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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports [[TeleportSpam ''excessively.'']] ]]
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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports [[TeleportSpam ''excessively.'' excessively. '']] ]]
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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports {{TeleportSpam''excessively.''}} ]]
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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports {{TeleportSpam''excessively.''}} [[TeleportSpam ''excessively.'']] ]]
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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports [[TeleportSpam''excessively.'']] ]]
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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports [[TeleportSpam''excessively.'']] {{TeleportSpam''excessively.''}} ]]
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* VillainTeleportation: Like hell! See above.
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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports ''excessively.'']]
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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports ''excessively.'']][[TeleportSpam''excessively.'']] ]]
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* VillainTeleportation: She's the main BigBad of the game, and she teleports like crazy with graceful spins.
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* Villain Teleportation: Whether he's [[AmbiguouslyEvil truly villainous or not is up for debate,]] but he certainly teleports. [[spoiler: The Nightmare King teleports ''excessively.'']]
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The page's name is plural, so the link should also follow
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[[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists Protagonist]] | ''[[Characters/HollowKnightHallownest Hallownest]]'' ([[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs Assorted [=NPCs=]]], [[Characters/HollowKnightLoreAndHistory Historic Characters]], '''Bosses''') | ''[[Characters/HollowKnightSilksongPharloom Pharloom]]'']]]]-]
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[[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists Protagonist]] Protagonists]] | ''[[Characters/HollowKnightHallownest Hallownest]]'' ([[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs Assorted [=NPCs=]]], [[Characters/HollowKnightLoreAndHistory Historic Characters]], '''Bosses''') | ''[[Characters/HollowKnightSilksongPharloom Pharloom]]'']]]]-]
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* MadArtist: Grimm views himself as a performer first and foremost, and is quite prone to theatrics between bouts of acrobatic violence that he and the Troupe refer to as "dancing".
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* MadArtist: Grimm views himself as a performer first and foremost, and is quite prone to theatrics between bouts of acrobatic violence that he and the Troupe refer to as "dancing".
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Moth Menace is when it is a moth or moth person doing the menacing, and Grimm doesn't have an actual moth motif (unlike The Radiance) so I changed the trope accordingly.
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* {{Foil}}: Could be considered one to [[spoiler:the Radiance. Both are powerful, [[MacabreMothMotif moth-like ]] creatures [[DreamWalker tied to the dreaming world,]] but while the Radiance is an [[GodIsEvil evil,]] [[GreenEyedMonster petty]] entity of [[LightIsNotGood light]] that acts as the god of "good" dreams, Grimm is a [[AffablyEvil polite]], theatrical creature of [[DarkIsNotEvil dark]] and [[PlayingWithFire fire]] known as the "Nightmare King", which may make him the Main/{{Satan}} to the Radiance's Main/{{God}}.]]
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* {{Foil}}: Could be considered one to [[spoiler:the Radiance. Both are powerful, [[MacabreMothMotif [[MothMenace moth-like ]] creatures [[DreamWalker tied to the dreaming world,]] but while the Radiance is an [[GodIsEvil evil,]] [[GreenEyedMonster petty]] entity of [[LightIsNotGood light]] that acts as the god of "good" dreams, Grimm is a [[AffablyEvil polite]], theatrical creature of [[DarkIsNotEvil dark]] and [[PlayingWithFire fire]] known as the "Nightmare King", which may make him the Main/{{Satan}} to the Radiance's Main/{{God}}.]]
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* MacabreMothMotif: [[CartoonCreature While his species is not explicitly named in-game]], it's possible that he's a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calyptra_(moth) Calyptra moth]], AKA the vampire moth, given that he resembles a classic vampire and is [[spoiler:hanging upside-down like a vampire]] when the player returns with the final flames for the Grimmchild. [[spoiler:Reinforced by the fact that moths are connected to the Dream, and Grimm is associated with the Nightmare]], though this leaves several questions related to the history of the moths unanswered.
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* MacabreMothMotif: MothMenace: [[CartoonCreature While his species is not explicitly named in-game]], it's possible that he's a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calyptra_(moth) Calyptra moth]], AKA the vampire moth, given that he resembles a classic vampire and is [[spoiler:hanging upside-down like a vampire]] bat]] when the player returns with the final flames for the Grimmchild. [[spoiler:Reinforced by the fact that moths are connected to the Dream, and Grimm is associated with the Nightmare]], though this leaves several questions related to the history of the moths unanswered. While how much "menace" applies to his intentions is ambiguous, he's certainly dangerous enough in a fight and even his larva-like Grimmchild can be surprisingly aggressive towards non-hostile bugs for [[EvilDetectingDog better]] or worse.
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* AnimalisticAbomination: In general looks, she has a lot of Moth-like elements in her design, but it's obvious she's far beyond anything like that.
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* AnimalisticAbomination: In general looks, she has a lot of [[MothMenace Moth-like elements in her design, design]], but it's obvious she's far beyond anything like that.
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* LadyOfWar: The Mantis Lords are all proud, elegant, badass warriors that gracefully leap and dash around the arena.
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* ContraltoOfDanger: They never say anything, but the noises they make when defeated indicate they have deep voices.
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* AcidAttack: It gains two acid-based attacks in a patch. The blobs stick around for a while after hitting the floor, restraining movement.
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* HollywoodAcid: The Nosk has gained two acid attacks as of a patch. The blobs stick around for a while after hitting the floor, restraining movement.
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''"Some rare creatures are so weak, so helpless, so inept and so irritating that hunting them gives no pleasure."''
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!!!'''Backer:''' Dmitry Shcherbakov
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->''"Some rare creatures are so weak, so helpless, so inept and so irritating that hunting them gives no pleasure."''
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''"Some rare creatures are so weak, so helpless, so inept and so irritating that hunting them gives no pleasure."''
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* HardLevelsEasyBoss : The true challenge isn't defeating Zote but making your way to him by surviving the trial.
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* HardLevelsEasyBoss HardLevelsEasyBosses : The true challenge isn't defeating Zote but making your way to him by surviving the trial.
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* HardLevelEasyBoss : The true challenge isn't defeating Zote but making your way to him by surviving the trial.
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* HardLevelEasyBoss HardLevelsEasyBoss : The true challenge isn't defeating Zote but making your way to him by surviving the trial.
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* TheBattleDidntCount : Zote is one of the few bosses who survive his battle.
* HardLevelEasyBoss : The true challenge isn't defeating Zote but making your way to him by surviving the trial.
* HardLevelEasyBoss : The true challenge isn't defeating Zote but making your way to him by surviving the trial.
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* ForegoneVictory : Zote doesn't damage the player, his fight is only a joke.
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* LoadBearingBoss : He destroys the arena by his own attack, eventually leading to his death.
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* LoadBearingBoss : He destroys the floor as a transition to his second phase.
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* TheBattleDidntCount :She is one of the few bosses to survives their battle.
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* TheBattleDidntCount : He is one of the few bosses to survive his battle.
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* TheBattleDidntCount : Once again, she doesn't die after being defeated.
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* DegradedBoss : Two Gruz Mothers reappear in the Colosseum of the Fools as regulars enemies.
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* EarlyBirdBoss: She only poses a threat by the fact that the player will have to fight her without any abilities or upgrades.
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* BossInMookClothing : They lack a subtitle and an introduction animation but act as boss in everything else.
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* PowerFloats: The Soul Master can levitate above the ground, forcing the Knight to jump to hit him. Unlike winged bugs which fly, the Soul Master floats thanks to his arcane powers.
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* SoulPower: Like the Knight, the Soul Master fuels his spell with souls. However, he's taken the harvesting of souls too far, having killed many bugs and created plenty of abominations for his research.
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* CrystalPrison: It is only partially encased, however.
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* CrystalPrison: It Its head is only partially encased, however. encased in a crystal. The Hunter theorizes that seeing everything through the crystal drove it mad.
* DontWakeTheSleeper: The Knight will find the Crystal Guardian sleeping on a bench. The Knight can spare themselves a boss battle against the Guardian by letting him be, but won't be able to use said bench, whose central location in the area makes it very useful.
* DontWakeTheSleeper: The Knight will find the Crystal Guardian sleeping on a bench. The Knight can spare themselves a boss battle against the Guardian by letting him be, but won't be able to use said bench, whose central location in the area makes it very useful.
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* HandBlast: Shoots lasers from crystals on its hands.
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* BeefGate: the first Soul Warrior the Knight will encounter is in the lower levels of the Soul Sanctum, guarding the access to the upper levels where the laboratories and precious soul jars are kept.
* DashAttack: One of their main attack is to dash across the screen, slashing at the Knight when they are close.
* DynamicEntry: They always begin they battle by suddenly appearing above the Knight and dashing downward to slash at them.
* FlunkyBoss: With the exception of the first one, Soul Warriors can summons Follies to attack the Knight.
* MagicKnight: The Soul Warriors are skilled fencers but can also use a few spell, notably teleporting and projecting orbs of soul at the Knight.
* TeleportSpam: Soul Warriors can become very frustrating to fight against because of their habit to teleport above the Knight to perform fast attacks but also disappear when the Knight tries to close on them.
* DashAttack: One of their main attack is to dash across the screen, slashing at the Knight when they are close.
* DynamicEntry: They always begin they battle by suddenly appearing above the Knight and dashing downward to slash at them.
* FlunkyBoss: With the exception of the first one, Soul Warriors can summons Follies to attack the Knight.
* MagicKnight: The Soul Warriors are skilled fencers but can also use a few spell, notably teleporting and projecting orbs of soul at the Knight.
* TeleportSpam: Soul Warriors can become very frustrating to fight against because of their habit to teleport above the Knight to perform fast attacks but also disappear when the Knight tries to close on them.
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* KingMook: Literally. Vengefly Kings are bigger and way tougher versions of ordinary vengeflies, which can be one-shotted as soon as the Nail is upgraded.
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* BullfightBoss: Its main attack is to run at the Knight, although hitting it won't stop it so it is best to jump above the Massive Moss Charger.
* GroundPound: It can launch itself high in the air to crush the Knight beneath instead of charging.
* TwoMenOneDress: The Massive Moss Charger is revealed to be a group of small moss charger who disguised themselves as one massive bush.
* GroundPound: It can launch itself high in the air to crush the Knight beneath instead of charging.
* TwoMenOneDress: The Massive Moss Charger is revealed to be a group of small moss charger who disguised themselves as one massive bush.
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[[folder:Vengefly King]]
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[[folder:Vengefly King]]Kings]]
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* BullfightBoss: The Vengefly King's main attack is to charge at the Knight from above, sweeping the ground. In doing so, it allows the Knight to jump above him and whack him from above.
* FlunkyBoss: The Vengefly King can summon a couple of smaller Vengeflies to help him.
* LargeAndInCharge: The Vengefly Kings are said to be "patriarchs" of the ordinary, smaller vengeflies. However, they are much more massive.
* FlunkyBoss: The Vengefly King can summon a couple of smaller Vengeflies to help him.
* LargeAndInCharge: The Vengefly Kings are said to be "patriarchs" of the ordinary, smaller vengeflies. However, they are much more massive.
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!Bosses of Hallownest
The many not so friendly faces the Knight encounters on his journey throughout Hallownest.
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!Bosses of Hallownest
The many not so friendly faces the Knight encounters on his journey throughout Hallownest.
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* ShapeshifterBaggage: Nosk's true form is many times the size of the Knight, but it has no problem squeezing all that mass down into the Knight's tiny frame.
* TransformationHorror: Nosk's true form emerges with many crunching, cracking sounds, ending with it waving the Knight's body around like an anglerfish lure attached to a torso bloated with infection.
* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Nosk has one of the longest boss introduction sequences, but the Knight cannot attack while Nosk is vulnerable and must wait until it has finished its metamorphosis.
* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Nosk has one of the longest boss introduction sequences, but the Knight cannot attack while Nosk is vulnerable and must wait until it has finished its metamorphosis.
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* DualBoss: Two of them are fought at any given time, as
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* BulletHell: About as close to the trope as Hollow Knight ever gets. Each one emits waves of infection bullets to attack, and when the survivor TurnsRed, the bullets get faster and more unpredictable.
* DualBoss: Two of them are fought at any giventime, as time.
* DualBoss: Two of them are fought at any given
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* RollingAttack: The mount's main attack. It can travel the length of the stage and bounces, making evading it surprisingly tricky.
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* BrokenAngel: The Pure Vessel fight against the Vessel in its prime shows how far it has fallen by the time you encounter it in the finale. It's missing an arm, ravaged by the infection, and by the end of the fight, barely able to swing its nail without collapsing.
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* HandicappedBadass: The infection has devastated the Hollow Knight, even destroying one arm completely. It's gained some infection-based attacks, but the Pure Vessel fight makes it clear that, by the events of the game, it's barely holding together.
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* BeamSpam: After dealing her enough damage, she flees high above the original boss arena and begins blasting at the Knight with beams of light. Thankfully, her aim is very poor.
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[[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists Protagonist]] | [=NPCs=] ([[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs Hollow Knight]]) | Bosses ('''Hollow Knight''')]]]]-]
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[[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists Protagonist]] | [=NPCs=] ''[[Characters/HollowKnightHallownest Hallownest]]'' ([[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs Hollow Knight]]) Assorted [=NPCs=]]], [[Characters/HollowKnightLoreAndHistory Historic Characters]], '''Bosses''') | Bosses ('''Hollow Knight''')]]]]-]''[[Characters/HollowKnightSilksongPharloom Pharloom]]'']]]]-]
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[[WMG:[[center: [- '''[[Characters/HollowKnight Main Character Index]]'''\\
[[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists Protagonist]] | [=NPCs=] ([[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs Hollow Knight]]) | Bosses ('''Hollow Knight''')]]]]-]
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!Bosses of Hallownest
The many not so friendly faces the Knight encounters on his journey throughout Hallownest.
[[foldercontrol]]
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!!Forgotten Crossroads Bosses
[[folder:Gruz Mother]]
[[quoteright:186:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gruzmother.png]]
->''"Bizarrely, this monster does not lay eggs but instead carries its young inside of its fat stomach. This strange practice seems to exhaust the creature, making it sleepy and vulnerable. Take advantage!"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A large fly-like being that's found sleeping within the Forgotten Crossroads. You can later fight two slightly stronger Gruz Mothers simultaneously within the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Conqueror.
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* BonusBoss: Like all encounters in the Colosseum of Fools, the second two Gruz Mothers aren't necessary for beating the game.
* DualBoss: Two of them are fought simultaneously inside the Colosseum of Fools.
* FlunkyBoss: A weird variation, where her children burst out of her body after she dies and have to be fought separately. This only happens during the first encounter, though.
* KingMook: A larger version of the regular Gruzzers you find within the game.
* MonsterIsAMommy: As is obvious from the name.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:False Knight]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/falseknight_8.png]]
->''"Weak creatures love to steal the strength of others. Their lives are brief and fearful, and they yearn to have the power to dominate those who have dominated them."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A maggot who inhabits a stolen armored shell. He guards a room in the Forgotten Crossroads.
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* AntiVillain: After defeating [[spoiler:his Dream Boss version,]] you'll find out that [[spoiler:he wasn't actually evil or infected (at least at first), and stole the armour just because he wanted to protect his siblings, who are among the weakest creatures in Hallownest.]]
* BonusBoss: The first encounter with this boss is mandatory, but a stronger variant can be fought by [[spoiler:striking his corpse with the Dream Nail]].
* CarryABigStick: Slams his mace on the ground, causing shockwaves and making rocks fall from above.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Maggots are the weakest creatures in all of Hallowest, but he's still putting this huge stolen suit of armor—one that belonged to one of the five legendary knights, no less—to good use.
* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: After you get the maggot to fall out of the armor, he just lies defeated on the floor, but you can't continue until you kill him. [[spoiler:And once you find two other maggots holding a funeral for him, you have kill the poor guys if you want to fill out the Journal.]]
* GrievousHarmWithABody: His mace's head is actually another bug, who escapes after the Knight's defeated.
* InsaneNoMore: The maggot was supposedly driven mad by some force, but [[spoiler:after his Failed Champion form is defeated, he reveals he wasn't crazy and stole the armor out of determination to protect his fellow maggots]] [[AllForNothing (who, again, you likely killed for the journal entries.)]]
* LivingWeapon: If the player stays a few second besides the False Knight after its boss battle, they can see that the False Knigh's mace is actually a bug that will flee to safety.
