Top 10 Fighting Game Bosses

Two heads are better than one right? The final boss of the original Killer Instinct game, Eyedol was once a powerful Warlord banished to the realm of Limbo for several thousand years. He was eventually brought into the modern world by the ever dubious corporation of Ultratech and turned into a bicephalous monstrosity with a really, really big club. As the tallest fighter in the game, you’ll need to be quick and deliver out precise strikes in order to take him down. While he may look menacing, we can’t deny that he’s got a hilarious arcade ending!

You’d be hard pressed to find a more infamous bossin the whole genre. Newcomers might take a look at this elf girl and find themselves rather more invested in her flashy get-up and abundance of cleavage on display, but then the fighting starts. Within the space of five seconds you will probably find yourself declaring your absolute hatred for her. A boatload of superbars, all four elements under her control and the annoying as hell ability to dish out constant damage without slowing down, she’s become something of a legend when it comes to fighting game bosses, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons.

Regarded as one of the greatest aspects of this classic fighting series, Geese Howard is introduced as a powerful crime boss and host of the deadly King of Fighters tournament. As the man who murdered the father of the two main heroes, he’s got all the makings of a natural antagonist. Of course no one was expecting him to be this good at getting his hands dirty, or that he would be such a difficult boss! Able to attack from afar with wind based projectiles, not to mention some powerful kicks, you’ll definitely need to hone your skills in order to take him down.

All comic fans are familiar with the Devourer of Worlds, though we didn’t expect to be taking him on in all of his planet-eating, purple armoured glory. The first half of the battle consists of fightingmetallic versions of either Wesker, Dr Doom, Akuma or Dormamu. Survive that and you have to battle Galactus himself, who happens to be ever so fond of summoning lasers from his fingertips and eyes. The key is to hit hard and hit fast since this guy can push past even your strongest hyper combo, and just to top it all off there is time limit on the battle. Let it run out and the Earth is a goner.

Considering she’s the final boss for every single game in the series, we had to give this metallic combatant her time in the spotlight. While Virtua Fighter has never had as much depth as its competitors, fighting Dural was always something that fans looked forward to. It’s not hard to see why, as in her debut players were greeted with a sinister chrome entity able to use the styles of every other character. While there have been many reimagining’s and incarnations of similar characters down the line, Dural is something of a classic.

It’s not enough that this character is a colossal ass, has a wicked tongue on him and makes life hell for every character you love in the series; as a final boss he will have you breaking controllers in sheer rage. Aside from an increased difficulty setting, where his abilities get a sudden boost, and a tendency to snatch you wherever you are on screen, he also comes with a force field that drains life if you touch it. While Unlimited Mu 12 was a tricky opponent, there just wasn’t the same amount of disdain that we felt for this fedora wearing snake and that damn Astral Heat of his!

With so many iconic heroes and villains in Nintendo’s roster, the last thing players expected the final boss to be was a giant, pale hand that came with its own maniacal laugh. Most surprising of all? Master Hand turned out to be an epic boss! Along with its twin, Crazy Hand, these two symbolise both creation and destruction in the Super Smash Universe, and smash is what they do best. With a number of creative techniques at its disposal, such as finger bullets, hammer fists and endless poking, this boss gave all fans the sleight of hand and became a much beloved character and staple of the franchise.

This is definitely one old man you don’t want to mess with. Owner of the Mishima Zaibatsu; his own personal cooperate empire, and creator of the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Heihachi’s only goal in life is power. As a result, he’s not exactly the friendliest of guys, evident from when he tossed his own child off the side of mountain just to see if he was worthy of inheriting the Zaibatsu. Despite his age, he’s a more than capable of fighter, and has served as Tekken’s one true antagonist from the get-go. Even as a playable character, he’s never lost the authority you get with when facing a final boss.

Nowadays all gamers are familiar with the Emperor of Outworld and are very much aware of just how hard he is to defeat. Able to knock players across the screen with one hit, constantly letting loose projectiles or hammer swings, Shao Kahn will have so much of your life drained before the end of the first round he’ll even have time to gloat mid-fight! While Shang Tsung’s ability to transform into other players made him a formidable opponent in the first game, there’s not contest between the sorcerer and the walking fatality.

Before we reveal our number one pick here are a few honourable mentions.

Seth
“Street Fighter IV” (2008)

Marie
“Skullgirls” (2012)

I-No
“Guilty Gear Accent Core Plus” (2002)

Night Terror
“Soul Calibur III” (2005)

One of most revered fighting games of all time had to have a strong set of boss characters in order to stand out. While it had many awesome returning characters, no fan was prepared for the arrival of the cloaked dictator known as M. Bison. Wildly considered to be the true antagonist of the Street Fighter series, even outshining those that came after him, the boss of Shadaloo comes equipped with some dangerous moves for those that are unprepared. His master of Psycho Power ensures that no place on the screen is safe. A true challenge for an exceptional game!

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