Top 10 Greatest Video Game Bosses From The 2000s

For his first solo outing, we had wondered what kind of foe would serve as the Bowser to Luigi’s Mario. How appropriate that it was the ruler of all Boos, King Boo! With the kind of gameplay “Luigi’s Mansion” provides, one would not have expected a final boss as epic as this! King Boo pilots a gigantic Bowser suit that can breathe fire just like the real reptilian menace. And just to make the entire fight even more tense, the battlefield is surrounded in a fiery atmosphere. Even today, this remains the toughest and most thrilling boss fight in the “Luigi’s Mansion” series. (Yes, we know Bogmire is way harder, but he’s just UNFAIRLY hard; King Boo is the “fun” kind of hard.)

“Ratchet & Clank” has had a reputation for explosive weaponry and frantic boss fights, but before “Up Your Arsenal”, we hadn’t seen the series at its full potential. Fighting Doctor Nefarious here remains to be the best boss fight in the franchise due to its chaotic nature and how it flips the mad scientist’s character. We spent the entire time thinking he was a bumbling idiot with a secret fondness for soap operas. What we found was a vicious fighter that tested our reflexes as well as the processing power of the PlayStation 2. Really, what more could you ask for from a villain so goofy yet challenging?

Folks weren’t asking for Samus’s evil counterpart in “Smash Bros” for nothing. Dark Samus proved to be a formidable fighter who has been ingrained in our memories ever since. Not only did she wield the same equipment as us, but it was all bigger, better, and badder! We’re talking duplication, teleportation, and an overwhelming bombardment of bullets. If you were someone who believed the Wii couldn’t replicate intense boss fights the same way a normal console could, this fight would have definitely changed your mind! And we thought Kraid and Ridley were terrifying...

“Melee” came packed with a ton of tough challenges from the secret characters themselves to Master Hand’s more maniacal twin, Crazy Hand. However, Giga Bowser was one of those hard-to-find secrets that required top-notch skills to experience. A massive and more demonic form of Bowser!? That’s awesome!! It’s just you and this kaiju Koopa on a single platform, and the already phenomenal music fits perfectly with the atmosphere and tone. And if you wanted a tougher fight, you probably spent days playing and replaying Event 51. Lord knows we were sweating our butts off fighting Giga Bowser!

We know the Ghost of Sparta for many of his ultra-violent and epic battles against the various Greek gods. However, back when the first game launched, we had no idea how colossal these battles could get, not until we put up our dukes against the God of War himself, Ares. This wasn’t your average, human-sized fight either. You’re both bigger than the temples around you, fighting to the death within the boundaries of a gorgeous lake. On top of that, Ares does not hold back his attacks and demands you understand the mechanics of the game as well as mastering your combos. This was YOUR test to claim the title of “The God of War”!

This was bound to show up sooner or later. Come on, you can’t talk about video games in the 2000’s without mentioning “Conker’s Bad Fur Day”, or in this case, the Great Mighty Poo. Is this one of the best boss fights in terms of design, difficulty, or combat in general? Not really, but it doesn’t have to be. Anyone who played this N64 classic knows why this is one of the most memorable boss fights ever - it’s because of the absolute absurdity of it all. You’re fighting a singing ball of poo with the vocals of a professional opera singer. You just don’t forget a segment this surreal, especially with all the profanity and puns thrown in.

The “Resident Evil” series has had its fair share of intimidating, beastly, and ghastly foes. The Tyrants Mr. X and Nemesis are just not rivals you can forget about, and the same is true about RE4’s Del Lago. This larger than life sea monster showed us why we should be afraid of the water. Just look at the size of his chompers and how sharp his teeth are! It was like watching “JAWS” all over again. The only difference was we were living it, and it’s why it remains one of the coolest moments in Capcom’s famed horror franchise.

In all honesty, it was incredibly difficult picking which of the Colossi to put on the list. In the end, we just can’t choose a representative better than the Fifth Colossus, or as the fans call him, “Avion”. By this point, we had grown used to fighting more grounded beasts. It gave us more room to get our bearings before going for another attack. With Avion, you were several hundred feet in the air, and you had to make your shot count before it tried shaking you off. Drop, and you could potentially break your legs. You needed a blend of patience and speed to pull this off, and it’s what made this fight such a thrill.

“Majora’s Mask” had already managed to traumatize us in a handful of ways. Let’s see, there was the deranged Mask Salesman, the various creepy overtones that made our spines chill, and--oh, the freakin’ giant moon! But one foe that haunts us today is Majora itself, the very mask that possesses Skull Kid. This was a sentient object capable of unleashing world-ending powers. Scare factor aside, Majora’s Mask put up a tough brawl with its violent ranged attacks and call for assistance from the Boss Remains. Better kick on your Z-target dance for this one!

Before we reveal our most iconic boss of the 2000’s, here are a few Honorable Mentions...

Sweet Tooth But With Fireballs, Lightning, & Some Twenty Stories Tall

Arguably the Best and Hardest Boss Fight Across the Franchise

Fighting Your Best Friend!? It Truly Is a Duel of the Fates

Mario and Bowser, Sonic and Eggman, Crash and Cortex - these are just some of the most famous rivalries before “Devil May Cry’s” inception. After playing “Dante’s Awakening”, Dante and Vergil would join those ranks as one of the best rivalries in gaming, and here, their fight in DMC 3 remains the best of its era. Vergil keeps you on edge for the entire fight, zipping around like a crazed Super Saiyan while utilizing his own set of equipment and abilities similar to yours. And to wrap it all up in a nice bloody bow, it takes place in a grimly beautiful set piece.