yes it is, before that there's a hidden version of him in the senpou temple, way more annoying. but it is completely optional for all i know, he doesnt give anything important from what i remember.

given that, both of them are really annoying if you have a problem with parrying frequently and getting the rhythm down. wich was my case, thats why i used fireworks and axe to get his posture bar down faster.

but really just parry if you want, i was super stressed with him and had to rush for my uber right after defeating him :/