Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin (released in Japan in February 2014) is a spin-off game set at the end of the Edo period of Japanese history (known as the Bakumatsu period), a period when the Tokugawa Shogunate came to an end and imperial rule was restored (Meiji Restoration).
Sakamoto Ryoma is living undercover, with a false identity, as "Saito Hajime" in Kyoto. One year earlier, on the eve of the coup d'état of Tosa, Ryoma's foster father, the man who raised him, was murdered before his eyes. The only lead he had to discover who the killer was is that he used the Tennen Rishin style of fighting. This is a style used by the Shinsengumi, so Ryoma infiltrates their ranks, becoming captain of the 3rd Shinsengumi unit, in attempt to find the killer.
Big thanks to Kevin Debrabandere for creating a PDF for the entire Ishin guide. You can download the PDF version of the guide here. Please be advised that the PDF is outdated now, but still contains information for the whole game.
The chapter starts with a group of people by the docks, looking into the water at the corpse of 6th Shinsengumi captain Inoue Genzaburo.
After that, we are back at Terada Inn and Ryoma says he should head over to the HQ.
You can now do the final substory.
[1]
When you get here, Nagakura speaks to Ryoma and asks if he's heard about Inoue. He doesn't tell him what happened, but instead tells him to go to the HQ.
When you enter the Shinsengumi HQ, Ryoma meets up with Hijikata and other captains and sees the body of Inoue. Ryoma asks what happened, then Todo tells him he was shot twice, then finished off with a sword, then tossed into a river and that it was the doing of an Ishin-Shishi. Harada suggests that it was thanks to his age - he doesn't have the skill anymore, but Hijikata says Inoue's still had not declined - he was just taken by surprise and didn't even have a chance to offer any resistance. Harada is annoyed that the reputation of the Shinsengumi being the strongest force is being tarnished, with the deaths of several of their captains. Apparently they are being referred to as "Sacrificial Pawns" of the Shogunate by their enemies. Harada asks Hijikata to let him be the one to get revenge on the Ishin-Shishi, by going around slaughtering all he can find, to rebuild the reputation of the Shinsengumi being the strongest.
Okita says it sounds good, but that the first unit (him) should be the one to do it. He tells Hijikata that even if he has a problem with that, he won't be able to stop him. Harada says he has no problem with Okita's first unit doing it, but says he wants to be involved as well. Okita tells him that he's just a pawn of the Shinsengumi.
Harada asks Hijikata if he's just going to let Okita do as he pleases, but Todo says when he gets like this no one can stop him! Harada says he's not going to stand for it, then goes off to gather his men and head out as well. Hijikata tells Ryoma and Todo that they have to stop them, then tells Ryoma to go after Okita. Hijikata tells Ryoma to head over to where Inoue's body was found - by the docks in Fushimi.
You cannot use the palanquin in Mibu for the time being, but curiously you can still use the palanquin in Rakunai, so you can skip events 2 and 3 if you want and go straight to 4.
[1]
When you get here, Ryoma sees some guys from Okita's 1st unit threatening a samurai. Ryoma tells them this isn't the right way to go about things, but they say they are under orders from Okita and won't let anyone interfere - not even another Shinsengumi captain.
[2]
When you get here, Ryoma fights with more members of the 1st unit.
[3]
When you get here, Ryoma fights with more members of the 1st unit.
[4]
When you get here, Ryoma looks at the water, then Yamazaki appears behind him, saying he has a message from Ito - he says Okita is mustering his 1st unit in Mukurogai. He says they're looking for a "Komuso" (monks who wear a type of hat called "Tengai" and are also known for playing tunes on the shakuhachi).
(note that you cannot use the Fushimi boat to Mukurogai - you have to go the long way. But you can skip events 5 and 6 if you want by using the palanquin in Fushimi to fast travel to Rakugai)
[5]
When you get here, Ryoma fights with more members of the 1st unit.
[6]
When you get here, Ryoma fights with more members of the 1st unit.
[7]
When you get here, Ryoma sees more guys from the 1st unit and asks "Aren't you guys gonna fight me?". But they tell Ryoma that Okita is waiting for him. Apparently he knows the true identity of the Komuso and has something to ask Ryoma.
[8]
When you get to this area (second level (upstairs) of Mukurogai), Okita appears and attacks Ryoma. He says he has proof that Ryoma is the one who killed Inoue - that the Komuso was Sakamoto Ryoma. He got hold of some samurai from Tosa and Choshu and beat a confession out of them. Ryoma points out that there is someone else using the name "Sakamoto Ryoma". Okita already knows this and says that this Ryoma right here is the one who has reason to kill Inoue - because he was the masked man he'd been hunting down! Okita says it is the duty of a student to avenge his teacher and that he's going to make Ryoma experience "True Tennen Rishin", telling him that the "final mystery" of the Tennen Rishin style he has been chasing down all this time is right before him.
