10 Bosses With the Most SURPRISING Second Phase Reveals

Soul Master
“Hollow Knight” (2017)

In “Hollow Knight,” players face off against the Soul Master at the top of the Soul Sanctum. And just like most bosses in the game, he can be pretty tough. He teleports, creates shockwaves with his slam attack, and produces deadly orbs, one of which can home in on you. After enough hits, Soul Master will frantically teleport around the arena, screaming in pain, before combusting. That, my friends, is a death scene, or at least it seems like one. Before you can gain your reward, the boss reappears, slams through the ground, and begins his second phase. The fake-out death is actually one of the more memorable aspects of the fight.

Doom Hunter
“Doom Eternal” (2020)

The first time you face one of these cybernetically enhanced demons in “Doom Eternal,” they can seem fairly intimidating. They can move pretty quickly, they have a variety of attacks with different ranges, and, during this early boss fight, bring a whole lot of friends to the party. Then again, you’re the Doom Slayer, and ripping through enemy forces is always a blast. Killing the first Doom Hunter is satisfying. Of course, then you drop down from the arena, hear ‘We are not done yet,’ and two more spawn right in front of you. Thankfully, there are still plenty of weaker enemies to gain health and ammunition from. The surprise is thrilling, as is the fight itself.

Garm
“God of War Ragnarök” (2022)

After Atreus frees the giant Helhound, Garm, who begins tearing holes in reality, he and Kratos have to fix that mistake. It seems you’ll have to kill the poor beast, and eventually, Kratos snaps his neck with his own chain. Atreus isn’t too happy about it. But the situation and Kratos himself point out that this was the only way. You even get a few moments of traveling, making you feel like you’ve put another boss fight behind you. So, when Kratos is struck by a massive chain from behind, with Garm standing undefeated, it’s a pretty surprising moment. Turns out, Garm can’t be killed. You then go through a tense chase sequence and another round with Garm before Atreus comes up with an alternative solution.

King K. Rool
“Donkey Kong Country” (1994)

This one is a classic. King K. Rool is the leader of the Kremlings, who have been wreaking havoc on DK’s island the whole game. When you face off against him at the end, you’ve got to dodge his crown throws and bonk him on the head, while also avoiding the giant cannon balls that drop from above. After you’ve dealt enough damage, the big bad will collapse, seemingly defeated. The game then starts to roll credits with the names of the enemies, but concludes with ‘The End?’ After that, King K. Rool hops back up, and begins a second phase, where he’s much quicker. The fake out credits roll is a fun little moment to make players think they’re victorious.

Mother Brain
“Super Metroid” (1994)

Another classic on the Super Nintendo, the final boss of “Super Metroid” plays out very similarly to that of the original game. Samus makes it through Mother Brain’s defenses, and unleashes damage as quickly as possible while dodging incoming attacks. It seems like a recreation of her first appearance, just with better visuals and controls. The brain even turns grey after her life is drained, and the equipment holding her is destroyed in fiery explosions. Of course, she isn’t dead, and her color returns along with a new intimidating, T-rex-like body. Mother Brain’s second phase is not only surprising, but much more difficult. And it even comes with its own twist of the baby Metroid saving Samus, and giving her a brand new power-up to unleash on the villain.

Hades
“Hades” (2020)

Most boss fights in “Hades” come with a single health bar, even if they do move through phases. Not the big bad, though. Firstly, it’s highly unlikely you’ll defeat Hades the first time you face him. Since the game is a roguelike, you’ll probably need to unlock some upgrades to withstand his attacks. Secondly, you die so often in this game, especially when starting out, that when you do finally drain his health bar, you’re so proud of yourself that you never expect him to refill it…until he does. There’s even a dialogue exchange preceding it, making you think you’ve reached the end. Of course, the second phase is far more difficult, sending many players right back to the start. Brutal.

Mettaton
“Undertale” (2015)

Mettaton, a robot obsessed with both TV stardom and murdering you, is a hilarious obstacle you encounter throughout the Hotland region in “Undertale.” You face him in a variety of humorous situations, including a quiz show, before his actual boss fight. Here, his regretful creator, Alphys, tells you defeating him involves flipping the switch on his back. Well, do so, and Mettaton won’t be defeated, but gain a new body that can only be defined as glamorous. None of us expected a standard looking bot to go through such a divine transformation. The battle itself is also quite creative. Different actions, even taking damage, boost Mettaton’s ratings until they’re high enough where you can end the fight.

Ganondorf
“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (2023)

Ganondorf’s fight in “Tears of the Kingdom” is a bit different from the others on our list. It isn’t surprising in the slightest that he has a second phase, as we see his Demon King form in flashbacks. What is surprising, however, is how that phase starts. Ganondorf brags about his power, transforms, and his health bar refills; all par for the course. But then, the health bar just…keeps going, extending to the end of the screen. Even when bosses refill their health bars, they don’t usually get longer. It’s a small but clever troll, creating a funny ‘Oh Crap’ moment for the player. Not for nothing, but this phase is also probably the most fun of the three, and definitely the most challenging.

Volo
“Pokémon Legends: Arceus” (2022)

Towards the end of the main story in “Pokémon Legends: Arceus,” the merchant Volo reveals his true, more sinister nature. He seeks out Arceus to take control of it, to destroy and rebuild the world as he sees fit. Players face off against his team of six Pokémon at the Temple of Sinnoh, which is a little tough but manageable. Your Pokémon all gain XP, making it seem like the fight is over. Of course, it isn’t. The legendary Giratina comes through a portal, which Volo immediately takes control of, and the second phase begins. This is a much harder fight, especially since you don’t get to heal your team before it starts. Even though Volo had mentioned Giratina before this, we didn’t expect them to join forces immediately after his defeat.

Guardian Ape
“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)

Many of FromSoftware’s bosses, and those in games that emulate the studio’s style, feature second phases. And some of them do surprise you. But none of them catch you quite as off-guard as the Guardian Ape in “Sekiro.” Naturally, the boss is already a force to be reckoned with, and likely racked up a ton of player deaths before they got the upper hand. When you do, you decapitate the ape, which seems like a clear-cut victory with ‘Shinobi Execution’ displaying on screen. But everyone was horrified to find the corpse reanimated, continuing the fight with much more erratic movement. As we’d find out, a massive centipede had infested the boss, causing its posthumous movement. This second phase after what seemed like a definitive end made the Guardian Ape a stand out foe of the game.

What second phase took you completely by surprise? Let us know about it in the comments!