AKAYUKI Controls: Katana Inputs, Iai and Dual Wield

Combat in AKAYUKI: Steel Blossoms Red is driven by mouse movement, not by an attack key, so the control layer is worth learning properly before you worry about combos. This page covers the inputs documented for the PC build and how the two draw styles change what those inputs mean.

The control set

On PC, every attack is a swipe: hold the left button and move the mouse in the direction of the cut you want. The dojo’s horizontal slice is performed by moving the mouse left, then holding the button and swiping right.

If you are on mobile, treat the PC table above as a reference rather than a guarantee — on-screen controls differ, and the swipe-motion model is a mouse-side design.

The slash, step by step

1. Press E to equip.
2. Close the distance — the tutorial’s first exercise wants you at close range.
3. Move the mouse left.
4. Hold the left mouse button and swipe right.

The swipe is not a click-and-hold attack with an animation; the motion of the mouse while the button is held is the cut. That is why a trackpad feels wrong: there is not enough travel and control.

Lock-on and positioning

Q locks you onto an opponent, and a lock-on prompt appears when one is available. Locking on is what makes a deliberate slash land on a moving duelist instead of the snow next to them.

Keep in mind that a fight is not decided by one cut. A clean strike can end a duel, but a partial cut can sever a limb and leave the opponent standing. Combat is physics-driven, so where the blade passes through the body matters.

Iai versus dual wield

The two draw styles are not cosmetic — they change your attack options and your defensive window.

The practical reading: Iai is the more aggressive style because of the dash and draw speed, but whiffing a draw-cut leaves you open to a parry. Dual wield trades that burst for a defensive answer — holding a still guard turns an Iai draw-cut back on its owner.

Whichever you pick, it costs poise to swing. The poise system guide lists the documented costs, including the 40-poise draw-cut, and what restores it.

Mouse sensitivity is a combat setting

If your slashes keep missing, do not assume the hitboxes are broken. Press M, open Settings and lower Mouse Sensitivity until a horizontal swipe stays horizontal. A high sensitivity makes a short mouse movement register as a diagonal cut.

Practise one input at a time

• Learn the equip-into-slash rhythm with E and the left button before adding movement.
• Add Q lock-on only when you are duelling another player.
• Leave the draw-style switch until the base slash feels automatic.

When you are ready for actual duels, the PvP guide covers the first-to-three-kills format and how to handle being flanked. For the blade side of things, Iai versus dual wield in more depth compares what each style asks of you over a whole session.