Sekiro: Guardian Ape Boss Guide

Reach Bodhisattva Valley with a plan for two fights

Guardian Ape waits at the bottom of Sunken Valley beyond the Gun Fort route. The Gun Fort Shrine Key is obtained through Kuro’s library progression, and the path beyond Long-arm Centipede Giraffe leads to the Bodhisattva Valley Idol. Rest there, fit the prosthetic tools you actually know how to use, and go in knowing the first execution is not the end of the encounter.

Phase one rewards measured Vitality damage and clean escapes. The Ape cannot block ordinary sword hits, but its grabs and sprawling body attacks punish attacking from directly in front. Circle to a flank, use a short string after a slam or a long recovery, then leave. Read the animation behind a red icon: get out of a grab’s reach with a backward or lateral jump or dodge, and jump only the clearly low sweep. When it throws filth, create distance rather than blocking the arc at close range.

Fire and Firecrackers can create opportunities if you have them, but do not spend Spirit Emblems while the Ape is already moving through a grab. The opening needs to be real. If your timing is rough, use the arena to run out a dangerous sequence, then return for the next slam; this is slower, but it gives you another attempt with healing intact.

Phase two is a sword fight with a terror check

After the apparent kill, the headless Ape attacks with a sword. Stop treating it like a beast you must evade. Stand in deflection range and answer its sword strings. The big overhead strike is especially valuable: a proper deflection makes it collapse and leaves a longer opening. With the Loaded Spear, thrust into the exposed neck stump, then press the prosthetic input again after the hit lands to use the pull and drag the centipede partway out. That costs no extra emblem for the pull and deals major Posture damage; basic sword damage still works if you do not have the tool.

When the Ape raises its head and prepares the scream, run away. The roar builds Terror and is not an invitation to trade; a Loaded Umbrella can also cover it for players who already have that tool. Return when it has finished. Keep your camera settled before the overhead strike; rolling blindly under the sword is less dependable than learning its deflection rhythm.

Phase	Priority
Living Ape	Avoid grabs, use flank openings, and punish only long recoveries.
Filth throw	Move out of the arc and reset instead of blocking close.
Headless sword string	Deflect to build Posture and look for the overhead finish.
Terror scream	Sprint clear, then re-enter after the roar.

The win gives a Memory and opens the cave beyond toward the Lotus of the Palace, one of Kuro’s required ingredients. The Ape’s later rematch is separate: Headless Ape is a different Ashina Depths encounter with a second ape. Do not expect this boss’s reward to be the final word on its immortality.