Sucker Punch's Ghost Of Tsushima is a beautiful game. It features an expansive open world, unbelievable art, multiple weapons, and some of the best blade-to-blade combat in all gaming. The game puts this combat to great use in a handful of epic, intricate, and awesome one-on-one duels that are both exhilarating and difficult.
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So let's look at the different duels in the game, and decide which ones took the most brow sweat to conquer. These duels didn't make this list because they offer the best trophies or charms. They made the list because these are among the hardest fights in Ghost of Tsushima.
Updated on May 24, 2024, by Michael Llewellyn: Now that Ghost of Tsushima has launched on the PC, more players can experience this wonderful open-world samurai game. The combat is terrific with various techniques and weapons flowing from one move to the next so Jin can take down his enemies stylishly and brutally. However, the duels capture that cinematic stand-off between two evenly matched warriors making Ghost of Tsushima stand out among the rest in the genre. This list is updated to include more dangerous fighters Jin can face in the game.
12 The Crimson Fisherman
The Final Bokken Tournament Duelist
The Crimson Fisherman is the final duelist Jin must face Sao The Crimson Fisherman at the Bokken Tournament. The tournament becomes available in Fune's Village after completing the Jin From Yarikawa story mission. The Bokken Tournament is a series of points-based non-lethal battles with the final match against Sao.
The Crimson Fisherman often spins with a red unblockable attack followed by a blue attack. Dodge the red attack and parry the blue attack to score a point. Jin can score a point by dodging the red and blue attacks twice and landing an attack as Sao pulls back. It's a tricky battle but with timing, Sao can be defeated fairly quickly.
11 General Dogshin
A Powerhouse With High HP
Players face General Dogshin in a side quest in Act 3, as they are hunting down pieces of Mongolian armor made for Khotun Khan himself. After clearing a base full of heavily armored enemies, dodging tons of archers, and dismantling an array of fiery siege weapons, Jin is rewarded with a one-on-one fight with this bronze behemoth.
General Dogshin is by far the easiest fight on this list, but he is anything but a cakewalk. His health bar goes for miles, and players must remember to stay in moon stance if they want their attacks to do any damage. But, with patience, determination, and a handful of tries, they will eventually get his gauntlets. Probably.
10 Ryuzo
The Leader Of The Strawhat Ronin With Strong Combos
As Jin's childhood best friend, the leader of the Straw Hat Ronin mercenary group, a skilled swordsman, and an eventual traitor to the Japanese Shogunate, Ryuzo is a very complicated character. He is also the foe in not one, but two exhilarating duels. After fighting alongside him for several missions, players must face off against him in Act 1, then again for good measure at the end of Act 2.
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And while he isn't the hardest fight on Tsushima, he is a difficult boss for players without all the gear that comes in the late-game. He is aggressive and quick, and like everyone else on this list, his attacks do oodles of damage. And it's extra hard killing a friend.
9 Black Hand Riku
A Dangerous Fighter With Multiple Unblockable Attacks
Black Hand Riku is a swordsman found on the Iki Island expansion. Black Hand Riku is a pirate that can be fought in a duel by completing the Mythic Tale, The Legend of Black Hand Riku in Ghost of Tsushima. The side quest is triggered by listening to Kashira’s Tale in Fune’s Refuge. The duel becomes available by following the quest until Jin discovers Black Hand Riku in the Mysterious Cave.
Riku chains together several attacks so Jin must be prepared to dodge then parry or vice versa. Jin must parry his blue attacks, dodge, and then follow up with a counterattack. Dodge Riku’s red attacks and wait for the opening when he tries to hit Jin with a single blow. Dodging all of Riku’s attacks is the safest way to beat him but landing a perfect parry and counter does more damage.
8 Lord Shimura
A Powerful Swordsman With High Attack Damage
The final duel in the game and the main reason for the spoiler warning, Lord Shimura's duel is difficult for several reasons. Firstly, his attacks do massive amounts of damage. Two strikes from him can prove deadly, and players must time their parries exactly if they want to win. But that's not the real reason this duel is so hard.
The real reason is that he is Jin's beloved uncle. Players have spent the entire game watching him try to save Jin from damnation and be the father figure everyone wishes they had. But then, in the game's final moments, the tables turn and Jin crosses blades with the man he always wanted to be. It's a plot twist for the ages, and it is all but guaranteed to bring on the tears. It also happens to be a pretty difficult fight.
7 Tomotsugu - Duel Of Crashing Waves
A Dangerous Foe With Unblockable Attacks
The first of the six duels in the side quest "The Six Blades Of Kojiro" to make the list, Tomotsugu is probably the second hardest duel to complete. His combinations are long and fast, he uses a lot of unblockable attacks, and while he doesn't do as much damage as some of the blades Jin must cross, his sword definitely stings.
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The aggression was the hardest part of the duel at the seaside. However, there is little time to react between his attacks. For some reason, he can string together strikes with almost no time in between. If players can stay on the offensive with kicks and singular attacks, Jin will have time to get in some damage But if they let him start swinging, woe be unto the mariner.
6 The Spirit of Yarikawa
Fast And Powerful Offensive Fighter
A mysterious femme fatale with a hooded face and an angry blade, the Spirit of Yarikawa attacks Jin in a fit of rage over his clan's past massacre of clan Yarikawa. Her rage is palpable in this duel, in her dialogue, and in the challenge of surviving her attacks.
She is fast and strong, and if she gets Jin once, she is likely to string together another immediate strike. It's a nasty fight, but if players can weather it they earn the Dance Of Wrath, by far the best technique in the game.
5 Yasuhira Koga - Heavenly Strike Duel
A Dangerous Foe Where Timing Is Key To Victory
Another duel with a mythical technique at the end, Yasuhira is hard mainly because he is one of the first real duels in the game. The one-on-one format will probably still feel new to players, and he will help them get acclimated by cutting them down time and time again.
His timing is tricky, his combos are quick, and Jin's sword and gear are not as strong as they will be later in the game. However, if players can learn the parry timing and outlast him, they will get the Heavenly Strike, a technique that will help them in all subsequent duels.
4 Hirotsune - Duel Among The Spider Lillies
A Deadly Swordsman With Unblockables And Instant Kill Parries
The hardest of the "Six Blades Of Kojiro" duels, Hirotsune is a real change of pace from the other duels in the game. He is fast and hits hard, but he will also change up the rhythm of his attacks at random to keep players on their toes. What used to be two strikes and then an unblockable attack will instantly change to another unblockable attack followed by an instant parry killing blow.
The best way to beat Hirotsune is to stay on one's toes and react solely to what he does, instead of through familiarity with his attack patterns. Which, of course, is easier said than done.
3 Tengu Demon
A Dangerous Warrior That Uses Distractions To Land Heavy Attacks
This incredibly challenging duel is found at the end of the "Curse Of Uchitsune" side quest, and it pits Jin against a wildly powerful demonic swordsman (and possibly his sanity). Tengu uses almost exclusively unblockable attacks, so the player's best hope is to perfectly time a dodge and then use the gaps in his attacks to inflict damage.
The annoying part of this fight, however, is the ring of bats constantly encircling the fight. They obscure visibility, are creepy, and distracting, and make it hard to see the timing cues for Tengu's attacks. This results in frustrating moments in which players will take damage they didn't see coming, which is the worst. But alas, with time and determination, players will eventually be able to put down the demon and return the light to this lost and hopeless land.
2 Khotun Khan
A Powerhouse That Uses Dirty Tricks In Combat
The big bad brute responsible for the carnage throughout the game, the Khan is a real pain to put down. Not only does he have a seemingly unending amount of health, but he also has an incredibly long Guandao spear and a litany of unblockable attacks. And to add insult to injury, he plays dirty.
After besting him in one-on-one combat, Jin must take him on three more times while also fighting all of the reinforcements that Khotun brings to even the odds. And even once that is taken care of, he tries to throw in one more little one-on-one fight just because he can. He's the Ghost of Tsushima's big bad, so it makes sense that this duel is challenging.
1 Kojiro - Duel On The Mirror Of Sacred Light
An Unpredictable And Dangerous Swordsman
Like the Valkyries in God Of War, Kojiro is an optional encounter. And many players will probably opt out, as he is far and away the hardest enemy in the entire game. It's honestly not even close. Kojiro is so hard in comparison, it feels like he was ripped out of Sekiro and plopped onto Tsushima.
He can kill Jin in two hits, and Kojiro has many different attack patterns, he is fast and aggressive, and the Sakai steel seems to do shreds of damage. But, if players put in the time and work, maybe, just maybe, they will bring about his end. Or maybe not. He is hard to kill. But if players can outlast him, they get to dry their tears and collect some cool new armor!
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