Start the Aka-Oni questline in Dokkodo at the entrance bridge, follow Kyoto’s note trail, and finish the story by defeating Aka-Oni at West Point house at night.
To complete Dokkodo’s Aka-Oni questline, start at the bridge by the entrance to N once you have enough reputation, follow the trail of clues through Kyoto, then defeat Aka-Oni at the West Point house at night.
The Aka-Oni questline is one of Dokkodo’s multi-stage story quests, and it’s the kind of thing that sends you bouncing across Kyoto chasing clues before it ever lets you swing a sword. It starts quietly at a bridge near the entrance to N, runs through a trail of notes you have to track down, and ends in a night-time boss fight inside the West Point house. There’s a reputation gate on the front end too, so not everyone will be able to pick it up the first time they walk over to it.
What the Aka-Oni questline actually is
This isn’t a one-and-done objective. The Aka-Oni storyline is a chain of stops — talk to an NPC, get pointed somewhere new, chase down the next lead — and each stage only opens up after you’ve cleared the last. The whole thing builds toward a single payoff: a fight against Aka-Oni that only happens at the West Point house once night falls.
Before any of that, there’s a gate. You’ll need a certain amount of reputation to accept the quest at all, so if you’re brand new to Dokkodo, expect to spend some time building yourself up before this one is even available. Once you’re in, the rest is about knowing where to go and being ready for a crowded house full of guards at the end.
Picking up the quest at the entrance bridge
Head to the bridge by the entrance to N — that’s where the questline begins. When you arrive, don’t just walk straight across. You need to wait for a head to spawn on the railing of the bridge first; that’s your cue. Shortly after, an armored samurai walks toward you, and speaking to him is how you accept the quest. Once you do, he points you to the next display site over in Kyoto.
The catch is the reputation requirement. The exact amount you need is never spelled out anywhere in-game, so there’s no number to aim for — if you talk to the samurai and he won’t hand over the quest, that’s your sign you’re short. The fix is simple but slow: go earn more reputation and come back. Don’t assume the quest is bugged; it’s almost always the gate.
The ragged-kimono NPC only spawns at night and bolts the moment you talk to him — grab a horse and cut him off instead of chasing, because he’s fast enough to lose you on foot.
How to complete the Aka-Oni quest in Dokkodo
STEP 1/11
Go to the entrance bridge
Head to the bridge by the entrance to N, where the questline starts.
STEP 2/11
Wait for the head and talk to the samurai
A head spawns on the bridge railing, then an armored samurai walks toward you to offer the quest.
STEP 3/11
Accept the quest
Speak to him and accept; he sends you to the next display site in Kyoto.
STEP 4/11
Go to the bridge behind the horse stables
The next display site sits on a similar bridge tucked behind the horse stables.
STEP 5/11
Find the ragged-kimono NPC at night
Look for a person in a ragged kimono walking away from another head; he spawns at night, so server hop a few times if he isn’t there.
STEP 6/11
Catch him with a horse
Press E to talk and he bolts — ride a horse to get in front of him because he’s really fast.
STEP 7/11
Kill him and loot the Aka-Oni note
Cut him off, take him down, and loot his body for the Aka-Oni note that points you onward.
STEP 8/11
Head west to the West Point house
From that bridge, travel west into Kyoto until you reach the West Point house.
STEP 9/11
Prepare before entering at night
Wait for night, and grab armor or bring friends to handle the large group of guards inside.
STEP 10/11
Clear the guards to the back room
Fight or kite the guards as you push toward the very back room of the house.
STEP 11/11
Fight Aka-Oni
With the guards down, take on Aka-Oni in the back room to finish the quest.
Video help
Tracking the note trail through Kyoto
The middle of this quest is all about that second bridge — the one behind the horse stables. What you’re hunting for there is a person in a ragged kimono, walking away from another head on the bridge. He only shows up at night, and even then he can be finicky, so if he’s nowhere to be seen, server hop a few times until he appears. He’s the gate between you and the rest of the quest, so it’s worth the patience.
The moment you press E to talk to him, he runs. And he’s genuinely quick — quick enough that trying to chase him down on foot is a losing game. The trick is to get a horse and cut him off rather than tailing him. Once you’ve boxed him in and killed him, loot his body for the Aka-Oni note, which sends you west across Kyoto to the West Point house — the final stop and where Aka-Oni himself spawns at night.
Beating Aka-Oni at the West Point house
The West Point house is the hard part, and it’s less about the boss than about everything in front of him. The inside is packed with guards, and pushing to the back room solo can get ugly fast. The smart prep is to show up with armor or a couple of friends before you head in. With help, you can split the guards’ attention and carve a path to the back room without getting swarmed.
If you’re going in alone, you don’t have to brute-force the whole room at once. Lead the guards outside into a more open area where you’ve got room to move, thin them out there, and then make your way to the very back room once the crowd is handled. Either way, the goal is the same: clear everyone out so it’s just you and Aka-Oni.
For the boss himself, keep your plan flexible. If you’re in a group, take turns hitting him while he’s locked onto another player — that rotation chews through his health a lot faster and keeps any single person from eating his full focus. His exact attacks and timings aren’t something to wing blindly; if it’s your first time facing him, treat the fight as a learning run rather than expecting to memorize a moveset on the spot.
Mask fragments and refighting Aka-Oni
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Quest completion | Kill Aka-Oni once at the West Point house |
| Fragments needed | 3 mask fragments |
| Where fragments come from | Loot Aka-Oni’s body after each night fight |
| Drop rate | Can be as little as 1 fragment per run, so expect multiple nights |
| Reward | Craftable Aka-Oni mask with unique abilities |
Killing Aka-Oni completes the questline — but that’s not the end of your trips to the West Point house. You can come back every night to fight him again, and you’ll want to, because the real long-term reward is the Aka-Oni mask. Crafting it takes 3 mask fragments, looted from his body after each kill, and the mask carries its own unique abilities once you’ve put it together.
Don’t expect to finish that in one sitting. A single run can drop just one fragment, so collecting all three means returning across multiple nights and beating him each time. Think of the first kill as the quest completion and the grind that follows as the actual reward chase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you start the Aka-Oni quest in Dokkodo?
At the bridge by the entrance to N. Wait for a head to spawn on the bridge railing, then speak to the armored samurai who walks toward you to accept the quest.
How much reputation do you need to start it?
You need a certain amount of reputation to take the quest, but the exact amount is never stated in-game. If the samurai won’t give you the quest, you’re short — go earn more reputation and come back.
I can’t find the ragged-kimono NPC on the bridge — what do I do?
He only spawns at night on the bridge behind the horse stables, so first make sure it’s night. If he still isn’t there, server hop a few times until he appears.
How do you catch the NPC that runs away?
He bolts the instant you press E to talk, and he’s too fast to chase on foot. Use a horse to get in front of him and cut him off, then kill him and loot his body for the Aka-Oni note.
How many mask fragments do you need for the Aka-Oni mask, and can you refight him?
You need 3 mask fragments to craft the Aka-Oni mask. You can return to the West Point house every night to fight Aka-Oni again, looting a fragment from his body each time — runs can drop as few as one, so plan on several nights.
