Summary
There are two great joys in gaming almost everyone shares. Unlocking a boss character as playable, or adding them to your party, is one of the best. The other is the reverse, facing the protagonist or one from earlier in the series as a boss fight.
Being on the other end of the abilities you used to plow through the story is an experience that never gets old, so it’s a bit of a surprise it doesn’t happen more often. With that in mind, here are some video game protagonists who would make great boss fights.
9Kasuga Ichiban
Like A Dragon
The Like A Dragon series, previously called Yakuza in the West, has no shortage of tough-as-nails protagonists, but most of them have already featured as boss fights at some time or another. The stark exception is Ichiban, the lovable goof who has become the leading man of the series.
This would be interesting because Ichiban doesn’t fight normally. His games are turn-based, but characters have said he really fights that way. Going up against him would either change the mechanics of the game to match his style, or you’d be tackling a very bizarre enemy indeed. Either way, it would be great fun.
8Aloy
Horizon
Aloy is one of the best protagonists in recent years, brought to life with a powerful performance from voice actress Ashley Burch. She’d make a great boss fight too, constantly changing her approach thanks to the tools at her disposal.
Fighting from range with her bow, closing the distance with her spear, laying traps and even sending overridden machines against you could all be different phases. The only reason to argue against this is it would mean changing the protagonist, a risky proposition for the series.
7Geralt Of Rivia
The Witcher
Geralt is a little like Wolverine: he’s the best there is at what he does. Although you’ll specialize him while playingThe Witchergames, he can do it all. Swordplay, signs, alchemy, and more are all at his disposal when it comes to tackling threats.
Getting to square off against him as a genuine boss fight would be an incredible experience, and not out of the realms of possibility as the series goes on. A friendly sparring match is more likely, but a no-holds-barred combat would be one for the ages.
6Past Champions
Pokemon
Pokemonhas let you battle your previous characters before, most notably when you take on Red during Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal. What’s so baffling is that this isn’t done all the time, fighting past protagonists using their region’s top Pokemon should be in every game.
This does get trickier to implement now that your character is customizable, but give us a shadowy figure, a glitchy hologram, or anything at all to make this work. It being a rare treat rather than a staple is mind boggling.
5Yuna
Final Fantasy 10
Yuna, the real main character ofFinal Fantasy 10(sorry Tidus) would make a terrifying boss fight. Although you fight other Summoners in that game, they generally only have one Aeon they call upon. Having to defeat Yuna, who can call on all of them, would be a tall order.
Even in Final Fantasy 10-2 she’d be a tough nut to crack, using the Dressphere system to constantly switch jobs and change her combat style. If we ever do get the teased Final Fantasy 10-3 then she’ll probably get a third, equally variable, set of skills.
4The Sole Survivor
Fallout 4
There’s no build you could give the Sole Survivor fromFallout 4that wouldn’t make them terrifying to take on as a boss.Fully kitted out Power Armoris a walking tank that you probably couldn’t face head on, especially with heavy weapons thrown into the mix.
A stealth build might be even more frightening. Getting caught with a critical out of nowhere would be an instant Game Over screen, sending you to reload the game without them ever needing to reload their gun.
3Your CAW
WWE
TheWWE 2Kgames featurea story mode filled with unlockables, called MyRise, where you create your own wrestler and take them through a series of short storylines. It’s a shame that by the end they don’t flip the script on you, handing you an existing WWE Superstar to play as and forcing you take on the monster you maxed the stats for.
The good news is you can always do this yourself, setting up any kind of dream match your heart desires. The real challenge, though, is making 29 custom wrestlers and trying to run through them all at a Royal Rumble.
2V
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077may have had a rough start, butit’s now one of the best gamesout there. Part of that is helped by V being a compelling character, no matter who you make them to be. They can also be an absolute combat monster if you set them up correctly.
Whether it’s a master netrunner of a Sandevistan ninja with a samurai sword, fighting V would be amazing. For an idea of how strong V is, remember that David from Edgerunners was using bleeding edge combat tech and Adam Smasher beat him. V runs through Adam Smasher like he’s made of paper.
1Commander Shepard
Mass Effect
The hero who saved the Citadel, commander of the Normandy, approver of messages. Commander Shepard from the originalMass Effecttrilogy is the rare example of an almost flawless main character, and they’d make a superb boss fight.
You just have to hope that the version of Shepard you’re taking on isn’t from the Control ending. Shepard the human you might be able to fight, but Shepard the AI controlling every single Reaper in the galaxy is going to be insurmountable.