After Ryoma wins, he tells him that he didn't kill Inoue - it was the other Sakamoto Ryoma. Ryoma then asks if it's true if Inoue was the masked man from a year ago. Before he answers, Okita asks what Ryoma thought of his Tennen Rishin. Ryoma tells him it's exactly the style he's been chasing. Ryoma asks if he and Inoue were teacher and student. Okita tells him that, to him, "Inoue was... No, Kamo was...". Kondo then appears, saying to Okita, "The time has come to tell this guy the truth... Right, Goro?".
Kondo explains that a year ago they were called the "Miburoshigumi" and that there was another commander besides him - Serizawa Kamo. He says 7 of the members, led by Kondo, came from the Shieikan dojo - Kondo, Hijikata, Yamanami, Okita, Nagakura, Inoue and Todo. 3 members, led by Serizawa, came from the Mito domain - Serizawa Kamo, Hirayama Goro and Hirama Jusuke. He says the members Inoue Genzaburo, Okita Soji and Nagakura Shinpachi have all been dead for some time - Serizawa Kamo, Hirayama Goro and Hirama Jusuke have just been playing the parts. He tells Ryoma all of this is related to the assassination of Yoshida Toyo.
We then get a flashback to a year ago, at the Shinsengumi HQ. Inoue enters and removes his mask, then 3 guys appear - Okita Soji, Inoue Genzaburo and Nagakura Shinpachi. Okita tells Kamo (the guy who we thought was Inoue) they know about his background/origins, accusing him of being a spy. They say Kondo has been giving him preferential treatment, warmly welcoming this criminal into the Miburoshigumi. He says the Shieikan faction's position is in jeopardy. Kamo asks if they'd really kill a fellow Miburoshigumi member, but Okita says the 3 of them don't consider him a fellow member. Hirama (who we thought was Nagakura) wakes up and sees Kamo and Okita fighting, then wakes up Hirayama (who we thought was Okita). Kamo tells the two of them to stay back, but Kamo gets hit and the two of them rush out to save him, by killing Okita. Kondo and Hijikata then appear. Kamo says he will commit seppuku for killing fellow Miburoshigumi members, but asks that Hirayama and Hirama be spared. Hirayama points out that he shouldn't be apologising - Okita and the others were the ones who came here to kill him first! Kondo says they're right and that he's the one who apologise - apparently those 3 guys were scared of the Mito faction's skill, so they went and did something like this. Kondo says the only thing in his mind right now is how he can keep the Miburoshigumi alive - he says he's sure he can change the country and doesn't care what sacrifices must be made. The group was created to achieve that goal, going so far as to deceive the Shogunate, and that he needs the Mito faction's ability and then asks if they're willing to begin a "second life".
From that day forth, Serizawa Kamo played the part of Inoue Genzaburo, Hirama Jusuke played the part of Nagakura Shinpachi and Hirayama Goro played the part of Okita Soji. At the same time, they changed the name to Shinsengumi and have been known as that ever since. Kamo started spreading rumours to sweep away the past and hide the truth. To ensure that it all remain a secret, they created a law - all who abandon the Shinsengumi must be killed. Kondo says he really wanted to adopt the "Mito Tengu" fighting style (that Kamo used) into the Shinsengumi, so from the day after he became Inoue, he gave lessons to the Shieikan faction. Then they renamed it to the "Tennen Rishin" style and proclaimed it is the style from the Shieikan dojo. Ryoma says he still doesn't know why Inoue had to kill Yoshida. Okita says it was a request from the Mito domain - if he was successful in this mission, then the 3 of them would no longer be banned from the domain. Ryoma asks if that means the man behind it all is in Mito, but Okita says he doesn't know - Kamo never told them. Kondo asks if Ryoma intends to kill the man behind the killing of Yoshida Toyo when he finds him. Ryoma says he doesn't know, but one thing is clear to him now he knows who the masked man was - he never wanted revenge, he just wanted to know the truth. He tells Ryoma that the reason he knew that he was the real Sakamoto Ryoma is because Kamo told him, but Kamo also told him that the name of the man who asked him to kill Yoshida Toyo is "Sakamoto Ryoma". Apparently, this other Sakamoto Ryoma is at Terada Inn, so there are 2 Sakamoto Ryomas staying there right now. Ito and Takeda's 5th unit are heading to Terada Inn right now for a raid. He then asks Ryoma to go along to the raid as well, saying if Ito and Takeda fail to capture him, the mystery surrounding Yoshida's assassination will forever be shrouded in darkness.
