Top Ten Player Bosses

You ever played a game, enjoyed it, played its sequel, then FOUGHT your previous player character? Yeah. We're talking about those.
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WRITING TEAM
Joshua Burner
Aramau
Jasper Pie
David Rota
DestinyDragonGino
Count Shaman
Kean P. Galivan
TheMasterShowman
Title Theme "Trickster's Ambition"
by RealFactionMusic / realfactionmusic
THE EDITING TEAM
Classy Reviews
/ @classyreviews
TitanViceGrip
/ titanvicegrip101
Zion Kraze
/ @zionkraze
Neon Icy Wings
/ @neonicywings
yourlocalfriendlygamer
/ @ylfgmatt
Josiah Magnet
/ @josiahmagnet8315
MonkeyZebraProductions
/ @monkeyzebraproduction...
DrakeVagabond
/ @drakevagabond
Marcosatsu
/ @marcosatsu
CoolCat
kzbin.info/door/vdA... C
/ @emmetteclyde
Kean P. Galivan
/ @keanpgalivan
Madam StarFall
/ @starfall0528
Steelsynth
/ @steelsynth
switch1e
/ @switch1e
TheMasterShowman

[@alvaroperez2349]

Calling it right now, Red from Pokémon is gonna be at least top three. What a surprise, he’s Number One.

[@shadowlinkbds]

I expect to see Dante in top 3 too with either his fight in 4 or 5.

[@macaylacayton2915]

That or agent 3, that damn ooze really the fight hard but worth it!

[@michaelmorante268]

The first example coming to mind is Alex Mercer from Prototype. Heck, one of the taglines for the sequel is “murder your maker”.

[@rangerzcah9304]

Agreed but I expect him to be number 1

[@guywholikesmemes4993]

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[@abareamphibia6812]

I laughed so hard, when he called Rex the only not dumb harem protagonist

[@Hilversumborn]

I disagree with that notion, cause the best harem protagonist is Rentaro Aijo

[@genericweeb6392]

@@Hilversumborn Yep-

[@franconunez925]

​@@Hilversumbornalright, the only not dumb *Videogame* harem protagonist... At least this will work until 100girlfriends get a dating sim where we have to be the ideal boyfriend.

[@silverflight01]

Basically: 1) You play as Character A in Game 1 2) Game 2 comes out 3) You play as Character B in Game 2 4) You meet Character A while playing as Character B, they're now a boss fight 5) There you go, a Player Boss Examples that I believe will be on the list: Trainer Red, Agent 3 (most definitely a given for being the thumbnail character), and Kazuma Kiryu. Edit: All three appeared, and Red was number 1, nice

[@macaylacayton2915]

Sanitized agent 3/inner agent 3, red, etc

[@dethtroy2185]

you know what's even funnier, Ash ended up in Masters EX...and Red wants to battle him, he even spoke because of Ash saying "i'll be waiting"

[@jacobweatherford4696]

Red would destroy ash lol

[@dethtroy2185]

@@jacobweatherford4696 i dunno about that, Ash's greatest strength is his unpredictable nature that can overcome brute force. Though he's got some powerhouses of destruction himself, such as his transforming Greninja and his Kaio-Ken Infernape. Lucario's a powerhouse too with or without it's mega form due to Ash's strong Aura too.

[@jacobweatherford4696]

@@dethtroy2185 true but unlike ash red has beaten and even caught mewtwo which ash has yet to do either.

[@dethtroy2185]

@@jacobweatherford4696 did he do this in masters or is this coming from Origins? I mean if were talking masters only, Ash's sirfetch'd managed a draw with a solgaleo, and considering that's one of his more recent pokemon that's one heck of a feet. Going by the anime Ash and Pikachu complete eradicated The guardian of alola and knocked out Tapu-Koko at the same time with the sheer destructive power of their Z-move. But at the end of the day continuing this discussion is abit pointless since if they do end up fighting we have no call in who wins, no matter what they've done.

[@Mrnothing152]

Anime Mewtwo is just ridiculously strong compared to any Mewtwo that has fought Red before though so that isn’t a perfect comparison

[@voltingmaster5458]

Bout Time Agent 3s getting the Recognition she Deserves.

[@macaylacayton2915]

Oh they’re a no-brainer wouldn’t be surprised if red made it too

[@cameroncooper5941]

JJJlaugh.mp4 You serious? The fandom couldn't get enough of them since Octo expansion. Or do you just mean on this channel?

[@LycanMOON]

3 is a fan favorite in the fandom,she gets all the recognition she deserves already As for agent 4…well let’s just say she needs more than just recognition at this point

[@voltingmaster5458]

@@cameroncooper5941 actually I was tired of Agent 3 being ignored on so many of Josh's bosses lists that it was about time that she finally made an appearance.

