History AwesomeBosses / TheLegendOfZelda

** Moreover, rather than simply [[HeKnowsAboutTimedHits waiting to press the button at the right time]], in this battle, you have to constantly try to get a hit in while simultaneously defending from Ganondorf's.

* The battles against Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris are considered highlights of the game thanks to the fast pace brought about by riding Sidon and a Sand Seal respectively, the catchy and energetic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2Jk1FAXENs musical]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4aB4d0Cwag tracks]] that play during both, and because the fact that the Zora and Gerudo arcs are more fleshed out than the other two (particularly when it comes to the character arcs of Sidon and Riju, who help you fight these bosses) gives the player more narrative satisfaction when fighting.

* Koloktos. Topping off [[BestLevelEver the Ancient Cistern]], he is a six-armed mechanical torso that seems easy at first. Use the [[WhipItGood whip]] to tear its arms off, then AttackItsWeakPoint to damage it. [[StrictlyFormula Same old Zelda]]. [[OhCrap Then it stands up]], puts a metal cage over its weak point, and pulls out [[{{BFS}} six swords the size of Link.]] And then it's chasing you around, slicing and smashing everything in sight. Oh, and [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies summoning zombies.]] How do you beat him? You whip off an arm, pick up that giant sword, [[AnArmAndALeg cut his other arms and legs off,]] and smash that cage to bits. He basically marks the point where Skyward Sword stops being great and [[SugarWiki/SoCoolItsAwesome starts kicking ass.]] The moment when you realize you can just ''wield'' one of those swords is amazing. You target one and get Fi's analysis, and she says that despite their size, Link should be able to wield them. The first thought through your mind is "can I really do this?" And then, when you dismember three arms with one swing, your next thought is "Holy crap! This is really happening!"

* The multi-headed dragon Gleeok is one of the hardest bosses because each head you sever catches fire and flies about the room, attacking you; this is also the reason he's the coolest boss, bar none. And the second one you face has FOUR of them. It's a shame Nintendo waited almost 40 years to finally bring him back in [[VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom one of the mainline 3D console installments]] (he did return prior to this in two 2D installments, namely ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Seasons]]'' and ''[[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'').

* The multi-headed dragon Gleeok is one of the hardest bosses because each head you sever catches fire and flies about the room, attacking you; this is also the reason he's the coolest boss, bar none. And the second one you face has FOUR of them. We can only wish Nintendo will eventually bring him back in one of the 3D console installments (he did return in two 2D installments, namely ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Seasons]]'' and ''[[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'').

* The BonusBoss at the end of the Take 'Em All On minigame, Dark Link, does not follow the same PuzzleBoss formula that the other bosses do. Instead, you face him in a fast-paced and utterly chaotic one-on-one sword fight.

* Gohma. You enter the boss room to find out what has been messing with [[EverythingsBetterWithDragons Valoo]]. At first, you just see Valoo's tail dangling through a hole in the ceiling over a pool of lava. Then, a massive scorpion rises from the lava, and you have to get rid of its armor by ''bringing the roof down on it''. Once you do get rid of its armor, you can speed up the fight by using the Grappling Hook on its eye to bring it within range of your sword, subverting the standard routine of waiting for it to expose its weak point in one of the most subtle ways possible. As the first boss in the game, it's pretty awesome.

** And the icing of the cake is the absolutely glorious [=CMOA=] that ends the battle: Link and Zelda wielding together the Lokomo's Sword (Yes, [[UpToEleven IT IS possible to deliver more fanservice]]) ''and thrusting it into Malladus forehead in a SmashingSurvival event''! And you thought topping Link stabbing Ganondorf's head with the Master Sword at the end of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'' was impossible!

