Emma, the Gentle Blade | Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Boss Fight Sekiro guide, walkthrough
Last update: 05 April 2019
In this section of the guide to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice you will find the description of the duel with the boss Emma, the Gentle Blade. This is one of the two bosses needed to conclude the main plot of Shura. Our description breaks down Emma's attacks and offers a clever strategy for dealing damage, which she can't defend herself from.
How do I unlock the duel with Emma, the Gentle Blade?
Location: Ashina Castle
Reward: None. After defeating Emma, the fight with the second final Shura boss will start automatically - the boss is Isshin Ashina (you can find the breakdown of that fight in a separate section of our guide).
The duel with Emma becomes available after you get to the finale of the game, i.e. after you find all the items for Kuro. After returning to the Ashina Castle, you will find that he was attacked. You need to break through his subsequent chambers again, until once again you get to the roof of the castle, where previously you defeated another boss - Genichiro Ashina.
This time, the main character will meet his father on the roof, his name is Great Shinobi - Owl. You have to approach this character and then, during the conversation, select the first dialog option, i.e. Forsake Kuro.
The result of the decision will be the need to defeat the two final bosses of the game, which are needed to conclude the plot of Shura. The first boss to eliminate was Emma, The Gentle Blade, that is the same woman with whom the hero had previously met, for example, to give her the gourd seeds.
How to defeat the boss Emma, the Gentle Blade?
Emma, the Gentle Blade is a mediocre boss, who has in only one health bar. That means that only one fatal blow is enough to defeat her.
Emma uses a katana to deliver attacks. These are, of course, only the standard strikes. The series of very fast attacks are very dangerous, especially since the boss is able to drastically reduce the distance between the player and herself. In addition, Emma also uses an attack that can't be blocked, which is signaled, of course, by a red symbol. The attack is a thrust of the sword combined with a leap towards the player.
You can fight Emma according to the typical combat rules: focus on achieving perfect parries, and thus attempt to significantly weaken its Posture bar. However, there is a safer way to defeat Emma. Namely, even before the attack, you can set the Shadowrush as the active martial art. Emma can't protect herself from that strong thrust. Simply trigger the Shadowrush after her failed attack, and once it reaches her, quickly close in on her, so she has no opportunity to counterattack. You can repeat this pattern until you kill her.
It's very important to survive this fight with minimal health losses and consuming as few medications and other consumables as possible. Immediately after the victory over Emma, comes the fight with the second boss - Isshin Ashina. The game will not allow you to save the progress, nor have any respite. Defeating Isshin will be much more difficult without enough supplies.