Sifu is an action title developed by Slocap that operates as a third-person beat 'em up with a twist - each time you die, the main character gets older. Your goal is to defeat each stage and boss before your character becomes too old to fight anymore.
Sifu is known for its difficulty and for containing intricately designed areas known as hideouts. There are over 40 achievements to unlock in Sifu, and most of them won't be easy to obtain. While each achievement will require patience, time, and a dash of luck, these are the hardest ones to unlock in the game.
Updated on April 25, 2023, by Kyle Chamaillard: Since Sifu launched in February 2022, it's been ported to the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles and has received numerous content updates to keep you coming back for more. One of the best additions was the inclusion of an Easy mode, which makes it possible for more people to hop into one of the best action games in recent memory. It's never been easier to complete Sifu, but unlocking all the achievements might test your patience. We've decided to update this list to reflect which achievements are hardest to unlock even with Sifu's new accessibility options.
15 The 36th Chamber of Kung Fu
For this achievement, you must perform each type of takedown at least once, and to perform a takedown, the enemy must be beaten to a point where their structure is no longer intact. Here, you can initiate a finishing move known as a takedown that will deplete their health bar.
There are over 40 different takedown animations, depending on what kind of weapon you're using and how you're positioned. If you use them as often as possible, this achievement will be much easier to unlock in the long run.
14 Detective Story
To unlock the Detective Story achievement, you must track down and obtain every collectible in The Squats. From beginning to end, there are 17 of them throughout the first level in Sifu. You'll earn five automatically while playing through the story, but the rest must be found to earn this achievement.
After clearing out a room full of enemies, it's always best to investigate every nook and cranny for hidden collectibles or keys for locked doors. Keep in mind that you can't get everything on your first try as some of the doors in The Squats require keys found in later levels.
13 Tiger On Fire
To obtain Sifu's true ending, you'll need to play through the game more than once to change the fate of a few characters. Instead of killing each boss, you'll have the option to spare their lives on your second playthrough, which you'll need to do to earn a handful of achievements and the best conclusion to the story.
To unlock Tiger on Fire, you'll need to spare Sean's - the leader of The Club - life and retrieve the Fire Talisman from him. To do this, fight Sean like you did the first time, and as his structure bar fills toward the end you'll see a prompt that allows you to spare him.
12 Sword Stained With Blood
You will need to get lucky to obtain Sword Stained With Blood. This achievement requires an enemy to be eliminated with one attack from a blade or sword, and the only way to successfully do this is by purchasing a skill to use on enemies.
The skill you will need is called Charged Backfist, which will require 1000XP. After unlocking this ability, approach an enemy with a blade and break their stance, and The Charged Backfist prompt should pop and act as a takedown, which will grant you this achievement.
11 Source Of Flying Daggers
Kuroki is one of the most challenging bosses in Sifu, and it's easy to accidentally kill her on your second playthrough from button-mashing through her powerful attacks. To unlock the Souce of Flying Daggers achievement, you must be calm, cool, and collected to time out your attacks and spare her life.
The boss of The Museum is incredibly aggressive during the second phase of the fight, but if you parry and counter instead of retaliating, you should be able to fill up her structure bar in no time. When the prompt appears to spare Kuroki's life, hit the right buttons to earn the Water talisman and this achievement.
10 Iron Money
To unlock the Iron Money achievement, you'll need to spare Jinfeng's life and take the Metal talisman from her. As the second-last boss in the game, Jinfeng puts up a good fight, but if you keep your distance and parry her chained bell attacks you can quickly build up her structure meter before she decimates you.
The easiest mistake to make with this achievement is feeling too hasty and wanting to attack Jinfeng directly, accidentally killing her in the process. The best approach is a safe one from afar, where you have plenty of time to figure out which attack she's going to use and how to deflect it properly.
9 Legendary Talismans Of Wuxing
Your ultimate goal in Sifu is to avenge your father by killing the man who betrayed him - Yang. The final confrontation with him will test everything you've learned so far, and despite your character's hatred towards him, you'll need to spare his life as an act of mercy to unlock the Legendary Talismans of Wuxing achievement and unlock the true ending.
