From Software is notoriously known for creating stellar gameplay experiences with one common thing being multiple challenging boss fights that will truly test your skill, wit, patience, luck, and determination. The main goal of this intricate design is to allow the player to have a sense of accomplishment and euphoria, having bested these higher-level bosses in combat.
These bosses truly stand out among the rest as both difficult and satisfying. Those who succeed in making us feel like the champions we are, having defeated them. We will be highlighting a few of those bosses from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
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Updated on March 1, 2021 by Scoot Allan: Fans of incredibly difficult games are preparing for Elden Ring, the next release by From Software that will team the fan-favorite developer with Game of Throne's George R.R. Martin. And the only way to prepare for From Software's genre-defining style of gaming is by playing through previous releases like 2019's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Like most From Software games, Sekiro featured incredibly challenging bosses that ranged from skilled shinobi warriors to powerful monstrous demons. We'll be taking another look at a few other Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice bosses today that made us feel extremely satisfied after breaking our controllers a few times on the path to victory.
15 The Folding Screen Monkeys Are Easy But Time-Consuming
These primates aren’t on this list particularly for their difficulty or depth in combat, they aren’t hard in any way; in fact, being one of the easier bosses. What grants them on this list is how they make you run around like a monkey yourself just to catch one of these cheeky buggers. There are four monkeys in total, all having their unique patterns and tells.
Despite taking them down either stealthily or frantically, you’ll surely take a while to defeat each one of them, making them not only annoying but time-consuming as well. You’ll also have to watch out for illusion monkeys that can quickly whittle your health down if you aren’t paying attention. Once you do, though, you’ll feel proud of yourself having gone through all that rubbish.
14 Preparing For Juzou The Drunkard Is As Rewarding As The Battle
The large and powerful Juzou the Drunkard is definitely a force to be reckoned with that can't just be charged when first encountered at the Hirada Estate, as he has a number of fellow enemies surrounding his area that can be stealthily taken out. This will not only clear the area for the battle but also allow for a stealthy Deathblow to make Juzou that much easier.
An ally can even be accessed for the fight, which if done properly, will make for an excellent distraction that frees you up to whittle away at Juzou's health while feeling like a boss for taking out everyone in the area so efficiently.
13 Blazing Bull Turned You Into A Frenzied Matador Fighting For Survival
While there were a number of soldiers and difficult enemies faced by the point players reached the gates of Ashina Castle, no one was quite prepared for the arrival of the Blazing Bull. The difficult mini-boss was a massive bull with flaming straw strapped across his horns, driving the animal into a frenzy.
The battle can be incredibly frustrating and difficult as the bull is quick, deadly, and resistant to damage everywhere except its head. However, once his patterns and timing are figured out (along with some useful application of the Shinobi Firecracker prosthetic), players will feel like a professional shinobi matador being applauded by a crowd of spectators.
12 The Chained Ogre Is Incredibly Frustrating For A Mini-Boss
One of the most frustrating enemies we’ve encountered in any game. What’s annoying the most about the ogre is the fact that he isn’t even a main boss but rather one of the first mini-bosses you’ll encounter in the game. As one of the first, he is undeniably quite harder than your average grunts and will take you quite a while to put down.
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The trick is to avoid his throws and grapples and attack at a safe distance. If players go even farther away, they can steak up behind him when he loses interest in you and uses a deathblow. Another trick is to use fire, or rather the flame vent to scare him and put some strikes in between. Once you finally defeat the beast, the amount of satisfaction knowing you won’t have to do that again will almost be worth it.
11 Corrupted Monk Was Sometimes More Difficult Than True Monk
The ghostly Corrupted Monk that is first encountered in Ashina Depths may only be a mere projection of the more powerful True Monk that can be found in Fountainhead Palace, but she can sometimes be more frustrating to battle.
Corrupted Monk's high posture and health made the battle one of attrition, which ultimately made the final victory all the more rewarding. True Monk might have been a more involved battle with various stages, but available Deathblow options for True Monk made Corrupted Monk's enduring battle more rewarding in the end.
10 Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa Will Make You Remember His Name
One thing players remember in this boss fight aside from his bombastic entrance and his name, Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa, which he screams frantically at players, is the fact that he is the first real boss fight of the game. He isn’t necessarily the hardest on this list but isn’t a pushover either. His boss fight is fun and simple to understand once they’ve figured out his pattern.
The name of the game is keeping up with your deflects and avoiding his side sweeps and unblockable attacks. It isn’t hard to break his posture, and once you do, you’ll begin to feel like the powerful shinobi you are and feel quite proud of yourself too.
9 The Guardian Ape Will Make You Work For The Victory A Few Times
The Guardian Ape is the first boss fight you’ll feel nervous playing. We say this, of course, because he isn’t only a menacing and intimidating-looking boss but also acts on his looks by actively trying to put you six feet under with vicious and relentless attacks. He even throws his poop at you, so you know he means business. Don’t worry though you can easily avoid the poop flinging as long as you pay attention once he leaps; this is your chance to get behind him with some attacks on your own.
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Having the firecrackers is a great help in this fight as it slows all beast-type enemies for more chances to strike. Recognize and punish his patterns long enough, and you can finally death blow him. Be sure to keep your distance from his multitude of attacks, avoid being inflicted with terror, and you’ll down him in no time. Doing this will provide more relief than satisfaction, but some satisfaction nonetheless.
