers of Oda Nobunaga, ninja and Bakumatsu patriots appear throughout.
Swords and Combat System
In addition to the "Samurai style" that uses swords as the foundation of the series, Nioh 3 introduces a new "Ninja style." The result is a two-layered combat structure in which players distinguish between head-on sword fighting and stealth combat using ninja tools. Weapon types carried over from the earlier games, including swords, dual swords and spears, along with transformation through the power of guardian spirits, maintain the series' framework as a Japanese-sword-centred dark fantasy, while being redesigned to suit the wider battlefields.
Reception and Series Standing
A demo was released on 29 January 2026 ahead of launch and drew strong interest from series fans. By combining a real historical framework, the succession dispute of the Tokugawa shogunate, with a fictional time-travel premise, Nioh 3 extends the formula of "real historical figures × Japanese-sword action × yokai" established by Nioh and Nioh 2, and further solidifies the series' position as a representative series of Japanese action games themed on the culture of the sword.
See authentic Japanese swords
See authentic Japanese swordsRelated Content
Seven Samurai
Film七人の侍
Akira Kurosawa's 1954 enduring masterpiece, one of the most influential works in the history of world cinema. Set in the late Sengoku period, its story of seven masterless samurai gathered to protect a village from bandits vividly depicts the social role of the samurai and the practical side of the sword. It is a monumental work that made Japanese swordcraft known to the world, and it influenced countless films, including The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars, and Mad Max.
Nioh 2
Video Game仁王2
A Sengoku-period action RPG released in 2020, developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo Games. As a prequel to the earlier "Nioh," it stars a half-yokai protagonist with yokai blood, who crosses swords with demons while encountering real Sengoku-period warlords.
Lupin III (Goemon Ishikawa & Zantetsuken)
Anime & Mangaルパン三世（石川五ェ門・斬鉄剣）
A franchise created by Monkey Punch in 1967 that has spread worldwide as a long-running anime series. The Zantetsuken sword carried by Goemon Ishikawa XIII—capable of cutting through anything—became an iconic symbol of Japanese swords in pop culture. Ranked 3rd in a 2025 anime sword popularity poll.
Nobunaga's Ambition
Game信長の野望
A historical simulation game series developed and sold by Koei Tecmo Games since 1983. It is a national-favorite series in which players control Sengoku daimyo, including Oda Nobunaga, in pursuit of unifying the country. Depending on the title, famous swords also appear as items, making it a historical game series that touches on the bond between Japanese swords and warlords.
This page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.