Top Ten Smartest Bosses

Hark! Behold the perspicacious presentation in a decanumerical format of the ultimate significant computer-controlled enemies that preside in interactive software with the capabilities of having a user electronically manipulate images produced by a computer program designed for enjoyment.
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Hey, it's the Top Ten Smartest Bosses in Video Games.
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NEW COUNTDOWNS EVERY 1st and 15th!
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[@joshscorcher]

Hey all! This countdown was a suggestion by The Tall Titan! If you would like to suggest countdowns, join my Patreon! www.patreon.com/joshscorcher

[@thetalltitan2235]

Happy to suggest to you this brilliant idea of a boss list, and every other countdown I already have suggested (and those I eventually WILL suggest) to you, Josh. Thank you so much for this video; it really means a lot to me.

[@diegoizaguirre3452]

Surprised no fighting game bosses are on the list because they are pretty smart (especially quarter guys trauma!)

[@Twilight17Petkoton]

A Fiery Joker you know can cheese The End two options killed at the beginning on the elevator of guard down. Or once you head into the boss fight save your game wait a week or skip a week date later to win without fighting. That all it not a smart move you can outsmarted him.

[@jedediahfuller1940]

is that sound at the end of the video a hint to what the next list is about? (top 10 "Nope" bosses?)

[@user-to4ws3kf7g]

You should take Kristoph Gavin from Apollo Justice:Ace Attorney, he smarter than Matt Engarde

[@Legoluigi26]

Every copy of Alien Isolation is personalized.

[@aaroncross6874]

I can actually agree with that.

[@christinalittleton3771]

I forgot the name of the channel, but I remember it talking about Alien Isolation having a feature that can detect sounds from your mic. That's right, it's Xenomorph meets The Quiet Place.

[@gorbtheallmighty4240]

Yeah 1000000000 percent

[@mcintoshpc]

Yes

[@umbrella3235]

@@christinalittleton3771 outsidexbox?

[@SpectrumSwordtails]

The Xenomorph. Nothing more terrifying then a hunter that plays with its food.

[@MrPikaFan]

But, if by listening to what Josh says in the #1 entry, wouldn't the Alien Isolation game ITSELF be the number one entry instead of the Xenomorph?

[@SpectrumSwordtails]

@@MrPikaFan He said smartest bosses. Not smartest games.

[@devonm042690]

@@SpectrumSwordtails But since you can't kill it, that makes the game the boss level. Seems to blur the line between what is and isn't the boss here.

[@zashgekido5616]

@@devonm042690 If you can't kill it it's not really a boss is it? It's.. a force of virtual nature.

[@sandrols7]

Meh. Hiding under any bed or desk always worked for me in this game.

[@anansidragon6132]

Wow, I had no idea the Xenomorph was that complex, the amount of programming in its AI really makes me respect a game I have yet to play.

[@krimsonkatt]

There's literally a human brain in its AI. For all we know it could become sentient, build a mechanical body like Ultron, and lay havok onto the world. Humanity would be screwed.

[@erinfinn2273]

@@krimsonkatt Also, they had to dumb it down after release. It got too smart initially.

[@danielm.595]

@@erinfinn2273 dang, I'd really like to play against it before the nerf, got the game this year through Epic free games, have yet to play it.

[@DeltaSpark8]

@Krakoa Magneto Now I want a mod that replaces the Xenomorph sounds with MGS 1 guard lines. Or maybe Imperial Guard lines from Oblivion. Not sure even those would ease the tension, though. You'd learn to really fear "What was that noise?"

[@claytonrios1]

I know we've heard about Mr. Freezes Arkham City boss battle over and over again but there's a reason we still remember it. It really plays to Freeze's intelligence and his ice based power set.

[@Utterlyrandomguy]

Agreed

[@chriswolf9063]

Being one of the most tragic villains who has literally nothing to lose but his wife and will stop at nothing even opposing the law and use others to benefit only him to save his wife turned into one of the most memorable but scariest boss battles. Although the pay off is worth it once you saved Nora.

[@claytonrios1]

@@chriswolf9063 To be fair that was part of a side mission. But I'm a completionist and I wanted to see what would happen. So of course I tracked Nora down and beat up those thugs guarding her.

[@kylestubbs8867]

The part that really stuck out to me was those twelve different means of stunning him, each only working the first time a player tries it. So… a foolish player could end up making the fight unwinnable?

[@WhiteFangofWar]

@@kylestubbs8867 Nope, Freeze stays knocked down until you deliver one beatdown. The highest difficulty level forces you to use 10 of the 12 though, and I find the window takedown to be very finicky.

[@thrasher698]

Honestly I still maintain that getting Matt Engarde that "Not Guilty" and making him live the rest of his days in terror of DeKiller potentially being the cause of every bush rustle and broken twig he hears is the more satisfying conclusion to that case

[@ArcCaravan]

But intentionally letting him die to a vengeful assassin would be murder by inaction. Would justify murder.

