Every Final Resident Evil Boss Ranked Worst To Best
The Resident Evil series is certainly not lacking when it comes to creepy monsters. The villainous Umbrella Corporation is responsible for the creation of numerous bio-organic weapons (or B.O.W.s) that have haunted gamers for years. From the darkened halls of Arklay Mansion to the bug-infested bayous of Dulvey, these creatures have made for some daunting and bizarre battles.
The Resident Evil games usually culminate in wild, over the top sequences in which our heroes take on the latest and greatest undead threat. As a result, there are plenty of memorable final bosses throughout the franchise. However, with such a long-running storyline full of insane twists and turns, there are bound to be a few baddies that outshine the rest. Some of these B.O.W.s just aren't as impressive as the others. With that in mind, let's take a look at all of the final bosses from the mainline Resident Evil series (including Code Veronica) and rank them from worst to best.
Beware of spoilers ahead for several games in the Resident Evil franchise.
Ustanak - Resident Evil 6
Ustanak is the final boss encountered during Jake and Sherry's campaign in Resident Evil 6. It's not much of an exaggeration to call Ustanak the least inspired boss creature in the series. He literally looks like a cross between Resident Evil 3's Nemesis and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Perhaps most frustrating of all is that the final battle is decided by one of the most reviled elements of Resident Evil 6: a series of quick-time events, or QTEs.
That's right — Ustanak is more or less beaten in a QTE fistfight against Jake. Then, after Ustanak comes back for another round, you'll have to slog through another QTE in which you climb towards a gun so you can finish the creature off. Sure, the cutscene where he's blown up looks pretty cool, but it's a problem when the coolest thing this boss does is die. Defeating this boss requires more timing than strategy, resulting in a thoroughly underwhelming final battle.
The fight against Ustanak will give you a pretty clear idea of why Den of Geek called out RE 6's "painful amount of quick-time events."
Derek Simmons - Resident Evil 6
While Ustanak is unappealing from a visual standpoint, the character of Derek Simmons is about as bland as final bosses get in the Resident Evil series. He's the final boss from Ada Wong's campaign and the campaign starring Leon and Helena. For a guy who gets to be the final boss twice, he sure doesn't leave much of an impression.
Okay, sure, he turns into a zombie tyrannosaurus rex-looking creature at one point, but that's about the only noteworthy thing about Derek Simmons. Both final boss battles against Derek require very little strategy beyond pumping him full of bullets. Ada even gets a helicopter for part of her final fight, just to drive home the feeling that Derek Simmons isn't much of a threat.
Even his motivations aren't all that interesting. At the end of the day, Derek Simmons is a total creep who wants an Ada Wong clone of his very own. He gets a lot of people killed in the process, including — eventually — himself.
Queen Leech - Resident Evil 0
In theory, the Queen Leech is an interesting villain. This mutant leech consumed the body of an assassinated mad scientist and subsequently absorbed his memories. Now believing itself to be the deceased Dr. James Marcus, the shapeshifting Queen Leech took Marcus' form and sought revenge on the Umbrella Corporation. Pretty intriguing setup, right?
Unfortunately, the final battle against the Queen Leech doesn't take advantage of any of these interesting aspects. Instead, the fight is more of a grueling escort mission. As Second Lieutenant Billy Coen, you basically have to distract the Queen Leech with as much firepower as possible while the other protagonist, Rebecca Chambers, opens a series of valves. Once the hatch overhead is open, the sunlight will weaken the creature enough to be killed.
In other words, this might be the most annoying boss battle in the series. Even its design feels like the developers just glued some tentacles together and called it a day. At least the Queen Leech gets a few points for having a somewhat interesting backstory.
Tyrant 002 - Resident Evil
The first Resident Evil may be a landmark game in the survival horror genre, but the series' first final boss, Tyrant 002, isn't exactly Mr. Personality. In fact, it's kind of hilarious to think that the Umbrella Corporation's idea of "the ultimate life form" is this shambling monstrosity. Then again, who knows why mad scientists make the design choices they do?
