In Ghost of Yotei, players get to encounter the legendary duelist, “Takezo the Unrivaled”. As Atsu, you get to fight this character twice and he really lives up to his name. Get to know how to beat Takezo, some tips, and strategies that you can use during the fight using this guide.
Check out this guide on how to beat Saito!
Takezo is the ultimate opponent once you defeat his disciples in all five dueling trees. Each dueling tree has its own disciple and gimmick. Beat each one and you finally get to unlock Takezo’s final location.
After defeating the fifth disciple, you get approached by a vagabond that tells you to go south to finally meet and duel Takezo. Note that you can visit this place to get the fast travel even before you defeat the last disciple. Once you get to the area, sit down to finally get to meet Takezo. You will then be led down to Sasaki’s Cove to finally duel Takezo.
The first phase of the fight against Takezo is pretty straightforward. You go one on one against him using a katana. Just use dodges and parries to wear him down. It’s better to counter attack than to pummel your way and stagger Takezo. Wait for him to strike, then time your counters to leave him open. The first phase ends once Takezo reaches 1/3 of his health.
Takezo uses an oar as a spear to attack you during this phase. It can be a bit unnerving given that the timing of his attacks and range are may be unfamiliar and off compared to his katana attacks. You can get beaten a lot here but check the timing of his attacks and combine perfect parries with dodges. Learn from your mistakes and match the timing. Be on the lookout for the red glint attacks and dodge out of the way to survive and strike back.
You can use Metsubushi to disorient or cancel Takezo’s attacks for a few seconds. Use these sparingly and note that it will not get you out of trouble. You can also drink sake and use the empty bottle to at least stagger Takezo. Just make sure that you are out of his range when you do this as drinking can make you open to attack.
Once Takezo reaches 1/3 of his health, you will be prompted to use Takezo’s Dual Slash using Dual Katanas. Perform the attack to finish the fight.
You’d be wrong to assume that this would be an easy fight like the last time. Take note that Takezo is way different in this encounter compared to your first duel. If you come in unprepared, there’s a great chance that you can get killed by his one-hit strikes.
To trigger the second duel, wear all of the charms of Takezo that you got from his defeated disciples. Fast travel to Mount Yotei’s crater and traverse the rim until you arrive at the camping spot. Use the camp fire to rest and also trigger Takezo’s arrival.
It is important to note that once you trigger Takezo’s arrival, you can remove the Charms and use the ones you want to fight with. After getting him to appear, change your equipment to your dueling set. To start the duel, simply approach Takezo.
Eating adds one additional Spirit charge that you can use during the duel. Before talking to Takezo, if you already triggered the fight before, be sure to camp first, eat, and then start the duel. Having full Spirits is almost a requirement in this fight. Getting minor/major defensive or melee perks is a plus.
Above are the charms that I used to defeat Takezo. The build makes use of Kunais to cancel Takezo’s attacks and perfect parries to increase sustainability during the fight through health regeneration. Additional health also helps in adding a bit of room for mistakes. Note that this is just a recommendation and you can use charms that you are more comfortable with. Also, there are multiple ways to beat Takezo, this is but one of them.
Takezo will come in agressively once you start the fight. He alternates between red glint strikes and lightning-fast blue glint attacks. Timing is key here and having to block attacks grants you enough time to stagger and slip in some damage. Be extra wary of his blue glint strikes as an upward slash can easily take off huge chunks from your health, ending the duel.
Once you rid Takezo of 25% of his health, a blizzard suddenly appears to complicate things. The duel becomes harder this time as the environment itself is against you. As the match goes on, the lesser your maximum health becomes due to the cold, leaving you more vulnerable to one-hit strikes from Takezo. Unfortunately, the cold has little effect on Takezo. Make things a bit hotter by using your flame-imbued Kunais whenever you see blue or red glints to turn the tables and go on the offensive.
Getting into the rhythm and timing of Takezo’s attacks is key here. With the build above, perfect parries grant you health, Spirit, and an opportunity to easily deal damage to Takezo. Use Kunai’s to disrupt his attacks, then frequently use dodges for attacks that you are unfamiliar with. Wait for Takezo to posture and strike if you’re confident of getting a perfect parry.
After you defeat Takezo, give yourself a pat on the back. He’s definitely one of the harder bosses in the game, if not the hardest.
Defeating Takezo unlocks the “Unrivaled” Bronze trophy achievement.
With Takezo dead, he won’t be needing his hat anymore.
As a reward for beating Takezo, you get the sheathes and skins that he used for your dual Katanas.
Ghost of Yotei is now out on the PS5 and you can purchase it either online via the official PS5 product page or via your local game stores.
