10 Hardest Duels In Ghost Of Tsushima

The Spirit of Yarikawa

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She’s not really a spirit, but you better believe this is one tough lady. Before the events of the game, the Yarikawa Clan rebelled against the Shimura Clan and lost. The “Spirit” uses this as motivation to carry out assassinations, including an attempt on Jin. To say she’s quick with her slices and jabs is an understatement. It would be foolish to not play this fight defensively. She’ll bob and weave before performing deadly combos, including three unblockable strikes in a row. She’s here to make sure your dodging and parrying skills are up to snuff. The optional fight is more than worth it as you’ll learn the awesome Dance of Wrath for defeating her. And then you can annoyingly perform a string of unblockable slices yourself.

It’s a despicable person who aligns themselves with the invaders, which is why taking this traitor down is so satisfying. Although, his challenging attacks and the Heavenly Strike reward are also pretty fulfilling. The fight comes early during the first Mythic Tale in the game, which means you likely won’t have much in terms of health and armor. That alone makes it a bit rough, but Koga’s bloodlust is also palpable. His impressive footwork gives him the opportunity to sidestep your attacks just to deal you one better, especially if he uses the Heavenly Strike in these moments. It’s a great fight to teach you the importance of watching and waiting before attacking.

The Tengu Demon

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As you can see, the Mythic Tales feature some of the hardest duels “Tsushima” has to offer. In search of a cursed bow used by a legendary archer, Jin squares off against a literal demon. The murder of crows perpetually surrounding the arena is a nice aesthetic touch. But they can be a bit disorienting as the Tengu Demon will often get surrounded by them and be harder to hit. Beyond the crows, the Demon likes to use wide, heavy slices, some of which are unblockable, to deal as much damage as possible with each attack. While he’s not as fast as many other duelists, these attacks will certainly make up for it.

Jin has to deal with several of Khotun Khan’s generals throughout the game, though Temuge is probably the fiercest. The generals fight with a sword and shield rather than just a katana, so the Water Stance is vital. However, Temuge will still take pleasure in bashing you with his shield, which is unblockable. Not only that, but he also lights his sword on fire. Make one mistake and Jin will be aflame in moments. This will force you to either fight through the extra damage you’re taking or roll to put it out, risking giving Temuge the upper hand. But as long as you don’t stress out and get your dodge timing just right, you’ll earn the Ghost Stance and one of the most satisfying kills in the game.

This master assassin can only be fought after first defeating five Straw Hat Ronin, each a challenge in their own right. The fight with Kojiro is one where it’s actually best to be as aggressive as possible. Not only does he deserve it, with how many people he brags about killing, but backing him into a corner is the best way to deal heavy damage. Otherwise, you’ll find that his attacks have a surprisingly long range that can catch you off guard. He’ll thrust multiple times, quickly making it across the arena. Or he’ll perform one of his unblockable, wind-up moves. His health is high and his attacks are deadly, showing how he got to be a master swordsman.

Lady Masako

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We got to see the lengths to which Lady Masako would go to avenge her slain family through her storyline. Which means when she turned her blade towards us, we wanted to do anything but go up against her. Thankfully, if you follow her quest this far, it means you’ve got substantial health, durable armor, and a handful of your own deadly tactics. But despite this and her age, Masako is incredibly fast. Her combos can close the distance between the two of you in just a moment. If you get caught in one of these combos, God help you. Because unfairly for someone so speedy, Masako’s combos can take off chunks of your health bar at a time.

The Eagle

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The Iki Island DLC brought a lot more greatness to “Ghost of Tsushima,” including one of the game’s toughest bosses. Ankhsar Khatun AKA The Eagle is the leader of a Mongolian Tribe residing on the titular island. When Jin gets to duel her, she makes for an exceptionally worthy adversary. Unlike most other enemies, The Eagle uses both a sword and a staff, making you switch between stances but also giving her a variety of attacks. The staff is the most problematic of the two due to its reach; a drawn-out, unblockable spinning attack is particularly annoying. Her entire moveset can make you lose most of your health quickly. While you may be tempted to shut her down with special attacks, it’s probably best to save your Resolve to heal.

Lord Shimura

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Unfortunately for Jin, his story ends with a fight against his beloved Uncle, who has been ordered to execute him due to Jin’s “dishonorable” methods. It’s an exceptional duel and not just because it’s fraught with emotion. There’s a reason Lord Shimura is so well-respected: he’s an excellent swordsman. Your ability to block, dodge, and parry better be on point because his surely will. He glides around the arena with gracefulness only to rapidly bring his sword down upon you. While he doesn’t necessarily have any stand-out attacks or abilities, he proves he doesn’t really need them. Additionally, this duel can be difficult on another level: we really didn’t want to fight Jin’s only remaining relative.

Lord Shimura wasn’t the only fight we felt conflicted over. Jin is also forced to fight his childhood friend Ryuzo, who becomes allies with the Mongols to protect his men. While Ryuzo certainly shows remorse for some of his actions, he doesn’t show that same remorse in your fight with him. Ryuzo is a dangerous combination of fast and unpredictable. If you play the offensive, he can easily dodge before thrusting his sword straight into you. Parrying can be tricky as his animations don’t usually let you know which attack is coming next. Add on some unblockable moves, one of which is a low sweep, and you’ve got one of the best, though most challenging, fights in the game.

The desecrator of your home and the abductor of your Uncle, Khotun Khan is one nasty dude. And if his actions didn’t make you aware of that, his fight surely will. He’s far from the quickest fighter due to his immense stature and armor. But that just means he’ll take a lot more to go down and he’ll take a lot more off of you with each attack. His polearm gives him significant range over you and gives him several unblockable combos. Even when you do get his health bar down, the fight isn’t over. After chasing him to his ship, you’ll then have to deal with some of his strongest goons in addition to him. It’s definitely a stressful process, which makes executing Khan so sweet.