How to Beat Hiruko in Nioh 3

1 week ago 2

Published Feb 6, 2026, 3:01 AM EST

Scott Baird is a contributor with over a decade's experience writing about video games, along with board games and tabletop RPGs. Scott has previously worked for Dexerto, Cracked, Dorkly, and Gamepur.

Nioh 3 features anime versions of real-life historical figures and mythological beings. It's not exactly a novel concept, but it does explain why Hiruko, Himiko's younger brother, is a buff dude with cool tattoos.

Players won't be staring at Hiruko's hot bod for long, as he will eventually go Super Saiyan and transform into a demon. While significantly less buff, Hiruko's demon form will give you way more trouble, as it comes packing an entire arsenal of magical might.

Hiruko is one of the nastiest foes in Nioh 3, but there's a certain trick to beating him that can make the fight a lot easier, as it saves the player a ton of resources for when they enter the hardest part of the fight.

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Nioh 3: Hiruko (Phase 1) Moves & Attacks

Hiruko starts the fight by casting an enchantment on his sword. This gives you time to use a buffing item or start pelting him with Ninja Arts. Throughout the fight, he will change the element on his sword, allowing him to use different attacks. These are the moves Hiruko will use during the fight:

Attack

Description

Response

Flame Charge	Hiruko lowers his sword, rushes towards the player, then brings it up, sending out a wave of flames.	Parry or dodge to the side.
Kick	Hiruko kicks the player.	Parry
Grab	Black and yellow dots appear around Hiruko's hand. He will lunge forward and try to grab the player.	Dodge using the method outlined in the section below.
Wind Waves	Hiruko throws out several thin blades of wind.	These can be parried or dodged.
Triple Strike	Hiruko performs two sword slashes before jumping in the air and bringing his sword down for a massive AoE attack.	Block/Parry the first two hits, then dodge past him. He should be good for a few whacks while still in the attack animation.
Ice Charge	Hiruko lowers his sword, rushes towards the player, then brings it up, sending out a wave of ice.	The AoE of the ice is wider than the flames, so try to dash towards Hiruko when he uses the move.

Hiruko seems like he has a lot of health, but you only need to get him down to roughly 50% of his health to conclude this section of the fight. This will cause him to enter Phase 2, where his health fills back to the top.

How to Beat Hiruko (Phase 1) in Nioh 3

There's a simple trick for defeating Hiruko during the first phase of the battle. While his moves are strong and have a wide arc, they're slow to come out. This means the best way to fight Hiruko is to always stay as physically close to him as possible. You have to be nipple to nipple with this guy.

See, Hiruko's attacks have such a long wind-up that, when he commits to a move, you can dash forward. As he's already committed to the attack, he'll soar right past you, as you've dodged behind them. You're then free to get in a few whacks before spinning back to his front and repeating the process.

Nioh 3: Hiruko (Phase 2) Moves & Attacks

When the second phase of the fight begins, Hiruko will return to full health, then stab his sword into the ground, creating steam vents that appear around the arena. Like with the start of the fight, this will give you time to chug a potion, use a buffing item, or hit him with arrows/Ninja Arts.

Attack

Description

Response

Demonic Fire Orb	Hiruko conjures a massive ball of fire above his head, which explodes into a rain of fireballs that strike the surrounding area.	Run away when he uses this move, or Ninja evade if you're too close.
Crucible Beam	Hiruko flies into the air and lifts his hand up. This causes energy to gather into the Crucible Orb at the top of the boss arena. After around five seconds, a beam will shoot directly down, then towards the player's position. It will be followed by a horizontal beam that strikes the same position.	Wait for the beam to strike the ground. Then dash to the side, then run forward.
Crimson Spin	Hiruko flashes crimson, then spins his blade to strike the player.	Use Burst Break Counter (R2) when the sword is about to strike the player.
Red Rain (Yokai Realm)	Hiruko stabs the ground, causing a spout of red rain to appear. These fly out in a 6-column pattern.	Run back to avoid them. They'll leave a wide open area after they've started moving.
Back Spikes	Hiruko leans forward for a moment before long spikes sprout from his back.	Ninja dodge away, then move around to his side to damage him.
Sword Lunge	Hiruko pulls his arm back, then lunges forward with his sword. Will often follow it up with Back Spikes if you run behind him.	This can be parried to slow it down, or Ninja dodged away.
Exploding Clouds	Hiruko conjures six damaging spheres that fly from his body. They linger for a few seconds before exploding.	Just run away from them. Hiruko will come to you.
Triple Exploding Strike	Hiruko performs three sword slashes. The third one causes a rain of fiery meteors to show the area in front of them.	Parry the first two, then dodge behind him.
X-Strike	Hiruko stabs the ground, causing eight ice panels to appear in an X-pattern around him.	Just avoid them.

Hiruko keeps switching elements throughout the battle, switching from fire to ice. This will change the kind of moves he uses.

How to Beat Hiruko (Phase 2) in Nioh 3

Unfortunately, the body rubbing tactic of the first phase doesn't work as well when Hiruko enters his demon form. This is because he's faster, has a longer reach, and his attacks spawn closer to his body.

More importantly, Hiruko's spikes make it hard to strike him from the back. You always need to be moving when attacking him, as the spikes are punishingly powerful. If possible, try to strike him from the sides as much as possible.

While Hiruko isn't as cheesable in his second form as his first, he's a relatively slow boss. He has a big toolbox of ranged options, but it's all very manageable. Use the easy tactic of the first phase to ensure you're fully stocked on Elixirs for the second, and you should be able to carefully grind him down.