[@C_Arson]

Well technically Agent 3 could be a guy too because custom player character and all that. From what I can tell though, the vast majority prefer the girl design, so it sorta feels like the "canon" one even though the canon one is still whatever the player wants them to be.

[@oninekoX3]

"still better than the one in 14. YECK." I hope they're referring to the character and not the idea, because the fight against Eledibus was one of the better parts of Shadowbringers

[@ogre589]

Not to mention the surprise visit from a certain shadow man halfway into the fight was just icing on the cake on top of the fun fight.

[@voistar5387]

I mean, I dont think that statement fits Elidibus's character either since that patch and fight made him a fan favorite, considered up there with Emet as one of the best villains in the game.

[@christopherbravo1813]

Agree to disagree.

[@jtlego1]

Yeah I don't get where his beef is with that one. Everyone I know *LOVES* the Elidibus fight.

[@a1joryj]

Shoutout to Bowser in Bowser’s Inside Story. You work together with him (despite him not knowing until the end) to make him note powerful, including getting special moves for him while you as the player control him, and he USES them on you when you fight him once halfway through the game’s story. And if you skipped some by accident, like the Shy Guy ball, he doesn’t have it! Great attention to detail. And then again in the Gauntlet, where as Bowser X, he has even MORE moves that YOU as the PLAYER helped him get, INCLUDING him turning massive and putting you through one of the most insane dodge gauntlets in the franchise.

[@Hilversumborn]

My honorable mentions: -Nioh 2 = William Adams, which is also a reveal that Nioh 2 is both a prequel and a sequel! -Tales of series = Cameo battles, Now you know how it feels to fight a Tales party!

[@lilsunny7399]

Not gonna lie i kinda wish i had played xillia before Berseria then i would have known who Jude, Mila etc were. Now that i do, i don't remember the fight from Berseria.

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

Alex Mercer=Prototype 2

[@karmicrespite5737]

I like how Tales of Xillia 2, the one with weird time shenanigans plot, has a secret ending where if you beat the hard tournament where you fight a party of previous "Tales of" protags, you can just tell them that a little girl was kidnapped* and they will just... go save her and beat the final bosses for you. This is especially funny considering whatever plot stuff is going on with regards to the final boss fight and possible endings. *been a while since I played the game so forget the exact details of the plot/ending... but also any story that has time shenanigans be a major plot point will tend to have some level of weirdness, so in a way the cameo ending is the best ending because it just... skips all those shenanigans.

[@ProfessionalNamielleLewder69]

*Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3* - Every single Tales protagonist until that point. Every. Single. One. You fight all of them in the arena after their tales (heh) had ended. Some villains and final bosses even show up, meaning the Descender (protagonist) just waltzed up to the arena (or Brownie Mine depths in the case of Dhaos and Yggdrasil), squared up with several world destroyers and then caved their faces in just for shits and giggles. If they thought Ludger was an OP protagonist, he better pray to whatever supreme deity in the Tales series that he doesn't caught by the Descender in a dark alley because he's not coming out of that fight in anything but a body bag.

[@JordanAdventure1]

speaking of battles. theres also a crossover game of Ys and sora no kiseki which they fight each other on Ys mechanics. its really cool. and you can fight against adol

[@thegamerator10]

Just remember that the Demi-Fiend is one of very few demons to fight Dante numerous times. And live.

[@platy4700]

Don’t mind me, I’m just glad that Josh finally talked about Splatoon

[@UltimateDespairado]

It’s a really great series And it has a lot of fascinating lore and characters The squid sisters are best girls, Big man is my spirit animal, Dj Octavio is a dictator but he’s a dictator with presentation, Pearl is a skrunkly queen, Marina reminds me of Mariah Carey or Alicia Keys, Captain Cuttlefish is one of those people from the 40’s who don’t know how to adjust to modern times. There’s also weapons where you can play with a katana, an umbrella, and a bucket. Yet it works because the world of Splatoon is so wacky and fun. There’s also a mode where you collect eggs for a capitalist overlord (hope that doesn’t affect the story) and a story mode that is not like the Mario games where most of them are the same. So in conclusion, I highly recommend this game if you want a shooter game without the blood and gore.

[@TheEccentricJester]

WOOMY B*TCHES!!!

[@C_Arson]

@@UltimateDespairado I'm not sure if dictator is the right word to describe Octavio. At the very least, he's not as evil as that word would imply. That whole thing about him mind-controlling the other Octarians is a huge misconception; Octolings like Marina and Agent 8 don't really dislike him, based on Agent 8's mem cake about him, Marina's dialogue about him in Side Order, and the fact that she had an Octavio sticker on her laptop in Octo Expansion. They wanted to escape to Inking Society due to the inherent oppression of life inside the Octarian domes, not because Octavio treated them badly. Sorry, I just wanted to correct the misconception of Octavio mind-controlling people from the video, and this seemed like a good place to do it.

