Quick facts and requirements

Item Detail
Region Teshio Ridge, Sentinel Forest
Activity type Single‑target bounty duel
Where to accept Bounty board at the Red Crane Inn (Teshio Ridge)
Spawn requirement Wear a black armor set or black dye; interact with the straw mat/woodblocks in the duel ring
Best visibility Dusk makes the dueling ring stand out more (any time of day works)
Reward ~750 Coins and Black Night Kubo’s Mask (cosmetic); turn in to the Bounty Broker

Black Night Kubo location (Sentinel Forest)

Head into Sentinel Forest in Teshio Ridge and look for a circular clearing used as a dueling ring. The landmark is simple: a dead body lies near a straw mat with two wooden blocks in the center of the arena. If you’re struggling to pick out the ring, return around dusk when the clearing is easiest to spot.

How to start and spawn Black Night Kubo

  • Pick up the bounty at the Red Crane Inn’s board. If it isn’t posted, clear a few other bounties in the region and check back.
  • Equip a fully black armor set or apply a black dye before leaving the inn. Kubo will only appear if you are wearing black when you interact at the ring.
  • Travel to the duel ring in Sentinel Forest. Stand beside the straw mat and confirm your armor is still black.
  • Interact with the mat/woodblocks to trigger the duel. If nothing happens, you aren’t in black attire—swap gear and try again.
Slot Pick Reason
Primary weapon Katana or dual katanas Fast counters and reliable stagger windows after parries
Quickfire/interrupt Smoke or bombs Breaks his flow, creates safe punishes, adds stagger pressure
Armor color Any black set or black dye Required for the spawn ritual
Skills Perfect parry, parry interrupt, stagger boosters Rewards tight timing, shortens the duel
Consumables Healing and spirit/ki recovery Stabilizes momentum after mistakes

Fight plan: timing, parries, and stagger

Kubo fights in measured rhythms. He favors slow, deliberate openings into heavier follow‑throughs. The duel is decided by how consistently you parry and how safely you cash out stagger.

  • Open neutral: take a step or two into the ring and wait. Let him throw first; don’t dash in.
  • Read the wind‑up: watch his shoulder and elbow lift rather than the weapon tip. Hit parry at the last viable instant (L1 on PlayStation, LB on Xbox).
  • Convert immediately: off a clean parry, go heavy for stagger, add a quick light, then reset your guard. The loop is simple—parry → heavy → light → back off.
  • Respect red‑glint chains: when an exchange looks un‑parryable, sidestep toward his weapon side instead of backpedaling. A single light punish on recovery is enough; don’t get greedy.
  • Cash out stagger fast: when his posture breaks or he reels, spend your heaviest finisher or a special skill and disengage. He can answer overeager strings with a quick counter.
  • Reset when clipped: create space, heal, and rebuild rhythm. Forcing trades against his heavies will prolong the fight and drain resources.

Step‑by‑step checklist

  • Take the poster at Red Crane Inn.
  • Equip black armor or apply a black dye.
  • Ride to the Sentinel Forest duel ring (circular clearing, dead body, straw mat with woodblocks).
  • Stand at the mat in black attire and interact to summon Kubo.
  • Win the duel using late parries and short, stagger‑focused punishes.
  • Loot the corpse for Coins and the Black Night Mask—pick up the mask before you leave.
  • Return to the Bounty Broker to complete the bounty and claim the Coin reward.

Common snags and quick fixes

Problem Why it happens Fix
Kubo won’t spawn You aren’t wearing black when interacting Equip a black set/dye, then use the woodblocks again
Can’t find the ring Dense forest cover and lighting Search Sentinel Forest at dusk; look for the circular clearing with a body and straw mat
Trading and losing Overextending after parries Limit punishes to heavy → light, then reset; sidestep red attacks
Stagger never breaks Using only light strings Prioritize heavy strikes immediately after successful parries

What you get for beating Black Night Kubo

Expect roughly 750 Coins and the Black Night Kubo Mask as a cosmetic drop at the ring. Pick the mask up from the body before leaving. The bounty itself isn’t complete until you speak with the Bounty Broker, so turn it in afterward.

Once you’ve learned his timing, Kubo becomes a clean, repeatable duel: late parries, short conversions, and disciplined spacing. If the poster isn’t available when you first visit the Red Crane Inn, clear a couple of other Teshio Ridge contracts and check the board again.