Genichiro Ashina |
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| Location | Ashina Reservoir Ashina Castle |
| Status Abnormalities | Shock |
| Useful Tools | Shinobi Firecracker Loaded Axe |
| Reward | Memory: Genichiro Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu |
| XP | NG: 2000 NG+: 18000 NG++: 27000 |
Genichiro Ashina (葦名弦一郎, Ashina Genichirou) is a Boss in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This Complete Genichiro Ashina Boss Guide gives you strategies on how to beat Genichiro easily, as well as tips, tricks and lore notes. Bosses like Genichiro 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 it so their Posture Gauge depletes more slowly, assisting you in accomplishing this feat.
Genichiro Ashina Location
Where to find Genichiro Ashina in Sekiro?
- 1st Time - Ashina Reservoir: Found in a clearing after the secret passage near the moat that you take Kuro to in order to escape the tutorial level. This boss is not optional but is meant to be a fight the player loses.
- 2nd Time - Ashina Castle: At the very top of the Castle, after the Ashina Dojo Sculptor's Idol, go through the mini-boss, Ashina Elite Jinsuke Saze, and exit from the window to the left; you may also get there by going through the room with 3 Nightjar Ninjas and exit through the balcony after climbing the staircase. Make your way atop the castle to face this boss. After his two HP bars are depleted, he will transform into: Genichiro, Way of Tomoe.
Genichiro Ashina Rewards
What do you get from defeating Genichiro Ashina in Sekiro?
- There are no rewards for defeating him during the prologue fight in Ashina Reservoir. However, a slightly different cinematic will play.
- Rewards Memory: Genichiro
- Rewards Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu
- 2000/2400 (without Kuro's Charm) Exp (NG)
- 18000/21600 Exp (NG+)
- 27000/32401 Exp (NG+2)
- 36000/43200 Exp (NG+3)
- 81000/97201 Exp (NG+7 and beyond)
Genichiro Ashina Boss Guide Strategies
Sekiro Genichiro Ashina Video Strategies
Sekiro Genichiro Ashina Strategy Writeup
- Pro Tip: How to beat Genichiro Ashina easily? Repeatedly spam Shadowrush. This move will slowly chip away at his HP bar without him counterattacking, allowing you to finish him off or more easily fill up his Posture gauge. You may need to block or parry once in a while if Genichiro manages to pull off an attack. Note that this will not work for Phase 2 as Genichiro will be much faster in Way of Tomoe form but the lightning reversals will heavily damage his posture making it relatively easier if you can make it through Phase 1.
For Phase 1, 2 Health Bar: Close the distance between you two and be ready to block as he may start the fight with a bow attack into a slash. For most of Genichiro normal attacks players can alternate from deflect and attacking. When Genichiro uses his flurry of slashes it be best to just deflect to build up his posture gauge. At times Genichiro may leap in the air, stab the ground and follow up a perilous attack: thrust(1 or 2 health bars left) or sweep (only when 1 health bar left). Dodge away when he leaps to gain some distance from him to better guess which perilous attack he will follow up with.
If he comes running towards you and fires an arrow, sidestep and immediately attack. This will interrupt his sword attack and deal health damage. This is one of most reliable ways to chip his health early on.
For Phase 1, 1 Health Bar: Uses similar moves as Phase 1 but chains them differently. Jump attack will now be followed by either slash or thrust (only thrusts during 2 health bar). After the first deathblow players inflict on Genichiro they will gain a moment to quickly attack him. Dash attacks works to chip away some health while Loaded Axe and Ichimonji/Ichimonji Double can inflict posture damage setting up a slight advantage. He will more aggressive with his bow usage so stay close to him at all times. It is recommended to use shinobi firecrackers into regular attack/ichimonji double during this phase to quickly whittle his health and build posture damage.
If you use healing items, he will use a charged bow attack, sidestep immediately after healing.
Phase 2: Genichiro will start the fight with a leaping thrust attack that can be countered. When Genichiro runs into a spinning slash he has I-frames during this animation so you won't be able to stagger him out of this attack. He will follow up with his flurry of slashes so be ready to deflect. If you are hit with his thrust attack be careful as he may shoot you if you roll away or he will attempt to grab you if you roll towards him. When he holds his katana with 2 hands and crouches he will jump and slash with lightning. Jump after you see the warning, block and press attack before you land if you get hit by lightning (this will send it back to him dealing tremendous damage and stunning him). Once you have taken 20% of his health away you can alternate slashes and Shinobi Firecracker. Start with Firecracker, dash R1, R1, firecracker. Using this you can reduce his health 50% or lower and quickly deflect his attacks to posture break him and defeat him.
In this phase, if you use healing items, he will perform a perilous leaping thrust, which will hit you. Be sure to use healing items only when he's already locked into an attacking animation and you are at a safe distance.
If you defeat the boss you will see the writing "SHINOBI EXECUTION" upon the screen.
Strategy 2:
In phase 1 health bar 1 & 2:
The Nightjar Slash Reversal can be used to slowly chip away at his health by using the combat art to close distance slash & slice a second time while moving back to safety. In phase 1 he frequently when cornered against a wall, he will jump up and move into his pierce attach & allow a Mikiri Counter. In phase 2 he often uses a sweep instead so jumping back & using another Nightjar Slash is a safer option.
In phase 2, use an Ako's Sugar at the start & immediately use a Mikiri Counter on his pierce attack. At this point, stepping back & using a health item will trigger his long distance pierce which can also be reliably countered with a Mikiri Counter to quickly fill the posture bar & end the fight. Also, keep an eye & use another Ako's Sugar if needed.
