It’s become common for video games to occasionally throw a boss in your direction to test everything you’ve learned during your journey thus far. Whether you’ve recently unlocked a new weapon or reached the final stage in a level, bosses are oftenadrenaline-filled and memorable encountersthat require you to think outside the box to find their weaknesses and claim victory.
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Most bosses are mandatory, but some video games will have optional ones if you’re looking for an extra challenge. The best optional bosses in gaming history are either notoriously brutal orfun Easter eggs, but not all are as legendary or unforgettable as others.
10Slot Machine - Star Fox
Developers have been hiding optional bosses in their games for a long time, and while they were most commonly found in JRPGs, you could still discover them in unexpected titles likeStar Fox. Nintendo’s rail shooter is full of epic boss battles, including one against a giant Slot Machine floating in space.
If you’re feeling risky, you can find the Slot Machine by destroying a certain asteroid and flying into a portal in one of the Asteroid Belt stages. To defeat it, you must continue shooting the handle until the Slot Machine hits 777. But if Andross appears instead, you will have to dodge lasers and missiles until you win big.
9Caroline And Justine - Persona 5
Sometimes, the most challenging boss fights areagainst the friends we made along the way. You will meet Caroline and Justine fairly early inPersona 5, and while they might not be the nicest toward you, they will eventually become valuable confidants and helpful allies.
If you want to fight the twins as soon as possible, you won’t have the chance to until you beat the game and start NG+. If you talk to either twin outside the Velvet Room gate between 5/9 and 12/22, you may challenge them to a fight -but you’d better be ready. There are six phases, and both Caroline and Justine are level 99. They have attacks that can instantly wipe out your team, so defeating them will take everything you’ve got and more.
8Demon Of Hatred - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
SinceDemon’s Soulsfirst launched for the PlayStation 3 in 2009, FromSoftware has become notorious for hiding a bunch of optional bosses in most of their games. A majority of the secret encounters inSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceare fought during its alternate endings, but one optional boss fight stands out for being unlike anyone or anything else you’ve faced so far.
The Demon of Hatred appears toward the end of Sekiro after you’ve taken down the Divine Dragon. This massive beast feels more like a boss fromDark Souls, so facing it as Wolf is a fun challenge that requires you to re-think how you’ve played the game so far.
7Emil - Nier: Automata
Nier: Automatamay take place thousands of years after the events ofNier: Replicant, but one character - Emil - exists in both games as a friendly companion. His presence is reduced significantly in Automata, but his new role as a traveling merchant becomes very handy when you’re low on supplies.
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Like most things in Nier: Automata, not everything is as it seems on the surface. One of your side quests involves unlocking Emil’s memories, and after you’ve finished, you will need to track him down in the Desert Zone. Once there, you must fight a group of Massive Emil heads in one of the game’s most epic and challenging boss fights.
6Morgan Freeman - South Park: The Fractured But Whole
BothSouth Parkgames - The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole - are full of surprises and contain moments or sequences you won’t find anywhere else. They also feature a few celebrities, including Morgan Freeman, who first shows up at the end of Stick of Truth to explain the convoluted conclusion and earn a new freckle.
Morgan Freeman - voiced by Trey Parker - returns in the sequel as the owner of a local taco shop. He’s as friendly as ever and will teach you how to craft items, but he’salso secretly the hardest boss in the game. you may initiate this optional fight by provoking him at his work, but be careful because he is just as powerful as the character he portrayed in Bruce Almighty.
5Sigrún - God Of War (2018)
The 2018 reboot ofGod of Warhelped bring the series back into the zeitgeist with a compelling narrative, a rich cast of characters, and a surprisingly deep combat system. As Kratos, you will face Norse Gods and monsters more than triple your size, but none are as challenging as Sigrún, the Valkyrie Queen.
There are a ton of side quests in God of War, and one of them requires you to find and fight eight other Valkyries hiding across the Nine Realms. Once this is done, Sigrún will confront you at the Council of Valkyries and initiate a battle that requires you to use every weapon and ability wisely to take her down and free her spirit.
4Emerald And Ruby Weapon - Final Fantasy 7
Like FromSoftware, Square Enix is another developer known for hiding punishing but non-mandatory bosses in their games. InFinal Fantasy, they are known as superbosses, and they can usually wipe out an entire team with a couple of attacks.Final Fantasy 7has two superbosses known as Emerald Weapon and Ruby Weapon, and they are known for being some of the most brutal enemies in the entire series.
Emerald Weapon can be found swimming at the Bottom of the Sea, while Ruby Weapon roams around one of the deserts outside the Gold Saucer. Even with the best weapons and party members by your side, both superbosses pose a massive threat and can turn the tables on you in a heartbeat.
3Sephiroth - Kingdom Hearts 2
When you think of the most infamous villains in video games, Sephiroth will likely come to mind sooner than later. Final Fantasy 7’s antagonist quickly rose in popularity for his tragic backstory, ruthless behavior, and being more than a mustache-twirling plot device. This makes his appearance as an optional boss inKingdom Hearts 2even more effective as Sora takes on one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
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After completing every world and turning Hollow Bastion into Radiant Garden, you must return there to face Sephiroth. As expected, he doesn’t go down easy and requires you to stay on the move to avoid his powerful attacks and damage him whenever possible. Doing so will unlock Fenrir, an immensely powerful Keyblade.
2Culex - Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars
During the 90s, few developers dominated a genre as much as Square did for JRPGs. FromChrono TriggertoLive A Live, they kept looking for new ways to innovate and redefine the genre and almost always succeeded. In a rare crossover, Square developed an RPG starring characters from the Super Mario universe with an optional boss fight against a creature known as Culex.
Culex is the most challenging boss inSuper Mario RPGand takes a ton of inspiration from the villains of the Final Fantasy series. It even references “another game” after you defeat it, but the most obvious connection is that Final Fantasy 4’s boss theme plays during your fight. Not only is Culex a challenging boss, but it’s a neat Easter egg you don’t often see in games anymore.
1Moon Presence - Bloodborne
There have been a staggering amount of optional bosses scattered throughout every FromSoftware title since Demon’s Souls, and most of them are equally or more impressive than the ones you’re required to fight. But none of them feel as essential to the experience as the encounter with the Moon Presence inBloodborne.
If you seek the true ending to Bloodborne’s nightmarish journey, you’ll first need to digest three items known as “One Third of Umbilical Cord” before defeating Gehrman, after which the Moon Presence descends upon you. The atmosphere is perfect for a climactic final battle that places a bow on a masterpiece.
