Ranking the Bosses of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice!

✦ All 25 Sekiro Mini-Bosses Ranked: • Ranking the Mini-Bosse...
With such a unique combat system, it's clear that FromSoftware needed to put a lot of love and care into Sekiro's bosses to make them stand out - Giving them diverse and intense movesets that require the player to learn their rhythms to counter.
While also baking in weaknesses to the various Shinobi Tools you can find throughout the game - Almost every boss has a way to sidestep their difficulty for newer players, while providing a serious challenge to those willing to take the plunge.
But which bosses are the best? Let's find out!
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Outro: 39:55
#soulsborne #darksouls3 #darksouls #eldenring #sekiro

[@destinsather9757]

Owl Father was by far the best fight in my opinion… probably took me 100 tries … the sense of accomplishment I got with it was better than any other souls Boss … I had more trouble with him than any other Boss

[@20puskinas1992]

Mortal draw and its ez. Isshin 3 versions, Inner Genichiro are much harder.

[@jaswanthvardireddy2243]

By far is a reach. Isshin is on the same level as him

[@LourdessApekatt]

Imagine not first trying him XD

[@crysisthegod4363]

Owl great shinobi took me forever but owl father took me 2 tries

[@Subs.533]

@@20puskinas1992isshin took me 4 tries and father owl took me prolly bout 50

[@SJ-di5zu]

Emma is also technically considered her own boss in the Sekiro gauntlets. You get to heal after her before moving onto the next boss in the gauntlet (which admittedly is always Isshin Ashina though).

[@garrett9233]

I agree that while mechanically the Owl Father fight is better and more challenging, I’ve always preferred the Ashina Castle version instead for all the reasons you mentioned. The tricky moveset turning all your tools against you, the dialogue during the battle, the cutscene leading up to it and the feeling that Wolf is growing into his own person really elevate it above the Father version in my opinion.

[@TheDanimal91]

"the code must be determined by the individual" this is my favorite line of dialogue from the game. I love the owl father fight. It's the hardest fight for me even beating the game 3 times it's always tough.

[@snowset675]

Dude I thought I was the only one who had the observation about Emma’s way of combat being related to her skills as a doctor! Glad I’m not the only one. Something I also noticed, related to her being a doctor is with her thrust attack. Most bosses and enemies when performing thrust attacks, retract and then thrust, without really thinking. Emma on the other hand, angles her blade, like she’s going for a precise shot. Just as a surgeon needs to be precise when making incisions.

[@BillySYT]

Mhm. She reminds me of a character from One Piece, whose attack style is all about surgical precision, and also being a sword wielder. It just fits Emma's nature, and it's cool seeing how they translated her profession into her boss fight so seamelessly.

[@snowset675]

@@BillySYT For sure! I still need to watch One Piece but it’s such a daunting task

[@lisagaughan7154]

15 ( since we're counting Emma and Isshin as different bosses ): Headless Ape Duo-D tier 14: False Corrupted Monk-C tier 13: Folding Screen Monkeys-B tier 12: Emma, the Gentle Blade-B tier 11: Gyoubo Masataka Oniwa-B tier 10: Lady Butterfly- B tier 9: Shura Isshin-A tier 8: True Corrupted Monk- A tier 7: Guardian Ape-A tier 6: Divine Dragon-A tier 5: Great Shinobi Owl-A tier 4: Demon of Hatred-A tier 3: Genichiro Ashina-S tier 2: Father Owl-S tier 1: Isshin the Sword Saint-S tier ( my favourite fight in the series)

[@Blandy8521]

Fun fact about the duo ape fight! If you go to where the arena is before killing guardian ape you can skip the duo version. I accidentally did this on my first playthrough and was unpleasantly surprised when I went there in ng+ Edit: It seems you had the same experience I did by accidentally skipping the duo!