Sekiro Genichiro Ashina Attacks & Counters
| Attack | Counter |
| Phase 1 | |
| Charged Shot | If idle, Genichiro will always attempt to interrupt healing with a very strong bow attack. He will also attempt a Charged Shot after a Back Kick. Greatly telegraphed and easily sidestepped. It is advised to commit healing while distanced from Genichiro. |
| Multiple Arrow Jump | Genichiro fires four arrows during a jump: three in succession while the fourth comes after a short delay. Can be blocked. This attack is usually executed after Genichiro shuffles backward away from an attack. |
| Backhand Grab | Genichiro attempts to backhand Sekiro after a single spin attack with his sword. This attack can only be deflected. It is best to simply back away from Genichiro. |
| Floating Passage | Genichiro executes the Floating Passage Art. After Genichiro perfectly parries Sekiro, he will begin a long string of sword attacks concluding with the Floating Passage. It is advised to only attempt to block or deflect his attacks while at high posture. |
| Floating Passage Cancel | If Sekiro is far enough from Genichiro, he will instead conclude the Floating Passage combo with an extremely quick bow attack. This attack can be deflected. Genichiro will typically only cancel the Floating Passage after losing a health bar. |
| Bow into Rolling Slash | Genichiro fires either one or two arrows before rolling into a sword attack. Bow attacks can be sidestepped from and the final attack can be deflected. |
| Slash into Back Kick | Can block or sidestep. Sidestepping is recommended as the kick can stagger you and Genichiro can follow this combo with a charged bow hit dealing tremendous damage. |
| Leaping Slam into Thrust Attack | After being attacked, Genichiro will launch himself into the air and execute a sword slam. Can be sidestepped for a few hits. If parried, Genichiro will follow up with a Thrust attack that can be Mikiri Countered. |
| Leaping Slam into Sweep | After being attacked, Genichiro will launch himself into the air and execute a sword slam. Can be sidestepped for a few hits. If parried, Genichiro will follow up with a Sweep attack. Jump to avoid this attack. Genichiro will typically use this attack after losing a health bar. |
| Phase 2 (Way of Tomoe) | |
| Leaping Slam into Slash | After being attacked, Genichiro will launch himself into the air and execute a sword slam. Can be sidestepped for a few hits. If parried, Genichiro will follow up with a horizontal slash attack. This is not a Sweep attack and can be deflected. If deflected, Genichiro will conclude this attack with a Mikiri Counterable Thrust attack. |
| Sword Dive Thrust Attack | If idle, Genichiro will attempt to interrupt healing by charging Sekiro with a sword dive. This can be Mikiri Countered or deflected. If deflected, Genichiro will immediately follow up with a running grab attack. |
| Running Grab Attack | Genichiro charges Sekiro with a grab attack. This attack cannot be blocked or deflected. It is best to run away. |
| Electric slash | After the warning, jump in the air. If you are hit by the attack, press attack before you land to deflect electricity back. Does heavy health damage and stuns Genichiro. |
| Electric slam | After the warning, jump in the air. If you are hit by the attack, press attack before you land to deflect electricity back. Does heavy health damage and stuns Genichiro. |
Genichiro Ashina Lore
- According to the item Remnant: Genichiro: though born to a peasant family (presumably) during the rebellion led by Isshin of Ashina, Genichiro would end up being adopted into the Ashina clan after the death of his peasant mother. As a member of the clan, he would grow to become one of its greatest swordsmen and most respected leaders, but also seemingly became obsessed with pursuing "heretical arts" in order to preserved his country.
- Genichiro is the only known pupil of the mysterious Tomoe, a master swordswoman belonging to a clan of the same name. Though whom and what she is largely remains a mystery, the following information is available:
- If you give Isshin the item Unrefined Sake, he divulges that Tomoe was the one who taught Genichiro both the way of the sword and how to harness lightning--a technique she named, and is widely known as: "The Lightning of Tomoe."
- The item Fragrant Flower Note mentions that: "relatives of the Tomoe once gathered the Fountainhead Fragrance, and arrived at the palace," implying that Tomoe is the name of a clan, and not necessarily the name of one single person.
- The item Page's Diary explains that a Lady Tomoe--who could either be Genichiro's mentor, or someone else from the clan--was both a part of Lord Takeru's court, and that she knew of the Mortal Blade and its supernatural properties. (The diary explains how, after seeing Lord Takeru attempt to cut himself only for the wound to heal, Tomoe says: "Without it, your blood cannot be spilled.")
- The skill Spiral Cloud Passage mentions how Tomoe (most likely the same Tomoe who is Genichiro's mentor) developed the technique by studying the "large eddy of distant cloud forming near the headwaters [of] the Fountainhead Spiral," located in the Fountainhead Palace. (The young master referenced in the rest of the text for the skill could possibly also be Genichiro, as dialogue from Emma suggest that Genichiro spent quite some time training near the Fountainhead Spiral.)
- Similarly, the young master referenced here could also possibly be Takeru, the previous Divine Heir, as Tomoe was said to be Takeru's servant and received the power of Resurrection much like Sekiro did from Kuro. From the Purification Ending, we also know that Tomoe cared deeply about Takeru, which is more fitting to the term: "meant everything to her,".
- The fighting style used by many of the "Mist-" enemies in the Fountainhead Palace, particularly that of the Archers and Swordsmen, directly parallels the attacks and combos used by Genichiro in both of his forms. This suggests (until official names for enemies are known) two things about Genichiro's mentor that might be true: 1) That Tomoe, and by extension the enemies of the Fountainhead Palace, are all members of the same clan (either the Okami or the Tomoe); or, 2) That Tomoe, and the Tomoe "Clan" referenced above, are a clan distinct from the Okami clan.
