"Why is it only you were saved?" — Sadako Yamamura
Sadako Yamamura or "The Onryō" is one of the many killers currently featured in Dead by Daylight.
She will be introduced as the Killer of CHAPTER XXIII: Sadako Rising, a Chapter DLC released in March 8th 2022.
She originates from the 1991 Horror Novel franchise, Ring (Japanese: リング, Ringu).
Overview[]
The Onryō is a vengeful ghost imbued with the power of Nensha, the Onryō is able to silently and invisibly traverse the Realm, manifesting when she is ready to strike.
Her personal Perks, Scourge Hook: Floods of Rage, Call of Brine, and Merciless Storm, allow her to expose hidden Survivors, surveil Generators, and hamper Repair progress.
Difficulty Rating: Hard
(These Killers use mechanics that are specific to them and require more practice to be effective)
Lore[]
A powerful and lethal onryō, Sadako Yamamura was the daughter of a famed seer from Izu Oshima, Japan.
Her mother left many questions unanswered. In her hometown, sailors disliked the way her mother would spend days on the beach, her eyes fixed on the foaming waves of the sea. Some said, frolic in brine, goblins be thine--if you keep playing in the water, the monster will come for you.
Nine months later, Sadako was born. As a child, her immense powers seemed impossible to control and flared in anger. This became apparent when she was unable to control her rage during a public demonstration of her mother’s powers. When a journalist called her mother a fraud, Sadako’s powers surged, and the journalist collapsed on the floor, struck dead.
Then everything went wrong. Her mother passed away and shortly after Sadako was lured to an old, crumbling well. As she leaned over the rim, a long shadow fell over her. She turned and a sudden jolt of pain hit her over the head, cracking it open. Her vision dimmed and her mind swirled into unconsciousness. She felt two hands pushing her over the rim.
Pain exploded in her skull as she hit the cold ground. A grinding noise came from above and the well darkened, all light obscured like a midday eclipse.
Every inch of her body screamed in pain. Looking up, she saw the only way out. She dug her nails into the muddy ground and slowly crawled toward the cobbled wall. She gripped the stones to climb but had neither hold nor strength. Each time she clawed up a few inches, her nails slid against the wet wall and she slipped down. Her fingers gushed with blood as the coarse cobblestone tore off her nails and lacerated the flesh underneath. And yet she tried, again and again.
Decades later, the meadow became a resort, and a log cabin was built above the well. When a visitor rented the cabin, Sadako found an opportunity for revenge. She summoned all her nensha power and projected a terrible curse on a videotape that killed its viewer after seven days.
Her wrath was like the tides of a stormy sea, violent and unforgiving. As she plunged into a fury, a dark fog coiled at her feet. The sound of crashing waves echoed through the old stone well.
Suddenly, a tidal surge came crashing down on the cabin's walls, wrecking its logs into a torrent of mud and filth. The black current flooded the well underneath and swallowed Sadako at once.
When she opened her eyes, she stood on a desolate beach facing a vast, stormy ocean. A thick, black fog caressed the water's surface.
Sadako walked into a coming wave and slowly disappeared into the opaque fog.
Perks[]
Scourge Hook: Floods of Rage[]
You form a psychic connection with The Entity and alter the rules of the Trial.
At the start of the Trial, 4 random Hooks are changed into Scourge Hooks:
- The Auras of Scourge Hooks are revealed to you in white.
Each time a Survivor is unhooked from a Scourge Hook, the following effects apply:
- The Auras of all other Survivors are revealed for 5/6/7 seconds.
Call of Brine[]
Your psychic abilities influence technology in devastating ways.
After damaging a Generator, Call of Brine activates for 60 seconds.
- The Generator regresses at 150/175/200 % of the normal Regression speed and its Aura is revealed to you.
- Each time a Survivor completes a Good Skill Check on a Generator affected by Call of Brine, you receive a Loud Noise Notification.
Patch 6.7.0[]
- Nerf: reduced the Regression speed to 115/120/125 %.
Merciless Storm[]
Your horrible trauma is felt by everyone.
