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00:00 Cut him down!
00:03 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we are strengthening our resolve to get through the 20 hardest Zelda bosses.
00:16 For this list, we'll be looking at the most challenging boss fights found in the Legend of Zelda series.
00:27 While there are many ways to cheese these fights, we'll be focusing on what it was like to fight them the first time.
00:32 We won't be including any mini-bosses, or the elite enemies found in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom like Lynels and Gleeoks.
00:40 Also, since some of these are final bosses, some light spoilers follow.
00:45 Which boss caused the most frustration for you? Sound off in the comments below.
00:50 Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:57 Part of what makes the final boss in Spirit Tracks hard to deal with is having to fight a couple of bosses beforehand.
01:18 But Malodous himself can also be tricky when it comes to timing things properly.
01:23 He covers your arena in massive fireballs, which you must deflect as blocking them will still hurt you.
01:29 Link will be defending Zelda as she powers up a spell, so Malodous shoots these in a variety of speeds and angles.
01:41 You'll then have to run Distraction until the princess can hit him three times, which she does so rather slowly.
01:47 By getting close, you risk taking a giant hit, so it's a matter of staying quick on your feet.
01:53 The troublesome Gleeoks made their debut in the original game.
02:12 Link first fights the dragon in the fourth dungeon. Both its heads shoot fireballs, which you cannot block.
02:17 And once you destroy one head, it floats around continuing the attack until Gleok is finished.
02:23 It's not so bad... until you fight it again later.
02:27 It's fought as a mini-boss in level 6, which we said we aren't counting, but again as a boss in level 8, where it has twice as many heads as the first time.
02:41 While you will have gotten better at maneuvering around enemy attacks, and Link himself will have gotten stronger,
02:47 dealing with a spread of fire from a four-headed dragon is still going to be a challenge.
03:08 There are a lot of reasons fans dislike The Imprisoned.
03:11 Even if it wasn't a bit tough, it would still be a chore.
03:15 Your first fight against it is pretty straightforward.
03:18 Stab its gross, squishy toes to make it fall, then attack the ceiling spike in its head.
03:23 Unfortunately, Link fights it another two times.
03:33 The second iteration generates a shockwave with every single step, making it a major pain to deal damage to its feet.
03:40 The third fight is truly awful, since the shockwaves now deal heavy damage and it will have gained flight.
03:46 It'll try to ascend to the sealed temple, resulting in a game over unless you get to Groose on time so that he can fire you onto its back.
03:55 (Link's death)
03:58 Mafia-la. The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past.
04:06 (Mafia-la music)
04:11 Some bosses take up a lot of resources.
04:14 If you don't have enough magic when you reach the boss of the Skull Woods, Link won't be having much fun.
04:20 Mafia-la's arena consists of a moving floor and multiple blade traps.
04:24 This will divide your focus as it flies around the room, shooting you from safety.
04:29 You're naturally meant to use the dungeon's signature item, the fire rod.
04:38 But if you haven't upgraded the magic meter and don't have any way to restore magic during the fight, you'll have to rely on the sword.
04:45 And that's not nearly as effective.
04:47 Even with enough magic, the stress-inducing arena makes Mafia-la one tricky foe.
04:53 (Mafia-la music)
04:58 Manhandla. The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Seasons.
05:06 (Mafia-la music)
05:11 Sort of like a combo of the Mafia-la and Gleeok fights, Manhandla from Oracle of Seasons litters the screen with fireballs and is fought on a moving floor.
05:20 Link must use the boomerang to hurt each of the plant-like heads, but they can only be damaged if their mouths are open, i.e. when they're hurling up a fireball.
05:29 (Mafia-la music)
05:36 With the death of each head comes less projectiles, but also gives Manhandla a boost in speed.
05:41 The moving areas of the floor will make getting hit fairly easy, whether by fire or the boss simply ramming into you.
05:48 (Mafia-la music)
05:55 Dark Link. Zelda II, The Adventure of Link.
