Ace Archer: Kyoto Imperial Palace is a secondary mission in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Musashi must use his bow to eliminate five flying Kubi Akari hidden around the Imperial Palace.
This guide explains how to unlock the mission and where to aim for every Kubi Akari. It contains location details and spoilers.
How to start Ace Archer: Kyoto Imperial Palace
Travel to the Gojo Street – West Spirit Mirror, then speak with the man standing to its north. He will warn you about dangerous flying creatures in the Kyoto Imperial Palace and ask for assistance.
Your objective is to kill five Kubi Akari in the Imperial Palace zone. Their positions appear on the map as notebook icons, but the creatures are outside the normal explorable areas. You therefore need to stand in a precise position before taking the shot.
The locations below follow the order in which they were found from the starting area of the Kyoto Imperial Castle zone. You can complete them in any order. The guide images show the recommended firing position with a star and highlight the target with a circle.
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All five Kubi Akari locations
Kubi Akari #1: Western corridor
Begin at the Palace Entrance Spirit Mirror in the south. Move north into the next main area, defeat the genma, then reach the northwest corner where the route turns east. Face north to see a corridor linking two buildings on the western side of the map.
The first Kubi Akari moves continually through this corridor, so wait for it to come into view before releasing your arrow.
Kubi Akari #2: House window
Head east and crawl beneath the stone structures around the area. After emerging, defeat the two genma near the chest containing one oni stone. Continue southeast until you reach the corner of a house.
Look towards the window. The second Kubi Akari flies inside the building, giving you a narrow shooting angle through the opening.
Kubi Akari #3: Ramp and upper platform
Stay in the same general area as the second target and go to its northwest side. Find the ramp and climb it to the upper section of one of the platforms formed by the genma structures.
From the top, turn south. The third Kubi Akari is visible from this elevated position.
Kubi Akari #4: Rock archway
Return to the main route heading towards the northern part of the map. Before reaching the Oikeniwa Pond Garden Spirit Mirror, take the ramp on the western side of the path.
This leads to a roof covered with rock formations. Find the formation with an archway and aim through the gap between the roof and the rocks. The fourth Kubi Akari is on the other side.
Kubi Akari #5: Behind the trees
The final target is beyond the Oikeniwa Pond Garden Spirit Mirror, close to the boss arena. Defeat the enemies in the arena first, including the demons firing arrows.
Once the area is clear, look south across the building surrounded by trees. The fifth Kubi Akari hovers above it, although it can be difficult to spot while it remains behind the foliage. Wait for it to move into a clear line of sight, then fire.
Finishing the mission
After all five Kubi Akari have been killed, the Ace Archer: Kyoto Imperial Palace objective is complete. If you are setting up a classic shooting-game corner at home, RETROCADE also has arcade light guns and an arcade machine buying guide to help plan the right hardware.
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