Generally, in video games, boss fights are supposed to be difficult to make players feel like they are fighting against something grand and special. While most bosses are meant to be defeated to continue the game's narrative, there are some that cannot be bested.
The reason why these bosses are supposed to beat the protagonist is primarily for the storyline or to establish the protagonist's current power level. This article will list five iconic bosses in video games who are meant to defeat the players.
5 boss fights where players are supposed to lose in video games
Most bosses in video games are designed with the mindset of giving players a challenge that should be overcome to get better at the game. However, some games do make exceptions and some of the best such instances are listed below:
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- Urizen (Devil May Cry 5)
- Genichiro Ashina (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice)
- Grafted Scion (Elden Ring)
- Vanguard Demon (Demon's Souls)
- Goro Majima (Yakuza Kiwami)
Note: This article is based on the writer's opinion and some games might not be on the list.
1) Urizen (Devil May Cry 5)
The Devil May Cry series is popularly known for its phenomenal narrative and over-the-top action. With the fifth installment of the official storyline, the developers brought the beloved Dante back alongside the stylish Nero. Not only that, they also introduced a new foe named Urizen, the demon king who is set on taking over the world.
Right after the players are done with the tutorial stage, they are dropped into their very first boss fight against Urizen. While it is general knowledge that a game's first boss is meant to be the easiest, this fact is swiftly proven wrong.
In the first fight, Urizen defeats players with no effort and makes them think that they have to start all over again. That isn't the case as his powers are too great and he cannot be defeated at that point. Interestingly, veteran players can still attempt to defeat the boss, and will instantly be given end credits for the game.
2) Genichiro Ashina (Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice)
Genichiro Ashina is the very first main boss of Sekiro, who makes his debut early on in the game. This boss shows up right after the tutorial boss, and is one of the hardest obstacles for any new player.
Most players are defeated by this boss quite easily in a sadistic display. A good player can defeat this first boss, but, during the cutscene, they are shown to lose on purpose to further the storyline.
3) Grafted Scion (Elden Ring)
Elden Ring is the most recent and first open world Soulsborne game, which boasts a huge resemblance to early games. As many may be aware, FromSoftware is well-known for putting hard bosses right at the very beginning of the game.
Much like Genichiro in the previous listing, this boss can also be defeated with pure skills and players who manage to do so get an exclusive reward. However, for a casual gamer, this boss is certainly the hardest and will defeat them so that they can continue the story.
4) Vanguard Demon (Demon's Souls)
Demon's Souls is widely established to be the base for creating Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and other games that belong to the Soulsborne genre. Just like every other FromSoftware game, Demon's Souls pushes players to the limit with an incredibly difficult tutorial boss to give them a taste of how hard the game is.
It is hard to defeat this boss with an inexperienced mindset and most will end up getting overwhelmed, making them feel the need to get better. If players do end up defeating it, they can still continue to play the game, but will have to stay alone for a while.
5) Goro Majima (Yakuza Kiwami)
Goro Majima is one of the most popular characters in the Yakuza series and was also a playable character in Yakuza 0. In the sequel, Yakuza Kiwami, Goro Majima shows up as a supporting character and welcomes back Kiryu, the protagonist who was sent to jail.
To reveal how rusty Kiryu has gotten during his imprisonment, Goro challenges him to a friendly spar. Being a boss fight at the very start, Goro has multiple health bars, making him impossible to finish as Goro can counter-attack almost anything that Kiryu throws at him.
Like the other games on this list, this boss fight was set up in this manner for the storyline and to display that Kiryu has lost his edge in street fights.
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