Guide: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - How to Kill Isshin Ashina

How do you kill Isshin Ashina in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice? If you choose to stick to the Iron Code near the end of the game, you'll be taken down a path that sees you fighting Emma, the Gentle Blade, and then Lord Isshin Ashina himself. If you're struggling to defeat him atop Ashina Castle, read on to find some tips and advice.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - How to beat Isshin Ashina

While there are plenty of Prosthetic Tools you could take into this fight, we'd suggest the Loaded Axe, as there will be a few opportunities to use it for some heavy damage. You'll probably want to bring along some Dousing Powder to combat Burn damage, too -- Isshin uses some fire attacks in his second phase.

One easy way of getting in some hits is after his vertical slice attack. Dodge to the side and there will be a decent window in which you can whale on him. He has a lot of attacks that are clearly telegraphed. He can do crazy amounts of damage, but keep your distance and deflect what you can, and you should be able to gradually bring his health down.

In his second phase, he'll call up torrents of fire from the spots on the ground that are ablaze. There's a couple of seconds in which he charges up this attack, so use this to find a safe spot to stand. You can try interrupting the attack with shuriken, or simply wait it out, although he may follow up with a devastating double slash, so be careful. Another fire-based move sees Isshin Ashina send out a blast of flames across the floor in a straight line -- you'll need to quickly dodge and jump out of the way. Heal any Burn damage with Dousing Powder and stay nimble to win this difficult battle.

Once Isshin Ashina is down, you'll receive the Isshin Ashina Memory, the One Mind combat art, and 10,000 XP.