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Early on in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, you'll run into strange red barriers made of what looks like sinew and stone, first at Kiyomizu-dera Temple and then repeatedly as you explore further. These are Malice Barriers, and your map will show unexplored space sitting right behind them with no obvious way through. There's no trick, item, or alternate route that gets you past one early. You simply need to progress the story far enough to earn the ability that clears them.
Malice Barriers explained
Malice Barriers show up wherever the game wants to hold back content until you're strong enough to handle it. You'll first spot one blocking the route to the high platform at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and from there they keep appearing across the map, always with explorable space visible just beyond them. Trying to interact with a barrier before you're ready does nothing, so don't waste time circling one looking for a workaround.
How to unlock Oni Strength
The barriers open up once you defeat Rasho-gan, the Wish Warper, an early main boss you'll face during the "Careful What You Wish For" objective. Beating him grants you the Oni Strength ability, which lets you interact with Malice Barriers directly. Once you have it, walking up to a barrier brings up a prompt to use Oni Power, and the barrier breaks apart, opening the path behind it.
Where to go once you're through
Retrace your steps to every Malice Barrier you walked past earlier, starting with the one back at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Areas behind them aren't just filler space. Some hold decent loot, and a few hide secret boss encounters you won't find any other way. It's worth working through your map systematically rather than clearing the nearest barrier and moving straight on with the main story.
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