- Whenever a Generator is repaired to 90 %, Survivors repairing it are faced with continuous Skill Checks.
- If they miss one or stop repairing, the Generator becomes blocked for 16/18/20 seconds.
Merciless Storm can only trigger once per Generator per Trial.
Ring of Fury[]
Ring of Fury is the Primary Weapon of The Onryō.
Her thirst for vengeance remained and nothing could stop her flooding rage.
Upon hitting a Survivor, The Onryō will examine her right hand.
Power:[]
Through the medium of a mysterious videotape, Sadako spreads her curse to unwitting viewers and causes their untimely deaths.
DELUGE OF FEAR:
Before Manifesting, The Onryō gains the Undetectable Status Effect and is invisible to Survivors, but becomes intermittently visible when within 24 metres of them.
SPECIAL ABILITY: MANIFESTATION
The Onryō must physically manifest to attack Survivors.
Press and hold the Power button to Manifest into material form in your current location.
For a brief duration after Manifesting, The Onryō will continue to be intermittently visible to Survivors when within 24 metres.
Afterwards, she will be fully visible within 24 metres for as long as she remains Manifested.
The Onryō can Demanifest by pressing and holding the Power button again.
SPECIAL ABILITY: PROJECTION
The Onryō can also take material form by Projecting herself through a TV .
Press the Ability button while looking at a powered TV to Project into it, shutting off the TV in the process and automatically Manifesting yourself.
All Survivors within 16 metres of the TV gain Condemned progress.
SPECIAL ABILITY: INEXORABLE STARE
A fully Condemned Survivor is revealed by Killer Instinct for 6 seconds and can be killed with the Inexorable Stare when in the Dying State .
SPECIAL INTERACTION: RETRIEVE TAPE / TURN-OFF TV
Survivors can walk up to any TV to retrieve its VHS Tape , which turns off that TV temporarily.
Holding a VHS Tape, they can walk up to any other TV and turn it off temporarily too.
These interactions, however, come at the cost of adding Condemned progress to the Survivor.
Survivors also passively gain Condemned progress over time when holding a VHS Tape.
Retrieving the VHS Tape procs a Loud Noise Notification, revealing the location of a TV, whose Aura is highlighted to the Survivor.
This TV allows the Survivor to spread The Onryō's message by inserting the VHS Tape into it.
Doing so removes some Condemned progress.
Change Log[]
Patch 6.6.0[]
- Quality of Life: removed the HUD elements when using the Inexorable Stare to allow for a more cinematic experience when killing Survivors this way.
Patch 7.1.0[]
- Rework: reworked Deluge of Fear to make The Onryō more terrifying to deal with.
- Nerf: Projecting to a TV now applies 3/4th Condemned instead of an entire stack.
- Nerf: increased the cool-down of disabled TVs when a Survivor retrieves a VHS Tape to 100 seconds.
- Nerf: Projecting to a TV now has a cool-down of 15 seconds.
- Buff: reduced the cool-down of disabled TVs when The Onryō projects to them to 70 seconds.
- Nerf: Survivors no longer passively gain Condemned while carrying a VHS Tape.
- Nerf: VHS Tape can be placed at any TV.
- Buff: injuring a Survivor carrying a VHS Tape now applies Condemned to that Survivor.
- Buff: hooking a Survivor carrying a VHS Tape applies Condemned all Survivors and destroys that VHS Tape.
- Buff: The Onryō cannot be stunned by any means while Demanifested.
- Quality of Life: chases no longer trigger while The Onryō is Demanifested, allowing her to be harder to track.
- Quality of Life: Demanifesting no longer generates Bloodlust to put it in line with other Killer Powers.
- Change: received an Add-on Pass, which brings her strongest and her weakest Add-ons in line with the rest.
- Change: added a static visual effect after killing Survivors with Inexorable Stare.
- Change: chases no longer trigger while The Onryō is Demanifested, allowing her to be harder to track, but at the cost of no longer building Bloodlust.
Patch 7.1.1[]
- Change: added a static visual effect and SFX when avoiding any type of stun while Demanifested.
