[Saka]

@DracoTarot I actually meant that it might be a samurai with a demon mask, not the actual demon. The rest of the armour is typical for samurai. I believe Oni were typically depicted with less armour or without any altogether.

[DracoTarot]

@Saka The design really looks like a combination of the two. I always thought the demon mask is part of the traditional Samurai gear but I do have a better understanding now. 😊

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka I always thought Oni's likeness to the masks was for a shocking effect on the opponent, other cultures did that too, like the Roman Gladiators. You're right, Onis being supernatural rarely had a need for armour, though I always thought that armour as a whole was to make its wearer resemble Oni closer.

I mean, Onis are not only known for their frightening facial expressions but also for their big imposing statures. And Samurai armour would typically make a warrior appear bigger than he naturally would be (the same goes for European knight armour, too), so a wearer of that armour becomes an "oni incarnate", so to speak.

So @DracoTarot has a point too, it may be that those masks were a traditional part of Samurai armour because its function was not only to protect the warrior from harm but also to give a "+50 Oni-likeness" bonus stat.

This discussion makes me excited about the upcoming PC release of The Ghost of Tsushima all the more. Then we will be able to see and try all sorts of Samurai armour. 👺