[1]
When you get near this area, Ryoma meets with Ito and Takeda's 5th unit. Ito says they don't need Ryoma for this and asks him to leave it to Takeda and himself. Okita then tells Ito to leave this to his first unit. He tells Ito that he met with the commander, who was talking about his retirement and says Ito should hurry back before Hijikata gets appointed to take over the commander role. Ito says he'd better not be lying to him! After they leave, Ryoma tells Okita that before they raid the place, he wants to get the mistress and the servant out of there, so they sneak in the rear entrance. They hear someone having a bath in one of the rooms and Okita says they should take a quick look, because it might be Sakamoto Ryoma. It's Oryo and Ryoma warns her that the Shinsengumi are going to raid the place in a moment, looking for Sakamoto Ryoma, and tells her to get the mistress and get out of there. Oryo rushes out of the room and screams upstairs to Sakamoto Ryoma, telling him that the Shinsengumi are here to get him.
[1]
When you get to this area, there is a quick time event and you are separated from Okita. Head back towards where you started and break down the obstacle to open up a new way forward.
[2]
Meet back up with Okita here, then go upstairs.
Head to the big room at the top right of the map.
When you enter the room, Ryoma and Okita find the man wearing a tengai (Sakamoto Ryoma) along with 3 other samurai.
After the fight, Real Ryoma asks Fake Ryoma why he's using his name and asks about his objectives, but gets no answer. Okita goes to attack Fake Ryoma, but he only rips his clothes - Ryoma then notices the large burn mark on his back as he makes his escape. Then some Mimawarigumi members enter the room, led by Sasaki. He tells Okita to leave the rest to the Mimawarigumi - they'll be the ones to take care of Sakamoto Ryoma, not the Shinsengumi. Apparently this is a direct order from the higher-ups - the Shinsengumi are not allowed to have anything to do with Sakamoto Ryoma. Ryoma asks who made the order and Sasaki tells him it was Katsu Rintaro.
Back at the Shinsengumi HQ, Ryoma and Okita are talking, then Ito and captains Todo and Takeda appear. Ito confronts Okita about his lie regarding the commander's retirement - they say thanks to him, Sakamoto Ryoma got away. Ito warns Okita that when he becomes commander one day, he'll purge the Shinsengumi of all who oppose him.
After that, Ryoma says to himself he should head back to Terada Inn - he has something to ask Oryo.
Go back to your room in Terada Inn to trigger the event.
Ryoma asks her why she helped Sakamoto Ryoma and she says she just wanted to save a customer who is being pursued - she'll save any customer who is being targeted by the Shinsengumi - saying it's her duty as a worker at Terada Inn. Ryoma says if that's all it is, then that's fine. Otose then enters the room and tells her it's about time to tell the truth. She asks what she's hiding. Otose manages to convince Oryo to talk. Oryo says that she was working with the supporters of the Emperor before she came to Terada Inn, because she needed the money for medicine for her bed-ridden mother. Then, one day, a man named "Saito Hajime" showed up and she was asked (by "Sakamoto Ryoma") to keep an eye on his actions. She says she got plenty of information as a servant of Terada Inn. Ryoma asks where she met this fake Sakamoto Ryoma. She tells him her father was killed by members of the Shogunate, then some other supporters of the Emperor came round to pay their respects and one of those men was "Sakamoto Ryoma", who helped her out since she had money troubles. Ryoma asks why Sakamoto Ryoma came here today. She says she doesn't know, but he said he had things he needed to do here in the capital. Oryo says Ryoma must think ill of her now for her deception, but Ryoma says that he too has been deceiving them all along. He tells them he's been using a fake name.
He says his real name is "Sakamoto Ryoma". Oryo asks who the "Sakamoto Ryoma" she met really is then and he tells them it is someone using his name and says he has the same burn mark on his back as Takechi Hanpeita. Ryoma says he has no idea what's going on - He thought Takechi was dead and he says he had no reason to kill Yoshida anyway. Oryo asks if he wants to meet with the "Sakamoto Ryoma" she met. She tells him there's someone within the Shinsengumi who, like herself, has ties with "Sakamoto Ryoma" - Shinsengumi Inspector Yamazaki - and if he gets hold of him he might be able to meet him.
When you complete this chapter, you get the "Story Clear #5" trophy.