[@smartboy201]

Such a choice can have a lasting consequence for one that you likely forgot to factor into the result: Adrian Andrews would be indicted as de Killer's client, for the murder of Juan Corrida, and given her history with suicide and depression, one can expect her not to last until the trial, if she can find a way. The game even alludes to this, before you're first told to make your choice on how to plead. If Matt is declared Guilty, Maya will die (Nullified later) If Matt is declared Innocent, Adrian Andrews will be indicted with Wright's evidence (Never actually nullified; still an open possibility by the end) I can also bring up Matt Engarde's breakdown upon choosing for him to be declared "Not Guilty", and how it forces the result, but realizing how fucked Andrews' life is if Engarde _doesn't_ get thrown in jail, it's at least worthy of consideration.

[@Doctorolivercook]

Funny story about Shadow Naoto: There are items in Persona 4 that can grant either Tetrakarn (Reflects physical attacks) or Makarakarn (This time, it's Magic EXCEPT Almighty attacks) to one person at a time. And in Persona 4 Golden, you can grow veggies that can act like said items. Where am I going with this? Simple... You can REFLECT Mute Ray back at Naoto's Shadow, guaranteeing a chance to harm it, without fear of getting attacked, as she is... well, silenced.

[@urahara64360]

That is what I did

[@wolfclaw719]

and writing this down next to my steam notes...

[@smartboy201]

If it works, can I play "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode?

[@Christian-gr3gu]

Damn that's a big broken lol

[@Doctorolivercook]

@@smartboy201... Well, okay.

[@ericwijaya2119]

Personal honorable mention (just in case he didn't make it) : Origami King's Scissors The longer you keep the fight going, the higher the chances of being killed. Man's not above trolling you just to slice you in half. Sure you can use the Ice Vellumental, but where's the fun in that

[@GreenEyedPsycho]

Yeah but I’m also not proud of the fact that I went straight to death row by breaking his casing immediately

[@BurningAzure]

And there's also General Asthar from the Last Story.

[@ChaoticFrenziedStar]

I broke his case instantly **For I wanted a fair fight**

[@jaimeantonioolaguezchirino5805]

And if you break its case early Scissors chops the velumental icon on your board

[@ogre589]

@@jaimeantonioolaguezchirino5805 thats basically what happened to me. I didn't know you could do that until long after I beat the game. I was of the impression that you had to break it immediately or you wouldn't be able to do any dmg.

[@seanmcfadden3712]

"It took Ash 20 years to beat a league." The Orange Islands : Are we a joke to you?

[@littlekuribohimposte]

He also beat the Battle Frontier and was offered a position as a Frontier Brain.

[@sasir2013]

yes, yes they are

[@ArcCaravan]

In Ash's defense, he doesn't have replays and infinite resources. Full blind playthroughs.

[@Shalakor]

@@ArcCaravan And never forget the unfair deus ex machina legendary spam trainer (and legendaries in the anime are multitudes more OP than normal Pokemon compared to in the games).

[@ArcCaravan]

@@Shalakor Don't know which was worse: having to fight his clone immediately after escaping Team Rocket, facing the new guy who only used Darkrai before and after, or losing to an idiot who lost to Eevees.

[@EmicalFire055]

Here we go again! 10. Yeah this is really clever! Best first boss in the series despite the game's flaws. 9. Logan is both in awe and terrified. 8. I never saw this boss but I can understand how he'd be a smart boss. 7. Freaky boss in a freaky game. 6. Screw Matt Enguarde! 5. Yeah I was surprised when Naoto was revealed to be a girl too. This boss was also well represented in the anime. 4. These bosses were so great they got their own anime season. Battle Frontier was a great standard for the series (despite the voice acting change). 3. No surprise with this one. He's so clever! 2. Also not a surprise. So many ways for him to take you down or you to take him down. 1. And somewhere Lightning Bliss is having a field day.

[@KubatheChangeling]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing on #1 as well.

[@lyndonluquin4091]

I can hear it now. Lighting Bliss: "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" Okay, I might be wrong! >_

[@dinodude8899]

And krillin is having war flashbacks…

[@JediSteve-J3-]

"so many ways for him to take you down or you to take him down" Ah, almost like chess.

[@JediSteve-J3-]

What about the honorable mentions?

[@shadowlinkbds]

Smart bosses or bosses that you really make you think always interest me. Most of the time you get the standard boss who is usually big or just full of itself with many attacks that are easy to dodge and overcome. However when a boss is smart and also antalizes your moves and strategies you're the one who needs to think twice before you approach them. More games should have these types of bosses.

[@D_YellowMadness]

That's why the Sephiroth boss fight that let you unlock Sephiroth before the scheduled release was so fun in Smash Ultimate. His A.I. was great & his moveset excels at punishing mistakes.

