Top 5 'Kingdom Hearts' Bosses

Video Games

Jan 26

Kingdom Hearts art — Image Source: wallpapercave.com

“Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But do not be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of them all.” However, it will take a heart as strong as a keyblade to conquer the darkness, but wielding such a weapon has double-edged consequences. Darkness lies in every heart, but courage and the power of friendship will give you a chance to prevail against Kingdom Hearts’ greatest foes.

In addition to fighting alongside Donald and Goofy and receiving advice from the great mouse himself, players enjoy a steady diet of nostalgia coming face-to-face with Disney’s greatest villains. Such villains include Hades, Jafar, Maleficent, and the Titans (specifically the Ice Titan) from Hercules.

No doubt intimidating and forces not to be ignored in their film appearances and their game depictions. The downside comes from how their final forms (i.e. Maleficent’s dragon form) serve as more of an homage to their role in their films than challenging obstacles in the Kingdom Hearts storyline.

Fighting bosses in their respective levels takes skill and timing on the player's part, but the burden falls on Sora to have the stamina and skillset correlating to the battle to become the victor.

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5. Yozora

One of the few aspects of Kingdom Hearts 3 that players and fans enjoyed was how tricky and underhanded Yozora was. Having his own stadium gives Yozora a home-field advantage, thus it forces Sora to think outside the box. When the fight between Yozora and Sora was created, series director Tetsuya Nomura admitted he “wanted a boss that would make players cry”. Given Yozora’s ability to steal Sora’s keyblade only to attack him with it, summon mechs to decimate him, and alter his arena at will, this sends the message that players are “invading” his world. There's no chance he's letting you (and Sora) win.

Yozora’s fight contains two endings, a “consolation prize” if you can't beat him. This consolation prize could be the player gaining the “proper time” to learn “plenty of openings to land some combos” on Yozora. According to CBR.com, “each of [Yozora’s] attacks has means of either countering, blocking, or dodging.” These fighting forms require Sora and the person playing to think quickly, yet remain humble after the battle.

4. Sephiroth

Described as one of the hardest enemies in Kingdom Hearts 2 and arguably the most difficult boss in the franchise, Sephiroth is one boss whom Sora is required to be at his prime to stand a chance at victory. Making an appearance in the first Kingdom Hearts as a mini-game opponent to battle on Mount Olympus, Sephiriorth makes his return in Kingdom Hearts 2 ready for a battle of strength and wit. If the player decides to battle Sephiroth before reaching level 80 and plans to button-mash their way to victory, Sora is all but guaranteed to lose. But if players choose to accept the side quest and fight, players will receive an upgrade to the Drive Bar and the Fenrir keychain. It's advised to craft the Ultima Weapon before this boss fight. Sephiroth isn't a fan of holding back.

This magic is something Sora needs to be able to stand face-to-face with Sephirorth. According to The Gamer, “[Sephirorth] can summon pillars of flames, teleport at will, and lunge at you with the range of a god.” This is a boss who can easily end his battle with Sora with one swipe of his blade. If Sephiroth lands a strike and half of Sora’s health bar is depleted, that is considered a lucky break. Whether it’s his first battle or his second, Sephirorth’s boss fights are one of the most difficult and memorable moments in Kingdom Hearts for a reason.

3. Ansem

Being the main antagonist and final boss of the first Kingdom Hearts is a heavy burden, but Ansem proves himself to be a formidable foe not just in power, but in his ability to change his form as his battle with Sora progresses. Within the first stage of his fight, Ansem battles Sora in what appears to be his “human form” (as seen above). As the battle ensues, Ansem's attacks become more aggressive causing the player to think critically when dodging and finding moments to attack. A force to be reckoned with as a “human”, Ansem transforms into a true result of Heartless.

Having allowed his heart to be consumed by the Darkness in pursuit of knowledge and power, what was once Ansem the Wise became a Heartless—the Ansem players (and Sora) battle. Darkness brought Sora to battle Ansem; proving Ansem’s point that “darkness is the heart’s true essence” and attempting to corrupt Sora into seeing how his way of thinking is the truth. This is all before Sora truly understands how dangerous Ansem is. Sora is twelve years old at the start of Kingdom Hearts and is unaware of how much Darkness interlinks itself with the various worlds Disney created. Upon hearing this revelation from Ansem all before their final battle, Ansem sets a high expectation for Sora and the game players early on.

2. Darkside

How symbolic that Sora has to battle the duality of his nature. Created from his own shadow and a manifestation of the Darkness inside him, Darkside emerges in the tutorial introducing players to the fight ahead of us. Despite Shadows being used as practice for Sora on how to fight, battling Darkside is not child’s play. A simple enough fight to commit to, but the main point of the battle is how this is a fight he cannot run from. Forced into a literal do-or-die situation, Sora has to look within himself and decide if he is brave enough to fight. Not defend, but fight for his life.

Darkside is not the most difficult boss in terms of magical ability, but Darkside is one of the more pivotal battles Sora faces. It’s one thing to battle someone else and their words, but those are battles the player can postpone. One cannot procrastinate in battling themselves. A recurring force in each iteration of the Kingdom Hearts games, Darkside’s presence is important to Sora’s development as a hero. He teaches Sora arguably the most important lesson he can learn: there are moments when he has no choice but to stay and fight, and he cannot run from his destiny. You cannot shield yourself from Darkside and Sora cannot shield himself from the Darkness inside.

1. Master Xehenort

Of all the boss battles within Kingdom Hearts 3, fans agreed that the most challenging one in the game was against Master Xehenort. Having lost his heart to Darkness and a former apprentice to what was once Ansem the Wise, Master Xehenort has used his former master’s studies of the Heart and the surrounding worlds to become a more formidable villain. Xehenort clashed with his master about which method would be more pivotal in studying and understanding Darkness; Xehenort desired to learn about Darkness up close and personal rather than gaining knowledge from what might be considered “secondhand” sources. This clash led to the master and apprentice splitting up. As a result, Master Xehenort was free and willing to let the Darkness consume him and learn what Darkness truly felt like.

Enveloped in Darkness, Xehenort’s purest form of Darkness turns him into a man whose only limit to his abilities is his imagination. Whatever he desires to be made, he can materialize. If Xehenort desires a tower of Darkness to attack Sora, the only thing keeping him from the tower appearing is the degree of how much he desires it. Yet his perfect consumption of Darkness allows Xehenort to use it to its full potential. This potential brought Xehenort the power to “introduce the mechanic of HP decreasing attacks”, thus any healing without items is “mostly pointless” if Sora gets hit according to CBR.com.

Conclusion

Opinions on Kingdom Hearts boss battles will vary from player to player. Nostalgia and skill aside, players have the unique experience of facing each boss battle for the first time. Perhaps each boss's moves are the same, but the player (and Sora) can use their keyblade and magic stamina to defeat their foes. Unlocking new fight combinations, and magical items, and testing them on other quests gives Sora and the player the needed advantages. Not to mention, Sora’s heart must remain pure.

Believing in the light of the world and not succumbing to the Darkness does not make Sora a fool nor does it make him naive about the world around him. Having to pick and choose your strengths and weaknesses determines how Sora will progress in his journey. Perhaps the game in its entirety, difficult bosses and all is a reflection of the player’s own challenges. No one player will play the game the same way nor will they face the same challenges battling each of the bosses. We determine the heroes we are meant to be.