Being a FromSoftware game, there is no lack of bosses and mini-bosses in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Similar to Bloodborne and Dark Souls series, the bosses are again the part and parcel of Sekiro experience. One of the early game mini-boss that you encounter in Shadows Die Twice is called Chained General Tenzen Yamauchi.
Sekiro Shadows Die Twice General Tenzen Boss
As a general rule of thumb, you can never expect nor hope to complete a boss fight in your first go. That is unless you are going for a speedrun or something like that.
This is because the difficulty of the bosses is designed in a way that it requires you to learn from your failures and then go back in with more preparation.
We would advise you to go with the same approach for General Tenzen as well. Before taking him head-on, we advise you to rush forward and first clear out the mob of smaller enemies.
This will allow you to focus on General Tenzen alone without your attention being diverted.
General Tenzen Yamauchi, the Katana wielding heavy-armored samurai, can be found after you encounter the previous mini-boss Chained Ogre. He will be present at the Ashina Outskirts near the Outskirts Wall Stairway.
How to Beat
The first step that you will need to take is one that sees you flee from battle. That is right! We encourage you to run away when you first catch sight of the General Tenzen.
This is because you will now have a chance to sneak up behind the mini-boss and deliver a lethal blow that whittles down the entire first health bar of the General.
Either you can dodge to the rear of the General to land 1-2 hits from there or you can go for a more stylish approach by deflecting Tenzen’s strikes and then counter with your own moves.
His attacks have a very weird timing and pattern to them so you might need at least one playthrough of the fight before you can predict his strikes. Heal often because his attacks do a chunk of damage.
Moreover, keep your distance by dodging away and to the back of the Tenzen since his sword swipes cover a lot of distance and can easily catch you off-guard. Keep repeating the same thing and you will eventually emerge victoriously.
Prayer Bead is the only item you receive as the result of your victory over General Tenzen Yamauchi in Sekiro.
This is all we have in our General Tenzen Boss Fight Guide. If there is anything else that you would like to add, be sure to let us know!
