Nioh 3 Tokugawa Yoshinobu Boss Battle Guide

This Nioh 3 Tokugawa Yoshinobu Boss Battle Guide details all the tips and tricks you need to defeat Tokugawa. Tokugawa feels more like the usual large yokai bosses you’ve already defeated. His patterns are not complicated, and once you understand what to do, the fight becomes steady and controlled. If you enter this battle with enough healing left, he is far less stressful than the fight before him.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Boss Battle Guide – Nioh 3

You will face Tokugawa Yoshinobu Boss in the Scion of the Gods Mission at level 131, and you should use Ninja Style with Dual Swords.

To avoid fighting him immediately after Okita, complete all side missions and finish Mibu Castle beforehand. If Okita is defeated there, you won’t face both bosses in sequence in this mission.

Tokugawa shifts between his normal state and a more aggressive form whenever his Ki is broken. Even in his powered-up state, his attack patterns don’t change in a dramatic way. He mainly uses water-based abilities, including slow-moving water arcs that travel toward you. These attacks are easy to avoid if you stay alert.

Keeping some distance makes most of his ranged pressure harmless. Occasionally, he will charge at you, but a simple sideways dodge is enough to avoid it. He also takes serious damage from Ninjutsu, which makes ranged tools very effective here.

How to Defeat the Boss

When the battle begins, move back to create space and apply Life Leech right away. If you have any lightning-based support active, it will help drain his Ki much faster. After setting this up, move behind him and start attacking from the rear.

With Life Leech active, each successful hit restores health, allowing you to stay aggressive safely. If lightning is active, his Ki will fall quickly, giving you opportunities to land heavy damage from behind before he switches phases.

Once he enters his aggressive state, stop playing riskily. Back off and focus on surviving. Dodge his attacks calmly and throw Ninjutsu from a safe range. This phase does not last very long, so patience is better than forcing damage. Heal with an Elixir if your health drops below half to avoid sudden danger.

Be careful of his grab move, which is shown by a misty glow around his face. When you see this, move sideways and dodge at the last moment. It deals serious damage, but it is not hard to avoid if you react in time. At full health, you can survive even if it connects, but it is better not to take the risk.

Keep reapplying Life Leech whenever it expires and continue striking from behind during safe openings. Taking a small hit or two while attacking is acceptable, as the healing effect will quickly restore your health if you keep landing blows. Most of your real damage should come from Ninjutsu, especially Shrapnel Bombs, while melee attacks are mainly for safe opportunities and to recharge your tools. Stay patient, control his Ki, and rely on steady ranged pressure to bring him down safely.

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

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