[@UltimateDespairado]

@@C_Arson honestly I don’t know the best word to describe him That’s why I describe Octavio as a dictator And yes I do know that Octavio doesn’t mind-control the Octarian race (unless we’re talking about propaganda)

[@azazeltheundyingdamienkali5700]

Okay, relegating the Demi Fiend to just being the number transition and not even mentioning him is just disrespectful to the highest degree. His fight in Shin Megami Tensei V is absolutely LEGENDARY.

[@technodude458]

agreed

[@allyourbase2010]

"Still better than the one in 14" YOU FUCKING WOT?!

[@TSGJamesR]

Yeah, that took me by surprise too. Subjectivity aside, the context of 14’s WoL battle is… way different, but “To The Edge” is by far my favorite Trial song so far. The song also hits different knowing what Soken endured during its composition.

[@TheTruestZero]

I do admit that caught me off guard as well, but I would like to hear his reasoning. It's don't see that often people not like Shadowbringer's Warrior of Light (Full title because spoilers if I said the real name), mostly because the context of "To The Edge" and stuff, but if her ever give his reason, I'm sure it's a solid one.

[@Danothyus1]

Took me by surprise as well, that is imo, one of the most significant fights on XIV, aside from being one of the best ones ever.

[@Seitaro_no_Yami]

I also really liked that fight, so I'm surprised by Josh's take on it. The only complain I have about it, is how little screentime Elidibus as one of the crucial Ascians was given once he started taking direct actions, instead of scheming behind the scenes. He appears as Ardbert somewhere around Patch 5.1 or 5.2, and then it's all over halfway through the Patch 5.3. Lahabrea and Emet-Selch direct presence were way longer in comparison.

[@kosmosshift2577]

The 14 trial of WoL is literally my favorite fight. So it literally caught some strays

[@giloguy101]

Josh ain't lying about how hard Rex and Shulk are to fight, if anything he's underselling it. Rex hits like an absolute truck and has high crit damage to boot so once he starts going he can tear you apart, and because Shulk is a defender class, his job is to constantly force your aggro away to him, so you have difficulty stopping rex from mulching you. and your having to do this with only a healer and a tank, so your damage is pathetic in comparison.

[@voltrus3783]

Demi-Fiend HAS to be on the list.

[@FluuuffInari]

Well, yes, but actually, no

[@witecatj6007]

When he shows up unannounced in DDS1, that was one hell of a surprise. And then he torched me in 2 turns.

[@rebaxbayushi577]

@@witecatj6007 You survived a turn the first time you met him? I didn't even have time to see a turn because I had one imunity equiped and got Gaia Rage before the fight even started! You were lucky!

[@stormyd1869]

10:58 James my boy-! Glad to see Dead Meat being recognized more :>

[@nooneiknow2719]

Aw, that's nice!

[@shadowlinkbds]

BUSINESS!

[@erichfiedler1481]

And I recognize which Kill Count it's from, Smile

[@stormyd1869]

@@erichfiedler1481 Noice

[@wyattmcgahey3035]

Stoutheart Rex and Godcleaver Shulk better be on here.

[@thiffio9134]

I’m starting to notice a pattern with all these countdown makers. Some of them have niche topics for their countdowns. Oscar Duarte has weapons, PBG has Zelda, Josh has bosses and Will has a weekly upload schedule.

[@UltimateDespairado]

Is it bad if people have a specific genre they want to talk about? Personally I’d rather watch a video where someone is passionate about the topic rather than someone doing a video because they were forced to do it

[@wolfknightleon3264]

what about Adam, aka Quarterguy?

[@thiffio9134]

@@wolfknightleon3264 idk what he has as a gimmick content. I don’t exactly follow his work.

[@BJGvideos]

​@@UltimateDespairadoThey never said it was bad.

[@shadowlinkbds]

​@@wolfknightleon3264He's more about Megaman most of the time.

[@codename618]

19:34 "I'll save Aqua." "How?" "By beating the crap out of her." "Understandable." "How did you save me?" "Sora beat the crap out of you." "Makes perfect sense."

[@matthewtwitter5172]

Man Justapancake.. where did he went? I don't know, could he be in the realm of darkness?

[@centurynerdbr]

28:22 Now im hyped. Im a huge Kirby fan. Can't wait for Kirby Month.

