Ever since the first The Legend of Zelda was released for the NES in 1987, it's become common for the Hero to face a multitude of intimidating bosses to accomplish his goal and save the day. You'll mostly fight them at the end of a dungeon or during climactic story moments, and each one has an arsenal of attacks that will test your courage, wisdom, and power.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword follows a similar formula as its predecessors and requires Link to defeat formidable bosses — sometimes more than once — to save both Zelda and the world. While there are some spectacular confrontations throughout Skyward Sword, some bosses are much more fun to fight than others.
8 The Imprisoned
Skyward Sword quickly became one of the most divisive entries in the series when it first launched for the Wii in 2011. Some of the most common complaints focused on the motion controls, lack of an open world, and having to fight The Imprisoned three times.
The Imprisoned is not necessarily a tough boss, but each battle consistently feels more tedious than anything else in the game. Your goal is to stop the beast before it reaches the Sealed Temple by attacking its toes and the spike sticking out of its forehead. It has new moves and techniques each time you encounter it, but defeating The Imprisoned always feels like more of a chore than an exhilarating fight.
7 Scaldera
After navigating your way through the Earth Temple in Eldin Volcano, you'll once again run into Ghirahim and listen to him monologue about his devious plans. Once he's done, he'll try to crush Link with a giant boulder that eventually emerges out of the lava as Scaldera.
Like many bosses in The Legend of Zelda series, you will need to rely on a newly acquired item — in this case, the bomb bag — to defeat this insect-like creature. Link can throw or roll explosives at Scaldera while it chases him to make it roll back and then toss bombs into its mouth to temporarily stun it. It's one of the easiest and most unmemorable boss battles in the game, but at least you only have to fight it once.
6 Tentalus
The Sandship is one of the most compelling and unique dungeons in Skyward Sword, which only makes the boss fight against Tentalus at the end even more disappointing. After exploring the massive pirate ship and finally gaining access to the control room, this creature suddenly attacks and jeopardizes your chances of obtaining Nayru's Flame.
You only see its tentacles at first, but once Tentalus emerges from the water, it's hard to take it seriously. Most Zelda bosses are either terrifying or well-designed, but this one mostly just looks silly and uninspired. Its Medusa-like hair adds an interesting wrinkle to the fight, but as long you keep shooting Tentalus' eyes with arrows the battle will be over before you know it.
5 Moldarach
Skyward Sword loves making you fight bosses multiple times, but Moldarach is slightly different from The Imprisoned or Ghirahim. The first time you take on this giant scorpion is as the main boss of the Lanayru Mining Facility, but it makes a surprise appearance much later in the game as a mini-boss in the Lanayru Shipyard.
Like Scaldera, most of Moldarach's body is covered in armor that deflects any of your attacks. The only way to defeat it is by locking onto its claws and using precise sword swings to damage the exposed eyes. The second encounter requires you to use the Gust Bellows to force it out of the sand before you can attack it. It's a fun surprise when you uncover Moldarach again, but thank goodness you don't have to fight it a third time.
4 Demise
Demise is the embodiment of evil and the final boss in Skyward Sword. He is the leader of a group of demons with only one goal: to claim the Triforce for himself, so he can cover all of Hyrule in darkness. Ghirahim uses Zelda's soul to resurrect Demise and unleash his true potential during the final hours of the adventure.
Your adventure culminates with a confrontation against Demise in one of the most gorgeous locations in the game. While he may look intimidating, Demise shouldn't give you too much trouble if you've mastered shield attacks and a bit of patience. His second phase is a bit more difficult, but once you figure out how to utilize lightning to attack, you'll quickly earn the title of Hero and watch the credits roll.
3 Ghirahim
Ghirahim is the loyal right-hand man for Demise and spends most of his time in Skyward Sword trying to capture Zelda, so he can sacrifice her soul to resurrect his master. Like The Imprisoned, you'll face him on three separate occasions, but the biggest difference between the two bosses is that Ghirahim takes some skill to defeat and will teach you techniques that are vital moving forward.
One of the Demon Lord's favorite attacks is actually a counter that's nearly impossible to dodge if you don't approach it correctly. He holds two fingers in the air that follow whichever direction your sword is pointed at and deflects any incoming swings. You'll need to trick him into holding his hand out to the right, only to surprise him with an attack from the left. Ghirahim can be frustrating at times, but you'll walk away as a more experienced fighter after each bout.
2 Bilocyte
In real life, there are terrifying neurological parasites that can affect the actions and thoughts of a host once they infiltrate the brain. You may have heard about them in games like The Last of Us, but Skyward Sword has one as well, and it's decided to find a home in the head of the Sky Spirit known as Levias.
The Bilocyte might not be the biggest or strongest boss in the game, but your epic battle against it in the sky is incredibly unique and unlike anything else in the series. You'll spend some time in Skyward Sword riding a Loftwing around from place to place, but now you actually get to use it for a battle. It's a breath of fresh air taking on a boss in aerial combat, though its second phase is a bit more traditional and lackluster.
1 Koloktos
Not only is the Ancient Cistern one of the best dungeons in Skyward Sword, but it also leads you to the best boss battle in the entire game. Koloktos becomes sentient after Ghirahim fills it with evil energy and uses multiple swords at once to attack. It can also summon Cursed Bokoblins, so you'll need to keep an eye on your surroundings if you want to succeed.
During both phases, you'll need to use your whip to remove its many arms and eventually use its giant blades against it. Koloktos is the encapsulation of what makes Zelda bosses so intriguing. It's well-designed, presents a fun and exciting challenge, and is one of the first things you'll remember when you look back on your journey in Skyward Sword.