So far, this century has had plenty of tough final bosses to throw at us. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most challenging final boss encounters players have gone up against since the year 2000.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most challenging final
00:14bosses of the 21st century.
00:2210. Primordial Malzeno – Monster Hunter Rise
00:32Primordial Malzeno is the final boss of the Sunbreak DLC's post-game, and the final
00:37fight of the Elgato Outpost story. To unlock the fight, players must first reach Master
00:42Rank 10, and he'll be available to hunt. Malzeno is an enormous dragon who employs
00:47a plethora of perilous attacks in the fight. It can wield incredible amounts of power
00:52once entering the Bloodlust state when low on health, making it impossible to calm with
00:56attacks. It's one of the fastest bosses in the series, and packs a mighty punch, requiring
01:01you to know all three of its phases to successfully beat them.
01:089. Senator Steven Armstrong – Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
01:23Metal Gear Rising Revengeance might be the most unique title in the Metal Gear franchise,
01:28turning into a hack and slash where you play as Raiden, rather than a stealth game as Snake.
01:33The final boss is against evil politician Senator Armstrong, a nanomachine augmented
01:37superhuman, and he is arguably the toughest boss in Metal Gear history. The arena you
01:43fight in is tiny, his defense is irritatingly high, and he is constantly turning the whole
01:48place on fire. He can also regenerate, healing all damage you've dealt, and even reattach
01:53lost body parts. He also played football in college and has a banger of a theme song,
01:58so watch out.
02:038. Necron – Final Fantasy IX
02:11An alien being with the goal of destroying literally everything. Yeah, he packs a punch.
02:17Necron is arguably the most challenging boss in the franchise, dealing powerful attacks
02:21which deal damage to all party members. If players are unprepared, he will make short
02:26work of them. Necron's fight introduces some unique mechanics too. For example, he
02:30can inflict status ailments like instant death and zombie which can disrupt your strategy.
02:35If that's not tough enough, they also gave him a humongous health pool, so even the smallest
02:40mistake can wipe out your party. Mastering strategies and being as well prepared as possible
02:45is crucial to overcoming this formidable foe.
02:517. Erlang – The Sacred Divinity – Black Myth Wukong
03:05Erlang Shen is a Chinese folk god who is ordered to subdue Sung Wukong after wrecking the Heavenly
03:10Palace. He's also the secret final boss of Black Myth Wukong, and easily the hardest
03:15boss in the game. Erlang uniquely has a stance bar, and if it's full, then expect him to
03:20take little damage. He uses a multitude of attacks, usually infused with thunder. These
03:25range from him throwing a giant axe at you, his black dog biting you, and sometimes he'll
03:30even cancel your transformation completely. This boss tests all the skills you've learned
03:34along your journey, and upon completion, makes you truly feel worthy of taking Sung Wukong's name.
03:466. Vergil – Devil May Cry 3 – Dante's Awakening
03:50DMC3 is considered the hardest entry in the franchise, and its final boss, Vergil, is
04:01at the peak. He's also the final boss of DMC5, but the third game's battle is much
04:06more challenging. Vergil can easily match Dante's skill, with fast attacks and unpredictable
04:11moves, he can close distances terrifyingly well. The combos he will unleash are an absolute
04:16headache to memorize, and he can even adapt to Dante's playstyle, punishing repetitive
04:21attack patterns. Vergil isn't just another boss, he's Dante's brother, making the
04:26fight emotionally driven, and turning him into one of the most demanding, and most memorable,
04:31bosses of all time.
04:325. Orphan of Kos – Bloodborne This wouldn't be a boss fight ranking without
04:49mentioning From Software, with the Orphan of Kos being more than worthy of inclusion.
04:54It's wildly regarded as the toughest boss fight in Bloodborne, and a brutal final test
04:59in the old Hunters DLC. The Orphan's fighting style is unpredictable, chaotic, and relentless,
05:06with fast and erratic attacks that are a migraine to avoid. If you thought its first phase was
05:11challenging, its second phase is going to devastate you. Its combos become even longer,
05:15and it gains intense area of effect attacks, which can punish even the smallest mistakes.
05:20The arena is also uncomfortably small, giving you little breathing room when trying to handle
05:25the Orphan.
05:304. Absolute Radiance – Hollow Knight Absolute Radiance is the final boss of Godmaster,
05:46one of the three content packs for Hollow Knight. This upgraded form of the Radiance
05:50is infamous, with a total of six phases, all featuring complex attack patterns. She
05:55is constantly alternating between lasers, orbs, and sword attacks, forcing you to constantly
06:00adjust your positioning and timing. Like a lot of the entries on this list, there are
06:04very few safe windows to heal, meaning you have to be as cautious as possible to win.
06:09It's an especially long fight, requiring endurance and complete concentration, meaning
06:14even the tiniest slip-ups can cost you everything.
06:203. Sans – Undertale Sans becomes the final boss of Undertale
06:32if you complete a Genocide run, and he's easily one of the most taxing bosses to date.
06:37He's attacking you constantly, leaving no safe breaks between, forcing you to constantly
06:42dodge and react without even having a second to rest. You must navigate through a series
06:46of challenges, such as bullet hell sequences. Additionally, his attacks can inflict poison
06:51damage, causing you to lose health over time, making healing an absolute nightmare.
06:56Sans only has one HP, making you think he'll be an easy target, but he dodges almost every
07:02single attack until the end of the fight, adding a psychological challenge as you inevitably
07:07start another gruelling run against him.
07:122. Promised Consort Redan – Elden Ring If you thought Star Scourge Redan was too
07:28easy, then maybe Promised Consort Redan will be up your alley. He's the final boss of
07:33the Shadow of the Erg Tree DLC, and a contender for the toughest among Elden Ring's pantheon.
07:39Consort Redan wields two giant swords, which he will be constantly throwing at you in a
07:43wild flurry of rapid attacks. His second phase is a thing of nightmares, and feels downright
07:48unfair at times, given that every attack comes armed with a layer of magical damage, plus
07:53access to an insta-kill grab. Complete patience is required to come out on top, but if done,
07:59you will feel like a god.
08:29Who else would we pick for number one?
08:35Sword Saint Isshin is without a doubt the hardest boss fight of the century, and is
08:39arguably the greatest ever created by FromSoftware. It's a four phase battle, with Isshin taking
08:45up three of them. His first phase is a massive challenge, but it's his second phase that
08:49really sticks out like a sore thumb. Isshin pulls out a gun and a spear, and the only
08:54saving grace comes in his third phase where he unleashes lightning attacks on you. If
08:58successfully reversed, it makes his third phase a breeze, but if not, you may instantly
09:03die. Thankfully, shadows die twice, but for this boss, you're likely to die a lot more
09:08than that.
09:16Which final boss took you the longest to beat? Drop one down to the comment section and let
09:20us know.