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From Jade in 'Mortal Kombat II' to the Psychiatrist in 'Katana Zero', some of the most interesting boss fights are also the most missable. Learn about 10 bosses that don't offer a rematch if you fail.
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00:00In the early days of gaming, people were extra careful whilst navigating through a platformer,
00:05shooter or beat-em-up, since they had a finite amount of lives, and also because bosses are
00:09an absolute pain, and so a lot of lives were lost whilst facing them. Unfortunately, this isn't a
00:14major issue nowadays, since most modern games usually offer unlimited lives or save states.
00:19So no matter how many times a boss triumphs, there's the option to try again. But what if
00:24you don't get a second chance? Worse still, what if you don't get a first chance? Because sometimes
00:29certain foes will only appear if specific parameters have been fulfilled, and if any of
00:33these conditions remain incomplete, well, those fights were off-limits. So let's take a look at
00:38them today, as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are 10 video game bosses you had one
00:42chance to fight. 10. Jade – Mortal Kombat 2
00:47Now, Jade first served as a playable combatant in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. However, the Edenian
00:52warrior debuted as a secret opponent in Mortal Kombat 2. While playing the main campaign, the player must
00:58defeat the fighter before Shang Tsung with low kicks to encounter Jade. If the player presses any
01:03other button during the bout, including block, they lose their chance to fight the emerald-robed
01:08assassin. Despite the fact the player only needs to beat Jade in one round, winning is no easy task,
01:14since she moves at double speed. On top of that, Jade performs input reading, meaning that she reads
01:19her rival's attacks while they're executed, allowing her to counter pretty much any move with ease.
01:24Spamming projectiles and sweeping are effective against other enemies, but using such tactics
01:28like this against her is a guaranteed death sentence. If the player loses, which is extremely
01:33likely, fighting Jade will no longer be an option, since they move on to the next challenger, without
01:38being offered a rematch. Defeating Jade bears no reward, but it's still a highly coveted title,
01:44since she provides such a merciless challenge. 9. The Psychiatrist – Katana Zero
01:50Katana Zero centers around an amnesiac assassin called Zero, who has the power to rewind time.
01:56With this superpower, the sword-wielding ninja can reset any mission that ends with being shot,
02:00stabbed, or blown to pieces. Upon completing each assignment, Zero takes part in a counseling
02:05session with the psychiatrist, who also happens to be his employer. During these discussions,
02:10Zero is asked personal questions which must be answered. The psychiatrist attempts to depict
02:14himself as calm and collected, but shows his true and much darker side every time Zero doesn't take
02:20his questions seriously. Even though these sections don't seem particularly important,
02:24how Zero responds can affect the ending of the game. If our titular character answers every question
02:30in the most negative way possible, the psychiatrist will actually go full Akira, transforming into a
02:35monstrous blob who serves as the final boss. Even though this is a cool surprise, many gamers were
02:40unaware of its existence, even if they played Katana Zero to death. Unless Zero responds critically in
02:46every single interaction with the psychiatrist, including when they speak over the phone,
02:50this battle is skipped entirely. 8. The Slot Machine – Star Fox
02:55Anyone who's played the original Star Fox should be familiar with the secret level Black Hole,
03:00but until the advent of the internet, even veterans of the classic rail shooter were actually unaware
03:04of another hidden area out of this dimension, because that doesn't appear on the map.
03:09This undisclosed zone could only be accessed by following a strict protocol. While in the
03:13asteroid belt, Fox must blast the second large asteroid on the right until it explodes, which
03:18releases an egg. The egg hatches a phoenix, which the player must fly into to reach this super secret
03:23level. If the player didn't destroy the asteroid in time or come into contact with the phoenix,
03:28well, it was better luck next time. Out of this dimension is rock hard, but it is worth exploring
03:33since it concludes with a battle against an incredibly strange boss, the Slot Machine. To defeat the
03:38inexplicable gaming apparatus, Fox needs to shoot its arm to spin the reels until it displays three
03:44sevens in a row. And because the level continues indefinitely after the one-armed band itself
03:49destructs, players are actually forced to reset the game if they wish to keep playing.