- At the moment, either view is possible based on our lack of information—while the enemies in the "Mist-" enemies of the Palace all use movesets and wear armor similar to Genichiro, their leader is also named Okami Leader Shizu. At the same time, items that mention either the Tomoe or Okami clan also seem to present both clans are distinct from one another, leading to confusion if Tomoe is just one person, multiple people sharing the same name, a clan in and of itself, or some other kind of Fromsoft lore shenanigans.
- If you give Isshin the item Unrefined Sake, he divulges that Tomoe was the one who taught Genichiro both the way of the sword and how to harness lightning--a technique she named, and is widely known as: "The Lightning of Tomoe."
Genichiro Ashina Notes & Trivia
- Voiced by Ray Chase (English), Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese)
- Ray Chase is also known for voicing Artorius Collbrande from the videogame Tales of Berseria; Eve from the videogame Nier: Automata; Puri-Puri Prisoner from the anime One Punch Man; and the Male Freelancer from the videogame Anthem.
- Kenjiro Tsuda is also know for voicing Seto Kaiba from the anime Yu-Gi-Oh!; Atomic Samurai from the anime One Punch Man,; Mikoto Suoh from the anime K; Nagasaki from the anime Devilman Crybaby; Bacchus and Silver Fullbuster from the anime Fairy Tail; Maxi from the videogame Soulcalibur IV; and Zeke from the videogame Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
- Ray Chase is also known for voicing Artorius Collbrande from the videogame Tales of Berseria; Eve from the videogame Nier: Automata; Puri-Puri Prisoner from the anime One Punch Man; and the Male Freelancer from the videogame Anthem.
- The first character in his given name, 弦, gen, means bowstring, while 一郎, ichirou, means first son: a name typically given to first-born sons in a family. (Ironically enough, Genichiro may not be the first born son of the Ashina, as he refers to Isshin as grandfather when speaking about him, which implies that Isshin already had a son when he first adopted Genichiro.)
- If it isn't exactly obvious due to how quickly it happens: the kunai thrown at you when you first beat Genichiro in Ashina Reservoir, which is what allows him to cut off your arm even if you beat him, belongs to one of the Tengu employed by Isshin and/or the Ashina clan.
- An Eavesdropping Opportunity found shortly after the Ashina Castle Sculptor's Idol sees two Senpou Sect Assassins ("Rats") reveal that Genichiro is working with the Sect in order to combat the Interior Ministry.
- When you confront Genichiro at the top of Ashina Castle, particularly eagle-eyed players may be able to spot that during the cinematic where Genichiro is speaking with Kuro, he is looking directly at where one might later find Isshin of Ashina when asked to track the old man down. (This is also where he first refers to Isshin as grandfather.)
- The long combo attack he uses against you is the Floating Passage combat art, the same one used by certain enemies found in Fountainhead Palace.
Genichiro Ashina Image Gallery
Secret thing no one noticed: attacking him when he is going to grab will cause him to fall down like a posture break,better than deflecting the grab or dodge
- Anonymous
This is my favorite boss so far, I don’t go a session without fighting him at least 10 times.
- Anonymous
If you’re having trouble, use Gokan’s sugar at first phase, second phase use ungo or ako’s. And ALWAYS jump when you see him start lighting, the windows are forgiving.
- Anonymous
Sekiro was my first souls game. Being completely new to the genre I died endless amounts of times, never looted, never upgraded my attack, rarely learned skills etc… I somehow got to this guy. Let’s just say I quit thinking this was impossible lol
Present time, after beating all souls games I am still getting filtered by genchiros tomoe form. Thanks Genchiro!
- Anonymous
On my first playthrough, just beat this guy. Great boss, definitely my favourite so far. Didn't count my attempts, but it took about 10-15, and I could really feel myself getting better with every attempt.
A small tip for anyone stuggeling, which I discovered: during phase 1 and 2, if you hit him with a regular r1 while he's standing around, he'll almost always follow it up with a overhead slash from his right. If you deflect that and hit him again, he'll always do the same attack again. Builds up a lot of posture if you learn the deflect timings
- Anonymous
Why did this need three phases again? It's bad enough you get to practice lightning deflection for the first time on this POS boss, but you don't get to practice unless you got through the first two long a** phases.
- Anonymous
bro he's a really easy boss, but what made me fight him 4 times was his bow. He uses it in front of my face and it fkin somehow always messes me up. So unnecessary lol
- Anonymous
Take the red gourd and drink it,he uses his bow and you can punish.
When he runs to left,he wants to grab,run back and thrust.
When he leaps,dodge right and attack once,then he'll do a perilous attack(sweep in phase 2,thrust in phase 1 and 3) you can punish.
In phase 3 just jump when he jumps,take the thunder hit and hit R1.
Genichiro is no more
This is the type of boss fight I've been waiting for since I started playing, the challenge feels entirely fair and the fight is decided relative to how well you respond to his moveset and nothing else.
I killed him on my 6th attempt, as many others have said the thing to do is to aggressively 1v1 him so there's never any space between you and him. Once I got the rhythm of deflecting his moves and weaving in R1's his posture bar fills up quite quickly. The 6-8 hit combo chain in particular if you deflect most or all of it will get his posture to about 30-40%, so if you can do that and keep the pressure up he goes down fairly simply. The unblockable sweeping and jump slash attacks he does can be avoided by dodging 1-2x and 1-2x + jump for the sweeping attack, sometimes when he lands from his jumping slash he will chain into an unblockable sweep. It's RNG whether he does it or not so I just treated every jumping attack as if he would sweep at the end.
