Stage 15 Boss: Smauganthe Flame Dragon
When you try to take the Devil statue here, you'll be greeted by one very irritated giant lizard. Smaugan's a tricky one, made all the stranger by the dual-floor gimmick in this room. If you hit one of the buttons on a platform with a hard jumping smash, it will spring upwards, allowing you to reach the upper portion of the room. Smaugan also has the ability to send these platforms flying upwards, and his preferred attacks will vary a bit depending on the floor Hayabusa is currently on.
When you start the battle, there's a very brief window in which Smaugan is vulnerable, before he goes launching into his attacks. He'll start by lowering his head close to Ryu to examine him. Take advantage of this! Equip your strongest weapon and hack off as much of his health as you possibly can. Alternatively, try doing a charge attack (if you have an item that lowers charge times, equip it beforehand) and unleash it after to gains sufficient power.
Being a dragon, Smaugan likes his fire, and the bulk of his attacks will involve him either horking an unblockable fireball in your direction (keep running to avoid it) or doing a continuous flamethrower-style attack (jump over it). An attack that tends the throw people off is Smaugan's wing blast. You can avoid damage from this entirely by rolling at just the right time, but this can prove quite difficult at times. If you don't think you'll be able to dodge-roll successfully, just go ahead and block it - you'll still take damage, but it will be minimized.
On the top level, Smaugan will cease using some of his firebreathing skills, and will instead try to catch Hayabusa in his jaws by lunging forward more frequently. Dodge this at all costs. If he grabs you, it's gonna hurt like hell. Smaugan's a bit easier to damage on the upper level because of this - his head is usually closer to you, and you can retaliate after he misses with a chomp attack. You can also try projectile strikes if you want - your explosive arrows are surprisingly effective given that Smaugan lives in a flaming hellhole.
Again, persistence is what will clench the victory for you. Keep at your dodging and attacking patterns, and eventually Smaugan will be toast.
