Sekiro has four endings — but only one is considered the true conclusion, and reaching it requires actions distributed across the entire game that the game never once asks you to perform. The Purification ending requires eavesdropping on specific conversations, finding an item in an area most players never return to after visiting it once, and having a long-running questline remain intact.
The questline in question follows Owl, Wolf’s adoptive father and the game’s primary antagonist for much of the story. Most players kill him when instructed to. The Purification ending requires defying that instruction at the moment of the fight — siding with Owl against Kuro, triggering an alternate boss sequence — and then continuing the game through a completely different narrative branch.
The branch ends with the Frozen Tears item, which combines with Cherry Blossoms to perform the Purification — the only ending where Wolf neither dies, becomes a demon, nor returns to mortality. He transmits the Dragon’s Blood curse to a dragon and achieves freedom from the cycle entirely.
The ending was designed for New Game+ players who already understood the story and were ready to challenge its premises. FromSoftware confirmed in interviews that the Purification ending is the canonical resolution. It is almost entirely invisible on a first playthrough.
Didn’t realise how much was hidden under the surface. Makes me want to replay it with fresh eyes.
This is why I always check every corner. You never know what’s been left for the observant player.