Flame Boss Guide: The Mask-Bound Lion Dance Grandmaster

Who Is Flame, the Mask-Bound Lion Dance Grandmaster?

Flame, the Mask-Bound Lion Dance Grandmaster is boss number 29 in Rock Paper Shotgun’s list of all 61 Phantom Blade Zero bosses, fought deep in Pangzhen’s backstreets during the main quest The Heart’s Trail. He is the most famous face of the Perfect Transcensions: a celebrated lion dancer whose mask now suppresses a hollow, frenzied mind — he still dances amid the flames exactly as he did for cheering crowds, only now every blessing is lethal.

The Archives give the fight its emotional weight. At its height he stands atop the Plum Blossom Stakes and calls his disciples to dance — all of them fallen to Transcension too. When the dance ends and Soul takes up the lion head, Flame’s will breaks free of the mask in an instant — with a worthy successor before him, the Grandmaster departs in peace, entrusting Soul with the art and the lion head. You do not just kill this boss; you inherit him.

Where to Find the Flame Boss Fight

Flame waits at the Lion Dance Hall Depths, the bottom of the Lion Dance Hall in Pangzhen’s backstreets. Per Game8’s walkthrough: defeat the Lion Dance Disciples barring the hall for the Heavy Lion Hall Gate Key, clear to the Depths Bell, and pass the doorway for a cutscene and QTEs. The fight begins in the yard behind the hall, ringed by burning poles and red lanterns.

Chang Hong, the Thunder Spear guards the road to the Lion Dance Hall, so Flame is effectively the second half of a gauntlet — restock between the two. The all bosses list has the full route.

Phase 1: Flame, the Mask-Bound Lion Dance Grandmaster

Phase one is a duel with a building-sized lion costume — spiked head, bladed flanks, a partner in the tail half. Sportskeeda and Game8 agree on the essentials:

• Lion Pounce: the opening dive is a red-flash attack — retaliate through it rather than backing away.
• Four-hit stomp: he rears his front legs and stomps four times; the final stomp glows blue — parry it.
• Spinning slam: he launches like a missile, halts, leaps, and crashes down glowing red. Unblockable — dodge out and punish his back.
• Three-hit horn combo: leg swipes into a spinning horn strike. Parrying the horns collapses the lion, giving the longest punish window in the phase.
• Fireballs: lobbed mid-combo, mid-air, and from a charged spit — all deflectable back for free damage. Game8’s top tip: parry the fireballs back.

His one persistent buff is flame: he constantly re-applies fire to his kit. This is where You Loong’s Deluge — won from You Loong’s flooded-pond fight in Pangzhen — pays off twice over. Its held water jet inflicts Wet, suppressing his fire attacks, and it also extinguishes the burning brambles on the way in. PCGamesN calls the Deluge the key to phase one; without it the fight is noticeably meaner.

Phase 2: The Lion Dance Grandmaster’s Final Dance

The costume collapses in pillars of fire, and the second name bar appears: The Lion Dance Grandmaster’s Final Dance. Now on foot with the spiked lion head, he fights as the arena sprouts the Plum Blossom Stakes.

• Grounded: treat him like a standard boss: sidestep the spiked-head ram, parry slow shield strikes in short guard bursts, punish recoveries.
• On the poles: he leaps up and rains fireballs down while disciples flood the yard. Mobalytics’ breakdown is the clearest: stop chasing boss damage — avoid the fire, clear the lion dancers, and when the last Ho-Ho’s health stops dropping around a quarter, use the Execute prompt to drag him back down.
• Pole movement: when you are up among the stakes, move only when he shoots — hopping between poles has recovery, and constant movement feels unresponsive.

Rewards: The Dormant Flaming Mane and Lei Dang’s Repair

The second health bar pays out after the cutscene: the Dormant Flaming Mane, plus the silver trophy The Lion’s Spirit Lives On. The item is inert until you visit Lei Dang at Jingyang Hall, who repairs it into the Flaming Mane Phantom Edge — the flame-spewing lion mask IGN’s hands-on coverage spotlights.

The repaired Edge’s field ability, Burning Path, burns through damp brambles even while unequipped, unblocking the northern route toward Pangzhen Docks and sealed Serpent Houses. Lei Dang’s story does not end there: he returns later as the endgame boss Lei Dang, the Order’s Envoy. Its combat profile is catalogued in our all Phantom Edges table, and it slots into fire builds through Soul Tempering.

Common Mistakes

• Ignoring the fire buff. Without Wet uptime you are fighting a fireplace. Bring the Deluge or accept a longer fight.
• Chasing Flame on the poles. Ground-level swings accomplish nothing; clear the disciples and Execute the final Ho-Ho.
• Over-moving on the stakes. Move when he shoots — never on a timer.

FAQ

Where is Flame, the Lion Dance Grandmaster, in Phantom Blade Zero? At the Lion Dance Hall Depths in Pangzhen’s backstreets, during the main quest The Heart’s Trail. Rest at the Lion Dance Hall Depths Bell, pass the doorway for a cutscene and QTEs — the fight begins in the yard behind the hall.

How do you beat Flame, the Mask-Bound Lion Dance Grandmaster? Phase one: stay close, parry the horn combo to collapse the lion, and deflect every fireball back for free damage — You Loong’s Deluge and its Wet status douse his flame buff. Phase two: fight normally while he is grounded; when he leaps to the poles, clear his disciples and Execute the last Ho-Ho to pull him down.

What does Flame drop and how do you get the Flaming Mane? The Dormant Flaming Mane, awarded automatically after the second health bar with the silver trophy The Lion’s Spirit Lives On. Lei Dang at Jingyang Hall repairs it into the Flaming Mane Phantom Edge, whose Burning Path ability clears damp brambles even while unequipped.

How many phases does the Lion Dance Grandmaster fight have? Two name bars: Flame, the Mask-Bound Lion Dance Grandmaster at 88,830 HP, then The Lion Dance Grandmaster’s Final Dance at 98,700 HP. Dying in the second phase restarts you at the Final Dance, not the whole fight.

Sources

• Rock Paper Shotgun — all 61 bosses in order
• Game8 — The Four Serpent Houses walkthrough (Flame fight, Dormant Flaming Mane)
• IGN — hands-on: Flaming Mane preview coverage
• Mobalytics — Boss Guide: The Lion Dance Grandmaster’s Final Dance
• Sportskeeda — How to defeat Flame