During the second phase of the fight, Yang will unleash a series of combos that can wipe out your health in an instant. Countering each hit and striking between attacks should fill up his structure meter in no time, and sparing his life will allow you to obtain the Earth talisman required for this achievement.
8 Knowledge Greed
Knowledge Greed is completed by obtaining all collectibles to finish out The Tower's detective board. There are 17 of them that you will have to obtain to fulfill the requirements of the achievement.
As the story progresses in this section, a few collectibles will automatically unlock, and the rest will be up to you to find. You'll likely run into locked collectibles while exploring, and they will not be obtainable until the right key is found in another level.
7 Be Like Water, My Friend
This achievement can only be completed at The Museum, and to begin the process, make your way to the second or third floor. From here, find a group of enemies and eliminate all but one of them, and then stun the remaining foe so that you can throw them over the ledge.
You can't just throw them all willy-nilly, however, as the enemy needs to be thrown from the railing and into the fountain located on the first floor. While it's easy to do in theory, it might take a few tries as the angle needs to be just right.
6 Drunken Fighter
The Club is one of the more confusing levels in Sifu, and there are plenty of collectibles that you can easily miss if you don't know where to find them. If you want to unlock the Drunken Fighter achievement, you'll need to uncover all 16 collectibles in the level by defeating enemies, investigating hidden pathways, and more.
Fortunately, you'll earn five of them automatically while progressing through The Club, leaving only 11 for you to find on your own. Be as thorough as you can on your first run through the stage, and be mindful of keys found in other levels that can be used to access all The Club's keepsakes.
5 Martial Artist
The Museum can be disorienting to navigate with its many galleries you must pass through to proceed, and trying to locate each item for this location's detective board can be just as difficult. In order to unlock the Martial Artist, however, you must find all 19 collectibles here - the most in a single stage.
Some of them will be earned throughout the story, but the majority will need to be found. As with the other levels, some collectibles will be locked and will require keys found in other stages, and many are cleverly worked into the fact that the stage is a museum, such as pamphlets or masks, so keep in mind to stop and appreciate the artwork lest you miss a vital piece for your detective board.
4 Prodigal Child
To complete this achievement, you must complete the game while being under 25 years old. Each time you die, the main character ages as a result, and there are benefits and downsides to becoming older, such as being able to deal more damage at the cost of having less health.
You must fundamentally understand each level and the placement of enemies to earn this achievement. It is recommended that backup saves are consistently made to prevent starting over multiple times. Use every combo and skill you know to mix up your playstyle and keep your enemies on their toes. If you're really struggling, try enabling Sifu's easy mode to make the process less frustrating.
3 Healing Memory
The Sanctuary is the final stage in Sifu, and as you prepare to face the last boss, you should look around every corner for collectibles to unlock the Healing Memory achievement. There are 16 in total, and finding all of them will complete The Sanctuary's detective board and help fill in the pieces of your past.
Fortunately, you can find almost all of The Sanctuary's collectibles on your first run through it. Some of the toughest enemies in the game guard a few of them, but as long as you can fight your way past them you shouldn't have a problem getting them all. The final collectible in the stage - Sacred Mountains - is obtained after clearing the requirements for the true ending.
2 Warriors From The Mountain
In The Sanctuary, you will need to throw an enemy over the railing and down the mountains to earn this achievement. On the edge of the map, there is a specific length of railing that runs alongside the mountains where this can be done.
You will want to start by luring an enemy over to this area. After doing so, stun the enemy so the takedown prompt appears, and all that's left to do is use a throw and fling the enemy over the railing and into the mountains below.
1 Mastery Of The Phoenix Eye Fist
Mastery of the Phoenix Eye Fist is achieved by utilizing every focus attack in the game at least once. There are eight for you to unlock, and each one will provide you with an essential ability like Eye Strikes that stun enemies and other brutal maneuvers.
To obtain these focus attacks, you must purchase them from the skill shop, and while the first one is automatically unlocked through the story, the remaining seven have a cost. The last focus attack also requires a collectible to be obtained before purchasing, so keep that in mind when going for this achievement.