Video games have many ways of staying with us long after the console is powered off. Boss fights are often cited as some of the most impactful reasons why some games are forever remembered. Some bosses leave marks not just for their difficulty, but for the sheer spectacle of their fights. The frustration and triumph that often spawn a hard-fought victory make these encounters stick around longer than you’d expect, especially for those who experience them directly.
Over the past two decades, certain bosses have achieved near-mythical status, leaving a lasting mark on forums, speedruns, and the memories of players everywhere. These 10 encounters remain unforgettable, whether for their mechanics, complexity, or sheer scale.
10. Sephiroth (Kingdom Hearts)
Sephiroth is the ultimate optional boss in Kingdom Hearts, appearing at the tail end of the Dark World as a test of all the player’s skills. His massive health pool alone requires players to consistently land damage while avoiding attacks that can wipe out the party instantly. The length of the fight forces players to manage resources and adapt to shifting attack patterns.
Facing Sephiroth was quite the perilous ordeal. Every strike dealt devastating damage, punishing even the slightest misstep, while Sora’s limited mobility made dodging and repositioning a constant struggle. Players had to balance attacking, healing, and avoiding fatal hits all at once, with mistakes often coming with a fatal cost. Combined with the claustrophobic sense of vulnerability, the fight was much about survival as offense. This encounter is remembered not just for its difficulty, but for the overwhelming presence and menace Sephiroth projected.
9. Ornstein and Smough (Dark Souls)
This infamous duo is a masterclass in chaos and pressure. Introduced in Dark Souls, Ornstein moved with fast strikes that chain into unpredictable combos. Smough provided a brutal contrast with slow, devastating attacks that can kill with a single blow. Together, they created a fight where positioning and timing were critical.
When one boss falls, the remaining one absorbs extra power, changing the battle entirely, giving the living boss many of the dead boss’s abilities, just empowered. The constant need to adjust tactics and manage resources makes this fight intense from start to finish. Many players recall the tension of dodging multiple threats at once, knowing one misstep could erase their progress and send them back to the nearest bonfire. This fight is considered a benchmark of duo boss difficulty and strategy in modern gaming, and for many players, hated for this reason alone.
8. Orphan of Kos (Bloodborne)
Even with its first ghoulish roar, the Orphan of Kos is most known for its vile appearance and serves as a test of reflexes, as many FromSoft bosses do. Its fast and unpredictable attacks include lunging combos, spinning strikes, and grabs capable of killing instantly. The Orphan moved with an unusual fluidity, which is iconic for this, forcing players to read timing and rhythm with extreme precision. Phase two increased its speed and aggression, intensifying the pressure even further, making much of this fight a battle of attrition.
The fight punishes mistakes without mercy, requiring constant attention to positioning and timing. A single error can erase progress from several minutes of careful play. Players often describe the fight as a tense dance of life and death, with moments of awe at the Orphan’s speed and unpredictability. Its adaptability ensures that the fight remains a high point of challenge for Bloodborne fans, a benchmark of skill, patience, and pain tolerance.
7. Fatalis (Monster Hunter World: Iceborne)
Fatalis is one of the most punishing Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, and for good reason. It has all the hallmarks of a massive black dragon: enormous size, powerful breath, and sweeping attacks that turned the relatively small arena into a deadly gauntlet. But the most grueling part of this fight was the staggering thirty-minute timer that forced hunters to balance offense and survival, making every second of the fight critical.
Every attack demanded attention, as even minor missteps could result in staggering damage taken. Many players remember the overwhelming tension of fighting against the clock while dodging this monstrous dragon’s constant assaults. The combination of mechanical pressure and timer constraints makes this encounter one of the most intense and memorable in Monster Hunter history. Ironically, this wasn’t the first appearance of the iconic Fatalis, and it likely won’t be the last.
6. The Lich King (World of Warcraft)
The Lich King is the final boss encounter of the iconic Icecrown Citadel raid in World of Warcraft that has haunted players since its original release. The fight tests both individual skill and team coordination, combining phase-based mechanics with high-pressure adds, long-lingering area attacks, and punishing environmental hazards, particularly since deaths by falling were common during the encounter.
Two core mechanics, Necrotic Plague and Defile, shape the rhythm of the whole encounter, and the pressure caused by both required near-perfect coordination and positioning; otherwise, a wipe was almost always guaranteed. Worst yet, mishandling of either of these mechanics didn’t result in an instant wipe, but, instead, a wipe several minutes into the encounter, as they both amplified the pressure all players in the raid faced until a boil over point is reached, especially when a mistake with one is made. This meant that self-inflicted wipes were called early to save time and get the next attempt more quickly.
