Does the "Deathblow" animation grant i-frames?

I had a discussion with a friend about the mechanics of Sekiro, and we came up with some interesting variations in our experience. Some were about the usefulness of certain abilities - his experience was that (for example) using the grappling hook on certain enemies was pointless, as it simply drew him closer, just in time for to be hit by the enemy. I, on the other hand, had a window big enough to attack, then retreat, without being hit. I believe this was simply a timing issue.

The other main issue he had, was to do with the deathblow animation. Personally, I have used this to avoid damage from other enemies. When I'm surrounded by other enemies, I would be grateful for the opportunity to inflict a Deathblow, as it meant I was safe from other incoming attacks. He, however, has not experienced this. It did only happen once, but in a similar situation, just as he entered the deathblow animation, a Club/Mallet Soldier hit him, and he died.

To be honest, I have not played much of the game, and I have only played up to the first boss, so my experience of the mechanics is still fairly fresh. What, including the deathblow animation, causes I-frames, and what is the exact window, and can it be affected by specific enemies?

Solution 1:

What causes I-Frames:

• Dash/dodge grants a few I-Frames. They are way less than e.g. in Dark Souls

• Deathblow animation

As the quesiton is pretty specifically asking about the deathblow, let me explain a bit. The deathblow animation grants I-Frames for as long as you have no control of the character. This means, that as long as you are still opting to execute the deathblow or not, you can still be hit, as you still have control over the character. As soon as you chose to execute the deathblow, you are invincible. The invincibility holds as long as you are on the enemy. This includes the execution of any ninjutsu. As soon as the whole animation is finished (regain of full control of character), you are no longer invincible.

I guess you both simply have a different understanding of what exactly the deathblow animation is (option to execute deathblow vs actually executing the deathblow).

While we are at it, lets also have a look at the grappling hook. My experience is, that it should be used to close big distances to bosses. It does not grant any I-Frames. The hook normally "staggers" the enemies for you to be able to land the aerial attack.

While fighting the Demon of Hatred, I was always able to land the aerial attack. Also I experienced the fact that one is not invincible as his fire on the ground attack dealt damage shortly before the grappling animation had started.