Quincy Morris's starting weapon. Throws projectiles in the faced direction with a small angle of spread, evolves into Yagyu Shuriken with just Empty Tome, and bounces off enemies under Iron Blue Will (VII).
Shuriken has the easiest unlock requirement of any Ode to Castlevania DLC weapon in v1.13. Per the wiki, it is unlocked by getting the weapon to level 2 a single time, which can happen in the first 90 seconds of any Quincy Morris run. From our experience, this is unusual for Castlevania DLC weapons, most of which require defeating specific bosses or surviving 15+ minutes with a specific character. The Shuriken unlock effectively serves as the player's introduction to the Ode to Castlevania weapon system, and it pairs with a single-passive evolution gate (only Empty Tome required) that makes it the cleanest evolution path in the entire DLC.
The other thing that catches new players: per the wiki, the Shuriken "works just like Knife" but throws projectiles at a small angle of spread instead of in a perfectly straight line. From our experience, this is a meaningful difference. Standard Knife builds rely on tight horizontal lanes for stacked damage, while Shuriken's spread gives it natural side-coverage that handles flanking enemies without needing Bracer or Wings for the side-angle. The trade-off is that Shuriken's spread reduces the burst-damage density compared to Knife on a single-target enemy, which is why the Shuriken build paths emphasize Amount and Pierce stacking over raw Damage scaling.
Shuriken by getting the weapon to level 2 once. Easiest Ode to Castlevania DLC unlock
Yagyu Shuriken at max level (level 8) plus max-level 
Empty Tome (single passive, one of the simplest evolution gates in the DLC)
Quincy Morris, who starts with it and has +4 Revival for survival headroom
Iron Blue Will (VII): projectiles bounce off enemies up to 3 times, occasional infinite pierce, pass through wallsAccording to the Vampire Survivors wiki, Shuriken fires projectiles in the faced direction at a small angle of spread, classified as a Normal weapon with ID `TP_SHURIKEN1`. The wiki effects block describes it explicitly: "Shuriken works just like Knife. It throws projectiles in the faced direction, but unlike the knife, it throws them at a small angle of spread." From our experience, the spread is wide enough to catch enemies one or two character-widths off the centerline, which is enough to handle most flanking patterns without the player needing to constantly turn. As a vampire-killing tool, Shuriken can also be picked from 
Coat of Arms.
The level-up scaling is pure projectile-throughput. Per the wiki levels table, Shuriken gains +1 projectile at levels 2, 4, 6, and +2 projectiles at level 8 (5 total Amount picks across 8 levels), plus +1 Pierce at levels 3, 5, and 7, plus +5 Damage at levels 4 and 7. From our experience, this scaling pattern means Shuriken is at its weakest at level 1 (single projectile) and at its strongest at level 8, where the +2 Amount step alone is the largest single level-up bonus across the entire weapon. Skipping any of the Amount levels stalls the build's effective DPS by significantly more than skipping a Damage level would.
From our experience, Shuriken's spread pairs naturally with Quincy Morris because Quincy's character kit is built around movement and survival rather than positioning. Per the wiki, Quincy starts with +20% Move Speed and +4 Revival, but no Might or Damage bonuses. The Shuriken spread covers a wider front-arc than Knife, which means Quincy can maintain forward pressure into waves without needing to perfectly aim each cast. The Move Speed bonus also helps Quincy reposition to keep waves in the spread cone, compounding the weapon's coverage advantage.
From our experience, walk slightly diagonally rather than perfectly horizontally with Shuriken firing. The spread cone catches enemies that a straight-line walk would miss to the sides. Quincy's +20% Move Speed gives him enough mobility to maintain this diagonal weave without losing position, which keeps the spread covering ground efficiently throughout the run.