* SkippableBoss: Not immediately evident, but [[spoiler:the left side of the arena can be destroyed after the first phase of the boss fight.]] The player only needs access to the Vengeful Spirit beyond the False Knight in order to progress to Greenpath and the City Crest the False Knight drops isn't necessary to enter the City of Tears (which can be accessed from several other areas), so it's not necessary to ever finish the fight.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Brooding Mawlek]]
[[quoteright:289:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/broodingmawlek.png]]
->''"I hear this beast crying out sometimes as I prowl the caverns, although I've never actually laid eyes on it. Who or what is it calling for? As far as I can tell, its voice is never answered."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
This massive beast is found in a hidden area in the Forgotten Crossroads, [[LoneSurvivor alone in a room full of dead Mawleks]]. It can also be fought in the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Fool.
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* BonusBoss: Only found in optional areas, and you can easily complete the entire game without fighting one.
* DeathFromAbove: Its specialty, whether it's slamming down on you with its weight or vomiting acid into the air to fall down on you.
* EarlyBirdBoss: If you end up fighting it before you're supposed to with the SequenceBreaking described below, the thing has a monstrous amount of health and very difficult to avoid attacks. The ability to dash in particular is almost required to jump over it (something you have to do to avoid its acid vomit). It's not quite a HopelessBossFight without it, but damn if it doesn't come close.
* InformedKindness: The Hunter's Journal implies that it's only violent because it's been left alone, but at several points in the game you may enter areas full of Mawleks that will happily try to tear you apart and liquefy your sorry guts anyways. Maybe this only applies to the Brooding subspecies or even this particular individual specimen.
* LoneSurvivor: The one you fight in the Forgotten Crossroads seems to be the only survivor of its colony, hence why it's so violent. Mind you, Lesser Mawleks elsewhere will still attack you in groups.
* MonsterSobStory: Apparently it's an extremely social creature that becomes aggressive if isolated from its kind. You find it alone with all the other Mawleks dead. The Hunter's journal mentions how it keeps calling out for other Mawleks but is never answered.
* SequenceBreaking: The room it's in seems designed to only be reachable once you have the Mantis Claw. However, with some well-timed nail jumps, you can reach it before fighting any other boss in the game.
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[[/folder]]
!!Greenpath Bosses
[[folder:Hornet Protector]]
->''"Come no closer, ghost. I've seen you, creeping through the undergrowth, stalking me. This old kingdom... A terrible thing awakens. I can smell it in the air... I know what you are. I know what you'd try to do. I can't allow it..."''
-->'''-Hornet, before the battle'''
Hornet's first boss form, in which she confronts the Knight in Greenpath to impede on their quest, but underestimates her opponents and does not deploy her full strength.
Hornet's entry can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists here]].
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Massive Moss Charger]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_massive_moss_charger.png]]
->''"There is strength in numbers, yes, but these creatures never had much strength to begin with. Cut through their trickery!"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A bigger variant of the Moss Charger that acts a mini-boss in Greenpath. It lies just off the Pilgrim's Way.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Vengefly King]]
[[quoteright:291:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_vengefly_king.png]]
->''"A filthy creature that is happy to chew on any old thing it finds discarded on the cavern floor. When it notices a threat it will annoyingly scream and shriek, so kill it swiftly."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
The territorial patriarchs of Vengeflies and are native to Greenpath. The Knight first discovers one while it's snacking on Zote the "Mighty" and another can be fought at the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Warrior.
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[[/folder]]
!!Fungal Wastes Bosses
[[folder:Mantis Lords]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d4fdd2b77453b1a6e03952453225c161_original_6.png]]
->''"The Mantis tribe and the bugs of old Hallownest had no love for each other. The Mantises outlived their rivals though, and their civilisation still stands."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
The chiefs of the Mantis Village, they are intensely xenophobic and hostile to outsiders. The Knight must face them in order to gain access to (one entrance of) the Deepnest.
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* ActionGirl: Given that they're referred to as sisters.
* {{BFS}}: All three of them wield nails as tall as they are.
* DualBoss: After defeating one, the other two battle the Knight simultaneously.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: They acknowledge the Knight's strength after it beats them, and the other mantis villagers won't attack it anymore.
* EarlyBirdBoss: To the point where Quirrel explicitly tells you to upgrade your nail before facing them. You can battle them as soon as you get to Mantis Village, but compared to all of the bosses you have faced up to Fungal Wastes, the Mantis Lords are ruthlessly fast and give you very few chances to attack them due to their rapid movement and aggression, all of which gets taken UpToEleven when you battle two of them at once. If you return to them after upgrading your nail and gathering a couple more charms and possibly another HeartContainer, they'll be a lot easier to manage, going from [[LightningBruiser Lighting Bruisers]] to [[FragileSpeedster Fragile Speedsters]].
* FlashStep: Their preferred method of combat. They'll appear in one end of the arena or above you, dash at you, and then jump away quickly before doing it all over again.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There is a destroyed throne in their room in addition to the three they are sitting on. [[spoiler:You end up facing that throne's former occupant in the Queen's Gardens in the form of the Traitor Lord.]]
* GracefulLoser: While they are notorious for their insular and hostile nature, they show a lot of respect for those able to best them. After defeating them, they and their warriors will all bow to the Knight whenever it passes them.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The mantises found in the Fungal Wastes fit this trope as a whole. The Hunter's Journal implies that this may be the reason they weren't affected by the same tragedy that befell their civilized neighbors in Hallownest.
* SequentialBoss: The battle against them is split into two parts. In the first, you face a single Mantis Lord, and two of them in the second part.
* SheIsTheKing: According to the Hunter's Journal entry for the [[spoiler:Traitor Lord]], the Mantis Lords are all sisters. [[FridgeBrilliance This makes a lot of sense]] when you remember that female mantises tend to be MoreDeadlyThanTheMale and in fact often eat the male after mating.
* SkippableBoss: It's entirely possible to beat the game without ever facing the Mantis Lords as there is more than one entrance to the Deepnest.
* SlayingMantis: It's right there in the name, and this trope is the theme of their entire tribe to boot.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: The Mantis Lords can throw their nails at you, which even fly back at them so the player should be wary of them.
* WolfpackBoss: In the Godhome challenge you have to fight all three of them in their second phase.
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[[/folder]]
!!City of Tears Bosses
[[folder:Soul Warrior]]
[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_soul_warrior.png]]
->''"Where these strange warriors go, whispers follow them. Not only are they skilled with a nail, they can also use some strange power to shift suddenly from place to place. Stay on guard."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
Scholars who consumed Soul and gained both Soul powers as well as the fighting skills of their victims. Unfortunately for them, the infection is causing them to lose their identity among the souls they absorbed. They act as recurring mini-boss with varying difficulty.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Soul Master]]
[[quoteright:316:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soulmaster_9.png]]
->''"The bugs of Hallownest tried all kinds of tricks and rituals and prayers to rid themselves of the infection. But to no avail! Perhaps the infection came from somewhere deep inside of them that they could not escape."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
The head of the Soul Sanctum. He hoarded soul hoping to stave off Hallownest's affliction but eventually became intoxicated by its power.
-----
* BonusBoss: The first encounter with this boss is mandatory, but a stronger variant can be fought by [[spoiler:striking its corpse with the Dream Nail]].
* GroundPound: Uses the desolate dive skill during his fight, teleporting above the knight before slamming into the ground and causing a shockwave. After his defeat, the knight gains the same ability (without the teleportation.)
* ImmortalitySeeker: He and his fellow researchers hoped to find a way to live forever, but they were all driven mad and deformed by misusing the power of souls.
* MadScientist: The Soul Master hoped to use soul power as a means to end the plague, but the king, for reasons never explained to him, opposed his methods. Then again, if the Master was getting his inspiration from prophetic dreams, [[spoiler:wouldn't that also be the work of Radiance]]?
* OrbitingParticleShield: Can summon four projectiles to orbit around him.
* SequentialBoss: Even after one exaggerated death animation, the Soul Master regenerates and the battle continues on the floor below. The same goes for the rematch, sans fake-out.
* ShockwaveStomp: The Soul Master uses the spell Desolate Dive a lot, teleporting right above the Knight to then slam the ground and cause a wave of energy on both sides.
* SquishyWizard: He's got a lot of speed and offense, but can't take too many hits. Soul Tyrant, [[DamageSpongeBoss on the other hand...]]
* PlayingPossum: The Desolate Dive spell ''actually appears'' as a collectable reward after the Soul Master's drawn-out death animation. The Soul Master reappears to interrupt the player with his second phase before they can actually absorb it, however.
* TeleportSpam: Utilises this ''a lot.'' He often teleports away just before he the Knight can strike him, even teleporting in the middle of his own attacks to psych the player out. Taken UpToEleven by the [[spoiler:Soul Tyrant]], who teleports to an insane degree, never staying still for more than a second.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Watcher Knights]]
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/watcherknightcropped.png]]
->''"When these silent warriors fall in battle, their bodies split open and strange bugs come flying out. I wonder, what will come flying out of me when I die? Will my hopes and fears drift away into the darkness?"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
Formerly the elite guards of Lurien the Watcher, they are reanimated by infected flies to fight against you.
-----
* AnimatedArmor: The Watcher Knights consist of nothing but hollowed out remains controlled by swarms of infected lumaflies circling above the arena.
* {{Expy}}: Of the [[VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII Abyss Watchers.]] Though mercifully, the last one will not get supercharged.
* FallingChandelierOfDoom: [[spoiler:A hidden room lets you drop one on one of the sets of armor, bringing the total number of knights to be fought down to a slightly more manageable five.]]
* PraetorianGuard: The location of their armor, their collective name, and their combat skills all imply that they were the elite guard of Lurien the Watcher.
* RollingAttack: Although the Watcher Knights are not the only opponents to use this technique, their penchant for doing so in unison makes them a particularly memorable example.
* SequentialBoss: You fight one at first, then the rest in pairs. There are six of them in total, though you can destroy one preemptively by dropping a chandelier from the hidden room above.
* WolfpackBoss: [[DownplayedTrope While you don't fight them all at once,]] the player still has to take on ''at least'' five of them to make it through the battle. This is emphasized by their attack patterns: they don't have any flashy tricks or fancy maneuvers, they just gang up on the player relentlessly.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Collector]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/collector_4.png]]
->''"A shadow that sometimes flits through the caverns, making strange noises to itself. I've never seen it clearly so I have no idea what type of creature it is."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A strange, shadowy figure that enjoys collecting bugs.
-----
* CollectorOfTheStrange: Responsible for the bottled grubs you find across the world. It has other bug types bottled up in its tower.
* FlunkyBoss: Drops glass bottles on the Knight that contain enemies during its boss fight.
* GigglingVillain: It can be heard giggling in its tower, and during its boss fight it constantly laughs. It even laughs ysterically when it's dying.
* ImMelting: Its death animation.
* {{Leitmotif}}: While most bosses share a similar boss theme, the Collector gets a unique, heavily distorted version. Probably to emphasize its deranged mental state.
* LivingShadow: Interestingly enough, it seems to be another being born of the Void, and has some similarities to Shades. [[spoiler:A unique four-armed cast found in a secret chamber within the White Palace which is a mold for the Kingsmoulds implies that the Collector is possibly an escaped Kingsmould.]]
* MadLove: It actually loves everything it preserves in its jars, but of course being prisoner of it is quite a terrible fate.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: It has four arms but they aren't the main threat as it will only occasionally claw the Knight, preferring to jump around.
* OptionalBoss: It is found in a side area, and beating gives a map marker reward that shows all grubs that have not yet been found.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Bottling living things is its way of protecting and conserving them, and it's no coincidence that it has a fixation on capturing grubs…
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[[/folder]]
!!Royal Waterways Bosses
[[folder:Dung Defender]]
[[quoteright:321:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dung_defender.png]]
[[caption-width-right:321:[[labelnote:Click here to see the [[spoiler:White Defender]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_white_defender.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Fighting for 'honour', or for 'loyalty'... you may as well be fighting for dust. If you want to kill, do it for your own sake. That is the nature of a true Hunter."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal entry for the Dung Defender'''
->''"The Champion's Call, the Knotted Grove, the Battle of the Blackwyrm... I remember it all. I will carry those glories with me always... until we meet again."''
-->'''-Ogrim of the Five Knights (Hunter's Journal entry for the [[spoiler:White Defender]])'''
Once one of the five Great Knights of Hallownest, this proud warrior now guards the Royal Waterways against intruders.
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* BigFun: Large, rotund, and jolly. And unlike most of the other bugs, he's not been driven insane by the infection. He just likes chucking dung around.
* BloodKnight: This guy ''loves'' to fight. He leaps into battle with gusto and continues laughing jubilantly the entire time. He bears no hatred for his opponent, [[spoiler:and if you talk to him later he will apologize for his preemptive attack. He also offers heartfelt thanks for giving him such a challenge, congratulates the Knight for an impressive victory, and declares it was the most thrilling bout he's fought in years.]] Like many denizens of Hallownest he is surrounded by death and ruin, and he guards his post in solitude [[spoiler:with only wistful memories for company]]. The joy he finds in combat might be the only thing keeping him in high spirits.
* BoisterousBruiser: Just listen to the jovial tone of his voice as he challenges you while you approach his boss room.
* BonusBoss: [[spoiler:As of the Hidden Dreams update, hitting him with the Dream Nail initiates a rematch with an upgraded version called the White Defender.]]
* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler:As of the Lifeblood update, defeating the White Defender five times causes Ogrim to wake up and greet the Knight. In his thoughts, Ogrim ponders if he can prevent the line of Great Knights from ending with himself. When you next visit the room you find he's built a statue in the likeness of the Knight and left to parts unknown.]]
* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler:After defeating him, he can later be found again and will apologize for attacking you, explaining that he mistook you for a Husk.]]
* [[SandIsWater Dung Is Water]]: He burrows and occasionally even swims in the floor of his room, though he can also stand on it and the Knight cannot sink into it.
* DungFu: He's a ''dung beetle''. Of ''course'' he's skilled at this.
* FurryReminder: When you defeat the Dung Defender, his explosion sends him flying into the background, where he lands on his back and starts flailing his limbs, struggling to get up—much like a real beetle. Not to mention the fact that he does roll balls of dung.
* KnightInShiningArmor: If you discount the fact that his armor is anything but shining, he is a textbook example—a noble, honor-bound hero, [[UndyingLoyalty loyal beyond death]] to his king.
* LargeHam: Even in a setting that employs SpeakingSimlish, he still manages to stand out as one.
--> BAAAA HUNDAA!
* LastOfHisKind: He's the only Great Knight left, as far as we know.
* PinballProjectile: His dung balls. Sometimes, the Defender himself will curl into a ball and join them in bouncing around the room.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: He's been around since (presumably) the founding of Hallownest, which is stated to have been at least a century ago.
* RedBaron: Dung Defender is his title. Certain dialogue reveals his name is Ogrim.
* StepfordSmiler: His thoughts and dreams are less jolly than his demeanor. [[spoiler:The dialogue earned by defeating or Dream Nailing the White Defender states that he ''severely'' misses his king and companions and desperately wants to reunite with them.]]
* TheHyena: He laughs a lot in and out of his fight. If you enter his room, he'll sometimes do it in his sleep.
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:His fellow knight Isma, [[HerosMuse platonic]] or [[LoverAndBeloved otherwise.]] He'll sometimes mutter her name in his sleep. The gate he guards leads to Isma's Grove, which is, if not a tomb, a sort of monument to her memory.]]
* ToiletHumor: As heroic as he is, he's still a dung beetle—not the most dignified of insects. When he is defeated, he emits [[{{Fartillery}} a massive explosion of noxious gas]] that sends him flying into the background.
* UndyingLoyalty: The description of his Defender's Crest states it was a gift from the king himself to his most loyal knight. You can also find that the Defender keeps dung statues of his Great Knight comrades on his room and a statue of the King with a idol next to it on the opposite room.
* YouShallNotPass: He guards a device that drains the acid blocking the way to Isma's Grove. Using the Dream Nail on him later while he's sleeping reveals [[HeroWorshipper he holds her in high regard]].
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Flukemarm]]
[[quoteright:148:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flukemarm.png]]
->''"The desire to breed, to leave behind a memory of ourselves in the shape of a child... it seems to be etched deep into the heart of every living creature. I too have felt the pull of that base instinct."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
Found hanging from the ceiling in a secluded room in the Royal Waterways, this giant worm covered in orifices will immediately start launching its children at you should you disturb it.
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* BonusBoss: Its room lies off to the side, and you only need to fight it if you want the Flukenest Charm that it drops.
* CurbStompBattle: If you have a fully upgraded Nail by the time you find her (which you have a good chance of) she'll go down in just a few charged hits.
