Midnight Anomaly Guide
Village in the Shade Zunushi Guide
Do not chase Zunushi (ヅ主) and attack its body directly. Create distance to bait its charge, use the Pickaxe to knock the red-mist stones back into it, and land 6 successful reflected hits. Each successful hit removes one surrounding fireball, giving you a visible progress indicator.
English anomaly terminology currently follows the site's Japanese-release naming and may be updated after the official English localization can be verified on October 27, 2026.
Zunushi — Short Answer
When
Midnight · Summer onward
Type
Combat / counterattack
Main tool
Pickaxe
Main strategy
Reflect red-mist stones
Opening
Bait the charge
Hits required
6 reflected hits
Progress
Fireballs decrease
Recommended area
Village Plaza / open area
Night Furniture
None currently documented
Dedicated Lost Book
None currently documented
Do Not Attack Zunushi Directly
The documented clear method is to turn Zunushi's own red-mist stones against it. Focus on creating distance, baiting the charge and reflecting the stone with the Pickaxe.
Counterattack flow
How to beat Zunushi
01
Give yourself room
Move to the Village Plaza or another open area. This is recommended, not mandatory.
02
Bait the charge
Create enough distance to encourage the charge sequence. No exact meter or guaranteed timing is claimed.
03
Find the red-mist stone
Watch for the stone surrounded by red mist during the charge sequence.
04
Reflect it with Pickaxe
Strike the stone so it is knocked back toward Zunushi. A reflected hit counts toward the six-hit condition.
The exact timing window, aim correction and homing behavior of a struck stone are not published strongly enough to add control instructions. Use the broad counterattack wording above.
Use the Fireballs as a Progress Counter
Each successful reflected hit removes one of the fireballs around Zunushi. Watch the remaining fireballs to confirm that a reflection counted. This page does not infer an exact starting fireball count from the six-hit requirement.
Watch for Ground Rocks
Zunushi can create rock or ore-like formations from the ground. They can obstruct movement and make cramped areas harder to manage; no damage amount is asserted.
Positioning
The open Village Plaza gives you more room to manage charges and ground obstacles. It is a recommended fighting area, not a hard location requirement.
Pickaxe role
The Pickaxe is used to reflect the red-mist stone. This guide does not duplicate Pickaxe tiers or claim a special upgrade is required.
Review canonical tool data →No direct DPS route
Do not plan around Bow damage, Sickle attacks or Pickaxe swings against the body. The verified route is the reflected-stone counter.
What Zunushi rewards
Night Furniture: Current Japanese guide data does not list a Night Furniture reward for Zunushi.
Dedicated Lost Book: Current Japanese guide data does not list a dedicated Zunushi Lost Book or lore record.
This is an evidence boundary, not a claim that the encounter has no other completion consequence. No fake reward, Catalog cleanup route, Zunushi Wooden Plaque or reward probability is added.
Spawn and post-clear notes
Availability
The canonical anomaly record places Zunushi from Summer onward at Midnight. No spawn percentage is published.
Unconfirmed repeatability
Japanese guide commentary suggests Zunushi may be relatively uncommon and may stop appearing after it has been cleared, but neither a spawn probability nor a one-time rule is confirmed. Do not call it permanently missable.
Why can't I clear Zunushi?
Midnight exploration has a hard forced-return boundary at 06:00. Use the Midnight Exploration guide for the broader system.
Zunushi questions
When does Zunushi appear?
Zunushi is a Midnight anomaly listed from Summer onward. It is not ordinary evening content and is not guaranteed every Midnight.
How do I beat Zunushi?
Create distance to bait the charge, wait for the red-mist stone, strike that stone with the Pickaxe so it is reflected into Zunushi, and repeat until six successful reflected hits land.
Can I attack Zunushi directly?
Direct body attacks are not the documented main solution. Focus on reflecting Zunushi's own red-mist stones rather than chasing the body with a weapon.
What does the Pickaxe do?
Use the Pickaxe to strike the red-mist stone and knock it back toward Zunushi. This is a reflection tool for the counterattack loop, not a direct-damage instruction.
How many hits are required?
The current anomaly record requires six successful reflected-stone hits. This is a hit condition, not a claim that Zunushi has exactly six HP.
What do the fireballs mean?
One surrounding fireball disappears after each successful reflected hit, so the remaining fireballs provide a visible progress counter. No exact starting count is asserted here.
Where is the best place to fight Zunushi?
The Village Plaza or another open area is recommended because it gives you more room to manage charges and ground obstacles. It is not presented as the only valid arena.
What are the red-mist stones?
They are the counter objects produced during the charge sequence. Strike a stone surrounded by red mist with the Pickaxe and send it back toward Zunushi.
Does Zunushi have a Night Furniture reward?
Current Japanese guide data does not list a Night Furniture reward for Zunushi. This does not prove that the encounter has no other consequence.
Is there a Zunushi Wooden Plaque?
No verified Zunushi plaque is included in the current five-plaque Ghost Shelf set. Do not invent one or assume the encounter can be forced by a plaque.
Written by: Village in the Shade Guide Editorial Team
Last updated: August 27, 2026
Sources: Official publisher and storefront pages, released-game research and linked source notes.