Ultimate Shinobi Art of Vengeance Oboro Relic Guide March 2026

Looking for all Oboro Relic locations in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance? All 55 Oboro Relics are scattered across the game’s 11 stages with exactly 5 relics per stage. Many relics require specific Ningi abilities like Sword Dive, Ninja Claws, Ninja Hook, and Glider obtained throughout progression. I’ve spent over 60 hours hunting down every single relic and I’m here to share the exact locations and strategies that helped me achieve 100% completion.

After mastering the art of relic hunting in this stunning Shinobi revival, I’ve discovered efficient collection routes and shortcuts that’ll save you hours of frustration. Whether you’re a completionist aiming for that perfect save file or just want to unlock all the shop items, this gaming guide has everything you need.

Collection Phase	Time Required	Difficulty Level
First Playthrough Relics	2-3 hours	Easy-Medium
Ability-Locked Relics	3-4 hours	Medium-Hard
Final Cleanup & Hidden	1-2 hours	Hard

Understanding the Oboro Relic System

Before diving into locations, let me explain how the Oboro Relic system actually works based on my extensive playtime. Each of the 11 stages contains exactly 5 Oboro Relics, totaling 55 across the entire game. What the game doesn’t tell you upfront is that many of these relics are completely inaccessible during your first visit to each stage.

The shopkeeper’s inventory expands as you collect more relics, unlocking crucial items like Amulets, combat attacks, upgrades, special items, keys, and even alternate outfits. I learned the hard way that trying to collect everything on your first run is impossible – you’ll need specific Ningi abilities that you won’t obtain until later stages.

Here are the essential abilities you’ll need for complete collection, similar to other complete item collection guides:

• Sword Dive Ningi – Obtained from the Submarine Base, crucial for breaking through floor panels
• Ninja Claws – Allows wall climbing in specific sections
• Ninja Hook – Found in Neo City, essential for reaching high platforms
• Glider – Acquired in the Desert level, needed for long-distance gaps

Oboro Village – First 5 Relics

Starting in Oboro Village, I recommend grabbing the easily accessible relics first before worrying about ability-locked ones. The village serves as your tutorial area, but don’t let that fool you – two of these relics are surprisingly well hidden.

Oboro Relic 1 – Behind the Waterfall

From the first checkpoint, head right until you reach the waterfall area. Instead of continuing forward, drop down and move left behind the waterfall curtain. This relic sits on a hidden ledge that I completely missed on my first playthrough. The visual cue is subtle – look for slightly darker water textures indicating you can pass through.

Oboro Relic 2 – Rooftop Secret

After the second checkpoint, you’ll enter the village proper. Use the wooden platforms to reach the highest rooftop on the left side. From there, perform a running jump to the seemingly unreachable platform across the gap. The relic floats here, and many players miss it thinking the jump is impossible. Pro tip: hold the dash button for maximum distance.

Oboro Relic 3 – Underground Passage

This one requires the Sword Dive Ningi, so mark it for your return trip. Near the third checkpoint, look for cracked floor panels. Use the Sword Dive to break through and access a hidden underground chamber. The relic sits at the end of this secret passage, along with a health upgrade.

Oboro Relic 4 – Tree Branch Platform

Just before the boss arena, look up to spot platforms among the tree branches. Wall jump between the trees to reach the highest point. The relic is tucked away on a branch that’s easy to overlook if you’re rushing to the boss fight.

Oboro Relic 5 – Post-Boss Secret Room

After defeating the stage boss, don’t immediately exit. Instead, backtrack to find a newly opened door on the right side. This leads to a challenge room with the final village relic. I’ve seen speedrunners skip this entirely, missing out on valuable shop unlocks.

Lantern Festival – Nighttime Collection

The Lantern Festival stage introduces verticality and limited visibility that makes relic hunting more challenging. I spent an embarrassing amount of time here until I realized the lanterns themselves serve as navigation markers for hidden areas.

Festival Relic 1 – Paper Lantern Path

Follow the string of red paper lanterns upward from the first checkpoint. They lead to a hidden platform sequence ending with the first relic. The lanterns only appear when you’re close enough, so move slowly and look upward frequently.

Festival Relic 2 – Behind the Festival Stalls

In the main festival area, check behind every market stall. The second relic hides behind the third stall on the left, accessible by crouching through a small gap. Listen for the distinctive humming sound that all relics emit – it’s especially helpful in this crowded area.

