Sasaki Ganryu is the first big boss in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, who appears in The Stage Is Set at Kiyomizu. Contrary to the short fight with Yoshioka Seijuro in the Prologue, Ganryu is the first encounter in which the player learns how to battle the bosses. He is also a valuable lesson in patience.
Ganryu moves unexpectedly in the arena, combines rapid strikes with delayed ones, and actively discourages players from playing aggressively. The fight becomes much simpler as soon as you stop trying to beat Ganryu down and start learning the right moments to Parry, Dodge, Block, strike, and withdraw.
Table of contents
Understanding the Ganryu Fight
While reducing his health is ultimately your objective, Stamina is the real key to controlling the fight.
The moment Ganryu’s Stamina drops to zero, you will have the option to do a Break Issen, which leaves him incapacitated and gives you the option to either damage him significantly or steal some Souls. Ganryu gets more challenging the longer the battle goes on, eventually reaching a second form with new moves to use.
The best way to face Ganryu is to:
- Wait for Ganryu to become passive.
- Run in and strike once.
- Get ready for his retaliation.
- Parry all his sword strikes.
- Dodge all his kicks and other moves that are better evaded.
- Punish him for it after your successful defense.
- Flee the area when you think that things are going bad.
- Keep repeating until his stamina is depleted.
It’s not necessary to Parry perfectly every move he makes. His moves are generally telegraphed clearly, and the Parry window is quite forgiving.
Phase One: Learn His Patterns
The first phase focuses on getting familiar with Ganryu’s basic attacks. His sword attacks can usually be Blocked/Parried, but it is better to dodge his jumping attacks.
Quick Jab
Ganryu can instantly do a very fast jab forward attack. This move can be tricky to read since your character model can block the animation from your sight.
Counter
Block/Parry Immediately. What’s important here is to not become too committed into your own animation. Once you hit Ganryu with an attack animation, prepare for this counter.
Overhead Slash
Ganryu lifts his weapon in preparation for an overhead attack. Unlike the fast jab, this attack is very predictable.
Counter
Use Parry as the attack comes down on you. There’s ample time to use Parry here; it’s one of the best moves for working on Parry timing. Parrying this attack may make Ganryu vulnerable to a counterattack and contribute to Stamina damage.
Cross Slash & Blade Barrage
Ganryu is able to swing around his body in an overhead slash. This can be followed by a more deadly blade barrage.
Counter
You must parry Ganryu’s first attack if you can. If he starts his blade barrage, you have to stop it using a Heavy Attack. You cannot just sit and try to take it all.
Jumping Slash
Sometimes Ganryu will jump into the air and then fall on top of his opponent with his sword. This is very easy to avoid and is pretty much telegraphed.
Counter
Dodge in the appropriate time. This will provide an excellent chance for punishing him. If you have full HP, then run around him and hit him for a few seconds. But don’t get carried away as he can sweep attack as a follow-up.
If your HP is low, then simply forget about the counterattack and use it to distance yourself from him.
Jumping Kick
Aside from Ganryu’s sword, he also has a jumping attack wherein he makes a hard kick while in mid-air. Since this is an unarmed attack, you will need to treat it in a different manner than how you should treat his other sword attacks.
Counter
Rather than Parrying the kick, it would be better to dodge the attack. The timing for dodging is not strict and doing it correctly can reward you with a Reflex Dodge when you learn that move. After dodging the kick, you have two options:
• You can punish him by launching a couple of attacks at his back, or
• You can instantly retreat if you need to.
In addition, Ganryu might follow up with a sword attack after his kick.
Dash and Slash
One of the less graceful strikes Ganryu pulls is the one when he ducks his body down and runs at Musashi. Upon reaching you, he may proceed to slash and then slash or stab again. This particular move may also lead to him being behind you while attempting to turn and attack.
Counter
Stay calm. Try to wait for the follow-up and Parry the back slash. In case you fail to do this, you can attempt to parry the stab afterwards. If you feel unsure about your ability to discern the side from which Ganryu is striking, you can simply keep Block on and move after that. This is one of those rare cases where defense is better than offense.
Stab & Triple Stab
Ganryu draws back his sword and then crouches and points it at Musashi. This means that either there will be a single stab or three stabs in quick succession.
Counter
Parry this move as he advances on you. The latter move needs special focus, as there is a small break between the second and the third stab. It will give you a chance to parry if you have failed to parry any of the earlier stabs.
Phase Two: Ganryu Gets More Dangerous
After having carried out a Break Issen or weakened Ganryu to about half his health points, the battle will move into Phase Two. There are changes in Ganryu’s appearance with his skin turning gray and he adds new attacks to his already existing repertoire. It’s worth mentioning that the basic approach remains the same.
You need to:
• Parry his sword attacks.
• Sidestep his kick attacks.
• Take advantage of your defensive counters.
• Have quick attacks.
• Prevent him from regaining stamina.
• Retreat when necessary.
The only thing that changes is the addition of grab attacks by Ganryu.
Jumping Kick and Grab
Ganryu is capable of doing a grab after his jump kick in Phase Two. This is one of the most critical new attack moves to learn.
Counter
Use Dodge just before Ganryu’s grab hits. A successful Dodge will stun Ganryu long enough to allow some quick attacks. Alternatively, you can parry Ganryu’s grab, but Dodge is a better option.
Counter-Grab Techniques
There is an extremely helpful technique that can be used against Ganryu’s grab. While countering a grab, press Forward button and move towards your enemy. This will make the technique extremely easy to perform and your chances of countering the grab would increase significantly. The technique proves helpful in many other situations as well.
What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Ganryu’s fight is forgiving enough that you can recover from mistakes.
Took a hit?
Don’t immediately try to trade blows. Block, Dodge and create distance.
Low on health?
Run. You can outpace Ganryu and create enough room to heal.
Lost track of him?
Hold Block and reposition.
Can’t read the attack?
Don’t guess. Blocking is safer.
Missed a Parry?
Don’t panic. You don’t need to Parry every attack to win.
Ganryu is recovering Stamina?
Get in and interrupt him with an attack.
Ganryu jumps?
Dodge.
Ganryu grabs?
Dodge or use the Forward counter technique.
Ganryu’s Attack Cheat Sheet
| Ganryu’s Attack | Best Response | Follow-Up |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Jab | Parry / Block | Counter if safe |
| Overhead Slash | Parry | Attack during recovery |
| Cross Slash | Parry | Watch for Blade Barrage |
| Blade Barrage | Heavy Attack to interrupt | Resume defense |
| Leaping Slash | Dodge / Parry on landing | Punish from behind |
| Leaping Kick | Dodge | Attack or retreat |
| Dash & Attack | Parry follow-up | Block if uncertain |
| Single Stab | Parry | Counter |
| Triple Stab | Parry each strike | Watch the pause before #3 |
| Zigzag movement | Block / reposition | Don’t guess |
| Phase 2 Grab | Dodge / Forward counter | Attack while stunned |
| Stamina recovery | Attack immediately | Return to defense |
For more articles on other indie games, please check out the links below:
- Desktop Explorer Walkthrough Hub
- DragonSword: Awakening Walkthrough Part 8 – Chapter 7
- Lootbound Beginner’s Guide
- Beast of Reincarnation Walkthrough – Chapter 1: Seedling (Part 1)
- The Relic: First Guardian Best Early Game Tips and Tricks
- DragonSword: Awakening Walkthrough Part 9 – Chapter 8
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