Quick answer
Before every attempt, decide three things: what starts the attack, whether Parry/Deflect or Dodge is correct, and where the punish ends. Weapon attacks generally reward Parry or Deflect; feet, claws, charges, and grabs generally require Dodge. If the boss absorbs Souls or changes colour, stop using the old response until you identify the new cue.
Dohatsu-ten: the numbers that change the plan
This encounter uses 18,000 health, 9,000 maximum posture, a 5-second posture-regeneration delay, a 12-second posture-break duration, and a 10-second knockdown duration. These values explain why a short, repeated posture plan is safer than trading damage: once the break is created, you have a limited window to convert it before the encounter returns to neutral.
| Threat | What changes | Player response |
|---|---|---|
| Bloodied blade | The sword becomes more dangerous as blood accumulates on it | Stop trading hits; defend the next sword entry and take only the confirmed punish |
| Soul absorption | Loose Souls can trigger the stronger attack sequence | Absorb or deny the Souls when the arena is safe, then reset your spacing |
| Spinning attack or advancing slash | Dohatsu-ten stays dangerous while moving through the attack | Let the full rotation or travel finish before re-entering |
| Kick-up at close range | Staying directly in front of the boss creates a short-range launch threat | Keep a little separation after blocking a sword attack and do not mash the punish |
Use the table as a fight plan, not as a damage race. The important threshold is the posture break: create it with Parry/Deflect and controlled attacks, then spend the 12-second break window on a short confirmed sequence. See Issen when the break or counter prompt appears, and return to this page when the boss changes state.
Boss baseline roster
The guide covers 14 named bosses with base health, maximum posture, posture-regeneration delay, and break duration. Treat these as baseline values: difficulty modifiers can change the effective numbers. Use the roster to identify the fight, then start with the counter plan for that encounter.
| Boss | Base health | Maximum posture | Posture regen delay | Break duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshioka Seijuro | 1,500 | 1,000 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Rasho-gan | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Sasaki Ganryu | 5,000 | 7,500 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Daidara | 6,000 | 5,000 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Greater Nue | 6,000 | 6,000 | 6 sec | 12 sec |
| Benkei | 6,000 | 7,500 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Burai | 7,000 | 5,500 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Ifuu | 7,000 | 5,500 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Dokyo | 10,000 | 10,000 | Not listed | 10 sec |
| Nue | 11,800 | 13,500 | 8 sec | 12 sec |
| Minamoto no Yoshitsune | 15,000 | 10,000 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Byakue | 16,000 | 8,000 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Dohatsu-ten | 18,000 | 9,000 | 5 sec | 12 sec |
| Shuten Doji | 21,000 | 10,500 | 6 sec | 12 sec |
Difficulty scaling reference
The boss tables separate the base values above from difficulty scaling ranges. Those ranges vary across story checkpoints, which explains why the same boss can show different effective health or posture. They are planning ranges rather than a platform-specific current-patch guarantee.
| Difficulty | Health multiplier range | Posture multiplier range | Attack multiplier range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 0.63–1.69× | 0.55–1.49× | 0.59–1.43× |
| Standard | 0.72–1.90× | 0.72–1.90× | 0.72–1.90× |
| Hard | 1.44–3.20× | 1.44–3.20× | 1.44–3.70× |
The following Hard ranges show the practical scale for the larger encounters. Use the base-stat roster above to identify the fight, then treat this table as a range rather than a single HP target:
| Boss | Effective health range | Effective posture range |
|---|---|---|
| Yoshioka Seijuro | 2,160–4,800 | 1,440–3,200 |
| Rasho-gan | 7,200–16,000 | 7,200–16,000 |
| Sasaki Ganryu | 7,200–16,000 | 10,800–24,000 |
| Daidara | 8,640–19,200 | 7,200–16,000 |
| Greater Nue | 8,640–19,200 | 8,640–19,200 |
| Benkei | 8,640–19,200 | 10,800–24,000 |
| Burai | 10,080–22,400 | 7,920–17,600 |
| Ifuu | 10,080–22,400 | 7,920–17,600 |
| Dokyo | 14,400–32,000 | 14,400–32,000 |
| Nue | 16,992–37,760 | 19,440–43,200 |
| Minamoto no Yoshitsune | 21,600–48,000 | 14,400–32,000 |
| Byakue | 23,040–51,200 | 11,520–25,600 |
| Dohatsu-ten | 25,920–57,600 | 12,960–28,800 |
| Shuten Doji | 30,240–67,200 | 15,120–33,600 |
Do not use the maximum Hard value to plan every attempt. The response that matters first is still the attack cue: a higher health range changes how long the fight lasts, while a higher posture range changes how many clean Parry, Deflect, or Issen conversions are needed.