03:537. Lich Dragon Fortisax – Elden Ring
03:56Because Elden Ring boasts over 100 bosses, there are a few that players will have surely missed,
04:02including Lich Dragon Fortisax. Despite being an optional foe, this ancient dragon is definitely worth
04:08fighting. With its fire breath, dual lightning spears, and his death blight spawning bolts,
04:12this bombastic boulder stone is amongst the most epic adversaries in Hideo Miyazaki's acclaimed IP.
04:18Now, it sounds redundant to mention that Fortisax is a real piece of work, I mean,
04:22this is a FromSoftware property after all. However, just reaching this wicked wyvern can be just as
04:26problematic as putting him six feet under. Only by acquiring the curse mark of death during the
04:31Rani questline and giving it to Fia in deep-root depths, will the Tarnished gain access to her
04:36dreams, where Fortisax lives? It may sound easy, at least by Elden Ring standards, but it's anything
04:42but. If Dee's brother slays her before the Tarnished enters her mind, this boss encounter becomes a no-go.
04:48And this is a massive bummer, since the player can't unlock the Age of Dustborne ending if Fortisax
04:54remains undefeated. 6. Golem, Chrono Trigger
04:58What made Chrono Trigger so ahead of its time, quite literally, in fact, was how it took players
05:03every action into account. If Chrono's party stole a piece of food or spoke to a specific character,
05:08it could have drastic effects on how the story played out. Sometimes Chrono didn't have to
05:13defeat a boss, because the game's structure would actually adjust accordingly based on the outcome.
05:17One such example is when Chrono encounters Dalton whilst trying to enter the Ocean Palace.
05:22Dalton will stop our titular character in his tracks by unleashing a guardian called Golem.
05:27This stone-studded ogre is so unfairly hard that it's nearly impossible to come out on top.
05:32Fortunately, Chrono doesn't actually need to. If Golem triumphs, Dalton throws the time-travelling
05:37troop into a dungeon. Once they break free, Chrono and his friends can continue on with their mission.
05:42And although Golem can be beaten, his demise isn't important, since the fight will still conclude
05:47with Dalton locking the heroes up. Because of this, Chrono only has one shot against this nasty
05:52beastie. Even though the player engages with similar enemies later, including the Golem sisters and
05:56Golem boss, the first Golem is a one-time-only brawl.
06:005. Master Fortress – Super Smash Bros. Wii U
06:04Super Smash Bros. is renowned for its ferocious final boss, such as Taboo, Gigabowser, and Galeem.
06:11But not only is Master Core from Super Smash Bros. Wii U the toughest of the lot,
06:15reaching him is a feat in itself. To fight Master Core's true form,
06:19the intensity level must be set to over 8. If a lower intensity is chosen,
06:24the confrontation ends prematurely before Core reveals its final incarnation,
06:28Master Fortress. If the fighter receives a game over during the main campaign,
06:32they will have the option to try again, but by doing so, the intensity level decreases,
06:36locking them out of the brawl with Master Fortress. If Smash fans still want to take on Fortress,
06:41they'll need to restart. And since each opponent gets progressively harder,
06:44the average player will reset dozens of times before encountering this labyrinth-like entity.
06:49Even if these type parameters are passed with flying colours, fighters are not out of the woods yet.
06:55Once the last fight commences, the player must vanquish Master Hand, Crazy Hand, Master Giant,
06:59Master Beast, Master Edges, and Master Shadow before Master Fortress finally shows himself.
