These games ended on some of the hardest challenges in history. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most fearsome bosses in gaming that occurred right at the tail-end of the campaign. However, we won't be including DLC on our list.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most fearsome bosses
00:11in gaming that occurred right at the tail end of the campaign.
00:14No DLC here, just old-fashioned finales.
00:23Number 30.
00:24Cynthia
00:25Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
00:31To be the best like no one ever was, was never going to be easy.
00:34You need gumption, a solid team of Pokemon at your disposal, and finally, the skill to
00:38take on the region champion.
00:40Among them, none hold a candle to Cynthia.
00:43Going in blind to her battle can be fatal because her team hits hard, fast, and will
00:47dish out ludicrous damage, especially when she busts out her Garchomp.
00:51You best hope you have enough Pokemon in storage to contend with those tight match-ups or you're
00:55in for a bad time against Sinnoh's most desirable waifu.
01:02Number 29.
01:03Darth Malak
01:04Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic.
01:12Former apprentice to Darth Revan, Malak is the Sith Lord to end all Sith Lords, evident
01:16from the fact his fight can feel impossible to best if you haven't been pouring in those
01:20stat upgrades in the right places.
01:23Even then, given his crazy high defense and abundance of Force abilities, no amount of
01:27preparedness guarantees a victory against Malak, especially when he starts busting out
01:31those Master Flurries.
01:32Above all else, make sure you either save or slay the Jedi captives he has scattered
01:36around the arena, or any damage you throw at him will all be for naught.
01:50Number 28.
01:51Jubileus, Bayonetta
02:00Fighting God in the middle of space while it unleashes elemental AOEs from metal feathers
02:04imprinted with its own face.
02:06Yeah, that pretty much summarizes the zaniness of Bayonetta right there.
02:10Before you can finally knock Jubileus out of existence for good, the sexiest witch in
02:13all of gaming has to dismantle it piece by piece.
02:16Which is the furthest thing from easy since Jubileus will switch environments from fire
02:21to ice to lightning, each peppering you with platforming sections and rapid bombardments.
02:26Get lost in the chaos for even a moment, especially on harder difficulties, and you can kiss any
02:30hope of victory goodbye.
02:37Number 27.
02:39Malus, Shadow of the Colossus
02:47The final colossi certainly makes an ominous impression, a towering, sentient monolith
02:51that's not going to make your ascension an easy one.
02:54Before you can think of climbing it, Malus will unleash a surge of projectiles that will
02:57send you flying back.
02:58If you succeed in skirting around them, then you're in for an arduous climb up its hulking
03:03stature.
03:04While its lower half is bound in place, things get a lot bumpier when you have to leap across
03:07its arms and attempt to stab its singular weak point at the crown of its head.
03:12If you fall, then you'll have to start all over again from the base.
03:15It's a test in patience, purposely made to make sure you reflect on your colossi-killing
03:19actions.
03:25Number 26.
03:26Jampachi Mishima, Tekken 5
03:34Take the worst parts of Heihachi and Kazuya in terms of sheer difficulty, sprinkle in
03:38some less-than-forgiving combat mechanics that border on the ridiculous, and you've
03:42got yourself this ancient Mishima patriarch.
03:44His immense size and powerhouse blows are bad enough, but where Jampachi really starts
03:48to become a nightmare is when he busts out his uncanny ability to teleport, as well as
03:52unleash a massive fireball from his gut that can fill the whole screen.
03:56Not even the immortal power of sidestepping can save you here.
04:06Number 25.
04:07Zeus, God of War 3
04:16The bitter feud between father and son came to a climactic end at the crux of Kratos'
04:20original trilogy.
04:21With Pandora's box open and Olympus in ruin, the ghost of Sparta and God of Thunder clash
04:26in a vicious multi-stage brawl that remains one of the finest in the hack-and-slash genre.
04:31However, even with a crazy assortment of godly weaponry at his disposal, Zeus is no pushover.
04:36His punches hit hard, he can zap around the room in an instant, and once the fight shifts
04:41to a more open space, he clones himself to create a horde of pissed-off deities.
