Ghost Of Tsushima Boss guide: Become a master duellist!

There are a lot of sword fights in Ghost Of Tsushima, but every so often you’ll end up in a one on one duel. These fights stop you from using your various tools and supplementary weapons, and will display a health bar at the top of the screen; the developer makes it pretty obvious when you enter one of these special boss arenas. To come out on top, you'll need some general tips and specific knowledge about how to overcome each individual boss. Some will be swept aside with ease, but others offer the toughest challenges in Tsushima, so don’t take them lightly just because you’re used to chopping down hoards.

Tips & Tricks

Perfect Parry, stagger and good timing lead to victory against most foes. — Perfect Parry, stagger and good timing lead to victory against most foes
© Sony Interactive Entertainment

While the various boss battles have their differences, there’s nowhere near as much range you'll see in the likes of Sekiro or Dark Souls. You’ll just be fighting people, usually in either Stone or Water Stance, and will be relying on Perfect Parry, stagger, and timing to get the upper hand.

Through two of these battles, you’ll unlock Heavenly Strike and Dance Of Wrath – both of which will come in handy for later battles. If you haven’t unlocked them, you should make an effort to go and complete the relevant quests. Most of the battles in this guide benefit from using at least one of these Mythical moves.

Ghost of Tsushima uses both red attacks and blue attacks; these are references to the hue a weapon may glint with: reds are unblockable and blues can be parried with the Unyielding Sword Parry and Unyielding Spear Parry Defensive Techniques equipped.

Warlords Dogar, Harunari, Bartu and Dogshin

Dogar, Harunari, Bartu and Dogshin require the same techniques to defeat. — Dogar, Harunari, Bartu and Dogshin require the same techniques to defeat
© Sony Interactive Entertainment

You won’t fight these together, don’t worry. While they’re separate battles are exposed as you free camps, the fights are all incredibly similar.

Some leaders can be chopped down in regular combat, but these four challenge you to a duel. They’re very easy to read; just roll away from their red attacks with Circle and then dash in with some quick lunges. One Triangle attack is usually enough to break their stagger in Act I, and because you probably won’t have many stagger combos by the time you face them, taking them out with light, rapid Square attacks doesn’t take too long. Later bosses like Dogshin are just a riff on this theme, only with quicker reflexes and potential for more damage. Just make sure you have the right Stance equipped.

Yasuhira Koga

Koga is part of the first Mythical quest you unlock, and is actually the boss who grants you use of Heavenly Strike, so taking him out early gives you a big leg up in future boss fights. The game clearly agrees as he fights like he’s the first proper boss you meet.

His quick attacks are unblockable, but they’re quite weak and he uses them rarely. They don’t even stagger you very much, so just absorb them and hit back with some heavy stagger moves before cutting him apart with quick attacks of your own.

Kadea

Kadea fights you during The Legend Of Tadayori, detailed in our Mythical Quest Guide, falsely believing you to have stolen samurai armor. She fights with force but without grace; take advantage of wild, powerful attacks that need to be avoided but leave her hugely exposed.

She’ll telegraph her attacks with big swings and yells, so Circle to roll away then dash back in with some big Triangle attacks of your own. Stance combos make short work of her, but even without them, you’ll be able to take her out without much trouble as long as you keep an eye out for her big lunges.

Ryuzo, 1st Fight

Watch out for Ryuzo's red and blue attacks as the fight progresses. — Watch out for Ryuzo's red and blue attacks as the fight progresses
© Sony Interactive Entertainment

Your old ally Ryuzo turns on you in the final mission of Act I, and his fighting style is as predictable as that plot twist.

Ryuzo uses both red and blue attacks, but will annoyingly chain them together. This means you often have to dodge backwards, then drive forward to Perfect Parry, and mistiming it either side means you’ll suffer heavy damage. There’s no real benefit to risking this though; just roll away and wait until he sheathes his sword with a blue glow. This offers another, much safer opportunity to deflect and do some serious damage.

If you haven’t unlocked Perfect Parry attacks yet, hold Triangle just as his attacks finish and try to stagger him in between his lunges.

General Temuge

The Temuge boss battle unlocks the Ghost Stance when completed. — The Temuge boss battle unlocks the Ghost Stance when completed
© Sony Interactive Entertainment

The Temuge boss battle is how you unlock the Ghost Stance, and comes during the main mission The Ghost Of Yarikawa. Temuge a warlord with a flaming sword, so you’ll need to dodge often. He has huge swings, so it’s best to try and roll behind him and get some quick swings in there.