** You fight him in what looks like a floor made of water in the sky. You sword duel him in a fairly normal matter until you knock him to the ground the first time. Then he gets to his feet, summons and lightning storm, and engulfs his sword in lightning. You then have to charge your own sword with lightning and stun him with electrified Skyward Strikes while avoiding his own Skyward Strikes and vicious charge attacks. Truly, one of ''Zelda'''s most epic final battles. ''[[SelfImposedChallenge Or]]'' you can duel him ''without'' relying on the electrified [[TitleDrop Skyward]] Strike, which is likely considering that [[GuideDangIt nothing tells you that you can use it]]. If this ''does'' happen, it can be really intense, because you can only get an opening by either evading his strikes at close range or timing the Shield Bash to deflect Demise's strikes three times, then quickly counterattacking. Very tough, very nerve-wracking, and yet ''really satisfying'' if you succeed.

** The awesomeness of the final fight is severely mitigated if you distract Ganondorf with the Fishing Rod from the very beginning of the game. Of course, if you don't do that...

* Anyone who has ever beaten ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Seasons]]'' will [[ThatOneBoss shudder at the name Dark Dragon.]] For those of you that haven't, he takes, for a GBC game, a ridiculous time to beat, deals moves that are almost unavoidable, and only appears after you beat his difficult, but comparatively easy first form. He's impressively gigantic, too, he takes up nearly the whole screen, completely dwarfing Link in size, and despite that, he's well animated ''and'' he has little trouble moving around. Suffice to say, one feels like a god after beating him. Of course, if you're on a linked game, you still get to fight Twinrova and Ganon. Luckily, you're able to heal beforehand.
** Perhaps what makes this boss fight even more awesome is the fact that it's a ''transplant'' from ''VideoGame/MegaManX'', specifically of Wolf Sigma, the final boss in the first game. That's right, a Mega Man final boss was made more epic through a Zelda ClimaxBoss.

* Fraaz is a Keese-like creature that can use both fire and "icy fire" to attack, and has probably one of the catchiest boss themes from the game (sharing parts of it with Cragma's theme). Pair in that it uses the boomerang much better than the fight against Blaaz in ''Phantom Hourglass'' and that the boss is a considerable step up in difficulty from Stagnox and it definitely earns a place.

* The Ganon battle in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'' takes place [[spoiler:in the middle of a flooding Hyrule]] and features a kimono-clad Ganon with two swords while Princess Zelda hijacks your bow so she can participate in the fight. And Link finishes the battle by jumping up in the air and [[spoiler:''ramming the Master Sword into Ganondorf's forehead'']]! And then Ganondorf [[spoiler: [[TakenForGranite turns to stone]]]], but not before he utters some of the most epic last words ever:
-->'''Ganondorf''': [[spoiler:The wind... it is... blowing...]]

* At the end of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', you get to fight Ganon in a one-on-one sword duel. Indeed, the entirety of the final battle in ''Twilight Princess'' is one big [=CMoA=] -- the first fight against [[spoiler: (Ganon in Zelda's body)]] isn't all that great (he uses the same easily beatable strategy he did back in ''A Link to the Past'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''), but from there, Ganon takes on his Giant Hell-Pig form, and Link and Midna shoot each other a confident, "Let's-do-this" smirk before engaging in a massive, shapeshifting teamwork free-for-all in which you ''wrangle a giant charging hell-boar and hurl him onto his side, then wail on the scar on his belly.'' Then comes a horse chase in which Link and Zelda (armed with the Bow of Light) team up and you fend off the ghostly hordes Ganondorf hurls back at you, giving Zelda a clear shot at him. ''Then'' comes the final SwordFight of awesome. You feel like a [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Hero]] after this, and it's well-earned.

** The awesomeness of the final fight is severely mitigated if [[spoiler: you distract Ganondorf with the Fishing Rod from the very beginning of the game. Of course, if you don't do that...]]

* The fight with Twinrova. Using the [[spoiler: mirror shield to fire their own attacks back at each other]]. And [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments the dialogue when you defeat them is hilarious,]] as is [[LuminescentBlush Link's reaction]] to [[BishonenLine their combination transformation]].

