If you’re hungry to fight more bosses in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, there are more available in the hidden corners of the world. We’re not talking about mini-bosses. This is all about major bosses that drop Memories. And they’re all completely optional. Some of them are linked to alternate endings, while others just appear in the environment at certain points of the story. Don’t miss some of these insane, epic battles.
There are two types of missable bosses in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — bosses for certain secret endings, and bosses that appear in areas you might miss while exploring. Each of these bosses is completely unique. Some of them can be encountered in multiple ending paths, while others are available no matter what ending path you’re on. It gets kind of confusing, so here’s a full list of all the bosses (and how to fight them) in the guide below.
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How To Find Every Secret & Optional Boss | Locations Guide
There are many secret or optional bosses to find in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This list covers only the major bosses — that means, these bosses will always drop a Memory. Standard mini-bosses are located just about everywhere.
Lady Butterfly
This completely optional boss is found in the Hirata Estate area. Find the Owl in the burning estate midway through the zone and talk to him — he’ll give you a key to access the final chamber of the estate grounds.
Lady Butterfly is found under the secret mat, and through the locked door. She is completely optional — but she will drop a powerful upgrade. The Sakura Droplet, when given to Lord Kuro or the Divine Child, will unlock a third life for you.
Headless Ape
The Headless Ape is an optional boss that only appears after you’ve defeated the Guardian Ape in the Sunken Valley. The Headless Ape appears in a small cave before the Hidden Forest Idol.
Go to the area, and you’ll be forced to face the Headless Ape — the Headless Ape is an ever-living version of the Guardian Ape’s Phase 2 form. After defeating one Deathblow Mark, you’ll have to fight the Headless Ape and a smaller, weaker Guardian Ape.
To easily kill the Guardian Ape helper, use Shuriken — unload all your Shuriken into the ape to destroy its health bar. If it isn’t dead, you can finish it off with a few basic attacks.
The Demon of Hatred
The Demon of Hatred only appears if you follow the main story path. If you join Lord Kuro on his quest to sever the dragon heritage, you can face the Demon of Hatred.
This optional boss appears at the large battlefield, at the end of the Ashina Outskirts area. Go to the raised bridge down the steps from Ashina Castle to find a grapple point that leads to the burning Ashina Outskirts. This area is only available when the sky turns to night — after defeating the Divine Dragon boss.
The Demon of Hatred is a terrifying monster transplanted straight from Bloodborne. He’s the most impressive, scary and demonic boss in the game. He has three Deathblow Markers, making him one of the longest battles in the game — or in the series.
ENDING PATH BOSSES
The Owl [Purification Ending]
If you follow the ‘Purification’ ending path, as detailed in our Endings guide, you’ll do battle with The Owl one final time in the underground chamber where you encountered Lady Butterfly. He serves as the final boss of this timeline.
Emma, The Gentle Blade [Shura Ending]
Emma, the doctor that helps you throughout the game, can become your enemy at the midway point of the story. If you choose to join your father, The Owl, and follow the Iron Code at the top of Ashina Castle. This will betray Lord Kuro, and you’ll face off against Emma. This leads to the ‘Shura’ — or bad ending.
Lord Isshin Ashina [Shura Ending]
Right after fighting Emma, you’ll then have to battle Isshin Ashina as an old man. This old man is a challenging battle, especially this early in the game. He is also found in Ashina Castle.
True Corrupted Monk, Divine Dragon & Isshin, Sword Saint [Main Ending Path]
These three bosses are all part of the ‘main’ ending path. If you stay loyal to Lord Kuro and work with him to sever the dragon heritage, you’ll fight these three bosses and explore the final areas of the game. As this is the ‘standard’ story path, I won’t get into too many details for these three bosses. Just agree to work with Lord Kuro, and you’ll fight these bosses.
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