[@OmnicidalClown1992]

Here's another idea for a Boss Countdown; Top 10 Penultimate Bosses (Bosses that happen BEFORE the Final Boss in their respected game). Or alternatively, Top 10 Penultimate Bosses that were better than/should've been, the Final Boss. Here are some characters that could potentially be on this hypothetical list, at least in my opinion; Lewis Legend (Lollipop Chainsaw) Meta-Ridley (Metroid Prime) N (Pokémon Black & White) Kuja (Final Fantasy) Saïx (Kingdom Hearts II) Alice Twilight (No More Heroes 2) Poison Ivy (Batman Arkham Asylum) Jack Baker, the 3rd Encounter (Resident Evil 7) The 5th Cases (Danganronpa 2 and V3) Zant (Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess) Masayoshi Shido (Persona 5) Letku and Netku (Ōkami) King Dice (Cuphead) The 15th Colossus (Shadow of the Colossus) Pandora's Guardian (God of War) Father Balder (Bayonetta) Thomas Mutton/Dumuzid (Catherine: Full Body) Kazuya Mishima (Tekken 7) MegaMan.EXE's Shadow (MegaMan Battle Network 4) Vergil, Dante's Battle (Devil May Cry 5) And many more.....

[@Zodia195]

Grandia 2 for sure. Well, there are a few fights between the Penultimate battle and the Final, but it's a boss rush so I don't count it. But the Penultimate boss literally kicked my ass because he had 4 parts to it- one that heals, one that uses Magic, another that uses SP moves, and the main body that uses move that hits your WHOLE party and cause MAJOR damage. Thank goodness the game allows you to cancel moves in this game. The Final boss- just 1 part to him and while he uses the strongest MP moves in the game, by this point you regain a party member that has an SP move or her own that freezes one part of a boss. The final boss is actually the easiest boss in the whole game lol.

[@krimsonkatt]

FFIX for sure. Necron was a terrible final boss and should have never existed. Having a reference to the worst FF final boss and one of the worst final bosses EVER (cloud of darkness) was NOT a good idea.

[@MFChanical]

Lechku and Nechku from Okami WOULD have been a great example for this if it wasn't for the fact that they came right before a boss rush.

[@SilverByakuya]

Poison Ivy from Batman Arkham Asylum

[@thetalltitan2235]

Alex Rochon would easily responded with Alice Twilight via No More Heroes 2.

[@CountShaman]

The Cradily footage was mine. Man, do I miss the good ol' showdown days...

[@acetrainerdamien3529]

Wow!! Didn't know you played Pokemon Showdown that much

[@kylestubbs8867]

What strategy were you using there?

[@CountShaman]

@@kylestubbs8867 Curse stall w/ sp def boost from sandstorm and Recover. Plus Rock Slide and Earthquake. Cradily can't be forced to switch out due to Suction Cups, so he's gonna stay until he breaks the fight. Only thing you gotta watch out for are Toxic and physical Fighting Types. This strat works best in the Gen 5 days due to infinite weather, but it's still just as functional now. Back when I pay a great deal of attention to competitive, he was my favorite Pokemon.

[@kylestubbs8867]

@@CountShaman Why Physical Fighting-Types? Wouldn't "Curse" raise that defense stat too?

[@CountShaman]

@@kylestubbs8867 Yes, but I've had run-ins with ones that got mad lucky against me before I can set up. Eg. Breloom with Low Sweep. Just make sure Curse is near it's top effect before you put Cradily near them.

[@AkumaKristian]

It's weird to me how unique Matt Engarde still is in the Ace Attorney Series despite appearing as early as the second game. I can't recall any other case that flipped the script as much as that one did.

[@antimatter3084]

Case 3 of The Great Ace Attorney did a similar thing except that the client actually got acquitted

[@codyadams5129]

​@@antimatter3084I was literally just about to mention that

[@fissshy7]

Engarde being immune to the truth telling ability, I always assumed it was thanks to his two faced personality and acting ability, since it was not only a technical truth, but one he could smirk to himself and believe wholeheartedly in being 'my hands her clean', his mindset flubs with the Magatama's abilities. Course it could also be a doylanist fuckup but w/e

[@k-leb4671]

Doylanist?

[@fissshy7]

@@k-leb4671 Doylist is a perspective towards text that looks from an outside perspective. While Watsonian is a perspective from inward perspective. Otherwise known as a 'Out Universe' and 'In Universe' perspective. So for example, if an author writes a universe in which a girl is spoiled, bratty and vindictive, and it isn't said directly why, you could go Watsonian and say 'she was spoiled and raised like she had no flaws, and learned she could get away with anything'. Or a Doylist perspective, where you look into the authors history and realise 'wow, he really had a horrible daughter before this, that probably made this character seem reasonable'.

[@voltingmaster5458]

From that roar at the end, the next bosses list has to be Dragons.

[@jacobcoleman8250]

Or beast bosses in general.

[@blockeontheleafeon]

And the fact he said "Time to burn the house down."

[@Lar_me]

I thought that was a Xenomorph sound, hence why he wants to burn the house down, since Xenomorphs are weak to fire.

[@smartboy201]

So feral, primal, gutteral... is there a list of "bosses who stubbed their toe while stepping on a LEGO block at the same time"?