* Goht is the source of much entertainment. Throughout most of the dungeon, you're climbing up a tower. When you get up to the very top, you enter Goht's chamber. Initially nothing seems odd about it, so you [[SchmuckBait go ahead and fire a fire arrow at the thing trapped in a block of ice]]. A huge mechanical bull bursts out, smashes the walls, and '''tramples Link''' before running off. Well then, it's on now, so Link puts on the Goron Mask and starts to roll after Goht. As you roll down the raceway, you realise that this track ''wraps around'' the entire central chamber. You're using the Goron roll at full power, and there are jars that contain magic powerups so you can keep going without stopping. As you wear the boss down, he'll start throwing rocks, stalactites, and even ''bombs'' at you, and after you keep hitting him, he doesn't just collapse, he keeps going until he ''runs into a wall'' causing rocks to fall on him. And since he appears in ''[[GroundhogDayLoop Majora's Mask]]'', you can just keep resetting time, fighting him over and over. And that's why Goht is one of the greatest Zelda bosses ever. [[spoiler:Alternatively, there's a BoringButPractical way of facing him--by taking the shot with the Fire Arrow from the entryway, you remain in an alcove where Goht's attacks don't reach, where you can stay in base form and snipe him with arrows each time he passes by.]]

* Anyone who has ever beaten ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Seasons]]'' will [[ThatOneBoss shudder at the name Dark Dragon.]] For those of you that haven't, he takes, for a GBC game, a ridiculous time to beat, deals moves that are almost unavoidable, and only appears [[spoiler:after you beat his difficult, but comparatively easy first form]]. He's impressively gigantic, too, he takes up nearly the whole screen, completely dwarfing Link in size, and despite that, he's well animated ''and'' he has little trouble moving around. Suffice to say, one feels like a god after beating him. Of course, if you're on a linked game, you still get to fight Twinrova and [[spoiler:Ganon]]. Luckily, you're able to heal beforehand.

* Puppet Ganon. First, you beat his normal, vaguely-human-shaped form, and Link begins to jump for joy at having beaten him - but then, the supposedly defeated puppet shudders and turns into a gigantic spider. And after defeating that form, it once again leaps into the air and transforms once again, but this time into a huge snake. The music for the Snake Form is awesome, but best of all is the boss itself, because you've basically got to [[spoiler: shoot it in the butt with Light Arrows]]. Perhaps the best part, though, is the ending cutscene, where Link is practically on his hands and knees, panting and exhausted, then Ganon appears again and reminds him that he's still got one more battle before the adventures over. You can practically FEEL Link go, "Goddammit, why me?" at that point.

** It gets better once you destroy his first form, the sand goes away and you have to ''surf a spinning top'' alongside rails on the inner/outer walls. Stallord's floating goat head shoots at you? You jump to the other side, until he decides to blast fire at you. What do you do? [[spoiler: Ram straight into him]], both of you go down to the floor and you slash the heck out of the sword stuck in him.

* The battle with Argorok. Picture a battle with a fire-breathing dragon which takes place on top of a large tower which is situated [[spoiler:on top of a floating island thousands of feet in the air]], in the middle of a rainstorm while epic music plays, and after taking some damage, the boss decides to stay airborne and out of your reach... '''so you go after him''', [[DualWield dual-wielding]] your twin Clawshots so that you're flying around the arena like freakin' Franchise/SpiderMan. Can you say "bitchin'"?

** Also, of the four Twilight Mirror Shard bosses, Argorok is the only one you can Finish, [[spoiler:and is the last one you Finish before Ganon]]. That just shows how much of a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome its whole boss battle is.