06:00 (Mafia-la music)
06:08 Many Zelda fans are now aware of the corner trick, but on a first encounter, with no knowledge of the easier option, Dark Link is a beast.
06:17 As the very last challenge in an already challenging game, Link's shadow mimics his fighting style.
06:23 That means you can't really suss out a pattern. Instead, you'll have to rely on timing your attacks and blocks properly, like you've hopefully been learning to across the game.
06:32 (Mafia-la music)
06:39 Of course, Dark Link is just as adept at timing his attacks as Link is, if not more so.
06:44 And having a stronger sword doesn't really matter, as he'll always take the same number of hits to go down.
06:50 (Mafia-la music)
06:58 Ganondorf. The Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess.
07:03 (Mafia-la music)
07:11 The big bad of Zelda is usually fought in multiple phases.
07:15 His fight in Twilight Princess comes in an astounding four sections, each varying in difficulty.
07:21 First up is a possessed Zelda, who isn't too bad if you remember the Dead Man's Volley shtick from previous games.
07:27 (Mafia-la music)
07:36 His beast form is harder, as he teleports and forces you to be Wolf Link to stop his rampage.
07:42 But the second half is clearly the more challenging.
07:45 It can be tough to deal with him on horseback, since Zelda isn't great at lining up her shots.
07:50 The one-on-one duel that follows showcases his immense strength should he land a hit, which he probably will.
07:56 (Mafia-la music)
08:06 Onix. The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Seasons.
08:10 (Mafia-la music)
08:20 Oracle of Seasons is a bit more combat heavy than its Age's counterpart.
08:24 And the main villain, General Onix, is actually more imposing than his heavily armored appearance would already have you believe.
08:31 His gear means he can only be hurt by spin attacks, and he'll be swinging a massive ball and chain around.
08:37 He'll also use a crystallized den as a shield, which shocks you if you hit it with any item other than the Rod of Seasons.
08:44 (Mafia-la music)
08:49 That's actually the easier part, however, as Onix will transform into a dragon for the final phase.
08:55 Jumping on his claws to reach the gem in his head while avoiding his attacks will definitely add tension if it wasn't there already.
09:02 (Mafia-la music)
09:08 Ganon. The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past.
09:11 (Mafia-la music)
09:19 Since he's the main villain, Ganon usually brings the heat during any of his boss fights.
09:24 Link faces off against him after foiling the plans of his magical alter ego, Agahnim.
09:29 He'll teleport around the arena, flinging his spinning trident to provide a wide area of damage.
09:34 (Mafia-la music)
09:39 After a bit, he'll figure fire is a good call, using it both defensively and offensively.
09:45 He'll eventually make everything go dark while he continues to teleport, forcing you to light some torches while avoiding his attacks.
09:52 If that wasn't bad enough, he destroys the arena's border.
09:55 One misstep and Link falls from the fight, meaning you'll have to start the process all over.
10:01 (Mafia-la music)
10:08 Gyorg. The Legend of Zelda, Majora's Mask.
10:12 (Mafia-la music)
10:21 The Great Bay Temple is already complex, and then you have to deal with this horrid thing.
10:26 The giant fish, Gyorg, will hide in the water until it's ready to ram the central platform in an attempt to knock Link in.
10:33 You have to shoot from afar to stun it, dive in as Zora Link, and use his electrical barrier to deal damage.
10:39 However, Gyorg doesn't stay stunned for very long, and will spawn minions to distract you, all in an attempt to swallow you whole.
10:47 (Mafia-la music)
10:53 This fight was made much worse in the 3DS remake, by adding another phase in which Link must knock a spiked ball into Gyorg's mouth as it inhales.
11:02 Needing to hit it at the right angle and time made this a nightmare.
11:06 (Mafia-la music)
11:14 Phantom Ganon. The Legend of Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom.
11:18 (Mafia-la music)
11:27 Phantom Ganon has been a steadfast minion/creation of the villain in several games, but we believe his most intimidating and powerful version is his newest.
