Fighting Game Boss Characters We Wish We Could Unlock

So, you’ve just arrived at the arena. You’ve climbed the arcade ladder or beat the story mode chapter or even completed a series of perfect rounds. What awaits you now? A fight that puts all the others to shame. From cheap combos to lightning fast specials to invincible, unblockable super attacks, a fighting game boss encounter is a test of both skill and flexibility.

These are the opponents that seem to shout out: “Your predictable, amateurish techniques won’t work here.” That is, until you finally win. Now that’s your boss character. Now you can show off all the unfair combos and specials and super attacks. Except sometimes you can’t unlock a boss character — or, at best, receive a severely downgraded version. And that’s the cruelest attack of them all. I mean, come on, the animations are already in the game.

7 Shin-Bison (Street Fighter EX3)

It may surprise you to learn that the Street Fighter EX series had three different versions of M. Bison. There’s the classic dictator that we all know and despise, Bison II (who’s actually two Bison’s fused together), and Shin-Bison, the snazziest of all.

While Street Fighter EX3 allowed you to play as both the original Bison and unlock his fused form as a secret character, Shin-Bison remained locked. It’s a shame since this version is truly the most M. Bison of all the M. Bisons. He has faster attacks and special moves that can be easily chained together. Difficult to balance? Sure, but also real fun to watch. A tribute to Shin-Bison appears in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition — called “Shadaloo Apparition” in an Extra Battle — but he’s still not playable.

6 Kyogai (Demon Slayer - Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles)

Kyogai is one of the few major demon characters that appeared in the story mode of Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles, but wasn’t later made playable. It’s possible that the drum-wielding demon Kyogai wasn’t added due to his ability to rotate rooms and teleport people around his mansion being difficult to implement in a traditional one-on-one setting.

That said, his memorable design and ability to create slash attacks with his drumming still gives CyberConnect2 plenty of options for combos and special attacks. Likewise, he could have always showed off his full power with his Ultimate Art, rapidly shifting the surrounding area before landing a powerful surprise attack.

5 Shizuka Gozen (Samurai Shodown - 2019)

In a game defined by calculated movement and precise strikes, Shizuka Gozen chooses to take a different approach. Tossing around razor-sharp fans with telekinesis and unleashing blasts of dark aura are how Shizuka choses to deal with whatever comparatively tame sword attacks you can muster.

Unfortunately, the final boss of the 2019 Samurai Shodown isn’t playable in any form. And while a version of Shizuka that copies her boss moveset exactly would certainly create some balance issues in multiplayer, a slightly less lethal take on the character could make a unique addition to the roster. If there’s ever a current gen rerelease of Samurai Shodown, let's hope Shizuka makes the cut.

4 Galactus (Marvel Vs. Capcom 3)

Let’s get two things out of the way: yes, Galactus is playable in a mode that bears his name in Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 — it’s basically arcade mode where you play as a boss the whole time. And yes, Galactus is probably too big to put in standard versus matches without essentially breaking the game. And yet, counterargument: it’d be fun.

While Galactus would certainly need to be tweaked to work in a multiplayer setting (infinite hypers aren’t much fun to go up against), this planet-devouring cosmic being would certainly add some variety to the versus scene. Maybe replace his teammates with CPU-controlled heralds and make most of his own attacks easy to punish, giving him a playstyle that centers around calling in assists at the right time.

3 Tabuu (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)

The leader of Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s Subspace Army and the game’s main antagonist, Tabuu gives an entire lineup of Nintendo heroes a run for their money. With teleportation, clones, and more lasers than a planetarium, Tabuu’s moveset is the envy of final bosses everywhere, so it’s a bit of a letdown that you never get a chance to try it out.

More to the point, how can you possibly say “everyone is here” without Tabuu? An act of heresy has been committed before our very eyes, and we should demand justice in the form of a blue-winged spirit mannequin with a grudge against hedgehogs. On the other hand, Sakurai has endured enough.

2 Akuma (Super Street Fighter II Turbo)

Akuma shows us that there’s hope for unplayable bosses to become formerly unplayable bosses. First appearing in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a hidden boss, Akuma wasn’t unlockable but was playable by entering a code on the character select screen.

While the playable version of Akuma wasn’t quite as powerful as the one players face in arcade mode (known as “Shin-Akuma”), his aggressive fighting style was still very much intact. Now a series mainstay that has appeared in both Capcom crossover games and Tekken 7, the impact that Akuma’s had on the Street Fighter series proves that fighting game boss characters deserve more than a CPU puppet master.

1 Devil Kazuya (Tekken 7)

When Heihachi and Kazuya face off for the last time in Tekken 7, the latter is pushed to unleash his Devil Gene, transforming him into the spike-covered, three-eyed hell-spawn known as Devil Kazuya. It’s a cool fight, but what’s even better comes next. After certain events happen, you’re able to fight Street Fighter’s Akuma as Devil Kazuya. If only you could play in this form against anyone else, then perhaps the Mishima family could put aside their differences.

While you can temporarily play as Kazuya’s devil form by using his Rage Art in a standard match, it just doesn’t live up to the power fantasy offered in the story mode. Once you’ve defeated Akuma by spamming eye lasers at full health, it’s not easy to look back — mostly, on account of the eye strain.

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