Per the wiki levels table, Shuriken has 8 levels. The level-up structure is dominated by Amount and Pierce increases:
| Level | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Fires projectiles in the faced direction |
| Level 2 | Fires 1 more projectile |
| Level 3 | Pass through 1 more enemy (+1 Pierce) |
| Level 4 | Fires 1 more projectile. Base damage up by 5 |
| Level 5 | Pass through 1 more enemy (+1 Pierce) |
| Level 6 | Fires 1 more projectile |
| Level 7 | Pass through 1 more enemy. Base damage up by 5 |
| Level 8 | Fires 2 more projectiles |
Per the wiki, max-level Shuriken adds +10 Base Damage, +5 Amount, and +3 Pierce above the level 1 stats. From our experience, the standout level is level 8 (the +2 Amount step is the only +2 projectile bonus in the entire scaling table, and it doubles as the largest single-level DPS jump). Level 4 and level 7 are also priority picks because they bundle Amount or Pierce with +5 Damage. Levels 3, 5, and 6 are smaller individual steps that you can defer for one rotation if better passive offers appear.
The level-up scaling does not include any Cooldown reductions or Speed changes per the wiki. From our experience, this means Shuriken's firing rate stays constant throughout the run, and the only way to increase casts-per-second is through passive items (Empty Tome) or character bonuses. This is a deliberate balance choice: Shuriken's spread already gives it horizontal coverage, so the scaling table doubles down on projectile count rather than fire rate.
Per the wiki, Shuriken evolves into Yagyu Shuriken when paired with max-level Empty Tome. From our experience, this is one of the cleanest evolution gates in the Ode to Castlevania DLC. Most Castlevania weapons require Spellbinder, Hollow Heart, or other niche passives, but Shuriken only needs Empty Tome, which is a passive most projectile-weapon builds want anyway for the Cooldown reduction it provides.
| Step | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1. Equip Shuriken | Play Quincy Morris (auto-equipped) or pick from level-up offers if Shuriken is already unlocked |
| 2. Level Shuriken to 8 | Standard level-up path. Prioritize the level 8 +2 Amount pick |
| 3. Pick Empty Tome | From any level-up screen. Empty Tome is the standard base-game Cooldown passive, available everywhere |
| 4. Max Empty Tome | Empty Tome maxes at -8% Cooldown, which Yagyu Shuriken inherits |
| 5. Open chest at min 10 or 20 | Standard evolution gate. Yagyu Shuriken replaces Shuriken in the slot |
From our experience, the Shuriken evolution is fast enough that you can usually have Yagyu Shuriken online by minute 8 on Quincy Morris runs. Empty Tome is a single passive that most builds pick up anyway, so the Shuriken evolution rarely conflicts with the rest of the build's passive picks. Compare this to Castlevania weapons that require Spellbinder (which is harder to pull from level-up offers because it competes with other priority passives) and you understand why Shuriken is positioned as the entry-level Ode to Castlevania weapon.
From our experience, the strongest Shuriken build runs Quincy Morris on the Ode to Castlevania stage. The plan is to evolve Shuriken into Yagyu Shuriken by minute 8, then layer Bracer and Spinach for raw projectile output, with Iron Blue Will (VII) as the run-defining arcana for the bounce-and-pierce mechanic. Because Quincy's character passives focus on Move Speed and Revival rather than offensive stats, the passive priority compensates with damage-focused picks.
Quincy Morris+Shuriken (starting weapon)Shuriken+Empty Tome→Yagyu ShurikenEmpty Tome (Cooldown reduction, evolution gate)
Bracer (projectile Speed, makes Shurikens reach further)
Spinach (Might multiplier, raw damage scaling)
Duplicator (more projectiles per cast, multiplies the spread cone)
Candelabrador (Area scaling, widens the spread coverage)
Attractorb (pickup range, helps with the move-and-fire loop)From our experience, this loadout reaches Yagyu Shuriken by minute 8 on Quincy and clears the Ode to Castlevania stage into endless mode. The key build call is including Candelabrador despite it being a non-evolution-gate passive: per the wiki, Shuriken's spread benefits from Area scaling because the cone widens, which catches enemies further off the centerline. From our experience, Candelabrador on a Shuriken build adds roughly 30-40% effective coverage by minute 15, which translates directly into wave-clear speed.
