Datsura Boss Guide — Use the Corpses Against Him

Published 2026-09-11Updated 2026-09-184 min read

Datsura's fight decoded: baiting slashes into the seated corpses for free punish windows, Issen on the stomp, and every phase-two grab and leap answered.

Datsura — the horned Genma guarding the Oni Hideout's exit.

Datsura's moves come in just three flavors — slashes, a stomp, and a headbutt — but his arena hands you the fight-winning trick for free.

Phase One

The slashes. He swings twice, alternating. The trick: position yourself near the seated corpses lining the arena walls and let his slashes hit the corpses instead of you — the impact leaves him recovering as he yanks his weapon free. That recovery is your safest heavy-damage window in the entire fight.

The stomp kick. A long, honest wind-up. Time an Issen as his foot reaches its highest point.

The headbutt. Deflect or dodge on the tell — watch for the neck coil.

Phase Two

He flushes red and speeds up, but the pattern holds: still two-swing alternations, so keep the corpse-bait routine going, or trade to precise parries if you're confident.

Three additions to respect:

  • The dance and the charge. After a little shimmy, he lowers his head and charges. Deflect it — and position yourself near a wall first, so the deflected charge crashes him into it for bonus recovery.
  • The weapon combo. A multi-hit string that continues even when you deflect the first hit. Deflect-then-keep-guard, or disengage with dodges entirely — don't assume one parry ends it.
  • The grab and the leap. The grab raises his hand and freezes a beat before homing in — dodge when his head rises to your eye level. The leap attack is a long-distance jump straight at your position with an obvious wind-up; the easiest move in his kit to sidestep.

This fight guards the end of the Oni Hideout chapter, where Shizuka Gozen first wakes.

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