Uploaded March 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Previously, in NG Any%, we 1-cycled Ark Blight using SFS + 3 CB's. It was thought to be impossible to use basic attacks as it would require 8 hits, which is too slow. I discovered today that it's possible to jump cancel the 3rd hit of the grounded reflector combo, then do 5 aerial attacks to defeat Blight. It's definitely possible to mess this up and miss the cycle, but the window isn't so tight that it couldn't be made consistent with practice, i think. Even if you miss, it should be possible to make up the last damage with a CB or PS.
Previously, in NG Any%, we 1-cycled Ark Blight using SFS + 3 CB's. It was thought to be impossible to use basic attacks as it would require 8 hits, which is too slow. I discovered today that it's possible to jump cancel the 3rd hit of the grounded reflector combo, then do 5 aerial attacks to defeat Blight. It's definitely possible to mess this up and miss the cycle, but the window isn't so tight that it couldn't be made consistent with practice, i think. Even if you miss, it should be possible to make up the last damage with a CB or PS.
![Okami All Brushes in 4:02:17 - New Game All Brushes Speedrun [Former World Record]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/z1XmzHs6kyA/mqdefault.jpg "Okami All Brushes in 4:02:17 - New Game All Brushes Speedrun [Former World Record]
For those unfamiliar, the All Brushes category requires us to collect all brush techniques AND upgrades (e.g. Fireburst, Mist Warp, Cherry Bomb 2/3, etc.). This makes the run substantially slower than NG Any%, where most upgrades and 3 required brush powers can be skipped. Despite this, the category is still extremely interesting.
Because there are many more objectives to complete the run, there are also many more routing options and considerations. Stuff like when to get some upgrades to minimize detour. The main consideration is Yen (money).
Unlike NG Any%, NG AB requires us to collect a large amount of money, primarily for the Cherry Bomb and Power Slash 2 and 3 brush upgrades. In total, these techniques cost 840k. In a casual playthrough, these amounts arent terribly high, but in a speedrun, every minute we spend collecting money is another minute between us and the finish line.
To this end, we not only collect a large number of treasures throughout the run (each of which is chosen to be the most time-efficient of the treasures available), but we also use different strategies and many fights (especially boss fights) to reduce the amount of money spent on battle items. With careful planning, we never have to grind enemies for money in this route.
As a result, this route includes a lot of things which would normally be sub-optimal, but work out to save time here thanks to the unique requirements of the category.
Splits: https://splits.io/4u43
Leaderboard: https://www.speedrun.com/Okami/full_game#NG_All_Brushes
Route: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S3YurqMVx1Ce0LWRamboSsaQVAq4CE4khVJ1SA73HO0/edit?usp=sharing
Okami Speedrunning Discord: https://discord.gg/AQNKmMu")
