How to emote in Nioh 3
Nioh 3's controls can be confusing, and the game only explains emotes during the tutorial — which many players will have long passed by the time they notice the option. Emotes, called gestures in Nioh 3, do more than help with photos or player communication; they can also be used to handle certain yokai peacefully.
To open the gesture window, press the right bumper and the start button on a controller, or press 'G' on a keyboard. The window contains multiple pages of gestures; select one and your character will perform it. Colour-coding matters for Nurikabe yokai, which pretend to be walls and often guard treasure or hot springs.
When a Nurikabe reveals itself you can attack it to start a fight, or use an emote: emotes come in red, yellow, and blue, and any emote of the correct colour will make the Nurikabe disappear, effectively giving you two guesses before a wrong emote provokes combat.