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It is the villain that defines the hero.
Seems like a line right out of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight movies…something that you’d expect our favorite butler Alfred to solemnly say to Batman.
But isn’t that true? Have you wondered why in almost any movie, novel or video game, it seems like the villain is just a tiny step away from being the center of the story?
That’s the power of a villain. He is the one who defines the story, who sets the plot, who becomes the reason you are there as a hero.
And today we talk about a game that is filled to the brim with such baddies – Kingdom Hearts 3. I’m ranking the 10 hardest bosses in this game and showing just how powerful these villains can be.
10. Angelic Amber
Let’s start off with something that’ll make you take a nosedive under the sheets and curl up like a baby.
This boss seems to work right out of the Annabelle movies – Angelic Amber.
A stiff, animated, freaky doll that seems to be possessed as she wreaks havoc across the Toy room where you get to face her.
Just one look at her glowing yellow eyes and you know that she’ll rip your soul out and try to possess you.
Angelic Amber’s attacks are irregular and sudden.
However there are attack patterns that’ll eventually emerge, like her hurtling across the room towards you. That’ when you can use team attacks to get her.
Especially the team attack rocket. It not only does good damage, but also gives you temporary invincibility that helps you recover health.
9. Davey Jones
A big baddie from the deep sea.
Davey Jones may not be that intimidating or scary, but he is still not an easy boss to beat.
With tricks that are as slimy has his tentacle-ly beard, you need to be on your toes to ‘sink his ship’.
Davey Jones is more of a ‘chip your health till you are dead’ kinda boss as he melts into the floor to eat away at your precious health bar. To defeat him the strategy is pretty straight forward…mash that X button like there is no tomorrow!
8. Lump of Horrors
This is the monster you use to scare kids into washing their hands regularly.
A slimy disgusting…thing, that just keeps coming at you relentlessly.
Here the button mashing might not be the best thing to do.
To take down this king of slime you need to put up your best defense game. Initially the damage may seem minimal, but you’ll have to wait until he gets to the center of the stage and change form.
That’s when he spawns several ghoul arms around the stage and turns into this Halloween like slime monster. He is most vulnerable at this time so put your thumb to that X button and beat the hell out of this guy until he goes down.
7. Anti-Aqua
Oh this is gonna be bad.
A friend who was forced into the dark, waiting and waiting to be rescued.
Anyone would be mad if they had to spend an eternity in hell, with any hope of rescue fading away with each passing day.
And that’s what made our loveable, gentle Aqua into Anti-Aqua – a dark, sinister, angry bit…boss.
Well anyways in order to rescue her from darkness you’ll need to beat the f out of her.
Weird, but true. Well timed attacks and blocks are a staple for this fight.
6. Sköll
Now this in my opinion is the coolest boss of them all.
A half ice-wolf, half dragon kinda monster with sharp fangs and claws. And those cool glowing eyes.
He darts around the stage with charge attacks and later on summons a huge orb of dark matter.
Mini-versions of him rain down from the orb which you can patiently take out, until it is time to turn for your to unleash your light and turn the dark orb, ending Skulls crazy rampage.
Overall a very cool fight with a very cool looking boss. Still a tricky one to beat but worth the effort.
5. Lightening Angler
Another boss that looks cool and fights hard.
It looks like a crazy mechanical evil bot constructed in some evil villain’s underwater lair. Spikey and scaly with a menacing saw blade for a tail.
Plus, as you might expect, this fight takes place underwater.
Therefore the dynamics of the game change a lot for this battle.
Movement is slower and you’ll have to really pace your attacks in order to break the combo midway to defends or escape.
An interesting departure from the crazy button mashing that mostly dominates the world of KH3.
4. Demon Tower
Remember the movie Pitch Black (2000)? Yeah…hard to remember Vin Diesel doing anything else in life apart from Fast & Furious.
Anyways…remember the vicious, bat-like aliens in that movie?
Now imagine thousands of them flowing in a wave-like formation towards you. That’s how I’d describe the Demon Tower to someone who doesn’t know Kingdom Hearts.
This boss is a collection of thousands of crazy heartless creatures with glowing yellow eyes.
They have a soft, egg-like thing in the center which obviously is the weak point.
The play here is simple: smash the hell out of these demons and get to the soft core. But be careful, hit enough times and their eyes go from yellow to red. That’s when you need to stop the X button mashing and focus on your defense.
You’ll get to meet this boss more than a couple times during the game so it’ll be easier to put down as you’ll know exactly what to do.
3. Saïx
Saïx makes a return from Kingdom Hearts 2 and he’s just as hard in this game.
A member of Organization XIII and Xemnas’s right hand man.
During the pre-fight dialogue you’d be like: Hmm… this guys seems pretty chill. Until he unleashes true rage upon you when he starts fighting.
Arguably one of the most difficult bosses of the game, you need to be extremely careful when fighting Saïx.
Because when he goes berserk there is no stopping him from chewing you up and spitting you out. So be patient, let him wear out, and then go to town on him. And do be careful since he can take you out with just a single combo.
2. Xehanort (Young/Armored)
The veterans of Kingdom Hearts games know that Xehanort is the most difficult boss in the previous games(especially as the secret boss in KH1).
He will make you question your existence. He will make you quit. He might even cost you your console, if you give in to the anger and rage and fling it out the window.
And here in Kingdom Hearts 3, we fight not one, not two, but three different versions of him…together.
But it’s not as crazy as you’d expect. All 3 versions are pretty easy to beat. Well, “easy”.
Bring you button mashing game here as well and you’ll do fine.
However when it comes to the other other version of Xehanort – the Armored Xehanort, things are a bit different.
First of all, this guy looks satanic. One look at him and you’d be like; Oh man, this guy has surely made a deal with the devil.
Black armored robe, ram horns, the works. And the fight happens in mid-air AND underwater where crazy dynamics come into play. Have fun with this one.
1. Dark Inferno
The hardest boss in Kingdom Hearts 3…is optional. Well at least hidden.
He was added post-launch and you’ll need to look for the Battle Portal 14 after you beat the game.
Dark Inferno causes high physical damage and to survive his rage you’ll really need to up Sora’s defensive armor.
The wheel of fate can play a good role here.
More range, more combos.
Not much is known about this dark devilish entity in terms of his back-story or character. And as for his fighting style, with his dual swords and energy healing he is relentless in his strikes and is only vulnerable after he executes an attack combo. So timing is your best friend here.
The fight takes place in three phases. The first phase is the introduction.
The second phase begins where his swords turn purple. It is not absolutely essential for you to counter his side flying attack. But stay on guard here.
The third and final phase is when the swords turn red. If you try button mashing like any other boss fight in KH3 you’ll be at 1HP in a jiffy.
A good trick here could be to use shot-lock and soften him from a distance and then go in for combos.
There are many strategies to use against Dark Inferno but one thing remains true: he’s a toughie.
