AKAYUKI: Steel Blossoms Red PvP Combos and Attack Inputs

On PC, press E to draw your sword, get close to your opponent, then hold the left mouse button and swipe the mouse right to slash. For a sneaking strike, approach an unaware opponent from behind and use that sword attack while they are facing away.

The rightward slash is the clearest attack input to learn first. The tutorial’s later instruction to move the blade left is part of its exercise; it should not be treated as a promise that every right-to-left sequence will land consecutive hits in PvP.

Execute the mouse-swing slash

The mouse movement is part of the attack input. Keep the left button held as you swipe right: the action combines a held button with a directional movement. Drawing the sword with E prepares the weapon; the hold-and-swipe motion performs the slash.

Follow the tutorial’s horizontal-slice sequence in this order:

1. Press E to equip your sword.
2. Walk close to the target.
3. Move the mouse left to prepare the rightward motion.
4. Hold the left mouse button and swipe right to perform the horizontal slice.
5. When the tutorial gives its next, separate directional prompt, move the blade left.

The same hold-left-click-and-swipe-right input has also landed a slice against another player after locking onto them. If you are already locked onto an opponent, use the same mouse motion. See the lock-on guide for that system, or keep the katana controls handy as a separate reference.

Use a rear approach for sneaking strikes

A rear attack starts with the opponent’s attention and facing. Approach an unaware player from behind, get close enough to attack, and perform the mouse-driven slash. The useful opportunity is an opponent who is facing away from you.

Rear approaches have caught injured opponents, and one arena exchange ended with the attacker taking down two opponents using this approach. That is a possible outcome of catching players from behind, not a dependable two-target combo. Look for an opponent facing away when attempting a rear approach.

The threat works in both directions. Players attacking from behind have also been attacked from behind themselves and killed. Focusing on the opponent ahead does not remove the danger from another player approaching your back.

Understand why repeated swings can still lose

Executing the slash and winning the exchange are different results. Arena fights have included both wins and losses while a player kept swinging, including encounters with higher-level players and a shogun. A successful exchange with wild swings does not make continuous swinging a reliable winning sequence.

Opponents can also run away, walk backward without attacking, or chase you. Those movements change the situation around the same attack input: drawing and swiping remain the actions you perform, while the opponent’s position and response affect the encounter. Rear approaches landed hits in the recorded fights, but did not guarantee a win.

How Iai and Dual wield change attacks

Iai and Dual wield are purchasable Draw styles game passes. Their descriptions for versions 1.3.9–1.3.10 give them distinct attack rules, so keep these properties attached to the relevant style.

Iai: draw-cuts only

Iai is described as using draw-cuts only. Its cuts pass through blades, but a miss can be parried. The style also lists increased dash length, increased draw speed, a faster sheathe, and poise recovery on a kill.

These properties make the draw-cut central to Iai’s attack sequence. The ability to cut through blades comes with the stated risk that a missed cut can be parried. Poise recovery is tied specifically to getting a kill. For more on this style, see the Iai guide.

Dual wield: two blades and an R poise recovery action

Dual wield places one katana at each hip. Both are drawn together, with one swung in each hand. Its draw-cuts pass through blades, while a still guard parries them.

The description also says that hits “take less poise” and draws cost more. Its explicit extra input is R, which performs a blood flick that fully restores poise. Keep that recovery action associated with Dual wield when reading an attack sequence that includes R.

The parry conditions differ between these descriptions: Iai names a missed draw-cut, while Dual wield names a still guard. Passing through blades therefore comes with a specific parry qualification for each style. These details help explain why a draw-style sequence can behave differently from the equipped-sword mouse slash taught at the start.