Samurai warrior Jin Sakai, the last surviving member of his clan, who must set aside the traditions that have shaped him as a warrior to wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima.
The games' "Ghost Stance", a powerful tool that can instantly kill up to three enemies in quick succession, depicts Jin severing the arms of his enemies.
Furthermore, several enemies are shown to be decapitated, either by the player's hand or by others.
Several, including Jin himself. Though the most overt method is psychological torture. During act 1, Khotun Khan dangles the decline in Jin's honor in front of Lord Shimura as a method to try and get him to surrender the island.
During act 2, Jin is captured by the mongols and forced to watch his friend Taka die brutally in front of him.
And in the games Ikki Island DLC, the entire time, Jin is under the effects of a psychogenic poison that taunts him with the death of his father Kasumasa, and how the people he's working with are his father's killers.
Harunobu Adachi is doused in alcohol by Khotun Khan, and set alight after challenging the Mongol's strongest warrior, in a display of the lack of honor amongst the invaders.
Additionally, there is a scene where, to prove his loyalty to Khotun Khan, Ryuzo is forced to burn two people alive at the stake in order to force those sheltered inside Castle Shimura to open the gate.
In both the main game, and the Ikki Island DLC, we see the death of Kazumasa Sakai, Jin's father, multiple times. He was killed by having his throat slit open.
This trend continues throughout the game as stealth takedowns include stabbing enemies in the neck, and during standoff kills, you can see enemies grabbing at their necks as blood spurts from them
It's hard to say for certain. In the Legends game mode, definitely. But in the main game it's likely just hallucinations, but when getting the Heavy Bow, there is myth around the bow being possesed by a demon
At the end of the second act, your loyal horse that has been with you from the beginning of the game tragically perishes in an emotional, tearjerking scene
No matter what you do, how honorably you fight. Jin is branded a traitor by the Shogun for his dishonorable methods as The Ghost, and you are forced to battle Lord Shimura.
In victory, you are left with two options, neither of which are happy, you can either spare Shimura's life, denying him a warrior's death. Or you can kill him, showing him in his last moments that Jin is not completely devoid of honor.