Let's face it, there are a ton of tough video game bosses out there. From the obtuse and frustratingly designed bosses of early NES games to the intentionally difficult bosses of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the video game industry has a storied history of difficult to downright impossible boss battles.
These are just a few them, and it is by no means an extensive look into the hardest boss battles ever. That said, they are incredibly difficult, and we had a hell of a time dealing with them. These are the ten most powerful video game bosses ever, ranked from weakest to absolute strongest.
10 Goro
Mortal Kombat certainly contains its fair share of difficult bosses, but perhaps none reach the sheer exasperation as Goro. Goro has four arms, and these are powerful enough to whack you around like a fly. Seriously, all it takes is a handful of punches to knock your butt on the ground and send you back to the menu.
He's also difficult to asses, as he will obliterate you with his fists if you go in close and spam you with some nonsense projectile if you play defensively. Then again, you didn't expect some half-man monster thing with four arms to be easy, did you?
9 Ornstein & Smough
Newcomers to Dark Souls probably think "Huh, this isn't so bad. I don't know what all the fuss is about." And then they get to Ornstein and Smough. We're convinced that these two alone are responsible for Dark Souls' reputation as a frustrating game, because, whoo boy, are they tough.
For one thing, there's seemingly nowhere to go or run because Ornstein can snipe you with his spear, and Smough batters you with his hammer if you get in close. On top of that, the survivor will absorb the soul of the defeated, making them even stronger... and just when you thought the battle would get easier...
8 Yellow Devil
Fighting the Yellow Devil has given many a kid nightmares over the years. He can be found at the end of the original Mega Man, and he is a perfect example of the vexing gameplay mechanics of old. His only weak spot is his distinguishable red eye, and hitting it is a lot harder than it sounds. He will also physically dismantle himself and throw chunks of his body at you, requiring impeccable timing and reflexes. You need to study his patterns, get lucky with the timing and hope that his red eye presents itself to you at opportune times. Otherwise, you're done for.
7 Demon Of Hatred
Many people called Sekiro unfair and embittering and accused FromSoftware of leaning too heavily into the "our games are challenging" infamy. While we don't necessarily agree, we certainly had one hell of a time with the Godforsaken Demon of Hatred. The Demon's moves are speedy and not easily telegraphed, and avoiding them requires some serious timing and reflexes.
When he makes contact, it hurts; all it takes is one or two hits to put you out of commission. The upgraded Finger Whistle is an absolute necessity because the fight is borderline impossible without it.
6 Mike Tyson
It makes sense that Mike Tyson would be a frustrating foe. A) this is an old NES game, so of course it's obtusely difficult. B) He's the final boss, and C) it's freaking Mike Tyson! Did you expect it to be easy? His strong punches have the ability to knock out Little Mac in no time at all, and all it takes is two or three to put you down for good.
He's also wildly unpredictable, and the battle forces you to react with exact precision and timing. It's responsible for many a broken controller, that's for sure.
5 Emerald Weapon
Emerald Weapon isn't even required fighting in Final Fantasy VII, both those looking to prove themselves have to venture under the sea to face the monstrosity. The Emerald Weapon has an unbelievable and staggering HP of a full one million. If that wasn't difficult and daunting enough, you are also faced with a 20-minute countdown timer, adding a tense time constraint to the entire ordeal. And, like any tough boss, the Emerald Weapon's physical attacks are more than strong enough to wipe you out with just a few hits. What a nightmare.
4 The Nameless King
Dark Souls III was widely praised for its boss battles... but not when it came to The Nameless King. There are two primary things that people have trouble with in this fight: the God awful camera, and the timing.
The camera is downright distracting in the first phase, easily one of the worst instances of camera work in the whole series. But things get even worse in the second phase. The Nameless King has a very delayed move set, and many people were caught rolling and dodging too early, and, when it only takes two or three hits to finish you, it's enough to send a man into fits.
3 Sephiroth
Sephiroth is just downright stupid hard in the Kingdom Hearts series. The Kingdom Hearts games are often bemoaned for their artificial difficulty, and we're convinced that these stupid Sephiroth battles are a major reason for that distinction. He deals an obscene amount of damage and can put you down with just a few hits. But even worse are his blocking abilities, as he can seemingly stop everything you throw at him. Defeating Sephiroth requires a combination of impeccable timing and luck, and if you don't have them, then you can just forget about it.
2 Skolas
Skolas was so stupidly difficult that developer Bungie literally needed to intervene. Many Destiny fans called him impossible, and players spent hours upon hours attempting to defeat him.
Skolas and his Fallen carry arc weapons and often spam players with arc burn, one-shotting entire squads in a matter of seconds. He also had a silly amount of HP, and players had had enough. Bungie eventually realized that it was unintentionally pissing players off and removed the arc burn, allowing for a much easier—and far less spammy—boss.
1 Laurence, The First Vicar
When it comes to Bloodborne, no one can agree on who the hardest boss is. Some say the Orphan of Kos, some say Maria, and some say Ludwig. But what everyone can agree on is that Laurence is a real pain in the behind.
He's unimaginably fast, and each of his hits deals a foolish amount of damage (some people have even reported being one-shot). His attacks also have a stupid wide range, ensuring that you can't escape or plan your next move. On top of all that, he has an outrageous health pool and you'll be spending a good fifteen to twenty minutes working that health bar down to zero. This fight veers far past "difficult" and borders on the ludicrous.