* FlunkyBoss: The most extreme example in the game. Unable to attack or even move itself, it instead has to constantly shoot Flukefeys at you in order to kill you.
* HellIsThatNoise: Constantly makes a bunch of gurgling, slobbering sounds with its "mouths" as you fight it.
* MotherOfAThousandYoung: Apparently, it is the source of all the Flukefeys and Flukemons you find in the Royal Waterways.
* NonMaliciousMonster: She won't attack you unless you start it.
* StationaryBoss: Being stuck to the ceiling and lacking any limbs to move with, it's unable to do anything but spawn Flukefeys at you.
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[[/folder]]
!!Crystal Peak Bosses
[[folder:Crystal Guardian]]
[[quoteright:206:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crystalguardian.png]]
->''"How does the world look to this creature, gazing out from within its crystal prison? Does it see only light? Is that what drives it into a frenzy?"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
Found sitting on a bench in the Crystal Peak, this bug has not only been infected by the plague, but has also had its head and arms encased in the crystal that gives the area its name. After being defeated by the Knight, it flees to the room directly above, where it can be rematched as the "Enraged Guardian" and killed for good.
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* BeamSpam: Mostly content to fire individual beams from its arm, it can also [[{{DeathFromAbove}} conjure multiple searing rays from the ceiling at once]].
* BonusBoss: Defeating it once gives you access to the bench it was sitting on; defeating it twice rewards you with a Mask Shard.
* CrystalPrison: It is only partially encased, however.
* FrickinLaserBeams: This is the Crystal Guardian's primary method of attack.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Like all bugs taken by the infection, its eyes glow orange.
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[[/folder]]
!!Ancient Basin Bosses
[[folder:Broken Vessel]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dfa5e2c0875e306ab758ce8661660235_original.png]]
->''"The shape of this creature... I have seen something like it before. More than once, perhaps. It looks a little like the bugs of Hallownest, but not quite the same. Where did these empty little wanderers come from?"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
An eerily familiar figure found in the Ancient Basin, consumed by the plague that has spread throughout Hallownest.
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* BonusBoss: Not the regular version, but they can be rematched by [[spoiler:striking its corpse with the Dream Nail. Curiously, this version of the boss has their name changed to Lost Kin]].
* CainAndAbel: The Knight and them are siblings, but their reanimated body has to be defeated to unlock the Monarch Wings.
* DyingAsYourself: All of the infected pus explodes off their body after they are defeated, giving them enough time to reach out desperately towards the Knight before falling dead to the ground. [[spoiler:The Lost Kin version is still infected, and upon being defeated, instead of being able to "Listen" to their last thoughts, instead the Knight can "Accept" which makes Lost Kin nod in thanks to the Knight. The achievement for this is called "Peace".]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:A Vessel that was also consumed by the infection, like the Hollow Knight, and shrieks in much the same way as them as well.]]
* FlunkyBoss: The [[spoiler:Lost Kin]] spawns floating blobs of infection pus at a rapid rate, forcing the player to divide their attention between these Infected Balloons and the boss.
* GracefulLoser: Bows their head politely to the Knight after [[spoiler:they are defeated in the dream world]].
* MirrorBoss: Their attacks and movement abilities are strikingly similar to the Hollow Knight's, [[spoiler:which is fitting since they are both Vessels]].
* PuppeteerParasite: They are actually lying down on the ground when they are encountered, but then a swarm of Lightseeds gathers inside of their hollowed out shell to reanimate them and push them to battle the Knight.
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[[/folder]]
!!Fog Canyon Bosses
[[folder:Uumuu]]
[[quoteright:195:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uumuu.png]]
->''"The canyon below us, the one thick with fog and crackling with strange energy... a Hunter can lose their senses down there. Be careful... strange and unnatural things lurk there."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A giant, jellyfish-like creature that guards Monomon the Teacher. Quirrel aids you in your battle against it.
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* ElectricJellyfish: Uses electric attacks during its boss battle.
* {{Expy}}: The orange nucleus surrounded by translucent membrane brings to mind [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} another fictional jellyfish-like species]].
* KingMook: To the Ooma and Uoma.
* SeeminglyHopelessBossFight: The membrane protecting the core prevents the Knight from attacking it with spells or the nail. [[spoiler:After a while of dodging, Quirrel will come in and pop it.]]
* ShockAndAwe: Uumuu's primary method of attack. It has two main attacks, the first is to cover 90% of the boss room in electrical sparks, forcing the player to seek a safe spot, and the second one is to continuously summon electricity on the Knight's position, forcing the player to constantly move.
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[[/folder]]
!!Queen's Gardens Bosses
[[folder:Traitor Lord]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/traitorlord_3.png]]
->''"I have felt that desire. The desire to take the infection into myself. To become stronger, more powerful... these thoughts haunt my dreams during the darkest times. A false hope, but it can burn so brilliantly in one's mind."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
While the Mantis Tribe has by and large fared ''much'' better than Hallownest against the plague, not even they are fully immune to its effects. Those Mantises who succumb to the plague are exiled to the Queen's Gardens, and the Traitor Lord rules over these corrupted husks.
-----
* FinalExamBoss: A non-final version; you need the Shadow Cloak to face it, and he'll make darned sure you know how to use it in combat.
* GroundPound: He can slam the ground to unleash an immense shockwave that cannot be avoided without the Shade Cloak.
* KingMook: He uses the same moves used by the grounded mantises in the area, but is twice their size.
* MaleMightFemaleFinesse: In sharp contrast to the Mantis Lords, the Traitor Lord is slower and bulkier, and forgoes using a weapon. Justified, as if he had style, it's likely been cast away due to the plague affecting his mind.
* MutualKill: If [[spoiler:Cloth]] shows up for the fight, it will end with them killing each other regardless of how much damage you deal.
* PowerAtAPrice: The Lord deliberately embraced the plague to become more powerful. This should have the cost of [[PsychoSerum turning him feral]], but he and the other exiled appear to still function as a society in the Gardens.
* SlayingMantis: Like his sisters, but comes off as more of a brute given that he uses his bare claws rather than nails. As of the ''Lifeblood'' update he can now also throw glaives similar to the ones used by Mantis Petra and the Mantis Lords, but his seem to be lathered in infection and he can throw them in a much trickier pattern.
* TookALevelInBadass: Previously, the Traitor Lord was basically a resized Mantis Traitor with a souped-up health pool. As of the ''Lifeblood'' update, however, he has gained two new ranged attacks and now deals two masks of damage with most attacks and on contact.
* {{Unperson}}: His broken throne in the Mantis Village suggests he's received this treatment from his sisters.
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[[/folder]]
!!Deepnest Bosses
[[folder:Nosk]]
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nosk_4.png]]
->''"In the deepest darkness, there are beasts who wear faces stolen from your memories and pluck at the strings in your heart. Know yourself, and stay strong."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A predatory arthropod that lures bugs into the Deepnest by mimicking their loved ones.
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* AlluringAnglerfish: Uncommon terrestrial example; the impostor knight is revealed to be a puppet mounted on Nosk's head once the Knight confronts it inside its lair.
* BaitAndSwitchBoss: The Winged Nosk uses Hornet's form as a disguise.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: To an even greater extent than many other enemies encountered in Hallownest. Its primary methods of attack are to skitter back and fourth across its arena and to leap at the player.
* BonusBoss: Found in a hidden area in the lower Deepnest. It isn't necessary for game completion but rewards the player with a Pale Ore if slain.
* BullfightBoss: Its main form of attack is to charge, priming it by roaming before.
* ConfrontingYourImposter: When it's initially encountered in the depths of the Deepnest, Nosk is disguised as a mirror image of the Knight.
* DamageSpongeBoss: Its attack patterns are pretty simple but it can take a lot of hits.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Implied by the dying dreams of the corpses left outside its lair, and confirmed by its Hunter's Journal entry: many of Nosk's victims believed they were pursuing their long-deceased companions.
* DeathFromAbove: For one of its attacks, the Nosk jumps up to the ceiling and drops acid bolts on its prey.
* EmpathicShapeshifter: The bugs strung up in Nosk's lair aren't all Vessels like the Knight; a few are of different species, meaning that Nosk can improvise a convincing disguise tailored to its prey.
* HollywoodAcid: The Nosk has gained two acid attacks as of a patch. The blobs stick around for a while after hitting the floor, restraining movement.
* OffscreenTeleportation: During the first few sightings, Nosk will always appear around a bend that will allow it to disappear deeper into its tunnels before the player is able to catch up to it.
* SpiderLimbs: As visible once it reveals its true nature.
* TookALevelInBadass: A post-launch patch added two acid-based attacks to the Nosk. And again in another update as Winged Nosk.
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[[/folder]]
!!Kingdom's Edge Bosses
[[folder:Hornet Sentinel]]
->''"So you'd pursue the deeper truth? It isn't one the weak could bear. Prove yourself ready to face it. I'll not hold back. My needle is lethal and I'd feel no sadness in a weakling's demise. Show me you can accept this Kingdom's past and claim responsibility for its future."''
-->'''-Hornet, before the battle'''
Hornet's second boss form in which she challenges the Knight at the entrance to the Cast-Off Shell in Kingdom's Edge to test their resolve and strength in saving Hallownest.
Hornet's entry can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists here]].
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[[/folder]]
!!Colosseum of Fools Bosses
[[folder:Zote the Mighty]]
->''"Some rare creatures are so weak, so helpless, so inept and so irritating that hunting them gives no pleasure."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A self-proclaimed mighty knight who's seeking fame in Hallownest. If he survives long enough, he'll act as the final boss of the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Warrior the first time the Knight completes it.
Tropes regarding him can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs here]] under Zote's [=NPC=] entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Oblobble]]
[[quoteright:338:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_oblobble.png]]
->''"Having a mate by your side... one that will never leave you until death. Strange. No mate has ever come forth to stay by my side..."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A bigger variant of an Obble, two of which act as the final boss of the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Conqueror.
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* BonusBoss: Only necessary for completion's sake, and can otherwise be skipped as their only found in optional areas.
* DualBoss: Two of them are fought at any given time, as
* KillOneOthersGetStronger: When one falls in battle, the other becomes more aggressive.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:God Tamer]]
[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/godtamer_5.png]]
->''"Some hunters train beasts to join them in chasing down prey. I tried it once, but couldn't resist the urge to test my companion's strength against mine."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A veteran gladiator of the Colosseum of Fools, and the final encounter of its most challenging course; a female cockroach who fights alongside a mount resembling a prehistoric trilobite.
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* BeastOfBattle: The crustacean mount bears all the hallmarks.
* TheBeastmaster: Upon entering the arena, the cockroach immediately dismounts and engages the player character in tandem with her beast.
* BloodKnight: The Hunter’s Journal refers to the God Tamer as a veteran warrior of the Colosseum, implying that she participates in the games for the [[BloodSport sport of it]].
* BonusBoss: Awards the player with no items or upgrades upon her defeat, and is only a required battle in a [[HundredPercentCompletion completionist run]].
* CheckPointStarvation: Because the encounter occurs at the conclusion of the Trial of the Fool, if you fail to dispatch the boss, you'll have to replay the entire lengthy gauntlet to take another stab at the fight.
* DualBoss: The cockroach rider isn’t terribly imposing on her own, but her aggressive partner serves to keep the player on their toes.
* JoustingLance: The rider fights with a slender lance, even after dismounting.
* OnlyTheChosenMayRide: Jury’s still out on whether the trilobite qualifies as a ‘god’, but it seems to be the only remaining specimen of its kind, and isn’t particularly friendly.
* VillainousBSOD: If the trilobite is killed before the rider, she will fall to her knees and give up.
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[[/folder]]
!!The Hive Bosses
[[folder:Hive Knight]]
[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiveknight.png]]
->''"Some creatures are born with duties and loyalties marked indelibly upon their minds. They are strong, but they are also slaves."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A flightless warrior of the Hive added in the Lifeblood Update. He arrives to defend the Hiveblood charm and his queen when the Knight comes to her chamber.
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* AnimalSpeciesAccent: His vocalizations in his fight have a pronounced buzzing sound to them.
* BonusBoss: You can go through the entire game without ever fighting him, and the area he's in is [[GuideDangIt pretty out of the way.]]
* TheFettered: Eternally loyal to Vespa the Hive Queen; he will defend her ideals and kingdom to his dying breath.
* FlashStep: Uses this liberally, and most of his attacks begin with him appearing next to the knight before swinging his nail, accompanied by his [[AnimalSpeciesAccent buzz-filled vocalization.]]
* FlunkyBoss: Summons smaller bees as the fight goes on.
* HiveCasteSystem: Fits in the "big warrior" caste.
* {{Kiai}}: Does a buzz-accented version of this before many of his attacks.
* KnightInShiningArmor: He's the only bee that wears any armor, in fact.
* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: The only biped in the hive.
* SoProudOfYou: His Dream Nail dialogue indicates that this is what he wants from Queen Vespa.
* BornIntoSlavery: [[spoiler:The Hunter's Journal indicates that his UndyingLoyalty to Queen Vespa was "marked indelibly" into his mind from birth, and Queen Vespa's spirit mentions his newfound freedom after his death.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:Queen Vespa appears to be long dead,]] yet the Hive Knight serves her all the same.
* YouShallNotPass: Guards the Hiveblood charm by suddenly shutting the entrances to his room before appearing.
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[[/folder]]
!!Grimm Troupe Bosses
[[folder:Grimm]]
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grimm01.png]]
[[caption-width-right:230:[[labelnote:Click here to see [[spoiler:Nightmare King]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_nightmare_king.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Through dream I travel, at lantern's call''\\
''To consume the flames of a kingdom's fall"''
-->'''-Grimm (Hunter's Journal entry for Grimm)'''
->''"The expanse of dream in past was split,''\\
''One realm now must stay apart,''\\
''Darkest reaches, beating red,''\\
''Terror of sleep. The Nightmare's Heart."''
-->'''-Seer (Hunter's Journal entry for [[spoiler:Nightmare King]])'''
Introduced in the ''Grimm Troupe'' campaign, Grimm is the leader of the titular Grimm Troupe. He requests that the Knight go and collect flames from his kin.
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* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: By his Troupe. [[spoiler:Even the guy trying to stop the ritual really wants to free him from being enslaved to the cycle and means no ill will towards him.]]
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While Grimm is outwardly polite enough to constitute as DarkIsNotEvil, there's a plethora of questions the more you go in the sidequest. What does Grimm gain when supplying the Knight with a Grimmchild? What exactly does his "ritual" entail? [[spoiler:The fact that he appears to know about the Wyrm and the Vessels brings up even more questions, not to mention his upgraded form is known as the "Nightmare King". The White Lady has special dialogue for having the Grimmchild equipped and speaking to her, saying that it would be "naive" to call it a friend.]] It doesn't help that many characters feel that something is off about him.
* AffablyEvil: [[AmbiguouslyEvil Assuming he even is evil in the first place,]] Grimm is still unfailingly polite and cordial to the Knight, and [[OneHundredPercentAdorationRating his Troupe's adoration for him]] certainly suggests he's a [[BenevolentBoss Benevolent Boss.]]
* BadassCape: His [[CapeWings leathery wings serve as a cape]], and he can use it to [[ClothingCombat attack]] by [[ShapingYourAttacks transforming it into a drill or spikes.]]
* BadassFingersnap: Does this on a few occasions, namely to power up the Grimmchild and to turn on the lights in his arena.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: [[spoiler:You have to Dream Nail a sleeping Grimm to access his Nightmare battle.]]
* BerserkButton: Grimm does not take kindly to rudeness, especially when he's being gracious. [[spoiler:You find that out the hard way when you hit him as he's bowing during his boss fight.]]
* BonusBoss: He is not connected to the main story, and [[spoiler:his Nightmare battle is a bonus within a bonus, as it's possible to banish Grimm and his Troupe without ever fighting it; doing so yields a different reward.]]
* BossSubtitles: His Nightmare King Grimm form has the entire screen black except for the his name centered and colored red, in a similar manner to how the name of The Radiance is displayed.
* CircusOfFear: His building seems to be a circus tent. His fight also has an audience up on podiums observing it.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Probably. Despite his main color scheme being crimson and red and the dim lights of where you find him, he's awfully polite and only fights the Knight to mature his "child", and his Troupe seems to universally love him. However, the mystery surrounding the true nature of his "Ritual", the fact that many characters feel uneasy around him and that he's deeply connected to nightmares makes this trope all the more [[AmbiguouslyEvil ambiguous]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: Hit him when he's bowing to the audience? [[spoiler:He'll screech like a banshee and unleash his strongest attack.]]