For second phase, it's much the same. If your reaction time is fast you'll be able to 1-2x dodge his lightning spear attack and continue deflecting. The attack that killed me twice was his sweeping lightning attack that must be airborne deflected and redirected. It's hard to do but if you can deflect and redirect the lightning it does a **** load of posture damage and briefly stuns him. I enjoyed the feeling of my blood pressure going up the higher his posture gets in second phase, fun fight lol.
- Anonymous
I just beat this guy down. My advice? No shinobi tools. Just dance swords with this clown and avoid getting greedy. You want to be ready to dodge whenever he jumps into the air for his smash attack and be ready to mikiri, jump or dodge for whichever followup he chooses. As others have said, you don't NEED to use the lightning deflect in Phase 2 — dodging is fine, and more importantly, safer — but if you get the timing down it significantly damages Genichiro's health.
For Phase 2. Do. Not. Stop. Attacking. Get in his face and alternate between slashing away and deflecting his attacks. If you body him aggressively, he won't get a change to use his bow, but he WILL jump into the air for the smash/followup combo.
- Anonymous
This boss right here is where i GOT GUD. I've fought him so many times I've begun to understand the RHYTM and it was glorious.
Thank you, Genichiro, you're the coolest half-naked dude ever!
- Anonymous
So I beat him second try in my first playthrough today (given I immediately did some rematches against him afterwards and lost about 5 times before beating him again).
Some tips: If you struggle with the lightning attacks. I didn't use a single lightning deflect (which may be a problem later in the game when I need to use it and didn't really train it). You can easily dodge the lightning attacks by dodgig to the side. I never got hit by it.
Whenever he does the jumping attack, be prepared for the follow up and don't attack immediately, he may not follow it up, he may attack with a normal attack or he may attack with one of two possible unblockables. You can see which unblockable it is by the shimmer of the sword. If the shimmer is centered it's going to be a thrust attack, if it is to the left (his right) it's going to be a sweep.
He has a combo where he first attacks you a few times, then pauses, and then attacks with a lot of strikes again. I had trouble deflecting this one, but the pause gives enough time to get away far enough, so he won't hit you. Be aware that he may use a bow attack at the end of that combo.
Other than that keep the aggression up, try to close distance quickly and whenever there is a different sound when he blocks you, you know he'll counterattack so be prepared to deflect that (this is true for most other enemies in the game too). Little tip, don't attack as fast as possible but always listen for the hit sound first and only if it's not the sound for a counterattack you continue attacking, this won't break your combo.
- Anonymous
praying strikes is actually kind of effective against him, so is sabimaru
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
So after a few years of fighting Genichiro just for the fun of it, I decided to study his dialogue a bit and I just discovered that "A shinobi would know the difference between Honour and Victory" was actually means "Don't blame me for using underhanded tactics to be victorious against someone as honour-less as a shinobi" type of deal. And his whole glory-talk about Ashina was because of his blind denial of the fact that Ashina's time had already ended. I hated Genichiro so much at first but the more I look at it, the more I see that Genichiro was really just someone so extremely devoted to his country (presumably because he sees Ashina as a mother figure after Isshin took him in) that he threw away all of his humanity. Genichiro parralels Wolf as a guardian, a protégé to two heroes of Ashina and as the bearer of the two Mortal Blades. It's reflected in the moments when they clash and Genichiro even acknowledges it if he kills you after you resurrect in the final fight. It's also worth noting that as you progress and get better, Genichiro grows more desperate and eventually loses himself. They both view eachother as a major obstacle to fulfilling their goal as Wolf had sworn vengeance against Genichiro no matter what and also to retrieve and protect the Divine Heir, which are both rules given by Owl in the Shinobi Code whereas Genichiro sees him as a threat due to his status as the Shinobi of the Divine Heir and the fact that due to Wolf's absolute adherence to the code and to Kuro, he'd just decimated nearly all of the defences he had set up for Ashina to stand a chance against the incoming invaders of the Interior Ministry. Wolf was being used as a means to an end by Owl to weaken Ashina's defences in order to have a chance at stealing the dragon's blood while Genichiro's stubborn attempts to preserve Ashina were a lost cause as the "Ministry Rats" had already flooded the place and Isshin had already accepted his fate. In the end, they were both tragic characters who were embroiled in a war to end the era of Ashina and unify Japan. He made my blood boil so much during my first playthrough and I love his character a lot for it.
- Anonymous
Fairly sure the game stopped registering my parries at a certain point just to make sure I got hit
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
The third phase almost made me want to install a trainer.
First two I got gud at with ichi double. To chip damage wait for him to do a swing or slice or heavy bow, then quick circle behind him a double on his ass. Once he is half way you can break his posture fast by jumping on his head a ichi double on the way down. Back off each time in case he tries the grab. But swing behind double and jump double with take out the first two phases.
The third phase I wasted so much time trying the firecrackers and mikiri counters. Just get the first mikiri as it’s very easy then put pressure on and circle behind on any attacks. If you can reverse the lighting it goes fast but I can only get one if I’m lucky. I just jump and avoid it the pressure him. If you can get a couple ichi doubles on him he goes down in 30 seconds.
This fight was the most annoy fight so far. I’m glad I’m done with it.
