All factions in Rise of the Ronin

❘ Updated: 2024-02-23T12:20:51

Team Ninja

Rise of the Ronin features several different factions that are all vying for power in the game, so here’s everything you need to know about them.

Rise of the Ronin is PlayStation 5’s latest open-world game that sees players take control of a masterless samurai during war-torn 19th-century Japan. Sharing similarities to both Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro, the game has quickly become one of the biggest PlayStation 5 releases of 2024.

While mastering both katana and Western-style matchlock rifles will help increase your survivability, knowing your enemy is just as important. So, here are the three main factions in Rise of the Ronin and where their interests lie.

All Rise of the Ronin factions

There are three factions in Rise of the Ronin who are all vying for political power, aiming to capitalize on the turmoil of the Bakumatsu era. The three factions can be found below:

Sabaku (Pro-shogunate)

The Sabaku faction featuring Naosuke II, Taka Murayama and Kaishu Katsu.

The Sabaku are strong supporters of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the military government of Japan who rose to power after ending the civil wars of the Sengoku period. However, with the dawn of the Bakumatsu era, the pro-shogunate are losing their grip over Japan.

Sensing both Japan’s inner turmoil from anti-shogunate powers (Tobaku) and Western forces (Obei), the Sabaku aims to maintain its centralized rule and existing political order by any means possible.

The Sabaku faction is mainly led by Chief Minister Naosuke II and Naval Commissioner Kaishu Katsu. As the name suggests, if you choose to side with this faction you will work to uphold the shogunate’s power and ensure that commerce stays unrestricted and accessible to Western forces such as the British or Americans.

Obei (Western forces)

Obei faction featuring Matthew Perry, Rutherford Alcock and Jules Brunet.

The Western forces of the Bakumatsu era consisted of US, British, and French powers who wanted to establish trade with Japan, opening the country up and putting an end to the country’s isolationist policies that kept the island free from outside forces.

Matthew Perry along with Rutherford Alcock, and Jules Brunet are the main figures of the Obei, and they’ll be attempting to influence Japan’s political and economic landscape.

Tobaku (Anti-shogunate)

Tobaku faction featuring Ryoma Sakamoto, Kogoro Katsura and Genzui Kusaka.

The Tobaku are the anti-shogunate factions who are made up of diverse groups and individuals united by their opposition to the shogunate’s rule. They wish to restore imperial authority back to Japan, even if it means using Western weapons to their advantage.

In fact, one of Tobaku’s main leaders, Ryoma Sakamoto, is known to incorporate traditional swords and Western-style pistols to eliminate his enemies.

If you choose to side with this faction, you will fight against the Shogunate and try to restore the Imperial Court while also removing foreign forces from the land.