- 7/3/2025
From relentless demonic warriors to impossible MMO encounters, gaming's toughest challenges await! Join us as we explore the most punishing boss battles that have tested players' skills and patience since 2000. Our countdown of the hardest boss fights of the 21st century includes Erlang, the Sacred Divinity from “Black Myth Wukong” (2024), Raven Beak from “Metroid Dread” (2021), Isshin, the Sword Saint from “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019), Alma from “Ninja Gaiden” (2004), and more!
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00:00Sir Simon, only you, but don't want to die.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most trying, demanding, and outrageously difficult bosses that have plagued gamers since the start of the 2000s.
00:16Sorry, but I don't lose.
00:2030. Final Fantasy IX
00:31Superbosses in Final Fantasy games are no joke, but who could have guessed that one of the deadliest among them would be a giant spinning ball pulsating with all the colors of the rainbow?
00:40Regardless of its spherical appearance, Ozma is a true monster, one that will have you throwing back phoenix downs to stay in the game.
00:47Not only will it constantly heal itself, but always target the party with their elemental weaknesses.
00:52And if that's not enough, it will unleash everything from doomsday to level 5 death and even meteor.
01:03Number 29. Virgil, Devil May Cry 3, Dante's Awakening
01:08We are the sons of Sparta. Within each of us flows his blood, but more importantly, his soul!
01:18Dante's demonic twin is a challenge no matter which game he appears in, but the final brawl in the third entry is especially egregious for the unprepared.
01:26Virgil's speed and ferocity are unmatched, able to deflect all projectiles, while his sword slashes can easily reach you no matter how much you bounce around the arena.
01:35Pair that with his Devil Trigger, and the whole ordeal is sure to decimate your motivation.
01:39Unless you've mastered the game's mechanics to their limits, Virgil is going to take you out to pasture.
01:44Leave me and go if you don't want to be trapped in the demon world.
01:48I'm staying. This place was our father's home.
01:54Number 28. Ozma, The First Berserker, Kazan
02:04How you must have suffered to be here.
02:06Ozma, what happened to you?
02:09The newest Souls-like contender on the block came out swinging with an abundance of bosses with enough difficulty to their names to grind down the willpower of all players, but none more so than its final foe.
02:20A former friend of Kazan, Ozma took it upon himself to use the power of chaos to make himself stronger for the cause, which in turn naturally corrupted him into an absolute monster.
02:30Across three grueling phases, you'll find yourself facing non-stop barrages of elemental AoEs, projectiles from the void, as well as swift strikes with his bone wings, all with minimal windows for countering.
02:41Kazan may be a berserker, but besting this forsaken mage requires the patience of a saint.
02:46Kazan, why do you stubbornly refuse to understand?
02:59Number 27. Super Tyrant, Resident Evil 2
03:05For the majority of the game, Mr. X relentlessly hunts down the likes of Leon and Claire without pause, made all the worse by the fact that the fedora-wearing monster appears to be nigh unkillable no matter how many shotgun shells it took to the face.
03:22This all comes to a head during the climax, where Mr. X ditches the trench coat for its true guise.
03:27While you might think that him having such an obvious weak point would make the encounter easier, you'd be dead wrong.
03:32Not only is the tyrant as tanky as ever, but there's also every chance you'll be excessively low on ammo by this point.
03:38And worst of all, you face him on the tiniest platform imaginable, meaning every swing could be your end.
03:44Number 26. Nyx Avatar, Persona 3
03:54I am merely a harbinger of the fall. Although Nyx and myself are now one and the same.
04:02When you're tangling with the final boss of a JRPG, you know the difficulty is going to spike hard.
04:08Even still, 14 phases? We're still not sure that record has been beaten.
04:13As the personification of death, Nyx Avatar is a world-ender that will constantly switch between every tarot card of the major arcana, changing up its strength, weakness, and affinities in the process.
04:23Unless you've got a persona for every situation, then at least one of these forms is going to give you a hard time.
04:29Given the original persona's fatigue system, it's all too easy to be wiped out by this turn-based gauntlet of a boss.
04:35Number 25. The Burst, Fury
04:45Nothing quite like a sniper to ruin your day.
