Nioh 2 – How to Defeat Tokichiro

Given the story importance of Tokichiro in Nioh 2, you’d expect him to be among the more impressive bosses, but he really isn’t. While he gets a lot of cool skills and neat moves, he is limited to what a human can actually do and falls into the same traps that apply to you and others. Still, he can be fearsome with the wrong tactic.

General tips

• While every boss has their own specific details, which are detailed below, these tips are designed to give you additional insight into how to improve at Nioh 2 in general. 
• You always get three elixirs on spawn. There is no reason to be frugal with that amount.
• Spear is the easiest weapon to use
• Once you have a bosses move set down, don’t be afraid to invest in additional supplies to come out ahead
• Most fights follow a predictable arc. Dropping the bosses Ki down to zero typically causes them to enter the other world phase and dropping it to zero again will bring them out. There is also a timer but it’s good to know when these phases are going to take place.
• Build around your play style or where you fall short. If you lose in the other world, increase your resistance there. If you can’t manage your Ki due to blocking, increase your toughness. 
• Typically the best way to block attacks is to do it before you take each hit, over holding the button down. Certain attacks have enough of a delay that you can actually block, wait to regain your Ki and then block again to withstand attacks.
• As you progress, look into useful abilities like sloth to help you overcome tricky parts. 
• Don’t be afraid to use summons. Regardless of what people say, Nioh 2 is not a super easy game and there is no shame in using any and all mechanics to your advantage. 
• You can also find more general tips here.

How to Defeat Tokichiro

Before this fight, pick up a summon and expect to go all out on Tokichiro. Best case the summon distracts him, allowing you plenty of free damage and the potential to overwhelm him, with the worst being he quickly dispatches your buddy.

The reality of this fight is to try to overwhelm him. Tokichiro can overwhelm you if you allow him to control the flow of battle, but similar to his story portrayal, he can’t take it as well as he can dish it. Focus on pushing him back, destroying his defense and this fight will be over before it began.