Three fights that need a different approach
Dokyo: this is a ranged-pattern fight, not a normal melee exchange. Move through the gaps in her direct, circular, windmill, and crossfire shots; delay the response to the homing shot until it commits. When the avatar appears, keep both Dokyo and the avatar in view, and deny loose Souls before the Soul-enhanced state starts. The baseline values are 10,000 health and 10,000 posture, with a 10-second break duration.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune: track the landing point of the triangle jump instead of attacking during the ascent. The five-way and homing shots reward late movement, while the unavoidable slash has white, armoured, and combo variants that must be identified before choosing a response. Evade the grapple startup and save space for the darkness ultimate. The encounter uses 15,000 health, 10,000 posture, a 5-second regeneration delay, and a 12-second break duration.
Shuten Doji: stop the drinking animation whenever the arena allows it; drinking restores health and makes the fight stronger. Clear the sake-fire drop, move past the edge of the fire-breath cone, and do not stand over him after a knockdown because of the wake-up kick. Take loose Souls before the Soul power-up completes. The encounter uses 21,000 health, 10,500 posture, a 6-second regeneration delay, and a 12-second break duration.
The roster gives you the baseline numbers; the response sections explain the fights where a clear counter pattern matters most. For the arena route, open Missions and follow the objective with the matching boss name.
Boss preparation
| Check | Do this before entering |
|---|---|
| Healing | Refill at the Spirit Mirror and keep the Hozuki Pouch available. |
| Camera | Stand far enough away to see the weapon or body telegraph. |
| Stamina | Prioritise Parry and Deflect when posture damage is the bottleneck. |
| Weak point | Equip the Oni Bow or an Oni Armament if the boss exposes a remote part. |
| Issen Break | Choose red for damage, purple for Souls and Oni Power. |
| Phase change | Keep one healing use for the empowered phase. |
Counter table
| Boss | The attack to recognise | Correct response | Punish or weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoshioka Seijuro | Early sword duel; his approach is the lesson in reading a human opponent. | Stay defensive and Parry or Dodge the visible sword entry. | Use the recovery after a successful defense; do not dash in with a long combo. |
| Sasaki Ganryu — The Stage Is Set at Kiyomizu | Leaping slash, leaping kick, crouched stab, or dash slash. | Parry the landing or sword attack; Dodge the unarmed kick and the phase-two grab. | Reduce stamina first. During Break Issen, red deals damage and purple gives Souls/Oni Power. |
| Sasaki Ganryu and Gioh — To Live Is to Suffer | Ganryu’s blue counter stance and Gioh’s three-sword swipe. | Do not attack the counter stance; use Oni Strength. Parry Gioh’s swipe, then attack the sword stuck in the ground to sever the arm. | Parry Ganryu to expose Gioh’s arms; severing the arm removes pressure. |
| Nue | Snake tail strike, tail shield, or lightning balls after empowerment. | Dodge the tail strike; use Oni Strength on the tail shield; Dodge lightning and shoot the mouth with the Oni Bow when the snake opens it. | Destroy the tail to remove Snake Strike, Snake Slam, and several empowered attacks. |
| Greater Nue | Bright-pink tail spin or talon attacks; later, lightning and an electrified tail glaive. | Bright-pink unavoidable attacks require Parry or Deflect. Dodge claws and grabs. Parry, Deflect, or Issen the talons and tail glaive. | Break the face armour with arrows or Oni Strength; use the tail weakness to remove moves. |
| Daidara | Charge, stomp, club slam, hand slam, or Blazing whip. | Dodge charge, stomp, and hand attacks. Parry the club slam and the spiked whip just before impact. | Parry to damage stamina; Two Celestials can create a stun window. |
| Benkei | Armoured weapon swings, stomp, kick, and empowered follow-up. | Use Oni Strength six times to break the armour. Parry or Deflect weapon swings; Dodge stomp and kick attacks. | After the first health bar, expect faster empowered versions and preserve healing. |
| Burai | Lightning wall, X-shaped lightning, lightning dive, or counter stance. | Move between the two rows of lightning orbs. Guard the dive, then Parry/Deflect when the vertical electricity builds. Parry the jab after his counter stance. | Absorb Souls frequently so he does not reach the empowered state for free. |