[@sonicgamingkirbyfan2005v-xm2rl]

Antdude must be dancing by now.😂

[@otakamerd1220]

I’m honestly shocked that Josh trashed one of the most popular fights in FFXIV with that Elidibus sleight

[@sephiroth21347]

5:22 Wait wait wait! Whaaaaat the hecks wrong with FF14s use of the Warrior of Light???? It was JUST SO phenomenally well done!? Elidibus and the Ascians truly see us as the villains of their story. All they are trying to do in their perspective is restore their distorted world, just like any RPG hero would do, and we genuinely fill that role as their villains as we become the Warriors of Darkness on that shard and put to waste all their carefully laid plans to restore their world. That Elidibus would take on everyones genuine heartfelt desire to protect and cherish their world, from shards across the rift no less, he forms the EMBODIMENT of those desires, THEE original Warrior of Light, with an incredible battle and track to boot. Hes got his power boost! Hes going to win and do his duty! HE DOES BEAT US!! And then... a shade of an old foe steps in, we get our own second phase, we're the ones with alot of nerve being alive?? We come back, and we win. We slay the hero, our version of our torn world is saved sure for a spell, but the last remnants of the Unsundered Ascians are gone, and their dreams along with it. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE IT??

[@Scj9700]

Hey. As a final fantasy XIV player myself. I'm greatly offended. The warrior of light trial in Shadowbringers was alright. For the most part.

[@archdiangelo7930]

Number one being Red feels really cliche. Like yeah, I get it, obvious things are obvious for a reason, but come on, you can't have Demi-Fiend as the bumper and not even put him as an honorable mention! Demi-Fiend as a boss is actually a really interesting case. In Digital Devil Saga, that's all he was, a surprise boss to utterly body the party out of nowhere, a true test of player skill and luck that only the most insane and insanely well-prepared could hope to pass. But in the DLC of SMT V, there's a lot more going on. You play as what is called a "Nahobino", which, to HEAVILY summarize, is the pure godly form of a demon who is capable of claiming the throne of God (specifically a fusion between a demon and a human possessing the lost Knowledge of said demon after YHVH ripped it from all his peers to reduce them to mere demons who couldn't challenge him for the throne). The final boss of the DLC is the Demi-Fiend of course, but to get the privilege of fighting him, you have to walk the same path he did, killing each of the Fiends one by one and claiming their Menorahs, just like in Nocturne. When you face him, he's easily the hardest boss in the game of course, and he has some of the best demons possible, especially his trusty friend the Super Pixie. When it becomes really interesting however is when you look at it in context of the true ending. In the true ending of the game, you go through the neutral route, but if you've fought Shiva as well as performing some other prerequisites, you can fight Lucifer in an extended battle compared to the other routes. Once you defeat him in his transcended form, you prove yourself worthy in his eyes, and you take the throne, creating your new world. Two worlds, actually: a world for humans, and a separate world for demons. Thus finally ending the cycle of demons destroying the world of humans, allowing humans to live by their own power and merit, freed from demonkind's meddling with their fates. Something Lucifer also wanted for the Demi-Fiend, for a human to gain immense power and break the cycle of creation and destruction, albeit in that case it was by killing God. And that's when it hits you. The Nahobino's fight with the Demi-Fiend isn't just a battle of protagonists. You've gone through the same journey the Demi-Fiend did, even gaining power in the same way (you can augment your resistances and attacks with the essences of demons, rather than with Magatama, but it's a similar principle), but whereas the Demi-Fiend failed to end the cycle (presumably, the ending cuts before we see what happens in their war against God), the Nahobino succeeds. Hell, you even have your own Pixie-esque sidekick in the form of Amanozako, whom you also meet very early on in your journey and who can eventually join your party in super powered-up form just like the Super-Pixie! You aren't just another protagonist, you're the true form of what the Demi-Fiend was SUPPOSED to be. You're his _replacement._ That said, great video as always, can't wait for Kirby Month!

[@Hclegend]

5:23 That is aCERTAINLY A TAKE.

[@caster25000]

"Still better than the one in [FFXIV]. YECK." Debatable, ESPECIALLY with Pandaemonium's contributions to the character behind the Warrior's visage.

[@andrewhaase1826]

Honorable Mentions: *Old Monk - Demon's Souls -This one's an interesting case. You can actually be summoned from outside the boss arena and become the boss yourself. And the whole fight basically boils down to a PvP-style battle. *William - Nioh 2 -This fight only ends when he hits half health, but it's the prelude to the team-up before the final boss. *Kessler - Infamous -Yeah, Kessler is an alternate future version of Cole. And you fight yourself at your most powerful. *Pit's Body - Kid Icarus Uprising -You fight this hollow shell as Pit, who is "borrowing" Magnus' body to do it.

