Can you kill the Sekiro first boss? I know you’re thinking it. Fighting Genichiro Asina at the beginning of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a baptism of fire for the Wolf, and then some. But he’s not invincible. His health can be whittled down and you can dodge and parry his attacks as long as you put some considerable effort. But is it actually possible to beat the tutorial boss and get on with the game without dying? We’ll clue you in down below.
Sekiro First Boss | Can you kill him?
It sure doesn’t look that way, at least to start with. At first, it appears that Genichiro Asina is simply a Souls-like tough tutorial to get you into the swing of things. His sweep attacks send you flying and his slashes cut off a considerable chunk of your health bar. So far, so very From Software. But it becomes clear that this is essentially a must-lose fight for what’s soon to become the One-Armed Wolf.
Our protagonist must lose this first boss for the purposes of time, so don’t bother using any healing items or anything at all for that matter. Just wait for the inevitable to happen. That’s because, as the cutscene shows, this defeat is crucial to the beginning of the game. The Wolf wakes up, minus an arm, next to the Sculptor in the Dilapidated Temple. How he survived a death is unclear but what is clear is that he was roundly defeated. Genichiro Asina is meant to kill you.
But is there a way to defeat the final boss if you’re seriously good? Soulsborne vets might want to dive in and give it a try and, even though it looks nigh-on impossible to beat him, you can do so. The end result is the same though: the Wolf dies and you’re left to pick up the pieces. Hardly worth the effort if you ask me.
Sekiro Soulslikes
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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the Best of the Soulslikes
It's always exciting to see a new genre emerge. You get that original hit game, the follow-ups and the attempts by other developers to recapture the magic. With the release of Sekiro, let's look back at the landscape of Souslikes so far. -
Demon's Souls
The original that kicked it all off (unless you count King's Field), Demon's Souls went under the radar on the PlayStation 3. Originally, gamers didn't know what to make of it, but anyone who stuck with it got an amazing experience that was unlike anything on the market. -
Dark Souls
By the time a new generation rolled around, From Software had moved from demons to darkness. The Dark Souls trilogy cemented the genre tropes, proving to achieve the popularity that their previous title had only hinted at. Far more than a cult success, these games proved to be influential even outside the genre. -
Bloodborne
Once things started taking off, original Demon's Souls publisher Sony had to get back in the action. Teaming with From, the result was Bloodborne. Taking things was from medieval castles and including firearms for the first time, this was the first hint that this formula was flexible. -
Lords of the Fallen
Developed by Deck13 Interactive and CI Games, Lords of the Fallen takes things in a more Norse direction. Using hammers and axes, you must fight towering gods and demons. After this game's success, the two developers split, with CI working on an upcoming sequel to this Viking Soulslike. -
Nioh
Team Ninja tried their hands at Souslikes with Nioh, a game where you control an Irish Samurai and fight yokai. The game was announced back in 2004 as Oni and changed hands multiple times before release. Originally another PlayStation 4 exclusive for the genre, the game has since come to PC with all its DLC bundled in. -
The Surge
Deck13 took what they learned from Lords of the Fallen and took the Soulslike genre into the future. The Surge has you stomping around in a mech suit fighting uncontrollable robots. Once you destroy an enemy, you can scrap their parts and convert them into weapons for you to use. A sequel is currently set to release in 2o19. -
Ashen
Developed by A44, Ashen puts players into a world without light. Each character is a muted faceless person, adding to the downtrodden vibe of the entire experience. While combat is inspired by Dark Souls, the game also features open-world exploration and novel passive multiplayer encounters. -
Immortal: Unchained
Going even more Norse than Lords of the Fallen, Immortal: Unchained finds you battling the monsters of Ragnarok. Instead of swords and spears, your character uses a mix of technologically advanced firearms to take down each and every mysterious foe. More fast-paced than other soulslikes, you'll need to duck and weave to stay alive. -
Death's Gambit
Pitched as a merger of Souslike and Castlevania, Death's Gambit is also one of the first games to take these concepts into the second dimension. You can choose from seven playable classes as you seek immortality in this labyrinth of death. -
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption
What if you didn't have to explore a Soulslike? What if you just fought a collection of out of control boss monsters? Then, you'd have Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption. In this game, you start at your strongest and level down as you progress, adding to the challenge.
