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As its name implies, this guide covers the in-game gallery, which can be found on the main menu:



There are a total of 29 images in the gallery, but you'll have to fulfill various conditions to unlock them all:





"What are these conditions," you ask? Well, I'm not exactly sure, but if you follow the steps listed in the next section, you should be able to complete the gallery. It worked for me, so it should work for you as well. Good luck!

Before I get into the details, I would like to mention a GameFAQs user by the name of Xerox1919.[gamefaqs.gamespot.com] Due to his/her post,[gamefaqs.gamespot.com] I was able to unlock the four remaining images in my gallery. If you have the time and inclination, please check out his/her guides, cheats, and game save, maybe even dropping a like or recommendation if you can. Without further ado, let's get started.

Alright, so keep in mind that while I don't know the exact unlock conditions for each image, doing the following should complete the gallery:



Contrary to what the above title states, you can try merely playing Story with each character, but there may be some images that only unlock upon clearing this mode, so I think it's best to beat it with every character included in the list below (which also nets you 17 of the game's 20 achievements). Moreover, you should try to clear the game once without continuing, as this might unlock a/some image(s), plus this gives you one more achievement, bringing your total to 18 out of 20. I give some tips on how to do this a bit below the following list, but if you're struggling, you can do everything else and come back to it if necessary.

Here are the 18 characters you should try clearing Story with:

• Awakened Kaede
  
• Moriya Minakata
  
• Yuki
  
• Setsuna
  
• Akari Ichijo
  
• Juzoh Kanzaki
  
• Hyo Amano
  
• Hibiki Takane
  
• Keiichiro Washizuka
  
• Kojiroh Sanada
  
• Genbu no Okina
  
• Mukuro
  
• Lee Rekka
  
• Zantetsu
  
• Shinnosuke Kagami
  
• Shigen Naoe
  
• Kouryu (he is a secret character; I elaborate on hidden characters in Step 2)
  
• Unawakened/Original Kaede (he is also a secret character, but unlike the other characters, I know that you get one image from playing as him in Story, and another from clearing it with him; FYI, I will use Unawakened Kaede when referring to this character for the rest of the guide)

To access this mode, first select Normal Mode on the main menu, and then select Story:





Since the settings are irrelevant to the images' unlock conditions, feel free to set them however you'd like. To access them, go to the main menu and select Options, and then select Game Options:





If you want to clear Story with the least amount of effort possible, then set Level and Round Set to 1, but keep in mind that even on the lowest difficulty, the AI will sometimes read your inputs:



Now, if you're looking for an easy, low-skill way to beat Story without continuing, I suggest choosing either Hyo Amano or Kouryu. If you choose Hyo, then all you really need to do is open up enough space between you and your opponent and use the strong version of Suzumezashi (→ ↙ → + Strong Slash). Feel free to use some other attacks, but for some reason, this move is particularly effective against the AI. On the other hand, if you choose Kouryu, then you automatically get an advantage because he's a boss character. Play around with his move arsenal if you'd like, but basically opening up space and using the light version of the projectile Ku wo Turanuku Ninuri no Ya (↓ ↘ → + Weak Slash), Strong Slash, → + Strong Slash, ↓ + Strong Slash, or his Weak Slash (if your opponent is close to you), should give you a good chance of beating Story without continuing.



In the previous section, I mentioned the secret characters Kouryu and Unawakened Kaede. In addition to these two characters, there are two other secret "characters" (one of them--Hagure Hitogata--is a mimic that makes you play the same character as your current opponent, and the other--Kotetsu Naoe--is just an alternate intro for the character Shigen Naoe) and an additional combat mode that can be used with any character (this is called Extreme Mode, and it is a mix between Power and Speed Modes). Based on my experience, Kotetsu Naoe doesn't unlock anything, but Hagure and Extreme Mode do. Moreover, I was able to unlock Hagure and Extreme Mode's corresponding images in Story, and that's why I titled this section "Play Story...". You can also use these codes in Versus and Time Attack, but I actually tried Versus first and didn't unlock anything. Time Attack might work, but if you are only using these codes to complete the gallery, I recommend sticking with Story since it's a sure thing. Lastly, the images might not unlock during your first fight, but you don't have to clear Story mode, so a few fights with Hagure and an EX character should be enough.

Alright, let's go over the codes themselves. You can actually access them by going to the Player Select screen in any mode (Story, Time Attack, Versus, or Training), pressing the start button, and then selecting Hidden Char. & Extreme Mode:





I have included screenshots of this menu below, but if you don't want to pull up this guide while playing, just remember that you can view the codes in-game. I tested all five of the codes out at different speeds, and it seemed like Kouryu, Kotetsu, Unawakened Kaede, and Hagure can all be done at slow speeds, just make sure to pause for a second after the second series of inputs in Hagure's code (this is also pointed out in the Hidden Char. & Extreme Mode menu, so there's no need to remember it). I'm not sure why, but the Extreme Mode code didn't work at slow speeds; however, medium speed was enough to get it to work. Long story short, if the codes aren't working, it most likely means you're incorrectly inputting them. Also, the word "confirm" in the 6th step of the codes means press the Weak Slash button.

