Boss fights are indeed the most challenging yet exciting part of every action role-playing game. Of course, the story and the gameplay matter, but boss fights matter the most. Considering this, Team Ninja has designed their latest role-playing game Rise of the Ronin with powerful bosses from the beginning of the story. Therefore, if you get stuck while trying to deal with the dual bosses Naosuke Li and Akikatsu Manabe in the game, this guide will help you with all the required information.

Bosses are an integral part of the game, and each mission leads to a boss fight. Though these two bosses appear comparatively early in the game, still from previous experiences, players can easily guess that taking them lightly is similar to committing suicide. They can instantly eliminate players. So, without understanding the strategy, it is better not to dive into the fight. 

However, before we proceed to find the exact strategy for the Naosuke Li and Akikatsu Manabe fight, let’s check out a few more details about these two bosses, including their locations.

Where to Find Naosuke Li and Akikatsu Manabe in Rise of the Ronin?

These dual bosses are the final bosses to encounter in Act 1 of Rise of the Ronin. Every mission of the game has a few bosses to take down, and sometimes these characters join the player’s team after they are defeated. As you progress through the game and complete story missions, you will unfold different parts of the story. Eventually, you will receive the final story mission of Act 1, named, The Sakurada Gate Incident. This mission tasks them to fight these two bosses.

As soon as the mission starts, players need to take down several standard enemies and keep moving toward the Li palanquin. This is where the fight begins. However, the duo doesn’t appear together. Instead, the fight begins with Naosuke Li. When he reaches half of his health, Akikatsu Manabe will appear to save him. 

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Players will probably surprised when they see Akikatsu Manabe as he is a familiar enemy whom they have encountered previously. Well, it is the Blue Demon. Just like he appeared to protect Matthew Perry during the prologue, he again appears to save Naosuke Li.

Before players start the fight, make sure to stock up on healing items, as the fight is going to be a tough one. Without healing potions, it is impossible to survive.

Tips and Strategies to Fight Naosuke Li and Akikatsu Manabe in Rise of the Ronin

Among the two bosses, Naosuke Li is the easiest one to deal with. Players should be more focused on defeating him. About the Blue Demon fight, it is challenging as always. From the beginning of the fight, make sure to keep your distance from the boss as he has a great range. Fortunately, his attack variety is still a bit less. 

The primary attack of the boss is the white shockwave attack. Apart from that, the boss also uses a red attack, in which he creates streaks around himself. Both these are deadly attacks and players will lose a lot of health if they hit. However, make sure you have mastered the counterspark ability. This is the key to winning this fight. If you can parry these attacks a few times, the panic meter of the boss starts filling up, giving you a chance to land a critical hit on the boss. 

Use the same strategy to make the boss lose half of his health, so the second phase of the fight starts and Akikatsu Manabe appears. This phase is a bit tricky as both bosses are powerful and attack simultaneously. So, ensure you have joined the fight with your allies, so your teammates can take care of the Blue Demon. From your previous experiences, you are aware that he can’t be killed.

While your allies are fighting with Akikatsu Manabe, you must focus on the main boss of the fight, Naosuke Li. The boss won’t change his attacks, so, use the same strategy to again let him lose half of his health. After he loses another half of his health, he will enter Ki Blaze state where his attacks get more power. This time, even the melee weapon of the boss will deal fire damage. However, don’t panic as the fighting process will be the same in this stage as well. Keep parrying his attacks to get chances to hit the enemy, until Ki is depleted. 

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During this stage, don’t completely ignore the Blue Demon as he sometimes will start attacking the protagonist. Once the first boss is dealt with, join your allies to defeat the Blue Demon. This boss fight is familiar as you have faced his attacks previously. The move set of the enemy is the same. So, players should not get confused with his attacks, especially the Clone attack, in which Blue Demon summons his clones. 

Once the fight reaches its conclusion as you have defeated both bosses, there’s an important decision to make. 

Rise of Ronin Choice Guide- Whether Spare or Kill Naosuke Ii?

Choice-making is something essential in Rise of the Ronin. Indeed not all the choices are equally important, still, players need to think twice before they make a decision. Once you have emptied the health bars of both bosses, you have the chance to spare or kill Naosuke Li. That’s confusing as you are still unaware of the consequences. 

Let me tell you, nothing will really change whether you spare or kill the boss. If you spare him, you won’t kill him at that point, and Blue Demon will take him out of the location. However, through the next cutscene, you will get to know that Naosuke Li is assassinated. 

If you choose to kill him, your character will assassinate him right away. In both cases, the final consequence will be the same. Therefore, no matter what you choose, the main story won’t be changed. Unfortunately, there’s no way to kill the Blue Demon or determine his fate.

That’s everything players need to know about defeating Naosuke Li and Akikatsu Manabe in Rise of the Ronin. This fight won’t be tough if you don’t try to deal with the bosses simultaneously. Maybe the fight will take some time, but players can easily deal with them if they stick to the strategy.