15 Video Game Bosses That Take Forever To Kill

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Encounters with bosses serve as the pinnacle challenge, where you measure your abilities against a towering adversary in an intense clash. These battles are designed to be challenging, powerful, and instil fear through their mere existence.

Although they might seem simple to overcome, these bosses are far from trivial. Instead of succumbing easily, they require a prolonged battle, which could sometimes feel repetitive or tiresome.

In this discussion, we’re going to examine video game bosses that either have an overwhelming amount of health or go through several stages, making the battle seem incredibly lengthy.

In this compilation, we aim to minimize the focus on role-playing games (JRPGs) and massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), given their notorious long battles with some bosses lasting countless hours. Furthermore, we’ll exclude boss encounters that appear multiple times in a game, as we’ve already covered those elsewhere.

Although they’re known for being the hardest MMORPG bosses, characters like Absolute Virtue from Final Fantasy 11 and Yggralith Zero from Xenoblade Chronicles won’t be discussed here, as their health reserves and challenges have been significantly reduced.

Instead of Soulsborne bosses being quickly defeated, they require several attempts to master their moves, making it challenging for many of them to appear on the mentioned list due to the time needed to conquer them.

15.
Senator Armstrong

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

In the Metal Gear series, Senator Armstrong is arguably one of the most formidable villains, even though his screen time is limited. Notably, he serves as the final opponent to overcome in the game, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Among the various bosses in

Although he appears to be a standard American politician, he’s incredibly robust and built like a tank. In the game, you initially engage Armstrong while he pilots the Metal Gear Excelsus. After an intense sword duel, you confront him directly in a fistfight before reaching the final battle. Even Raiden’s swift sword, powered by high-frequency energy, struggles to cut through Armstrong due to his enhancement with nanomachines.

In this particular mission, Armstrong makes an official appearance, and his boss battle is so remarkable that it encourages the creation of numerous memes. Additionally, it’s such a classic moment that it deserves to be included in this collection.

14.
Yang

Sifu

As a devoted fan, I can tell you that nothing compares to the challenge posed by a final boss who not only knows your moves but also shares your abilities. In the exhilarating martial arts beat ’em up game, Sifu, it’s Yang who stands as the ultimate adversary. Being the leader of the very people responsible for my character’s father’s demise, he makes for an intensely personal and formidable enemy.

Overcoming him appears almost unattainable due to his powerful assaults and elusive maneuvers. Engaging with Yang necessitates a high level of skill just to make it through the two stages. If you do succeed in defeating him for the first time, you’ll have to go through the entire ordeal once more simply for another round.

If you choose to let him live, there will be a decisive, third stage where your demise becomes irreversible, for he takes the talisman that revives you.

13.
The Witness

Destiny 2: The Final Shape

Throughout the Destiny series, we’ve vanquished numerous deity-like beings: Hive deities, Worm gods, and even Disciples such as Rhulk and Nezarec, who personify agony and terror. However, none of them hold a candle to The Witness, who is the main antagonist in the epic tale of Light and Darkness spanning over a decade within Destiny 2.

As a dedicated guardian, I stood united with fellow warriors after vanquishing the formidable foe in the second-to-last showdown of Salvation’s Edge raid. Our ultimate goal was to annihilate The Witness forever, and we achieved this in the climactic mission known as Excision. In this thrilling encounter, twelve of us battled simultaneously against The Witness’s formidable forces, culminating in a grueling multi-phase confrontation with The Witness itself.

At the climactic moment, I tapped into the radiant power of the Traveler, pouring every last ounce of its energy onto the enigmatic Witness. The damage numbers soared towards the millions, leaving the ancient entity reeling from the force of my strike.

Fighting the Witness is a lengthy process due to its immense power and multi-stage nature. If you choose to tackle the Grandmaster version of the mission, it could take even longer. Regardless of having 12 players, it can still be challenging if everyone isn’t well-prepared or working together effectively.

12.
Demon King Ganondorf

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Following a relentless series of battles against the Demon King’s troops in the game Tears of the Kingdom, you find yourself at the base of his realm, confronting the desiccated remnants of Ganondorf. As he revitalizes his power, Ganondorf transforms into the formidable Demon King Ganondorf, initiating an unforgettable boss battle that awaits you.

During the initial stage of the boss battle, it’s typical for a solo encounter between the hero and the villain. However, defeating him initiates a second phase where he reveals his full strength, powered by his Secret Stone, causing him to grow in power so dramatically that his health bar nearly reaches the edge of your screen. This was an excellent example of user interface storytelling, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I first witnessed it.

However, it wasn’t just his strength that made Ganondorf formidable; he would create duplicates of himself and swiftly swap between various weapons, leaving you in a whirlwind of attacks – a tactic reminiscent of the “reverse uno” in a card game. The battle with this boss was truly a grand spectacle of confronting an ultimate villain, despite the fact that the Demon Dragon wasn’t as challenging as anticipated.

11.
Hades

Hades

Leaving the realm of the dead is no easy feat; Orpheus attempted it, yet he too failed to rescue Eurydice. Nevertheless, you shall break free from this underworld, and whatever challenges lie ahead, you’ll surmount them. The offspring of Hades possesses strength greater than any mythical beasts that may cross your path.

Each dash through Hades puts you up against numerous challenges as you strive to break free from the underworld and thwart your father in this thrilling hack-and-slash action game with roguelike elements. Once you’ve emerged onto the surface, your struggle doesn’t end there; instead, you confront the god of the dead (who also happens to be your father), who will stop at nothing to eliminate you and send you back down below.

In this remarkable roguelike game, Hades proves to be extremely challenging and demands a well-structured character or high level of expertise to conquer him. Usually, you engage with him for merely two stages before triumphing over him; however, if you activate the “Extreme Measures” modifier in your Pact of Punishment, an additional third phase will be introduced.

