Nioh's aesthetic was incredible when the game launched back in February of 2017, and it gets another chance to impress its players with the recently released Remaster for the PlayStation 5 and PC.
The dark fantasy spin Team Ninja put on the Sengoku period drove players to Nioh outside of its Soulslike gameplay mechanics. With that dark fantasy spin, they created some disgusting enemy designs and had the liberty of creating elegant and beautiful Guardian Spirit designs. Guardian Spirits are a crucial part of the overall combat system in Nioh and offer players a Living Weapon along with beneficial passive abilities that can turn the tide of the fight in your favor. There are 29 total Guardian Spirits in Nioh, all of which are useful to various degrees, but some stand above the rest regarding their usefulness and perks.
Updated April 15, 2022, by Seth Parmer: We last touched on this list whenever the Nioh Remaster launched early last year and wanted to provide two more powerful Guardian Spirits that we left out in the previous go-round. While we didn't remove any of the previously listed Guardian Spirits, we touched up their information to better highlight their strengths and abilities.
12 Shin-Roku (AKA Shinka)
Some Guardian Spirits seem unfair in a game that's supposed to be as challenging as Nioh, but Shin-Roku can make your adventure feel like a breeze. This Guardian Spirit is for you if you're looking to buff the essential stats to give yourself the extra edge in battle.
With Shin-Roku's absurd bonuses, you almost feel like you're cheating. After being summoned, Shin-Roku will give you more health, Kodama sense, extra defense, and practically unlimited Ki. Getting a kill with Shin-Roku also refills its meter, which means you can stay in its form for long periods. It also gives you a significant stagger buff and has an AoE that deals Earth damage that can substantially damage certain bosses and enemies. Shin-Roku is a powerhouse of a Guardian Spirit that players should not sleep on.
11 Enko
Enko is one of the best fire-based Guardian Spirits in Nioh and allows the player to breeze through human enemies and bosses by setting the area around them in an unquenchable blaze. If you're looking to round out your fire build, look no further than Enko.
When the player calls on Enko, it will lunge ahead at oncoming enemies and summon pillars of flame that can afflict burn damage on certain foes. The flaming pillars will also knock human enemies off the ground, which allows the player to get in close for a devastating grapple attack. Enko's flame pillars also work on human bosses throughout the game, making this Guardian Spirit one of the game's best choices.
10 Tengen Kujaku
Although the Tengen Kujaku Guardian Spirit is listed as a Wind type, what makes it unique is its ability to switch to other elements on the fly. Not only is this peacock special due to its elemental trickery, but it is also one of Nioh's best Guardian Spirits.
The Tengen Kujaku also gives players an attack boost while in high-stance and a defensive boost when in mid-stance. These boosts last for twenty seconds and can help the player out dramatically. This Guardian Spirit is easily one of the best choices in the game, considering you can switch to a different element to counter oncoming enemies.
9 Kara-Jishi
Although the Kara-jishi's Spirit Weapon attack is relatively weak, it offers some of the game's best buffs and can change the tide of battle. While some of the other Guardian Spirits offered several buffs, Kara-Jishi focuses primarily on damage, allowing you to deplete the enemy's health in seconds.
The Kara-jishi offers an incredibly high damage buff that can increase the player's damage output up to 68 percent. This Guardian Spirit also deals lightning damage, but its downside is it cannot stagger or knock enemies down. Despite that, the Kara-Jishi is more than worth it for maxing your damage output.
8 Hi-Nezumi
The Hi-Nezumi Guardian Spirit is a fire-based mouse that can cause severe burn build-up on enemies. The Guardian Spirit will place three fire mines in a triangular pattern or throw them out in front of the player if they use its Spirit Weapon.
Although the mines individually are weak, you can place them in strategic spots and attract enemies into them, giving you a significant advantage in battle. The Hi-Nezumi also has an incredibly high Amrita Gage Rate and is a fantastic choice to help you earn experience.
7 Itokuri
The Itokuri Guardian Spirit is an earth-based spider that is incredibly useful for various reasons. Despite being a creepy spider, Itokuri is among Nioh's best Guardian Spirits due to its ability to greatly immobilize enemies.
The Itokuri raises the player's luck skill and the drop rates of both human and yokai enemies, making it one of the best Guardian Spirits for farming rare items. The Itokuri can also slow enemies with its webs, causing enemies to become Muddled and take Earth-inflicted damage. This Guardian Spirit should not be overlooked, even if it is a spider.
6 Atlas Bear
The Atlas Bear is a gigantic bear that does excessive damage. This beast of a Guardian Spirit also offers some pretty good buffs alongside its incredible damage, making it one of the best Guardian Spirit in Nioh.
The Atlas Bear can summon a large lightning attack in front of the player that, if connected, will deal mass amounts of damage to the enemy and knock them down. The Guardian Spirit also gives health back to the player whenever they grapple and provides heavy lightning resistance. The Atlas bear is nothing to sleep on, and it's the real deal.
5 Enku
If you love wielding spears and using Ii, the Red Demon armor set, then Enku will deliver surprisingly potent results. While not Nioh's best Guardian Spirit, Enku is more than capable of taking down the most formidable foes and is exceptionally strong with the right build.
When summoning Enku into the battlefield, it will charge through your targetted enemy before swiftly turning around and delivering another deadly charging attack to the opponent. Enku can also burn specific enemies, making it strong against some boss encounters.
4 Narikama Tanuki
Narikama Tanuki is an incredible Guardian Spirit in practically every sense. It offers excellent traits and has a powerful Guardian Spirit Talisman attack.
The Narikama Tanuki can summon an oversized version of itself and crush enemies beneath it, causing them to become knocked down. This Tanuki also provides an Amrita insurance policy, stronger attacks, health restoration if your health gets too low, and a chance to regain elixirs. The Narikama Tanuki is incredible and should be used to its fullest.
3 Saoirse
Saoirse is one of the most interesting Guardian Spirits due to the backstory and lore surrounding her, but she's also a beneficial Spirit that provides swift Amrita recovery. Furthermore, Saoirse deals extreme water damage that will punish anything with a bias against the element.
After charging up her Guardian Spirit Talisman attack, Saoirse will fly out towards the enemy and deal massive water damage to the enemy. Saoirse also fills up the Amrita Gauge incredibly fast, allowing players to call on her frequently. Saoirse is one of the best Guardian Spirits in Nioh and deserves to be in the player's rotation.
2 Nine Tails
The Nine Tails spirit looks to complete your fire build and solidify itself as one of the best Guardian Spirits in Nioh. This spirit is obtained via the Bloodshed's End expansion during the main questline. Nine Tails makes a perfect companion for the Ii, the Red Demon armor set.
Nine Tails offers one of the best magical defenses in the game and can afflict the burn ailment on certain enemies and bosses. When you summon Nine Tails into battle, it will send forth a wave of fire outward and towards the enemy, making it a guaranteed hit.
1 Blue Dragon
Players can find the Blue Dragon Guardian Spirit within the first expansion of Nioh called Dragon of the North, and it offers excellent buffs and damage opportunities. While certainly Nioh's best wind-based Guardian Spirit, it may also be the best one overall.
The Blue Dragon's Guardian Spirit Talisman allows it to follow the player around and deal substantial wind damage to enemies from close to medium range. This spirit also offers the best Ki regeneration in the game and can guard the player from other elemental damage. The Blue Dragon is easily Nioh's best Guardian Spirit and deserves every bit of praise it receives.