Dataminer reveals biggest unused boss in FromSoftware games — could appear in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Japanese studio FromSoftware’s games have been home to a number of huge bosses, but the giant straw man from 2019’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice might have topped them all.

Image source: Activision

Let’s recall that the mentioned creature in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice appears in one opening video and serves to transport the main character to a key plot location, the Fountainhead Palace.

As dataminer Zullie the Witch revealed in a recent video, there are unused AI scripts for this giant variation of a Japanese voodoo doll left in the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice files, hinting at its original role in the game.

According to Zullie the Witch, despite the limitations, the straw man in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has been given NPC status, making him the tallest (191 meters) humanoid character in FromSoftware games.

The instructions for the straw man in Sekiro’s files indicate that the doll may have originally been a boss, a theory supported by the creature’s official concept art (see image below).

Official concept art of the creature

Given the size of the enemy, there was no chance of a traditional fight. Zullie the Witch reports that players could expect some sort of puzzle boss with a straw man as the level itself.

Apparently, FromSoftware found the battle with the straw man too inconvenient for users, so they limited the role of this NPC to the function of transporting the hero and one cutscene.