| Byakue | Axe drag dash, variable three-hit combo, overhead slam, or unarmed charge. | Parry or Deflect axe attacks. Dodge the low shoulder and three-limb charge. | The overhead slam leaves a stun. Defeat him for Byakue’s Talisman ×2 and Malicite Mass ×1. |
| Ifuu | Shoulder charge, axe overhead, left-hand swing, or the wind-and-dust axe attack. | Dodge the shoulder charge. Parry or Deflect the axe. In phase two, do not back-dodge into the lightning balls behind you. | Deflect the left-hand swing for greater stamina damage when the timing is stable. |
| Dohatsu-ten | Leap, three-hit sword string, blood-amplified flying blades, or guard break. | Parry or Deflect the sword entries and flying blades. Dodge the airborne kick. Use Oni Strength when the guard breaks. | Deflecting the flying blades returns them; Flying Blade removes the Blood Amplification over time. |
| Rasho-gan | Red thread, limb projectiles, long blade, or thread grab. | Cut the red thread with the sword or Oni Bow. Dodge limb projectiles and the grab; Parry the long blade and phase-two golf swing. | Break the head for damage or back limbs to remove attacks; use Break Issen deliberately. |
Use the mission name and objective counter to identify the encounter before applying a boss solution. The frame helps with recognition; the counter and attack pattern determine what to do next.
Phase and punish rules
For the full armor route, six Oni Strength uses, Break Issen choices, and empowered follow-up plan, use the Benkei boss guide.
Benkei: remove the armour before trading damage
Benkei’s armour covers the arms, legs, chest, and head. The fight is not a normal health race: use Oni Strength six times to break the armour pieces. His second phase starts after the first health bar is depleted, and the same attack families become faster and gain additional unavoidable follow-ups. Parry or Deflect the weapon swing, then retreat before the follow-up if you did not see the full sequence.
Nue and Greater Nue: shoot the tail before the body
The tail is the fight’s shortcut. Against Nue, Dodge the snake strike and cut during its recovery, or use the Oni Bow when the boss creates distance. Against Greater Nue, break the face armour with arrows or Oni Strength and treat bright-pink attacks as Parry/Deflect only. Destroying the tail removes multiple attacks and makes the later phase easier to read.
Sasaki Ganryu: posture first, damage second
For the full two-encounter route, attack-cue table, and a no-Issen plan, use the Sasaki Ganryu boss guide.
Do not dash in swinging. Parry the leaping slash on landing, wait for the pause in the crouched stab sequence, and use Dodge for the unarmed kick. When the stamina bar reaches zero, use Break Issen: red is the damage choice; purple releases Souls and supports Oni Power. In the second phase, Dodge the grab that follows the leaping kick.
Daidara: separate unarmed and weapon cues
For the armor route, loose-Soul priority, Blazing attacks, and the full Kiyomizu-to-Oni-Refuge plan, use the Daidara boss guide.
The foot stomp and hand slam are unarmed attacks, so Dodge them and punish the recovery. The two-handed club slam, shockwave, and Blazing whip are weapon attacks, so Parry just before contact. If you keep taking damage while rolling away, you are probably treating a club attack like a stomp; stay close enough to see the weapon and change the response.
Rasho-gan: choose the break target
For the full thread, limb, Malice projectile, and scissors-phase plan, use the Rasho-gan boss guide.
Cut the red thread early with the sword or Oni Bow. During Break Issen, choose the head for direct damage or the back limbs to remove attacks. In phase two, Parry the long-range grab or golf swing and Dodge the spinning scissors when the recovery is more important than damage.
A repeatable first-attempt plan
- Spend the first attempt watching the first dangerous move, not chasing damage.
- On the next attempt, use one defense for that cue every time it appears.
- Add one short punish; stop before the boss’s recovery ends.
- Add Issen or an Oni Armament only after the exchange is repeatable.
- When the boss enters an empowered phase, reset the plan and identify the new attack before spending the remaining healing.
For timing practice, open Issen. For the area objective and arena route, use Missions and Walkthrough.
