Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has no shortage of epic and imposing enemies for Link to fight. From the? coliseums in the Depths to the tallest sky island, Hyrule is stuffed with fun combat encounters.

But which creatures and face-offs are the absolute best? It’s all, of course, somewhat subjective based on the player. However, in this complete TOTK enemies tier list, we’re going to do our best to sort all the adversaries objectiv??ely. Legendary clashes, cool visual designs, and neat interactions with systems like Fuse will push enemies further up the list.

Warning: Major spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom follow.

S Tier: The Most Epic Showdowns in Hyrule

Demon King Ganondorf, Flux Construct, Gleeoks,? Colgera, Phantom? Ganon, Demon Dragon, Bokoblin

The top category in this tier list is made up almost entirely of memorable boss fights with great visuals and mechanics. However, there’s one exception. The classic Bokoblin is a staple of Hyrule with a weirdly charming design that does a solid job of introducing the game’s basic fighting mechanics. Meanwhile, bosses like the Flux Constru??cts and the Gleeoks look cool and give players tons of interesting ways to defeat them using the new Ultrahand and Ascend powers. 

Boss Spotlight: Ganondorf and the Demon Dragon

Tears of the Kingdom nails the epic showdown with Ganondorf from s?tart to finish. Whether you’re facing off against his phantom visage in the throne room or his final draconic transformation at the end of the game, you’re in for an epic fight that gets the blood pumping. The Demon King’s flurry rush abilities made for the perfect foil to Link’s own combos. When you see the boss’s health bar break the normal limit and reach for the far right side of your screen, you know you’re up against an evil like no other.  

A Tier: Flurry Rush at the Ready

Boss Bokoblin, Gibdos, Captain Constructs, Lynels, Master Kohga, Fro?x, Moldugas, Marbled Gohma, Mucktorok, Gloom Spawn

Some of the best fights in Tears of the Kingdom are the ones that seem challenging at first but then get progressively easier once you discover that there’s not just one way to defeat the monster, but many. Lynels, Captain Constructs, Gloom Hands, and the Marbled Gohma boss fight are all great examples of this. There are also plenty of fun ways to experiment with Fuse when taking down Boss Bokoblins, ?Molduga, and Frox. Mucktorok, the Water Temple boss, also belongs in this tier because of the epic low-gravity arena in which you face him.

Boss Spotlight: Master Kohga

The leader of the Yiga Clan and his horde of misappropriated Zonai devices is a more than worthy showdown for Link. In fact, Tears of the Kingdom improves upon the encounter with this enemy from Breath of the Wild in almost every way. Instead of a single fight that’s solvable with a few arrows, you now have t??o track Kohga through the Depths. Every time you find him, he gets progressively stronger and busts out a new set of moves.

B Tier: Worth Wasting Bomb Arrows On

Keese, Evermean, Moblins, Horriblins, Zonai soldier con??struct, Yiga blade master, Hinox, Stalnox, Moragia, Queen Gibdo

The middle section of this tier list includes all the monsters that have cool designs but offer more simplified fights. Horriblins look terrifying, but once you learn how to drop them over wate??r, they become trivial. Moblins, Hinox, and Stalnox, are also rather intimidating and fun to fight but don’t bring as much tension as the monsters in the A and S tiers. Evermeans give you a good jump scare the first time you find them, but after?? that, you know what to expect. I’ve also put Keese in this tier simply for the quality of their fuse drops. 

Boss Spotlight: Queen Gibdo

The final boss of the Lightning Temple is a challenging fight for aspiring heroes of Hyrule. The queen looks like a suitably terrif?ying foe, and during the first phase of the fight, there are plenty of fun options for taking her down. However, it’s the second phase of the fight that knocks this boss down from the higher tiers. Using Riju’s lightning power is the easiest ?way to take out the purple nests in the chamber’s four corners. However, the power takes a long time to recharge, and I found myself running away from attacks and kiting mobs while waiting for it to come back.

C Tier: Master Sword Fodder 

Like Like, Aerocuda, Lizalfos, Wizzrobes, Battle Ta??lus,?? Yiga Foot soldier, Seized Construct

Enemies in this tier are decent enough mobs to fight occasionally but not otherwise particularly noteworthy. Like Likes and Wizzrobes require only a few arrows to take down. Aerocudas, while at least offering viable fuse drops, have only basic move patterns. Yiga footsoldiers have a cool desig?n, but you usually get ?rid of them quickly before they do anything interesting. As for Lizalfos, those guys are just plain pesky.

