Genji: Days of the Blade takes place three years after the end of Dawn of the Samurai. The Heishi clan, defeated at the end of the previous game, has returned, its military strength bolstered by the use of unholy magic that allows its legions of soldiers to turn into hulking demons. Yoshitsune and his stalwart friend Benkei must do battle with the newly restored Heishi army; this time, however, they gain two powerful allies in their war—the priestess Shizuka, and the spear wielder, Lord Buson. Like the previous Genji game, Days of the Blade is loosely based on the classic work The Tale of the Heike.