Splatoon 2 – How to Beat the Octo Samurai

After you’ve collected six Zapfish, the second Boss Kettle will unlock, allowing you to take on the next challenge that the Octarians have to offer. In this article we’ll break down everything that you need to know to defeat the Octo Samurai in Splatoon 2, including the best way to approach the boss, and how to avoid getting hit by his attacks.

Before you start up this boss battle, we’d suggest making a quick trip back to the Ammo Knights Enhancifier in the first area of the game. Here you can upgrade your gear and make sure your weapons are packing the most punch possible. We’d suggest going with an Ink Tank upgrade, as it will allow you to fire your weapon for greater lengths of time.

How to Defeat the Octo Samurai

Once you are ready to take on the boss, head into the boss kettle to start up the fight. Upon entering the battle arena, the boss will appear from a pool or purple ink. He’s armed with a massive Ink Roller (similar to the one that Sheldon wants you to use this fight in Sheldon’s Request).

The trick to avoiding the Octo Samurai’s attacks during this battle is to keep circling him. This is where the roller comes in handy, because it leaves a layer of ink on the ground behind you, which can be very useful for refilling your tank, or even quickly moving around the arena. If you can manage to get behind the boss, then fling ink at his back to deal some damage before going back to making the rounds.

After a little bit the roller will transform into an Octocycle, which the boss will then mount and ride towards you. Avoid the cycle, and run in behind it to fling ink at the boss’ back. Don’t stick around too long, though, as the boss will try to attack you once his weapon transforms back into an Ink Roller.

Continue flinging ink at the boss’ back when you have a chance, and wait until the boss is completely covered in your ink. At this point, a tentacle will expose itself, allowing you to attack it and complete the first wave of the fight.

The second phase of the fight the Octo Samurai becomes more aggressive, and he’ll jump towards you and attack with a powerful, downward strike. The real trick here is to roll your own ink laterally onto the arena, to give you the best possible chance for escape when this attack comes. Once the boss uses this jump attack, run behind him and attack his back with your Ink Roller.

The second new attack introduced into this phase is a baseball swing-like attack where the boss raises his weapon like a bat, and then a high-pitched noise is emitted. When you hear this noise, back away as quickly as possible as the boss is about to initiate a spin attack, which causes him to spin in a 360-degree circle, flinging Ink all around him. He’ll also use the Octocycle some more, so be sure to avoid that.

Avoid all of the new attacks and fling Ink at the Octo Samurai whenever you can. After he has been coated completely, another tentacle will expose itself, allowing you to complete the second phase of the battle.

During the third phase of the battle, watch out for the Octo Samurai’s new attacks, which include a downward thrust that sends out a long line of Ink in your direction. Avoid it, and then wait for the Octo Samurai to swing down like this two more times (for a total of three swings). After the third swing, the boss will pause for a short moment, giving you a chance to get close and hit him with your Ink.

You’ll also have to deal with all the other possible attacks that this boss has, so stay on your toes and keep an eye on his movements at every point in the battle. Keep a cool head, stay safe, and you shouldn’t have much problem exposing those tentacles and taking down this sad excuse for a samurai.

Now that you know how to beat the Octo Samurai, be sure to return to our Splatoon 2 guide, or take a look at our other guides like how to beat the Neo Octostomp, the third boss in Splatoon 2!