Pick Bracer BEFORE Spinach if you have to choose. Per the wiki, Bracer adds projectile Speed which makes Shuriken reach the edges of the screen faster, which matters more in the minute 0-10 phase when waves are still close enough that range determines whether you hit them at all. Spinach's Might multiplier scales raw damage, which matters more in the minute 12+ phase when individual enemies have higher HP pools.
According to the wiki, Shuriken has one direct arcana synergy that fundamentally changes how the weapon plays.
Iron Blue Will (VII): bouncing Shurikens with infinite piercePer the wiki, Iron Blue Will (VII) "allows the Shuriken's projectiles to bounce off enemies up to three times, occasionally have infinite pierce, and pass through walls." From our experience, this is the single highest-value arcana for the build. The bounce mechanic multiplies Shuriken's already-high projectile count: a single cast that fires 5 Shurikens with bounce = 3 effectively becomes 20 hits, and the occasional infinite-pierce shots clear entire vertical lanes in one cast. The pass-through-walls effect also matters on Ode to Castlevania stages where map geometry would otherwise block straight-line throws.
From our experience, the natural weapon pairings for Shuriken on Quincy Morris are other projectile weapons that benefit from the same passive picks. Javelin evolves into Long Inus with Spellbinder, which complements Shuriken's spread by providing piercing single-target damage. Hand Grenade evolves into The RPG with Crown for boss-killer burst damage. For raw screen coverage, pair Shuriken with Raging Fire (Castlevania ranged option) or run Ice Fang for crowd control if you have access to Sypha Belnades-tier weapons.
Per the wiki, Shuriken is described as working "just like Knife" but with a small angle of spread instead of perfect straight-line throws. From our experience, this means the two weapons fill similar build slots but are not interchangeable. The choice between them depends on character, stage, and arcana access.
| Factor | Shuriken | Knife |
|---|---|---|
| DLC required | Ode to Castlevania DLC | Base game |
| Starter for | Quincy Morris | Antonio Belpaese |
| Evolution | Yagyu Shuriken (with Empty Tome) | Thousand Edge (with Bracer) |
| Pattern | Spread cone, side coverage | Straight line, single-direction stack |
| Best for | Flanking enemies, side coverage | Single-target burst, lane control |
| Best arcana | Iron Blue Will (VII), bouncing | Slash (XVI), Game Killer (0) |
From our experience, Shuriken is the better pick when you have access to the Ode to Castlevania DLC and you are running Quincy Morris or any character that already has a directional weapon in slot one. Knife is better when you are running Antonio Belpaese (auto-equipped, Bracer evolution gate is more flexible than Empty Tome) or when you specifically want straight-line stacking damage. From our experience, neither weapon is strictly superior, the choice depends on which character is in your run and which arcanas are available.
Per the Vampire Survivors wiki, Shuriken is the starting weapon of Quincy Morris, who was added in the 31 October 2024 Ode to Castlevania DLC. From our experience, the Quincy Morris character is one of the deepest literary references in any Vampire Survivors DLC. Quincy P. Morris is a character from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, the original source novel for the entire Castlevania franchise. In Stoker's novel, Quincy is a Texan adventurer and one of Mina Harker's three suitors who joins the vampire-hunting party. He is the character who delivers the killing blow to Count Dracula at the climax of the novel, stabbing the count through the heart with a Bowie knife while Jonathan Harker simultaneously cuts Dracula's throat. Quincy dies from wounds sustained in the same fight.