- Anonymous
He does a certain combo with a lot of swings, and it ends with Sekiro and Genichiro facing eachother with swords pointed, at that point Genichiro will break the moment with a thrust attack (danger symbol and all.)
For some reason I can never get the mikiri counter to work there, it seems like no matter how I time it the game won't mikiri, anyone else having this issue? most of the time Sekiro will dash forward straight into his thrust instead of countering it.
- Anonymous
bruh this guy talks so much trash but is literally free resurrection power
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Best example to illustrate how well this boss is designed: When you first fight them, you'll rage about his input reading thrust attack on your healing gourd in the third phase. However, after multiple rematches, only reason you'll be sipping will be to bait out an easy Mikiri Counter.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
"just git gud"
Brother, go get the ichimonji double and combo it with firecrackers this is a cakewalk
- Anonymous
This fight is an exam with deflecting as its topic
Parry isnt enough, you have to deflect attacks with the right timing.
Also focus to bring his posture bar up instead of bring his health down.
That's what helped me beat him after 25 tries.
Also: Nightjar Slash Reversal to close up the distance, hit him and get away fast
In Phase two (Tomoe) focus him fast and as soon as he's in the air and lunges at you, do the Mikiri Counter
You can also keep distance and provoke lunging to counter it and cause posture damage
- Anonymous
I like this fight, but there is one thing about it, that makes me angry everytime. How TF can he swap sword for the bow and shot so fast? It is not hard to block or dodge, I just don't like how ridiculous move it is.
- Anonymous
love it when a game introduces a mechanic and then makes you use it into the third phase of the first boss to have more than 2 phases, thank you fromsoftware I love beating a really hard boss only to get killed trying to understand how to use the one mechanic you decided to not create a tutorial for, unlike literally everything else in this game, so that I can die and do the whole fight again just to have another shot at practicing the mechanic
- Anonymous
A useful trick you can do in his lightning phase is to use your heal as a bait. If you're at medium - long distance and heal, he always use his leaping thrust to punish, which gives you a free Mikiri counter. If you already have some good posture damage on him you can basically force the win with this.
- Anonymous
This mfer whooped my ass harder than gael soul of cinder and friede combined.
- Anonymous
Genichiro, especially in his second phase, is a prime example fairly early on in the game that you need to keep the pressure on foes so that THEY don’t get as much of a chance to put the pressure on YOU
- Anonymous
Seriously simple strategy:
Aggression is key! Keep pushing forward with attacks. Back him into a corner and punish him with Ichmonji double to the face. Deflect and dodge as needed and mix in some firecrackers to disrupt him for a sec, rinse and repeat. He transitioned almost pathetically fast to Phase 2 on my attempt after finally getting mad and switching to this strategy. Phase 2 watch the lighting, catch and release. Genichiro can be a wall to new players. GO THROUGH HIM.
- Anonymous
Punishing him with Ichimonji double like a fly-swater to the face is just so satisfying
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
For those of you that are struggling, ignore the asinine "you're just bad lmao" people. Here's some actual advice from someone who was in your position very very recently.
1. Guarding recovers posture faster, keep your guard up when the enemy is at a distance
2. Keep the pressure up, there are very few times in this fight when you want to run anywhere but toward him, never let his posture meter go down more than a centimeter.
3. Use your block to find patterns in the combos, once you're semi-comfortable with the rythm, start deflecting.
4. Deflecting is almost always better than guarding, do not hesitate, or wait until you suddenly get better at it. Practice it, even if it gets you killed, you'll need this skill.
5. If you don't already have it, get mikiri counter, this halves his effective perilous moves and gives you good posture damage
6. When you see a perilous, look for either his body movements, or a flash of white light from his blade, the position of these will always tell you what is about to happen.
7. Optimize opportinities to deflect, not attack. If you see him go for an easy move? Let him do it rather than clashing blades. See him stop swinging against you? Chances are he's about to try and jump, so get some slashes in and you know what's coming.
8. If all else fails, or you get frustrated with the second phase and wish you could just practice that instead, remember that people around the world have done this and posted it to youtube. Observe, Internalize, Preform. This will spoil you to some fights though, so it should be a last resort.
If anyone has something to add to this, feel free to. I only just beat him myself so I could be unaware of something important about the game. I've just learned to recognize patterns from my time in souls. I guess that's a hidden 9th tip, if you're from a souls game, stop trying to play sekiro like it's turn based. Fight like you're fat rolling in full havel's with a bandit knife and a buckler, fear nothing.
- Anonymous
should i quit the game or use a trainer to skip this boss? I've been stuck on this for 3 days 3 hours each (so 9 hours total ) i feel empty inside
- Anonymous
worst boss design for the narrative - way too frustrating. Think of all the people who did not experience the phenomenal later part of this game, just because of this motherf
- Anonymous
First time on this boss I got the first 2 deathblows and thought I won the fight. It took all my gourd charges to do so. Seemed too easy. Then I got pulverized by lightening after my brief moment of hubris wore off.
Best tip I can give is to correctly punish the non-perilous jump attack. Dodging it isn't hard, but I wouldn't recommend it. Instead parry it and spam dodge towards him. During phase 1, he will always (or at least hasn't ever in my many, many runs of this guy) go for a thrust attack that you will mikiri. In phase 2, you can keep doing this but he will sometimes do a sweep instead, which you can react to after dodging 1 time and jump over. His other attacks are relatively basic, just watch out for the jumping multi-bow attack, which he will usually dodge backwards for. You can reflect it, but I just guard. For way of tomoe, keep him pressed, reflect both lightning attacks, and don't go for vitality, go for posture.
