Learning this battle tactic from Rurouni Kenshin can come as a lifesaver in Souls games

A certain battle tactic from the Japanese action manga Rurouni Kenshin has recently gone viral among Japanese gamers after it was pointed out how useful it can be when used in Souls games such as Elden Ring and other games where the player has to take on multiple opponents at once such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story is a historical action adventure shōnen manga first published in the 90s which tells the story of an assassin turned wandering swordsman. Though the manga revolves around the themes of ideals and romance, it also includes plenty of action and martial arts elements. One scene from the manga which includes an explanation of a certain battle strategy has become the center of attention among Japanese users for how useful the technique can be when used in gaming.

るろうに剣心で学んだこの戦術、エルデンリングとかゼルダみたいな、敵多いけど主人公あんま強くないので無双できないゲームで滅茶苦茶役に立ってる https://t.co/HJyBbOmaWW pic.twitter.com/JflVXYo7ys
— 坂之上田村フレンズ (@pokitasu) July 6, 2023

Tweet translation: This battle tactic I learned in Rurouni Kenshin is such a lifesaver in games like Elden Ring and Zelda, where there are many enemies, but the main character is not super strong, so you can’t just plow through them.

The tactic is described in the manga as “a technique often used by severely outnumbered Japanese revolutionaries at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate,” and it consists of running away from the enemies, or more precisely pretending to do so. “The enemies will naturally pursue after you, but as their individual speeds will vary, they will reach you one by one, in order of who’s fastest,” the explanation continues. “As the opponent reaches you, turn around and cut them down, then continue running away. By repeating this you can eliminate your opponents, or at least shake them off and get out alive,” the explanation concludes.

The post pointing out this useful tip for defeating multiple enemies has since received over 27 thousand likes, with many users agreeing with the advice. Users also reported that the technique had proven useful to them in games such as Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro, Dark Souls, Diablo and various online games.

日本だと宮本武蔵の一乗寺下り松の決闘、対吉岡家ですか＜吉岡一門が布陣する前に忍んでおき、頭領を切り捨てて泥濘んだ農道を遁走。走って追いついた人は切られて死ぬ
— あいちゃん5歳＠やる夫がセクロスに挑戦するようです作者 (@otOgJ7srJZQoM7S) July 6, 2023

Tweet translation: Yeah, this is the basic tactic in most “one vs many” situations. Moving along the perimeter of the field will make the enemies form a line, and even if they step out of the line the trick is to start running away again, which will make them line up again.

Those experienced with using the tactic in Tears of the Kingdom were even able to work out that the order in which enemies are most likely to follow suit would be Lizalfos>Bokoblin>Moblin>Boss Bokoblin>Chuchu etc.