Select Language:
There’s a lot in Nioh 3 that will have you wanting to leave the past in the past. From small yokai wandering through the war-torn lands to samurai who have joined forces with them, you’ll need to fight through all of them to see the credits roll.
The toughest enemies you’ll face are the many bosses scattered throughout the game. One of these is Ibaraki Doji, a yokai wielding a large katana and sporting a monstrous, electric hand. While she can seem intimidating, this fight isn’t too difficult—especially if you’re skilled at perfect blocking.
Yes, you have to take down this big, powerful demon. Sometimes, life can be harsh.
How to Defeat Ibaraki Doji
When fighting Ibaraki Doji, it’s best to equip items or talismans that boost resistance to electricity. She deals a lot of elemental damage with her moves, so reducing that will make the fight easier and lessen her burst damage potential.
Fighting her is mainly about blocking and not overcommitting with your attacks. Unlike other bosses in the area, she doesn’t leave many open opportunities for big combos. Focus on just a couple of hits before stepping back. Trying to land slow or complex combo attacks will likely get you hurt, since she’s quick to recover and has follow-up moves that can hit hard if you’re too greedy. Remember, perfect blocks—timed right before her strike lands—won’t drain your ki.
She uses a variety of attacks, often combining basic sword strikes with electrified hand swings, which can extend out like a whip. One common move is when she shoots two crescent-shaped energy projectiles rapidly. If she’s close, she’s vulnerable during this attack; otherwise, block or dodge to either side.
Exploiting her sword thrust moves
Her sword thrust comes in two versions. One involves her stabbing forward then spinning her electrified hand around her body; the other, if her sword is electrified, has her releasing lightning bolts around her after the thrust. After either move, wait a moment to dodge her claw swipe or the lightning. You’ll get a brief opening to hit her once or twice before she recovers. Watch out for her grab attack, where she extends her arm like a grappling hook. If she misses, you can punish her if you’re close because she’ll be vulnerable for a few seconds.
Be cautious of her spinning backward move, where she summons three electrified hands to slam down in front of her. If you’re close, stay to her side to avoid these; if you’re farther away, back up to escape the explosion. When she’s near you, she’ll often follow up with sword slashes that come in pairs. These can be blocked, and if your timing is good, you can counterattack after each pair—though this is riskier with slower weapons like axes.
Key tip: Save your Living Artifact for when she enters her second Dark Realm phase. Doing so will help you conserve healing items during her most dangerous moments.
Dark Realm phase and new moves
When she enters the Dark Realm, Ibaraki Doji gains new, more dangerous attacks, including summoning more electrified hands and mixing in moves from before. After launching her projectiles, she might send out a small electric wave. Rolling through this can avoid damage and close the distance for a quick attack.
The major move to watch for is when she charges her energy into a massive electric hand above her. When you see her doing this, sprint toward her and position yourself behind her. Stay a few steps behind, wait for her hand to descend and explode, then unleash your strongest moves. She’ll be stunned, giving you the perfect chance to land heavy damage.
She also spins rapidly, whipping out three electrified hands in a quick circle. These have decent range and move fast, so it’s best to wait out this attack unless you can perform perfect blocks on both strikes. She has other, easier-to-counter moves, so patience pays off.
In every fight, it’s about seizing small openings between her moves. While she can deal significant damage, staying defensive with perfect blocks and avoiding her electric hand attacks can shift the battle in your favor.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