[@aliastheabnormal]

Wheel of morality, Turn, turn, turn, show us the horrors that we'll explain.

[@Ori_Kohav]

Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice. In the first half of the finale, you face off with none other than Phoenix Wright himself

[@mikkyasara5438]

I'm not sure if it would qualify for the list, but I want to give credit to the Civil Trial in Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice. For one, it's Phoenix Wright. The guy you've played as in 4/5 mainline games before and some cases in SoJ. You know that he's only ever lost once in his career and always beat the odds no matter what. It also gives some interesting perspective about what Phoenix is like from the outside. When we play as him, we can tell when he's bluffing through his inner thoughts, but from the outside, it almost seems like he's always a few steps ahead and actually pretty capable. As Josh pointed out in his Spirit of Justice review, every blow to Phoenix's case felt satisfying, making you feel the joy and glee all the prosecutors in the past get from picking on him. And as Wambu would add in that same review, there's also a sense of conflict from seeing Apollo and Phoenix, two characters who have worked together and have become allies duke it out in court. I'll grant that the Civil Trial against Phoenix may not be as great as it could be, if only because, again, it's Phoenix Wright. You know that he didn't REALLY become evil or whatever, and there's some good reason why he's doing this. That said, I'd say the actual confrontation against him still holds some weight.

[@ernestoportillo5136]

I'd also note the specific moment of when Phoenix pulls out his signature turnabout. I don't remember it exactly, but from what I can recall, Apollo and Athena are talking to each other like, "We have to got him now, the trail is over!" and pan to Phoenix with his hands in his head, the classic, "What do I do?" pose. Then he gets up, and just, in classic Phoenix Wright fashion, presents a stupid argument that works JUST ENOUGH to buy him more time to think of a way out of his situation. I love it so much, because tome, that nails down the feeling of, "Oh, THIS is how the prosecution feels going against Phoenix." It's the best.

[@isenokami7810]

While it doesn’t apply to the civil case, that whole “he seems like he’s two steps ahead at all times when you’re not in his head to know he’s bluffing” effect is how he felt as a mentor figure back in Apollo Justice. Oddly in some of the time you WERE playing as him, too…namely the jumping back and forth between points in time, not when you play him for his last trial. We’ve been in his head long enough to know he just barely has it together most of the time, but to an outsider, he comes off a lot smarter and more calculating than he really is.

[@ernestoportillo5136]

@@isenokami7810 I never thought about it like that, but you're right. All he needs to do is stay silent, internally scream for a moment, and just say something off the cuff and it gives people pause.

[@MacNava]

I understand why Josh has been using cartoon frames of himself instead of him in live action, with him being a father and all, but a part of me misses when he would rant or make jokes in live action. Hope we can see him in the near future

[@ChrisX_212]

I think give it a few years. So maybe he can go show him on live action to his kids once they matured. At this point, cartoon frame can be a better sell for infants or kids around Josh's children's age.

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

Imagine how cool it would be if the Commander Shepard clone in the Citadel dlc was Your Shepard with the exact same loadout.

[@a1joryj]

Shoutout to Borderlands 3 where, in Krieg’s DLC, you fight Lilith. She’s hard as hell and a really fun fight. Yeah sure it’s an imaginary form, but cmon, it’s close enough.

[@davidgeorge1943]

One instance that's somewhat fresh in my mind comes from Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. Personally, I'm not even sure if he counts as a boss, but it's none other than Phoenix Wright himself. Apollo and Athena have to face him from opposite sides of the courtroom, knowing exactly how he operates in court, and actually surpassing him.

[@danielferrieri7434]

I had this idea similar called Top Ten Protagonist Bosses where the player fought the previous main character or themselves like Red from Pokémon, Omori from Omori and Peter Parker from Marvel’s Spiderman 2 PS5

[@cireoath336]

Another Honorable Mention Armored Core 4 Answer: Anatolia's Mercenary/White Glint.

[@thequester8271]

Oh shit, you right! 👍

[@Sorain1]

Yup, even the operator returns to mark the occasion.

[@sacred944]

No Anakin/Obi-Wan from their mustafar fight in Lego Star Wars is crazy

[@Apolleh]

I know its probably way too recent to make the list but gotta mention the recently added extra fights in Octopath Traveler 2 where you fight the original 8 Travelers from the first game. They're split into the Noble and Rogue path action teams but even going 4v4 does not change how BRUTAL the fights are. Each traveler has their own mechanics that can easily bring ruin on you, and thats BEFORE learning they can do team attacks to inflict even more suffering. AND ON TOP OF THAT if you get one weak enough they'll change jobs which adds even MORE problems like RUNELORD TRESSA GIVING HER SIDE PHYSICAL DODGE

[@voistar5387]

You know Josh, your really gonna need to explain that "Still better then 14's" comment given that both the fight and the character are among some of the most well liked in the entire game, and almost everyone that has played 14 considers that to be one of the best fights in the game, and how it easily blows the Stranger of Paradise fight out of the water.