8 Seven Spears of Ashina Yamauchi Shikibu Toshikatsu Keeps You Guessing
While there are two Seven Spears of Ashina battles, it's the first with Yamauchi Shikibu Toshikatsu at Ashina Reservoir that impressed some fans of Sekiro due to the sometimes unpredictable nature of Isshin's warrior's attacks.
However, like Juzou The Drunkard, stealthily and satisfyingly clearing the area can give you an opportunity for a stealthy deathblow on the Seven Spears of Ashina, giving you some breathing room to navigate his long reach and powerful attacks to prove yourself a worthy shinobi (and help prepare you for a later encounter with another Seven Spears).
7 O-Rin Of The Water's Boss-Fight Felt Like A Well-Timed Dance
O-Rin of the Water is a mini-boss located in a graveyard in Mibu that will question and then attack players. She quickly revealed her relentless and oddly beautiful attack style that can quickly knock down any developing shinobi unprepared for her ghost-like attacks.
It's almost impossible to find time to heal and her attacks increase in intensity with each stage. However, once the timing of her blocks is discovered and mixes with a successful series of parries and counter-attacks, you'll end the battle feeling like you've trained with O-Rin for weeks to pull off the performance.
6 Genichiro Ashina Is One Of The Most Satisfying Battles As A Shinobi
After the injustice he grants you at the beginning of the game, you’ll finally be allowed your revenge later on by facing Genichiro, however, things have changed. You’re more established as a Shinobi and have come prepared. All you need to do is make sure you’re on him like butter on toast. This is one of the only chances you’ll get to be aggressive.
Although offense is strongly advised, do not neglect your defense as well. Avoid his unblockable attacks and keep up with his strikes by deflecting them. He’ll try to break your posture, but you can avoid this by literally spamming the deflect button once he goes in for consecutive strikes and easily breaks his posture and earn a death blow. Just avoid the lightning attacks, be aggressive, and you’ll put him down for good feeling like a god as you do so.
5 Lady Butterfly Will Test Players On Their Developing Skills Early
The Lady Butterfly is on this list above Genichiro mainly cause she’s the first real challenge you’ll encounter. She’s here to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. An easy way to avoid frustration is to get as many gourd seeds to level up your restoration, snap seeds for the illusion she’ll inevitably cast during the fight, and the shuriken prosthetic tool for when she goes in the air to throw knives at you.
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Asides from parrying, you’ll need to be on top of your dodge game too, as avoiding hits and countering on openings will be an excellent way to succeed. Honestly, she’s not really that tough once you come prepared. So come prepared and feel elation knowing you’ve bested her challenge.
4 Emma The Gentle Blade Is Anything But
Emma will be an alternate boss fight, depending on what path you choose in your playthrough. That being said, she’s also one of the toughest boss fights in the game. To succeed, you’ll have to be consistent with your deflects as she is a speedy one.
The one thing you really need to watch out for is her grab attacks. Avoid being grabbed, dodge accurately, and you’ll come out on top. Though it might take a bit of time, patience, and luck. Maybe some running away mixed in as well. When you finally do, though, you’ll begin to realize you’ve become an elite yourself.
3 Father Owl Is The Ultimate Test Of Your Shinobi Skills
Technically speaking, depending on your playthrough, you’ll encounter Owl twice. As your mentor who taught you all you know as a shinobi, having to face him is undoubtedly going to be hard. Especially as he makes this even harder by having almost the same amount of shinobi tools you do and uses them way more efficiently. The main thing you should do is avoid his heavy attacks by dodging and parrying (if you can).
You should also watch out for the anti-restoration/recovery orbs he uses to prevent you from healing yourself. Be wise all through the fight, and you’ll eventually defeat him. Then rejoice in knowing the student has bested the master.
2 The Demon Of Hatred Is An Emotionally Draining But Rewarding Battle
This boss fight is as sad as it is challenging. Having to fight the sculptor, your longtime friend who helped you right from the start of the game. Similar to bosses in other From Software titles such as Dark Souls, the Demon Of Hatred is quite a monster of an enemy towering over you with deadly earth-shattering attacks coupled with fireballs and critical strikes to boot.
To prevail, you’ll have to stick close to him while avoiding his lower strikes as they should be easier to dodge at a closer range. Once you’ve finally put him to rest, you’ll feel that relief and accomplishment yet again, but this time with some sadness mixed in.
1 Isshin The Sword Saint Is The Toughest And Most Satisfying Boss Battle
Isshin will by far be the toughest obstacle you’ll encounter thus far. As the last boss of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, you shouldn’t be surprised by this. He might take days, months, maybe even years to defeat. He'll test your patience, grit, and sanity like no other boss you’ve come across. For an enemy this difficult, there is no easy way to down him. All the skills and abilities you’ve learned will be put to the test in this ultimate battle.
The first thing you need to do is to try avoiding his attacks as best as you can. Another piece of advice is to bring in the fully upgraded shinobi firecracker tool as it can be used to interrupt his more substantial attacks. Again, always learn patterns to find openings. Once you do you’ll get the upper hand quickly. After a multitude of deaths and curses at your TV, you’ll eventually beat him and conquer the game.