04:52But the burst goes far beyond just being a sharpshooter tucked away off-screen.
04:56Not only will she constantly speed away from danger while turning invisible, making close-quarters combat exceedingly difficult to pull off,
05:02but she has a set of drones on hand to keep piling on the damage.
05:05Even when you do corner her, the variety of projectiles she can unleash will force you to dance around constantly to avoid being overwhelmed.
05:12She is a one-woman bullet hell.
05:15That's enough. Assuming manual control.
05:18Number 24. Galdera the Fallen
05:21Octopath Traveler 2
05:22Somehow, Galdera returned, and now he's twice as dangerous as he used to be.
05:26The final boss from the original Octopath Traveler makes an insidious reappearance as an optional super boss at the end of the sequel,
05:33where he'll swiftly put all your party to shame with the sheer number of abilities it's got under its non-existent belt.
05:39Repelling damage, nullifying status effects, constant healing, summoning equally dangerous sub-bosses to aid in battle,
05:45augmenting its damage, and that's all just Phase 1.
05:48Unless your team has been specifically designed from the ground up to overcome this monster, there's no victory to be found here.
05:55Number 23. Unidentified Natiba
05:58Stellarblade
05:59Stellarblade
06:11Eve may be able to slice apart giant alien entities in her skin-tight attire with zero issues most of the time,
06:17but this flying nightmare is a whole other story.
06:20The creature that would later be revealed to be Raven is lethal on the ground and in the air.
06:24When it's not stringing together extensive hard-to-read combos with its talons and dive-bombing from above,
06:29it's unleashing insta-kill techniques that you have to leap through all kinds of hoops in order to disable.
06:34This feathered fiend is a menace through and through, whose antics will have you severely tempted to reach for the difficulty settings.
06:40Wait. Raven? From the Legacies? You're right, she's the one who left the records!
06:49Number 22. Erlang, the Sacred Divinity
06:52Black Myth Wukong
07:00Given his grandiose display in the tutorial, it was clear that Wukong's celestial nemesis was a deity who knew how to throw down,
07:06making him the ideal candidate for secret boss.
07:10What we didn't expect would be how stratospherically difficult he would prove to be.
07:14Even with all of the Destined One's numerous abilities, Erlang shirks off damage like it's nothing,
07:18probably because he's the only boss to have an extra defense bar on top of his health.
07:22Disabling your transformations, blistering the entire arena with projectiles,
07:26summoning his hound to chomp at our ankles, Erlang shows you no mercy here.
07:30While his second phase is ironically more manageable despite turning into a giant stone beast,
07:35his humanoid form broke many a gamer's spirits.
07:46Number 21. Rodan, Bayonetta
07:49Between Heaven and Hell, he alone is the honored one.
07:52Honored to beat the tar out of you for daring to take on his might.
07:55Resident gunsmith Rodan has always acted as Bayonetta's go-to weponeer and informant,
08:00but he's also made a name for himself as the hardest boss in every single game in the franchise so far.
08:05Of the three, his debut in the first Bayonetta as the angelic father Rodan was by far the most daunting.
08:10The Infinite One is so relentless that not even the game can properly follow the speed of his punches.
08:15Your only hope is to remain mobile, not get caught, avoid his homing attacks like the plague,
08:20and be as precise as you can be when choosing to land your attacks.
08:24Get tripped up once, and it's over.
08:32Number 20. Demons Souls
08:34Bringing in a second boss while you're in the middle of fighting the first one is a surefire way to spike the difficulty.
08:50Most bosses found in FromSoftware's games are going to be a challenge,
08:53and Maneater easily takes the top spot for Demon's Souls.
08:56Not only does it come with the necessary power to do its studio proud, but it's also fought on a rather narrow bridge.
09:10Having less room to maneuver and attack in is a pain, but not as much as a second Maneater.
09:15After enough time has passed, or if the boss's health bar drops to a quarter full,
09:19it will summon a pal to help do you in, doubling your workload.
09:22Number 19. Laksasia the Complete
09:34Lies of P
09:36While we'd be remiss not to mention the nameless puppet who almost made this list,
09:42it's Laksasia the Complete who reigns supreme within Krat.
09:45With her Electric Affinity Greatsword, she'll first start off this battle with slow Bruiser-like techniques.