07:054. Nancy – Tekken 6
07:07Before Tekken 6's final showdown,
07:09combatants must contend against a robotic weapon called Nancy. Eliminating this monstrous machine
07:15isn't necessary, since the player proceeds to the next stage whether they win or lose. Which is
07:19pretty reassuring, since 99.9% of gamers would never complete Tekken 6 if destroying Nancy was
07:25mandatory. Simply put, Nancy is the hardest opponent in the Tekken franchise by far. Azazel and Jim
07:31Patchy have a reputation for being cheap, but these guys are a cakewalk compared to this
07:35technological nightmare. Nancy has merciless moves, which can interrupt the player's most devastating
07:40combos with ease. And because of the machine's massive size, it's tough to dodge any of her
07:45attacks. She has 10 times more health than the average opponent, meaning that the most brutal
07:49assault possible will barely make a dent against this walking scrapheap, and worst of all, Nancy can
07:54shoot a laser hole in the glass floor, causing the match to end instantly if her opponent falls
07:58through it. Because Nancy is so unfairly difficult, even hardcore players will struggle to defeat her once.
08:043. Robot Y – Streets of Rage 3
08:07Reaching the final boss of Streets of Rage 3 is far from easy, and if the player or players play
08:13on
08:13easy mode, the game abruptly ends after level 5, before they confront the big bad Mr. X. If Axel and
08:19his friends fail to save the police chief in level 6, our hero's route will be diverted, preventing them
08:24from confronting their arch-nemesis. Even if the player fulfills every requirement and comes face-to-face
08:29with Mr. X, thwarting his ultimate weapon Robot Y is pretty bloody daunting. Not only is Robot Y
08:35ruthlessly fast and durable, the android must be beaten within 3 minutes, or Mr. X will detonate
08:40a bomb in the city. If the player doesn't destroy Robot Y in time, Axel receives the bad ending,
08:45informing him that his failure resulted in countless deaths. Since Robot Y has a gargantuan health bar,
08:51the only way to beat it in time is to hit the awesome automaton with the most powerful of your
08:55moves.
08:56But because the heroes lose health when they perform these special attacks, this tactic,
09:00although necessary, is itself very risky. What's worse is that there's no way to reset this fight.
09:05Once the bomb activates, the player can't try again without restarting the entire game from scratch.
09:102. Dullahan – Golden Sun – The Lost Age
09:14In this Golden Sun sequel, Felix and his teammates have been tasked with bringing peace to the magical
09:19world of Weyad. Through their travels, they need to find hidden creatures called Jinns to magnify their
09:24powers. By collecting a certain amount of Jinns, Felix's party can face secret bosses that,
09:29once defeated, can be summoned in battle. And because Dullahan is the most powerful summon,
09:34it's no surprise that facing the headless horror requires Felix to collect every single Jinns.
09:38Now this is tough, but it doesn't sound impossible, at first at least, since the Jinns in The Lost Age
09:43never become inaccessible. If Felix missed one, it's no big deal since he can just backtrack and find the
09:48magical critter later. But to face Dullahan, the player doesn't just need to find every Jinns in the game,
09:53they also need to find every Jinns in the previous instalment. After locating the 24 Jinns in Golden
09:59Sun, the player must then transfer their data to the follow-up, and then collect the other 24 mystical
10:04beasties before they can encounter this megaboss. If the player didn't realise that they had to
10:09transfer their data or missed a single Jinns in the previous game, fighting Dullahan was off the table.
10:141. Shin Bison – Street Fighter Alpha 3
10:18There are few scenarios that leave gamers quaking in their boots more than going head-to-head with
10:23Shin Bison in Street Fighter Alpha 3. Shin Bison is an amped-up version of his regular counterpart,
10:29meaning that he's faster, stronger, and tougher than usual. On top of that, his psycho crusher attack
10:34takes up the entire screen, and eats up pretty much half of your health bar. But what makes this
10:39battle so infamous is the fact that Bison must be beaten first in arcade mode. If the psycho-powered
10:45dictator triumphs, the player is sent back to the start. Even though From Software titles are
10:49renowned for their arduous difficulty, at least these IPs give gamers the chance to fight bosses
10:53repeatedly in fairly rapid succession, so you can quickly learn from your mistakes and then adjust
10:58your strategy accordingly. But because Bison doesn't give the player this opportunity,
11:02it takes ages to defeat him, even once. And if you're a completionist who intends to beat Bison with
11:07every character, well you're in for a world of hurt. Now Bison, we know that you're an egotistical
11:12tyrant set on world domination, but please could you at least give us enemies a chance?
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