[@TheTwigofNewberry]

I found that out in NG+ because I wanted to get the Mibu breathing technique before I bothered with the ape

[@SJ-di5zu]

Yup when I did the plat on my last couple playthroughs I purposely did Ashina Depths early just to avoid the boss. I don’t even find the Duo hard, just not a fun fight. First run it probably took me 5-6 tries total, and on the last couple I was just running around waiting for an opening. Unfortunately that means the fight takes a good 5 minutes each attempt, which is why I was tired of it

[@philippaction9143]

Ehm huh? I dont quite understand what you mean. i went to the arena first and there was just nothing and after the Guardian Ape at the end of Sunken Valley he will appear in that arena. Isnt that right? So of course you dont "skip" them, they are just not there yet if you havent beaten the first Monke.

[@Blandy8521]

@philippaction9143 If you go to the duo arena first they won't spawn & you're still able to grab the key item for one of the endings allowing you to skip the fight

[@R3ign0fRyan]

I definitely recommend doing the inner fights when you have the time. They are very similar to the original fights, you're right, but they're just better in every way. Inner Genichiro is probably my favorite fight in the game.

[@TheMcChunky420]

The guardian ape, almost reminds me of the bloodletting beast from bloodborne, with it having a headless version with a centipede sticking out of the head.

[@clunkye8053]

The guardian ape's grab can be jumped over. It makes the fight way easier.

[@hohepriestersulyvahn1749]

The Sword Saint definitely is my favourite boss in Sekiro, too. With Genichrio I had many problems during my first playthrough(s). His bow is really annoying, thus I would prefer the Owl.

[@faustusdrake]

Great vid! I'm quite partial to beast/monster fights myself, so the likes of Guardian Ape and Demon of Hatred rank much higher for me. Deff share Monkeys in last tho 💀

[@Dark_kittens123]

Demon of hatred is the best because he does the “MR BEAST” meme expression

[@BillySYT]

I'm so blessed that I haven't watched or gotten into Mr Beast

[@thegreatpiginthesky3904]

This is my favorite souls game by a landslide. Pretty good list

[@Pasku_Epimeteo]

Great ranking video ^^ aaa

[@ZankokunaKami]

What’s crazy is if you watch closely you can see that he doesn’t imbue his weapon with lightning. Hes such a badass that he jumps in the air and catches out of the damn sky.

[@Yamilxth]

I finally got to owl father on my 5th play through, was so excited to fight him and he didn't disappoint! took me 5-8 attempts and now he's my fav boss :>

[@Timebomb_19]

Billy you’re meant to JUMP over the owl.

[@sebastianirala7714]

Have you tried the double debuff ng run? It refreshes Sekiro a lot for a veteran imo

[@snowset675]

I think the idea that Owl (Father) uses thrust attacks while Great Shinobi Owl doesn’t implies that he learned from their first encounter, and I think that’s really cool. Thematically, I also love how they build up the former. In the story, after defeating Lady Butterfly, Wolf is mysteriously impaled. There is no voice line that accompanies it, there is no indication, just the bloody blade. Learning it was Owl all along really cemented him as the true main villain of Sekiro for me. The track that plays during the second visit of Hirata is literally called “Conspiracy”, which gives it that mysterious and ominous vibe. Great Shinobi on the other hand, has more personality, sure, but narratively and gameplay-wise, I far prefer Owl (Father). The only critiques I have of Owl (Father) are that the way to unlocking him is far too cryptic and that the ending that fighting him is tied to isn’t the best, so there isn’t a lot of motivation for me to fight him every playthrough.

[@phonyalias7574]

Owl doesn't remember the Hirata encounter with Wolf because the timeline played out different. Wolf beat Lady Butterfly, and was then stabbed in the back and left to burn to death by Owl. It was meant to be a killing blow, but Wolf was saved by Kuro using his dragon blood powers. The real reason is that Father is younger, and at his age (he's older than Isshin but it's not known by how much) he's simply slowed down too much to use that attack. This is also why he relies a lot more on tricks and tools as Great Shinobi, he's compensating for his age. It's similar to why Sword Saint Isshin and Isshin Ashina have different move sets, one is the guy in his prime while the other is the guy at an advanced age in poor health. It's strange that 3 years is such a drastic difference in strength and speed, but that's why.