[@WhiteFangofWar]

Speaking of returning player avatars, The Old Republic brought back the player-created protagonist of Kotor 1 for several of its plotlines. First you free him from the Maelstrom Prison... then you have to stop him from re-activating an ancient Forge and committing genocide on the Empire. *Then* there's an entire expansion dedicated to stopping him and his followers across various factions and creeds, all of whom have been maintaining faith in him for centuries after his disappearance. The Galaxy Far Far Away is full of badass characters, but only Revan earned that kind of following.

[@derpyderp2270]

The kaboom after revealing kirby months feels....fitting

[@StarWolf5298]

You knew #1 before you even clicked this video.

[@fierceditiesnaruto]

Red being at the top makes sense, it is kind of where the theme started almost. It's pretty much the most well known.

[@munchrai6396]

Yeah, but mechanically, its just a team of the most commonly used Pokemon jacked up to an extreme level. The rest of the top five have so much more going for them when it comes to callbacks, references and mechanical nuances that make them feel like characters built up over multiple games. That's what he has to compete with. Red is a perfectly fine boss, but he doesn't even touch the payoff that a lot of these bosses are able to pull off just by being built up consistently, over a entire game series.

[@joshwew9551]

Pokemon, Prototype, Live-A-Live (kinda), Yakuza… quite a lot of ‘em.

[@macaylacayton2915]

It’s a very common boss trope you know

[@pierre-mariecaulliez6285]

Honorable mention : Warcraft III Frozen Throne How did you enjoy playing the Blood Elf campaign ? Guess who's showing up at the last mission, all decked out and max level while you're depowered ? Good luck !

[@MaraFey345]

I really wished Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice appeared here, at least as an honourable mention. It really helped show that Apollo was ready to become a lawyer on his own

[@jasonbell8515]

Splatoon is the Agent 3 of lore. Kirby, meanwhile, is INNER Agent 3. Splatoon is deep, but not QUITE that deep.

[@Exile19941]

12:31 “sign me up” you want to end up in the hospital?

[@slenderminion2229]

The 9th place has made me curious. What is Josh's problem with Elidibus?

[@blueflare8655]

I feel like we’re not getting an answer but probably asking him on Tumblr could do.

[@concordiaharmony2302]

5:23 Hold on one moment, whats wrong with the Warrior of Light in XIV?

[@ya-kiri794]

An obscure Player Boss that left a impression on me due to the tragic story behind them, the challenge, and their boss theme being a remix of the first game encounter theme is: the Love Nightmare from Mary Skelter 2.

[@thomasthecoolkid7228]

I... _heavily_ approve of the Mary Skelter respect.

[@ya-kiri794]

@@thomasthecoolkid7228 The games are very underrated gems. 👍

[@thomasthecoolkid7228]

@@ya-kiri794 I could honestly say that about _a lot_ of Idea Factory/Compile Heart games. I still want a big crossover fighting game for their stuff.

[@ya-kiri794]

@@thomasthecoolkid7228 True that. One of my favorite Compile Heart games are the Death End Re;Quest games, with 2 being my fav.

[@thomasthecoolkid7228]

@@ya-kiri794 Death End re;Quest is awesome, I love the aesthetics Compile Heart just generally kinda pops off with aesthetics and worldbuilding and such

[@smugsneasel]

I was shouting "Kirby" in my head over and over for that final segment. So imagine my surprise...

[@sonicgamingkirbyfan2005v-xm2rl]

28:22 everyone do the kirby!

[@silverflight01]

Red and Agent 3 are some serious powerhouses, if you think you have a strategy, guess again! Anyway, excited for Kirby Month!

[@Huckmon365]

The warrior of light boss was actually easy to predict since i played way too much of dissidia

[@GunslingerGilder]

Huge Eternal Sonata spoilers ahead: I doubt he's on the list, but I'd love to see Frederic Chopin at some point. While he doesn't do much in the game's story after the early parts, knowing the plot revolves around him and his upcoming death makes the final fight really tragic, albeit very fun. He becomes the final boss of the story, and since the player has been guiding him primarily, the player is the one to decide how the game ends.

[@sandshrewmaster1555]

Josh-Rex went from fantasy dumpster diver to only intelligent harem protagonist. Me-Rex meet Rentarou the greatest and most intelligent harem protagonist to have every live so don't feel bad for second place to him

[@Stratelier]

Some of a few I can think of: - Kingdom Hearts 2 (Final Mix): In the final world when Roxas confronts Sora, now it's an actual boss battle instead of a cutscene cinematic. - Drakengard 2: Caim, protagonist from the first game, is fought as a boss halfway through.