04:45Relentlessness is key here, as Zeus won't waver in his assault for even a moment.
04:57Number 24.
04:58Eviterno, Blasphemous 2
05:09The first of the penitents may be getting on in years, but don't think for a second
05:12that his sword skills have dulled.
05:15Admittedly, his first phase is pretty doable, especially compared to the rest of the Archon
05:19fraternity.
05:20Just slash back his projectiles until he succumbs.
05:23Then he pulls out the blade and things get nuts.
05:26The speed in which Papa Eviterno can dash across the screen, the minimal window to avoid
05:30each attack, his second phase can spell your doom within seconds if you linger for too
05:34long.
05:35issue for this walking carcass, since there's no place his blade can't reach.
05:45Number 23.
05:46The Great Sage's Broken Shell, Black Myth, Wukong
05:55There was no way we were going to become the next Wukong without testing our mettle against
05:59some version of the original.
06:01We just didn't expect to be schooled by Wukong's shadow so completely.
06:04As the stone monkey, this saintly simian packs a wallop, but if you're in possession of Wukong's
06:09original armor, overcoming his blows isn't too trying.
06:12Then he transforms into the broken shell, where his attacks not only become ludicrously
06:16fast, but he can cancel every ability you have at your disposal.
06:20You don't know what it means to be humbled until you've been frozen in place while another
06:24monkey god steals your booze.
06:32Number 22.
06:33Shao Kahn, Mortal Kombat
06:39The ultimate big bad of the franchise, the Emperor of Outworld is a monster of a boss
06:43that left all casual fighters trembling.
06:46If you thought he was rough back in his arcade days, just wait until you see what he can
06:49do following Mortal Kombat's first timeline reset.
06:52Whether it's his shoulder charges, spears, hammer throws, energy projectiles or crazy
06:57endurance, Shao Kahn can brutalize your health bar within a single combo.
07:01It doesn't help matters that you're forced to play as Raiden for the encounter, so no
07:04Liu Kang bicycle kick cheat strategy to lean back on.
07:14Number 21.
07:15Nameless Puppet, Lies of Pi
07:23How else would a Souls-like take on Pinocchio conclude?
07:25By having the new model take on the original insidious creation of Geppetto, of course.
07:29Armed with a colossal, changeable blade, the Nameless Puppet will test your parry skills
07:33to the utmost.
07:35That is, until its strings are cut and it goes Berserker mode.
07:38Now with two swords that can unleash devastating strikes, parrying the Puppet isn't so much
07:42an option as is getting the hell out of dodge.
07:44You'll be given no quarter and brief margins for counterattack.
07:48By the end of this hellish duel, the Nameless Puppet certainly made a name for itself as
07:52one of the most trying bosses in modern memory.
08:03Number 20.
08:04Hades, Hades
08:13The god of the underworld who lends his name to both his realm and the game, Hades will
08:17do his utmost to ensure that Zagreus never leaves.
08:20Not only does he do a ton of damage over a wide area, but Hades can also hit you with
08:25skulls that will make you way more susceptible to hits.
08:28Ranged weapons tend to work best against him, and using dashes and the environment to keep
08:33away from him will be essential.
08:43Bring as much death defiance as you can, learn his patterns, and be prepared for pain because
08:47Hades has two phases and you probably won't get them through the first time.
08:52And if you fail, you have to restart at the game's beginning.
08:55No pressure.
09:01Number 19.
09:02Taboo, Super Smash Bros. Brawl
09:14This ethereal being is the endgame villain of the Subspace Emissary campaign and will
09:18put you through your paces.
09:19Taboo may be a big question mark when it comes to motivations, but players' most pressing
09:23questions about him is why he's so difficult.
09:34The strange entity can teleport around the arena, and several of its moves hit a wide
09:38area and or can be instant kills depending on the difficulty.
09:42Thankfully, you get five different characters as single stocks, so if you get knocked out,
09:47you get four tries.
09:48Be careful though, this is the creature that pimp-slapped Master Hand, a literal glove.