- Anonymous
Why was this fight insanely difficult on first playthrough? Now I kill him faster than even a miniboss such as the drunkards in ng+. This is mostly the case with all bosses except demon of hatred where he tends to be more challenging ng+.
- Anonymous
the usage of Ichimonji double can't be understated in this fight(and in the game in general) - it punishes his charged shot if you are close enough both hits connect and his floating passage bullshit - he jups right into the charged Ichimonji and both hits connect dealing a heavy damage(with only 2 AP on my soul), uncharged hits are connecting when he prepares a combo with a grab at the end, which he does regularly, but some distance is required, even if it goes into the block, there is only one instance he can hit back before you do another Ichimonji, if you get distancing right(just barely connecting first hit) every 2nd or third ID hits both times, dealing awesome posture and vitality damage, if you are feeling particularly tanky - try to combine it with the upgraded axe for quick kill, but i would rather save that combination for the second phaze when he does his flurry of sword attacks - you can dodge and hit him in the back with charged axe and then with the ichimonji double
- Anonymous
I go back and forth on my opinions of Sekiro but Genichiro is a testament that when combat in Sekiro works, it works phenomenally. The game is at it's best in a 1v1 sword duel against enemies with a fairly predictable attack pattern. He is the first real roadblock in this game and a test of everything you have learned thus far (like Amelia in BB or O&S in DS).
- Anonymous
I like how much this fight acts as a measure of skill. Like when I first fought him, it took me maybe 5 hours to win, and even then, I won just barely. And now, after having to be much better when fighting Isshin, Owl (Father) and so on, he's barely a speedbump. And I don't mean that in any braggadocios way, I just mean that his difficulty is perfectly tied with how well you play within the rules of the game, how well you understand the mechanics that benefit you and what you should do in each situation. It might not be my favourite boss of the game, but I think if I look at it fairly objectively, he's the best designed one, once again showing how incredible FS are when it comes to boss-designs.
- Anonymous
Just to put in perspective how much this game trains you. I haven't played in at least a year or two (Before Covid) and beat both stages with the Bell Demon without resurrecting once. (NG)
If anyone has trouble with a boss, trust me, after you've beaten the game it gets so much easier. It took me literally days to beat him the first time. Lets hope Elden Ring lets you grow the same way. (Lets all die a bunch on release!)
I keep wondering something. Genichirou refers to Sekiro using the "kisama" pronoun, but "kisama" was originally and historically meant to be very formal. Since this game takes place during the Sengoku era, does that mean he's actually trying to be formal instead of insulting?
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
JUST BEAT THIS DUDE FEELS AMAZING. Took me like 20 tries, but now i can do first two phases without taking much damage, there’s an answer to all his moves (jumping over him, mikiri, lightning reversal etc)
- Anonymous
After I beat the miniboss I missed the really obvious path to this guy and ended up plaything through a huge chunk of the game up to killing the Corrupted Monk illusion and a bunch of mini bosses.
I’m kinda sad that I didn’t fight Genichiro right when I could have, because it sounds like he’s a pretty brutal test of skill when you’re not over leveled
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Worst boss I have ever faced in the history of all the fromsoft games. All he does is block. If I try and parry and counter, he blocks and then counters. I can continue to parry but his bar doesn't accrue parry-damage as I can't get his health to go down.
I shouldn't have to spend a Divine Confetti for chip-damage on a non-Terror boss; boooooo Fronsoft. I've beaten the rest of the game as far as I can and this is the most unfair thing I've seen in the game.FU.
- Anonymous
What a cheesy boss Fromsoft. All he does is block and walk around.
- Anonymous
What an excellent boss. Just beat this guy for the first time and it became my 2nd favourite fromsoft boss fight after nameless King, pushing orphan of kos down to 3rd. The first attempt I barely managed to get him to 2nd phase, cheesing with oil+flame vent on both health bars then instantly died in 2nd phase. I managed to beat him after ~12 tries, barely taking any damage and with no shinobi tools. My best tips would be to keep pressuring him with 2 attacks and work on your deflect to keep the pressure on. My saving grace was Ichimonji double, whenever he goes for perilous attacks or ranged hits, dodge sideways and do the uncharged ichimonji which also reduces your posture meter. In phase 2 don't forget to start with mikiri counter on his first move, and as soon as you see him raise both arms prepare to jump and block/attack to reflect the lightning. He has a very expansive moveset and I love the aggression that forces you to improve your play style offensively. Strong bloodborne/nioh 2 vibes, both of which I prefer the combat of than Dark Souls.
- Anonymous
first real gatekeeper in the game, if you are having troubles with him you aren't ready for the rest
- Anonymous
He asked Sekiro to work for him. If Sekiro has choice to accept that offer, Ashina would have won the battle against Ministry, he can fight along with Isshin, Emma and Genichiro. That would be an awesome way.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
"Don't be intimidated, just imagine him without his clothes on..."
...
"Oh no, he's hot!"
- Anonymous
The only thing I hate about this fight is that when he jumps in the air and shoots, his arrows home in on you, making dodging almost impossible, when it should be very easy
- Anonymous
can someone write what does he say in japanese, when you died for the first time on his second encounter "The power of the dragons blood? then i will kill you as many times" then idk what next
- Anonymous
Apparently, Genichiro's grab can be deflected. Not sure if this is some kind of glitch but it works.
- Anonymous
Love him or hate him. We all gotta agree he prepared us for the rest of the game.
