15 Of The Coolest Boss Battles Ever

Get back that nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach from when you've reached the end of a level.

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Complex Original

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Here’s what we believe: A fighting game is only as cool as its final boss encounter. And while Virtua Fighter may be a great technical game with its excellent controls and rich combat, it’s severely lacking in the final boss department. It’s like Sega didn’t even try and just got the weird polygon woman in “Da Dip” video as their final boss. These next few entries definitely went the extra mile when it came to awesome conclusions. Remember, the title of this article is coolest, not hardest, boss fights ever. With that out of the way—Fight!


15 Of The Coolest Boss Battles Ever

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Here’s what we believe: A fighting game is only as cool as its final boss encounter. And while Virtua Fighter may be a great technical game with its excellent controls and rich combat, it’s severely lacking in the final boss department. It’s like Sega didn’t even try and just got the weird polygon woman in “Da Dip” video as their final boss. These next few entries definitely went the extra mile when it came to awesome conclusions. Remember, the title of this article is coolest, not hardest, boss fights ever. With that out of the way—Fight!


Death

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Time Killers

The premise of Time Killers is kind of cool but overall the game is awful. Fighters from across time fight to the death with everything from a samurai sword to a chainsaw. So, who could possibly be the final boss of such a rad concept? Genghis Khan? Vlad the Impaler? William Wallace? Hell no, it’s Death himself, swinging a scythe around like nobody’s business. What do you get for beating him you ask?

Immortality.

Best. Reward. Ever. There can only be one. 

I-No

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Guilty Gear XX Reload

I-No may not be the hardest boss in the world but the fact that she fights with a blue guitar—which is actually one of the more sane weapons in the game—is pretty amazing. Add that her stage is hell above the clouds, you have one epic boss battle. Rock on!

Jinpachi Mishima

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Tekken 5 

Jinpachi really doesn’t look that badass on the onset—he looks like his son, Heihachi, just with macho facial hair. Wait until his freaking stomach turns into a mouth like that alien in The Thing though. It turns the battle from bleh to epic in about 3.5 seconds. 

Rugal Bernstein

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King of Fighters '94

While Mr. Bernstein has gone from being a manageable boss to an impossible machine throughout the years, we’re going to stick with his first appearance in King of Fighters '94 as our favorite. You know it's curtains once he throws off his jacket and his “Genocide Cutter” could be heard all over the arcade back in the day-- followed by the groans of frustrated gamers around the country. Rugal was the bad ass you loved to hate. That is, until he became impossible to beat. That's when, he just became the bad guy you hated period.

Jedah

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Darksiders

Half the fun of having a great final boss fight is how the level looks that you're fight ing in. Jedah has that on lock. We mean, this final level has a giant baby in the background with its brains exposed and you’re apparently in some kind of womb. Oh, and it's called “Fetus of God.” That’s all we’re going to say on the matter.

Geese Howard

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Final Fight

Leave it to SNK to create two amazing boss characters in Rugal Bernstein and Geese Howard. Just like Rugal, he dons the business suit on an everyday basis, but when it’s time to throw down he looks like a samurai with an agenda to tear you apart. He hops back and forth from background to foreground and wreaks havoc with his floor projectile. The music is intense, and it makes for an incredible conclusion, especially since everyone in story mode has an axe to grind with him.

Devil Kazuya

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Tekken 2

You get to the end of Tekken 2 and the final boss is...wait, what? Kazuya?

You’ve got to be kidding, he’s one of the playable characters!

It's true, Namco was kidding us. After you trounce Kazuya, he turns into some sort of purple devil, launching himself in the air and firing lasers from his eyes—the first projectile in the series. This was the moment when the franchise went from being somewhat respectable with its interesting button-for-each-limb layout to going batshit crazy and it never looking back. Here’s to you, Devil Kazuya, for paving the way for a grizzly bear in a red shirt that can run the entire Mishima corporation.

Abyss

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Marvel vs. Capcom 2

Although he can be utterly obliterated with certain teams (Think Iron Man, Cable, and War Machine), Abyss is cool because he takes on three forms which distinctly differ from the last. Our favorite is the second incarnation where he’s a green goop of a man who’s constantly laughing while he fires close range projectiles that won’t even hit you if you’re far enough away. But he still laughs even when he doesn’t hit you. Now that’s a boss who’s having a good time.

V-13

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Blazblue

It’s funny how we mentioned earlier that this wasn’t a list of the hardest bosses, but the hardest bosses seem to keep popping up on it all the same. It just goes to show that the most rewarding battles are the ones you have to give it your all for. V-13 definitely pushes you to the breaking point. She’s relentless at times and at others, she just hangs back and waits for your fruitless attacks. One thing’s for certain—beating her is a crowning achievement in almost any gamer’s career. She’s that damn tough, and that damn amazing to fight against. 

Gill

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Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

This is how the fight against Gill in Street Fighter 3: Third Strike begins. A clan of Satanic looking monks watch on as you stride up to a multicolored man in a cloak makes his clothes disintegrate and talks about "scarring thy DNA with his dignity." Um…all we have to say is, how freaking awesome is that? What follows is the same infuriating tactics we’d seen in the original Street Fighter 2 and 3 Double Impact, but it’s that much cooler with the introduction Third Strike. Kneel before your master! 

Goro

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Mortal Kombat

How awesome is Goro? So awesome that he spends about half the round flexing after he slams you into the ground with his four arms.

We all know Goro wasn’t the final boss of the first MK, but he was definitely the most memorable and made for a fitting appearance before the final battle with Shang Tsung. Adding to that, his background environment was phenomenal. We actually felt claustrophobic back then in his dungeon and it still haunts us today. Hail, Goro! Member of the Shokan!

M. Bison

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Street Fighter Alpha 3

You knew Bison had to end up on this list somewhere, but which incarnation? We’re going to go with the intimidating version from Street Fighter Alpha 3, where his "Psycho Crusher" can take more than half your life bar if he hits you with it.

It’s all downhill from there as the leader of Shadaloo gets even more serious on the harder difficulties. M. Bison is definitely one of the most sinister bosses in gaming history so he just had to make this list. He had to.  

Eyedol

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Killer Instinct

We’re not entirely sure what Eyedol’s supposed to be (He’s not a minotaur because he has two heads. But then there are the hooves. Hmm), Whatever he is, his boss fight in the first Killer Instinct is epic. Carrying a cudgel about the size of a lamppost, Eyedol comes into battle ready to kick your ass. He does so by launching himself in the air and bringing you down in a single move.

It also doesn’t help that right after he brings you down, he stomps his hoof until he regains his energy. Oh, and this all happens on a wooden bridge above a pit of bubbling lava. Yeah, it’s amazing. 

Akuma

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Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo

Talk about making an entrance! You want to know how Akuma first entered our lives? Was it by being the next character on the roster? No. Gently walking onto the screen? Not a chance, that would all be too boring.

Akuma rushed into our lives and onto the screen, killing the boss you were supposed to fight (Bison!), and then demolishing you in seconds. THAT’S a boss battle!

Shao Khan

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Mortal Kombat 2

Shao Khan stands on top of a mountain. If that’s not the most badass thing ever, we don’t know what is. Add to that, he also has a stage where he sits between a chained Kano and Sonya Blade while he watches you fight to the death. Still that this is the best boss battle ever? Well, how about mid fight with him, one of his moves is pointing at you and telling you that you’ll lose, even if it means leaving himself totally defenseless. Honestly, there are just too many factors in Shao Khan’s final battle to put him over the top. In the history of fighting games, no boss has ever been cooler or more exciting to lose against. You will die, mortal. 

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