Yuzan Boss Guide: Beating the No. 3 Musician Puppet

Who Is Yuzan, No. 3 Musician Puppet?

Yuzan is the gatekeeper of the Village of Lu’s underground — a puppet boss who fights entirely through her pipa, strumming wind-based projectiles instead of swinging a blade. Game8’s main-boss list files her under the Heartless Remnant chapter, Puppets type, Village of Lu region, and she is a required story kill: the path forward through the Herald’s Illusion quest runs straight through her arena. You will hear her before you see her — music drifts up the tunnel, then the cutscene triggers.

She is a different exam from the village’s melee bruisers: a ranged suppression fight where aggression without timing gets you shredded. This guide breaks down her moveset, the reflect mechanic that turns her offense against her, and the Heartrend Pipa reward. For the full roster, see our all bosses list.

Where to Find Yuzan

Yuzan spawns at the Puppet Testing Grounds, at the bottom of the well in the Village of Lu. The well is locked until the Heartless Remnants mission opens it — the same descent where the final Young Mistress ribbon waits. Once you drop in, ring the Beneath the Well bell, push forward, and listen. Rest first: her arena is the point of no return for this stretch, and the region’s earlier fights like Dusk, the Puppeteer will have taught you the puppet family tells you’ll need.

Yuzan’s Moveset and How to Counter It

Her entire kit is wind and sound. Per Sportskeeda’s moveset breakdown and PCGamesN’s boss list, here is every threat and its answer:

• Charged red projectile. A red orb gathers around Yuzan as she charges, then she strikes the chord and fires a blazing-fast wind projectile. Red means unblockable — sidestep the moment you see the wind-up, not when the shot releases.
• Triple blue sonic blades. Her most frequent attack: three sonic projectiles in quick succession with a blue flash. These are parryable — three clean taps — and parrying builds your punish window far faster than dodging.
• Wind orbs — the reflect mechanic. She summons multiple slow-floating orbs that drift toward you. Do not dodge them: parry consecutively to deflect them straight back at her. GameSpot’s quest guide confirms the blue and white orbs can simply be blocked to auto-reflect for damage. This is free damage and the core of the fight — she is the rare boss who wounds herself.
• Vortex trap. She strums a vortex spell that activates instantly and, if you are close, locks you in place for several seconds. You must hit dodge on the cast, which is genuinely tricky given the instant activation — the reliable counter is positioning: fight at mid-range so the trap whiffs entirely.
• Aerial barrage. When she trots around in the air, a barrage of wind attacks follows — deflect, don’t run. And per PCGamesN, when she disappears and reappears above the center of the arena launching large grey orbs, get to the outside edge of the arena and dodge; the center becomes a kill zone.

The strategic summary: stay mobile, mid-range, and parry-first. Every reflected orb is damage you didn’t have to earn, and her Sha-Chi-draining blue blades never touch a player who treats her projectiles as gifts.

Rewards: The Heartrend Pipa

Defeating Yuzan awards the Heartrend Pipa Phantom Edge, an Artifice-type entry in the all Phantom Edges collection that literally hands you her moveset:

• Active (R2): unleash 2 Blue Sonic Blades and 1 Red Sonic Blade; a full combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark. Blue blades inflict Sha-Chi Depletion and are unblockable; Red blades deal increased damage, are unblockable, and ignore all damage reduction.
• Formation-Breaking Song (L1 + R2): sit and play continuously, flooding the field with sonic blades while your Remnant Spark lasts.
• Soul Tempering path: the Heartrend Pipa is the base form of the Illusory Pipa — the Chord’s reforged instrument that dispels Phantom Barriers and controls weaker enemies. Upgrading it is a quest line of its own: Myst in her Pangzhen tavern handles the repair, and the parts come from Yan Qiansui, Yubi the Swordfighter Puppet, and Dusk. Our Illusory Pipa parts guide maps the whole chain.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Dodging the reflectable orbs. Every dodged blue orb is damage left on the table. Stand your ground and parry the rhythm.
• Face-hugging her. Melee range is where the vortex lands. Her pipa is the weapon — your spacing is the counter.
• Panic-rolling the aerial phase. The grey-orb sequence punishes rolling inward. Edge of the arena, short dodges, wait it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Yuzan optional? No. She blocks the Herald’s Illusion main quest route beneath the well, and the Heartrend Pipa is story-critical — it’s the base instrument for the Illusory Pipa’s barrier-dispelling upgrade.

What’s the fastest way to break her guard? Reflected orbs plus parried triple-blades. Her own projectiles do more guard work than your weapon ever will in this fight.

Does the Heartrend Pipa replace my melee weapon? No — it’s a Phantom Edge, slotted alongside your blades. It shines as an unblockable opener into guard breaks; see our combat system guide for Edge-weave combos.

Can I refight Yuzan if I missed the arena? Boss rematches aren’t needed here — she’s a story kill with a guaranteed drop. If you’re short on upgrade materials for the Pipa instead, our Remnant Dust farming guide covers the fastest routes.

Sources: game8.co (boss location, chapter, Heartrend Pipa stats and skills, Illusory Pipa Soul Tempering), sportskeeda.com (full moveset counters, vortex timing), pcgamesn.com (grey-orb aerial phase, reflect advice), gamespot.com (Herald’s Illusion context, blockable orbs), store.epicgames.com (Illusory Pipa repair chain via Myst, Dusk, Yubi, Yan Qiansui) — launch-week guides, October 2026.