10 Video Game Bosses We DIDN'T Want to Kill

10 Video Game Bosses We Didn’t Want to Kill

Welcome to MojoPlays, and can we all just be friends? Why does it always have to end like this? These are 10 Video Game Bosses We Didn’t Want to Kill. Sometimes evil has ups and down, ebs and flows. Not everyone is evil for no reason, and not everyone is our foe because we are good and they are bad. Sometimes, we’re forced to fight them even if we don’t want to. Let’s see who we didn’t want to fight the most.

#10: The Boss

“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)

The Boss is not only our oldest friend, our mentor and mother figure, and even possibly our romantic interest, but she’s also our newly sworn enemy and final boss. The revelation that she is defecting to the Soviet Union comes fairly early in the game, and we spend the rest of our journey being bested by her time and time again. Our final fight in the game has us going toe to toe with her, and due to their history, and Snake’s platonic (or maybe not platonic) love for her, the last thing we want to do is brutally shoot her as she is taking her last breaths… We do, just so you’re aware. After killing her, we also learn that she was not a traitor but part of a deep cover mission to ensure the U.S. got hold of the Philosopher's Legacy. The Boss willingly died known to history as a traitor, when she was really a hero all along. Ouch. Thanks Kojima.

#9: Toriel

“Undertale” (2015)

In Undertale, Toriel serves as a literal mother figure, a sad-eyed sympathetic and empathetic mother figure. You guys know where this is going. Despite her efforts to keep the player safe, most will ultimately choose the harsh reality over her warm, cozy illusion. At the game's start, Toriel provides a sort of moral lesson, teaching the player that words can resolve conflicts instead of violence. Yet, when the player is finally given the chance to leave her care, they must face her in battle to do so. Moral lesson, shmoral shmesson, I’m gonna hit you in the face, Mum, and I really don’t want to.

#8: Alister Azimuth

“Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time” (2009)

When you have a mentor figure of any form, it can be difficult to not assume at some point you’re going to take them on in a brutal fight. It’s gaming 101, and we should have seen this coming, knowing that although Ratchet looked up to and considered him an ally, Ratchet and Azimuth had fundamentally different ideals and goals. Ratchet had to fight Alister Azimuth because Azimuth’s grief-driven quest for vengeance led him to pursue dangerous plans that threatened the fabric of time and the safety of the universe. The fight was a necessary confrontation to prevent Azimuth’s misguided attempts at rewriting history, and to maintain and follow the beliefs that Ratchet had based his entire life on.

#7: All of The Bosses

“Nier” (2010)

It’s fairly ambiguous AND annoying when people do an “all of the” or “every single” entry for a list, but stick with me, because this one is worth it. As it has come to be expected with this series, Nier turns everything on its head after you complete it. Initially, Nier is portrayed as an unstoppable force driven by his quest to save his beloved Yonah. But on a second playthrough, you uncover a really really tough pill to swallow. The Shades are as human as Nier himself, and their seemingly indecipherable language is revealed to be their desperate cries for mercy as he ruthlessly pursues them. It turns out that Nier has been under a spell throughout the entire journey, and part of that spell results in the slaughter and decimation of a WHOLE bunch of innocent folks.

#6: Colossi

“Shadow of the Colossus” (2005)

Uh oh, another ‘everyone’ entry. Throughout Shadow of The Colossus, players are faced with no enemies, only bosses, from beginning to end. They must take on 16 giant Colossi in an attempt to resurrect a girl named Mono. Even before the final reveal of the game, killing these Colossi feels wrong. They are docile until attacked, and their deaths are always underscored with sad music. With each new kill, your character appears sicker and sicker, and the ending revelation reveals they were (obviously) innocent creatures, and killing them was a ploy orchestrated by the evil spirit Dormen, who wants pieces of himself trapped inside the Colossi, released.

#5: Paarthurnax

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

For a game where you spend a lot of time killing dragons, it’s surprising that taking down one specific dragon might be the saddest moment in the game, but goddamnit, it just is. This ancient dragon, disguised as a wise old man, teaches you all the dragon-shouting powers you use throughout the game. He’s your wise mentor, and yet, the game's "Blades" faction despises him, and will ask you to kill him. If you take their request, it’s not an easy death to enact, and leaves you feeling no sense of accomplishment upon completion.

#4: Adéwalé

“Assassin’s Creed Rogue” (2014)

Introduced in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Adéwalé is an ex-slave, ex-pirate assassin who becomes a fan favourite character who over a few games shifts into a full-fledged antagonist. When you have an Assassin freeing slaves, burning plantations, and starting revolutions, it’s hard to side with the colonizing, enslaving and murderous Templars, but Adéwalé’s actions put him at odds with them, and his methods also lead him to cross paths with the Assassins and their other agents. By the time you are tasked with killing Adéwalé, he represents a significant threat to the stability of the region and the overarching peace process Kenway is trying to achieve.

#3: Tachy

“Stellar Blade” (2024)

Killing Tachy in Stellar Blade is a moment of deep emotion and heartbreak. She is a tragic figure whose awful past and personal struggles evoke a WHOLE lot of sympathy, and as the player's best friend, you don’t even need her history to know she must be important to us. Corrupted by her own desperation and loss, she becomes a formidable enemy. Her transformation from a once-noble warrior to a broken antagonist highlights the devastating effects of the game's conflict. Her death is a highlighting moment in a somewhat overlooked game.

#2: Lord Shimura

“Ghost of Tsushima” (2020)

This epic Japanese saga takes place over many years, showing us the development of our main protagonist Jin, the loss of his father, and the healthy, jovial bond he shares with his Uncle, Lord Shimura. After Mongols take over his island of Tsushima, Jin goes on a vengeance mission to rescue his uncle and free his island. The success of this results in Jin abandoning the code of honor that reverberates through the foundations of Samurai, and ends with him becoming a wanted criminal after saving his people. The final fight with Lord Shimura is one of honor, heartbreak, and struggle, and after reluctantly beating your uncle, the player is left with the decision of giving him the honorable death that is a major code in Samurai tradition, or sparing him, essentially betraying everything his Uncle would want and believes in. Either choice is devastating.

#1: Great Grey Wolf Sif

“Dark Souls” (2011)

Have you ever accidentally stepped on your dog’s tail? Well, imagine stepping on your dog's tail was what you had to do to eat tonight… Most of us would go hungry, right? Dark Souls presents you with a scenario where you meet a loyal dog, Sif, who loves its owner so much that even in death, it guards a pit filled with the remains of their beloved master. Okay… Now go kill that dog… Wait, what? What makes it even more heartbreaking is that you can interact with Sif before the battle, seemingly helping the big pup. To progress, you have no choice but to kill Sif. I’m fairly certain that after I die, my dog will just steal my bed… But she’s a beautiful idiot, so whatever.