Genichiro Ashinia is perhaps one of the toughest bosses in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Despite having some easily telegraphed moves, this battle will go on for a considerably long time and requires a total of three death blows. There are two core phases to Genchiro, both of which necessitate different tactics. This is absolutely a war of attrition, as pushing him to the second phase will not give you a checkpoint.
Before we begin the fight we suggest you have the following:
- 5-6 Healing Gourds
- Attack Power 2
- Healing/Posture Level 3 (24 Prayer Beads)
- Mikiri Counter Skill
This will adequately prepare you for this fight and give you a much better chance at outlasting Genichiro Ashinia. They aren’t required, but if you’re having trouble consider exploring some of the optional areas for materials and upgrades.
Genichiro Ashinia Phase One
When the battle begins Genchiro will always start with a quick bow attack followed with a slash. Both of these can be easily deflected, allowing you to shed first blood in the duel. From here you are playing a game of patience, constantly prodding at him and dashing backward. You’ll usually inflict minor posture damage with these quick strikes, but there’s a decent chance you’ll land a hit on his health bar.
Genchiro is most vulnerable at the end of four different attacks, so keep an eye out for these moves:
- Blade Barrage: He will spin in a circle before unleashing a flurry of quick slashes. Genchiro moves very slow in this and will always end with a slash. Strike him twice after the final part of his combo and dash away before he can retaliate.
- Jump into Thurst: When Genchiro jumps up, he will try to land on the player and then follow up with a Perilous forward thurst. Use a Mikiri Counter to land a free hit. Keep in mind once you deal the first deathblow he will swap to a Perilous low slash, so jump over his attack.
- Low Slash into Bow: Ashinia’s second Perilous attack is a low slash you can jump over followed by a single arrow shot at you. You can either damage him in the air or wait till he turns to try and fire his bow.
- Slash into Kick: This one is a little harder to read, but sometimes Ashinia will slash twice and then attempt to kick you away. Dodging the kick opens him up to some free hits before he completely recovers.
Your goal is to remain at a safe distance and just prod his defenses. Once he gets to around 50% HP, his Posture meter will begin to quickly fill up. Use this to your advantage and keep striking at him until you can land a death blow. The strategy will not change for the first two death blows, so just take your time. Remember, the Loaded Axe can be a great combo weapon here and the firecrackers will stun him.
Genichiro Ashinia Phase Two
When the battle begins Genchiro will typically launch at the player with a flying, thrust Perilous attack. Either dodge this or perform a Miriki counter. While he may look intimidating, his Posture his terrible since he lacks armor. Now it’s time to go on the offensive and show Genichiro who’s the boss.
Don’t let his new lightning abilities fool you, they can be easily dodged by jumping in the opposite direction. Get in Ashinia’s face and put him on the defensive with quick slashes followed by dodges to get around his attacks. He exposes himself way more this time around, so take advantage and strike when his back is turned to you. If you play defensively, Ashinia will just use lightning arrows to drain your health bar and make you an easy target.
Your goal is to not give him a chance to really perform any special moves. Try to fight in the center of the arena so you always a place to jump away if he tries to shock you. Ideally, you want to have at least four healing gourds for this fight. Despite being very vulnerable, he still does a considerable amount of damage.
It may take some tries, but with patient and practice, you’ll finally get your revenge on the man who took your arm!