Divine Dragon |
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| Location | Fountainhead Palace |
| Deathblow Markers | 1 |
| Weakness | Lightning |
| Reward | Memory: Divine Dragon Divine Dragon's Tears |
| XP | NG: 12000 NG+: 19200 NG++: 28800 |
Divine Dragon（桜竜, Sakura Dragon） is a Boss in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This Complete Divine Dragon Boss Guide gives you strategies on how to beat the Divine Dragon easily, as well as tips, tricks and lore notes. Bosses like the Divine Dragon are special, dangerous Enemies that feature a special display on-screen when defeated, such as "Immortality Severed" or "Shinobi Execution". You will need to perform multiple Deathblows on them in order to defeat them, and filling their Posture Gauge is the only way to accomplish this. However, decreasing their health will make their Posture Gauge deplete slower and build up faster, assisting you in accomplishing this feat.
Divine Dragon Location
Where to find the Divine Dragon in Sekiro?
- Fountainhead Palace: Found at the top of this area by praying at the altar with flowing water above the "Sanctuary" idol.
- This boss is not optional for three out of four endings.
Divine Dragon Rewards
What do you get from defeating the Divine Dragon in Sekiro?
- Memory: Divine Dragon
- Divine Dragon's Tears
- 12,000 / 14,400 (without Kuro's Charm) Exp (NG)
- 19,200 / 23,040 Exp (NG+)
- 28,800 / 34,560 Exp (NG+2)
- 86,400 / 103,680 Exp (NG+7 and beyond)
Divine Dragon Boss Guide Strategies
Sekiro Divine Dragon Video Strategies
Sekiro Divine Dragon Strategy Writeup
Phase 1 - Old Dragons of the Tree
In the first phase the player doesn't fight the Divine Dragon directly, but the Old Dragons of the Tree (白木の翁たち, White-wooden Old Men) which is a very simple fight. As the enemies move very slowly and do not charge directly at the player.
Avoid direct contact with the enemies, as they cough a poisonous gas. Simply stay away until the trees appear and grapple to stand on top of them. Then using a plunge attack Deathblow on one of the many enemies, preferably aiming at one in the middle of the pack, as the Deathblow causes Sekiro to spin the victim around, dealing massive damage to the others nearby. Repeat this until all enemies are dead.
Phase 2 - Divine Dragon
In the second phase the player finally faces the Divine Dragon (桜竜, Sakura Dragon). It is not possible to directly strike it, and attemping to approach it in close range will cause the Divine Dragon to summon a mighty gust that will push the player far away.
In order to damage the Divine Dragon, the player needs to run towards the trees that are charged with electricity (this is easy to spot as they will have a yellowish sparkle on them) and grapple up to them. Once done, Sekiro will be vaulted very high in to the air; when this happens press the attack button (R1/RB/LMB) to hit the dragon with spear of lightning. Repeat this process, being careful not to grab the lightning when he blows Sekiro backwards, otherwise the damage will likely be fatal.
The Divine Dragon has only two attacks: an overhead slam that can be easily avoided by running to either side or blocked; or a perilous ground-level sweep which you need to jump over. Both attacks are long range as they emit shockwaves that reach high distances. Holding down the dodge button to run is the easiest way to avoid its damage, and jumping when it uses the sweep attack.
Once its HP gauge is near empty, the trees will vanish, and the player will need to "survive" until they reappear, after about 60 seconds. Keep a safe distance, deflecting, jumping, running and generally avoiding all of the Divine Dragon's agressive attacks until a lightning tree appears again, and then strike him one final time; Sekiro will be launched directly over him, where the player can approach to finish it off with a Deathblow.
Upon defeating the boss, the writing "GRACIOUS GIFT OF TEARS" will appear on the screen. (Gracious Gift of Tear also being the true name of the crimson Mortal Blade)
Sekiro Divine Dragon Attacks & Counters
| Attack | Counter |
| Phase 1 - Old Dragons of the Tree | |
| Simple Punch | Block or Dodge/Side Step |
| Tree Sprout | Running away |
| Phase 2 - Divine Dragon | |
| Overhead Slam | Block or Dodge/Side Step |
| Ground-level Sweep (Perilous Attack) |
Jump (jumping over) |
| Phase 3 - After depleting the Posture Gauge |
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| Berserk Attacks |
Block, Dodge, Jump, Run - generally avoid |
Divine Dragon Lore
- The Divine Dragon continues the recurring theme of missing its left arm, just like Sekiro, Sculptor and the Demon of Hatred (on his main body, at least - he has a smaller pair of arms higher up on his neck). Being also called Dragon of the Everblossom suggests that the missing arm could be connected to the severed branch brought by Takeru from the Divine Realm - which became the Everblossom tree in the Ashina Castle and is later stolen by Owl.
