The Owl | Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Wiki

The Owl (梟, Fukurō), real name Ukonzaemon Usui (薄井 右近左衛門, Usui Ukonzaemon) is an NPC in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. He is an incredibly experienced master shinobi that adopted a young, orphaned Sekiro during the aftermath of the bloody conflict between the Ashina and Tamura clans. Soon after, Usui became a mentor to the boy and would go on to show him both the ways of the Shinobi and the Iron Code at the heart of his teachings. 

The Owl Information

• Location: The Owl can be found at Hirata Estate, shortly after Bamboo Thicket Slope Sculptor's Idol in the main hall
• Progression: The Owl moves to the top of Ashina Castle after you collect Lotus of the Palace, Mortal Blade and Shelter Stone.
• Combat: Yes; players face Owl under different circumstances depending on actions taken throughout the game: see the Great Shinobi Owl and Owl (Father) pages for more information.
• Rewards: See the Great Shinobi Owl and Owl (Father) pages for more information.
  
  

Associated Quests

• When you discover him in the burning ruins of Hirata Estate, he provides you with the Hidden Temple Key 
  
  

Dialogue

• Example Dialogue Lines
• Quest Progression optional dialogue
  
  

Notes & Tips

• Voiced by: Darin De Paul (English) Takaya Hashi (Japanese).
  • Takaya Hashi is also known for voicing Toki and Amiba from Fist of the North Star; Kakuzu from the anime Naruto: Shippuden; Muno (Flint) from the Pokémon series; Brewster in the Animal Crossing movie; Revenant from the game Apex Legends, Reinhardt from the game Overwatch, Samuel Hayden from DOOM (2016) along with its sequel DOOM Eternal, and Slayer from the videogame Guilty Gear Xrd: -REVELATOR-.
    
• His real name, as revealed in the 'Shura' Ending, is Ukonzaemon Usui (薄井 右近左衛門, Usui Ukonzaemon). His first name is Ukonzaemon, consisting of the characters 右, right, 近, close, 左, left, 衛, protect, and 門, gate. His last name consists of 薄, thin or dilute, and 井, well. His surname appears to be a reference to Usui Forest. According to the Mist Raven's Feathers, Usui Forest is said to contain many birds of prey, such as perhaps owls. Usui's Forest is also mentioned in the description of Lady Butterfly's Phantom Kunai. Ukonzaemon seems to be a variation on a common given name. For instance, Jinzaemon has a similar name.
  • Ukon refers to a member of the Ukonoe-fu, or the 2nd (lit. "Right") Royal Guards. Saemon (individual form of zaemon) refers to a member of the Saemon-fu, or the 1st (lit. "Left") Gatekeepers (of the Imperial Palace). In the Sengoku period (the period of Sekiro), samurai often use these court titles as their de facto names, even when they did not officially hold these positions in the Court.
  • The name connotes his chief status of a certain shinobi clan, since only upper and upper-middle class persons such as aristocrats, samurai warriors, and samurai-equivalent local leaders can use these court titles as their names.
• In the 'Shura' ending, he is backstabbed just as he did Sekiro in the Hidden Temple at Hirata Estate.
• He doesn't actually get to say his full name in either version of the audio. In the Japanese audio, you don't get to hear his full first name, as it comes last, but in the English audio you don't get to hear his full last name, as it comes last instead. Piecing them together allows us to recreate his whole name properly.
• A part of his character is possibly based on Sadamitsu Usui (碓井貞光; 10–11th centuries), a semi-legendary samurai and one of the Four Godly Heroes of Yorimitsu/Raiko.
  • Yorimitsu (also known as Raiko) was a bureaucrat/politician-type samurai in the real history, but in folklore he and his four prominent generals (including Sadamitsu Usui) were regarded as the greatest demon hunters of Japan.
  • According to a legend, Sadamitsu killed a great serpent that lived in the Usui Pass, a misty valley and the birthplace of Sadamitsu. The Sekiro lore that the Owl (possibly) comes from the Usui Forest, a misty place, is in accordance with this legend. It is also possibly related to an in-game boss fight that his adopted son Sekiro kills a great serpent in the Sunken Valley Passage.
  • The most well-known legend is that Sadamitsu discovered an orphan of low birth called Kintaro who had an exceptional talent as a hero and a demon hunter. Later Kintaro became a samurai called Kintoki Sakata, another of the Four Godly Heroes. Kintaro/Kintoki even surpassed the fame of Sadamitsu. Every Japanese knows the name of the hero Kintaro. This story also matches with the story the Owl discovered a talented orphan who would be later called Sekiro and was surpassed by his own adopted son.