- Shuten Doji is a major story boss with devastating area attacks. He's a Genma demon lord with 8 attack patterns including fire waves, summoning, and a rage mode at 25% HP.
- Recommended level 15+ with full Issen mastery.
- Bring Raizan (Lightning katana) for bonus elemental damage.
Quick Attributes
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Boss |
| Chapter | 5+ (TBC - to be confirmed at launch) |
| Location | Genma Stronghold |
| Recommended Level | 15+ |
| Health | ~3000 HP |
| Parry Difficulty | Very Hard |
| Weakness | Lightning (Raizan), Issen during overhead |
| Resistance | Fire |
| Soul Reward | 3000 yellow souls |
| Item Rewards | Shuten's Horn, Demon Lore |
Last verified: TBD - to be confirmed at launch
1. Boss Overview
Shuten Doji is the Oni demon lord - one of the most powerful Genma in existence and a major story boss. He towers over the player, attacks with area-of-effect fire magic, summons Genma reinforcements, and enters a Rage state at 25% HP that doubles his aggression.
He is the test of full kit mastery: parry, Issen, Oni Mode, elemental weapons, and stance switching. Players who reach Shuten Doji with a maxed Tier 3 skill tree should be able to clear him in 2-3 attempts. Players without those investments will need to farm souls first.
2. Attack Patterns
| Phase | Attack | Tell | Parry Window | Counter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Fireball Barrage | Launches 5 fireballs | 4 frames each | L1/LB or dodge |
| P1 | Ground Slam (Large AoE) | Slams ground, fire wave | 7 frames | Jump + L1/LB |
| P1 | Wing Sweep | Spreads wings, AoE | 5 frames | L1/LB or run |
| P1 | Overhead Smash | Raises giant fist | 6 frames | L1/LB then R1 (ISSEN WINDOW) |
| P2 | Summon Minions | Calls 4 Genma | N/A | Clear adds first |
| P2 | Charge | Rushes with horn | 6 frames | L1/LB at impact |
| P3 | Fire Beam (Rage) | 25% HP, line AoE | 5 frames | Side-step or jump |
| P3 | Berserker Combo (Rage) | 5-hit combo | 4 frames each | L1/LB then dodge |
3. Phase 1 Strategy (100% - 50% HP)
Phase 1 is a four-attack pattern test where Shuten teaches you to respect his range. He is huge, his attacks cover massive arcs, and his Fireball Barrage comes out fast.
- Stay close. His Fireball Barrage has a minimum range - if you are inside his legs, only 1-2 fireballs will hit.
- Jump the Ground Slam wave. A clean jump gives 30 frames to punish.
- Run past the Wing Sweep. The recovery is long (28 frames) - this is your best Phase 1 Issen opportunity.
- Save Issen for the Overhead Smash. His fist stays planted for 20 frames - the longest single recovery in the fight.
4. Phase 2 Strategy (50% - 25% HP)
When his health bar turns yellow, Shuten summons 4 Genma Brutes and gains the Charge attack. He becomes more aggressive between his AoE moves.
- Kill the Brutes immediately. Tier 3 Oni Gauntlet AoE can stagger all 4 in a single charged swing.
- The Charge has long wind-up. Parry at impact, not on wind-up.
- Apply pressure between AoE moves. Shuten is huge but slow to recover - 2-3 hit combos after every parry add up fast.
5. Phase 3 Strategy (25% - 0% HP, Rage Mode)
At 25% HP, Shuten enters Rage Mode. He glows red, gains the Fire Beam (line AoE), and starts a 5-hit Berserker Combo. His aggression triples - the goal here is survival, not damage.
- Side-step the Fire Beam. It tracks the player but has limited horizontal range - a single side-step dodges the entire beam.
- Parry the first 2 hits of Berserker Combo. After the second parry, dodge the remaining 3 hits. Trying to parry all 5 will get you hit by 4 of them.
- Use Oni Mode. If you have saved Oni Mode meter for Phase 3, pop it now - 20 seconds of invincibility and 2x damage will burn through his last 750 HP.
6. Issen Opportunities
The two best Issen windows in the entire game:
- Overhead Smash recovery - 6f parry + 20f recovery. The single best Issen window in the game.
- Ground Slam wave recovery - 7f parry + 22f recovery. Punishes the wave jump.
If you land both per Phase cycle, you can clear Shuten Doji in 4 Issens total. See the Issen Guide for execution timing.
7. Elemental Strategy
Bring Raizan (Lightning katana) for the bonus damage. Shuten is weak to Lightning - a fully charged Raizan combo deals ~30% bonus damage and staves his fire effects for 4 seconds.
Do not bring Fire weapons. Shuten is fully resistant to Fire and will heal a small amount on every Fire tick.
8. Recommended Build
- Full Tier 3 skills unlocked (Issen Mastery, Parry Window+, Health Pool III)
- Oni Gauntlet Tier 3 for the AoE Brute clear in Phase 2
- Raizan as your primary weapon for the Lightning bonus
- Reserve Oni Mode meter for Phase 3
If you do not have all of these, farm souls from Chapter 4 Brute spawns until you do. The Shuten fight is the single worst place to learn to manage resources under pressure.
9. Rewards
Defeating Shuten Doji grants:
- 3000 yellow souls - one full Tier 3 skill unlock
- Shuten's Horn - key story item + crafting reagent
- Demon Lore - lore collectible
- Achievement: "Oni Slayer"