Boss Spotlight: Seized Construct

The final boss of the secret fifth sage temple in the Depths was something I admittedly found a bit disappointing. In this fight, Link has to use the spirit sag??e’s power to step into a boxing ring-like arena and defeat the construct. While this might sound cool in principle, the mechanics instead felt clunky. Additionally, there wasn’t anything particularly visually interesting in the boss fight compared to Colgera, for example. Perhaps? I was also expecting something a bit darker in theme, considering how the game set up this fight’s mysterious location in the Depths. 

D Tier: Blobs, Globs, and Rocks

Chuchu?, Rock Octorock, Pebblits, Stone Talus, Sludge Like,? Little Frox  

Not every enemy in Tears in the Kingdom is an automatic home ?run. Some are just blobs of goo ??that get in your way when you’re trying to make it to your next quest objective. This category is made up of unfortunate, uninteresting creatures that don’t offer much in terms of either battle prowess or drops. Just knock them on the head a few times with a stick, and you’ll be on your way without a second thought.

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While the princess has remained the titular character of the famed Legend of Zelda series since the start, she’s rarely ever been the protagonist. That spot has been reserved for the hero, Link. That’s al??l about to change.

With Echoes of Wisdom putting Zelda center stage as the playable protagonist, you might be curious as to where else you can play as Princess Zelda. While this is the first time she’s been playable in a mainline Zelda title (wel??l, barring one strange exception), she’s bee??n playable in plenty of games. Here is every single one of them.

Super Smash Bros

When you think of a playable Princess Zelda, this is likely where your mind goes. The Princess of Hyrule has been on the roster of Super Smash Bros since Melee was relea??sed for t??he Game Cube. Princess Zelda mainly uses magic as her move set, shooting fireballs and teleporting around the stage. 

You can even play as her alter ego from Ocarina of Time, Sheik, in the gam?e. While originally Sheik was available only when transf??orming after choosing Zelda, the two are separate characters now.

Hyrule Warriors

A spinoff of the main series, Hyrule Warriors is a Dynasty Warriors-type hack and slash where you’ll play as a huge variety of Zelda ch?aracters fighting to save Hyrule from evil. One of these characte?rs is, of course, Princess Zelda herself, who uses her rapier and powerful magic to help save her kingdom. 

Hyrule Warriors also lets you play as plenty of other beloved characters from the series, such as Impa, Tingle, and even Ganondorf himself. Since the game is outside the timeline, characters from various Zelda games are all here. The musou action game has even been updated so you can play it on the Nintendo Switch.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Unlike the original, Age of Calamity takes place in an alternate timeline during Breath of the Wild. This means that plenty of characters from the BOTW are p?layable, including Princess Zelda. She's alongside a massive cast that also includes the four Champions and the K??orok Hestu.

While initially using functions from the Sheikah Slate to fight off mobs, (spoiler alert) she does eventually unlock her sealing power throughout the course of the story and is able to use her magic to fight. She's a major player in both Hyrule Warriors games, but this one lets her really shine.

Zelda: Wand of Gamelon

This is one Nintendo would love nothing more than to bury, but it simply won’t die. Wand of Gamelon is a Philips CD-i exclusive released in 1993 that stars Princess Zelda as she re??scues the land of Gamelon from the evil forces of Ganon. If you’ve never played this, good. 

This game only exists in the public consciousness now as a gag, since it’s hilariously bad. The cutscenes look straight out of MS Paint, the voice acting is bad, and the gameplay is incredibly wonky. However, it was the very first time gamers could ever play ??as the titular Princess Zelda. Anyone playing this game now is likely doing it only to see the cutscenes t??hat have been used as fodder for countless YouTube videos.

Zelda's Adventure

Surprisingly, a follow up to Wand of Gamelon was released where you once again played as Princess Zelda. However, this title is far more o??bscure and somehow even worse. This time, Link is the one captured and?? Zelda must save him from Ganon.

The game oddly features live-action cutscenes and incredibly bad top-down-style gameplay. While Wand of Gamelon and its counterpart Link: Faces of Evil are remembered fondly for being funny, Zelda’s Adventure doesn’t get this treatment. Most Zelda fans w?ould prefer it’s lost to time, ?no matter how much we want to play as Princess Zelda.

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer

Cadence of Hyrule is a rhythm game from the Crypt of the NecroDancer series, this time featuring The Legend of Zelda. You can a??ctually play as either Link or Zelda as you save Hyrule once again from the forces of evil, along with a few other characters such as Cadence herself.