Festival Relic 3 – Fireworks Platform

During the fireworks sequence, platforms appear temporarily. Time your jumps with the firework explosions to reach a floating platform on the right side. The relic appears only while the platform is visible, requiring precise timing that took me several attempts to master.

Festival Relic 4 – Glider Challenge

This relic requires the Glider from the Desert stage. From the highest point before the boss, glide across the massive gap to reach a distant platform. Without the Glider, this relic is completely inaccessible, so don’t waste time attempting creative workarounds like I did initially.

Festival Relic 5 – Boss Arena Upper Level

After clearing the boss, use the Ninja Hook to reach the upper level of the arena. The final relic sits on a platform that’s only accessible post-battle when new grapple points activate.

The Mountain – Vertical Challenges

The Mountain stage tested my platforming skills more than any other area. Every relic here requires precise jumping and careful route planning. I recommend having full health before attempting some of these treacherous paths, making it one of the most challenging action games sections.

Mountain Relic 1 – Avalanche Escape Route

During the avalanche sequence, instead of following the obvious path, take the upper route by wall jumping rapidly. The relic sits on a ledge that you’ll barely have time to grab before the avalanche catches up. This one took me seven attempts to nail the timing.

Mountain Relic 2 – Hidden Cave System

Look for icicles hanging from the ceiling near the second checkpoint. Break them with kunai to reveal a hidden cave entrance above. The relic waits at the end of this icy tunnel, along with some challenging enemy encounters.

Mountain Relic 3 – Wind Current Rider

Use the wind currents to reach seemingly impossible heights. The third relic floats between two wind streams, requiring you to transfer mid-air. Hold the glide button to maintain altitude while switching currents – a technique that’s essential for later stages too.

Mountain Relic 4 – Frozen Waterfall Climb

Behind the frozen waterfall, use Ninja Claws to scale the ice wall. The relic sits in an alcove halfway up. Watch for falling ice chunks that can knock you down – I learned to memorize their pattern after multiple failed attempts.

Mountain Relic 5 – Peak Challenge Room

At the mountain’s peak, before descending to the boss, find the hidden door marked by prayer flags. This leads to the game’s toughest combat challenge room. Defeating all enemies spawns the final mountain relic. Bring healing items – you’ll need them.

Neo City – Cyberpunk Secrets

Neo City’s neon-lit streets hide relics in the most unexpected places. This stage introduces the Ninja Hook, fundamentally changing how you approach exploration. I spent hours here experimenting with different grapple combinations to reach hidden areas.

Neo City Relic 1 – Neon Sign Parkour

Jump across the neon signs spelling “SHINOBI” to reach a hidden rooftop. The relic floats above the ‘I’ in the sign. The signs have smaller hitboxes than they appear, so aim for the center of each letter.

Neo City Relic 2 – Subway Maintenance Tunnel

In the subway section, drop down to the tracks and enter the maintenance tunnel on the left. Time your entry between trains – they deal massive damage. The relic sits deep in the tunnel, past several laser traps.

Neo City Relic 3 – Corporate Tower Vent System

Inside the corporate tower, look for ventilation grates. Use the Sword Dive to break through and navigate the vent system. The third relic requires following the vents to their terminus, including one particularly tricky diagonal section.

Neo City Relic 4 – Hologram Bridge Sequence

The hologram bridges appear in a specific pattern. Memorize the sequence: left, right, right, center, left. The relic appears on the final platform, but only if you complete the sequence without falling.

Neo City Relic 5 – Rooftop Garden Paradise

After the boss fight, take the elevator to the rooftop garden. The final relic hides behind the cherry blossom tree, accessible by grappling to the pagoda roof first.

Advanced Collection Strategies

After completing the game twice and helping numerous community members with their collections, I’ve developed strategies that significantly reduce collection time. The key is approaching relics in a specific order based on ability requirements rather than stage progression, similar to tactics used in challenging RPG completion runs.

My recommended collection route:

1. Complete the game once, focusing on story progression
2. Return to early stages with all abilities unlocked
3. Collect relics in reverse stage order (easier navigation with full abilities)
4. Use checkpoint warping to minimize backtracking
5. Save ability-locked relics for dedicated collection runs

For speedrun-focused collection, I’ve found that grouping relics by ability requirement rather than location saves approximately 45 minutes. Start with all Glider-required relics, then Ninja Hook relics, and finally Sword Dive relics. This minimizes menu navigation and maintains gameplay flow.

