Shikibu Toshikatsu Yamauchi - The first roaming miniboss that I managed to take down, and it was a hard-fought win to say the least. This is a very basic fight, but with minimal practice, skill, or abilities, it might as well have been a blistering fight to the death. One of those fights you steamroll to a greater and greater degree as you get more practice with the game.
Gyoubu Oniwa - The first big boss of the game, and a fight very much unlike all the other bosses. Considering how tough this game is, this first big boss really isn't that bad. This fight can be fought using a Souls-style skillset without any issue; a lot of that muscle memory will need to be reprogrammed from here on out though. Fun battle.
Lady Butterfly - The second boss is one that doesn't need to be fought until later, and can be avoided early. However, this fight teaches players how boss fights in this game actually work; it's a much better tutorial boss than Oniwa was. Another really fun fight.
Lady Butterfly NG+ - A rare NG+ video because it's interesting to see the difference in this "teaches you to play" fight between the two runs.
Folding Screen Monkeys - Another big major story fight...that most folks have ranked as their least-favorite boss in the game, I bet. A very long, drawn-out, boring fight, where you have to hunt down these monkeys as they stealth about.
Genichiro Ashina - The next major "teaching milestone" after Lady Butterfly, this is the fight that really teaches you how to play Sekiro. It functions as a roadblock for a lot of players, especially if they've been playing "wrong" up to now (as in, playing it like a Soulslike). This is the fight where you must truly learn to stand and swordfight. And it is an awesome fight. It might well be the greatest "teaching fight" in modern video game history. I started making use of the axe sub-weapon in this fight to land some very punishing attacks at the right times; this little move I started working in would be very useful later, particularly on the final boss.
Sichimen Warrior - Spooky miniboss, noteworthy for all the purple flames everywhere in this fight, and my own making heavy use of the purple flame enchant for the first time.
O'Rin of the Water - Another spooky miniboss, though it might as well be a full boss given how deadly she is. This is a good duel where the beauty of the game's combat is on full display. I make use of the Mortal Draw attack for the first time here, which became the most key move for the rest of the game.
Corrupted Monk - Very cool-looking boss. This fight seems like it belongs in a different Fromsoft game. The big sweeping attacks are pretty easy to get the rhythm of and swat at.
Armored Warrior - One of the weirder bosses in the game. This guy is completely invincible and can only be defeated by pushing him off the bridge. ROBERRRRRRT
Guardian Ape - Very difficult fight, has probably ended a few playthroughs. This thing is vicious and not like any other foe in the game... until you discover his weakness. The Spear sub-weapon, used on the Ape when he's down, will yank out the centipede-demon controlling him and do a huge amount of posture damage. Once I figured that out, I just waited for him to do the big standing long-swing that was easy to parry, and followed that with a spearing.
Headless Ape Duo - Said to be one of the toughest fights in the game (probably #4 or #5) I managed to get through this one fairly quick by using hit-and-run tactics. Similar to the Guardian Ape, only now you're running another mob around at the same time. Defeating the Headless Ape makes the other one also poof, so it isn't as bad as it seems.
Great Shinobi Owl - Roughly the midpoint boss of the game, if not going for the Shura Ending. He's got a lot of the same powers you do, only bigger and badder. Good fight.
Emma, the Gentle Blade - Side with Owl and go for the Shura Ending, and the game is quite a bit shorter. Emma is who you fight next instead of Owl. She's quite a bit easier, but no slouch.
Isshin Ashina - He's old and not a Sword Saint anymore, but he's still probably the third-hardest fight in the game. The final boss of the Shura ending, and gave me quite a bit of trouble. This is his old self too; later I'd have to fight him in his prime.
Emma and Isshin cheese tactics - This duo can be a real problem, especially if going for the Shura Ending on a NG+ or NG++ cycle (which is what most folks have to do). There are a number of ways to gimp both fights, however.
True Corrupted Monk - Similar to the earlier fight, only now it has 3 phases. Here, I manage to gimp the second and third phases very effectively, after treating the first phase like the previous fight.
Divine Dragon - Probably the game's most majestic boss, this seems like a trial run for something you'd see in Elden Ring. It's one of the easiest fights in the game and it looks amazing, basically a reward for getting this far.
Owl (Father) - This is a very different fight from the first fight with him, and this time he has no weaknesses. This one might be an optional fight, can't remember...but even if it is, are we really going to beat the game without doing this fight? I have an extremely close call at 1:23, then later at about 3:37 I countered his Saitou Hajime dash nicely...and fail to capitalize at all...but let me have my moment of feeling like a pro.
Demon of Hatred - The second-hardest fight in the game, this one is definitely optional. It's basically a Bloodborne boss that snuck into Sekiro. Since it can't be fought like anything else in the game, it can be a real problem. This fight took me more tries than any other boss and it isn't even close. There's a way to gimp it by causing it to charge off a cliff, but I wasn't able to get the trick to work, and I'm glad I didn't because it forced me to win the fight the normal way. The final phase, the INFERNO MATCH, was basically just full-on desperation on my part and throwing everything I had: Fine Snow, Mortal Draws, everything. Not sure how I survived this, especially given how he basically whooped me for the first 75% of the fight. One thing is for sure...I'm never doing this fight again, I'm taking the win and quitting while I'm ahead.
Isshin the Sword Saint - The hardest fight in the game for most people, and the final boss, there's nothing optional about this one. Him being the end-all be-all is the one thing making me glad the game doesn't have a DLC, because it ends so perfectly. I had less trouble with this guy than the DOH, a lot less, despite him being a tougher and more difficult opponent on paper. I made heavy use of the Azurite Axe to incapacitate him as much as I could.
First Boss Rematch on NG+ - The intro area boss that you normally inevitably lose to. Winning this fight on New Game Plus is a rite of passage in Fromsoft games, and the cool thing about Sekiro is that here it has a lot more to do with your play skills than your character power.
BOSS DIFFICULTY RANKING, THOUGH THIS WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE
5. Headless Ape + Mate
4. Father Owl
3. Isshin Ashina (Shura)
2. Demon of Hatred
1. Isshin the Sword Saint
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