11:37 You can fight the Spectre on more than one occasion in Tears, but the toughest by far is fought in Hyrule Castle.
11:44 (Mafia-la music)
11:51 Teleportation is a staple of both him and Ganon, but here, there are also multiple copies to deal with at once.
11:59 It's nice to have the Sages to help you, but you can only activate their abilities when standing right next to them.
12:05 We would not advise it, since Phantom Ganon will be aiming for Link, and inflicts Bloom damage to make healing harder.
12:12 The fight can quickly knock down your max health if you aren't careful.
12:16 (Mafia-la music)
12:25 Demise. The Legend of Zelda, Skyward Sword.
12:29 (Mafia-la music)
12:39 The starting point of all things evil in Hyrule naturally puts up a tough final challenge.
12:45 Despite the smaller stature, Demise is far more intimidating than his imprisoned form.
12:50 He'll force you into the defensive. If you try to attack, he'll likely block, and if you don't have your shield up, one blow will knock off a few hearts.
12:59 (Mafia-la music)
13:06 Afterwards, he'll make timing your attacks even more important, as he charges his sword with lightning.
13:11 This also gives him projectiles, putting you in danger whether you're near him or not.
13:16 It's a good thing you can also supercharge your weapon, otherwise that would be pretty unfair.
13:21 (Mafia-la music)
13:27 Thunderbird. Zelda II, The Adventure of Link.
13:31 (Mafia-la music)
13:40 Right before Link faces a dark version of himself in Zelda II, he has to contend with the Thunderbird.
13:46 First, you have to use the Thunder spell before you can even hit it, which takes a big chunk of magic.
13:52 Then, you'll have to jump at the right moment, since the Thunderbird never lands, just so Link can stab it in the head.
13:58 (Mafia-la music)
14:03 Making this much easier said than done is the constant stream of fireballs flowing from its beak.
14:09 Being able to jump, deal damage, and avoid getting hit takes the utmost perfect timing.
14:15 It's incredibly unlikely you'll get out of it without taking at least a few hits.
14:20 (Mafia-la music)
14:26 Puppet Ganon. The Legend of Zelda, The Wind Waker.
14:30 (Mafia-la music)
14:38 This marionette monster may appear right before the final boss, but it's definitely the bigger threat.
14:44 Puppet Ganon is another boss who's tough because it comes in multiple phases.
14:48 For his first form, Link must use the boomerang to cut its strings while it slams its fists down.
14:53 But the boss is so giant, your boomerang might not reach.
14:57 (Mafia-la music)
15:04 The second form is a spider which will come crashing down, covering most of the arena.
15:09 Finally, it takes on a snake form that quickly slides around.
15:13 Each requires you to hit an orb, its weak spot, with a light arrow.
15:17 But they also have their own features that make landing a hit frustrating, especially that last one.
15:23 (Mafia-la music)
15:31 Thunderblight Ganon. The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild.
15:36 (Mafia-la music)
15:42 Of all the Blight bosses in Breath of the Wild, the one found in Divine Beast Vaan Nabooris is undeniably the hardest.
15:50 The name is pretty fitting, considering Thunderblight Ganon moves faster than any other Divine Beast boss,
15:56 and that it heavily relies on electric attacks.
15:59 (Mafia-la music)
16:05 The speed makes the first half extremely stressful.
16:08 However, it's the constant stream of electric blasts in the second that has earned Thunderblight Ganon the undying hatred of players.
16:15 It likes to place pillars around the area as conductors, as well as electrify its sword.
16:21 If you don't have the proper meals or elixirs, you'll get stunned and drop your weapons more quickly than you can react.
16:27 (Mafia-la music)
16:34 Moldorm. The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past.
16:38 (Mafia-la music)
16:45 It's tradition now for players to groan whenever they get to the Tower of Hera, knowing this annoying worm waits for them at the end.
16:52 The fight itself is actually quite simple. All Moldorm does is slither around the arena.