While Tyrant 002 has a fantastic and imposing design, the fight itself isn't all that exciting or challenging. Just keep shooting at it and making sure it doesn't get too close as it lumbers forward. The monster even occasionally stops in its tracks to let you reload. Still, the final battle against Tyrant 002 deserves credit for forming the basis for every bonkers final boss fight that would follow it in the RE franchise. This includes the way the creature is ultimately taken down: with a direct hit from a rocket launcher.
Eveline - Resident Evil 7
Don't be mistaken; Eveline is a fascinating villain in her own right. She was artificially created by mad scientists and given enhanced mental abilities, but it unfortunately drove her mad and caused her to age rapidly. After escaping from her handlers, Eveline took control of the Baker family and made them kidnap people to form her own twisted little family.
The final battle against Eveline continues Resident Evil 7's sense of grotesque body horror, but it falls short when it comes to actual gameplay. There's not much strategy involved in the battle against Eveline beyond pumping as much ammo as possible into her mutated face. This battle is more cinematic than anything else. While it's an impressive finale to a fantastic game, it pales in comparison to some of the more harrowing and challenging boss fights from the game. This kind of shoot 'em up boss fight would've been more at home in the bombastic and ridiculous Resident Evil 6 instead of the more atmospheric and disturbing Resident Evil 7.
HAOS - Resident Evil 6
Okay, so the big bad HAOS has the same issue some of the other villains of the series have, in that it doesn't have any personality. Like many of the other monster encounters in Resident Evil 6, the multi-tiered showdown with HAOS has more in common with a Godzilla movie than a survival-horror game. After all, HAOS is literally a giant monster in an aquatic base. However, what it lacks in people skills, it makes up for it in sheer magnitude and terror. This thing's design is unforgettable, looking like a massive, tentacled grim reaper.
HAOS is encountered as the endgame boss of Chris and Piers' campaign in Resident Evil 6 and it's easily the best of that game's final bosses. It all culminates in a thrilling sequence in which Chris shoots Haos in the heart and has to blow up the entire facility to kill it. The best part is that even though there are QTEs in the later stages of the fight, the battle still feels like it requires a bit of strategy in order to win.
Alexia Ashford - Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Resident Evil: Code Veronica's Alexia Ashford was the result of a rogue cloning experiment. Born with superhuman intellect and cunning, she eventually became obsessed with becoming the perfect life form. To accomplish this, Alexia injected herself with a newly developed virus and had herself cryogenically frozen while the virus matured within her. Awakening years later to the sight of her dead brother, Alexia immediately set about trying to take over the world.
Alexia is one of the more bizarre scientists-turned-monsters in the series. She mutates several times, at one point taking a form with stone-like skin and the ability to spray her own flammable blood. Getting grabbed by her in this form is basically an instant death for the player. Alexia then morphs into a huge tentacled form that commands an army of infected bugs. In an incredible final battle, Alexia turns into a dragonfly-like creature that Chris Redfield has to destroy with a rocket launcher. Alexia's different transformations make for a challenging fight in which players need to switch up their strategies in order to win the day.
William Birkin - Resident Evil 2
William Birkin is an Umbrella scientist who infected himself with the experimental G Virus and went on a rampage. He occasionally has moments of clarity when he recognizes his wife or daughter, which makes him something of a tragic villain. Birkin is the final boss in the original Resident Evil 2, but it's his fight with Claire in the Resident Evil 2 remake that cements him as one of the franchise's nastiest villains. Birkin comes dropping down from the ceiling and Claire has to face him with her newly-acquired minigun in a tight-quarters final showdown.
Birkin loses just a few points for being so easy to beat in Resident Evil 2's "true" ending, however. When Birkin bursts into the train carrying Leon, Claire, and Sherry to safety, it's less of a fight and more a case of shooting the creature right in the mouth a whole bunch of times until a cutscene is triggered. Even so, Birkin is an incredibly compelling villain, and taking him on with the minigun is easily one of the coolest parts of the Resident Evil 2 remake.