- Old Dragons come in two versions - coughing grey/white (same color as the mark of stagnation on Sekiro's head) and healthy black (killing healthy ones does not decrease boss healthbar). The big tree appears to be withered and dead during the first phase, but after killing the sick dragons the tree rejuvenates.
- The Old Dragon's hacking/coughing may imply they are a physical manifestation of the spreading Dragonrot (being wooden dragons that are literally rotting) or are at least affected by it.
- The implication is that Sekiro is in fact cutting the rot from the tree (like a surgeon would amputate an infected limb to save the rest of the body), allowing Sekiro to fight the true, healthy Divine Dragon rather than its rotting offshoots.
- The dragon's serpentine design is typical of Japanese dragons
which are conventionally connected to water. It is not native to Japan but the amalgamated form of "naga" dragons in the Buddhism legends, "lóng" dragons in the Chinese mythology, and great-snakes in the native Japanese mythology. This design is consistent with the in-game description that the Divine Dragon is originated in the west. - The dragon is associated with the Sakura Tree
. In Japanese, the Divine Dragon is called Sakura-Ryu (桜竜) or the Dragon of Sakura.
- It can be a symbol of the "new" (non-ancient) elements of the Divine Dragon, as the dragon came from the west and is not an ancient Japanese deity. While cherry blossom (sakura) is now regarded as the national flower of Japan, it was not so until the start of the Heian period (794). Before that, plum blossoms (ume) had been considered as the symbol of Japan. Since Sekiro is set in the 16th century, the divine status of the Divine Dragon as a Japanese god counts only less than 1,000 years, which is far younger than the native gods/goddesses of Japan.
- They are called 淤加美 (okami) in Japanese, derived from one of the ancient spellings of Kuraokami, a dragon deity of rain and snow from Japanese mythology, born from the blood of the slain god Kagutsuchi. More modern spellings are a bit more obvious as to what the names supposed to mean: 龗 (okami) means "water dragon" and 闇龗 (kuraokami) means "dark water dragon." It's likely that the Divine Dragon (called the Sakura Dragon in Japanese) is inspired by Kuraokami.
- Having originally come from "the west", possessing only one arm, and being a water spirit, the dragon can be compared to the kui (夔), a vague being from prehistoric Chinese legend that was sometimes described as a one-legged dragon spirit of water and rain.
Divine Dragon Notes & Trivia
- The sword that the Divine Dragon wields is based on the seven branched sword, one of the oldest relics of Japan. The sword was originally forged in the kingdom of Baekje, Korea. Later a Baekje crown-prince presented it to a Japanese emperor/empress. This historical fact matches well with the in-game lore that the Divine Dragon is not native to Japan and originally came from the west.
- The Divine Dragon is unkillable and its body is described as "eternal". Sekiro instead uses the Mortal Blade to slice into its left tear duct to obtain the Divine Dragon's Tears inside after stunning it with lightning.
- After the final lightning attack, the player has an infinite amount of time to collect the Divine Dragon's Tears. the dragon will never get up, and the player can spend as much time as they want in the divine realm.
- It is completely possible to deflect the non-periolous sword swipes of the dragon and fill it's posture meter. However, it will never be able to go completely full, nullifying the possibility of performing a deathblow on it. Even if Sekiro throws the lighting at it, it will simply not be possible to fill its bar until the last lighting bolt is thrown.
- The first phase with the Old Dragons of the Tree is completely removed in the Divine Dragon's Reflection of Strength, and the battle will instead begin at the start of the second phase.
Divine Dragon Image Gallery
Anonymous
- Anonymous
Very akin to rykard or Yhrom in the way the fight has a gimmick. Very beautiful fight. It’s like your final departure from this grand journey into hell. The man who saved who, fitted you with a new arm has become consumed by the spirit of hate. Despite all of his efforts none of which was effected. And then you Ashina buring down and the whole ministry waging war. And then of course Innshin. Really like how calm it is. Also why would a dragon chilling forever be good at fighting?? Of course the fights gonna be easy.
