Ranking the Bosses of Demon's Souls Worst to Best!

It's time to bind ourselves to the Nexus, as I delve into the PS3 edition of Demon's Souls in my journey to rank the Soulsborne series. I'm a big fan of the original game, as it's atmosphere and feel matches Dark Souls 1, giving a sense of nostalgia.
The remake is great, and if I had a PS5, I'd be willing to give it a go myself. But there are certain changes they made that completely go against the tone of the original game, or in some cases, completely changes the context of certain bosses or soundtracks.
Anyway, bosses are fun, let's rank the babies of the series!
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Intro: 0:00
18: 1:38
17: 3:00
16: 4:31
15: 6:10
14: 8:04
13: 9:48
12: 10:59
11: 12:21
10: 13:49
9: 15:23
8: 16:28
7: 18:15
6: 19:43
5: 21:22
4: 23:18
3: 24:40
2: 26:00
1: 27:42
Outro: 29:21
#demonssouls #darksouls #soulsborne #countdown

[@LonesomeKrow]

TL;DR: Leechmonger is the perfect gimmick boss as it tests all the previous knowledge gathered and flips it on its head. A stationary, hard hitting blob of Leeches that can heal themselves will give any player a run for their money. Preparation is not guaranteed to earn you victory, but it’s a start. Leechmonger makes you play on its own terms. And for a stationary “push-over”, that’s impressive in my book. Leechmonger is one of few bosses that require patience even after you enter the room and watch the cutscene. Gael from DS3 has you walk in, and you have 20 seconds before Gael tracks you down. In that time you can either run at him to meet halfway, or find an advantageous place to fight so you can remain flexible. But Leechmonger flips that idea on its head. YOU are the one running to the boss after entering the room. And this long muddy slope you traverse has your mind racing. You second guess yourself as you approach the Behemoth in the distance. And upon confrontation you learn a relieving fact: the boss is stationary! Oh good heavens, that means I can throw bombs and play distance. This should be easy- And then you get clobbered by those slimy thick Leechmonger arms. That boss has some range and power to make up for its stationary position. But no matter, just dodge and attack, as you’ve learned. Preparation is key, and you are prepared. You whittle Leechmonger down to half health, sweaty, mind racing, and your pocket of crescent moon grass growing lighter by the minute. The battle should be over soon, just ration your grass and play smart- And then you see Leechmonger heal itself. Panic incites itself as you see your progress reversed; that is the “gimmick” of Leechmonger. Leechmonger is a well-crafted boss that tests all your knowledge of gimmick bosses, and throws you a curve ball with a stationary self healing glass cannon. The only way to overcome Leechmonger is to fight on its own terms: ankle deep in leeches and mud, with turpentines ready for deployment.

[@BillySYT]

This is really giving "KZbinr trying to reach 10 minutes on a video to get monetized", love it xD

[@Casketkrusher_]

I love the bosses in Demons Souls, they're more like solving a puzzle. Or finding the weakness.

[@BillySYT]

Whoever can compliment the Leechmonger the best gets a pinned comment - Go nuts, I want to see y'all praise the boss most creators put in last place!

[@grubbierlizard6091]

My favourite thing about leech monger is how if the pick out the word "Monger", you find that they have a very good business as a fish monger which not many people will know in the demon souls lore. The valley of defilment represents this as well as most people would rather gut a dead fish than go through there again.

[@BillySYT]

Okay, you've overthrown the previous pinned comment. Well done lmao

[@grubbierlizard6091]

@@BillySYT I'd like to thank youtube without it I wouldn't have gotten this far.

[@kindlestix8079]

@@grubbierlizard6091 you are worthy of dethroning my comment, it was fun while it lasted. I bid you farewell. - Lord KindleStiX

[@takeovermars]

Honestly I really like the leechmonger because of the arena. We dont get a lot of vertical arenas in these games, my only complaint about the boss is the lack of interaction. If he had more health and a spot that took extra damage that would move because he'd either grow or shrink with the amount of leeches he has on him would have made it an amazing fight.

[@lisagaughan7154]

18: Dragon God-F tier 17: True King Allant-E tier 16: Old Monk-D tier 15: Leechmonger- D tier 14: Dirty Colossus-C tier 13: Maneaters-C tier 12: Armour Spider-C tier 11: Adjudicator-C tier 10: Phalanx- C tier 9: Old Hero-B tier 8: Vanguard-B tier 7: Fool's Idol-B tier 6: Maiden Astraea- B tier 5: Penetrator-A tier 4: Tower Knight-A tier 3: Storm King- A tier 2: Flamelurker-A tier 1: False King Allant-S tier

[@cabbageg0dz]

Having never played demon souls, but all three DS's, you can really see where the developers got inspiration and where they improved. Very informative, and helpful to give a sight into what I'll be getting into very soon. Another great video ❤

[@BillySYT]

It's pretty eye-opening when you realize so many conventions you thought came from Dark Souls, actually came from Demon's Souls. They really had their formula down early. I suspect you'll enjoy my area ranking video next week, since you can see the inspiration better there.

[@Moe1002]

does anyone else really really love the vanguard demon formula of bosses?

[@BillySYT]

They're my little guilty pleasure tutorial bosses.

