The world of The Legend of Zelda is filled with fantastic creatures and beings, many of which we have had to do battle with over the years. Link has squared off against an enormous bestiary throughout the Zelda games, his foes coming in all different shapes and sizes. There have been sinister sorcerers, giant monsters, eerie spirits, and even robotic juggernauts!
With each of the more than 20 titles in The Legend of Zelda series featuring an array of bosses, there have been countless boss battles over the years, but which encounters are the very best? That’s what the Zelda Universe community came together to decide. Voting took place on our forums earlier this month, and after tallying up the results, we can proudly present Zelda Universe’s ranking for the top 20 Zelda bosses of all time.
20. Barinade (Ocarina of Time)
A dungeon as unusual as Jabu-Jabu’s Belly was sure to end with an unusual boss, and the giant, parasitic anemone known as Barinade more than fits that criteria. An electrical current courses through its entire body, which Barinade uses to attract Bari as a biological shield over its core and to shoot streams of electricity at any threats.
The Boomerang becomes Link’s most useful tool in this unique boss battle, as he can use it to cut down the anemone’s tentacles to detach it from Jabu-Jabu’s stomach lining before striking with the Kokiri Sword. Barinade is dangerous even once untethered, spinning relentlessly throughout the room while it tries to catch Link in its electrical grip.
19. Thunderblight Ganon (Breath of the Wild)
The enemy that managed to strike down a warrior as mighty as Urbosa was bound to be one of the most powerful foes in Breath of the Wild. With a sickle-like sword and a jagged shield in hand, Thunderblight Ganon poses a serious challenge on your way to conquering Divine Beast Vah Nabooris (or Hyrule Castle).
It moves with blinding speed as it rushes to attack Link, charging so fast that only a perfectly timed deflection can stop it in its tracks. Later in the battle, Thunderblight Ganon will show how it got its name, as it electrifies its weapons and summons a number of metal pillars to act as huge conductors for its electrical attacks.
18. Phantom Ganon (Ocarina of Time)
As the final challenge for the Forest Temple and its many architectural oddities, it’s only right that Phantom Ganon made clever use of the paintings that lined the rounded chamber where Link fights him. The battle with Ganondorf’s shadowy doppelganger is one of the most memorable in the series, as Phantom Ganon can come charging at you from any direction through the various pieces of artwork.
Players needs to watch carefully for his decoy, and be ready at a moment’s notice to fire an arrow at the true Phantom Ganon with the Fairy Bow. The fight continues once Phantom Ganon dismounts from his black horse, opting to instead hover in the air and engage in a series of “tennis” matches against Link where an energy blast took the place of a ball.
17. Bongo Bongo (Ocarina of Time)
The evil spirit of Kakariko Village finally reveals its true form once players descend to the furthest depths of the Shadow Temple, and it’s one of the strangest-looking foes in The Legend of Zelda. Bongo Bongo is a creepy monstrosity who is invisible to the naked eye, its body only appearing when Link beholds it through the Lens of Truth.
Its giant hands must be subdued before Link can strike at its glowing red eye, but that’s easier said than done while Bongo Bongo is swiping and punching at him. If you listen closely, you can also hear that Bongo Bongo “sings” the same rhythm as its drumming, adding another bizarre layer to an already very bizarre enemy.
16. Dark Lord Ganondorf (Twilight Princess)
Even after confronting Link and Midna as both the possessed Princess Zelda and his Dark Beast form, Ganondorf still has a lot of fight left in him during Twilight Princess’ incredible finale. Taking to the sprawling plains of Hyrule Field, Link and Zelda must engage Ganondorf on horseback, firing Light Arrows at him while he replies by summoning squads of ghostly riders to his aid.
In the end, the fate of Hyrule is decided by a one-on-one showdown (that just so happens to be scored by one of the most riveting pieces of music in the series). No magic, no supernatural phenomena, no special powers — just a duel of blades between Hyrule’s greatest villain and its greatest hero.
