Learn how to beat Yoshioka Denshichiro in Dokkōdō by reading his three special attacks, timing each parry correctly, and turning Roblox’s first story boss into a manageable fight.
Yoshioka Denshichiro is the first story boss in Dokkōdō, fought at the end of the Dojo Storm inside the Yoshioka Dojo in Kyoto once you’ve beaten all the students — and you beat him by reading the telegraph on each of his three special attacks and parrying on cue (the four-hit combo as left-right-left-right, and both overhead charges with an upward parry on the indicator).
The first real wall most players hit in Dokkōdō’s main story is Yoshioka Denshichiro, and the good news is he isn’t built to crush you — he’s built to be read. Every dangerous thing he does is telegraphed, so the whole fight comes down to recognising three special attacks and answering each with the right parry. Get those reads down and his normals become easy filler between the specials you’re actually watching for.
Who Yoshioka Denshichiro is and where you fight him
Yoshioka Denshichiro is the first boss in the main story line, and you reach him at the end of the Dojo Storm at the Yoshioka Dojo in Kyoto — but only after you’ve cleared all of the dojo’s students. The students are the warm-up act here, and they’re worth taking seriously for a reason that pays off in the boss room.
Every attack Yoshioka Denshichiro uses and how to parry it
| Attack | Tell / visual cue | How to counter |
|---|---|---|
| Four-hit combo special | Sword held low in a ready stance, then he jumps back and a yellow light flashes on the blade as he closes in | Parry the four strikes in order: left, right, left, right |
| Overhead charge special | Sword raised above his head, a yellow flash, then he charges across and strikes down once | Hit him once mid-charge, then parry upward the instant the indicator appears above his head |
| Breath-blitz overhead special | Sword above his head again, but he takes a loud, deep breath instead of charging, then speed-blitzes one downward attack | Same as the charge: hit him once, then parry upward on the over-head indicator |
| Normal strikes | Standard attacks laced with feints between his specials | Watch for the feints and parry on time — don’t commit early |
Denshichiro has three special attacks plus a stream of normal strikes, and each special has its own stance tell and on-screen cue. The two overhead specials are the important pair to learn because they share a counter — you hit him once as he winds up, then parry upward when the indicator pops above his head. The four-hit combo is the one that punishes panic-parrying, since it’s a fixed rhythm of four blows. Here’s the whole move set at a glance:
Both overhead specials use the exact same answer — hit him once as he winds up, then parry upward the moment the indicator shows above his head — so treat the charge and the breath-blitz as a single read rather than two things to memorise.
Practical parry tips for this fight
The single best preparation is to spar the dojo students first. You can’t rehearse against Denshichiro, but drilling parry timing on the students gets your reactions warm before the real thing, and that carries directly into reading his tells.
How to parry each of Yoshioka Denshichiro's special attacks
Spot the combo stance
He holds his sword low in a ready stance — that's the four-hit combo loading up.
Read the jump-back and yellow flash
He leaps back, then comes at you while a yellow light flashes on his blade.
Parry the combo left-right-left-right
Defend the four-move string by parrying left, then right, then left, then right in time with each strike.
Watch for the overhead charge stance
His sword sits above his head and a yellow light flashes — the charge is coming.
Read the single down-strike
He charges across and strikes down once at the end of the dash.
Hit once mid-charge, then parry up
Land one hit while he's charging, then parry upward as soon as you see the indicator above his head.
Listen for the deep breath on the second overhead
His sword is above his head again, but this time he takes a loud, deep breath instead of charging.
Brace for the speed-blitz
Instead of dashing, he blitzes in with a single fast downward attack.
Hit once, then parry up on the indicator
Same counter as the charge: tag him once as he winds up, then parry upward the moment the over-head indicator appears.
Video help
Frequently Asked Questions
Where and when do you fight Yoshioka Denshichiro in Dokkōdō?
He’s the boss at the end of the Dojo Storm, inside the Yoshioka Dojo in Kyoto. You reach him only after you’ve beaten all of the dojo’s students, and he’s the first boss in the main story line.
How do you parry his four-hit combo?
You’ll know it’s coming when he holds his sword in a low, ready stance, jumps back, and a yellow light flashes on the blade as he closes in. Defend the four strikes by parrying left, right, left, right in sequence.
How do you counter his overhead charge and breath-blitz attacks?
Both start with his sword above his head and use the same answer. Hit him once while he winds up — charging across in one case, taking a loud deep breath before a single fast downward blow in the other — then parry upward the instant the indicator appears above his head.
Can you practice his moves before the fight?
Not against the boss directly. You can, however, spar each of the dojo students beforehand to learn their moves and warm up your parry timing, which is the closest thing to a rehearsal you get before Denshichiro.
Is Yoshioka Denshichiro a hard boss?
He’s not very difficult — he’s telegraph-dependent rather than punishing. Once you can read the stance tells and answer each special, the fight becomes routine, which is exactly why he sits at the beginning of the game.