[@Karim-dz5zg]

Maneaters AI : Let’s fight … hmmm No.. actually Yeah come here… or No I changed my mind I will fly… you know what ? COME HERE

[@BillySYT]

Maneaters are as indecisive as me when someone asks me what I want to eat at a restaurant

[@bucket0head872]

I believe flame lurker was the first ever multi stage boss aswell with each phase adding more aggression and a new combo of moves

[@rybread9574]

i think a lot of people look at demon’s souls’ bosses from the wrong angle. if you’re coming from and comparing the fights to later games in the series, it’s no wonder you won’t like em. i feel like demon’s souls is much more of a lore involved game. dark souls 1 made an effort to actively improve the bosses as a mechanic in a video game, as a means to test your skill. this snowballs into… melania being pretty much nothing but a skill check. whereas demon’s souls wants to show you what the fog has done to boletaria. and sometimes that makes for less fun fights, but i’d argue that it makes them much more poignant. it’s one of the things that made demon’s souls so wholly unique on release; not only is the way the game mechanically functions new to video games, but the way they use the bosses not necessarily to test your skill, but to bring you deeper into the world. everyone points to maiden astrea, but i think ALL of the fights in demon’s souls are story bosses.

[@BillySYT]

I agree with your take completely. Even a boss like the Adjudicator, which I clowned on in the video, I love his design & I started his segment highlighting his lore because it's pretty fascinating. Demon's Souls has such a unique feel to it's world & design, and I hope to express that a bit more next week when I post my Area Ranking video.

[@killzonexbattleshak2276]

Please add Rick Solder of God

[@mattheadley2945]

Playing DS for the first time in about 2011 I remember the Tower Knight being most memorable after struggling over the bridge over and over again and then getting flattened in about 10 seconds just to restart my trail again 😂 it seems funny now looking back as we all know how easy he can really be. Maneaters was another really tough one for me but maybe I just caught them on a day their AI actually worked.. I've nothing nice to say about LeechMonger sorry 😅

[@Brucie129]

The Leechmonger has a great personality truly the most heartbreaking moment in the series was his untimely demise

[@dimentiorules]

My list would be: 18: Dragon God 17: Fool’s Idol 16: Maneaters 15: Leechmonger 14: True King Allant 13: Old Monk 12: Adjudicator 11: Maiden Astraea and Garl Vinland 10: Dirty Colossus 9: Old Hero 8: Phalanx 7: Vanguard 6: Armor Spider 5: Tower Knight 4: Penetrator 3: Flamelurker 2: False King Allant 1: Storm King

[@michaelbarker6732]

Old Hero is not actually unique since Seath is blind or at least mostly blind. I think it says so in the channeler’s headpiece description.

[@BillySYT]

Except Seath doesn't express that blindness in his battle. You never get the feeling that Seath doesn't know where you are at any point, whereas with the Old Hero, it's baked into his boss fight that he literally can't see you.

[@michaelbarker6732]

@@BillySYT oh ya good point its definitely way more noticeable with the old hero. I thought Seath just had really good hearing and you could make him unable to find you with slumbering dragoncrest ring but that seems like it was just a rumour.

[@selenalulamoon1167]

Your probably the first person I've heard say they dislike the multi-player style of the souls series. And honestly it's that very reason why I'm hesitant of the series. My biggest gripe. Is the required invasion when cooping. It's a cruel limitation especially if say an older sibling or parent wants to play with a kid. I'd want more enemies to spawn and bosses have bigger health pools to balance out the larger group.

[@n7firetruck848]

Listen back in the day people used leaches to heal other so in that since..... Leachmonger makes the best support healer I know

[@BillySYT]

I hate how that makes some semblance of sense

[@Jedi_Judo19]

Why can't they make the original Demon's Souls available on PS4? I would've played it by now if they had and I actually want to play the original and not the remake.

[@faustusdrake]

The point about Maneaters being funny the first time, but gettin' annoying over time is SO true. I probably rated them around the middle after my first playthrough, but after doing a bunch more I'd possibly put them dead last. They're really cool conceptually, but fk me the fight is just excruciatingly janky.

[@thestrategist3093]

My only compliment towards Leechmonger is that he isn’t Dirty Colossus… I just hate that boss. Not because it’s hard… which it isn’t… Dirty Colossus… is just boring. And he looks horrible. Not in a Rykard way where he looks horrific and nightmare inducing… he just looks bad

[@BillySYT]

Promo art and fanart make him seem waaaaay cooler than he is

[@takeovermars]

Oh philanx is a horrid fight without fire. I died after using all the fire items I had and did it without fire it was so annoying!

[@BillySYT]

For sure - It can be an incredibly tedious war of attrition, and sometimes it feels like the enemies have the accuracy of Katniss Everdeen or somethig.

[@stoneymaloney1967]

I, too, am a big shill for dirty collosus. Runback isn't too bad, fly mechanic is neat, really cool design, and just a solid huge ugly monster to kill.

[@BillySYT]

He, like many Demon Souls bosses, just need a buff to their health, and a little more speed.

[@gamervet4760]

Tower Knight is my favorite boss but the Fool's Idol was what made me pay attention to the lore, or maybe the firat thing I was able to make sense of. Either way it scared me because it mirrors reality so scarily to the point that we have celebrities that "can do no wrong" so to speak.

[@n00423e]

The old hero is a pilar men

[@Ally-Bean13]

Just a tip, reminding people watching your videos that they’re not subscribed doesn’t encourage them to do so. If people want to subscribe to your content, let it be the content that encourages them and not you telling them

[@BillySYT]

I understand it's a pet peeve for a lot of viewers when KZbinrs ask people to subscribe, but there's been enough actual case studies and analytics shown from KZbinrs over the years that prove people are more likely to subscribe to a channel if there's a call to action in the video. I appreciate your tip, but I don't need the unsolicited feedback, it comes across very patronizing.

[@Ally-Bean13]

@@BillySYT I’m sorry sir, was just throwing my opinion out there. You’re smashing it either way

[@LFMguitar]

I like Leechmonger because Sexy Man -,)/

[@jaycetyler6477]

Can we get lists like you've been doing for all the games?

[@BillySYT]

That's the plan. I want to cover all the FromSoft games, I'm just taking my time since I need to record full playthroughs of each game to get footage. Expect some Bloodborne content next month after Demon's Souls.