[@snowset675]

@@phonyalias7574 interesting! Thanks for the insight.

[@qing7902]

i actually really like the corrupted monk because of how it interacts with the health system. you start the fight unable to break her posture because it regenerates so quickly so you have to focus on dealing health damage until you can degrade her posture regeneration enough to then switch do doing posture damage. It’s like what Genichiro and Lady Butterfly have in a microcosm except drawn out to the max, it’s really interesting to me, and i enjoy fighting her

[@Bookshelf.-]

Love your content!! But I will say to the inner fights that they can def get a leg up to certain fights, like how I think genichiro is easier than guardian ape but inner genichiro is harder than guardian ape. I’m 6 months late but try out those fights if you haven’t already

[@drockhansen365]

for owl father you have to jump over the flaming owl then mikiri the thrust.

[@sanijahic1877]

I know I’m late, but still good ranking

[@seanoconnor5473]

I spit my coffee out laughing when I heard “the gay divorce we’ve all wanted” in the Genichiro part. Perfection. Solid list. I don’t really disagree with any of the placements. Owl Father is my 2nd favorite but I respect the reasoning for putting the Great Shinobi Owl fight over him. He’s so dirty and underhanded, which is perfect for him. He’s much more honorable in the Owl Father fight…at least fight wise. Demon of Hatred is a fight that no matter how many times I beat him, I never feel like I have a full grasp on the fight. I always think I get lucky for the first two phases and then pop a Yashariko Sugar and then the Malcontent so I can end it right then and there.

[@akechijubeimitsuhide]

Isshin feels like a real Sengoku warlord. Loves his gun, loves his spear, kicks arse. If we put up Isshin against Shimura, he'd obliterate him and his Honour(TM).

[@dreamcaster8866]

I'm so happy to finally find somebody who agrees that Great Shinobi Owl is better than Owl Father. It's just so much more unique and feels like fighting a shinobi!

[@kingofcapy3291]

I like great shinobi owl he does exactly what wolf does and you can see where wolf learnt how to use the prosthetic as a shinobi

[@EldenQueenMemes]

The Sword Saint would me my favorite if I wasn’t damn in love with Genichiro 😩 for me is a tie ✨ you’re are so true about how people miss some of the best things of the franchise by keeping Sekiro out because Isshin is probably the best fight From ever made and no one will change my mind 💁🏻‍♀️

[@gametimenoah5902]

So I did some looking up on images Manus, Laurence, Demon of Hatred. They all are extremely hard, but optional bosses, who are both large, and has a bigger left arm

[@BillySYT]

FromSoft really loves that aesthetic. Expect one on the DLC for ER

[@doona5082]

1. Inner isshin 2. Inner owl 3. Owl (father) 4. Isshin (shura ending) 5. Isshin the sword saint (lighting heavily nerfs him and I first try him most my play throughs now) 6. Inner genichiro 7. Genichiro 8. Demon of hatred 9. Emma 10. True monk 11. Divine dragon 12. Guardian ape 13. Gyobu 14. Lady butterfly 15 ape duo 16. Folding screen

[@chrislevack405]

Hahaha... Wolf and Genichiro as a gay couple fighting over Kuro is magnifique

[@TheSoulNinja26]

Definitely a hot take but my favourite overall (in terms of fun) might just be Headless Ape and Bride? I basically managed to master the original fight by the time I beat it, so it only took a few attempts to do the rematch I definitely think it was a bad choice to have it so soon after the original fight but it had the effect of making me feel cool for beating it straight away lol

[@_AlbertWesker_]

I mean I beat him first try on my 1st and 2nd playthrough and I enjoyed that fight pretty much, but best boss? Not even close, there are just so much better bosses, Isshin, Owl father, Genichiro, true corrupted monk, Isshin from Shura ending, Emma and original guardian ape is also better, cuz he has 2 different phases, and fighting 2 bosses at once is always never good in a souls game

[@Jagzin909]

Owl Father is the hardest and most satisfying boss in the game for me. I was convinced I would never beat him on my first play through and the feeling of intense euphoria I got upon defeating him still ranks all time among souls borne bosses.