15. Blizzeta (Twilight Princess)
Poor Yeta. Such a sweet, gentle soul, yet she had to be twisted into a nightmarish mass of ice by a shard from the Mirror of Twilight. At least it made for a terrific boss battle at the end of Link’s journey through Snowpeak Ruins (and Yeta turns out just fine when all is said and done).
You can’t stand idle for even a moment as Blizzeta hovers overhead, raining down huge pillars of solid ice that can trap or, far worse, crush Link. The frozen floor doubles as a mirror for you to observe Blizzeta’s movements, which you must pay careful attention to before striking at the right moment with the Ball and Chain. It’s a creative encounter that also features a truly heartwarming cutscene between the lovely couple of Yeto and Yeta once it’s over.
14. Helmaroc King (The Wind Waker)
Things get real personal real quick between the Helmaroc King and Link in The Wind Waker. The enormous bird causes a lot of trouble for Link early on, kickstarting the whole adventure by kidnapping his sister, Aryll, and then flinging him halfway across the Great Sea after a failed rescue attempt.
It all makes the much-anticipated showdown with the Helmaroc King all the more satisfying when you get the chance to wallop him over the head with the Skull Hammer. The Helmaroc King stabs with its beak, rakes across the platform with its talons, and creates windstorms with its great wingspan, but nothing was going to defeat the brave big brother a second time.
13. Ghirahim, Third Battle (Skyward Sword)
Ghirahim holds nothing back during the trilogy fight in Skyward Sword. He alters his entire body to be covered by dark, impenetrable armor that makes him look like a walking statue made out of onyx. Even still, the outlandish villain is as nimble as ever, attacking Link with punches and kicks like a skilled martial artist. He eventually brandishes proper weapons as the battle goes on, including his curved saber, groups of flying blades, and eventually a massive broadsword that he needs both hands to wield.
The third fight with Ghirahim is one of the best showcases for Skyward Sword’s motion controls, as Ghirahim’s tight defenses mean that players must slash and stab along very specific angles to successfully land their attacks.
12. Zant (Twilight Princess)
If you thought Zant’s bizarre behavior would mellow after his breakdown in the Palace of Twilight, he had a whole lot more coming for you. The Usurper King might be wacky and even comical at times, but he’s a dangerous opponent with seemingly endless abilities. Zant goes all out by transforming the environment at will to make it resemble dungeon rooms from previous boss fights while also utilizing many of those same bosses’ strategies and special powers.
After an exhausting number of surroundings and attack patterns, Zant is at his most deadly and wild when wielding a pair of curved blades that he assails Link like mad with. It’s a chaotic affair that perfectly reflects the crazed nature of the Twili sorcerer who nearly doomed both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm.
11. Goht (Majora’s Mask)
Long before Guardian Stalkers could be found all across Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, this was the most recognizable mechanized terror that Link ever had to confront. Once the action starts in the fight with Goht, it never lets up.
Goht is content to run throughout the circular arena until his gears and rotors crumble to dust, forcing players to give chase as Goron Link to try to bring him to a halt. Goht might look like he’s running away, but he has plenty of tricks to keep Link at bay, such as kicking up boulders, tossing bombs, and shooting bolts of lightning. It’s a wild ride once you pick up speed using the Goron Roll, barreling over the slopes in hot pursuit before crashing into Goht and chipping away at the mechanical monster.
10. Argorok (Twilight Princess)
It’s a good thing that Link has never been afraid of heights, because the fight with Argorok in Twilight Princess takes both of them about as high as they can go without breaking the stratosphere. Once Argorok sheds his armor, the fearsome dragon relocates to his own turf, or lack therefore of. Argorok ascends beyond the City in theSky’s pinnacle high into the air, as the clouds darken with an oncoming storm.
