Summary
It is safe to say that the boss fights inGhost of Tsushimaare some of the best a game has had in a while. They offer real difficulty that doesn’t get frustrating as you die possibly over and over again while at the same time offering extreme satisfaction when you finally watch the boss that has been giving you trouble fall before the might of Jin’s sword.
Very few boss fights are more satisfying than a one-vs-one dual to the death like this. Expect some hard boss fights ahead as we go through the list of which ones will most likely give you trouble during your fight to take back your homeland.
Updated August 04, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Boss fights in Ghost of Tsushima are true tests of skill, pitting Jin against powerful enemies who perform lightning-quick attacks that require even faster reflexes to counter. On top of that, players are barred from using any underhanded tactics, like smoke bombs, kunai, or even archery, to cheese these fights. It’s just Jin and his katana against all the skill the enemy has to muster. Winning these duels feels rewarding because there are no shortcuts and every win feels earned. That said, not all duels are created equal, and some bosses are naturally stronger than others.
14Kaede
If you follow the side missions, you will most likely come across Kaede. For many players, she was the first boss fight that they came across, and the first boss that taught them what difficulty is. She appears during the Legend of Tadayori mythic tale and mistakes Jin for a thief who stole asamurai’s bladeand who wishes to steal the armor of Tadayori. This boss is anything but easy for most players who encountered her first. She isn’t the hardest boss to take down, thankfully, but she puts up one heck of a fight.
13Tengu Demon
The Tengu Demon is an amazing boss fight that proves to be quite difficult for the beginning of the game. By this point, you have gotten some technique points and are well on your way to becoming a great swordsman, but you may still feel the need to collect the legendarycursed bowof Uchitsune. During the entire boss fight, there are birds that surround the arena that can prove to be a bit of a distraction. The Tengu Demon uses various slashes and jabs just like many other swordsmen but also has some added unblockable attacks that can get a little annoying at times.
12Hirotsune
Of the five straw hats players need to defeat in order to unlock the final duel during the Six Blades of Kojiro Mythic Tale, Hirotsune is perhaps the trickiest opponent to face. Encountered in a field of red spider lilies in the middle of Umugi Prefecture, this warrior has a unique set of skills that make him especially hard to face.
His attacks are not particularly faster or more challenging to parry than other duels, but it’s the way he chains them together that makes it difficult to judge where the opportunity for a counter-attack lies. Stagger builds revolving around theGosaku armorhave the easiest time dealing with this boss as it allows the player to brute-force their way to victory.
11Ryuzo
After Ryuzo and the Straw Hats' betrayal, Jin fights this one-time friend twice throughout the story, once during ‘Shadow of the Past’ and the second time at the end of ‘From the Darkness.’ While Ryuzo is no pushover during the first encounter, he only gets stronger and more difficult to deal with during the second duel.
During the battle, Ryuzo makes liberal use of non-parryable attacks, kicks, and shoves in a relentless assault to keep players on the back foot. Defeating him requires learning his attack pattern and making use of crucial openings when they present themselves.
10Kojiro
Kojiro is the final boss in theSix Blades of Kojiro Mythic Tale, which becomes available during Act 2 of the game. To earn the right to face off against Kojiro, Jin will first have to win five duels against his lieutenants spread out across the Toyotama region, which are difficult fights in their own right.
Kojiro’s attack pattern is the combination of the five preceding duels, forcing players to stay on their toes during the entire fight, fingers ready to dodge and attack at a moment’s notice. It’s a rewarding duel in more ways than one and one of the best-designed fights in the game.
9Spirit Of Yarikawa
Be brave enough to search for the spirit of Yarikawa who is killing people across the land in act two and you will be met with a great boss battle in the Garden of the Gods once you discover that someone has asked the spirit to kill you. We all know that thisisn’t a spirit,but the boss certainly dresses like one with a long flowing white garb and headdress that will eventually get stained with blood. This boss periodically uses wild slashing attacks that can be hard to dodge and parry at first. As an added bonus, when you finally defeat this “spirit,” you will gain the ability to use Dance of the Wraith.
8Owan, The Exiled Monk
Theduel against Owan is part of the Hidden Cove Tournament, a side event in the Iki Island DLC. Despite technically not being a boss fight, the duel against Owan is conceptually impossible to win unless players figure out the trick behind his combat style. The difficulty lies in the fact that the most common methods of dueling inGhost of Tsushima, parrying and dodging, are both functionally useless against Owan; he will dodge every time.
The trick is to either use the Sarugami Armor’s dodge follow-up, which will allow Jin to perform an AoE attack that hits Owan no matter what, or use heavy attacks while in the Moon Stance to break his guard. Regular parries, perfect parries, and perfect dodges will always whiff when used against Owan. He is a master at the side-step; it’s hard-coded into his moveset.
7Sao
The fight with Sao isn’t actually a boss fight, but instead one of the duels that players can participate in to win prizes. Sao even becomes a merchant after the fight. These fights aren’t unlocked until after doing a mission for Fune’s Refuge. These fights aren’t like normal fights. Instead of being a fight to the death, players aim to get more hits than their opponent.
The first person in the match to score five hits on their opponent is the winner. Sao takes this seriously and uses a combo that is difficult to dodge and players caught in it will get stunned. Sao can then automatically score a point without even trying. The key to this fight is for a player to be light on their feet and dodge roll whenever Sao gets close.
6General Temuge
This boss is one of the few that likes to shake things up and use a sword & shield combination in place of the standard sword that many other bosses default to. You challenge General Temuge during the main questline inGhost of Tsushimawhen defending the Yarikawa Stronghold. He loves to hide behind his shield, making it annoying to stagger him. Luckily, by this point in the game, you should have the water style which will help you little that stagger bar down. He has the added annoyance of applying fire to his weapon and making you roll to put yourself out or risk more damage to your health.
5General Bartu
Here we have another Mongol general who holds a piece of Mongol armor. While he doesn’t attack in the same way as Temuge by lighting his weapon on fire, he is a challenge to take down. He throws in some heavy kicks when you get close and uses the occasional shield bash to throw your guard off. He uses his blade more than other generals and can get in some solid hits that will damage Jin pretty heavily.