* {{Expy}}: His color scheme and cloak may invoke the image of a bug Literature/{{Dracula}}. [[spoiler:He also hangs upside down like a bat when asleep.]] Many of his attacks when you fight him are based on attacks a [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} different Dracula]] uses, particularly launching a volley of three fireballs from his cloak, suddenly teleporting in as he makes a lunging attack from across the room, dissolving into a flock of bats (or swarm of bugs, in his case), and summoning columns of fire.
* {{Foil}}: Could be considered one to [[spoiler:the Radiance. Both are powerful, [[MacabreMothMotif moth-like ]] creatures [[DreamWalker tied to the dreaming world,]] but while the Radiance is an [[GodIsEvil evil,]] [[GreenEyedMonster petty]] entity of [[LightIsNotGood light]] that acts as the god of "good" dreams, Grimm is a [[AffablyEvil polite]], theatrical creature of [[DarkIsNotEvil dark]] and [[PlayingWithFire fire]] known as the "Nightmare King", which may make him the Main/{{Satan}} to the Radiance's Main/{{God}}.]]
* GoodParents: It seems that way when it comes to the Grimmchild. Much of the "Ritual" involves making his child stronger. When you return to Grimm after gathering the flames the first time and after the boss fight, he praises the Knight and the Grimmchild.
-->'''Grimm:''' [Returning with three flames for the first time] I can feel it. The warmth of the flame you've gathered together. A masterful opening act. The air hums with excitement. [[SoProudOfYou Dear child, you've done so well]]. Let your fire burn even brighter!
-->[[[BadassFingersnap After upgrading the Grimmchild]]]
-->Beautiful, yes. The child has grown, from idle youth to deadly companion. About these dangerous lands, its aid will no doubt be welcome. Just don't neglect our dance, for it too continues! Keep hunting that scattered, scarlet essence. When the child is filled with flame once more, return to the stage and the performance will begin.
* GracefulLoser: Will congratulate the Knight upon defeating him.
-->'''Grimm:''' [Post-boss fight] Bravo, my friend. Hear how the crowd adores you! They've not seen such a show in a long time. Look here! How our child has grown, nourished and strengthened by the heat of our passionate dance! The two of you will feature in many tragedies and triumphs together, I'm sure.
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:His dream nail quote seems to state that he's fully aware of what the Vessels are and that the Wyrm made them.]] Also, in the Godmaster update: [[spoiler:he is the only rematched boss that ''directly acknowledges'' Godseeker's presence, bowing to ''her'' instead of you during your rematch with him. And upon dream nailing, him in the rematch, gives quotes further solidifying his awareness of the situation, talking about how it's an honor to attend "the seeker's call", and what a pleasure it is to be a part of this "charming ritual".]]
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Grimm will bow during the first few seconds of his fight, allowing the Knight a free hit. [[spoiler:Defied, as hitting him while he's bowing causes him to scream and immediately start one of his stronger attacks. Nightmare King Grimm, on the other hand, lacks this bow and attacks from the get-go.]]
* LetsDance: He refers to his fight with the Knight as this.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Grimm does a bow to the Knight at the start of the battle, [[spoiler:and gets ''angry'' if the Knight [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown takes this as an opportunity to hit him]]. Averted in the Nightmare King battle, where he attacks immediately.]]
* LightningBruiser: He is constantly teleporting from place to place and attacking at a rapid pace, leaving no time to heal and little time to even approach him. And yet he also boasts a respectable amount of health. If you are not able to dodge every single one of his attacks with perfect precision, he ''will'' outlast you easily.
* MacabreMothMotif: [[CartoonCreature While his species is not explicitly named in-game]], it's possible that he's a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calyptra_(moth) Calyptra moth]], AKA the vampire moth, given that he resembles a classic vampire and is [[spoiler:hanging upside-down like a vampire]] when the player returns with the final flames for the Grimmchild. [[spoiler:Reinforced by the fact that moths are connected to the Dream, and Grimm is associated with the Nightmare]], though this leaves several questions related to the history of the moths unanswered.
* MadArtist: Grimm views himself as a performer first and foremost, and is quite prone to theatrics between bouts of acrobatic violence that he and the Troupe refer to as "dancing".
* NamesToRunFromReallyFast: [[spoiler:You enter his final boss arena, and you are treated to a terrifying flame-wreathed entrance while "Nɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇ Kɪɴɢ Gʀɪᴍᴍ" flashes on the screen in red text. You'd better run.]]
* OrchestralBombing: Appropriately for his appearance, his boss theme is an orchestral piece that features an OminousPipeOrgan and unintelligible chanting. [[spoiler:Both of his boss themes, in fact.]]
* PlayingWithFire: As appropriate for someone requesting flames, a lot of Grimm's attacks are noticeably fire-based. [[spoiler:Taken UpToEleven with Nightmare King Grimm where all of his normal attacks leave trails of flame in their wake.]]
* PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes: Comes into play if you hit him while he's bowing to you. Grimm is sincerely polite and genteel, but he does not take kindly to rudeness.
* RepulsiveRingmaster: Though he lacks the trademark top hat, Grimm fits the character archetype owing to his penchant for dramatic spotlights, flamboyant showmanship and striking color scheme.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: Land a cheap shot on Grimm while he's bowing politely to you? [[spoiler:He screeches like a banshee and retaliates with his ultimate attack, which he normally doesn't start using until about halfway into the battle.]]
----
[[/folder]]
!!Final Bosses
[[folder:The Final Boss (Spoilers)]]
!!The Hollow Knight
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_hollow_knight.png]]
->''"The old King of Hallownest... he must have been desperate to save his crumbling little world. The sacrifices he imposed on others... all for nothing."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
The original Vessel for the plague, created by the king of Hallownest and sealed away in an attempt to protect the kingdom. With their ability to contain the plague weakening, they must be defeated to take their place as the new Vessel to keep the plague from fully breaking free.
-----
* AmbiguousGender: Just like the Knight and other Vessels, WordOfGod says that the Hollow Knight doesn't have a gender and is often referred to as an "it".
* AnArmAndALeg: While it could be obscured by the cloak they wear, the Hollow Knight's second arm is never visible. [[spoiler:The Pure Vessel fought in the Godhome very clearly has two arms, confirming that the Hollow Knight lost one arm at some unknown point after this, presumably due to containing the infection.]]
* BadassCape: [[spoiler:Used to wear a long, white cape with armored padding around the neck area in their Pure Vessel form. It gets ripped off as they start fighting though.]]
* BodyHorror: They have several attacks that involve a large amount of glowing cysts exploding out of their chest. One attack has them being flung into the air and slammed into the ground in an attempt to crush the Knight.
* BonusBoss: The Godmaster update gives us [[spoiler:The Pure Vessel, which is the Hollow Knight in their prime in the dream world, uncorrupted by The Infection. They can perform some dangerous new moves and uses a [[YinYangBomb combination of soul and void]] elements for each.]]
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to the player Knight's Abel, though how much control the Hollow Knight still has over their actions and how much is the plague controlling their body by the time they are reached is left mostly up to debate.
* CliffHanger: In the new ending added in "Godmaster", [[spoiler:the Hollow Knight, newly freed from the Radiance, is seen advancing towards Hornet right before a SmashToBlack.]]
* CombatBreakdown: A rare example of this happening to the ''boss''. About halfway through the fight, they become visibly fatigued and start stabbing themselves in a desperate attempt to either destroy the infection or themselves as the plague begins to overtake them. By the end of the battle, they can hardly attack without collapsing and can barely even be considered a proper fight anymore.
* CounterAttack: They have a distinct animation during which they block all nail slashes thrown their way, eventually resulting in one of these if the player keeps attacking anyway.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: ''Hooo, boy''. First, there was their creation by the Pale King [[spoiler:via sacrificing his and the White Lady's children]]. Then they were raised with the sole purpose of sacrificing themselves for the world. But the Pale King ended up forming a father-child bond with it, inadvertently sabotaging the Hollow Knight's potential. When the Knight finally faces them, they are a broken mess due to the Infection taking over their body and threatening to burst forth.
* {{Determinator}}: All the Vessels were created with this in mind to better keep the Infection contained. However, the Hollow Knight gets a special mention for this trope. Despite the Infection being on the verge of breaking free, the Hollow Knight does everything in their power to fulfill their purpose. First, they repeatedly maim themselves in order to aid the Knight. Then, [[spoiler:when the Knight beats the Radiance]], they appear in Shade form to help the former kill [[spoiler:her]] once and for all.
* EleventhHourRanger: In the Dream No More ending, [[spoiler:they return as a Shade to help the Knight defeat the Radiance]].
* {{Expy}}: Bears more than a few similarities to two separate characters from VideoGame/DarkSoulsI: Artorias and Gwyn.
** With Artorias they share the status of [[FallenHero a hero fallen]] to the force they were meant to oppose, a {{BFS}} wielded with one hand while [[HandicappedBadass the other is injured]] (or missing in the Hollow Knight's case), and a fighting style that channels the force they were corrupted with.
** Meanwhile, like Gwyn they sacrificed themselves to protect their world, is the FinalBoss who the player aims to replace in their duties, and is in a rather sorry state when encountered.
* FightingFromTheInside: In the second half of the fight, the Hollow Knight starts resisting the control of the plague, stabbing themselves in the chest in an attempt to help the Knight. These suicidal fits don't damage them, but they do represent huge openings for the Knight to heal themselves, openings that the otherwise-highly-aggressive Hollow Knight rarely presents.
* FlashStep: It'll appear and vanish with blinding speed throughout the first half of the fight to get an angle for attacking the Knight, verging on TeleportSpam at times. [[spoiler:In the Pure Vessel variant, their FlashStep has the same visual effects as Shade Cloak, highlighting the link between them and the Void.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: A minor one, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgqIVe6FF1U in the cinematic where you encounter the Hollow Knight's statue in the City of Tears]], the statue appears to [[TearsFromAStone shed a few tears]]. When they are encountered later in the game, we see that they are FightingFromTheInside, desperate to contain the infection, but they are unable to hold on much longer.
* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: Certain NPC dialogue—along with a cutscene at the conclusion of the Path of Pain—implies that the Hollow Knight could not completely contain the infection due to [[spoiler:being raised as a child by the Pale King]].
* HeroicSacrifice: They tried to pull one by serving as the Vessel for the infection and sealing it away. It worked for a while.
* IGotBigger: Flashback cutscenes reveal that when they were younger they used to look pretty similar to the far smaller Knight, with the only difference being the shape of their horns and the colour of their cloak.
* KnightInShiningArmor: [[spoiler:The Pure Vessel's long, white, armored cape gives them this appearance.]]
* LeakingCanOfEvil: They ''are'' the leaking can! Some of their attacks even incorporate firing blobs of glowing liquid just like some other infected creatures do.
* PeoplePuppets: In their final phases, they are so unable to contain the plague that it takes completely over, lifts them up, and slams them in the Knight's direction like a rag-doll.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: They are the forsaken child, in a very literal sense.
* ReverseGrip: Always holds their nail this way.
* SadBattleMusic: Their battle music, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdWkZOo-p0M Sealed Vessel]], starts out imposing and grand but turns heartbreakingly tragic in the second part of the fight, as they are slowly reduced to a wreck, turning their blade on themselves and eventually growing so weak they can barely swing their nail without collapsing.
* {{Seppuku}}: The way they stab themselves with their own nail has shades of this, especially how it coincides with the soundtrack's shift to SadBattleMusic. Of course, [[MadeOfIron even this doesn't finish them off]] and the Hollow Knight periodically stabs themselves throughout the rest of the fight.
* TheSpeechless: They were meant to have no voice as part of the qualities that would help them contain the infection. "No voice to cry suffering". They appear to roar during the boss battle, but this is the voice of the Radiance seeping out through the infected parts of the Hollow Knight. In Godhome, [[spoiler:the Pure Vessel is entirely speechless. The start of the fight uses the start of the music in place of the roar that starts the battle with the Hollow Knight in the main game.]]
* TragicMonster: During the battle, they are clearly fighting the infection that's driving them mad as much as they are fighting the Knight.
* TykeBomb: There's something poignant about finding out the Hollow Knight was once kid-sized like the Knight and that the King regarded all the Vessels as mere tools.
* UnPerson: Which is particularly odd since there's a giant fountain homaging them in the kingdom's capital. As Lemm points out, no one in Hallownest has ''any'' clue who the Hollow Knight is or why there's a large statue of them at the center of the City of Tears. Outside of that fountain, they're never mentioned in any historical records.
* WreckedWeapon: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]], as the nail they wield is still usable but appears to be in pretty terrible condition. [[spoiler:Like the Hollow Knight themselves, their nail appears in a restored form when fighting Pure Vessel and is capable of dealing ''twice'' as much damage.]]
* YinYangBomb: Downplayed, [[spoiler:but more present in the Pure Vessel variant, which uses a combination of the Void and white-themed magic projectiles and spells themed off the Nail.]]
----
[[/folder]]
[[folder: True Final Boss (Spoilers)]]
!!The Radiance
[[quoteright:345:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theradiance.png]]
->''"The plague, the infection, the madness that haunts the corpses of Hallownest... the light that screams out from the eyes of this dead Kingdom. What is the source? I suppose mere mortals like myself will never understand."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A god-like entity of light. She spawned the plague that destroyed Hallownest after being shunned and forgotten by bugs in favor of the Pale King.
-----
* AnimalisticAbomination: In general looks, she has a lot of Moth-like elements in her design, but it's obvious she's far beyond anything like that.
* BackgroundBoss: Stays in the background and is one of the few enemies that doesn't deal CollisionDamage.
* BigBad: She's responsible for the infection that killed Hallownest.
* BossSubtitles: While all the bosses have these, the Radiance is a notable case due to her Boss Subtitle covering the entire screen in white except for the words "The Radiance". This was unique among bosses in the game until Nightmare King Grimm came along and used it as well.
* CheckPointStarvation: Every time the Knight is bested by the Radiance, they return to the bench outside of the Hollow Knight's chamber. The Hollow Knight must be defeated again before being able to fight the Radiance again. Even more extreme in the Godhome version of the fight, where losing means having to [[MarathonLevel refight 41 previous bosses]] for another shot.
* TheCorruption: The Radiance's influence manifests as the HatePlague that blights the kingdom of Hallownest. According to the Hunter, the Radiance actually tempts her victims (though HearingVoices) with power and strength, at the cost of BodyHorror and a DeathOfPersonality.
* CrystalDragonJesus: In her actions and backstory, she bears some resemblance to Abrahamic God. She created and ruled over moths, her people, until a foreign king lured them to abandon her and worship him instead (through idols, no less). Then, in her attempt to be remembered, she caused a plague that decimated her enemy's kingdom.
* DraggedOffToHell: How she's ultimately defeated, consumed by the Abyss following a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown from both Vessels.
* DreamWalker: The plague is the product of Radiance "invading the dreams" of Hallownest's inhabitants.
* DrivenByEnvy: Furious with the population of Hallownest for ceasing worship in favor of her usurper, the Pale King. Hitting her with the Dream Nail reveals bitter proclamations such as [-"THE LIGHT CANNOT BE CONSUMED"-] and [-"I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN".-]
* EvilIsBurningHot: Her motif. Her plague leaves its victims in simultaneous pain and reverence due to her hot, orange light. It's telling that normally peaceful animals are driven into frenzied fear, their thoughts expressing fear over the light.
* EvilIsVisceral: The orange of the Radiance and her plague is also the color of infected bug blood. Furthermore, areas heavily overtaken by plague (such as the Infected Crossroads) are full of [[MeatMoss throbbing boils of orange fluid connected by thick, pumping veins]].
* {{Expy}}: Very reminiscent of the final form of [[VideoGame/MegaManX8 Lumine]]. Both are true final bosses after besting an infected swordsman, both are angelic in appearance and fought against a cloudy yellow background, and both rely on screen-filling light-beam attacks.
* GodIsEvil: Her response to being shunned by bugkind was to send a plague upon them that essentially caused a ZombieApocalypse.
* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: A variation: The Radiance needs to be ''remembered'' to exist, and was originally suppressed by the Pale King [[{{Unperson}} destroying all traces of her existence and doing everything in his power to ensure bug-kind forgot her]]. Unfortunately, he wasn't thorough enough, and [[DugTooDeep the discovery of a statue in her image at the top of Crystal Peak]] was all it took to revive her.
* GoodColorsEvilColors: Symbolized by orange, compared to the Pale King's stark white.
* HatePlague: Victims, when struck with the Dream Nail, display primitive but hateful comments such as "''Your smell…Kill you…''"
* HiveMind: Under her rule, some bugs were united in mind, but also reduced to their base instincts. Now they also get some BodyHorror as a result of resisting her memory and single mindedly fighting the Knight in order to keep her coming back from being interrupted.
* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The Seer, a member of the tribe that worshipped her, pretty much gave the Vessels the means of destroying her once and for all by giving one the Dream Nail.
* IfICantHaveYou: The Radiance destroyed her own civilization for rejecting her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: She doesn't seem to care how much suffering she causes by forcing the bugs of Hallownest to remember her.
* LightEmUp: Many of her attacks manifest as this, such as homing spheres of light or pillars of light raining down from the sky.
* LightIsNotGood: She's a being of pure white with a distinctly angelic appearance, and she's the sole cause of all the horror that befell Hallownest.
* MacabreMothMotif: She's associated with moths, from the general shape of her body to the Seer being the one providing the way to her by proxy. A developer note says that the Moth race is descended from her.
* PlatformBattle: The battle starts out in a platform with pits on each side. Either half of the platform will be covered in spikes during the second phase. The fourth phase then takes place over a bunch of scattered small platforms. The final phase has the Knight ascend a column of small platforms while the Radiance tries to swat them down with FrickinLaserBeams, fleeing from the [[AdvancingWallOfDoom Void rising up below the Knight]].
* {{Plaguemaster}}: The plague, and all the BodyHorror that comes with it, is the Radiance's influence.
* TheOldGods: The Seer implies that she created the moths and did so long before the King came and founded his kingdom.
* SealedEvilInACan: Containing her and therefore the infection is the true purpose of the Vessels, and the King went to great lengths to find a way to do so.
** SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan
* SequentialBoss: The battle against the Radiance has five distinct phases, each one altering her arena and moveset. The first stages involve the Radiance raining death on the Knight with her StormOfBlades and FrickinLaserBeams; during the final leg, she tries to disengage from the fight as the Knight gives chase—dodging EyeBeams along a path of floating platforms—to deliver a well-deserved NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.
* StormOfBlades: Several of her attacks spawn waves of long nails that fly in horizontal, vertical, and radial patterns, bordering on BulletHell. The third phase of the fight consists of an endless rain of them; luckily, they are only of the vertical variety, which is easiest to avoid.
* TeleportSpam: She warps around the arena regularly, which becomes rather frustrating when she decides to hover over the side of the arena she just covered in spikes.
* ThatsNoMoon: When first entering the Hollow Knight's dream to fight her, the only thing seen there is a couple of platforms against a sunny sky. Jumping to the top platform gives a "Challenge" prompt, and activating it causes the Knight to turn towards the sun and draw their blade, shortly after which the sun ''grows wings'' before the Radiance reveals her true form.
* TrueFinalBoss: Defeating her inside the Hollow Knight's mind grants Dream No More ending. Defeating Absolute Radiance at the Pantheon of Hallowest results in a SequelHook ending that ends in a cliffhanger.
* {{Unperson}}: The King took pains to erase all remnants of Radiance ever existing, making the moths forget her and burying every possible reference to her existence, [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly because she needs memory in order to manifest]]. Unfortunately, the miners at the Crystal Peak DugTooDeep and unearthed a statue that now sits atop the mountain, and caused her to awaken and spread the Infection once more.
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[[/folder]]
!!Godhome Bosses
[[folder:"Pantheon of the Master" Final Boss]]
!!Brothers Oro and Mato
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_oro_&_mato_7.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Loyal brother gods of the nail"]]
->''"Gods by toil and nail bound,''\\
''Brothers sworn to guard the weak,''\\
''Masters of the sacred ground,''\\
''Help Us find the God We seek!"''
-->'''-Prayer to the Masters (Hunter's Journal)'''
The final bosses of the first [[BossRush pantheon]], Nailmasters Oro and Mato set aside their differences to [[DualBoss fight as one]]!
Tropes regarding them can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs here]] under their [=NPC=] entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Pantheon of the Artist" Final Boss]]
!!Paintmaster Sheo
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_paintmaster_sheo_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"Talented god of artists and creators"]]
->''"O God inspired, master of arts,''\\
''Whose works shall eternal endure,''\\
''Peer beyond Our minds and hearts,''\\
''Reveal to Us the God most pure!"''
-->'''-Prayer to the Artist (Hunter's Journal)'''
The final boss of the second [[BossRush pantheon]], the retired Nailmaster Sheo still sets his blade aside in battle; instead, he uses the [[ArtAttacker mighter brush]]!
Tropes regarding him can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs here]] under Sheo's [=NPC=] entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Pantheon of the Sage" Final Boss]]
!!Great Nailsage Sly
[[quoteright:272:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_great_nailsage_sly_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:272:"Cunning god of opportunity"]]
->''"Sagely God of the cunning and bold,''\\
''Sharpen Our nails and show Us the odds,''\\
''O greatest of masters, We wish to behold,''\\
''That one still greater, the God of Gods!"''
-->'''-Prayer to the Sage (Hunter's Journal)'''
The final boss of the third [[BossRush pantheon]], the man who taught the Nailmasters everything they know; [[PintsizedPowerhouse Sly]].
Tropes regarding him can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs here]] under Sly's [=NPC=] entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Pantheon of the Knight" Final Boss]]
!!The Pure Vessel
[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_pure_vessel_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:208:"Mighty god of nothingness"]]
->''"Deepest silence in holy shell,''\\
''Given nail and named a Knight,''\\
''Bound by chain and egg and spell,''\\
''Hear Our plea! Reveal thy Light!"''
-->'''-Prayer to the Vessel (Hunter's Journal)'''
The final boss of the fourth [[BossRush pantheon]], the perfect version of the Hollow Knight, not tainted by the infection, shines as the [[KnightInShiningArmor hero it once was]]!
Tropes regarding it can be found above under the Hollow Knight's entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Pantheon of Hallownest" Final Boss]]
!!Absolute Radiance
[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/absolute_radiance_statue.png]]
[[caption-width-right:208:"Forgotten god of light"]]
->''"...ANCIENT ENEMY..."''\\
''"...I DO NOT FEAR YOU..."''\\
''"...LET ME BE FREE..."''\\
''"...I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN..."''\\
''"...DAWN WILL BREAK..."''\\
''"...THE LIGHT CANNOT BE CONSUMED..."''
-->'''-Absolute Radiance's Dream Nail dialogue'''
The final boss of the final [[BossRush pantheon]], whom the player must battle a harder version of every other boss in the game to reach, is an even harder version of the Radiance. Dying to her will send the player to the beginning of the pantheon, meaning they'll have to fight every boss all over again to get another shot at defeating her, and she isn't a slouch herself. [[HarderThanHard Defeating her is the greatest challenge "Hollow Knight" has to offer]]!
Tropes regarding her can be found above, under the vanilla Radiance's entry.
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[[/folder]]
----
[[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists Protagonist]] | [=NPCs=] ([[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs Hollow Knight]]) | Bosses ('''Hollow Knight''')]]]]-]
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!Bosses of Hallownest
The many not so friendly faces the Knight encounters on his journey throughout Hallownest.
[[foldercontrol]]
----
!!Forgotten Crossroads Bosses
[[folder:Gruz Mother]]
[[quoteright:186:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gruzmother.png]]
->''"Bizarrely, this monster does not lay eggs but instead carries its young inside of its fat stomach. This strange practice seems to exhaust the creature, making it sleepy and vulnerable. Take advantage!"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A large fly-like being that's found sleeping within the Forgotten Crossroads. You can later fight two slightly stronger Gruz Mothers simultaneously within the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Conqueror.
-----
* BonusBoss: Like all encounters in the Colosseum of Fools, the second two Gruz Mothers aren't necessary for beating the game.
* DualBoss: Two of them are fought simultaneously inside the Colosseum of Fools.
* FlunkyBoss: A weird variation, where her children burst out of her body after she dies and have to be fought separately. This only happens during the first encounter, though.
* KingMook: A larger version of the regular Gruzzers you find within the game.
* MonsterIsAMommy: As is obvious from the name.
----
[[/folder]]
[[folder:False Knight]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/falseknight_8.png]]
->''"Weak creatures love to steal the strength of others. Their lives are brief and fearful, and they yearn to have the power to dominate those who have dominated them."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A maggot who inhabits a stolen armored shell. He guards a room in the Forgotten Crossroads.
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* AntiVillain: After defeating [[spoiler:his Dream Boss version,]] you'll find out that [[spoiler:he wasn't actually evil or infected (at least at first), and stole the armour just because he wanted to protect his siblings, who are among the weakest creatures in Hallownest.]]
* BonusBoss: The first encounter with this boss is mandatory, but a stronger variant can be fought by [[spoiler:striking his corpse with the Dream Nail]].
* CarryABigStick: Slams his mace on the ground, causing shockwaves and making rocks fall from above.
* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Maggots are the weakest creatures in all of Hallowest, but he's still putting this huge stolen suit of armor—one that belonged to one of the five legendary knights, no less—to good use.
* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: After you get the maggot to fall out of the armor, he just lies defeated on the floor, but you can't continue until you kill him. [[spoiler:And once you find two other maggots holding a funeral for him, you have kill the poor guys if you want to fill out the Journal.]]
* GrievousHarmWithABody: His mace's head is actually another bug, who escapes after the Knight's defeated.
* InsaneNoMore: The maggot was supposedly driven mad by some force, but [[spoiler:after his Failed Champion form is defeated, he reveals he wasn't crazy and stole the armor out of determination to protect his fellow maggots]] [[AllForNothing (who, again, you likely killed for the journal entries.)]]
* LivingWeapon: If the player stays a few second besides the False Knight after its boss battle, they can see that the False Knigh's mace is actually a bug that will flee to safety.
* SkippableBoss: Not immediately evident, but [[spoiler:the left side of the arena can be destroyed after the first phase of the boss fight.]] The player only needs access to the Vengeful Spirit beyond the False Knight in order to progress to Greenpath and the City Crest the False Knight drops isn't necessary to enter the City of Tears (which can be accessed from several other areas), so it's not necessary to ever finish the fight.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Brooding Mawlek]]
[[quoteright:289:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/broodingmawlek.png]]
->''"I hear this beast crying out sometimes as I prowl the caverns, although I've never actually laid eyes on it. Who or what is it calling for? As far as I can tell, its voice is never answered."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
This massive beast is found in a hidden area in the Forgotten Crossroads, [[LoneSurvivor alone in a room full of dead Mawleks]]. It can also be fought in the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Fool.
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* BonusBoss: Only found in optional areas, and you can easily complete the entire game without fighting one.
* DeathFromAbove: Its specialty, whether it's slamming down on you with its weight or vomiting acid into the air to fall down on you.
* EarlyBirdBoss: If you end up fighting it before you're supposed to with the SequenceBreaking described below, the thing has a monstrous amount of health and very difficult to avoid attacks. The ability to dash in particular is almost required to jump over it (something you have to do to avoid its acid vomit). It's not quite a HopelessBossFight without it, but damn if it doesn't come close.
* InformedKindness: The Hunter's Journal implies that it's only violent because it's been left alone, but at several points in the game you may enter areas full of Mawleks that will happily try to tear you apart and liquefy your sorry guts anyways. Maybe this only applies to the Brooding subspecies or even this particular individual specimen.
* LoneSurvivor: The one you fight in the Forgotten Crossroads seems to be the only survivor of its colony, hence why it's so violent. Mind you, Lesser Mawleks elsewhere will still attack you in groups.
* MonsterSobStory: Apparently it's an extremely social creature that becomes aggressive if isolated from its kind. You find it alone with all the other Mawleks dead. The Hunter's journal mentions how it keeps calling out for other Mawleks but is never answered.
* SequenceBreaking: The room it's in seems designed to only be reachable once you have the Mantis Claw. However, with some well-timed nail jumps, you can reach it before fighting any other boss in the game.
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[[/folder]]
!!Greenpath Bosses
[[folder:Hornet Protector]]
->''"Come no closer, ghost. I've seen you, creeping through the undergrowth, stalking me. This old kingdom... A terrible thing awakens. I can smell it in the air... I know what you are. I know what you'd try to do. I can't allow it..."''
-->'''-Hornet, before the battle'''
Hornet's first boss form, in which she confronts the Knight in Greenpath to impede on their quest, but underestimates her opponents and does not deploy her full strength.
Hornet's entry can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists here]].
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Massive Moss Charger]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_massive_moss_charger.png]]
->''"There is strength in numbers, yes, but these creatures never had much strength to begin with. Cut through their trickery!"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A bigger variant of the Moss Charger that acts a mini-boss in Greenpath. It lies just off the Pilgrim's Way.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Vengefly King]]
[[quoteright:291:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_vengefly_king.png]]
->''"A filthy creature that is happy to chew on any old thing it finds discarded on the cavern floor. When it notices a threat it will annoyingly scream and shriek, so kill it swiftly."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
The territorial patriarchs of Vengeflies and are native to Greenpath. The Knight first discovers one while it's snacking on Zote the "Mighty" and another can be fought at the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Warrior.
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[[/folder]]
!!Fungal Wastes Bosses
[[folder:Mantis Lords]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d4fdd2b77453b1a6e03952453225c161_original_6.png]]
->''"The Mantis tribe and the bugs of old Hallownest had no love for each other. The Mantises outlived their rivals though, and their civilisation still stands."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
The chiefs of the Mantis Village, they are intensely xenophobic and hostile to outsiders. The Knight must face them in order to gain access to (one entrance of) the Deepnest.
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* ActionGirl: Given that they're referred to as sisters.
* {{BFS}}: All three of them wield nails as tall as they are.
* DualBoss: After defeating one, the other two battle the Knight simultaneously.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: They acknowledge the Knight's strength after it beats them, and the other mantis villagers won't attack it anymore.
* EarlyBirdBoss: To the point where Quirrel explicitly tells you to upgrade your nail before facing them. You can battle them as soon as you get to Mantis Village, but compared to all of the bosses you have faced up to Fungal Wastes, the Mantis Lords are ruthlessly fast and give you very few chances to attack them due to their rapid movement and aggression, all of which gets taken UpToEleven when you battle two of them at once. If you return to them after upgrading your nail and gathering a couple more charms and possibly another HeartContainer, they'll be a lot easier to manage, going from [[LightningBruiser Lighting Bruisers]] to [[FragileSpeedster Fragile Speedsters]].
* FlashStep: Their preferred method of combat. They'll appear in one end of the arena or above you, dash at you, and then jump away quickly before doing it all over again.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There is a destroyed throne in their room in addition to the three they are sitting on. [[spoiler:You end up facing that throne's former occupant in the Queen's Gardens in the form of the Traitor Lord.]]
* GracefulLoser: While they are notorious for their insular and hostile nature, they show a lot of respect for those able to best them. After defeating them, they and their warriors will all bow to the Knight whenever it passes them.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The mantises found in the Fungal Wastes fit this trope as a whole. The Hunter's Journal implies that this may be the reason they weren't affected by the same tragedy that befell their civilized neighbors in Hallownest.
* SequentialBoss: The battle against them is split into two parts. In the first, you face a single Mantis Lord, and two of them in the second part.
* SheIsTheKing: According to the Hunter's Journal entry for the [[spoiler:Traitor Lord]], the Mantis Lords are all sisters. [[FridgeBrilliance This makes a lot of sense]] when you remember that female mantises tend to be MoreDeadlyThanTheMale and in fact often eat the male after mating.
* SkippableBoss: It's entirely possible to beat the game without ever facing the Mantis Lords as there is more than one entrance to the Deepnest.
* SlayingMantis: It's right there in the name, and this trope is the theme of their entire tribe to boot.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: The Mantis Lords can throw their nails at you, which even fly back at them so the player should be wary of them.
* WolfpackBoss: In the Godhome challenge you have to fight all three of them in their second phase.
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[[/folder]]
!!City of Tears Bosses
[[folder:Soul Warrior]]
[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_soul_warrior.png]]
->''"Where these strange warriors go, whispers follow them. Not only are they skilled with a nail, they can also use some strange power to shift suddenly from place to place. Stay on guard."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
Scholars who consumed Soul and gained both Soul powers as well as the fighting skills of their victims. Unfortunately for them, the infection is causing them to lose their identity among the souls they absorbed. They act as recurring mini-boss with varying difficulty.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Soul Master]]
[[quoteright:316:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soulmaster_9.png]]
->''"The bugs of Hallownest tried all kinds of tricks and rituals and prayers to rid themselves of the infection. But to no avail! Perhaps the infection came from somewhere deep inside of them that they could not escape."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
The head of the Soul Sanctum. He hoarded soul hoping to stave off Hallownest's affliction but eventually became intoxicated by its power.
