Top 10 Secret Bosses of the Decade (So Far)

“Kirby and the Forgotten Land” (2022)

The “Kirby” series isn’t exactly known for being difficult. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a boss or two that can absolutely throw down. After beating the main story in “Forgotten Land,” players unlock some post-game levels. Beating these leads to Ultimate Cup Z, the final combat challenges in the Colosseum. And sitting at the end of this long string of boss fights is Chaos Elfilis, a combination of the two strongest bosses for twice the pain. This is about as epic and over-the-top as “Kirby” gets. The boss can teleport, slice through the arena, fire beams and projectiles, produce shockwaves, and all manner of other attacks that will send our adorable little puffball to an early grave.

“Deltarune: Chapter 2” (2021)

Players can find this odd character hiding in a dumpster in Cyber City, which leads to a humorous mini-boss fight. However, if you spare him and help him later, he turns into Spamton NEO, the tougher and more memorable encounter. While cutting Spamton’s puppet strings on your turn, you’ll have to shoot at various representations of his face on his, while avoiding obstacles, hazards, and projectiles he hurls your way. Blending shoot ‘em up mechanics within a turn-based RPG makes this a fast-paced, energetic encounter, accompanied by a fantastic theme. But as is tradition with creator Toby Fox, it also never fails to get a laugh, from Spamton’s methods of attacking to his unhinged dialogue.

“Hades” (2020)

In “Hades,” the ferryman of the dead usually acts as a shopkeep on your journey to escape the underworld. After Prince Zagreus beats his father at least once, there will be a 22% chance you’ll find a sack of gold in one of Charon’s shops on your next run. Should you get a case of the sticky fingers, though, the helpful vendor will become a lot less friendly. Given his appearance, Charon hits a lot harder than you might expect. On top of beating Zagreus with an oar, he produces shockwaves, some of which deal hefty damage while others stun. And he’ll destroy the pillars acting as your cover when his health gets low enough. We were surprised to face him, and he definitely left an impression.

“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023)

At a certain point in the story, “Spider-Man 2” introduces Mysteriums, virtual combat challenges designed by Quentin Beck, AKA Mysterio. If you complete all eight, you unlock a boss fight against the villain that takes full advantage of his persona and expertise. Set in a virtual reality studio made to look like the inside of a massive snowglobe, it’s an interesting setting for a fight. Buildings and gravity contort to Mysterio’s whims while you keep up the pursuit. And he has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to keep things fresh, like trapping Miles in a seemingly endless hallway. As is usually the case with Mysterio, things aren’t often what they seem.

“Octopath Traveler II” (2023)

The big bad of the first “Octopath Traveler” returns as a secret boss in the sequel. And as you might expect from a hidden boss in an RPG, he packs a lot of power. Players must go through several connected side quests in order to unlock the fight, which will take quite a long time. Your party of eight will be split across both phases, so everyone will need to bring their absolute best. Galdera’s first phase blocks with three Souls that can deal detrimental counter attacks while his second has multiple health bars split across his body. It was a nice surprise to see Galdera return. That and the high difficulty made for one of the game’s standout moments.

“Black Myth: Wukong” (2024)

Your journey across “Black Myth” ends with a fight against the shell of Sun Wukong himself. But if you want the true ending, you’ll have to defeat this secret boss. You can only do this after completing every secret area, as well as a side quest in Chapter 3. Naturally, Erlang is the toughest challenge the game has to offer. Not only does he come with a variety of deadly attacks, but he also has a shield bar you’ll need to deplete first if you wish to maximize your damage. He can even negate your transformations, making it a bit harder to strategize. This game was praised for its boss fights and Erlang is surely one of its strongest, figuratively and literally.

“God of War Ragnarök” (2022)

The Valkyries in 2018’s “God of War” left most players traumatized, but were satisfying obstacles to overcome. In the follow-up, Sony Santa Monica designed another to be found after completing post-game side quests. And Gna proved without a doubt why she had become the new Queen. She has a variety of moves from the previous game’s Valkyries. However, some of her attacks can also inflict the Bifrost status effect, making her even deadlier. Which is to say, she’s going to put Kratos into the ground at least a few times. The Berserker King also deserves a shoutout as a tough-as-nails hidden boss. But there’s just no topping the infamy of a Valkyrie Queen.

“Persona 5 Royal” (2020)

Fought towards the end of the story in “Persona 5 Royal” on a New Game Plus playthrough, Lavenza is only for the surest of players. The encounter comes in four phases, each of which has specific rules that, if you fail to adhere to, can cause her to wipe you out immediately. For example, you have to deal 5,000 damage across 9 turns in the first three phases, while the third phase specifically requires you to land a critical hit at least once per turn. That’s not to mention her ability to remove your buffs and her debuffs. Clearly, she can take up a lot of time. But the feeling of victory you gain will be unmatched within the game.

“Baldur’s Gate 3” (2023)

While we love the theatrical Raphael as much as anyone, his presence throughout the story makes him feel less secret, even if fighting him is optional. Ansur, on the other hand, came as a complete surprise. After completing a few trials underneath Baldur’s Gate, you’ll come across the remains of a legendary dragon. Disappointed to not count a dragon among our allies in the fight to come, we were also shocked to see Ansur’s corpse reanimate and attack after some spoiler-heavy revelations. Fighting an undead dragon is understandably a highlight of Act 3. Not only is it unbelievably cool, but it’s a well-balanced battle that tests your combat prowess and feels incredibly rewarding to prevail over.

“Elden Ring” (2022)

So far, no secret boss of the 2020s has had as big of an impact on players as Malenia. Although she’s famous by now, you have to put in a lot of optional work to get to her. The dungeon she’s found in is hidden by a puzzle in the Consecrated Snowfield. After making it through a ton of tough enemies, Malenia shows you why she gained a reputation. She’s fast and unpredictable, and heals herself with every attack that lands. Her second phase is even more of a nightmare, since she gains the ability to inflict Scarlet Rot, a status effect that deals damage over time. She’s undeniably brutal, but that makes claiming a win feel that much better.


Which of these bosses did you uncover before you knew they existed? And which one gave you the toughest time? Share your experiences in the comments!