[@AHMEDSONICMOE-E.Bravery7]

Or maybe insects like spiders or cockroaches.

[@mightymanatee5342]

That Ducktales reference in the intro was gold.

[@gamerk1058]

Of course Mr. freeze is on this list, God who else can be on this list???? Can’t wait

[@roguespectre9656]

The Mr Freeze boss fight was one of my favorite parts of Arkham City, as was Croc’s Lair in Asylum. But it’s a shame that you had to replay nearly the whole campaign to do those stages again since they take place late in both games. Although I guess they wouldn’t be as special if you could easily replay them.

[@amigomorton7654]

Makes me wonder how smart the Ai of the E.M.M.I.'s in Metroid Dread is going to be in comparison. The main reason it took so long for Dread to be realized is because of the struggle to get the AI right until Mercury Steam came along.

[@krimsonkatt]

Mercury Steam's lead game designer is actually the guy who made AM2R.

[@pokedude720]

@@krimsonkatt I don't see Milton Guasti in the credits though.

[@korhol2065]

This countdown reminds me of the nemesis system Nothing beats fighting a boss that actively learns your tactics and in real time no less

[@sergiomendoza251]

Fan of Shadow of Mordor/War detected

[@vampenga9277]

Mr. Freeze is such an awesome boss fight. When I first played through City I genuinely thought I'd softlocked myself because of using all the obvious moves first. Having to stealth around while analyzing the environment and thinking about what I hadn't tried yet was such an amazing and memorable experience. Thanks for another awesome list, Joker, and have a nice day!

[@cdesigner9178]

Coming back to this vid to give my thoughts on each boss: 10: I prefer Zant and his 180 degree turn in mood. (Ghirahim) 9: This thing and its cousins are why I'm too afraid to actually play Pikmin games. (Plasm Wraith) 8: I love this game, and am really happy Josh finally talked about it. (Taskmaster) 7: This game is really trippy. (Asmodeus) 6: Quite the dilemma Phoenix was in. (Matt Engarde) 5: I've got to start playing Persona games. It seems I'm missing out. (Shadow Naoto) 4: Ash couldn't beat the League for 20 years, but he beat these guys. (Frontier Brains) 3: Mr. Freeze's best design is his design from "The Batman" series. Don't at me. (Mr. Freeze) 2: Yet another game I need to play. (The End) 1: Let's face it, we ALL saw this one coming. (Xenomorph)

[@SchazmenRassir]

Man, taking down Engarde is still one of my most satisfying wins in video games. Freeze and Dr Zomboss are always fun, too.

[@MogMovies]

Want to put a word in for the first time you fight Ghirahim, where he waits for you to attack and then takes your sword. This list will be interesting.

[@sasir2013]

"Taking on the brains takes competitive thinking" *10 years old me getting 4 out of 7 without a single stat's rising move*

[@jaredcappel7160]

I love the battle frontier because it acts like many people’s first experience with having to strategize in pokemon. The game is much more complex than many think at first, with possibly several strategies for each pokemon

[@simonbriggs203]

Some of the captains in Middle Earth: Shadow of War would have qualified for the honourable mentions, but they're rather random and only really adapt if you spam a technique. And with the right buffs and enough practice, you could easily topple the toughest ones.

[@uniconwizardsb1122]

I was NOT ready for that ProZD reference but I ain’t complaining!

[@MrDaimeon]

Neither was I and I loved it

[@jaketaller8567]

King Dragon sends his regards. 🔫

[@MrMarinus18]

Often I actually find the second to last boss to be the hardest. The final boss of many games is often more concerned about spectacle and plot than Gameplay and is fairly easy. Usually the last 'regular' boss is the most technically difficult.

[@kylestubbs8867]

Counterpoint: Cynthia in _Diamond/Pearl._ Whether you consider Volkner or Lucian to be the “penultimate boss”…neither one truly gives you a proper scope of the final challenge.

[@BurningAzure]

#8; A SIGNIFICANTLY better portrayal than the MCU version.

[@KittyKatty999]

What's the MCU version again?

[@BurningAzure]

@@KittyKatty999 A discount gender swap of the Winter Soldier with the Taskmaster's name and abilities slapped on her.

[@KittyKatty999]

Wow. So the male version doesn't exist in the MCU?

[@krimsonkatt]

@@BurningAzure Fun fact, "Taskmaster" in the MCU was originally a obscure black widow villian called the "headmistress" who has the exact same backstory as the MCU taskmaster, but corperate decided to change her name to "taskmaster" and slightly changed her design and abilities early on for marketing purposes. In the first draft Taskmaster wasn't a part of the movie, it was headmistress.

[@krimsonkatt]

@@KittyKatty999 As of now, no. But the helmet that gave MCU taskmaster her powers still exists so it's possible the REAL taskmaster could appear sometime down the line, likely in the upcoming Hawkeye Disney+ show.