In this game, Zelda is able to use all of Link’s typic??????????????????????????al weapons and gadgets, like bombs, arrows, and even his hookshot. You can even go a majority of the game without needing to play as Link at all.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

For the first time ever, Princess Zelda is the star of a mainline game in Echoes of Wisdom. It’s not a spinoff, it’s not a DLC, it’s the real deal. With Link gone missing after mysterious voids pop up in Hyrule, it’s up to Princess Zelda to resc??ue him and save her kingdom.

In this game, she? uses the Tri Rod as her main weapon, which can create duplicates of every item she learns, from tables to monsters. You’ll presumably spend the entire game controlling the Princess of Hyrule as Link takes a backseat and waits for her heroic rescue.

I'm hopeful that Nintendo will continue in the direction they've been going, making the Princess of Hyrule a more prominent figure in the series and even becoming the main protagonist. Nothing against the hero, but it is called The Legend of Zelda, not The Legend of Link.

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Instead of a Zelda remake, which some fa?ns may have expected, Nintendo surprised everyone with a brand new series entry, putting players in the princess's shoes i?nstead.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom announcement trailer started like any previous installment. Link battles off a horde of enemies to free Zelda from a crystal. However, this time around, Link gets sucked into a strange rift, and this time it's up to Zelda to step up to the ??plate and save Hyrule. Instead of wielding a sword, Zelda wields a mysterious staff that can duplicate items called echoes. Once the princess learns an echo of somet?hing she can re-create it however many times you like to help traverse the map and move past obstacles.

Wooden boxes, old beds, tables, and water blocks are just a few items Zelda can use. The first trailer gives players a first look at how the duplication system works. For example, Zelda duplicated multiple beds to scale a wall. Instead of traditional combat, the staff can create echoes of monsters, and each enemy h??as a unique set of abilities that can be used for different situations. Nintendo set out to create an experience that will be different for players, based on how they ??decide to use echoes.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom launches on September 26, 2024. Nintendo also announced a new Nintendo Switch Lite Hyrule? edition to celebrate ?the new title that will also be available on the same date.

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Because we never get to de??feat the big bads of the real world, beating a villain at the end of a game can be one of the most reward??ing things in life �but only when the level of challenge and the stakes feel appropriate.

Beating an unfair boss may leave you with a sense of unfulfillment, as those usually require us to compro??mise and take the cheap route as well. Let's rank the best final bosses who offer a fair challenge and el??evate the game they're in merely by existing.

10. Shao Khan (Mortal Kombat 3)

Imagine the kid version of you finally defeating Motaro after countless attempts on your Sega Genesis. You're now on top of the world, but that feeling will only last exactly as long as the next stage takes to load, as you're about to meet something even worse. The beauty of Shao Khan's second �and best �appearance in the series is that unlike bosses suffering from the infamous SNK Boss Syndrome, he's not cheap. Shao Khan doesn't hit too hard, or shoot unavoidable world-ending energy beams. He's just a big guy with armor and a hammer. The hammer doesn't seem ?like a fair gadget in a tournament where most characters only count on their hands, feet, and kinetic abilities, but t??hat's not even the toughest part.

Shao Khan's thing is his apparent ability to predict and intercept your every move �even when you try to take a cheap shot at him while he's taking a break from the fight to laugh at the player. Shao Khan might seem like an unfair opponent, but he isn't. Shao Khan is, however, sure to make anyone who manages to beat him into a better Mortal Kombat player.

9. Malus (Shadow of the Colossus)

Good thing we're talking about final bosses only, as saying Malus is "that really big giant" in Shadow Of The Colossus probably wouldn't help readers pic??ture wh??at I'm talking about.

What I love about Shadow Of The Colossus is that it's all killer, no filler. You have to traverse a great big area, yeah?, but it takes you straight to the bosses without wasting your time with pesky minions. Every encounter here is memorable and unique, but Malus takes the cake.

This laser-firing mountain requires players to use all the gameplay knowledge they'd acquired throughout the game, but it's also it??s own, devious, thing. Malus is the best boss in the game, which is quite the achievement? for a game that already plays like a "best of" boss compilation.

8. Ganondorf (The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker)

It's hard to pick the best Ganondorf, the most persistent final boss in gaming history, so I'm just gonna go the safe way and choose the cutest one. I kid. I know that Wind Waker's cutesy presentation disappointed many fans, but I really do believe that the best �and most gruesome �battle against Ganondorf is the one in Wind Waker.

