Summary

• Zelda boss fights evolved when the series went from 2D to 3D, making them more interesting and intricate over time.
• Not all Zelda bosses are memorable, but some, like Zant and Gohma, leave a lasting impression.
• Challenging boss battles like Twinrova and Dark Link enhance Link's journey, making it a greater experience.

The Legend of Zelda includes multiple bosses in every game that often give Link access to an item or ability that he needs in order to continue his journey. Once Zelda shifted from 2D games to 3D games, boss fights became more interesting and intricate as the mechanics evolved due to the new possibilities that 3D formats provide. The result is each game has bosses who are memorable not only for their fights, but their stories, aesthetic, and even the dungeons that lead to them.

Not every boss is created equal, and there are plenty of bosses in Zelda games that don't leave a strong impression. However, there are also bosses who remain memorable even decades after they first appeared in a game. These are boss fights that are difficult to forget, and defeating them tends to make Link’s journey a greater experience.

10 Fighting Zant For Midna's Throne

Zant is one of the main antagonists in Twilight Princess, having formed a mutually beneficial partnership with Ganondorf. This allowed him to steal Midna’s throne and force her to seek help from Link to save both her own world and Hyrule. Because of this, it's no surprise that Zant is mentioned and seen multiple times before his boss fight, building up his character and the story of his past that led to him being a villain.

However, Zant’s fight isn't just memorable because he's a unique villain who used Ganondorf’s help to take over a different realm. He's built up throughout the game as a serious threat, especially since he's the reason that Midna has limited abilities and needs Link's help to reclaim her throne. But instead of an epic fight, Zant’s combat style is rather silly to witness, and it's so unexpected that it's difficult to forget.

9 Gohma Punishes Link For Not Looking Up

Gohma in both Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker forces Link to keep an eye on the ceiling, which can be tough since not a lot of mechanics require looking up. The variation of Gohma in Ocarina of Time is particularly memorable, because it's the boss inside the Great Deku Tree, which is infected by evil at that point. When Link walks into the boss's room, it's eerie, but also empty. At least, that's how it seems until he looks up to find Gohma on the ceiling.

Then, another Gohma appears as a boss in Wind Waker inside Dragon Roost Cavern. This time, the ceiling plays a different role in the fight, and Link needs to use it to defeat Gohma. The boss's room itself doesn't always play the role of a weapon, but in this case, it's used by Link to crush Gohma in a fun and memorable fight.

8 Twinrova Requires Timing & Proper Positioning

Twinrova in Ocarina of Time is difficult for Link to get close to when she's flying around the boss room and using magic against him. Since Link receives the Mirror Shield earlier in the game, he's able to make good use of it in this fight. Although it's not clear during the first time Link completes his journey in Ocarina of Time, the mechanic used by Twinrova is good practice for the fight against Ganondorf later.

During the fight, Link needs to use his Mirror Shield to reflect Twinrova's magic back at her. It's important to not only properly time when Link uses the shield for reflecting, but to also position Link so that he can hit Twinrova with the reflected magic. Fighting two enemies that turn into one and having to deal with the disadvantage of Link not having a lot of ranged attack options makes the Twinrova boss battle a fun challenge.

7 Link Masters The Spinner Against Stallord

Stallord is a fossil in the Arbiter's Grounds from Twilight Princess that's simply in the sand of the boss room. However, when Link arrives in this massive room, Zant decides that this fossil should have a second chance at living for the sake of stopping Link from being an obstacle to Zant's and Ganondorf's plans, so he reanimates this massive creature and leaves Link to fight it.

Link rarely needs to rely on items that are essentially vehicles to take the place of his normal weapon arsenal, but that ends up being the case against Stallord. Using the Spinner and the tracks that cover the walls of this room, Link has to dodge the Stallord's attacks while working to position himself in a way to hit its spine, which eventually breaks it apart and defeats it. As the fight progresses, Link needs to start dodging obstacles on the tracks. Altogether, the mechanics are unique compared to a lot of bosses, and it ends up being the perfect mix of fun and challenging.

6 Link Becomes His Own Enemy As Dark Link

Dark Link is a mini-boss rather than a full boss in Ocarina of Time, but the fight is unexpected and difficult. Link fighting against a darker version of himself isn't part of the usual line up of bosses he faces in the games, and it becomes even more difficult when the AI for Dark Link uses the same abilities as Link himself. Ocarina of Time has a lot of memorable fights, but Dark Link might take the top spot among them.