Troubleshooting Commonly Missed Relics

Based on community feedback and my own experience, these seven relics cause the most frustration for achievement guides followers:

1. Desert Stage Relic 3 – Hidden behind a false wall that looks solid. Use kunai on all suspicious walls.

2. Submarine Base Relic 5 – Only appears after flooding the chamber. Many players drain it too early.

3. Forest Stage Relic 2 – Requires a precise Glider path through moving branches. Practice the route without enemies first.

4. Factory Relic 4 – Inside the furnace room, accessible only when machines are offline during the power outage sequence.

5. Temple Relic 1 – Behind the Buddha statue’s head, requiring a complex wall jump combination.

6. Harbor Relic 3 – Underwater section that many players swim past. Look for the air bubble trail.

7. Final Stage Relic 5 – Only spawns after defeating the true final boss with an S-rank.

Shop Progression and Relic Rewards

Understanding the shop unlock system motivated me to pursue 100% collection. Every 5 relics unlocks a new tier of items, with the most valuable upgrades requiring 40+ relics. Here’s what you can expect:

• 5 Relics: Basic health upgrades and simple combat moves
• 15 Relics: Advanced Ninpo techniques and damage boosts
• 25 Relics: Exclusive Amulets with game-changing abilities
• 35 Relics: Legendary weapons and armor sets
• 45 Relics: Secret costumes and concept art
• 55 Relics: Ultimate Shinobi mode and infinite resources

The progression feels rewarding, with each milestone providing tangible benefits for subsequent playthroughs. I particularly recommend prioritizing the health upgrades and damage reduction Amulets for your first completion attempt.

2026 Community Tips and Shortcuts

The Shinobi speedrunning community has discovered several shortcuts that aren’t immediately obvious. My favorite involves using the Sword Dive’s invincibility frames to pass through laser grids, saving precious seconds in Neo City.

Another community discovery: relics emit a faint audio cue that increases in volume as you approach. Playing with headphones makes finding hidden relics significantly easier, especially in visually cluttered areas like the Lantern Festival.

For players struggling with combat challenges that guard certain relics, the community recommends building the Execution gauge before entering challenge rooms. A full gauge allows for immediate powerful attacks that can clear rooms quickly.

Platform-Specific Considerations

Having played on both PC and PlayStation, I’ve noticed some platform differences worth mentioning. PC players can utilize quicksave states for practicing difficult relic grabs, while console players benefit from the adaptive triggers providing better jump timing feedback, especially with PS5 gaming experiences.

Nintendo Switch players should note that some relic glow effects are reduced in handheld mode, making visual identification harder. Rely more on audio cues and memorized locations when playing portably.

Final Collection Tips

After spending countless hours perfecting my relic hunting technique, here’s my essential advice for aspiring collectors:

First, don’t stress about getting everything on your initial playthrough. The game is designed for multiple visits, and you’ll enjoy the experience more by focusing on natural progression first. I rushed my first playthrough and missed the narrative impact of several areas.

Second, use the in-game tracker religiously. It shows which stages have missing relics, saving you from unnecessary full-game sweeps. I wasted three hours checking completed stages before discovering this feature.

Third, join the game’s Discord or Reddit community. Other players often share creative solutions for reaching difficult relics. The community helped me find two relics I was convinced were glitched but actually required obscure ability combinations.

Finally, remember that relic collection enhances but doesn’t define the Shinobi experience. While I’m proud of my 100% completion, the real joy came from mastering the movement system and discovering the developers’ cleverly hidden secrets.

Collecting all 55 Oboro Relics took me approximately 8-10 hours across two complete playthroughs, though your time may vary based on platforming skill and patience for exploration. The rewards justify the effort, especially if you plan to tackle higher difficulties or pursue speedrunning.

Whether you’re a completionist like me or just want specific shop unlocks, I hope this guide helps you master the art of relic hunting in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. The game rewards thorough exploration, and with these strategies, you’ll uncover every secret the development team carefully placed throughout this fantastic revival of a classic franchise. For more comprehensive action games with freedom and detailed walkthroughs, check out our gaming section.