During Hades’s hidden, intense third stage, the atmosphere turns ominous. He pushes his efforts to an extreme level to cut your journey short, all while a thrilling, heavy metal guitar melody echoes through the background.

10.
Malenia, Blade Of Miquella

Elden Ring

It’s no surprise that one of the challenges on this list is a boss reminiscent of soulslike games. FromSoftware’s titles are renowned for their challenging boss battles, and none are more legendary than Malenia from Elden Ring. You’ll find epic showdowns such as Radahn, and even face off against an otherworldly eldritch terror like Astel, but it’s Malenia who stands out as the most notorious adversary.

Although Malenia seems like the most challenging boss in the main game, it’s important to note that she is not actually a final boss. Instead, she is an optional boss that players must intentionally seek out to fight. With her exceptional swordsmanship and rapid, unyielding attacks, Malenia proves incredibly elusive and dangerous, making it difficult for opponents to find the right moment to strike.

Apart from initiating a second phase where she employs strikes that inflict rot damage, her attacks not only deal harm but also restore her health. This means any progress you’ve made by whittling down her health is reversed, making this fight a grueling test of endurance and your ability to dodge effectively, a true trial by fire for your dodging skills.

9.
Sans

Undertale

In terms of avoiding enemy assaults, Undertale is an exceptional turn-based role-playing game where you dodge attacks by managing your heartbeat, all while viewing the attacks coming from above.

In simpler terms, Sans is your laid-back, bony friend with a dry wit who delivers jokes in a flat manner. He’s not someone you would engage in combat with, and he makes an effort to assist you together with his brother, Papyrus.

Opting for the Genocide Path is no light decision, since it involves eradicating every last monster lurking beneath the earth. Moreover, the game subtly dissuades such a violent approach by presenting you with increasingly tougher iterations of Undyne and Mettaton prior to encountering Sans, one of the most challenging boss battles in gaming.

Instead of perpetually evading his assaults and defending yourself from his lightning-quick strikes, it’s crucial to note that eventually, he tires and immobilizes you within his turn by transgressing the imaginary boundary between us – the fourth wall – before dozing off. This offers you a chance to deliver the final, decisive blow.

8.
Yami

Okami

In the game Okami, Yami stands as the formidable final opponent, being the sworn adversary of Amaterasu. As the supreme ruler over all malevolent beings, Yami is extremely robust and initiates the battle by confiscating your Celestial Brush, a move that significantly weakens your power.

Despite swiftly regaining your fundamental weapon, battling Yami proves to be quite a challenge since he possesses the ability to transform into five distinct phases as soon as your health gauge depletes, morphing from a colossal orb to an object similar to a slot machine.

The battle could potentially last up to thirty minutes, and he doesn’t let up with his assaults. However, it goes without saying that Amaterasu will ultimately emerge victorious.

7.
Erlang, The Sacred Divinity

Black Myth Wukong

Drawing substantial influence from the timeless novel “Journey to the West,” the game “Black Myth Wukong” stands out as one of the most impressive soul-like titles in recent gaming history. It boasts numerous challenging boss battles that put your skills to the test, requiring you to strategically use spells, magic, and timing to evade attacks with precision.

Among all the challenging bosses, it’s indisputable that Erlang Shen stands out as the toughest, given that he is an optional adversary that must be defeated to unlock a hidden finale.

To inflict significant harm on Erlang, you’ll need to gradually diminish his block gauge since he is equipped with a defense meter. In this multi-stage battle, he can bombard you with an escalating series of attacks that grow increasingly potent.

Overcoming his standard form will lead to an incredible kaiju battle against Erlang and the Four Heavenly Kings in your latest stone monkey transformation. Fortunately, this battle isn’t easily lost because your attacks have healing properties. Even if you do lose the fight, there’s a save point for this section that allows you to resume from there.

6.
Bahamut

Final Fantasy 16

Instead of thinking that Ultima/Ultimalius might be the longest boss battle in Final Fantasy 16, it’s worth noting that Bahamut offers a similarly lengthy and perhaps even more memorable battle experience. In addition, while Ultima’s fight is heavily focused on cutscenes, Bahamut’s encounter seems to offer a more dynamic experience overall.

In the realm of the Final Fantasy series, Bahamut is renowned as one of the most formidable entities, frequently demonstrated by its ability to cast devastating spells such as Zettaflare. This spell, known for its potential to destroy entire universes, boasts an unparalleled power that has only been wielded by another character – notably Donald Duck in Kingdom Hearts.

In the game Final Fantasy 16, you eventually encounter Dion, a Dominant wielding Bahamut’s might. At this narrative juncture, Dion becomes overwhelmed and metamorphoses into the Eikon, posing a threat to the world’s survival.

After their reunion, Clive and Joshua squared off against Bahamut in a grand, extended battle reminiscent of a movie showdown. Instead of sticking to conventional hack-and-slash gameplay, they blended elements from beat ’em up and bullet-hell genres.

With the brothers back together, Clive and Joshua faced Bahamut in an epic, nearly hour-long battle resembling a cinematic showdown. Instead of using standard hack-and-slash mechanics, they combined aspects from beat ’em up and bullet-hell games.

The climactic battle with the boss is simply exceptional, if I may put it that way. Admittedly, the Phoenix part might seem repetitive, but when you’re controlling Ifrit, you feel invincible!

The grandeur of the Eikonic battle encompasses everything, extending from the heights of Twinside all the way to outer space. As the siblings transform into Ifrit Risen, they clash with Bahamut in a conflict so heavenly, words fall short of describing it.

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2025-05-03 20:40