How To Beat Corrupt Toshi In Kena: Bridge Of Spirits

The final corrupted spirit you need to help pass over in Kena: Bridge of Spirits is Toshi, the former leader of the village at the center of the game. Toshi is a powerful fighter, mixing together many of the types of combatants you've faced before. He also nullifies some of your strategies--he'll block your arrows and bombs, rendering some of your best ranged attacks useless except in key situations. He's also tough up close, striking Kena with some powerful melee combos.

It is possible to counter and beat Toshi, though, provided you know what you're facing and when to hit him with the right attacks. This guide will help you recognize what Toshi is bringing to bear on you so you can defend, parry, and snipe your way to victory in Kena: Bridge of Spirits' toughest boss fight.

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Abilities You Should Unlock Beforehand: Sprint Attack Heavy, Perfect Charge, Focus, Enter The Fray, Rot Hammer, Rot Arrow, Spirit Dash

First and foremost, know that staying at range and sniping at Toshi is a bad idea, unlike almost every boss you've faced up until now. Toshi carries both a sword and a spirit staff, combining powerful melee attacks with several big magic strikes. The staff in particular is an issue because he can use it to deflect Kena's ranged abilities, like her spirit arrows and spirit bombs. Fire too many arrows, in fact, and Toshi will send them back to you, causing significant pain. You can and should still rely on your bow for some key attacks, though, so don't put away the ranged option altogether. In particular, Rot Arrows are good for breaking through Toshi's defenses, and you'll want to use them to nail him for good damage without having to close the gap on him and risk a melee fight.

Your other big move in this fight is the Spirit Dash. Toshi has several powerful close-range melee combos that he can execute from most distances, and they're very tough to dodge because he just keeps coming, sometimes swinging for six total strikes. However, if you see him winding up one of these attacks, you can often knock him out of it with a quick Spirit Dash straight into him. The attack will knock him off-balance for a moment while dealing some damage, while usually stopping him from pummeling you.

If Toshi does come in with the melee strikes, you'll have to deal with one of a few options. If he reels back with the sword first, he's likely doing a three-hit combo that will end with a blast from his staff that shoots out a short distance and is great for breaking your shield, so try to parry early or dodge clear. If his second swing is from his staff, trailing flame, he's going for his six-hit combo, which is a pain to avoid and ends with an area-of-effect wave burst that will travel out in a circle around him. It's possible to parry both combos, so try to get the timing down, as you'll open him up for some good counter-attacks that will help keep you in the fight. Last, watch out for him to dart across the battlefield with a diving single-hit strike. This one is easiest to parry, but often toughest to avoid--if you see him running toward you, best to just Spirit Dash straight at him and knock him out of it.

When he's not trying to attack you with the sword, Toshi will execute a couple of magical ranged attacks that will hit hard, but give you good opportunities to fight back. When you see him ringed in electricity and fire, he'll teleport a short distance away to one of two locations: either the very center of the battlefield, or somewhere off-center but not far away. If he's in the center, he's about to release a powerful wave that you'll need to jump over, which will be followed by a series of blasts from beneath the ground you can avoid by running. If he's not in the center, Toshi will send several big blasts of energy at you, which will explode on impact. In both cases, you can hit him with an arrow at a key moment (a Rot Arrow seems to be most effective) to cancel the attacks and force Toshi to one knee so you can run in and hit him. When he's in the center, hit him right after you jump over the wave attack; if he's not in the center, try to hit him as soon as possible while he's charging his arrows. If you miss the counter on the second attack, dodge the incoming energy attacks and try to hit him again before the attack ends.

In both cases, you should get a few useful seconds to hit Toshi for big damage. Get in close as quick as you can and hit him with the Rot Hammer for as much damage as you can rack up, then follow up with some extra hits to build up your Courage. Toshi doesn't have an area-of-effect attack that triggers when he gets back up, unlike most bosses, so you can keep swinging away until he's back on his feet.

Finally, while on the ground, Toshi will occasionally charge up some pink energy and shoot a big exploding arrow at you. This is another opportunity to nail him with an arrow and stagger him for a counter-attack. The timing can be tough to land on this one, though, as his shot comes quick and the explosion is big enough that it can be tough to avoid, so prioritize escaping over doing damage.

If you can hit Toshi at key moments, you can keep him from doing some of his nastiest attacks while hitting him in the follow-up. The toughest part of this fight is dealing with his melee combos; get good at the parry timing in particular and you'll defeat him.