[@TheTwigofNewberry]

the true corrupted monk actually has kind of a neat second phase but saying that I also just tend to skip it. It's basically just phase 1 again but sometimes she summons shadow clones to attack you, but just grappling between the trees will fast will avoid them until she stops

[@user-ov7zo3pj1n]

my top 3 has to be isshin, owl and then demon of hatred. literally three of the best bosses i've ever fought in any game ever. i think sekiro has the best boss linuep in the series in general as it's by far the consistent imo. in fact isshin is my favorite boss in gaming history period, not even dmc 5s vergil could top him for me the only boss i dislike in this game is the headless ape duo. it just sucks man idk what they were thinking. lady butterfly is also a boss i really don't love as i find her second phase kind of annoying. the illusions are just kind of a needless time waster and the phantom kunai she constantly spams at you are also really fucking annoying. also i know you can use shuriken to hit her out of the air but she still just jumps away cooonstantly i hate that

[@christophertheofilos1063]

If you get the right order of approach you can take out the monkeys in under a minute

[@fartchannelremoved8305]

music rankings when?

[@BillySYT]

I could do some soundtrack rankings when I get home from vacation, yeah

[@JDoggPokepixels]

Finally someone who agrees great shinobi owl is better than owl father they are both great but the tricky nature of great shinobi owl easily makes him my preferred he is dishonorable I hear people calling it bs or unfair but I think in a way its poetic considering you have been using them the entire game who are you to say he cant use them he fights similarly to wolf as his adopted father and overall I think its so cool narratively but is also awesome from a gameplay perspective its sloppier than sekiro and for that I think it is great nut obviously genichiro and isshin are the top

[@aurick341]

I don’t think that the false corrupted monk is better than the true one but he is harder for a lot of people because of how tanky his vitality and posture are. His single phase feels like 3 compared to the true monk IMO

[@finn6647]

its kinda messed up that they make u kill monkeys. who would want to kill a monkey.

[@LourdessApekatt]

Now that I have finally watched the entire video, I shall give my completely biased ranking(feel free to have an opinion on it!) with the best at the bottom: - *Duel Apes* (Took me 2 tries first time and I would just like to say *NO JUST NO*) - *Demon of Hatred* (A fight that quickly becomes dragged out, he jumps around so much and sometimes covers sekiro so I don't know what I'm doing. Not fun, can't recommend) - *Folding Screen Monkeys* (It's not a boss it's a chase but it goes higher than demon cause it takes less time to complete if you know what to do...and I never do...) - *False Corrupted Monk* (Harder than True Monk no joke) - *Lady Butterfly* (Don't know what to say, she's an okay boss. There are worse and there are much better :/ ) - *Guardian Ape* (He's a beast, so it automatically becomes a bit difficult. It's the boss with second highest kill count on me, that being 20.) - *Divine Dragon* (Best gimick fight ever) - *Emma, the Gentle Blade* (A souls waifu that fights you? Say no more, S tier. I, however, feel like they could have done so much more, she deserved a much better fight. Theme however, 10/10) - *True Monk* (First boss I beat first try and have continued to do so. Definitely a good 3 healthbar boss fight) - *Isshin Ashina* (He's an old man and he was a lot harder than kensei was...HOW!?!? Though I kinda like it being that because you chose the bad ending, now you shall suffer for thy actions) - *Great Shinobi* (Try fighting him without resurrection unlocked, while having a yasha active, while being poisoned, while not being able to heal. He took so many more tries than father ever did. Also, love his spanish voice, cause he straight up calls you an idiot XD) - *Genichiro Ashina* (The femboy himself...Good boss but brining lightning was foolish of him) - *MY NAME IS GYOUBU MASATAKA ONIWA!!!* (He is top 3 because he does what he is supposed to do. This boss's purpose is: "This is sekiro, now you better learn to parry". Plus, he funny) - *Sword Saint himself* (Not my favourite boss, but he is the perfect final boss. He utilizes almost every mechanic the game has thrown at you. Plus, he brings lightning which automatically makes him easier than Isshin Ashina) - *Owl (Father)* (Everything....everything. No bs, pure action, free mikiri and a bloodboiling theme! I first tried him(with demon bell) and ever since I have kept loving this fight) Geez....that was more than I expected

