The 5 hardest bosses in Like a Dragon: Ishin and how to beat them

Like a Dragon: Ishin is a unique spin-off in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise set in the 1860s when the Samurai were on the brink of collapse. You can play Sakamoto Ryoma to track his father's killer in Kyoto. As is the tradition with Yakuza games, Like a Dragon: Ishin features many boss battles that will test your combat skills.

Nagakura Shimpachi, Okada Izo, Katsura Kogoro, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, and Takechi Hanpeita are some of the toughest boss battles in Like a Dragon: Ishin. You must use all the combat styles effectively and keep a healthy stock of healing items to defeat these bosses without breaking a sweat.

Note: Spoilers for Like a Dragon: Ishin will follow. Discretion is advised.

Okada Izo, Nagakura Shinpachi, and the three most challenging bosses in Like a Dragon: Ishin

Like a Dragon: Ishin consists of fan-favorite characters with new identities and era-appropriate looks. You can expect to encounter familiar faces and voice actors you know and love from the previous Yakuza games.

You will have to wield your sword and defeat the antagonists that may have been bested in those games. The game comprises four major fighting styles: Swordsman, Gunman, Wild Dancer, and Brawler.

The following are some of the most complex boss battles in Like a Dragon: Ishin:

1) Nagakura Shinpachi

Nagakura Shinpachi resembles Saejima from the Yakuza series. In Like a Dragon: Ishin, you will encounter him in Chapter 3.

He has a set of quick stab attacks and is nimble despite his bulky appearance. Out of the four fighting styles, it is ideal to use Swordsman against Nagakura.

Nagakura uses stab attacks (Image via Sega)

How to defeat Nagakura Shinpachi:

It would be best if you dodged his stab attacks by side-stepping in either direction and hitting him with your katana.
Some of his attacks have a good range, so try to dodge away from them and hone in your katana swings.

Dodge these swings and then attack (Image via Sega)

After depleting his health significantly, you will notice a yellow glow on him reminiscent of heat actions in the Yakuza series. Nagakura will charge toward you, perform a stab, and then slam you on the ground. Try to dodge this attack and consume the healing items if struck.

2) Okada Izo

You will face Okada Izo multiple times throughout the game. He resembles Akira Nishikiyama, Kiryu's best friend and brother figure in the Yakuza titles.

You will notice a difficulty spike after every battle with him. His fighting style and attack patterns remain more or less similar in all fights.

You will fight him multiple times (Image via Sega)

How to defeat Okada Izo:

Okada uses a combination of speed and strength attacks. It would be best if you were on your toes to dodge them all since they chip away significantly from your health.
You can either opt for Wild Dancer or Swordsman style to defeat him.
Wild Dancer's stance will enable faster attacks and quick dodges, which is highly effective against him at the cost of weaker damage.

Okada uses fast strength attacks (Image via Sega)

Try to alternate between Swordsman and Wild Dancer stances and always resort to healing items when necessary.
His henchmen usually accompany Okada in most encounters, so it is ideal for dealing with them first and then focus on him.

3) Katsura Kogoro

You will face Katsura Kogoro in Chapter 6 of the game, and he closely resembles Shun Akiyama. He is one of the game's most formidable enemies, and you will require quick attacks to deal with him. Avoid the Gunman stance since firing guns takes a while.

How to defeat Katsura Kogoro:

He resorts to faster light attacks that are lockable, so he sticks to Swordsman's stance. He has long combos, and thus you must be patient and block his attacks and then strike.

You can block all his swings and attack when you get a chance (Image via Sega)

The best strategy is to keep attacking whenever you can and accumulate heat. Once knocked down on the ground, he uses heat attacks to deal significant damage.
You can dodge his attacks, but the dojo area where this battle occurs is quite claustrophobic, so blocking is effective.

4) Tokugawa Yoshinobu

Tokugawa Yoshinobu looks a lot like Daigo Dojima from Yakuza titles. You will face him in Chapter 11 of Like a Dragon: Ishin. It would be best to watch out for his flamethrower attack in the battle. It is ideal for sticking to the Wild Dancer fighting style.

How to defeat Tokugawa Yoshinobu:

Tokugawa will throw daggers at you in this fight, so you can run around him using the Wild Dancer stance or block these in the Swordsman stance.

Always dodge this flamethrower attack (Image via Sega)

Whenever a red insignia appears before him, it is your cue to get out of his way since this is the flamethrower attack.
You can use the trooper cards on him and deplete his health faster.
His attacks deal a lot of damage, so ensure you have a full stock of healing items.

5) Takechi Hanpeita

You will encounter Takechi Hanpeita, the final boss of Like a Dragon: Ishin, in Chapter 14, the penultimate level. Before facing him, you will fight three other bosses, so ensure to have as many healing items as possible. This boss battle plays out in multiple phases.

How to defeat Takechi Hanpeita:

The first phase is straightforward: dodge, block, and parry his attacks. Try to conserve heat for the next phase.

This is the final boss battle in Like a Dragon: Ishin (Image via Sega)

Don't use Gunman or Brawler fighting stances in this battle if possible. After depleting a bit of his health, a second phase begins with a quick time event.
Takechi attacks with a stance similar to Ryoma's Wild Dancer. Keep alternating between Swordsman and Wild Dancer style to deal with faster blows and use heat attacks whenever possible.
The third phase involves Takechi hurling spirit katanas at you. Block them or dodge them and let him finish his attack combos. Keep chipping away at his health and resort to healing items when your health starts declining.

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Like a Dragon: Ishin is a welcome change of scenery from the modern settings of previous titles and is receiving positive reviews. The game adeptly intertwines real Japanese history with the franchise's gameplay style.