How to Beat Katana Zero’s Final Boss Null Soldier

Katana Zero’s final boss is a significant challenge, wielding time-slowing powers and an arsenal of weapons. Here’s how to make short work of them.

At the end of the difficult Bunker level lies Katana Zero’s final boss: a mysterious masked Null soldier with time-shifting powers to rival your own. This fight is significantly longer and more difficult than previous bosses and winning it will take serious sword skills and mastery of your time-bending abilities.

How To Defeat The Null Soldier – Phase One

Attacks

The Null soldier wastes no time starting this fight. As soon as you show up, they’ll fire off a laser cannon. It’s difficult to avoid, but you’ll see this attack a lot during this fight, so you need to get used to dodging it. There are a couple of distinct steps to this attack: the first is when you see the thin yellow beam extending from the weapon. When you can see this beam, the weapon is tracking you. If you jump to avoid it now, the Null soldier will just follow you and land the killing blow. When the yellow tracking beam disappears, that’s your chance to move. You can either roll under the attack or jump to avoid it, rolling being the riskier option. Slowing time makes this much easier, but if you choose to roll, you actually need to pause momentarily before you do, or you’ll finish your roll before the attack is over. Whichever you choose to do, attack as soon as you’re close enough, because the window to safely hit this boss is tiny. If you’re too slow, the Null soldier will easily avoid your attack.

If you don’t land a hit, the Null soldier will jump up on the wall and use another beam attack. It’s possible to get a strike in as they leap if you’re quick enough. After landing in one of the corners of the room, the Null soldier will fire a sustained laser beam that sweeps across the room. You just have to roll through the beam when it approaches you; again, slowing time is very helpful. Try to end up close to the Null soldier, because they’ll drop down after the fire, allowing you to attack.

Once you land a hit on the Null soldier, they’ll set off a small explosion, so be sure to roll away immediately. This is the same every time you hit them during this fight.

Strategy

After you hit the Null soldier the first time and avoid the explosion, quickly get into the middle of one of the sets of doors in the room. From the doors closest to the walls, two enemies with guns will appear, followed by two enemies with shields from the middle doors. Take care of them as quickly as possible, because the boss will soon reappear.

The Null soldier will repeat the same attacks from the first phase at this point, so the same strategies should work. After you get a second hit, move again to between one of the sets of doors. This time, two “Skinny Rickies” capable of deflecting your attacks will appear, followed by two enemies with guns. Again, try to take them out before the Null soldier returns.

Hitting the Null soldier for the third time will start a new phase of the fight. Mines will spring up across the floor, so quickly jump up then do a rising attack or cling to the wall to avoid the explosion. The mines will destroy the floor, dropping you and the Null soldier into the basement.

How To Defeat The Null Soldier – Phase Two

Attacks

The fight continues at a faster pace here, and the Null soldier gains some deadly new moves. To start the fight, they should either use the beam attack from stage one or fire a series of mines toward you. It’s best to slow time if you suspect this attack is coming because several mines will come in quick succession, knocking you backward then exploding. If you’re close enough to the Null soldier, it’s possible to damage them by hitting a mine just as it’s fired, but it’s a very risky move.

When the Null soldier jumps to the walls and ceiling now, they’ll fire off a spiral of bullets rather than a sweeping laser. This move is a bit harder to dodge and fires faster.

The Null soldier may also leap to the ceiling, disappearing and reappearing several times while firing lasers straight down. They’re fairly easy to avoid, but this move always ends with the sweeping laser attack from stage one.

Finally, the Null soldier gets a tricky combination move, where they start to fire a laser straight across the ground, then teleport to the corner of the room and fire a spiral of bullets. When you see the yellow tracking laser charge up, immediately jump behind the Null soldier to avoid it the blast, then roll to dodge the bullets. You won’t have a lot of time to react, so again, slowing time is very effective.

Strategy

Just like during the first stage, be sure to immediately roll away each time you hit the Null soldier to avoid the explosion. After hitting them once, two turrets will appear on the left wall, which you’ll have to take out quickly. The Null soldier will soon reappear to do a sweeping laser attack, giving you a chance to get a quick second strike in when they land.

After getting the final blow, the Null soldier will drop a knife. Pick it up quickly, then put as much distance as you can between yourself and the boss. They’ll charge you and try to detonate a bomb strapped to their chest, so the knife at them to end the battle. If you can’t get to the knife in time, you may still be able to dodge out of the way of the explosion, letting the Null soldier die in the process, but the timing is tough.

Once you’ve taken care of the Null soldier, all that’s left to do is tie up a few loose ends with the story and watch the credits roll.