Takeda Shingen is the final story boss in Nioh 3's Warring States era, and he's also among the hardest in this part of the game. He's a very aggressive fighter who hits extremely hard, and if you can't deal enough damage to take him out quickly, you're likely going to run out of Elixirs and get absolutely pummeled. The Tiger of Kai may be intimidating, but once you get a feel for how he fights, you should be able to beat him without breaking a sweat. Here are some tips on how to make both Takeda Shingen fights in Nioh 3 a bit easier.
Depicting The Tiger Of Kai Myth Guide In Nioh 3
The ghost of Depicting the Tiger of Kai Myth requires some items related to Takeda Shingen in Nioh 3.
Nioh 3 Takeda Shingen Boss (First Encounter)
You'll first fight Takeda Shingen during the A Fiery Invasion mission in Mikatagahara. He'll be inside the Crucible that appears after you beat Yamagata Masakage in the Takeda camp.
The version of Takeda Shingen that you fight here uses basic combos that are fairly easy to avoid, but occasionally, he'll imbue his weapon with either Fire or Wind elements, giving him enhanced attacks that deal more damage. He'll also start mixing up his moves too, so watch out for the odd ranged attack and moves with long windups.
Now, onto some rapid-fire tips for beating this boss:
- Do not over-commit when attacking. Takeda Shingen will use a barrier that will cause you to recoil when you hit it, opening you up to some nasty ripostes.
- Deflect if you can. The boss will burn through his Ki whenever he attacks, and if you can Deflect or Evade them, you'll be able to break his stance more easily and allow for quick combos and Grapple attacks.
- Manage his Ki. As with the tip above, managing Takeda Shingen's Ki will make the fight much easier. Bait him into attacking, Deflect/Evade his moves, throw Shurikens, or summon Yokai to drain the boss' Ki faster.
If you want to stay safe, fight Takeda Shingen slowly and focus on burning his Ki.
Nioh 3 Yokai Takeda Shingen Guide (Second Encounter)
The Tiger's Cause is the mission that takes place directly after A Fiery Invasion, and here, you need to defeat Takeda Shingen once and for all. Unlike the previous fight, you'll be fighting the boss in his Yokai form this time, and he'll be much more aggressive than before. This also means that Takeda Shingen will follow Yokai rules, so you won't be able to use the same tactics as before.
As with any Yokai boss in Nioh 3, the best strategy here is to try and reduce his max Ki as much as possible. Use Martial Arts, Burst Break, Guardian Spirit Skills, or any other hard-hitting moves to chip away at Takeda Shingen's maximum stamina. This way, he'll become much easier later in the fight.
As for boss fight tips:
- Use Fast Guardian Spirit Skills. Nekomata, Shin-Roku, and Kusanagi have excellent skills that deal good amounts of damage in short amounts of time. This lets you shave off parts of Takeda Shingen's Ki without over-committing to attacks.
- When Takeda Shinge tries to grab you, dodge through him. If you try dodgin away, the boss' grab will almost always connect. If you dodge toward him, you'll have a better chance of slipping through.
- Watch for the boss' jump attacks. When Takeda Shingen slams down, he'll deal damage in an area around him. Either Deflect/Evade the attack, or just dodge out of its range.
- Break Takeda Shingen's golden horn. Aerial attacks, vertical swings, and projectiles like arrows, bullets, and shurikens can destroy the boss' horn, causing him to stagger and take a huge amount of Ki damage. You can use this to knock him out of his Dark Realm phase.
- Observe and memorize his attack pattern. If you're dying too much, take a few moments to just observe how Takeda Shingen fights. This way, you'll be able to react accordingly on your next real attempt.
- Farm Elixirs. The Takeda Soldiers just outside the boss arena can drop Elixirs, giving you more healing charges for the boss fight itself.
You'll want to be very aggressive when fighting Takeda Shingen in his yokai form. Sneak in as many Guardian Spirit attacks as you can so you can stagger him more often.
If, at this point, you're still confused as to which Style (Samurai/Ninja) you should be using, we strongly recommend sticking to just one for now. Both are great, but the differences between their playstyles are simply too great, and combining both Samurai and Ninja Styles requires a great deal of mastery.
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Koei Tecmo
- Publisher(s)
- Koei Tecmo
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Nioh
- Number of Players
- 1-3 players (online)
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- February 6, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
- February 6, 2026
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