10:00Number 18.
10:01Shadow Queen, Paper Mario, The Thousand Year Door
10:13The final bosses of Mario games are generally pretty easy, but the Shadow Queen is the exception.
10:17A shadowy fiend that possesses Princess Peach, the Shadow Queen has multiple phases and can
10:22easily destroy you if you're not prepared, and can steal your HP and restore hers if
10:32you don't block.
10:33Her multiple hands can make things tricky too, since they can regenerate even if you
10:37take them out.
10:38The Shadow Queen's strongest move is quite nasty too, but thankfully you can avoid it
10:42with Vivian's Veil ability.
10:44If you can hit her hard and fast, and take advantage of the free healing you'll get in
10:48her second phase, you'll be able to end her reign for good.
10:59Number 17.
11:00Mr. X, Resident Evil 2
11:11The T.O.O.
11:12Tyrant, or Mr. X, is an implacable mutant super-soldier in a trench coat that pursues
11:16the player throughout Resident Evil 2's remake.
11:19Unfortunately, you'll be stuck facing Mr. X in the finale of Leon's campaign, in an
11:23elevator.
11:24The Tyrant will come at you with his claws in the enclosed space, which can be tough
11:28to avoid.
11:29One of his attacks is basically guaranteed to kill you too.
11:38Shooting his exposed heart can damage him, and the more he's damaged, the more rubble
11:42will fall, giving you cover from his attacks.
11:44If you have enough powerful weapons, and or you're a good enough shot, you'll eventually
11:49receive a rocket launcher to finally, FINALLY finish him off.
12:01Number 16.
12:02The Devil, Cuphead
12:10If you dance with the Devil, you're gonna get burned.
12:12The grinning, goat-like demon can make this battle figuratively and literally hellish
12:16for you throughout his four phases.
12:18The Devil will throw plenty of attacks your way in the first phase, frequently shapeshifting
12:21into several tough-to-dodge forms, with his minions proving an annoyance too.
12:30The next phases are set on progressively fewer sets of platforms, as the now-giant Devil
12:35throws attacks, minions, and poker chips that you must dodge and shoot through, while also
12:40attacking his eyes.
12:42Invincibility and the smoke bomb dash are essentials here, and if you can endure, you'll
12:46wallop the Devil and get your souls back.
12:55Number 15.
12:56Dr. Neocortex
12:58Crash Bandicoot 4, it's about time.
13:11Crash Bandicoot games have some brutally difficult platforming, and the boss fights are no exception.
13:17The final confrontation with Crash's mad scientist nemesis, Dr. Neocortex, sees the
13:20villain take all of your quantum mask power-ups and use them against you.
13:30You must jump between disappearing platforms, leap or duck over slash under lasers, and
13:35throw his own assistants back at him.
13:37Oh, and you have to do all this while dealing with the effects of the masks, which include
13:41turning your world upside down.
13:43The Doctor may be trying to change the past, but there's no way to undo our many failures
13:48in this fight.
13:56Number 14.
13:57Raven Beak
13:58Metroid Dread
14:10This power-mad Chozo leader is the definition of challenging.
14:13Raven Beak goes all out right from the start, with strong attacks and an aura of lightning.
14:18He also has four phases to get through.
14:20While some of his attacks, namely the ones shaped like spheres, can be destroyed for
14:23health and ammo, in general, you're going to want to hit him with missiles as much as
14:27possible.
14:31Oh, and counter every chance you get.
14:36If you haven't gotten that down by this point, this won't go well for you.
14:40If you're persistent and learn his patterns, this terrifying metal birdman will eventually
14:44get his grand comeuppance, courtesy of a power beam to the face.
14:57Number 13.
14:58Galdera
14:59The Fallen
15:00Octopath Traveler
15:07The Octopath Traveler games go all out when it comes to their high-fantasy final bosses.
15:11While it was tempting to discuss the wicked god V-Day from Octopath Traveler 2, our choice
15:16goes to the first game's big bad.
