The history of games is rich and full to the brim with long-running franchises that are a joy to play through. These games throw everything but the kitchen sink into their design, resulting in fulfilling and enjoyable experiences where players increase their skill levels and best the toughest challenges that these titles have to offer. The payoff for playing these lengthy stories spanning multiple games is a sense of cohesiveness and closure when it comes to the narrative.
Most games love to swerve expectations time and time again, with the trope of a protagonist turning into a boss further down the line being a great way to keep things fresh and engaging. Not only does this signify a shift in the tone and focus of the plot, but it also lets players enjoy an epic moment as they try and best the character they've seen grow right in front of their eyes. The most notable instances in this regard are mentioned below.
10 Kiryu Kazuma (Yakuza: Like A Dragon)
Kiryu Kazuma is one of the most iconic protagonists of all time. He has played a major role throughout the Yakuza franchise, and many people were worried that Ichiban Kasuga would fail to live up to his predecessor's appeal
Thankfully, Kasuga is also a pretty engaging protagonist in his own right. Kiryu isn't completely absent either and appears as one of the final boss fights in the game!
9 Alex Mercer (Prototype 2)
Alex Mercer is a pretty engaging protagonist who appears in the first Prototype game. While his character wasn't the greatest, he was still a decent enough protagonist to control in this brilliant open-world title.
Prototype 2 sees James Heller take on the role of the protagonist instead, with Alex Mercer turning into the villain. Fighting against him at the end is a blast and shows why the Prototype series is so massively underrated.
8 Demi-Fiend (Shin Megami Tensei 5)
The Demi-Fiend is a pretty iconic protagonist from Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne. The game is known for being pretty brutal, with players having to use all the tricks in their arsenal to actually come out victorious in most battles.
The Demi-Fiend makes another appearance in the latest Shin Megami Tensei game. He appears as the final boss of the Return of the True Demon DLC and is one of the hardest fights in the entire game by a country mile.
7 Jin Hayabusa (Nioh)
The Ninja Gaiden series has some of the hardest action games ever made, with protagonist Ryu Hayabusa being a constant figure across all titles. His descendant can be found as a boss in Nioh as well!
Fighting Jin Hayabusa is a blast, and almost feels like players are battling a version of Ryu himself. Team Ninja is a master of creating action-heavy games and fighting the protagonist of the series that arguably made them so popular is a ton of fun.
6 Trevor Belmont (Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness)
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is a pretty underrated game in the series that serves as a stark departure from its Metroidvania roots. However, despite these changes, the game is still fun... although it's still nowhere near as close in terms of quality to the series' older titles.
Curse of Darkness has the player battle, Trevor Belmont, twice! The player is meant to lose the first time around, with the iconic protagonist of past games in the series beating them to a pulp.
5 Agent 3 (Splatoon 2)
Agent 3 is considered by many to be the mascot of the Splatoon series, with her unique look being quite memorable indeed. Splatoon 2 decided to increase the allure of this character even more.
In the Octo Expansion, Agent 3 actually appears as a boss in the single-player mode. Fighting her is pretty challenging, but players who are familiar with the mechanics of the game shouldn't face too many issues.
4 Red (Pokemon Gold & Silver)
Pokemon Gold and Silver are great games released during a time when the quality of the Pokemon franchise wasn't questioned by anyone. The best part of this game was the boss fight against Trainer Red, the protagonist of the previous game in the series.
Red wastes no time in bombarding the player with powerful attacks, so players need to be pretty wary while fighting this character. A single misstep can lead to their doom, especially given the wealth of powerful Pokemon that Red has in his arsenal.
3 Soul Of Cinder (Dark Souls 3)
The final battle against the Soul of Cinder in Dark Souls 3 is a blast from start to end. The first phase is meant to be an amalgamation of all the characters who lit the fire (or didn't and plunged the world into darkness) in the first Dark Souls, and this shows in its moveset.
However, it's in phase 2 that Soul of Cinder shows just how amazing it really is. It takes on the moveset of Gwyn without being so easily exploitable, making for a great ending to a brilliant battle.
2 William (Nioh 2)
Unlike the first game, Nioh 2 lets players create a custom character of their own from scratch. However, it was only a given that Team Ninja would still do the protagonist of the first game justice in some way.
This can be seen in the boss fight against William that players can encounter throughout their journey in Nioh 2. It's a great battle that feels absolutely epic, and beating William after putting in a ton of effort makes for one of the most satisfying moments in the entire series.
1 Caim (Drakengard 2)
Before Yoko Taro became popular with his work on Nier: Automata, the game director was mainly known for his work on the Drakengard series. Despite featuring some odd plotlines and story beats, the entire Drakengard franchise is pretty great and fans should definitely check these games out.
Drakengard 2 features a boss fight with the protagonist of the first game, Caim. He spams magic just like players did in the first game, which finally makes players realize the hell they were unleashing on their enemies time and time again.