Boss Guides · Mission: The Demon on the Mount

Shuten Doji

In the climactic story mission The Demon on the Mount, Musashi confronts the legendary demon warlordShuten Doji – Gourd Drainer. Renowned for possessing one of the most demanding Phase 2 encounters in the campaign, this battle serves as the unlock trial for Musashi's Oni Awakening (鬼武者覚醒) form.

Updated September 8, 2026

Encounter overview & checkpoint system

Phase 2 Checkpoint Rule

Do not be discouraged if Phase 2 overwhelms you initially. Finishing Phase 1 unlocks an in-combat tutorial for Oni Awakening, which establishes a permanent checkpoint. Dying in Phase 2 restarts immediately at the beginning of Phase 2, never forcing you to repeat Phase 1 during the story mission.

Phase 1: Heavy brawling & blazing form

1. Sake Drinking & Suction Slash

Interrupt Healing: Whenever Shuten Doji chugs from his gourd, sprint in and strike him twice. He drops and shatters the bottle; jump or back-dodge over the fiery shockwave.
Suction Slash: When he pulls Musashi in with a vacuum vortex, do not resist. Watch his blade twirl once, then Parry or Deflect right as the descending arc slash drops.

2. Blazing Form (50% HP Bow Interrupt)

At half health, Shuten Doji ignites in literal flames and leaps backward to cast room-wide fire breath.

Interrupting Shuten Doji blazing form with the Oni Bow — Dodge through the advancing floor flame wave, draw the Oni Bow, and shoot his chest to cancel fire breath.

Wait for the ground flame wave to approach Musashi, then dodge forward through it.
Instantly draw your Oni Bow and fire an arrow into his torso.
This cleanly interrupts his fire breath channel, avoiding lethal arena-wide burn hazards.

Phase Transition: Oni Awakening

Upon depleting Phase 1, the HUD disappears for a scripted narrative event. Do not waste consumables. The ensuing cutscene unlocks Oni Awakening (鬼武者覚醒):

Musashi Oni Awakening transformation — Oni Awakening provides temporary invulnerability, automatic soul siphon, widened Issen windows, and a super finisher.

Invulnerability: Temporarily immune to all direct health and posture damage.
Generous Issen Windows: Issen counter timings become vastly more forgiving; aggressively counter all incoming strikes.
Onimusha Onslaught: Replaces your Oni Armament with a massive burst finisher. Trigger it right before your Awakening gauge expires.

Phase 2: Split head & body assault

In Phase 2, Shuten Doji's severed, flaming demonic head detaches and fights in tandem with his headless body.

Fighting split head and body in Phase 2 — Parry/deflect the armed body slashes; dodge laterally and Grab Reverse the flying head.

The Golden Defense Rule

Against the Body: Respond with Parry or Deflect (Block + A). The body predominantly wields heavy sword swings and slams.
Against the Head: Respond with Dodge or Grab Reversal (B). The head exclusively uses unarmed lunges, bites, and grabs.

Jump-Away into Flying Head Grab

When the boss leaps away in Phase 2, he launches a ground flame wave followed immediately by a projectile head lunge:

Dodge the flame wave laterally so you are not staggered.
As the head rockets toward Musashi, tap B right before impact to execute a Grab Reversal, slamming the head into the ground.

The Dual Wombo Combo Interrupt

When the body prepares a flaming overhead cleave while the floating head simultaneously breathes fire,activate an Oni Armament skill or enter Oni Awakening. The skill activation instantly staggers both components and cancels the dual attack safely.

Quick reference counter sheet

Attack / Cue	Phase	Optimal Counter Action
Sake Drinking	Phase 1	Sprint in; hit twice; dodge backward from bottle shatter shockwave.
Vacuum Suction Slash	Both	Do not resist pull; ignore blade spin; Deflect the descending slash.
Blazing Form Fire Breath	Phase 1	Dodge floor flame wave; shoot Oni Bow arrow into chest to interrupt.
Flying Head Lunge	Phase 2	Evade flame wave, then tap `B` for an immediate Grab Reversal.
5-Hit Alternating String	Phase 2	Parry body hits; dodge head snaps; land an Issen counter on the final overhead smash.
Dual Wombo Combo	Phase 2	Trigger Oni Armament or Oni Awakening to interrupt both hits.

Tips & common mistakes

No-UI transition is scripted: When UI vanishes at Phase 1 end, do not chug healing items. The defeat is required for the story cutscene.
Training Grounds warning: The Training Grounds rematch removes the story checkpoint! You must defeat both phases in one continuous run.
Conserve Armament charges: Keep at least one Oni Armament charge held in reserve specifically to cancel the Phase 2 dual flame-and-slash combo.

Frequently asked questions

Can I enter Oni Awakening multiple times during Phase 2?

The initial activation is scripted, but subsequent activations in Phase 2 are possible by absorbing souls and landing deflections to refill your awakening meter.