How to Beat Bishamonten: Bishamonten Weakness and Strategies

This is a guide to Bishamonten, a boss in Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remaster (SMT Nocturne) for the Nintendo Switch, Steam, and PS4. Read on to know how to beat Bishamonten, Bishamonten's weaknesses, and best strategies against this boss!

Bishamonten Articles
How to Beat Bishamonten	How to Fuse Bishamonten

Bishamonten Pre-Battle Guide

Only Available After Collecting All Magatama

Players will only be able to access Bandou Shrine near the Tower of Kagutsuchi once they collect all the Magtama in the game. If in possession of a complete set, simply go to the Cathedral of Shadows and they will give you the key item needed to access Bandou Shrine.

For a complete list of all the Magatama and how to get them, visit our Magatama page for more information!

List of Magatama

Where to Find Bishamonten

2nd Pillar from the Top in Bandou Shrine

There will be 4 pillars on different levels in Bandou Shrine. Players will fight Bishamonten if they lower the 2nd Pillar from the Top.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Weaknesses

Bishamonten is weak to Ice. Make sure to have at least 1 demon that can cast strong Ice spells like Mabufudyne or Bufudyne. The extra press turn is a nice advantage to have since you'll be dealing with Bishamonten's very large HP pool.

Strengths

Bishamonten's strength lies in the way he does damage. When he attacks, it will always open with Dragon Eye (granting him extra press turns), followed by least 3 or 4 rounds of either Tarukaja or Makakaja. When allowed to do this, be sure that Bishamonten is fully capable of one-shotting demons below 20 Vit. If unable to Repel or Absorb his attacks, be sure to dispel them during your turn using Dekaja otherwise these will stack and you will die.

Bishamonten will also use his support skills alternately with his attack phases. He will often spend his press turns by casting 2 rounds of Debilitate against the player, lowering your party's stats. Make sure to bring someone who can cast Dekunda so that you do not find yourself lacking damage during this prolonged fight.

Best Demons to Use Against Bishamonten

Best Demons to Use
Rangda	Black Frost	Albion
Mother Harlot	Metatron

How to Beat Bishamonten

Summon Demons with Phys or Fire resistances

The deadliest combo Bishamonten will have is his Dragon Eye opener into either a Magical or Physical battery of attacks/buffs. He can fully buff either attack in a single turn, then one-shot any party member with below 20 Vit stat points.

To combat this, summon demons that have either Phys or Fire Repel/Absorb. This will cut off his turns and prevent earlier wipes into the fight. Do note that it is almost impossible to beat him without having at least one of these resistances in your party.

Summon Demons with Strong Ice Spells

Summon demons that can use strong ice spells like Mabufudyne or Bufudyne. The extra press turn granted by exploiting this weakness can allow for either an extra heal, an extra cancelling of buffs/de-buffs, or even an extra round of damage to Bishamonten.

Equip Demi-fiend with Gehenna

Gehenna can Absorb Fire. This is a crucial survival tactic since it will heal your Demi-fiend during the fight while also preventing Bishamonten from maximizing his damage. This will also mean that half of Bishamonten's attacks will not affect the Demi-fiend.

Bring a Demon with Dekunda and Dekaja

A demon with Dekunda and/or Dekaja is a requirement for this fight if players want to avoid dying. Firstly, do not allow Bishamonten to keep his Tarukaja or Makakaja buffs, otherwise you'll find yourself having to face 5 instead of 2 attacks during his Dragon Eye phase.

Second, get rid of his Debilitate debuffs. Bishamonten will often dedicate two of his turns to casting Debilitate on your party. Using Dekunda will keep your damage up, and the fighting short.

Dedicate a Press Turn to Healing

It cannot be stated enough that Bishamonten will hit very hard. Always make sure that you dedicate at least 1 press turn to healing before your turn ends. This is crucial especially if you do not have any Phys or Fire Drain demons in your active party.

Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne Related Boss Guides

Boss Guides

Story Boss Guides

Story Bosses
Forneus	Specter
Thor	Berith
Ose	Kaiwan
Mizuchi	Moirae Sisters
Specter (2nd Encounter)	Girimekhala
Sakahagi	Specter (3rd Encounter)
Aciel	Skadi
Albion and Zoas	Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel
Futomimi	Mot
Mitra	Samael
Ahriman	Noah
Thor (2nd Encounter)	Baal
Lucifer	Kagutsuchi

Maniax / Chronicles Only Boss Guides

Matador	Daisojou
Dante	Hell Biker
White Rider	Red Rider
Black Rider	Pale Rider
Dante (2nd Encounter)	Mother Harlot
Trumpeter	Beelzebub
Metatron

Mini-Boss Guides

Troll	Orthrus
Yaksini	Eligor
Koppa Tengu and Incubus	Naga
Surt	Mada

Optional Bosses

Nekomata	Oni
Fuu-Ki	Kin-Ki
Sui-Ki	Ongyo-Ki
Black Frost