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Like a Dragon: Ishin

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Substory 32 - Brawler Enlightened

By
Matt Chard

Substories are the wackier stories in the Like A Dragon series, to offshoot the more serious tone of the main story. One of the last substories that becomes available to you is Substory 32, Brawler Enlightened, also known as The Enlightened Man. This page will guide you through the entire substory obtained at Mukurogai during Chapter 10.

Ryoma and Sumi Bozu go at it one last time.

Where to Start Brawler Enlightened

This substory is the third and final part of the Brawler For Hire quest line with the second part being Brawler Incarnate. As this is a three-part Substory, you’ll need to complete the other two substories first. Once you have completed the pre-requisites you’ll need to reach Chapter 10 as that is when the substory becomes available. If you’ve done the other substories in the series, you’ll already know where to find the quest, but if you don’t know or you’ve forgot, you can find him on the east side of Mukurogai, southwest of the Paradise bar.

(1 of 2) You can find Sumi Bozu southwest of the Paradise Bar in Mokurogai.

You can find Sumi Bozu southwest of the Paradise Bar in Mokurogai. (left), You can start the substory provided you’ve completed the previous substories. (right)

How to Complete Brawler Enlightened

Throughout the previous substories, you’ve been beating on the poor man with the tattoos, and each time he has dedicated himself to get stronger. Well, after all that training he has endured you finally get to fight the final version of him, the enlightened man. This fight is almost a carbon copy of the previous two, and he shouldn’t cause you many problems providing that you too have been training, and getting stronger.

Sumi Bozu’s biggest strength is his reach due to him yielding a spear, and his strength because his attacks can deal a fair bit of damage, especially on the higher difficulties. His main weakness is his aggressiveness as he will continuously look to attack you which leaves him open to a lot of attacks. There are a few methods to take him down easy, but they may be a bit boring.

Gunman Style

We found this method the easiest. Equip the Trooper Cards with the following abilities: Rapid Fire (Offensive Card), Essence of the Violent Wind (Defensive Card), and any healing cards that you may have, preferably one with Medicine Box.

When the battle begins, immediately run away from to get some distance, if he keeps running at you, bait an attack by stopping then evading. When you have your distance, use your DualSense-ButtonTriangle / Xbox-ButtonY attack to knock him to the floor. If you have Heat, run over to him and use a Heat Action, if you don’t the repeatedly use the DualSense-ButtonSquare / Xbox-ButtonX (Xbox-Logo) combo with Rapid Fire. When he closes the gap to you either use Essence of the Violent Wind followed by a Heat Action if it’s available or sprint to the other side of the arena, baiting an attack if needed.

You can repeat this strategy for the whole fight although the DualSense-ButtonTriangle / Xbox-ButtonY knock down won’t always knock them down. Make sure you have Enhanced Rounds equipped to save on ammo. If ammo isn’t a problem, you can quicken the fight with some of the various ammos.

(1 of 2) Knock down Sumi Bozu with your Finishing Blow attack.

Knock down Sumi Bozu with your Finishing Blow attack. (left), Then perform a Heat Action while he’s downed. (right)

Swordsman Style

Another really easy method of taking down Sumi Bozu is to have the Juzu-Maru equipped (or any weapon that has poison) and hit a few DualSense-ButtonSquare / Xbox-ButtonX combos to poison him. Then you can stand there holding block for the whole fight although some minor attacks might still get through until you need to reapply the poison.

(1 of 2) Poison Sumi Bozu with a poisonous weapon such as the Juzu-Maru.

Poison Sumi Bozu with a poisonous weapon such as the Juzu-Maru. (left), Then guard for the rest of the fight until you need to reapply the poison. (right)

Brawler and Wild Dancer Style

Although both of these styles can work against Sumi Bozu, mainly due to him not being the toughest fight in the game, the other two styles seemed to perform better with less risk. If you’re good at the game, then you can fight him normally by chaining combos together, and you’ll take him down in no time.

Brawler Enlightened Rewards

Once you finish the battle, Sumi Bozu will have the fight literally beat out of him, and he’ll focus the rest of his life as a monk. He’ll hand over the Berserker Charm for his thanks as he walks away. This quest will also reward you with 400 Virtue.

Sumi Bozu will reward you with a Berserker Charm after defeating him.

Icon Name Description
Berserker_Charm_Icon_Like_a_Dragon_Ishin.png Berserker Charm A charm that reveals its true worth when its wearer is backed into a corner.
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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Sega
  • Platforms,
    PS4, PS5, Steam, XB One, XB X|S
  • Genre
    Action RPG
  • Guide Release
    17 February 2023
  • Last Updated
    20 March 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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Like a Dragon: Ishin is set in 1860’s Japan during the Bakumatsu era at the end of the Edo Period. Take up the sword of Sakamoto Ryoma, framed for killing his father, and restore honor to his name while dealing with the political intrigue that he gets thrown in to. This guide for Like a Dragon: Ishin contains the following:

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