Summary
Inviting as it may seem, theKingdom Heartsseries is home to a surprising number of challenges. Finding hard-to-reach collectibles, solving complex puzzles, and completing certain mini-games can be hard, but where the series really shines in terms of difficulty is in its boss fights.
Not all bosses inKingdom Heartsare hard to beat, but those that are tend to leave lasting impressions on gamers who attempt to take them down and struggle to succeed. Some of thehardest bosses in theKingdom Heartsseriesmake use of unexpected abilities, while others are simply designed to cause trouble in any way they can. For those looking to reallytest their Keyblade-wielding skills, they need look no further than these incredibly hard boss battles.
Upon encountering Vanitas Remnant for the first time inKingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, many players were likely relieved to see how little HP he had. Sadly, this sense of relief likely faded after gamers landed a few hits; Vanitas Remnant has very high defense, and though he only has one bar of health, fully depleting it can take a serious amount of time and effort.
Encountered by interacting with the portal inthe Keyblade Graveyard’s Badlands area, Vanitas proves to be one of the most difficult challengesBirth by Sleephas to offer. He’s quick, has access to a plethora of hard-to-predict moves, and he can even inflict the player’s character with some debilitating status effects, with Confuse being especially hard to deal with. Dodging is essential for those hoping to survive this encounter, but doing so isn’t always easy, especially for those using Terra. To further complicate things, Vanitas Remnant will also copy the player if they use a spell to heal themselves, restoring a significant portion of his HP. Thankfully, there are a few ways to make the fight somewhat easier. For those hoping to avoid getting too close to Vanitas Remnant, the Mine Shield and Mine Square magic commands can be used to briefly stagger him and dish out some damage.
Introduced inKingdom Hearts Final Mix, Unknown served as a subtle sign of what was to come regarding the future of the series' combat. The fight itself functions somewhat similarly to the final battle against Xemnas inKingdom Hearts 2, but what makes it especially challenging here is that Sora does not have access tohisKH2abilities. It’s a fast-paced fight, and not being able to rely on the fluid movement abilities Sora unlocks later in the series can prove to be a real downside.
This elusive figure can be fought by traveling through a portal in Hollow Bastion’s Castle Chapel, but emerging victorious is much easier said than done. This is largely due to Unknown’s intimidating projectile-based attacks and how easily he can lock Sora into a combo thanks to his lightning-quick Ethereal Blade slashes. Though it isn’t overly difficult to learn this foe’s patterns, things can become quite challenging during the second phase of the battle due to the Unknown’s roulette-based attack. If the animation for this move goes uninterrupted, Sora’s commands will become locked, and the commands will rapidly change between “Shock” and “Release.” Selecting “Release” will return Sora’s commands to what they once were, but failing to do so will cause him to lose health. On top of that, Sora’s health will continuously drain while his commands are locked, resulting in a game-over if players don’t select “Release” fast enough.
Introduced inKingdom Hearts 2Final Mix, the Lingering Will is arguably the most challenging boss players can face in the game. Found by traveling through a mysterious portal inthe Hall of the Cornerstone, this foe essentially serves as the final hurdle gamers must jump through if they wish to consider themselves true experts in Keyblade combat.
The Lingering Will has access to a plethora of devastating attacks that can quickly leave players at low health. He’s also very unpredictable and can regain his composure quite suddenly if Sora happens to hit his revenge value mid-combo. It’s not essential, but fully maxing Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, and Glide can be a huge help during some of the Lingering Will’s more chaotic attacks, as these abilities will enhance Sora’s movement and allow him to retreat to a safe distance when the need arises. Though the Lingering Will can be a real pain to deal with, he can also be cheesed quite easily. To do this, players must equipthe Fenrir Keyblade, unequip any Air Combo Plus abilities, equip Negative Combo, and repeatedly strike the boss with Aerial Finishers. If not for this exploit, the Lingering Will could have been the second hardest boss inKingdom Hearts.
2Mysterious Figure
A Hectic Encounter In Which Dodging And Surging Is Key To Survival
The Mysterious Figure is easily the toughest boss players can encounter while playingKingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Upon defeating Vanitas Remnant, this enemy becomes available to fight in The Land of Departure, and those hoping to experienceeverything the game has to offerwill need to defeat him three times, once with each playable character.
The battle against the Mysterious Figure is incredibly hectic, and players won’t have much time to relax once the fight begins. Continuously dodging is key to surviving this foe’s array of chaotic attacks, but those playing as Terra will have a much harder time because of how unreliable his evasive maneuvers are. To further add to the chaos, the Mysterious Figure can also relieve players of all the abilities in their Command Deck, scattering them all over the arena and forcing gamers to manually collect them. It’s a truly frantic fight for those who go in unprepared, but it can be made somewhat easier if players fill their Command Deck with Thunder Surges and Curagas.
Upon survivingKingdom Hearts 3’s Data Battles in theRe MindDLC, players will gain access to the Secret Episode, in which they will face what is arguably the hardest boss in the entireKingdom Heartsseries. Yozora quickly proves himself to be a cut above every boss Sora has faced thus far, having access to a vast range of hard-to-anticipate moves and abilities. Because of the amount of tricks up his sleeve, learning his patterns can prove to be especially challenging, and failing to block or dodge certain attacks can leave Sora in tremendous danger.
On top of hitting ridiculously hard, Yozora also enjoys playing with his food. During the first phase of the fight, he cansteal Sora’s Keybladeand leave him open to a barrage of hard-to-dodge attacks. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he can also steal whatever items Sora has equipped if players happen to get caught in his laser beam move. If Sora gets hit with this attack while having a Kupo Coin in his inventory, Yozora will use said item to revive himself once his HP has been fully depleted, forcing players to keep fighting him. The Ariel summon can be a huge help for those who want to dish out some damage and take a breather at the same time, but it in no way guarantees victory. Players will really need to give their all to take Yozora down, making him thehardest boss in theKingdom Heartsseries.