15:18Not only is this a tough, multi-stage boss, but you also have to fight each stage with
15:22a different set of four party members, so if you didn't level up everyone equally,
15:26your chances are pretty abysmal.
15:32Additionally, you have to fight Galdera after a gauntlet of eight bosses, and if you lose,
15:38you need to fight them all again.
15:40And that's not even touching on his obscenely powerful attacks and ability to become randomly
15:45immune to some of his own weaknesses.
15:47What a nightmare.
15:53Number 12.
15:54Otakemaru
15:55Nioh 2
16:05Given the bar set by the rest of the bosses in this game, and those of the games that
16:09inspired it, Otakemaru certainly lives up to the standard.
16:12This powerful yokai can shift between the same forms the players can, making his attacks
16:16faster and more powerful, and his own body more durable.
16:20While he loses his ability at around half health, Otakemaru then gains access to powerful
16:24elemental attacks.
16:33If that weren't enough, his last phase has huge swords that can insta-kill you.
16:37A protracted battle is definitely going to favor him, so if you can, try to take him
16:42down as fast as possible.
16:53Number 11.
16:54Zero – Drakengard 3
17:03For most of Drakengard 3, it alternates between either hack-and-slash or rail-shooter gameplay.
17:08The final boss in the final timeline is… neither of those.
17:12Instead, Zero is fought through an elaborate rhythm game sequence.
17:16Timing the button presses can be excruciatingly difficult, even after practicing dozens of
17:21times, and considering you have to restart the whole thing if you mess up, you'll be
17:33playing it at least that many times.
17:36It's a sad commentary on the difficulty of this boss fight, when the best advice the
17:39internet has to give on beating it is to cheat by syncing up a video while playing.
17:52Number 10.
17:53Nick's Avatar – Persona 3
18:06There are a lot of multi-stage final bosses, but Nick's Avatar puts most of them to shame.
18:11To beat this personification of death, you need to plow through 14 different phases.
18:15Fourteen!
18:16The absolute grind it can be to get through all of them can take up to several hours,
18:28and if you're underleveled, they're going to be stressful ones.
18:31It doesn't have any major exploitable weaknesses either.
18:34Plus, its final phase has a lot more HP, and if it charms your party members, they'll
18:39attack each other.
18:40Nick's Avatar is a marathon of a final boss, but it can be rewarding.
18:44After all, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed.
18:58Number 9.
18:59Mike Tyson – Punch-Out!!
19:08The game may label this battle the dream fight, but getting into the ring with Kid
19:11Dynamite in this old-school NES game feels like a straight-up nightmare.
19:16Mike Tyson is the last bout in Punch-Out!!, and it's a good thing too, since anything
19:20tougher than this would have us swearing off the game for good.
19:29The fictional version of the real-world boxer will uppercut you so hard, you'll be knocked
19:33out instantly if you're not blocking.
19:35Add in some rapid-fire punches, and you've got a recipe for a classic boss fight that
19:40still gives gamers PTSD.
19:42Your best bet, besides a lot of trial and error, is to hit Tyson while he's blinking.
19:55Number 8.
19:56Necron – Final Fantasy IX
20:06The embodiment of dread and death, Necron can be one of the most difficult boss fights
20:10in any Final Fantasy game, since it lives up to its reputation.
20:14Really, it just comes down to luck and what you have equipped.
20:29This is due to its wide variety of high-damaging moves, as well as Grand Crosses, which can
20:33have a random effect on your whole party.
20:35Abilities that protect you from statuses can help, as can auto-abilities, since they provide
20:39passive buffs.
20:41Necron may be as inevitable as death, but that doesn't mean you have to fear it.
20:54Number 7.
20:55Senator Steven Armstrong – Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
21:07This boss battle may be packed with more memes than you can shake a nanomachine at,
21:11but it's also punishingly difficult.
21:16The warmongering Senator will throw a Metal Gear at you before taking you on with his
21:20own enhanced body in a fight that lasts several phases.
21:31The timing to parry his attacks can be tricky to get down, but if you're patient, you
21:35can master it.