- Anonymous
I had a lot of trouble with this boss because I mistime the mikiri counter. I would press the button immediately upon seeing the symbol, dodge then be stabbed. What no one tells you is you have to wait a second. The same thing applies to his charged bow attacks. It's all about timing and aggression.
- Anonymous
worst guide ever... only put three types of attack for way of tomoe... he has way more than 3 types of attack.. sweet guide lol
- Anonymous
I found a pretty cool and effective strat if you have Living Force. When Genichiro jumps in the air, dodge to the side when he comes down rather than deflect. Once he's on the ground, you have plenty of time to hit him with an uncharged flame vent combustion and follow it up with a series of basic attacks that will get a fire buff from Living Force. I used this strat on a fresh new game when you fight him on the top of the castle. I didn't even use oil and the fight was over absurdly quick. It completely melted his health bars. This might be well known already. I don't know, I just recently got gud at the game.
- Anonymous
Just beat him for the first time on like the 10th attempt.
The great feeling I got from other souls game after beating a boss is missing.
Dunno why. I just felt frustrated by the fight. Sometimes I got to the third phase without a problem, sometimes I was dead in 10 seconds after starting the fight.
My win felt completely random...
Maybe I'm not getting something about the combat. Oh well...
- Anonymous
I dont really care for Genichiro as a character, but the way this boss fight was built up is magnificent. First, the game sharpens your deflect/parry game with the Ashina Elite miniboss, who deals tons of damage. Immediatly after, you finally have that long awaited confrontation with the one big nemesis you've been chasing so far. His attacks are a lot slower and forgiving than that of the Ashina Elite, but he gives you very few openings. His movepool is large, but they're all telegraphed very well. Fighting him feels familiar, as it should, and clashing head on is encouraged by a posture bar that both increases and decreases quickly, rewarding you with a quick finisher should you do well enough.
So much thought has went into it.
- Anonymous
he will kick your ass on your first play through then on ng+ you'll wonder how he was ever hard
- Anonymous
If you're new and struggling with this fight, imo it's because the mechanics of this game haven't "clicked" for you yet. Keep trying because once you kill him, every single time you encounter him later on you'll kill him with no sweat, and in one instance he actually gets harder, it's just you that learned more about the game. Be aggressive, deflect attacks as often as you can, and remember that perilous attacks aren't something you should be scared of, they're opportunities. You can get a deathblow on him when he still has 3/4 of his health. This is the fight that will make you fall in love with Sekiro's swordplay and posture system, so don't give up.
- Anonymous
You can easily trivialize his first phase and take no damage whatsoever by doing this: Keep your block up and block literally EVERYTHING (and jump over/dodge perilous attacks) except one specific move -- the one where he attacks once and then runs over to your left and does a perilous attack. Jump over this perilous attack, land at a medium distance and hold X to do a piercing attack. This will alway***** and do damage so long as you get the range right. You can just exploit this one move to get to the second phase with full health and full gourds.
- Anonymous
I don’t like the lightning attacks, but hear me out. I dislike lightning because of the way it’s handed to you, you’re told how to do it, sure, but you won’t have any practice until you reach the boss’s second phase. What I feel they should’ve done is make phase one harder, but give you a sorta checkpoint after you beat phase one. Then, make lightning do less to him, and give him two health bars in phase two. Sure, it’d make the fight longer overall, but it’d let new players be able to practice countering lightning without having to make it through phase one every single time.
- Anonymous
If you want to get in some easy blows on him, if there's ever a moment you can get close to him, circle him to the right. Wolf is fast enough to get an opening for a single attack while Genichiro is still turning to face him.
- Anonymous
Loved him and how theatrical this fight was. Especially watching Kuro reject his request over and over every time I died. Made dying less frustrating lol. Also I used jumping mist raven against the lightning, but not sure if just plain jumping was enough
- Anonymous
Yes, let's combine a brutally difficult phase 3 with a long and tedious phases 1 and 2, with no checkpoint in between. What a chore. This boss would be more fun if it didn't take 5+ mins on every attempt.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
I beat him on my second try.....mostly because my curiosity and explorative nature lead me to fighting a bunch of bosses in other areas and I got really buff before his fight.
- Anonymous
that boss fight is so badly designed, compared to all the great ones (Ape, Monk, Owl, Isshin...)
- Anonymous
Might be the "O&S" of Sekiro. Definitely the boss I spent the most time on. It's all in the timing and patience. He has a few perilous attacks, one being easily countered by mikiri counter, but you need to be able to read which perilous he is about to do. If you aren't good at that, don't stress about mikiriing and just stick to dodging. Crackers are the only "trick" I used here, to stun at open times. I tried the suriken R2 plus R1 skill to dash and close the distance, but it wasn't fitting in my flow. He seems to go down pretty quickly in phase 2, and it took a much shorter time to bring his posture bar to max. The lightning isn't a huge deal, and gives a perilous warning sign before. If you're bad at assessing that, just jump for all the perilous in phase 2, then R1 to attack while in the air with lightning. Also a good night's sleep helped, and I got him attempt 2 the next morning. So a break may help too
- Anonymous
I've ended daemon souls and all darks solus . Sekiro is too hard for me. I've just uninstalled:(
- Anonymous
Wheres point down when you need it *****ing bow spamming *****.
- Anonymous
Ah yes, everyone's favourite punching bag of a boss. No kidding, after ng2+you get so accustomed to his patterns and behaviour you wipe the floor with him, unless you get really*****ty RNG with his jumping arrow nonsense.
- Anonymous
Just a random interaction I found out, but it is possible to lightning deflect one of his attacks in his third phase by doing a shadowrush.
