Let me be honest: I thought I was done with Master Kohga after Breath of the Wild. I kicked him into a pit, watched a funny cutscene, and moved on with my life. But no. The guy survived, built an underground empire, and developed an even bigger ego. By 2026, nearly three years after Tears of the Kingdom released, I\ufffdm still cracking up every time I replay his questline. Here\ufffds my blow-by-blow account of chasing that banana-loving lunatic across the Depths.

It all started innocently enough. I was just trying to unlock Autobuild down in the Great Abandoned Central Mine. Josha told me to go poke around, and suddenly I\ufffdm ambushed by disguised Yiga goons. Classic. Then out rolls Kohga on some ridiculous vehicle, cackling like he\ufffds been practicing his villain laugh in a cave for six years. Probably has.

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The first fight taught me something important: Kohga’s battle plans are mostly just him circling you while you shoot arrows. His driving is so bad that in phase two, I just stood near a wall, sidestepped at the last second, and watched him slam into the rock like a Looney Tunes character. I honestly felt a little bad for him. Not much, but a little. After whacking him unconscious, he shouted something dramatic and zoomed off to the Abandoned Gerudo Mine. Fine. I\ufffdll follow.

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When I arrived, Kohga was fiddling with some glowing green thing that didn’t work. Obviously my fault. The solution? A flying mech. I learned here that verticality wins battles. I used those convenient Hover Stones scattered around, or just Ascended through a giant tree root, to get above him. Kohga never looks up. Seriously, arrows from above are his kryptonite. Phase two gave him a shield—on the front only. The man designs mechs like he designs his speeches: dramatic but incomplete. I rained arrows until he crashed, then turned him into a punching bag. Another cutscene, another promise of revenge. Next stop: Lanayru.

This time, we fought on boats. Me, him, and two of his minions taking potshots. My stamina was not ready for all that swimming. Thrown weapons became my best friends. I quickly realized that taking out the Yiga crew first made the whole thing much less stressful. Board his boat, commence slapping. When his health dropped, the inevitable shield appeared, but it didn’t save him. He bailed yet again, leaving me to loot his treasure and mutter about his bad life choices.

Now, reaching the final showdown at the Abandoned Hebra Mine nearly broke my brain. Hebra has no obvious chasms. The Construct at Lanayru said to look for a gloom-filled cave. I stared at my map like an idiot until I remembered: every mine sits under a surface town. Rito Village. After talking to a helpful explorer perched behind the village, I spotted the cave below the cliff, jumped off, and paraglided in. Finally. Down the chasm I went, lit up the Lightroot, and found Kohga meditating. Very zen for someone about to get wrecked.

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The Hebra fight is where Kohga finally gets creative. Phase one was the usual: shoot him in the face, smack him around. But then phase two introduced a cannon barrage and a monstrous mech that could clap its hands together to block shots. Timing my arrows became crucial. The real genius moment, though, was when he launched three huge projectiles. I remembered Recall. I cast it. The bombs flew right back into his stupid mech and knocked him flat. Two or three returned volleys, and it was over. I stood over his crumpled form, feeling like the ultimate trickster.

This whole quest is peak Tears of the Kingdom: absurd villains, improvisational combat, and the constant feeling that you’re one step away from disaster. In 2026, I still see new players discovering how to rile up Kohga, and it always makes me smile. May he never learn to look up or shield his entire vehicle.

After the fight? I scored a bunch of Zonai charges, a smug satisfaction, and the knowledge that somewhere down there, Kohga is probably drafting another terrible monologue. See you in the next game, buddy. Maybe bring a helmet.