BOSSES - Traverse Town, Part 1
Leon
Preparation: Before going up against Leon for the first time, Sora will not have much. If you have enough, fill your Items with Potions, and if you got the Protect Chain from Destiny Islands then equip that as well. (Although, you should have it equipped by then already!) The following battle is not necessary to win for the game to continue, but winning does give you the satisfaction of a different cutscene, as well as 30 experience points.
Defense: Leon's Gunblade has a rather long reach. Comparatively, it has a bit longer range than Sora's Kingdom Key. It's best to try and attack Leon from the side or from behind, but Leon will turn or jump away. He also jumps fairly long distances. Otherwise, Leon is fairly slow in moving, but fast when attacking. He'll call out before he strikes.
Strategy: In the beginning, Sora will have no abilities and little protection. This is a test of your fighting abilities, and if you practiced enough with Riku and the gang at Destiny Islands, then Leon should be about the same level. The only difference is that Leon (especially on Expert Mode) has a longer reach than you and he deals heavy damage to an unprotected Sora. Consider his attacks to be mostly frontal, and so be wary. There is a second of opportunity to attack right after he swings his gunblade twice, and also after he shoots you with a fireball from the gunblade. Keep your target lock on him so the camera not in your way. There's also the large arena of First District to fight in, so don't get cornered. Your best strategy would be to hit Leon with one combo and then evade until you see another opening. If you are lucky, your finishing combo will knock him away, giving you a breather. Take your time with this fight, and stay a healthy distance away from the edge of that Gunblade, and victory should be yours.
Guard Armor
Preparation: This battle occurs in Third District, but in a limited arena. Again, Sora doesn't have the Dodge Roll ability yet, so be prepared to run and jump about to avoid attacks. Make sure you have as many Potions as you can have in your inventory, and then go into the battle.
Defense: The Guard Armor has five targets: two hands, two legs, and its main body. Technically there's six, if you count its head as a target, but the head sticks with the body. That said, each limb has its own HP, and if you cut down each one, they will drop HP and munny balls. The damage done by this boss's attacks are pretty damaging, especially when you are at a low level. You must destroy all four limbs before the body can finally be destroyed.
Strategy: Depending on your choices before, Sora may or may not have the defense it takes to take a series of attacks from the Guard Armor. The main thing is to be able to recognize when and which attack will occur. However, you have a trump card in the battle and that is your two minions, Donald and Goofy. Use the Triangle button to call them to fight against the Guard Armor (make sure you are locked onto it.) That will distract the Guard Armor provided they're still alive. Our main strategy is to target lock onto the body, jump and attack. Jumping will help avoid ground attacks or shockwaves, while if you attack there's a chance you can block the Guard Armor if it attacks by spinning its hands around itself. Don't forget to run off and use items to heal yourself if you are low on HP. Don't try to revive Donald or Goofy with your Potions, as they'll simply end up dead and Sora will be out 1 or 2 Potions you need for battle.
