Hesitation is defeat

[John]

Memes aside what does this quote mean? Is it that sekiro shouldn’t hesitate to cut isshin down or what? Sorry for my stupidity

[LightLance]

This means that Wolf needs to maintain a constant balance between attack and deflection. If there is an opportunity to hit enemy after succesfull deflection Sekiro should do it. This exhaustively describes the essence of all the fight mechanics.

[Just Aaron]

If you hesitate your opponents sword will land the first hit and probably kill you. I always read the quote as "Hesitation is death".

[✟ Scarlet Weather Rhapsody ✟]

It's a callback to the first time Ishinn speaks to you, when he gives you his text of the ashina skills.
He goes on saying that the Ashina art is to do anything necessary to survive, if you hesitate you will die.

[Artek [General]]

I always read it as "go all out if you intend to win".
No holding back.
No moral questions to answer.
If you have tricks up your sleeves - use them.

This is the only way you can secure victory.

[Adahn (´ ᴥ `)]

It doesn't mean anything, never try finding meaning in a saying especially if it's popular.
It's always just one side of a coin, for every time you win by not hesitating you get cut down for being reckless. Just let your instincts do the fighting.

[Phishfood]

Originally posted by LightLance:

This means that Wolf needs to maintain a constant balance between attack and deflection. If there is an opportunity to hit enemy after succesfull deflection Sekiro should do it. This exhaustively describes the essence of all the fight mechanics.

Don't quite agree with that. Someone posted a video seeing what enemies could be killed with deflects alone and there was only a few that needed HP damage to be killed.

[LightLance]

Originally posted by Phishfood:

Don't quite agree with that. Someone posted a video seeing what enemies could be killed with deflects alone and there was only a few that needed HP damage to be killed.

Yes, it is possible but much less effective and therefore more risky. In addition, it greatly prolongs the fight becouse it is clearly hesitation. I would say this is not the way of shinobi.
In the game itself, it is actually said:
"A master shinobi uses a combination of deflect and attacks to achive swift victory."
"A core tenet of Shinobi combat is overhelming the enemy with relentless strikes and deflections, never giving them a moment to rest."

There are also a videos in which they pass without character progress and not using skills. This is all from the category of self-restraints that only impoverish mechanics and make the gameplay boring. Even watching is tiring to be honest.

[Phishfood]

my interpretation of "hesitation is defeat" is not to play the game like Dark Souls, since that kind of play style involves more hesitation by waiting around for an attack, dashing out, dashing back in for a hit and then back out.

[Seventh Monkey]

if you meet the buddah on th road you must kill him

[Don Lobo]

Originally posted by Seventh Monkey-Perverted Gepeto:

if you meet the buddah on th road you must kill him

"Because the true Buddha is inside of us. So that is the false Buddha (...)".

Originally posted by Z1U5:

Memes aside what does this quote mean? Is it that sekiro shouldn’t hesitate to cut isshin down or what? Sorry for my stupidity

Every time you died and it wasn't because the camera ♥♥♥♥♥♥ you over, you hesitated. That's what it means. Don't hesitate, don't lose, don't die. As single-minded as the man who said it.

[Van_DiSarzio]

It means if you hesitate and delay your parry by about a microsecond, you get killed. :D

[Phishfood]

Originally posted by Van_DiSarzio:

It means if you hesitate and delay your parry by about a microsecond, you get killed. :D

The window for a successful deflect is actually very long, far longer than the parry shields in dark souls. If you repeatedly hit the block button you'll shrink the window.