Patch 7.5.0[]
- Rework: reworked Deluge of Fear again to partially restore her original, more strategic gameplay, while keeping Condemned more prominent:
- Buff: Condemned is now locked-in upon being hooked, making it impossible to remove.
- Buff: increased the duration of full Invisibility while Demanifested from 1 second to 1.2 seconds.
- Buff: Survivors are now forced to bring their Cursed Tape to a specific TV.
- Reversal: removed the previously added Cool-down to using Projection.
- Reversal: chases once again trigger while The Onryō is Demanifested, as it made it too obvious when she transitioned states mid-Chase.
- Nerf: Condemned gained from Projection is no longer global, but restricted to a radius of 16 metres around all powered TVs.
- Nerf: reduced the Interaction time with TVs for Survivors from '2 seconds to 1 second.
Rite of The Onryō[]
With The Onryō , hit 4 Survivors after Manifesting.
Add-ons[]
Videotape Copy[]
A copy of the deadly videotape imprinted upon by Sadako.
It dampens the desire for vengeance.
- Projection does not inflict Condemned on nearby Survivors.
- Grants 100 % Bonus Bloodpoints for Deluge of Fear Score Events.
Old Newspaper[]
It tells of a local woman who predicted a volcanic eruption, evidence used to initially find Sadako.
- Increases the invisibility duration after Manifesting by +33 %.
Mother's Mirror[]
A mirror from Sadako's mother's house.
A reminder of what Sadako has lost.
- Increases the duration of the intermittent visibility phase after Manifesting by +2 seconds.
Cabin Sign[]
The cabin where both Tomoko and Reiko watched the tape.
Carries the memory of those first curses.
- Reduces the time it takes for a TV to turn on after Projection by -12 seconds.
Yoichi's Fishing Net[]
The net Yoichi used while fishing with his grandfather.
A reminder that death comes to us all.
- Reduces the time it takes Survivors to acquire another stack of Condemned by -12 % when holding a VHS Tape .
Well Stone[]
A piece of the well where Sadako was trapped, an image burned into the mind of all those who have watched the tape.
- Reduces the time it takes for a TV to turn on after having been turned off by a Survivor by -6 seconds.
Sea-Soaked Cloth[]
The hood worn by the mysterious figure in the tape.
Makes those near it unable to trust what they see.
- Survivors within 8 metres of a powered TV suffer from the Blindness Status Effect.
- This effect lingers for 7 seconds after the TV is turned off.
Reiko's Watch[]
The watch that Reiko left her son Yoichi.
A distracting and constant reminder of one's impending doom.
- Increases the invisibility duration while Demanifested by +50 %.
Clump of Hair[]
Once beautiful and long, Sadako now hides behind her ragged, matted locks.
- Reduces the range at which The Onryō is visible while Demanifested by -6 metres.
Well Water[]
Water from the well where Sadako was left to die.
Murky and black, it obscures everything around it.
- Increases the duration of the Undetectable Status Effect by +2 seconds when Manifesting by any means.
Ring Drawing[]
A drawing of the view from inside the well, as drawn by a young Yoichi.
Helping those cursed by the tape can only bring misfortune.
- Condemned Survivors spread their Condemnation to other Survivors, who complete a Healing action on them.
Rickety Pinwheel[]
A pinwheel found in the caves of Izu Oshima.
It spins even when there is no wind, disorienting those who see or hear it.
- Survivors within 8 metres of a powered TV suffer from the Oblivious Status Effect.
- This effect lingers for 7 seconds after the TV is turned off.
Mother's Comb[]
The comb Sadako's mother used in the tape.
Sadako's psychic abilities are enhanced when she focuses on it.
- Reveals the Aura of any TV being turned off in yellow.
Bloody Fingernails[]
Sadako's bloody fingernails, lost as she tried to claw her way out of the well.
Evidence of her single-minded need to kill.
- Increases the duration of the Post-Projection Movement Speed boost by +50 %.
VCR[]
The original VCR that played Sadako's tape.
It is still warm to the touch.
- All TVs play the Projection effects when The Onryō Projects to a TV.