** The fight is also a bit of FridgeBrilliance concerning Zant as a character. The guy [[spoiler:usurped the throne from Midna]], and then he goes and usurps the battle arenas from all the other bosses, proving he has no real power of his own and can't do a thing by himself.
* The Darknuts. One of the few enemies in the game tough and strong enough to draw out the full extent of the techniques you've learned, you're able to engage them in an extremely epic one-on-one duel in the main quest as you slowly wear down their armor before, like the Iron Knuckle, they become fairly agile without losing a lick of strength or defensive ability, fighting like watered-down versions of [[spoiler: Ganondorf's final form]]. Add in the fact that having to beat three to four of them at once to clear the BonusLevelOfHell is much, much harder than any of the temple bosses if you don't just chuck bombs and run away, and they easily qualify for the most badass of Ganondorf's forces.

* The BonusBoss at the end of the Take 'Em All On minigame, [[spoiler:Dark Link, does not follow the same PuzzleBoss formula that the other bosses do. Instead, you face him in a fast-paced and utterly chaotic one-on-one sword fight]].

* And finally, one of the best final boss battles in Zelda history (which is saying A LOT!): Malladus itself. [[spoiler:Especially the final phase, where he turns into an enormous demonic blue warpig-like creature, with horns and red hair. Sound familiar? And that's not even getting into how Link and Zelda -- back in her body -- team up to fight the very Ganon-like creature, ''and you have control over both of them''. It bears repeating: ''Link and Zelda team up, both under the player's full control, to fight a Ganon-like final boss.'' Gee, Nintendo, is it even possible to deliver any more fanservice?]]

** And the icing of the cake is the absolutely glorious [=CMOA=] that ends the battle: [[spoiler:Link and Zelda wielding together the Lokomo's Sword (Yes, [[UpToEleven IT IS possible to deliver more fanservice]]) ''and thrusting it into Malladus forehead in a SmashingSurvival event''! And you thought topping Link stabbing Ganondorf's head with the Master Sword at the end of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'' was impossible!]]

* Ghirahim's final form is an epic duel for the ages. After [[spoiler: taking his true form as a sword spirit]], Ghirahim lifts both you and him into the air on a floating platform. The fight then becomes a sequence of throwing Ghirahim off of a number of platforms, then [[ItsRainingMen plunging down on him from above with the Master Sword.]] When you finally reach the ground, Ghirahim [[LetsGetDangerous takes off the kid gloves]] and starts trying to lop your head off with a number of different swords, including a zweihander that you must literally ''slash to pieces'' in order to expose Ghirahim's weak point. And the part that makes this fight truly awesome? Thanks to the revolutionary motion controls, the one who does all of this is ''you''- you're not just playing Link. You ''are'' Link.

* The Imprisoned can be [[WarmupBoss fairly]] [[BreatherBoss easy]] in all of his incarnations, but the second and third battles are awesome for the sheer fact that [[spoiler:''[[TheRival Groose]]'', of all people, helps you win them by catapulting giant bombs ([[HumanCannonball and eventually you]]) at it.]]
* The game's final boss [[spoiler: Demise]] is one hell of a throwdown:
** You fight him in what looks like a floor made of water in the sky. You sword duel him in a fairly normal matter until you knock him to the ground the first time. [[spoiler: Then he gets to his feet, summons and lightning storm, and engulfs his sword in lightning. You then have to charge your own sword with lightning and stun him with electrified Skyward Strikes while avoiding his own Skyward Strikes and vicious charge attacks.]] Truly, one of ''Zelda'''s most epic final battles. ''[[SelfImposedChallenge Or]]'' you can duel him ''without'' relying on the [[spoiler:electrified [[TitleDrop Skyward]] Strike, which is likely considering that [[GuideDangIt nothing tells you that you can use it]].]] If this ''does'' happen, it can be really intense, because you can only get an opening by [[spoiler:either evading his strikes at close range or timing the Shield Bash to deflect Demise's strikes three times, then quickly counterattacking.]] Very tough, very nerve-wracking, and yet ''really satisfying'' if you succeed.

