Nioh 3 Jakotsu-baba Boss Battle Guide

This Nioh 3 Jakotsu-baba Boss Battle Guide details all the tips and tricks to defeat Jakotsu-baba in Nioh 3. Jakotsu-baba is a massive and intimidating boss, but this fight rewards preparation and smart positioning more than raw strength. If you come in properly leveled and stay focused on attacking from behind, the battle becomes controlled and predictable instead of overwhelming.

Jakotsu-baba Boss Battle Guide – Nioh 3

You will face Jakotsu-baba Boss in the Crucible Manifested Mission at level 14, and you should use Ninja Style with Dual Swords. This boss fight is of High difficulty.

Before challenging Jakotsu-baba, you must have explored the earlier areas properly. Collecting items in the first few regions gives you a lot of Amrita for leveling and useful bonuses that make a real difference here.

Kodama are especially valuable since they increase how many Elixirs you revive with, which helps a lot in longer fights. By this point, you should also have earned extra Ninja and Samurai skill points, letting you unlock more useful abilities.

Make sure you defeat the Crucible Wraith in this mission beforehand, so your Soul Cores are fully usable. If you’ve done most of the content so far, you should be around level 20 or higher. Extra points in Heart for more Ki and Constitution for higher health will make the fight much safer.

Equip light armor close to this specific mission level and keep your weight low so dodging stays quick and doesn’t drain too much Ki. Don’t forget to assign a Soul Core at a shrine so you can use its summon during combat.

How to Defeat the Boss

Jakotsu-baba is weakest from the back, and that is where you should spend most of the time in the fight. Attacking from behind deals noticeably more damage, and Ninja Style boosts this even further. Dual Swords work extremely well here because they allow fast movement, fast dodges, and quick attack chains.

Your goal is simple: let the boss attack from the front, dodge around him, and punish from behind. You should have enough stamina/Ki to perform two full light attack combos before backing off. Once your Ki starts running low, dodge away, create distance, and let it recover.

While waiting for your Ki to recharge, don’t just stand still. Use this time to throw Shuriken or other Ninjutsu and magic you’ve unlocked. This keeps pressure on the boss and lets you deal damage without risking close combat. Once your Ki is back up, move in again and repeat the same pattern.

Some of Jakotsu-baba’s spinning moves and stomps can still hit you from behind, but these attacks are not very dangerous. What matters is avoiding his stronger grabs and resetting your position after each attack cycle.

The most dangerous move in this fight is his grab. If it lands, it deals huge damage and can easily end the fight. Another key attack to recognize is when he launches his head forward from his metal spine. When this happens, do not dodge sideways. Instead, roll toward him and move behind his body. He can’t turn this attack backward, leaving you safe and giving you a great opening to attack while he recovers.

As the boss’s health drops lower, especially near the final third, you can activate your Guardian Spirit if your Spirit Force gauge is full. This phase allows you to attack aggressively and may be enough to finish the fight quickly.

If the damage still feels too low or the boss hits too hard, spending some extra time leveling up can greatly smooth out the difficulty. You can also summon help from blue graves if needed.

With patience, good positioning, and steady Ki control, Jakotsu-baba becomes an easier fight to manage through repetition than through chaos. Stay behind him, manage your stamina, and the monster will eventually be defeated.

That is all for this guide. Additional Nioh 3 guides are linked below:

This concludes our Nioh 3 Jakotsu-baba Boss Battle Guide. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.