Players who are struggling to defeat Genichiro Ashina inSekiro: Shadows Die Twicecertainly are not alone. This warrior is one of the most difficultmain bossesthat players will encounter, and the bout takes place in the first two hours of the main story. This isn’t simply a difficult battle, but actually a skill check that ensures fans properly understand the game’s fundamental combat mechanics before taking on the even more punishing bosses that follow.
RELATED:Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Hardest Bosses, Ranked
Genichiro Ashina has a series of combos and unavoidable attack patterns up his sleeve. It’s easy to get trapped in one of his combos, often resulting in certain death. However, paying attention to his moveset and tells will help fans counter his daunting combos and unavoidable attacks. It may take some time to understand all of his moves and combos, but cautious and watchful players will prevail. Here’s a closer look at what this formidable fighter is capable of and how to defeat him inthis challenging Soulsborne title.
Preparation
Before taking on Genichiro, it’s recommended that players ensure they have the following skills and prosthetics unlocked to make the fight easier:
It may be obvious, butmaking sure that the Healing Gourd is upgraded allows for more HP recovery when damage is sustained.
RELATED:Hardest Boss Fights In Gaming, Ranked
Suggested Battle Strategy
Adopting a passive play style will cause this tough boss to become aggressive.This can quickly wear down the player’s posture, leaving them exposed and defenseless.It’s quite uncommon in FromSoftware titles,but in this case, it’s crucial to remain aggressive in the fight and face the opponent head-on. At the same time, recklessness will also be the player’s undoing: They must be patient enough to observe his attack animations.
There arethree phases to this difficult boss fight, and the breakdown is as follows:
In the first phase, Genichiro initiates his attack with a bow shot and follows it up with a sword attack, both of which can be deflected. He will then proceed with some basic sword attacks that can either be blocked or deflected.
His double sword swipe followed by a turn,which he always follows up with a challenging seven-hit combothat can be difficult to counter, is a particular danger. The best approach would be to dodge away from the combo and allow Genichiro to complete his animations, allowing an opportunity for a swift strike. Also, fans must be cautious when he jumps directly above them, as he always follows this up with a perilous thrust attack upon landing.
This jumping thrust attack can easily be countered with a Mikiri Counter.
Additionally, it’s important to watch out for when he steps away and jumps in the air. This heralds the beginning of a four-hit bow combo. The bow attacks can be deflected with the sword in the following pattern:1, 2, 3, pause, 4. They can also be blocked.
Fans must keep a careful watch on the posture bar when attempting to block the bow combo.
It’s not advised to simply attempt to dodge this bow combo, as it will always catch the player. Another uncommon attack from this boss is a horizontal slash after a turn, which is followed by a grab.This grab can be deadly and must be dodged.
Fortunately, most of Genichiro’s attack patterns remain the same in the second phase, except for one:The attack where he jumps directly above the player can now either be a perilous ground sweep or a perilous thrust.The probability of him performing the ground sweep is higher than that of his thrust attack.
In the third phase, Genichiro drops his armor and adopts a new fighting style called “The Way of Tomoe.“The first attack that he performs in the third phase is a lunge followed by a thrust attack.
This attack can also be countered in style with a Mikiri.
In this phase, Genichiro not only has new attack patterns, but he is also quicker and uses lightning-imbued attacks. He has two shock attacks. In one, he jumps in the air and shoots an electrified arrow at the player.The strategy here is to jump in the air and press the attack button as his attack is about to hit the player to reverse the lightning on Genichiro. If the arrow isn’t deflected, the player will be electrified when they touch the ground.
Genichiro can also jump in the air and attack with his electrified sword.The strategy remains the same: jump in the air and time your attack to deflect the lightning back at Genichiro.It’s important to know that, despite deflecting the lightning attacks, chip damage will still be sustained.
The boss’s eight-hit and seven-hit combos will now end with an additional thrust attack that can be countered with the Mikiri.Quick reactions and recognition of which technique Genichiro is using are the keys to victory. Players can also afford to play a little defensively in this phase, as successful lightning reversal will deal massive HP and posture damage to the opponent. This, then, allows the player to deal more damage without having to be aggressive.
RELATED:Best Ninja-Themed Video Games, Ranked
Important Tips
Genichiro Ashina is a difficult boss to beat, and it requires patience and practise to learn his attack patterns.For their success, the player will unlock Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu and the Genichiro Memory.
