Nagakura Shinpachi is one of the bosses that players will encounter in Like a Dragon: Ishin! Ryoma decides to join the Shinsengumi to get closer to his father’s killer, but as part of the initiation, he has to go through the tryouts and defeat Nakagura Shinpachi, captain of the Second Division, to a fight.
Read ahead as we go through Nagakura Shinpachi’s boss fight in Chapter 3 of Like a Dragon: Ishin!
See Like a Dragon: Ishin! Chapter 3 Mibu Wolves Walkthrough
How to beat Nagakura Shinpachi in Like a Dragon: Ishin! Chapter 3
The fight against Nagakura Shinpachi happens in the first part of Chapter 3 as soon as Ryoma arrives in the Shinsengumi headquarters.
Shinpachi has very strong attacks and can deal quite a damage when they connect. On the other hand, these attacks are clearly telegraphed so you can easily react to them with a dodge.
As usual, with these boss fights, it’s easier to take them on with the Swordsman style, however, you can find success in beating him even with the Gunman style.
Not all of Shinpachi’s attacks can be easily parried, especially when he gets enraged when his health goes down by around 50%. The most effective tactic is to do a sidestep as soon as he attacks, then do a counterattack as he passes by you. It also helps to take a split second to observe whether he’s doing a quick 1-2 slash attack, or if he is going for a longer combo which is much safer to engage.
Just be careful as he has a combo that allows him to do a quick 180-degree turn mid-combo which usually happens when he’s enraged. He will also be able to paralyze you during his raged state.
It’s recommended to prepare a couple of meals that can give you a generous amount of health healed; these can be purchased in some of the restaurants in Rakugai. You can also find some better swords to wield so that you’ll be dealing good amounts of damage to Shinpachi.
Once Shinpachi has been defeated, you’ll be rewarded with a True Grit Emblem headband.
After the fight, Okita Soji steps in and challenges Ryoma to another fight, but Deputy Chief Hijikata Toshizo will break the fight right after.
Check out this video by Zahrlavi showing how to defeat Nagakura Shinpachi in Like a Dragon: Ishin!: