Rise of the Ronin gives players a thrilling gameplay experience set in the 19th Century Japan. However, Team Ninja has followed the tradition of action RPG properly and has introduced all the common RPG features like boss fights, missions, side quests, and finally decision-making. The more players progress through the story, they will eventually explore new parts of the story and meet NPCs who help them gather clues to progress forward. 

One of these NPCs players meet during their journey is Gonzo. However, the fight with him won’t be similar to other fights as this one will end with a choice that players need to make. There’s no way to avoid the choice-making part once you meet Gonzo. If you are struggling during the Gonzo fight and what to choose later, this guide will help you with both.

Where to Find Gonzo in Rise of the Ronin?

Boss fights are common in Rise of the Ronin. From the beginning of the game, players will fight bosses and none of these bosses are easy to take down. This fight slightly differs as here killing the boss or not depends on the choice players make. 

Gonzo is the leader of the Bandits and players will first encounter him during the Curtain Falls- Curtain Rises story mission. In this mission, the protagonist will visit the Magistrate’s Estate to stop the bandits, and there for the first time, they will encounter the Goinzo boss. Once you reach the location, progress through the main estate, and eventually, players will find a staircase that leads them to a viewpoint. Climb the stairs and you will meet Gonzo there. 

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The fight is mandatory as you have to take the keys from him to access a certain building. So, there’s no way you can avoid the battle. Throughout the way, there will be numerous enemies to block your path. You can fight them, or stealthily get past them. Once you reach Gonzo, get prepared for a hard fight.

Rise of the Ronin – Gonzo Fighting Process

Once you have started the journey and have reached this point, undoubtedly, you have defeated a few bosses in this process. In comparison, Gonzo fight won’t seem to be too challenging for you. Before you start the fight, make sure to save the game manually, so you can replay the mission. 

The Gonzo fight is unique for several reasons and one of them is that at the beginning of this boss fight, players get introduced to new game mechanics that allow them to adjust their combat style according to the opponent’s weapons and abilities. This is an excellent mechanism to counter opponents based on their weaknesses. For example, the Gonzo fight suggests you switch to Eccentric Ronin.

Now the question is why switch to Eccentric Ronnin? The answer is simple, because the enemy is strong and mostly uses Hokushin-Itto-ryu style. The boss is not an agile one who can use fast attacks or close the gap between you and him in seconds. Instead, the bandit leader is more comfortable in slow attacks, but they hit hard. They can take players down in two hits. So, it is always better you don’t try to close the gap yourself as the boss has quite a large range. If you come within the range, it is hard to avoid his attacks. 

Try to counterspark his most attacks, but whenever he glows red before launching an attack, make sure to dodge it. If you can parry his combo attacks successfully, it will increase his panic meter, making him vulnerable to take damage. Take advantage of the situation and land some Critical Hits to drain his health.

The Gonzo fight is different because, mostly the boss fights end with killing the boss, but in this case, the defeat doesn’t mean the death of the boss until you choose it. At the end of the fight, players are given two choices: they can spare Gonzo or kill him. This is one of the major decisions to make in the game.

Choice Guide – Should You Spare Gonzo or Kill Him in Rise of the Ronin?

Gonzo is an important character in the game. Therefore, sparing or killing Gonzo seems to be a major choice to make in the game, but the choice doesn’t make any difference in the game’s main story. However, this choice will have a lasting effect on the side quest of the story. If you choose to kill Gonzo like other bosses, the Bandit leader’s accompaniment won’t happen anymore and you have to progress alone. 

As a reward for killing Gonzo, players will receive several rewards, including, Bandit Chief’s Odachi, “Merciless” Title, Jigen-Ryu Combat Style, Storehouse Key, etc. On the contrary, if you choose to spare Gonzo, it will unlock a new side quest named The Bad Bunch, where the bandit leader will again appear. To get the side quest, players need to go to the Pleasure District and then meet Sakamoto at the Longhouse. 
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Now the whole point is you can choose whatever you want. Regardless of your choice, you will follow the same main story and get the same ending. But still, if you want to know which one will be better, we recommend not to kill Gonzo. It’s not worth it. Instead, if you spare the bandit leader, he will become your constant companion if you spare him during the side quest for the second time.

Now the twist is that The Bad Bunch side quest can still be completed if you kill Gonzo, but this time you will miss the chance to recruit him as an ally. 

That’s everything players need to know about how to defeat Gonzo in Rise of the Ronin. This fight will be a little different than other boss fights as it ends with a choice to kill the enemy or not. The choice is completely yours and you should think of the consequences of each choice before you choose the option. This not-so-important decision should not be something to waste too much time as there are lots of important decisions to make, starting from the Prologue.