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The role of a mentor in a game is to teach the protagonist whilst simultaneously teaching you as the player. Depending on the situation, you might even begin to form a bond with some of these mentor characters. Conversely, you may suspect that they have ulterior motives, which frays your ability to trust them.
Regardless, there are some games where you will end up fighting against your mentor, likely to the death. When done well, it can be an emotional moment because of the aforementioned bond, especially if it's revealed that your mentor has also betrayed you.
10 Dirt 5 (AJ)
This is more of a pleasant surprise than a dramatic duel, but it's no less entertaining. AJ is your mentor throughout Dirt 5 and as you progress through the career mode, you eventually become his protégé after he loses to Bruno Durand and retires, since you're his best chance at getting payback on Bruno.
The final event of Dirt 5 sees you facing off against Bruno, but there's a special bonus event after that where you get to have a one-on-one race against AJ as well.
9 Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (Master Eraqus And Xehanort)
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Master Eraqus is the mentor of Aqua, Terra and Ventus in Kingdom Hearts BBS. Meanwhile, Xehanort is Eraqus' old "friend" who has his own motive, which is to revive the Keyblade War. Xehanort takes Terra on as a pupil when he suspects Terra is affected by the darkness, a power which Eraqus abhors.
Eraqus tries to prevent Terra from succumbing to the darkness in a duel, but Terra ends up killing Eraqus in the process. This results in an endgame climax where Terra also faces off against Xehanort.
8 Final Fantasy 7 (Sephiroth)
In Final Fantasy 7, Cloud and his party of freedom fighters face off against Sephiroth, the most powerful member from the SOLDIER program. Cloud used to admire Sephiroth and dreamed of fighting alongside him, but now their rivalry is one of the most famous in video games.
Eventually, after many hours of adventuring and trying to disrupt Shinra's plans, the gang finally arrive and try to stop Sephiroth. The battle itself is one of the most famous in any video game, not least because of the instantly recognizable song, "One Winged Angel."
7 Ninja Gaiden (Murai)
Nowadays, when it comes to difficult first bosses in games, chances are that people will initially think of FromSoftware. However, there are many games which did this long before Dark Souls came along, and Ninja Gaiden is easily one of the toughest examples.
Here, Ryu Hayabusa fights his mentor and uncle, Murai, in both the first and last boss fights of the game. The final battle is understandably tricky but even the first one takes no prisoners, since its purpose is to prepare you for the rest of the game.
6 Grand Theft Auto 5 (Michael)
In Grand Theft Auto 5's final mission, Franklin is faced with three choices: killing Trevor, killing Michael, or "deathwish." All three have permanent consequences, but the second one is arguably the most heart-breaking because Michael has helped Franklin to get to where he is by this point in the game.
As a result, you feel like a bit of a scumbag for stabbing Michael in the back right after he's just completed the biggest heist of his life, especially when it's revealed that he's finally making amends with his family.
5 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Darth Vader)
Out of all the mentors to have, Darth Vader is by far and away the coolest. (Yes, he's also incredibly evil, but sometimes it's fun to be the bad guy.) In the Force Unleashed, you play as Starkiller, a Sith lord who forsakes Vader as his mentor after he learns that Vader killed his father.
This eventually culminates in a dramatic showdown between you and the Dark Lord himself, and you technically do win, but sadly the canon of Star Wars can't let this stay true for long.
4 Assassin's Creed (Al Mualim)
The very first Assassin's Creed game was a breakout success, and it introduces the Assassin order through the forms of Altaïr and his mentor, Al Mualim. Altaïr's severe failures initally paint Al Mualim in a more favourable light, but over time you come to suspect that your mentor is hiding something.
These suspicions come true at the end of the game when Al Mualim has access to an Apple of Eden, and you must defeat him using AC's very clunky combat system. (Just spam counter and you'll be fine.)
3 Marvel's Spider-Man (Otto Octavius)
Marvel's Spider-Man does an excellent job of treating Otto Octavius as a tragic villain. You know he's going to eventually turn and become Doctor Octopus, but that doesn't make the moment any less gut-wrenching, especially after you've spent so long watching him and Peter work together.
The final showdown between Peter and Doc-Ock on top of the Oscorp building is a brilliant climax to the events that have happened throughout the game, and it's a surprisingly emotional moment because Peter really doesn't want to be fighting Octavius.
2 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (The Boss)
In the Metal Gear universe, the Boss is the greatest soldier who ever lived. She's also the mentor of Big Boss, aka Naked Snake in MGS 3, and she ends up betraying you and the USA to defect to the Soviet Union. This eventually culminates in a one-on-one showdown at the end of the game, all whilst "Snake Eater" plays in the background.
The biggest gut punch comes during the epilogue when you discover that the Boss was actually innocent, but no one will ever be able to know.
1 BioShock (Atlas)
Atlas serves as your guide and helper for the majority of BioShock's story, and the sound of his voice can be a real comfort after you've had to fight your way through hordes of splicers.
However, that comforting visage is eventually shown to be a fallacy when Atlas is revealed to be Frank Fontaine, and he's been manipulating you the entire time. Sadly, the actual showdown between you and Fontaine is a bit of an anti-climax, which is particularly jarring since it's the final combat encounter of the game.