So during my most recent string of route tweaking in this game I was practicing this fight with shuriken thanks to the new Shuriken-to-Mace route (probably easier described as the Twin Knife/Sword skip route) and discovered how to optimally kill this boss. In the past I admit to just spamming and praying I land as many hits as possible but now I know of a faster way to do this fight. Finally!

Pincha is an interesting boss in that he exposes his right eye far more than his left eye. This makes for a rather unusual method of quick killing him as simply spamming weapon throws at the weak spots during fast claw phases is not the fastest way since it will usually result in the right eye dying way before the left eye. Instead, timing weapon throws to balance out the damage between each eye during said fast claw phases is the key to quick killing Pincha. The goal is to kill the right eye before the left but only when there is 2 hits remaining on the left eye. Here's a video of my first official successful attempt at this quick kill during practice.

Now you know what the quick kill looks like so here's a step by step process on how to get a kill of this boss similar to the one shown in the video. Time stamps included to make this a bit easier to follow.

1. 00:00 Like every other boss, get the orbs positioned correctly to get the fight going asap. Self-explanatory.

2. 00:10 Once the flames start going and summoning begins get in a position that you feel lines you up to get hits on either the left or right eye. Finding this position is tough so feel free to use my positioning in the video as a guideline if need be.

3. 00:14 Time a weapon throw right before you feel the boss is going spawn. This is easier with shuriken as opposed to twin knife oddly enough. A successfully landed hit will register to the right eye.

4. 00:16 Now comes the tricky part. Timing the weapon throws to hit the left eye. Pincha will always start the fight with a fast claw phase. During these particular phases he will swipe with the right claw twice and then the left claw once, then repeats that pattern until he moves. As you can see, the window to land these hits on the left eye is very narrow and will require practice.

¤One useful bit of advice I can give for this part that is also shown during the video is that I try to briefly move towards Pincha as I throw 2 shurikens then move away slightly. This increases the traveling speed of the weapon making it easier to land these hits (at least for me). For Twin Knife this shouldn't be necessary(?) since it's naturally a faster weapon.

5. 00:21 I'd like to advise to hold the line and NOT be tempted to move LEFT or RIGHT in preparation to dodge Pincha's feet while it scurries around counter-clockwise unless you do not like your current positioning. Having to re-adjust your positioning right before the next claw phase is likely to result in a late first hit leading to a missed 3rd hit. The video shows the proper response to this.

6. 00:25 Once Pincha has stopped, have your weapon ready to hit him registering a hit on the left eye. Let the left claw retract first while Pincha is invincible then move close in front of him and spam the shuriken to land the next 2 hits to his right eye. If you have twin knife you can probably be a little further away.

7. 00:32 You can breathe easy for now. This next part of the fight is very easy. Once you have a better understanding of his pattern (it's always the same), you'll have a better idea of where to position yourself in response to where he stops for the next 4 claw phases. To make matters even easier, Pincha will only attack with either the left claw or the right claw (not both) for these 4 claw phases. Again the video is there if you want an idea of where I stand for this part.

8. 00:53 After these 4 claw phases are finished Pincha is gonna move around in an odd way, stop in the middle, move to the left, then back towards the middle for one more single claw phase. This one is different though. Once you land the hit on the left eye immediately get back to the same positioning as Step 2 (all while being sure to avoid that left claw). The next claw phase is another fast one.

¤Key thing of note here: My positioning for this part could be alot better and is likely the reason why the next step is (IMO) the hardest part of the fight. Fixing this should make the fight go more smoothly.

9. 01:02 More or less the same as Step 4. Getting that quick hit on the right eye at the start of the fast claw phase is key. Then focus on landing hits on the left eye. You should have just enough time to land these 3 hits before Pincha scurries off and moves clockwise.

10. 01:10 If all of the above is done correctly, Pincha's eyes should both be down to just 2 hits each which is perfect as the next claw phase has the potential to land 4 hits instead of just 3. While Pincha is moving around clockwise move yourself down to bottom as indicated in the video. Pincha will shortly follow you down there slowly.

For the perfect kill, you must first land 2 hits to right eye and finish it off. Land these 2 hits quick enough and you will just barely land a hit to the left eye right after. Pincha will stand there dormant for a few seconds and then extend his left claw one last time allowing for the finishing blow.

And that's how you quick kill Pincha. Sounds complicated right? No worries! Here's another video of how I used to do this fight which is more consistent but slower.

This strat is a good place to start if this fight gives you trouble since the more curvy sand lines become good visual cues on where to stand. Just know that this only really works with a faster weapon you can spam like Twin Knife which is fine since spamming weapon throws is generally the strat I use here. You might also find the second claw phase in particular to be a issue in landing a 3rd hit.