Samurai Lord

At 4,000 metres, on the Temple Rooftops, a samurai with a topknot and a long katana waits on the ridge ahead. He's the only boss who defends himself.

What he does

He stands on the roof ahead, raises his katana while red dots show the path, then cuts: two slashes of ink, a moment apart, flying straight at the ninja. Then he leaps to the next roof and does it again.

How to beat him

He parries the first slash you send back. The parry knocks his guard aside, and for a moment he reels (he flashes, with a red ! over him). A slash that reaches him while he's reeling lands.

So send both slashes of a pair back. One tilted line across the dots catches both: the first is parried, the second lands. Five hits and he falls.

Best ink

Steel sends slashes back fastest, which gives the second one the best chance to arrive while he's still reeling. Pen works too. Fire burns slashes away without sending them back.

His angry phase

After the first hit he cuts three slashes at a time. The same rule holds: the first return is parried, the next one lands. He also cuts two blades loose on the roof ahead, swinging on their chains; wall them off as you would anywhere on the rooftops.

Common mistakes

Drawing a new line for each slash. One line placed across the dots catches the whole pair.
Stopping after the parry. The parry is what opens him up. Keep the line there for the second slash.

Reward

50 coins, points and, the first time, the Guard broken badge. Next, at 4,500 metres in the Mist Caves: the Cave Spider.