Stage 3 introduces a new concept: stages that wrap around on each other. You can head to the left or to the right, and you will be able to circle back around to your starting point. So while you are able to climb up the pole and jump off to the left to explore the opposite side of the map first, this walkthrough will begin by heading to the right.
Start by hopping over the platforms situated above the lava, watching out for a single blue slime. When you reach the ledge on the other side, you'll be greeted by a small one-eyed yokai who runs toward you, and turns red immediately before leaping. Jump up to the rising platform and hop from the roof to the poles above to reach the next ledge on the right. You'll see what looks like a shop keeper, but is really just a lady who tells you that keys are found in holes.
Continue right, and you'll reach a floating platform. Jump on it and ride it over to the next rising platform, and then on to the ground below. Watch out for a plant that rises out of the ground a short distance from where you land. Beyond the plant is a hole, but explore the area on the other side first. You'll find a plant, followed by a POW surrounded by some monsters. Collect the POW to get some more Zenny, and then return to the hole and drop down.
As you drop, cling to the right side. Break the pots to get some Zenny from fruit, then drop down again, this time hugging the left wall. You'll find Cho Hakkai waiting in a small room. He'll ask if you want to trade staffs. If you say yes, he'll ask if you're stupid, but leave a 500 Zenny lemon. If you say no, he'll say grandpa would be proud, but leave behind a Zenny stealing skull.
Return to the hole and drop down hugging the right wall again. A yellow slime will drop among some pots. Fall down the gap to the right, hugging the right wall, and you should enter a small tunnel with the key. Collect the key, and then drop down one last time. You'll encounter a Sutegon along the bottom. If you have the level 2 staff, you should be able to defeat it before it pins you against the wall. Just in case, if you still have some fist power left, there is a hole you can break in the right wall, just off the ground, that can provide you with some safety from the Sutegon.
| Staff (LV3) |
3000 |  |
400 |
 |
2500 |  |
3000 |
Head to the left, and you'll encounter a couple of blue Patapata bats. Clear them out of the way and approach the door. Taking this door will deposit you on the roof of the building above the starting point. There are three doorways here. The left one is locked and requires the key. The middle one leads to a shop keeper. The only very interesting item she has is the level 3 staff which you can purchase for 3000 Zenny. The last doorway leads to Sagojo, where he will offer to sell you "pig food" (a meat bun, ironically filled with pork) for 500 Zenny. This is the start of a item trade quest that can ultimately net you the Magic Clothes. When you're ready, use the key to unlock the left door.
Upon arriving in the next section, jump left to collect the orange if you wish, and then head to the right to use the rising platform to reach a small ledge. From there, leap toward the apple in the air to land on the ground. Fight several red Onis and one blue Oni until you reach a set of short pillars in the vicinity of a giant coin. If you continue to explore the ground ahead, you'll meet a woman who says you look familiar. There's a good chance there's a 500 Zenny lemon in the pot behind her.
Jump up the small pillars by the small coin. If you wish to explore the platforms heading back to the left, you'll ultimately find a small heart. Your goal, however, is ahead to the right. A Sutegon patrols the roof to the right of the pillars. You can hang on the top right pillar and jump up to strike the Sutegon until it's defeated. Then cross the roof to find some pillars. Leap from one pillar to the next.
From here, you can climb up to the top and head to the left, but there's actually a shortcut if you leap off to the right. If you do, you'll find a bit of land with a door nearby. This door will send you up and over to your next destination on the left. Once you arrive, you can immediately push up and visit a separate new area. It's a great idea to take this exit if your Zenny is already above 3000.
If it's not and you want to try to increase your Zenny before you visit the separate area, climb up the right pillar and jump back over to the left. There are a few plants that pop out of the ground before small Boros come flying through, along with a few Oni. When you see a pillar, you should jump up and climb it. If you stay on the ground, you'll only face more plants, and have to double back at the dead-end. Instead, climb up and watch out for the small leaping one-eyed yokai. Then leap over to the next roof which is guarded by two blue Patapata bats. Beyond them, you'll reach the door you're looking for.
 |
800 |  |
3000 |
 |
200 |  |
5000 |
Head through it and you'll arrive in the map indicated on the left. Carefully jump over to the floating platform above the lava, and jump over to the next platform on the right. Leap up to the roof where you'll find another shop keeper. This is a very important shop. First, if you don't have a fist with at least two remaining uses, you must purchase one here. Second, this is the first shop that sells a Yashichi, which increases SonSon's health meter. If you can afford to buy one, it is highly recommended. After shopping, follow the high platforms to the left until you reach the key and collect it. Then jump off to the left to land back in front of the door. Use it to return to the previous area.
Once you are back (and assuming you have a fist,) jump off the platform you are standing on to the left. Break the walls on the ground to create a tunnel that you can travel through. (A third wall can be broken just above the first, but all it contains is an apple.) Walk over to the rising platforms and use them to travel down to the locked door in the lower left corner. Watch out for the leaping yokai, and head through the door to challenge the boss.
Boss: Impostor[edit]
The boss of this stage is an impostor, a blue clone of yourself. He means to take over in your place by defeating you. At that point, he will attack. His means of attack are the same as yours: a staff. In addition, he likes to jump around a lot. Since his staff is the same length as yours, it's very difficult to avoid getting struck by his when you attack with yours. However, you can use the brief invulnerability that occurs after you are struck to your advantage. After you are hit, get close and strike the impostor as many times as you can while you are in no danger of taking any more damage. When the invulnerability ends, do your best to attack while avoiding damage, but be prepared to use the same tactic again if you get hit. After a few hits, he will explode into a handful of high-Zenny valued fruit. Then you will advance to the next stage.