Zuo Shang, Soul's sworn brother since childhood, is the first boss in Phantom Blade Zero. A card reading Sixteen Years Ago opens the game on their daylight sparring match in a bamboo grove: the combat tutorial.
- Role
- Story boss
- Boss order
- #1
- Phases
- 2
Attacks to watch
Parry blue, dodge redEvery known attack 6 of 6 on video
White sweep
A wide horizontal swing of his long weapon, a white arc that crosses the whole screen. Parry it: the hit lands in a spray of sparks and you hold your ground.
In-game footage
Blue-flash thrust
Blue · parryA blue flash glints along his weapon, and a fast lunge follows a fraction of a second later. Parry on the flash.
In-game footage
Golden crescent
A bright golden arc, often the last hit of a string. When it follows the blue-flash thrust it knocks you to the ground, so stay ready to parry again after the first parry.
In-game footage
Golden ring
He spins in place and a golden ring sweeps the ground around him. Get out of its reach rather than stand next to him.
In-game footage
Bamboo storm
After the line "This is your final chance." a golden whirl turns into a storm of bamboo leaves and green fireflies that rolls across the arena toward you. Keep your distance until it passes.
In-game footage
Red-flash rooftop leap
Red · dodgeSecond half: he jumps from the temple roof, a red flash lights up in midair, and he dives into the ground in a burst of debris. Dodge out of the landing spot.
In-game footage
Phases
- Sixteen Years Ago
A daylight sparring match in a bamboo grove; his short health bar reads only Zuo Shang. The prompts teach Power Surge, which uses up one Sha-Chi Essence each time.
He sticks to simple ground strikes and one wide white sweep you can parry. After the Power Surge lesson he says "Well done. Now let's settle this!" and the objective turns to Defeat Zuo Shang!
Beat him once and the game moves on to the storm.
- Zuo Shang, the Order's Shadow Sovereign
The duel to the death, at night in a thunderstorm. Under his name, a white bar tracks his health and a gold bar his guard. The objective: break Zuo Shang's guard with combos.
Partway through, a cutscene at the temple ends on his line "one of us falls!" as golden blades rain down around him. The fight resumes with his leap from the temple roof.
How to beat Zuo Shang
Work on the gold bar, not the white one. The objective is to break his guard: string Standard Attacks into Sha-Chi Attacks without stopping.
Parry blue, dodge red. The thrust under a blue flash is a parry, the rooftop dive under a red flash is a dodge.
After a parried thrust, expect the golden crescent right behind it. It is the hit that puts you on the ground.
When he says "This is your final chance.", back off: the bamboo storm that follows sweeps the arena toward you.
Zuo Shang FAQ
Who is the first boss in Phantom Blade Zero?
Zuo Shang, Soul's sworn brother. The game opens sixteen years in the past on a sparring match with him, then cuts to a duel to the death in a thunderstorm, where his health bar reads Zuo Shang, the Order's Shadow Sovereign.
How do you beat Zuo Shang in the prologue?
Break his guard. Under his white health bar sits a gold guard bar, and the objective asks you to break it with combos of Standard Attacks and Sha-Chi Attacks. Parry his blue-flash thrust and dodge the red-flash dive from the temple roof.
What happens in the Sixteen Years Ago prologue?
A daylight sparring match against Zuo Shang in a bamboo grove, which doubles as the tutorial. Win it and the game goes straight to the night duel in the thunderstorm.
Who is Zuo Shang, the Order's Shadow Sovereign?
Beat him once and the prologue moves straight to the real fight: a duel to the death at night in a thunderstorm, in front of a temple. His health bar there reads Zuo Shang, the Order's Shadow Sovereign.
All these years, we've never settled who's stronger. But today... one of us falls!
By Edwin Galibert · Last checked Oct 29, 2026 · How we source · Report an error