[@littlekuribohimposte]

My honourable mention is the Nameless Shade in Persona 3 The Answer. While he's more a reflection, using your party's Persona's against you, he does have his Wild Card and his own tricks, which you've both used ad gotten to play with as a new Wild Card holder.

[@vc180191]

Ironically part of the build up with Rean is that you got a surprise in being able to control him just before this. He was depicted throughout from the start of the 3rd game to now for literally 10+ hours of story as the target to be rescued, the damsel in distress that has been captured and is slowly losing his mind.....but just as you get to the base in a surprise twist Rean is released by Celine and control swaps to him. You get to control him in perma-Ogre state as he rips his way through the base with only a sole ally.....and he is absolutely carrying her and solo wrecking every fight in his path. To this point in the games, you have never been in a situation where you are the absolute power, you always play as a team of many or as scripted boss fights. This section brutally changes this, as Celine is literally just spectating Rean wrecking everything in his path with his rage. You can feel just how dangerous he is right now......and then the students finally catch up and are opposed to him.....oh dear twice over.....

[@chrimsonphantom]

My inner monolog between agent 8 and agent 3 at the end Agent 3: "I have hone these skills for years, fighting many foes defeating me is a testament to the skill you now possess. Agent 8: "Dude you cheat like crazy."

[@naxmaxJK]

Simpia for Cynthia is now a slogan I'll keep close to heart

[@Grigeral]

Tbh with Rean in CS4, the whole series had so many ridiculously hard fights that I don't recall finding Rean difficult at all. One of the hardest fights I found were the 2 dogs in the sewers in CS1. It was the "You need to know the system now..." fight as the ones before that you could breeze through. By the Rean fight in CS4, you knew your characters capabilities and you knew how to break the system. So you just cheese it and he went down fast.

[@alexhart9267]

I can name one, but it's from a fan game. It's called "Phobia: The Awakening" a FNAF fan game. On night 5, the main character, Mark, gets captured by the animatronics, and gets stuffed into a suit, and on night 6, we play as someone else as we deal with Mark, who's become aggressive after being forced into the mask

[@masterofchaos7282]

Oh yeah, I remember you asking this one on Twitter/X. Might as well give the same opinions I gave there. If Red isn’t here. I will be thoroughly suprised. Chuck from Dead rising 2: off the record is interesting since he takes the place of one of the bosses from the original DR2. It’s a bit sad since I do like Chuck. Byleth from 3 Hopes is terrifying at first but isn’t too bad. You play as Roxas in 358/2 and the beginning of KH2 so I think he should be included. And I’ve heard the guy from Prototype is the main villain of the sequel so I assume there’s a cool boss fight to go with it.

[@DespianGrimmPaldea]

Next month be Kirby Month

[@banditbro25]

A bit of an additional thing to mention TP C.A.C. from Xeno1, they use transformations in the Tournament event. When you do the special tournament event you go through some randoms and then you get to rematch the Xeno1 C.A.C. and BOY does that match show that either they fought the mind control or towa is an idiot cause your Xeno1 C.A.C. uses transformations. Saiyans go SSJ, Majin go Kid buu, Frieza race go Golden, Namekians go Giant, and Humans use Nimbus. And they are extra aggressive in these fights.

[@SilverNero]

I didn't even think about Aqua. I feel stupid.

[@andrewlenois7059]

Looks like Josh will be visited by Wambu next month for the whole month. I can't wait.

[@ianritchie-smith475]

I've been waiting for this one! The transition being Demi-Fiend is fantastic.

[@ELDniel-DW5pg]

Les Goooooooooo! Dark souls 3 representation with one of my favorite bosses of the series!

[@genius11433]

That skit in the end was quite funny. Good work as always.

[@GabrielMichaelDels]

This is quite as a unique list I've seen so far, well done Josh.

[@herowatcher8403]

6:48 THANK YOU JOSH!

[@MrSailing101]

Jason VS Kane from Blaster master Zero Three, For linking the Remake/ Sequel series back to the story of the Famicom original story.

[@hifty7779]

also shoutout shovel knight and plague knight taking place at the same time, and you fighting each other in the respective campages is you fighting you.

[@michaelnelson1127]

Woo! Kirby Month is next! I was actually hoping for that one when I saw it on the wheel! Also a bit of a weird coincidence that next month is my birthday.