The fight is particularly memorable for its cinematic finish, where all efforts converge in a climactic moment and conclusion to the encounter. Many consider it a hallmark of MMO raid design and a defining challenge in online gaming.
5. Isshin, the Sword Saint (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice)
Isshin is the ultimate test in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a fight spanning several intense phases that evolve in speed and raw complexity. Each phase introduced more aggressive attacks, with new timing windows and punishing strikes that demand perfect focus to overcome. Hesitation is defeat with Isshin, and many players likely recall the pain of suffering even a single blow after a long dance of death with him.
To have defeated Isshin was to maintain composure under relentless assault. Mistimed parries often resulted in rapid chains of damage. As such, the fight was mentally and physically taxing. Even after winning the encounter, exhaustion was often felt first rather than exhilaration. Many remember the sense of achievement after finally defeating Isshin, though, knowing they endured one of Sekiro’s most challenging encounters.
4. Annihilation (Remnant 2)
Annihilation is the final boss of Remnant 2, and it is most known for its intense difficulty, spawned from the chaotic nature of each of the fight’s phases. This boss seamlessly swaps phases anytime it desires, often in the middle of attacks, resulting in attacks being held until the phase in which it was launched returns, and continuing as if it never stopped. The result is a ridiculously challenging fight with rapid, sudden phase changes that force players to remember what the boss was doing last before the next phase swap.
It also features some of the most demanding positioning requirements of all of the bosses on this list, requiring players to constantly adapt to movement patterns and boss-spawned hazards. It was, ultimately, the unpredictability of all the mechanics of this encounter that made it both mentally and mechanically exhausting. No doubt it leaves a lasting scar on anyone who managed to defeat it, even years later.
3. Malenia, Blade of Miquella (Elden Ring)
Malenia, Blade of Miquella, from Elden Ring, is infamous for her life-stealing strikes and her most iconic attack, Waterfowl Dance. This attack required proper positioning and frame-perfect dodges to deal wth, as she could use it at any given time once her health reached a certain threshold. Most players inevitably suffered some amount of damage from Waterfowl Dance every time it was used, and simply surviving it felt like a small victory in itself. She uses this attack multiple times throughout the fight, compounding the pressure and making her one of the most difficult bosses ever spawned from a FromSoft game.
Phase two increases her speed and aggressiveness, introducing faster strikes and new attack patterns. Surprisingly, though, many players find this phase slightly easier as her rhythm fits more naturally with the game’s combat systems. Combined with the repeated use of Waterfowl Dance, this phase tested both mechanical skill and mental endurance, with most players spending upwards of six to ten hours on the encounter, finally achieving victory by the end. The fight is genuinely infamous and cements Malenia as one of the most iconic and haunting bosses of modern action RPGs.
2. Promised Consort Radahn (Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree)
Radahn is both visually spectacular and mechanically punishing in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Phase one features massive attacks and relentless charges that require constant dodging and positioning. Combined with his sheer size and, as a result, his attack range, you have a boss that is incredibly punishing for even the slightest of positional mistakes. The punishment? Massive, massive damage.
Phase two introduces the union with Miquella, drastically changing how players approach the fight. This phase combines blinding visual effects with Radahn’s previously learned attack patterns, creating a chaotic lightshow that tests dodge timings and punishes panic rolling. Predicting attack timing became essential, and any misstep led to instant death, usually by a thousand cuts rather than by one massive blow. Radahn’s fight is memorable not only for its aggression but for the sense of chaos and awe it evoked.
1. Yiazmat (Final Fantasy XII)
Yiazmat is an unforgettable test of endurance and strategy in Final Fantasy XII. This optional superboss boasted a staggering health pool and a fight that often stretched well over three hours. The fight was likely designed so that setting up the Gambit system was the ideal way to manage it, allowing players to automate their party’s actions and reduce the chance of mistakes. However, players could also choose to fight this beast manually, sitting through the entire duration of the encounter themselves to ensure perfect execution. This flexibility is likely why Yiazmat has such a massive health pool, accommodating both approaches.
Yiazmat’s enormous health pool generally made bursts of damage or raw luck ineffective because no amount of either was enough to bring this boss down. Players had to, instead, maintain focus for hours, whether manually controlling their party or relying on precisely configured Gambits. Defeating Yiazmat became a true rite of passage for many, remembered not only for its difficulty but for the perseverance it demanded. Even years later, this encounter remains a haunting scar in the memories of those who faced it.
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