One of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s optional bosses, the Demon of Hatred can be an intimidating foe. Arguably the most “Bloodborne/Dark Souls-esc” fight in the game, you’ll be relying on some pretty familiar tactics to take this foe down. This doesn’t make the fight easy, but the demon has some pretty punishable attacks if you know what to look for.
Demon of Hatred Phase One
When the battle begins, rush towards the demon and start striking at his groin. This and his backside are the two safest areas when attacking the boss. He doesn’t have a tone of AoE (Area of Effect) or low attacks to force you away. The two moves you need to be really careful of his is fire slam and Perilous attack.
If the Demon of Hatred jumps into the air, run away and prepare to grapple onto him as soon as he lands. Once he strikes the ground, jump over the wave of fire, grapple to him, and then start swinging away. You can outrun the fire, but try to grapple onto his head after this move since you get a bunch of free hits.
The other move you want to avoid is his Perilous attack, which has him drag his non-firey claw along the ground. You can dodge this by either dashing under his legs or jumping away right as the Perilous symbol appears. Just keep an eye on the demon’s claw and if he hunches to that side make sure to get out of the way.
Just keep slashing at this boss’ underbelly and bottom until you can deal the first death blow. You shouldn’t have a lot of trouble so long as you keep dashing and sticking behind this foe.
Demon of Hatred Phase Two
Not a lot changes during the second phase in the Demon of Hatred fight. You’ll still spend most of the battle underneath this beast slashing away at his groin and butt. However, the demon will obtain a new fire attack that has him creating a massive wave of fire in front of him. Just like the firey bellyflop, you can grapple onto his head and land some free hits.
The Demon of Hatred will also bash his face into the ground a few times, but you can dodge under his legs to completely avoid this attack. Your strategy won’t change, so keep slashing away and remain mindful which direction the demon is facing. As long as you keep behind him and dodge his AoE attacks, this should be another easy phase.
Demon of Hatred Phase Three
Here’s where a few things get changed up, as the Demon of Hatred will keep more of a distance during the fight. His new moves are a barrage of homing projectiles and the monster creating of a tall ring of fire around him. Once you move to phase three, keep your distance and wait for him to start launching fireballs. He will fire eight per attack, so count them as they come out.
Count the fireballs as they come out and rush towards him once the eighth is launched. He will strike a pose after the last one, allowing you to close the gap and get a few swings in. This is his most punishable attack since you can outsprint the fireballs if you run in a semicircle.
If you ever see the demon start dragging his firey hand along the ground it means he’s about to form a massive wall of fire around him. Either get in close or back off until he comes running out of the blaze. You can get off a lot of free hits if you manage to get close before he finishes this attack.
Finally, the demon will start stomping if you are slashing underneath him, so watch his legs. If one goes up, dash towards the other one to dodge this attack. You’ll need to be a bit more patient during this fight, but staying under and behind the demon is a solid tactic for the majority of the boss battle.