Sekrio’s Shinobi Hunter Enshin of Misen is one of the first minibosses you will encounter in the game. Don’t be fooled by the ‘mini’ part though, as he can prove quite the obstacle to topple. To find him, head to the memory of Hirata Estate area and pass through the village. After you cross a bridge, you’ll see him surrounded by his mob of goons in a relatively narrow stretch of land.
Before you think about fighting him, however, you’ll want to make sure you have the Mikiri Counter. It doesn’t cost a whole bunch, and you can find it in your Shinobi Arts. We’ll get into the nitty-gritty of it later, but having the technique to hand will offset most of the Shinobi Hunter’s moves. If you’re uncomfortable using it, you can get to grips with it by training back at the Dilapidated Temple.
Now, assuming you’ve reached your destination and have the Mikiri Counter skill to hand, we’ll go over the best way to approach the fight, kill Shinobi Hunter’s goons, and then round it all off with how to topple the main man himself.
How to beat Sekiro’s Shinobi Hunter Enshin of Misen
Take out Shinobi Hunter Enshin of Misen’s protection
Before you dance with the Shinobi Hunter, you’ll want to take out his guards. Simple enough, but there’s a specific order to doing this that should make beating the mini-boss easier to do while ensuring that you’re fresh for the fight – handy, too, if you’re looking to save up on healing items.
When you first reach the aforementioned bridge zip up to the big branch that hangs above it and then to the top of the tower to your left. Go forward a few steps and you should see a flower bed down below, drop down and hug the wall to make sure you don’t alert the enemy. Keep creeping forward, and you should pass an archer before seeing the Shinobi Hunter loitering around.
Okay, we did say this was about killing his goons first but hit him with a stealth attack once he turns his back to you to take off one of his Deathblow marks. Remember that archer I told you about? He’s who you’ll want to take out straight after doing damage to the Shinobi Hunter. After that you’ll want to start dashing back towards the bridge where you should swiftly come across and distinguish an enemy carrying a torch. After this, you’ll want to get to the bridge and keep your distance to bait the enemy wielding an axe into coming forward – take him out, and it’s on to the main boss.
Take out the Shinobi Hunter Enshin of Misen
Assuming you landed your stealth attack on the Shinobi Hunter, you should be starting this fight with a hefty advantage. The Shinobi Hunter Enshin of Misen has two main Perilous Attacks for you to worry about – one is a Thrust move, the other is a Sweep attack.
Despite the two, the Shinobi Hunter prefers the former, which is dandy for you as this strategy revolves around keeping your distance and baiting him into using it. Thanks to the Mikiri Counter, you’ll stamp his spear into the ground and deal massive Posture damage. Repeat this a few times, and you’ll knock off his second Deathblow mark and eventually kill him.
More Sekiro Shadows Die Twice guides to chop through:
Sekiro bosses
Sekiro Treasure Carp scales guide
Sekiro Lapis Lazuli guide
And there you go. The Shinobi Hunter has become the Shinobi hunted, and you have a Sekrio Prayer Bead for your troubles. These minibosses are harder than your average foe, as they have two Deathblow marks and dish out much more damage in general, but every fight has its workaround, and this one is no different.