- Anonymous
****ing awesome boss, Isshin was a good challenge but the spectacle on this guy was insane. Plus, I think lightning reflection is the most fun mechanic in the game and this boss takes complete advantage of it.
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"Sekiro will be launched directly over him, where the player can approach to finish it off with a Deathblow."...and by that, they mean you need to walk up the dragon's ethereal weapon to his dead and then finish it off with a Deathblow. Thought I bugged the fight at first lol
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I'm going to do fromsoft a favor and consider this thing a puzzle...
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Honestly, this fight isn't particularly difficult, but it is damned fun, and probably the most beautiful fight I've been in a soulsborne game
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I do believe they got gimmick fights right only in Elden Ring with Renala Queen of the Full Moon and Radhan... this boss felt totally like a boss from a platform game...
It is not as bad as Bed of Chaos or Dragon God only because of the visuals, but I felt the same thing I felt with those two while fighting this boss.
Renala and Radhan are "gimmick" bosses but they still consider the overall gameplay of the game, this is the secret ingredient.
- Anonymous
It coming from the "west", I wanna believe it came from China. "Journey to the West" stuff and all that
- Anonymous
First time fighting this guy was very cool, and made me feel great. Currently typing this during the fight in NG+2, WHAT THE HECK IS HIS HEALTH POOL?!?!? The stance bar is useless, and you have to throw like....20+ lightning bolts????? I'm not even half way, this fight is taking YEARS, even the first stage was like.... ya, we got health, what are you going to do about it?
This fight SUCKS on NG+, jeez ums. I'd hate to fight this thing on max NG+
- Anonymous
One of the few souls fights that prove that gimmick fights that don't really utilize your main gameplay loop can also be fun and epic.
I'm a ****ing disaster so managed to die to the minidragon mob the first time around, got it on the next one. Easy but great.
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I love how Sekiro just gave me a huge middle finger while fighting this guy. I try and appreciate the spectacle of the fight when all of a sudden I get one-shot by a stray lighting bolt on the ground and I cant even ressurect because I thought this fight wouldn't pull off some shenanigans so I didn't rest. Got instantly humbled and didn't trust anything after that humiliation.
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A beautiful fight, even if the difficulty feels more like a cutscene than anything.
- Anonymous
At first I assume this gonna be epic because it's name, like king of the storm or kalameet but ah bruh another pinwheel
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I'm glad you don't kill the dragon and just take some tears from him.
- Anonymous
The sword always reminds me of a giant, cartoon-style cactus. It makes the boss even more fun for me. :D
- Anonymous
This boss is like Yhorm. Not that hard but hOOOOOOOOOOO bOY do you feel like a badass.
- Anonymous
It missing its left arm like Sekiro and has a scar on its chest like Kuro. Could it be that it shares the wounds of those tied to the Dragon’s Heritage…
- Anonymous
The flashbacks of my Oops All Divine Dragon run with item randomizer...
- Anonymous
Welcome to the Divine Dragon comment section. You'll find people who enjoy this fight and a dude who screams about how bullcrap this boss is and insults other by calling them beta males down below. You may leave your angry comment or agreement here.
- Anonymous
Best 'gimmick' boss Fromsoft ever did. Presentation is phenomenal here. And it makes sense it's not a difficult fight - you're not here to kill it. You're here for a gift of tears, but while you're here, you also end up cleansing out the rot from it (the smaller funny looking guys in phase 1), reawakening it to its full, shining glory.
It may be fighting you, but you are doing it an immense favor while receiving something in return.
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Seath the Scaleless is evolving!
Congratulation your Seath the Scaless evolved into Divine Dragon
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the lore theory on its missing left arm is pure bs. I mean once you're stating it to be immortal/eternal and literally a god and Takeru just just ripped off his arm? bs
- Anonymous
The guide doesn't stress this enough, this should be the VERY FINAL LAST Boss you kill before you are certain of your ending.
I love the boss fight, but killing the dragon will directly get you into final stage of game.
The guide should stress it more that the game changes after this. Like you can't give Kuro any more more items because he is the final boss area now..
