Lone Shadow Vilehand

Lone Shadow Vilehand (孤影衆忌み手, Lone Shadow Forbidden Hand) is an optional Mini-Boss with two Deathblow Counters.

He'll occupy the Ashina Dojo, where Ashina Elite - Jinsuke Saze was previously found, after the castle has been invaded for the first time by the Central Forces.

Unlike the other Lone Shadows Wolf fought up to this point, he can inflict Poison with his fist.

He is accompanied by an Interior Ministry Agent.

As the Eight Prayer Necklace states, the Lone Shadows are the seventeen sons of Matsuna Oribe and the most trusted agents of the Interior Ministry.

Behaviour and Tactics[]

Perilous Kick Combo: throws three counter-clockwise kicks, followed by a clockwise kick, which ends with a Perilous Thrust Kick.
Perilous Sweep: slashes once then uses the sword as a pivot point to deliver a sweep kick.
Perilous Thrust Kick: throws a thrusting kick attack.
Concentrated Poison Strike: holds his sword in front of him vertically for a moment then slices in an overhead arc in front of him with his hand, inflicting poison.
Snake's Bites: enacts in a stance then delivers three medium ranged poisonous strikes, bypassing guards.
Viper Thrust: thrusts forward after a short windup, executing a single poisonous strike.
Chasing Slice: dashes forward, slashing his sword.
Descending Slash: hops up then comes down with a slash, kicking up dust, then rolling away to recover.
Kick: kicks forward.
Pirouette Kick: turns around in a kick, then follows up with two slashes.
Recover: becomes engulfed in a bright aura while restoring Posture.
Whirlwind Kick: hops into the air, executing a series of kicks.

Since the Interior Ministry Agent in the room is an easy target for any Ninjutsu, it may be advisable to use the Ceremonial Tanto before the battle to not risk running out of Spirit Emblems for Prosthetic Tools and Combat Arts mid-fight.

Since some of the moves of this Lone Shadow deal high Poison build-up, it's recommended to carry Antidote Powder.

Firecrackers can stun this Mini-Boss for a short while, creating a valuable opening to heal safely. The Flame Vent will damage his Vitality greatly and can prevent his Posture from regenerating through Burn.

Before engaging the actual Mini-Boss, it's best to get rid of the other enemy in the room. Stepping too further inside the dojo will alert him, so crouch and move along the wall to the left to land a stealth deathblow on the Agent. At this point, it's possible to use this deathblow to turn the mob into an ally via the Puppeteer Ninjutsu, to hid inside a crimson mist with the Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu, gaining time to use an item or land some free hits, or to buff the katana with the blood of the deceased through the Bestowal Ninjutsu.

It's also possible to exploit quitting the game after killing the Agent, as upon reloading the save Wolf will be found outside the dojo and the Mini-Boss, now alone, will be vulnerable to a stealth deathblow that will take away his first Vitality bar.

After hitting him twice, it's best to be prepared to deflect his counter-offensive.

It's possible to only deflect the first attack of the Spinning Kick Combo and than dodge the right, waiting to counter the final Thrust Kick, which can also be interrupted by attacking immediately. Despite the speed of his kicks, consecutive deflections are the proper way to parry this combo.

If attacked early, he can be stunned him out of all his Perilous combos.

Dodging to the left is enough to avoid all of his Poisonous attacks. It's important to note that deflecting this attack properly won't stop the Poison from building-up.

There's enough time to punish him at the end of every of his combos, as he never chains two together.

When his Posture Bar is nearly full, he'll dash backward and attempt to peform his Recover ability to restore his Posture, so it's important to always be ready to interrupt him by either catching up to him or by using Shurikens.