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WatchMojo
  • 3/13/2025
From soul-crushing challenges to cinematic masterpieces, these boss fights have defined gaming in the 2020s. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best boss fights of the decade so far.
Transcript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic boss fights
00:19of the 2020s so far.
00:21As we'll be discussing critical plot moments, a spoiler warning is in effect.
00:36Number 10.
00:37Laxasia The Complete – Lies of Pea
00:49Souls-like games are known for their brutally difficult yet well-designed boss fights, as
00:53you'll see later on this list, and Lies of Pea is no different.
00:56Laxasia The Complete, formerly alchemist Adriana, is a servant of the main antagonist Simon
01:01Manus, having been reborn through the Elixir as the first whole being, hence her name.
01:06Donning an enormous sword and sick-looking armor, Laxasia is a terrible force to be reckoned
01:10with.
01:22She's heavily weak to acid attacks and employs a devastating electric blitz that encompasses
01:26much of the arena during her second phase.
01:28Once you defeat her, you're home free to defeat Simon and finish the game.
01:40Number 9.
01:41Destroyer Sharadrius – Metaphor Re-Fantasio
01:51At this point, we all know the legacy Persona 5 has had on the JRPG genre and the industry
01:55as a whole.
01:56So when Atlus and Studio Zero unveiled Metaphor Re-Fantasio, a new IP set in the fantasy world,
02:02expectations were through the roof.
02:04And boy did they deliver.
02:06The menus and turn-based combat are flashy and stylish as hell, and of course, the music
02:10is amazing.
02:15This, along with some of the greatest boss fights Atlus has designed, makes Metaphor
02:24one of 2024's best games.
02:26Specifically, the final fight against main antagonist Luis Guilleberne has already reached
02:30iconic status.
02:32The clever mechanic of targeting a specific mask with the required attack type makes it
02:36crucial for the player to understand the ins and outs of the battle, and the multi-phased
02:39battles with narrative moments layered in will live in our heads rent-free for years
02:43to come.
02:50Number 8.
02:51Raphael, Baldur's Gate 3
03:06The fight against Raphael in the House of Hope is one of the most fun and rewarding
03:09in the game.
03:10Not only do you take on his Cambion form during the fight, but he has a backup in Nergir,
03:14Corilla and six generic vengeful Cambions.
03:17Watch out for the Soul Pillars strewn about the map as Raphael will use them to heal himself
03:21and cast spells.
03:30If you've made the right decisions throughout the game, you'll be able to recruit Hope
03:33and Nergir to your party, but these can be easily missed.
03:43Number 7.
03:44Erlang Shen, Black Myth Wukong
03:452024's Black Myth Wukong is one of a handful of action games that came out that year and
03:57had no shortage of epic and well-designed bosses.
03:59The fight with Erlang Shen is among the best.
04:02You can fight him at Mount Mai after completing Erlang, the Sacred Divinity's questline,
04:06and boy are you in for a fight.
04:17His first phase is his human form, and he's extremely quick and demands you time your
04:21dodges perfectly.
04:22In the back half of the fight, he'll transform into a big ol' anthropomorphic hairy demon
04:26thing.
04:27He's much slower here, but his strikes are heavy, making him one of the most formidable
04:31fights of 2024.
04:40Number 6.
04:41Hades, Hades
04:54The roguelike phenomenon Hades is a masterclass in game design.
04:57The progression, the combat, the customization, the UI, the acting, all of it.
05:01The icing on the proverbial cake here is the battle at the end of each run against the
05:05titular god of the underworld, Hades.
05:07He unpredictably teleports around the arena, shooting projectiles or dashing at you immediately,
05:12hardly leaving an ample dodge window open.
05:23It'll likely take you upwards of 10 runs to finally get to this point, through permanent
05:27upgrades and learning the mechanics, but finishing your first Hades run is an accomplishment
05:31that feels incredible every time.
05:33Now let's just do one more run.
05:44Number 5.