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Oh come on, genichiro comes back 30000 times, but a literal god and one of the best fights in the gang has one healthbar
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Damn… I died for the first time against him in NG+6! He surprised me with a random Lightning on the ground, and then I lost a second time, I was in the air to reverse the Lightning, but at the same moment I got touched by his Wind, so I wasn't able to reverse the attack… Shame on me, I was too confident ^^
- Anonymous
The most beautiful boss fight I've ever seen. I didn't feel as if I was actually fighting it, it felt as if I was earning it's approval to take its tears. I didn't see it as an enemy, I saw it as a powerful and graceful creature that is beyond my understanding. A truly divine experience.
- Anonymous
Interesting tidbit about the fight not actually mentioned in the page; when the divine dragon howls and summons wind to blow you away, it actually pushes you back in the direction Sekiro is facing. So you can look away from him to negate the push back and easy headway to the lightning.
- Anonymous
it has more attacks than this, a bite attack and a sword slam if you get too close
- Anonymous
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Interesting fact . The dragon has its right eye closed and a scar under the lower eyelid. The hero takes tears damaging the gland of his left eye. So someone was already collecting tears from his right eye.
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The old tree men aren't even called dragons in the Japanese version of the text. Very strange localization decision.
- Anonymous
the white dragon of the tree are sick/old or dying while the black ones are healthy... The divine dragon is white as well, its missing an arm, and its chest seems partially split open... so is the divine dragon sick and dying when you fight it???
- Anonymous
it burrows its head into the ground and makes a biting like motion sometimes. And also sweeps its blade in a diagonal curve, never seen anyone hit by those two though, but can anyone tell me what the part when it plunges its head below the clouds does?
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There is a Detail to be considered....otherwise you will try and fail endlessly..like I did : in phase 3 you have to lock on..f*****g lock on
- Anonymous
easy but an enjoyable spectacle getting to watch wolf fling blasts of lightning at a 8 story tall dragon like a bad***. it gave me old school n64 boss vibes tbh. the 1st phase is kinda lame though. spam mortal draw till they die pretty much
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Ok. apparantly I can't link to wikipedia articles directly. But just search the wikipedia article on the Fusang tree. It's mythological tree described in ancient chinese myths. Many japanese think the tree is in Japan itself.
- Anonymous
Delete that whole blurb about yggdrassil. It's nonsense. Here is what the sakura tree is based on:
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For optimal viewing experience, try turning off the HUD. It’s not like you really need it for this fight, anyway.
- Anonymous
The only boss (and miniboss) I beat on my first try. And I suck. Huge build up to this colossal boss and it was nothing but a giant fart...
- Anonymous
One of the very few “puzzle” bosses than FromSoftware has actually gotten right. Even though the challenge is almost nonexistent except for that phase before the final attack I personally would say it’s a lot of fun. Except the Old Dragons phase at least...
- Anonymous
Very fun fight but way too easy, I was almost disappointed. Should have had another stage at least
Go look up 1-hour or 10-hour version of the Divine Dragon OST for your dish washing or homework need. Yuka Kitamura, please have my humble appreciation.
- Anonymous
The Divine Dragon can be cheesed by constantly grappling from one tree to the next and waiting for the next lightning strike. If it starts swinging its sword, just land and get ready to parry, then go back to Spidey-swinging around.
- Anonymous
I’m not so sure the Old Dragons have Dragonrot, but rather they’re symbolic of immortals who prey upon the life force of others, like Sekiro’s own dragon heritage allows him to do. Pay attention to the sakura petals throughout the game—they symbolize life force. Petals rain upon Sekiro whenever he resurrects, and fly outward when restoring those afflicted with Dragonrot; Fountainhead Palace is brimming with blossoming sakura trees, nourished by mibu/life water. When we reach the Divine Realm, we find the Divine Dragon’s tree barren and decrepit, and only by slaying the white Old Dragons does the tree blossom again. [Spoiler] this is actually somewhat reminiscent of the Purification ending, in which Sekiro beheads himself, and a plume of petals flows from his neck, symbolizing the restoration of the life he had sapped from the world to maintain immortality [/spoiler]. If anything, the Divine Dragon is suffering from Dragonrot, and only by restoring the life that it sowed does it revive. As for the black Old Dragons, they do seem to be younger branches, but it’s also worth noting that their skin is reminiscent of Genichiro’s lightning-scarred body, implying a deeper connection to the lightning that heralds the Divine Dragon…
- Anonymous
Incase anyone was wondering the folding shield is not that great of an idea in the phase where he goes berserk
- Anonymous
Very easy fight but VERY fun, whipping around shooting lightning like a maniac
- Anonymous
They kind of remind me of the Amydala statues lining the stairs to the Grand Cathedral in Bloodborne. Huh, and now that I think about it, Amydala’s Chamber was situated above a misty/cloudy void, with a bunch of giant, withered roots dangling beneath the chamber, similarly to the gnarled body of the Divine Dragon sitting atop the cloudy expanse of the Divine Realm. Amydala also has an opening in its chest, somewhat similarly to the gash in the Divine Dragon’s. …AND both of them have an asymmetric count of arms (Amygdala has seven, Divine Dragon has three, not counting the severed arm). Damn, I can never tell if From’s design parallels are intentional, or if they just recycle a lot of ideas and somehow manage to make them feel completely new every time…
- Anonymous
added some pictures i just took :) love the visuals and music of this fight so much
- Anonymous
I think fighting the adds is the only place in the game where the flamethrower barrel upgrade is useful.
