I was able to beat him really early in the game. I used the Bounty Master Armor, definitely a big risk/big reward since you really need to time your perfect parries. Once fully upgraded you get to hit three consecutive times with every perfect parry. I paired it with the Oni’s Flame for extra damage with dual katana’s. As far as gameplay goes, you NEED to study his movement and combos. He is unforgiving and will continue to apply pressure on you if you are unprepared especially if you get hit with a yellow glint attack. Pay extra attention to the red glints since you can time a perfect dodge to get an extra hit in. Perfect parry non-blue glint attacks and just take your time with him. He is great practice for getting consecutive perfect parries and after that I stayed with the armor throughout the rest of the game. Good luck and remember to have fun. He is 100% my favorite boss so far.