Video Game Bosses That Will Ruin Your Life

The best video games usually feature a wide variety of balanced boss fights–too bad not all games turn out this way. Over the years, some boss encounters have gained almost legendary status for being difficult or even "broken." A boss can end up being so hard that many gamers would rather cut off their thumbs than pick up a controller to face them again. After constant punishment at the hands of these bosses, even the most laid-back gamer will probably eventually rage-quit to avoid more hours of misery and failure. Here are just a few of the worst offenders.

Even more than 20 years later, the final fight with Iron Mike in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! for the NES remains one of the hardest boss battles out there. Tyson will knock you flat on your face every time unless you know exactly what you're doing. Unlike the other more "rhythmic" opponents in Punch-Out!!, Tyson's moves appear to be random and his attack signals are intentionally misleading. Add in Tyson's size and reach, his lightning-fast footwork, and his extremely powerful attacks, and you'll find little opportunity to even land a punch on the champ.

For many players, the fight with Tyson inevitably turns into hours of failed attempts as you painstakingly commit all of his moves and combos to memory. All that said, it is possible to beat Iron Mike with enough time and dedication. These two dedicated Punch-Out!! gamers even managed to beat Mike Tyson blindfolded during the 2016 AGDQ speedrun event.

The mysterious Final Fantasy VII villain Sephiroth appears in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. In both games, his optional boss battles are nearly impossible to beat. Even max-level players wielding the Ultima Weapon have a hard time with Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts because of his jaw-dropping abilities. (Even worse, you have to watch his long cutscene before every attempt.)

Defeating Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts usually involves spamming Aero, cure spells, and elixirs—lots of elixirs. For PlayStation 3 owners, get the remastered Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix. Sephiroth's fight is identical, but at least you can skip the cutscenes and go straight to your next soul-crushing defeat.

In Kingdom Hearts II, you can face Sephiroth again. His brutal Heartless Angel move is back, and his attack power ramps up as his HP goes down. He's also added new moves, including evil little orbs of pain that home in on you as you try to flee. If you manage to beat the Kingdom Hearts II version of Sephiroth, the game rewards you with a Fenrir keyblade. You don't win anything for defeating him in the original Kingdom Hearts, but the sense of accomplishment is definitely worth it.

The dynamic duo of Ornstein and Smough from 2011's Dark Souls definitely deserve their spot on this list. Ornstein wields his spear to deadly effect and will also smite you from a distance with lightning bolts. Smough is a waddling hulk who's also pretty effective at smashing your face in with his gigantic hammer. You can summon Solaire for an assist, but don't assume that bringing along Mr. Sunbro will make this fight easy. No amount of praising the sun or jolly cooperation can save you if you don't have a good strategy.

There's no point in trying to defeat both Fatboy and Slim at the same time—after you beat one, the remaining boss will fully heal, absorbing additional powers and moves from his fallen buddy's soul. Whichever one you dispatch first is up to you, but prepare for a grueling experience either way. That said, Ornstein and Smough can be beaten if you have enough time and patience to learn the fight; this guy even managed to do it with a level one character on NG+7 difficulty. Make sure you do your research before heading off to challenge this armored odd couple—the order you fight them in determines the items you get as a reward. Seriously: you don't want to have to beat these guys twice.

In 2004's Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the hardest encounter in the game is actually the Spider Guardian mini-boss. Much of Spider Guardian's difficulty depends upon what version of the game you're playing. The battle was changed to be more manageable on the Wii edition of Metroid Prime 2, but players of the original GameCube version can attest that this boss fight was a hellish nightmare—even on normal mode.

The entire fight takes place within a maze, which the spider boss travels through with ease. In contrast, your "ball form" must jump around the labyrinth awkwardly while avoiding the Spider Guardian's damaging aura. As you hop wildly around the maze, you must simultaneously lay down bombs in the guardian's path—making sure to time them just right if you want to actually damage the boss. It's a complex and time-consuming process that has undoubtedly induced many rage-quits over the years.

Dark Souls 3 propelled itself onto our list for its optional boss battle with The Nameless King. This legendary god of war wields a lightning-charged spear and attacks you from atop his dangerous mount. During the first phase, you'll need to take out the Storm drake while avoiding its rider's unpredictable swipes and slashes. While The Nameless King is still aboard his drake, players have to contend with not only the King's attacks but also the game's camera, because this powerful pair will take up your entire screen.

In the second phase, The Nameless King dismounts and absorbs his drake's powers before launching an even more difficult onslaught against you. He impales you with his electrified spear, swoops down on you from above, and smites you with bolts of lightning. Additionally, the mist-covered ground and massive size of this boss make it extremely difficult to anticipate and dodge his attacks. Even with heavy armor equipped, The Nameless King can wipe out half or more of your health with each swing. Mages stand very little chance against this boss, so your best strategy is to roll a melee class and equip items offering lots of physical and lightning resistance before entering the fog.

Diablo II's Duriel is one of the most enraging PC game bad guys of all time. You're trapped in a tiny room with a tanky maggot king that easily soaks up your best attacks. Despite his enormous size, Duriel will be hot on your heels before you can say "Looking for Baal?" A skillful caster can kite Duriel around, but his freeze ability makes melee classes almost useless against him. If you plan to take Duriel on, bring Thawing potions and do your best to cast a town portal before Duriel's chamber—you'll need it. Dying without one means a very long walk all the way back to Duriel's location.

A player with lots of patience and plenty of town portals can eventually defeat Duriel, but this boss has infuriated many gamers since Diablo II first launched back in 2000. Because defeat is final in Hardcore mode, Duriel's chamber has marked the end of the line for countless characters over the years. The notorious lag at the start of his fight makes things even more frustrating. There's nothing worse than finding Duriel standing over your frozen and mangled corpse right after his room finally loads. They don't call him the Lord of Pain for nothing, you know.

The boss fight with Alma in the 2004 Ninja Gaiden Xbox reboot is widely regarded as the toughest battle in the entire franchise. Her speed, agility, and deadly arsenal of moves are practically legendary. Alma shoots blindingly fast fireballs that home in on you, and she throws stone pillars around the room with ease. Beware her pink tractor beam, which Alma uses to smash you on the ground like a ragdoll. There's very little room to maneuver in this fight—get too far away and Alma will launch projectiles, or get too close and she will go airborne and give you a swooping beatdown.

Beating Alma in the original 2004 Xbox version is extremely difficult, but her updated iterations are even more soul-crushing and maddening than the original. In Ninja Gaiden Black from 2005, Alma retains her original moves, but now has some demon lackeys to help her—as if she needed it. She's also able to launch many more of those infuriating pink fireballs at a time. She doesn't have those demons in Ninja Gaiden Sigma from 2007, but the ridiculously awful camera controls used for this PS3 version are just as effective as any sidekick. No matter which Alma you take on, beating her will likely mean hours of frustrating attempts. May your broken controllers rest in pieces.