Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a departure from FromSoftware's usual fare in myriad ways, trading customizable builds for skill trees, avatars for a defined protagonist (Wolf, nicknamed "Sekiro," which means one-armed wolf), and stamina for posture. Sekiro's selling point, however, is the real game changer: the chance to resurrect upon death, giving you a second shot at any fight.
Nonetheless, FromSoftware's imprint is still tangible: punishing gameplay, environmental storytelling, and of course, boss battles for the ages. (It can be difficult to distinguish bosses from mini-bosses in Sekiro, but the main distinction is whether or not a Finisher Deathblow is needed to seal the deal.) Besting this game's big bads is a matter of well-timed deflections, smart movement options, and keeping tabs on your posture bar. Let's take a look at Sekiro's crème de la crème: the top five.
Spoilers ahead!
5. Genichiro Ashina / Genichiro, Way of Tomoe
The first time Wolf does battle with Lord Genichiro Ashina, he has to lose. Even if you manage to land both deathblows, a cutscene plays in which Wolf deflects an incoming shuriken, giving Genichiro time enough to slice off his sword arm and kidnap the Divine Heir, Kuro, whom Wolf was sworn to protect. The prosthetic he gains in place of his lost limb proves extremely effective—the perfect tool for enacting revenge and saving Kuro.
The two warriors meet again at the top of Ashina Castle, Genichiro attacking with both katana and bow as he did the first time. Just when Wolf has him on the ropes, however, Genichiro sheds his armor and adopts the Lightning of Tomoe, the shocking energy flashing down from the sky and coating his blade. The only thing holding this fight back from true greatness is that Sekiro steps in in the middle of the duel, basically telling you how to defeat Genichiro rather than respecting your intelligence as a player. Still, it's pretty awesome using Genichiro's own lightning against him. The plot thickens when he rises from death just as Wolf can, escaping with the promise that this isn't over...
4. Lady Butterfly
FromSoftware veterans will know this offhand, but don't let Lady Butterfly's advanced age fool you: She's got plenty of fight left in her. She also implies that she has some sort of history with Wolf, though the battle occurs so early in the game you're not quite sure what that could mean. Wolf isn't there to chitchat, though; early on though it may be, it's not hard to tell he's no small talker.
And so the battle begins. Lady Butterfly is an ace with her kunai, dancing across the burning arena like a woman a third of her age. She can also dance above it, jumping up and forming thin wires to balance on while she readies her next attack. A well-timed shuriken can knock her from her perch, but she's not going to wait.
Upon defeating her, her body dissolves, yet her voice can still be heard. It was an illusion! The real Lady Butterfly then leaps down, introducing two new elements to the fight: damaging swarms of magical butterflies and phantom warriors who fill the room. Snap seeds can dispel the illusions, but even with them, it's a hell of a duel.
3. Great Shinobi Owl / Owl (Father)
Owl, the shinobi who took a young, orphaned Wolf in and trained him, offers his foster son the chance to join him. He believes Wolf has taken the wrong path, betrayed the Shinobi Code, and betrayed him. Should you accept, Wolf must face two other bosses (who don't appear on this list); should you decline... well, it doesn't take a genius to guess what happens. Daddy issues, you know?
As the man who taught Wolf everything he knows, you'll see some familiar techniques come into play in this fight, from shuriken throws to explosive gunpowder. Die to him, and he'll recite a portion of the Code each time Wolf resurrects. Eventually, though, Owl must be put down. "That's... my boy..." he says as he falls, genuinely proud of Wolf.
Facing Owl again requires several steps, but it's well worth the effort, as you fight him in his prime. He has new moves galore, and in his second phase makes good on his namesake, summoning a mystical owl to aid him. The bird allows its master to teleport, out of which Owl can immediately attack; it can also become a flaming projectile, blazing forth like a high-speed fireball. Not everything got passed down to Wolf, it seems.
2. Guardian Ape
Sekiro is rife with masters of various weapons, from katanas to spears to flint cannons. Every once in a while, though, Sekiro throws a wrench into things, pitting Wolf against enemies that forego traditional weaponry for brute force. The Guardian Ape is the best example of this by a long shot (though in its case, a monkey wrench might be more appropriate.)
Running amok, slamming the ground, tossing Wolf around like a ragdoll, the Guardian Ape makes it suddenly seem as if you're playing a different game. It's not above farting and flinging poop at Wolf, either, both of which rapidly fill up the poison meter. For the Finisher Deathblow, Wolf leaps up to the enormous sword stuck in the ape's back, pulls, severs its head...
... and then it wakes up, grabs the sword and its head, and keeps fighting. Of course it does. This is FromSoftware we're talking about.
Between the creature's lanky arms and the size of the sword, the Guardian Ape's range becomes longer than ever. Wolf is strong enough to deflect steel with steel, but if the ape lifts its decapitated head to its neck... run. Just run.
1. Isshin, the Sword Saint
The final time Genichiro appears—standing in the same field where he first encountered Wolf long ago—he has a Mortal Blade (which can sever immortality's ties) just as Wolf does. The fight goes much the same as the duel atop Ashina Castle, but the new weapon zests things up a bit. Nonetheless, Wolf proves victorious, and Genichiro sacrifices himself with the Mortal Blade to summon his grandfather, Isshin, to finish the job. The Sword Saint has arrived, and he's dead set on ensuring his grandson's death was not in vain.
The Sword Saint is as imposing as the title would imply; his swordsmanship is nonpareil, his speed overwhelming. It's not until the second phase, though, that things really kick into gear. Reaching into the ground, Isshin pulls out an inconceivably long spear—and he's just as proficient with it as he is with a sword. As if that's not enough, he'll sometimes whip out a gun, emptying the clip in a matter of moments.
A storm brews for all of phase two, and during phase three, Isshin siphons nature's power for himself. After facing Genichiro, however, you should be an old pro at redirecting lightning—but Isshin's not to be underestimated. His damage output is off the charts, and getting used to all his new moves from phase to phase takes understanding and a keen eye.
Unlike previous encounters, the Finisher Deathblow doesn't end things. Instead, the Sword Saint falls to his knees, out of gas. Another deathblow marker appears, and Isshin will wait for Wolf to make good on it for as long as he has to. This is the final strike, which Wolf lands with the Mortal Blade, severing the line of immortality once and for all.