When his sword is out, go in hard and fast with Triangle attacks to stagger him, but beware that he’ll light up again quickly.

This boss battle is really a proxy to unlocking Jin’s Ghost Stance, and so Temuge doesn’t put up much of a fight.

Six Blades

One of the mythical quests serves up five individual boss battles, followed by a final, tougher one to finally conquer it. While the fights are similar, they’re distinct enough to warrant their own guides, detailed below.

Yasumasa

Yasumasa is the most standoffish of the Six Blades, and when he backs off you need to push up on him to get some quick attacks in. When he comes at you, though, it’s your turn to back off – as he has some fast, unblockable swings that can cause of a lot of damage very quickly.

Take your time and attack only when it’s safe, and you’ll make short work of Yashusada.

Hirotsune

Hirotsune takes far too much time to defeat. If you try and fight him up close, it’s a long slog as he’s one of the better dodgers and won’t be staggered quickly. Your best bet, then, is to back off when he does, holding Triangle for a longer Stance move does devastating damage that he ends up defenceless against.

It’ll take a few of these flourishes, but if you keep enough distance they’re relatively risk free.

Kiyochika

Kiyochika is the easiest of the Six Blades to read, but the hardest (bar Kojiro) to defeat if you don’t pick up on his clues.

When he raises his sword in a chopping motion, get away as quickly as you can. There’ll be a flurry of unblockable blows that do huge damage coming for you if you stick around. However, rolling to the side leaves him massively exposed during this attack, so use that as your window to lay down some damage. If you try to roll to the side rather than backward, you’ll get in several slices and won’t even need to break his stagger.

Tomotsugu

Tomotsugu has the most eccentric fighting style, certainly of the Six Blades, but arguably even of the whole game. Though he does have a sword and can use it, what he favours most is a flying kick.

With the sword, he’s your regular fighter; avoid red attacks, parry blue ones, try and stagger. The problem is the kicks are difficult to dodge, stagger you instantly and often interfere with the camera, meaning Jin gets cut to pieces while you get your bearings. He’ll let you know he’s about to kick by bouncing back on his heels: this is when you need to dodge. If you wait until he’s in the air, it’ll be too late.

Kanetomo

Kanetomo favours spin attacks, which is both good and bad news for Jin. Good news; these are easier to dodge than standard attacks, a quick stagger attack can sometimes disrupt Kanetomo out of them, and as soon as he stops spinning he’s wide open for a counter.

The bad news is that if you get trapped in front of the spin, he’s going to take away a lot of health very quickly.

Kojiro

Once you’ve eliminated the first five Blades, you’ll be able to take on Kojiro; one of the hardest duels in the game. It will take a while to beat him since rushing only exposes you to his powerful attacks, so you’ll need to bide your time. Keep a decent distance, as this gives you more time for a Perfect Parry to land. Deflect his attack and land a couple of heavy attacks, but be prepared to cycle this over and over. If you can roll behind him as he starts his chop attack, you can get some quick and damaging blows in, but get your timing wrong and he’ll slice you in half.

He’s the toughest non-story boss in the game, so make sure you’re equipped with sword upgrades, health boosts and all the works before tracking him down.

Altan

You fight Altan at the end of Yuna’s quest line, and he looks substantially tougher than he actually is. A big, lumbering brute, he’s similar to Kadea in that you should be able to read his attacks easily enough, but one mistake can cost you dearly.

Slow and heavy, you need to wait until he readies his shield then go in hard with some Wind Stance combos. He’s not much different from a regular shield-wielder, so don’t let his size intimidate you. Break his block with some stagger moves and go in for the kill.

Masako

You’ll fight your ally Masako during her quest The Conspirator, but luckily she hasn’t betrayed you like Ryuzo – it’s just a spirited disagreement. There’s no sign of her old age in her battle style either, as Masako is tough to put down.

If you get some distance, she’ll begin to zig zag her attacks. These can be difficult to read at first, but if you watch her sword move back slightly as she darts, you’ll know it’s time to Perfect Parry. This lets you get a couple of blows in, and if you can get her to stagger, take advantage with some Stance combos. Otherwise, back off again and let her come to you.

