10 Video Game Bosses Who HUMILIATE You For Losing
#10: Great Shinobi Owl
“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)
A strong argument can be made for every single Souls boss being on this list. The way they keep spamming attacks after your death is exceedingly embarrassing. Out of all of them, we consider Sekiro’s father to be the most demeaning. Each time he beats you, he’ll recite the iron code. The majority of players will hear the first two parts of the iron code. More frustrated players may take a Jizo Statue and get a third life, and they’ll hear him prattle on about the iron code’s final tenet. To summarise, he’s essentially telling you to get good.
#9: Baldur
“God of War” (2018)
Baldur doesn’t get a special cutscene or anything when you lose to him. Regardless of that fact, he spends the entire fight taunting and poking at Kratos. He’s immediately insufferable, taunting Kratos with lines like “pointless. You bore me. Are you even trying?” This makes it especially humiliating when he beats you. Additionally, their first fight is completely one-sided, so you really should feel bad if you die. In fairness, Kratos is much stronger in cutscenes, where his shield blocks tremendous boulders. It makes you wonder, why are there so many unblockable attacks in the game, when he’s capable of that?
#8: The Credits
“Nier: Automata” (2017)
The final climax to one of the century’s most profoundly philosophical games is a hilarious fight with the credits. Each time you die, the game will get progressively more insulting. It starts small, asking if you give up. With every death, it gets more condescending, asking things like “do you think games are silly little things?” and “do you admit there is no meaning to this world?” If you’re connected to the internet, you’ll quickly realize it’s made to be unbeatable by yourself. After enough deaths, you can ask for help, but if you get the help killed, they’ll lose their entire save file. It’s a wonderful sequence, which perfectly reflects the game’s morals and meaning.
#7: Shao Kahn
“Mortal Kombat” Franchise (1992-)
Given its gory nature, any defeat in “Mortal Kombat” can feel humiliating. We decided to only choose one, and our pick was easily Shao Kahn. Not only is he one of the hardest bosses, but he’s also the most condescending. He’s maintained this reputation since “Mortal Kombat II”, but his “Mortal Kombat 9” appearance was his most famous. Khan was its final boss, and is still considered by fans as the series’ hardest fight. He’ll taunt you constantly, and if you die, he’ll just stand there and laugh. It’s irritating, but it makes beating him especially satisfying.
#6: Vergil
“Devil May Cry” Franchise (2001-)
As the series’ primary antagonist, Vergil is constantly belittling Dante. He’s a major boss in both DMC 3 and 5, and he’ll be constantly throwing sass at his brother, Dante. Vergil considers himself the rightful heir to Sparda, and he considers Dante’s laid-back, human attitude to be weak. This makes him stand out as one of the most condescending bosses in history. He’s got so many iconic insults, some even feel like poetry. Others, like the concise “you moron”, are the complete opposite end of the spectrum. It reflects the utter contempt he has for his brother, and makes it sting hard when he beats you.
#5: Psycho Mantis
“Metal Gear Solid” (1998)
It was only the third major entry in the franchise, but it gave us one of the most mechanically memorable villains in gaming history. He’ll disable your controller, and to defeat him you’ll have to switch it to the controller 2 slot. One of his most famous gimmicks is reading through your memory card, and judging you for your gaming preferences. If you know what to do, he’s a walk in the park. If you’re ignorant of the gimmick, you’ll probably get killed repeatedly. Every time you die, Mantis will call you things like a “stupid fool”. The icing on the condescending cake is the always intense “Metal Gear” “Game Over” screen.
#4: Handsome Jack
“Borderlands 2” (2012)
The second game introduced the series’ most popular character - Handsome Jack. Throughout the whole game, he’ll ring and mock the player every few minutes. After dying, he doesn’t personally insult you, but he runs the New-U Stations, and they’ll berate you after respawning. So from the start, all the way until the end, you’ll have little to no breaks from Jack’s sass. Eventually, you’ll make it to the final boss, and end his reign of terror once and for all. If you keep playing afterward, the Hyperion respawn points won’t be any less passive-aggressive. Even in death, Handsome Jack knows how to humiliate you.
#3: Joker
“Batman: Arkham” Franchise (2009-)
Literally, all bosses in the “Arkham” franchise will berate you after you lose. To avoid this list being full of Batman villains, we only selected the Joker. In every game he appears, he’ll have hilarious death screens. He’s also Batman’s main rival, and knows exactly how to taunt him. These range from witty, well-constructed quips, to him just laughing in your face. To him, it’s a celebration. The humiliation peaks when you start seeing the same insults repeat. The Arkham series easily has some of the most creative death screens in gaming.
#2: GLaDOS
“Portal” Franchise (2007-22)
Is there a more passive-aggressive and sarcastic character in a video game than GLaDOS? She makes your whole time in Aperture Science as hilarious as it is humiliating. Since it’s a puzzle game, it’s a bit harder to outright lose. It’s still possible to die, and if you do, GLaDOS won’t hold back. Alternatively, if you get stuck on a puzzle for too long, she gets increasingly condescending. Unlike other bosses, with straightforward insults, GLaDOS gets painfully personal. More than 15 years after her introduction, she still sticks out as one of the most amusing and quotable characters in a video game.
#1: Sans
“Undertale” (2015)
Initially friendly to the character, if you successfully commit genocide, he’ll be the final boss. He has only 1 health point, but he’ll dodge almost all of your attacks. While you get the same death screen fighting Sans as you would anywhere else, he’ll make snide comments at you for missing. On top of this, he’ll start the fight by commenting on how many times he’s beaten you already. This makes him even more of a nightmare to defeat. Can you be mad at him though? You’re the one who committed literal genocide.
Which boss humiliated you the most? Let us know in the comments!