21:36Judging certainly helps, too.
21:38Given enough effort, you may get your chance to slice and dice the ripped politician and
21:42ensure he never holds office – or anything else – ever again.
21:54Number 6.
21:55Vergil – Devil May Cry 3 – Dante's Awakening
22:06Dante's brother is devilishly difficult whenever you encounter him, but the final
22:10battle of DMC3 is arguably the hardest, and a serious contender for the most difficult
22:15in the series.
22:16Vergil can teleport, which is never not annoying in a boss, deflect your bullets, and swing
22:21his sword faster than you can blink.
22:29And then he has his own Devil Trigger form, which you should avoid like the plague.
22:33However, after he uses his, you can use yours to get in a good counterattack.
22:37In fact, countering is pretty much the name of the game here.
22:41Time to get motivated.
22:52Number 5.
22:53Dr. Wily Capsule – Mega Man 7
23:03Dr. Wily really outdid himself this time.
23:06This floating vehicle is infamous for a number of reasons.
23:08It can disappear and reappear in various positions across the screen, which can make hitting
23:12it difficult.
23:13Not only that, but its one weakness – Spring Man's weapon, Wild Coil – is hard to hit
23:18with and barely does any damage.
23:22Honestly, you're better off using Freeze Man's weapon, since at least you can shoot
23:30that diagonally to hit the capsule up in the corners.
23:33Lastly, its attacks are fast, hard to dodge, and can freeze or burn you.
23:37Given how tough it is, we have to wonder why Wily bothers with Robot Masters at all.
23:47Number 4.
23:48The Radiance – Hollow Knight
23:49Hollow Knight's pantheon of bosses are absolutely brutal, and they saved the hardest for last.
24:02The Radiance is a luminous mob that may look heavenly, but she'll put you through hell.
24:07She'll rain attacks on you from nearly every direction, so keeping on your toes is essential.
24:18Unfortunately, she generally stays so high up that it's hard to hit the Radiance consistently,
24:22made all the worse by the fact that should she smite you, you're going to have to fight
24:25your way through the Hollow Knight in order to reach her again.
24:35Number 3.
24:36Sans – Undertale
24:37You're going to have a bad time with this boss fight.
24:49Sans is the infamous final boss of the Genocide run of Undertale.
24:53While killing most monsters in this run is fairly easy, Sans unleashes a devastating
24:57opening salvo that will obliterate you if you aren't expecting it.
25:01Then, he'll dodge nearly every attack you throw at him and force you through brutal
25:05platforming segments.
25:13The onslaught of attacks never lets up, and Sans will even attack you while you use the
25:17menu.
25:18It's a good thing his song is such a banger, because you'll be hearing it for as long
25:22as it takes for you to master this sinfully challenging fight.
25:31Number 2.
25:32Ratagon of the Golden Order – Elden Ring
25:45It was only a matter of time before we got to a FromSoftware game.
25:48The enormously popular Elden Ring also has an enormously difficult final boss.
25:52Ratagon has a wide variety of deadly and unpredictable moves at his disposal.
26:04Dodging is absolutely your best strategy in this fight, although bringing protection against
26:07Ratagon's holy attacks and using fire, one of his only weaknesses, certainly don't
26:12hurt either.
26:13And just when you've finally beaten him, you have to fight the Elden Beast immediately
26:17afterwards, who is no slouch in the difficulty department.
26:43Number 1.
26:44Isshin the Sword Saint – Sekiro – Shadows Die Twice
26:47Oh, and you thought we were done with FromSoftware?
26:57Not on your life.
26:58Right off the bat, the fact that you must fight Isshin directly after another boss,
27:02Genichiro, sets the bar high on difficulty.
27:05himself is no walk through a field, even if you have to fight him in one.
27:16Isshin has three surprisingly long phases, a ton of moves that are hard to anticipate,
27:20AOE techniques, and other changes to his fighting style as it goes on.
27:25Defeating the Sword Saint requires saintly patience and dedication, and rest assured,
27:30he will break you.
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