16:58 The weak spot on its tail is even obvious because Nintendo knew it wouldn't matter.
17:03 The arena itself is the biggest issue.
17:05 (Mafia-la music)
17:09 Link will be pushed back if he comes into contact with Moldorm, or hits anything other than the tail.
17:15 Every time you get pushed off, which once is more than enough in our opinion, you have to climb back up and start the fight over.
17:22 The whole process is exceptionally aggravating.
17:25 (Mafia-la music)
17:32 Ganon. The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Ages and Seasons.
17:37 (Mafia-la music)
17:42 Warning, flashing lights ahead.
17:44 If you combine both your save files from Oracle of Ages and Seasons, you get the true ending in addition to another difficult bout with Ganon.
17:52 He's been made a bit harder than other appearances due to the fact that you have to fight Twinrova first.
17:57 Like many others, this Ganon teleports and shoots fireballs in every which way.
18:02 But he can also stun you by hitting the ground, leaving you open to the strong charge shot that follows.
18:08 (Mafia-la music)
18:14 He also has the ability to reverse your directional controls while the arena annoyingly flashes at you.
18:20 Plus, you can only hit him with spin attacks unless you've earned one of the game's hidden swords.
18:26 (Mafia-la music)
18:29 (Beep)
18:30 (Mafia-la music)
18:34 Vaati, The Legend of Zelda, The Minish Cap.
18:38 (Mafia-la music)
18:46 Another multi-phase final boss fight, Vaati still stands out from the many incarnations of Ganon.
18:52 His first form utilizes his hefty magic capabilities with lasers, teleportation, fire, and protective orbs around him.
19:00 Even with the obvious weak point on his chest, hitting it won't be easy.
19:04 (Mafia-la music)
19:12 Vaati Transfigured knows the importance of taking away your safe spaces with hazards and damage filling the area on top of his heavy fortification.
19:21 Vaati's wrath, his third and final form, mixes in some Minish mechanics while keeping up with the deadly attacks.
19:28 The entire fight uses most of Link's armory, which is not only challenging, but rewarding.
19:34 (Mafia-la music)
19:36 (Mafia-la music)
19:42 Monk Maz Koshia, The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild.
19:47 (Mafia-la music)
19:52 The Sheikah Monks from Breath of the Wild are there to test Link, but ultimately help him.
19:57 However, this guy's version of testing is far scarier than the others.
20:02 Fought at the end of the game's second DLC pack, Monk Maz Koshia will bombard you with a variety of attacks both physical and elemental across four phases.
20:11 (Mafia-la music)
20:17 He's around as fast as Thunderblight Ganon, but can also make many copies of himself.
20:22 He can grow to enormous size, where he'll enjoy hurling spiked balls and stomping Link into the dirt.
20:28 It's a good thing this fight wasn't in the base game, since that gives you ample opportunity to have as much armor and stat-boosting meals as you can.
20:36 Even still, he's a master of combat.
20:40 (Mafia-la music)
20:46 Ganondorf, The Legend of Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom.
20:50 (Mafia-la music)
20:57 Recency by SB Damned.
20:59 The fight against Ganondorf in Tears of the Kingdom is one of the toughest fights in the series, and probably the hardest the villain has ever been.
21:07 Naturally, he's fought in three phases, and while his final Draconic form is the easiest, the other two make it a major pain to reach.
21:15 The first round piles on Gloom damage through a variety of weapons, and will dodge all regular attacks outside of arrows and the flurry rush.
21:23 (Ganondorf roars)
21:28 He'll summon phantoms during the second phase, which surprisingly isn't the worst part.
21:33 He'll also bypass Gloom, instead dealing permanent damage, and cover the area in literal evil energy.
21:41 He's fast, strong, and pissed off, giving you only small windows to not be at the other end of his wrath.
21:48 (Ganondorf roars)
21:55 Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed the video, there's more where that came from.
22:00 (outro music)