The Double Clawshot is implemented to perfection, with Link grappling between the many floating Peahats as fast as he possibly can to reach Argorok’s blind spot and strike, all while the fire-breathing dragon threatens to roast him at every turn. The setting is as stunning as you’ll find in The Legend of Zelda — the hero and dragon battling within the stormy skies as thunder booms and lightning streaks throughout the clouds.
9. Puppet Ganon (The Wind Waker)
The Master Sword is usually the key to vanquishing an incarnation of Ganon, but that legendary blade wasn’t much use against his gigantic marionette in The Wind Waker. Instead, it’s the Light Arrows (and a full Magic Meter) that are the vital weapons to bring down Puppet Ganon in a fight that more than any other tests Link’s archery skills.
Puppet Ganon’s sole weak point is the blue orb located somewhere on its great bulk, and picking that off with a Light Arrow as Puppet Ganon tries to flatten Link across three distinct phases is no easy task. It’s arguably the most imaginative take on the series’ iconic villain, with nothing else like it across The Legend of Zelda’s long history. Puppet Ganon emerges in the familiar boar-like form of Ganon before shifting to very the different look of a huge spider and then to a massive snake.
8. Monk Maz Koshia (Breath of the Wild)
Normally, the Sheikah Monks in Breath of the Wild simply offer Link praise for his efforts and a Spirit Orb once he reaches the end of a Shrine — Maz Koshia, on the other hand, had something a little different in mind. The final challenge in The Champions’ Ballad DLC is a battle with the formidable monk, which takes place on a massive, floating platform high above Hyrule’s surface.
Maz Koshia brings the fight like no other foe in Breath of the Wild, and you have to be ready for anything and everything. He’s a master with hand weaponry such as Guardian Swords and Elemental Arrows, but he also gets crafty by teleporting and creating clones of himself. If those weren’t enough attack patterns to deal with, Maz Koshia turns into a whole other monster in the second phase, where he becomes as large as a Hinox and starts unleashing laser blasts, tornadoes, and spiked boulders.
7. Demise (Skyward Sword)
The game that prided itself on its intuitive, engrossing swordplay via Wii Motion+ certainly saved its best sword fight for last. Skyward Sword’s finale pits Link against the origin of evil in The Legend of Zelda — the Demon King, Demise. Their battle rages within the heavens over the surface world, as Link and Demise trade sword strokes to determine the fate of Hyrule and the skies above.
The fight becomes an instant classic once a thunderstorm rolls in, during which both combatants imbue their blades with lightning. Demise furiously presses the attack, and the only way to stop him once and for all is for Link to return just as much fury right back at him. A superb piece of music was needed to score this epochal duel, and Skyward Sword’s composers were ready with a masterpiece of a track for it.
6. Molgera (The Wind Waker)
When a boss battle’s action can keep up with the tempo of a song as positively robust as Molgera’s theme, you know you’re in for a very fun encounter. The serpent-like behemoth might spend a lot of time lying in wait beneath the sand, hoping to snag Link in a sinking pit, but that doesn’t mean that Link can stand still for very long in this fight.
Players are constantly on the move to avoid being swallowed up by Molgera, and the Hookshot gets a serious workout by being used to both pull Molgera above ground and fend off the trios of larvae that the boss lets loose upon Link. Molgera is at its most impressive when it bursts forth from the sand and flies about the arena, during which players better be ready to get out of the way before Molgera comes plummeting toward them in the biggest version of a dive bomb that The Legend of Zelda has ever seen.
5. Majora (Majora’s Mask)
Unlike most other villains in The Legend of Zelda mythos, Majora wasn’t interested in conquering a kingdom for personal gain. Rather, it’s only goal was to bring complete annihilation to Termina. After the Moon’s descent is halted by the Four Giants, Majora enters the celestial body for one last attempt to complete its apocalyptic plan, challenging Link to a three-phase fight.