[@briancorvello3620]

25:00 Yeah, I read about that. It's kind of like the two AIs are playing a game of blind-man's bluff; when the xenomorph is moving towards Amanda, the first AI gives a "getting warmer" signal to the second, and if it's going the wrong way, it gives a "getting colder" signal"

[@AkaruiSora]

I am SUPER surprised that Sans didn't make it on this list. He already knows more than he lets on in a regular route, but when you fight him, it's a whole different story. It's more like he's attacking the player itself rather than Chara. Wearing you down until you're just too frustrated to continue, keeping tabs on how many times you've lost to him up to a certain point, and not to mention that he starts attacking the hud itself before you attack, making the act of even HEALING a bit of an issue. And, you know, his ultimate attack of doing nothing. If you didn't already know about that, it can really catch you off guard and make you think that you absolutely couldn't do anything...and even when he falls asleep, there's no clear indicator that 'Hey, you can move the battle box to fight now'. It's very mentally draining and well, it's all your fault this is happening so I guess you kinda deserve it.

[@Ori_Kohav]

I couldn't agree more. As much as I love the Metatton fight, I think Sans is much smarter.

[@ArcCaravan]

If I had to guess, the list seems to focus on needing to be smart instead of needing good reflexes.

[@Ori_Kohav]

@@ArcCaravan the Sans fight does require being smart. Specifically in memorizing his patterns. Seems more so than Metatton to me.

[@ArcCaravan]

@@Ori_Kohav Still requires reflexes more often than solving a puzzle.

[@Ori_Kohav]

@@ArcCaravan Fair enough, though Josh mentioned Metatton, whose fight also seems more reflex-based than puzzle-based.

[@mr.e9502]

From everything you’ve said about it, it’s easy to confuse Alien: Isolation for a Predator video game. Adapt. Survive. Overcome.

[@autobotstarscream765]

Overcome the Xenomorph to make the Predator proud and become a True Warrior! 😎

[@humanstandssans2484]

First off, awesome countdown, Josh! I love it! Second, about what your shadow would be? Eh, depends... are you keeping certain parts of yourself suppressed, hidden from the world? What parts of you are you afraid to let come out? That's the key with your shadow self. If you're open and honest about what you are, then your shadow doesn't... really have much reason to fight you, instead becoming your Persona. I'm simplifying this down because the real explanation goes into Feud stuff and... well, I think we can agree that's not exactly KZbin Friendly content.

[@ruthlessasmr6662]

"The entire dark souls series has been disqualified, due to taking up the entire list" No? None of that?

[@DM-Oz]

Not really ? The list id about bosses that adapt to the player, which i dont remember being the case with dark souls

[@Ori_Kohav]

13:15 - thanks for making Engarde’s defeat even more satisfying than it already was

[@WhiteFangofWar]

whosithisgit made a compelling case for the intelligence of Carbuncle, the bonus mascot boss of Puyo Pop Fever. He either perfectly predicts how to make enormous combos many moves ahead of time or generates whatever piece he needs to devastate you (which would be less impressive). Similar would be a 'hopeless' boss fight against Bowser in Tetris Attack you are never expected to win, as he's just too fast to keep up with in round 1, slowing down a bit for the final battle so you can actually win.

[@silverflight01]

They really went 110% on programming the Xenomorph for Alien Isolation

[@ModernAegis]

I get the feeling that Shadow Naoto's boss fight being so difficult is why she was broken as hell in Arena Ultimax.

[@amirgarcia547]

As someone who played and beat Pikmin 3 for the first time last year via the Switch port, the Plasm Wraith was legit TERRIFYING and one of the most stressful final bosses I’ve played in a Nintendo game. Being that you not only have to worry about the Wraith itself and the surrounding enemies, but about carrying Olimar as well since your goal is to escort him back to the ship. And not only does the Plasm Wraith constantly pursue you, but is *immortal* and constantly changes its physiology. So if you don’t have a good variety of Pikmin to toss at it, you’re pretty much screwed. So overall, I’m definitely glad you added it to the list.

[@eeveeforsmashbros2267]

I remember fighting Plasm Wraith and being impressed by how it had the player use everything they’ve learned up to that point, I really loved that.

[@superheavyxd2684]

I’m so glad to see the Xenomorph as number one! They programmed it PERFECTLY! Making it truly earn the title of the ultimate organism! So unpredictable sooooooo *TERRIFYING!!!!!* I streamed the game a while back and every time the Xenomorph was nearby I just tucked in my legs and just cried in a corner, just saying to myself “ don’t find me don’t find me DON’T FIND ME!”

[@SonicMegamanFan]

My personal honorable mention would be the A.I. Director from the Left 4 Dead games. The fact that the entire game itself is constantly observing you and your friends playing to determine how to change the placement of items and enemies you encounter on maps is just amazing. Not to mention how it handles throwing the zombie horde at you is always a different experience, such a wonderful treat.

[@KittyKatty999]

Shadow Josh would LOVE Puns, hate girly stuff, and would rate every game "7.8/10. Not enough water"

[@Marcelelias11]

So Shadow Josh would just be an IGN reviewer? *shudders*

[@KittyKatty999]

@@Marcelelias11 It's one possibilty. Probably something much deeper, that only he knows about himself.