- Anonymous
Many deaths later I realized he is in fact manageable. A quick guide for people who have trouble and want to keep their vitality up. Phase 1: Run up close to him and begin to cycle him counter clockwise, if he's not attacking, he won't be able to keep up and you can get hits in one at a time. His vitality will go down quickly this way. No special attacks needed, just stay close and cycle counter clockwise. Defend, dodge and deflect if necessary. When he is below 50%, only deflect and dodge. Play is safe. Phase 2: Use Firecrackers when he runs towards you, then attack, make sure there is enough distance between you two before he starts charging. Dodge and attack during each one of his perilious moves. Cycle him counterclockwise again, stay as close as possible. Phase 3: When you see his indicator stance for lightning attacks (charging his sword), stop moving. Calm down. Wait 1 second, jump while holding deflect, press attack while going down. If you are not into Mikiri counter or risky moves, only deflect his lightnings. Thats all you gotta do. After 5 lightning deflects he's at 0 vitality.
- Anonymous
Maybe the "weakest" boss in terms of damage he can do to you. Yes. Gyobu hits stronger, and lady Butterfly has her running slash who can instant kill you. Genichiro has no big moves, except maybe the grab, but I dont know, he never grabs me.
- Anonymous
>But also seemingly became obsessed with pursuing heretical arts as time went on in order to save both his mother and country. Dudes, what if he had hoped to save the Black Mortal Blade to resurrect his mother after having saved ashina but in his final fight with you, faced with choosing between his mother or Ashina he brought back Isshin to save their people? It's the kind of tragic lore FromSoft loves
anyone know how to properly do the speedrun cheese on this guy, you know the one where you corner him.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Continued from below... Arrows *really* sting, especially charged arrows. You better be blocking the instant you see him going for his bow. During phase 1 & 2 he'll go for the bow anytime you try to use your gourd or pellets. Once you get the timing down it's easy to dodge left, right, or even straight at him. If you’re close enough you can dodge towards him and follow with a charged thrust. Always make sure there's some distance between you before you use the gourd or pellets to give yourself enough time to dodge. If you’re too close he’ll quick fire an arrow and you won’t be able to dodge or block. Lastly, if you need to heal in phase 3 make sure there’s plenty of room between you, and wait until right after he starts one of his long attack animations. Otherwise he'll hop, skip, and jump over to you and use you as a pin cushion/punching bag.
- Anonymous
This guy seems a lot harder than he really is. The key to beating him (in all 3 phases) is to be as aggressive as possible. Block/parry *everything* except his sweep perilous attack. Once you’re familiar with his move set you can fill up his posture bar with deflects and parries (stomping on his blade during his thrust perilous attack *really* makes things easier) and get your deathblows while he still has 75% of his vitality remaining. The key is not letting up. Don't let him recover. When he steps away and slowly circles around you from a distance run right up to him and take a swipe. When he blocks and counters you parry his attacks. Keep chipping away like this and you’ll get the first deathblow in no time. Watch out for his perilous attacks in phases 2 and 3. You can try to jump his sweep, but missing will cost you a third of your health. I find it easier to just dodge and counter. Jump and send the lightning back at him in phase 3 and when he's staggered as a result use the heaviest attack you've got.
- Anonymous
One of my favorite boss fights in any game. So rewarding to finally beat him. First playthrough (which I didn't finish) it took me like 10 tries. Then when I restarted the game 9 months later I was dreading this fight again, but actually managed to BARELY beat him on the first attempt, with all my gourds and rez used. Felt so amazing.
- Anonymous
Surprisingly easy. I still died 7 times and Tomoe was the only one I had trouble with. I deflected the lightning and instantly won. The only tip I can give is: Git Gud.
- Anonymous
Reasons why fighting this guy is a big fukcing joke, akin to chowing down on a big bullsiht sandwich. 1. When you dodge and COMPLETELY avoid one of his sword attacks, like you physically see the sword miss you, and still get hit and lose a quarter of your vitality. 2. When you see the red character for his slash or stab attack, dodge AFTER the animation starts, and he somehow rotates 90 degrees IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ATTACK ANIMATION to hit you no matter where you are like his sword is some sort of heat seaking missile locked on a target. 3. When you FINALLY manage to get 2 deathblows despite the bullsiht mentioned previously, and SURPRISE! He gets stonger, faster, a full vitality bar, AND a fukcing lightening sword... What a fukcing joke.
- Anonymous
This boss is essentially the gotten gud check. You have to be proficient in the game to get past him, and if you can't, then you really aren't ready for the rest of the game. I honed my skills to beat him and now I can contend with enemies that I used to have to run from and kill from stealth
- Anonymous
Typo, intentional or not, in Fragrant Flower Note: "It is said that relatives of Tomoe.." There is no "the" in the note before "Tomoe". As such, there is no implication that Tomoe is a clan.
- Anonymous
Here is trick to beat him really easy, no gimmick. No bull*****Rule is spam twice R1 attack. Attack him twice, never more. - if he parried your second attack >>> Counterparry his attack >>> R1 spam twice - If you hit him on your second attack >>>> R1 spam twice - Repeat Keep pursue him like this. Prepare to dodge occasional plunging attack which easy to read. It's also works on 2nd phase. Just pretty simple
- Anonymous
On my second run on NG and this cockroach suddenly became annoying. Kept getting to phase 3 and i jump to reversal his lightning and the dude misses his lightning and kept missing i was so dumb founded i died. Threw me off my game but got him back 3 rounds later
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