Osmund Saddler - Resident Evil 4
Osmund Saddler is a surprisingly intimidating foe, considering how much of a pushover he appears to be at first glance. Sure, Saddler is a mad genius in charge of his own cult of infected villagers, so that's a reason to be wary of him. Still, by the time Leon faces off against this creep at the tail end of Resident Evil 4, players have already mowed through a zillion robed creeps like this guy. When Leon faces Saddler for the last time, there's almost no reason to expect what happens next.
Saddler reveals he has been toying with Leon all along and transforms. Saddler suddenly goes from being a frail-looking old man to a spider-limbed abomination with deadly pincers. The creature drags along the rest of Saddler's human form like a rag doll as Leon frantically moves from platform to platform in an attempt to keep his distance from the beast. For better or worse, Saddler also set the trend for the kinds of giant monsters we'd see in Resident Evil 5 and 6. Still, this fight gets extra points for the different ways that he can be defeated, including with a trusty rocket launcher.
Nemesis - Resident Evil 3
In its original appearance, the Nemesis was so badass that the whole game was named after it. Nemesis spent the majority of the original Resident Evil 3 relentlessly pursuing special agent Jill Valentine. This proved to be such an effective tactic that it was later borrowed by Mr. X in the remake of Resident Evil 2.
With its fearsome body armor and grotesque mouth, not to mention the gravelly way it bellows out the word "S.T.A.R.S.," Nemesis has rightfully become an icon among Resident Evil villains. The final battle against Nemesis in both versions of RE 3 is profoundly satisfying. The creature manages to survive being submerged in acid and comes back for one more round. During this last encounter, Nemesis has mutated into a massive and monstrous final form. The moment when Jill jams a giant experimental railgun in the Nemesis' mouth and destroys it is one of the coolest moments in the series. This is particularly true in the remake, wherein the viscera from the exploding Nemesis literally rains down on Jill in a hilariously gruesome display.
Mr. X/T-00 - Resident Evil 2
This particular B.O.W. was already an intimidating force in the original version of Resident Evil 2. With 2019's remake, however, the T-00 model Tyrant, a.k.a. "Mr. X," arguably became one of the most iconic villains in video game history. The remake elevated Mr. X from a persistent threat to an unstoppable killing machine that hunts our heroes throughout the entire game.
That's why it feels especially hopeless when Leon finally takes Mr. X on in a fight at the end of his campaign. Mr. X walks through a fiery explosion only looking more powerful than ever, its burnt arm becoming a fleshy lance-like weapon.There's very little room for Leon to maneuver in as X makes one furious swipe after another at the beleaguered rookie cop. To make this battle even more iconic, it's topped off when Ada gives Leon his first rocket launcher (of many in the series).
Final boss battles don't get too much more satisfying than this one. After spending the majority of Resident Evil 2 running and hiding from Mr. X, it's extremely rewarding watching this monster get blown to smithereens.
Albert Wesker - Resident Evil 5
Up until Resident Evil 5, Albert Wesker remained a thorn in our heroes' sides. After revealing himself as a traitor in the very first game, Wesker gained regenerative abilities that ensured he'd be almost impossible to stop. Manipulating events from the shadows, Wesker sought to destroy humanity and remake the world in his image. Resident Evil 5 is when Chris Redfield and the gang managed to finally put Wesker down for good.
In other words, this was a big deal for the series. Luckily, the final battle against Wesker lives up to all of the hype. Regardless of Resident Evil 5's shortcomings, Wesker's last stand benefits from the absurd scale of the game. Weaker mutates himself nearly beyond recognition and throws down with Chris over an active volcano. He's finally killed with a tumble into the lava and — what else? — a rocket blast.
This final battle feels like a culmination of everything the series had built to up to that point. It's a fantastically bonkers end for an equally over-the-top (and persistent) villain.