[@archie3547]

I could accept putting Shinobi Owl over father Owl, but at number 3 is crazy to me. I think it’s one of the most frustrating and “cheap” fights in the game. I like the persona that comes with this, but I don’t like how it actually plays. The poison, the anti heal, lowering his posture, and the general lack of fun sword combos really puts him down. I see him as an Ocearos of this game, where I liked the character and presentation, but the actual fight is frustrating and clunky, feeling cheap. All the other choices I honestly agree with ngl. I’d just put Owl regular to like number 9 or 10.

[@BillySYT]

See, I never found Owl cheap. And I love that his mechanics directly tie into his position as a dastardly Shinobi. He's willing to do whatever it takes to win, yet his wind ups are well telegraphed once you know what to look for. I dunno, he clicked with me.

[@Paradox2266]

You did kill the dragon it says so in the item description

[@BillySYT]

Everything I've read of the lore implies that the Divine Dragon isn't killed. In fact, the most hidden ending in the game involves taking the Divine Dragon back west. We defeat it, sure, but I don't think it dies.

[@Paradox2266]

@@BillySYT really I was wrong this whole time haha I 100% the game and didnt notice lol

[@Fmakegeo6]

Sekiro still combat Goat

[@Dominus564]

This may be controversial, but I had a worse time with the guardian ape than the Headless ape and his bride.

[@BillySYT]

Guardian Ape is the harder fight, 100%. Having to learn two whole movesets. The Bride admittedly is easy with prep, but I still would rank it bottom for just being a lazy rematch.

[@Natethegreat87-pi1ds]

1. Inner genichiro 2. Inner father 3. Inner ishin I’m pretty sure that’s a controversial take already but oh well 😂 4. Ishin the sword saint 5. Owl father 6. Genichiro 7. Guardian ape 8. True monk 9. Shura ishin 10. Emma 11. Gyobu 12. Lady butterfly 13. Divine dragon 14. Folding screen monkeys 15. Demon of hatred 16. Ape duo

[@Natethegreat87-pi1ds]

I forgot corrupted monk but if I had to put it somewhere I guess I would put it above gyobu and below Emma. I also forgot great shinobi owl which I’ll put above true monk and below guardian ape

[@fartchannelremoved8305]

billy, oh dear, what is this gameplay

[@BillySYT]

Hey, I beat all the bosses, don't judge me ;w;

[@highlightermarca-texto3281]

Ape duo is one of the best duo bosses in soulsborne. The two apes aren't actually attacking independently, the brown Ape's AI is just set to combo extend the white ape. If you play it with that in mind you'll just be fighting the white ape with an expanded moveset.

[@BillySYT]

I still disagree on the basis of originality, but hey, love that for the AI

[@itzmahadi1169]

bro might be gay but straight with answer

[@oussamadadoua]

People leave Sekiro out of the "souls games" discussion cuz they cannot farm and over level bosses and areas .

[@BillySYT]

I don't disagree, but I do get why people would say it's not a Soulsborne title. I include it anyway because most of the community just instinctually knows to expect it in these ranking videos.

[@oussamadadoua]

@@BillySYT you are the most honest youtube content creator , im gonna subscribe right now .

[@shidanslair]

I really don't understand how Great Shinobi Owl could be even in the top 10. The fight is not well designed and it just isn't fun. Also, I hate how Sekiro reuses the same area over and over.

[@jonmann4980]

Stop saying Sekiro like a weeb, you’re obviously british

[@BillySYT]

Not me pronouncing Japanese words & names in the way they sound to most Japanese people :O

[@epoh_7979]

bros gay

[@BillySYT]

Extremely, yes.