09:49However, once you reach her second phase, the difficulty spikes up as she drops her armor
09:54and proceeds to strike you down with her super-fast attacks and lightning projectiles.
09:58If you get too close to her, she'll use a huge damage dealing AoE Electrical Blast.
10:02Laksasia's movepool is also full of feints, and she constantly circles around you,
10:06meaning you'll have to pay close attention to everything she does.
10:09Number 18. Alma
10:18Ninja Gaiden
10:19Alma is not your typical boss encounter in Ninja Gaiden.
10:25She stands as one of the toughest adversaries in the series due to her agile movements and powerful attacks that keep players constantly on their toes.
10:32Her ability to fly around the arena while launching energy spheres creates a chaotic battle where even seasoned gamers struggle to find safe ground.
10:40Timing your dodges perfectly while landing precise hits is crucial but easier said than done when facing her unpredictable patterns.
10:47And if that wasn't bad enough, you also have to contend with a very hard-to-control camera.
10:51Number 17. IB-1 Cell 240
10:59Armored Core 6 – Fires of Rubicon
11:04While you could easily argue that Balthias or even the true final boss All Minds should be in this spot,
11:09we're going to have to give it to this frightfully fast mecha.
11:12Not only does it have a design very reminiscent of Kubelay from the Gundam series, but it also functions like it too,
11:17with its powerful long-range funnel-like laser beams that can hit you from many different angles.
11:22You'll have to have excellent reaction times in order to survive its onslaught and get some of your own damage in.
11:27And if you manage to down it, it'll come straight back up again for round two.
11:32The coral has carried us, disseminated us across the stars.
11:37Number 16. Demi-Fiend – Shin Megami Tensei V
11:41Considering all the powerful demons Demi-Fiend conquered in Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne,
11:49it's absolutely no surprise that this encounter is a complete battle of survival.
11:54Not only is Demi-Fiend's stats all completely maxed, but he will resist all elements and status ailments.
11:59He comes equipped with a plethora of powerful skills that you'll all remember using from his debut game, such as Freakugle.
12:05Much like Naubino themself, the protagonist-turned-DLC boss will summon his very own demons to back him up, replacing them when defeated.
12:12It's highly recommended that you go into this fight with your team at the max level of 99, otherwise you're in for a very, very long fight.
12:20Number 15. Balos – Cave Story
12:27For most of its playtime, Cave Story is a challenging but fairly conquerable game.
12:36But if you want to get the true ending to this beloved indie adventure, you're going to get the rug pulled from under your feet.
12:41The Bloodstained Sanctuary is an absolutely brutal final level, and waiting for you at the end of it is Balos.
12:46This guy does not give you a break, flying around, summoning lightning, and trying to stomp your skull.
12:51But that's nothing compared to his second form, which takes the stomping to another level.
12:55The final form is just cruel, and honestly, you're best off firing everything you have at him in the hopes that you get lucky.
13:02Worst of all, it's very hard to learn his patterns, as each time you lose the battle, you start from the beginning of the Sanctuary,
13:08meaning you'll likely have forgotten everything you learned by the time you reach him again.
13:12Number 14. C'Thun – World of Warcraft
13:18C'Thun is one of World of Warcraft's most iconic and challenging raid bosses.
13:22With its devastating I-beams, tentacles, and his ability to consume players, defeating C'Thun requires precise execution and perfect timing from every member of your party.
13:31So why does this battle make it on this list?
13:33Well, due to a bug, C'Thun was impossible to defeat for quite a long time after he was added into the game.
13:38Of course, Blizzard would end up patching it later down the line, allowing for people to finally beat this old god.
13:43But for anyone who battled against its original form back in the day, it's an encounter they'll certainly never forget.
13:49Number 13. Sister Frida and Father Ariandel – Dark Souls III
13:55While both the Nameless King and Slave Knight Gael are both worthy candidates for this list, we have to acknowledge the brutality that is the Sister Frida boss fight.
14:06Equipped with a long-range giant scythe, this battle is a crazy test of endurance right from the get-go.
14:11If you manage to defeat her first form, she'll revive herself and ring forth Father Ariandel into the battle.
