Should Rise of the Ronin players pick the Pro or Anti-Shogunate faction?

Even though choosing between the Pro and Anti-Shogunate factions in Rise of the Ronin initially looks like an easy one, the game throws a couple of story curves at you to complicate things. 

Nevertheless, I'd say there's still one faction that's ultimately the side to align yourself with. 

Should you pick the Pro or Anti-Shogunate faction?

In Rise of the Ronin, you should pick the Anti-Shogunate faction since it's not only more in line with their character's motivations from their origin story - where their family was murdered by Shogunate assassins - but is also home to the most likeable characters as well, including Ryomoa Sakumoto or Kogoro Katsura. 

However, you won't have to worry too much if you change your mind after trying out different missions, depending on which faction's ideology resonates with you more.

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After all, whilst the Pro-Shogunate is ruthless in their approach to remove threats to the Shogunate and align with the West - the Anti-Shogunate faction is equally so in Rise of the Ronin's story if not more, practising brutal methods that take many lives to try and remove the foreign threat.

So, after doing a few faction missions with each, you can always make your definitive decision later towards the end of the game. 

On the other hand, if it's certain characters you're more worried about, you'll need to be extra careful with your decision since siding with certain factions can result in big deaths on the other side e.g. Ryoma or Soji from the Anti-Shogunate. 

Does your faction affect the endgame?

Choosing between the Pro and Anti-Shogunate factions in Rise of the Ronin does affect the endgame in a sense, but only in the ways personal to your character and not the bigger picture regarding the Japanese Civil War since it's based on real history. 

Nevertheless, despite there being one big decision at the game's ending, you shouldn't worry too much about your chosen faction giving you a bad ending as a result. 

For more from the game, check out all romance options, how long Rise of the Ronin takes to beat, how to get & upgrade your glider, and seven other games you can try. 

Alternatively, head into our Rise of the Ronin guides & news homepage for even more updates and essentials right here at GGRecon.