[@ArcCaravan]

Sounds more like anti-Josh.

[@zylerjam6497]

That Scrooge McDuck reference that you made was brilliant

[@jeremydavidson1420]

josh this is proof that we need more bosses like this and thank you for this well informed list keep up the good work

[@lordnul1708]

One interesting detail about the Xenomorph... If you have a headset plugged in, the alien can find you using sounds picked up by the headset.

[@thedLKRaven]

Damn seeing Joshscorcher in my recommended feed is like a punch of nostalgia from 9 years ago. Glad to see he's still making vids

[@Wolfs0n]

The thing about Taskmaster though, he's only immune to what moves and gadgets you've used in his challenges. I've tested it myself in several playthroughs, if there are any moves you haven't used in his challenges they will surprise him. But that includes your first fight with him too, if you waste any of the moves you've been saving to surprise him in his initial fight. He will turn them on you next fight, he literally gets harder to fight the better you play. (Also Spider-Man 2 did the counter combat before Arkham fight me)

[@beyblader5099]

2:00 "That's the best part, you don't." - Omniman from Invincible.

[@Ori_Kohav]

Also, the fight with Ellie in tlou2 is a clever one, since in this one, you can't just go straight up brawling like most other fights in the game. You can't use guns either, since Abby gets disarmed off the bat. You have to be stealthy and creative. Later on, you also have to throw something to stagger Ellie. Also, not sure if it's difficulty exclusive, but last time I faced that fight, on grounded mode, Ellie planted explosive traps. I don't consider this the hardest fight in the game (that honor goes to the rat king), but I like how it makes you think, and requires caution.

[@boxtank5288]

Even if we would prefer Ellie be the decisive victor because Abby is a horrible person.

[@Ori_Kohav]

Subjective. Depends on the perspective. I found Ellie's actions to be much more selfish and disgusting.

[@boxtank5288]

@@Ori_Kohav At the same time though, alot of what's wrong with this game comes down to an ultimately shallow attempt to make Ellie seem like a gigantic monster when what she is doing is SURVIVAL and Revenge. Let's not forget her targets might as well have signs on em that say 'Kill me! I'm an evil bitch/bastard/whore who willingly spits on people's names because my fee-fees got hurt' and yet we're supposed to go with the narrative that ELLIE is the monster...Bullshit. if your father/father figure was killed before your eyes, wouldn't you want to exact a very bloody revenge? The narrative completely ignores that Human Nature is as Human Nature does and wants you to do the same (while the first game had a masterfully crafted story that didn't forget the existence of Human Nature).

[@Ori_Kohav]

@@boxtank5288 Again, subjective. Especially considering Joel's actions that led to this, and how far Ellie went, to a point of Dina leaving her, and even Jesse looking disgusted.

[@boxtank5288]

@@Ori_Kohav Joel definitely did horrible things too BUT you can actually understand that from the start, consider what headspace he was in when he was given that job...Now consider the fact that Ellie had essentially become his adoptive daughter, well...What parent wouldn't kill for their child? What he did damned Humanity though some would argue we've had our chance. Joel should have died a different way (for Payback is a VINDICTIVE bitch) but the fact that Abbey is for all intents and purposes the fucking worst character (A She-Hulk who seems to have entirely fallen into the Black and White Fallicy and has all the sympathetic elements of rat shit on the side of the road) leads me to desire her very horrid demise. Now if she actually gave a shit and felt CONFLICTED prior to the murder of Joel, and even after felt like absolute shit? (Because she never saw her father die, Ellie was forced to watch Joel's horrible death) then you'd have something to actually be on her side for.

[@NotLordAsshat]

Pikmin 2's roller wraith thing was genuinely nightmare fuel, I remember being absolutely terrified of trying to complete that dungeon

[@killdozer7792]

Xenomorph from Isolation: Predicting your every move, learning from previous escape attempts and, just sometimes, maliciously toying with you. Xenomorph from Colonial Marines: Stuck in a wall.

[@theenderengineer1943]

Nice use of that clip from Tremors. And I like the idea of smart bosses. Really keeps you on your toes.

[@DocDrowsy]

This was a really neat video dude, great stuff!

[@BingFox]

I always liked the final Mizar fight in Jet Force Gemini for the N64. All the other bosses had set patterns but Mizar mixed it up, you never knew what attack was next.

