Sekiro Forces Players To Earn A Bad End With Isshin Ashina

Summary

Challenging the optional final boss in Sekiro early is a risky decision, as the player and protagonist are not fully prepared for an endgame fight.
Obtaining the bad ending in Sekiro requires making a villainous decision and betraying an important character, adding emotional weight to the subsequent boss fight against Isshin Ashina.
Despite having to fight Isshin Ashina in both the regular and bad endings, the version of the boss faced in the bad ending is weaker than the formidable Sword Saint encountered in the canon endings.

It isn't uncommon for a bad ending to come along in games as players skip over more difficult challenges and rush towards the ending, with even some of the most difficult titles like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice partially following this trend. However, while it is possible to skip a portion of Sekiro's winding narrative, the price to be paid isn't just a bad ending, but also a fight against the incredibly powerful boss Isshin Ashina.

This optional fight against Isshin and subsequent ending for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice might almost qualify as a secret for most players, considering that earning it requires making an obviously villainous decision about two-thirds of the way through the game. Interestingly, it also involves facing off against the same final boss as the regular ending, but with a few twists that make the fight simultaneously simpler and more difficult at the same time.

Sekiro's Final Boss Coming Before the Endgame

Wolf's Final Fight Before He's Reached Full Strength

The most obvious issue that comes with challenging Isshin Ashina early is the fact that neither Wolf nor the player are quite ready to go up against an endgame boss this early in the game. While it takes a decent amount of skill and game knowledge to reach the point where the bad ending can be obtained, there are still hours' worth of content left for players who choose to tackle the more intended route. Apart from the time needed to hone a player's skill in Sekiro's combat system, this also means that Wolf won't have access to a number of skills and stat upgrades that could otherwise make the fight more manageable.

A Dark Decision Before a Brutal Encounter

To make matters worse for the fight against Isshin Ashina, this is one of the darkest moments in any FromSoftware title, made all the more painful by the way that Sekiro approaches narrative in a more traditional sense. In order to actually progress towards this bad ending, players have to choose to betray Lord Kuro, the person whom Wolf has otherwise devoted his entire life to protecting and who has been a consistent source of kindness towards the player character. This is several steps beyond just picking the option where the villain is killed, but a few extra people die, and the narrative makes the beating that players will be taking from Isshin Ashina feel deserved in every way.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Ends The Same Way But With Different Flavors

Isshin Ashina Pales in Comparison to His Own Prime

Fans that have made it to one of the more positive endings for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will likely notice an oddity about the "secret final boss" for the bad ending. No matter which ending is chosen, the player always has to fight Isshin Ashina in order to make it through to the credits. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the version of this boss fought before the bad ending is the same as Isshin, the Sword Saint from the more canon endings.

Sekiro Punishes Players By Robbing Them of The Most Difficult Challenge Early

In a way, the differences between Isshin, the Sword Saint and Isshin Ashina could be seen as a punishment against players looking to fight the best bosses Sekiro has to offer. Not only does this ending skip a third of the game in total, but it also manages to face players up against a version of Isshin Ashina who is much weaker than the version of him faced in his prime. This is made all the more evident with the types of attacks both bosses use. Specifically with the elements that they throw at the player, with the weakened old Isshin Ashina throwing flames across the arena, and the Sword Saint striking with the more refined lightning of Tomoe.

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