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* BonusBoss: The first encounter with this boss is mandatory, but a stronger variant can be fought by [[spoiler:striking its corpse with the Dream Nail]].
* GroundPound: Uses the desolate dive skill during his fight, teleporting above the knight before slamming into the ground and causing a shockwave. After his defeat, the knight gains the same ability (without the teleportation.)
* ImmortalitySeeker: He and his fellow researchers hoped to find a way to live forever, but they were all driven mad and deformed by misusing the power of souls.
* MadScientist: The Soul Master hoped to use soul power as a means to end the plague, but the king, for reasons never explained to him, opposed his methods. Then again, if the Master was getting his inspiration from prophetic dreams, [[spoiler:wouldn't that also be the work of Radiance]]?
* OrbitingParticleShield: Can summon four projectiles to orbit around him.
* SequentialBoss: Even after one exaggerated death animation, the Soul Master regenerates and the battle continues on the floor below. The same goes for the rematch, sans fake-out.
* ShockwaveStomp: The Soul Master uses the spell Desolate Dive a lot, teleporting right above the Knight to then slam the ground and cause a wave of energy on both sides.
* SquishyWizard: He's got a lot of speed and offense, but can't take too many hits. Soul Tyrant, [[DamageSpongeBoss on the other hand...]]
* PlayingPossum: The Desolate Dive spell ''actually appears'' as a collectable reward after the Soul Master's drawn-out death animation. The Soul Master reappears to interrupt the player with his second phase before they can actually absorb it, however.
* TeleportSpam: Utilises this ''a lot.'' He often teleports away just before he the Knight can strike him, even teleporting in the middle of his own attacks to psych the player out. Taken UpToEleven by the [[spoiler:Soul Tyrant]], who teleports to an insane degree, never staying still for more than a second.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Watcher Knights]]
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/watcherknightcropped.png]]
->''"When these silent warriors fall in battle, their bodies split open and strange bugs come flying out. I wonder, what will come flying out of me when I die? Will my hopes and fears drift away into the darkness?"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
Formerly the elite guards of Lurien the Watcher, they are reanimated by infected flies to fight against you.
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* AnimatedArmor: The Watcher Knights consist of nothing but hollowed out remains controlled by swarms of infected lumaflies circling above the arena.
* {{Expy}}: Of the [[VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII Abyss Watchers.]] Though mercifully, the last one will not get supercharged.
* FallingChandelierOfDoom: [[spoiler:A hidden room lets you drop one on one of the sets of armor, bringing the total number of knights to be fought down to a slightly more manageable five.]]
* PraetorianGuard: The location of their armor, their collective name, and their combat skills all imply that they were the elite guard of Lurien the Watcher.
* RollingAttack: Although the Watcher Knights are not the only opponents to use this technique, their penchant for doing so in unison makes them a particularly memorable example.
* SequentialBoss: You fight one at first, then the rest in pairs. There are six of them in total, though you can destroy one preemptively by dropping a chandelier from the hidden room above.
* WolfpackBoss: [[DownplayedTrope While you don't fight them all at once,]] the player still has to take on ''at least'' five of them to make it through the battle. This is emphasized by their attack patterns: they don't have any flashy tricks or fancy maneuvers, they just gang up on the player relentlessly.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Collector]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/collector_4.png]]
->''"A shadow that sometimes flits through the caverns, making strange noises to itself. I've never seen it clearly so I have no idea what type of creature it is."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A strange, shadowy figure that enjoys collecting bugs.
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* CollectorOfTheStrange: Responsible for the bottled grubs you find across the world. It has other bug types bottled up in its tower.
* FlunkyBoss: Drops glass bottles on the Knight that contain enemies during its boss fight.
* GigglingVillain: It can be heard giggling in its tower, and during its boss fight it constantly laughs. It even laughs ysterically when it's dying.
* ImMelting: Its death animation.
* {{Leitmotif}}: While most bosses share a similar boss theme, the Collector gets a unique, heavily distorted version. Probably to emphasize its deranged mental state.
* LivingShadow: Interestingly enough, it seems to be another being born of the Void, and has some similarities to Shades. [[spoiler:A unique four-armed cast found in a secret chamber within the White Palace which is a mold for the Kingsmoulds implies that the Collector is possibly an escaped Kingsmould.]]
* MadLove: It actually loves everything it preserves in its jars, but of course being prisoner of it is quite a terrible fate.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: It has four arms but they aren't the main threat as it will only occasionally claw the Knight, preferring to jump around.
* OptionalBoss: It is found in a side area, and beating gives a map marker reward that shows all grubs that have not yet been found.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Bottling living things is its way of protecting and conserving them, and it's no coincidence that it has a fixation on capturing grubs…
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[[/folder]]
!!Royal Waterways Bosses
[[folder:Dung Defender]]
[[quoteright:321:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dung_defender.png]]
[[caption-width-right:321:[[labelnote:Click here to see the [[spoiler:White Defender]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_white_defender.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Fighting for 'honour', or for 'loyalty'... you may as well be fighting for dust. If you want to kill, do it for your own sake. That is the nature of a true Hunter."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal entry for the Dung Defender'''
->''"The Champion's Call, the Knotted Grove, the Battle of the Blackwyrm... I remember it all. I will carry those glories with me always... until we meet again."''
-->'''-Ogrim of the Five Knights (Hunter's Journal entry for the [[spoiler:White Defender]])'''
Once one of the five Great Knights of Hallownest, this proud warrior now guards the Royal Waterways against intruders.
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* BigFun: Large, rotund, and jolly. And unlike most of the other bugs, he's not been driven insane by the infection. He just likes chucking dung around.
* BloodKnight: This guy ''loves'' to fight. He leaps into battle with gusto and continues laughing jubilantly the entire time. He bears no hatred for his opponent, [[spoiler:and if you talk to him later he will apologize for his preemptive attack. He also offers heartfelt thanks for giving him such a challenge, congratulates the Knight for an impressive victory, and declares it was the most thrilling bout he's fought in years.]] Like many denizens of Hallownest he is surrounded by death and ruin, and he guards his post in solitude [[spoiler:with only wistful memories for company]]. The joy he finds in combat might be the only thing keeping him in high spirits.
* BoisterousBruiser: Just listen to the jovial tone of his voice as he challenges you while you approach his boss room.
* BonusBoss: [[spoiler:As of the Hidden Dreams update, hitting him with the Dream Nail initiates a rematch with an upgraded version called the White Defender.]]
* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler:As of the Lifeblood update, defeating the White Defender five times causes Ogrim to wake up and greet the Knight. In his thoughts, Ogrim ponders if he can prevent the line of Great Knights from ending with himself. When you next visit the room you find he's built a statue in the likeness of the Knight and left to parts unknown.]]
* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler:After defeating him, he can later be found again and will apologize for attacking you, explaining that he mistook you for a Husk.]]
* [[SandIsWater Dung Is Water]]: He burrows and occasionally even swims in the floor of his room, though he can also stand on it and the Knight cannot sink into it.
* DungFu: He's a ''dung beetle''. Of ''course'' he's skilled at this.
* FurryReminder: When you defeat the Dung Defender, his explosion sends him flying into the background, where he lands on his back and starts flailing his limbs, struggling to get up—much like a real beetle. Not to mention the fact that he does roll balls of dung.
* KnightInShiningArmor: If you discount the fact that his armor is anything but shining, he is a textbook example—a noble, honor-bound hero, [[UndyingLoyalty loyal beyond death]] to his king.
* LargeHam: Even in a setting that employs SpeakingSimlish, he still manages to stand out as one.
--> BAAAA HUNDAA!
* LastOfHisKind: He's the only Great Knight left, as far as we know.
* PinballProjectile: His dung balls. Sometimes, the Defender himself will curl into a ball and join them in bouncing around the room.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: He's been around since (presumably) the founding of Hallownest, which is stated to have been at least a century ago.
* RedBaron: Dung Defender is his title. Certain dialogue reveals his name is Ogrim.
* StepfordSmiler: His thoughts and dreams are less jolly than his demeanor. [[spoiler:The dialogue earned by defeating or Dream Nailing the White Defender states that he ''severely'' misses his king and companions and desperately wants to reunite with them.]]
* TheHyena: He laughs a lot in and out of his fight. If you enter his room, he'll sometimes do it in his sleep.
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:His fellow knight Isma, [[HerosMuse platonic]] or [[LoverAndBeloved otherwise.]] He'll sometimes mutter her name in his sleep. The gate he guards leads to Isma's Grove, which is, if not a tomb, a sort of monument to her memory.]]
* ToiletHumor: As heroic as he is, he's still a dung beetle—not the most dignified of insects. When he is defeated, he emits [[{{Fartillery}} a massive explosion of noxious gas]] that sends him flying into the background.
* UndyingLoyalty: The description of his Defender's Crest states it was a gift from the king himself to his most loyal knight. You can also find that the Defender keeps dung statues of his Great Knight comrades on his room and a statue of the King with a idol next to it on the opposite room.
* YouShallNotPass: He guards a device that drains the acid blocking the way to Isma's Grove. Using the Dream Nail on him later while he's sleeping reveals [[HeroWorshipper he holds her in high regard]].
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Flukemarm]]
[[quoteright:148:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flukemarm.png]]
->''"The desire to breed, to leave behind a memory of ourselves in the shape of a child... it seems to be etched deep into the heart of every living creature. I too have felt the pull of that base instinct."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
Found hanging from the ceiling in a secluded room in the Royal Waterways, this giant worm covered in orifices will immediately start launching its children at you should you disturb it.
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* BonusBoss: Its room lies off to the side, and you only need to fight it if you want the Flukenest Charm that it drops.
* CurbStompBattle: If you have a fully upgraded Nail by the time you find her (which you have a good chance of) she'll go down in just a few charged hits.
* FlunkyBoss: The most extreme example in the game. Unable to attack or even move itself, it instead has to constantly shoot Flukefeys at you in order to kill you.
* HellIsThatNoise: Constantly makes a bunch of gurgling, slobbering sounds with its "mouths" as you fight it.
* MotherOfAThousandYoung: Apparently, it is the source of all the Flukefeys and Flukemons you find in the Royal Waterways.
* NonMaliciousMonster: She won't attack you unless you start it.
* StationaryBoss: Being stuck to the ceiling and lacking any limbs to move with, it's unable to do anything but spawn Flukefeys at you.
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[[/folder]]
!!Crystal Peak Bosses
[[folder:Crystal Guardian]]
[[quoteright:206:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crystalguardian.png]]
->''"How does the world look to this creature, gazing out from within its crystal prison? Does it see only light? Is that what drives it into a frenzy?"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
Found sitting on a bench in the Crystal Peak, this bug has not only been infected by the plague, but has also had its head and arms encased in the crystal that gives the area its name. After being defeated by the Knight, it flees to the room directly above, where it can be rematched as the "Enraged Guardian" and killed for good.
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* BeamSpam: Mostly content to fire individual beams from its arm, it can also [[{{DeathFromAbove}} conjure multiple searing rays from the ceiling at once]].
* BonusBoss: Defeating it once gives you access to the bench it was sitting on; defeating it twice rewards you with a Mask Shard.
* CrystalPrison: It is only partially encased, however.
* FrickinLaserBeams: This is the Crystal Guardian's primary method of attack.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Like all bugs taken by the infection, its eyes glow orange.
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[[/folder]]
!!Ancient Basin Bosses
[[folder:Broken Vessel]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dfa5e2c0875e306ab758ce8661660235_original.png]]
->''"The shape of this creature... I have seen something like it before. More than once, perhaps. It looks a little like the bugs of Hallownest, but not quite the same. Where did these empty little wanderers come from?"''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
An eerily familiar figure found in the Ancient Basin, consumed by the plague that has spread throughout Hallownest.
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* BonusBoss: Not the regular version, but they can be rematched by [[spoiler:striking its corpse with the Dream Nail. Curiously, this version of the boss has their name changed to Lost Kin]].
* CainAndAbel: The Knight and them are siblings, but their reanimated body has to be defeated to unlock the Monarch Wings.
* DyingAsYourself: All of the infected pus explodes off their body after they are defeated, giving them enough time to reach out desperately towards the Knight before falling dead to the ground. [[spoiler:The Lost Kin version is still infected, and upon being defeated, instead of being able to "Listen" to their last thoughts, instead the Knight can "Accept" which makes Lost Kin nod in thanks to the Knight. The achievement for this is called "Peace".]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:A Vessel that was also consumed by the infection, like the Hollow Knight, and shrieks in much the same way as them as well.]]
* FlunkyBoss: The [[spoiler:Lost Kin]] spawns floating blobs of infection pus at a rapid rate, forcing the player to divide their attention between these Infected Balloons and the boss.
* GracefulLoser: Bows their head politely to the Knight after [[spoiler:they are defeated in the dream world]].
* MirrorBoss: Their attacks and movement abilities are strikingly similar to the Hollow Knight's, [[spoiler:which is fitting since they are both Vessels]].
* PuppeteerParasite: They are actually lying down on the ground when they are encountered, but then a swarm of Lightseeds gathers inside of their hollowed out shell to reanimate them and push them to battle the Knight.
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[[/folder]]
!!Fog Canyon Bosses
[[folder:Uumuu]]
[[quoteright:195:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uumuu.png]]
->''"The canyon below us, the one thick with fog and crackling with strange energy... a Hunter can lose their senses down there. Be careful... strange and unnatural things lurk there."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A giant, jellyfish-like creature that guards Monomon the Teacher. Quirrel aids you in your battle against it.
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* ElectricJellyfish: Uses electric attacks during its boss battle.
* {{Expy}}: The orange nucleus surrounded by translucent membrane brings to mind [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} another fictional jellyfish-like species]].
* KingMook: To the Ooma and Uoma.
* SeeminglyHopelessBossFight: The membrane protecting the core prevents the Knight from attacking it with spells or the nail. [[spoiler:After a while of dodging, Quirrel will come in and pop it.]]
* ShockAndAwe: Uumuu's primary method of attack. It has two main attacks, the first is to cover 90% of the boss room in electrical sparks, forcing the player to seek a safe spot, and the second one is to continuously summon electricity on the Knight's position, forcing the player to constantly move.
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[[/folder]]
!!Queen's Gardens Bosses
[[folder:Traitor Lord]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/traitorlord_3.png]]
->''"I have felt that desire. The desire to take the infection into myself. To become stronger, more powerful... these thoughts haunt my dreams during the darkest times. A false hope, but it can burn so brilliantly in one's mind."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
While the Mantis Tribe has by and large fared ''much'' better than Hallownest against the plague, not even they are fully immune to its effects. Those Mantises who succumb to the plague are exiled to the Queen's Gardens, and the Traitor Lord rules over these corrupted husks.
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* FinalExamBoss: A non-final version; you need the Shadow Cloak to face it, and he'll make darned sure you know how to use it in combat.
* GroundPound: He can slam the ground to unleash an immense shockwave that cannot be avoided without the Shade Cloak.
* KingMook: He uses the same moves used by the grounded mantises in the area, but is twice their size.
* MaleMightFemaleFinesse: In sharp contrast to the Mantis Lords, the Traitor Lord is slower and bulkier, and forgoes using a weapon. Justified, as if he had style, it's likely been cast away due to the plague affecting his mind.
* MutualKill: If [[spoiler:Cloth]] shows up for the fight, it will end with them killing each other regardless of how much damage you deal.
* PowerAtAPrice: The Lord deliberately embraced the plague to become more powerful. This should have the cost of [[PsychoSerum turning him feral]], but he and the other exiled appear to still function as a society in the Gardens.
* SlayingMantis: Like his sisters, but comes off as more of a brute given that he uses his bare claws rather than nails. As of the ''Lifeblood'' update he can now also throw glaives similar to the ones used by Mantis Petra and the Mantis Lords, but his seem to be lathered in infection and he can throw them in a much trickier pattern.
* TookALevelInBadass: Previously, the Traitor Lord was basically a resized Mantis Traitor with a souped-up health pool. As of the ''Lifeblood'' update, however, he has gained two new ranged attacks and now deals two masks of damage with most attacks and on contact.
* {{Unperson}}: His broken throne in the Mantis Village suggests he's received this treatment from his sisters.
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[[/folder]]
!!Deepnest Bosses
[[folder:Nosk]]
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nosk_4.png]]
->''"In the deepest darkness, there are beasts who wear faces stolen from your memories and pluck at the strings in your heart. Know yourself, and stay strong."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A predatory arthropod that lures bugs into the Deepnest by mimicking their loved ones.
