Nintendo has many properties, but the growth of The Legend of Zelda seems particularly drastic. Each game in the series has delivered an engaging experience, but the titles have come a long way from their NES and Super Nintendo origins.
Link has had to face many extreme challenges over the years, but the epic boss battles that he’s subjected to mark some of the series highs and lows. Bosses can sometimes fall into a predictable pattern in Zelda games, but there are plenty of examples that strive to do something different.
10 Stallord (Twilight Princess)
There’s definitely a pattern to a lot of bosses in Zelda where the new item acquired in the dungeon is instrumental to defeating the boss, but Stallord from Twilight Princess not only feels different, but it is also a battle that feels genuinely huge.
Link squares off with a reanimated bone dragon and needs to ride atop the obscure Spinner item and careen into the boss. The second half of the fight gets even more creative where Link’s Spinner works around a pillar of sand, and he has to avoid Stallord’s fiery attacks.
9 Dongorongo (Phantom Hourglass)
The handheld Zelda titles don’t always get the most attention, but the Nintendo DS entries are truly worthwhile games. The fight against the Goron Temple’s Dongorongo isn’t a particularly difficult battle, but it incorporates a lot of ideas.
The player controls both Link and a helpful Goron named Gongoron, who does most of the work here. The player has to keep tabs on both characters and make sure Link doesn’t get injured during Gongoron’s work and then retaliate with explosive Bombchus. It's a fight very reminiscent of Ocarina of Time's King Dodongo battle, but it goes even further with the idea.
8 Twinrova (Ocarina Of Time)
The concept behind Ocarina of Time’s Twinrova boss is so well executed, unique, and enjoyable that it’s been frequently returned to throughout Zelda games, not to mention the fact that Twinrova herself has appeared on more occasions. Kotake and Koume are two witches with opposing elemental attacks.
Link has to utilize the Mirror Shield to reflect their abilities at each other, only for them to combine into Twinrova, and the player has to become more attentive to which abilities they use.
7 Gohma (The Wind Waker)
What’s so fun about The Wind Waker is how it’s able to bring back some classic bosses from the series. The Wind Waker reinterprets the arachnid-like Gohma in a very fun way that also makes for the perfect introduction to this game.
The fight with Gohma is different, as Link has to use the environment around him to do the bulk of work. Link needs to inflict damage to the tail of a lounging dragon named Valoo and the help of a volcano to dismantle Gohma’s armor shell. It’s surprisingly visceral to repeatedly strike Gohma’s eye with his weapons.
6 Gyorg (Majora’s Mask)
Gyorg from Majora’s Mask can be a very frustrating boss where the strategy isn’t immediately clear, and it really puts Link out of his element with this water-set battle. Link initially has to utilize his marksmanship skills to try and beach the swimming Gyorg. Link then needs to utilize his Zora Mask and submerge himself as Gyorg gains the advantage.
The unusual key to Gyorg’s defeat involves releasing landmines, and Link has to stay on top of a lot at once. The 3DS version of the game refines this boss and makes this unique boss even more enjoyable.
5 Majora (Majora’s Mask)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask used to be a real outlier in the franchise, but the unique entry has since seen a greater level of appreciation. Most Zelda titles have a final battle that involves some form of Ganon, but Majora makes for a very different change of pace who’s actually frightening to some degree.
Majora has three different forms, all of which add to the boss’s simple character design in disturbing ways. The unpredictable nature of Majora gives this boss a lot of its power, and there are few enemies that will just stampede over Link.
4 Demon King Malladus (Spirit Tracks)
The Zelda entries for the DS and 3DS actively try to incorporate the handheld’s features for many of its boss battles, and so games like Spirit Tracks can feature some very original battles.
The final boss in the game is the Demon King Malladus, but the player controls both Link and Zelda in tandem for this attack. It’s a fun strategy where most characters must be managed and the overarching musical aspect of the game also gets incorporated. Other fights like the Demon Train battle also stand out, but using Zelda for a final fight is such a thrill.
3 Argorok (Twilight Princess)
Link has faced a lot of dragons over the course of the Legend of Zelda series, but the boss battle against Argorok in Twilight Princess isn’t just the most memorable, and it’s easily one of the most epic boss fights from the entire series.
Link faces an intimidating dinosaur that’s reminiscent of Metroid’s Ridley. Link needs to make clever use of his Iron Boots to weigh Argorok down after he’s gotten ahold of him. The final stage of the fight sees Link avoiding Argorok’s fire breath and having to take to the skies for a very tense showdown.
2 Dark Link (Ocarina Of Time)
Sometimes, a satisfying and innovative boss fight isn’t necessarily the biggest or most difficult, but rather, it just needs to have a really good idea that it effectively executes.
In that sense, Ocarina of Time’s Dark Link isn’t that complex, but it’s an idea that’s instantly caught on with audiences and turned into a very popular character in its own right. Since Dark Link mirrors Link, the battle will result in a standstill where both characters just keeping blocking each other’s attacks unless a different approach is used. It forces the player to think and attack in unconventional ways.
1 Puppet Ganon (The Wind Waker)
Ganon fights throughout the Legend of Zelda series are always very elaborate and have multiple phases to them. Both Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess feature extremely elaborate battles with Ganon, but The Wind Waker’s Puppet Ganon encounter manages to just edge them out.
Puppet Ganon’s fight consists of three separate forms, all of which get progressively more creative and even includes an unnerving spider form. In addition to the diverse strategies, the creative look and style to this Ganon just makes the boss feel different on every level.