It's crazy how many miss Sekiro's Lady Butterfly. #sekiro #darksouls #fromsoftware
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00:00 We know an RPG is guaranteed to have some kind of must-destroy-the-world confrontation at the end of it.
00:06 But what about the bosses hiding in the wings?
00:09 The ones that, had you just cruised through the story, you'd have missed out on?
00:13 Some optional bosses are neatly tucked away inside missions that you might have skimmed by, and that's fair enough.
00:19 Yet there are others that require some outlandish means of getting to that you wouldn't be blamed for missing.
00:24 I'm Jess from WhatCulture, and here are 9 optional video game boss fights you totally missed.
00:30 Number 9. Illusion of Time/Gaia
00:33 Jem the Jeweler.
00:34 Illusion of Time, or Gaia if you're stateside, is a game already full of adventure.
00:39 So what's a little extra in this massive world-spanning game?
00:43 From the very start of the game, there's a travelling jeweler named Jem, fittingly, who wants you to find and send him 50 red jewels.
00:50 These are scattered across the towns and dungeons and will net you some rewards at certain milestones,
00:54 so you might think bagging all 50 will grant you something nice.
00:58 Certainly seems that way when Jem invites you to his hidden mansion for finding them all.
01:02 But that hope turns to fear when it transpires that Jem is actually Solid Arm, aka Metal Mantis, from Enix's previous game, Soul Blazer.
01:12 You've aided his resurrection unwittingly, and he seems so nice.
01:16 Purely an optional boss, you wouldn't have even known he was there if you'd missed a couple of Jems along the way.
01:21 Probably for the best.
01:23 Number 8. Persona 5/The Twins
01:26 Persona 5 is already a ridiculously long game, packed with enough to keep you going through one playthrough, let alone several.
01:33 So no one can blame you for not immediately jumping into New Game+ mode afterwards.
01:37 But to ignore this mode is to ignore one of the most ingenious boss fights the game has to offer.
01:42 Yes, even more ingenious than giving death the flu.
01:45 The twins, Caroline and Justine, play a substantial role in the main game anyway.
01:51 I'll spare you a recap, but trust me, they're there and they're important.
01:54 You can't square off against them on your first run, no matter how much you try.
01:57 In New Game+, however, you pique their interest by having something early on that makes them want to challenge you.
02:04 And challenge they will.
02:05 You have six phases to force the twins to change phases.
02:09 If you haven't dealt enough damage by then, they'll wipe you out.
02:12 They've also got a nasty habit of reviving each other too, so you'll need to take them out in the same turn, lest they pull that one off on you.
02:19 Good luck.
02:20 Number 7. Kingdom Hearts/Curt Deeser
02:23 This one can be easily missed due to its entry requirements, talk to a rug.
02:27 Rugs naturally not being known for their conversational skills.
02:31 However, fortune favors the curious Disney fam this time around, as chatting to Aladdin's weaved wonder in the Agrabah level will take you to one of Kingdom Hearts' difficult optional bosses.
02:41 Much like Sephiroth and the Phantom, Curt Deeser is no joke.
02:45 He's got six arms, two of which are wielding very large blades, and he will use them. A lot.
02:51 Not only is Deeser large and very much in charge with his strength and magic, he also has the power to knock out your magic usage too.
02:58 Thankfully, by the time you're able to access this boss, you should be at a decent enough level to take him on.
03:03 And much like the aforementioned bosses, the fight against Deeser isn't a quick one either.
03:08 You'll need to be prepared for a long one, as he has three different phases to get through.
03:12 Be full of heart! Or something. Isn't that a motto in these games?
03:16 Number 6. Dark Souls 3 - The Nameless King
03:19 It just wouldn't be a list about optional bosses without a healthy dose of FromSoftware on here, now would it?
03:24 Dark Souls 3 is no different, but The Nameless King is certainly one of the easily missed bosses.
03:30 It's easy to miss because its entry requirements are something Dark Souls players aren't used to doing.
03:35 That is, sitting still.
03:37 Specifically, sitting still in a gesture found at another location, and coming back to a particular spot to do it.
03:44 How many people thought to do that instinctively?
03:46 Archdragon Peak, the location you're whisked away to, is no slouch.
03:50 It's a veritable gauntlet of tough enemies, as well as a massive dragon with an exploitable weakness to defeat.
03:56 It's when you reach the top that you're in for a fun time.
04:00 Well, fun by Dark Souls standards with quotation marks. You know the kind of fun.
04:04 The Nameless King is no joke, as he swoops in on a wyvern for the battle's first phase.
04:09 Even when that's grounded, the king is just as deadly on his feet.
04:12 It is worth it if you like a challenge, though, but many do miss it on their first blind run through the game.
04:17 Number 5. Super Mario RPG - The Legend of the Seven Stars - Kulex
04:23 The Super Mario RPG was, to put it lightly, a surprise when it came out.
04:27 People were unsure of it, but it went on to pave the way for the likes of Paper Mario's battle system and early style.