- Anonymous
Fun fact: after getting the tear from the dragon, the Dragonrot in the in-game world is cured. Your unseen aid percentage goes back to 30%.
- Anonymous
Shifted some of the notes and trivia to the lore section where I think they fit more.
- Anonymous
People, I have a theory or hypothesis. What if the pale person (don't know if it is male or female, can't trust this kind of characters since Gwyndolin) inside the cave at the very end of the Fountainhead Palace, the one that you interact with just before this boss, is in fact the earthly form of the Divine Dragon itself? A tree dragon that has roots cannot travel much (the dragon came from the west) but as a pale human with a "crown" resembling the dragon's horns and no visible left arm with functional legs is mre likely to be able to do so. What do you think?
- Anonymous
So if I get the shura ending, then go beat this guy, does the attack on the castle still happen?
- Anonymous
There's no Moonlight Greatsword in Sekiro, only a *Moonlight Greatbranch
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This boss was extremely easy, yet somewhat satisfying. It's pretty relaxing and fun, looking amazing and actually creating this subconscious positive image of the dragon. It's as if the game says "Here you go, relax a bit, before you go into THE VERY CENTER OF HELL"
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The easiest and still the mpst amazing boss fight in this game.
- Anonymous
This battle is the true definition of "beautiful". I found this boss more like a dance, a theatre play. The music, the atmosphere, the dragon. Perfection.
- Anonymous
Divine Dragon Remnant describes it as being from the West. Its sword-wielding hand has 4 fingers, which is indicative of it being a Korean dragon. If intentional, it's excellent attention to detail and could possibly (and I'm reaching here) hint at some DLC or sequel destinations.
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This boss was a nice aesthetically pleasing simple fight after the cancerous fountainhead palace area...nice on from for rewarding us where it counts.
- Anonymous
What key to the tree for lightning with a mouse and keyboard
- Anonymous
Very easy fight but god damn is it the most beautiful looking dragon in all of Japanese Mythology games.
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You can basically block all of his phase 2 attacks using the umbrella
- Anonymous
so what is up with all the one-armed bosses and NPCs in this game? it's something i still don't get completely. one armed wolf, one armed sculptor, one armed dragon, one armed purple enemies, one armed black hooded enemies.... are all the one armed enemies actually Sekiro himself? is something here only happening in his head?
- Anonymous
This boss is opcional since i finished the game and didnt even see it.
- Anonymous
What is skill name when sekiro do a giant swing after plunging attack?
- Anonymous
Straight up uses a Moonlight sword, or at least the projectiles seem to indicate that
- Anonymous
One arm dragon, one arm protagonist. Coincidence ? I think not.
- Anonymous
hes holding a spectral blade that can make progectiles...HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMST
- Anonymous
Wish there was a way to maybe get an ability where you could summon a little dragon, a few seconds to hit some enemies, he just looks so cool
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I was wondering why he got only one arm? Does he got beaten the sh*t by Takeru, the first heir in order to get his tear?
- Anonymous
anyone knows where is this boss located? i only know that u have to interact with an altar and u will be teleported to the boss arena
I've been looking forward to this boss since I started Sekiro and I was so disappointed to see that it was a gimmick fight. It kinda ruined the fight for me. The soundtrack and the visuals were amazing though.
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