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* AlluringAnglerfish: Uncommon terrestrial example; the impostor knight is revealed to be a puppet mounted on Nosk's head once the Knight confronts it inside its lair.
* BaitAndSwitchBoss: The Winged Nosk uses Hornet's form as a disguise.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: To an even greater extent than many other enemies encountered in Hallownest. Its primary methods of attack are to skitter back and fourth across its arena and to leap at the player.
* BonusBoss: Found in a hidden area in the lower Deepnest. It isn't necessary for game completion but rewards the player with a Pale Ore if slain.
* BullfightBoss: Its main form of attack is to charge, priming it by roaming before.
* ConfrontingYourImposter: When it's initially encountered in the depths of the Deepnest, Nosk is disguised as a mirror image of the Knight.
* DamageSpongeBoss: Its attack patterns are pretty simple but it can take a lot of hits.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Implied by the dying dreams of the corpses left outside its lair, and confirmed by its Hunter's Journal entry: many of Nosk's victims believed they were pursuing their long-deceased companions.
* DeathFromAbove: For one of its attacks, the Nosk jumps up to the ceiling and drops acid bolts on its prey.
* EmpathicShapeshifter: The bugs strung up in Nosk's lair aren't all Vessels like the Knight; a few are of different species, meaning that Nosk can improvise a convincing disguise tailored to its prey.
* HollywoodAcid: The Nosk has gained two acid attacks as of a patch. The blobs stick around for a while after hitting the floor, restraining movement.
* OffscreenTeleportation: During the first few sightings, Nosk will always appear around a bend that will allow it to disappear deeper into its tunnels before the player is able to catch up to it.
* SpiderLimbs: As visible once it reveals its true nature.
* TookALevelInBadass: A post-launch patch added two acid-based attacks to the Nosk. And again in another update as Winged Nosk.
----
[[/folder]]
!!Kingdom's Edge Bosses
[[folder:Hornet Sentinel]]
->''"So you'd pursue the deeper truth? It isn't one the weak could bear. Prove yourself ready to face it. I'll not hold back. My needle is lethal and I'd feel no sadness in a weakling's demise. Show me you can accept this Kingdom's past and claim responsibility for its future."''
-->'''-Hornet, before the battle'''
Hornet's second boss form in which she challenges the Knight at the entrance to the Cast-Off Shell in Kingdom's Edge to test their resolve and strength in saving Hallownest.
Hornet's entry can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists here]].
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[[/folder]]
!!Colosseum of Fools Bosses
[[folder:Zote the Mighty]]
->''"Some rare creatures are so weak, so helpless, so inept and so irritating that hunting them gives no pleasure."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A self-proclaimed mighty knight who's seeking fame in Hallownest. If he survives long enough, he'll act as the final boss of the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Warrior the first time the Knight completes it.
Tropes regarding him can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs here]] under Zote's [=NPC=] entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Oblobble]]
[[quoteright:338:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_oblobble.png]]
->''"Having a mate by your side... one that will never leave you until death. Strange. No mate has ever come forth to stay by my side..."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A bigger variant of an Obble, two of which act as the final boss of the Colosseum of Fools' Trial of the Conqueror.
----
* BonusBoss: Only necessary for completion's sake, and can otherwise be skipped as their only found in optional areas.
* DualBoss: Two of them are fought at any given time, as
* KillOneOthersGetStronger: When one falls in battle, the other becomes more aggressive.
----
[[/folder]]
[[folder:God Tamer]]
[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/godtamer_5.png]]
->''"Some hunters train beasts to join them in chasing down prey. I tried it once, but couldn't resist the urge to test my companion's strength against mine."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A veteran gladiator of the Colosseum of Fools, and the final encounter of its most challenging course; a female cockroach who fights alongside a mount resembling a prehistoric trilobite.
-----
* BeastOfBattle: The crustacean mount bears all the hallmarks.
* TheBeastmaster: Upon entering the arena, the cockroach immediately dismounts and engages the player character in tandem with her beast.
* BloodKnight: The Hunter’s Journal refers to the God Tamer as a veteran warrior of the Colosseum, implying that she participates in the games for the [[BloodSport sport of it]].
* BonusBoss: Awards the player with no items or upgrades upon her defeat, and is only a required battle in a [[HundredPercentCompletion completionist run]].
* CheckPointStarvation: Because the encounter occurs at the conclusion of the Trial of the Fool, if you fail to dispatch the boss, you'll have to replay the entire lengthy gauntlet to take another stab at the fight.
* DualBoss: The cockroach rider isn’t terribly imposing on her own, but her aggressive partner serves to keep the player on their toes.
* JoustingLance: The rider fights with a slender lance, even after dismounting.
* OnlyTheChosenMayRide: Jury’s still out on whether the trilobite qualifies as a ‘god’, but it seems to be the only remaining specimen of its kind, and isn’t particularly friendly.
* VillainousBSOD: If the trilobite is killed before the rider, she will fall to her knees and give up.
----
[[/folder]]
!!The Hive Bosses
[[folder:Hive Knight]]
[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiveknight.png]]
->''"Some creatures are born with duties and loyalties marked indelibly upon their minds. They are strong, but they are also slaves."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A flightless warrior of the Hive added in the Lifeblood Update. He arrives to defend the Hiveblood charm and his queen when the Knight comes to her chamber.
-----
* AnimalSpeciesAccent: His vocalizations in his fight have a pronounced buzzing sound to them.
* BonusBoss: You can go through the entire game without ever fighting him, and the area he's in is [[GuideDangIt pretty out of the way.]]
* TheFettered: Eternally loyal to Vespa the Hive Queen; he will defend her ideals and kingdom to his dying breath.
* FlashStep: Uses this liberally, and most of his attacks begin with him appearing next to the knight before swinging his nail, accompanied by his [[AnimalSpeciesAccent buzz-filled vocalization.]]
* FlunkyBoss: Summons smaller bees as the fight goes on.
* HiveCasteSystem: Fits in the "big warrior" caste.
* {{Kiai}}: Does a buzz-accented version of this before many of his attacks.
* KnightInShiningArmor: He's the only bee that wears any armor, in fact.
* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: The only biped in the hive.
* SoProudOfYou: His Dream Nail dialogue indicates that this is what he wants from Queen Vespa.
* BornIntoSlavery: [[spoiler:The Hunter's Journal indicates that his UndyingLoyalty to Queen Vespa was "marked indelibly" into his mind from birth, and Queen Vespa's spirit mentions his newfound freedom after his death.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:Queen Vespa appears to be long dead,]] yet the Hive Knight serves her all the same.
* YouShallNotPass: Guards the Hiveblood charm by suddenly shutting the entrances to his room before appearing.
----
[[/folder]]
!!Grimm Troupe Bosses
[[folder:Grimm]]
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grimm01.png]]
[[caption-width-right:230:[[labelnote:Click here to see [[spoiler:Nightmare King]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_nightmare_king.png]][[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Through dream I travel, at lantern's call''\\
''To consume the flames of a kingdom's fall"''
-->'''-Grimm (Hunter's Journal entry for Grimm)'''
->''"The expanse of dream in past was split,''\\
''One realm now must stay apart,''\\
''Darkest reaches, beating red,''\\
''Terror of sleep. The Nightmare's Heart."''
-->'''-Seer (Hunter's Journal entry for [[spoiler:Nightmare King]])'''
Introduced in the ''Grimm Troupe'' campaign, Grimm is the leader of the titular Grimm Troupe. He requests that the Knight go and collect flames from his kin.
-----
* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: By his Troupe. [[spoiler:Even the guy trying to stop the ritual really wants to free him from being enslaved to the cycle and means no ill will towards him.]]
* AmbiguouslyEvil: While Grimm is outwardly polite enough to constitute as DarkIsNotEvil, there's a plethora of questions the more you go in the sidequest. What does Grimm gain when supplying the Knight with a Grimmchild? What exactly does his "ritual" entail? [[spoiler:The fact that he appears to know about the Wyrm and the Vessels brings up even more questions, not to mention his upgraded form is known as the "Nightmare King". The White Lady has special dialogue for having the Grimmchild equipped and speaking to her, saying that it would be "naive" to call it a friend.]] It doesn't help that many characters feel that something is off about him.
* AffablyEvil: [[AmbiguouslyEvil Assuming he even is evil in the first place,]] Grimm is still unfailingly polite and cordial to the Knight, and [[OneHundredPercentAdorationRating his Troupe's adoration for him]] certainly suggests he's a [[BenevolentBoss Benevolent Boss.]]
* BadassCape: His [[CapeWings leathery wings serve as a cape]], and he can use it to [[ClothingCombat attack]] by [[ShapingYourAttacks transforming it into a drill or spikes.]]
* BadassFingersnap: Does this on a few occasions, namely to power up the Grimmchild and to turn on the lights in his arena.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: [[spoiler:You have to Dream Nail a sleeping Grimm to access his Nightmare battle.]]
* BerserkButton: Grimm does not take kindly to rudeness, especially when he's being gracious. [[spoiler:You find that out the hard way when you hit him as he's bowing during his boss fight.]]
* BonusBoss: He is not connected to the main story, and [[spoiler:his Nightmare battle is a bonus within a bonus, as it's possible to banish Grimm and his Troupe without ever fighting it; doing so yields a different reward.]]
* BossSubtitles: His Nightmare King Grimm form has the entire screen black except for the his name centered and colored red, in a similar manner to how the name of The Radiance is displayed.
* CircusOfFear: His building seems to be a circus tent. His fight also has an audience up on podiums observing it.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Probably. Despite his main color scheme being crimson and red and the dim lights of where you find him, he's awfully polite and only fights the Knight to mature his "child", and his Troupe seems to universally love him. However, the mystery surrounding the true nature of his "Ritual", the fact that many characters feel uneasy around him and that he's deeply connected to nightmares makes this trope all the more [[AmbiguouslyEvil ambiguous]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: Hit him when he's bowing to the audience? [[spoiler:He'll screech like a banshee and unleash his strongest attack.]]
* {{Expy}}: His color scheme and cloak may invoke the image of a bug Literature/{{Dracula}}. [[spoiler:He also hangs upside down like a bat when asleep.]] Many of his attacks when you fight him are based on attacks a [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} different Dracula]] uses, particularly launching a volley of three fireballs from his cloak, suddenly teleporting in as he makes a lunging attack from across the room, dissolving into a flock of bats (or swarm of bugs, in his case), and summoning columns of fire.
* {{Foil}}: Could be considered one to [[spoiler:the Radiance. Both are powerful, [[MacabreMothMotif moth-like ]] creatures [[DreamWalker tied to the dreaming world,]] but while the Radiance is an [[GodIsEvil evil,]] [[GreenEyedMonster petty]] entity of [[LightIsNotGood light]] that acts as the god of "good" dreams, Grimm is a [[AffablyEvil polite]], theatrical creature of [[DarkIsNotEvil dark]] and [[PlayingWithFire fire]] known as the "Nightmare King", which may make him the Main/{{Satan}} to the Radiance's Main/{{God}}.]]
* GoodParents: It seems that way when it comes to the Grimmchild. Much of the "Ritual" involves making his child stronger. When you return to Grimm after gathering the flames the first time and after the boss fight, he praises the Knight and the Grimmchild.
-->'''Grimm:''' [Returning with three flames for the first time] I can feel it. The warmth of the flame you've gathered together. A masterful opening act. The air hums with excitement. [[SoProudOfYou Dear child, you've done so well]]. Let your fire burn even brighter!
-->[[[BadassFingersnap After upgrading the Grimmchild]]]
-->Beautiful, yes. The child has grown, from idle youth to deadly companion. About these dangerous lands, its aid will no doubt be welcome. Just don't neglect our dance, for it too continues! Keep hunting that scattered, scarlet essence. When the child is filled with flame once more, return to the stage and the performance will begin.
* GracefulLoser: Will congratulate the Knight upon defeating him.
-->'''Grimm:''' [Post-boss fight] Bravo, my friend. Hear how the crowd adores you! They've not seen such a show in a long time. Look here! How our child has grown, nourished and strengthened by the heat of our passionate dance! The two of you will feature in many tragedies and triumphs together, I'm sure.
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:His dream nail quote seems to state that he's fully aware of what the Vessels are and that the Wyrm made them.]] Also, in the Godmaster update: [[spoiler:he is the only rematched boss that ''directly acknowledges'' Godseeker's presence, bowing to ''her'' instead of you during your rematch with him. And upon dream nailing, him in the rematch, gives quotes further solidifying his awareness of the situation, talking about how it's an honor to attend "the seeker's call", and what a pleasure it is to be a part of this "charming ritual".]]
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Grimm will bow during the first few seconds of his fight, allowing the Knight a free hit. [[spoiler:Defied, as hitting him while he's bowing causes him to scream and immediately start one of his stronger attacks. Nightmare King Grimm, on the other hand, lacks this bow and attacks from the get-go.]]
* LetsDance: He refers to his fight with the Knight as this.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Grimm does a bow to the Knight at the start of the battle, [[spoiler:and gets ''angry'' if the Knight [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown takes this as an opportunity to hit him]]. Averted in the Nightmare King battle, where he attacks immediately.]]
* LightningBruiser: He is constantly teleporting from place to place and attacking at a rapid pace, leaving no time to heal and little time to even approach him. And yet he also boasts a respectable amount of health. If you are not able to dodge every single one of his attacks with perfect precision, he ''will'' outlast you easily.
* MacabreMothMotif: [[CartoonCreature While his species is not explicitly named in-game]], it's possible that he's a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calyptra_(moth) Calyptra moth]], AKA the vampire moth, given that he resembles a classic vampire and is [[spoiler:hanging upside-down like a vampire]] when the player returns with the final flames for the Grimmchild. [[spoiler:Reinforced by the fact that moths are connected to the Dream, and Grimm is associated with the Nightmare]], though this leaves several questions related to the history of the moths unanswered.
* MadArtist: Grimm views himself as a performer first and foremost, and is quite prone to theatrics between bouts of acrobatic violence that he and the Troupe refer to as "dancing".
* NamesToRunFromReallyFast: [[spoiler:You enter his final boss arena, and you are treated to a terrifying flame-wreathed entrance while "Nɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇ Kɪɴɢ Gʀɪᴍᴍ" flashes on the screen in red text. You'd better run.]]
* OrchestralBombing: Appropriately for his appearance, his boss theme is an orchestral piece that features an OminousPipeOrgan and unintelligible chanting. [[spoiler:Both of his boss themes, in fact.]]
* PlayingWithFire: As appropriate for someone requesting flames, a lot of Grimm's attacks are noticeably fire-based. [[spoiler:Taken UpToEleven with Nightmare King Grimm where all of his normal attacks leave trails of flame in their wake.]]
* PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes: Comes into play if you hit him while he's bowing to you. Grimm is sincerely polite and genteel, but he does not take kindly to rudeness.
* RepulsiveRingmaster: Though he lacks the trademark top hat, Grimm fits the character archetype owing to his penchant for dramatic spotlights, flamboyant showmanship and striking color scheme.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: Land a cheap shot on Grimm while he's bowing politely to you? [[spoiler:He screeches like a banshee and retaliates with his ultimate attack, which he normally doesn't start using until about halfway into the battle.]]
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[[/folder]]
!!Final Bosses
[[folder:The Final Boss (Spoilers)]]
!!The Hollow Knight
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_hollow_knight.png]]
->''"The old King of Hallownest... he must have been desperate to save his crumbling little world. The sacrifices he imposed on others... all for nothing."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
The original Vessel for the plague, created by the king of Hallownest and sealed away in an attempt to protect the kingdom. With their ability to contain the plague weakening, they must be defeated to take their place as the new Vessel to keep the plague from fully breaking free.
-----
* AmbiguousGender: Just like the Knight and other Vessels, WordOfGod says that the Hollow Knight doesn't have a gender and is often referred to as an "it".
* AnArmAndALeg: While it could be obscured by the cloak they wear, the Hollow Knight's second arm is never visible. [[spoiler:The Pure Vessel fought in the Godhome very clearly has two arms, confirming that the Hollow Knight lost one arm at some unknown point after this, presumably due to containing the infection.]]
* BadassCape: [[spoiler:Used to wear a long, white cape with armored padding around the neck area in their Pure Vessel form. It gets ripped off as they start fighting though.]]
* BodyHorror: They have several attacks that involve a large amount of glowing cysts exploding out of their chest. One attack has them being flung into the air and slammed into the ground in an attempt to crush the Knight.
* BonusBoss: The Godmaster update gives us [[spoiler:The Pure Vessel, which is the Hollow Knight in their prime in the dream world, uncorrupted by The Infection. They can perform some dangerous new moves and uses a [[YinYangBomb combination of soul and void]] elements for each.]]