Majora’s varying forms bring their own unique approaches to battle and demand that players be able to tackle them using different strategies. The Mask shoots streams of fire as it’s joined by the remains of the game’s four bosses, Majora’s Incarnation moves with blinding speed while firing energy bolts, and Majora’s Wrath lashes out with tentacles and giant spinning blades. Majora’s forms are at times eerie, bizarre, and downright frightening, as though they’re channeling the game’s unforgettable atmosphere.
4. Ganondorf (The Wind Waker)
With his goal to make a wish using the Triforce foiled, Ganondorf can only laugh at how spectacularly his ambitions have fallen apart. As the Great Sea comes crashing back to drown Hyrule once more, Ganondorf draws his twin swords in one last act of defiance. So begins the final battle with a man who has nothing left to lose and intends to bring Link and Zelda down with him.
He savagely attacks the young heroes, leaping to and fro with alarming agility for a man his size as his blades flash in the downpour. Link must summon every bit of courage left in him and use all of his skills as a youthful swordsman to meet Ganondorf in close combat, but he doesn’t fend off the twisted man alone. It’s one of the rare times where Zelda gets the opportunity to join the fight, wielding the Hero’s Bow to shoot Light Arrows at Ganondorf and stun him long enough for Link to capitalize.
3. Twinrova (Ocarina of Time)
Many bosses in The Legend of Zelda have used fire as their primary means of offense, and there’s even been a bunch who have used ice, but very few have used both like Twinrova did in Ocarina of Time’s Spirit Temple. The ancient sorceress twins are quite the tag team when commanding those opposite elements, with Koume able to incinerate anything in her sight, and Kotake ready to freeze an unfortunate soul to their bones.
What is perhaps most memorable about the encounter is how much the shield is used both defensively and aggressively. Players must be patient while the airborne witches circle overhead like a pair of vultures, keeping the Mirror Shield at the ready to reflect Koume’s and Kotake’s magic back at them. The sisters eventually fuse together, combining their powers of fire and ice to become the towering sorceress known as Twinrova.
2. Koloktos (Skyward Sword)
From the get-go, Link is staring at a huge weapons disadvantage in his battle against the Ancient Automaton, Koloktos. The multi-armed giant practically flaunts that edge as it remains seated comfortably on the floor while it hurls axes at Link and tries to smash him with its fists. Once Koloktos stands up, it presses that advantage even further by brandishing a whopping six scimitars. When it starts swinging all of them at the same time and charges forward, it’s like having to evade a walking wood chipper.
Taking down Koloktos is a process, requiring that players rip away its arms using the Whip before then turning Koloktos’ immense armament against it. Skyward Sword’s 1:1 motion control is at its very best when Link swings one of those huge scimitars to take out Koloktos’ legs or batter its vulnerable core, each slash more thrilling to perform than the last.
1. Stallord (Twilight Princess)
It seems safe to say that there will never be another boss battle in The Legend of Zelda quite like Stallord’s. The first half, alone, could have won the hearts of many fans to become an all-time favorite. As Stallord spews pitch-black fire, Link builds up speed on his Spinner before weaving through rows of Staltroops that guard Stallord’s skeletal base. But rather than stay down for the count, the Twilit Fossil rises again for a second phase that launches him into undisputed elite status among Zelda bosses.
The pace is unmatched while Link speeds along the chamber walls on the Spinner, dodging both the enormous fireballs that Stallord shoots and the bladed wheels that threaten to knock him off the Spinner tracks. It feels like a boss fight mixed with a roller coaster and a pinball machine, with some skateboarding thrown in there for good measure.
What do you think of the list? Did your favorite bosses make appearances? What would your personal top 20 list look like? Let us know in the comments below or on any of Zelda Universe’s social media channels!
Jeffrey Pawlak is the Features Director for Zelda Universe, and has been a member of the website's community for more than 20 years. He is also a high fantasy author and an aspiring comic book artist.
by Jeffrey Pawlak on October 31, 2020
