In video games, it’s about the journey, not the destination. This is why the trope of losing your powers at the beginning and slowly regaining them was used for so long, and another similar trope often relates to the villain.
The Rocky 3 story archetype, where you get clapped by the bad guy at the beginning, only to face him again way later, is a satisfying full-circle moment. Games often change the exact details of the story archetype, but it’s very much the same, and it works, as you always look forward to finally facing the bad guy who messed you up in the first place.
These bosses can be encountered earlier on via an actual fight or a cutscene in which the boss wrecks the protagonist.
1
Genichiro Ashina – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
The Fallen Shinobi Comes Back Better Than Ever
Within the opening moments of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, you’ll happen to come across your first boss battle, Genichiro Ashina. Taking place in a beautiful grassy field, you’ll lose pretty quickly. You can actually win the fight if you’re experienced, but even then, Genichiro will squeeze out a W in the following cutscene. The same outcome happens regardless.
It won’t be until many, many hours later, during your trek through Ashina Castle, that you’ll face Genichiro again, and this time, you’re ready. A tough boss involving multiple phases, you finally defeat him. This isn’t the only time FromSoftware has used this boss trope in one of its games.
2
Vanguard – Demon’s Souls
The First Boss In The Souls Series
One of the best tutorials in gaming has to be in Demon’s Souls. Using the tried and true tutorial design of feeling dangerous yet never actually in danger, you’ll come across the Vanguard demon at the end. This boss hits like a truck, and unless you’re an expert player, you’ll die here.
It’s a scripted death, though, and you’ll eventually face the Vanguard demon again in World 4-1. Unlike other rematch bosses, this second encounter is super easy because you can spam him with arrows from far away until he’s dead. It’s still satisfying, regardless, as that tactic was impossible in the tutorial.
3
Adam Smasher – Cyberpunk 2077
Johnny’s Revenge
While V is the main character of Cyberpunk 2077, Johnny Silverhand is just as important. He’s the Yami Yugi to V’s Yugi Muto, if you will. Johnny’s backstory ends in train wreck fashion, with him being utterly demolished by Adam Smasher before connecting with V during the events of the main story.
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With the villain being the person who initially ended the life of Cyberpunk’s Atem equivalent, it makes sense that Adam is the final boss of Cyberpunk 2077 in all ending paths, minus the one you get with Phantom Liberty. If you pick the option to have Johnny take over, it’s especially satisfying to kill Adam after all that’s happened.
4
Zeus – God Of War 2
Nobody Messes With Kratos
After becoming God of War in the original, Kratos’s new role doesn’t pan out that well in God of War 2. After the opening moments, Zeus betrays Kratos, killing him and sending the anti-hero to Hades once again. Kratos gets revived by the Titans on a quest to find and kill the Sisters of Fate in order to go back in time to kill Zeus.
The final boss with the God of Gods himself is incredible and, frankly, superior to the pair’s actual final encounter in God of War 3. No weird first-person or 2D fighting game sections here. At release, it was a big bummer to have such a cliffhanger ending, but it made the hype for the ending chapter, God of War 3, even greater.
5
Sanchez – Hitman: Absolution
A Villain You Really Wanted To Die
Hitman: Absolution has quite the rogue’s gallery of bad guys to dispatch, and three of the main ones get introduced to you toward the end of Terminus, the game’s third mission. You’ll meet Dexter, Layla, and Sanchez, but you’ll get clapped by the latter before Agent 47 can even do anything.
All the villains here are very annoying, and to boot, they frame you for murder, making you run from the cops for a good chunk of the rest of the game. Never have Hitman characters been more desirable to kill, and you thankfully end Sanchez in one of the better missions, Fight Night. You can kill him in various ways, but the best method has to be dressing up as his opponent and ending him in a full-on boss fight.
6
Urizen – Devil May Cry 5
You Can’t Get Much Grander Than The Demon King Himself
Devil May Cry 5 jumps you straight into the story, with Nero mere moments away from facing the Demon King, Urizen. You can win this fight like Sekiro and Demon’s Souls, but nobody’s doing it on a first playthrough.
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Nero and Dante will get clapped, but Nero heads back to Red Grave City to hopefully defeat the Demon King this time. You don’t get just one rematch, as you’ll face Urizen several times over the course of the game and learn several things about the true nature of the demon as well.
7
Singularity – Bayonetta 3
The Most Epic Comeback Fight
Instead of normal fights during the prologue section, Bayonetta 3 offers something different. You start off playing as a Bayonetta who resembles the character from the original game, and she gets destroyed by the main villain, Singularity. You engage in a boss fight here, but it’s another no-win scenario that ends with Bayonetta getting killed.
A bunch of hours later, you finally face off against Singularity again in the exact same location. In an epic and long final boss with a ridiculous amount of phases, Bayonetta pulls out all the stops, including some surprises, to take Singularity down.
8
Shao Kahn – Mortal Kombat 9
“He Must Win”
When Mortal Kombat 9 released in 2011, it had such an incredible story mode that it outclassed the entire competition. The intro is fantastic, jumping in right where Mortal Kombat: Armageddon left off with a slew of dead bodies pilling up until the very top of the pyramid, where Shao Kahn and Raiden are the last men standing. Shao Kahn eventually kills Raiden with his trademark Wrath Hammer.
However, before Raiden’s death, he sends a message back in time to where it all began: MK1. The events of the original trilogy play out until, once again, Raiden and Shao Kahn are the last standing. After learning the true purpose of the message, Shao Kahn and Raiden must engage in Mortal Kombat, which proves to be a very tough final boss.
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