Dual sword-wielding Ganondorf rules, but even better is how we finish him? off by piercing his skull with a sword �how's tha?t for a game that looks "too childish"?

7. Vergil (Devil May Cry 3)

Vergil doesn't just act as the final boss in Devil May Cry 3, as we have to fight him two times throughout the game before our ultimate showdown. Still, he plays the pa??rt of the stronger (and older?) twin brother perfectly, always showing up to kick our ass whenever ?we thought we'd finally gotten the hang of the game.

Vergil is the perfect foil to Dante, and even though newcomers will likely find him extremely unfair to tr??ade blows with, it'll only be a matter of time for them to understand how to climb this katana-swinging mountain.

6. Gehrman (Bloodborne)

You could argue that Gehrman isn't the true final boss of the game, but the boss whose presence I still refuse to spoil nearl??y ten years later is optional, so this is the one we're going with.

We spend the entirety of Bloodborne fighting either hunters or the things that hunters are meant to hunt, and Gehrman is the perfect mix between the two. Gehrman's regular and ultimate forms comprise all the most interesting gameplay elements of Bloodborne, so he serves both the game's themes and the need for a final challenge ??perfectly. Do not underestimate this old?? man.

5. Senator Armstrong (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance)

Picking the best final boss in the Metal Gear series is a nightmare, because the only game without a contender is Metal Gear Survive. The Boss is the heart, Liquid Snake is the mirror, Ocelot is the legacy, and Solidus is just plain cool. Still, the world needs only one Big Boss, and I believe that's Revengeance's Steven Armstrong.

Metal Gear expanded upon the perceived limitations of games as vessels for great narratives, which earned the series high praise for closing the gap between games and Hollywood. Still, the best thing about the Metal Gear series is how it conveys surprisingly serious po?ints underneath all of its camp. I believe this never?? rings truer than with Senator Armstrong, whose rise has some haunting real-world parallels. Oh yeah, the boss confrontation itself is also the wildest, most intense, and nearly the most bizarre one on this list.

4. Wheatley (Portal 2)

GLaDOS is a better villain than Wheatley; not to knock down Wheatley, he's a marvelous buffoon, but GlaDOS remains one of the most hauntingly hilarious sociopaths in all of art. Still, the final battle against GLaDOS in the original Portal feels too serious and a bit too straightforward for such an otherwise inventive game. Luckily, the final encounter with Wheatley in Portal 2 fixes that small problem by delivering the perfect mix of comedy, wild mechanics, and the payoff to one of the best set??-ups in video game history.

3. Edgar Ross (Red Dead Redemption)

What better way to conclude a Western game than with a showdown? The final enemy that must be destroyed in Red Dead Redemption only requires you to win a duel. It's as simple as that. No catch, no drawn-out battle, but you must be as quick and precise as you can, otherwise, you'll be looking at immediate death. It's almost as unorthodox as it gets for a final video game confrontation, but it's equally poignant, and victory will bring about one of the coolest and most fu?lfilling endings you'll ever experience.

2. Giygas (Earthbound)

By the time Earthbound ?came out, the formula for the perfect end boss in a Japanese RPG was already out. Just give it various forms, each weirder-looking and with a less-pronounceable name than the previous one, and you're golden.

Earthbound ignored the formula, pulled out all the stops, and had players fight it out against what can only be described as a n??ightmare that a demon would have. The fi??ght against Giygas isn't one of the greatest final boss encounters of all time because of the mechanics at play, but for being the one that best conveys the idea of fighting against a being so alien that even the boss itself might be unaware of what it is.

I'd rather not spoil it any further, as this is an experience you should have and not one you merely read about. Either way, I assure you that, even though this is otherwise a very kid-friendly game in the family-friendly console, this one?? mig??ht end up fueling your nightmares for a few lifetimes.

1. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

Multi-form bosses weren't new by the time Sephiroth showed up, but he more than delivered with Bizarro and Safer Sephiroth, the seemingly biblical accurate representation of an anime one-winged angel. Both forms offer plenty of unique challenges, and it's just great to watch all the cool lighting effe??cts coming out of those beasts.

But neither of those show up in my favorite clash against Sephiroth. My favorite final boss in Final Fantasy, and gaming history, in general, is the plain Sephiroth who pulls Cloud back into the Northern Cave for a final showdown, probably just because Squaresoft knew th??at there's no such ??thing as kicking Sephiroth's ass too hard.

The fight isn't ??even a challenge �we just have to press a button, but we totally deserve it after what that guy put us through.

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