WE DEFEATED THE General Tenzen Yamauchi

General Tenzen Yamauchi was one of those early Sekiro bosses that truly tested my patience and skills. He's a formidable samurai warrior, often encountered guarding a strategic location, and his powerful katana attacks can quickly overwhelm an unprepared player. When I first faced him, I definitely struggled, but after many attempts, I developed a strategy that worked for me. Before you even think about engaging General Tenzen Yamauchi head-on, take a moment to clear out the surrounding enemies. My personal trick was to stealth kill one or two of his minions first, reducing the distractions and making the area much safer. You can often get a stealth deathblow on Tenzen himself if you approach carefully from above or behind, which makes the actual fight much more manageable as you only need one more deathblow. Once you're in the direct confrontation with this samurai general, it's all about posture and parrying. General Tenzen Yamauchi wields his katana with considerable force, but his attacks are generally well-telegraphed. I found that focusing on perfect deflections (parries) was absolutely key. Each successful deflection builds his posture gauge significantly, pushing him closer to a deathblow opportunity. Watch out for his distinct overhead slam; it's slow but powerful, offering a good window for a perfect deflect. He also has sweeping attacks that are easily jumped over, and a dangerous thrust. He has a couple of perilous attacks that you absolutely need to recognize. For the thrust attack, a Mikiri Counter is your best friend – it deals massive posture damage and leaves him vulnerable. For the sweep, jumping over it and stomping him provides an opening and some posture damage. Don't forget your shurikens! They can be great for hitting him when he tries to recover posture or if he jumps away, interrupting his actions and keeping the pressure on. I often threw one if he started to back off, just to maintain my offensive. When I was really struggling, I started experimenting with different Prosthetic Tools. The Loaded Axe can be great for breaking his guard occasionally if you find yourself struggling with deflections, and the Flame Vent (especially with oil) can inflict burn status, which interrupts his attacks and applies damage over time. For Combat Arts, Whirlwind Slash can be effective for some quick damage bursts, or Ichimonji: Double for significant posture recovery for yourself while dealing posture damage to him. I found Ichimonji: Double particularly useful for getting my own posture back in check during brief lulls. Patience is a virtue in Sekiro, and especially so with General Tenzen Yamauchi. Don't get greedy with your attacks. Wait for an opening after a successful deflect, land a couple of hits, then get ready to deflect again. Managing your Spirit Emblems and healing gourds is crucial. I always made sure to heal behind some cover or when he was recovering from a big attack, giving myself a moment to breathe. After several attempts, mastering his patterns and executing those Mikiri Counters felt incredibly rewarding. You can definitely beat this samurai general; it just takes practice, observation, and learning his moves. Keep at it, and you'll overcome General Tenzen Yamauchi too!