05:45Lord Shimura, Ghost of Tsushima
05:59Ghost of Tsushima often poses this question to the player throughout the game.
06:02Is tradition more important than conflicting values for the sake of the future?
06:06This is fully present in the final battle against protagonist Jin Sakai's uncle, Lord
06:10Shimura at the end of the game.
06:24Taking place at the beautiful backdrop of Jin's childhood home, the fight is an over-the-shoulder
06:28duel you'd be familiar with from throughout the game.
06:31Upon defeating Lord Shimura, players get to choose one of two options.
06:34Kill your uncle, honoring his tradition and giving him the death he wants, or spare his
06:38life in the name of progress, bringing shame on his values.
06:52Number 4.
06:53Thor, God of War Ragnarok
07:07After the teaser at the end of 2018's God of War, we couldn't wait to take on Thor.
07:11You encounter the Norse God of Thunder in 2022's God of War Ragnarok twice, and each
07:16encounter is as awesome as the other.
07:18The first instance sees Kratos get absolutely wrecked, teasing the player with a game over
07:21screen before Thor says he isn't finished with you yet and brings you back.
07:33The second fight, taking place on Asgard, pits the two deities against each other once
07:38more, but this time, Thor's daughter Thrud is on your side.
07:41Luckily, Kratos is much more decked out in weapons and armor compared to the beginning
07:45of the game, so you should have no problem withstanding his brutal lightning attacks.
07:58Number 3.
07:59The Hommet, Final Fantasy XVI
08:082023's Final Fantasy XVI is filled to the brim with epic, insane boss battles, but the
08:18one that clearly takes the cake here is the fight against the Hommet.
08:21After a tense and emotional scene with protagonist Clive's awful mother, the battle against the
08:25Warden of Light kicks off in dramatic fashion.
08:36The Kaiju-esque battle with Ifrit and Phoenix against the Hommet perfectly blends the cinematic
08:40over-the-top combat mechanics with story beats that will keep you on the edge of your seat
08:44the entire time.
08:46Part of this fight has you all the way up into space, we're honestly not sure what more
08:50we can say to convince you.
09:01Number 2.
09:02Ganondorf
09:03The Legend of Zelda – Tears of the Kingdom
09:13The Legend of Zelda – Tears of the Kingdom's bosses are a nice change of pace from Breath
09:17of the Wild's generic Ganon blights.
09:19The bosses in this 2023 sequel are more traditionally designed in both appearance and mechanics,
09:24and are some of the most memorable the series has seen to date.
09:26Tears of the Kingdom's climax sees you face off against the demon king Ganondorf, marking
09:31his long overdue return since 2006's Twilight Princess.
09:43As usual, the fight starts off as a mano-a-mano sword fight between him and Link, trading
09:48blows and dodging his attacks through multiple phases, eventually leading to taking on Ganondorf's
09:53new form, the Demon Dragon.
09:55Jumping between Zelda and Ganondorf's dragon forms, soaring high above the skies of Hyrule,
09:59this is one of the most epic boss fights of this decade.
10:09Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
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10:24Number 1.
10:25Millenia – Blade of Mycala – Elden Ring
10:37FromSoftware's masterpiece Elden Ring took the familiar, brutally difficult Souls-like
10:40gameplay and dropped it into an open world, solidifying it as one of the greatest games
10:45ever made.
10:46The encounter with Millenia – Blade of Mycala is its most formidable challenge and the best
10:50boss fight of the 2020s so far, and will likely stay at the top of most gamers' lists for
10:54years to come.
10:55The fight happens over two phases, with the first being her armored appearance we've
10:59grown familiar with.
11:09The second phase sees Millenia become the Goddess of Rot, shedding her armor and growing
11:12eldritch wings.
11:23Make sure your health is above 80% during this phase, as once she gets you into her
11:27relentless attack combo, you'll be down before you know it.
11:38What are some of your favorite bosses of the 2020s so far?
11:41Let us know in the comments below.

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