The 10 Strongest Soulsborne Characters

Isshin, the Sword Saint
“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)

Since the game’s release, the consensus among fans has been that Isshin, the Sword Saint is the hardest From Software boss ever made. First, you have to fight Genichiro, who is a pushover, but then you’ll be forced to endure 3 phases of the Sword Saint. This makes it a four phase boss, which only gets easier in the last phase, when he starts spamming lightning attacks. Lore wise, he’s a lot weaker than most bosses from other games. Still, modders have jammed him into “Elden Ring”, proving he’s more than capable of killing most of the games’ bosses. He can decimate Maliketh, Mohg, Radagon, and surprisingly even Malenia.

Orphan of Kos
“Bloodborne” (2015)

The Great Ones are monumentally powerful entities, able to traverse the multiverse, often described as gods. They’re some of the most powerful Soulsborne foes, with the most physically powerful one being the Orphan of Kos. It’s a fight with almost zero breathing room, since he’s extremely aggressive. It’s also one of the most disgusting boss fights, with him using a placenta as a weapon. Unlike the other Great Ones, the Orphan of Kos isn’t weak and dying, instead he’s a newborn, making him the most combat-proficient Great One. To beat him, you’ll need to be extremely aggressive, abusing the rally mechanic as much as possible.

Manus, Father of the Abyss
“Dark Souls” (2011)

While he’s not a god or deity, Manus still stands out as one of the most powerful manifestations of pure humanity. Once upon a time, he was a person, but he descended into insanity, and became the Father of the Abyss. The Abyss is a harrowing, dark void that corrupts everything it touches. Eventually, the Abyss corrupted the lands of Oolacile, decimating the entire civilization. Manus is so powerful that Gwyn sends Artorias, one of his most valued knights to deal with him. Mechanically, he’s also ridiculously tough, being a huge behemoth, who constantly jumps on your head.

Tarnished
“Elden Ring” (2022)

Being able to jump immediately makes the Tarnished stronger than the “Dark Souls” trilogy’s protagonists. Despite being depressingly maidenless, they manage to systematically annihilate an entire pantheon of demigods. They’re not just killing powerful individuals, they’re disrupting the rule of Outer Gods. Unfortunately, they still can’t swim, making water bodies one of their greatest fears. Depending on your ending, they can potentially transcend mortality. In Ranni’s ending, they’ll travel the cosmos together. The Frenzied Flame’s ending turns the world into pure chaos, while in other endings they’ll become the Elden Lord. Mechanically speaking, the overwhelming amount of build potential means the Tarnished can get insanely powerful, one-shotting the hardest bosses.

Slave Knight Gael
“Dark Souls III” (2016)

Gael can be considered one of the strongest foes in “Dark Souls III”. He began as a slave knight, a rank of warriors made to fight in the most grim battles. Despite this, he surpasses the strongest warriors, and eventually fully embraces the Dark Soul. By the time you fight him, he’s already killed everybody, and taken the Dark Soul for himself. The only way he can be defeated, is by traveling to the future, taking the Dark Soul for yourself, and letting the painter make an entirely new world. Also, we forgot to mention, he’s a nightmare of a boss fight.

Soul of Cinder
“Dark Souls III” (2016)

The trilogy’s final boss is the Soul of Cinder, ignoring the DLC. They’re the physical manifestation of everyone who has linked the First Flame. This makes them a fusion of the greatest warriors and sorcerers from history. During the fight, they’ll constantly switch between styles, such as charging you with a huge sword, or hurling magic death rays at you from far away. This boss represents everything the series was building towards, it’s the collective will of the First Flame, as opposed to an individual like previous Lords of Cinder. All this combined makes it arguably the most powerful entity in the trilogy.

Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
“Dark Souls” (2011)

Gwyn was one of the first to harness the First Flame’s power, making him one of the most influential figures in the canon. Gravelord Nito, the Witch of Izalith, and the Furtive Pygmy also received Lord Souls, but Gwyn was the strongest by a significant margin. Gwyn uses his great soul to control sunlight and lightning, a power he used to destroy dragons. His soul is the total opposite to the Dark Soul, discovered by the Furtive Pygmy. He managed to subdue the humans who wielded the Dark Soul, beginning the Age of Fire, making himself the god of sunlight. He’s also the game’s final boss, and he’s unbelievably fast and aggressive.

The Hunter
“Bloodborne” (2015)

Lore-wise, you could argue the Hunter is the strongest protagonist in the series. Their god body count is higher than any other, with the Great Ones being major bosses. They’re multi-dimensional beings, which make for some of the coolest and most frustrating boss fights in gaming. Depending on what ending you get, the Hunter can even become a Great One themself, and will then go on to “Lift humanity into its next childhood”. Most other protagonists never become divine beings. Mechanically, they can also pack a punch, having access to a mighty parry mechanic with decent mobility.

Elden Beast
“Elden Ring” (2022)

Mechanically speaking, the Elden Beast probably isn’t the toughest fight in the game, that prize probably goes to Malenia. Lore-wise, it is potentially the strongest. They’re the Elden Ring’s true form, the foundation of reality in the Lands Between. They can manipulate cosmic energy, alongside the fundamental laws of existence, dictating the world’s order. It perishes to the Tarnished, since they sever its connection with the Greater Will. For those unaware, the Greater Will is an abstract powerful entity that created both the Erdtree and the Elden Ring. By removing Destined Death, the Greater Will created immortal gods and demigods, which trapped the Lands Between in a vicious cycle.

Sekiro
“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)

Mechanically speaking, Sekiro is the strongest From Software character of all time. There’s no doubt about it, he could wipe the floor with literally anybody. Not only can he parry almost everything, including magical attacks, but he can resurrect himself, and has incredible mobility. Alongside this, he gets access to the mortal blade, one of From Software’s most ridiculously powerful weapons. It’s possible to mod Sekiro’s combat into other Soulsbornes, which reveals just how powerful his moveset is. Even if he went toe-to-toe with the Hunter, Sekiro’s parry is far greater, being able to deflect bullets. Also, he’s the only one who can swim, wall jump, and bounce on enemies’ heads.

Who do you think is the mightiest Soulsborne character? Let us know in the comments!