* Yuga is [[DudeLooksLikeALady horribly effeminate]] and [[AmbiguouslyGay camp as shit]] [[spoiler:and [[HijackingCthulhu hijacks]] ''Ganon''. Round one, Hilda vines up the walls like freaking [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Maleficent]], which means no wall-merging, which means this fight is almost right out of ''Link to the Past''. Then round two starts out as a game of [[TennisBoss Dead Man's Volley]], except he wall-merges right after the win - and Zelda gives you the ''Bow of Light''. That's right, you have to attack this guy ''while you're a painting''. First you get in behind him and shoot him in the back; he falls out, and you slash him. Then, another round of Volley. Then you shoot him in the ''face'', and while he's stunned, you go around and ''then'' shoot him in the back; he falls out and you slash him. Then he adds a ''second shot'' during the Volley, and you're ButtonMashing trying to keep up with this. Then he goes in, and tries to ''tackle you'' for trying to shoot him in the face. So you turn around, fire, and your shot ''circles the room and'' '''[[ExactlyWhatIAimedAt shoots him in the back]]'''. Then he falls out, and one more swing and you feel like a Hylia-damned ''hero''.]]

* The final boss of the Champion's Ballad DLC, [[spoiler:Monk Maz Koshia, is an absolute blast to fight. When you approach him, he seems nothing more than another Shrine Monk - but then he stands up, teleporting you to a boss arena, and then gives you a fight to truly test your worth. He starts out like a Yiga soldier but much stronger, swinging around ancient weapons and flash-stepping all over the place. His second phase has him summon shadow clones to confuse you, while his third phase has him grow to a ''massive'' size, throwing around tornadoes and metal balls. And as all this is going on, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dRq4EsKXd8 this]] plays in the background.]]

* The Ganon battle in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]'' takes place [[spoiler:in the middle of a flooding Hyrule]] and features a kimono-clad Ganon with two swords while Princess Zelda hijacks your bow so she can participate in the fight. And Link finishes the battle by jumping up in the air and [[spoiler:''ramming the Master Sword into Ganondorf's forehead'']]! And then Ganondorf [[spoiler: [[TakenForGranite turns to stone]]]], but not before he utters some of [[FamousLastWords the most epic last words ever:]]

* The BonusBoss at the end of the Take 'Em All On minigame, [[spoiler:Dark Link, does not follow the same PuzzleBoss formula that the other bosses do. Instead, you face him in a fast-paced and utterly chaotic one-on-one sword fight.]]
* [[spoiler:The Demon Train. Train vs. train fight, anyone? And unlike the Ghost Ship battle in ''Phantom Hourglass'', it's not ridiculously cheap, and there are simple and intuitive counters to each of its attacks. Plus, its final weak point is its enormous face, and it's oddly satisfying to pound it full of cannonballs and see it writhe in agony.]]

* Tentalus is no slouch, either. A giant, one-eyed, tentacle-haired kraken monster, you fight it at the end of a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Time-Shifted Ancient Robot Pirate Ship]]. Before you do that, however, you have to escape from the ship as Tentalus tears it a new one. You sprint from the lowest level to the deck as the ship shifts from side to side, dodging falling debris and charging your sword to chop through massive tentacles, all while the water rises behind you. By the time you reach the deck, Tentalus has ''torn the ship in half.'' You fight it on the wreckage in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. The HolyShitQuotient just went waaaaayyyy up.

* The battle with Argorok. Picture a battle with a fire-breathing dragon which takes place on top of a large tower which is situated [[spoiler:on top of a floating island thousands of feet in the air]], in the middle of a rainstorm while epic music plays, and after taking some damage, the boss decides to stay airborne and out of your reach... '''so you go after him''', [[DualWield dual-wielding]] your twin Clawshots so that you're flying around the arena like freakin' SpiderMan. Can you say "bitchin'"?

* The first boss proper: six giant Armos statues start attacking you in formation. This game introduced the concept of using the dungeon's item on the boss. What better way to let players know than letting them ruin the Armos' almost dance like attacks by unloading your entire quiver on them? And if you run out, you can still use the sword. And then when you kill five of them, the last one TurnsRed and starts jumping over to smash you into the ground.