[@Springtime562]

4:36 a common theory is the plasma wraith is the water wraith and goolixs mother 5:40 or use 100 rocks because they can't be eaten by her 22:12 that little exploit involving time? 23:19 I just stocked up on mtt-brand healing items and used gleer and violence bonuses to win that pacifist fight. It took over 1kg.... 999 for temmie armor and the rest on Mtt-brand healing items

[@scudjoples]

I watched josh (and top ten videos in general) a ton when I was like 13 and I haven’t in a long time, I got recommended this and i saw HAG 1 during the introductory part and was brought back in time

[@JusticeOutlaw]

1. Taskmaster his copy cat and interesting 2. Shadow Naoto she is half machines and terrified on the battlefield 3. Mr.Freezes a man in cold suit with a ice gun , learns his mistakes and will kill Batman for not his wife 4. Zexion a nerd with book and do some magic tricks including can suck anyone in his book

[@AniyuShadowraven]

Awesome list, though I’m sort of curious about something that could’ve been an honorable mention: the three Chosen from XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. During missions, it did feel like they tend to adapt to your strategies to make beating them, completing your mission objective, and having your whole squad survive legitimately (without save scumming, which yes, I am guilty of when I get attached/pissed off) very hard. Out of missions, the ways they can hinder your efforts can be pretty smart and brutal, especially if more than one is active at a time. At the same time, I know RNG does play a significant part in the XCOM games and how it can screw you over, rather than AI. Which is why I’m curious if these could’ve counted as an honorable mention or not.

[@ericb3157]

#4 i recently read some "pokemon adventures" Manga where a new trainer known as "emerald" takes on the Frontier Brains WHILE also dealing with a mystery villain who is trying to catch a Legendary pokemon. LITERALLY both at once when he takes on the "your Pokemon fight on their own" challenge!

[@zerwardzelaiine7622]

Interestingly enough about Shadow Naoto; the shadow is a representation of the reverse Wheel of Fortune arcana, which means to make things go from 'bad' to 'worse'. This concept is so engraved about this shadow is the A.I follows that, which is why she targets weaknesses ( in Naka and Ogre's playthrough it liked targeting Yukiko )

[@AntiVillain26845]

"Welp, that's it! Time to burn the house down!" - joshscorcher, 2021

[@mvpuppy5396]

I never beat The End. Back then I spent an entire weekend trying and failing to beat him over and over and over and over, then I gave up and never touched the game again. Yes I am aware that you can have him defeat himself, but I refused to rely on such a cheap copout to get past him.

[@yutuberocks22]

I was about to say that you can probably start the game up now and he'll be beaten lol

[@brandonmcdaniel5447]

A new upload on my birthday?! Thank you Josh!

[@AtomBacon]

I remember getting rekt by a mini boss in Royal. Enemies in that game normally just use whatever attack us strongest, or maybe use different criteria to judge move choice. But this one ALWAYS used attacks in a set sequence, and when I figured out the sequence and used it against the boss I felt so satisfied.

[@flamegamingx4717]

wow and I beat alien recently, how fitting! Honestly I hated the synthetics way more than the alien, especially the hazmat ones.

[@xyborg3252]

2:22 "How do I use the Beetle against a boss?" "That's the neat part, you don't"

[@smartboy201]

Special note: Matt Engarde is the only one who has an _optional_ dialogue tree for picking the wrong item during a "Psyche-Lock Scene". Like, they _never_ gave another character that. If, when you're meant to show him De Killer's Card, you show him the _tabloid,_ he'll mock you, but you _won't actually take damage,_ and will get another chance to present the card.

[@supersonicheroes]

“Time to burn the house down!” What good would that do? It can’t die, remember? It would be a waste of a perfectly good home. Great list as always though.

[@knight123x4]

15:58 Shadow Josh: Admit it, you like the Demyx boss fight! You like it's mechanics, the time limit! You enjoy the rush of it! Joshscorcher: NO, YOU'RE NOT ME! YOU COULD NEVER BE ME!

[@shelbybayer200]

The thing about the Magatama It has to be the Proper Question asked to the person for instance. "Did you have any involvement, in the murder ?" Rather than "Did you kill them ?" You have to be Blunt to trigger the locks

[@BigHailFan]

Plasma Wraith is one of the easiest Pikmin bosses btw. Rock pikmin are immune to all of its physical attacks and its glass attack. Avoid the fire, water, and electric ones, and it's a chump.

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

By the time it got to No 1, it was making me question whether this was the result of genius game design or nigh-unfair game design. After all, it is a game that has achieved what almost any other game has never done: Created an A.I. that can full-on improvise

[@hopefullgameing1703]

Another good mention is the adventurer and companion from bravely second, they quite literally force's you to defeat BOTH of them at the same time or the battle goes on for a LONG time

[@Vegeta241]

Awesome video Josh! Looking forward to the next list, especially if it be monster theme! Also, I have a good Pokemon idea for your fiery secretary: Top Elite Fours in Pokemon. But, the twist being that the Champion of each Elite Four DOESN'T contribute to their ranking; the members of the Elite Four must stand on their own merits. (For example, Sinnoh's Elite Four I find to be kind of bleh. Yes, there is Cynthia at the end, but without her in the picture, I really only remember two of the Elite Four members.)

[@DakkaScrappa]

i know dr.zomboss is honorable but lets not to mention that he traveled in different eras although his spider zombots mostly have same attack pattern but as soon he dropped the spiderbot to a more animal looking zombot. he's starting to learn his mistake and easily upped the difficulty mostly the stage smasher.

