Sekiro veteran beats infamous Isshin after 45 tries without running, jumping, or countering, and they're asking the FromSoftware community for other boss challenges

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And I thought Isshin was tough on a normal playthrough

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

A frankly wild Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice player has beaten the game's final boss without walking, running, jumping, or a core counter ability.

Isshin, The Sword Saint is an almost unfair FromSoftware boss, for many. That's certainly not the case for the player below, who for some inexplicable reason took it upon themselves to best Isshin without walking, running, jumping, or using Sekiro's Mikiri counter abilities. That's most of Sekiro's core abilities straight out of the window, against arguably the game's strongest boss.

Sword Saint without walking, running, jumping or miriki countering from r/Sekiro

This is such a goddamn wild feat I can barely wrap my head around it. The Mikiri counter is almost synonymous with Sekiro, such is its importance for countering thrusting attacks, but the player has managed to take this out and counteract Isshin's thrusting attacks with another method, but I've genuinely got no clue how they've done it. 

One commenter, like me, didn't even know it was possible to parry thrust attacks without the Mikiri counter, and many others were left similarly stunned. "Well you can, but if it isn't a perfect parry it'll go straight through your block or normal parry," the player responds. 

This wasn't as simple as it looked, however. We can see several instances in which the player genuinely struggles against Isshin in the video above and is put firmly on the back foot, and in the comments they write that it took "like 45 tries" to actually best the Sword Saint like this. Yeah, no kidding - it probably took me close to double that actually using Sekiro's abilities.

What's more, the player is threatening to attempt other Sekiro bosses with identical restrictions. One commenter challenges them to defeat Isshin's older form in Sekiro's 'Shura' ending, to which the player simply replies "sure." Another commenter asks them to try the Great Shinobi version of Owl, and the player casually responds that they'll "try it out."

If you're playing FromSoftware's latest endeavour, read up on our Shadow of the Erdtree weapons guide for a look at where to find the best gear.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.