Telephone[]
After watching the video, victims receive a phone call.
They are frozen in fear as they realise they have seven days left to live.
- Survivors witnessing a Manifestation from within 7 metres suffer from the Hindered Status Effect for 3 seconds.
"I saw a weird video the other day... after it ended, someone called us. Some kind of prank call." — Tomoko Oishi
Tape Editing Deck[]
The editing deck used by Reiko and Ryuji to analyse and copy the tape.
Copying and sharing the tape is the only way to survive the curse.
- Each Survivor starts the Trial with a VHS Tape in their possession, and their highlighted TV is the one farthest from their location.
"Frolic in brine, goblins be thine." — Message hidden in Sadako's tape
Distorted Photo[]
Those who have watched the tape find all photos of themselves distorted, a reminder of their impending doom.
- Survivors witnessing a Manifestation from within 16 metres will scream, revealing their location for 4 seconds.
"Why is it only you were saved?" — Sadako Yamamura
Remote Control[]
A remote for the VCR at the cabin.
It allows Sadako to focus on those enemies at a distance.
- After using Projection, the Auras of Survivors, who are within 16 metres of a TV and carrying a VHS Tape , are revealed to you for 7 seconds.
"She killed a man just by willing him dead. That's power of a different order from her mother." — Ryuji Takayama
Iridescent Videotape[]
The original tape containing Sadako's curse.
- Hitting a Survivor within 8 seconds after Manifesting turns on the last 4 TVs turned off by Projection.
"That video... It's not of this world. It's Sadako's rage." — Ryuji Takayama
Trivia[]
- The Onryō can still be blinded by Survivors when she is Demanifested.
- Score Events that require a recent Manifestation to trigger track that state for 8 seconds
- The Onryō was the first Killer to be of short height, with the previous shortest Killers being considered of average height.
- The Onryō's last name, Yamamura (山村), consists of the characters yama (山), meaning "mountain", and mura (村), meaning "town" or "village". As such, her last name can be roughly translated to "Mountain Village".
- The Onryō is the first and to date only Killer that does not use an object or her own fists to injure Survivors, conjuring a Kanji glyph which she projects forward and uses to injure Survivors with.
- The Onryō is the fourth Killer to have a Lullaby, which is active whenever she is Demanifested.
- The Onryō has a unique breathing sound which resembles ocean waves. This is a reference to her supposed biological father, a malevolent entity which lives in the ocean.
- According to Nicolas Cage during Summer Game Fest 2023, The Onryō is one of the reasons Nicolas Cage became interested in a collaboration with Behaviour Interactive, with horror being his favourite genre.
- Purchasing the "Sadako Rising" DLC or The Onryō through the in-game store will start a hidden one week timer. After this timer is up, a special video will play when loading up the game, referencing the cursed video from the films.
- The Cursed Video plays on a TV whenever a Survivor is within 16 metres of it, otherwise it just plays static. This can be used to gauge a Survivor's whereabouts if they are stealthy.
Lobby Jumpscare[]
- When idling in the menu or levelling up her Bloodweb, The Onryō will occasionally jump-scare the Player by swiftly teleporting up close to the camera and staring at the Player.
- If the Player turns The Onryō around to prevent the jump-scare, she will instantly turn herself back to face the camera for the jump-scare, then return to the position the Player left her facing.
Mori Trivia[]
- The Onryō, in a technical sense, is the fifth Killer to have two Memento Mori animations.
- The Onryō is the second Killer to have two entirely different Moris.
- The Onryō's default Mori features her lifting the Survivor up with telekinetic powers, breaking their right arm, then left leg, and dropping them to the ground as she stares into their eyes.
- The Onryō's Inexorable Stare features her simply staring into the Survivors eyes and giving them a heart attack.
- The Onryō's Inexorable Stare is a reference to how she kills her victims in the films.
- The Onryō is the fourth Killer with a unique way to kill Survivors.
- The Onryō is the second Killer to receive a Power that gave the ability for a mini-Mori.
- The Onryō is the second Killer that can Mori the Survivors regardless of how many times they've been hooked in a Trial.