Nioh Third Boss – Defeat Hino-enma

The third boss in Nioh is arguably one of the easiest to defeat, simply because she telegraphs many of her attacks which makes them far easier to dodge compared to many other bosses in the game. You can also block many of her attacks which is a huge help. This article covers some of the best strategies to defeat Hino-enma, the third boss in Nioh, at any level and using any armament. However, there are some useful items that can help you through the battle.

Defeat Hino-enma

After making it through the Deep in the Shadows mission you will come face to face with Hino-enma, who is essentially a succubus. She has several attacks that will paralyze you, so if you want to come prepared, make sure you have acupuncture needles and anything that increase your defense vs. paralysis. While you can dodge most of Hino-enma’s attacks even with moderately heavy armor, ideally you want to go into the battle with light armor so it’s that much easier to evade her attacks.

Hino-enma only uses a handful of attacks, and once you know how to avoid them and when to attack, this fight becomes much easier. Her primary attack is a purple projectile that will inflict damage and stun if it makes contact with you. The boss grunts just before she launches this attack toward you, and usually only performs it from a distance or while airborne. Dodge to the left or right after you hear her grunt.

If Hino-enma moves in closer to you she will perform one of four attacks. She will attempt to grab you, which inflicts heavy damage and causes paralysis, she’ll use a two or three-hit kick-based combo attack, a two or three-hit combo attack with her umbrella, or a spinning attack with her wings. How close you are to Hino-enma determines whether she’ll use a two-hit or three-hit combo. If you’re closer she’ll use three hits, if you’re a bit further away she’ll stop at two hits.

The grabbing attack should be avoided at all costs, but it has very short range so as long as you move away as soon as Hino-enma gets close you shouldn’t have any issues avoiding it. The spinning attack can be blocked at the cost of some stamina, but it’s not a heavy drain. At times Hino-enma will also dive toward you, but this is a bit more rare than the other attacks. You can dodge the dive my dashing left or right.

You should quickly attack Hino-enma after any three-hit combo, a missed grab attack or after blocking (or avoiding) the spinning attack. If you’re close enough when she uses the purple projectile you can quickly dash in and attack there as well, but the timing is a little tight.

When Hino-enma takes to the air she uses three different attacks alongside the purple projectile. She’ll throw two sets of needles toward you, but you can block those with relative ease. She will also dive down if you’re standing directly below her, so avoid that positioning. When her time in the air is over, she will dive toward you. Dodge left or right to avoid the dive, then quickly move in to hit her with a series of attacks.

The trick to taking down Hino-enma is to only attack for a very short period of time after you dodge or block her attacks. If you linger too long she will go right into another attack and potentially inflict significant damage. Quickly moving away from Hino-enma after attacking once or twice is the safest approach.

Follow these strategies and you shouldn’t have much issue with Hino-enma. However, if you happen to get stunned, use the acupuncture needles immediately to remove the paralysis. There are a few other items you can use, but the acupuncture needles are found throughout the Deep in the Shadows mission so you should have some in your inventory by the time you reach Hino-enma.

For more boss strategies be sure to check out our boss battle guide, or take a look at our Nioh game hub for more tips and advice.