The first boss after the tutorial area is an important milestone to nail in any game, with developer FromSoftware often excelling at designing these introductory bosses. However, the first real boss of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice both succeeds and fails in this regard. This is mostly thanks to the wide gap between first retrieving Sekiro's prosthetic arm after the tutorial and the fight against the first boss.
Most players won't forget the initial introduction to Gyoubu Oniwa, the first true boss of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. With such a bombastic introduction and the nail-biting combat as the boss fights from horseback, there is a lot to be impressed about with Gyoubu. Unfortunately, the bombast and smooth combat are still overshadowed by the length of the Ashina Outskirts opening area.
His Name Is Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa
Considering that FromSoftware has pitted players against horrors and spectacles from a nightmare alien to the literal Dragon God, it really holds weight to say that Gyoubu has the most intimidating introduction from the developer's catalog. Bursting from the entrance to Ashina Castle, one of FromSoftware's best designed environments, Gyoubu starts the fight by shouting his name for everyone flying the Ashina banner to hear. Love or hate the boss, or even Sekiro's unique take on combat in general, this could easily take the spot for the best and most impactful introductions to a fight in the Soulsborne series. That includes Demon's Souls' Penetrator and Bloodborne's Moon Presence.
After the impressive introduction, Gyoubu also offers a fresh take on the combat from many of the standard enemies and mini-bosses that had proceeded him. Keeping up with Gyoubu's fast pace requires proper use of the grappling hook and being able to quickly react to the onslaught of attacks that come from nearly out of view. It's one of the best examples of how Sekiro's design can surpass other FromSoftware titles, even if the difficulty can act as an early wall for some players.
Given the way that Sekiro was attempting to land a much more narrative driven experience, making bosses feel like a real part of the world was important to nail. While not every boss is the best example of Soulsborne boss design, Gyoubu is every bit as important for the introduction of the game's basics as the tutorial fight against Genichiro. That being said, this marvelous introduction isn't without faults, most notably caused by how long it takes in order for Sekiro to get around to introducing the first major boss.
A Long Stroll Through Ashina Outskirts
The main bosses in Sekiro are easy to tell apart from the mini-bosses, not only because they tend to be much harder, but also because they drop Memories. These are what allows the player to increase their strength, which makes Gyoubu Oniwa a particularly important milestone since he's the first boss that unlocks this ability to increase the damage of protagonist Wolf's attacks. This importance is exactly what makes the time it takes to reach Gyoubu so detrimental to the initial progression of the game.
Most players will have already dispatched three mini-bosses by the time they even reach Gyoubu Oniwa, two generals and the infamous Chained Ogre. Running into so many fights that don't really get the "main boss" treatment so early quickly gives the impression that these integral parts of the FromSoftware formula won't really be a major part of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Given that the game actually has more than a dozen boss fights, this early impression that main bosses are few and far between is misleading and stunts the pace for how often these types of enemies will appear.
There is a lot about Sekiro's smooth combat that could easily draw in players for the treks through locations like Ashina Castle or the Sunken Valley. However, this issue of pacing that first appears with how long it takes for players to face off against the first true boss is one that keeps Sekiro from striking as the top title in the FromSoftware catalog. That being said, when the game does finally decide to start kicking itself into high gear, it does stand out with the presentation of enemies like Gyoubu Oniwa and the bosses that follow.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.