Boss fights are usually epic, but they can be unintentionally hilarious at times. Some video game bosses are so ridiculous to trigger questions on whether the developers were having a laugh, or they genuinely thought it was cool.
Oftentimes, it’s a weird mix of both. Either way, it certainly worked in the game’s favor, as these bosses won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Whether it's in iconic stealth thrillers like Metal Gear Solidor the loveably campy '80s arcade shoot-'em-ups like NARC, video game bosses have always had the potential for hilarity.
10 Psycho Mantis - Metal Gear Solid (1998)
Psycho Mantis is a boss character from the video game Metal Gear Solid. He has psychic abilities, including telekinesis and mind reading, and he uses them to manipulate the game's protagonist, Solid Snake. The sympathetic Metal Gear Solid villain is infamous for messing around physically with the player’s controller, but the hilarious part comes from his reading of the PlayStation's memory card.
It’s meant to be intimidating in-universe, but truthfully, there’s just something so absurd about a psychic experiment being familiar with Konami’s latest video game offerings. FOXHOUND has a pretty fun lounge area, it seems. Psycho Mantis is the first instant of Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima showing the world just how ridiculous his boss fights could get.
9 Alduin - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
The final boss fight against Alduin is one of the funniest events in Skyrim if the player decides to do everything else first. Known as the "World-Eater," Alduin is an ancient and powerful being prophesied to destroy the world. This being a Bethesda game, the player isn’t in any rush thanks to all the side quests they're likely to do first.
Bethesda games aren’t exactly known for their balance, and by the time the player meets Alduin, what should have been an epic encounter can end in literal seconds. The boss fight, at this point, has become laughably easy for the player. After all, even gods are no match for min-maxers in video games.
8 Titan Joker - Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)
Batman: Arkham Asylum is an action-adventure video game starring the titular Dark Knight as he attempts to stop the Joker from taking over Arkham Asylum. After an entire game of playing mind games with Batman, Joker finally shows up to fight him in the end. Unfortunately, that happens an absurdly buff Joker isn't exactly quotable.
Instead of torturing Batman with tricks or mind games, Joker injects himself with super steroids and becomes a clown version of Bane, complete with a silly mohawk. Instead of being intimidating, it comes off as completely comical. Brawn is not the Joker’s strength, and this final encounter shows it.
7 Hiroya Egashira, aka “Mr. Shakedown” - Yakuza 0 (2015)
Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the Yakuza series of video games. Set in Japan's criminal underworld during the 1980s, it follows the story of two characters, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, as they battle rival gangs and navigate the complex political landscape of the yakuza. This gritty-sounding premise is quickly revealed to be a smokescreen for a truly silly game.
While there are lots of meme-worthyYakuza 0 boss fights, few are as bizarre as the first Mr. Shakedown, Hiroya Egashira. He extorts money from the player by physically overpowering them in street battles, but not for any reasons related to crime or the main story. Instead, Hiroya wants to become the strongest being in the universe by funding his training through “shakedowns”. The contrast of this silly motivation with his difficulty makes him an unintentionally hilarious boss of the series.
6 Yawn - Resident Evil (1996)
Resident Evil is one of the most iconic survival horror franchises. The original game follows the story of a special police task force called S.T.A.R.S. sent to investigate a series of bizarre murders in a remote mansion, only to find that the mansion is overrun by zombies and other monsters. Amid all the body horror and blood, something out of place slithers in the distance.
After facing iconic Resident Evil monsters such as lickers and zombie dogs, it’s weirdly funny, if not shocking at first, to see a giant snake pop up out of nowhere. The snake doesn’t even have any visible zombie mutations other than the fact that it’s a really big snake. In a series now known for its B.O.W. (bio-organic weapon) bosses like Mr. X and Nemesis, Yawn stands out as a bizarrely mundane one.
5 Rodrigo Borgia - Assassin’s Creed II (2009)
Assassin's Creed II is an action-adventure video game that begins the era of Ezio for the franchise. The player character, Ezio, must uncover the truth about the Assassins and the Templars and take revenge against those responsible for the death of his family. Throughout the game, politics and exciting action intersect in a fascinating fashion in this historical thriller.
Ezio's story is like an underrated classic book adaptation, so few could have expected the climactic final battle to be a fistfight with a doddering old man. Rodrigo Borgia is historically known as one of the worst Popes to have ever lived, so there’s some definite schadenfreude in getting to punch him in the face over and over again.
4 Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is yet another fantastic Soulslike game by From Software. Set in the Sengoku era of Japan, it follows the story of a shinobi named Wolf who sets out to take revenge on a powerful samurai clan that kidnapped his lord and left him dismembered. As is typical of these games, there are tons of memorable hard boss fights in Sekiro.
Still, one boss fight that won’t be leaving the mind anytime soon is that of Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa. Without even seeing him first, the player hears the boss scream his name and roar into battle atop his horse. This is a sharp contrast to his serious boss counterparts, and there have been many memes made about the boss' excitable nature. Bonus points if one immediately lands a death blow right after his big boast, for even more unintentional comedy.
3 Daud - Dishonored (2012)
Dishonored is set in a steampunk-inspired world and follows the story of Corvo Attano, a bodyguard who is falsely accused of murder and seeks to clear his name and restore his honor. He must take revenge on those who betrayed him and uncover the truth behind the conspiracy. Soon enough, he meets the true assassin of his empress.
The duel with Daud rewards the player's knowledge of Dishonored facts, challenging their knowledge, and often results in an epic duel between two master assassins. However, for Ghost playthroughs, in which players must not be detected and can kill only key targets, there’s a particularly creative way to resolve it. By simply stealing an item from Daud without him noticing, Corvo communicates that Daud is so outclassed that he chose to spare him. It’s unintentionally amusing in that the game considers this as taking him out, and an anticlimactic way for Corvo’s vengeance to end.
2 Mr. Big - NARC (1988)
NARC puts the player in the role of the eponymous NARC (Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) agent who must fight against drug dealers, street gangs, and other criminals by shooting and killing them in order to proceed through the levels. These kinds of games were everywhere at the height of the D.A.R.E. anti-drug program, but it’s clear the devs weren’t taking it very seriously.
The game is about as over-the-top as the definitive '80s arcade games tended to be, but it really reaches the apex of absurdity with the final boss, Mr. Big. The man has a giant framed picture of himself and rolls around in a machine gun wheelchair, before turning into a freakishly giant head spewing flames. It could have been nightmare fuel, but the complete detachment from reality in the game’s ending is unintentionally hilarious.
1 Senator Armstrong - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013)
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a character action game set in the Metal Gear universe. It follows the story of Raiden, a cyborg who fights a private military company using his high-speed sword-fighting skills and his cyborg abilities. Revengeance takes the cake as far as high-octane action goes, and that's saying a lot because the Metal Gear franchise has always been weird.
Few could have expected the final boss of the game to be a nano-enhanced United States senator. While many aspects are most definitely made to be funny, the fact that Senator Armstrong debates Raiden about politics in the middle of an anime fight is surreal. The game frames it as a serious fight, but it’s also one of the funniest in Metal Gear’s history.
Source:gamerant.com