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to the player Knight's Abel, though how much control the Hollow Knight still has over their actions and how much is the plague controlling their body by the time they are reached is left mostly up to debate.
* CliffHanger: In the new ending added in "Godmaster", [[spoiler:the Hollow Knight, newly freed from the Radiance, is seen advancing towards Hornet right before a SmashToBlack.]]
* CombatBreakdown: A rare example of this happening to the ''boss''. About halfway through the fight, they become visibly fatigued and start stabbing themselves in a desperate attempt to either destroy the infection or themselves as the plague begins to overtake them. By the end of the battle, they can hardly attack without collapsing and can barely even be considered a proper fight anymore.
* CounterAttack: They have a distinct animation during which they block all nail slashes thrown their way, eventually resulting in one of these if the player keeps attacking anyway.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: ''Hooo, boy''. First, there was their creation by the Pale King [[spoiler:via sacrificing his and the White Lady's children]]. Then they were raised with the sole purpose of sacrificing themselves for the world. But the Pale King ended up forming a father-child bond with it, inadvertently sabotaging the Hollow Knight's potential. When the Knight finally faces them, they are a broken mess due to the Infection taking over their body and threatening to burst forth.
* {{Determinator}}: All the Vessels were created with this in mind to better keep the Infection contained. However, the Hollow Knight gets a special mention for this trope. Despite the Infection being on the verge of breaking free, the Hollow Knight does everything in their power to fulfill their purpose. First, they repeatedly maim themselves in order to aid the Knight. Then, [[spoiler:when the Knight beats the Radiance]], they appear in Shade form to help the former kill [[spoiler:her]] once and for all.
* EleventhHourRanger: In the Dream No More ending, [[spoiler:they return as a Shade to help the Knight defeat the Radiance]].
* {{Expy}}: Bears more than a few similarities to two separate characters from VideoGame/DarkSoulsI: Artorias and Gwyn.
** With Artorias they share the status of [[FallenHero a hero fallen]] to the force they were meant to oppose, a {{BFS}} wielded with one hand while [[HandicappedBadass the other is injured]] (or missing in the Hollow Knight's case), and a fighting style that channels the force they were corrupted with.
** Meanwhile, like Gwyn they sacrificed themselves to protect their world, is the FinalBoss who the player aims to replace in their duties, and is in a rather sorry state when encountered.
* FightingFromTheInside: In the second half of the fight, the Hollow Knight starts resisting the control of the plague, stabbing themselves in the chest in an attempt to help the Knight. These suicidal fits don't damage them, but they do represent huge openings for the Knight to heal themselves, openings that the otherwise-highly-aggressive Hollow Knight rarely presents.
* FlashStep: It'll appear and vanish with blinding speed throughout the first half of the fight to get an angle for attacking the Knight, verging on TeleportSpam at times. [[spoiler:In the Pure Vessel variant, their FlashStep has the same visual effects as Shade Cloak, highlighting the link between them and the Void.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: A minor one, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgqIVe6FF1U in the cinematic where you encounter the Hollow Knight's statue in the City of Tears]], the statue appears to [[TearsFromAStone shed a few tears]]. When they are encountered later in the game, we see that they are FightingFromTheInside, desperate to contain the infection, but they are unable to hold on much longer.
* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: Certain NPC dialogue—along with a cutscene at the conclusion of the Path of Pain—implies that the Hollow Knight could not completely contain the infection due to [[spoiler:being raised as a child by the Pale King]].
* HeroicSacrifice: They tried to pull one by serving as the Vessel for the infection and sealing it away. It worked for a while.
* IGotBigger: Flashback cutscenes reveal that when they were younger they used to look pretty similar to the far smaller Knight, with the only difference being the shape of their horns and the colour of their cloak.
* KnightInShiningArmor: [[spoiler:The Pure Vessel's long, white, armored cape gives them this appearance.]]
* LeakingCanOfEvil: They ''are'' the leaking can! Some of their attacks even incorporate firing blobs of glowing liquid just like some other infected creatures do.
* PeoplePuppets: In their final phases, they are so unable to contain the plague that it takes completely over, lifts them up, and slams them in the Knight's direction like a rag-doll.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: They are the forsaken child, in a very literal sense.
* ReverseGrip: Always holds their nail this way.
* SadBattleMusic: Their battle music, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdWkZOo-p0M Sealed Vessel]], starts out imposing and grand but turns heartbreakingly tragic in the second part of the fight, as they are slowly reduced to a wreck, turning their blade on themselves and eventually growing so weak they can barely swing their nail without collapsing.
* {{Seppuku}}: The way they stab themselves with their own nail has shades of this, especially how it coincides with the soundtrack's shift to SadBattleMusic. Of course, [[MadeOfIron even this doesn't finish them off]] and the Hollow Knight periodically stabs themselves throughout the rest of the fight.
* TheSpeechless: They were meant to have no voice as part of the qualities that would help them contain the infection. "No voice to cry suffering". They appear to roar during the boss battle, but this is the voice of the Radiance seeping out through the infected parts of the Hollow Knight. In Godhome, [[spoiler:the Pure Vessel is entirely speechless. The start of the fight uses the start of the music in place of the roar that starts the battle with the Hollow Knight in the main game.]]
* TragicMonster: During the battle, they are clearly fighting the infection that's driving them mad as much as they are fighting the Knight.
* TykeBomb: There's something poignant about finding out the Hollow Knight was once kid-sized like the Knight and that the King regarded all the Vessels as mere tools.
* UnPerson: Which is particularly odd since there's a giant fountain homaging them in the kingdom's capital. As Lemm points out, no one in Hallownest has ''any'' clue who the Hollow Knight is or why there's a large statue of them at the center of the City of Tears. Outside of that fountain, they're never mentioned in any historical records.
* WreckedWeapon: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]], as the nail they wield is still usable but appears to be in pretty terrible condition. [[spoiler:Like the Hollow Knight themselves, their nail appears in a restored form when fighting Pure Vessel and is capable of dealing ''twice'' as much damage.]]
* YinYangBomb: Downplayed, [[spoiler:but more present in the Pure Vessel variant, which uses a combination of the Void and white-themed magic projectiles and spells themed off the Nail.]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: True Final Boss (Spoilers)]]
!!The Radiance
[[quoteright:345:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theradiance.png]]
->''"The plague, the infection, the madness that haunts the corpses of Hallownest... the light that screams out from the eyes of this dead Kingdom. What is the source? I suppose mere mortals like myself will never understand."''
-->'''-Hunter's Journal'''
A god-like entity of light. She spawned the plague that destroyed Hallownest after being shunned and forgotten by bugs in favor of the Pale King.
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* AnimalisticAbomination: In general looks, she has a lot of Moth-like elements in her design, but it's obvious she's far beyond anything like that.
* BackgroundBoss: Stays in the background and is one of the few enemies that doesn't deal CollisionDamage.
* BigBad: She's responsible for the infection that killed Hallownest.
* BossSubtitles: While all the bosses have these, the Radiance is a notable case due to her Boss Subtitle covering the entire screen in white except for the words "The Radiance". This was unique among bosses in the game until Nightmare King Grimm came along and used it as well.
* CheckPointStarvation: Every time the Knight is bested by the Radiance, they return to the bench outside of the Hollow Knight's chamber. The Hollow Knight must be defeated again before being able to fight the Radiance again. Even more extreme in the Godhome version of the fight, where losing means having to [[MarathonLevel refight 41 previous bosses]] for another shot.
* TheCorruption: The Radiance's influence manifests as the HatePlague that blights the kingdom of Hallownest. According to the Hunter, the Radiance actually tempts her victims (though HearingVoices) with power and strength, at the cost of BodyHorror and a DeathOfPersonality.
* CrystalDragonJesus: In her actions and backstory, she bears some resemblance to Abrahamic God. She created and ruled over moths, her people, until a foreign king lured them to abandon her and worship him instead (through idols, no less). Then, in her attempt to be remembered, she caused a plague that decimated her enemy's kingdom.
* DraggedOffToHell: How she's ultimately defeated, consumed by the Abyss following a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown from both Vessels.
* DreamWalker: The plague is the product of Radiance "invading the dreams" of Hallownest's inhabitants.
* DrivenByEnvy: Furious with the population of Hallownest for ceasing worship in favor of her usurper, the Pale King. Hitting her with the Dream Nail reveals bitter proclamations such as [-"THE LIGHT CANNOT BE CONSUMED"-] and [-"I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN".-]
* EvilIsBurningHot: Her motif. Her plague leaves its victims in simultaneous pain and reverence due to her hot, orange light. It's telling that normally peaceful animals are driven into frenzied fear, their thoughts expressing fear over the light.
* EvilIsVisceral: The orange of the Radiance and her plague is also the color of infected bug blood. Furthermore, areas heavily overtaken by plague (such as the Infected Crossroads) are full of [[MeatMoss throbbing boils of orange fluid connected by thick, pumping veins]].
* {{Expy}}: Very reminiscent of the final form of [[VideoGame/MegaManX8 Lumine]]. Both are true final bosses after besting an infected swordsman, both are angelic in appearance and fought against a cloudy yellow background, and both rely on screen-filling light-beam attacks.
* GodIsEvil: Her response to being shunned by bugkind was to send a plague upon them that essentially caused a ZombieApocalypse.
* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: A variation: The Radiance needs to be ''remembered'' to exist, and was originally suppressed by the Pale King [[{{Unperson}} destroying all traces of her existence and doing everything in his power to ensure bug-kind forgot her]]. Unfortunately, he wasn't thorough enough, and [[DugTooDeep the discovery of a statue in her image at the top of Crystal Peak]] was all it took to revive her.
* GoodColorsEvilColors: Symbolized by orange, compared to the Pale King's stark white.
* HatePlague: Victims, when struck with the Dream Nail, display primitive but hateful comments such as "''Your smell…Kill you…''"
* HiveMind: Under her rule, some bugs were united in mind, but also reduced to their base instincts. Now they also get some BodyHorror as a result of resisting her memory and single mindedly fighting the Knight in order to keep her coming back from being interrupted.
* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The Seer, a member of the tribe that worshipped her, pretty much gave the Vessels the means of destroying her once and for all by giving one the Dream Nail.
* IfICantHaveYou: The Radiance destroyed her own civilization for rejecting her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: She doesn't seem to care how much suffering she causes by forcing the bugs of Hallownest to remember her.
* LightEmUp: Many of her attacks manifest as this, such as homing spheres of light or pillars of light raining down from the sky.
* LightIsNotGood: She's a being of pure white with a distinctly angelic appearance, and she's the sole cause of all the horror that befell Hallownest.
* MacabreMothMotif: She's associated with moths, from the general shape of her body to the Seer being the one providing the way to her by proxy. A developer note says that the Moth race is descended from her.
* PlatformBattle: The battle starts out in a platform with pits on each side. Either half of the platform will be covered in spikes during the second phase. The fourth phase then takes place over a bunch of scattered small platforms. The final phase has the Knight ascend a column of small platforms while the Radiance tries to swat them down with FrickinLaserBeams, fleeing from the [[AdvancingWallOfDoom Void rising up below the Knight]].
* {{Plaguemaster}}: The plague, and all the BodyHorror that comes with it, is the Radiance's influence.
* TheOldGods: The Seer implies that she created the moths and did so long before the King came and founded his kingdom.
* SealedEvilInACan: Containing her and therefore the infection is the true purpose of the Vessels, and the King went to great lengths to find a way to do so.
** SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan
* SequentialBoss: The battle against the Radiance has five distinct phases, each one altering her arena and moveset. The first stages involve the Radiance raining death on the Knight with her StormOfBlades and FrickinLaserBeams; during the final leg, she tries to disengage from the fight as the Knight gives chase—dodging EyeBeams along a path of floating platforms—to deliver a well-deserved NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.
* StormOfBlades: Several of her attacks spawn waves of long nails that fly in horizontal, vertical, and radial patterns, bordering on BulletHell. The third phase of the fight consists of an endless rain of them; luckily, they are only of the vertical variety, which is easiest to avoid.
* TeleportSpam: She warps around the arena regularly, which becomes rather frustrating when she decides to hover over the side of the arena she just covered in spikes.
* ThatsNoMoon: When first entering the Hollow Knight's dream to fight her, the only thing seen there is a couple of platforms against a sunny sky. Jumping to the top platform gives a "Challenge" prompt, and activating it causes the Knight to turn towards the sun and draw their blade, shortly after which the sun ''grows wings'' before the Radiance reveals her true form.
* TrueFinalBoss: Defeating her inside the Hollow Knight's mind grants Dream No More ending. Defeating Absolute Radiance at the Pantheon of Hallowest results in a SequelHook ending that ends in a cliffhanger.
* {{Unperson}}: The King took pains to erase all remnants of Radiance ever existing, making the moths forget her and burying every possible reference to her existence, [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly because she needs memory in order to manifest]]. Unfortunately, the miners at the Crystal Peak DugTooDeep and unearthed a statue that now sits atop the mountain, and caused her to awaken and spread the Infection once more.
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[[/folder]]
!!Godhome Bosses
[[folder:"Pantheon of the Master" Final Boss]]
!!Brothers Oro and Mato
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_oro_&_mato_7.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Loyal brother gods of the nail"]]
->''"Gods by toil and nail bound,''\\
''Brothers sworn to guard the weak,''\\
''Masters of the sacred ground,''\\
''Help Us find the God We seek!"''
-->'''-Prayer to the Masters (Hunter's Journal)'''
The final bosses of the first [[BossRush pantheon]], Nailmasters Oro and Mato set aside their differences to [[DualBoss fight as one]]!
Tropes regarding them can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs here]] under their [=NPC=] entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Pantheon of the Artist" Final Boss]]
!!Paintmaster Sheo
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_paintmaster_sheo_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"Talented god of artists and creators"]]
->''"O God inspired, master of arts,''\\
''Whose works shall eternal endure,''\\
''Peer beyond Our minds and hearts,''\\
''Reveal to Us the God most pure!"''
-->'''-Prayer to the Artist (Hunter's Journal)'''
The final boss of the second [[BossRush pantheon]], the retired Nailmaster Sheo still sets his blade aside in battle; instead, he uses the [[ArtAttacker mighter brush]]!
Tropes regarding him can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs here]] under Sheo's [=NPC=] entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Pantheon of the Sage" Final Boss]]
!!Great Nailsage Sly
[[quoteright:272:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_great_nailsage_sly_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:272:"Cunning god of opportunity"]]
->''"Sagely God of the cunning and bold,''\\
''Sharpen Our nails and show Us the odds,''\\
''O greatest of masters, We wish to behold,''\\
''That one still greater, the God of Gods!"''
-->'''-Prayer to the Sage (Hunter's Journal)'''
The final boss of the third [[BossRush pantheon]], the man who taught the Nailmasters everything they know; [[PintsizedPowerhouse Sly]].
Tropes regarding him can be found [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs here]] under Sly's [=NPC=] entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Pantheon of the Knight" Final Boss]]
!!The Pure Vessel
[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_pure_vessel_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:208:"Mighty god of nothingness"]]
->''"Deepest silence in holy shell,''\\
''Given nail and named a Knight,''\\
''Bound by chain and egg and spell,''\\
''Hear Our plea! Reveal thy Light!"''
-->'''-Prayer to the Vessel (Hunter's Journal)'''
The final boss of the fourth [[BossRush pantheon]], the perfect version of the Hollow Knight, not tainted by the infection, shines as the [[KnightInShiningArmor hero it once was]]!
Tropes regarding it can be found above under the Hollow Knight's entry.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Pantheon of Hallownest" Final Boss]]
!!Absolute Radiance
[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/absolute_radiance_statue.png]]
[[caption-width-right:208:"Forgotten god of light"]]
->''"...ANCIENT ENEMY..."''\\
''"...I DO NOT FEAR YOU..."''\\
''"...LET ME BE FREE..."''\\
''"...I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN..."''\\
''"...DAWN WILL BREAK..."''\\
''"...THE LIGHT CANNOT BE CONSUMED..."''
-->'''-Absolute Radiance's Dream Nail dialogue'''
The final boss of the final [[BossRush pantheon]], whom the player must battle a harder version of every other boss in the game to reach, is an even harder version of the Radiance. Dying to her will send the player to the beginning of the pantheon, meaning they'll have to fight every boss all over again to get another shot at defeating her, and she isn't a slouch herself. [[HarderThanHard Defeating her is the greatest challenge "Hollow Knight" has to offer]]!
Tropes regarding her can be found above, under the vanilla Radiance's entry.
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[[/folder]]
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