14:17But Sister Frida actually has the third Black Flame form that's even worse than the previous two parts of this fight.
14:22Be sure to use your Estus flasks wisely during this long, drawn-out battle.
14:33Number 12. Ravenbeak – Metroid Dread
14:36Like those that came before it, Metroid Dread upholds the high difficulty the series is known for.
14:46And Nintendo couldn't have included a better boss to make us feel actual dread than Ravenbeak.
14:51In three brutal phases, the Chozo Warrior demands extremely fast reaction time, unless you want your health quickly depleted to zero.
14:58Whether you're right next to him or on the other side of the arena, it doesn't matter.
15:12He can blast you apart just as easily as rip you to shreds with his claws.
15:16His agility and strength is unmatched by anything Metroid gave us this century.
15:20In the ultra-hard Dread mode, he may even be the toughest in the whole series.
15:31Number 11. Gna – God of War Ragnarok
15:34And here we thought Sigrun was bad.
15:44The Valkyrie Queen of 2018's God of War provided a taxing battle, to be sure.
15:48But Sony Santa Monica outdid themselves with Gna.
15:51As the final big post-game mission, Ragnarok goes out with a bang, if you can get through it.
15:56She naturally has the highest power level of any enemy at nine.
15:59So even if you drop the difficulty level all the way down, her hits will do major damage.
16:12Most of her attacks are hard to predict, and if they connect, they can drain your health bar in a matter of moments.
16:17That's not to mention two unblockable grabs, which are far more infuriating than any of her other attacks.
16:22Number 10. Absolute Radiance – Hollow Knight
16:39The final boss of Hollow Knight is a tough challenge to overcome.
16:42But with the Godmaster expansion, developer Team Cherry made it even harder.
16:45Absolute Radiance is a mix of undeniable power and an ungodly speed at which it can unleash it.
16:51Most of its attacks have either been increased in strength or, in terms of its projectile-based attacks, in capacity.
16:57Thankfully, your little knight should be well-powered by the time you face it.
17:00And since it's an enhanced version of a boss fought previously, you should know what to do even if actually doing it is a hassle.
17:15Fought across six phases, Absolute Radiance is the peak of what Hollow Knight can offer.
17:27Number 9. Yozora – Kingdom Hearts 3 Remind
17:32Time to end this.
17:33Despite being games based around Disney franchises, the Kingdom Hearts series is no stranger to brutally hard boss fights that would leave any adult weeping.
17:39The DLC for the latest main entry, however, outdid everything before it with Yozora.
17:45This mysterious character will hit you with a barrage of attacks that will quickly take all of your HP as he teleports around the arena.
17:51He also has the ability to decrease your max HP as well as steal your Keyblade, which stops you from being able to attack, guard and use magic.
17:58Trust us when we say you'll be hearing the low health beeping noise throughout most of this fight.
18:02Number 8.
18:09Monster Hunter World
18:15In a game series where the main objective is to fight monsters in tough boss fights, Fatalis stands out above all the rest.
18:21This Elder Dragon wields an extremely dangerous moveset with three different super attacks that'll guarantee you'll get carded if you're hit by just one.
18:28If you and your teammates fail to break its head by the start of the third phase, Fatalis will become supercharged with all of its fire attacks turning blue and causing even more damage.
18:37Even if you have the strongest gear available, you'll need to take advantage of everything the game offers you during this battle, such as siege weapons, mantles and wall bangs.
18:45And worst of all is you only have 30 minutes to defeat it.
18:48Number 7.
19:00Dr. Cal's Robot
19:02Cuphead
19:07While Chef Saltbaker of the DLC came close to matching it, there's just no topping the frustration that comes with fighting Dr. Cal's Robot.
19:14Cuphead mostly consists of boss fights, the majority of which can easily wall up the player.
19:19But this one really tested our dedication in reaching the end.
19:23The first phase sees the robot utilizing a variety of projectiles while you blast apart the three pieces.
19:32With each piece destroyed, more attacks are added.
19:35Phase 2 has homing bombs to look out for, while Phase 3 gives you more projectiles to dodge along with electrified walls.
19:41The whole ordeal is a literal bullet hell, and you won't have nearly enough firepower to make it balanced.
19:48Number 6.
