The 10 HARDEST Bosses in Fighting Games

Marie 300% “Skullgirls” (2012)

When fighting her normally, Marie can be a tough fight for those playing as clunkier characters like Black Dahlia. But we hope your skills as Squigly aren’t too rusty because if you want “Skullgirls’s” Platinum trophy, you’ll be required to defeat Marie 300%. This version of the menacing maid boasts a larger health bar and is way, way more aggressive on the offense. While some have claimed that there is a way to cheese this fight, it’s a little harder to pull off than your average Joe could. You’ll just have to execute some patience and practice spamming Squigly’s aerial attacks.

Tabuu “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” (2008)

Some may choose Master Core as the toughest boss of the “Smash Bros.” franchise, but naw – no matter how many times we come back to “Brawl”, Tabuu proves to be the most harrowing. This digital entity of Subspace comes with a massive arsenal of attacks ranging from eye lasers, blades, plasma cannons, and much, much more. Some will stun lock you while others just have insane launch power. Fight this dude anywhere above Normal difficulty, and you’ll have your work cut out for you. Better come in with the characters you know like the back of your hand.

Night Terror “Soulcalibur III” (2005)

Most “Soulcalibur” bosses aren’t this much of a slog to go through, but Night Terror is not most bosses. The ultimate incarnation of Nightmare can get you down to below half of your health with just a few hits. Even more alarming is when he takes to the sky, which is him telegraphing that his incoming laser beam is going to delete your health bar. And god help you if he so much as pokes you near the edge or pushes you off with his shockwave ability. Gotta love Ring Outs, right? Just wait until you fight the Mission Mode version of Night Terror!

Galactus “Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3” (2011)

Onslaught was also a worthy contender for this list. However, Galactus was just downright aggravating with his attacks. Everything he does takes up the entire screen. Appropriate to his character, yes, but when there is such little room to block incoming attacks, it becomes a tad difficult to love UMvC3. Your best bet is to just continuously assault him with characters like Zero or X-23. But once we tasted that power for ourselves with the Galactus mode, all was forgiven. UMvC3 will forever be great…just when we’re mowing our friends down with a broken team and not getting mowed down by Galactus’s fat hand.

Parace L’sia “Arcana Heart 3” (2011)

For the entire time you face off against Parace L’sia, you’ll find yourself asking when you can play the game you bought. Well, spoiler alert - you aren’t allowed. As soon as the fight begins, Parace will immediately assault you with a volley of projectile attacks and more. You’re basically going to be on strict defense for almost the entire fight, so you’ll be insanely lucky to find any sort of window to land so much as a poke. And yes, the boss fights get even harder from here as we’re only halfway through.

God Rugal “Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millenium 2001” (2001)

If you, for whatever reason, want to fight this edgelord for yourself, you’ll have to fulfill two of four unique conditions which are A) achieve at least one thousand GPS, B) use a Level Three Super to KO an opponent two times, C), beat the mini-boss, or D) get at least four special KOs. Do any of those, and you’ll get to participate in the most grueling fight Capcom and SNK have ever put together. How bad is God Rugal? Well, he has virtually no recovery frames, so punishing is out of the question. And because of that, he can just string attacks however he sees fit. No, you are not allowed to play the game. Enjoy the smell of defeat.

Alpha-152 “Dead Or Alive 4” (2005)

The “Dead Or Alive” games have seen some oppressive as hell bosses, but Alpha-152 is the absolute worst! You are looking at harassment incarnate, and worse, she takes virtually no skill to play!! So many of her combos require nothing more than mashing Kick several times or spamming Punch like there’s no tomorrow. Even her throws can deal absurd amounts of damage with just a couple of inputs. The only means to punish her is if she whiffs with an attack that leaves her suspended in the air for a bit.

Karai “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters” (1993)

Look, we love “Tournament Fighters”. Truly one of the best TMNT games Konami made at the time. However, if there is one phrase to describe how cheap Karai is, it's “input-reading”. Really, it feels as if everything you throw at Karai, no matter what, she knows how to counter before you can even press the button halfway! While Casey Jones has a projectile to cheese the win, it isn’t a completely reliable way to inflict damage. Even so, it's better than most of the other methods you could employ.

Dural “Virtua Fighter” series (1993-)

Normally, “Virtua Fighter” is pretty definitive in each character’s moveset. This one grabs a lot. This one is more defensive with counters. This one has stances. But Dural? Who the hell knows! Dural has such an obscenely strong mixup that it makes her almost possible to read. And if you’re guarding for just half a second too long, she knows to throw you instantly. Really, you need a new word to describe how cheap Dural can get. Here’s hoping SEGA will get the difficulty right with her if she’s coming back in “Virtua Fighter 6”.

Azazel “Tekken 6” (2007)

Azazel is just pain. A purple, pure pain in the ass that defies so much of what you know about “Tekken”. Not only can he deal a crap ton of damage up close, but he can juggle you with crystal spikes to the other side of the screen or push you away with a swarm of bats. To make matters worse, most attacks won’t even make him flinch! You’ll have to land a combo just to knock him off of his feet. If you’re not playing with a heavy hitter like Jack, Heihachi, or Paul, be prepared for several retries.

What’s the hardest boss you’ve faced in a fighting game? Did they make our list? Let us know down in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!