[@sanddry738]

I honestly love the entire work with Number 1. The AI is so fascinating to learn about and makes it so terrifying

[@bigbadmodernwolf6078]

I had a feeling Ghirahim was gonna be on this but I wasn't expecting him to be the first one on the list

[@bacht4799]

18:25 a Glove and Boots reference.. oh boy nice work indeed 😊

[@lilharm]

Adam from NieR Automata, while not directly learning your style, he slowly evolves himself to block you abilities, starting from blocking your attacks, to sending pulses that destroy your projectiles and send you flying, to teleporting out of the way of all projectiles…

[@blackblade1373]

Video games really need more smart bosses, especially the classic pixel style ones. I'd love to play a metroidvania where you have to outsmart each boss. Great video Josh! Also, can Ari do more videos please? Hers were also fun, and I'd like to see more if she's feeling up to it.

[@Xyrusama]

I just noticed. When Batman beats Freeze's head, it changes into the joker's head. Was that in the game all along? you can see it at 20:52

[@joshrose8753]

... The comparison of Demyx being like your shadow self makes complete sense. You're a musician, you hate the water element, but the question is, what is all that you negate about YOURSELF?

[@captainseg]

First time fighting the Plasm Wraith, it was a scary game of avoiding the creature while opening more paths for the team to save Olimar. Then the real fight was scary and to make matters worse, for me keeping the captains safe was more difficult than keeping the Pikmin safe to fight the Plasm Wraith.

[@braverydoesstuff4063]

Did not expect number one… But I love it!

[@aspie_gamer2584]

first time i've watched in over 6 months (I think) and I realized how good these videos were.

[@thesupershinymegagengar2034]

I'd say the final phase of Star Dream Soul Operating System deserves an honorable mention. Now, when you're playing a Kirby game, and a boss readies an attack, what is normally your first action? You hover to the top of the screen, right? Not the case with Star Dream Soul OS.... He launches an energy wave (which instantly kills you, by the way) at the top of the screen. Okay, minor setback. Still, can't risk being a target on the ground either, right? Nope, again... Star Dream Soul OS will then launch an energy wave in the middle, because he knew you wouldn't just stay on the ground or fall for the same trick twice in a row. Now I'm willing to bet that your final thoughts will either be "Alright, that's it! I'm staying on the ground this time! I'm not falling for the same trick thrice!" or "Nah, I'm still avoiding the ground like a plague. Star Dream Soul OS can't just use the same ceiling trick twice....right?" No matter which option you choose, it'll all be in vain once again. Because Star Dream Soul OS will shoot waves in BOTH directions! In short, Star Dream Soul OS KNOWS what action you'll be taking next! It's as if the berserk computer system is outright saying "You're so predictable..."! If that ain't smart, I don't know what is.

[@lnsflare1]

Wind Waker Ganondorf's various phases revolve around him having figured out your trucks and actively defending against them, eventually resulting in Tetra Zelda having to fire a Light Arrow at Link so that Link can reflect it at Ganondorf.

[@GeneralForeseerPendragon]

I love the Reaper Leviathan scream at the end XD

[@munchrai6396]

I'm pretty torn on the inclusion of the Battle Frontier because yes the EV train their Pokemon and some of the gimmicks can be quite difficult; there AI is surprisingly predictable and their set team layouts allow you to prepare for them ahead of time. This makes it easy to beat them even without EV training by just using Wobbuffet and a wish passer to keep its health. Maybe a legal legendary for good measure as well. On the flip side, you have the Battle Tree, a battle facility that not only has the largest pool of Pokemon options in the series, but often times counter picks you with Pokemon that feel made to deconstruct your current strategy

[@Hilversumborn]

I love the quote from Scrooge McDuck.

[@jeromelancashire3278]

17:16 JOSH IS A WRESTLING FAN!

[@DwarfDaddy]

The bump in between should be the New 52 Freeze where Nora isn’t even his wife. Say what you want about Arnie Freeze but he still kept true to the character’s love for his wife

[@l0ker507]

Your description of the Alien Isolation makes me want to play it, but then I remember how as a child I was frightened of a miniboss from a game rated E.

[@bearberserker]

Interesting boss concept; I often wonder about the adaptability of characters within the story of games that integrate into gameplay.

[@lupenngrimpaw936]

Well. 1. You made Alien Isolation even more terrifying than it was before. 2. Now I want to play it again.

[@Arexion5293]

A few more: Stephen - Shin Megami Tensei IV: Final/Apocalypse Satan's Solar Data - Digital Devil Saga 2 Owl, The Great Shinobi - Sekiro The Master - Fallout

[@Nuinwing]

The End has a cheese strat that I have not heard many mention. In the same area that has the safe shack where you can do the old age trick, there is a one specific branch of a specific tree that if you climb on it the End will always come to a specific spot to take a shot at you and all you have to do is shoot him before he takes his shot and this is easy as he will always come to the same spot. After taking the shot just jump down, run around a little to make sure he has gone into hiding and then get back on the branch and wait for him.