The Forbidden Scrolls of Morbane unlock spell for Quincy Morris is "nonplayercharacter" per the wiki, which is a pointed meta joke about Quincy's status across Dracula adaptations. Despite delivering the actual killing blow in the original novel, Quincy is one of the most frequently cut characters from Dracula film and TV adaptations, often relegated to a minor or non-existent role. From our experience, the Castlevania franchise has historically honored Quincy more than other adaptations: he appears in Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994) as the canonical ancestor of John Morris, the playable Belmont-line successor. The Shuriken weapon choice for Quincy in Vampire Survivors connects to his canonical depiction as a knife-wielder in both Stoker's novel and the Castlevania timeline. Quincy's "Neutron Bomb" charge ability per the wiki is a more modernized riff on his role as the one who finishes Dracula: where the novel had him use a Bowie knife, Vampire Survivors gives him a doomsday weapon scaled by Might.
Per the wiki, Shuriken is unlocked by getting the weapon to level 2 a single time. From our experience, this is the easiest unlock requirement of any Ode to Castlevania DLC weapon. Equipping it on Quincy Morris and surviving the first 90 seconds of any run is enough to trigger the unlock.
Per the wiki, Shuriken evolves into Yagyu Shuriken when paired with max-level Empty Tome at a chest. This is one of the cleanest single-passive evolution gates in the entire Ode to Castlevania DLC, since Empty Tome is a standard base-game passive that most projectile-weapon builds want anyway.
Per the wiki, Shuriken 'works just like Knife' but with a small angle of spread instead of perfect straight-line throws. From our experience, the two weapons are similar in intent but not interchangeable: Shuriken trades single-target burst density for natural side coverage, and the evolutions and arcana synergies differ. See our Shuriken vs Knife comparison section for the full breakdown.
Quincy Morris from the Ode to Castlevania DLC. Per the wiki, his character passives include +20% Move Speed and +4 Revival, plus a Neutron Bomb charge ability scaled by Might. He's unlocked by evolving the Platinum Whip after unlocking Vlad Tepes Dracula, then purchased for 2,000 gold.
Per the wiki, Iron Blue Will (VII) is the build-defining arcana. It grants Shuriken's projectiles up to 3 bounces off enemies, occasional infinite pierce, and the ability to pass through walls. From our experience, this arcana converts Shuriken from a solid projectile weapon into one of the best screen-clear setups in the DLC.
Yes. Per the wiki, Shuriken is one of the 8 evolvable Castlevania DLC vampire-killing tools available through the Coat of Arms selector item. See our Coat of Arms guide for the full 20-weapon item pool and unlock checklist.
Yes, especially on Quincy Morris. The +20% Move Speed character bonus pairs naturally with Shuriken's spread cone, and the single-passive evolution gate (Empty Tome only) makes it the easiest Castlevania DLC evolution to set up. From our experience, with Iron Blue Will (VII) it competes with the strongest screen-clear builds in the entire DLC.
Yagyu refers to the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, a real-world historical Japanese sword school dating from the 16th century, often associated with shuriken throwing techniques in popular media. The Castlevania franchise has used the Yagyu name for shuriken weapons since Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, where it appears as a projectile subweapon. Vampire Survivors continues this naming convention through the Ode to Castlevania DLC.
For other Ode to Castlevania DLC weapon spokes, see our Gale Force guide, our Rock Riot guide, and our Alchemy Whip guide. For Operation Guns DLC weapons, see our Short Gun guide and our Metal Claw guide. For Castlevania character spokes, see our Sypha Belnades guide, Leon Belmont guide, Richter Belmont guide, Soma Cruz guide, and Alucard guide. For base game weapon comparisons, see our Pentagram guide, our Glass Fandango guide, our Arma Dio guide, and our Gaze of Gaea guide. The weapon tier list ranks every weapon in v1.13 and the weapon evolution chart covers every recipe including Yagyu Shuriken. The passive items guide walks through Empty Tome, Bracer, Spinach, Duplicator, and Candelabrador. The main Vampire Survivors guide is the hub for everything else.
Image sprites and screenshots sourced from the Vampire Survivors Wiki (vampire.survivors.wiki) under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.