[@SquareBrain2122]

Insane they use Demi fiend in every transition but don’t put him on the last. Bro had a whole quest line getting gassed up and then became like the hardest boss in smt

[@the_king_of_kings_3413]

I saw Shadow of War in the beginning and was so disappointed that it didn’t even get an honourable mention. Talons story is so great and while the dlc when this happens in was kinda mid, his story is top tier.

[@SammieWeiss]

As a huge Splatoon fan, I'm glad to see Agent 3 on this list

[@hmasterchaos8700]

With the Soul of Cinder, it actually has four forms with the fourth being the most terrifying. Greatsword: pure martial combat Staff: casting misses and kamehameha Spear: Mix of martial and miracles Shortsword: mix of martial and pyromancy, but the most terrifying part of this form is that he can parry YOU.

[@MrEevee-de3rk]

In Xenoverse 2, during the event tournament that the Supreme Kai of Time hosts, your previous avatar does transform during your fight with them

[@PRT95]

I'm stoked. Sanitized!Agent 3 gave me some trouble initially, but I've yet to meet the requirements for Inner Agent 3 (which I understand to be a lot trickier, since this is what Agent 8 sees them as). Wonder where they'll be on the list.

[@macaylacayton2915]

Oh inner agent 3 is harder by I don’t know how much. I don’t plan on fighting inner agent 3 myself honestly sanitized agent 3 was enough for me

[@UltimateDespairado]

Inner agent 3 is a bitch And not in a fun way

[@PRT95]

@@macaylacayton2915 Apologies for late reply, but yeah. Sanitized!Agent 3's enough. They're not even themselves, for one.

[@asrieldreemurr874]

You want to know what the funny thing about the Soul of Cinder is? Solaire is part of it as well! In his world, he linked the first flame. He found his sun.

[@OmegaJX]

I shouted "YES!" when you got to honorable mentions and showed Vent/Aile, instantly made my day!

[@sonicANDtailsfan157k]

Has he done Top Ten Reverse Bosses yet, where essentially you play as the villain, your the big guy trying to squash the little one or you get to beat the boss using their own toys against them.

[@phoenixwarrior100]

5:21. Sorry, but i was confused by this. I dont remember the fight in 14 being that hard

[@Zacman1123]

Finally, a list where I've played most of the entries.

[@luigconyoutube7551]

(spoilers for Blaster Master Zero 3) Honestly, Kane Gardner/Jason Frudnick would’ve fit so well on this list. Kane was the original character of the Famicom MetaFight, and fighting him with all the equipment from the original Famicom and NES game is Really challenging and an amazing call back While Jason Frudnick as the final boss (and in a way a Super Boss) utilizes every equipment you picked up throughout the adventure and even utilizing his best hard hitting attacks It’s pretty meta, using the localized version of a character against it’s original predecessor, all while they use their respective weapons and tools against you WHILE fighting with a remixed version of the original Boss Themes from the NES/Famicom is really, REALLY spectacular

[@aidanhammans9337]

I hope a different type of Player Bosses countdown pops up later, one about player characters you played as earlier and sometimes even right after in the game, such as Bowser in Bowser’s Inside Story.

[@Pirate_Knight27]

So inceedibly excited about the announcement at the end of the video!!!!

[@LazyMestre]

I thought you were going to talk about players that when you're playing against them immediately start playing boss music, and you think "yeah, I lost"

[@slavicsandvich5967]

Number 2 was an amazing pick, great list Josh!

[@ricochet1351]

I CALLED that wheel landing! Not gonna spoil it, but I can't wait for the coming countdowns!

[@TangyLimes]

Been years since Ive seen a good old fashion video game top ten list. Nostalgic.

[@matthewhyman8795]

Thanks for the early birthday gift Josh!

[@ivanbluecool]

Red from pokemon. Akuma from street fighter. King dedede as he can be played in later games. Meta knight too. Orson from Fe sacred stones. Berrus whis from the later DBZ games or freeza and his brother who have broken sets. Vegeta from DBZ kakarot. Unicorn overlord every recruitable ally that was controlled. Paper Mario ttyd your allies and you when dooplis comes.

[@NightshadeDE]

I’m shocked you didn’t mention the literal player boss from the ringed city, such an incredible idea

[@penprp]

Animaniacs ref at the end gives me life. Bravo!

[@RomanVulcan83]

I highly doubt this one will be on here, but…spoilers for Momodora: In the postgame of Momodora: Moonlit Farewell, you, playing as Momo, have the opportunity to spar with Isadora, who was playable in I and III, as well as being a helpful NPC in this game. And Dora won’t make it easy for you!

[@bradleyadams5252]

Spoilers from Another Crab's Treasure Firth, the final boss is a good "your moveset, but stronger" fight.

[@Princess36621]

Hurray! We are getting a whole month dedicated to Kirby!