She has several unblockable attacks and her draw is lightning fast, so toe to toe fighting often ends in defeat. Stay back, watch the zig-zag, and punish.

Spirit Of Yarikawa

This ‘spirit’, who in actual fact is just a person, is fought at the end of The Spirit of Yarikawa's Vengeance, although ultimately vengeance – and her powerful Dance Of Wrath attack – are yours.

She’s a curious fighter and mainly plays defensive, meaning you get to control a lot of the fight and should hit her with heavy attacks as often as possible. However, if you turn your back (either by dodging, rolling, or mistiming an attack) she comes alive and will try and strike you from behind.

That doesn’t seem fair, but then you’re one to talk. Keep your eyes on her and you’ll be fine.

Tengu Demon

You fight this boss at the end of The Curse of Uchitsune Mythical quest, and even though Jin is soaked in blood throughout the fight, you’re not actually injured or losing health.

There is only one tactic here: hit him.

If you give him space it’s a much more even fight, but getting in his face renders him powerless. Push in close and stay there. The bats which circle around can be a distraction, so watch the camera angles, but there’s no real threat here as long as you’re fast.

Ryuzo, 2nd fight

Ryuzo hasn't learned much about fighting since your last encounter. — Ryuzo hasn't learned much about fighting since your last encounter
© Sony Interactive Entertainment

Ryuzo hasn’t changed much by your second fight at the end of Act II, but he has gotten a little faster. This means it’s even harder to parry his blue attacks when they’re wedged in the middle of his red ones, so be prepared to dodge as often as he attacks.

Eventually, he’ll rest his hand on his blade and launch at you with an attack you can parry, but it’s very quick. Once you learn his tell (his hand moves down to his sheath), you can parry just before it lights up in blue. This has the issue of occasionally being too early, but it can help with the issue of reaction time.

Bettomaru

Arriving during the final Mythical quest (The Undying Flame), defeating this boss grants you access to The Way Of The Flame, and with it the ability to light your sword on fire. That’s exactly what Bettomaru does here too, and you’ll need to be especially cautious of this. When the flame is lit, it is possible to still get some hits in, but it just isn’t worth the risk. Dodge back to avoid catching fire.

When the flame goes out, he’s a relatively straightforward fight – especially given you’ll be in Act III by now. Don’t be a hero; only strike when the flame isn’t there.

Khotun Khan

Khota Khan fights with dishonour, but you Jin won't be deterred
© Sony Interactive Entertainment

The Khan is a tricky fight, mainly because he’s more intelligent than most bosses you interact with. He favours three red unblockable drives with his spear, but after hesitating just long enough for you to try and attack, he delivers a fourth. Be aware of this and avoid at all costs.

His blue attacks, while quick, aren’t as guarded as Ryuzo’s, so they’re a bit easier to handle. He tends to be a bit weighty too; after his four red attacks, you can dive in and fight him as normal with some stagger attacks and quick slices before he gets some distance between you to utilise his spear.

Once you’ve ‘won’ the boss fight, the Khan will throw poison in your face and flee. After carving through his men once more, you’ll fight him again, but out in the open this time, where he’s just an extra-strong spearman. You’ll think you’ve won again, but he’ll call reinforcements once more, before you finally face for one last time with his shield. Once you’ve weakened him, you’ll be prompted to push Triangle to kill him.

Lord Shimura

If you use Stone Stance often, Lord Shmura won't be a challenge for you. — If you use Stone Stance often, Lord Shmura won't be a challenge for you
© Sony Interactive Entertainment

It all comes down to this.

Shimura has two strategies he favours the most; three red attacks or two reds followed by a blue. While you can parry the blue one, it isn’t really worth the risk. He uses regular attacks fairly often, and standard parries and stagger attacks can wear him down without really getting your hands dirty.

He uses the same Stone Stance moves as Jin, meaning several quick katana stabs are in his arsenal. These are easier to parry than the sequence of red and blues, so it’s definitely worth facing up to them. If you use these attacks regularly, you’ll probably be used to the rhythm of these strikes in any case.

At the end, you’ll get the option to either put him to death and honour his wish, or spare him to a life of indignity. This has only minor effects – you’ll get white armour for killing him, red for sparing him – so feel free to go with whatever you think works best for Jin’s story.

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