With that out of the way, here are the codes for Extreme Mode and all the secret characters:

While this may be possible by other means, I followed the aforementioned GameFAQs user Xerox1919's[gamefaqs.gamespot.com] instructions to the letter, and they worked for me. If you want to try a potentially shorter method (I don't know if this works since I had already unlocked the image using Xerox1919's[gamefaqs.gamespot.com] method) fight at the Graveyard in Versus by choosing two characters and their combat modes, navigating to the bottom of the next screen until your cursor is on the Stage Select option, pressing right on your D-pad/stick until you have Graveyard selected, then lastly using the Weak Slash button to confirm your selection:








If you weren't able to unlock the image in Versus, then try this:

a) First, pick Kaede and select Power Mode. Now, wait until the match against your first opponent (Hibiki Takane) starts.

b) Use your second controller to interrupt the match (any of the attack buttons should work, i.e. weak slash, strong slash, kick, or repel) and transition to the character select screen. Once there, choose Moriya and select Power Mode.

c) Use Kaede to defeat Moriya. If the stage wasn't the Graveyard (refer to the image below), then return to your fight with Hibiki and interrupt the match again to select Moriya and Power Mode (I'm not sure why, but I couldn't immediately interrupt the match with Hibiki on subsequent attempts; you might experience the same thing but don't worry: just mash the buttons and the match should be interrupted after a few seconds). Keep doing this until you reach the Graveyard stage. This should unlock the corresponding image, but you may want to beat Moryia and return to Hibiki just to be safe.





This step may not be necessary, but if you've done all of the above and are still missing something, then I recommend trying it out. But that's not the only reason why you'd want to do this. If you've followed all the steps so far, then you'll have already unlocked 90% of The Last Blade 2's achievements. By beating 30 or more opponents in Time Attack, you'll pop the last two achievements, which should bring your achievement total to 100%. The best part is it's very easy to do.

Feel free to use whatever character you like, but if you want a surefire way to defeat 30 or more opponents, the strategy is simple: select Kouryu (refer to Step 2 for the code to play as him), open up enough space between him and your current opponent, and throw out → + Strong Slash. If you still have enough space between the two of you, throw out another one. If you have close to but a bit less space than before, try hitting your opponent with a Strong Slash. If your opponent closes in on you, use Weak Slash to get them off Kouryu before opening up more space. Rinse and repeat and you'll easily defeat more than 30 opponents. What's more, you have infinite health in Time Attack, so you don't have to worry about dying.

Awakened Kaede

Moriya Minakata #1

Shinnosuke Kagami

Kojiroh Sanada (Real Name: Kaori Sanada) and Keiichiro Washizuka

Yuki

Kotetsu Naoe and Shigen Naoe

Mukuro

Setsuna and Yuki

Akari Ichijo and Hagure Hitogata

Akari Ichijo

Hibiki Takane and Hyo Amano

Akari Ichijo and Juzoh Kanzaki

Kaede (Awakened and Unawakened)

Setsuna

Lee Rekka and Zantetsu

Mukuro and Keiichiro Washizuka

Yuki, Akari Ichijo, and Hibiki Takane

Setsuna and Awakened Kaede

Setsuna, Kojiroh Sanada (Real Name: Kaori Sanada), Hibiki Takane, Awakened Kaede, Moriya Minakata, and Yuki

Moriya Minakata, Setsuna, and Yuki

Moriya Minakata, Yuki, and Kaede as Children

Genbu, The Black Tortoise (AKA Zhi Ming)

Suzaku, The Vermilion Bird (AKA Ling Guang)

Seiryu, The Azure Dragon (AKA Meng Zhang)

Byakko, The White Tiger (AKA Jian Bing)

Hyo Amano

Moriya Minakata #2

Unawakened Kaede

The Four Gods: Genbu (North), Byakko (West), Seiryu (East), and Suzaku (South)

While this has nothing to do with the in-game gallery, this bonus is tangentially-related.

If you managed to clear Story mode without continuing, the following message will be displayed on-screen:



Now you might be left wondering what to do with this. After all, it references a web page but doesn't provide you with a URL, so where exactly are you supposed to enter the password "ELEPHANT?" What's more, whatever it is referring to must be long gone by now, considering that the "POSTING PERIOD" ended in April 1999.

Well, worry not! Thanks to another GameFAQs user by the name of maniaxe613,[gamefaqs.gamespot.com] the purpose of this message was made clear, and in fact leads to another gallery, albeit one not accessed within the game but via the internet. You can read about the details here[gamefaqs.gamespot.com] if you want, but basically, if you click this link,[web.archive.org] you'll be taken to a "SPECIAL PAGE," from which you can view various artwork for this game by clicking the icons on the left side of the screen.

As of when I published this guide, Last Blade 2's special page was viewable via the link above. If at some point in the future you are unable to view this page, that may mean it was taken down.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the additional artwork!

And that's about it. Thanks for checking out this guide!