The design of the boss room for Dark Link in Ocarina of Time is also rather interesting. Link essentially steps into a room filled with reflecting pools as he's forced to face his own dark reflection to prepare for his later fight against Ganondorf. Dark Link appears as an enemy many more times in the franchise, but none of those appearances is as memorable as the one in Ocarina of Time.

5 Link Becomes A Weapon Against Colgera

The boss of Tears of the Kingdom's Wind Temple, Colgera, appears in a cold and windy boss arena that forces Link to use the airflow to his advantage. It's not a mechanic that usually appears in Zelda games, since it relies on Link's paraglider and diving abilities. To damage Colgera, Link has to hit the large circles on its body. However, diving through those circles is a lot more effective than trying to use weapons.

Timing and positioning make the fight against Colgera difficult, but diving into the boss to deal damage is a lot of fun. It's also a great option because it's easy to burn through arrows if Link tries to use more traditional methods during the fight. So, being able to use himself as a weapon, there's no way to end up running out of options to fight Colgera and end up needing to leave, stock up, and try again later.

4 Man Faces Machine As Link Faces Koloktos

Koloktos is in the Ancient Cistern in Skyward Sword. When Link enters the boss room, Ghirahim is, of course, waiting there for him. Using corrupted magic, Ghirahim fills Koloktos with energy to reanimate him, which kicks off the boss fight. From here, Link needs to use the Whip to pull off Koloktos' many arms and damage him. After dealing enough damage, Koloktos reveals his legs and starts chasing Link around the room.

While the fight itself is interesting, the boss design, dungeon theme, and small details are what make it truly memorable. Ancient Cistern contains a lot of references to Buddhism, and Koloktos greatly resembles Asura. The themes are fitting, given the ideas of enlightenment that are prevalent in Buddhism, and Link and Zelda could be considered to be seeking their own forms of enlightenment as they work to gain the strength needed to fulfill the roles required of them.

3 Ghirahim Attempts To Resurrect Demise With Zelda

Ghirahim is a continuous threat in Skyward Sword. He's annoying and persistent, but those traits certainly make him a memorable boss. Link doesn't fight him directly until rather late into the game, but he encounters him several times, working to prevent him from capturing Zelda on a couple occasions by buying Impa enough time to get Zelda to a safe location.

Later, it's revealed that Ghirahim isn't a normal servant of Demise, set on reviving his master, and this adds to his memorability. He's basically the opposite of Fi, being the spirit of Demise's sword, similar to how Fi is the spirit of the Master Sword. Not every game features an enemy that serves the main boss as a recurring character that keeps popping up to try and complete his plans, but it adds a lot more to that character instead of presenting new enemies at the end of each dungeon, especially as the recurring enemy grows increasingly frustrated with Link.

2 Evil Takes Form As Majora

The design of Majora's Mask in Majora's Mask alone is enough to make it memorable, especially with its haunting eyes. But the history of the mask is also interesting, just like the mystery of how it was formed and why the Happy Mask Salesman had it in his possession. Although the mask is in the possession of Skull Kid at the start of the game, the salesman is clearly upset that he lost this item to a child. Whether it's because the mask has a hold on him, or because he understands the danger it can cause in the wrong hands, is unclear.

Majora is the final boss of the game, after Link frees Skull Kid from it. But in order to defeat it, Link has to get the Fierce Deity Mask first. In the end, Majora is still an evil entity that was sealed inside the mask, and it was allegedly used as part of ancient rituals. However, a lot of questions about Majora and the mask never receive an answer, and that simply adds to its memorability.

1 The Many Variations Of Ganondorf Have Their Own Strengths

shows how much devastation Ganondorf can cause when left unchecked.

The fights against him also evolve and include different mechanics from game to game. Twilight Princess includes a phase that forces Link to fight against Zelda as she's used as a puppet. Meanwhile, the Ganondorf fight in Tears of the Kingdom includes a lot of phases, one of which features him as a dragon, and it's more cinematic than usual. Each form of Ganondorf brings its own memorable qualities to the game.

There are a lot of features in Zelda games that result in incredible journeys. Link meets a lot of NPCs who help him, he always has clear goals, and he fights a bunch of enemies for the sake of Hyrule. Naturally, there's no shortage of memorable bosses to be found in The Legend of Zelda.