Sekiro Ashina Elite boss guide: How to defeat the rapid swordsman

Sekiro Ashina Elite boss
Image credit: PowerPyx/YouTube (Image credit: PowerPyx/YouTube)

The Sekiro Ashina Elite boss fight is basically make or break for your parrying skills in Sekiro. His fast flurry of attacks can ruin you quickly if you can't learn the tells and deflect the incoming blows. If you can get the timing down, what initially appears like an impossible fight can be over in barely minutes. 

You'll meet the Sekiro Ashina Elite boss in Ashina Castle after a tough enough fight across the rooftops to get the. It's not exactly the break you might be hoping for but with our guidance you should be able to face down the Ashina Elite easily.

How to kill the Sekiro Ashina Elite boss

Sekiro Ashina Elite boss guide

The fight is intense, fast-paced, and seems almost insurmountable. It is also one of the moments that really demands you learn how to parry effectively. If you can’t parry this lightning-fast swordsman than you are doomed to be cut into several small pieces and left to die on the floor. 

If you can parry, then this fight is an absolute doddle. The key to this fight is in paying close attention to the Ashina Elite’s sheath on his hip. It is at this point that the Elite will dash forward and loose to sword strikes in quick succession. If you can parry these successfully you will deal a monstrous amount of posture damage. 

If you can do this around three times then the Elite will be vulnerable to a deathblow and will fall. There are other attacks to parry as well, but this double-strike is by far and away the best chance to trash his posture and take him down. In between these attacks if you try to get in close and hit him once or twice you can literally end this fight in under a minute. 

Sekiro Blazing Bull boss | Sekiro Chained Ogre boss | Sekiro Lady Butterfly boss guide | Sekiro Genichiro Ashina boss | Sekiro Headless boss | Sekiro Juzou the Drunkard boss | Sekiro Guardian Ape boss | Sekiro Folding Screen Monkey boss | Sekiro Gyoubu Oniwa boss | Sekiro Lone Shadow Longswordsman boss | Sekiro Isshin Ashina boss | Sekiro Armored Warrior boss | Sekiro Isshin the Sword Saint boss | Sekiro Ashina Elite boss | Sekiro Corrupted Monk boss | Sekiro Genichiro Way of Tomoe boss | Sekiro Great Shiobi Owl boss | Sekiro Seven Ashina Spears boss | Sekiro True Corrupted Monk boss | Sekiro Emma the Gentle Blade boss | Sekiro Demon of Hatred boss | Sekiro Divine Dragon boss

Freelance Writer

Jason Coles is a freelance writer and editor, covering gaming, tech, and fitness. Jason has written guides for GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer, reviews for Play magazine, and a host of other content for the likes of Eurogamer, Dicebreaker, and PCGamesN. Jason also served as the editor of The Indie Game Website and is passionate about helping new writers break into the industry with his Word Count Mentoring initiative. 

Latest in Action
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition
Hideo Kojima reveals Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date, and the Collector's Edition includes exactly what I predicted it would
Former Xbox boss says GTA: San Andreas and its infamously NSFW Hot Coffee minigame "signified a maturing of the industry" and put games "on par with movies and music"
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
Death Stranding 2 pre-orders are estimated to go live this month, and will reportedly include a $230 collector's edition that I pray doesn't come with another creepy baby statue
Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji expansion Naoe and Yasuke in Awaji forest
Assassin's Creed Shadows roadmap, DLC and future content
Grand Theft Auto 3
A GTA streamer is trying to beat every single 3D entry without dying, and in 33 hours he's made it as far as San Andreas but keeps getting caught in Vice City purgatory
The Last of Us 2
Naughty Dog has done it: it's remastered the PS5 controller with a Last of Us-themed DualSense announcement 24 hours after Neil Druckmann dashed our hopes for The Last of Us 3
Latest in Guides
Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji expansion Naoe and Yasuke in Awaji forest
Assassin's Creed Shadows roadmap, DLC and future content
A scary emoji shown in horror game REPO.
Is REPO coming to consoles?
Monster Hunter Wilds Nu Udra Palico
How to get the Monster Hunter Wilds Aqua Sac and Flame Sac
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 DLC guide to all Season Pass wrestlers
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing a fiery octopus monster grabbing player
Monster Hunter Wilds Black Flame location and boss fight guide
Monster Hunter Wilds Aqua Sac and Flame Sac
The best Monster Hunter Wilds mods and how to install them