04:33 This is largely in part to Square Enix, formerly Squaresoft, lending their knowledge and craft to it.
04:39 And what better way to pay respect than to have a boss that looks and plays like a Final Fantasy number?
04:44 Kulex, a dark knight from the dimension of Vanda, is Squaresoft's way of paying homage to its mainline RPG series.
04:51 It's also really easy to miss Kulex if you're not paying attention.
04:55 The entry requirements aren't genius-level difficult, as it's a small monetary fetch quest, yet it can be passed by if you're not in the exploring mood.
05:03 But why wouldn't you want to see Squaresoft's worthy tribute to where it came from?
05:07 Number 4. Katana Zero - The Psychiatrist - Kurenai
05:11 I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain that psychiatrists are meant to be in positions of aid or relief, or at least help you with therapy.
05:19 Fairly sure they're not meant to lose their sh*t and shoot themselves up with a drug that gives them psychic powers and get vengeance on their patients.
05:25 Well, you'd hope not, given how much they charge.
05:28 Yet the man tasked with dosing up Zero, as well as handling his missions and dossiers, can only take so much.
05:34 If you're playing as the good Zero, this one will pass you by.
05:38 However, if you constantly cut off, interrupt, and wind the psychiatrist up enough, he'll lose it big time.
05:44 Suffering Zero no longer, he loads himself up with another kind of drug and becomes a formidable, floating foe.
05:50 One with crazy psychic powers and grabby arms, but that's only the first stage.
05:55 Stage 2 has him going full Tetsuo, transforming into a screen-filling blob that, amongst other things, fires syringes at you.
06:03 It's a tense battle, as Katana Zero is a one-hit-death kind of game. Annoy him at your own peril.
06:09 Number 3. Final Fantasy X - Penance - The Dark Aeons - The Dark Aeons
06:12 You'd be forgiven for missing out on Penance, because damn is it a tough one to get to.
06:17 None of this "I accidentally wandered into this cave" nonsense here.
06:20 No, you have to have defeated the eight Dark Aeons first, which are already tough boss fights if you're not prepared for them.
06:27 These in-and-of themselves form the brunt of this optional boss, as they're the ones you won't accidentally stumble upon.
06:33 Only then, after all eight are dealt with, will Penance appear on the world map.
06:38 Selecting him as a destination will see you and your team fighting him on the bow of your ship.
06:43 He's big, and he hits very hard, and he'll regenerate his arms after a time, too.
06:48 You'll need to bring your A-game, trust me. Fully stocked, best equipped, and battle-planned for this one.
06:54 Or you could just go and use your Jimbo.
06:56 Number 2. Control - Essiege - Remedy's Men in Black/Twin Peaks/X-Files adventure game has many an odd boss,
07:04 including a massive mold and a giant anchor.
07:06 But none are as weird as a literal battle against a mirrored version of yourself, complete with a reflected name.
07:13 Essiege, which is Jesse backwards.
07:15 It's not the most intricate of hidden boss fights, but if you're not paying attention to your mission list, it can be easily missed.
07:21 But pay attention to the self-reflection questline, and you'll be taken to the mirror world, a darker reflection of your own.
07:27 The fight against Essiege is pretty evenly matched, because she's, well, you.
07:32 Same guns, same powers, she's literally your equal, but, you know, darker.
07:37 Don't let that put you off, though, as trying to outwit someone that has the same moveset as you is actually quite fun.
07:42 Control is a game that encourages exploration, and takes you to some super weird places.
07:47 So is it really surprising there's a portal into a mirrored world? Absolutely not.
07:51 Number 1. Sekiro - Lady Butterfly - Seriously, this list alone could have been entirely from software entries, but we've tried to pare it down.
08:00 Now, I'm sure you purists out there won't see this as an optional boss, but you'd be surprised how many can miss it.
08:06 The paths that allow you to travel to the past are integral to Sekiro's different endings,
08:10 but the means to get there isn't immediately spelled out for you.
08:13 It's quite hard to miss the little old lady holding the necessary bell, after all.
08:17 Speaking of little old ladies, Lady Butterfly is no pushover.
08:21 Neither is getting to her, either, as you'll have to battle a sub-boss en route.
08:25 The thing is, you need to take out this former ally if you want the true ending.
08:29 Whilst events play out differently the second time you come back, if you haven't taken her out, you're blocked off from doing so.
08:35 Whilst not as bad as the other boss you fight in this location, the Madam Butterfly can mess you up big time at early levels.
08:42 She's a classic case of "just because you can come here early on, doesn't mean you should."
08:47 That's the end of our list, but let me know down in that comment section if you can think of any other optional video game boss fights you totally missed.
08:55 As always, I've been Jess from WhatCulture, thank you so much for hanging out with me.
08:59 If you like, you can come say hi to me on my Twitter account, where I'm @JessMcDonald,
09:03 But make sure you stay tuned to us here for plenty more great gaming lists.