Over the years, fighting games have become one of the best genres for hidden bosses. Sure, role-playing games are generally still the king of secret fights, but fighting games have used the staple to give players some of the hardest challenges they’ve ever seen. These secret bosses are faster, stronger, and much more diabolical than any other enemy in the base game. Whether you stumble upon them by accident or seek them out through guides, these five hidden bosses will feel nearly impossible until you completely master their respective games.
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5) Geese Howard – Art of Fighting 2
Geese is best known from his role in the Fatal Fury series. However, he also appears in Art of Fighting 2, which is set about a decade before the first Fatal Fury. That means Geese is a bit younger, but he still holds a position of power. If you can win every match without losing even a single round, you’ll learn that Geese is the boss behind Mr. Big, and he’ll challenge you to a fight.
This version of Geese is incredibly quick, possibly as a reflection of his youth. He also reads most of your attacks almost perfectly, countering just about everything you throw at him. The good news is that getting to this fight is so challenging, you’ll likely be a very good Art of Fighting 2 player. That doesn’t mean this fight won’t be difficult, but you at least can’t get here by accident. It’ll still probably take you several times before you can finish the big guy.
4) Shadow Jago – Killer Instinct
Shadow Jago can only be fought by following a specific sequence of events in Killer Instinct‘s Arcade ladder. You have to first see all three endings of a character in Arcade mode. Then, you need to go through Arcade mode one last time with that character, this time on at least Hard difficulty. During that run, you need to complete several more specific steps, and Shadow Jago will be waiting for you at the end instead of Fulgore.
Like Geese, the path to get to this fight is what gives you a chance at beating Shadow Jago. If you could simply stumble upon the boss, you’d likely die in seconds. He has a devastating, unique dive kick and can throw two Shendokukens at once, making it almost impossible to stick with him during a fight. Toss in some buffed-up armor and an overall stat increase, and you have one of the toughest fights in the series.
3) Night Terror – Soul Calibur III
Night Terror is the ultimate form of Nightmare, and you’ll need to take a very specific path through Soul Calibur III‘s Tales of Souls story mode if you want to fight this bad boy. Once you get to the fight, don’t expect it to be easy. Night Terror is wielding a fully powered Soul Edge, making him one of the strongest characters in the long-running series. It uses a similar moveset to Nightmare, but everything has been turned up to 11.
Making it even worse, you cannot cheese this fight with a ring-out. That’s because Night Terror will use its massive wings to just fly back onto the stage. You’ll have to beat this monster legitimately, which will likely take you dozens of attempts. Don’t get me wrong, the path you need to take to get to this fight helps prepare you, but Night Terror has so many powerful attacks to demolish your health bar. You’ll need to play almost perfectly, and that might not even be enough.
2) The General – Kaiser Knuckle
If you weren’t around in the ’90s, you might not know about Kaiser Knuckle. It’s a relatively obscure fighter from developer Taito that features some of the era’s toughest AI. It’s safe to say most players in 1994 didn’t bother mastering Kaiser Knuckle because even the early fights can feel almost impossible until you get used to its systems.
Those who did bother to get good at Kaiser Knuckle will eventually fight The General. Once the fight kicked off, those players instantly realized why this guy is so hated. He is one of the most overpowered characters of all time. Almost every attack deals massive damage, running through your health bar in seconds. His ghost projectiles move with ludicrous speed, and he can teleport around the arena. This dude is an absolute menace. Even veteran fighting game fans will struggle in this battle, spending weeks trying to master his ridiculous moveset. It’s about as close to impossible as you can get.
1) Akuma – Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Truth be told, The General might be the most difficult fight on this list. However, I’m putting Akuma in the top slot because of how prolific he’s been over the years. Plus, nobody can forget how cool it was when he swooped into frame and obliterated M. Bison. That guy was supposed to be a challenge, and Akuma ended his life without breaking a sweat. Again, The General might be a harder fight, but nobody matches Akuma in the “this is rad” department.
It also doesn’t hurt that my man hits like a dumptruck and moves faster than anyone in Street Fighter II history. Even if you’re able to lock him into a corner, it won’t last long because Akuma can just teleport away from danger. He can reverse just about everything and can keep you exactly where he wants you, using his fireballs to zone you out. This fight just isn’t fair. There’s a reason this version of Akuma is banned from almost every tournament. He’s essentially broken and one of the most difficult fighters you’ll ever come up against.
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