[[quoteright:300:[[Videogame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shadowlink_4959.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:The epic struggle between light and dark starts here.]]

* Eagle's Tower introduces you to the Mad Batter. He's first faced as a miniboss who sends his six bats at you; defeating all six causes him to retreat, swearing to get revenge. Then you get to the boss room, and he's back, riding atop ''Evil Eagle'', who is battled atop a tower and can blow you off the tower with [[WindFromBeneathMyWings wind blasts]] and also mixes razor feathers in as well as a charge attack. And if you get blown off the tower, Evil Eagle's health is restored to full.
* The Nightmare. It's a FinalExamBoss, but (mostly) of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'''s most aggravating bosses, not ''Link's Awakening''. Then you realize: this is no ordinary Nightmare, this is ''[[FridgeBrilliance Link's personal Nightmare]]''.

* Moldugas are so much fun to fight. First you distract them by [[SchmuckBait rolling a bomb through the sand,]] and then detonating it when they investigate. Bonus points if you try to get daring and run around to lure it to the an explosion yourself. A massive monster who is possibly one of the most intimidating bosses in the game suddenly becomes just another big beast for you to conquer, and it is ''glorious.''

* The Thunderbird was created by the ancient King of Hyrule as a test for the hero to acquire the Triforce of Courage. What ensues is a frantic damage race, where you have to defeat it quickly before it can kill you, in which it can very easily. It's a difficult fight due to how much damage its fireballs does to you, but defeating the Thunderbird was quite an accomplishment back in the day.

* The fifth boss of ''Seasons'', Digdogger, returns from the first game. The first thing you'll notice in this fight is that the sword doesn't scathe him. Then you notice a spiked ball perched atop one of the room's pillars. Naturally, that's your main weapon in this fight. In what is arguably the series's most faithful example of "using the dungeon's weapon to beat the boss", you use the magnet gloves to attract and repel the spiked ball, ramming it into the boss. Then Digdogger splits apart into a bunch of tiny Digdoggers, which you use the spiked ball to ''run over''. The fact that the spiked ball can hurt ''you'' as well if you actually let it reach you before switching polarities arguably makes it even cooler.

* Jalhalla as well. He's a giant Poe, and like all other Poes, you must use the Mirror Shield to shine light at him, causing him to become material. Unlike the other Poes though, he falls to the floor, too heavy to move, and then you have to pick him up and throw him at the spiky walls, at which point he bursts into a bunch of little Poes that run around all over the room, vulnerable to your sword. If you've gotten the Hurricane Spin before this, then once you throw him, you charge it up and become a whirling tornado of destruction.

* Speaking of Ghirahim, all three of his own boss fights qualify, as well. The first one, especially, because [[WakeUpCallBoss he subverts the series-long tradition]] of having the boss' weakness be whatever item you picked up in the dungeon earlier. Here, the only weapon that will work against him is your sword... that is, if Ghirahim isn't too busy using it to slash ''you'' to bits because you telegraphed your moves and let him ''grab your sword out of your hand.'' Call him a SissyVillain if you want, but Ghirahim earns the title of Demon Lord with a vengeance.

* Jalhalla as well. He's a giant Poe, and like all other Poes, you must use the Mirror Shield to shine light at him, causing him to become material. Unlike the other Poes though, he falls to the floor, too heavy to move, and then you have to pick him up and throw him at the spiky walls, at which point he bursts into a bunch of little Poes that run around all over the room, vulnerable to your sword. If you've gotten the Hurricane Spin before this, then once you throw him, you charge it up and become a whirling tornado of destruction, possibly killing the boss after throwing him only once by destroying all the poes that make him up.

* Blizetta is awesome mostly from a story standpoint. The Yeti wife ended up becoming possessed by a mirror shard, turning into a ginormous ice monster. You defeat it by using the ball and chain to smash it into the wall!
** Once you defeat Blizzeta, the two Yetis reunite and literally create hearts for you to collect. Isn't that the sweetest thing?!