19:53Sans Undertale
19:56If you choose to go down the genocide route, meaning you've killed every single monster you can come across instead of sparing them, Sans will be waiting for you.
20:10And honestly, you probably deserve his wrath.
20:13By far the hardest challenge Undertale has to offer by a mile, the fight against Sans completely clashes with his good vibes persona.
20:20You'll approach the fight like many others, dodging attacks with your little heart.
20:31But most of those attacks are impossible to see coming and lightning fast.
20:35There is no making it through without a lot of trial and error, which means a lot of deaths at the hands of this dopey skeleton.
20:41It takes the utmost determination.
20:52Number 5.
20:53Orphan of Kos
20:54Bloodborne
20:56We're not sure what's more disturbing about this thing.
21:07Its fleshy weapon or its tendency to shriek when it lunges at you.
21:11The Orphan of Kos serves as the final boss in the old Hunters DLC and, in typical FromSoftware fashion, is an absolute monster to fight.
21:19Despite being much smaller than many other bosses in the game, it's just as oppressive with its deadly leaps, if not more so.
21:25If you're caught by one, say goodbye to a major portion of your health.
21:35Thankfully, it doesn't transform into something more unsettling for its second phase.
21:39It just gets a lot faster and more aggressive, which is saying quite a bit considering its first phase.
21:51Number 4.
21:52Absolute Virtue
21:53We'll admit this one should come with an asterisk.
22:05Found in one of the franchise's MMO installments, Absolute Virtue was designed by Square Enix to be unbeatable, at least by the studio's terms.
22:12This was due to an enormous health pool, a tendency to auto-heal each turn, and its use of the benediction spell.
22:18A full heal that also cured status effects.
22:24The problem was that the studio didn't reveal this, prompting teams of players to spend literal hours fighting it only for naught.
22:34Some were able to do it, but Square Enix retaliated by removing any methods used to beat it from the game.
22:40Only after a wave of backlash was Absolute Virtue finally nerfed, making him tough, but at least beatable.
22:46Number 3.
22:54Blade of Micola
22:56Elden Ring
22:58In any other game, a boss declaring they've never known defeat would make us eager to give them a rude awakening.
23:08But in a FromSoftware game, we knew we had a lot of deaths in our future.
23:12Melania quickly gained a well-earned reputation for being the holy grail of painfully hard boss fights in Elden Ring.
23:18Avoiding her is extremely hard due to her longsword and multi-hit flurry attack.
23:32And taking damage will stress you out more than normal, as doing so will heal her even if you block.
23:38Phase 2 refills almost her entire health bar while adding Scarlet Raw to her attacks, a status effect that deals damage over time.
23:46There's no shame in summoning allies for this one.
23:58Number 2.
23:59Isshin the Sword Saint
24:00Shadows Die Twice
24:02Unfortunately, you can't summon friends in Sekiro.
24:15So, when it comes to the final boss, you'll just have to hope your skills are up to snuff.
24:19You'll already be on the edge having fought Genichiro directly before this.
24:23Even if that wasn't the case, Isshin's three drawn-out phases will make you feel painfully outclassed.
24:38His sword slashes have surprising range and will catch you off guard, as will his AoE attacks.
24:43His patterns grow more random with each pause, making it hard to get a read on what's coming next.
24:48It's an incredibly satisfying victory, but one that's definitely not earned easily.
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25:19Number 1.
25:20Consort Radan
25:21Shadow of the Earth Tree
25:26Another entry for Elden Ring, you ask?
25:28Well, this final boss fight from the DLC Shadow of the Earth Tree is here for a very good reason.
25:33As soon as you enter through the fog, Radan immediately leaps towards you, giving you no time at all to summon your spirit ashes.
25:39His relentless move pool will require many tries for you to memorize them all.
25:43It gets even worse when you enter his second phase, as not only is he even faster, but will start to cast even wider AoE attacks.
25:50This boss fight was so ridiculous that From Software released a patch almost three months later, nerfing a lot of Radan's aspects.
25:56But for those of you who managed to conquer the original version, we salute you.
26:03Which of these bosses proved to be too much for you?
26:06Let us know down in the comments.
26:08Frightened our father, we have no need of thy flail.
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