How to Beat Genichiro Ashina in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Having fun with the epic boss fights in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice? It’s arguably our favorite part of the game! And when it comes to boss fights, few have the impact that the battle with Genichiro Ashina has. Want a hand in completing this battle? Nerds and Scoundrels has a guide for you! Keep reading for our Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Genichiro Ashina Guide!

Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Genichiro Ashina Guide

The battle with Genichiro Ashina is part of the main story, so there is no way to miss this battle. To engage, grapple into the castle via the window. Next, climb through the interior of the castle until you reach the top. This can be a tough fight, so you’ll need to be prepared. Here are the items and skill we suggest you have:

• Seven Gourd Flasks.
• At least two power level.
• Monkey Axe Prosthetic.
• Mikiri Counter and Deflect Projectiles.

The Battle – Phase One

The boss fight will open with Genichiro firing one arrow at you. Sprint in either direction to avoid the arrow. Immediately after, Genichiro will unleash a chain of four or five melee attacks. You will want to parry them all, as it is tough to win this fight without keep his posture damage high. Without high posture damage, you will fade quickly from doing very little damage with each strike.

One of the dangerous parts of this phase is Genichiro’s jump ability. He also likes to make a downward slash, the queue up a big thrust. You can avoid this thrust, or if you’re feeling cheeky you can attempt the Mikiri Counter. This can be hard to land but worth the risk.

One thing to watch for is sliding sideways, then pausing. This is the sign that he is about to unleash a powerful attack, but these attacks can be parried. Once you time these parries right, you will keep his posture damage very high. From here, keep hitting him when you can until a deathblow is available.

Like with other fights (including Great Shinobi) one of the best tactics is backing him against a wall. When in a small space, Genichiro often doesn’t have room to use his big attacks.

Phase Two

After to deathblows, you will get a cut scene. Genichiro will drop his armor and become imbued with the power of the Lightning of Tomoe.

It is critical to avoid his first strike after the cute scene. The flying thrust will take about half of your health, but it can be avoided by sprinting in any direction or step-dodging at the right time.

From here, continue the fight as you have been. However, he does have a new ability called Lightning Arrow. You can deflect the arrows or sprint out of the way when you see him fire. Do not try to step-dodge, as the AOE damage will hit you even if you time it right!

Ashina has no armor at this point, so you can really pour on the damage. Since he has some unique attacks, your best bet is an aggressive approach. Kill him as fast as possible so he doesn’t have time to take you down!

Get the Defeat Genichiro Ashina Achievement

One of the achievements available in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice relates directly with this battle. To get the Genichiro Ashina achievement, you only need to defeat Genichiro Ashina in battle. Follow this guide and you will pick up this achievement!

Nerds and Scoundrels

And that concludes our Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Genichiro Ashina Guide. Any questions? If so, let us know in the comment section below. And don’t forget to check out the rest of our Sekiro content here at Nerds and Scoundrels. Want to see the full fight? Check out the video below.